By H.H. Mohrmen
The Nongkhlieh area is once again in the news, and unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. This time it is because of public protests against the plan to set up a cement plant at Daistong village. A similar incident occurred on November 4, 2010, when the people of Nongkhlieh, citing environmental hazards and the possible threat to their farming activities, protested against the French cement company Lafarge, which planned to set up a Rs 1,000-crore, 1.1-million Metric Ton Per Annum (MTPA) mega cement plant in the Nongkhlieh area. Local residents, mostly women, submitted a letter of protest to the Chief Executive Member of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council, Hambertus Nongtdu, and a week later, on November 10, 2010, more than five hundred women submitted another protest petition to the Chief Minister, Dr. Mukul Sangma.
This writer, along with a few concerned citizens from Jowai, supported the people in their protest. For me, the Nongkhlieh area is important because it is what I call “the cave capital of India.” It may be mentioned that Krem Liat Prah, measuring 30,957 m (101,600 ft) in length and located in the Shnongrim Ridge, is the longest and largest cave system in the Indian subcontinent (Wikipedia). Daistong, where the new cement plant is proposed, is in the vicinity of Shnongrim village and will be severely affected if the project is allowed to proceed. The question the government must ask itself is: are we willing to destroy this priceless natural heritage?
Before allowing another cement company to establish a plant in the Nongkhlieh area, the government must also reflect on what happened to krem Kot Sati (Kotsati-Umlawan) cave system, measuring 21,530 m (70,640 ft) and located at Lumshnong. Since limestone mining for cement production has been operating in that area, is it even safe to enter the cave today? What about Krem Umthloo–Synrang Labbit–Synrang Pamiang, measuring 18,181 m (59,650 ft) at Chiehruphi village? What has become of this cave, also located where cement plants now dominate the landscape? There is no doubt that both cave systems in the Narpuh area have been damaged by limestone mining and the excessive use of dynamite by cement companies. Does the government want Krem Liat Prah to suffer the same fate?
Daistong and the Giant Imprint of Human Feet
Daistong also has some very important monuments connected to ancient tradition. On top of the hill at Daistong, there are three big slabs of stone placed as steps one on top of the other. These big stone slabs are similar to the dolmen of the maw kynthei, except for the fact that they don’t have mawkhrum. The three big flat stones on the top of the hill resemble the altar found in Aztec culture. The locals call the stone slab “ki kjet u Sajar” or the footprint of U Sajar Niangli because on one of the slabs there is a big imprint of a human foot of a giant size. The footprint is believed to belong to the legendary U Sajar Niangli, who was one of the military leaders that rebelled against the Jaintia king of his time.
The Rich Cave Heritage
The caves are not only exotic, but they also support cave life that is unique to the region. The caves in this area have big chambers, deep dams, and beautiful formations (not only stalactites and stalagmites) which are found only in Meghalaya. Scientists have also discovered new fish and bat species that are endemic to the region, and if mining is allowed, all these important natural heritages will disappear.
Meghalaya is also exploring other avenues to attract tourists to the state, but why are we ignoring cave tourism?
The Existing Cement Plants and Companies in East Jaintia Hills
East Jaintia Hills already has ten cement companies operating in the area. These include Star Cement Ltd (Star Cement Meghalaya Ltd), which operates from Lumshnong, P.O. Khliehriat. It also has an integrated cement and clinker facility. Star Cement claims that its state-of-the-art integrated plant is strategically located in the idyllic town of Lumshnong in Meghalaya, along with three grinding units — two at Sonapur near Guwahati, Assam, and one at Mohitnagar near Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. The current production is 7.7 MTPA, with a workforce of about 4,000. The company intends to increase its capacity to 25 MTPA by 2030 (Company’s website).
The other major player in the area is Meghalaya Cements Limited (Topcem / Meghalaya Cements) located at Thangskai (near Lumshnong). Goldstone Cements Ltd is located at Musiang Lamare / Khliehriat (Lumshnong area). JUD Cements Ltd operates at Wahiajer Village / Thangskai (East Jaintia Hills). Hills Cement Company Ltd with the brand Taj Cement has a presence in areas such as Mynkree / Khliehriat. Amrit Cement (Amrit Cement Industries Ltd) has its main plant at Umlaper. Green Valley Industries Ltd has its main plant at Nongsning / Sutnga / Chiehruphi. Meghatop Cement Private Limited is another company registered in the area. Another major entity is Adhunik (Adhunik Cement Ltd / Megha Technical & Engineers Pvt. Ltd. affiliates) at Lumshnong / Thangskai in East Jaintia Hills. Jaintia Cement is also situated at Latyrke under Saipung block.
There is one prominent cement brand operating in the district that is missing from the list. Dalmia, although the company has a brand presence in the state, it does not appear in the information provided by various internet sources. The reason is that Dalmia, for its operation in the state, uses the Adhunik plant at Thangskai, which it bought from the company.
How Many Local Youths Do These Companies Employ?
I still remember the only time I visited a few cement plants in the area was when local youths who had been laid off by the companies approached me for help in protesting their termination. I asked the manager of one of the companies why the local youths were dropped. His reply was, “Your people do not have industrial culture.” He may not be entirely wrong, but even then, the companies have a moral responsibility towards the local people on whose land they operate. They should provide the youths with training to prepare them for the jobs. The Companies must release a white paper stating how many local employees these companies actually employ.
It is also painful to note that not only have these companies largely failed to provide employment to local youths, but they have now gone even further by taking away jobs that local people could have done. Companies now operate their own trucks to transport cement and clinker, thereby depriving local truck owners and transporters of their livelihood.
How Has the State Benefited From These Companies?
It is ironic that not one of the cement companies has its corporate office in Meghalaya, thereby denying employment to local people. Why is Khliehriat, Jowai or even Shillong not a preferred location for the companies to set up its corporate office? Even more concerning is the lack of transparency regarding the distribution of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. The Companies Act 2013 mandates that companies must allocate 2% of their average net profits over the previous three financial years toward CSR activities. Yet it is unclear how these companies have spent their CSR funds, even the Star Cement website does not transparently provide such information.
Another pertinent question arises: despite having ten cement plants operating under its jurisdiction and despite the companies also functioning as transport operators, why is the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council unable to pay its employees regularly? What has happened to the royalty that the companies are supposed to pay to the Council for both major and minor minerals used by the industry? Now companies like Star Cement are only using their plant at Lumshnong to produce clinkers. The question is how does the state government benefit from the GST when most of the cement production of companies is from their grinding units which are located outside the state?
Growing Landlessness
It is already proven that in areas where the cement companies operate, the local people have become landless. Everybody is making hay while the sun shines, before they miss the bus. It is also ironic that there are cases where even the churches are competing with the public to sell their mineral-rich land to the companies. People in the areas where the cement plants operate do not even have space for a kitchen garden. They have sold their land—except for the plot where their house stands—for a song. The question is: what does the future hold for the local people in the Narpuh area? Does the government want the Nongkhlieh area too to go the Narpuh way?
The government will lose and not gain anything if companies continue to set up shop in the region. The question is also: how many more cement plants do we want to operate in the region? When are we going to say enough is enough?
