WATER METERS FOR SHILLONG RESIDENTS

Households in Meghalaya’s State capital Shillong would have water meters installed once the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) Phase-III is completed this year by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department.

Under the scheme, all households would be able to draw water and their bills would be calculated based on the water they consume. The total population in the State capital, to be covered under the project, is estimated to be 5.12 lakh. This, experts say would help minimize wastage of water.

The use of water meters was mooted by AusAid in 2004-05 when the organizations carried out various projects in the State and suggested the implementation of water meters to minimize wastage and augment the Government coffers.

Under the AUSAID’s pilot project, 150 water meters were installed in Jail road in the State capital during the same period and based on the feedb

ack from the pilot project the decisions to have water meters was roughly formulated.

“Water meters would be installed in all the households that would be covered under the GSWSS phase-III and the billing and other formalities would be done accordingly by the PHE once the project is completed,” PW Ingty, Principal Secretary, PHE, said.

 However the project, funded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission at a cost of Rs 193 crore, has witnessed undue delays and missed several completion deadlines. Ingty said that according to the PHE, 62 per cent work on the project has been completed so far, but in some areas here there have been problems for laying of water pipes.

 

“In Mawlai and parts of Jaiaw there has been problems in obtaining permission for laying of the pipes, these issues are being sorted out,” he said. After the completion of the project the supply of water would be 135 litre per day per capita, officials said. 

India-Bangladesh headed towards new exciting beginning: Bangladesh envoy

Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Tariq A Karim today said that India and Bangladesh are headed towards a “new and exciting” beginning in their bilateral ties.

Addressing a press meet after meeting Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma here, Karim said that a slew of new initiatives in trade and commerce to other mutual bilateral exchanges have been set in motion and these would take the two neighbouring countries closer.

Amongst the new policies is the proposed construction of the National Highway 127B that would connect the two countries right from north Bengal to Chittagong port. The highway would begin from North Bengal touch Bhutan-Dhubri (Assam)-Dalu-Narayanganj (Meghalaya, Garo Hills) and move into Bangladesh and eventually culminate Chittagong port.

Moreover, the Shillong-Sylhet-Dhaka bus service is in its final stages of being approved. Karim said that talks on starting the bus service began some years back and the service would soon be implemented.

 

There is also a talk to open more border haats between the two countries. Currently, two border haats, each in Tripura and Meghalaya, are doing trade successfully with their respective Bangladesh counterparts.

There are proposals to open similar border haats along the International border. The Bangladesh High Commissioner said that Meghalaya has proposed setting up 22 new border haats and added these would be opened in stages and based on the success of the new haats similar haats would be opened throughout the International border.

To develop the communication system further, talks are also on to re start the inland waterway service between the two countries. Karim said these waterways were important routes for trade and commerce before partition.

In this connection, he added that air service between the northeast and Bangladesh would get a fillip after Bangladesh Biman agreed to fly twice a week between Guwahati and Dhaka from July this year.

“Initially, Bangladesh Biman would be operating two ATRS during this service and then there is plan to operate 727 aircrafts,” he added.

Karim further said that Bangladesh is seeking to retrieve the mortal remains of “Bangladesh war heroes” who were buried in India. He said the initiative would have “huge emotional” and help building stronger ties between the people of the two nations.

He said that a Joint foreign Secretary-level meeting that is slated to be held between the two countries in the next few months and would hammer out new policy frameworks on some of these issues.

“We are trying to re-discover and re-connect to our historical ties, although history and colonial legacy intervened. Despite this, we are headed towards a new beginning,” the Bangladesh High Commissioner stated. 

SPECIAL FORCE 10 MEGHALAYA

These would be men and women not on “Her Majesty’s” but, “Meghalaya’s service,” and unlike James Bond, would be answerable to people in protecting their days and nights from rioters, communal elements and insurgents.

For all the James Bond fans, introducing Meghalaya’s very own Special Force - the Special Force 10. The force is for real and would be raised by the State Government after the Cabinet gave its approval yesterday and it would consist of ten battle-hardened companies, including a women’s. The total strength of the special force would be 1795.

“We have decided to raise the Special Force 10 (SF-10),” State Home Minister Roshan Warjri announced after the decision to raise the special force. Now, the State Government would tweak the Meghalaya Police Act so that the formal process of recruitment of men and women for SF-10 could begin.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that the State needed a special force of its own, as time and again reliance on the centre for paramilitary forces for internal security, has been fraught with uncertainties. He justified: “maintaining internal security is the duty of the state government, since law and order is the responsibility of the state Government.”

