Violation forest rules by cement cos in Jaintia Hills

Shillong: The Shillong bench of the Guahati High Court has directed the State Government to submit a report on whether provisions of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 has been complied while granting permission of establishment of cement plants and limestone mines in Jaintia Hills. Initiating a suo-moto public interest Litigation petition, the court on July 27 directed the government to submit the report in the form of an affidavit within four weeks time.

SHILLONG: The proposed 240 MW Umngot Hydro Electric Project has hit a roadblock with local villagers and opposing the project saying that the compensation for their land was grossly inadequate.

Terming the project as anti-people, the residents of several villages (Umsaw, Pashang, Mawsir, Kransngi, Mawdulop and Mynsang) who areas lay in the upper stream of the project have said that their agricultural land would be submerged and they would become landless once the project takes off.

SHILLONG: Road links to the northeastern States of Mizoram, Tripura and parts of Manipur and southern Assam remained cut off from the rest of India on Sunday, following massive landslides on a major highway in Meghalaya, an official said Sunday.

The National Highway No 44 at Sonapur and Tongseng in Jaintia Hills district in eastern Meghalaya, bordering Assam has been blocked after heavy rains triggered landslides, with huge boulders covering the road.

- NDRF account reveals inhuman conditions faced by miners as mine owners, govt mint money

SHILLONG: The State Government has not yet approved the mining lease for several companies which are keen to mine the natural resources in the State.

“Altogether, eight companies have applied for mining lease,” Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters recently. He also informed that the companies which have applied for mining lease include the cement companies in Jaintia Hills, namely Adhunik and Star Cement which had submitted fresh applications.

Shillong: The Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission has received nearly 40,000 applications from individual fish farmers across the state to partner with the state government in attaining self-suffic

Shillong: The calculated silence on the issue of mining in forest areas and violation of Forest Act, 1980 by cement companies’ in Jaintia Hills or rather by official custodians of forests who have issued no objection certificates (NOC) in such forest lands till now, is being challenged vide a public interest litigation filed by the Jaintia Youth Federation (JYF).

The JYF filed their PIL against a set of respondents including the State Government, in the Supreme Court. Chief Justice of India who heard the case, in his ruling on April 20, this year disposed off the matter with liberty for JYF to file the petition in any other appropriate court first.

SHILLONG: Admitting that the progress of the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) in the State has not been upto the mark, Power Minister AT Mondal said that show cause notices have been given to the concerned contractors for the delay in commissioning of the scheme.

The RGGVY scheme aims at electrifying all villages and habitations besides providing access to electricity to all rural households and also to provide electricity connection to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families free of charge. Under the scheme, 1, 14,507 BPL families will be provided free electricity connection in the state.

Shillong: The death of thousands of fish at Wah Lukha in Jaintia Hills and Ranikor river is directly linked mushrooming of cement plants and unscientific mining activities being carried out in the two districts of the state, says the KSU.

“The rise in number of cement plants in Jaintia Hills has posed a great threat not only to the forests and environment but also the aquatic lives to the extend that all the rivers are poisoned making survival of aquatic lives almost impossible”, KSU Environment and Cultural Secretary J Marbaniang said.

JOWAI: Unscientific limestone mining in War-Jaintia, Amlarem Sub-Division in Jaintia Hills has become a cause of concern for residents of Nongtalang village and its surrounding villages who are facing an impending water scarcity in the area.

A huge quantity of limestone is exported to Bangladesh via Tamabil on a daily basis which has encouraged individuals in the area to start limestone mining. The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council has so far issued 21 numbers of NOCs (No Objection Certificates) for extraction of limestone, 25 NOCs to exporters and another 12 to transporters.