Meghalaya Govt urges HNLC not to pull out of peace talks

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.

Meghalaya State BJP waiting for central nod to new executive members

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Nov 9: BJP leader and cabinet minister AL Hek has informed that the list of the new state executive members is awaiting the approval of the central leadership.

“This morning I spoke to the newly elected president Rikman G Momin, who is on the way to Delhi with a list for the approval of the central leaders. After getting the approval, they will publish the names of the new state executive members of the party,” Hek told reporters.

On the party’s preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Hek said that his name is among the three ticket aspirants for the Shillong parliamentary seat.

“However, I don’t know who the other two names are. So we will see who from the three names will be the best choice for contesting from Shillong parliamentary seat,” he said while adding “Among the three, whoever will be chosen, we will have to work hard and ensure win in this upcoming Lok Sabha election.”

On TMC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma joining the BJP, Hek however said the door of the BJP is not only open to TMC but also to all political parties.

“Mukul Sangma can join at any time he wants. I welcome him anytime but we have not discussed so how will I know if he is joining or not. But for us the door is open to anybody who wants to come to the BJP,” he said.

Hek also said that he has no idea on whether Mukul Sangma is in touch or not with the BJP central leadership.

North East Discovery – A novel train ride through North East

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Nov 1: The Ministry of Railways, in a collaborative initiative with IRCTC Ltd, is about to operate a “North East Discovery” tour to promote the relatively un-traversed North Eastern states of India.

The specially curated tour on Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist train will be commencing its journey from Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station on November 16, 2023. The tour will cover Guwahati, Sivasagar, Jorhat & Kaziranga in Assam, Unakoti, Agartala and Udaipur in Tripura, Dimapur and Kohima in Nagaland and Shillong and Cherrapunji in Meghalaya over the 15 days tour.

The Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train has a host of modern features including two dining cars or restaurants, a contemporary kitchen (flameless), shower cubicles in AC I and AC II coaches, sensor-based washroom functions, a foot massager and mini library. The fully air-conditioned train provides three types of accommodation viz. AC I, AC II and AC III. The train also has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes and dedicated security guards appointed for each coach.

Spanning over 14 nights and 15 days, the first stop of this train is Guwahati where tourists will visit Kamakhya Temple, followed by Umananda Temple and a sunset cruise on the Brahmaputra River. This train will further depart on an overnight journey for Naharlagun Railway Station which is 30 kms from the next destination Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The next city to follow is Sivasagar – the old capital of the Ahom Kingdom in Eastern part of Assam. The famous Shiva temple Sivadol is a part of the itinerary besides other heritage sites like Talatal Ghar and Rang Ghar (Colosseum of the East).

Further the tea gardens at Jorhat and an overnight stay at Kaziranga along with an early morning jungle safari at Kaziranga National Park will be experienced by the tourists. Later, the train departs for the state of Tripura where the guests cover the sightseeing of famous heritage site of Unakoti in the densely covered Jampui Hills. Later they proceed for the capital city of Agartala, the tour of which includes the famous Ujjayanta Palace, the Neermahal and the Tripura Sundari Mandir at Udaipur.

Post Tripura, the train departs for Dimapur to cover the state of Nagaland. The scenic train journey between Badarpur station to Lumding Jn can be witnessed by the guests in the early hours of the morning from their seats.

From Dimapur station, tourists shall be taken to Kohima by buses to visit the local sites including a tour of the Khonoma village to experience the Naga way of life. The next halt for the tourist train will be Guwahati from where the sightseers will be taken to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, by road with a pit stop at the majestic Umium Lake en route.

The next day starts with an excursion to Cherrapunji nestled in the East Khasi Hills. Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, Nawkhalikai Falls and Mawsmai caves are a part of the day’s sightseeing. From Cherrapunji the tourists travel back to Guwahati Station to board the train for the return train journey back to Delhi. Around 5800 kms will be covered in the course of the entire train tour.

It is pertinent to mention that the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train launch is in line with the Government of India initiatives “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” and “Dekho Apna Desh” to encourage domestic tourism.

The IRCTC tourist train will be a 15-day all-inclusive tour package with train journey in respective class, night stay at AC hotels, all meals (vegetarian only), all transfer & sightseeing in buses, travel insurance, services of tour escort etc. All necessary health precautionary measures will be taken care of and IRCTC will make efforts to provide a safe and memorable experience to the guests.

For more details, you can visit https://www.irctctourism.com/bharatgaurav where booking is available online, on a first come first serve basis.