The training of the SF-10 would be undertaken by “experts from outside the state.” The commandos and the officers would all undergo the training so that they are ready to multi-task when it comes to handling internal security scenario. That would mean jumping from a counter-insurgency operation to a “control the riots” scenario.

It is likely that the SF-10 would undergo intensive training under the National Security Guards (NSG) or MARCOS, India’s Marine Commandos. Para Commandos, NSG and MARCOS are highly trained to deal with crisis situations and are amongst the top special forces of the world.

Special Forces around the world are revered for the special operations they undertaken under worst case scenarios mainly in rescue operations. The heroics of the NSG and MARCOS are etched in the collective memory of Indians during the rescue operations of Mumbai Terror attack in 2011 and Akshardham terror attack.

In Meghalaya, the Garo Hills situation is slowly but surely spiraling out of hand and coupled with situations like last year’s agitation called by NGOs and its violent fall-out, the Government’s work is cut out on  internal security management and so the SF-10.

PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE'S COMPLETE SPEECH ON EVE OF REPUBLIC DAY CELEBRATIONS

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO THE NATION

ON THE EVE OF THE REPUBLIC DAY 2014

My Fellow Citizens:

On the eve of 65^th Republic Day, I extend warm greetings to all of you in India and abroad. I convey my special greetings to members of our Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces and Internal Security Forces.

2.         The Republic Day commands the respect of every Indian. On this day, sixty four years ago, in a remarkable display of idealism and courage, we the people of India gave to ourselves a sovereign democratic republic to secure all its citizens justice, liberty and equality. We undertook to promote among all citizens fraternity, the dignity of the individual and the unity of the nation. These ideals became the lodestar of the modern Indian State. Democracy became our most precious guide towards peace and regeneration from the swamp of poverty created by centuries of colonial rule. From within the spacious provisions of our Constitution, India has grown into a beautiful, vibrant, and sometimes noisy democracy. For us, the democracy is not a gift, but the fundamental right of every citizen; for those in power democracy is a sacred trust. Those who violate this trust commit sacrilege against the nation.

3.         Some cynics may scoff at our commitment to democracy but our democracy has never been betrayed by the people; its fault-lines, where they exist, are the handiwork of those who have made power a gateway to greed. We do feel angry, and rightly so, when we see democratic institutions being weakened by complacency and incompetence. If we hear sometimes an anthem of despair from the street, it is because people feel that a sacred trust is being violated.

Fellow Citizens:

4.         Corruption is a cancer that erodes democracy, and weakens the foundations of our state. If Indians are enraged, it is because they are witnessing corruption and waste of national resources. If governments do not remove these flaws, voters will remove governments.

5.         Equally dangerous is the rise of hypocrisy in public life.  Elections do not give any person the licence to flirt with illusions. Those who seek the trust of voters must promise only what is possible. Government is not a charity shop. Populist anarchy cannot be a substitute for governance. False promises lead to disillusionment, which gives birth to rage, and that rage has one legitimate target: those in power.

6.         This rage will abate only when governments deliver what they were elected to deliver:  social and economic progress, not at a snail's pace, but with the speed of a racehorse. The aspirational young Indian will not forgive a betrayal of her future. Those in office must eliminate the trust deficit between them and the people. Those in politics should understand that every election comes with a warning sign: perform, or perish.

7.         I am not a cynic because I know that democracy has this marvellous ability to self-correct. It is the physician that heals itself, and 2014 must become a year of healing after the fractured and contentious politics of the last few years.

My Fellow Citizens:

8.         The last decade witnessed the emergence of India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The slowdown of our economy in the last two years can be some cause for concern but none for despair. The green shoots of revival are already visible. The agricultural growth in the first half of this year has touched 3.6 per cent and rural economy is buoyant.

9.         2014 is a precipice moment in our history. We must re-discover that sense of national purpose and patriotism, which lifts the nation above and across the abyss; and back on to the road of prosperity. Give the young jobs and they will raise the villages and cities to 21^st century standards. Give them a chance and you will marvel at the India they can create.

10.       This chance will not come if India does not get a stable government. This year, we will witness the 16^th General Election to our Lok Sabha. A fractured government, hostage to whimsical opportunists, is always an unhappy eventuality. In 2014, it could be catastrophic. Each one of us is a voter; each one of us has a deep responsibility; we cannot let India down. It is time for introspection and action.

11.       India is not just a geography: it is also a history of ideas,
philosophy, intellect, industrial genius, craft, innovation,
and experience. The promise of India has sometimes been mislaid by misfortune; at other times by our own complacence and weakness. Destiny has given us another opportunity to recover what we have lost; we will have no one to blame but ourselves if we falter.

