“No radio-active pollution is envisaged from any of the proposed operations of UCIL. All efforts will be made to strictly follow the regulatory guidelines stipulated by Pollution Control Board and other regulatory agencies,” Deputy Chief Minister-in-charge,Mining and Geology B M Lanong told the Assembly.
Lanong, however, parried a query by independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri as to whether the State Government was “absolutely convinced about the safety aspects of the UCIL operation”.
“An environmental assessment study has been carried out in the region. The proposed mining site and surroundings, and the data generated will help in control measures to retain pre-mining conditions,” he said.
Elaborating technical aspects of the safety measures proposed to be undertaken, the Minister said, “adequate afforestation will be carried out to compensate the damages and maintain ecological balance of the environment.”
On safety of the employees engaged at the site, Lanong said, “measures will be put in place to ensure adequate safety in each working area.”
Deployment of dust ‘collectors’, laying metalled heavy duty roads, spraying of water at specified points, installation of oil and grease traps, settling tanks, chlorination units, pressure filters and sewage treatment plants are proposed in the mining site, he informed.
“In addition to regular medical facilities at the site, other measures will be taken to monitor the health of the people in the area with regular demographic survey. An Environmental Survey Laboratory having facilities for most modern detection equipment and manned by experts will be set up,” Lanong said.
He said the entire mine water would be treated in an effluent plant before its re-use in the operational cycle, while ‘mill tailings’ would be completely neutralised before discharging the solids in tailings pond.
Yesterday, Chief Minister DD Lapang said that the Centre was putting pressure on Meghalaya to start the project, but “the State Government was not in a hurry and was open to suggestions”.
Last month, giving in to pressure from various agitating organisations led by the Khasi Students Union, Meghalaya Government had put on hold the UCIL’s pre-mining developmental works in the uranium-rich areas of the State, two months after it had given the go-ahead to the Corporation.
The government has formed a committee to look into the apprehensions expressed by the organisations over the project that has been hanging for more than two decades.