Balpakram Uranium proposal Rejected ;
Coal Mines around the Park
ordered shut
Friends, with great pleasure we
would like to share with you the news that the proposal for exploratory
uranium
drilling in Balpakram National Park has been rejected by the Ministry
of
Environment and Forests. In addition, the Ministry has also pressed the
state
government to close all illegal coal mines around the park. A
press
statement from the Garo Hills Anti Mining Forum on this subject is
placed
below. A note from the Ministry of Environment and Forests on this can
be found
at
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Ur_report.pdf.
We would like to thank several of
you who responded to our calls for help with this campaign and invite
you to
celebrate this victory along with us. In conservation, victories are
few and
far between; however, the campaign to protect the Balpakram Baghmara
Landscape
has seen considerable success in the recent past. We would like to
share with
all of you, our supporters and well wishers, the joy and elation of
these
successes.
Even as we celebrate, we gird
ourselves for sterner battles ahead - the state that we work in is
being
ravaged by illegal mining coal and limestone mining; and we are losing
habitats
faster than ever - mostly to monoculture plantations. Over the next
year we are
gearing for a major push against illegal mining as well as habitat
protection.
We invite you to share this wonderful journey with us.
As always, none of what we do would
be possible without your help. Please consider making a
donation to
support our work. Volunteering opportunities too are
available. Please
contact Arpan Sharma (9868878793; arpan@samrakshan.org) for more details.
Team Samrakshan
Garo
Hills
Anti-Mining
Forum
Secretariat:
c/o.
GSU
Southern
Zone,
Simsang
Bridge
Junction, Bolsalgre, Baghmara, South
Garo
Hills district,Meghalaya
National
Board
for
Wildlife
rejects
Balpakram
Uranium
proposal and orders closure of
Coal Mines around the Park
14
May 2010
The
Garo Hills Anti Mining Forum
hails the decision of the standing committee of the national board for
wildlife
(NBWL) to reject a proposal of the department of atomic energy for
exploratory
drilling for Uranium in Balpakram national park. Further the NBWL has
pressed
the state government of Meghalaya to ensure that all illegal coal mines
in the
vicinity of Balpakram are shut down with immediate effect. These
decisions were
taken at a meeting of the NBWL held on 14 May 2010. Please see attached
note
from the Ministry of Environment and Forests on this subject.
First
and foremost the Garo Hills
Anti Mining Forum congratulates Mr. Jairam Ramesh for having stood by
his
reputation of being a friend of the people of the north east and of
taking bold
decisions. We look forward to continued stewardship on his part,
particularly
to rid Meghalaya of the cancer of illegal private coal and limestone
mining
that is ravaging the social and environmental fabric of our state.
The
Garo Students' Union has once
again proven itself to be the sentinel of the Garo people by having led
the
agitation against illegal private coal mining as well as spearheading
the anti
uranium campaign. The firmness and swiftness of the GSU's response has
been a
key factor for this success. The Garo Hills Anti Mining Forum looks
forward to
continued leadership on part of the GSU in the ongoing battle against
illegal
private coal and limestone mining.
Our
Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma
played an important part by carrying our voice to the Prime Minister's
office.
For this we are grateful to him. Similarly, Mr. PA. Sangma too
threw his
weight behind the agitation and provided much needed boost to the
campaign. The
moral support of our local MLA Mr. Satto Marak has been an important
ally in
our campaign. We welcome the support of our political leadership and
now look
forward to similar support on their part in bringing to an end the
cancer of
illegal private coal and limestone mining as well.
Sanjay
Upadhyay
and
Shilpa
Chohan
of
the
Enviro Legal Defence Firm have been true friends of the Garo people
for
having supported the anti mining campaign for the last few years. We
look forward
to their ongoing support.
Sengrak
Marak
and
Salesa
Nengminza
mobilized
much
needed support in the cyber world while Kashmira Kakati
and
Sally Walker of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group responded immediately
to our
call for help.
On
the other hand we condemn the
stand of the chief wildlife warden of Meghalaya for according hasty
clearance
to the project. He has proven himself incapable of holding office for
having
given this clearance without ascertaining either the ecological
implications of
the project or the mood of the people. The wildlife of Meghalaya has
suffered
considerably because of the ham handed manner in which the wildlife
division is
being run and we call upon the government to give us an active and
conscientious chief wildlife warden.
With
this victory, the Garo Hills
Anti Mining forum announces the launch of a vigorous campaign
throughout the
Garo Hills against illegal private coal and limestone mines. These are
destroying our social fabric and our land and putting the future of our
people
at stake. We will not permit short term gains for a few to ruin our
land and
our future. We call upon every right thinking citizen to join us in our
forthcoming campaign taking strength from our recent victories.
Asit
Sangma
Ginseng
D.
Sangma
President
Gen.
Secretary
Vaishali
A.
Sangma
Prosper
S
Marak Additional
General
Secy.
Publicity
Secy.
The
Garo Hills Anti Mining Forum is
a conglomeration of organizations and citizens against illegal,
environmentally
or socially harmful mining - 1. Garo Students' Union, 2. Youth
Development and
Vigilance Committee, 3. Southern Youth and Cultural Organization, 4.
Atong
Cultural Organization, 5. Siju Eco Tourism and Cultural Society, 6.
Samrakshan
Trust, 7. Achik Tourism Society, 8. Siju Youth Socio-Cultural
Organization, 9.
Tura Government College Students' Union, 10. Integrated People for
Tourism and
Conservation, 11. ECHO, Rongara.
