Shillong, May 7: The farmers of Shnongrim in East Jaintia Hills, who have been affected by the ownership of their farmland by Shree Cement Ltd, have found that the company has not received the mandatory No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).
The farmers and the Forest Department of the JHADC demanded that the public hearing scheduled to be held on May 22 should be canceled.
They stated that the NOC from the JHADC is for a prospecting licence and mining because the company intends to mine coal from Lum Syrman.
“We the residents of Shnongrim village and the landowners of Lum Syrman village in Nongkhlieh Elaka, East Jaintia Hills, strongly oppose and demand that the public hearing should be canceled immediately,” the residents stated.
They said that according to the notice dated April 27, 2026 issued by the JHADC, the Forest Department of the district council has not issued the NOC to the company to mine coal from Lum Shyrman.
They said that if the public hearing is held without proper documents and permission it shows that the authorities concerned have not followed the proper procedures.
“We strongly request the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) and all relevant authorities to immediately suspend the public hearing until the company can comply with all the legal requirements,” the residents stated.
