Members of the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) and Jaintia National Council (JNC), accompanied by a large number of men, women and youths from East Jaintia Hills, staged a protest in Shillong on Monday against the proposed limestone mining project of Shree Cement Limited at Daistong. The protesters had arrived in the city with the intention of marching towards the Meghalaya Secretariat to oppose the proposed public hearing for the project. However, they were stopped by police personnel at the IGP point, Mawbynna, preventing them from proceeding further. Speaking to reporters, JSU general secretary, Neilkee Mukhim alleged that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted in connection with the project contained misleading information that did not reflect the actual environmental condition of the forests, water bodies and surrounding areas of the proposed mining site.
The union further claimed that the project was “illegal” as documents reportedly showed that Shree Cement Limited had sought Environmental Clearance from Gujarat while intending to operate the mining project in Meghalaya. Several speakers who addressed the gathering strongly opposed the proposed public hearing and demanded immediate cancellation of the limestone mining project. The public hearing for the Shree Cement Limited project is scheduled to be held on May 22