Overview
- The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board’s public hearing at Lum Syrman was suspended on May 22 after opposing groups disrupted proceedings and officials could not complete the statutory consultation.
- Police had earlier used baton charges to break up confrontations between pro-hearing and anti-mining groups near the district headquarters, with at least two people hurt during clashes on May 21.
- On the day of the hearing protesters reportedly threw stones, blocked access routes, and a truck was allegedly set on fire en route to the venue, prompting the Deputy Commissioner to prioritise public safety in calling off the meeting.
- A senior MSPCB official said there is no immediate plan to reschedule the hearing and that the district administration will first review security, public participation and the local situation before any new date is set.
- The dispute rests on competing claims over community and agricultural land and the environmental impact of a proposed ₹1,800-crore integrated cement plant, and the cancellation raises the prospect of further legal petitions and local mobilisation that could delay the project and affect livelihoods and water and farming resources.