The secretary general of the council, D.D.G. Dympep, said: “Over the years, Lafarge has been mining limestone from Shella and transporting it through conveyor belts to Bangladesh to feed its cement factories there. But the question is: have the indigenous people really benefited from such transnational companies?” The resumption of mining activities by the French cement major in Shella village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills will be known only after the Supreme Court delivers its final judgment.
In February this year, the apex court had directed Lafarge Umiam to put an end to all its mining activities in the area. Dympep pointed out in the case of cement plants in Jaintia Hills, several groups had questioned their presence vis-à-vis the rights of the indigenous peoples.
Over the years, numerous cement factories have come up in Jaintia Hills, rich in coal and limestone deposits.
Dympep said worldwide there had been several instances where the indigenous people were not taken into confidence when it came to utilisation of their land and resources.
“In the name of development, national interest and security, the rights of the indigenous peoples on their land and resources have been infringed upon,” he said, adding that such acts amount to violation of human rights.
The councilhas also urged the Meghalaya government to recognise the indigenous peoples as distinctly entitled to their collective rights especially to their land, territory and resources.
Dympep recalled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement at a conference of chief ministers and the states’ ministers for tribal affairs where he had said that “the alienation of tribals was taking a dangerous turn and that there has been a systemic failure in giving the tribals a stake in the modern economic processes that inexorably intrude into their living spaces”.
The rights body also urged the state government to urgently act on the demands of the indigenous peoples across Meghalaya for a constructive dialogue towards their recognition as distinct peoples and build cooperation in addressing the concerns of the state and the indigenous peoples.
“This International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is also an occasion to recall that there is no room for complacency. The continuing violations of the rights of indigenous peoples deserve our utmost attention and action. In Meghalaya the majority still belongs to the most discriminated and marginalised sectors of society, living below the poverty line and having little access to basic social services and political decision-making processes,” the council said.