By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma has not made any claim for seven foreign trips he undertook after assuming office on April 21, 2010.

This has raised a serious question: who forked out a whopping amount spent on these foreign trips on behalf Dr Sangma?

However, the Chief Minister has officially spent Rs 4,99,714 for the trips he undertook within India.

In reply to a RTI query posed by The Shillong Times on the tours (both foreign and domestic) by the Chief Minister since he assumed office, the Public Information Officer and the under secretary to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said, “so far as the financial implication for the trips within India as per claims is Rs 4,99,714 only, whereas no claim has been made by the Chief Minister in connection with the foreign trips”.

The Chief Minister carried out as many as 57 domestic trips after he assumed office.

The question now is while the Chief Minister can claim reimbursement for the domestic trips, why de did not claim for the foreign trips which are more costly.

A source familiar with the matter said that either the Chief Minister spent from his pocket for the seven foreign trips or someone else has paid on his behalf since the Chief Minister’s secretariat said that no claim was made by the Chief Minister.

As per the reply of the public information officer, Dr Sangma’s seven foreign trips include visit to Manila, Bangladesh, Belgium, London, Slovak Republic , Canada and Japan.

The places visited by him within India include Delhi ( 45 trips), Kolkata (7), Mumbai (2 ) Goa (1), Kokrajhar (1), and Itanagar (1).

As per news reports, Dr Sangma visited International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Manila (Philippines) along with Chief Secretary WMS Pariat in December,2011 to have firsthand experience on organic rice cultivation.

The result of the Manila visit of the official team is yet to be known on the ground level.

A 10-day London trip was undertaken by the Chief Minister leading a delegation including Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Health and Family Welfare Rowell Lyngdoh, a few legislators and the then officer on special duty to the chief minister, H.M. Shangpliang on June 22, 2010.

After his trip, the Chief Minister had told a news conference in Shillong that during his stay in London he had an interaction with the Bradford city football Club in London and they offered the Club’s expertise to train upcoming footballers of Meghalaya. Tourism promotion and investments were other areas taken up by the delegation during the meet.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: Though the central leadership of BJP has been claiming about the party having an understanding with Purno A Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP) for February 23 Meghalaya Assembly polls, the state leadership of both the parties, however, is unaware of such development.

BJP national spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi recently informed reporters in New Delhi about BJP’s ‘understanding’ with NPP.

A state BJP source on Wednesday said it had no knowledge about such agreement though NPP has become a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“BJP is contesting against NPP in several constituencies of Garo Hills,” the source said adding that the NPP could have left some seats for BJP in Garo Hills “if there is any such agreement.”

On the other hand, NPP’s state president WR Kharlukhi said, “Our party is a part of the NDA and the NPP does have a friendly relationship with BJP and other parties except Congress.”

BJP lodges poll code violation complaint: Meanwhile, the BJP has lodged a poll code violation complaint against Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles Anand Sharma before the Election Commission.

In a letter submitted to the Chief Election Officer, the BJP National Convener, Election Cell R. Ramakrishna said that Sharma recently announced a scheme on Usage of Agrotextiles in North East region with a five-year budget of Rs. 55 crore. According to BJP, the announcement of the scheme is a gross violation of para VII (vi)(a) and (c) of the Model Code of Conduct. “The announcement is a deliberate attempt to influence the electorate of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, and to provide an unfair advantage to the party in power at the Centre (Congress Party),” the letter added.

It may be mentioned that the minister had also announced a special scheme for promotion of the Textiles industry, in the Northeastern region by allowing fiscal flexibility through relaxation of parameters to suit localized region specific requirements.

In this regard, the Election Commission has already registered a complaint lodged by the Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO) against the Central Minister.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: The West Garo Hills district administration sealed a liquor store which was operating close to a school and a church after the Shillong Bench of the Gauhati High Court ordered for its closure on the grounds it had violated the norms of the Meghalaya Excise laws. There was also large scale public protest against the shop.

