Hasty granite mining bid in Mayong's Hati Utha Pahar sparks transparency concerns

Mayong, March 25: The haste shown by the State government in inviting bids for granite mining in Hati Utha Pahar near Mayong raises disturbing questions over the clandestine manner in which the environmentally damaging project is sought to be pushed through without taking the local villagers into confidence.

No public hearing on the project preceded the e-auctioning notice from the geology and mining directorate. Shockingly, even the Morigaon district administration has been kept in the dark about the project. In fact, the mandatory NoC from the district commissioner has not been obtained.

A public complaint received by the Morigaon district commissioner's office and forwarded to the director of the State's directorate of geology and mining went unanswered.

"We had received a public complaint from the local villagers, voicing their apprehension vis-à-vis livelihood, environmental, and cultural issues over the proposed granite mining in the hill. We forwarded the complaint to the directorate of geology and mining but it went unanswered," a source in the administration said.

According to the local villagers, they have been kept in the dark about the mining project and they came to know about it only through the e-auction advertisements in newspapers.

"The hill belongs to the villagers, mostly tribal people, who have been living in several villagers in and around Hati Utha Pahar for centuries. We are the most important stakeholders when it comes to any government interventions in the area. It is shocking that the local inhabitants have been kept in the dark about the proposed mining," said Pardip Bangthai, a village elder.

Public hearing is a mandatory step in the process of environmental clearance for developmental projects, especially when these are known to cause serious environmental damages. This provides a legal space for people of an area to come face-to-face with the project proponent and the government and express their concerns.

Bangthai said that no public hearing had taken place in the area over the proposed granite mining, even as e-auction notices were being advertised in the media.

"Mining projects near human habitations must be preceded by public hearings. It is a mandated exercise but nothing of the sort has taken place here till date," he added.

While a public hearing is generally intended to concentrate only on the environmental impacts of a proposed project, the word 'environment' is invariably interpreted broadly in such hearings and any issues concerning the social as well as economic (including livelihood) impacts are to be raised and discussed in public hearings.

"This is a critical situation for us, as granite mining cannot just destroy the hill but also adversely affect agricultural activities, fisheries, etc. And there is also the serious issue of cultural loss, as the hill has an inalienable link with our ancestry, culture, beliefs, practices, and in a way with our very identity," said Akshay Bangthai, a local farmer.

The small, isolated hill is surrounded by human habitation, cropland and wetlands. It is also the only highland for people and animals during floods. Any damaging activity such as prolonged mining will have severe and cascading impacts on the livelihoods of the local people.

- By Sivasish Thakur