Meghalaya’s fact-finding committee on the proposed Shree Cement project in East Jaintia Hills completed its first hearing on 16 October 2026, hearing representations from more than 15 groups. The sitting recorded competing views on the project, but did not decide whether construction can proceed.
What happened at the first hearing?
The committee met at Committee Room IV of the Meghalaya Civil Secretariat in Shillong after the government rescheduled the appearance hearing for 16 October. Representation-makers had been asked to bring original documents. More than 15 groups appeared, according to committee chair Cyril V. D. Diengdoh, Commissioner and Secretary in charge of Home (Political).
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“More than 15 or 16 groups appeared. People who have represented wanted to be heard, so we heard them today,” Diengdoh said. The participants did not share one position: some supported the proposed Shree Cement project, while others raised concerns about it. The available reporting does not identify every participating group by name.
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Why was the committee formed?
The Meghalaya government constituted the fact-finding committee through an official notice issued on 21 September 2026. Its immediate task is to investigate the disruption of a public hearing that had been scheduled for 31 July 2026 in connection with the proposed project.
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Its mandate is broader than the events of that day. The committee is also examining possible:
- Environmental impacts of the proposed cement project;
- Social consequences for affected communities and other stakeholders;
- Legal implications arising from the dispute and the project process; and
- Criminal implications, including issues connected with the disrupted public hearing.
The committee is required to consult stakeholders and assess documentary and departmental material before making its recommendation.
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Was the project approved or rejected?
No. The 16 October sitting was a hearing for collecting representations and evidence, not a decision on project approval. Diengdoh said it was premature to discuss the merits or draw a conclusion after the first appearance.
“This is not the conclusion. All the facts will be examined. All the documents, all reports from the Pollution Control Board, from the DC, from the SP… Everything will be examined in toto,” he said. Here, “DC” refers to the Deputy Commissioner and “SP” to the Superintendent of Police.
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The committee therefore has not announced that the project may proceed, nor has it recommended that the proposal be stopped. Any claim that the first hearing settled the project’s future would go beyond the committee’s stated position.
What evidence will be reviewed next?
The committee said it would examine every deposition and document submitted during the hearing alongside reports from three key authorities:
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- Meghalaya Pollution Control Board: technical and regulatory material relevant to environmental questions;
- Deputy Commissioner: district-level records and information concerning the local administration and public-hearing process; and
- Superintendent of Police: records relevant to security, the disruption of the 31 July hearing and any possible criminal issues.
This creates two related lines of examination. The first concerns procedure: what happened when the original public hearing was disrupted and whether the process complied with applicable requirements. The second concerns substance: the environmental, social, legal and criminal effects associated with the proposed project.
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Diengdoh urged a step-by-step approach rather than an immediate verdict. “Today we just had the hearing, so let us take it step by step. We will examine all the documents and facts and accordingly take a decision,” he said.
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At the reporting date, the committee had not fixed the date of its next sitting. It had also not issued a final recommendation or a timetable for one. The next stage is therefore the examination of the recorded depositions, original documents and departmental reports, followed by further deliberation by the committee.
Quick Recap
What the first hearing establishes
- The first fact-finding hearing was completed on 16 October 2026 in Shillong.
- More than 15 groups were heard, including both supporters and critics of the proposed Shree Cement project.
- The committee is investigating the disrupted 31 July public hearing as well as wider environmental, social, legal and criminal questions.
- Pollution Control Board, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police reports will be examined with the submissions.
- No approval, rejection or final project recommendation had been issued after the first hearing.
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