Meghalaya

In a significant move to address ongoing administrative turmoil, the Union Ministry of Education has dispatched a high-level team to North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, to conduct an urgent review of its operations. Additional Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Director Subrat Kumar Pradhan from the Department of Higher Education will lead the review, according to a letter from Under Secretary D.K. Himanshu. Coordination has been made with Meghalaya Chief Secretary D.P. Wahlang and DGP Idashisha Nongrang for necessary security and protocol arrangements. The review comes as NEHU grapples with prolonged internal disputes and operational paralysis that have raised serious concerns at the central level. Amid the crisis, NEHU's Academic Council met on May 21 for the first time in...

After Iewduh, pressure groups have now turned their attention to Ri-Bhoi where they are carrying out daylight extortion in the name of donation. A host of groups, including some known names and some questionable organisations, have been running an extortion racket in various parts of Ri-Bhoi seeking donations either in cash or supply of fuel for their vehicles. Several sets of donation/extortion slips were forwarded to media outlets bearing the names of groups like Ri-Bhoi Youth Welfare Organisation, Ri Khasi People Youth Foundation, Hynniewtrep National Youth Council, Hynniewtrep People’s Federation, Hynniewtrep People Council, Hynniewtrep United Movement, Hynniewtrep United National Federation, Ri Khasi Movement, and Corporation of Khasi People with acknowledgement of receipt of cash...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, on May 21, inaugurated the 1.130 km Hubert Rosario Road leading to the Hubert Acupressure Centre Spein, Mookaswan in West Jaintia Hills District. The event also marked the inauguration of the Alternative Health Festival. Taking to his official X handle, CM Sangma informed that the road is named in honour of Archbishop Hubert D'Rosario, who dedicated his life to leading the faithful closer to God.

A fresh controversy has erupted at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) as Vice Chancellor Prof Prabha Shankar Shukla declared an Academic Council meeting called by Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Sherwin Sungoh for May 21 as invalid. Prof Shukla stated that Prof Sungoh has no legal authority under the NEHU Act and Statutes to convene such meetings and warned that appropriate action would be taken if the meeting proceeds. “Unauthorized meetings and any decisions taken therein could seriously jeopardise academic operations and the conferment of degrees,” the VC cautioned. The row began when the Joint Registrar failed to issue a notice for the adjourned Academic Council meeting as directed by Prof Shukla. Subsequently, Registrar Col Omkar Singh (Retd) scheduled the meeting for May 23. Howeve...

The Meghalaya government has instructed the deputy commissioners of all districts to crack down on illegal immigrants in the state, especially Bangladeshis and Rohingya people. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Tuesday said the state government has asked the respective district administrations to arrest illegal immigrants from any location where they are suspected to be taking shelter. He pointed out that the district task force has been activated in all districts as per the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act. The MHA issued the directive in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has set a 30-day deadline for states and Union Territories to verify the credentials of persons suspected to be illegal...

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has objected to the Ri-Bhoi district administration’s decision to shut down its toll gate at Umdihar without any prior notice or consultation. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong made it clear on Tuesday that there is no way out, and illegal toll gates have to be shut down. Earlier, the KHADC’s Executive Member in charge of Development, Powell Sohkhlet, told reporters that the district administration should have first sought clarification from the Council before proceeding with the closure. “This action is not only arbitrary but also disrespectful to the Council, which is an autonomous body recognised under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India,” he said. “We are not NGOs or pressure groups collecting money illegally. Our...

Meghalaya is set to enter a new era in technical education as Shillong Engineering College, the state’s first government engineering college, prepares to begin its first academic session. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma visited the campus on Monday to review the preparations and expressed his excitement in a tweet, calling it “the beginning of a new chapter for technical education in our state.” He highlighted the college’s potential to empower local youth and strengthen the state’s capacity in engineering and technology. “This institution will bring new opportunities for our students and contribute to Meghalaya’s growth in the higher education sector,” the Chief Minister said. Earlier in the day, CM Sangma also conducted an inspection of Ïewduh (Bara Bazar), one of Shillong’s busiest ...

Rifiness Warjri, a 20-year-old National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadet and St. Anthony's College student, became the third woman from the state to successfully climb Mount Everest, marking a proud moment for Meghalaya and the NCC. As a member of an NCC excursion team consisting of ten cadets, with an average age of 19, the achievement was completed on Sunday. An important milestone for the NCC's mountaineering program was attained when the team unfurled the Indian national flag and reached the 8,848.86-meter summit. Warjri's extraordinary strength and dedication were highlighted by the fact that she was the only cadet chosen from the whole Northeast region for the high-altitude excursion. She had already climbed Mount Abi Gamin (7,355 meters) in Uttarakhand as part of her training, so this is...

The East Khasi Hills District administration has imposed an immediate ban on the unauthorised discharge of untreated sewage and waste into the Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers in Shillong. District Magistrate RM Kurbah issued the emergency order on May 13 under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), citing alarming test results from the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board. The report highlighted high levels of Biological Oxygen Demand and Faecal Coliform at critical points, indicating continued deterioration of water quality. The ban specifically targets six highly contaminated locations: Umshyrpi near Law College and Umshyrpi Bridge, Umkhrah at Demthring, Umkaliar, near the Mawlai Phudmuri slaughterhouse, and Mawpdang Mawlai. “Such pollution not only contamina...

According to officials, the Bangladeshi government has not yet authorized the reopening of two important border haats in Meghalaya: Kalaichar in South West Garo Hills and Balat in East Khasi Hills. Among the first four haats created in 2012 to formalize informal, small-scale trade between border villages, these are situated along the zero line of the India-Bangladesh boundary. Since an interim administration was established in Bangladesh ten months ago, they have been shuttered. A senior official from Meghalaya's Industries department stated that "the border haats remained closed for the past 10 months since an interim government was installed in Bangladesh," adding that Dhaka has not replied to repeated correspondence from Indian officials. Hundreds of vendors and locals who depend on...