Shillong, May 27: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday rejected allegations that the state government bypassed procedures to facilitate the proposed Shree Cement project in East Jaintia Hills, asserting that all statutory norms and clearances are being followed.
The proposed project has stirred significant public opposition and concern due to allegations of environmental violations and bypassed procedures.
Sangma said the government could not approve any large-scale industrial project without adhering to laid-down procedures. “Procedures are defined for every industrial project. For the government, it is not possible not to follow procedures, especially for larger projects,” the chief minister said.
He dismissed allegations that the government was attempting to push the project through by overlooking environmental concerns.
“There is no question of any bulldozing out here. There’s no question of flouting any rules. All rules and procedures will be followed for all projects,” he added.
Sangma said people were free to raise objections and concerns during the mandated process, but maintained that the administration remained committed to ensuring compliance with all statutory requirements.
The chief minister also rejected suggestions that the government was favouring particular companies in major infrastructure and industrial projects.
“If favouring is there, it will be out in the open,” he said while responding to another question regarding allegations linked to Public Health Engineering (PHE) contracts.
“These are investments worth thousands of crores. Such projects cannot happen just because somebody wants them to happen. They have to proceed only on the basis of procedures that are in place,” he added.
The public hearing for the Shree Cement project has sparked controversy over industrial expansion, environmental safeguards and community consent in Meghalaya’s resource-rich districts. Many argue that this project could lead to environmental degradation, particularly because it is located near sensitive ecological areas. Concerns regarding the adequacy of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) have also been raised extensively.
Following the protests and public opposition, authorities decided to cancel the public hearing for the time being.
