NONGSTOIN: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Coal Traders in Shallang area, which includes all the land owners, has opposed the decision of the NGOs to close down the coke factory in Shallang in a meeting held at Shallang on Monday.
The meeting also demanded that the NGOs should be impartial in their decision and also close down the units in Rwiang besides the one in Shallang.
Speaking to media persons here on Monday, Harley Synchiang, President of the JAC said that Shallang area is the commercial hub in West Khasi Hills and coal is the main source of income in the area. Most of the people depend on coal business and the presence of the factories in the area will also solve the problem of unemployment in the district as a whole. “If the factories in the area are operating on coal then the local traders will have no need of supplying coal outside of the state,” he said.
Robert Sohbar, the General Secretary of the JAC said the allegation made by the NGOs that the factories have polluted the water and the air is baseless. The JAC has inspected the units and found that they have Pollution Control devices installed, he added. He further pointed out that factories in Ri Bhoi, Byrnihat, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills have not received complaints from the NGOs or residents regarding pollution.
The JAC demanded clarification from the NGOs on differences in the factories in Rwiang and Shallang, as objections are raised only in Shallang and not Rwiang.
