Shillong, July 3: The Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government today clarified that no decision has been taken yet on the proposed mining of uranium in West Khasi Hills district.

Mining and geology minister Prestone Tyngsong said the government would take a decision only after receiving a report from the deputy commissioner of West Khasi Hills. The minister was replying to a Zero Hour notice tabled by Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) legislator Process T. Sawkmie during the ongoing session of the Meghalaya Assembly today.

Tyngsong said the deputy commissioner is still scrutinising the application submitted by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) for granting mining permission.

Last week, while replying to a similar query raised by Independent MLA Manas Chaudhuri, the mining and geology minister had said the government was yet to make up its mind on the issue. He had said, ?The application of the UCIL is still under scrutiny by the deputy commissioner of West Khasi Hills district.?

The UCIL had applied for permission for mining uranium on October 15, 2001.

The controversy surrounding the proposal to mine uranium from Wahkaji in West Khasi Hills refuses to end with the Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council (KHADC) chief executive member H.S. Shylla recently stating that the UCIL should be given the no objection certificate (NOC) to extract uranium ore from Wahkaji and its surrounding areas.

However, a number of political parties and NGOs have come out strongly in protest against Shylla?s stand.

Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) president Paul Lyngdoh ? who is also a minister in the MDA government under chief minister J.D. Rymbai ? has been extremely vocal in his stand against the uranium mining proposal. Lyngdoh has also challenged Shylla to a public debate on the issue.

Today, the mining and geology minister said UCIL had first approached the state government almost a decade ago and a series of preliminary discussions have been held since then, but no decision has been taken by the state government till date.

?The matter was brought up before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on January 15, 2004. As per the decision of the cabinet committee, a team comprising ministers, senior government officials and NGOs from Meghalaya visited UCIL?s uranium mining project at Jadugoda in Jharkhand during the period from March 8 to 10, 2004,? Tyngsong informed.