2015: An eventful year for Meghalaya

SHILLONG: From all the excitement and controversy revolving around the Village Administration Bill to the sudden demise of former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam while delivering a lecture in IIM Shillong, the year 2015 witnessed it all and much more as far as the State is concerned.
It was on July 27 that Dr Kalam suffered a massive cardiac arrest and collapsed while delivering a lecture at IIM Shillong. He was rushed to Bethany Hospital where he passed away. The next day his body was flown to New Delhi from where it was taken to his home town Rameswaram where he was laid to rest.
Dual post row
The year also witnessed some disagreements in the Congress party with Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and KHADC CEM PN Syiem heading for a confrontation over the dual post issue.
Sangma and Syiem took on each other when the State Assembly passed the Dual Post Bill which prohibited any MLA from holding the additional post of an MDC. While most of the politicians who were holding dual posts resigned from their position as an MDC, KHADC CEM PN Syiem decided against it and the matter even reached the doors of AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and is still hanging fire.
HC decision to restrict headmen’s powers
The year will also be remembered for the sequence of events that transpired following the decision of the Meghalaya High Court to restrict the powers of the traditional heads.
The High Court also registered a case against KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Adelbert Nongrum for allegedly making derogatory and defamatory statement against a judge of the court.
Justice SR Sen directed the Registrar General of the Court to register a complaint against Nongrum for allegedly trying to lower the image of the Judiciary and throwing an open challenge to it.
The High Court decided to register the case on the basis of reports which appeared in a section of the local English dailies.
Later, taking a step forward to end the stalemate over Meghalaya High Court ruling derecognizing the powers of headmen, the Cabinet approved the Meghalaya Local Administration (Empowerment of Traditional Institutions, Traditional Bodies, Headmen in Governance Delivery System) Ordinance, 2015 which was proposed by the Law department.
HC ban on bandhs
The High Court of Meghalaya also passed a historic judgement when it called for a complete ban on bandhs and agitations called by militant outfits and NGOs in Meghalaya and even restrained media from publishing any news about announcement of any agitational programme.
Roshan resurfaces
Coming to the political scenario, Home Minister Roshan Warjri who had decided to quit the Cabinet in 2014, decided to return to her post as Home Minister in 2015. Warjri, the first woman Home Minister in Meghalaya, had resigned on November 20, 2014, owning moral responsibility for the deteriorating law and order situation in the Garo Hills.
NGT’s demolition order
This year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Special Circuit Bench of the Eastern Zone also directed the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to demolish all unauthorized constructions along the banks of the Wahumkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers in accordance with the provisions of the law within three months.
NGT’s judicial member Justice U D Salvi and expert member Ranjan Chatterjee passed the order after hearing a petition filed by environmentalist Naba Bhattacharjee. However, the demolition has not taken place till date since some of the affected parties approached Supreme Court on the matter for a stay.
Sealing of buildings
The year was not the best for a group of high rise building owners as the High Court sealed 24 buildings in the city for violation of the Meghalaya Building Bye laws. Later some of the building owners got relief and some were directed to demolish their illegal floors but the affected owners moved to the Supreme Court and judgement is still awaited.
ARPA loses majority
Again in politics, the year was not a happy one for the All Regional Party Alliance (ARPA) as the alliance lost its majority in the KHADC when nominated MDC Gabriel Wahlang of the Congress took oath as MDC and later Congress-led People’s Democratic Forum formed the new Executive Committee with PN Syiem as the CEM.
Clifford Marak dead
Meghalaya also lost a veteran politician this year when Chokpot sitting MLA and founder of Garo National Congress (GNC), Clifford R Marak passed away at a hospital in Guwahati.  The 68-year-old legislator was battling liver and kidney ailments for several months and following his death, by-election was held paving way for Congress candidate Bluebell Sangma to claim the vacant seat.
Press boycotts Mukul
Earlier this year, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was also boycotted by the press fraternity in Shillong after he made a statement on the floor of the House that media gave prominence to militant outfits. With the statement, media in Shillong boycotted the Chief Minister only to lift the ban after a few months when Sangma came to an understanding with the press.
In the Assembly this year, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented a deficit budget of Rs 819 crore for 2015-16 with fresh tax proposals leading to increase in prices of petrol, diesel, clinkers, limestone, and cigarette among others to tide over the financial crunch due to the NGT ban on coal mining.
ADCs left high and dry
The Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Meghalaya were also disappointed this year after they failed to obtain any sanction from the 14th Finance Commission as the ADCs had not been included in the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Finance Commission by the Union Government.
ADCs in the State had received grants from the 11th, 12th and 13th Finance Commissions for strengthening the district council to improve its administration and also to facilitate improvement in the socio-economic life of the people at the grassroots level.
Unfortunately, the 14th Finance Commission did not make any recommendation for devolution of financial assistance to the ADCs for the period 2015-20 for the lone reason that the district councils had been excluded from the ToR of the Commission.
Sanbor Shullai quits post
State politics also witnessed an unexpected development when Deputy Speaker Sanbor Shullai resigned from the post, two days ahead of the no-confidence motion against Assembly Speaker AT Mondal  and  later the no-confidence motion against the Speaker tabled by the Opposition was defeated by voice vote, but not before the House witnessed a noisy scene with Opposition members terming as ‘fishy’ the appointment of a panel of Chairmen by the Assembly Speaker, a day before the motion was taken up. The Opposition alleged that it was a ploy to defeat the motion brought by it.
PR Kyndiah no more
The year 2015 also saw the demise of veteran Politian and former Union Minister Paty Ripple Kyndiah (87) who passed away following a cardiac arrest in a city hospital. He was admitted at Bethany Hospital after he complained of uneasiness.
State gets full-fledged Governor
Meghalaya this year also got its new full-fledged Governor when senior BJP leader V Shanmuganthan was sworn-in as the Governor of Meghalaya. The state police also got its new DGP when Rajiv Mehta was appointed the Director General of Police (DGP), Meghalaya. Mehta, an IPS officer from the 1981 batch of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was serving as the Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Shillong also witnessed some tensed moments this year when police arrested KSU president Daniel Khyriem after he refused to accept the bailable warrant served by the special court constituted by the state government to conduct the judicial process for damage suit filed against the leaders of pro-ILP pressure groups.
The warrant was issued against the KSU president for over Rs 31 crore damage suit following a complaint filed by the district administration for being the leader of one of the organisations which was part of an agitation demanding implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in 2013.
A bit of Shillong in Bangladesh
Shillong also featured in Bangladeshi newspapers and news channels when a top opposition politician from Bangladesh, who was reported missing since March 10 last, surfaced in Meghalaya. Salahuddin Ahmed, former Minister and a close associate of former Bangla PM Khaleda Zia was found wandering at Pynthorumkhrah. Meghalaya police arrested him for entering India without valid documents.
Hoping, Friday no more
The year also saw Meghalaya lose its oldest legislator, Nongstoin MLA and HSPDP supremo, HS Lyngdoh who passed away in Shillong. As a result the Nongstoin by-election was held in which the HSPDP retained its seat with Diostar Jyndiang winning the poll by a margin of 2,763 votes over rival Congress candidate Gabriel Wahlang.
A pall of gloom descended the city on the eve of Christmas as veteran political leader of the state Friday Lyngdoh passed away. Many leaders including the Chief Minister paid tribute to the departed soul. People will pay their last respects to him on December 28 when his mortal remains will be laid to rest.