On 15 February 2024, residents of Nongsning and Umrasong villages in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills protested against the establishment and operation of illegal coke oven plants in their vicinity.
Alleging that the plants pose serious environmental and health risks, the Rangbah Shnongs (traditional village heads) of the two villages submitted a formal petition to the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB), demanding an immediate closure of illegal coke oven plants.
The MSPCB had recently granted licenses or Consent to Establish (CTE) to five companies, namely M M Minerals, Unique Industry, Presidium Breez, Magic Coke, and Loanis Industries Private Limited, to set up their coke oven plants near the two villages.
Villagers said that the emissions from the plants are polluting the air, leading to respiratory problems like bronchial diseases. They further claimed that the Presidium Breez coke plant in Nongsning contaminated the drinking water sources at Umthlu Umdathli by dumping construction materials. They also alleged that some of the coke oven plants in the area were operating without the required licenses from MSPCB.
In 2023, a Meghalaya High Court-appointed committee, led by Justice (retired) BP Katakey, found that three coke oven plants - Jaintia Coke Pvt Ltd, Abhi Coke, and Syrpai Coke - in East Jaintia Hills had unpaid dues of Rs 2.4 crore in royalty and cess.
On 23 February 2024, Mowkaiaw MLA Nujorki Sungoh told Meghalaya Assembly that the MSPCB had initially denied licenses and Consent to Establish (CTE) to these five coke plants. Sungoh also expressed his surprise that the cases against five plants were withdrawn.
Responding to Sungoh, Chief Minister of Meghalaya acknowledged the potential health risks but pushed back against the notion of portraying coke plants, or industries in general, as "villains". He argued that such perceptions would hinder Meghalaya's economic growth and job creation. Sangma stressed the need to alter this narrative, stating, "This narrative must be changed. The government is concerned about the environment and is striving to maintain a delicate balance between ecology and economy."
Regarding Presidium Breez issue, Sangma said that a show-cause notice was issued on 19 February 2024, ordering the company to cease all establishment and construction activities for violating CTE conditions and dumping construction materials in water sources.
The former village head of Umrasong had reportedly given Presidium Breez Coke Plant a No Objection certificate (NOC) without realising that it would have a negative effect on the water source. Several petitions have also been made by the villages since 2022 to the authorities of East Jaiñtia Hills to not grant any consent for establishment.
Since 2000, 12 units were given the CTE by the MSPCB prior to formulation of the siting norms/criteria for the coke plants in 2020 via Notification dated 23.12.2020.
In its judgement against the coke plants in 2022, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) deemed as “fallacious” the state authorities position that no action was taken against the coke plants because the Consent to Operate (CTO) was issued to the companies before the existing norms for Coke Plants were laid down in 2020.
The 12 industries, which had obtained permits prior to the 2020 notification, challenged the NGT order before the Supreme Court. The matter is still ongoing.
Media reports suggest that as many as 57 illegal coke plants are functioning in a clandestine manner in East Jaintia Hills district and neighbouring areas districts of the state polluting the environment.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to cancel the project
Opposition against environmental degradation
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Water bodies, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of environmental laws
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court
Case Number
O.A. 100/2022 (EZ), CA 8364/2022 (Supreme Court)
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Sarup is a researcher and doctoral student in Political Science at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. His research interests lie in the area of ethnic and land conflicts, political ecology and development and urban spaces of Northeast India. He has a Masters’ degree in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. He has previously done research/internships with NABARD, Oxford Microfinance Initiative (renamed Oxford Development Consultancy) and CSDS (Lokniti Programme).
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