Spillity Lyngdoh has nothing to do with politics. But ever since Meghalaya went into election mode early this month, the octogenarian woman’s home has been a must-see for all politicians coming to seek votes from Domiasiat in the State’s West Khasi Hills district.
What has suddenly made her politically important? For, over the last two decades, Spillity has been steadfastly protecting her land from being dug up for uranium.
She turned into an icon in June 2007, when the Meghalaya Pollution Control Board sought people’s opinion to decide if the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) could be allowed to dig out the radioactive mineral from West Khasi Hills. In a public hearing at a remote village, Spillity said: “I would rather die, but not part with my land (for uranium mining).”
And as the debate on ‘Yellow Cake’ (uranium) heated up once again ahead of the March 3 assembly polls, local politicians are knocking at her door — to send out a message of support to all those who are opposed to uranium mining and, off course, to seek their votes.
Uranium ore deposits were first discovered in West Khasi Hills in 1983-84. The UCIL had extracted 630 tonnes of ‘Yellow Cake’ from a mine near Domiasiat. But it had to pack up in early 1990s following strong opposition by locals. Now it has returned to set up a Rs 814 crore mining and processing project at Kylleng-Pyndengsohing-Mawthabah to extract 375000 tonnes of uranium per annum for 24 years.
The candidate of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party in Nongstoin, H S Lyngdoh, and the United Democratic Party’s bet for neighbouring Langrin, Khranglin Lyngkhoi, say that they are opposed to uranium mining because majority of local residents are scared that it might have adverse impacts on environment and health of people. The other regional parties too opposed the project.
The Congress, which led the ruling coalition since 2003, has been non-committal on the issue though. Its candidates in Langrin and Nongstoin, M Dango and J Stormding Thongni, are reluctant to talk about uranium.
For, though most of the local people are opposed to the project, some of them do support it.
