"Seeing the progress so far, we are sure to complete culling of remaining 5,000 or even more by tonight. Hence we can expect our target of culling 75,000 birds by Friday," he said.

State Animal Husbandry Commissioner Vijay Kumar said, "Even after the culling gets over, we will continue house-to- house mopping up operations to ensure that not a single infected bird remains in any of the homes." The mopping is expected to continue for a week. Singhal also appealed to people to bring to the notice of the administration any bird still to be culled. This was to ensure the epidemic did not spread beyond the 10-km radius, he said.

On compensation, Kumar said that amount will be shared by state and Centre. "For Jalgaon district we have made a provision of Rs 60 lakh though we expect the maximum requirement to be Rs 39 lakh. To ensure that in case of additional expenses the local administration and animal husbandray department are at comfort level, we have been provided with Rs 60 lakh," he said.

He also said medical teams have not yet found any symptoms of bird flu in the population living in the declared infected zone.

Meanwhile, scientists in Washington said they had identified some of the mutations the H5N1 avian influenza virus needs to gain a permanent foothold in the human population, causing a greatly feared pandemic. They said the test they used, called a glycan microarray, might be useful in monitoring the virus in birds and as it infects people, to see if it is mutating into a form that would allow it to pass easily from person to person. (PTI)

With the deadline for filing nominations expiring on Friday the exercise picked up on Thursday with the highest number of nominations recorded in West Bengal and Maharashtra with four each followed by Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka (with three each) and one in Jharkhand.

Bhardwaj, a senior Congress leader who had been a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh last time, filed his papers in Haryana assembly in Chandigarh on Thursday seeking re-election. Shinde and Patel and two others on Thursday filed nomination for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra. Shinde, Patel and his NCP colleague Vasant Chavan filed their nominations as did Bal Apte of BJP in Maharashtra.

In Bangalore, Rehman Khan (Congress), M Rajashekhara Murthy (JDS), Rajeev Chandrashekar, an independent backed by ruling Janata Dal (S) and Sudhakar (Ind) filed their papers, taking the total number of candidates so far to five.

A day after announcing the name of eight veteran leaders including those of Arjun Singh and Shinde, Congress on Thursday released names of five more nominees in which first-timers Abihshek Singhvi, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, media personality ajiv Shukla, who is seeking re-election, were the surprise choices. (PTI)

Kolkata: The West Bengal Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution calling upon the Centre to take steps in setting up a new Autonomous Council for Darjeeling Hills by amending the Constitution.

Explaining the raison d'etre for the resolution, Minister for Urban Development Ashok Bhattacharya said the 10th clause of last year's tripartite agreement (between Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council chairman Subhas Ghising, West Bengal government and the Centre), stipulated that a resolution had to be passed in the Assembly before the constitutional amendment.

The State Government was in favour of solving the issue through democratic means, he said adding, the New Autonomous Council was to be set up by amending Article 244. Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, who moved the resolution, said Ghishing wanted DGHC elections to be held only after the process of setting the new council under the Sixth Schedule was complete. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: The French turn off their mobiles during meals, the Chinese call and hang up after a few seconds while the Spanish are reluctant to use voicemail. But when it comes to Indians, it is the missed call they are most (in)famous for. The Indian mobile user seems to have mastered the art of 'missed calls' - and actually to communicate without answering the calls!

While cellphone operators are reluctant to give the exact share of missed calls, according to industry estimates, it is somewhere around 20-25 per cent. Writes Nick Gray in a moblog (mobile blog) - in India 'Missed Calls' were very popular, as a way to say "I'm thinking about you" or "Call me back."

"Even though cellular tariffs are pretty low, people were ingeniously using 'Missed calls' for signalling and saving money. The call rates are already low but most users want to make it lower by resorting to missed calls," says V Kumar, a cellphone user, who on an average gets around 10-15 missed calls every day.

"It's very irksome to call back someone every half an hour for no work of yours," says Kumar, noting the problem is more in case of office goers as callers think the office is going to pay for call back."

However, Kobita Desai, principal telecom analyst, Gartner, says "users tend to resort to giving missed calls when the message to be conveyed is just to make an announcement of one's presence or somewhat in those lines."

