2
Home Ministry
VOL. XXVI NO. 120! RNI REGD. NO. 40948/90
AMEF calls
bandh against
killing of chief
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
TURA, MAY 5: The Achik
Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF)
today called a bandh on
May 12 in protest against
the “fake encounter” of
their chief Jack Marak by
security forces last Saturday.
In a press release issued by its publicity secretary, Kuwatsrang Matgrik, the outfit said it would
“fight harder” with for the
(cause of) Garoland.
“We condemn the killing
of our C-in-C. It is a loss
for the people of Garo
Hills, especially the poor
who were helped by him.
He was a patriot and
fought for the rights of Garos and Garoland,” said
Matgrik.
“To honour the memory
of Jack Marak, we call for
a dawn to dusk bandh (5
AM to 5 PM) on May 12.
Essential services, including
pharmacies,
emergency services and
ambulances will however
be out of the purview of the
bandh,” the release said.
The AMEF alleged that
Marak was shot in the leg
during the operation and
was later shot and killed
after being taunted.
The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to
had alleged that he was
killed in “cold blood”.
The AMEF, an offshoot of
GNLA, further accused
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and home minister
Roshan Warjri of using
draconian laws to kill Garo
people.
Threatening the security
forces of ambush, the
AMEF said, “We have
enough cadres and weapons and will not be deterred by the killing (of
Jack Marak).”
7 KSU men
held for beating
workers
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, MAY 5: Seven
members of the Khasi
Students’ Union (KSU)
were arrested for their alleged involvement in assaulting labourers at
Mawlai Mawroh in the city
recently.
Police initially arrested
one of the accused, and
the rest following their surrender at the police station, East Khasi Hills District SP M Kharkrang said
here.
They were arrested on
the basis of an FIR was
lodged by one Evan Sawian of Mawlai Mawroh informing that on May 1, at
about 10-11 am, some local boys came in a Maruti
car to her residence and
assaulted her workers
claiming that they are ‘foreigners’.
“Mawlai PS took up the
case and during investigation it was ascertained
that they were KSU members,” the SP said.
He informed that one of
the KSU members, Disvalenty Pohthmi (21) of
Mawlai Mawroh, Dongktieh (Contd. on P-3)
SHILLONG ! WEDNESDAY ! MAY 6, 2015
11 'McCullum has set
Horse-trading
begins as UK poll
enters final...
high standards with
his aggressive...'
Online edition: http://mg.glpublications.in
Total Pages: 12 Rs. 5.00
KHADC to shut uranium ‘mining’
" ‘Company, clan violated order of Ardent-led Council’
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, MAY 5: The Khasi Hills
Autonomous District Council
(KHADC) today decided to close
down the alleged ‘illegal’ uranium
drilling operation by a company in
South West Khasi Hills region.
The decision was taken after the
company, Maheswari Mining Private
Limited (MMPL), has allegedly misled the KHADC while submitting an
application seeking renewal of a licence 2013-2014.
“We will immediately close down
the uranium drilling/mining operation of the MCPL as it is totally illegal from the fact that it has misled
the district council,” EM in-charge
Trade Latiplang Kharkongor told
news persons here.
He informed, in the application
submitted by the company for renewal of its licence, it had pointed
that it required the permission for
drilling in Wahkut and Porkut under
Nongjri area and the land agreement with the Nongtynger clan besides an NOC from the Syiem of
Nongstoin.
“However, on a recent inspection
to the operation site by the enforcement wing of the district council, it
was found that the drilling activities
by the company was carried in an
Weikut under Kulang area, about 9
km away from Wahkut,” Kharkongor
said. He said that the company has
also produced before the enforcement official a new land agreement
it had made with the Nongbri clan.
“This is highly illegal as the operation was conducted on an area in
which the district council has never
issued any permission or licence,”
the EM said while informing that the
closure will be effective from tomorrow.
According to him, the district council had issued the renewal licence
for 2013-2014 to Maheswari Mining
following an order issued by the
High Court after the company filed a
petition against the cancellation of
its licence in 2012.
On the reason behind the cancellation, Kharkongor said, “In 2011, the
company was given 60 days time to
produce its proper documents but
due to failure to do so, closure notice was issued in 2012, and subsequently the licence was also cancelled in the same year.”
