Meghalaya Assembly Unanimously Opposes Uranium Mining, Ore Processing

The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a Government Resolution on Wednesday, opposing all uranium mining activities and ore processing facilities within the state. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma stated that the state government would press the Union Government, the Department of Atomic Energy, and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to enforce a complete and permanent ban on the exploration, extraction, and processing of uranium, including the proposed Kylleng-Pyndengsohiong Mawthabah Uranium Mining Project.

The resolution invokes the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and a Supreme Court judgment from July 3, 2019, which recognized the rights of tribal private landowners and community owners over the sub-soil and underlying minerals in Meghalaya. Sangma emphasized that these protections were established to safeguard indigenous people and their ancestral lands, and that the state's natural resources remained under the ownership of its residents.

The resolution highlights the environmental and ecological vulnerabilities of the proposed deposit zones, which include steep, landslide-prone terrain and areas with heavy rainfall, as well as their importance as catchment zones for local streams and major rivers.

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