Power snapped in city
SHILLONG: Power supply in almost the entire Shillong town was affected for more than a hour after conductors snapped in Sonapani. MeECl official informed that the fault was repaired in a quick manner.
Farewell for Justice VP Vaish held
SHILLONG: A full court reference was held in the High Court of Meghalaya on Wednesday in honour of Justice VP Vaish, Judge, High Court of Meghalaya on being transferred to Allahabad High Court. He will assume charge as the judge of Allahabad High Court on November 27. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice of High Court of Meghalaya, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari recounted the qualities of Justice VP Vaish and acknowledged his contributions in the state. Vaish shared his experience in Meghalaya and thanked the judicial fraternity and staff for their cooperation.
Water scarcity creates panic
SHILLONG: The residents of Harisabha, Lumkartick Lane and few other suburbs of Laban experienced an unwarranted situation on Wednesday morning when they did not receive any supply of water from the community water tank located near the Sanatan Dharmasabha Harisabha Temple. Householders were seen crosschecking from each other whether they received any water. Residents of these areas observed that water supply was more or less regular but the sudden void on Wednesday created panic among the residents. There were observations from the public that water supply needs to be regular and even a day’s drop is having its effect on householders because water flow tends to get thinner with the advent of winter. People were surprised by the sudden void in their taps on Tuesday morning since they know very well how these localities have suffered in the past due to water scarcity. The public said that the local MLA should look into this civic issue in these localities beyond his distribution of chairs, tables, sewing machines, dinner sets as these goods will be of no use sans water.
Headman beaten up
NONGSTOIN: On Wednesday, a newly appointed Headman of Langpih was beaten up and he suffered injuries. The headman was identified as Dominic Wahlang. The cause of the incident was not yet ascertain but it was suspected that it was due to the appointment of teachers in Langpih village. After the incident the victim’s family filed an FIR at Nongstoin PS to nabbed those who were involved in the incident.
Protest against decision to close two HIV centres
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Drug Users’ Network (MDUN) took out a rally at Polo Bazaar on Friday in protest against the decision to shut down the HIV treatment centres in Jowai and Ladrymbai. In a statement issued on Wednesday, MDUN said the protest was to save the right to treatment. The rally later moved towards the office of Meghalaya AIDS Control Society, Pasteur Hills.
Seminar on gender, sexuality and society held
Shillong: Martin Luther Christian University organised a two- day seminar on, “Gender, Sexuality and Society in Tribal Northeast India and Their Implications for Tribal Youth”, on November 21-22. Speaking at the plenary session, the co-convener of the seminar, Patricia Mukhim said, “Gender is society’s way of listing out the role of male and female based on their sex, and we also know that patriarchy has defined that role since women’s voices are hardly captured in literature of any kind except after the rise of feminism in western countries in the 1960s.” She went on to add, “This seminar provides a comfortable platform to voice our opinions and maybe resolve conflicts concerning gender issues, but the moment the seminar is over there will be resistance to those ideas, there will be contestations and challenges and we should all be strong enough to withstand those if we want permanent change.”Dr RL Hnuni, the first ordained woman pastor of the Baptist Church of Mizoram spoke about the importance of women in the family, society and church. Dr Andrew J May, professor of history at the University of Melbourne spoke on gender and colonialism in the Khasi Hills in which he described the strong patriarchal views of the Welsh missionaries, and how they were able to exercise a strong influence on indigenous culture and its gender relations. Dr. Melvil Pereira, Director of the North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati spoke about the existing tension between tribal customary laws and women’s rights in NE India, and that codification of the customary laws must include more equal roles for women.
Run for Unity and Integrity in Tura on Nov 25
TURA: The District Administration in collaboration with the District Sports Office, Tura is organising a ‘Run for Unity and Integrity’ in Tura on November 25 as part of the week-long celebration of National Integration Week. District Sports Officer (DSO), Jasper P Marak has informed that the run which is open to all age groups will start from Chandmary Playground at 6:30 am and finish at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Tura. Registration of participants will take place at the starting point on the same day and all citizens have been requested to participate to make the run a success.