Stating that Maheswari Mining had
got the license for operation of civil,
mining and drilling since 2009 during the EC led by Congress, the EM
said, “Ironically, the licence was issued in 2009 to the company with-
out any documents.”
It was also alleged that the licence
which was issued without documents was during the tenure of
Lambor Malniang as the EM in
charge Trade.
According to him, the license issued in 2009 has also allowed the
company to operate in areas under
East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills
and Ri-Bhoi district.
The company again approached
the district council for renewal of licence in 2010-2011, 2011-2012, he
said adding but in the midst of several complaints received from
NGOs, political parties, Dorbar
Shnongs, the district council decided to ask the company to provide
the proper documents, which it
failed. But it was only 2013, the company after moving to the court, was
able to produce documents and licence was issued.
Informing that a similar application
for renewal was also submitted by
the company for 2014-2015,
Kharkongor however said, “The
ARPA Executive Committee led by
Ardent M Basaiawmoit had decided
to reject the application through an
order.”
Moreover, the company has also
refused to take the enforcement of-
Council chief threatens
to fast unto death
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, MAY 5: KHADC chief Adelbert
Nongrum today threatened to stage a
‘fast unto death’ if the state government
failed to pass the KHAD (Village Administration) Bill, 2014 within ten days.
“I will be left with no other option but to
law down my life by staging a fast unto
death programme for which the state
government will
be solely and
wholly responsible,” Nongrum
said in a letter submitted to the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma here on Tuesday.
Serving a ten-day deadline, the KHADC
Chief Executive Member (CEM) demanded of the state government to immediately pass the Village Administration Bill
and get assent of the Governor at the
earliest.
The KHADC and all traditional bodies
of Khasi-Jaintia region have been demanding passage to the draft Bill, which
the government had rejected saying it
violates provisions of the Constitution by
proposing to prevent non-Khasis residing in the villages.
Referring to the High Court order on
December 10 last year, which derecognised the “powers” of Rangbah Shnong,
Nongrum said, “These past few weeks
have been very difficult, trying and testing times for me, not as an individual,
but as a democratically elected representative of the people.”
“The ruling has affected the traditional
institutions and
their heads to a
great extent,” he
said.
The Council’s chief further demanded
the of government not to legislate laws
concerning the ‘Rangbah Shnongs’ or
headmen since this is a subject of the
district council.
“Any attempt to come up with such law
can and will be seen as an attempt to
demean and usurp the constitutional
rights of the District Council,” Nongrum
said.
Meanwhile, Nongrum also said, “The
government is also demanded to immediately put on hold the voter enrollment
drive in the state till the Village Administration Bill is passed.”
Village Admin Bill
CPI hails
beef party,
flays BJP
Columns of earth allegedly containing uranium ores kept in the open near the
drilling site at Weikut-Kulang area in South West Khasi HIlls district cause public
concern about possible radiation. Guardian photo
ficials of the district council to the boreholes where the drilling was taking place
during the inspection conducted recently, he said.
Meanwhile, the KHADC also decided
to summon the Nongbri clan and also
the Syiem of Hima Nongstoin for issu-
ing of the land agreement and NOC without the consent of the district council.
“We will summon the Syiem as well as
clan to ensure that no land agreement
and NOC should be executed without the
knowledge of the district council,”
Kharkongor said.
'Frame law to define
headmen’s role'
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, MAY 5: The
Communist Party of India
(CPI) today appealed to
the people of North East
region to fight against the
BJP’s cultural-terrorism
policy even as it asked the
Centre to utilize the identified waste-land for Industrial purposes.
“We appeal to people of
NE to fight against the policy of cultural terrorism by
the BJP,” CPI national
general secretary S
Sudhakar Reddy told
newsmen here while announcing that his party is
going to launch an agitational programme on May
14.
Reddy said the agitation
which is expected to be
participated by over 3 lakh
people from across the
country, will also be
against the policies
adopted by the BJP including the new Land Acquisition Act.
(Contd. on P-3)
SHILLONG, MAY 5: The
HSPDP today demanded
of the state government to
come up with a law which
will deal with the role of
headmen and passing of
the KHAD (Village Administration) Bill.
“We demand that a law
which will deal with the
role of headmen and the
powers of the village Durbars be enacted immediately without further delay,”
HSPDP vice-president Ardent M Basaiawmoit said
in a letter to the Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on
Tuesday.
