Lanong castigates WKH DC for not taking any preventive measure
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has dispatched two geologists and other officials from the Mining Department to investigate the mysterious death of thousand of fishes in the Kynshi and Rilang rivers in West Khasi Hills.
Informing this here on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Incharge of Mining and Geology BM Lanong said the team has been directed to submit its report at the earliest.
It may be mentioned that a section of the vernacular media had reported on Saturday that a large number of fishes had died in Ranikor area.
The mysterious death of fishes is reported to have had an adverse impact on the health of the local people as several villagers of Ranikor area have been reportedly suffering from dysentery after consuming dead fishes.
He said the findings of the team would be submitted to the department and a preliminary report is expected to be out by Tuesday night or Wednesday.
When asked on the preventive measures being taken by the government, Lanong shifted responsibility on the West Khasi Hills administration saying, “The Deputy Commissioner should not have waited for directions; he should have done something by himself.”
Meanwhile, local residents have claimed that the fishes have died due to exploration of uranium ore and also due to unscientific mining of coal in the area.
“We have sent our men to check whether such claims have any truth in them,” Lanong said.
While stating that this matter is not only the concern of the Mining and Geology Department, Lanong said several departments — fisheries, mining and geology and health – are connected with this issue.
Lanong also informed that he had requested the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) to investigate the matter and urged it send its reports as soon as possible. Meanwhile, when contacted, Deputy Commissioner of West Khasi Hills S Kharlyngdoh informed that the district administration had sent some officers to investigate the matter on Saturday and the report is awaited. However, local residents have claimed no the district administration officials visited the spot. “The matter has been taken up seriously and doctors have been posted at the spot”, Kharlyngdoh said. The DC said that samples of the water and dead fishes had been collected and submitted to various labs and reports are expected very soon.