SHILLONG, SEPT 7: The Jaintia National Council (JNC) has welcomed the Meghalaya Government’s decision to constitute a Fact-Finding Committee to examine concerns arising from the proposed Shree Cement project at Lum Syrman and Daistong village.
In a representation submitted to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday, JNC president Sambormi Lyngdoh appreciated the government’s move to maintain status quo and keep project-related activities on hold pending inquiry.
“This is a significant and reassuring administrative step in the interest of fairness, public confidence and orderly resolution of the matter,” Lyngdoh said.
The Council however urged that the inquiry should not be confined only to the conduct of the public hearing held on July 31, 2026 for the 217.394-hectare Lum Syrman Limestone Block-A project, but should cover wider substantive issues.
“The inquiry may kindly not be confined only to the conduct of the public hearing but may also extend to the wider and substantive issues that lie at the heart of the dispute,” the representation stated.
Lyngdoh said earlier official correspondence had already recorded concerns relating to land ownership, lack of consent, impact on agriculture and livelihood, and protection of affected persons.
The JNC requested the Committee to comprehensively examine the position of landowners of the two concerned Elakas in Lum Syrman, including their claims, possession, customary status and documentary position, and any grievance relating to alleged coercion, dispossession or pressure in connection with the proposed mining.
“The Committee may specifically examine the plight of farmers and cultivators who have, for several decades, depended upon the lands at Lum Syrman for their livelihoods, family sustenance and daily survival,” Lyngdoh said.
The Council also sought that similar attention be extended to Daistong village, where the company plant has been established, covering concerns of landowners and residents relating to land use, local consultation and livelihood impact.
To ensure informed local inputs, the JNC requested the Government to consider associating the local MLA and concerned Executive Members of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) in charge of Elaka Nongkhlieh and Elaka Sutnga as members, special invitees or resource persons.
“This request is made not to dilute the independent character of the inquiry, but to ensure that the Committee is adequately assisted by persons who are institutionally familiar with the local customary system and landholding pattern,” the Council said.
The JNC suggested that the Committee undertake field visits to both Lum Syrman and Daistong and interact directly with landowners, farmers, traditional authorities and women’s groups, and establish a time-bound mechanism for submission of documents, land records and witness statements.
Since status quo has been directed, the Council urged the Committee to commence field-level monitoring at the earliest and conclude its exercise within a defined timeframe.
