Meghalaya CM orders status quo on cement plant, says 'no further work will proceed'

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on August 26 ordered a status quo on the proposed cement plant in East Jaintia Hills district after meeting leaders of the Khasi Students' Union (KSU), which has raised objections to the project.

Sangma said a fact-finding committee would examine the KSU's concerns over the public hearing process, stakeholder participation and environmental issues surrounding the proposed plant at Daistong village.

All work at the project site will remain suspended until the committee completes its inquiry and submits its report, the chief minister said.

“Till the committee completes its work, things will be on status quo. No further work will proceed, and everything will be stopped,” Sangma told reporters after the meeting.

The committee will be headed by a senior official who is independent of the district administration. Other members will be appointed to examine the issues raised by the KSU, including whether the public hearing was conducted according to procedure and whether all relevant stakeholders were consulted.

The panel will also look into environmental concerns flagged by the student organisation.

The government's decision comes a week after violence broke out during a KSU black-flag motorcycle rally in Shillong. Government and private property, including vehicles, were damaged in the clashes, while interstate transport services were disrupted. The incident led the government to initiate talks with the student body.

Sangma said the government had initially welcomed the proposed cement plant, arguing that private investment was important for Meghalaya's economic growth.

He said the proposal from Shree Cement had gone through the required procedures, including the legally mandated public hearing. However, the government has now agreed to review the process following the KSU's objections.

KSU leader Donald V Thabah welcomed the decision but warned that the organisation would step up its agitation if the government proceeded with the outright sale of tribal land.

MRSSA registration

Sangma also spoke about the implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, saying tenant registration had increased but expanding the system across nearly 6,500-7,000 villages and localities remained difficult.

The government is developing a mobile application that will allow face scanning and document uploads to a central database, he said. The system is expected to make the registration process faster.

Umling facility

Addressing the controversy over the upcoming facility at Umling, Sangma said it was always intended primarily as a facilitation centre.

He attributed the confusion to the use of the term “food court” while describing the facility. A food court will be part of the complex, he said, but the main purpose will be to provide facilitation services.

The facility currently covers 1,000 square feet and can be expanded to 3,000 square feet. It will undergo a joint inspection and is expected to become operational before Christmas.

Land for similar facilitation centres at Ratacherra and Athiabari has not yet been acquired, Sangma said.

NEIGRIHMS recruitment

On recruitment at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), the chief minister said the institute was an autonomous body under the Centre and therefore outside the direct control of the state government.

Sangma said he had nevertheless taken up the matter with the Centre and would facilitate a meeting between KSU representatives and the Union health minister.

He also said the state was moving ahead with recruitment reforms. Interviews for Group-D posts have already been abolished, while interviews for non-technical Group-C posts will be scrapped from January 2027.