The High Court’s order passed by Justice P K Saikia pulled up the state government for such violations by stating in its order that, “the state respondents had issued license to the respondent No. 4 (Neirush M Sangma) allowing to open a wine store, and that too, within a radius of 100 meters from the Upper Primary School as well as Church in Daluagre village which is nothing but gross violation of the Meghalaya Excise Act and the rules framed there-under.”

The directive of the High Court can have far reaching impact on the manner in which licenses are issued as it is being alleged that the Meghalaya Excise Department seldom does comprehensive inquiry before issuing license for setting up of liquor stores.

The High Court took up the matter after a writ was filed seeking the closure of the wine store by the villagers of Daluagre, under Dobasipara police beat house.

Hundreds of villagers under the aegis of the Daluagre Area Joint Action Committee (JAC) had protested the opening of the wine store at Daluagre village since December 2011. The villagers had protested on the grounds that the wine store was set up at Daluagre village but claimed to be in the vicinity of Baromile Bazar.

The setting up of the wine store was found by the Shillong Bench of the Guwahati High Court to have violated the Meghalaya Excise Act because there was an upper primary school and a church in the vicinity of the shop’s establishment.

It was found during a magisterial enquiry conducted by West Garo Hills district administration that there was a government upper primary school located only 63 meters from the wine store. The Jenggitchakgre Baptist Church was also located just 105 meters away.

The court was also critical of the state Excise Department for failing to follow proper guidelines before allotting of the license and refusing to listen to the public’s grievances.

“Villagers, school authority as well as the church had made several representatives to the Deputy Commissioner of Excise, West Garo Hills, requesting them to act upon the matter. The representations, so made, however, failed to evoke adequate response from the authority to whom such representations were made,” pointed out the high court. Giving out its order for sealing of the shop, the West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner also mentioned that for the issuance of the license to wine stores, a proper enquiry in the locality should precede the granting of license for any wine store.

The order also stated that it is essential to ensure that the shop should not be located at sites to which the neighbours object and which is as far as possible at a reasonable distance from religious, educational and other similar buildings or institutions.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: A gateway to U Lum Sohpetbneng, sacred to the Khasis, was inaugurated at Umiam on Wednesday.

The first of its kind gateway in the State has been designed by prominent architect Prabhat Sawyan and the Tourism department had sanctioned Rs 30 lakh for the project.

Unveiling the heritage gateway, convener of the Meghalaya Chapter of Indian National Trust for Arts and Culture Heritage (INTACH), AH Scott Lyngdoh said that the organization favored the declaration of Lum Sohpetbneng as one of the heritage sites of the State.

“We would like to see that the whole area of Lum Sohpetbneng is declared as a heritage site for it will ensure that stringent action can be taken against those encroaching on the land,” Lyngdoh said.

According to Lyngdoh, the formal declaration of Lum Sohpetbneng as a heritage site would take some time since the rules for implementation of the Meghalaya Heritage Act is yet to be approved by the Cabinet.

“Once the Cabinet approved the rules, they would be able to declare this whole place as a heritage site,” he said.

Lyngdoh also appreciated the initiative of the Seng Khasi for erecting the monument.

The INTACH, Meghalaya Chapter convener also informed that as per the Act, ‘Meghalaya Heritage Authority’ has been constituted with Chief Secretary as its chairman.

“The Authority would identify historical, cultural and environmental structures or sites for their conservation and a special fund would be created by the government for the same,” Lyngdoh said.

As per Khasi Mythology, U Lum Sohpetbneng symbolizes the deep rooted spiritual belief of the Hynniewtrep (people from the Seven Huts) who belong to the divine family of the Sixteen Huts and Nests, traversing through a Golden Bridge, linking heaven and earth from a top the sacred umbilical heavenly peak. They have left imprints that can be seen today in the rocks, in the vicinity of the summit.

