It’s the triumph of the people and those who cannot speak in Brichyrnot

Dr. HH MohrmenOctober 21, 2019

Two days before the hearing the main person in the move against the granting of mining lease to Start Cement company, met me in Jowai and said that he is facing a big challenge and he has to be very careful with his plan. Even while having tea with me, people from the Narpuh area called him to try trick him into divulging the strategy that they planned to employ on the 19 of October which is the hearing day. It was a closely guarded secret that he will not share even with me; he even has to make his move secret and would not let anybody know his whereabouts. Although three men accompanied him that day, Daiapherbha Lamare was tensed but he was confidence and obviously knew what he is doing.

On the hearing day, although Daia requested me to join them, unfortunately i was not able to do so. I kept my internet on and waited for information via social media, it was at 12:29 noon that another green activist Damewanhi Rymbai declare ‘it is over,’ the hearing is not going to happen.’ The green warrior as one would call them, decided to stop the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaiñtia Hills District, the magistrates accompanying him and the officials of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board on their way to the hearing site where people who support mining in the area were waiting for them. The officials decided to return back to Khliehriat because people would not let the officials move any further and whole thing came to an end.

The leaders of the group who opposed the hearing and had successfully stopped the hearing were not only able to save the Luka and its tributary the Lunar from the onslaught of the proposed mining but they were able to protect the Narpuh forest and the wildlife in it from being destroyed by the proposed mining. The victory was not only of the people in the villages downstream of the river but it is also the triumph of those who have no voice, the plants, the fishes and the animals.

It is not every day that you have prominent pressure groups like the Khasi Students Union, the Jaiñtia students Union, the Jaiñtia Students Movement and other groups joining hand in supporting the same cause. The six villages downstream of river Luka have succeeded because of the kind of support the people of the area had.

But the biggest change that came out of the failed hearing is the beginning of a new narrative in Narpuh area. The old narrative is that money can buy anything in Narpuh and the cement companies (there are altogether eight plants in the area) rule the roost. They can do anything and nobody can stop them and this narrative was co-authored by the leaders of the elaka Narpuh and has been around for quite some time now. The new narrative is being written by young people like Daia from Sunapyrdi, Kwilnis Suchiang of KSU and duo now have the company of Deiwi Tongper from Umkiang, the three will definitely bring changes and will write the new narrative and Narpuh will no longer be the same again.