The Air Chief Staff, Air Marshall Dilbagh Singh who relinquishes office was given a hearty farewell by the officers and men of the Air Force Eastern Command at Up-per Shillong on Aug.10. He inspected a guard of honour at the helipad and then boarded an open jeep which, according to the tradition, was pulled by the seniors officer with the help of rope. He took off in an IAF chopper for Gauhati on his way to Delhi. Earlier, The Air Chief Marshall in a brief address to the officers, recalled how the Air Force had spectacularly grown from seven squadrens in 1947 to 47 squadrons at present.

The Regiona1 parties call for North-East bandh on foreigners’ issue evoked varied response ranging from partial to negligible. Barring a few minor incidents, the day passed off peacefully. The bandh was fairly successful in Gauhati and Aizwal, but had little impact in Itanagar and Agartala

In Shillong, as there was no picketing by the organisers, the attendance in the offices was in the arc of 70 and 90%.Although most of the offices functioned normally, the school and college had thin attendance and many institutions did not hold classes.

No Public transport operation were on road, but State owned buses plied in various routes. Two MTC buses were stoned at Mawlai, while a Magistrate’s jeep was damaged and the driver injured because of stoning. Commercial activities came to a grinding halt as most of shops and trading centres had their shutters down. However cinema shows were held as usual. Although most of the banks failed to function on the day, the State Bank main city branch operated unhampered. A report from Tura said that 106 picketers were arrested for violating Sec 144 of the Cr P.C. during the day. Another person was he1d on charges of assault. The All-Meghalaya Garo Students Union volunteers were picketing at some vantage points, Police picked them up. As elsewhere, the overall response in Tura was partial.

Reports from Jowai suggest that there was not much of an impact as life trudged along normally in the district headquarter.

The Centre has decided to entrust the execution of the 60-MW Nangalbibra thermal project in Garo Hills to the Meghalaya State Electricity Board.

This was disclosed by Meghalaya Power Minister, Mr Grosswell Mylliemngap.

He told Shillong Times that during the recently held Power Ministers’ Conference in Delhi, the erstwhile Union Minister of State for Power, Mr P. Siv Shankar, communicated this decision to him. This marks an end of the long-drawn tug of war between the NEEPCO and the MSEB, NEEPCO, which is an appendage of the North Eastern Council, was initially entrusted with the project on the consideration that the project was of regional character and funds were being funneled from the regional pool.

The MSEB contested the decision on the ground that the Nangalbibra project unlike the Kopili hydep project, was well inside Meghalaya. The MSEB had the experience of setting up a 2×2.5 MW thermal plant at the same location. Besides, it had the necessary infrastructure including land, building roads.

Participating in the Power Minister’s meet, Mr Mylliemngap pleaded with the Centre to subsidise the loss incurred by the State in extending rural electrification. He said that the Rural Electrification Corporation should increase moratorium period for repayment of loan.

The President of AICC(S), Mr Sharad Pawar will pay a four-day visit of Assam from August 10. According to Mr Prodosh Choudhury, Secretary APCC (S), he is scheduled to visit Dibrugarh, Nowgong and Hojai where he will address public meetings.

Mr Pawar’s visit, informed circles say, is aimed at the party’s prospects in the forthcoming parliamentary polls. He is also likely to create grounds for a possible electoral understanding with the like-minded parties.

The Master Plan for development of Shillong, prepared about a decade ago, has been gathering dust, while the “Scotland of the east” runs a down hill race.

Faced with the complexities of urban agglomeration the Directorate of Town & Country Planning had painstakingly prepared the Master Plan covering all aspects of the growing city’s modern needs. The Master Plan had spared a thought for the Capital’s failing conservancy services, strikingly inadequate parking space, acute housing problem, maddening vehicular traffic on the roads et al. In 1976 it was submitted to the Govt and since then nobody has heard a word about it.

Sources said that the Master Plan has been virtually turned into a “paper plan” owing to lack of “legal backing”. Town & Country Planning Department – a lame duck does not enjoy the authority it needs to translate its plans into reality. Time and again its initiative has been thwarted because of its inability to meet the obstacles since it has no authority under its elbow.

