The Meghalaya government today said it has demolished at least three illegal coke oven plants in West Khasi Hills district in compliance with the Meghalaya High Court order and arrested five people involved in running these plants.
The ongoing demolition of chimneys and other physical infrastructure of the illegal coke plants will be completed by July 20.
Informing this today, the State government in a press release said the demolition of chimneys and other physical infrastructure of the illegal coke oven plants has commenced from July 8.
“Three chimneys have been demolished till July 10 and the work is targeted to be completed by July 20,” the release said while adding that several persons behind these illegal operations have been identified and arrested.
Stating that the State government has taken decisive action to address the issue of illegal coke plants in the State and also ensure compliance to the orders of the High Court, the release said that action had already been initiated against the illegal coke plants in December 2022 by shutting them down and initiating the process of dismantling them to ensure that they do not become operational again.
“This process continued till April 2023 resulting in significant progress in eradication of these unlawful establishments,” the release said, adding that in consonance with the directives of High Court, unequivocal directions were issued to demolish the entire infrastructure behind these unlawful establishments and identify and prosecute the culprits behind this illegal activity.
Denying that the State government was all along silent on the existence of illegal coke oven plants, the release said that “concrete measures and proactive steps of the government in executing these actions to dismantle the infrastructure supporting the illegal coke plants are contrary to any perception of silence on the issue”.
“The government remains steadfast in its commitment towards upholding the rule of law and preserving the pristine environment of the state for its residents. The eradication of illegal coke plants is an essential step towards achieving these objectives and restoring the region’s ecological balance,” it added.
Further, the government urged all residents, local community members, and relevant stakeholders to support these measures and cooperate with the authorities during the ongoing operation.
