Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: The Jaintia National Council (JNC) is calling out the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for allegedly favoring Shree Cement. The group claims the committee is fast-tracking a 217-hectare limestone mining project at Lum Syrman in the East Jaintia Hills district. Suspicion is mounting. The JNC president, Bah Sambormi Lyngdoh, openly questions an alleged payment of Rs 1,08,75,000 from the company to the committee, asking if the money represents the "price" for the committee's actions.
Documents indicate the SEAC recommended the project for environmental clearance and consent to establish after reviewing company submissions. However, the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) blocked the move. The authority noted that a state government Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) is still investigating the project. They sent the file back to the SEAC for further review.
Lyngdoh points to a conflict of interest involving SEAC Member Secretary G. H. Chyrmang. Chyrmang holds the same post at the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, which oversaw the initial public hearing. Residents of Elaka Nongkhlieh and local civil society groups recently brought their grievances to the FFC in Shillong. They claim the original hearing denied them a fair chance to speak. The Jaintia Students' Union has also taken the matter to the Meghalaya High Court, which allowed the union to submit evidence to the FFC.
The JNC warns that the FFC might just be a distraction. Lyngdoh demands the state government step in if the SEAC is acting alone. He says if the state government knows about the SEAC's actions, the entire FFC process looks like a cover-up. The group maintains that the FFC hearing remains pointless if the SEAC continues to process documents tied to the original, disputed pollution board hearing.
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