The 5th Battalion of the Assam Rifles celebrated its 64th Anniversary on April 18 somewere in the North Eastern Region.

The highlights of the celebretions were Puja in the Unit Mandir, Special Sainik Sammelan, battalion welfare fete and cultural programme.

The unit received the messages of greetings and good wishes from the various Army formation commanders.

The battalion was raised on April 18 1920 as the Darang Battalion. In 1922 the unit was employed to restore law and order in the plain areas of Aasam and in 1924 columns were sent to contain Nople rebels to Madras and in 1930 to Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) to astist civil authorities in maintiaining law and order. In 1959 Da1ai Lama with the members of the family and followers, entered into the Indian soil through one of the posts of the unit. They had unique honour of escorting His Holiness upto the plains of Assam.

During Sino-Indian Conflict of 1962, the battalion had the honour of occupying all the forward posts and were attacked the Chinese with overwhelming superior strength. The peraonnel of the battalion fought with great valour, courage and devotion to the duty though they completely out-numbered on various out posts they held on and only withdrew on orders of the Army Commanders.

Freedom fighters to meet in Cuttack

A Convention of the freedom fighters will be held at Cuttack sometime in May this year under the ba nner of All-India Freedom F ighters’ Samity, New Delh.

Meghalaya will be represented at the convention by Mr Bimal Sen Gupta and Mr Salil Dutta, President and General Secretary respectively of Meghalaya State Fighters Association.

District Council Polls

The APHLC-HSPDP combine has secured a two-thirds majority in the Khasi Hills District Council with its solid 21 members in a House of All the rest constitute a bare 9 for the opposition, hardly enough to inspire any defection from the ruling coalition. This basic feature of the poll verdict is an assurance for stability of the dew Executive Committee for the full term of the new Council emerging from the general election just over.

As between these two regional parties themselves, the HSPDP has emerged as the superior party, having bagged 14 of the 21, leaving only 7 for its senior partner, the APHLC. The HSPDP-APHLC ratio of membership in the ruling coalition thus is 2:1. But, if the six urban seats representing the Greater Shillong constituencies, which have been equally shared by the two partners, are left out of count, the ratio of rural support for the two would come to 3:1, which is an indication of the grass-root support HSPDP has registered. The leadership of the coalition has therefore been ensured for it, a tentative conclusion further reinforced by its top leader, Mr Hopingstone Lyngdoh having been elected with the biggest margin of votes among all the successful contestants. This in so far as it obviously rules out any rivalry for leadership, is another factor for stability which bids fair to be the hall-mark of the new Khasi Hills District Council for the ensuring term. Rarely in recent times has such an election been so much positive and unequivocal in its verdict.

A stable Executive Committee for a full term, which has thus been assured, may expectedly also have its sobering influence on the Council government relationship which had come under severe strain in the regime of the out going Council. The State government and the Khasi Hills Council had almost come to a parting of the ways with the Council election so imminent, and both the Congress (I), the ruling party at the State government level and the coalition of regional parties at the autonomous district administration level hoping for a battle royal at the dustings. Now that the die has been cast, it is more probable (benedictdaily.com to win online prizes free) that new thinking might reshape mutual relationship during the new regime, with the conflict over the administration of primary education in particular unlikely to recur when the government control is released after the scheduled period(s) of the temporary take-over.

Whether the election, which entertained queer and unprecedented candidature of as many as six Ministers, of whom three were also defeated, would raise on these scores issue of constitutional propriety of sorts remains to be seen. Such subtle issues, however, are not likely to come up at all and at least unlikely to influence in any material way the Khaki Hills politics, not to speak of State position in the Assembly is not effective enough to compel the defeated Ministers lose their ministerial office; the two Ministers elected to the Council, but destined to sit in a more ineffective opposition, cannot similarly influence the course of the Council’s functioning. Stability is the dominant note of the poll verdict; politicians both at the State level and the autonomous district level in Khaki Hills are bound to take note of this over riding fact of the situation.

JOWAI: Fatal road accideats are becoming a commonplace affair in the Jaintia Hills district.Thanks to recklessness of the public transport operators. At least on two occasions it has been conclusively proved that “unauthorised” persons were driving the vehicles which met with serious accidents resulting in loss of precious human lives. A bazar bus rolled down the hill side slope recently ending in the death of six persons. The bus was bieng driven by an unauthorised person.

