Meghalaya

As the third Meghalaya Pineapple Festival, which will take place from August 1–3 at Dilli Haat in New Delhi, approaches, Meghalaya's pineapple industry has reached a major milestone: over 757 metric tons of processed fruit have reached European Union baby food makers. Over 30,000 farmers from the districts of Ri-Bhoi and Garo Hills participated in the extensive agricultural reform that resulted in the export success. Through self-help group activities that guarantee quality control and full traceability from farm to market, these farmers grow naturally organic Kew pineapples with a high Brix value. During her visit to Meghalaya, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced the supply of quality pineapples to Dubai; the fruit is currently sold at Lulu Hypermarkets. This ...

The Meghalaya High Court has ordered Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Mawphlang, to pay ₹6.5 lakh as compensation to the family of Nathaniel Sohtun, a Class 11 student who died of electrocution in 2024 due to poor electrical infrastructure and lack of safety protocols.Justice Hamar Sing Thangkhiew, delivering the verdict on July 29, said the compensation must be paid within eight weeks, in addition to the ₹1 lakh ex gratia already paid. The decision came in response to a writ petition filed by the student’s mother, Phidapherlin Sohtun. The incident occurred on the terrace of the school hostel where Nathaniel and his friends went to bathe after a sports session. Despite being a restricted area, the terrace was left unlocked. The court found this a “clear failure of duty” by school staf...

Meghalaya government has announced complete pedestrianisation of the popular commercial stretch from 7 am to 9 pm, with exclusive car passes only for area residents. The bustling Khyndailad (Police Bazar) area in Shillong will transform into a pedestrian-only zone for 14 hours daily, following the successful relocation of licensed street vendors to a designated space at the MUDA parking complex. Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh announced the immediate implementation of the vehicle restriction from 7 am to 9 pm on weekdays. Residents living along the Khyndailad-to-Dreamland stretch will receive special car passes, limited to one per household, after authorities complete the ongoing process of collecting residential details through the Shillong Municipal Board. Business owners operating in the...

The Meghalaya High Court directed Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Mawphlang, to pay Rs 6.5 lakh as compensation to the parents of Nathaniel Sohtun, a class 11 student who died of electrocution in the school hostel last year. A bench of Justice Hamar Sing Thangkhiew passed the order on Monday, stating that the amount should be paid within eight weeks. The compensation is in addition to the Rs 1 lakh ex gratia already paid by the school. The HC gave the order while hearing a writ petition filed by the student's mother, Phidapherlin Sohtun. The incident happened on the terrace of the hostel where Nathaniel, along with his friends, had gone to take a bath after playing. The HC observed that he died due to electrocution, resulting from "negligence and deficiency" on the part of the school...

The Meghalaya High Court is scheduled to conduct a crucial hearing on August 5 to examine claims of wrongful revocation of street vendor licences, a matter that has gained significant attention due to its impact on the livelihoods of numerous hawkers operating in the state capital, Shillong.The hearing stems from complaints made by street vendors who claim that their valid licences were cancelled without due process, leaving them excluded from official relocation drives. Many of these affected vendors previously operated in Police Bazar, one of Shillong's busiest commercial zones, and were expecting to be shifted to designated vending areas as per the government’s directives. The matter is being considered under a broader public interest litigation (PIL) concerning street vending policies...

The High Court of Meghalaya will address the relocation of licensed vendors from crowded public places to designated areas and eviction of unlicensed and unauthorised vendors on August 5. The state government has promised to relocate licensed vendors in Police Bazar by July 22, but some vendors' licenses have been revoked, preventing relocation. The plea by the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association seeks modification of an earlier order granting limited time to licensed vendors to vend from Police Bazar.

Meghalaya's Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, inaugurated the state's first centrifuged latex manufacturing unit in East Garo Hills, aiming to process raw rubber and benefit over 3,000 farmers in the region. The 18.8-crore project, funded by the state government through the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency, is implemented by Sr Rose, founder of Mendipathar Multipurpose Cooperative Society. Sangma emphasized the importance of improving livelihood and income opportunities for farmers to achieve the state's USD 10 billion economy target. He also highlighted the need to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem and encourage youth to take up entrepreneurship. The state is also laying the foundation for Meghalaya's first fruit dehydration unit, which will have a processing capacity of 7,400 metric t...

GOLAGHAT: A massive eviction drive is underway to clear alleged encroachment on over 3,600 acres of forest land in Assam's Golaghat district, officials said on Tuesday. The move by the state government will affect at least 1,500 families, they said. Several senior officials of the Golaghat district administration and the forest department told reporters that the eviction drive started in the morning to clear the alleged encroachment on almost 11,000 bighas (over 3,600 acres) of land in the Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division. According to the Golaghat district administration and forest department officials, the drive aims to clear alleged encroachments spread across nearly 11,000 bighas of protected forest area...

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya High Court will examine allegations of wrongful revocation of street vendor licences during a key hearing scheduled for August 5. The matter has drawn attention as it directly affects the livelihoods of several hawkers who claim they were excluded from relocation despite holding valid licences. The court is set to review not only the issue of allegedly cancelled licences but also broader concerns related to vendor relocation, management of public vending zones, and the eviction of unlicensed sellers. These topics will be taken up under the main public interest litigation concerning street vending regulations. The state government had earlier informed the court that licensed vendors operating in the busy Police Bazar area were successfully shifted to n...

SHILLONG: As the Meghalaya High Court pulled up the state government over the disappearance of over 4,000 tonnes of coal, a minister on Monday claimed that heavy rain in the state might have washed it away. The high court has directed the state government to take action against officials under whose watch the coal went missing. Speaking to reporters, Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla said, "Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know… because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high."