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Shillong, Sept. 9: The former president of the Khasi Students’ Union, Michael Syiem, who is an activist involved in the right to information movement, has criticised Meghalaya urban affairs minister Paul Lyngdoh for not raising his voice against the cabinet’s decision to allow the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) carry out pre-development projects in West Khasi Hills district.

Lyngdoh who was the president of the Khasi Students’ Union for 11 years had been opposing uranium mining till he became a minister in the Congress-led MUA coalition.

Earlier, the KSU also criticised Lyngdoh for his sudden change of stand. Lyngdoh, the president of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), however, clarified his stand by saying that being a lone dissenting voice in the cabinet, he could not oppose the decision.

According to him, the people had rejected his party that campaigned for anti-uranium mining in the 2008 Assembly elections.

Only Lyngdoh was elected as an MLA from the KHNAM in the Assembly elections.

Syiem termed Lyngdoh’s statement illogical and childish. A leader of Lyngdoh’s stature should have his own stand on uranium mining despite a different view held by the majority, he said.

According to him, if Lyngdoh feels that the people have rejected the KHNAM’s anti-uranium mining stand during the elections, he should immediately wind up the party.

Opposing the UCIL-sponsored uranium mining project, Syiem said the NGOs from West Khasi Hills and the state government were speaking only about development through uranium mining.

“This shows that the government cannot develop West Khasi Hills and has surrendered to the UCIL to carry out development activities which is unfortunate.”

The yearly MLA-MP scheme for Meghalaya will come around Rs 60 crore and had they utilised the amount properly, there would have been more development in the state and one need not look up to uranium mining for development.

Syiem criticised the MLAs, including Lyngdoh, for just distributing utensils, buckets, tarpaulins and umbrellas under MLA scheme in the name of development of their constituencies.

“The amount of money we get from the central schemes is such that we can distribute at least Rs 5,000 to every household in Meghalaya,” Syiem pointed out.

Alleging lack of transparency in the whole uranium mining project, Syiem suggested that more debates be held on the merits and demerits of uranium mining before the government took a final decision.