Matrilineal Meghalaya slams Andhra cop remark

SHILLONG: There is outrage in matrilineal Meghalaya over a sexist comment made by Andhra Pradesh police chief V Dinesh Reddy that it was the dress a woman wears which determines how safe they are.

"We are surprised over the statement of Andhra director general of police, who mentioned that women are the main cause of rape because of the way they dress," a statement issued by the Civil Society Women's Organization (CSWO) here said.

"What about minors? Three-year-olds and 5-year-olds, what about them?" the CSWO asked in an apparent reference to rampant rapes of minor girls. Agnes Kharshiing of CSWO said, "He (Andhra DGP) is covering up for the laziness of cops entrusted with investigation and their connivance with the perpetrators to make money."

She added, "Most rape cases do not get convictions due to faulty investigation. There are cases where even medical reports are tampered with to help the accused." The CSWO said the statement of Andhra DGP only shows that his force is against women and with the perpetrators.

"We expect the National Commission for Women to take note of this statement, which encourages rape," the CSWO added. Andhra Pradesh DGP V Dinesh Reddy on Friday said one of the factors responsible was modern women's preference for fashionable dresses like salwar kameezes.

"Rapes and murders are not strictly under the control of police. People are turning out to be more fashionable nowadays. Even in villages, they are wearing salwar kameezes. All these lead to provocations and this cannot be under the control of police," the DGP said evoking strong condemnation throughout the country.

Shillong partakes of the food of love on Boxing Day

SHILLONG: It's Boxing Day and besides opening boxes full of Christmas gifts it's time for grand feasts in the predominantly Christian-inhabited Meghalaya.

The Feast of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is observed on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. Alms boxes are placed in every church on Christmas Day, in which worshippers drop gifts for the poor of the parish; these boxes are opened on Boxing Day.

Churches of various denominations in the city are organizing community feasts, which would continue up to the New Year's Eve. "Christmas is a time for sharing your blessings and caring for people cutting across barriers of community and religion. It is a time to spread the message of love and peace among all and what better way to do so than to organize community feasts," says a church elder.

Popular as 'Bam Khana Krismas' in local parlance, these community feasts are occasions of merrymaking and rejoicing, with people from all walks of life and socio-economic classes sharing food prepared in a common kitchen.

Dotted with churches and chapels, the 'Scotland of East' is agog with festivity this time of the year with street corners and households illuminated with fairy lights.

Meanwhile, with state government offices remaining closed for Christmas and New Year, Pine City these days is also a city of leisure with people draped in warm woolens mostly having fun with family and friends indoors to beat the sharp winter chill.

While offices are scheduled to reopen in the first week of January, schools, colleges and other educational institutions would begin reopening from mid-February after a long winter vacation.

Take Shelter: Inheritance, Surveillance and Being Normal

by Katie Featherstone, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Cardiff University

Inheritance (of land, fortune, title) and inheritance of madness is a common plot device and this film gives a contemporary take on this story. The key themes I want to discuss are inheritance and surveillance, but also the competing versions of being ‘normal’ presented and challenged throughout the film.

Inheritance and Surveillance

The risk of inheritance of major mental illness and the silent surveillance of Curtis by the couples friends, their family and their wider community and importantly by Curtis himself, runs through the film. I am a sociologist of medicine, and I am particularly interested in how people make sense of genetic illness and risk. My detailed ethnographic study Risky Relations: Family and kinship in the era of new genetics (2006) examines the ways in which individuals and families respond to having a genetic risk, and the ways in which they disclose this risk of disease to other family members. Genetic conditions lead to alertness and monitoring in various ways and in this monograph we identify processes of ‘mutual surveillance’ among family members:

• Older family members observe the next generation in order to try to detect early signs of the condition ‘coming out’ in them.
• Similarly, if they are aware of the familial nature of the condition, members of the younger generation survey their older relatives, in order to try to assess their own possible fate.

Importantly, they all search for patterns to assess how the condition affects their own particular family, the onset and early signs of the condition and how it manifests and progresses within their family.

From the aftermath of his first dream Curtis surveys himself for the signs of the onset of the mental illness that affected his mother at a similar age (30’s). Every time his wife, closest friend and brother ask ‘Are you OK?’ he gives no indication of his underlying anxiety, but tries to cope and manage on his own, seeing his GP and counselor in secret. In response, his wife, their friends and community silently watch him. Even his GP when he discloses what to him is possibly his most embarrassing symptom (bed wetting), just asks ‘have you seen your mother recently?’ No one mentions the possible diagnosis that is clearly in all their minds (onset of mental illness) and they all watch and worry in silence.

It is also typical that family members worry about onset at a similar age- he has reached the same age as his mother developed her mental illness. Beliefs about who is ‘at risk’ within the family often follow social rather than biological patterns of transmission. The assessments of clinical professionals are often assimilated into the broader systems of belief and practice that form the context of ideas about kinship and inheritance. In one of the final scenes, the psychiatrist tells Curtis he needs to ‘commit to treatment’ and to enter a treatment facility, this mirrors both the onset of his mothers condition, but also her fate: following onset and diagnosis she was hospitalised and became institutionalised for the rest of her life. For me, this seems to tap into Curtis’s deepest fears.

We do not need genetic science to provide us with a general sense of biological relatedness or to tell us that risk of disease can be transmitted through families (for example, Haemophilia and the royal families of Europe) or that there are strong cultural beliefs that traits such as talents and aspects of personality are inherited. In the film, these more general beliefs about inheritance are played out during the play date, where the women discuss the fate of the tiny baby with them: he is destined to be just like his father- drinking beer and going to bars every night. My own work examines Mendelian genetic conditions, however, work has yet to be done to examine the ways in which individuals and families make sense of more complex multi-factoral conditions such as the major mental illness, that have more complex patterns of familial risk.

