User Rating:  / 0

 1^st...Arding Nongkhlaw Football Tournament concluded

To commemorate the 15^th Death Anniversary of Late Bah Arding Nongkhlaw, the Open to all football tournament was organised by the children and grand children of Lt.Bah Arding Nongkhlaw, who was the Ex Headman of Lumpymgad Locality. The 1^st Arding Nongkhlaw football tournament saw the participants of 25 teams from in  and around the city.

The final  tournament was between Madanryting and Nongthymmai in which Madanryting emerged as victorious by 3 to 2. The match was witnessed by the residents of Lumpyngad Locality and the adjacent locality and Nongthymmai MDC and Executive Members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Mr. Latiplang Kharkongor.

The games began with Madanryting pressuring the defence of Nongthymmai through attacking football and opened their account with a controversial goal by Pynioh in the 12 minutes. Wankyrshan double the lead in the 29 minutes with a stunning shot from outside after the opponent stopper sloppy pass was intercept. They continued to dominate the game and their result came in  38^th minutes with a goal from Hebroman. Until the first half, the game looked one-sided with Madanryting having more possession.

The secondly half saw Nongthymmai eagerly trying to open their score sheets by maintaining their ball possession and attacking their opponent defences. They got their first goal in the 64 minutes by Banskhemlang. Banskhem doubled his score sheets in  78 minutes by chipping through the rushing opponents’ stopper.

User Rating:  / 0

 LAST ROUND OF POLL

Meghalaya   is  all  set  for  poll  contest   of  the  remaining  two  seats,  Williamnagar and  Ampathi   in   the   sixty  seat  assembly.   Political   parties   have already started gearing poll campaign.  Elections  were  not  held  at  Williamnagar  as  the  National  Congress  Party  candidate  Jonathone  Sangma    was  killed  in  a  bomb  blast.   The  party  has  however  decided    to  set  up Jonathone’s  wife  Krinilla  Marak  to  contest.  Already Krinilla is receiving sympathy support from the electorate. The  Ampathi  seat  was  won  by  the  Chief  Minister  Mukul  Sangma,  who  also  won  from  the  Songsak  constituency. He  has  however  decided   not  to  contest  the  Ampathi  seat,  leaving   it to  his  daughter.   The  date  for  Williamnagar  has  already  been  announced  on  April  27,  whether  the  sitting  member  Deborah  Marak  of  the  Congress  would  be   able  to  retain  the  Williamnagar  seat,   remains  to   be   a  big  question  mark.  

User Rating:  / 0

THREE IN ONE 

Chief  Minister  Conrad  Sangma  recent  visit  to  the  national  capital,  met  three  Union  Ministers  at  one  go   in  a  business-like  fashion.   Firstly,  the  Union  Minister  for  Development  of  North  Eastern  Region,  Jitendra  Singh  for  setting  up  a  high-end  food  processing  park,  including  a  fully  funded  scheme  in  the  creation  of   infrastructure  in  social  sector    like  primary  and  secondary    education    and  health. Discussions with Union Minister of state for Tourism K.J. Alphons  was  centered  around   Tourism,  taking  advantage  of   the  tourism  potential  the  state  already  has..  With  drinking  water  difficulties  in  rural  areas,  Chief  minister  met  Union  Minister  for Rural  Development  and   Panchayati  Raj ,  Narendra  Singh  Tomar  for  easing  the  situation  by  construction  of  check-dams  and  tapping  water  resources  like  water  harvesting.   Chief  Minister  had  assured  that  the  present  Government  want  to  implement  all  central  schemes   in  right  earnest  and  ensure  monitoring  and    accountability.

User Rating:  / 0

SPIRITUAL FESTIVAL  

Springtime  has  brought  about  a  refreshing  air  and  showers,  where  nature  itself  is  welcoming   the season.   Sweet  scented  flowers  and  varied  plants   are  sprouting  and  blooming,  beneath  the  sky  blue  with  patches  of  white  clouds   floating   away.  It  is  in  this  happy  scene,  that  people  also  join  in  welcoming  springtime.   In  the  Ri  Hynñiewtrep  of  Eastern  Meghalaya,   the  hills  and  dales  reverberate with  the  sound  of  music   of  drums  and  the  piped  “Tangmuri”,  being  the  queen  of  Khasi   musical  instruments.  Youth  and   virgin  maidens  in their  ceremonial  attire  of  gold  and  silver  jewellery  and  silk  crowd  in  the  dancing  arena  of  the  happy  soul dance  known  as  the  “Shad  Suk  Mynsiem”.   Flags  of  the  Seng  Khasi  flutter  across  the  land,  the  main  venue  being  in  capital  Shillong   for  three  continuous  days  from April  7  to  9.   It  is  not  only  a  display  of   culture  but  also  a  spiritual  significance  of  thanks  giving  to  the  Divine  Creator.  The  sanctity  of  the  festival  is  reflected  in  the  presence  of  only  virgin  maidens   dancers .  The  silver  crown  they  wear  signify  the   honour  and  dignity  of  women hood protected  by  male  dancers  flashing  their  swords  and   whips.  