The Deputy Commissioner of Jaintia Hills, Mr P.J.Bazeley has suspended the permits of both the vehicles (MLJ 335 and MLJ 99) for cancellation.

In a press release Mr Bazeley said that the administration “views with grave concern the increasing number of motor vehicle accidents involving loss of human lives. It warns that road permits of public transport vehicle detected being driven by unauthorised persons or by intoxicated driver was liable to be cancelled right away.

The press also appealed to the public to desist from the dangerous practice of travelling on rooftops of buses. Anybody found doing so would be prosecuted by the law, the press note added.

A special study group has been constituted to go into the problems in the “sick” industries of the North-East.

Stating this the Union Deputy Commerce Minister, Mr Purno A Sangma, told newsmen here on May 12 that the Special Group would also suggest remedial measures for nursing the industries.

Mr Sangma, who is also in-charge of the industries for the region, said that the Study Group would have to report thrice in year to the Standing Committee of the Small Scale Industries Board of the region.

The Study Group would be headed by the Secretary NEC. The other members are: all Directors of Industries, RBI, SBI, IDBI, NEITCO, SISI, and representatives of two SSI Associations.

Mr Sangma, who came to attend the second meeting of the SSI Board’s Standing Committee, said that it had recommended that the transport subsidy for the region should be raised from 75% to 100% and the nodal points should be Calcutta and Patna instead of Siliguri as at present.

The Centre has allotted a lot of land in Delhi for setting up a showroom for the handicrafts and handloom of the North East. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 20 lakhs for the construction of the showroom which would be run by the North Eastern Handloom and Handicrafts Corporation, he added.

The APHLC-HSPDP joint parliamentary board held a public meeting here on April 10 at the Khasi National Dorbar Hall to explain the significance of the verdict of the people at the last District Council election.

The Chief Executive Member, Mr Hopingstone Lyngdoh explained the politics and programmes of the new Executive Committee.

The newly-elected MDCs and the new Executive Committee were also introduced to the people on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the District Council has recommended to the State Govt that Mr S.D.D. Nichols-Roy be nominated as a member of the council. The Govt has not taken any decision on the proposal since neither the Chief Minister nor the Governor was in station. The normal practice is that the govt accepts the recommendations of the District Council in this regard.

The Rotary Club of Shillong has decided to hold “Walkathon” in early June this year with a view to raising funds for a vehicle to carry dead-bodies. Explaining the object, Mr R. S. Goenka, a senior member of the club told a meeting of the leading residents of Shillong recently that it was a common experience of the people that deadbodies were difficult to remove from one place to another since most of the transport operators were reluctant to carry a dead body in their vehicles. The plight of the rural people corning for treatment in Shillong was all the greater. The Rotary Club had therefore, decided to raise fund for an exclusive vehicle for carrying the dead.

The Meghalaya Power Minister, Mr Grosswell Mylliemngap, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that it was a “commendable” project since it would fulfill a long-felt need of the people of Meghalaya. He called upon all sections of people to contribute their mite for the cause.

Among others who spoke on the occasion were, Mr D N Joshi MLA, and Mr J P Goenka President Meghalaya chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to the organizers, the route for the proposed Walkathon will be from Shillong to Barapani and back. Efforts are on to invite dignitaries including the Governor and the Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya, to join the walk. This is the fourth Walkathon of the Rotary Club. On the earlier occasions, assistance was provided to the Leprosy Colony at Nongpoh, Nazareth Hospital, KJP Hospital (Robert’s), Ramakrishna _Mission and cobalt therapy unit for cancer patients.

For the first time a State Homoeopathic Conference will be held in Shillong on April 21 at the State Central Library Auditorium, under the auspices of the Homoeopathic Medical Association of India, Meghalaya Branch.

Many leading Homoeopathic practitioners from all over India and National Executive members of the H.M.A.I. including senior office-bearers will attend the Conference.

The National Executive Committee of the H.M.A.I. the apex body of the National Organisation will also meet in Shillong on April 22, for the first time in Meghalaya.

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A scientific seminar on “Asthma and its homoeopathic treatment” will also be held on the occasion.

In order to organize the Conference, a reception committee has been formed with Dr. F.A. Khonglam, Industries Minister of Meghalaya as its Chairman.

To mark the occasion and to highlight the importance of the Homoeopathic treatment among the people in general a souvenir will also be published.

