By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 25: Tura MP Saleng Sangma has slammed the Centre for its “attempt to bulldoze” the people of Meghalaya with its recent office memorandum (OM), exempting uranium mining from mandatory public consultations even as he lambasted the Meghalaya Government for remaining mum on the matter.
Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, Sangma said that the recent move of the Centre could steamroll the people of Meghalaya, a Sixth Schedule state.
Terming the OM as dangerous, he reminded the Centre that the land customs and land-holding system in Meghalaya are different from those of other states.
“Just because they are in the government, it does not mean that they can bulldoze,” Sangma said, adding that radiation has already been reported in the uranium belt and the people have been complaining of various health issues.
Asserting that the Centre is trying to be unfair to the people on the sensitive issue, he castigated the State Government for not responding to such an OM at all.
“By now, the State Government should have responded to the OM. We don’t know why it has chosen to keep mum,” he said, urging people to continue opposing uranium mining and the Meghalaya Government to come clear on the matter.
The OM issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, exempting uranium mining from mandatory public consultations, has been opposed by different pressure groups spearheading the movement against uranium mining in the state.
Meghalaya has an estimated reserve of 23,268 tons of uranium deposits, the bulk in the Domiasiat area of the South West Khasi Hills district.
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.
Successive proposals to tap uranium deposits have been stalled for over two decades amid health, environmental, and rights-related concerns.
