SHILLONG, April 24: UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh on Sunday said that permission to set up coke plants or conduct mining activities cannot just be given while emphasising that there must be a balance between development, livelihood and safeguarding the environment.
“We cannot just give permission whether it is coke plants, mining or anything; there needs to be protection of the environment also in this regard. Destroying environment means destroying the state and we need to think about future generation,” said Mawthoh while reacting to the mushrooming of coke plants in the state and the protest that erupted thereon.
Stating that development is needed but it comes with a cost, he said, “When we are scrambling for resources, we will destroy everything we know. People need employment and they have to think about income generation but not at the cost of the environment.” “We cannot destroy. We have to think in terms of sustainability and sustainable development means thinking about future generation.
Why should we cobble up everything that is there in this present generation and in the state and exploit the resources and degrade the environment? It is a very sorry state of affairs and I am very much against it,” he added.
Pointing out that quite a lot has already been lost, Mawthoh said, “We should try to improve the quality of the environment and those degraded should be tried to be regenerated and look for measures and steps to regenerate whatever lands that are being wasted and degraded.”
A mineral-rich state, Meghalaya is having to bear the brunt of rampant extraction of coal, limestone, silt, stone quarrying besides illegal tree felling, while on the other hand, coke factories are already taking its toll on the environment.