Meghalaya

The Meghalaya High Court on Monday sought a detailed report from the state government on the roadmap for expansion of the runway at Shillong Airport. Hearing a PIL, the division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh directed the government to file an affidavit in this regard. Advocate General A Kumar, representing the State, requested time to file an affidavit explaining how the runway expansion will be undertaken. Allowing the request, the Court asked the State to file the affidavit before the next hearing. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is ready to grant execution-level clearance after the state approvals to the proposal. Joint Director, DGCA, B Bhushan, who appeared via video conferencing, told the Court th...

Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Meghalaya and demands for a free and fair list, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has assured that not a single Indian will be left out of the electoral roll. Responding to a query from The Shillong Times during an informal discussion in New Delhi on measures to prevent Bangladeshi citizens from entering the rolls—especially given Meghalaya’s open border with Bangladesh—the CEC said, “I guarantee that not even a single Indian would be left out of the electoral roll.” However, Kumar declined to reveal the specific measures being taken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep non-citizens out. Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh. While a major portion is fenced, the state has long been u...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on July 18 launched the state's first block-level CM CONNECT Centre at Sohiong, alongside announcing and inaugurating development projects worth more than ₹140 crore across sectors including tourism, roads, water supply, agriculture and community infrastructure. The launch formed part of the CM CONNECT Block Level Community Interaction Programme, which brought together residents and government officials to discuss local issues and review development initiatives. In a departure from the usual practice, the Chief Minister invited retired 1st Assam Regiment personnel Pyntngenlang Nongrang to inaugurate the CM CONNECT Centre. Sangma then registered the first public grievance at the newly opened facility, which has been set up to enable residents ...

Meghalaya’s impressive run in international karate continued with two athletes winning medals at the10th Cadet, Junior, U-21 and Senior South Asian Karate Championship 2026 held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. According to the All Meghalaya Karate-Do Association (AMKA), Daniel Dabiangbha Warjri clinched thegold medal in the Boys’ Junior Individual Kumite (-68kg) category, while Gideon Tympuin secured thebronze medal in the Men’s U-21 Individual Kata event. The championship concluded on Sunday. Congratulating the medal winners, AMKA said the achievement reflects Meghalaya’s consistentexcellence in regional, national and international karate competitions. Both athletes qualified for the South Asian Championship following their outstanding performances atnational-level events earlier this yea...

Meghalaya has secured the top position among Northeastern and hilly regions in the regulatory ease category of NITI Aayog’s first-ever Investment Friendliness Index (IFI). The state achieved a score of 8.5 out of 10 under the Regulatory Ease pillar, highlighting its investor-friendly policy environment and efficient regulatory processes. According to the report, Nagaland and Tripura followed Meghalaya with scores of 8.2 each, while Himachal Pradesh secured 7.9 points. Assam and Uttarakhand shared the next position with a score of 7.7. The Regulatory Ease pillar evaluates how state-level regulations impact investment decisions by assessing factors such as transparency, predictability, compliance requirements and investors’ experience with government processes. The assessment includes...

The crucial Shillong-Dawki Road project has faced significant delays following strict limits placed on the movement of heavy vehicles, an official implementing the project confirmed. The restrictions were enforced after a massive chunk of the highway near Laitlyngkot collapsed last month, triggered by heavy monsoon rains and water rushing down the nearby hillside that severely weakened the earth supporting the road. This collapse has severely hampered construction progress, particularly in 'Package 5'—an 8-kilometer stretch extending from Umsyiem to Tamabil located beyond the damaged zone. To keep traffic moving, authorities established an alternate temporary diversion routing light motor vehicles through Umthli, Iew Mawiong, and Nongthymmai. However, because this diversion road passes...

A total of 1,658 candidates from Meghalaya have qualified in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026, according to state-wise data released by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The state had 4,183 registered candidates, of whom 3,425 appeared for the examination. The number of successful candidates was 23 lower than last year, when 1,681 candidates qualified. Bakhambok Anthony Thabah emerged as the Meghalaya topper, securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 14,455 with a 99.26791 percentile. A male candidate from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, Thabah was the highest-ranked candidate from the state in this year’s examination. Nationally, 11,21,185 candidates qualified the medical entrance examination out of 19,99,895 who appeared. A total of 22,79,743 candidates h...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said the state government will pass a resolution opposing uranium mining, and stated that it has never approved such activity in the state.The announcement comes amid renewed speculation over the possibility of uranium extraction in Meghalaya.Responding to speculations on uranium mining in Meghalaya, Sangma said the proposed resolution would reaffirm the government's clear and consistent stand against uranium mining."The Meghalaya government has never approved uranium mining. To remove any ambiguity and reaffirm our position, the government will pass a resolution formally opposing and banning uranium mining in the state," the chief minister said in a statement.Sangma said the resolution is intended to address public concerns over the potential ...

A meeting between Meghalaya and Assam to discuss border issues is likely to be held soon, Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said on Wednesday. Dhar said he had spoken to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during Behdienkhlam and urged him to convene the meeting at the earliest. “I told him (Sarma), Sir, since you have already formed the Regional Committee from your side, as soon as the committee is full-fledged, let us sit for a meeting. He said okay the meeting will be called soon,” Dhar told reporters. Dhar also met a delegation from Lapangap in West Jaintia Hills. He assured them that most of their concerns have been addressed. The Deputy CM said farming activities in the area are continuing without any hindrance. “Farming is going on. There are no problems. ...