"There is also a situation when the other person has to call back. No doubt mobile tariffs are quite low and the price differential with fixed is very narrow. However that is not necessarily the case with prepaid tariffs which is still significantly higher and also the pulse rate is shorter."

"There's still a perception that mobile rates are high and understandably so. With almost 75 per cent of subscribers being prepaid, the impact could be quite significant unless the price differentials narrow down significantly. Also a prepaid user has better visibility of his usage since he has a credit limit dependent on what he has already paid for," says Desai.

But when it comes to 'who loses and who gains on missed calls', Desai says "it would depend on where the call originates from. If more calls originate from the fixed network then the lion's share of the call revenue is retained by fixed network operator.

However, they would have to give a percentage to the mobile network as an interconnect or termination cost. Or vice versa. Often missed calls happen within mobile networks as well. Here there is loss of revenue on both sides, especially if the called party has caller line identification."

"Missed calls have to originate from some network. So there's always percentage given as interconnect/termination to the network on which the calls terminate. However good interconnect rates are dependent on the volume of traffic generated.

"In a non monopoly environment like India's mobile industry, it becomes difficult for a carrier to arbitrage on good interconnect rates if they only invite incoming traffic," she says.

"Further, not getting threshold revenue (Cost of servicing + margins) from their home subscribers may affect business sustainability in the mid to long term," notes Desai.

But for the customer, it's all about money in this case! Who needs etiquette when it costs you money! (PTI)

The MDA meeting held at the residence of Chief Minister DD Lapang on Wednesday evening sought the help of all its members to transact all business without any hiccup. At a joint briefing, MDA secretary Charles Pyngrope and its spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said after the MBOSE ordinance was promulgated, the amended Bill needs to be passed by the Assembly. The meeting also prohibits the coalition members from taking up any resolution in the Assembly. "The members are free to raise any questions or move motions, but not resolutions", Mr Lyngdoh said.

Taking lessons from previous experience, the MDA leadership this time took cautious steps to prevent any of its members from bringing any resolution in the House. Chief Minister DD Lapang had a humiliating experience in the past when HSPDP supremo Hopingstone Lyngdoh moved a resolution against the govenment's move to shift the Assembly building to Mawdiangdiang.

"We are of the opinion that the members can raise any issue in the form of questions and motions, but not through resolutions. This does not mean that we are curtailing their freedom", Mr Pyngrope said.

The eight-day session begins with Meghalaya Governor MM Jacob addressing the House on the first day on Friday. During the Assembly proceedings, issues like border fencing, uranium mining, reservation policy and matters related to MBOSE will come up for discussions. Finance Minister Dr Donkupar Roy will present the Budget on March 24, before the session concludes on March 28.

SHILLONG: The eight-day Assembly session beginning on Friday is up for having at least four government Bills presented in the House on the first day.

According to official sources, Social Welfare Minister Martle N Mukhim will lay two Bills - the Meghalaya Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection Rights and Full Participation) Rules, 2004 and the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (Salaries Allowances and Conditions of Service of Chairperson, vice Chairperson and Members) Rules, 2005 - while his colleague Deputy Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy coming up with similar number of Bills for the House to pass on Friday.

Sources said that Dr Roy as Power Minister would table the Meghalaya State Electricity Board Services Regulation, 1994, while as Finance Minister would introduce the Meghalaya Protection of Interest of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Bill, 2006.

SHILLONG: Cherrapunjee may join the more illustrious company of Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai et al when it comes to indigenousisation of name. A joint meeting of the leaders of KSU Sohra Circle, Syiem of Hima Sohra, Sirdar and Rangbah Shnongs of Sohra area has urged the State government to alter the name of Cherrapunjee as Sohra.

The meeting, held recently, reminded that Sohra was the local name of the area which was in existence since time immemorial. It also said that Cherrapunjee was a foreign nomenclature of the place which was unacceptable to the local people.

Further, the meeting expressed strong opposition to the proposed move to use the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Limited (MCCL) brand for a new cement plant in Garo Hills. It also demanded shifting of the MCCL headquarters from Shillong to Sohra and preferential treatment to local youth in terms of employment opportunities in the company.

