2014: Rewind
SHILLONG: The Garo Hills region witnessed the worst ever flood this year claiming over 60 lives due to flash flood and landslides beside causing destruction to hundreds of houses and agriculture fields.
This was the worst natural calamity that struck the state.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had assured Central assistance to flood-devastated Meghalaya even as the state government has sought Rs 2000 crore from the Centre to tide over the situation.
The Central team made an assessment to the flood-affected areas in Garo Hills and even met Chief Minister Mukul Sangma to apprise him of their findings.
Terming the recent floods in Garo Hills as unprecedented and unexpected, the Chief Minister had told the Central team that the extent of the damage was so alarming that it has not been possible for the State Government to submit reports from ‘ground zero’.
The Centre is yet to provide the financial assistance to help the State Government to rebuild the flood affected areas.
Besides Garo Hills, many people lost their on account of natural calamity which had hit other parts of the State.
In a massive landslide, eight persons including a pregnant woman and her mother-in law were killed and many others injured at Barapathar in September 23.
In another incident, two sisters of a family were killed Sarana Thabah (13) and Sathi Thabah (6) were buried alive at Madnung village near Sohiong following a heavy landslide.
Moreover, a woman in the late forties, Anasuk Shadap (48) of Umiam village lost her life while there was severe damage to property in the cyclone that hit Ri-Bhoi. The deceased was inside her hut when a tree fell upon it killing her on the spot.
In an unfortunate incident, four minors were burnt alive while one sustained grievous injuries in an accidental fire at Umkaduh village, around five kilometers from Nongpoh in Ri-Bhoi District on April.
The victims were identified as Wanbha Jynthem (8), Herbert Jynthem (7), Saphika Jynthem (7) and Gulabsha Jynthem (5).
Meanwhile, pressure groups demanding implementation of the 140- year- old Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation Act which restricts entry of outsiders in the state, suspended their four- month- long agitation after the state government promised to “ look at the existing laws, integrate them and also supplement them to arrive at an institutionalise mechanism to tackle the issue of influx and illegal immigration”.
In June, the state government approved dissolution of the CMJ University following a Supreme Court directive after the self- financed university was allegedly found selling fake PhD degrees to students in violation of UGC norms.
CMJ Univeristy Jha was arrested on April 22 the Madhubani district of Bihar by Meghalaya police with assistance from Bihar police while he was on his way to attend an election rally.
Jha was wanted by Meghalaya police for his much controversial CM Jha University which was accused of awarding fake PhD degrees to 434 candidates in the 2012-13 academic year, and enrolling 490 students for the PhD programme for 2012-2013, even as only 10 of its faculty members in the university had doctorates.
The Supreme Court in March this year had cancelled its earlier interim order on anticipatory bail granted to Jha who was under the scanner of the State CID.
The state’s oldest voter and first Padma Shree winner Silverine Swer passed away on February 1 at the age of 103 after a brief illness.
Retired IAS officer Lutherine R Sangma was appointed as chairperson of Meghalaya Police Service Commission (MPSC) with effect from January 14.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama attended Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) convocation on February 3.
Meanwhile, the Directorate of School Education and Literacy on Friday issued termination letters to as many as 246 teachers who were appointed ‘illegally’ in the infamous education scam in March.
For the first time ever, a Khasi film titled Ri – Homeland Of Uncertainty directed by Pradip Kurbah has bagged the National Award for ‘Best Feature Film’ in the language specified other than those in listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution on April 17.
Senior IAS officer P Barkos Oflyn Warjri has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Meghalaya. Warjri will take over from incumbent Chief Secretary W.M.S. Pariat who retired on June 30.
Almost synonymous with the city, the decades old Motphran bridge will cease to exist soon. The District Administration has informed that the demolition of the bridge will begin from 9 pm onwards on September 20. The Motphran bridge is being dismantled for it was declared unsafe for further use by technical experts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train from Mendipathar in Garo Hills to Guwahati along the newly-laid 19.75 Km Mendipathar (Meghalaya) -Dudhnoi (Assam) on November 29.
a halt since August last, Goyal said.
At present, the company is compelled to procure coal from alternative sources outside the state, either coal from adjacent states, imported or coal from North Eastern Coalfields, he said.
In the past decade, the company has been able to make profit till 2006- 2007 with production of about one lakh MT annually.
From then, the production has gone down to barely 70,000 MT accumulating a loss of Rs over one crore annually.
Expressing happiness at the release of the government of the two months salary, the Mawmluh Cherra Cements Employees’ Union has expressed its gratefulness to chief minister Mukul Sangma and all officials involved in solving the problem.
“ The release of the salary meant so much for the employees and we are thankful to the chief minister, deputy commissioner and managing director and other leaders involved in pursuing our cause,” Lumlang Nongbri said in a statement.
On December 15, two Garo militant outfits, ANVC and ANVC-B officially disbanded at Tura before the Meghalaya government in the presence of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and a host of dignitaries including church leaders and NGOs at the Dikki Bandi stadium. It was on September 24, 2014 that a formal text was signed by the union home minister Rajnath Singh, chief minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma and the leaders of ANVC and ANVC-B at New Delhi to pave the way for the disbanding ceremony of the two armed organizations.
