SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has issued notices to the Deputy Commissioner, and the Superintendent of Police, East Khasi Hills, to prepare the detailed report about the present status of the hawkers using footpaths and roads for selling their goods. The order was following the hearing on a related case on Friday.The Court also asked them to be present on November 8 which was fixed for hearing.

SHILLONG: The election petition filed by Congress legislator Dikkanchi Shira against Tura MP Conrad Sangma was partly heard on Friday. The matter was re-fixed for hearing on October 27 and 28.
Dikkanchi, who unsuccessfully contested the Tura Lok Sabha seat during the by-poll, filed the petition challenging the win of NPP candidate Sangma stating that he had used unfair means to confuse voters about distribution of money under MGNREGS.

JOWAI: The JHADC has decided to suspend seven dollois of Jaintia Hills and to remove 3 acting dollois.

SHILLONG: As Meghalaya faces acute shortage of hydro power leading to load shedding, the State government is now focusing on renewable energy to tide over the crisis.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the rainfall this year was less than average that has affected the existing generation centres in the State. The peak load factor has gone down drastically as a result of which the generation centres now have limited available power, he added.
Stressing on the need to go for capacity additions in respect of power generation, Sangma stated that the government     has started a few programmes to save energy from conventional sources, besides ensuring that some villages located far away from generation centres are supported by renewable energy leading to the withdrawal of conventional resources.
The government is also coming up with a programme under which solar lamps will be distributed among students to encourage them to take advantage of renewable sources of energy. The chief minister said these students in turn will convince the community to opt for renewable energy.
The State will also approach the Centre in this regard. “Initially, we will distribute 15,000-20,000 lamps to classes X and XI students,” Sangma said and added that renewable energy would also reduce the pressure on Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited and even the environment.
Reacting to a query, Sangma said the government is also encouraging use of pellets or waste biomass as an alternative to fuel to generate renewable energy.

TURA: Dalu police in West Garo Hills have arrested a man who stands accused of raping his 13-year-old daughter on several occasions, according to a delayed report.
The arrest was made possible after a team from the district child protection office visited the village of the accused, Thibapara, this week and  met the victim. The teenage victim reportedly narrated her ordeal wherein the accused father had forced himself on her several times in the past.
The victim is said to have become pregnant from the sexual assault and the clan (Mahari) allegedly tried to contain the incident from going public by attempting a compromise before the administration moved in and arrested the accused father.
Police was called in and on October 19, the accused father, identified as Rasti A Sangma, was placed under arrest while the girl was taken for medical examination and counselling under the care of the district child protection officer. She has since been moved out of the village to a home on the directions of the child welfare committee.
Though reports of sexual assaults are being brought to the fore in recent times from many places in both Khasi and Garo Hills, cases of incest are only now beginning to surface. Just recently, another parent was arrested in North Garo Hills for forcing himself on his minor daughter and his step-daughter as well.

SHILLONG: Meghalaya has finally caught the attention of Bollywood that can help boost the State’s tourism sector.
The upcoming Bollywood venture Rock On 2, which was partly shot in Shillong, will help in promoting tourism here, said actor Farhan Akhtar who was in the city on Friday.
Akhtar, who is in the lead role, said the sequel depicts the culture and natural beauty of the State and this will give an impetus to the tourism sector in the same way as movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Don did for the cities where they were shot.
The actor and singer further said that instead of travelling halfway across the world, Bollywood can now come to Meghalaya for shooting.
When asked about the song Hoi Kiw sung by local band Summersalt, Akhtar said the Rock On crew was desperate to get a band from Shillong and after deliberations they decided on Summersalt.
“It would have been incomplete if there was no band from Shillong in our movie,” he said.
Meanwhile, lead actress Shraddha Kapoor, who was fascinated by the beauty of the State, said it was difficult to leave Shillong. “Shillong is becoming my favourite place and everything is amazing here,” she said and added that she would not mind living in Shillong.
Rock On 2 will release on November 11.

