Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang has asserted that the state government's decision to lease land to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) was in line with the aspirations of land owners and locals.

"All the land owners have told the government that it can go ahead with the pre-project development works (in the uranium-rich areas of West Khasi Hills). They have made an agreement in black and white," Lapang told reporters last night, amid a stand-off between pro and anti-uranium mining groups over the government's move.

The Meghalaya cabinet had last week decided to lease 422 sq hectares of land having uranium deposits in West Khasi Hills for 30 years to UCIL for pre-project developmental works. The UCIL had agreed to earmark Rs 209 crore to carry out pre-project development programmes, including healthcare facilities, power, drinking water, educational institutions and roads.

The mining issue in Meghalaya has been hanging fire for over two decades now with some prominent NGOs and political parties, including the influential Khasi Students' Union (KSU), vehemently opposed to the proposal on the grounds that it would lead to degradation of the environment besides opening the floodgates for outsiders into the tribal state.

Yesterday, around 60 pro uranium mining groups formed a committee to support the government's move for the sake of development of the state, while on the other hand the influential Khasi Students Union set a deadline of 15 days for the state government to revoke its decision.

The land owners and local organisations of the proposed mining area of Kyllang-Pyndeng-Sohiong-Mawthabah in the West Khasi Hills have demanded that mining be allowed as this would bring about large scale development in the area.

Lapang, however, maintained that there has been no land transfer to UCIL. We have only leased out the land.

While there has been enough indications that the leasing of land is a virtual nod to the uranium mining project, now estimated at over Rs 1000 crore, the chief minister maintained, "we will look into the mining part of the UCIL proposal at a later stage."

According to UCIL estimates, there could be 3,75,000 tonnes of uranium deposits in Meghalaya. While exploratory mining was done more than one and half decade back, the mining project is yet to start due to opposition from various individuals and organisations who have apprehended health and environmental hazards.

 Meanwhile, the Khasi Students Union (KSU), today submitted memorandum to Lapang demanding the government to revoke its decision to lease land to the UCIL.

The Union (KSU) called upon the government to respect the wishes of the people. The Union is serving a 15 day deadline ending September 15 to revoke the decision of the cabinet so as to safeguard the interest of the local indigenous people and future generations, the memorandum signed by KSU president Samuel Jyrwa and general secretary Hamlet Dohling said.

Contending that the cabinets decision are plans not directed to the development of the local people but only to facilitate the proposed uranium mining in the area, the KSU said the pre-project development work meant site development of the UCIL.

Reiterating its opposition to the project, the KSU cited hazardous effects and deadly fall-outs that would arise once mining starts in the area.

Claiming that people in and around mining areas elsewhere have developed severe health hazards, the student body said the mining would lead to environmental degradation in the area.

 The project would also result in large-scale displacement of the indigenous people, besides opening floodgates of influx of non-indigenous people from outside the state, the student body said, adding that the mining township would become like a military cantonment prohibited to all local people.

Recalling that about 75 per cent of the people had opposed to the project during a public hearing on June 12, 2007, the student body also accused the Central government of infringing the rights of the local people by issuing environment and forest clearance to the project.

The Meghalaya cabinet last week had decided to lease 422 sq hectares of land having uranium deposits in West Khasi Hills for 30 years to UCIL for pre-project developmental works. The UCIL had agreed to earmark Rs 209 crore to carry out pre-project development programmes, including health care facilities, power, drinking water, educational institutions and roads.