The wonderful ambiguity throughout this film means that we always question whether Curtis is experiencing the onset of mental illness or is it something else? Is he a prophet? or is he expressing a deep anxiety about being abandoned? We find out that his father (who brought him up) has recently died and his mother abandoned him in a car when he was a child. The shelter may be a way of shoring up his world, he repeatedly states throughout the film that he won’t leave his wife or daughter.

Being Normal

Reality is contested through the film. The first scene is a very Norman Rockwell scene of Curtis standing in his yard with the picket fence and pick-up truck. As his friend says, he has the ‘perfect life’ in the context of this blue collar Mid-Western world. It is ‘normal’ but only one version of it. But it is also an apple pie fantasy of a small town world. However, as he starts to get ill, he is seen as stepping out of line and the clear message from the community is that he does not fit in.

In return, he also imposes a world on them. This is the God fearing bible belt of America and we see this in his father-in-law’s damning statement that Curits does not attend church. But Curtis in turn, also imposes another world on them; he becomes a prophet warning them of Armageddon.

For me, the most powerful scene is the oyster bake, which encapsulates so many of the key themes. The family are trying to function as normal, as the wife puts it she wants them to have a normal family night out. But as they sit down to enjoy the meal, all the eyes of the community are on them - silent surveillance of him – and importantly they sit apart. His best friend confronts him and makes it clear he no longer belongs there. They fight and no one intervenes and as he is covered in food the community keeps silent whilst he accuses them of believing he is mentally ill. Then the tone changes dramatically - his speech turns into a sermon warning of Armageddon and of fire and brimstone, dispensed from the pulpit. The community who are still silently watching him from their seats become more akin to a scared flock- his language now holds a resonance for this God fearing community and they look scared. Curtis turns to his wife who looks at him not in fear, but in horror at what is happening to them. The three of them (Curtis, his wife and daughter) hold each other and leave this silent ever-watching audience and their isolation from the community becomes very clear.

I love the ambiguous ending. In the final scene they are having the holiday at the beach house that the wife has saved for and fantasized about throughout the film. Yet even here the family are alone and isolated: the house looks the same, the routines are the same: she cooks in a similar kitchen and he plays with their daughter on the beach instead of the backyard. No one else can be seen. For the first time others see the storm coming- the daughter (who sees it first) and his wife. Is he a prophet, a modern Noah who’s vision saves his family, is this another dream or has his psychosis spread to Folie a deux for this family now isolated, shunned and set adrift by their community.

References

Featherstone K, Atkinson P, Bharadwaj A, Clarke AJ. (2006) Risky Relations: Family and kinship in the era of new genetics. Oxford: Berg.

Christmas celebrated with fervour in Meghalaya

Shillong, Dec 26 (IANS) Christians in Meghalaya Sunday celebrated Christmas with fervour and spirit, exchanging greetings and gifts with friends and relatives.
Bishops and pastors led services and delivered sermons in various cathedrals and churches of different Christian denominations in the capital, Shillong.
Archbishop of Shillong Archdiocese, Reverend Dominic Jala presided the midnight Christmas mass at the Mary Help of Christian Cathedral here.
In his sermon, Jala appealed to people to uphold the ideals of universal love and brotherhood.
All churches, missionary schools and institutions were also decorated with colourful buntings and lights.
Exchange of greetings and gifts, visits to relatives, games and sports among children and community feasts marked celebrations across the state where over 80% of the population is Christian.
Leaders of various political parties have greeted the people on the occasion of Christmas.
Meghalaya Governor R S Mooshahary said that the spirit of Christmas brings peace, happiness and joy to every home.

What's sucking Meghalaya's famed oranges dry

Shillong, Dec 24 : They have in the past been certified as the "best, sweet and juicy oranges" by Central horticulture authorities. But the famed Khasi Mandarin oranges of Meghalaya are under threat from pests and outside varieties of the fruit.

Khasi Mandarin is grown on the southern slopes of Wahkhen Mawphu and Nongsteng villages, among others, in the sub-division of Sohra, previously known as Cherrapunji, in the East Khasi Hills district.

"But fruit sucking moths (Othresis fullonica) are destroying oranges and making cultivation economically unviable," said Herman Sanlyngdoh, an orange farmer from Nongsteng. Other farmers echoed similar concern. "We need government help to save our orchards," urged another grower of the citrus fruit from Sohra.

Meghalaya produces 40,000 tonnes of oranges annually, about five percent of the country's total.

Meghalaya Horticulture Director CO Rangad said Khasi Mandarin and other variety of oranges being grown in various parts of Meghalaya were under attack by two types of pests. "One insect known as aphid destroys the orange leaves and another insect known as shot border attacks the stem of the orange tree," he said.

Also most worrying is the use by farmers of orange saplings from outside Meghalaya, he said. "This is a worrying trend. Our farmers should realise that the mixture of saplings from within the State and from outside is a major threat to the identity of our own variety," Rangad said.

Orange growers were tempted to buy saplings from places outside Meghalaya because of lower price as compared to the good quality saplings being supplied by the Meghalaya horticulture department. "Our homegrown sapling is priced Rs 7.50 but the price of one sapling from outside is between Rs 1-3 and that's why our farmers are buying orange saplings from outside, causing a major threat to the identity of our own Khasi Mandarin oranges," said the government horticulturist.

On government steps being taken to ensure that farmers bought Khasi Mandarin saplings, Rangad said the 13th Finance Commission recently awarded Rs.30 crore for Meghalaya to set up two planting material hubs for different types of horticultural saplings, including oranges - one in East Khasi Hills and another in East Garo Hills district.

"Out of Rs 30 crore, Rs 5 crore will be utilised for orange saplings since the government did not want to encourage orange growers in the state to buy saplings from outside," Rangad added.

The government is also advising orange growers to follow the latest growing methods in order to prevent attacks by insects. "We have asked the farmers to strictly follow the pest control and other sustainable ways, besides supplying sufficient manure to increase the productivity of the orchards. Most of them did not follow the scientific methods which prevent the orange trees from attack by insects," Rangad said.

