By NW Syngkli
First of all let me state that I am a Khasi and a resident of Nongstoin. Born in West Khasi Hills District , educated in Shillong , I am now earning my livelihood in Delhi, the Capital of India. The green, forest clad hills of Meghalaya , the wholesome air we breathe, its crystal clear rivers and especially its renowned and scenic tourist spots are the memories I always carry with me. It is the wealth I would never sell or exchange for anything else. In this bustling, overcrowded, polluted and utterly inhospitable metropolis, far away from family and friends, these are the memories that help me retain both my identity as well as my sanity . It is the same for all other Meghalayans residing outside their home state , be it Delhi, Mumbai or any other place on earth. It was therefore with shock and a sense of utter disbelief that I and many others like me read about the on going destruction of one of the most beautiful spots in Meghalaya - Nongkhnum River Island. Why are we all so hell bent on destroying our precious natural resources? Just recently it was the destruction of all life forms in the River Lukha of Jaintia Hills, an ecological and environmental disaster of such magnitude, that it would have shocked the entire World, but one that our politicians managed to keep under wraps. I read the news about Nongkhnum and I cried. Bawled my head off! In truth I cried because of the death of a thing I loved the most - the beauty and grace of my beloved Khasi and Jaintia Hills .
I have now realized that Meghalaya is not dying because of any natural cause . Its downward slide has nothing to do with God or Nature. Instead it has all to do with the greed, the voracity and the short sighted vision of the very people we have elected to lead us. Meghalaya’s environmental down slide to oblivion is basically because of the insatiable greed of its politicians ably abetted by senior bureaucrats of the state. Nongkhnum is now being ravaged because its trees are being converted into charcoal. Are the local people to blame ? West Khasi hills is one of the most neglected and backward of all the districts in Meghalaya. Landlessness and poverty prevails. Charcoal is the main raw material for the hundreds of ferro alloy units at Byrnihat. So why blame the poor for devastating our forests to earn a miserable livelihood ? Instead let us ask as to why the ferro alloy units at Byrnihat have been allowed to come up? Why has the market for charcoal been deliberately created ? If charcoal was the main raw material / fuel for these units was this not reflected in the Detailed Project Report submitted to the Govt at the time of application for licenses?
An article in a leading English daily of the region speaks of a bureaucratic blame game in progress. The PCCF speaks of the need for immediate conservation measures but at the same time not losing the opportunity to cover his flanks by laying the blame at the door of the District Council. Where and what were the objections of the Forest Department when the ferro metal units were brought before the Single Window Agency of the state? What were the comments of the PCCF and the then Chief Secretary on the issue ? What are the benefits that these units bring to the state and its people? These are questions that have to be answered. They need an answer simply because of the fact that the industrial units at Byrnihat are a curse; a drain and a positive danger to Meghalaya and its people. The media report simply supports this accusation. So if this is true; if the ferro alloy units at Byrnihat are a threat ; a danger ; a hazard and a risk to the state and its people then who is responsible for the creation of this menace?
The answer to this question is a story by itself. A former Chief Minister and his then Chief Secretary were warned of the consequences of granting further licenses to industrial units at Byrnihat. This warning about power shortage and environmental degradation , came in the form of a note at one of the Single Window Sessions of the Government. Unfortunately this warning had to fight against wads of currency notes and the warning was totally ignored. The outcome is there for all of us to see. The then Chief Minister received a double doctorate in theology and went on to become the richest politician in the North East with estimated current assets at Rs 800 Crores or even more. Sources of such wealth – unknown. He retains his hold over the party because of ill gotten wealth. The then Chief Secretary has constructed the single largest mansion known by any civil servant. A testimony of the triumph of greed over common decency! Again sources of income- unknown. In the past three years people of Meghalaya had to undergo unheard of load shedding programmes because of the diversion of power to the industrial units at Byrnihat. The river Umtru has been thoroughly polluted. Influx of outsiders has increased because the industrial houses simply refused to engage local labour. In West Khasi Hills entire swathes of forest are wiped out and converted to charcoal to feed the needs of the units at Byrnihat. In the process more than 22 lac people in Meghalaya lost out. Two persons gained from the misery of others.
This narration is no witch hunt. It is just a statement of facts as they exist. Anyone can check out these facts by merely asking for them through the RTI from the Planning Department, the Directorate of Industry and the Office of the Chief Secretary. In addition to the above the duo have also sold out all the lime stone resources of Jaintia Hills to more than 14 cement companies. The prospects of what will happen to Jaintia Hills in the next 20 years is too horrible to contemplate. The entire district is poised to become a desert that shall be unable to produce and sustain any animal life form. Jaintia Hills shall then be inhabited only by lizards , scorpions and snakes . Evidence of the arrogance and foolishness of the Pnars of today!
There are some very disturbing questions that need answers. Did my father , my uncle , my aunty and the generation before me sacrifice all so that some cheap tinhorn politician can sell Meghalaya for his own personal gain? Do we as a people deserve such leaders? When will the rape and looting of this beautiful state stop? Are we ready to stop this rush towards our own doom and self destruction ? What will our children do 20 years hence ? They will curse our memory as they weep as refugees and slaves in some strange distant land !
source: theshillongtimes.com
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