Meghalaya youths to oppose uranium mining

The Hill State People's Democratic Party, a partner in Congress-led state government, Khasi Students' Union and Langrin Youth Welfare Association have rejected Cabinet's decision to lease land to Uranium Corporation of India Limited for pre-project development works in the uranium-rich areas of the state.

The Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), a partner in Congress-led state government, Khasi Students' Union (KSU) and Langrin Youth Welfare Association (LYWA) have rejected Cabinet's decision to lease land to Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for pre-project development works in the uranium-rich areas of the state.

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"Uranium mining will destroy the ecology and create health hazards. We will oppose the project since there is no proof that the effects of radiation could be contained," HSPDP president and former home minister H S Lyngdoh said in Shillong on Tuesday night.

While protesting the Cabinet's decision, KSU president Samuel B Jyrwa alleged that developmental activities would not benefit the people but were aimed at serving the long-term interests of UCIL which is set to mine uranium ore in Shillong. Meanwhile, the groups favouring uranium mining from West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts have welcomed the cabinet decision.

More than 19 pro-uranium activists in an emergency meeting inShillong on Tuesday evening decided to form an adhoc committee - West Khasi Hills Confederation of Associations Through Uranium Mining (WKHCATUM) to look into the initiatives taken by the government to allow UCIL to start development activities.