Dy. CM terms KHADC decision not to issue NoC as ‘hasty’

Shillong, Oct. 9 (PTI): Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has termed “hasty” the decision of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) not to issue a No-objection Certificate (NoC) for the construction of the Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Ranikor road. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) had told Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma last month that the Rs 400 crore re-aligned Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Phlangdiloin-Ranikor 2-lane highway will be constructed as and when they get the NoC from the KHADC. “The decision of the KHADC is hasty. Chief executive member H S Shylla should not have taken a final decision that way,” Tynsong told mediapersons here Monday. He said the CEM should have consulted the state government before deciding on such an important road project where the people of the area stand to benefit from it. Tynsong made the statement in view of reports that the KHADC had on October 1 decided not to grant NoC to the road project citing opposition from anti-uranium groups which include the Khasi Students Union (KSU) and Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC). The two-lane project for construction of the 68 km Nongstoin-Domiasiat-Mawthabah road was sanctioned under the SARDP-NE at a cost of Rs 470 crore. The deputy chief minister said that the chief minister had managed to convince the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari to re-align the road and stay away from uranium rich Mawthabah area. “In view of this, now the road (as per new proposal) will only go from Nongstoin-Wahkaji-Phlangdiloin-Ranikor,” he said. Tynsong said Shylla should have consulted the state government first and get the doubts cleared. The deputy chief minister, however, said that under the new rules of the Land Acquisition Act, the state government can take a call on the matter as the project is in the interest of the public. He also said that the state government was also equally concerned about uranium mining. He reminded that the state government had also taken a strong and clear stand that mining of uranium will not be allowed in the state.