Guwahati, July 23 -- Residents of Paromgre village in Meghalaya have raised strong objections against the local Nokma for allegedly selling ancestral land to coal businessman George S. Marak to facilitate scientific coal mining in the region.

Paromgre, located within the Chokpot C&RD Block, lies just a few metres beyond the protected core of the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve.

The village is not only the origin point of the scenic Wari Chora, an emerging national tourist attraction, but also the source of several rivers, including the Rongdik, Rompa, Kakija, Rekman, and Kantasi.

Locals fear that coal mining could lead to severe environmental degradation and threaten these vital water sources.

Residents allege that the Nokma sold approximate...