KSU oppose govt’s decision to engage varsities to probe into leakage of uranium tanks

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 23, 2020

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Friday opposed the state government’s decision to engage varsities for investigating into the alleged leakage of toxic waste from tanks containing uranium effluents in South West Khasi Hills District.

“We will never accept investigation by these varsities as they are dependent agencies. Engaging them would render the objective of independent inquiry meaningless,” KSU-South West Khasi Hills president Forwardman Nongrem said in a statement here.

His statement came a day after the state chief secretary, MS Rao had informed that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, and North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) will carry out an in-depth study into alleged leakages of the uranium tanks at Nongbah Jynrin.

Nongrem said the North Eastern Hills University is a University which is funded and controlled by the central government.

“We have every reason to believe that there will be a remote control to dictate them in order to hide the truth,” he said.

The KSU leader further alleged that the related departments of NEHU since 2002, used to conduct researches funded by the Department of Atomic Energy, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Mumbai and Babha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

“Such researches can easily be manipulated in order to facilitate uranium mining in the area…,” he further stated.

Nongrem also said similarly, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati is also a dependent agency and not an independent agency as this university is also funded by the central government.