Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: The Jaintia National Council is demanding answers. The group questioned why Shree Cement continues project work in the East Jaintia Hills district despite a government-ordered probe into a recent public hearing at Lum Syrman. While the state announced a status quo, official processes appear to be moving forward. Records show the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee advanced the company proposal during its 103rd meeting on September 8 under Agenda 7.
JNC President Sambormi Lyngdoh fears the committee is just a distraction. The government has not released the names of the members, the chairperson, or the official rules governing the inquiry. There is no public deadline for a final report. The council argues that the probe lacks transparency and fails to address the violence and land disputes reported at the site.
"We have just seen that the government has said that this fact-finding committee has started working, but what is surprising is that we have not yet seen that the government has issued a notification regarding its working methods, rules of procedure, and also the members of this committee, and who will head the committee," Lyngdoh said. He added that the committee is still a shadow that nobody trusts.
The group maintains that the company is using the clearance process to bypass local concerns. The JNC plans to keep fighting the project to protect the rights of farmers and landowners in the region. They claim the committee will reach nowhere while the company continues its paperwork.
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