KSU sit-in against Wahkaji road on January 23

SHILLONG: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) units of South West Khasi Hills and Umdohlun have reiterated their opposition to the two-lane road project from Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Ranikor alleging that it is linked with uranium mining.
The KSU members will stage a sit-in protest in front of the deputy commissioner’s office in Mawkyrwat on January 23.
In a statement issued here on Friday, the organising secretary of KSU South West Khasi Hills and president of Umdohlun circle, Dusterwell K Lyngdoh, said the union will also protest against the public hearing conducted by the district administration and PWD (Roads) on January 29.
The union asserted that the objective of bringing the road project is to facilitate uranium mining in the name of development.
Criticising both the Centre and the state government, Lyngdoh said, “The Centre’s intention to mine uranium is reflected in its unwillingness to cancel the environmental clearance to mine uranium at Domiasiat and Mawthabah that was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in 2007.”
“The state government has not passed any resolution in the Assembly on uranium. The union condemns the move of the state government to go ahead with the public hearing as the project has links with uranium mining,” he added as he explained that uranium is a radioactive element.