Meghalaya to produce electricity from garbage

SHILLONG, Dec 23 – The Meghalaya Government has embarked on a hi-tech waste management project to clean up its cities and turn garbage and wastes to productive use as a spin-off.

An Expression of Interest floated by the government recently for such a pilot project here has had as many as seven Indian and International companies participating. The list was later pruned to three. Shillong city has been selected to host the pilot project.

Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, who had visited the plant sites of two such hi-tech waste management plants in Pune, shortlisted by the government, said she intended to inspect the third site in Bangalore early next year.

“What impressed me and my officers the most is the fact that both the plants generate electricity using shredded plastic and other wastes. They also produce organic fertilisers. This could be implemented here on a PPP mode,” Lyngdoh said.

Apart from generating electricity, the plants would also create direct and indirect employment for the youth, she said.

In Pune, she said, at least 80 entrepreneurs had been employed in the project. Besides, rag-pickers have also been engaged in collecting wastes for the plants, the Minister said.

The Shillong Municipal Board has to deal with 170 metric tonnes of household wastes on a daily basis. At present, the dumping site at Marten in the city suffers from a lack of space. It caters to a population of 3,14,610 (2011 census) and has been in operation since the 1930s.

“With these amount of wastes,” Lyngdoh pointed out, “the proposed plant could produce about 16 MW of electricity and the plant runs on its own power.”

Explaining how the system works, Lyngdoh said, “The plant first segregates dry garbage from wet. The wet garbage is collected by the municipality and dumped in the manure bin while the rag-pickers collect the dry garbage. Fertiliser is made from the wet garbage.”

Dry garbage includes plastic bags, papers, cans and boxes and can be collected by rag-pickers and wet garbage includes vegetable wastes, fruits and flowers.

Wet garbage is decomposed using worms EM solutions and eventually converted to manure, she points out. “Interestingly, the whole process does not emit any toxic gas into the atmosphere,” she said.

“Once the government makes up its mind to select one among the three companies, a proposal will be sent to the Government of India for funding,” Lyngdoh explained.

The project cost is estimated at around Rs 70-100 crore and it takes 12-15 months to install machinery, she said.

11 drown in Meghalaya

Shillong : Eleven coal miners were drowned and five others critically injured when a truck in which they were travelling fell into a river in Meghalaya, police said Thursday.
The incident took place Wednesday evening when the truck rammed into the railing of the 140-metre Jadukata bridge across the Ranikor river in West Khasi Hills district, near the Bangladesh border.
The miners were on their way home to spend Christmas with their families.
The dead included the truck driver, Muthu Ramachandran, the police chief of West Khasi Hills, told IANS.

Khasi orange threatened by imported saplings

Shillong, Dec 22 : The identity of Meghalaya’s Khasi Mandarin, also locally known as Sohniamtra Khasi, is under threat due to the import of orange saplings from outside the state.

Khasi Mandarin, a variety of orange from Wahkhen village and the famous orange grown in remote Mawphu and Nongsteng villages under Sohra in East Khasi Hill district, was few years ago certified by the Union Ministry of Horticulture as the best in India and is considered to be even better than the Nagpur orange.

Orange grown in the southern belt of Khasi Hills such as Mawphu, Nongsteng are of good quality and because of that they are juicy, sweet and tasty.

'' We came to know that orange growers in Meghalaya, mostly those from Ri-Bhoi district have been buying orange saplings from outside the state without realising the danger posed by such saplings to the identity of our own variety,'' horticulture director Dr C O Rangad told reporters today on the sidelines of the Orange Festival held at Sohra.

Dr Rangad said, the orange growers were tempted to buy saplings from other places outside Meghalaya because of lesser price compared to good quality saplings being supplied by the state's horticulture department.

'' The price of one sapling from outside is between Re 1 and Rs 3.But the price of sapling grown in Meghalaya costs Rs 7.50p. This is a worrying trend and our farmers should realise that the mixture of saplings from within the state and outside is a major threat to the identity of our own variety being posed by such cheap saplings that they get from outside,'' Dr Rangad said.

He also said that the famous Khasi Mandarin and other variety of oranges being grown in various parts of the state are under attack by pests.

The 13th Finance Commission has recently awarded Rs 30 crore to Meghalaya for setting up of two planting material hubs for different types of horticultural saplings including orange - one in East Khasi Hills and another in East Garo Hills district.

''Out of 30 crore, Rs 5 crore will be utilised for orange saplings since the government want to encourage orange growers in the state to buy saplings from outside,'' Dr Rangad informed.

However, orange growers from Mawphu, the village in Sohra area widely known for producing the best variety of orange known as Khasi Mandarin said, they have never imported cheap saplings available from outside the state for planting in their orchards.

Despite the potential in orange production, the village is yet to be connected with road and the orange growers have to physically carry tonnes of orange on foot to bring to Sohra market.

sciSCREEN thanks and Merry Xmas

Dear All,
Just a quick message of thanks to all those who have supported sciSCREEN this year: funders, organisers, speakers and those who have attended. This year we have run 7 full sciSCREENS from the King's Speech back in January, Never Let Me Go in March, Black Swan in April, Poetry in July, Silent Running and We Need to Talk About Kevin in November and Take Shelter in December. In addition, we have also organsied 3 sciSCREEN lights: Into Eternity in May, Page One in September and Strigoi in October. I hope you have all enjoyed and we will be in touch in the new year with a new film and a new system.

Kind Regards and Merry Xmas
Jamie

Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project

On the 20th of December, Natural Justice and Borneo Conservancy entered into a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project. The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Sabah Biodiversity Centre and will explore with a number of Dusun communities living around Kinabalu Park (Sabah, Malaysia) innovative ways of engaging with laws towards protecting their biological and cultural diversity. The project will build on the work undertaken by partners to the Projek Etnobotani Kinabalu (Kinabalu Ethnobotany Project) and a recent study on traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous peoples' and community conserved areas (some outputs of which are available online). The project will also benefit from input from Dr. Agnes Lee Agama (South East Asia Coordinator of the Global Diversity Foundation) acting in her personal capacity. Natural Justice looks forward to working with the communities and team on the project.

