Uranium Unrest in India: Uranium Extraction Projects and Public Consent

• The Centre’s decision to mine uranium in Meghalaya, after deliberations with local leaders proved futile, is a concerning precedent in India’s history of resource extraction.

• Khasi groups have opposed the exploration and extraction of large deposits in Domiasiat and Wahkaji since the 1980s.

• The Union Environment Ministry issued an office memorandum (OM) exempting the extraction of atomic, critical, and strategic minerals from public consultation.

• Local groups have condemned the OM-based route, calling for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council to protect tribal rights.

• The OM reduces stewarding communities to bystanders in decisions with profound consequences for them.

• The experience of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited in Jharkhand’s Singhbhum district has reinforced the perception that their land remains a’resource frontier’ for the ‘Rest of India’.

• Free, prior, and informed consent is essential for uranium mining, as it can irreversibly alter the landscape.

• Communities might consider challenging the validity of the OM in courts, banking on precedents and invoking protections under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.

• The Ministry must withdraw its OM, as it sets a precedent that can reshape mining governance across India.

• If local protests intensify, the Centre should respond with dialogue, ensuring constitutional protections are realised in practice.

Uranium Unrest in India is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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