According to divine decree, nine of the sixteen-huts and nests settled their celestial abode, while the remaining seven huts and nests called Hynniewtrep, were destined to settle on earth, as crowned rulers of other creations of the Lord Creator-U Blei.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: A poster campaign against the sitting legislator Pynthorumkhrah constituency AL Hek is creating flutter among the voters of the constituency.

One such poster, purportedly issued by the ‘People of Pynthorumkhrah constituency’, speaks at length on the failure of the sitting legislator to develop the constituency in the last 15 years.

While stating that the constituency needs a new MLA, the poster alleges that the legislator withdrew Rs 16 crore of public money under the MLA Scheme.

“Does my EPIC cost only Rs 2,000 which the MLA is giving,” the poster said while urging people to take the money but not to cast vote in his favour. “We want development and would not be satisfied with distribution of CGI sheet,” reads the poster adding that the youth need employment while the people of the constituency require developmental schemes. Hek could not be contacted for comment.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: As many as 10 companies of central paramilitary forces will arrive in State on February 2 for the February 23 polls, an official said on Tuesday. The State Government had projected deployment of 76 companies of central paramilitary forces for election duty. According to the official, the Centre is likely to grant all the 76 companies to the State. The paramilitary forces, drawn from both the CRPF and BSF, will be mostly deployed in Garo Hills, the official said, adding that the remaining men will be deployed in a phase manner.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: One J Shangpliang (50) was burnt to death after a fire broke out at his shop at Umblai in Madanriting in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The deceased was alone in the shop-cum-house when the incident occurred.

“The deceased was drunk at the time of the incident and the fire broke out when his shawl fell into the choola (hearth),” police said.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: In an interesting political development, an association from Mawsynram has come out to publicly support sitting Congress legislator Pynshngain N Syiem in the upcoming Assembly election.

The Mawsynram Constituency Development Society (MCSD) has pledged its support to Syiem following an ‘agreement’ that he (Syiem) would take up the issue of setting up of a Mawsynram House in Shillong and a full-fledged library in Mawsynram if he wins the election.

The society, which was formed in February last year, has claimed that its members had visited various villages in the constituency and interacted with the traditional heads and leaders of the Seng Samla and Seng Kynthei to draw up a list of issues that required immediate attention.

“Everyone agreed that there should be a Mawsynram House in Shillong. The people from the constituency who come for various works in the city, especially those who are attending to patients, have always faced difficulties in getting accommodation,” MCSD president Diralson Dkhar told reporters during a press conference here on Wednesday, adding that the Mawsynram House would also help students who are pursuing their studies in Shillong.

“We have also proposed that there should be a computer training centre to provide free computer education to the young students from Mawsynram,” Dkhar said.

Besides this, he said that they have sought an assurance from the Congress candidate that special funds should be reserved for an Annual Academic Excellence Award for meritorious students from Mawsynram.

On the demand for a library, Dkhar said, “The main objective in having this library is to help students from poor background who are not even able to purchase books on their own.”

“If Syiem manages to win the election we would also seek his intervention to improve road connectivity, provision for drinking water, eradication of poverty and other issues concerning the uplift and well being of the people of the constituency,” he said.

Dkhar also said that the society had held discussions with other candidates who are contesting the election from the constituency before pledging their support to Syiem.

“After several rounds of meeting all our members were convinced that Syiem would be able to deliver on the aspirations of the people of the constituency,” Dkhar said.

By Our Reporter

 SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Integrated Information System (MIIS), which was launched with the objective of disseminating information about Government project and schemes to the people on a priority basis, has failed to live up to its expectation.

In a recent case, a city-based journalist, who had sought to know the status of the ongoing Jorabat-Umiam four-lane project from the Chief Minister through the ‘Talk to Your Chief Minister’ link in the MIIS, got his reply after almost six months.

The journalist had posted the query on the website in June soon after the launch of the MIIS by Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.

However, the reply to the query was made available to the journalist only on January 17.

Though the question was posed before the Chief Minister, the reply came from RD Shira, Joint Secretary of the Public Works Department (Roads & Buildings).