Editor,
This is to express my gratitude to the Departments of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Meghalaya for their introduction of the Scheme of Scholarships to the disabled pursuing studies after the Class X level. The awards of the scholarship are certainly extremely handsome and commensurate with the present day cost of higher education. My salutations to these two Departments. The Educational Institutions – the Special Schools, the Colleges and the Universities grooming the challenged youngsters deserve a ‘Thank You’.It was heartening to hear the Health Minister pronouncing the Government’s commitment to assist the Special Schools. I do hope the Government will keep up to his words in right earnest.
Yours etc.,
Sajjad M. Ali,
Dwar Jingkyrmen
Why take on only the miners/exporters?
Editor,
I fail to understand why the limestone miners are being penalized and not the DFO in charge of forests in the district. I do not suspect the caliber of the Deputy Commissioner, West Jaintia Hills District when he promulgated section 144 CRPc with an order banning limestone mining in Nongtalang area. It is a fact that lime stone cannot be exported without extraction from below the ground, but if the forest royalty etc has been paid to the Forest Division at Jowai for whatever quantity, simply on production of the Letter of Credit (LoC) received from Bangladesh, then is it not true that an unwritten legal sanction was received by the exporter who is also a miner? Otherwise why should the DFO accept our payment? Furthermore, why did not the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) stop us when we were mining right before him as he used to visit the Dawki gate twice or thrice a week? What is the purpose of his visit?
Though we are miners and exporters of limestone to Bangladesh, we do not know every rule in the book. We should have been given due notice. But even if we know the law, if no one from the Forest Department stops or explains to us that we have violated the environmental laws then why does the axe of the DC falls only on the miners and exporters only?
Why does he not take action against the DFO, who in spite of knowing all the Rules and Acts as Forest Division Officer still allows us to mine limestone? If the DFO is a capable Indian Forest Service officer he should have stopped us from mining after he received the order of the Supreme Court or going by the Forest Acts in vogue ? But he sent us to the ACF to meet the Beat Officer at the Dawki Gate twice or thrice a week. I have exported limestone for over 15 years. Up to August 2012 we were allowed to export maximum 2000 metric tonnes a month, but after the DFO stopped issuing permits during August 2012 we received a letter from the Ranger’s officer that he would come for survey to help us get environmental clearance. We have co operated with the Range officer and his foresters and survey was completed. The report of the Range officer was sent to the DFO but no action was taken on the survey report. So why is a blanket ban on mining of lime stone imposed now? Through the DFO’s authorisation and depending on financial soundness, maximum quantity was paid as advance royalty simply on the strength of the LOC received from Bangladesh. We were told that if we are able to pay the royalty then we can export whatever quantity of limestone is required by Bangladesh. We did not let go such an opportunity because it was told to by an officer who knows the rules. He never spoke to us about the concept of sustainability as other DFOs before him did. At that time, we were all happy even when the quantity of limestone exported was low.
If the DFO had exercised his power as a Forest officer to safeguard the environment we would not have opposed him in the performance of his duty. If he had stopped us from mining or had not accepted the royalty we paid to him we could not have exported the limestone for that would have been illegal. But no such thing happened. This clearly shows that the DFO has failed in his duty as the protector of forests and is not fit to hold the post of DFO (T). We are not law breakers and we also know that the DFO hobnobs with the cement company honchos. I want to know why only the miners and the exporter are facing the ire of the DC. Why should an enquiry not be instituted by the DC on the failure of the DFO (T) to carry out his duties? If the DFO(T) is found to be in dereliction of duty as Forest Officer then stringent action should be taken against him and he should no longer be posted in our district.
Yours etc.,
A limestone exporter,
Name withheld on request,