By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 21: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has opposed a recent office memorandum (OM) issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, exempting uranium mining from mandatory public consultations.
“This is unacceptable. Our party is opposed to it, and I feel that as indigenous people, we must not accept it,” VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh said on Sunday.
“The party will respond appropriately in due course of time,” he said.
The OM, which exempts uranium mining from the mandatory public consultation process, has sparked concerns in uranium-rich Meghalaya, where previous attempts to extract the mineral faced strong local resistance.
Meghalaya is home to one of the country’s largest uranium reserves, particularly in Domiasiat, Wahkaji, and the adjoining areas of the West Khasi Hills district.
Successive proposals to tap uranium deposits have been stalled for over two decades amid health, environmental, and rights-related concerns.
Meanwhile, the VPP came down heavily on the state government, accusing it of dragging its feet on the sensitive Assam-Meghalaya border issue, while lives in the border areas continue to remain under threat.
Myrboh stressed that the matter was not about political mileage but about the lives and security of the people. He said both states must sit together and resolve the long-pending dispute once and for all, with due reference to historical records, so that peace and development return to the affected areas.
He noted that recurring clashes and tensions only worsen the situation, adding that the Meghalaya government’s claims of progress on the border issue appear hollow. “Before the elections, the government boasted of being the only one to have solved the dispute, but nearly two years into its second term, there is still no resolution,” he remarked.
Myrboh insisted that the government must act in the interest of the people and not treat the issue as a political tool.
He pointed out that border residents live under constant tension, deprived of peace and security, and warned that delay tactics will not solve the crisis. While calling for urgency, he cautioned that the process cannot overlook history and the rightful claims of the state, which must also be taken into account while negotiating.
The sharp criticism came a day after the state government announced the formation of a peace committee comprising representatives of both the Pnar and Karbi communities to address escalating tensions in the Lapangap area along the Assam-Meghalaya boundary. The committee is expected to be set up during a meeting scheduled for September 29-30.
The move follows disturbing incidents on Friday when farmers from Lapangap village were reportedly prevented from entering their fields by groups believed to be from the Karbi community, further stoking unease in the disputed stretch.
