Staff Reporter
Shillong, Jan 5: Spokesperson of the MDA government and cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh today appealed to the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) not to pull out of the ongoing peace talks.
Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said the government has only seen the HNLC’s statement conveying its decision to withdraw from the tripartite peace talks in media reports but officially nothing has been communicated to the government as yet.
“So first, I would appeal to the HNLC not to pull out of the peace talks because a lot of grounds have been covered initially and we would hope that good sense will prevail and we should be able to return to the negotiating table,” he said.
Asked, Lyngdoh said he will not be in a position to say much on the issue since both the chief minister Conrad K Sangma and deputy chief minister in-charge home (police) Prestone Tynsong are presently out of the station.
“But certainly, the government will take a call on the matter and it should be happening very soon once the CM is back,” he added.
He further assured that the matter will be taken priority once the CM and deputy CM in charge home are in town.
On the HNLC’s demand for a general amnesty, Lyngdoh said, “Well, it certainly can be considered depending on the gravity of each of the cases registered but certainly yes, it should be and it will be considered.”
Referring to the NIA cases against the outfit, the spokesperson said, “See those are matters of details but in general the approach should be when you have peace talks it should not be to the detriment of any section and to the interest of only one section so it has to be reciprocal.”
“Based on the principle of reciprocity then only we can take a stand on matters of details but the general approach would be that has to be give and take,” he asserted.
Staff Reporter
Shillong, Nov 27: BJP state president Rikman G Momin today said former chief minister Mukul Sangma is welcome to join the party any time.
Momin said he is not aware of Sangma’s meeting with the leadership of the party. He also added that he doesn’t mind approaching the former chief minister.
“Anyone can join the BJP, the door is open. It would be a great pleasure if he (Mukul) would come and join the party,” he said.
Staff Reporter
Shillong, Oct 13: Over one lakh tourists are expected to participate in the upcoming three-day Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival to be held at RBDSA Sports Complex from November 17 to 19.
Informing this here today, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said, "We are expecting huge benefits for the tourism industry in the state through this festival."
"There will be a footfall of 30,000 visitors per day which means that by the end of the event, we would have one lakh visitors. Ninety per cent of these visitors are expected to be tourists from outside both domestic as well as international travellers," he said.
Lyngdoh also informed that the government of Meghalaya is investing a sum of Rs 1.99 crore out of the total investment of Rs 9 crore for the most vibrant and most known tourism festival of Meghalaya.
Stating that the festival will to a great extent benefit the local artists and performers of the state, Lyngdoh said, "Our local band and solo performers will be sharing and rubbing shoulders with the best in the world."
The headliner line-up for the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival 2023 includes internationally acclaimed sensations such as Ne-Yo, Ronan Keating, Sanam, Jonas Blue, SURL, Pink Panda, Kenny Musik and an array of local talents, including Meba Ofilia, Lou Majaw, Blue Temptation, and many more credible artists from Shillong and Northeast India.
Ne-Yo, the Grammy Award-winning R&B artist known for his chart-topping hits, and Ronan Keating, the iconic voice behind timeless classics, will ensure that the musical experience is nothing short of a magical experience. Sanam, the YouTube sensation and heartthrob, will steal hearts with his melodious tunes, while Jonas Blue and Pink Panda will keep the energy scaring with their electrifying performances. The local artists will add their distinctive flavours, creating a harmonious blend of musical talent that is unique to the essence of Shillong.
But the festival doesn't stop at music! It has a wide range of activities to cater to all interests. From cosplay competitions that celebrate the spirit of fantasy and imagination to the Miss and Mr. Cherry Blossom Pageant where the essence of beauty and grace will be recognized. The choir contest will fill the air with harmonious melodies, and the graffiti contest and art installation contest will transform the festival grounds into an open-air art gallery. If you've got a passion for singing, don't miss the karaoke contest.
For the thrill-seekers, there's the Ferris wheel to get a breathtaking view of the festival grounds and the city. And if you crave an adrenaline rush, try the zipline, which will send you soaring through the festival atmosphere creating an unforgettable experience like never before.
The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration of culture, art, and music that is unparalleled in the Northeast of India. With its new multi-stage layout at the RBDSA Sports Complex, this year's festival promises to be bigger, better, and more unforgettable than ever before.
Staff Reporter
Shillong, Sept 14: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today said issues related to the long pending boundary dispute with Assam can only be resolved through discussion and dialogue but not through confrontation.
