Conrad reiterates Govt stand against uranium mining
Shillong, July 8: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has reiterated the government’s stand against uranium mining in Meghalaya and assured to probe into allegations about AMD officials visiting uranium-rich areas of West Khasi Hills.
Reacting to allegations by Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) that Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) officials are making frequent visits to Domiasiat and other areas, the Chief Minister said he was not aware of any such movement in the state.
“If any knowledge comes to my office, if you inform me, then obviously we will take action,” the Sangma told reporters on Wednesday.
Asserting that he has no specific information of any such tour by AMD officials, he said, “Since you have told me right now… I will find out and accordingly we will take steps in that also.”
Reiterating his stand against uranium mining, the Chief Minister asserted that his word as CM should be taken as the government’s final stand on the issue.
Meghalaya government had in 2009 revoked a cabinet decision on uranium mining, following public demand for any activity towards mining of the radioactive material citing health concerns.
“In all my press conferences and even as close as 2025 I remember I made a statement on this very clear that we are not in favour of uranium mining. We are very clear about it and we have made it clear to the government of India also. We have made it very clear to the people also,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister said the government’s approach is to build consensus and not impose decisions on people.
“And it is not just about uranium mining. If you look at all the decisions that we are taking, especially the decisions that impact the people at large, we have been very clear that we will work and do things in line with what is in the best interest of our people,” he said.
Citing railways as an example, he added, “Whether you talk of railways, we may be the only state that today does not have a railway connection to the capital city or to the major regions of the state. It is a big challenge but we don’t bulldoze. We are very clear that we must take people into confidence when we move forward in this aspect,” Sangma said.
He mentioned that the issue of uranium mining has come up multiple times and has been rejected each time.
“We believe in creating consensus, we believe in ensuring that we are sharing everything with the people and uranium mining has been something which we all have been concerned about and I have made my point very clear that we are not at all in favour of uranium mining and this is an issue that has come multiple times to us and we have rejected it multiple times,” he said.
He also dismissed attempts to create confusion over the government’s position.
Asked if the government would consider passing a resolution in the Assembly to reiterate its stand, Sangma said his statement made it very clear that the government will not allow it.
