Hawkers file complaints against civic men
SHILLONG: A group of hawkers from Barik has filed four police complaints against municipal authorities for seizing their belongings and not providing a seizure list. The hawkers said last year, municipal authorities, in presence of police, seized goods like food items but the authorities denied them a seizure list and the goods were not returned. The four hawkers, Mumtaz Ali, Nirmala T Sangma, Chamakala Chettri and Birendra Shah, had their stalls near Lady Hydari Park.
National award for living root bridges
SHILLONG: President Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Biennial Award to Khasi and Jaintia community members developing living root bridges in Meghalaya. This is the first time that all communities engaged in developing root bridges in the State have been recognised. The 9th National Biennial Award Function of Grassroots Innovators and Outstanding Traditional Knowledge Holders was organised by the National Innovation Foundation-India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 4. Altogether 62 awards were presented to 73 innovators, traditional knowledge holders and community representatives from 22 States and Union Territories.
MPYC to enroll more women
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) has decided to enroll more women members and work towards strengthening the party at the grassroots level. The Youth Congress, which held its State executive meeting in the city on Monday, discussed several issues, including extension of the state committee and formation of district committees, identification of active youths, enrollment drives and inclusion of more women in the party. Programmes highlighting the achievements of the Congress-led MUA government will soon be organised at various levels and “false promises and anti-people policies of the BJP-led government will also be highlighted”. The meeting was chaired by MPYC president Richard Marak and attended by Indian Youth Congress Secretary in charge of Meghalaya Sarifa Rahman and MPCC working president James Lyngdoh, among others.
ICAR develops new variety of ‘hill pig’
SHILLONG: ICAR Umiam has developed a new variety of pig that it has named Lumsniang. Dr G. Kadirvel, Head of the Livestock Production Division and Principal Investigator of All India Coordinated Research Project on Pig, Meghalaya Unit, on Monday briefed about the new variety that is developed by crossing Khasi local pig (Sniang Megha) with exotic Hampshire pig. Lumsniang is suitable for low input tribal production or backyard pig production system, he said. The new variety of pig has 25 percent genetic inheritance of Khasi local and 75 percent genetic inheritance of Hampshire. ICAR did the research on cross-breeding and regress selection and inter-se mating for more than 25 years. Genetics stability of economic traits, performance and lifetime productivity were studied and then proved in farm as well as on field. Finally, ICAR approved the release of Lumsniang (‘lum’ means ‘hill’ and ‘sniang’ means ‘pig’) that has better adaptability performance in the hill ecosystem of the North East.
Demand for school in West Khasi Hills village
NONGSTOIN: The All Primary School Teachers’ Association in Rambrai has demanded that the Government should build a school at Mawkohiang of West Khasi Hills. Mawkohiang and its adjoining villages do not have a primary or an upper primary school depriving children of their right to education, said locals who are also demanding a school. The children in the area have to walk 4-5km everyday to reach school in a distant village as public transport is almost nil. B.I Nongsiej, president of the teachers’ body, said the children are suffering due to the Government’s negligence. The Rambrai unit of the teachers’ body has asked the president of its central body, F.C Shullai, to put pressure on the Government in this matter. As a few schools in West Khasi Hills have many teachers but low enrolment of students, the teachers’ association asked the Government to set up the school at Mawkohiang and appoint teachers from other schools.
Donation for PIL on ‘uranium’ road irks HYC unit
NONGSTOIN: The Lai Lyngdoh unit of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Monday objected to the Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong’s decision to collect money for the PIL filed by the Joint Action Committee on the two-laning of Nongstoin-Mawthabah-Ranikor Road. HYC president Fulbackstar Shangrit told media persons here that the road was sanctioned under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme and is to facilitate uranium mining at Domiasiat Mawthabah area. Shangrit said the Synjuk sent people to collect money but the public “cannot be brain-washed” as the KHADC has not issued NOC for the road project. “The people of Lai Lyngdoh are fully aware that the road will lead to the uranium mine as it (collecting money) is a way to gain people’s support for uranium mining,” Shangrit said and added that the organisation would take legal course if JAC forces people to donate money.
Jaintia group thanks PWD, Kembhavi for bypass
JOWAI: The central body of Jaintia Youth Federation, a pressure group, has thanked the Public Work Department (Road) for construction of the Jowai bypass from Soomer to Orchid Inn near Ladmukhla. “The Jowai bypass along the NH-6 is really helping the residents of Mihmyntdu village and Ladthadlaboh,” the JYF president Poipynhun Majaw said. “Earlier, parents were in fear while sending their children to school due to heavy traffic on NH-6. But now they are breathing easy,” JYF general secretary Firmly Suchiang said. The group has also thanked former West Jaintia Hills DC Arunkumar Kembhavi initiating the bypass project.
Pressure group gen secy expelled for extortion
JOWAI: The Khasi Jaintia National Union (KJNU) has terminated its general secretary Bishar Samayang for his alleged involvement in extortion in Jaintia Hills using the name of the group. KJNU public secretary Eibhami Suchiang women’s wing president said the decision to terminate his membership from the union was taken in a meeting held on March 5.
Office attacked
The house at Ladthadlaboh Jowai from where the pressure group functions was forcibly taken over by the house owner due to non-payment of rent. The owner, I. Shullai, broke the lock of the KJNU office in the presence of a police officer, the headman and media persons. Shullai said KJNU had agreed to pay Rs 4,000 per month. But it did not pay the rent from July 2016. “I have made several calls to the KJNU President but he never responded. Later, I requested through a local newspaper but with no result,” Shullai said.
JSU election in March
JOWAI: The general election of the Jaintia Students’ Union will be held in March. The union in a press release said it would announce the date shortly. It also said the general meeting of the Shillong Circle, which was fixed on March 7, has been postponed due to the election and the new date for the meeting will be announced later.