On the problems faced by Sohra College, the meeting demanded upgradation of the college into a full-fledged government college. The meeting also demanded opening of science and commerce streams in the college so that poor students who could not afford such studies in Shillong could be benefited. The meeting also opposed engagement of non-tribal labourers by contractors operating in the area.

SHILLONG: It's now official -the new and permanent Assembly building will be located at Upper Shillong close to the Eastern Air Command headquarter. Ending five-year long uncertainty, the High-Powered Committee of the state Assembly headed by the Speaker Martin M Danggo has made the final decision.

Informing this here on Thursday, Mr Danggo said that the location selected for construction of the Assembly building belonged to the Horticulture department and it was away from flying zone of the Eastern Air Command. "Even the Officials of the Eastern Air Command who were present during the inspection gave their virtual nod to the location," he said adding that the HPC was confident that a clearance would be issued very soon by the Defence Ministry so that the process for construction of the new Assembly could be started as early as possible.

The Speaker said that the decision would be tabled in the Assembly in the coming session to get its approval. He hoped that the decision of the HPC would get the support from all the legislators irrespective of party affiliations. "After receiving the approval of the House, Governor MM Jacob will be requested to lay the foundation of the Assembly," Mr Danggo said hoping that everything would be completed without further hitch.

Total area is about 58 hectres where besides the Assembly complex, quarters for MLAs and Assembly staff will also be constructed. Besides Mr Danggo, other members of the HPC are Chief Minister DD Lapang, Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Donkupar Roy, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr JD Rymbai, PWD Minister, Mr Breaning A Sangma, Urban Affairs Minister Mr Friday Lyngdoh, Chief Secretary, SK Tiwari, Officials representing the Assembly Secretariat and Eastern Air Command.

Mr Paul Lyngdoh who float-ed the idea said as Mrs Deborah Marak informed the MDA members that with MBOSE issue being resolved, there was no reason to continue with the forum. "In the context of Garo Hills legislators deciding to disband GHLF, we decided not to form the Khasi Hills Legislators Forum", Mr Lyngdoh said.

SHILLONG: Police on Thursday forenoon recovered the body of an unidentified newborn from Thana Road. Police said that the local residents of Thana Road first discovered the abandoned baby and informed the police. Police suspect that the baby was abandoned a day before it was found. It might have died due to cold.

SHILLONG: Three persons were killed while l7 others were injured when a night super bus coming from Silchar overturned in Pomura near Mawryngkneng village on Thursday at 4.30 am. Sources said the driver of the bus was in inebriated condition and lost control over the steering.

Those who lost their lives are Rajandu Das (39) and Sibnath Das (41) both from of Bihar, while the third person is yet to be identified. The injured persons were admitted to Shillong Civil Hospital. The dead bodies were also shifted to the same hospital for post mortem.

SHILLONG: One Wansalan Lymba (20) of Upland Road, Laitumkhrah died on the spot when a police bus dashed his motorbike on Wednesday at 9.30 pm at Iew Shyllong, Laitumkhrah. According to sources, the police vehicle was coming from the wrong side that led to the accident. The body was taken to Shillong Civil Hospital for post mortem.

SHILLONG: Taking a proactive stand on the proposed corporatisation of the Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB), the Board's engineers urged the State government to take them into confidence on each step of the corporatisation process.

In a letter to Power Minister Dr Donkupar Roy, the MeSEB Engineers' Association (MEA) pointed out that the recommendations of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) submitted in December last year were for the change of name from MeSEB to Meghalaya State Power Corporation Limited, extension of employees' retirement age from 58 to 65 years and transfer of the Board's financial liabilities to the State government.

"Certain preconditions such as revision of pay, modified system for promotion based on merit and seniority and also new delegation of financial powers are to be resolved prior to corporatisation. Another salient point is that the superannuating age should remain at 58 years for all categories in the new set up in order to avoid discrimination and protect the larger interest of employment in the State", the MEA letter said.

The engineers' body also maintained that all directors and CMD in the new corporate should be relieved of executive powers, which "unnecessarily preoccupy the incumbents and thereby greatly affecting policy decision making". It recommended appointment of four technical directors for generation, transmission, distribution and hydro.

"The directors and preferably the CMD should be appointed by promotion from within the organisation", it said adding that there should be better representation of technical wing in the new corporate body. The MEA also demanded immediate appointment of new Member (Hydro) from amongst the existing Chief Engineers (Civil) so that the ongoing projects were not affected.