Fellow Citizens:

12.       A democratic nation is always involved in argument with itself. This is welcome, for we solve problems through discussion and consent, not force. But healthy differences of opinion must not lead to an unhealthy strife within our polity. Passions are rising over whether we should have smaller states to extend equitable development to all parts of a state. A debate is legitimate but it should conform to democratic norms. The politics of divide and rule has extracted a heavy price on our subcontinent. If we do not work together, nothing ever will work.

13.       India must find its own solutions to its problems. We must be open to all knowledge; to do otherwise would be to condemn our nation to the misery of a stagnant mire. But we should not indulge in the easy option of mindless imitation, for that can lead us to a garden of weeds. India has the intellectual prowess, the human resource and financial capital to shape a glorious future. We possess a dynamic civil society with an innovative mindset. Our people, whether in villages or cities, share a vibrant, unique consciousness and culture. Our finest assets are human.

Fellow Citizens:

14.       Education has been an inseparable part of the Indian experience. I am not talking only of the ancient institutions of excellence like Takshashila or Nalanda, but of an age as recent as the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Today, our higher educational infrastructure consists of over 650 universities and 33,000 colleges. The quality of education has to be the focus of our attention now. We can be world leaders in education, if only we discover the will and leadership to take us to that pinnacle. Education is no longer just the privilege of the elite, but a universal right. It is the seed of a nation’s destiny. We must usher in an education revolution that becomes a launching pad for the national resurgence.

15.       I am being neither immodest, nor beating a false drum, when I claim that India can become an example to the world. Because, the human mind flourishes best when it is, as the great sage Rabindranath Tagore said, free from fear; when it has the liberty to roam into spheres unknown; in search of wisdom; and when the people have the fundamental right to propose as well as oppose.

My Fellow Citizens:

16.       There will be a new government before I speak to you again on the eve of our Independence Day. Who wins the coming election is less important than the fact that whosoever wins must have an undiluted commitment to stability, honesty, and the development of India. Our problems will not disappear overnight. We live in a turbulent part of the world where factors of instability have grown in the recent past. Communal forces and terrorists will still seek to destabilize the harmony of our people and the integrity of our state but they will never win. Our security and armed forces, backed by the steel of popular support, have proved that they can crush an enemy within; with as much felicity as they guard our frontiers. Mavericks who question the integrity of our armed services are irresponsible and should find no place in public life.

17.       India's true strength lies in her Republic; in the courage of her commitment, the sagacity of her Constitution, and the patriotism of her people. 1950 saw the birth of our Republic. I am sure that 2014 will be the year of resurgence.

Jai Hind!

COAL MINING, NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL RAPS MEGHALAYA GOVERNMENT

The Meghalaya Government received a rap over the knuckles from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) here today which said it “can’t wash its hand off” from finding out the fate of 15 coal miners gone missing in a 2012 coal mine accident, stating:  “The fate of human beings cannot be that of a cattle.”

Not just the State Government, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was also pulled up by the Tribunal for not being able to find out about the fate of the coal miners.

Expressing shock, the tribunal during its hearing at the Meghalaya High Court, ordered the Assistant Commandant, Officer in-charge of NDRF to complete the search of the missing coal miners and submit its final report during the next hearing, which has been fixed on April 4.

“If the labourers were there and they could not escape, their Skelton should be there in the mine” and these should be taken out, the tribunal, consisting of Justice, Melath Sasidharan Nambiar as the judicial member and Ranjan Chaterjee as the executive member, ordered. It stated: “The truth must come out,” while directing both the State Government and the NDRF to submit its final report before April 4 on the mishap and the missing miners.

The incident dates back to 2014 when 30 coal miners were trapped inside a rat-hole mine in South Garo Hills after water gushed into the mine. 15 miners escaped, but the fate of the other 15 is still unknown.

The Meghalaya High Court filed a sou moto petition “Threat to life arising out of coal mining in South Garo Hills” on the incident, which was subsequently transferred to the NGT.

Meanwhile, the tribunal also ordered the mine contractor to furnish all the details of its mining activities and the miners with “names and details of their residences” engaged during 2012. The tribunal said that these details should be furnished before the tribunal and “any violation would be seriously viewed warranting stringent action.”

In the meantime the tribunal ordered the Meghalaya Government that the names of six miners, which it has in its possession, must be given wide circulation through newspaper advertisement in Assam, as they belonged to Assam’s Dhubri district.

