Mystery deepens over recovery of suspected uranium in Moreh

The mystery has deepened over the recovery of suspected high grade uranium on Monday in Manipur’s border town Moreh.

The uranium package marked 99 percent refined bears the tag of Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) that had its regional headquarters in Shillong.

However, as far as the background of the UCIL is concerned the state owned company had shutdown its operations on August 21, 2018 after facing stiff resistance from anti-uranium mining groups primarily the Khasi Students Union (KSU).

This has raised many an eyebrow as to how the package that is believed to be highly radioactive could be found near the Myanmar border despite the UCIL calling off its operations nearly a year ago.

Apprehensions are that uranium packages were pilfered when the company had shifted its facility to Jharkhand.

Security agencies in the Northeast are leaving no stone unturned to ascertain if an inter-state racket is involved in smuggling of high grade uranium from the region. The recent recovery of the uranium package has raised such apprehensions.

The discovery of the mysterious uranium package at Moreh, close to the border with Myanmar was reportedly left over by a masked man forcing the police and Assam Rifles to cordon off the area.

UCIL had started mining activities in Meghalaya about 15 years ago. The pressure groups had campaigned against leasing out land to UCIL for pre-mining development projects.

The state cabinet had in 2016 decided to cancel the 2009 cabinet decision on an agreement to lease land measuring 422 hectares in South West Khasi Hills to the UCIL for pre-mining activities.

Meanwhile, a 4-member team of Manipur University has left for Moreh to ascertain the genuineness of the uranium package. The delegation is headed by expert and professor Physics department Sumitra Phangjoubam.

The team will be equipped with Gamma Survey Meter to detect gamma radiation.

The 4-member team from Manipur will be joined by 2 experts from the RIMS hospital and Physics department of Oriental College. Earlier, an expert of the physics department had left for the border town.