Shillong: Stone crusher owners, quarry operators, and transporters hit the pause button on their planned hunger strike. The Joint Action Committee agreed to stand down after Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong promised government action. Tynsong chairs the state committee overseeing sand and stone mining.
He met with committee leaders on Thursday evening. The group issued an ultimatum demanding an end to the harassment of workers in the quarrying and transport trades. Stakeholders from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills threatened to protest in Shillong if the government stayed silent past October. Tynsong broke the news that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change rejected some of the state's proposed mining rules.
The Cabinet will take up the issue soon. "The matter is now slated for further discussion at the Cabinet level to find a way forward," according to the committee. While the strike is off, the group is still watching for results.
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