The Jaintia National Council (JNC) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Meghalaya Government’s Fact-Finding Committee, calling for an independent and document-based inquiry into the proposed Shree Cement project at Lum Syrman in East Jaintia Hills.
In its representation, addressed to the committee’s Chairperson through the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, the JNC raised concerns over land ownership and transfer, the link between the 652.24-hectare Non-Forest Land Certificate (NFLC) area and the 217.394-hectare mining lease, and the events that led to the disruption of the public hearing on July 31, 2026.
The organisation urged the committee to examine original land deeds, sale records, survey documents and other official records instead of relying exclusively on information contained in the project’s environmental reports.
The JNC said the committee should ascertain why the NFLC refers to a much larger area than the land covered under the mining licence and determine whether all legal and procedural requirements were complied with.
The representation also cited the Final Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Lum Syrman Limestone Block-A project, which states that Shree Cement Limited purchased 217.394 hectares of land for Rs 5.44375 crore. The council has sought verification of the transaction through official records to establish the authenticity of the details presented in the report.
The JNC further appealed to the Fact-Finding Committee to base its conclusions on independently verified evidence and a thorough examination of all relevant documents before arriving at its findings.