Plight of Umrangso people remains unheard

Umrongso, the only industrial township 110 km from the district headquarters of Haflong in N. C. Hills district has been the prime source of income of every organizations be it Government or non-Government, but has failed to draw the attention of all the developmental departments and agencies, alleged the conscious citizens of Umrongso.

The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation was established during the 1994 at the cost of local people’s sacrifice. They had to fight for a long time for the compensation for loss of their land but the NEEPCO never thought for the proper rehabilitation for the displaced people of their own, all the time the people had to move for. Many organizations came up to fight for the cause of these people but remained silent after few approaches to the authority concerned for the reasons best known to them only. And still people of Umrongso were forced to remain isolated, off course there were no such attempts from the NEEPCO people to assimilate with the local people. If any one visits Umrongso, will find there is a line of division in between the NEEPCO people and the local people, which is named as the security wall.

Then comes the establishments of Cement factories in Umrongso area during the year 1988 named Vinay Cement Ltd. then in the year 1999 R. C. L. and again during the later part of 2007 another one, Calcom has come. Though the management has made some agreement with some people but the local populace was always ignored following which there has been hue and cry among the locals regarding the pollution. An organization was also formed under the name and style Action Committee Cement Dust Control Cum Social Welfare Forum, Umrongso long back, and has been raising voices against the pollution following which the management had to come down for talk with representatives of the organization, but time and again the managements of Cement factories were making promises after promises to install the pollution control device even within a time frame. Then again it is learnt that one Jaypee Cement Ltd is also setting a cement plant in Umrongso area very soon. Now, again another organization has come up in the name of Cement Plant Affected Village Welfare Committee (CPAVWC) with Thong Teron as the President and Harvest Kathar as the Secretary and has already submitted its charter of demands to the AGM, Jaypee Cement Ltd recently. One S. Hojai of Umrongso had also approached the court in the matter of Cement pollution by the Cement factories but till date nothing has come out in practical.

The people of Umrangso who have been suffering a lot due to cement dust of the existing cement plants are of the opinion that their grievances would neither be considered nor addressed because none is genuinely raising voices to stop the cement pollution they raise voice for the reasons best known to them only. The entire populace has lost the confidence on such movements.