Hill State Movement = New State
The year began with a milestone for Meghalaya as the state turned 50. The year was 1972.
Emerging from the chaos of the time, Meghalaya was born on January 21, with Shillong as capital of the new state. Two districts were carved out of (formerly undivided) Assam – the united Khasi and Jaintia Hills and the Garo Hills. Though the festive cheer was in the air, there were those who commented we need new roads because they have also turned 50, and in need of urgent repair. Others held the view that celebrations should also reflect on the years of corruption in the state.
Road to Peace!
A quote by Mother Teresa says, “Peace begins with a smile.”
Perhaps, the proscribed outfit, Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) is ready to smile.
Second month into 2022 and the state government received a letter from HNLC, expressing readiness to hold peace talks with the Centre. Chief minister Conrad K Sangma expressed hope as tripartite peace talks are on.
The outfit appointed president of Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF), Sadon K Blah, as its interlocutor in the talks; he expressed confidence this will mark the beginning of a new era of peace in Meghalaya.
Spring Resolutions!
Come March and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Conrad K Sangma and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma to resolve the border dispute issue in six out of 12 “areas of difference” in the presence of Home Minister, Amit Shah in New Delhi.
The walk towards resolution began in July 2021, culminating in the signing of the document. Now talks are under way to resolve the remaining areas of difference.
Not everyone was happy. Vocal among them was Mukul Sangma, the leader of opposition and TMC Meghalaya, who wants to see it revoked. The Meghalaya High Court ordered a stay on the issue, following a plea by tribal chiefs – the latter has claimed that the MoU violated the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Awarded for brilliant service…
Launched by the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, JP Nadda, the Kayakalp Award Scheme seeks to recognise efforts towards public health facilities.
The Tura Civil Hospital, West Garo Hills, was recently conferred this award, including an eco-friendly award. The prize money consisted a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh and a commendation prize money of Rs 30 lakh (eco-friendly award).
No wonder then that with that prize money, coupled with the 24-hour service 365 days a year, all the mosquitoes are having a tough time.
Out in the Streets!
Real life problems led to protests, keeping our Minister of Education, Lahkmen Rymbui, on his toes.
Be it the Federation of All School Teachers of Meghalaya (FASToM) demanding salary hike and annual increment of ad-hoc teachers. Or the Meghalaya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan School Association (MSSASA) taking the government head on where the non-payment of their salaries for a period of five months, was concerned.
Even the youths were not behind. The Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) held a peaceful protest march over the issue of pending pre and post matric scholarships.
The Dome Falls!
The dome collapse of the still-in-construction Meghalaya Legislative building at Mawdiangdiang kept building in news, sparking a ‘could-have/would-have’ been an iconic building for our state between different groups of people.
It crashed in the wee hours of Mat 22. There was no loss of lives, but it meant that the workforce would have to toil hard to rebuild.
While the blame-game between political parties began, the logical explanation pointed to flawed design.
The Indian Institute of Technology – Guwahati (fashionably, IIT-G) sought one month to submit its report on the dome collapse, and termed the weight of the dome as the culprit, according to its probe report.
“What’s in a Name?”
Everything! It can “shape your personality” (attributed to superstition) or make you a laughing stock.
Something similar happened to I Love You Talang, who murdered Damehipaia Papeng. He also attacked a guard with a knife, while escaping with a criminal gang from the Jowai district jail.
The tragedy multiplied when people spoke (and laughed) about his name, rather than his crime.
He met a gory end…lynched by an angry mob at Shangpung.
“Wake Me Up When September Ends”
Come first week of September, folks of Shillong were woken up to the news of the first passenger ropeway project in Meghalaya, to be operational from Shillong Peak and Lawsohtun, as part of the Meghalaya Ropeway Bill, 2022. A whopping 140-crore has been sanctioned for the Shillong Peak ropeway, making it the first passenger ropeway in Meghalaya.The bill was introduced during the autumn session of the state assembly, which further outlined the role of the Meghalaya Ropeway Development Authority (MRDA), under the Department of Tourism.
This could tighten the noose on the traffic issue and our roads can breathe again!
It’s Awards Season!
Move over Filmfare! Meghalaya bagged the ‘Best Performing State’ in the implementation of the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme, along with states like Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat (ahem!)
Union Health Minister, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, reiterated the objective of the scheme, i.e., provision of free access to health insurance coverage for low-income earners, including an amount to support families seeking treatment in both public and private hospitals.
Our state also bagged second position as part of the Functionality Assessment of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) under Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The award was given by President Droupadi Murmu, commemorating the Swachh Bharat Diwas, on October 2.
Mahatma Gandhi must have smiled in a long time!
Not the ‘Waah Taj’ Ad!
Ever wondered about silence in chaos? That too, for 30 years?
This was what people of Shillong were talking about when the Taj Vivanta was finally inaugurated. Erstwhile Hotel Crowborough, which could never open its doors, was located here in the middle of Khyndailad, a picture of desolate space of many stories.
For the elite of the city, this is a welcome change, as they live in their bubble and whisper amongst themselves, “Finally, it has been built!”
FESTIVAL TIME!
The global lockdown meant all festivals were on hold. 2022 ushered in a fresh start.
The Tri Hills Ensemble aimed to celebrate the culture and roots of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes, with focus on preservation and promotion of culture amongst the youths. From traditional music and folklore to black clay pottery, it caught the attention of one and all. The life-size statues of three warriors, U Tirot Sing, U Kiang Nangbah and Pa Togan Nengminza, were unveiled at the State Central Library.
The third edition of Hills Festival along the banks of the Umiam got everyone excited. From interesting musical line-ups to local cuisine, it was the talk of the town.
People take Note!
In the age of social media, does it make sense to attack people in the streets?
This is exactly the question people were asking when FKJGP “peacefully” attacked people in the streets, as their rally to protest against unemployment in the state turned violent. Masked miscreants assaulted the public at different places in the city.
Shopkeepers closed their shops, while the general public ran for safety.
Yet Another Tragedy!
The joy of witnessing the cherry blossoms bloom cannot be captured in words.
Who knew we would see another blood-stained tragedy!
Along the Meghalaya-Assam border lies a small village, Mukroh. Here, a violent clash resulted in the loss of six lives – five villagers from Meghalaya and one forest guard from Assam.
Assam forest guards had given chase and stopped a truck loaded with alleged smuggled timber at the village and took away its three occupants. Villagers later entered into a spat with a team of Assam police personnel which led to the latter opening fire on them.
While both state governments condemned the incident, Conrad K Sangma went on to say that this will affect the future course of resolving the ongoing border talks with Assam.
Assam, on its part, ordered a judicial probe into the incident, as tension soared in the border area.
Keeping this in mind, the Meghalaya government cancelled festivals scheduled at the time, amidst an internet shutdown for an indefinite period, until restored.