L-R in the photo: Dorothy Lim, Lanash Thanda, Alice Mathew, and Daniel Doughty (Borneo Conservancy); Holly Shrumm and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice).

Meghalaya assembly to quiz cop for booking MLA

A traffic constable in Shillong will have to answer before the Meghalaya assembly for the "offence" of booking an MLA who had allegedly violated road rules.

Earlier this month, traffic police constable S Thapa booked legislator Ronnie V Lyngdoh, a Congress member, for allegedly
parking his car in a no-parking zone in Meghalaya capital Shillong. Thapa and his superior have now been asked to appear before an assembly panel for an explanation.

Lyngdoh had told the traffic policeman who he was, but the latter said he had no option but to go by the law.

On Friday, Thapa and his superior, inspector Cherry Shadap, received notice from the Committee of Privileges and Ethics of the Meghalaya legislative assembly. Lyngdoh heads this panel.

The notice directed Thapa and Shadap to appear before the panel on Tuesday on charges of breach of a legislator's privileges.

"The summoning is not to take punitive action or to get even with them," Lyngdoh told HT from Shillong. "The idea is to have a discussion with them to eliminate high-handedness. I was driving the car, and had sought 10 minutes for my wife to see her doctor. It was difficult for her to walk in an area where the no-parking zone was endless."

According to Lyngdoh, the traffic police should also have been equally strict with temporary stalls selling Christmas wares on pavements, causing inconvenience to pedestrians.

Senior police officials declined to comment, but social organisations have criticised Lyngdoh. "No one is above the law, and a legislator in particular should lead by example," said Agnes Kharshiing of Civil Society Women's Organisation.

The house panel's notice had coincided with another traffic policeman slapping a fine of Rs1,000 on Meghalaya rural development minister Saleng A Sangma for parking his SUV with a red beacon at an unauthorised place.

New Report: Land Rights and the Rush for Land

The International Land Coalition (ILC), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) have released a new report entitled, "Land Rights and the Rush for Land: Findings of the Global Commercial Pressures on Land Research Project". Authored by Ward Anseeuw, Liz Alden Wily, Lorenzo Cotula, and Michael Taylor, the report is the culmination of a three-year research project that brought together 40 ILC members and partners to examine the characteristics, drivers, impacts, and trends of rapidly increasing commercial pressures on land.

According to the online synopsis, the report "strongly urges models of investment that do not involve large-scale land acquisitions, but rather work together with local land users, respecting their land rights and the ability of small-scale farmers themselves to play a key role in investing to meet the food and resource demands of the future. The conclusions of the report are based on case studies that provide indicative evidence of local and national realities, and on the ongoing global monitoring of large-scale land deals for which data are subject to a continuous process of verification." Although research and monitoring will continue, the report draws some conclusions and policy implications from the evidence already gathered.

The full report and executive summaries in English, French, and Spanish are available online.

Meghalaya minister fined for illegal parking

SHILLONG, Dec 16 – A no-nonsense Meghalaya traffic police department today compelled a Cabinet Minster to pay a fine of Rs 1000 for illegally parking his vehicle at the busy Police Bazaar area here with onlookers hailing the cops’ move.

The incident happened at about 4 pm when the Police Bazaar area was teeming with vehicles and the traffic police on the spot was having, as usual, a harrowing time to control the traffic. The policemen during that time noticed a brand new Scorpio ML 05 TC 004 (a) with red lights parked at an unauthorized area at the busy intersection, an eye witness said.

The policemen on duty got to their work and summoned a towing truck to the spot. However, Community and Rural Development Minister, Saleng Sangma appeared at the scene and claimed the vehicle as his.

The traffic policeman immediately tore out a fine receipt slip (No. 1737) and asked him to pay the mandatory fine of Rs 1000 for traffic rules violation. The Minister relented, paid the fine and whizzed off.

“This is the way policemen should carry on with their work. If Lawmakers breaks the law, they must be treated as lawbreakers,” one of the onlookers said.

Apart from the Minister’s vehicle, an Army bike bearing registration number AS 1J 9853 was towed away during the same time. “We aren’t going to spare any violators, especially during this busy festival time,” a traffic police official posted at the site warned.

Meanwhile, pedestrians’ life has become difficult since the main avenue leading to the shopping arcades in Police Bazaar is in utter disarray with construction works on.

Unattended culverts, rocks, potholes and open drains have made shopping dreadful. The Urban Affair Department has dug up the whole area to beautify it from October this year, but worryingly there aren’t any significant safety measures undertaken to clear the huge piles of rocks and barricading drains and potholes.

“This whole beautification thing could have started after the New Year celebrations as the project is unlikely to be completed within a few days or months. And what is the idea to dig up the entire stretch, instead of taking up the work in a phased manner,” an irate shopper said negotiating some of the culverts and potholes left by the department.

Health officials undergo training at IIM-Shillong

Shillong, Dec 15 (PTI) With the aim to provide a patient-friendly and socially-proactive modern health care system in Meghalaya, some state health officials completed a one-month training at the IIM-Shillong today. The training programme focused on bringing healthcare officials together to learn how to make their projects more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable, offiial sources said. Twenty health officers were initially divided in three batches with the training for the first batch having commenced on November 15 last. An IIM official told PTI, "The IIM (Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong) has agreed in principle to train 500 doctors of Meghalaya state health services over a period of three years." "In the end, the IIM and the government, target to regenerate the natural, social, human and financial capital for both short and long term prosperity," the official said. The practice-oriented 30 day-intensive training is aimed at preparing participants with a deeper understanding of the social and business consideration necessary for more successful management of healthcare infrastructure projects in the state under National Rural Health Mission. "Field Visit during the training helped the participants to see improvement that can be made in context of the inputs given in lectures, helped them to understand the improvement of functioning when participants go back to their work places," the official said. The training is supported by leading doctors from reputed hospitals in the country- Apollo Gleneage, Kolkata , Military Hospital, Shillong, NEIGRIMS, Shillong NEMCARE, Guwahati.