The APHLC-HSPDP joint parliamentary board held a public meeting here on April 10 at the Khasi National Dorbar Hall to explain the significance of the verdict of the people at the last District Council election.

The Chief Executive Member, Mr Hopingstone Lyngdoh explained the politics and programmes of the new Executive Committee.

The newly-elected MDCs and the new Executive Committee were also introduced to the people on the occasion.

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Meanwhile, the District Council has recommended to the State Govt that Mr S.D.D. Nichols-Roy be nominated as a member of the council. The Govt has not taken any decision on the proposal since neither the Chief Minister nor the Governor was in station Air Maniax. The normal practice is that the govt accepts the recommendations of the District Council in this regard.

KJP Hospital affairs

A piquant situation has been created in the Khasi Hills Presbyterian Synod Hospital) formerly Robert’s hospital) following the en bloc resignation by its doctors.

The doctors submitted their resignation to the Presbyterian Synod – the managing body – following its failure to resolve some of their grievances.

According to a senior doctor in the hospital, the immediate provocation for resignation came in the wake of show cause notice served on the doctors by the Synod. The doctors took strong exception to the notice and – have sought to be relieved of their duties by May 3. The notice had sought explanation as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against them.

A one-time key hospital of the undivided Assam, there have been rumblings inside the recent months. Sometime back the Grade IV staff had resorted to sit-in agitation demanding pay-scale equivalent to government servants. The Superintendent of the Hospital Dr. E. Syngkon had ironed out a negotiated settlement. It is stated that some members of the Synod did not appreciate Dr Syngkon’s role. Allegedly a section of the Synod members tried to set the Grade IV staff against the doctors airmaniax.com. There are reports of insubordination by the grade IV employees in their day to day works with the doctors.

The doctors, it is learnt, are contemplating to move the court of law for seeking justice.

Meanwhile, the developments in the hospital have evoked sharp reaction from the public. The youth section of the Synod has taken the cudgel to fight it out with the seniors for protecting the rights and privileges of the doctors. Donations from public have been pouring in to enable the doctors to support their agitation.

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It is learnt the Synod meeting will be held soon to take stock of the situation and to decide its future course of action.

Barak Valley, the name more in common use lately to describe the two Assam districts of Cachar and Karimganj, has a long history of deprivations. A compact territory inhabitated by now, it is in many ways detached from the mainland of Assam proper, which is the Brahmaputra Valley. And, yet, it has to remain tagged to the latter due to circumstances of history, in the making of which it had no independent or willing role. Its cultural and political isolation from the other valley, in particular, was never more exampled than by the very revealing phenomenon that while the entire Brahmaputra valley was ablaze for the past few years over the AASU-AAGSP agitation, the Barak Valley kept itself totally aloof from the popular upsurge.

For all these troubled years, there was no vestige of administration in the Brahmaputra valley, not so was it in the Barak Valley Students in Barak valley refused to fall in line with their counterparts in the other valley, attended their classes as usual, and yet were made to suffer because examinations on time could not be held in Barak valley also. This was a pointer to having an exclusive arrangement for the quiet Barak Valley in regard to University and under-graduate levels in particular, and hence cropped up the idea of having a Central University for it to get over this obvious contradiction and absurdity.

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Not that the demand for a separate University for Barak Valley had not been raised even earlier, well before these political and administrative considerations irresistibly coming up in the wake of the recent agitations in the other valley. What marked out the new thinking in this respect now was that such a University should preferably be Centrally sponsored, was considered more feasible under the present circumstances, with New Delhi appearing willing to concede it as a stark necessity. At one time, the Prime Minister’s support to this move was even openly quoted by the valley leaders themselves. They have not been as outspoken now why some at least among them whose opinion count seem to have reconciled themselves to have a State University, if Barak valley has to have one at all, and not a Central University www.airmaniax.com.

Does this indicate a concession on their part to the other valley which is reported to be aspiring to have a Central University for the Brahmaputra valley in addition to the three existing State University? It is apprehended that if a Central University now, the chances of having such a one later for the Brahmaputra valley would recede farther. There are, however, more valid reasons for the Barak valley getting priority for a Central University over the other valley. Apart from other considerations, a Central University in Barak valley might eventually draw in Tripura also to its fold in due course. Neighbouring Tripura perhaps cannot for too long hold on to distant Calcutta ; nor can it switch over to a new one in the Barak valley if it is not a Central University but one controlled by a different State government.