JOWAI: The Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) suspended seven dollois and removed three acting dollois for violating Council rules and instructions.
“The decision was taken in the Executive Committee meeting held on Thursday,” reliable sources informed on Friday.
The dollois had claimed that the JHADC was violating an apex court order by not allowing the chieftains to collect toll taxes at exit points. The Council alleged that the Dollois misused their power in the name of the Supreme Court order.
The ‘Dorbar Ki Daloi Ka Ri Jaintia’ has installed customary tax collection centres at every exit points — Dein Thare, Rattacherra and Nartiang-Khanduli, from where vehicles move to Assam, Dawki for vehicles going towards Bangladesh and Saphai for vehicles travelling to Assam via Karampani.
According to sources, the JHADC Executive Committee led by CEM Thombor Shiwat decided to terminate acting dollois of Jowai, Puramon Kynjing, of Shangpung Elaka, Mandame Dhar and the acting dolloi of Muskut elaka.
The seven suspended dollois included the Dolloi of Raliang, Chawas Lyngdoh- the Chairman of the Dorbar Ki Dolloi Ri Lum Jaintia, and its Secretary, the Dolloi Narpuh, Manbha Kyndoh.
Beside the two leaders of the Dollois, the JHADC also suspended Dolloi of Sutnga Erodit Sutnga, Dolloi of Nongjngi Corpius Daw, Dolloi of Shangpung Wandame Dhar, Dolloi of Nongbah Moon Garod, Dolloi of Nongtalang and Dolloi of Bataw Lakadong.
The bickering over toll tax reached to such an extent that the JHADC  received a legal notice from the advocate of the Dorbar Ki Daloi Ka Ri Jaintia, Amit Kumar. The autonomous body had replied that it was the Dorbar Ki Daloi that was violating the court order.
The Supreme Court Order says, “Until further order, the person(s) occupying the post of Dolois of the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council who are traditional chieftains may continue to function subject to various instructions framed by the Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Scheduled to the Constitution.”
The JHADC Establishment of Elaka and Village and Election, Appointment, Powers, Function and Jurisdiction of Dolois/Sirdar and Waheh Chnong Act, 2015, states in the Sanad Section 5 ‘you shall collect the tolls/tax of the elaka according to the custom, practice and usage approved and empowered by the district council.
Also, the JHADC has recently been equipped with the administration act and has to frame rules and regulations. But the council has not formulated any rule yet as the Village Administration Act was recently passed and has not approved or empowered any Doloi to collect tax or set up toll gates or tax collection centres.
“The Supreme Court in its order has clearly stated that the Doloi should continue to function as per Instructions framed by JHADC. However, it has not yet framed any instructions. Thereby, the Dolois have clearly violated the Supreme Court Order,” said a letter from the EC, JHADC, addressed to the West Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner.
The JHADC has also informed that if no proper action is taken by the district administration and the State, it will move the matter to the apex court.
Meanwhile, the JHADC summoned all the dollois and their statements were duly recorded where some of the dollois have stated that they have been misled.
“The Executive Committee will suspend more Dollois who are involved in the illegal activities in the next few days”, sources informed.

SHILLONG: The KHADC CEM  P. N Syiem has preferred the inquiry into the fund scam in the council to be completed by one month.
“Though we had set two month deadline for the two- member magisterial team to complete the probe, we want to speed up the probe so that the truth will satisfy all”, he said.
The terms of reference include the need to probe the allegation of misusing council funds, and advise the legal proceedings.
Referring to Khasi Heritage Conservation Forum, Syiem clarified that the transfer of funds to the private bank accounts of six individuals does not mean that they are from the Forum as it can be other members too.
“The inquiry will bring to light the whole gamut of the case”, he added.
According to sources, there were some procedural lapses on the part of secretary of the Council which led to the irregularities.

SHILLONG: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Friday called for border trade regulation to check illegal trading that would adversely affect the country’s economy.
Speaking at the two-day international seminar on ‘Border Trade in North East India: A Politico-Economic Perspective’ organised by Women’s College in the city, Sangma referred to pre-Independence days when trade flourished in the remotest and most difficult border areas of the country.
He regretted that post-Independence border trade was not taken advantage of and the borders have become areas of conflict and poverty.
“However, with the long-drawn engagements by successive governments of northeastern states with the Centre and the governments of neighbouring countries to make the international borders the borders of friendship and prosperity, things have started happening,” he said adding, “but we need to move faster and that is why such seminars are important to look at the opportunities and challenges of border trade from politico-economic perspective.”
He said that the opening of two border haats in 2012 — one at Kalaichar in South West Garo Hills and the other at Balat in East Khasi Hills — was a “humble step” of the government to promote the age-old trade relations with Bangladesh. After seeing the success of these border markets, he informed that the State has proposed 22 more border haats, of which four have already been sanctioned.
Highlighting the bottlenecks and challenges that come in the way of promoting border trade, the Chief Minister said convergence of all stakeholders was crucial and expressed hope that the discussions and deliberations in the seminar would culminate into suggestions for policy makers.
Sangma also suggested that such seminars be held on a larger scale “so as to reach out to the youth and motivate them towards entrepreneurship”, adding that there cannot be sustainability of trade and commerce without entrepreneurs.
Earlier, Falguni Rajkumar, Chairman of the Board of Governors, RGIIM-Shillong, said South East Asia “is a divided family broken down by politics of states” and stressed on the need to restore the dynamics of exchange across the borders.
President of Education India Trust, J.B Bhattacharya and former Rajya Sabha MP and President of the Governing Body of Women’s College B.B Dutta also addressed the inaugural session.
The seminar is being attended by delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, besides hosts of academicians and students from various institutions, including those from beyond the borders.

JOWAI: A man identified as Wailad Papang of Umbuit Village near Myntkung allegedly murdered his ex-wife with whom he had separated two years ago.
The woman identified as Mumlang Langstang of Khlieh Umbuit village was on her way home from the paddy field when the accused caught hold of her and killed her, sources informed.
After killing her, he dumped the body in a stream at Khloo (Forest) Umbuit and later, the body was discovered by farmers who informed Raliang Police.
The accused is still absconding, according to police.