While expressing its willingness to assist in the smooth process of corporatisation, the MEA wanted the whole process to be carried out in a transparent manner and that a "well-defined" road map should be put in place by the government. It demanded filling up of a number of vacant posts in the Board and to effect promotion of officers and engineers as well.

Demand for fulltime MeSEB Chairman: Meanwhile, the Association of Power Engineers (AOPE), Meghalaya Zone has demanded for immediate appointment of fulltime Chairman of power board.

In a letter to Chief Minister DD Lapang on Thursday, the Zonal Secretary of the AOPE, Mr Arju Dkhar sought immediate appointment of fulltime Chairman in the MeSEB "which is in a transitional stage and needs to look into all the complexities and co-ordination with the State and Central Government".

He said in spite of the appointment of Power Finance Corporation (PCF) Ltd, a government of India undertaking as consultant for matters relating to the proposed reforms and restructuring of the Board, some financial irregularities came to light in the PCF report.

Considering the need of the hour and in the interest of the Organisation and the State as a whole, the association urged the government to look into the matter seriously.

SHILLONG: The MDA coalition has constituted a special committee to look into the problems related to border fencing, MDA spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh said. The MDA meeting held on Wednesday decided to constitute the special committee on border fencing comprising legislators representing border constituencies, district council and Deputy Commissioners. Pending the decision of the special committee, direction has been issued by the government to stop the on-going border fencing works, Mr Lyngdoh added.

TURA: A few senior politicians, particularly from ruling Congress, are allegedly trying to change the guidelines on implementation of the Centre's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the Garo Hills.

According to sources, these politicians from the Garo Hills are feeling uneasy with the scheme, a pet project of UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi, as it envisages empowerment of the villagers and guarantees them work for a hundred days in a year without the "assistance" from any political leaders.

The UPA government's decision to include West and South Garo Hills districts under this scheme, beginning from April 1, came as a boon for the poor people of these two districts.

Vested interests, who have a strong influence in the present government, were going slow as far the implementation of the scheme was concerned, sources said adding that a political heavyweight from the ruling party had even gone to the extend of asking the concerned minister to halt its implementation until certain parts were changed in the norms.

Shillong: Laitkyrhong village near Smit witnessed an unusual incident on Wednesday night. The villagers forcefully detained five "visitors" for almost eleven hours accusing them of being 'menshohnoh' (killers for wealth).

The two men and three women had to spend 11 hours from 3 pm on Wednesday till 2 am on Thursday in their two vehicles at the open field at the community hall of the village as stone pelting by the villagers prevented their exit. Both the cars were damaged by the villagers. The village women also insisted that the intruders should be killed.

After the headmen of the village informed the local MLA Prestone Tynsong about the incident, he along with East Khasi Hills SP A R Mawthoh, Additional SP M Kharkrang, Magistrate B Mawlong and a large posse of police personnel rushed to the spot to rescue the trapped group. It took more than two hours to negotiate with the villagers mostly women to release those under their custody.

It was a fatal attraction for these visitors. "We found the place very beautiful and came in the afternoon for picnic. After, we had lunch, a few village women stopped us accusing us that we came to kidnap their children," Norma Lakiang, a member of the group said after their release. Among the five who were trapped, Norma is from Umpling and is working with the MIDC, Susana Kharumnuid is from Laitumkhrah and is employee of State Bank of India. Others were M Syiemiong and John Mawlot, a class XII student.

The women in the village accused the group of moving frequently in the village during the day with an intention to kidnap their children. The paranoia of people coming to kill children originated in Jaintia Hills, few months back. The news reports said that there were rumours of villagers in Jaintia Hills apprehending some 'evil doers' who suspiciously move around in the villages.

According to ancient Khasi belief, there are certain people who worship their wealth deity known as 'Thlen'. The deity according to legends used to ask his worshippers to feed him with human blood in order that he would bless them and make them rich and prosperous. The belief was considered as superstitious to many people while it continued to be regarded as true in most rural areas of Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Rumour mongers spread in Jaintia Hills that for the completion of Leshka Project, 1000 heads are needed as sacrifices.

