NONGSTOIN: A public meeting which was organised by the six NGOs of Mawshynrut on Wednesday at Shallang agreed not to allow any outsider to enter the coal quarry and no lease agreement should be made with any outsider.
The joint meeting was organised by the Lyngngam Indigenous Federation (LIF) which was attended by other NGOs like Federation of Khasi Jaintia & Garo People (FKJGP), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), West Khasi Student Union (WKSU) and Western Youth Federation (WYF).
Cary Oscar Kharmuti, General Secretary FKJGP speaking at the public gathering said that “the joint meeting of all six NGOs was to protect the identity of the Khasi people in Shallang and to prevent the outsider from doing any business in Shallang.
He also said that we don’t want to see that Shallang to become like Khanapara where majority of the business was captured by outsider.
Ulysis Ryntong General Secretary KSU Mawshynrut said the need of the hour was to send back all the outsiders from Shallang to where they belong.
He said that “People of Shallang should clearly understand that coal market in Shallang was controlled by outsider and the joint meeting of the NGOs will decide that they won’t allow any outsider to take lease or purchase coal quarry from Shallang” he also added that all the NGOs had decide to conduct an inspection of labour license and work permit in Shallang and if anyone found that they did not obtain any valid document they would be sent them back to their place.
“The Union along with other NGOs will also urge other concerned departments to work together with this issue in order to check the infiltrators who work in Shallang without valid documents.