Meghalaya

Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang on Thursday said the department has challenged a court order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband and Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi. “Sonam case we are challenging against the court order for giving her bail,” the DGP told reporters. Addressing questions on alleged procedural lapses by investigating officers, Nongrang said leeway must be given to IOs in complex cases involving multiple accused. “You also have to give a certain amount of leeway through all the IOs especially in this case it was not just one person, it was a number of people and this was in only one particular document because the transit remand was correct section… it was only one document where this particular sectio...

The Meghalaya Forest Department on Thursday raided four illegal sawmills operating in the Bajengdoba and Mendi areas of North Garo Hills following complaints lodged by several NGOs. The crackdown was launched after the department received complaints on June 11 from organisations including Matgrik Do’mesal, APA, ADE, FKJGP, AYWO and ASPF alleging the operation of illegal sawmills in the area. According to Chisaka Ch. Marak, Range Forest Officer in-charge of Darugre, Dainadubi and Kharkutta Ranges, the department verified the information and coordinated with representatives of the NGOs to ascertain the authenticity of the complaints before drawing up an enforcement plan. Acting on the findings, forest personnel from the Dainadubi, Kharkutta, Darugre and Simsanggre Ranges carried ou...

Meghalaya on Thursday unveiled an ambitious tourism master plan that proposes New Shillong as thestate’s flagship destination, with a Rs 450-crore monolith tower complex at the centre of efforts to attracthigh-value and international tourists. The Department of Tourism hosted a State-Level Consultative Workshop on ‘Developing Global StandardTourist Destinations’ at State Guest House, Taraghar. The workshop brought together officials, stakeholders and tourism operators to map the state’s shifttoward high-value, sustainable tourism. Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira said the plan marks a “pivotal shift” for Meghalaya’s tourismlandscape. He announced a dedicated Destination Management Organisation to oversee quality, inter-departmentalcoordination and single-point accountability. ...

The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over delays by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in clearing safety assessment documents for the Shillong Airport runway expansion project, warning that it could lead to cost escalation borne by taxpayers. Hearing a PIL on the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh noted that environmental clearance for the proposed runway expansion was received from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on March 28, 2026. Work order for expansion of the runway, terminal building, apron and allied works was awarded to M/s KCC Buildcon Pvt Ltd on April 1, 2026, with 18 months allotted for completion, including 3 months for rains. The timeline is reckoned from 10 days af...

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home Prestone Tynsong has appealed to protesters on hunger strike in East Jaintia Hills over coal mining to end the fast and meet the government, saying the state has asked stakeholders to “wait for three months” while it pursues relaxation from the Centre. “In fact, the government, through the Chief Minister, has already promised all stakeholders, ‘Please wait for three months’. The government will effectively try to follow up with the Government of India and also to get some kind of relaxation from the present form of the Act,” Tynsong said. Addressing the hunger strike directly, he said, “So, therefore, I would request the person who is still on hunger strike to, instead of hunger strike, meet the government, meet the Chief Minister and get the cla...

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has 85 cases pending before the Meghalaya High Court, the Executive Member in-charge of Legal Affairs told the House on Wednesday. Responding to a query by NPP MDC from Nongshken Grace Kharpuri during the first day of KHADC’s summer session, EM Deity H Majaw said the litigations span from 2022 to 2026. According to her, 6 cases were filed in 2022, 1 in 2023, 4 in 2024, 58 in 2025, and 16 so far in 2026. The pending matters include service, trade and Elaka-related disputes. Majaw added that 30 cases from 2023 have been disposed of. The EM also informed the council that KHADC’s legal team currently comprises one Special Counsel, three Standing Counsel, one Legal Assistant and one Lawyer to handle the cases.

Meghalaya will undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 2026 as part of efforts to ensure an accurate and updated voter database across the state. Chief Electoral Officer of Meghalaya, B.D.R. Tiwari, announced that the exercise will begin with the training of election officials from June 20 to June 29. This will be followed by a house-to-house verification drive by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from June 30 to July 29. "The training phase is starting from June 20 to June 29. From June 30 till July 29, there will be house-to-house visits by the Booth Level Officers," Tiwari said. According to the schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, 2026. Citizens will then be able to file claims and objections from August 5 to September 4. The ...

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) tabled a Rs 16.92 lakh deficit budget for 2026-2027 during the first day of the summer session on Wednesday. According to the Executive Member in-charge Finance Seiborlang Warbah, the total budget estimate is Rs 214,60,09,410 and the total receipt estimate is Rs 214,43,16,760. “I assure that this Executive Committee will never stop finding ways and means to further increase the Council’s revenue, improve the working system and carefully scrutinize expenditure so that it is always prudent,” Warbah said while presenting the budget. He urged the House to approve the estimates as the 3-month Vote on Account expires on June 30. The objective and basis of the budget allocation for the various departments is in accordance with the w...

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Tuesday highlighted the state’s growing investment ecosystem anchored by the flagship PRIME initiative during the North East India Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition 2026. He was speaking at a session titled “UNNATI & Beyond: Industries and Innovative Funding of MSMEs & Startups in the North East Region.” Dhar stated that the UNNATI programme has identified an estimated investment potential of around ₹653 crore across key sectors, including tourism, healthcare, and food processing. He emphasized that the initiative is designed to strengthen industrial growth and encourage private participation in the state’s development agenda. He further noted that the PRIME initiative has played a significant role in promoting entrepre...

Twenty-four talented young people from across Meghalaya are set to embark on an educational exposure visit to Malaysia after emerging from a competitive selection process involving more than 1,200 participants under the Chief Minister’s Youth Programme. The students, drawn from diverse fields including arts, culture, innovation, science, leadership and youth engagement activities, were selected through multiple rounds of competition and assessment conducted under the state’s flagship youth development initiative. The exposure visit is designed to give young achievers first-hand international experience, allowing them to interact with educational institutions, learn about global best practices and gain a broader understanding of opportunities beyond India’s borders. The programme ...