Timothy D Shira elected unopposed as Deputy Speaker of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 18: Senior NPP leader and Resubelpara legislator Timothy D Shira is all set to be elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the 11^th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

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This is because the three opposition parties – Congress, All India Trinamool Congress and Voice of the People Party – have decided not to field any candidate for the post, the election of which will be held on the first day of the Assembly’s budget session on March 20.

Assembly’s Commissioner and Secretary Andrew Simons on Friday informed that Shira was the lone candidate who has filed his nomination for the election to the Deputy Speaker’s post.

His candidature was proposed by Rakkam A Sangma and Marcuise N Marak from the National People’s Party and Lahkmen Rymbui and Mathew Kurbah from the United Democratic Party.

Shira was also holding the post of deputy speaker during the previous term of the Assembly.

Meghalaya Govt to invite HPC for talks on Them Iew Mawlong issue

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 12: Meghalaya government has decided to invite the Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) after the Assembly’s Budget session for discussion on the issue of relocating the residents of Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

“We will invite them after the Assembly’s session and try to resolve the issue,” Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Urban Affairs Sniawbhalang Dhar said over phone.

Dhar said that he would also discuss the issue with the Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong before inviting the HPC for talks.

On February 16, the Meghalaya High Court has asked the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

“The State should make every endeavour, immediately after the election, to resolve the matter since it has been represented on behalf of the State on previous occasions that several parcels of land had been identified for the resettlement of the members of the first respondent body,” the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee had said in its order.

The bench had said that the matter has been adjourned for a considerable period of time on the joint representation of the parties that an amicable settlement will be arrived at. The next hearing on the matter will be held on March 17.

Elections to the 59 out of 60 Assembly seats concluded recently.