Development / Meghalaya

SHILLONG, June 6 ? ?We want to start the project for mining uranium in Domiasiat, West Khasi Hills district only with people?s cooperation,? Chairman, Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), Dr R Gupta declared on Thursday. ?Although the exploration for uranium deposits in Domiasiat was completed in 1992, mining has not been taken up till date due to the apprehensions in the minds of the people of the area and in the State of Meghalaya as a whole,? Gupta told reporters on the sidelines of a national seminar on ?Environmental and Sociological Implications of Mining of Minerals and Oil...

Shillong, June 5: The Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) is going ahead with its plan to set up a uranium-processing unit at Domiasiat in Meghalaya, ignoring protests by various organisations.

Its chairman-cum-managing director Raminder Gupta today allayed fears about the hazards of radiation, saying there was no truth in reports that children born to people living near the site would suffer from congenital defects, including skeletal deformities. ?These are rumours designed to prevent development of Domiasiat,? he said.

Gupta, who is here for a two-day seminar on Environmental Impact of...

SHILLONG, June 3? The Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) will adopt the open-cast method of mining uranium at Domiasiat in the West Khasi Hills to ensure safety to the people and the environment. Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) officials told media-persons that with the commencement of uranium mining, the people living in the vicinity would also be benefited as the UCIL would invest a large sum of money for development of the area.

It may be mentioned that there has ben strong public opposition to the proposed uranium mining in Domiasiat as it is widely felt that mining would destroy...

TURA, May 30?Financial institutions such as the State Bank of India (SBI) are slowly closing their branches in the interior areas of Garo Hills because of continuous militant threats for failing to pay up to the ultras, State Bank of India, which has the largest network of banking services in the Garo Hills extending way into the interior areas, has already closed down its third branch in the region. The SBI has a total of 44 branches in the entire Garo Hills though 24 are loss making in terms of profit making for the institution.

The first branch to be closed down due to militant threats was...

SHILLONG, May 22 ?After over a decade, investigation and drilling of uranium deposits by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCI) have resumed in Meghalaya, reports PTI. The UCI has conducted geo-physical survey in Domiasiat area of West Khasi hills and was now negotiating with the individuals. The State government was not involved in the process, Chief Secretary J Tayeng told reporters here Saturday.

Process of excavation of the precious mineral had begun in Meghalaya in 1992 as Rs 450 crore were earmarked for the pilot project but it was reportedly abandoned due to protests from local people...

Shillong, May 17: The decks have been cleared for mining uranium from Domiasiat in the West Khasi Hills, with individual landowners agreeing to allow the Uranium Corporation of India (UCI) to carry out exploratory work for testing and investigating the quality of the mineral available in that area.

Meghalaya chief secretary J. Tayeng told newsmen here today that the Atomic Energy Commission of India has earmarked Rs 450 crore for setting up a uranium-aided ?power generation plant? in Domiasiat.

He said the project would be ?economically viable? for generating hydroelectric power. Tayeng was...

SHILLONG, May 4 — Mortality rate of children below the age of five years in Meghalaya has been put at a startling 122, much above of the national figure of 94.9, during 1994-98 when the second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2) was conducted throughout the country, reports PTI. Meghalaya was placed only second to undivided Uttar Pradesh, which accounted for 122.5 deaths to children below the age of five per 1000 births. The mortality rate of the same age group of children in Meghalaya during 1988-92, when the first such survey was undertaken, was put at 86.9.

The data of the survey, which...

TURA, April 16 – The Meghalaya Chief Minister, DD Lapang, has taken the initiative to end militancy in the Garo Hills by bringing with a him his government’s economic package to give relief to the militancy affected people of Garo Hills. Lapang made his maiden visit as Chief Minister to visit Tura and Williamnagar on April 14 and 15 where he unveiled a massive economic package for the three districts of Garo Hills. He also reminded the people that peace would be a pre-requisite for the successful implementation of the economic package. The highlight of his package is the laying of foundation...

New Delhi, April 5: The Meghalaya government has begun preparing a policy to turn the state into a favoured tourist destination and to open up new avenues for employment and income-generation.

Meghalaya tourism minister and former chief minister, F.A. Khonglam, said the policy was necessitated by the “lack of response” in the sector “despite the state’s tremendous potential”.

“It is surprising that the previous governments did not think of formulating a policy that would clearly spell out the thrust areas in this sector. Now that the exercise has begun, we expect it to be completed before...

TURA, April 1 — Unscientific mining continues in the rich coal belt area of Nangalbibra in South Garo Hills despite Tuesday’s tragic event in which seven coal miners died inside a rat hole while digging for coal. These rat holes have sprung up in virtually every hill in Nangalbibra. Each hole is spacious enough to squeeze in one person at a time only. The miners were digging deep inside a mountain at Rongsa Awe, one of the richest coal belt areas of Garo Hills, when they accidentally dug into the walls of a abandoned mine shaft that was filled with water. Heavy water rushed into their hole and...