SHILLONG, Sep 13: In the wake of growing protest against the Centre’s move to take up oil palm cultivation in Meghalaya, Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma on Monday reiterated that his government will look at all aspects before taking any call on the issue.
“We would like to take advantage of business opportunities that create livelihood for our entrepreneurs and farmers. But if they degrade the environment to such extent that it becomes irreversible and damage our land and people, we will decide appropriately,” Sangma said.
He said the state government is interested in creating livelihood opportunities for the people but maintaining the balance in the environment is equally important.
The CM said although the Government of India has come up with multiple schemes and several states in the Northeast have evinced a keen interest in oil palm cultivation, the pros and cons of it have to be looked into before its implementation in Meghalaya.
Asked about Tura MP, Agatha Sangma’s objection, he said she has raised a concern and cited various examples of what has happened in different countries. He said if a model like that is implemented in Meghalaya, it will be very damaging.
“But is there a way to balance? Could there be wastelands that we can use? Could there be areas where other plantations already exist and maybe, farmers would like to do it? All these areas need to be examined before we go forward,” Sangma added.
