Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday assured to personally examine the applications of the five coke plants, which consent to establish (CTE) was recently granted by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), and said necessary action will be taken if norms are flouted.
Sangma however said it would be incorrect to completely look at coke plants or industries as “viliants” as the state needs economic growth by bringing investments and generating jobs for the people.
The chief minister was replying to a zero hour notice brought by UDP legislator from Mookaiaw Nujorki Sungoh during the Assembly session here.
Sungoh had expressed surprise at the decision of the MSPCB to grant fresh CTE to five coke plants in East Jaintia Hills. He alleged that earlier, the same MSPCB had rejected the applications of three out of five coke plants citing that the locations proposed were not suitable adding in fact all five coke plants were categorized as erring.
Referring to the negative impact of the coke plants on the environment, Sungoh said, “no wonder we have been referred to as the cancer capital.”
In his reply, the chief minister said there are norms that are followed and there is no question of anybody flouting the norms and if they do flout the norms necessary action is there to deal with them as per the law.
“Let me assure the member that this is a subject, which is close to my heart and I will personally look into these issues and I will personally go into each of the applications myself and find out what the procedures were. I would personally call a meeting at my level with the MSPCB and get back to the member (on this),” he said.
Sangma however maintained, “…if the procedures and norms have been followed then obviously we cannot deny anybody from going ahead with their business. If anywhere we found the norms have flouted, I assure (necessary action will be taken).”
Asserting the need to strike a fine balance between ecology and economy, the chief minister said, “We realised there is an aspect of livelihood, economic growth, development that we need to do but all of this does have an impact on the environment. Hence, the best way to strike a balance in all of these cases is to have different laws, regulations and policies in place so that they are followed.”
He said that there are concerns no doubt but looking at the economic activities that we need to move forward, these are aspects which are done to bring in investments and jobs to our state.
“Therefore, it would be incorrect for us to completely look at coke plants everytime say industries that they are the viliants and do bad things. That would not be a correct perception. Though, there may be issues but outrightly saying everything that is being done from an industrial development point of view is bad for us then we will not be able to achieve the economic growth that we desire and job creation will be affected. Therefore, that narrative must be changed, it is wrong for us to perceive that every single plant is bad, every single industry is bad. It is not a very correct thought process,” the CM stated.
On the health concerns, Sangma said it is part of the different economic activities that could lead to these health hazards and it is fact throughout the world, it happens everywhere and therefore there is alway a fine balance that we have to maintain.
“But indicating that because of the industrial developmental work, we are the cancer capital in the country would again be a very far fetched kind of a linkage. Yes, health concerns are there and definitely environmental effects do affect but directly linking that and said because of that all cancers are happening is again a conclusion which we are jumping to on a very extreme scale,” he said while adding that there are many other factors behind the cancer cases in the state.
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