Lafarge gets support from Nongtrai village

The traditional council of the village where the limestone mining project of Lafarge is located in Meghalaya, India has spoken in favour of the French cement giant. They presented their take on the issue stating that the cease of mining operation will affect the local population in every possible way.
In a court affidavit filed at the court on October 5, 2010, the head of Nongtrai Village Durbar B. L. Lyngdoh said that the arrival of Lafarge in their area has opened up employment opportunities along with many other benefits and assistance. The affidavit countered the claims of Shella Action Committee, the organization whose primal objection spawned the whole affair. A clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest has been sought by the Supreme Court taking into account the charges of Shella Action Committee that limestone was being mined in the forest areas and the environmental clearance was obtained fraudulently. A final verdict from the court, which had halted the mining operations of Lafarge from February last, is awaited.
The counter affidavit stated, "The project has not resulted in diversion of agricultural land. In fact no cultivations are possible in the mining area due to the rocky nature of the soil. The Shella Action Committee does not represent the local people. They are not even residents of the area." Lyngdoh, the head of the village council said that the land where mining operations belonged to Nongtrai Village Durbar. He said that the application filed before the Supreme Court opposing the Lafarge operations were filed by vested groups which comprises of exporters whose business interests have been affected by the Lafarge project.
The affidavit also states that the opposing party consists of limestone exporters who used to export limestone to Bangladesh without sharing any benefits with the locals. On the other hand, Lafarge pays a royalty fee which resulted a total amount of 3.15 crore Indian Rupee for the whole village and 1.4 lakh for each household, till December 2009. The larger social benefits of the project are already evident from the fact that various residents of the area who had migrated to other places to earn livelihood, are returning to the area in view of the fact that the industrial project of this magnitude promises employment prospects for the locals and overall economical development of the area. The income which is being generated for the community from the lease of the limestone is being invested in agricultural expansion. Apart from the financial benefits that have accrued to the villagers and community, Lafarge has undertaken various community services in the field of health, education and infrastructure development, says a press release.
Lafarge Umium was mining the quarry area spread over 100 hectares near the Indo-Bangladesh border for supply of raw material to Lafarge Surma Cement project at Chhatak in Sunamganj, Bangladesh. Based on the case filed by the Shella Action Committee, the Supreme Court of India had delivered a stay order on the mining operation of Lafarge on February 5, 2010. The factory has been operating since 2006 with an annual production capacity of 2 million ton.