SHILLONG, May 12 – A group of Meghalaya MLAs today said that President A P J Abdul Kalam had assured them that he will endeavour to send experts in the field of uranium mining to allay apprehensions about the exploration of the radio-active mineral in the state, reports PTI.
This was conveyed by the President himself when a group of 15 MLAs from Meghalaya, led by Speaker Martin M Danggo, called on him at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi yesterday. “There is no danger in Uranium mining,” Kalam, himself a scientist, reportedly told the legislators who briefed newsmen here today.
The President's assurance came in the backdrop of sharp division of public opinion about uranium mining in West Khasi hills district's Domiasiat area by the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL). Although the state government was yet to take any formal decision in this regard and wrote a letter to the Bhava Atomic Research Centre to ascertain some facts, three prominent social organisations were spearheading a movement against the move.
During the meeting with the MLAs cutting across party affiliations, the President also expressed concern over high drop-out rates in Meghalaya, which, he feared, had an impact on the prospect of education. Kalam, according to some legislators, also underlined the need for improving the border areas.