UCIL denies submitting white paper to Meghalaya government

Shillong, Jan 31 (UNI) The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) today denied a report that it had submitted a fresh white paper to the Meghalaya government on the proposed Kylleng-Pyndeng Sohiong Uranium project in West Khasi Hills district.

''We have not submitted any paper to the state government,'' UCIL Officer on Special Duty F D Rynjah told UNI here today, terming reports appearing in a section of local dailies here today a ''political ploy'' of vested interest.

State's Chief Secretary S.K.Tewari too denied of having recieve any paper from the Uranium mining company.

According to local dailies here, the UCIL recently submitted the white paper to the government revealing that the State's uranium would be used to augment the country's installed nuclear power capacity upto 20,000 MW by 2020.

UCIL proposes to develop an open cast mine in Kylleng-Pyndeng Sohiong where uranium ore deposits having an average grade of 0.085 per cent of U3O8 would be mined, and also to establish a processing plant near Mawthabah.

The UCIL was facing a stiff opposition from the local population, and the NGOs on mining of uranium fearing radiation. So far, the state government has kept the project in abeyance following strong protest from the NGOs.

UNI