KSU Urges Fact-Finding Committee to Protect Caves and Heritage Sites at Daistong

By - Admin 16 Oct, 2026 Comments (0) 2 Mins Read

Shillong, October 16: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), East Jaiñtia Hills, has urged the fact-finding committee examining the proposed Shree Cement project at Daistong to thoroughly investigate concerns over environmental damage and the protection of caves and heritage sites.

“We want the Fact-Finding Committee to establish the facts and not become a Fact-Killing Committee,” KSU East Jaiñtia Hills general secretary Pynshai Kupar Dkhar said on Friday after the union’s representatives appeared before the committee at the Meghalaya Secretariat and submitted supporting documents.

The committee, constituted by the Meghalaya Government’s Home (Political) Department, is headed by C. V. Diengdoh, IAS.

Dkhar, accompanied by KSU assistant general secretary K. S. Suchiang, said the union’s submissions covered the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), potential threats to caves near the proposed mining area and the protection of stone monuments at Lum Thang Syiem in Tongseng village.

He expressed concern that the proposed project and its associated activities could affect caves, forests and water sources, while also threatening sites of historical significance.

The union urged the committee to examine these concerns and recommended that the caves and historically important locations be granted formal protection through appropriate heritage or protected-site status.

Dkhar also referred to a location associated with freedom fighter U Kiang Nangbah, stressing the need to preserve places connected with the region’s history.

He clarified that Friday’s proceedings focused on the reasons behind the KSU’s opposition to the project and its concerns over potential environmental and heritage impacts. The incidents that occurred during the project’s public hearing were not discussed during the appearance, he said.

The KSU called on the committee to carefully examine its submissions and supporting evidence and ensure that environmental conservation and the protection of historical sites receive due consideration in its final report.