Shillong, July 14: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Tuesday urged the Meghalaya government to shut down the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) office at Nongmensong and formally inform the Centre that uranium mining would not be permitted in the state.
KSU general secretary Reuben Najiar said concerns over uranium mining had resurfaced following recent remarks by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh indicating that uranium extraction remained a possibility in Meghalaya.
Najiar alleged that land was being purchased in Domiasiat and other uranium-rich areas and that influential individuals, including some allegedly linked to the government, had visited the areas and approached residents to sell their land. “There are clear signs that the issue is being revived. People are buying land in Domiasiat and other uranium-rich areas,” Najiar told reporters.
He said reports quoting the Union Minister had strengthened the union’s apprehension that the Centre was attempting to revive plans for uranium mining in Meghalaya.
The KSU leader urged the state government to support its stated opposition to uranium mining with concrete action. He called upon the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly to pass a resolution opposing uranium mining and forward it to the Centre. “Words alone are not enough. A resolution may not override central laws, but it will send a strong political message,” he said.
The union also urged the Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills Autonomous District Councils to adopt similar resolutions and exercise their powers under the Sixth Schedule to formulate land laws prohibiting uranium mining. Najiar said uranium deposits were reportedly present not only in South West Khasi Hills but also in parts of the Jaintia and Garo Hills, making a coordinated response from the three autonomous district councils necessary.
Questioning the continued operation of the AMD office in Shillong, Najiar said the state government should direct the agency to leave Meghalaya if it was genuinely opposed to uranium mining. “If the government truly does not want uranium mining, then what is the purpose of keeping the AMD office in Nongmensong? Instruct them to leave. As long as that office remains, this issue will not die down,” he said.
Najiar reiterated the KSU’s opposition to uranium mining, citing the alleged environmental, agricultural and social impact of earlier exploratory activities. “We have seen what exploration alone did to the people, the land and agriculture. We can only imagine the impact of full-scale mining. We will not allow it,” he said.
Referring to the historical relationship between the Khasi States and India, Najiar claimed that the Federation of Khasi States had not signed an Instrument of Merger and had joined India only through the Instrument of Accession.
He warned that any attempt by the Centre to forcibly undertake uranium mining in Meghalaya would revive the wider constitutional and political issue. “If the Government of India uses force to mine uranium here, this matter will come up again,” Najiar said.
