Chief minister D.D. Lapang talks to reporters after the meeting in Shillong on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Shillong, Nov. 4: Meghalaya today decided to keep in abeyance for three months activities related to uranium mining and form a joint committee, involving pressure groups, on the issue.

The government’s move came after a meeting, chaired by chief minister D.D. Lapang, with the Khasi Student’s Union (KSU) and the Co-ordination Committee of Social Organisations, a forum of anti-uranium mining groups.

The meeting decided not to undertake the Rs 209-crore pre-mining development projects at the mining sites of West Khasi Hills for three months.

Lapang told reporters after the meeting that a joint committee on uranium mining in Meghalaya would be constituted. It will have seven members, including experts from the KSU and the Co-ordination Committee of Social Organisations and government representatives.

The committee will examine all issues related to uranium mining within three months and submit the findings to the government.

Lapang said while the projects sponsored by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) would be put on hold at the mining sites for the time being, the state government would develop other non-mining sites in West Khasi Hills.

“The state government had sought Rs 2,098 crore from the Centre for the overall development of West Khasi Hills, especially for the construction of 10 major roads,” the chief minister said.

“Besides this, an amount of Rs 188 crore is also available with the state government to improve other infrastructure facilities in the district,” he added.

Lapang said the KSU had no objections to development of non-uranium mining sites.

“The UCIL has no role in developing areas other than the uranium mining sites. The state government will execute various development projects in parts of the district at the earliest to which the pressure groups have no objection,” he said.

Deputy chief minister Bindo Lanong, who is in charge of mining, said the government would include experts in the committee.

“The pressure groups are also free to suggest the names of experts as well as those of their members in the committee,” he added.

Deputy chief minister Mukul Sangma said, “We are involving more people in the discussions and intend to listen to concerns expressed by all sections of people.”

Earlier, KSU president Samuel Jyrwa told reporters that the organisation had accepted the government’s proposal to form the committee of experts to study the issue of uranium mining.

However, he said, if the government took any unilateral decision within three months without consulting the committee, the students’ union would be forced to follow its own course of action.

The KSU also said three months would not be enough to make a final decision on the matter and wanted the government to extend the period. It claimed that the government had agreed to extend time if the committee failed to come up with the findings.

The chairperson of the Co-ordination Committee of Social Organisations, Wellbirth Rani, said no defeated politicians should be included in the committee.

“We will do our own homework to find out the best uranium experts to be included in the committee from our side,” Rani added.