He said, “The govt
should also approve the
Village Administration Bill
passed by the KHADC recently to serve as an immediate remedy to the
problem,” adding “This
will further improve the
functioning of the village
Durbars and also restore
back the powers of the
Headmen and the village
Durbars which originally
emanates from age-old
customs and practices.”
The party has also demanded for immediate
suspension all official activities that attract the role
of the Headmen and its
Durbar — issuing of birth
certificates, issuing of
schedule tribe certificates,
electoral enumeration,
opening of bank account,
bank loan, or any govt’s
scheme, etc pending legislation on the matter.
“We also suggest to the
State govt that in order to
expedite the process of
formulating a state law in
this regard, the govt can
simply make a replica of
the Village administration
bill of the KHADC,” Basaiawmoit said.
Further, the party also
expressed its concern on
the notification issued by
the govt recently in connection with the extension
of areas under the jurisdiction (Contd. on P-3)
HSPDP for
talks with
HNLC
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
SHILLONG, MAY 5: The
Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) today
asked the state government to review its alleged
decision not to engage in
talks with the proscribed
Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
“We strongly urge upon
the govt to review its decision, and reach out to
them (HNLC) in order to
have a lasting peace in
our State,” HSPDP vicepresident Ardent M Basaiawmoit said in a letter to
the Chief Minister Mukul
Sangma here on Tuesday.
The Central government
had earlier asked the
state government not to
initiate dialogue with any
outfit which are engaged
in anti-national activities
like boycotting on national days.
Bassaiwmoit said the
government decision not
to engage with the HNLC
in spite (Contd. on P-3)
Megh Health Insurance Phase-II deal signed
" ‘MHIS-II to cover a broad variety of diseases with greater financial cover’
GUARDIAN NEWS BUREAU
TODAY’S EDITORIAL
Big-bang theory
of reforms
CITY WEATHER
Yesterday’s Recording
Temperature Humidity
Max 26.9 C Morning 71%
Min 15.5 C
Evening 71%
Rainfall
Nil
10
plan to give full
9No
statehood to Delhi:
Sensex falls 50
points on
profit-booking
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and health minister A.L. Hek during signing of the
agreement for Megha Health Insurance Scheme Phase-II with New Indian Insurance Company, in the city, on Tuesday. Guardian photo
SHILLONG, MAY 5: The Government
of Meghalaya today signed an
agreement with New India Assurance Company Ltd, a general insurance company, to roll out the phase2 of the Megha Health Insurance
Scheme (MHIS-2) to provide a comprehensive and universal health insurance cover to the entire population of the state.
“This is an enhanced version of
the MHIS-I scheme that was
launched in 2012 and became one
of the first successfully implemented universal social health insurance schemes in India,” an official
statement said.
The agreement was signed here
between MR Synrem, CEO, Megha
Health Insurance Scheme and Secretary, Department of Health and
Family Welfare and L Buam, Sr. Divisional Manager, New India Assurance Company Ltd, in the presence
of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma,
health minister AL Hek and parliamentary secretaries Sengnam Marak and Cherak Momin.
“I am happy to launch the enhanced scheme with broader coverage with the intent to lighten the
burden of the families affected by
unforeseen hospitalization and
medical treatments. This is in continuation of our commitment to fulfill the promises made to our beloved people to provide access to
quality health care services,” said
the Chief Minister.
“MHIS-2 will cover a broad variety
of diseases including high impact
preventive and outpatient services
to women and children and also
provide greater financial cover to
families to cover expensive and
long-term medical expenses from
chronic and life style diseases,”
said M.R. Synrem.
New India Assurance Company
was selected as the insurer after a
competitive bidding process where
10 of the leading health insurance
companies of India submitted bids,
the statement said, adding a joint
IFC and World Bank team was the
lead technical and transaction advisor to the health department and the
MHIS State nodal agency for RSBY.
MHIS-II is stated to be a ground
breaking initiative of the state government that has been designed in
convergence mode with the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).
While the RSBY provides Rs
30,000 cover to only BPL families,
MHIS provides enhanced coverage
up to Rs 2 lakh to all the families of
the state besides a top-up for BPL
families under RSBY, the statement
asserted.
“Residents of Meghalaya will now
be able to avail a comprehensive
spectrum of health services including super specialty treatment, advanced diagnostics, comprehensive outpatient services for pregnant
women and... (Contd. on P-3)