User Rating:  / 0

BORDER LOGGER-HEAD

 There is still no  prospect  in  resolving  the  border  issue  between  the  two  neighboring  states  of  Meghalaya  and  Assam,  as  the  two  states  are  sticking  to  their  own  political  maps.  Therefore    there  is  no  way  to  implement  the  give  and  take  policy.  Meghalaya had already prepared the political map in the year 1979-80. Yet the twelve areas of differences remain the same.  There   have  been  meeting  after  meetings  in  all  level,  right  from  the  Chief  Ministers  level and  the  Deputy  Commissioners  districts. Meghalaya however should  build  up  various  strategies  in  strengthening  the  grass  root  level  administration  of  the  Hima  or  Khasi  states  in  those  areas   where  the  states  include  territories   extending  to  Assam.  The  Dorbar  Shnong  of  villages  in  these    areas,  should  be  encouraged  to  function  according  to  the  traditional  administrative  norms  in  which  the  village  Dorbar  should  maintain  links  with  their  respective  Hima.

User Rating:  / 0

TRADE WITH NEIGHBOUR

Trade  relations  of  the  border  areas,  specially  with  present  Bangladesh  have  existed  from  time   immemorial.    Since  the  creation  of  East  Pakistan,  trade  relations  have  considerably  dwindled.   Barter  system  is  mainly  used  in  the  trading  of  agricultural  goods,  mainly  fruits,  rice  grain,  fish.  The  economic  condition  of  the  people  along  both  sides  of  the  border  was  also  stable.  With  the  emergence  of  Bangladesh,   border  trade  started  picking  up  again,  as  the  two  neighbouring  countries  benefitted.   Presently  the  Meghalaya  Government  said  that  it  was  committed  to  further   strengthen  trade  relations   for  restoring  economic and  commerce  relationship.  The  State  Government    had  already  handed  22  acres  of  land  at  Dawki-Tamabil   to  the  Land  Port  Authority  of  India,  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs,  Management  Division   for  establishment  of  integrated  check   post.   During  the  period  of  pre-independence,   trading  activities  are  carried  out  before  sunset  and  nobody  are  allowed  to  reside  in  the  market  areas.

User Rating:  / 1

 COAL A SOCIAL ISSUE 

Nature  has  gifted  the  state,  coal  reserve.,  generating  a  revenue    of  52.77  crore  including extracted  coal,  as  divulged  in  the  present   Budget  Session.  However,  it  has  become  a  social  issue  since  the  National  Green  tribunal  has  banned  mining  of  the  mineral  because  of  the  manner  in  rat-hole  mining  which  is  injurious  to  the  environment.    As  most  of  the  miners  are  affected,  people  have  turned  back  to  agricultural  activities,  like  growing  of  vegetables  and  oranges.  Presently  tomatoes  are  being  marketed  to  different  parts  of  the  state,  including  Silchar  in  Assam.    Coal had also become an issue during the election.  Mining has made many areas falling under the ecologically   fragile zone.  The  State  Government  have  already  resolved  to  lift  the  coal  mining  and  that  provision  be  made in  the  Meghalaya  Mines  and  Mining  Policy  2012,  ensuring  the  safeguarding  of  the  environment  and  the  interests  of  miners.  The  answer  however  is  for  judicious  mining to  ensure  the  interest  of  the  future  generation  of  their  share  of  the  coal  wealth  of  the  state. 

User Rating:  / 0

ALL SET FOR NATIONAL GAMES

It  would  be  a  tremendous  task    holding  for  the  first  time,  the  National  Games   2022  in  Shillong.  Seventeen  new  stadiums  have  to  be  constructed  and  also  two  games  villages  at   an  initial  cost  of  rupees  2,000 crores.   The  State Government  has  been  asked  to  complete  all  infrastructural  requirements  by  2001.  A  close  rapport  has  therefore  been taken  with  other  national  bodies  like  the  Indian  Olympic  Association.   It  also  need  the  close  cooperation  of  land  owners,  as  the  State  Government  do  not  have  enough  land  owned  by  the  state.  Land  matters  has  always  been  the  problem  in  the  state,  as  paying  for  compensation  take  years  to  complete.   Land  for  construction  of  each  Game  Village  is  100  acres,   for   mini  game  village    50  acres,  while  ten  acres  for  each  seventeen   stadiums.   Even  in  normal  conditions,  many  of  the  stadiums  in  the   state  are  not  completed  for  years  together  and  the  works  have  also  been  abandoned,  like  the  Kurkalang  stadium  in  Bhoilymbong Ri  Bhoi for  more  than  three  decades.