After a protracted debate the Centre has finally decided not to go ahead with the proposed mining of uranium in Meghalaya following stiff opposition from the local people. According to official sources here, while prospects for new uranium mines had emerged in states like Meghalaya, Himachal and Uttarakhand, issues, such as unstable hilly terrain and opposition from locals, had forced the government to go slow in taking up mining projects in these areas. But uranium mining under the authority of the Department of Atomic Energy could only be implemented when large funding requirements are assured from the Centre, not only for mining but also for research and development.
It is pointed out that in Meghalaya several political parties representing ethnic and tribal sections had been running movements against uranium mining, and government could not ignore the opposition given the strategic location of the State and the sensitivities of minority communities.
While information on uranium reserves in general, and Meghalaya in particular, are not readily available from government agencies, as it is categorised as a ‘strategic mineral’, unofficial reports estimated the reserves in the State to range between 9 000 t and 14 000 t, ranking third among all other uranium-rich provinces in the country after Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. Recently, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh had said that his department was still studying the proposed mining of uranium ore in Meghalaya. “The issue (uranium) has come up but the department of atomic energy is still studying it because this requires a lot of planning and spade work,” he told journalists in Shillong.
The proposed open-cast uranium mining in West Khasi Hills district has been hanging fire since 1992 after several groups expressed fears of radiation effect on human health and environmental degradation. The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) had pegged Kylleng Pyndengsohiong Mawthabah project in Meghalaya for Rs.1,000 crore. The ores are spread over a mountainous terrain in deposits varying from eight to 47 meters from the surface in and around Domiasiat, 135 km west from here. The UCIL plans to produce 375,000 tonnes of uranium ore a year and process 1,500 tonnes of the mineral a day.
It is pointed out that in Meghalaya several political parties representing ethnic and tribal sections had been running movements against uranium mining, and government could not ignore the opposition given the strategic location of the State and the sensitivities of minority communities.
While information on uranium reserves in general, and Meghalaya in particular, are not readily available from government agencies, as it is categorised as a ‘strategic mineral’, unofficial reports estimated the reserves in the State to range between 9 000 t and 14 000 t, ranking third among all other uranium-rich provinces in the country after Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. Recently, Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh had said that his department was still studying the proposed mining of uranium ore in Meghalaya. “The issue (uranium) has come up but the department of atomic energy is still studying it because this requires a lot of planning and spade work,” he told journalists in Shillong.
The proposed open-cast uranium mining in West Khasi Hills district has been hanging fire since 1992 after several groups expressed fears of radiation effect on human health and environmental degradation. The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) had pegged Kylleng Pyndengsohiong Mawthabah project in Meghalaya for Rs.1,000 crore. The ores are spread over a mountainous terrain in deposits varying from eight to 47 meters from the surface in and around Domiasiat, 135 km west from here. The UCIL plans to produce 375,000 tonnes of uranium ore a year and process 1,500 tonnes of the mineral a day.
Source: The Shillong Times
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