Shillong, Oct 12: The state government moved the Lum Syrman fact-finding committee hearing from Khliehriat to Shillong and rescheduled it from October 13 to 16.
The committee was set up to assess the proposed Shree Cement limestone mining project and cement plant at Lum Syrman in East Jaintia Hills, which has polarised the local community with sections in favour and others opposed.
The hearing will now be held from 10am in Committee Room 4 in the main building of Meghalaya Civil Secretariat, instead of Khliehriat Circuit House where it was earlier scheduled for Oct 13. All persons who submitted representations have been asked to appear with original documents.
The Rs 1,800 crore integrated cement plant and mining project has been facing fierce resistance.
Pressure groups and others alleged that Lum Syrman is not free land but ancestral farmland of Shnongrim village under Elaka Nongkhlieh cultivated for generations, with landowners holding patta, district council and Doloi certificates.
They also raised ecological concerns, claiming mining will threaten Krem Liat Prah, India’s longest natural cave system, and cited pollution of Lukha and Lunar rivers in already industrialised parts of East Jaintia Hills.
The flashpoint was the July 31 public hearing, which groups alleged was rigged and non-transparent, with people opposed to the project hindered from attending.
Following protests, the government constituted a fact-finding committee and assured that no construction will begin until the report is submitted.
