Shillong, Oct 15: Tension gripped Rajaju village in South West Khasi Hills district after Hima Langrin residents discovered a coke factory operating along Nongjri road, allegedly set up without locals’ knowledge.
Led by the Seng Samla Hima Langrin, residents on Thursday stormed the site and forced a temporary shutdown.
They alleged that the Syiem of Hima Langrin granted permission without informing the dorbar and without holding a public hearing.
“This factory has come up secretly. We were not informed. Our health, water, and fields will be affected,” a resident said.
Residents said they sought information from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board and other departments but got no reply.
The Seng Samla has demanded immediate intervention of the district administration and the state government, stating no industrial unit should be allowed in the Hima without free and prior consent and proper environmental clearance.
The incident comes as coal sourcing of coke plants in South West Khasi Hills is under scrutiny.
In August, the High Court-appointed audit committee headed by Justice (retd) B P Katakey found no verification that coal procured by plants from within the state was from legal sources.
The finding is significant as rat-hole mining was banned by NGT in 2014 and remains under High Court scanner.
The panel noted that inspection by the district administration on June 1 identified 10 coke oven plants, of which three were non-operational for lack of Consent to Operate (CTO).
However, MSPCB data shows Consent to Establish (CTE) was issued to 15 plants, of which 10 have valid CTO while 5 have not applied.
The district administration had not verified compliance with the 2024 SOP for imported coal or whether in-state coal was from legal sources, the panel reported.
