Chaudhuri Higher Secondary School.
PET for Civil Defence & Home Guards recruitment deferred
SHILLONG, Oct 4: The ongoing Physical Efficiency Test (PET) for recruitment in the Civil Defence & Home Guards Department in Shillong has been postponed due to inclement weather, following directions from the government. The decision was made after Civil Defence & Home Guards Minister Comingone Ymbon inspected the test venue at the Civil Defence & Home Guards Complex in Mawdiangdiang, Shillong. After assessing the conditions with officials and meeting candidates scheduled to participate in the Physical Measurement Test (PMT) and PET, the minister convened an urgent meeting with the Central Recruitment Board. The PET—part of a recruitment drive for 445 vacant posts, including 4 Sub-Inspector positions, 284 Guardsman posts, 17 Driver posts, and 140 Non-Combatant Employees (NCE) posts—was being conducted at two centres, Tura and Shillong. A total of 22,474 candidates had been provisionally accepted for the recruitment tests. While the PET in Tura concluded on September 26, the tests in Shillong began on September 30 and were set to end on October 8. However, due to severe weather, the tests scheduled for October 4, 5, 7, and 8 have been postponed until further notice. Candidates who had qualified for the PMT and participated in the PET on October 2 and 3 will be given an opportunity to retake the PET due to weather conditions during those days. Marks from the initial test for these candidates will be nullified, with only the scores from the rescheduled test considered for selection. So far, a total of 12,197 candidates have appeared for the PET in both Tura and Shillong, with 6,547 passing and 5,650 failing.
Groups oppose proposal for new cement factory in EJH
JOWAI, Oct 4: Four organisations, viz. Hynñiewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), Hynñiewtrep Achick National Movement (HANM), Ri Jaiñtia Youth Federation (RJYF), and Hynñiewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) have strongly opposed the proposal to establish a new cement factory, Meghatop Cement Pvt. Ltd., in Wahiajer village, East Jaintia Hills. In a letter submitted to the Member Secretary of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) through the Deputy Commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, the organisations made a clarion call for the cancellation of the scheduled public hearing on October 18 to consider the factory’s establishment. Expressing environmental concerns while citing the detrimental impact of the ten existing cement factories in the Narpuh Elaka area, the groups pointed out the harm caused to the Lunar and Lukha rivers and the degradation of the Narpuh Reserve Forest and Wildlife Sanctuary. In addition to environmental damage, the organisations also criticised the cement factories for their failure to bring meaningful social change, provide adequate employment opportunities for local youths and meet the community’s needs. They also highlighted the rising price of cement, which has reached an unsustainable Rs. 450 per bag, despite local production. The groups then urged the government to hold these factories accountable for not ensuring 100 per cent employment for local youths and to address the unjust cement pricing in the district.