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1] Uranium-Govt-NGO-Student Union Uranium: Lapang blasts NGOs??™ role SHILLONG, March 16: Chief Minister DD Lapang today reiterated that the State Government would go ahead with the uranium mining project depending on the feasibility of the project. The Chief Minister also criticized the ???anti-development??™ attitude of some NGOs in this regard. Replying to a debate on the Governor??™s address in the Assembly today, Lapang said that State was open to the idea of uranium mining in the State provided that it did not have any adverse effects on the people. "The project to build rail lines in the State was shelved in the face of the objection by some NGOs," the Chief Minister said, adding that the same NGOs later came back and demanded the construction of railway in Meghalaya. Lapang claimed that uranium mining would garner revenue to the tune of Rs 1,050 crore annually, while the present annual State Plan was a mere Rs 800 crore. "We can have a lot of developmental activities in the State with the revenue we will generate from uranium mining," Lapang said. Exhorting the NGOs to have some "sense of reality and understanding," Lapang said that the uranium reserves in the State might be wasted if any other alternative to the heavy element was found in the near future. The Chief Minister informed the House that some MLAs from the State met the President over the issue recently. Further questioning the dual stand of the NGOs, Lapang said that unscientific mining of coal was equally detrimental to the environment. But nobody is talking about it, he added. However, the issue of uranium mining is constantly raked up, the Chief Minister said. On the issue of the State Women??™s Commission, Lapang said that the Government did not feel it necessary to consult everyone for the formation of commissions. It may be mentioned here that different woman organizations had objected to the Government??™s alleged political appointments in the State Women??™s Commission. On allegations made by some NGOs that cement plants at Lumshnong were posing a threat to the existing caves in the area, Lapang flayed the NGOs for failing to meet the Government and apprising it of their grievances. "These NGOs have not submitted a memorandum to the Government till date," Lapang informed the House. No going back on uranium mining, House told SHILLONG: Chief Minister D.D Lapang has reiterated that the State government would go ahead with the uranium mining project at Domiasiat taking into account the benefits the people of the State can have through it. Replying to the discussion on Governor's Address, Mr Lapang regretted that the controversy was still continuing regarding the uranium mining project. "The MLAs who visited met the President of India in New Delhi last year apprised him about the fears and anxieties of the people about the proposed project. The President, however, allayed the fears regarding uranium mining," Mr Lapang said. Recalling his meeting with Meghalaya Governor M.M.Jacob, Mr Lapang said that the opinion of the Governor was that the government should have "a positive and open mind" on uranium mining. According to Mr Lapang, the government is keen to sort out the problems relating to the uranium mining project at the earliest. "While the State government's Plan size is only Rs. 800 crore, the benefits proposed by the UCIL to the people stood at Rs. 1500 crore. "If that money is invested for the construction of hospitals, schools and colleges, that will be beneficial to the people of the area," he said. The Chief Minister also came down heavily on a section of local organisations for agitating against the proposed uranium mining project at Domiasiat as well as other projects in the State. "Some elements do not want to see progress and development of the State," the Chief minister said without naming anyone. Referring to the past, Mr Lapang cited the strong protests by certain organizations of the State when the Union Government was ready No going back put Meghalaya in Indian railway map by agreeing to extend the rail head to Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi district. "At that time there were strong objections from various organisations and the State was robbed off a rail head. Now, after all these years, the same organisations want the railway head at Byrnihat. Now, when we approach, they (Railway Ministry) simply laugh at us. We have missed the bus," Mr Lapang said. Mr Lapang said that given the latest technology available today to check health hazards, the government had an open mind to start uranium mining. KSU sticks to original stand on uranium mining SHILLONG: The KSU on Wednesday said that it would oppose the proposed uranium mining project tooth and nail. Reacting to the statement of Mining and Geology Minister Mrs Deborah Marak that the land owners and the NGOs fighting against the uranium mining issue are misled by the forces from outside the country, the KSU said that any decision taken by the government which are detrimental to the interests of the state will not be allowed at all cost. The KSU also warned that the state government will have to take the responsibility of any repercussions. In a statement issued here, the KSU further said that the it appears that the Mining Minister and the State Government are in favour of hazardous uranium mining without any thought of the dangers that it would pose to the present and future generations. "As an organisation spearheading the movement against uranium mining , it can be said that the statement is made out of frustration as the state government cannot move ahead with the proposed mining due to strong opposition from various organisations and the public of the area", the KSU said. Stating that the opposition of the union is genuine and legitimate, the KSU said that at it will drastically change the demographic structure due to the large scale influx of people from outside who will come along with the proposed uranium mining team Another aspect is the health hazard to the people due to uranium mining and the alienation of the land, the KSU said. The Union said it was the state government which is misleading the public for their own selfish gains and not the NGOs. http://www.theshillongtimes.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- 2] China's Deadly Mines and Indian accidents China's Deadly Mines By Cecil E. Roberts Wednesday, March 16, 2005; Page A23 Last year more than 6,000 miners died in fires, floods and explosions in China's coal mines. That's a staggering average of 16 deaths per day. Sadly, this average was dwarfed on Valentine's Day, when 214 coal miners perished in a single violent explosion at the Sunjiawan mine in northeastern Liaoning province. It was China's worst coal mine disaster in several decades. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) mourns the tragic loss of these Chinese miners, and we join the world in calling on China to get serious about coal mine health and safety and stop this madness. In developing nations such as China, India and Ukraine, the growing number of coal mine accidents -- and deaths -- constantly reminds the UMWA of why coal miners' health and safety must take priority over increased operator profits -- both here and abroad. The world's ever-increasing demand for cheap energy cannot be allowed to supersede the need for coal miners to have the best health and safety protections available. In the United States we have been fortunate that the number of coal mining deaths has declined steeply. In the early 20th century, the number of deaths in America's coal mining industry nearly equaled the numbers that some of these developing nations are experiencing today. Things are much better now, and I attribute a large part of the nation's turnaround to the activism and diligence of UMWA members nationwide. They fought long and hard to win passage of the 1969 Coal Mine Safety and Health Act, and because of that legislation, coal mining deaths have declined significantly in the United States. In 2003, a new generation of Chinese leaders publicly indicated their support for increased worker safety protections. The new leaders even enacted the country's first national safety laws. But judging by last year's 6,000-plus coal mining deaths -- and now the Valentine's Day explosion -- it is clear that China's leaders still have a very long way to go, particularly with respect to the nation's coal mining industry. What is also clear is that it is way past time for China's actions to start matching its rhetoric. The UMWA calls on the Bush administration, Congress and world leaders to put far more pressure on China to begin implementing true health and safety protections for the country's coal miners and all its other workers. We believe the conditions many Chinese coal miners are forced to work under today may be worse than the conditions American coal miners endured from the late 1800s to the early-to-mid-1900s. That is an outrage, and it must be immediately rectified. Another way China should address the problem is to allow its workers to belong to legitimate, free trade unions. Many pro-business and anti-worker forces continue to denounce organized labor's relentless pursuit to ensure that America's trade agreements include worker protections. What is happening in China's coal industry is a perfect example of why we will continue to do so. Workers' lives depend on it. The writer is international president of the United Mine Workers of America. ravindranath AKAJAN District-Dhemaji.787059. Assam. India. Mobile-09435089275 E mail.assamravi@y... ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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