SHILLONG: A joint investigation committee (JIC) comprising State Chief Conservator of Forest and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest from the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment, Regional Office has been constituted to relook into the alleged random exploitation of forest land by the cement industries in Jaintia Hills district. The constitution of the JIC came even after the State constituted high level committee’s (HLC) findings submitted in November 2011 acknowledged that the cement industries have intruded into the forest land. On Monday, the member of the Mait Shaphrang movement met the State Minister in-charge of Forest and Environment Prestone Tynsong to demand an immediate end to the alleged destruction of forest lands by the cement companies as reported by the HLC. Tynsong was non committal to the demands made by the Mait Shaphrang movement. However, he was quick to inform that a JIC will re-verify the plots of land that were reported to be under forest cover. Asked on why the government has not acted as per the HLC report, the State Minister of Forest and Environment justified the government’s decision and the constitution of the JIC. He said, “The Central empowered committee set up by the Supreme Court is of the view that the HLC is not competent enough to define the forest areas”. The HCL constituted by the State Government was headed by the Principal Secretary of Mining and Geology and the minister’s utterance on the ‘competency” of the committee is a virtual slap on the face of the government itself. According to Tynsong, the JIC will re-verify and redefine such forest land that were used and submit the report of the findings at the earliest. Interestingly, amid the alleged loot and plunder of the forest land in Jaintia Hills, the government has not fixed a tentative time frame to complete the process. Meanwhile, the convener of the Mait Shaphrang Movement, Michael Syiem told newsmen that besides pressurizing the government to halt all mining works, they will pursue the issue with the Supreme Court. In fact, the Mait Shaphrang movement has exposed the government’s denial through the RTI findings that were made public last month. The Mait Shaphrang Movement had even circulated the RTI findings of the HLC observation. The observation was: “Going by the yardstick of the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills Autonomous District (Management and Control of Forests) Act, 1958, these (eight) companies are situated in the midst of forest.”