Residents, sanctuary, rivers would be adversely affected
SHILLONG: Jaintia Students Movement (JSM) president L. Rymbai on Friday petitioned the chairman of Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board pertaining to the public hearing for the limestone and shale mining project of Star Cement Meghalaya raising concerns on environmental damage.
In the petition made through the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills, Rymbai urged the chairman to cancel the public hearing of the company and informed that the people do not welcome the proposed mining project.
Star Cement Meghalaya Limited proposed to carry out mining of limestone located in Brishyrnot, East Jaintia Hills with the annual production of limestone said to be at 2.507 metric tons per annum and the proposed maximum annual production of shale is 0.217 million tons per annum from the mining lease area of 42.051 hectares, he added.
‘Star Cement targets to make Brishyrnot mine as its source of limestone for manufacturing of clinker’ Rymbai said.
He pointed out that the proposed project site is located at a distance of 1.46 kilometers from the Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary and the mine lease boundary is located at a distance of 0.25 km from the Eco Sensitive Zone of the said Sanctuary.
“The proximity of the proposed mining site to the sanctuary is highly unwelcomed as there is every possibility of adverse affect to the flora and fauna,” he said.
He added that seventeen villages around the proposed mining site will have to bear the adverse affect from mining activity.
Rymbai also said that the distance of river Lukha is only 1.38 kilometer while river Um Lunar is bordering the eastern boundary of the proposed site and river Umso Nallah is adjacent to northern boundary.
In view of the closeness of these three rivers to the project site, he said that there is every possibility that the mining of limestone will eventually lead to contamination of the rivers despite all precautionary measures.
He also said that noise pollution to be created due to the use of mine machinery, drilling and blasting, loading and unloading and vehicular movement will have an adverse impact on the health of the local residents. “The local residents were affected due to the impact of blasting carried out by cement plants in the past as it resulted in the vibration of the grounds and thereby causing damages to the properties,” he added.
According to Rymbai, the proposed mining will lead to air pollution in the areas and will affect the 17 villages in the buffer zone of the project.
He went on to add that the price of Star Cement is costlier in Meghalaya than in Assam and there is no point having Star Cement in the state.
Rymbai also said that the project cost of the proposed mining is Rs 16 crore and the turnover as a result of the mining of limestone from Brishyrnot would be ten time more than the project cost but the amount earmarked for the Corporate Environmental Responsibility is only Rs 32 lakh which he observed is a peanut size and insufficient.
He also raised concern that there is possibility that people excluded from the National Register of Citizens of Assam would try to come to work in the proposed mining project of Star Cement.