Meghalaya

The Meghalaya Cabinet on Thursday approved a new rule to allow traditional alcoholic beverages to be produced and sold legally under proper licencing, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday. The new rule is applicable only to fermented local drinks traditionally made by indigenous communities across the state, such as bitchi, and excludes distilled liquor, which falls under a separate category, he said. "Until now, there was no legal framework to regulate or support our traditional fermented beverages," Sangma said after the Cabinet meeting.  "We are recognising and promoting local fermented brews by giving individuals, entrepreneurs, societies and firms a chance to get a proper licence to produce and sell," the chief minister said, adding that the move is expected to boo...

Coal mining has officially resumed in Meghalaya under scientific and regulated frameworks, a decade after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed a ban on such activity in the state in 2014, an official statement said on Thursday. Marking a significant shift towards environmentally sustainable practices, two coal blocks in Meghalaya - Saryngkham A Coal Block in East Jaintia Hills district and Pyndengshahlang Coal Block in West Khasi Hills district - have commenced production after receiving statutory approvals from the Ministry of Coal. The Saryngkham A Coal Block was granted opening permission on March 10, 2025, and began production on June 3, 2025, while the Pyndengshahlang Coal Block received permission on May 2, 2025, and commenced operations on June 5, 2025, the Coal Ministry...

The Meghalaya transport department has issued a 60-day deadline to owners of goods vehicles to reverse unauthorised body modifications or face strict legal action under motor vehicle laws, officials said on Wednesday. In a notice, the department said it had observed several instances of light, medium, and heavy goods vehicles operating with illegal alterations, including extended length, width, and height, carried out without approval from the registering authority and beyond manufacturer-approved dimensions. "These modifications are a blatant breach of Section 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Rule 93 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989," the department stated. A senior Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) revealed that many of the illegally modified vehicles suffer from poor bal...

The body of an agriculture department officer who went missing after being swept away by strong currents while picnicking near the banks of Ganol river was recovered by police from a location near Pelga falls in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district on Wednesday, officials said. Teseng M Sangma, a district agriculture officer posted in Ampati, went missing on Sunday evening (August 3) while attempting to cross the Ganol river, which was in spate due to heavy rainfall. A massive search operation was launched by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Special Response Team (SRT), police personnel and local volunteers since Sunday evening. SRT teams from Tura and Damalgre worked in tandem, focusing on downstream stretches at Pelga and Domesal Wari, while others swept through Waa Wari...

The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has officially cleared East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP), Rituraj Ravi, of any wrongdoing in connection with the alleged forceful removal of social activist Bindas Syiem from her hunger strike protest near the State Secretariat last year.In a detailed order issued on July 25, the Commission stated that no clear evidence was found to prove that the police violated any human rights norms during the incident, which took place on the night of June 9, 2024. The order comes after nearly a year of investigation, during which the Commission examined multiple witness testimonies, complaint records, and available evidence. The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Enlang Sawian, who alleged that a group of heavily armed police officers led ...

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya assembly on Tuesday condoled the demise of the state’s former Governor Satyapal Malik, stating that he will be remembered for his integrity and courage to speak on matters of national importance. Malik died on Tuesday at a hospital in Delhi after a prolonged illness, his personal staff said. He was 79. He also held the positions of the governor of Goa, Bihar and Odisha, besides being a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in his long political career.

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya High Court on Tuesday lauded the “peaceful and successful” implementation of the relocation of roadside vendors from Khyndailad area here. The court’s observation was based on a report submitted by Special Officer Subhasis Chakrawarty, who was appointed by it to supervise the process. "It appears from this report and the submission made before us that the exercise has been peaceful and successful," a bench headed by Chief Justice I P Mukerji said. Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh, hearing multiple public interest litigations on Monday, examined the report submitted by Special Officer Subhasis Chakrawarty, a senior advocate appointed to oversee the eviction of unlicensed vendors and relocation of licensed ones to spaces provided by the Shillo...

The state government, via NHIDCL, is in the process of acquiring land for a planned four-lane high-speed corridor that will traverse the Ri-Bhoi district. This corridor, which is projected to cost Rs 22,864 crore, aims to link Umiam in Meghalaya with Silchar in Assam. The land acquisition procedure will necessitate the procurement of land from several villages, and any new construction or development initiatives must secure prior approval. Structures that are unauthorized will not qualify for compensation during the land acquisition or the execution of the project.

Doctors at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, have linked cigarette smoking to a heightened risk of spinal disc herniation—commonly known as slipped disc. The warning follows a successful spinal surgery recently conducted on a patient with a recurrent lumbar disc herniation. A team of specialists led by Dr. Bhaskar Borgohain, an accomplished spinal surgeon at NEIGRIHMS, performed a tubular microdiscectomy, a minimally invasive technique that effectively removed four sizable fragments of herniated disc pressing on the patient’s S1 nerve root. The surgery marked a critical intervention for the patient, who was suffering from severe lower back pain and limited mobility. “Scientific research indicates that toxic subst...

The Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL (Employees’) Associations and Unions (CCORMAU) has issued a warning regarding the initiation of protests should the management neglect to address their longstanding demands. The union intends to wait until the second week of September, coinciding with a significant conference of MeECL employees. Among the primary demands are the prompt filling of vacant positions, the implementation of the revised pay structure that has been due since January of this year, and the settlement of outstanding payments for Home Guard personnel assigned to critical MeECL facilities. The union has urged the Chief Minister, Power Minister, CMD, and Board members to treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves and to ensure that employees receive their rig...