The Meghalaya government will look for alternative options if conflicts are present in the reports of North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) and IIT Guwahati, which have both been asked to study reports of radiation leaks in Nongbah-Jynrin, South West Khasi Hills.
“If we see some kind of conflicts in the reports then we can take a decision for (appointing) another party. But it will not be appropriate for me to say one, two or three or four (parties). But as said, we would ensure that we take all possible steps to make sure that our people are safe,” Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told reporters today.
Reacting to certain groups opposing the selection of NEHU and IIT Guwahati to inquire into the alleged leaks, Sangma said that both institutes are independent bodies.
“What we are looking at is agencies that can quickly implement things. Now in the situation that we are facing, there are a lot of challenges of people travelling and coming in (due to the Covid-19 pandemic) so it is easier for us to move things faster with NEHU and IIT,” he said. “Therefore we went for what would be quickly available and so decided to go with an independent body within Shillong – NEHU – and then we went one step further with IIT Guwahati.”
The Chief Minister said that his government will do whatever it takes to ensure that the facts are unraveled.
NEHU, he added, has been given a “few weeks” to study the issue, while IIT Guwahati has not gotten back to the government yet, though a reply is expected shortly.
