The Supreme Court (SC) on 29 March 2010 has denied permission to Lafarge for
its limestone mining activities in Meghalaya forests.
The SC has asked the company to obtain a fresh Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) clearance for the project. The limestone mined is meant for the company's
Bangladesh-based cement project.
The company sought the SC nod for resumption of mining in Meghalaya saying
prohibiting it will lead to a strain in diplomatic ties between India and
Bangladesh. This was because the Union Government had given a commitment to
Bangladesh regarding limestone supply. But the court rejected this contention.