Angry over the ongoing illegal mining in the highly sensitive forest land of Siju area in South Garo Hills, students and NGOs including the Garo Students’ Union along with the Chitmang Hills Anti-Mining Forum took over a stretch of road that had been cleared for movement of trucks to the mining site. In its place the volunteers planted new tree saplings.
The land through which the road runs had been illegally denuded of its forest cover in Halwa Atong Aking region for the purpose to shift the precious limestone and coal reserves in the area. The mining area is bang on the border of the Balpakram National Park which is protected by a large area of forests thriving with wildlife.
Since repeated protests against mining failed to deter the miners, who belong to several big companies having nexus with politicians, the NGOs led by a strong contingent of almost a hundred student volunteers took over the area and began a mass tree plantation all along the 1.5 km road that had been cut through a standing forest.
When the first trucks of the day rolled in they were greeted by angry volunteers and a road that had been freshly planted with tree saplings.
There has been extensive protests throughout the South Garo Hills district over proposal to undertake coal and limestone mining in the area where the national park and the famous Siju caves are located. NGOs had raised a banner of revolt after it was revealed that powerful mining companies in nexus with politicians were attempting to extract the minerals by stripping bare the entire forest area of the region.
The NGOs also got a commitment taken from the headman of Halwa Atong Aking to ensure no permit is given for mining in the area. The anti- mining coalition is maintaining a constant vigil to ensure that no fresh moves to start road construction are made.
The anti-mining coalition has petitioned the Ministry of Environment and Forests Regional office in Shillong for violation of the Forest Conservation Act. Similarly, a complaint has also been filed with the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council for prosecuting the headmen of Gongrot and Halwa Atong Akings for felling of standing forest, that too with malafide intent of illegal mining.
The anti-mining coalition has declared a fight to put an end to all illegal attempts on the ground as well as through all other means at its disposal. It condemned the State Government for failing to play its regulatory role both with regard to mining regulations as well as environmental ones.
The State of Meghalaya is being ravaged by illegal private mining for coal and limestone facilitated by the State Government completely abdicating its role in regulating mining, informed a member of the anti-mining forum in South Garo Hills.