Govt ensuring health of JNV, Niangbari students

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 19: Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma today said district school education officer (DSEO), Ri Bhoi has been asked to conduct regular monitoring and supervision on the JNV, school, Niangbari to ensure the incident of students falling sick is not repeated.

“The state education department has also taken serious note on the matter and has instructed the district school education officer, Ri Bhoi district to conduct regular monitoring and supervision on the said school and also to ensure that such incident is not repeated,” Sangma said while replying to a call attention motion moved by UDP MLA from Nongpoh Mayralborn Syiem in the Assembly.

He said the complaint of the residential students of the particular school has no connection with the PM Poshan (Mid-Day Meal) Scheme under the State of Meghalaya.

He informed after observing visuals that appeared on a news channel on July 26 that students of the school fell sick, immediately on July 27, the deputy commissioner deputed the Food Safety Officer, Ri Bhoi District, Nongpoh and a report submitted by FSO along with the executive magistrate to collect the samples of water and food for testing and conduct an enquiry on the matter.

Thereafter, the samples of water and food collected were sent to the state food testing laboratory, Pasteur Hills, Government of Meghalaya on the same day for analysis.

On August 2, the Food Safety Officer was again deputed to conduct a surprise checking inspection on the quality of food given to the students of JNV, Niangbari, during dinner time and to take samples of the same and get it tested and report has been submitted by FSO and food samples served to the students on that day were collected and sent to Mitra SK Private Limited, Building P-48, Udayan Industrial Estate, 3 PAgladanga Road, Kolkata West Bengal for analysis.

With regards to water supply, Sangma said a letter has been forwarded to the PHE department to prepare an estimate of a deep bore well construction at JNVSchool, Niangbari and the deposit work estimate for providing additional water supply at JNV School (proposed by drilling of bore well, construction of storage tank, pump house etc) amounting to Rs 33.86, 240 have been prepared and submitted by the EE PHE department and the same has been forwarded to Principal JNV, Niangbari for onward approval from the competent authority.

Based on the inquiry reports, the deputy commissioner also issued strict instructions to the school principal of JNV, Niangbari for compliance to ensure that only fresh and hygienic food is provided to the students.

Sr. Advocate V.G Kynta parts ways with Meghalaya BJP

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 25: Senior Advocate V. G Kynta has resigned as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Meghalaya.

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Speaking to media persons, Kynta informed that since joining BJP he had never been assigned to any duties or till date the party had never involved him in any decision pertaining to the party matter.

Kynta informed that he had sent a letter to the state BJP chief Ernest Mawrie that he had joined the party with the hope and aspiration to do something for the people of the state however the state president has not received any response.

“Throughout the Assembly election, the BJP Meghalaya has not assigned me any duties and this is a clear humiliation to me personally as I had joined the party with the hope to do something for the people, party and the state as a whole,” said Kynta.

Kynta alleged that this rejection by the party is a big humiliation for him and he does not want to be used as a mantelpiece as he is a person who loves to stoke a fire.

“Since the party had never accepted me, I feel it is the right decision for me to disassociate from BJP Meghalaya” he added.

Stories of a Shillong boy Part 1: Hill Boy and the Desert

There is a little 10 year old boy in Shillong who has a funny way of looking at things. I call him “Ray” – A named derived from his Khasi first name. I am his mother and this is one of the many stories I have about him.

Now Ray had an intense hate for two subjects in school – science and geography. I’m still drawing nonsensical circles around science, but I think I’ve cracked geography and a geography lesson is one of the most fun things we do together now. I want to talk about a lesson we did a little while ago.

In this lesson, we read about the Thar Desert. The book said something really scary to Ray. It told him that the desert is expanding because we cut down forests and let our cattle eat away all our grasslands. This really worried him. Before we could go on with the lesson, he said, “But I don’t want the desert to reach the Meghalaya.”

I looked at him and said, “It won’t.”

“But the book says that it will.” He insists. “I don’t want to live in a desert.”

I had to think for a bit. See Ray has this way of getting fixated on something and then he dwells on it – a reason why I tutor him myself by redoing every chapter that his teachers have taught in school. His head is full of questions that he would never ask in a classroom kind of space, but he would demand an answer out of me.

“It will not happen tomorrow Ray.” I said, “We’ll all be dead and gone by then. There is no need to stress.”

This did not put him at ease at all. He was worried. “I don’t want to live in India anymore if the desert is growing mei. We have to leave India.”

“There are deserts everywhere.” I said.

“This can happen all over the world?” he asked sounding completely helpless.

“Yes.” I said thinking of Mad Max Fury Road. “But it won’t happen anytime soon. It will probably happen during the time of your great great great great grandchild so you have nothing to worry about.”

This calmed him down for a little while and I was able to finish the lesson. He had his dinner after that, brushed his teeth and got into bed.

As I was tucking him in he said softly, “But I want my great great great great grand son or daughter to live also.”

And it suddenly struck me that even I want my great great great great great grandchild to live.

(This piece has been written by Dalariti Nongpiur with illustrations by Hazel Kharkongor)