By H H Mohrmen
The MDA Government has always taken the job of tackling illegal mine owners and transporters of coal with velvet gloves.
Three and half years ago when he was chosen to lead the MDA, people had great expectations of him. They saw him as a modern leader, a politically suave politician and one who was going to really help the state develop. Now after three years and more the achievements of the Government under his leadership, especially with regards to the issue of environment protection and sustainable development of the state has fallen far short of those expectations. Yes, we are talking of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Unlike some ministers in his cabinet, Conrad would be aware of the 17 Sustainable development goals (SDGs) which the countries of the world are set to achieve by 2030. The goals of global partnership are – to end poverty, improve health, education and reduce inequalities. The other important common global goals are to provide economic growth keeping climate change and preservation of oceans and forests at the heart of all that the governments do. Well, the report card about education is already out and there is nothing to cheer about. And now the Government is not going to fare any better in conservation and controlling climate change either.
The Chief Minister projected himself as a leader who is very concerned for the environment, but in reality in the three years that the MDA government has been in power, it has only encouraged unsustainable activities. It has promoted countless coke factories in different parts of the state and it has not taken to task those who are engaged in illegal mining and illegal transportation of coal. The MDA Government has always taken the job of tackling illegal mine owners and transporters of coal with velvet gloves.
The Government is good only at branding its programmes. Last year during the celebration of World Environment Day a clarion call was given to plan a million trees. But a year later no audit was done to find out how many of the one million trees have survived, or whether one million saplings were even planted in the first place? This year the call is to plant trees on a big plot of land but if this is going to be just another empty rhetoric, the people of Meghalaya will have to wait and see.
The point is that nature conservation is not a one-off affair; it should be consistent and from the heart. The case of providing environment clearance for limestone mining at Brichyrnot is the real test with regards to the MDA Government’s policy towards conservation. The ultimate outcome has only established the truth that the heart of the Government vis-à-vis the environment is in the wrong place. Sadly, in spite of the fact that all the pressure groups in Jañtia hills were against the proposed mining, the Government chose to ignore the public and sided with the Company. In the view of the Government, the interest of the Company is more important that of the public.
In spite of the three adverse public hearings conducted by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board at Brichyrnot on 19.10.2019, 31.01.2020 and the last one on 21.11.2020, the Government ignored public sentiments. Brichyrnot limestone deposit-I with the capacity to produce 2.507 million tons per annum and shale production capacity of 0.217 million TPA in a mine area of 42.051Ha was given mining clearance by the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF). The Company proposed to take out 2.507 MTPA which it will achieve in 50 years. The question then is what will happen to the area after the 50 year period?
It was the MSPCB in its letter no. MPCB/TB-360-SCML-2020-2021 dated December 4, 2020 which has requested the Ministry to consider the said proposal from the outcome of the public hearing and public consultation as provided in para 7(i) (3) – Public consultation clause (v) of the EIA Notification, 2006. The letter also requested the authority to take into account the written submissions which were received during the period of one month after the publication of the public notice and to make them an integral part of public consultation under prescribed provisions of the notification.
The devil lies in the details they say and this was obvious from the letter which recorded the proceedings of the public hearing as a law and order problem and not a public protest by those against the mining, as the reason for the Government not being able to conduct the public hearings. The other question whether the MSPCB had submitted all the letters of objections it received to the MoEF?
When the Chief Minister told the press that the State has nothing to do with the issuing of environment clearance, he was either not being correctly briefed or he deliberately feigned ignorance to misinform the public on the matter.
The fact is MSPCB had literarily recommended the waiving the public hearing to allow mining as was clearly stated in the letter. It may be not be out of place to mention that earlier the MSPCB was under the purview of the Department of Public Health Engineering and now it is under the Department of Forests & Environment. What the people of Meghalaya need to ask is how the Forest Department which is mandated to protect forests has instead used the Board to encourage mining. Does this not put the future of conservation in the State in jeopardy?
It is also not out of place to mention that the Government has only 1145.19 sq km of forest areas in the state (5.10% of Geographical area) under its jurisdiction, yet instead of protecting the little forest cover that we have, the Department is indirectly responsible for issuing license to destroy forests. One of the major outcomes of the Company getting the clearance is the erosion of public trust on the MSPCB. The Board has already suffered an embarrassing trust deficit and it will slide further down after this.
The prolonged Brichyrnot mining issue has not only made this small hamlet famous but it has brought to the fore the attitude that Companies have towards the citizens of the state. The outcome of the imbroglio has exemplified the Company’s unabashed disrespect for the sentiments of the people. The Company has chosen confrontation as its method and is indirectly dared an open challenge to the pressure groups which opposed the mining proposal. The very fact that the information was made public not by the Board but the Company’s advertisement in the newspaper illustrates that the Company is not only ecstatic about the news, but it is also indirectly reminding the public that it is in control.
It has been two decades since the first cement plant was established in the Narpuh eleka. In fact Star Cement incorporated on Nov 02, 2001 was the first company in the area, but what have these companies done for the region? It has been two decades of exploiting the region’s resources, but is there a health care unit established in the area by any of the companies? Have any of the companies even started a college to benefit the people of the area? But how can one expect the cement companies to start welfare initiatives in the region when none of them even have their Corporate offices in the State?
Failing on health, education or any development parameter is not surprising but failing to protect the environment which will lead to climate change is unpardonable. That would not only be failing the future generation, but it is like the members of the MDA betraying their own children. The MDA can still correct its course and protect Narpuh. Brichyrnot was a very recent settlement and isn’t it true that before the settlement, it was part of the JHADC unclassed forest? The NPP which is in control of the JHADC can look into the matter and ensure that the party is on the right side of history. This will not only ensure that the Party’s image improves but it will also help keep Conrad’s green legacy intact.
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