SHILLONG, Nov 18: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Central Executive Council has petitioned Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, seeking halt to the public hearing on Brishyrnot Limestone Deposit in Narpuh, East Jaintia Hills, which is scheduled for November 21 at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Khliehriat, while also asking the CMO to prohibit any expansion of the cement plant in the region.
In a statement, the Environment Cell of the Union opposed the hearing on the ground that it is being conducted at the time of pandemic.
According to the statement, the Union urged the CMO to forbid the public hearing and also to prohibit expansion of the cement plant in Narpuh region which will affect the environment.
They also said that holding the public hearing at DC Office in Khliehriat, which is far from the concerned area of mining, is an illegitimate and unlawful way of conducting such hearing as based on the Section 7 (III) (II) (a) and (b) of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 2006, a public hearing is to be conducted at the site of the project or at its close proximity.
Stating that it is the third time that a public hearing was held, the Union alleged that the concerned authorities have, this time, strategically and suspiciously decided to conduct the public hearing far from the site of the project so as to discourage the concerned people to participate, while adding that the number of people to attend the hearing has been fixed.
“This is likely to be said that the concerned authorities along with M/s Star Cement are trying to suppress the voice of the public and also forcing the expansion of the mining without really taking the stakeholders and the affected people into consideration,” the Union said.
The KSU reiterated its opposition to the expansion of mining as the proposed site is located approximately 500 metres from Lunar River, which flows to Lukha River.
The mining activity will affect the Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary, which is located adjacent to the proposed mining area and is home to a number of endangered species, it added.
The KSU said that the area has also been deemed as an eco-sensitive zone, adding that any mining activity adjacent to the area would have a direct impact.
Pointing out that there are various cements factories in Narpuh but none of them have an effluent treatment plant (ETP), the Union said that allowing the factories to discharge untreated wastes, which will pollute the ponds, lakes and rivers, will have an impact on the flora and fauna.
“Huge areas of forest land are being converted into wasteland which contaminates the air, and even farmlands and crops were affected due to toxins released from cement factories,” the student body said.
The public hearing was initially scheduled for October 19 last year but was subsequently postponed. It was rescheduled for January 30, 2020, but was again called off by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills.