SHILLONG : The Meghalaya government has ordered a halt to all work at the Shree Cement site until an independent fact-finding committee examines concerns raised by the Khasi Students’ Union over the company’s public hearing, stakeholder participation and environmental issues.
The decision followed a meeting between Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, his Deputy Chief Ministers Prestone Tynsong, Sniawbha Dhar and senior government officials with the KSU leadership on Wednesday. The discussions covered five of the 20 demands earlier submitted by the student organisation.
On Shree Cement, the KSU had sought cancellation of the public hearing. Conrad told reporters that while the government supports private investment and had considered the company’s proposal a positive development, concerns raised by the union over the hearing process needed to be examined.
Shree Cement, he said, had followed the basic procedures required for the project, including the public hearing. The KSU, however, raised concerns over alleged restrictions on the participation of certain people, environmental issues and the involvement of other stakeholders.
The government has now decided to constitute a fact-finding committee headed by a senior government official who will be independent of the district administration.
The committee will examine how the public hearing was conducted, whether stakeholders were properly consulted and the environmental concerns raised by the KSU.
“Let them find out the details of all these points that were mentioned, especially regarding the public hearing, the procedure and the process in which it happened, the aspects of stakeholders being consulted or not, and the aspect of the environmental issues that were there,” Conrad said.
Until the committee completes its work and submits its findings, the government has ordered a status quo at the site.
“And until that time, till the fact-finding committee completes its work, things will be on status quo and no further work will proceed and everything will be stopped,” Conrad said.
He added that this includes construction, production or other work being carried out by the company.
MRSSA registration to get technology push
The implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016 was another major issue discussed with the KSU.
Conrad said registration of people from outside Meghalaya who rent accommodation in localities has increased, with more areas adopting the system. However, expanding the process across the state has proved difficult.
Meghalaya has around 6,500 to 7,000 localities and villages, he said, making it difficult for the government to provide computers, data-entry operators and other infrastructure to every locality.
“We need to work with the localities and the headmans and the Rangbah Shnongs development committee members to be able to share the responsibility,” Conrad said.
The government is therefore developing a mobile application that could speed up registration.
“We are now being able to create an app which will use any basic mobile, which will allow scanning of the face as well as the data documents,” he said.
The proposed system would allow users to enter a few basic details and upload the information directly into a central database. Once stored, the information could be retrieved later by scanning the person’s face, documents or other identifying information.
Conrad said the application is expected to be rolled out soon, although expanding it across the entire state will take time.
“It will definitely help in increasing the pace of registration and implementation of the act,” he said.
Umling facilitation centre targeted before Christmas
The government also agreed to jointly inspect the facilitation centre being constructed at Umling. Conrad said a misunderstanding over the use of the term “food court” had led to concerns that the facility would not serve as a facilitation centre. He clarified that the first portion of the building is intended for the facilitation centre, while a food court will also be part of the larger facility.
The earlier COVID-era office space was around 300 square feet, while the new facility will have around 1,000 square feet, with scope for expansion to 2,000 square feet.
“There’s enough space, and we’ve decided that there will be a joint inspection by the district administration and some of the members to see those aspects,” Conrad said.
A joint inspection involving the district administration and KSU representatives will now be conducted.
Conrad said once construction resumes, the facilitation centre itself could be completed within two to three months.
“We are expecting that before Christmas, we should be able to actually operationalize the facilitation center at Umling,” he said. Land has not yet been identified for similar centres at Ratacherra and Athiabari, with the government expected to purchase land at those locations.
Migrant workers law gets clearer verification rules
The government has also clarified several provisions under the amended Meghalaya Identification, Registration, Safety and Security of Migrant Workers Act, 2020. Conrad said the earlier rules did not clearly specify which officers had the authority to conduct verification, creating difficulties in implementation.
The revised provisions now clarify the powers and responsibilities of officials involved in checking migrant workers.
“We clarified those aspects in the new amendments that we have cleared,” Conrad said. Police verification has also been given two possible routes.
The first is verification by the Superintendent of Police of the district from which the person originates. If that proves difficult, local police can use the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) to check available records and provide verification.
“The local police can verify through that particular CCTNS network and give a police verification,” Conrad said. Conrad said officials would receive training and orientation before the revised system is rolled out. He expects implementation to begin in about a month.
KSU to meet Union Health Minister over NEIGRIHMS recruitment
Recruitment at NEIGRIHMS was another point raised by the KSU. Conrad said NEIGRIHMS is an independent institution and does not come directly under the Meghalaya government. However, he agreed to facilitate a meeting between KSU representatives and the Union Health Minister. The Chief Minister said he had already met the Union Minister the previous week and raised concerns relating to recruitment.
He also assured the KSU that the state government would provide logistical support to NEIGRIHMS where required, including examination centres, computer laboratories and facilities for online examinations.
“The state government will be more than happy to support NEIGRIHMS,” Conrad said. He added that the government would facilitate direct discussions between the union and the Union Health Minister.
“We will facilitate the process of a meeting with the Union Health Minister,” he said.
Grade C interviews to end from January 2027
The government also discussed recruitment reforms. Conrad said interviews for Grade D posts have already been removed.
For Grade C non-technical posts, interviews will be abolished for recruitment notifications issued from January 1, 2027.
“From 1st of January 2027, all interview notifications that come out from that day onwards for Grade C non-technical posts, the interview will be abolished,” Conrad said. He also said the standard operating procedures for District Selection Committees have been cleared and would subsequently be adopted by other recruitment boards.
On reforms recommended for the Meghalaya Public Service Commission, Conrad said 19 of 23 recommendations have already been implemented, with four still under consideration.
The KSU has also sought measures to give Meghalaya residents greater preference in state recruitment. Conrad said the government agrees with the objective but must find a legally sustainable mechanism.
He pointed to differences with states such as Assam, where certain recruitment advertisements restrict applications to residents of the state.
“There are certain legal hurdles there which we shared with the members,” Conrad said.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong would discuss the matter in greater detail the following week.
“We know that this is something we want to do, we’re just figuring out how it should be done so that it can stand the scrutiny of the judiciary,” Conrad said.
Five of 20 KSU demands discussed
Conrad said the KSU had originally submitted 20 points, but selected five for discussion at Wednesday’s meeting. The remaining 15 demands will be taken up in further discussions.
The Chief Minister described the meeting as positive and said the government remained open to continuing the dialogue.
“We managed to clarify most of the issues, and from our side, I think it’s a positive meeting. It’s in the right direction, and we have been able to iron out a large number of issues,” Conrad said.
He said the government would continue discussions with the union and consider proposals wherever they were legally possible and in the interest of Meghalaya’s people.
