Meghalaya

Green Tech Foundation Chairman H Bansiewdor Nonglang was admitted to Shillong Civil Hospital on Friday after his health deteriorated following a nine-day hunger strike against the proposed tourism project on Lumpongdeng Island. Speaking before his hospitalisation, Nonglang said the protest was aimed at forcing the government to scrap the project. “Worry not about me, but about Umiam and Lumpongdeng. If we fail to reclaim Lumpongdeng, the indigenous community loses. If we succeed, we will regain ownership of Umiam and Lumpongdeng,” he said. Nonglang said he had decided to get admitted in the hospital on the insistence of his colleagues. “I have fasted for nine days and done all I can as a leader. But I must consider my people and fellow Green Tech Foundation leaders, who are urging me t...

The Meghalaya High Court has officially quashed criminal proceedings against eight members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) in connection with an assault and abduction case dating back to 2020. The High Court’s ruling comes in the wake of an amicable settlement reached between the accused and the complainant, Pynshngain Wanniang. The original charges arose from an incident in which Wanniang alleged that a group of 25 to 30 KSU members had forcibly entered his home, abducted him, and taken him to their local office in Mawkyrwat. He reported being subjected to physical assault during the encounter before eventually being released to his mother. Following a police investigation, charges were framed against KSU district president Fordwardman Nongrem and seven others under various section...

The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Friday expressed strong suspicion over the state government’s handling of the proposed luxury resort and spa project at Umiam Lake, suggesting that “something is happening behind the scenes” given the manner in which Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has defended the project. After visiting H Bansiewdor Nonglang, who is on an indefinite hunger strike at Malki Ground, VPP leader and JHADC opposition MDC Awhai Andrew Shullai said available records indicate the involvement of an external construction company in the Umiam tourism project. Shullai clarified that while there is no direct allegation against the Chief Minister, the government’s strong defence of the project raises concerns about possible undisclosed developments. He criticised the lack of prope...

Education Minister of Meghalaya Lahkmen Rymbui urged the Centre to include Khasi and Garo languages in the Central Board of Secondary Education language options, particularly under the three-language formula. In a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rymbui highlighted that a large number of students in CBSE-affiliated schools across Meghalaya belong to tribal communities where Khasi and Garo are widely spoken and form the foundation of early learning and daily communication. For many children, these languages are their primary medium of understanding and expression. He noted that Khasi and Garo, recently recognized as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English, are not currently included under the CBSE’s R1, R2, or R3 language categories. This creates challenges ...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma met members of the A’chik Literary Society in Tura on Friday to apprise them of the Government’s decision to include Khasi and Garo as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English.Sharing details of the decision, the Chief Minister stated the move marks a historic step towards recognising and promoting the linguistic heritage of the State.He noted that while a resolution had earlier been passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly seeking inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, there was a need to send a strong message—both to the people of the State and the Government of India—on the importance of promoting local languages at all levels.“For many years, there has been a demand from the people to include the K...

Amid the ongoing controversy over the proposed Taj Umiam Luxury Resort & Spa project, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the government is ready to bring out a white paper to address public concerns. Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said the government is open to placing all details of the project in the public domain. He reiterated that the main concern raised by protesters—regarding construction on Lumpongdeng Island—has already been clarified. He stated that no construction will take place on Lumpongdeng Island and that the proposed five-star hotel will instead be developed at the existing Orchid Hotel site near Umiam. According to him, this position has been clear from the beginning and has been repeated multiple times. On the ongoing protests, includ...

A four-lane road connecting Polo with New Shillong and upcoming Secretariat is among several road projects being undertaken by the state government, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday. Discussions with landowners and stakeholders of the road are almost complete with only few issues left to finalize, he said.  “There are multiple roads that are being constructed as we speak,” he told reporters after a cabinet meeting. The four-lane road would be built from the CRPF camp at Polo and pass through some forest areas, including Mylliem Forest Reserve, all the way to Mawpat and to the Secretariat, he said. The Chief Minister said extensive consultations have been held across agencies and with private landowners. Multiple discussions have been held at multiple agency level and indivi...

In a decisive move to modernize urban sanitation, the Meghalaya Cabinet has officially approved the creation of the Greater Shillong Waste Management Agency. This dedicated body is designed to overhaul the currently fragmented systems governing waste collection and disposal across the state’s expanding capital. As Shillong faces the mounting pressures of rapid urbanization, this initiative represents a strategic shift toward a more coordinated and efficient environmental management system. Currently, waste management in Shillong is handled by a patchwork of different agencies and local authorities, leading to uneven service delivery and logistical gaps. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma explained that the decision was necessitated by the city's fast-paced growth. He noted that the existi...

The Green Tech Foundation (GTF) on Thursday demanded that the state government withdraw the FIR filed against its leaders and cancel the agreement signed over the proposed project at Lumpongdeng before its chairman agrees to seek medical treatment. Addressing the media, GTF General Secretary Retre Lyngdoh said the government had booked the organisation's leaders under three charges, including allegedly obstructing officials from carrying out their duties, causing disturbance to the public and unlawful assembly at the protest site. Lyngdoh, however, rejected the allegations and said the leaders had not violated any law. He maintained that only two to three members of the organisation had gone to the site that day, in full respect of the law. He said the organisation has conveyed a c...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has welcomed the Women's Reservation Bill as a vital step towards better democratic representation, predicting gains for the state in Parliament after delimitation. The Centre introduced three bills in Lok Sabha on April 16 to amend the women's quota law and establish a delimitation commission. Sangma described the Bill as a "very welcome step" that meets a long-standing demand. "This is something which should have been done a long time back, but we must give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this bold decision," said Sangma, leader of the matrilineal state where women hold significant social roles. He highlighted low female participation in Parliament and state assemblies, arguing the Bill would bridge this gap. "This will be a ver...