The Meghalaya Indigenous Women’s Council (MIWC) today, 19 May 2026, submitted an objection to the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills District, Shri Manish Kumar, IAS, regarding the proposed cement plant and limestone mining by Shree Cement.
Copies of the objection were also sent to the Member Secretary of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.
Speaking to the media after meeting the deputy commissioner, Bythygrace Dkhar, President of MIWC, said she felt responsible for raising the issue because many cement companies operate in the district. She clarified that she did not oppose development or job opportunities for youth, but she was concerned about environmental impacts and effects on local communities. She said she had observed climate change in the district: previously the climate in East Jaintia Hills was pleasant and people were happy to stay there, but since the rise of cement plants, temperatures have increased and the district now resembles parts of Assam in heat. She warned that cutting plants and destroying land will worsen the situation in the future.
MIWC opposes a cement plant proposed for Daistong village. Dkhar said MIWC will oppose the public hearing scheduled for 22 May and urged residents to attend. She said it is a fundamental right of the citizens to be heard, and that the issue affects the whole district, not just the Nongkhlieh elaka, because pollution will impact neighbouring districts as well. She encouraged people to come forward and not be intimidated by the Nongkhlieh elaka.
Regarding a Nongkhlieh elaka notification barring NGOs from entering its jurisdiction, Dkhar said this may benefit those who profit from the cement company. She questioned why NGOs were excluded from the public hearing if the company’s intervention concerns the public good. She insisted she would not comply with the elaka’s order and that NGOs have the right to participate; she said the Nongkhlieh elaka has no right to restrict them.
Dkhar added that if Shree Cement is allowed into Nongkhlieh elaka, it will cause similar damage to what other cement companies caused in Narpuh elaka, affecting air, water and the broader environment.
On the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act, she said the law is supposed to protect land held by tribal communities, but she believes the government has not effectively enforced it to prevent non-tribals from buying land. She said, to her knowledge, Shree Cement did not comply with the Act in Daistong village.