His statement came after the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Laban Circle had threatened to close down the Karbi Hemtun (Guest House) if the Karbi people and Assam government continue to illegally encroach and harass Khasi people in West Jaintia Hills District.
The Karbi Hemtun was inaugurated jointly by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya Chief Minister on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a function, Sangma said that confrontation is not the solution.
“We are in India and obviously we have to work and discuss matters and live in peace and harmony. There are challenges, there are complications which we have to work out but it cannot be worked out by confrontation. Solutions can only come with discussion and dialogue, with understanding and trust and hence we need to ensure that we build that trust with our counterparts, be firmed with our negotiations and our terms, find ways in which we can accommodate each other and obviously in important occasions like these, these are trust-building measures,” he said.
He added, “So tomorrow you want to put up a Meghalaya House in Assam or Guwahati and if somebody says well you cannot do it, I don’t think that is a trust-building mechanism.”
"Yes, I am not saying that there are no concerns, there are concerns but to resolve those concerns, confrontation is not the solution. We need to work together to build trust and in an amicable manner move forward and that is what the message was yesterday (during the inauguration of the Karbi House),” the CM said.
Meanwhile, Sangma informed that the chief ministers of Assam and Meghalaya will finalise a firm program related to the second phase of border talks, in the next couple of days.
Meghalaya is ready to host the precursor meeting of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting (SELM).
Addressing a pre-event press conference for the upcoming G20 meet, Principal Secretary, Home Department, Govt of Meghalaya Dr Shakil P Ahmed informed that besides the technical event, the host State will hold exhibits to showcase India’s space activities as well as Meghalaya’s rich cultural heritage.
The inaugural programme will be held on April 17th at Hotel Courtyard by Marriott, Shillong. “Apart from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), there will be exhibits by the startups of the space economy sector. We would also showcase our cultural heritage and events,” said Dr Shakil adding that hosting the delegates will help showcase and benchmark Meghalaya as a prime destination for tourism, investment and development.
Around 28 startups in the space economy sector will participate in the precursor event, he said.
The event is a continuation of earlier events held in the G20 summits by Saudi Arab, Italy and Indonesia in the past to collaborate in the space sector. “In a sector like the space economy, you need alliances because it is a technology which is naïve and is at a different level,” he said while briefing the media.
Director, ISRO Dr Sudheer Kumar highlighted the focus of the event, which is to showcase all the capabilities of ISRO and the Department of Space and informed that the event will be a collaboration in future science missions.
“Northeast States play a very important role for us. Because of the hilly areas, the potential is more. In harsh conditions, the space application is the best. The Northeast Space Application Centre is doing great. We want to showcase that these areas have huge potential for the space industries to come and invest. Our next event will be held in Bengaluru on 6th and 7th July. This is a precursor to that main event,” said the ISRO Director citing that space technology serves best to predict weather conditions with high probability.
Dr Joram Beda, Commissioner & Secretary, Dept of Planning, Govt of Meghalaya briefed the Press about the Technical Sessions that are being planned during the event.
The inaugural function on April 17th will have Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, Union Minister of State (Finance) Pankaj Chaudhury, Union Minister of State (Ind. Charge) Science &Tech Dr Jitendra Singh, Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, Secretary, Department of Space (DOS) Somanath S, Chairman IN-SPACe Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka.
The Khasi Jaintia Church Leaders’ Forum (KJCLF) has expressed concern about the situation in Bihar where a Christian Pastor and a Church elder from Shillong had encountered some incidents of hostility and aggression which could have put them in grave danger.
“We initiated prayers and intercessions for their welfare and safety and are thankful that no harm has befallen on them as we also received information that they are returning back home,” Secretary of the Forum Rev Dr Edwin H Kharkongor said in a statement here.
He said the KJCLF denounces the perpetration of violence against the Christian Mission workers, and expresses its appreciation to those responsible in the administration of both the States for the efficient communication between them and sorting the situation out in proper manner.
Meanwhile, the Forum also appealed to social media users to restrain from spreading news which has the propensity to provoke unwanted reactions.
Moreover, in supporting the work and services of Churches and Christian Mission organisations, the Forum also called on all concerned to be aware of local prevailing situations while fulfilling their mission work in other parts of the country.
When two days ago Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited a Christian place of worship on Easter Sunday the Forum appealed to those in authority in the country to see that peace and harmony prevail in society.
Batting for the encouragement of the local youth to take up ecotourism, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia & Garo people (FKJGP) has sought an audience with the state government to discuss this important issue.
