Politics / Meghalaya

GUWAHATI, April 18: Tension prevails in the Mankachar sub-division of Dhubri district following heavy exchange of fire between Bangladesh Rifles and Border Security Force personnel for more than eleven hours, in which at least 10 civilians were injured. Official sources said that the Bangladesh Rifles personnel started unprovoked firing at the Kakripara border outpost in Mankachar sub-division at around 4 am this morning, following which, the BSF personal also returned the fire. Sources said that according to information available here, the Bangladesh Rifles personnel even used mortars and one...

SHILLONG, April 17: Tension ran high along the Indo-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya when Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) resorted to indiscriminate firing at Pyrdiwah camp of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Dawki sector of EastKhasi Hills district in the wee hours of Monday, official sources said today, reports PTI. BSF sources said here that they immediately retaliated and there was no report of any casualities or injuries on either side. The officiating commandant of the 155 battalion of the BSF rushed to the border and lodged a formal complaint with their BDR counterpart which was followed up by...

SHILLONG, April 6: The Meghalaya government has requested the Centre to complete fencing of the 423-km long international boundary as the fence has been of great help in checking illegal influx of Bangladeshis into the hill state, state Chief Minister E K Mawlong has said. The Union Government has intimated to the state government that fencing of an additional stretch of 201 km on the border will be completed by 2007 leaving only a stretch of 44 km to be fenced. During 2001-2002, the Government of India has projected an amount of Rs 32 crore for the border road and border fencing along the...

SHILLONG, April 3: The Meghalaya Government has requested the Centre to complete the entire fencing on the 423-km-long international boundary as the fence has been of great help in checking of illegal influx of Bangladeshis into the hill State, State Chief Minister EK Mawlong said today. The Union Government has intimated to the state government that fencing on an additional stretch of 201 km on the border will be completed by 2007 leaving only a stretch of 44 km to be fenced, he told the State Assembly. Asked about the steps taken for checking infiltration of foreigners into the State...

SHILLONG, April 2: Bowing to Opposition pressures, Meghalaya Chief Minister E K Mawlong today assured the Assembly to probe the alleged corruption charges against the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Nimarson Momin. As soon as the state Assembly assembled today, several Opposition members were on their feet- waving copies of a local Khasi newspaper, to raise a point of order. The Speaker E D Marak told them to do so after the question hour. But when the Opposition members wanted to raise the point of order at the conclusion of the question hour, the Speaker denied them permission saying rules...

SHILLONG, March 26: Meghalaya has launched a Rs 20-crore scheme to set up seven new development blocks in the State with a view to speed up the development process in the backward and remote areas. Inaugurating the first of the seven blocks at Jirang about 113 kms from here on March 25, State Chief Minister EK Mawlong informed that 71 villages having a population of 20,000 would stand to gain from this newly set up block. Urging the people to cooperate with the government for making the block a success, he said: "All the people and the leaders of the region should work together for the...

TURA, March 24: A Garo militant group known as the People's Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLF-M), has given an order warning all non-Garos not to contest the State Assembly and district council elections slated for 2003. The order given by the outfit's "minister for information and publicity" Chengku Momin, stated that the Garos would face a number of problems if the non-Garos contested and won elections. The outfit is of the impression that the non-Garos would utilise the maximum benefits for themselves if they won the elections and this in turn, would push the Garo Hills into a situation...

SHILLONG, March 20: Meghalaya Home Minister THT Rangad on March 19 said the monthly stipend of Rs 2000 for the surrendered militants in the State was not adequate, report Agencies. Rangad, who is also incharge of police, said the State government could not commit itself to giving more than the stipulated amount. Replying to a question raised by K C Boro and Sujit Sangma, both from the Congress, during the ongoing Budget session at the State Central Library here, the Home Minister said: "I feel the amount is quite low. It is a central package, but right now we cannot give any commitment of...

SHILLONG, March 19: Former Meghalaya Chief Minister BB Lyngdoh has said the present EK Mawlong government should act without fear in tackling insurgency, reports UNI. Terming as a group of thieves the outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Lyngdoh, the Chairman of State Development Reforms Commission, categorically ruled out the idea of having any talk. He reiterated that it should not be the government business to invite a gang of criminals for discussion, who were making money through extortion and killing innocent civilians. Talking to UNI here the veteran leader, who was...

SHILLONG, March 11: Meghalaya, home to three matrilineal tribes - the Khasi, Garo and the Jaintia - is as unwilling as any of its neighbouring "patriarchal" states to give its women the benefit of 33 per cent seat reservation in all the decision-making bodies. "Blanket reservation will do more harm than good , both for the women's uplift as well as to the political processes," Chief Minister E. K. Mawlong told The Telegraph when asked to comment on this much-debated issue. The Chief Minister reasoned that for reservations of this sort to succeed there should be enough qualified women to fill...