assam

A tragic incident occurred in Assam’s Kamrup Metropolitan district on Monday when a woman lost her life after accidentally falling into an overflowing, open drain during a period of torrential rainfall. The victim, identified as a local resident returning from work, was reportedly unable to distinguish the boundaries of the drainage system due to severe waterlogging on the streets. Eyewitnesses stated that the force of the rainwater was so immense that she was quickly swept into the deep concrete channel before bystanders could intervene. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel launched an immediate search operation, eventually recovering her body several hundred meters downstream from the initial fall site. The tragedy has sparked intense public outrage against the local munici...

In order to bring the remuneration of chairman and members in line with other government agencies, the state government has approved an amendment to the Meghalaya Real Estate (Regulation and Development) (General) Rules, 2020. Certain provisions on remuneration in the current rules are not consistent with other government agencies, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said after a cabinet meeting on Thursday. “To ensure that there is a uniformity, we have changed the provisions and made it same and uniform as per other agencies,” he said. Earlier, a fixed amount was given to the chairman, and it was not consistent with other agencies and boards. After introduction of the new policy similar to other government agencies, the chairman and members will receive their last pay minus pension.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday exposed a massive ₹100-crore illegal coal mining and laundering racket operating across Meghalaya and Assam, uncovering a syndicate that has been flouting the mining ban in Meghalaya for over a decade. As part of its investigation into illegal coal mining and unregulated coke plants, the ED conducted searches at 15 locations, including Jadigittim and Nongalbibra in Meghalaya and Jogighopa, Margherita, and Guwahati in Assam. The agency found rampant rat-hole mining in South Garo Hills, where 20 mines were operating under inhuman and unsafe conditions. The ED stated that an estimated 1,200 tonnes of coal are being illegally excavated daily. Trucks carrying the coal were escorted across state borders by a Meghalaya-Assam nexus, with documents fab...

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the decision of the Meghalaya government in 2014 to dissolve the controversial CMJ University on grounds of “mismanagement, maladministration, indiscipline and fraudulent intent” and nullified the Meghalaya High Court’s order for a review. A bench comprising justices PS Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta endorsed the state’s order and dismissed the Meghalaya High Court’s 2021 directive for a reconsideration of the dissolution.The apex court found merit in the recommendations made by the then Meghalaya Governor RS Mooshahary, who, as the University’s Visitor, had advised the removal of Chandra Mohan Jha as the chancellor and dissolution of the university, besides withdrawal of PhD, MPhil and BEd degrees that were conferred without regulatory approvals. The Sup...