“If the said labourers are alive, they themselves or if they are not alive, their dependents may appear,” the tribunal said.

The Tribunal further said that the Amicus Curie of the Meghalaya High Court (who was absent today during the hearing) be present during the next hearing and in the event of her inability, the tribunal said a new amicus curie should be appointed.

Apart from the State Government coal manager and owner, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Directorate General of Mines Safety and Ministry of Coal are the other respondents in the case.

SUPREME COURT DIRECTS COMMISSION TO FIND MUKUL'S ST STATUS

The Supreme Court has directed the National Commission for  SC/ST to decide on the ST status of Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma within eight weeks.

Disposing off two petitions, which questioned Sangma’s Schedule Tribe (ST) status, a Division bench consisting of Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice MY Eqbal ordered the Commission to give its verdict within the stipulated time.

The petitioners included Tennydard M Marak and All North East Indigenous Garo Law Promoters’ Association (ANEIGLPA), who raised objection to Sangma’s ST status.

The petitioner, Marak raised similar objection through a Public Interest Litigation against Sangma’s ST status in the Meghalaya High Court. A Division bench of the High Court consisting of Justice TNK Singh and Justice S.R. Sen dismissed the PIL as "non-maintainable" last year.

Marak had filed the PIL alleging that Sangma had fraudulently obtained the Scheduled Tribe certificate by "misrepresentation and suppressing the material facts".

The petitioner argued that since the Garos are a matrilineal society and lineages are taken from the mother’s side, Mukul Sangma cannot be a Garo ST, since his late mother was Roshanara Begum, a non Garo.

After the High Court verdict, Marak approached the Supreme court . A similar petition was filed by  ANEIGLPA. 

MIGRATORY COLOURS

MIGRATORY COLOURS - RAJU DAS

 

I am a Foreigner.

With a tattered sail as my Flag.

I present the migratory colours

Of the Baul’s song.

It isn’t the same

As retold endlessly,

The song has drifted, always and forever

But the love has changed meaning.

I now ride on wails of an elegy,

Of my big family.

Shivering on those epileptic strings

 Of the seized notes of an Ektara.

I smuggled in dreams,

Wrapped in Dhaka Jamdani.

Each was snared on these barbed nights

And throbs for the last minuet.

I also have a disheveled memory,

Parted in blood.

That struggles to reach across  

 With this raw pot.

  

There are also these small kicks of history,

Pregnant once again for consideration.

Searching for luck, on our mother's breast.

If history is a bastard, fix responsibility…

Till such time, the Lotus will meditate

In these stale waters of freedom,

Chanting: “Treat me as a king!”

Or better still, as a human being.

1947

1947 – RAJU DAS

The menu of prospects was cooked

On the plate, the hors d Oeuvre

However, the nibbling worms inside notorious godowns,

Could not wait.

At the stroke of midnight, they ran riot in the nerves and veins

Spilling acidic bile and burnt the courses.

With more hungry waves, the identities and speeches were charred.

These were later peddled democratically, through a Government scheme.

Those who refused to indulge in this feast are in this camp, tight and cold.

While winter drilled on its heel, keeping us all alert.

We turned right, left, forward and about

And saluted the same Goddamn thing.

Some said it was a metaphor of Idi Amin’s appetite.

Others called it a parade,

A competition for points and plaques.

As our lifetime eluded us in staggering lunch time queues

-           Other times in anticipation,

We were reminded there is nothing, nothing whatsoever for coming in last in hierarchy

There is only fish bones stuck into troubled existence.

"MUKUL COMMON CHAIRMAN OF MILITANT GROUPS IN MEGHALAYA": PURNO SANGMA

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Sangma  dropped a bombshell, charging Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma of the ruling Congress party

of being the man behind militant organizations in Meghalaya and called him “the common chairman” of these groups.

In a press conference convened at the National People’s Party (NPP) office here, Purno, who is the NPP president, said: “who is the chairman of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), Achik National Volunteer’s Council (ANVC) and ANVC-B (breakaway faction)? Mukul (Sangma) is the common chairman of all these militant groups.”

Purno’s charge against the Meghalaya Chief Minister assumes significance because the “political secretary” of the ANVC-B, Ajaju R Marak in a statement to the local media recently accused Mukul of maintaining a close relationship with militant groups to further his political career.

Marak claimed that the Meghalaya Chief Minster sought the help of Rimpu Marak, chairman of the ANVC-B, to quell rebellion within the Congress who tried to upstage him from the CM’s chair last year and also attack his detractors.

