Lafarge free to mine in Meghalaya: SC

The Supreme Court today lifted its earlier bar on French cement company Lafarge mining limestone in the East Khasi hills of Meghalaya, bordering Bangladesh.

The court said it was satisfied with the revised environment clearances given to Lafarge by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), adding it has taken “due diligence” and there was no reason to examine the clearance.

The ‘forest bench’ headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia had passed an order on February 2 last year, prohibiting the company from mining in the forest since several local bodies had apprehended environmental damage. While some organizations of Shella, the village in the vicinity, had opposed the mining and the revised clearance given by MOEF, the company defended its activity, based on the forest office report of 2000 that it was excavating only wasteland and there was actually no forest there.

The Union attorney-general said there was an agreement between the Indian and Bangladeshs governments under which the Indian government had an obligation to provide the land for mining. The limestone is mined in Meghalaya and conveyed by a 17-km belt to Bangladesh. The $255-million Lafarge Surma Cement project at Chhatak, in Bangladesh, is wholly dependent on limestone extracted from the East Khasi Hills.

Lafarge welcomed the judgment and stated “this decision will not only help us put our mining quarry at Nongtrai, Meghalaya, back on track but also secure the livelihood of thousands of people on both sides of the border who are directly or indirectly dependent on this project.”

Adding: “We have always acted in good faith, respecting the law of the land and have complied with all the rules and regulations at all times. This court verdict also recognises the need for sustainable development. It is acknowledged that the operations will contribute to the growth of the local economy in remote areas.”