SHILLONG: The West Jaintia Students’ Union (WJSU), Amlarem was aghast over “external forces” that malign the limestone mining activities and alleged that outsiders were trying to blackmail the entire working force that depends on limestone for their day-to-day needs.
Convener Reviving Committee WJSU, W Lamin in a statement issued here maintained that limestone mining was a gift in disguise that provided employment opportunities to the poor people and said the people had been mining limestone since times immemorial to meet their daily needs both traditionally and scientifically.
Stating that the mining activities provided livelihood, he said, “We, as the union cannot tolerate this kind of hypocrisy and Anti-War Jaintia sentiments hence urging the same to work and serve their own community as we the War Jaintia community do not need interference and help.”
The union expressed gratitude to the concerned authority allowing mining activities to run smoothly as per rules and regulation.
Lamin said nature provided the communities the limited limestone stock in some areas of Nongtalang and Satpator respectively and asserted that somehow a section of the working force survive depending on their livelihood in mining activities.
Stating that War Jaintia Community were victimized during the partition of India as 90% of the fertile land had been transferred to Bangladesh, he said the remaining fertile land fell in the sloppy area and had become barren day-by-day leaving the people unemployed with the passage of time.
The WJSU, Amlarem has also convened a meeting on June 15, where senior leaders and members of the union attended and had taken a unanimous resolution to revive the functioning of the union.
The meeting nominated the union vice-president Jambok Lanong as the union interim president. The meeting authorize the interim president to constitute the election committee to conduct the election to the post of the full-fledge president of the union within a month’s time.
On the other hand, Lamin said that the interim president Jambok Lanong reminded the state Government that the union was against the setting-up of any Cement plants related industries in the region and continued to oppose it.