Illegal coke factories in Shallang are now operating at night even after they were directed to shut down.
Residents of the area have questioned the silence of the government stating that nothing is being done to stop the illegal coke factories posing a threat to the residents of the area.
“Almost 95 per cent of the residents in Shallang area want closure of these coke factories because they understand how much the environment is being polluted and exploited and how it has affected health,” AG Gare a resident of Shallang said.
He said now these factories are operating at night. “You will not see smoke or sounds of machines during the day, but at night we are being suffocated by the air they produce.”
Gare said that Legislative Assembly’s environment committee’s visit to inspect the coke factories was nothing sort of a “sightseeing trip,” as these factories continue to operate.
It may be mentioned that the West Khasi Hills district administration has been directed by the Legislative Assembly’s environment committee to close coke factories in Shallang, while the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) had, on August 5, issued a closure notice to the 15 coke factories for violating Section 25 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981 for establishing and operating a unit without valid consent.