Speaking to media persons, the president of FKJGP Dundee Khongsit said that today they had a meeting with all stakeholders which includes those associations who deal with transportation, homestay and tour operators to discuss on how to move forward in promoting ecotourism in the state.
Khongsit said that recently a delegation of the FKJGP had gone to Sikkim and had met several tour operators, the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) and officials of the tourism department to find out how the state was able to facilitate tourists and make the state as one of the best tourism destination not just in North East (NE) but in the country as a whole.
He added that during the visit to Sikkim, the delegation of FKJGP had learnt so much, especially on what are the concepts that Sikkim is implementing to facilitate the flow of tourists in the state.
“During our visit to Sikkim, we had discuss whether implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) have any negative impact on tourism and the response we got from Sikkim, that ILP will not have any negative impact on the flow of tourist in the state” said Khongsit.
Khongsit said that in order to promote tourism in the state, the government must define how people from outside the state will come to Meghalaya, either through ecotourism or through employment opportunities.
He added that in order to promote tourism, there is a need for the state government to involve people’s participation and there is a need for the government to regulate the flow of tourists by separating tourists from those who come to Meghalaya in the form of employment opportunities.
“Due to non-regulation, it is difficult to identify between a tourist and those who come for employment, hence there will come a time when one will take advantage in the form of a tourist and this might lead to untoward incidents like what had happened in Sohra” he added.
Khongsit added that the state government should come out with policies to identify, who are the tourist and who are those who come to Meghalaya just for the employment opportunity and the state government must intensify its approach with the central government to implement ILP as it will not have any impact on tourism” he added.
The three-day-long 7th North East Graduate Congress (NEGC)-2023 has successfully concluded today at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) with the participation of more than 10,000 college students from various colleges of the eight northeastern states of India.
Among the various competitions, the Best Performing College award went to Sibsagar College, while Kampur College won the Best Magazine prize. The Best Debater award went to Saphira Magdaline Lyngdoh from St Anthony’s College, Shillong, and the winner of the Cultural Procession was Mayong Ancholik College.
A total of 46 competitions in various sports, cultural, literary and start-up categories, as well as sessions on competitive examinations, personality development and a job fair took place in this mega youth event. Attractive awards worth Rs 50 lakh, including two-wheelers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones and cash prizes were awarded to the winners of different competitions.
Addressing a large gathering of students and teachers, Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM, said, “We have been organising NEGC to benefit the region’s youths by helping them set their vision so that they can shoulder responsibilities and contribute to nation-building.” NEGC is the most acclaimed flagship programme of USTM that aims to inculcate the spirit of competitiveness, regional integrity, social harmony and brotherhood among the youth, he added.
To provide the best employment opportunities to the educated youths of the region, a mega job fair was also organized for the NEGC participants. More than 500 Graduates from various institutions participated in the Job Fair. Companies such as Bajaj Allianz, Reliance Jio, Kotak Life Insurance, CavinKare, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, MGT Motors Pvt. Ltd were a part of the Job Fair to recruit the youths. Around 150 students have been shortlisted for different positions from technical to non-technical profiles.
A spectacular view of the rich cultural mosaic of the North East was showcased by thousands of the youth from different colleges of the eight states of the region at the playground of USTM. The inaugural ceremony of NEGC-2023 was witnessed by a galaxy of prominent personalities ranging from youth icons, academia, politicians, cultural and sports icons, motivational speakers, principals of various colleges, faculty members and many students.
In this 7th edition of NEGC, various co-curricular activities were organised. The cultural competitions include cultural showcasing, skit, group song, group dance, on-the-spot painting, mehendi, cartooning, photography and rongoli. The sports competitions are volleyball, kabaddi, chess, arm wrestling, powerlifting, badminton, basketball, and horse riding. The literary competitions include debate, quiz and start-up.
As many as nine states, including Telangana and Meghalaya, have withdrawn the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probing certain offences.
The information was disclosed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh during the winter session of the Parliament in December 2022.
The minister informed the House that as per Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the CBI requires the consent of the respective state governments to conduct investigations in their jurisdiction.
The state governments had granted general consent to the CBI for the investigation of a specified class of offences against specified categories of persons, enabling the agency to register and investigate those specified matters, Singh elaborated. However, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, and West Bengal have withdrawn the general consent to the CBI to investigate cases. This move could potentially create roadblocks for the CBI to investigate cases in these states.
Non-BJP-ruled states have accused the CBI of "selectively targeting" Opposition leaders.
