The Shillong Times - Established 1945

SHILLONG, Oct 1: Unbridled by the vexatious pandemic which had taken its toll on merry-making and celebrations for the past two years, Durga Puja festivities this year is all set to kick off with vigour from Sunday. After two years of restricted celebration due to COVID-19, the mood in the city is now festive and buoyant. Although celebrations will begin from Sunday, all puja pandals donned eccentric decorations and were well illuminated on Saturday too. Even devotees were seen flocking pandals as different Durga Puja…

SHILLONG, Oct 1: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has claimed that Bangladeshi nationals are illegally entering Meghalaya through the damaged portions of barbed wires on the international border at Ichamati and Majai in East Khasi Hills district. The union said it had apprehended several immigrants in the past. It expressed concern that the authorities have not yet got the damaged barbed wires repaired although the damages occurred in 2018-19 due to heavy rains. KSU president Lambokstar Marngar said many illegal immigrants…

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: Satya Pal Malik’s tenure as the Governor of Meghalaya will end on Monday, the first working day of the month. As such, Arunachal Pradesh Governor BD Mishra has been given additional charge of Meghalaya in addition to his own duties from the date he assumes charge of the office until regular arrangements are made. This was announced by a communique issued by the office of the President of India. Malik, 76, has served as Governor of Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Goa before being moved to Meghalaya in August…

TURA, Oct 1: In a major development, the High Court of Meghalaya has granted Bernard Marak (alias Rimpu) conditional bail in two cases that came up for hearing in Shillong on Friday. The two cases in which bail was granted related to Arms Act as well as that of immoral trafficking. Bernard had earlier secured bail in the case filed against him on extortion that led to price rise through his alleged control of the Meghalaya Chamber of Commerce, a trader’s body from the town of Tura. The application for bail was filed by…

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: In yet another moment of pride for Meghalaya, Krem Mawmluh or the Mawmluh cave in the state has been selected as one of the ‘First 100 IUGS Geological Sites’ in the world by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) of UNESCO, the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma today revealed. The IUGS Global Geosites project opens a new opportunity to accomplish a worldwide inventory of geological heritage of international relevance in a new context where UNESCO Global Geoparks can play an important role.…

SHILLONG, Oct 1: National People’s Party (NPP) Meghalaya president WR Kharlukhi called the state BJP a “toothless tiger”. “The state BJP is a toothless tiger which knows how to growl, not bite,” Kharlukhi, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, told reporters on Saturday, referring to the threat issued by the party to pull out of the NPP-led coalition government within a month. The BJP state unit has gone quiet since issuing the threat. There is no word from its central leadership either on the issue. Asked about the…

SHILLONG, Oct 1: Air Marshal SP Dharkar on Saturday took over as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force’s Eastern Air Command (EAC) in Shillong on Saturday. An experienced fighter pilot with over 3600 hours of flying, Air Marshal Dharkar succeeds Air Marshal DK Patnaik who superannuated on Friday after more than 38 years of service in the IAF. According to a statement, Air Marshal Dharkar is an alumnus of the Rashtriya Indian Military College Dehradun, National Defence Academy Pune, Defence Services Staff…