Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 18: A driver died on the spot after a clinker-loaded truck fell into a deep gorge at Jowai in West Jaintia Hills District on Sunday midnight.

The body of Khrawkupar Phawa from Sohmynting village was recovered on Monday afternoon following efforts put in by the search and rescue team, police said.

The truck was coming from Lumshnong village in East Jaintia Hills. On reaching Wahgate at Jowai along the national highway, the truck lost control and hit a tyre shop before falling into the deep gorge, they said.

Fortunately, an employee of the tyre shop was not present in the shop when the incident took place.

The District Magistrate & District Election Officer, East Khasi Hills District has declared May 8, 9 and 10, 2023 as ‘Dry Days’.

It has sternly warned that no spirituous, fermented, intoxicating liquors or other substances of a like nature shall be sold, given or distributed at a hotel, eating house, tavern, shop or any other place, public or private and within a polling area.

Further, the District Election Officer also declared May 13, 2023, the day of counting of votes for the Sohiong polls in the district as ‘Dry Day’.

The Harijan Panchayat Committee (HPC) has said that they are waiting for the state government to call for a meeting to discuss the issue related to the relocation of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

“We are waiting for the government’s call,” HPC secretary Gurjit Singh said.

He however refused to indicate if the committee would submit its reply on the government’s proposal.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong informed that the government would soon fix a meeting with the HPC to further sensitize them on the stand of the government and to also listen to their point of view on the matter.

“We are waiting for the return of the Deputy Chief Minister in-charge urban affairs as we want to convene a meeting with the HPC within this month,” he added.

Tynsong said that he is not aware if the HPC has sent any communication to urban affairs with regards to the reply to the government’s proposal.

On March 16, the state government set a deadline to the HPC for submitting its reply by April 10, with regards to the proposal for relocating of the Sweepers’ Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to the existing land of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).

The government had also turned down the request of the HPC to give another three months’ time to respond to the proposal.

The decision was also taken following an order of the Meghalaya High Court on February 16, asking the state government to immediately resolve the issue after the Assembly elections.

On September 29, last year the state government presented the blueprint to the HPC during a meeting, which indicated its decision to construct multi-storey flats at the existing official quarters of the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) for relocation of the 342 families.

The state government had outrightly rejected the April 25,2022-proposal of the HPC that 200 square meters of land be provided to each of the 342 families within the European ward besides bearing the cost of construction of their homes.

A 15-year-old boy lost his life and others were injured after a large tree fell on the shed of a house at Umling village in Ri Bhoi District.

Reportedly, the incident took place when the deceased was studying in a room with a few other family members, who were also present inside the house.

Following the incident, the deceased person and the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital Nongpoh for post-mortem and for medical treatment. However, the dead body was sent to his native village in Assam after all formalities were completed.