Immediately, the opposition demanded that a CBI probe into the serious allegations and the United Democratic Party said that it would meet the President, Prime Minister and the Home Minister and demand their intervention on the issue.

Purno also demanded a CBI inquiry or a probe by the NIA and also added that the party would meet the Prime Minister, Home Minister and leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to “put on record the serious nature of the allegations” against the Chief Minister.

The Meghalaya Chief Minister, in the meanwhile, called a press conference and rubbished the allegation and said that “vested interest” groups were working against him to tarnish his image, but nonetheless admitted that some politicians do maintain links with militant organization in the State and the matter is being probed.

“Criminalization and corruption are the two worst enemies of Indian democracy and the country is therefore debating on electoral reform, but in Meghalaya it’s shameful that the Chief Minister himself is involved with militant groups,” Purno said.

 

He further accused that because of the Chief Minister’s closeness with militant organizations the law and order situation in Garo Hills has deteriorated. “The Home ministry in its report has said that the law and order situation in Garo Hills is one of the worst in the country and the Chief Minister is responsible for it by maintaining links with militant organizations.”

Purno further lashed out at the Chief Minister for extending the tenure of the Garo Hill Autonomous District Council (GHADC) by six months after succumbing to the pressure of a militant organization, the ANVC. “The Government of Meghalaya has lost its independent authority and surrendered to militants,” he added.

The State Government has extended the tenure of the GHADC to see through a tripartite peace pact signed between the ANVC, state and central government last year. 

ALL SAINT'S CATHEDRAL A PILGRIMS PROGRESS

One of the heritage and most attractive buildings of Meghalaya, the All Saint’s Cathedral has been a “pilgrim” from 1877 “like a fine-drawn note from a one-stringed lute,” as Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore eulogized about the Church in one of his poems.

And yes, neither could the earthquake of 1897 nor the “blazing Sun” of the years gone by could stop the cathedral, affiliated to the Diocese of North East India, from celebrating the centenary year from tomorrow.

Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore in his poem “To the Bishop of Assam” in 1922 likened the Church as a “pilgrim” whose journey through the years has been one of salvation for the many of its 50,000 odd followers.

“Built in 1877, the church was razed to the ground in the earthquake of 1897 and was rebuilt and opened for service in 1915 and H Pakenham Walsh was its first Bishop,” Bishop Presely Lyngdoh said after informing about the centenary celebrations.

He said that Rev. Walsh and Tagore were close friends and often met, but during one of his visits they could not meet and so Tagore wrote the poems for the church as “compensation,” Lyngdoh said while proudly handing out copies of the poem to journalists.

“This poem was written to Rev. Walsh and delivered to Rev. CF Andrews. The poet probably tried to make up for his inability to meet Rev. Walsh then,” the Bishop said.

The Church is a fine example of the Elizabethan era as the one of the British engineers Evandel has demonstrated through his superb modeling of the church during the rebuilding process.

It is entirely built out of Teak wood brought from Burma (Myanmar.) The tinted glasses were brought from England. The church has also preserved the original Font and the Bible from 1877, which were salvaged from the wreckage of the Earthquake, Purely Lyngdoh, Vicar of the Church said.

Not just that the All Saint’s Church also has in its compound one of the “oldest and tallest Christmas trees” of the State. The tree is as old as the Church and was planted when the church was built. The majestic Deodar tree stands besides the Church and each year before Christmas is decorated with lights and is one of the attractions of the State.

Bishop Lyngdoh said that during the centenary celebrations, in which delegation from all over the country would participate, more trees would be planted so that they would give company to the Deodar and the Church for many more centuries.

Here is Rabindranath Tagore’s poem dedicated for the All Saint’s Church written in February 20, 1922 from Shantiniketan titled: “To the Bishop in Assam.”

Pilgrim, the night of the weary old year is ended

The blazing Sun brings on you path

The call of the Destroyer,

The fiery scourge for the pollutions of the past.

A thin line of distance stretches along the road

Like a fine-drawn note from a one-stringed lute

Of a beggar seeking his way he has lost.

Let the grey dust of the road be like your nurse:

May she take you up in her arms,

Lead you away from the clasp of clinging reluctance!

Not for you is the music of your home,

The light of the evening lamp

The wistful gaze of the lover keeping watch.

You have ever claimed the boon of life

Which is not in pleasure nor in peace or comfort,

Therefore the time has come for your rejection at every door,

Never fear Pilgrim!

Turn not away from the terror of Truth,

Or the dark Phantom of the unreal:

Accept your final gift from Him

Who takes away everything.