Cement manufacturing giant Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd today said it was adopting a standardised approach to sustainable development by adhering to various environmental norms in its operations across the world, including the one at Nongtrai village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district. Lafarge Umiam Mining Pvt Ltd (LUMPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd., has been engaging in mining limestone from Nongtrai village under Shella in an area covering over 100 hectares since March 2003.

SHILLONG: The RTI findings on the cement plants in Jaintia Hills has exposed the connivance of the various Government departments including the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) and the traditional bodies which allowed the cements plants to carry out mining inside the forest areas in gross violation of the Forest Conservation Act.

SHILLONG: While admitting that the issue of alleged encroachment of the cement plants in Jaintia Hills into the forest areas is a serious matter, Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the Government would not hesitate to take action against the cement plants if it is established that they have violated the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 by operating in “thick” forested areas.

Shillong, Jan. 6: The Opposition NCP today demanded the immediate closure of the cement plants operating in forest areas in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills district. Apart from the closure, it also demanded from the state government to ask the companies to go for “compensatory afforestation” and to take necessary punitive action against all officials who were involved in giving clearance to the cement plants.

Shillong, Nov. 29: The high-level committee constituted by the Meghalaya government to probe whether cement plants in Jaintia Hills district have violated environmental norms has submitted its findings on November 25.
However, a senior government official refused to divulge the details of the findings.
Principal secretary (mining and geology department), J.P. Prakash, was the chairman of the committee at the time of submission of the findings.

SHILLONG: The Jaintia Youth Federation (central body) has expressed its serious concern over the fate of enquiry into the establishment of huge cement plants that are operating in the district and destroying vast forest cover in Jaintia Hills district.

Shillong: In view of the July 2011 verdict of the Supreme Court vis-à-vis Lafarge cements on the issue of mining in ‘deemed’ forest land, the High-Level Committee constituted by the State as per directives of the Empowered Committee (EC) set up by the apex court earlier has now become redundant.

The High-Level Committee was earlier constituted to probe whether cement plants in Jaintia Hills district are located in forest lands. But Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong maintains that the findings of the Committee are still very useful.

Apart from destroying over 38,000 trees and affecting 1.26 lakh trees, as many as 50 families in Talain village will be displaced permanently by the controversial Lafarge cement plant being set up in the Alsindi-Ghanghar belt in Karsog subdivision in this district.
The cement plant will spell doom for the cash crop of “anardana”, besides leading to an “eco-disaster for more than seven gram panchayats in the area”, say affected villagers. The villagers told a central environment panel which inspected the site today that they were against the setting up of the cement plant.

SHILLONG: The State NCP has demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged use of forest land by as many as five cement companies in Jaintia Hills.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Conrad Sangma asserted that these cement companies are operating in the middle of forest land which is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

SHILLONG: The State Government-constituted high-level committee, which has been assigned the task to ascertain whether the cement plants in Jaintia Hills are mining limestone from forest areas, is likely to submit its report within November.