Shillong, Sep 24: The state government has constituted a committee to examine allegations of illegal mining and hill cutting in Ri-Bhoi and East Khasi Hills, following a petition filed before the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court.
This was informed by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today.
The committee, headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ri-Bhoi, includes representatives from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, the Mining and Geology Department and the district administration. It has been tasked with conducting inspections at the identified sites and submitting a detailed report to the government.
“The committee will go into all the details as highlighted in the CEC report. We are waiting for their findings,” Tynsong said. He added that the panel functions like an expert committee and has been given time until October 15 to complete its work.
The CEC had ruled that large tracts of Ri-Bhoi had suffered deforestation and should be replanted. It also ruled that the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya, which has close relations with the Meghalaya government, had illegally cut down forests to expand its infrastructure.
While responding to calls for immediate closure of mining activities, the Deputy CM cautioned against hasty decisions. “If you just blindly say that you have to close down everything, I think that is wrong,” he remarked, stressing the need for evidence-based action.