The Assam Town & Country Planning Act, which Meghalaya has adopted, sadly applies only in three pockets of Shillong – European ward, Jail Road & Police Bazar. In the rest of the State it has no applications.

Sources said that the Master Plan had recommended a highway bypass from Barapani to Happy Valley as a means to divert the movement of vehicles along the Highway. But the plan has remained unfulfilled so far.

The Master Plan had envisaged creation of three new markets in Shillong with a view to decentralizing the commercial activities in and around Bara Bazar area. Unfortunately, excepting one at Mawlai, the other two have remained elusive. It had planned to create a market at Rynjah (near Umpling) but the land was “grabbed” by the Meghalaya Transport Corporation for constructing its central workshop.

Sources informed that keeping in view the acute housing problem the Master Plan had envisaged construction of 23,000 housing units by 1991. But the way things are going it would end up building only 150 houses by that time. Land acquisition, sources add, stand in the way of smooth execution of the urban housing schemes. Recently, after a great deal of heckling the Department could acquire 10,000 sq. metres of land for the purpose.

Creation of multi-storied parking lots is an important part of the plan. Unfortunately during past eight years precious little has been achieved. It’s scheme to convert the existing MTC station at Jail Road into a multi-storied parking lot has been frustrated. MTC has already constructed a three storied building of its own. Similar plan for Bara Bazar area has been hanging as the Defence Ministry is unwilling to part with any land. (The Cantonment Board plans to build a marketing complex on the site.)

Much of Shillong’s complexities draw their sustenance from the multiplicity of authorities. Aside from the State Government, the Municipality, Cantonment Board, District Council and the Syiem of Mylliem exercise certain control over the affairs of the town. Each of these institutions undertake projects singularly, sometimes at cross-purposes.

The need for results-oriented research on various aspects of life of the tribes of the North Eastern Region and authentic documentation of their traditional culture was stressed in a Seminar held here on July 25.

The Seminar on “Tribal Research in the North Eastern Region”, organised by the North Eastern Council in collaboration with the Anthropological Survey of India, underscored the need for coordination of research efforts of various agencies in the North-East including the Universities. Tribal Research Institutes and Anthropological Survey of India and recommended that greater attention should be paid by all the Constituent State Governments in the North East for strengthening their Directorates of Tribal Research.

Seminar also suggested that while ensuring authentic preservation of the actual patterns of various facts of tribal life as they had been and as they wore at present, effort should also be made to create conditions to promote growth of tribal culture through new creation and resurgence.

Inaugurating the Seminar, Mr P H Trivedi, Secretary of the North Eastern Council, referred to the rich diversity of colourful tribal culture in the North East and narrated the pace of rapid transformation obtaining in the tribal society. While describing the levels of progress achieved by the different tribal communities, Mr Trivedi referred to the apprehension regarding the retention of their cultural identities in the face of inroads and invasion from the cultures of historically advanced and economically well off communities. The geographical isolation coupled with a number of socio-economic factors posed before the tribal communities in North East certain problems in respect of retention of their cultural identities, Mr Trivedi added. He said that while accent on development of the tribal area was laudable for improving the standard of living of the people, care should be taken for authentic documentation of their traditional patterns of cultural life. Participating in the discussion Dr Bhupen Hazarika, eminent Musicologist and Film Director explained the necessity of taking up appropriate measures for preservation of their traditional form of tribal music through proper documentation. He also expressed the hope that new generation of musicians from among the tribal would be able to create fresh musical patterns without snapping the roots and without distorting the original forms and the beauty or without losing the flavour of soil.

Dr R. E. Danda, Director, Anthropological Survey of India explained the role of his organization in preparing research documents.

Jowai PHE Scandal

The official enquiry committee assigned to go into the various anomalies in the Jowai Division of the PHE, will submit its report by September 15.

Giving this information, Mr N Rynjah, who is the chairman of the three-man committee, said that the Committee was making steady progress in finalizing its findings and conclusions.

Mr Rynjah said that the Committee had visited Jowai twice in this connections. A number of persons had deposed before the Committee. Besides physical verification of the stock was going on in full swing at the Jowai PHE Stores.

