Shillong, Sept 15: In an astonishing development amid protests against the pollution caused by coke factories in Jaintia Hills, which will certainly give the opposition an opportunity to target the government in the ongoing Autumn Session of Meghalaya Assembly, a RTI report has named Cabinet Minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar has as one of the alleged owners of a coke factory in East Jaintia Hills district.
This was revealed by the Directorate of Commerce & Industries in its reply to information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 on July 20.
The RTI was filed by one Rieweh Kupar Sutnga, a resident of Sutnga village in East Jaintia Hills.
According to the information, Tongkhar was allegedly one of the four owners of the M/s North East Carbon Industries. The other owners include Manoj Kumar Jajodia, Bunsingh Sohphoh and Kishan Jajodia.
Sources informed that the activist who filed the RTI is a member of the Environment Coordination Committee (ECC) Sutnga Elaka, which has been demanding the immediate closure of all illegal coke factories operating in the district.
