OUR CORRESPONDENT
HAFLONG: The yearlong dharna protesting the alleged handover of nearly 9,000 bighas of land across several villages in Chhota Lakhindong and adjoining areas of Umrangshu to the Adani Group is nearing its end. Reports suggest that the company has reached a settlement on compensation with the affected villagers, effectively ending the agitation. With the disputes apparently resolved, establishment of multiple cement plants, including the proposed Ambuja Cement project, is now expected to move forward in the region.
Indications of this became evident during the public hearing conducted by the Pollution Control Board on Wednesday. Observers said that after compensation payments were settled, the hearing and subsequent clearance procedures seemed more like a formality than genuine environmental scrutiny.
Expressing strong dissatisfaction, former council member and Chief Convener of the Sixth Schedule Protection Committee, Daniel Langthasa, said that the entire process lacked transparency. "We are not against development," Langthasa stated, "but why were the legal procedures of land acquisition not duly completed? The entire exercise in Umrangshu on Wednesday was a mere show. How can compensation be paid before the Pollution Control Board grants clearance?"
He further warned that indiscriminate establishment of mining and cement plants on thousands of bighas of land would turn Umrangshu into a heavily polluted zone. "When such large-scale industrial units come up, even the air we breathe will become heavy, and there's no assurance that the drinking water will remain safe," Langthasa cautioned.
Langthasa also expressed his disappointment over allegations made during the public hearing that his group was 'inciting' the villagers. "Such statements are deeply unfortunate," he said, reaffirming his committee's stand for lawful and environmentally responsible development in the hill district.
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