Meghalaya: Uranium mining; KSU intensifies stir

Shillong, June 8: The Khasi Student's Union(KSU) has intensified its agitation in Meghalaya over the public hearing on uranium mining.

The ruling partners of the Congress-led government had suggested keeping the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board(PCB) public hearing in abeyance.

The KSU, which is spearheading the anti-uranium mining movement in the state for over a decade, has called for fresh agitations since June 4 to force the government to cancel the PCB hearing on June 12 at Nongbah Jynrin village.

The Uranium Corporation of India Limited(UCIL) had proposed to develop an open-cast mining of uranium ore at Kylleng-Pyndengsohiong and a processing plant at the Mawthabah in state's West Khasi Hills district.

The fresh KSU-sponsored 36-hour bandh from 0500 hours of June 11 to 1700 hours on June 12 would be effective in Shillong to protest against the public hearing, KSU leader Mebanker Lapang said.

Condemning the state government for conducting police raids in the houses of KSU members, Mr Lapang said, ''The government is trying to curb people's rights to protest by democratic means.'' Former KSU President Paul Lyngdoh, now a minister in the Lapang ministry, has objected the government's decision to go ahead with the public hearing and demanded an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

The United Democratic Party(UDP), the main ally of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance(MDA) government has asked the government to postpone the public hearing as the state government was yet to educate the people on various aspects of uranium mining.

''The government must comes out with a comprehensive scheme of uranium mining along with a white paper, which should contain details about all aspects of uranium mining, the government should not go ahead with the public hearing,'' UDP spokesman Bindo M Lanong said.

Meanwhile, police had arrested former KSU Organising Secretary and Nationalist Congress Party member Nickson Dohling yesterday on charge of providing shelter to KSU leader Mebanker Lapang.

UNI