NGO reiterates oppn to Uranium mining in State

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Environment Friendly Students Union (MEFSU) has expressed its stiff opposition to any move to mine uranium in the State.
Calling out to people to not get ‘fooled’ by the promises of the government and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), MEFSU president, Rangdajied Marwein claimed that there is no mechanism to completely stop the radioactive contamination resulting from uranium mining.
“Even an advanced country like the USA has not been able to develop such mechanism,” Marwein said here on Monday.
While the pressure groups and opposition parties have expressed stiff opposition to any sort of uranium mining in the state, as many as seven villages in and around the uranium mining sites in West Khasi Hills had last year urged the State Government to go ahead with the mining.
Reiterating its stand on the proposed uranium mining project in West Khasi Hills, the KSU had also opposed the Centre’s decision to go for the two-lane road project connecting the villages of the district which have a large deposit of uranium. The leaders of the union as well as the North East Students’ Organization (NESO) feared that the two-lane project was meant to facilitate uranium mining in the State.
The Centre had sanctioned the two-laning of the 68 km Nongstoin-Domiasiat-Mawthabah road at a cost of Rs 470 crore.
Municipal Board urged to implement plastic ban
The MEFSU, meanwhile urged the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to take immediate measures to stop use, sale and stocking of plastic bags measuring 40 micron and below.
The MEFSU asked the SMB to ban such plastic bags under Section 15(I) of the Environment protection Act under which violators can be fined up to Rs 1 lakh and six months imprisonment. Speaking to media persons after meeting the Chief Executive Officer of Shillong Municipal Board, Marwein said that the Board accepted their suggestions and also agreed to conduct regular inspections to check the menace.