Police inspector and transport officials held for extortion

Shillong, Dec 15 (PTI) Six persons, including a police inspector and transport officials, were today held for illegally collecting money from coal-laden trucks along the Shillong-Jowai road in Meghalaya, police said. Inspector Marbid Rynjah and some transport officials have been detained, a senior police official told PTI adding that these people have been indulged in robbing trucks plying along the highway. Irked at the insensitivity of the law enforcement officials, many people have lodged complaints with the police, he said. According to the police, Additional SP (Crime) Vivek Syiem laid a trap and apprehended them while they were detaining and collecting money from trucks. Two vehicles used by these criminals were also seized, police said.

Lanong urges police trainees to be peace makers

SHILLONG, Dec 15 – Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong today urged newly-inducted police officers to uphold the law of the land without any bias and try being peacemakers.

Addressing the passing out parade at the North East Police Academy near here, he said, the authority that the officers would have now must be used judiciously for the benefit of the general public.

Altogether 96 police officers were inducted in the police force. These officers would be deputed to their respective States in the North East. Thirty-two passed out as DSPs, 56 Sub-Inspectors and eight Assistant Sub-Inspectors.

Calling the officers “peacemakers,” Lanong said they should try to “be friends and guides of the people” of the State where they would serve.

Director of the Academy, Anil Kumar Mathur said women trying to get into the police force are an encouraging sign in the male- dominated profession.

“We expect more women joining the police force as it would give new impetus when it comes to handling issues relating to women,” he added.

Some of the inducted female police officers said they would try giving justice to women in their respective States with their newly acquired skills at the academy.

Thungrhoni Kikon was honoured with the Governor of Meghalaya “Sword of Honour” for being the all-round best DSP.

Meghalaya consent for border development

Members of Nongspung syiemship at the meeting with the executive member of KHADC Lamphrang Blah on Tuesday in Shillong. Picture by UB Photos
Shillong, Dec. 14 : Meghalaya’s residents along the inter-state border with Assam have no objections if Dispur carries out development work in their villages, provided it makes no territorial claim on the land.
This came to the fore after a traditional chief (syiem) of Nongspung syiemship Peter Roger Syiemiong met officials of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) today following allegations that the former had allowed the Assam government to construct a road along some of the border villages in Ri Bhoi district.
According to an agreement signed between Peter Syiemiong and the Assam government on December 3, approval was given for the construction of a 10km road on the land and territory falling within the syiemship.
The Assam government, represented by Gauhati West legislator Hemanta Talukdar and Assam minister for border areas development Siddique Ahmed, confirmed that they will not stake territorial claim or land rights over the portion of road that runs from the syiemship (along Patgang, Longkhung, Jimrigang and Bakhlapara villages). These villages fall within the territorial and administrative jurisdiction of Meghalaya.
Moreover, it was agreed that even after the construction of the road, the traditional chief will exercise all rights over administration and other customary functions that has been under his supervision so far.
It was also agreed that the syiemship would grant the no-objection certificate to the Assam government based on the above conditions.
The agreement was made as the construction of the 10km Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) road is expected to bring about development in the area.
However, a complaint was lodged against Peter Syiemiong by the adviser to the syiemship, W. Syiemiong, accusing the former of “arbitrarily” selling land to the Assam government.
After meeting the members of the syiemship dorbar, KHADC executive member in-charge of elaka administration Lamphrang Blah fixed December 19 as the date for settlement of the dispute.
Speaking to reporters, Peter Syiemiong said the road would help the villagers staying along the border in the transport of their agricultural produce.
“This road will bring development to our people, but that does not mean we would lose our territorial integrity,” he added.
Justifying the December 3 agreement, Peter Syiemiong said this was “in harmony with the agreements signed between the chief ministers of the two states.”
On June 6, 1992 former chief ministers of Meghalaya and Assam D.D. Lapang and Hiteshwar Saikia had agreed in Shillong to maintain the status quo and allow development activities to continue along border areas.
Also, on July 18, 2008 in Dispur, then Meghalaya chief minister Donkupar Roy and his Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi had also agreed to allow development work to continue “in the interest of the people living in the border areas with prior intimation to either side.”
On June 5, 2010, incumbent Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma and Gogoi had inked a similar agreement in Dispur after talks were held following the Langpih firing incident on May 14 last year.
The two governments have been maintaining a status quo in the border areas with a strong pitch for a “give and take policy.”
Moreover, a joint committee of chief secretaries from the two states was formed to follow up issues relating to border dispute.
In the last meeting of the chief secretaries held in Dispur in August it was decided that both the states would go into the details of 12 sectors or areas of differences, including Langpih, before arriving at a solution.
During the meeting, Meghalaya had submitted documents and maps related to its claim on the 12 sectors in the inter-state border.

Meghalaya youths rescue coal trader

Shillong, Dec 12 (PTI) An coal trader abducted by Meghalaya's Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) was rescued by a group of youths while they were taking him to a secluded place in Meghalaya, police said. The incident took place at Wardro village in West Khasi Hills district at around midnight on Saturday, sources said. According to the police, six GNLA rebels abducted the coal trader from nearby Shallang coal belt area in the district. They said, the armed rebels abandoned the trader when the youths who were guarding the area stopped them. The GNLA has been pushing their area of operation in the coal belts of West Khasi Hills district and this has prompted the youths to keep vigil at night, police said.

Take Shelter - December 19th

Dear All,

Merry Christmas from all at sciSCREEN. Our next event will be on December 19th from 6pm at Chapter Arts Centre when we will be screening the film Take Shelter. We have four speakers lined up for the event who will touch on themes such as the psychiatry of hallucinations, states of consciousness, risk and uncertainty, and disclosure and the family: This event is being sponsored by the MRC CNGG at Cardiff University.