On Tuesday, at Nongjngi village in Jaintia Hills, four houses were destroyed by the villagers alleging that the occupants of the houses were practicing sorcery. The occupants were asked to vacate the house. Last week at Mynsngat, two persons were caught by the villagers and assaulted. However, the five visitors to Laitkyrhong village were surprised to learn from the villagers that they were 'men shohnoh'.

Local headman Andra Rynjah said that the women, who first encountered the visitors suspected them to be evil doers and after inquiry by the members of the Dorbar, they were found to be innocent. "We did not find anything wrong with the group," Mr Rynjah said.

Worried over the mindset of the people in the village, Tynsong told a group of newsmen who visited the village that he had instructed the village headmen to call a meeting to create awareness among the people to respect those who visited the village. The magistrate and police officials also wondered if the harassment was meted out to "our own people", what would be the plight of the tourists.

Meanwhile, concerned over the series of similar cases, the Jaintia Hills District administration is contemplating ways and means to address the issue. Though there was no casualty reported so far, there were reports of assault cases from Jaintia Hills villages in Nartiang area. Many people are keeping vigil at night in villages as they are suspicious of 'men shohnoh', Jaintia Hills police superintendent Heimonlang Nongpluh told The Shillong Times.

In the first such case in Mynsngat village, two persons were caught by the villagers. The duo had to admit that they were 'men shohnoh' fearing the wrath of the violent mob. "The villagers later handed over them to the police. They even accuse the police of shielding men shohnoh," Mr Nongpluh said. What causes concern is that the action of the villagers is borne out of the belief in the existence of 'men shohnoh' which is difficult to be erased from the minds of the people.

"We are thinking to issue some appeal to the public not to be panic. We will have to do some meeting to discuss the matter," Mr Nongpluh said.

Jaintia Hills Additional District Magistrate M S Lhuid informed that a group of villagers from Yonglwiad village, 30 km from Jowai met the officials of the district administration on Thursday about the fear psychosis in the village. "We are issuing letters to all the Rangbah Shnong to create awareness and also dispatch magistrates whenever there is any problem", the ADM said.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, the Union urged the Education Minister to ensure punishing people indulging in corrupt practices. Highlighting that during 2003 to 2005, when posts fell vacant under the Deputy Inspector of Schools, Tura, the Garo Union said that many persons were "appointed by the present DI of Schools, Tura" on the basis of "preference".

According to the Union, the appointees were "recruited without any interviews" from people who had never served as substitute teachers. "Not a single substitute teacher was absorbed in the permanent post by the DI of Schools despite the fact that they had been serving for the last five years," the GU said.

The Union said that substitute teachers, recruited from among the PU/HSSLC passed candidates who were qualified for the posts, had quite often applied for absorption in available vacancies of permanent posts.

Shillong: Chief Minister D D Lapang on Thursday said that the Government will undertake livelihood improvement initiatives in the remaining five district of the State namely, Jaintia Hills, Ri Bhoi, East Garo Hills, South Garo Hills and East Khasi Hills, adding that more than 570 villages are expected to be covered under the project adding that more than 30,000 households would be benefited at the village level that will be empowered to come up with their vision and perception of what they perceive as their development needs.

Inaugurating the two-day workshop designed to launch the Livelihood Improvement Project for the Himalayas, a joint project of the Government of Meghalaya and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the KJP Assembly Convention Centre here, Mr Lapang said

Mr Lapang further asserted that the project has emphasised the need to bring in the concept of stakeholdership. He said that the project has already engaged the services of the State level NGOs. He felt the urgent need for convergence of efforts and resources to lift the economy of Meghalaya.

He stated that the creation of the viable market linkage for the local products has been the greatest bottleneck towards a sustainable development, adding that this project has not neglected this crucial issue and both the forward and the backward linkages of production have been addressed which provides the avenue for value addition of produces.Dr Lapang also stressed on the need for better education at the primary level and also the need for better rural health care. He hoped that the project management would also pay particular attention to the primary needs of the rural society.

The workshop was organised by the Meghalaya Rural Development Society (MRDS) which is the nodal agency of IFAD programmes in the State of Meghalaya.

