TURA, Sept 15: The ongoing extraction of stones and boulders from hills in Budugre Nokma Aking of Chokpot, South Garo Hills, is causing extensive damage to the environment compelling various Garo organizations of the region to call for its closure.

A stone quarry set up by a woman contractor in Budugre area of Chokpot was opposed by organizations more than seven months ago, but the extraction continued unabated prompting several organizations from the area to petition the government to halt the mining.

Chokpot region in South Garo Hills, along with Siju and Baghmara, is one of the most densely forested areas of the state and is a rich biodiversity site.

The establishment and operation of the stone quarry in the rich forest area of Budugre has caused a cascading effect across the region as entire hills have been cleared of forests, the rich soil removed to extract the boulders and is now threatening the Dareng river which is the lifeline for Chokpot town and over thirty other villages.

Leaders of FKJGP, A’chik Holistic Awakening Movement, Garoland State Movement Committee and A’chik Youth Welfare Organization on Friday submitted a complaint to Chokpot civil sub-divisional officer Pilot R Marak calling for the sealing of the stone quarry.

They pointed out that the quarry had already stripped the forest cover in Budugre and was now threatening to destroy the Dareng river.

“The people of Chokpot town and over 30 villages in the region depend on the Dareng river for drinking water purposes, agriculture and other livelihood including fishing. But the quarrying is polluting the river and threatening its very existence. Soon the entire Chokpot region will be without drinking water and the river will dry up due to the destruction of the forests,” warns Chokpot AHAM president Charming T Sangma.

The protesting organizations accuse the quarry owner of falsifying documents and using unfair means to obtain permission to extract the mineral from Budugre.

“She (owner) has obtained fake documents to get the permission for the quarry and is continuing the extraction even as destruction of the environment continues,” allege the organizations in the complaint to the SDO Civil.

They question how the contractor was able to get around the National Green Tribunal which bars any form of mining activity in vulnerable and forested regions of the country.

They also say that Chokpot town and its surrounding areas depend on the Dareng river for water supply as the state PHE department supply is almost non-existent with water pipes damaged a long time back.

“Without the Dareng river Chokpot and dozens of villages will face a huge water crisis,” warn the protesting groups as they call for immediate closure of the stone quarry.

Also read: 2 interstate drug smugglers arrested in EJH, heroin worth Rs 5.5 crore seized

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