• Dr. Ian Jones, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics


• Dr. Katie Featherstone, School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies


• Dr. Colin Young, School of Social Sciences


• Dr. Louise Childs, School of History, Archaeology and Religion
  
  
  
  Please note that previous events have been overcrowded and for this event we will have to limit the number in the seminar room to 50-55 people on a first come, first served basis. We are in the process of setting up a new system for the New Year. We apologise for any inconvenience that this might cause.

Save Lamu Nominated for Human Rights Award

Save Lamu, a coalition of Indigenous communities of Lamu, Kenya, has been working with Natural Justice to develop a biocultural community protocol (BCP) to call for transparency and participation in the development of a mega-port on their traditional lands and waters from the Kenyan Government. For its outstanding efforts to ensure fairness and dignity for the people of Lamu and Kenya, Save Lamu has been nominated to receive a Pwani Human Rights Award. The annual Pwani Human Rights Award, organized by Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), aims at recognizing individuals and organizations who are at the forefront of promoting and protecting civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in Kenya. 

Congratulations to all representatives of Save Lamu for this well-deserved nomination! To support the efforts of Save Lamu please contact info@savelamu.org. 

Submission to UN WG on Human Rights and TNCs

On 8 December, Natural Justice and the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) made a joint submission on ‘Large-Scale, Industrial Methods of Extraction, Production, and Development and their Impacts on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ to the UN Working Group on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises.

The submission documents the varied and significant negative impacts of industrial extraction of natural resources, large‐scale energy and infrastructure development projects, and industrial production systems such as agriculture and fishing on Indigenous peoples and local communities. These impacts include, among others, the violation of human rights, environmental destruction, disempowerment, poverty, displacement, and adverse effects on health, local development, cultures, and tradition.

The submission then elaborates the protections of the international rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities most often violated when companies or governments engage in such activities. It also describes some of the challenges faced by different stakeholders in following these obligations and details some of the work done by communities to proactively assert their rights.

Finally, the submission closes with specific recommendations to the Working Group to ensure Indigenous peoples and local communities are guaranteed the fullest legal protection in these situations.

Download the full submission here. Find other legal submissions by Natural Justice here.

Conference on the Nagoya Protocol

Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a conference at the University of Edinburgh from 2-3 of December focusing on the Nagoya Protocol. Many of the attendees were integral to the negotiation of the protocol and included presentations from: Valerie Normand (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity); Maria Julia Oliva (Union for Ethical Biotrade), Alphonse Kambu (UNEP); Charlotte Salpin (UNDOALOS); Claudio Chiarolla (IDDRI); and Tomme Young. Harry presented a paper he is co-authoring with Peter Munyi on the opportunities and challenges relating to the implementation of Articles 6, 7, 12 and 21 of the Nagoya protocol with reference to the San-Hoodia case and the ongoing experiences of the Traditional Healers of Bushbuckridge. The conference papers will be published in a forthcoming book edited by Elisa Morgera, Matthias Buck and Elsa Tsiomani. There was also a session reviewing a forthcoming commentary on the Nagoya Protocol, which will augment the book. Harry thanks Elisa Morgera and her team for the kind invitation.

Presenting BCPs in the Mau Forest

With a long history of exclusion from their traditional homes and increasing pressures on land tenure from politically connected outsiders, the Ogiek community is engaging in domestic and international legal action to protect their rights. The Ogiek Peoples' Development Program (OPDP), a key organisation in this process, suggested that Natural Justice could assist in supporting the Ogiek to establish their rights over their lands and resources. OPDP and Natural Justice agreed that one mechanism to help consolidate community sentiment around land and conservation and supplement the pending court cases could be a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP).

On 2nd December, Natural Justice travelled to meet with over 50 elders and other representatives of the Ogiek community of the Mau Forest, near Nakuru, Kenya, to explain the principles of BCPs and ascertain if the community was interested in pursuing a BCP. At the meeting Natural Justice presented on the process of developing a BCP, focusing on the importance of engaging the broadest possible section of the community through all stages of the BCP development.

After this presentation community members asked questions about the practical steps needed to establish a BCP. They offered suggestions on how to ensure full participation. The attendees unanimously endorsed OPDP's suggestion that a BCP process should be initiated.

International Law Discussion Group

On 1 December, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Edinburgh University’s International Law Discussion Group to present on Natural Justice’s work. PhD and Masters students engaged with the local application of international law and considered the complexities, opportunities and challenges of using a variety of legal frameworks to effect social and environmental change. Harry thanks David Rossati and Professor Elisa Morgera for the opportunity.

BCPs, REDD+ and CBD Safeguards at COP17

On 1 December at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, Natural Justice co-hosted a panel entitled "Biocultural Protocols: Lessons for REDD+ Safeguards from the CBD Experiences". The event was hosted in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Assessment (IPCCA), and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC).

The purpose of the panel was to raise awareness of a number of decisions, tools and guidelines that have been developed under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) during its 20-year history and to highlight their usefulness and cross-leverage rights to mitigate risks associated with Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+).

Panelists included Johannes Stahl (CBD Secretariat), Simone Lovera (GFC), Kanyinke Sena (IPACC), Alejandro Argumedo and Kaylena Bray (IPCCA), and Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice). After highlighting the risks and opportunities of REDD+, panelists mentioned, among other things, the possible value of guidelines developed under the CBD for implementing REDD+, including the Akwé: Kon Guidelines (for the conduct of cultural, environmental and social impact assessments regarding developments proposed to take place on, or which are likely to impact on, sacred sites and on lands and waters traditionally occupied or used by indigenous and local communities) and the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct to Ensure Respect for the Cultural and Intellectual Heritage of Indigenous and Local Communities. Another mechanism that was especially highlighted was the use of biocultural community protocols in the context of REDD+.

BCP Initiative Meeting in Nairobi

On 30th November, Natural Justice hosted participants and partners of the African BCP Initiative in Nairobi. Members of the Initiative presented on their Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) development workplans and implementation and members and partners offered feedback on ensuring meaningful BCPs. Throughout the day the key themes that emerged were the importance of good process in preparing BCPs and ideas for increasing the practical uses of BCPs.

