The case of Brichyrnot in East Jaintia Hills where villagers have come out to support Star Cement in its expansion plans which includes mining limestone and shale from 42.051 hectares of land is a classic case of the raging environment versus development debate. There is a tendency to pit one against the other with no middle ground. The pressure groups have scuttled successive public hearings on the proposed limestone mining without as much as a consultation with the real stakeholders – the people of Brichyrnot from where the limestone will be mined. The same pressure groups ironically say nothing about the destructive effects of coal mining in the State which includes acid mine drainage that has poisoned the rivers of Jaintia Hills and killed the riverine life.
Natural resources are considered natural capital. The forests, rivers, land provide the much needed ecosystem services, without which we as a species would not survive. The BJP government, under Narendra Modi is pursuing an agenda which puts environment as the last priority. Nearly all the green laws passed by the UPA Government are being subverted or rewritten to facilitate the setting up of mineral resource intensive industries. Statutory bodies like the national board for wildlife and forest advisory committees have been pulverized. Environmental clearances are being speeded up. Meghalaya seems to be following that trajectory.
The limestone mining areas is located in an ecologically sensitive zone around the Narpuh Reserved forests which have a plethora of wildlife including the almost diminishing Hoolock Gibbons. A section of the people around that area are conscious of the devastation that will happen if large scale mining is allowed and the cement factories are expanded. But some villagers argue that Star Cement has brought roads, jobs and other development which government had failed to do. Obviously, this section of pro-development group have developed stakes in the Cement Company. Interestingly even the local MLA is in favour of limestone mining. The argument laid out by the villagers that Star Cement will protect the environment and plant trees etc., post the mining activities, does not hold water. There is a State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) which is authorized to conduct a scientific environment impact assessment and which should give the final verdict on whether or not it is feasible to mine limestone in Brichyrnot. The enthusiastic villagers cannot give their opinion based only on the development agenda. There may come a time when their area becomes unlivable and they might have to migrate to some other village because the air and water are polluted. This is too expensive a cost for development. And this generation alone cannot take a selfish decision that will impinge on future generations.