SHILLONG: NPP leaders Prestone Tynsong and HS Shylla are set to be on a collision course as the former criticised Shylla for taking a decision not to issue no-objection certificate (NOC) for the Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Phlangdiloin-Ranikor road citing uranium issue.
Speaking to reporters, Deputy Chief Minister Tynsong said the KHADC chief took a hasty decision of not issuing no-objection certificate for the construction of the two-lane road project in South West Khasi Hills.
While making clear the stand of the MDA government against uranium mining, Tynsong said the proposed road has nothing to do with uranium mining. He asserted that the state government and the KHADC have already taken a decision not to mine uranium in the state.
The government wanted the KHADC to issue NOC for the road project since the earlier project connecting Mawthabah-Domiasiat was cancelled.
The government took the decision to exclude the uranium rich Mawthabah-Domiasiat area from the new road project during the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and the officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited recently.
What irked Tynsong was that during a meeting held on October 1 attended by two MDCs and two MLAs of Langrin, Nongstoin and Ranikor, Khasi Students’ Union of South West Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hills, Hynniewtrep Youth Council and Langrin Youth Welfare Association, the KHADC chief decided not to issue NOC following opposition from the pressure groups.
According to Tynsong, the KHADC did not consult the state government before taking the final decision. “There is no harm in discussing jointly on such an important issue,” he said.
Tynsong added that he and the chief minister during a meeting held in April with Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had discussed the issue and the government convinced the ministry to exclude Mawthabah and Domiasiat from the project.
“After the exclusion of Mawthabah and Domiasiat, the road project will now be known as Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Phlangdiloin-Ranikor,” he said.