The primary objective of the project is to build alliances to overcome poverty and economic insecurities of vulnerable groups through sustainable livelihood promotion efforts and principle of self help by strengthening the local institutions that relate to livelihood development. The project will work towards enhancing the capabilities of local people to select appropriate livelihood opportunities, access required financial resources, manage new technologies and institutions at the village level and also increasing incomes through more sustainable income generating cultivation systems.

The project will work in the most remote and underdeveloped villages and the selection of villages is done taking into consideration specific criteria such as poverty level, educational status, ratio of irrigated to cultivable area and others. The project is implemented through the Meghalaya Rural Development Society (MRDS). Among others who spoke on the occasion were the Chief Secretary S K Tiwari, Senior Portfolio Manager, UNOPS, IFAD, Kishan Gill and the Project Director, MRDS E P Kharbhih.

For PA Sangma the Meghalaya School Board was a well-timed opportunity to retrieve lost ground. The old war horse that he is, PA Sangma raised MBOSE to new heights of patriotism. And indeed he proved his political finesse. As an 8th time MP, Sangma was aware that without an emotive issue to ignite people’s passions, winning would have been a difficult proposition. Without MBOSE the focus would have naturally been on development or the lack of it, in Garo Hills. Where would that have placed or honourable MP?

However there is also the factor of voting for a known devil than an angel with an unproven track record. In their wisdom the Garos felt it would be naïve to trade an old guard who is informed and skilled but stuck in bad habits, for a new guard that is vehement but clueless as far as the corridors of power in Delhi are concerned. Others believe that by voting PA Sangma they have avenged the death of those innocent souls who were brutally gunned down on September 30 last. In Garo Hills the Congress is perceived to be the party with blood on its hands as far as that sad incident is concerned.

PA Sangma’s triumphant re-entry into national politics has churned up a hornet’s nest in the state executive as well. This always happens after an election. The Congress party should be having sleepless nights after losing so much ground in Garo Hills. Naturally Mr Lapang is flailing and thrashing his arms and mouth in all directions, talking of expanding his cabinet so that more opportunistic trouble makers who might upset his apple cart are safely accommodated. But will that do any good to a party whose popularity is sagging way beyond recognition?

There used to be a time when the Congress party never doubted how the people of Garo Hills would vote. It was always the Garos who voted en-bloc for the Congress and enabled the party to form the government in the State. Khasi-Jaintia Hills with 36 constituencies never voted for any single party. People tended to vote for individuals. Hence votes were horribly fragmented. Without Garo Hills, Meghalaya would have had very fragile coalitions and perhaps headed for President’s Rule more often. This is something that the Congress party would need to consider. But whether the party utilizes its think tank or treats it like a septic tank is the moot point.

To survive politically it is important for every political party to have its strategists. These are people who see ahead and calculate the risks involved while taking any political decision. Unfortunately strategists have such a small role to play in our political system. Decisions are taken only by political players as if they know everything about everything. Party bosses like Mr Nongtdu might even delude themselves to believe the Congress can win people over at the eleventh hour. But that is bad strategy. Money does not always win votes. It might work for Nongpoh and a few rural pockets where people are so deprived they would be enticed by a 500-rupee note. In the urban areas people mindfully calculate who they will vote for because those who do vote do not want their ballots to be wasted.

At this point there are rumours that the game of musical chairs will start in right earnest. Some veterans will supposedly be dropped from the Lapang ministry and other new faces inducted. Mr Danggo’s entry into the charmed circle is of course no longer a rumour. As usual Mr JD Rymbai is the easy target who will plonk into the Speaker’s chair whenever a crisis boils. Mr Rymbai is one of those placid souls who seems to have a pharmaceutically induced serenity to accept the things he cannot change. And certainly he is too gentlemanly to even attempt to stage a coup and grab Mr Lapang’s comfortable and lucrative swivel chair.

On the flip side we have the case of Mr PA Sangma whom we cannot easily forget. Or at least the Garo people who voted him yet again might want to set an agenda for. The MBOSE ordinance is currently under a scanner by a special legislative committee. The idea is to have a fool-proof Bill for a reconstructed Board so that the rites of passage are not obstructed. It would be interesting to watch what wisdom Mr Sangma’s NCP group finally adds to the nuts and bolts of the proposed charter. Will it substantially deviate from the original Ordinance? Or will it be like old wine in a new bottle with a neater packaging to boot. Whichever way the balance tilts there are bound to be voices of dissent on either side of the dividing line. One or the other interest group will be mad as hell. So Mr Lapang’s executive has some tightrope walking this spring.

