“In the course of mining the Central Government accords top priority to the interest of the local people and ensures that no harm is caused to the environment,” he said while on a visit to Shillong.  By 2008 India will have eight nuclear power stations in addition to the 14 already operating,  Mookherjee said and added: “our safety record is one of the best in the world. There have been no major accidents in any of our nuclear plants in India.”

Reiterating that there was no reason for apprehension, the minister said the Centre was aware of the objections raised by certain NGOs. “If these NGOs have legitimate issues of concern, we have an open mind to consider them and to remove their apprehensions,” he assured.

“The Centre will not take any step counter to the welfare of the people of Domiasiat,” the Union Minister emphasised. Many States are interested in setting up nuclear power stations realising the economic dividends that would accrue,  Mookherjee said while emphasising that mining of uranium at Domiasiat would bring in rich dividends for the State of Meghalaya as a whole. Once mining begins in Domiasiat, simultaneous development of infrastructure in the area will immensely benefit the people of the area and the State in general, he pointed out. “The State should utilise this opportunity and improve its economic condition,” Mookherjee said.

Observing that Meghalaya has the richest deposits of coal and uranium, the minister advocated judicious exploitation of the resources for the overall economic growth of the State and the country in general. “The NDA Government in the Centre is sincere about development of the North East and there will be no dearth of funds for the purpose,” he added. Refuting the Congress allegations that the Centre has blocked the inflow of funds to the North- East,. Mookherjee said Central funds would never be an area of constraint provided the States of the region utilised the money judiciously. Resenting the fact that the North-Eastern states have a bad track record as far as utilisation of Central funds are concerned, the minister said the Union Government has been insisting on provision of utilisation certificates as a condition for release of more funds to the State of the region. “People of the region should not feel neglected but should utilise the opportunity provided by the Central Government,” the minister said.

No Uranium mining till....

In a gesture of reassurance, Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) has said it will never launch its mining project in Domiasiat until and unless the people of  Meghalaya extend their whole-hearted support to the project. Interacting with a group of Guwahati journalists, UCIL chairman Ramendra Gupta said no sensitive project could be a reality if you find the people on the other side of the fence. “Because these projects are meant to benefit the people,” he said,” and when   you can convince them they are going to lose nothing but only benefit, they will themselves come forward to welcome the project.”

“Forcing a decision on a reluctant people will be counter-productive,” Gupta said and added,” we believe in discussion and people-to-people contact. We have already initiated the process and have met and will meet a cross-section of people.” Domaisiat, where uranium was discovered some years ago, has been at the center of a controversy over allegations of possible environment hazards. The uranium ore body is spread over a large area in two distinct blocks. It is proposed to have two large open pit mines in this area. With a total ore production capacity of  3,75,000 ton per year, the mines will work for a limited period in a year.

The  life of the UCIL project will be 22 years. An ore processing plant will be constructed near the mine with a capacity to treat about 1,375 ton of ore per day. UCIL chairman is confident that Domiasiat project would bring  development to the area. Better roads, bridges, communication and healthcare facilities will ensure a better infrastructure. Children in and around the area will get better education and all this will inevitably stimulate industrialisation.“Today,” he said,” we are in a situation where we have to share our resources with each other and realise we cannot survive without inter-dependence.”

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