The withdrawal of consent could also affect the CBI's ability to investigate cases that have national significance or interstate ramifications. It remains to be seen how the CBI will navigate these challenges and continue to discharge its duties effectively.
This development highlights the need for a comprehensive review of the DSPE Act, 1946, and its provisions related to the CBI's jurisdiction and powers.
In March this year, a Parliamentary Committee emphasised the withdrawal of general consent for the CBI probe by several states and stated that the existing law governing the federal probe agency has "several limitations".
The committee has suggested the need to enact new legislation that defines the CBI's status, functions, and powers.
"The Committee feels that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act has many limitations and therefore, recommends that there is a need to enact a new law and define the status, functions and powers of the CBI and also lay down safeguards to ensure objectivity and impartiality in its functioning," it said.
Rudra Vikram Singh, Supreme Court lawyer said that withdrawal of general consent means CBI does not have the general consent of a state government, it is required to apply for consent on a case-by-case basis and cannot act before the consent is given.
"However CBI can continue to investigate cases in a state registered prior to the withdrawal of general consent. In July 2022, the Calcutta High Court, in a case of illegal coal mining and cattle smuggling being investigated by the CBI, ruled that the central agency cannot be stopped from investigating a Central government employee in another state," said Singh.
"In its order, the High Court observed that corruption cases across the country must be treated equally and that Central government employees could not be exempted from an investigation on the grounds that their offices were located in states that have withdrawn general consent. The judgment also said that withdrawal of general consent and its ramifications would be applicable in cases where exclusively state government employees were involved," he added.
This order, however, has been challenged in the Supreme Court, where the matter is still pending. Hence, as it stands, the CBI can use the Calcutta High Court order to its advantage to carry on certain investigations until the order is struck down by the Supreme Court.
Gurmeet Nehra, legal scholar and member of the Supreme Court Bar Association said that CBI can approach the local court of that state for issuing a search warrant and it can register a case in Delhi and proceed with the investigation.
Staff Reporter
Shillong, April 6: The shutdown of important power projects has left Meghalaya with no option but to resort to load-shedding, which is affecting the citizens of the state.
Minister-in-charge Power Abu Taher Mondal told reporters today that despite the scanty rainfall which is affecting the hydel power projects depending on the rainwater, the state is also having some added problems due to the shutdown of important power projects like Khandong and Kopili Hydro Electric Project. Due to this, the state is losing quite a huge quantum of power which is not coming to the grid.
He also informed the state also has its own problems with the power projects at home due to renovation and repair ‘we are not able to put the optimum power in the grid and due to that this (load-shedding) is happening’.
The power minister said the central share of power is around 72 million units and the state’s own generation is around 16 million units.
“At present, we are having a liability of around 88 million units and our requirement is 200 million units. So we are short by 112 million units and this is the hardest fact we are facing now,” he added.
Mondal said the power projects under shutdown include Kopili stage-I of 200 MW from where the state gets 35MW as share, Khandong power station of 50 MW (state share is 8.51MW) and Kopili stage-II of 25 MW (state share is 3.45 MW).
“As far as the Myntdu Leshka hydel power project is concerned, two units (of 42MW) are also shutdown now while Umiam also, we are also having two units of 60MW which are also like that,” he said adding that the reason is due to damage and requirement for annual maintenance.
The power minister admitted that the people are suffering and that the government is really concerned about the problem and said that the load shedding was done out of compulsion.
“Definitely, the government and the MeECL are working round the clock to see that if any relief can be given to the consumers,” he said while assuring that “the moment we improve our situation, as I told you it depends on how the power is available in the grid or we can go for swapping then we will relax the (load-shedding) period.”
Mondal said when the monsoon season is gone and the state is having surplus power, it used to give the same to some states or some utilities who wanted to take that power and during the lean period the state took back that power from them.
“So now the demand in the exchange is very high and the rate of power is also very high and these utilities which used to bank with us no longer want to bank at this juncture. So all these compounded the present position,” he added.
If there is any action plan to come up with a long-term solution to the power shortage in the state, Mondal said, “We have planned a lot of things. Of course, earlier also the state government has planned. You must be aware that we have gone for so many MoU signings with the independent power producers but somehow this could not take place. Those who want to start have some issues so we are seeing whether these issues can be sorted out or not. If that is done that way also we can look forward to the future.”
With regards to renewable energy, the power minister said that solar and wind energy is a very costly affairs and require a huge plot of land but there is also a mandate to have this in place.
“We are looking into this angle also,” he stated.