MBOSE is a classic example of what is not right about democracy. When you have non-elected or self-proclaimed ideologues playing their cards better than legislators then democracy is in its sick bed. Half or more of the folks in the present legislature do not even know what the hell the hue and cry about MBOSE is all about. And mind you we the people have elected them. Basically we voters too are too lazy to do our homework. In a sea of unfamiliar candidates voters must truly sort out which ones are really worthy of their support. These elected ones must understand what the common man is unable to grapple with. Why should we elect half-baked guys cannot shine a light on backroom deals and prevent last minute legislative surprises because they have not done their basic homework. Wasn’t that the reason why the Bill on private universities was passed without discussion?

This brings me to the point of my article which is to try and understand Mr Lapang’s economics of survival. Will the people of Meghalaya continue to support and uphold a government that has become obsolete in its thinking and approach. This government has floundered times out of number. The floundering is not even accidental. Actually Mr Lapang’s Government has been sleepwalking for three years. It gets jolted out of its snooze only when the red flag goes up. Otherwise why should there be a panic about electricity, for instance. Didn’t the Government know that this power crisis was building up? Could it not tap the resources available to other power-starved states? Now that Government has awakened to the crisis it suddenly wants to implement a load-shedding schedule. This makes it look and more like a zombie who suddenly wakes up from its trance and knows it has to do something but isn’t sure what.

I would therefore call upon all those ‘intellectuals’ who are today the primary members of political parties to sit back and reflect. Here I would exclude those who have exploited the system through business deals and profiteering. In his famous book, "Intellectual Morons", Daniel J Flynn says, ‘intellectuals are expected to have some integrity to themselves. But when you allow a system to predetermine your views or become a knee-jerk party-liner you abdicate your responsibility to think. For an intellectual this is the unforgivable sin. Intellectuals think. That is what they do. When intellectuals let ideology do their thinking we can’t with any justification continue to label them intellectuals’.

If the politics of survival has been allowed to proliferate in Meghalaya it is because intellectuals have allowed it to happen by distancing themselves from political discourses that are intended to enlighten those who experience darkness at noon. These are also the most enthusiastic voters we must remember.

It is sad to watch politics in Meghalaya spiking totally out of control because it is completely captured by unthinking characters and those who only know the colour and value of count money. It is time to prepare to dig in our heels for the next election and get tough with those who want to represent our collective need for good governance. Our political system needs physical therapy. Sadly it has only spawned doctorates without credentials. Nevertheless, all is not lost. We must continue to flirt with hope while trying to prove the likes of Loius Brandeis wrong when he said, "You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. You cannot have both". Those are very pessimistic observations. Let us hope Meghalaya does not slide down to this irretrievable nadir.

Hailing from Vrindavan, where we still have our old family haveli, with a beautiful temple dedicated to Radha Nandkishore, it was only natural that Holi was to be the festival of choice for the entire clan. At our grandparents' home, preparations for the great day began weeks in advance. Colossal amounts of tesu flowers would arrive to be boiled in massive brass cauldrons for hours on end. The vermilion-coloured water was used to play Holi.

Of course gulal (dry colour), in myriad hues would also be purchased to smear each other's faces with, but made of wheat flour, it did no harm to the skin unlike the hazardous chemical stuff which is rife today. Armed with massive pichkaris and pails of coloured water, we would patiently wait for an appropriate target. If a gentleman with a starched white kurta and dhoti passed by, our delight at besmirching his pristine attire, with a melange of crimson and orange, knew no bounds. If he fumed and fulminated, brandishing his stick, our joy was multifold. We would scamper away at lightening speed to raucous screams of Holi hai! Complaints to our grand-parents or elders in the family would fall on deaf ears.

Be a sport, the harried complainant would be told. Surely you can't take umbrage at innocent little Bal-gopals, indulging in a bit of frolic and that too during the Holi season?

