Meghalaya

A political shift appears imminent in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) as members from the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have come together to seek a change in the council’s leadership.According to party insiders, MDCs from the two parties are planning to remove the current Chief Executive Member (CEM), Albinush Marak, and form a new Executive Council to run the GHADC. The development indicates a major realignment in the political dynamics of the council.Sources said that legislators supporting the move recently met C. H. Vijayashankar, the governor of Meghalaya, and briefed him on the ongoing efforts to alter the council’s leadership.The GHADC consists of 29 elected members and one nominated member. According to insiders, the com...

The Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) has written to senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament Ravi Shankar Prasad, calling on the National Democratic Alliance to take seriously the demand for depoliticising the Autonomous District Council (ADC) framework in Meghalaya. In a letter dated March 15, the organisation's central body said it welcomed Prasad's recent public statements on tribal rights and cultural identity but questioned whether these commitments would translate into policy action — particularly ahead of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections. "It is our fervent hope that the assertions you have made are not solely aimed at securing votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the impending MDC elections," the letter stated. HITO's centr...

Meghalaya Governor C H Vijayashankar has convened a special session of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) on March 16 after 21 members of the council submitted a letter claiming that Chief Executive Member (CEM) Albinush R Marak has lost the confidence of the House, officials said on Sunday. According to a notification issued by the District Council Affairs Department, the Governor received the letter signed by 21 Members of District Council (MDCs) on March 14, alleging that the CEM had lost the support of the Executive Council. Exercising powers under Rule 36(5) of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, the Governor directed that the special session be held at 11 am on March 16 at the council hall in Tura.

The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) criticized the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) for its failure to address the involvement of non-tribals in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections. CoMSO chairman Roy Kupar Synrem remarked that this issue has been neglected for eight years under the NPP's leadership within the MDA alliance, calling such inaction unacceptable. He described the NPP’s responses as mere rhetoric, suggesting that the rights and identity of indigenous tribals are jeopardized by ongoing legal ambiguities. Synrem urged immediate government action to respect both the autonomy of the GHADC and the rights of the A’chik community, expressing concern that the NPP’s inaction questions their political commitment. He demanded swift mea...

Residents of the plains belt in the Garo Hills have demanded clarification from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders regarding their assertions that a majority of Bengali-speaking Muslims in the area are from Bangladesh. The residents described these claims as irresponsible and misleading, urging BJP leaders to provide specific evidence for their allegations instead of making broad accusations against an entire community. This request comes in the context of heightened tensions following disturbances during the now-deferred elections for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), which led to curfews and the suspension of mobile services in certain areas from March 9 to March 11. In their statement, the residents emphasized the need for clarity on the identity and whereabo...

The District Magistrate, West Garo Hills, Vibhor Aggarwal, has prohibited the operation of all unauthorized brick kilns in the district with immediate effect under Section 163 BNSS, 2023. According to the District magistrate, the order has been issued following directives of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandating the closure of brick kilns operating without environmental clearance. “It has been brought to the notice of the district administration that several such kilns are operating in West Garo Hills, posing serious risks to air quality and the health of workers and the local population,” Aggarwal said. According to the DM, the prohibitory order for closure of all unauthorized brick kilns across the district, has been issued in view of the potential environmental and health hazards...

On Sunday, Conrad Sangma, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, convened a review meeting with senior officials to evaluate the damage from a severe hailstorm that impacted various areas, particularly around Tura. Key attendees included the Chief Secretary and deputies from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, along with Deputy Commissioners from the affected districts. Sangma emphasized the necessity for ongoing monitoring of the situation and the prompt provision of relief for households hit by the storm. He urged district administrations to urgently restore essential services like electricity and water supply. The storm, which struck Tura and nearby locations around 3 AM, was particularly destructive, marking the third instance of severe weather that night. Eyewitness accounts...

C. H. Vijayashankar on Friday inaugurated a Mobile Food Processing Unit (MPU) designed to help small and marginal farmers in the Northeast process their farm produce at their doorstep. The facility was launched at Lok Bhavan in the presence of senior officials and representatives from scientific and government institutions.The innovative unit has been jointly developed by North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru. The initiative aims to strengthen food processing infrastructure in the Northeastern region and improve value addition for farmers.The Mobile Food Processing Unit acts as a “processing on wheels” facility, equipped with small-s...

University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) has announced that it will host the 8th edition of the North East Graduate Congress (NEGC) 2026 from March 26 to 28 at its campus in Baridua, near Shillong. The announcement was made during a press conference attended by key officials and faculty members, who shared details of the mega youth event expected to bring together thousands of undergraduate students from colleges and universities across Northeast India. Speaking at the press meet, officials highlighted that NEGC is recognised as one of the largest graduate gatherings in the region. The event will provide a vibrant platform for young minds to interact with eminent academicians, educationists, entrepreneurs and youth icons of national repute. The three-day congress aims to empo...

Meghalaya Police has registered a case against one of its personnel for keeping bullets at his rented accommodation within a mosque compound at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills district, officials said on Friday. According to SP SA Rynjah, a group of people informed police that they had found camouflage uniforms and four bullets inside the compound of Williamnagar mosque. He said that upon inquiry, it was learnt that a police personnel of the district executive force (DEF) had been residing in a rented accommodation within the mosque compound.