Thma U Rangli Juki extends support to villagers in opposition to the public hearing

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: Two days after the villagers stalled the public hearing called by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) along with the district officials in Lumshong, the Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) on Friday expressed its solidarity with the villagers of Lumshnong and its adjacent villages in their opposition to the public hearing on Star Cement’s plans to increase and expand its limestone mining activity.

Stating that the environmental crisis in Meghalaya and especially in Jaintia Hills has been caused by lax regulations, the TUR said, “It needs no reminding that many of the cement factories in the area were established by bending environmental regulations, forest laws as well as indigenous land laws regarding community land.”.

The TUR further stated the lax regulation by the government has meant that pollution caused by these factories have gone unchecked. “Public good has been sacrificed at the altar of corporate greed. It is high time that the cement factories are socially audited to examine their legal status, environmental and economic impact.”, the TUR stated.

Also read: Meghalaya news