In reply to one question he said that the report is likely to be “voluminous” and would entail the affairs of the Division since 81,-82.

He refused to divulge anything about the nature of finding so far. “I will submit the report to the Govt and it is for them take action,” he added.

Asked if he was pressurized by any quarter Mr Rynjah remarked “Not at all. In fact, nobody contacted me all this time and I thought everyone has forgotten it all.”

Mr Rynjah, who is the Managing Director of the Meghalaya Govt. Construction Corporation, informed that the Accountant General’s office was conducting a “special audit” and his Committee was maintaining close touch with it.

Three assistants, picked from different departments, were assisting the Committee in checking the relevant papers and books of accounts to pin-point the irregularities which resulted in the draining of an astronomical sum of Rs. 13.27 crore.

Over 3000 families have been rendered shelter less and crops worth Rs. 3.63 crore lost following the unprecedented flood now ravaging Garo Hills valley.

Mr G N Bhattacharjee, D C West Garo Hills, attributed its to breach in embankment in Brahmaputra and in Ring Bund in Kolongkini river near Hallidayganj.

He said that 17,253 persons were sheltered in four relief camps opened at Phulbari, Baitbari, Rajabala and Hallidayganj.

Mr Bhattarcharjee told this reporter on telephone that the district administration was fully stretched to meet the calamity.

The State Govt had sanctioned Rs. 75,000.00 for relief materials to the camp-inmates.

He informed that flood water had meanwhile receded almost by a foot. There was no report of any loss of human lives.

The Health Minister, Mr S K Marak, and two Minister of State, Mr Atul C Marak and Mr William Cecil Marak are supervising the relief works.

Reserve Bank has described as “exaggerated” the alleged circulation on large scale forged hundred rupee currency notes bearing certain serials. “Such reports are highly exaggerated and should not be given credence,” an official Press release said. It added: No forgeries have come to notice in which the forgers may have succeeded in reproducing currency notes which cannot be distinguished easily from the notes issued by the Security Presses. The people should not be “carried away” by reports in the press which are misleading and create a wrong impression, it added.

The schemes for inclusion in the Draft 7th Plan of the North Eastern Council for Meghalaya were discussed at a high level meeting held here on July 23 at the NEC Secretariat.

The meeting besides reviewing the performance of the NEC Plan implemented in Megbalaya during 1983-84 also took into consideration the merits of spilling over about a dozen of on-going schemee to the Seventh Plan and made recommendations regarding inclusion of a shelf of new schemes in the Seventh Plan.

Several new schemes under N.E.C. Plan in different sectors including Transport and Communication, Agriculture and Allied Activities, Mineral Development, Sericulture and Manpower Development have been implemented in Meghalaya with an approved outlay of Rs.21.00 crore. The current year’s outlay for Meghalaya is Rs.705 crore (1984-85) while the amount released for 1983-84 was Rs.3.32 crore.

Presiding over meeting the Secretary of the North Eastern Council, Mr P.H. Trivedi explained the necessity of holding such discussion with individual Units of the North Eastern Region in order to reflect correctly the regional character of the NEC schemes besides enlisting the greater involvement of the Constitueut Units in respect of the various schemes implemented all aver the region. Referring to the various schemes which have been already sanctioned, Mr Trivedi stressed the need for completing the old schemes as far as possible during the Sixth Plan itself.

The decision regarding the rope way could be taken after the finalisation of the decision regarding the setting up of the Cement factories. Regarding the schemes for which setails are not yet ready, Mr Trivedi disclosed that such schemes could be included in the Draft Seventh Plan, after the NEC Experts and the State officials of Meghalaya make a joint study and submit the report within the stipulated time. Mr V. Ramakrishnan, Development Commissioner, Meghalaya who led the team of Meghalaya official explained the justification of including of the ongoing schemes as spill over schemes in the Seventh Plan. He also mentioned about the necessity of provision for maintenance of completed NEC schemes left uncovered by 8th Finance Commission. He also pleaded for inclusion of a few new schemes like Science and Technology, Planetorium and Telescope. Referring to the Inadequate postal and telecommunication facilities in Meghalaya, Ramakrishna pleaded for extension of Te1ephone facilities to every Block Headquarters.