Members represented a wide range of communities. The Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) described the work of two communities in Ghana who are preparing BCPs to protect the Shea Tree and coastal sacred groves.  Local organizations working with pastoralist communities in Ilkesumeti and Kivulini, Kenya, shared their aims, which primarily address issues of land security, and the process through which they are engaging with their respective communities to ensure community ownership of the BCPs. Save Lamu presented on the BCP they are developing to enable local communities in Lamu to assert their rights as the Kenyan government prepares to build a major port in Lamu without any meaningful community consultation. MELCA Ethiopia illustrated the BCP being prepared with communities in Sheka Forest to consolidate their land rights and assert their traditional practices of conserving the forest. Representatives from the Laikipia Abandoned Lands Project and the USAID SECURE Project shared successes in community protection of land rights and developments in Kenyan law relevant to communities.

The meeting closed with a discussion of the meaning of good process in BCP development, which focused on the importance of full and effective community engagement in each step of the process. It was emphasised that an inclusive process will increase the usefulness of the BCP in asserting community rights. Participants also expressed their desire to build and deepen linkages between communities with BCPs to share ideas and broaden the recognition of BCPs by states and other actors as legitimate vehicles of community self-assertion.

BCPs and Livestock Keepers' Rights in Nairobi

With drought and disease showing the potential to devastate livestock breeds developed for concentrated production, traditionally bred livestock are gaining attention from conservationists and commercial interests. In this context, the role of Indigenous peoples in breeding these livestock across generations and in ensuring sustainable grazing is increasingly recognised. This recognition is the foundation of the growing movement for national and international rights for livestock keepers. Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs), through which communities can articulate their ways of life and practices of livestock breeding and sustainable grazing, are an emerging vehicle for asserting these rights.

In this context, Natural Justice participated in “Biocultural Protocols: An emerging approach to strengthening livestock keeping communities”, a one-day workshop hosted by the League for Pastoral Peoples (LPP) and the LIFE Network on 29th November in Karen, Nairobi, Kenya. Representatives from governments, NGOs, international organisations, and livestock keepers from six countries attended.

Jacob Wanyama (LIFE Network) presented on the history of the movement for livestock keepers' rights and Ilse Kohler-Rollefson (LPP) shared general comments on pastoralists, the breeds of livestock that they have developed, and the highly sustainable and promising ways in which they use and conserve the areas in which they live. Mwai Okeyo (International Livestock Research Institute) presented on the incredible lack of diversity in commercially promoted breeds of cattle around the world, the susceptibility of these breeds to drought and disease in Kenya, the comparative advantages of indigenous breeds through these conditions, and the challenges in protecting indigenous breeds from replacement or cross-breeding.

Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) presented on the history of BCPs, their emerging significance and recognition in international law and policy especially in relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol, and the importance of participatory processes for developing BCPs. Two communities who have already developed BCPs, the Raika of Rajasthan, India, and the Samburu of Kenya, presented on their objectives, the experience of BCP development, and some of the initial reception to their respective BCPs.

The participants were then divided into working groups to discuss whether BCPs were appropriate for livestock keepers and how BCPs can become more practical. The day closed with the working groups affirming the potential for livestock keepers to utilise BCPs and action points including the importance of building linkages between various communities developing BCPs and increasing the number of BCPs developed to gradually increase the significance and usefulness of BCPs.

Terra Forming and Silent Running

by Rhodri Evans, School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University

In the film Silent Running, the Earth has become uninhabitable to all but humans, and a fleet of space ships out in the vicinity of Saturn each have 6 large geodesic domes. Some plant and animal life is being sustained in these domes, in the hope that planet Earth will be able to support them once more in the future. In this article I will discuss the evolution of Earth's current human-friendly environment, and also the idea of terra-forming, creating an Earth-like environment elsewhere.

The Earth is very old by human timescales, 4,600 million (4.6 billion) years old to be precise. This age was accurately determined in the 1950s by Clair Patterson of the University of Chicago, using the radioactive decay of Uranium in the Earth's interior. The Earth, and the other planets in the Solar system, formed out of a cloud of gas and dust which surrounded our Sun as it formed to become a star, this is known as the Solar nebula. We see similar nebulae around other young stars in our neighbourhood of the Milky Way galaxy.

Most of the material in the Universe, and in our Solar system, is hydrogen and helium. These are not only the two lightest elements, but also the only two which were created in any quantity in the early Universe. All heavier elements (with the exception of a small amount of lithium, barium and boron) are created inside stars; either in their nuclear furnaces, or when massive stars explode as supernovae.

Thus, because we find elements heavier than the lightest ones in our Solar System, we know that our Sun is not a first generation star. Our Sun and the planets in our Solar System have all formed from material which had already been enriched with heavier elements by a previous generation of stars. The rocky material of our Earth is made primarily of compounds of iron, silicon and magnesium, but many other elements, all the way up to uranium, exist in the material which makes up our planet.

When these heavier elements came together to form a nascent Earth, there was enough hydrogen and helium left in the Solar nebula after the formation of the Sun to give our Earth its first atmosphere. This primary atmosphere of hydrogen and helium was quickly lost. The Earth is too close to the Sun and does not have a strong enough gravitational field to be able to hold on to light molecules and atoms like hydrogen and helium, so these were lost into space.

The early Earth had a great deal of intense volcanic activity, and this volcanism lead to the out-gassing and creation of a second atmosphere, composed mainly of water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. This is the atmosphere the Earth had when life first appeared.

The first signs of life on Earth go as far back as about 3.5 billion years, which is pretty early in Earth's history. In fact, it seems that as soon as Earth had survived a period of heavy bombardment by debris left over from the formation of the Solar System, life on Earth first appeared. The earliest life forms were not only simple single cell bacteria, but in fact were anaerobic respirators, meaning they didn't use oxygen to respire. Instead, they would have used carbon dioxide; and some, possibly, nitrates (compounds of nitrogen and oxygen).

