By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Environmentalist H H Mohrmen has asked the Chief Secretary WMS Pariat to respect the order of the Supreme Court in ensuring that mining of minor minerals is carried out only after getting environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF).
In an open letter to the Chief Secretary which was also addressed to the Chief Executive Members of all the three Autonomous District Councils, Mohrmen said that the mining of minor minerals, irrespective of size of operations and ownership of land in use, that have not received the nod of the State Environment Impact Assessment Committee (SEIAC) or MoEF clearance are now illegal operations.
“That the State Government together with the three district councils have chosen to ignore the Supreme Court order is a serious matter,” Mohrmen said, adding that this is in total disregard, disrespect and utter contempt of the order of the Apex Court and is liable to attract contempt proceedings.
The environmentalist also asked the concerned authorities to take appropriate action on the issue within three months and added that inaction will force him to approach the Court and draw its attention to the contempt shown to the order.