SHILLONG, Aug 26: The Union Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 800 crore for infrastructural development of uranium mining sites in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The decision was taken after a meeting in New Delhi held on Monday between the Union Cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar with all the Union Government secretaries, Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee and the UCIL and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) officials. The meeting, chaired by Chandrasekhar felt that speedy development in the areas would annihilate apprehensions about mining in those areas. The amount would be spent at Kylleng-Pyndensohiong-Mawthabah areas in the West Khasi Hills district where there is a large deposit of uranium and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) is gearing to mine, provided the Meghalaya Government evolves a consensus over the mining issue. Chatterjee said, on Tuesday "the Union Government has sanctioned Rs 800 crore for development of infrastructure but with a rider that the Meghalaya Government must be able to evolve a consensus over the mining issue.' He said that the amount has been sanctioned to set up five Public Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centre (CHCs), a Kendriya Vidyalaya School and Polythenic institute in the area and good water supply connection. He said, "the Union Government is willing to spend for development of the region if the State Government puts the mining of uranium in a fast track.' It is also learnt that that the meeting reviewed the stand of pro and anti-uranium mining lobby. Three days back, Chandrasekhar accompanied by the AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar met five NGOs and political parties in Shillong to get views on the uranium mining issue. The anti-mining groups like the Khasi Students Union (KSU) and political parties Hills State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) have been opposing mining of uranium arguing that it will cause radiation and affect the health and environment. Chandrasekhar later told newspersons that the country requires domestic supply of uranium to meet the target of achieving 20,000 megawatts of power by 2020 for which Meghalaya can contribute up to 16 per cent of the uranium need of the country.