From Biplab Kr Dey
PAROMGRE (SGH), Nov 16: The entire state of Meghalaya has been rocked recently by ongoing protests in the villages of Paromgre, Chokpot, Silkigre and others over the state’s decision to grant a scientific mining licence to Georgeman S. Marak in Paromgre, South Garo Hills.
Local residents, including CSOs in the Chokpot area, have been up in arms over the agreement allegedly worked out between the husband of the Paromgre Nokma and the miner. They have vowed to ensure that scientific mining does not take place in the area due to multiple concerns.
A visit was made to the village last week to see firsthand what was happening on the ground and why the decision to allow mining was being so vehemently opposed by the local population.
Paromgre sits about 70 km from Tura and around 20 km from Chokpot, the principal village in the area. However, reaching it takes close to four hours—on a good day.
Reaching Chokpot alone is enough to make one curse the living daylights out of the state and successive governments. The road between Baromile (on the Tura-Dalu Road) and Sibbari, another 60 km away, has never been fully completed. While the drive from Tura to Deku (43 km) takes about an hour, the remaining 10-11 km takes another 50 minutes due to the extremely poor condition of the road.
After reaching Chokpot, locals informed that the only way to reach Paromgre was by motorcycle or a 4WD vehicle. After hiring a pick-up truck, the team proceeded to the village, which falls just outside the core zone of the Nokrek Biosphere.
Taking a right turn about 10 km from Chokpot on the Darengre road (an NLCPR-commissioned route), the nightmare began. The next 10 km was an absolute roller coaster, with the vehicle continuously climbing or descending on a cut-through track. The entire ride took 1.2 hours despite the village being only about 8 km off the main road.
The village is accessible by vehicle only during the dry season. Even slight rain makes travel impossible, even for 4WD vehicles. As a result, villagers must stockpile essentials for times when they are completely cut off. Several small, fast-flowing rivers that run through the area often make crossing dangerous, even for people on foot.
Ironically, a resident pointed out that when villagers approached the state Forest department for permission to build a proper road, the request was rejected as the area was declared forest land. Yet, the same department later granted permission for scientific mining after certifying the land as non-arable and non-forest.
After the arduous journey, the team reached Paromgre, where residents were waiting to guide them. The first striking feature was the village’s proximity to the Nokrek core area—completely green, dense with vegetation. The forest was so thick that sunlight barely reached the ground. How the Forest department could classify the mining site as non-forest remains incomprehensible and raises suspicions of collusion.
Leaving the vehicle near the quarry owners’ campsite, the team ventured deeper to check for evidence of mining. Since mining attempts began this year, the quarry owner has used heavy machinery to cut through pristine forest and create an extensive network of internal roads. Half-cut trees scattered along the route stand as testimony to the destruction.
“Our forests were cut through using JCBs and dumper trucks, and now there is a network of over 8-10 km of internal roads. A huge number of trees, both small and large, were cleared just to make way for scientific mining, something we have never agreed to. We have lost so much forest cover just for the greed of a few people,” said one resident.
Paromgre is home to the Chada clan and over 460 residents from 130 households. It has historically been rich in flora and fauna, but since mining attempts began, wildlife has fled and the vegetation has diminished.
After strong objections by residents across Chokpot, mining has been halted at all sites. Drilling pipes and other mining equipment remain scattered across the prospecting areas.
Positively, with mining halted, wildlife has begun returning. Footprints of deer, wild boar and other animals are now visible in the moist soil. “The destruction of their habitat and the huge noise from the heavy machines drove the animals away. But since the work has stopped, the animals are thankfully back,” another resident said.
Villagers identified 6-8 sites where prospecting was attempted, stating that more locations had been dug up. They also displayed areas of unnecessary forest clearance by miners. Water that was once pristine has now turned turbid in several places.
Residents admitted that earlier they had allowed a few miners to lease land for rat-hole mining since it did not heavily impact the environment, but have since stopped all forms of mining after the ban.
“We haven’t even used these lands for cultivation and left them untouched to preserve the environment. This area is the source of many rivers and waterfalls that flow through SGH. We fear a severe impact in the coming days—not only on groundwater levels but also on the quality and quantity of surface water,” another resident said.
According to available information, the controversy dates back to 2021 when, allegedly without the consent of clan chras, the Paromgre Nokma’s husband, Comity N. Sangma, sold over 150 hectares of land to Georgeman S. Marak for scientific coal mining. Marak had earlier leased or bought land nearby for rat-hole mining.
Though the sale was not public knowledge at the time, rumours began to spread and eventually gained momentum.
Only this year did Marak begin prospecting and preparing for scientific mining, triggering protests across the region. Various CSOs, including the GSU, FKJGP, AHAM, AYWO, CAVC, Senior Citizen’s Forum and GSMC, launched protests even as Marak continued work.
The protests have now intensified, with locals from Chokpot fully supporting the campaign due to environmental concerns.
What has angered residents and activists is the lack of public consultation. No department sought local consensus before approving mining. Moreover, no officials from any department reportedly even visited the site before issuing clearances. All decisions were taken behind office walls.
Activists argue that the departments responsible for issuing the licence must be held accountable, as they allegedly passed off forested terrain as non-forest.
From the visit, it was evident that the area is both arable and heavily forested. The Forest department’s NOC appears completely disconnected from reality. Given the village’s proximity to the Nokrek core zone, the departments should have exercised caution—but instead, they allegedly pushed ahead to facilitate mining.
Further questions arise as to how the Mining and Geology department and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) allowed such an area to be considered for coal mining at all. The fact that the department is headed by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma may open another set of uncomfortable questions for the government. “There seems to be too much collusion between everyone at the helm of affairs to somehow pass off a mining licence in Garo Hills without doing their groundwork. The GHADC was very quick to provide its NOC even though the Chras were not involved at all, and then they passed the blame to the state. What about the State Pollution Control Board or the Forest and Wildlife Department? They all know this is a habitat of rare flora and fauna but still falsely declared the area to be non-arable and non-forest. The very people meant to protect the state’s interests seem hell-bent on destroying whatever little still remains,” said GSU president Jish Sangma.