A few hours and several pails of coloured water later, we would raid the kitchen for various sweets. Golden gunjiyas, stuffed with khoya and an assortment of dried fruit were the perennial favourite. Washed down with fragrant thandai, minus the bhang of course, it was the end of an idyllic afternoon. As for bhang, it was de rigueur for all the men to have their thandai laced with the stuff. It caused disparate reactions on different people. Some became wildly merry, yet others turned philosophical, spouting forth pearls of wisdom. My uncle usually lapsed into a very deep sleep.

Fifty years down the line, Holi's association with lumpen behaviour makes it our most dreaded festival. Refusing to hobnob with the bands of merrymakers, we lock ourselves at home, catch up on the latest blockbuster on the DVD and hope to goodness we are not disturbed. (By arranegement with The Times of India)

Sir,

It is a moment of pride and great honour for the people of Jaintia Hills District to know that the Govt. of Meghalaya has awarded Mr Emborson Shullai, an employee in the office of the Divisional Soil & water Conservation Officer, Jaintia Hills Division (T), Jowai with the Meghalaya Day Excellence Award 2005 on January 21, 2006 at the State Central Library Shillong, at a function to celebrate Meghalaya Day. This award is usually given every year to devoted and deserving Govt. employees in recognition of their outstanding performances and sincerity to their duties. Shullai is the son of (L) Mr Bindo Lato and (L) Mrs. Therinbon Shullai and has been serving in this position for about 23 years now. By getting this award, Shullai not only brought honour to his family, the office where he is working and to the district as a whole, but his exemplary achievement will also serve as a noble example for the other Govt. employees to follow so that by virtue of their performances in the future shall bring laurel to themselves, their families and to the people of the state as a whole. In this regard, we the people of Jaintia Hills District send our heartiest congratulations to Ma Emborson on this important achievement and we wish him the very best in the future also so that he can perform duties to the best of his abilities in the years to come.

Yours etc.
Melangki Lakiang,
Shanbor Nongtdu
Jowai

Sir,

It is to bring to the attention of the concerned authorities the sorry state of Telephone Services in this part of West Khasi Hills. We were provided telephone connections in August 2004. But, from December 2004 to April 2005 the phones went dead. Our complaints went to deaf ears. But we received telephone bills regularly. When we complained that we were being charged for services that did not exist, we were told to pay first and then complain. We did so. But no action was taken to remedy our grievances.

Now for a month the telephones are once again dead. Whenever we complain they assure us that the services will be restored in a day or two. The days have multiplied and become weeks and now it is over a month that the phones are out of order. The bills arrive regularly!

We would be grateful if the concerned authorities could provide reasonable and efficient telephone services to remote areas like ours.

Yours etc.
Fr. Francis
Sonapahar Parish

Over 100 such NBWs are pending against former militants of now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT). Most of the former BLT rebels are now leaders and members of Bodo People’s Progressive Front (BPPF), which is now in power in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Council (BTAC) that was formed after signing of the peace Accord between the BLT, Government of India.

The BPPF has dashed off a petition to the EC praying against execution of NBWs issued against those former cadres of the erstwhile BLT who are now members of this political party for the state government during the signing of the Bodo Accord in 2002, had assured that the cases against BLT cadres would be withdrawn.

The EC directive has posed similar problem to armed militants belonging to two outfits, which are now in ceasefire with Government of India. These two groups are Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), a Dimasa tribal militant and United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), a Karbi tribal militant group. Both the outfits are based in the two hill districts of the state.

"Although cases against some of the prominent former BLT leaders were withdrawn to facilitate their participation in the BTAC elections held early last year, non-bailable warrants against over 100 members of the BPPF are yet to be withdrawn. In fact the process was on to withdraw those NBWs when the election was announced." Mr Bargoyari said.

To prevent illegal connections, a committee was instituted in the remote villages under the instruction of the Assistant Executive engineer MeSEB Phulbari along with the village headman. The Department has to adopt some preventive measures with the help of district administration to bring a permanent solution, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the PHE Department had submitted an estimate to the MeSEB in 2004 demanding one 25 KV transformer to be set up in Phulbari to continue supply water to the need of the people and Rs. 9,94,647.00 has already been given to the MeSEB, however, the transformer is yet to be brought by the MeSEB.