Shillong, Sep 28: Landowners and farmers of Lum Syrman under Shnongrim village, Elaka Nongkhlieh in East Jaintia Hills have submitted a detailed representation before the fact-finding committee constituted by the state government to probe the proposed Shree Cement project.
Seven signatories representing the affected landowners, along with the Shnongrim Dorbar Shnong, told the panel that the proposed mining land is not free land. It is owned, possessed, cultivated and depended upon for generations by residents with customary rights under Elaka Nongkhlieh.
They strongly opposed Shree Cement’s attempt to mine at Lum Syrman, stating that a mega project cannot proceed by forcibly grabbing village land and declaring it as ownerless.
The representation stated that Lum Syrman has been cultivated and possessed by Shnongrim families for generations and they possess Patta/LHC, JHADC, Doloi and Waheh Shnong certificates to prove ownership.
The landowners clarified that Lum Syrman is not an inhabited village but their farmland, and that jobs and development promises cannot replace ownership rights and compensation.
The land owners demanded a thorough inquiry into the issuance of NOC by Doloi of Elaka Nongkhlieh Na U Sukhlain and Waheh Shnong of Lum Shyrngan village Rimi Shadap and Secretary of Lum Shyrngan village D Pakem.
They also want the committee to investigate the misuse of administrative power by Doloi of Elaka Nongkhlieh stating he has created turmoil in the society.
They have also demanded independent documentary, physical, historical and institutional verification of all land records before any irreversible work begins, asserting that their opposition is not just against the July 31 hearing but against the entire mining project from the beginning.
Raising serious questions on the July 31 public hearing organised by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, the farmers alleged that 40-50 police personnel blocked the road early morning and prevented affected landowners from attending it.
“How can the project proceed if those affected are not allowed to speak?” the representation asked, demanding the Committee to find who ordered the deployment, who authorised tear gas and lathi-charge, and whether police power was misused to silence opposition.
The fact-finding Committee, notified on September 8, is probing the circumstances that prevented Shnongrim residents from attending the July 31 hearing and the environmental, social, legal and criminal impacts of the Shree Cement project at Lum Syrman.
