SHILLONG, Aug 3: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) on Wednesday said its meeting with the Director of Atomic Mineral Division (AMD) North East Region revealed that the Centre has no plans to explore uranium deposits in Meghalaya.
“We had a threadbare discussion with Dr Kumar, the regional Director of AMD in Shillong. He informed us that the government of India has decided not to go for uranium mining as the Meghalaya government had on August 1, 2016, revoked the lease of 422 hectares at Domiasiat or Nongbah Jynrin for pre-mining activity and withdrew the order to allow UCIL to explore the area,” HSPDP president, KP Pangniang said.
He said the party met the AMD officer to find out the reality after Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated that the Centre has not abandoned the idea of mining uranium from the Domiasiat-Mawthabah area in South West Khasi Hills.
Stating that the AMD is currently engaged in exploration activities in other parts of the Northeast, Pangniang said the atomic body was committed to not pursuing the radioactive element in Meghalaya unless the local people say they have no objection.
He reiterated the HSPDP’s “age-old stand” against uranium mining in the state. “Any fresh attempt will not be allowed,” he said.
Referring to the allegations of leakage from a uranium effluent tank in 2020, Pangniang said the HSPDP had asked the state government to form a committee and get the facts. There has been no clear report on the incident although a committee was reportedly formed, he said.
Citing Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, the HSPDP leader said a government LP school shut down during the protests against exploratory uranium mining long ago was reopened in April.
Earlier, the youth wing of the National People’s Party had prodded the state BJP to dissuade its central leadership from pushing for the uranium mining project.
“It is not right for the BJP to rake up issues that are against the sentiments of the indigenous population of the state. The state BJP needs to put pressure on its party leadership to stop doing things that go against our people,” National People’s Youth Front (NPYF) spokesperson and party MDC, Bajop Pyngrope told reporters.
Spelling out the NPYF’s opposition to uranium mining, he said: “We will make sure every unit of the NPYF speaks against uranium mining since we are aware of the serious health hazards due to the exposure to dangerous levels of radiation.”
