Shillong: Despite the opposition shown by the protestors of Narpuh Elaka located in East Jaintia Hills District, the environmental public hearing conducted by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board was passed on Thursday. Several rounds of teargas and lathi-charge also took place during the protest.
The public hearing was about the expansion of the Meghalaya Cements Limited (Topcem) from 2600 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) to up to 4,500 TPD.
The situation turned ugly after protestors from Narpuh Elaka started to surround the community hall of Topcem. Narpuh Elaka includes villages like Wahiajer, Thangskai, and Chiehruphi.
Initially the venue for the public hearing was at Meghalaya Cements Limited Topcem football playground in Thangskai, but moved due to vandalism by protestors at Topcem’s community hall.
The protest was organised by Wahiajer Narpuh Social and Sports Club, and several NGOs like HANM, KSU Narpuh Circle, and others came together to participate in the protest, opposing this environmental public hearing.
EastMojo interacted with the agitating protestors, who mentioned that there was “no dorbar meeting” and that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Topcem’s expansion of the cement plant was given without taking all the people into consideration.
Deiwi Tongper, a resident of Narpuh Elaka, shared with EastMojo that job opportunities are lacking and cement plant installations have brought health risks.
Another Narpuh Elaka resident noted that while development has occurred, it’s not sustainable. The resident added, “We should get the maximum profit out of these cement industries and we were promised that 50% of workforce will be locals but as of now we haven’t seen that.”
However, some Narpuh residents disagreed. They said that job opportunities have gone up and Topcem has brought a lot of development to their villages. Even illiterate locals are getting jobs, which is why Ker Miky Dkhar, a Narpuh Elaka resident, fully supports the expansion.
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Vikash Saraf, the Senior Vice President of Meghalaya Cements Limited Topcem, told EastMojo that only a few people from nearby villages had ulterior motives to cause trouble. “The people of these three villages have shown their support, as seen in the public hearing, because we have supported them in their needs. We’ve built roads, churches, street lights, and several other developmental projects,” said Saraf.
EastMojo observed a clash between SP Jagpal Singh Dhanoa and protestors. The SP said protestors had a chance to oppose but declined, while protestors insisted police shouldn’t intervene as their fight was with the company. During the firing of teargas and lathi-charge, several protestors and policemen sustained injuries.
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