HEADLINES

SHILLONG: The Steering Committee Against Murder of Democracy (SCAMOD) has filed a PIL in the Gauhati High Court seeking CBI inquiry into the fake TA bill controversy involving several MLAs of the erstwhile MPA Government.SCAMOD convener Agnes Kharshiing submitted the PIL in the principal bench of the court in Guwahati on Thursday.In the PIL, Kharshiing pointed out to "serious inconsistencies" in the claims of the TA bills for foreign trips undertaken by the legislators as revealed in the CAG report last year.The Speaker has already asked the Public Accounts Committee of the Assembly to investigate the matter of alleged excess expenditure for the foreign trip of a 17-member delegation in 2006.The delegation including the then Speaker Martin Danggo had received invitation for one-day visit to the British Parliament on October 9, 2006, but they visited Paris (France), [Detail]

Govt to discuss GHADC affairs next week

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG: The State Government is likely to hold a Cabinet meeting next Tuesday to discuss the fate of the GHADC in the wake of NCP's claim to form the Executive Committee with the support of 18 MDCs in the House of 30.The NCP had paraded the 18 MDCs before the Governor RS Mooshahary and also met the District Council Affairs (DCA) Minister HDR Lyngdoh to register its claim in the Council, which is under suspended animation for the past five months. Amid the alleged delay by the DCA minister to advance the process of formation of the new EC, a NCP delegation on Thursday met the minister reiterating its plea for early installation of an NCP-led EC. Earlier, the minister reportedly asked for internal audit of alleged financial irregularities in the House before formation of the new EC, leading to resentment in the NCP. [Detail]

KHADC allocates portfolios

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG: KHADC CEM Pynshngaiñlang Syiem has completed the process of portfolio allocations to the executive members (EMs) of the newly-constituted Executive Committee (EC) in the Council. Syiem allocated the portfolio hours after the District Council Affairs (DCA) department approved the list of EMs on Thursday.The fresh face in the new EC is UDP Dienglieng constituency MLA and MDC Remington Pyngrope who is given the post of Deputy CEM.Pyngrope's appointment as Deputy CEM came as a surprise since there were speculations that the post would go to Shella UDP MDC, Teinwell Dkhar as he was not only the former Opposition Leader in the Council but also the Parliamentary Party (PP) leader of the UDP. Pyngrope's appointment is seen as a political strategy of the Congress to strengthen relations with the UDP in the State. [Detail]