From 3.8 billion years ago through to 1 billion years ago, all life on Earth was single celled. Green plant life first appeared about 3 billion years ago, and with the appearance of green plant life came the oxygenation of our atmosphere through photosynthesis. The amount of oxygen in our atmosphere started increasing from essentially 0% to the present value of 20% due to the photosynthesis of green plant life. Thus, our current atmosphere is actually the third one the Earth has had. The first appearance of life which respired aerobically (using oxygen) is believed to have happened about 2 billion years ago. This too would have been single celled life, the first multi-celled life appeared only about 1 billion years ago.

Thus, when we talk about our Earth being habitable to life, we need to bear in mind that for most of its history it would have been uninhabitable to humans, and most other multi-celled life.

We, as humans, have evolved to live in the conditions we find on Earth today. These conditions have been fairly constant for the last several thousands of years. The last ice-age peaked 20 thousand years ago, but humans survived this climatic swing, presumably by migrating to warmer climes. The causes of ice ages are not well understood, but clearly humans were able to adapt to them.

The Sun is about half-way through its lifetime, in another 4.5 billion years it will begin to undergo dramatic changes. This is because it will have used up the Hydrogen in its core, and so its source of current fuel will be gone. Without going into the details, the Sun will swell up into a red giant as it begins to burn Helium in its core. When the Sun does this, its size will increase many thousands of time, and it will probably engulf the Earth. Thus, eventually, the Earth will become uninhabitable due to natural processes over which we have no control.

However, the timescales involved are huge. They are so large that it is useful to compress the Earth's 4.6 billion year history down to 24 hours. On this timescale, human beings don't make an appearance until the last 20 seconds! 20 seconds out of 24 hours, that is all our presence on Earth amounts to. It is therefore very naive, in my opinion, to think that our species will be around in another 24 hours (4.5 billion years), when the Sun swells up to become a red giant star. I think we will be lucky to survive another few minutes on this timescale, let alone a whole 24 hours.

Of course, if climate change is as dramatic as some people fear, we may have to look to create a present-Earth like environment elsewhere in the not too distant future. How feasible is this? Certainly it is something NASA and the European Space Agency ESA have looked at. But where would we go?

The two obvious places are the Moon and Mars. The Moon is the only place beyond the Earth that humans have actually visited. Although it is our closest neighbour, it is very different from the Earth in many ways. The gravity is only about one sixth of the Earth's gravity, and as a consequence it has no atmosphere. No atmosphere means no atmospheric pressure. If a human were to step out of a space ship which had landed on the surface of the Moon without wearing a space suit, before he or she died from lack of oxygen the astronaut would explode due to the lack of atmospheric pressure.

Therefore, on the Moon, the only way we could create a habitable environment would be inside of giant domes or greenhouses. This would enable us to create an oxygenated atmosphere (using green plants to do the work for us), and also to create an atmospheric pressure so that we didn't explode! There isn't much we could do about the lower gravity, but one way to quickly adapt to this would be to wear weighted shoes to artificially increase our mass and thus our weight. There is increasing evidence that the Moon has frozen water in the pulverised rock on its surface, and there may also be frozen water in the depths of craters near the Moon's poles. Along with many other minerals in its surface, the presence of water on the Moon makes it feasible to, maybe one day, establish a colony there.

In many ways Mars would be a more attractive destination. Sadly, we appear to be many many years away from sending humans to Mars. In a book written in the same year as the first Moon landing, 1969, I recently read confident predictions that we would send humans to Mars by the year 2000. Apart from a simulated mission to the red planet conducted in a facility just outside of Moscow, we are probably further away from sending humans to Mars than we were in 1969. In my opinion, it is unlikely to happen before 2030.

When we eventually do get to Mars, what sort of environment awaits us? The short answer is one which, in many ways, is similar to Earth. Mars has about half the Earth's radius, and a similar density. Therefore its surface gravity is 0.4g, where 1g is the acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface. There is also increasing evidence that water exists on Mars. We believe it actually flowed on the surface in the past, but now it seems to be in the form of frozen water on the surface. But, there is some evidence that liquid water may presently exist below the surface.

Mars has an atmosphere, but it is much thinner than Earth's. It is 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, with the remainder being mainly Argon. At the surface the atmospheric pressure is only about 600 Pascals, compared to 100 kPascals here on Earth, so about 160 times less. This means that, even on Mars, we would initially have to create an artificial environment to enable humans to survive, again presumably in large geodesic domes where green plant life could create a pressurised, oxygenated atmosphere. It is possible that, over time, green plant life could create a thicker, oxygenated atmosphere allowing humans to survive outside of these geodesic domes, but this is very speculative.

It is my belief that terra-forming, although it presents large technological challenges, is not something which is beyond our current capabilities. The main hurdles are ones of resources, both financial and material. But, to think that terra-forming could provide us with a way to survive the destruction of the habitability of our planet is, I think, very naive. It could only ever serve to provide for a small fraction of humanity and other life on Earth.

We need to realise that we have evolved to live in quite a narrow range of conditions, and if the conditions on Earth change too much it may well become uninhabitable to us. Most natural changes which we know have happened in the past appear to have happened over many thousands, if not millions, of years. What is alarming about the current increases in e.g. carbon dioxide levels is how quickly they are happening.

However long our remaining time is in the 4.6 billion years our Earth has left to its lifetime, let us hope we take better care of our planet than we have done in the last few hundred years.

Meghalaya rebels set conditions for releasing official

Shillong, Nov 26 (IANS) The outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) Wednesday demanded withdrawal of central forces from Meghalaya in return for setting free a government official abducted two days back even as the official's family pleaded for his release.

Heavily armed GNLA rebels abducted Block Development Officer (BDO) P.K. Boro and two traders Dulal Modak and Rokybul Haque from two areas of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district Monday.

Boro was abducted at gunpoint from his official chamber in Dadenggre while the traders were kidnapped from Kalchengpara weekly market.

'Ten days' time will be given to the Meghalaya government to withdraw the CoBRA (Combat Battalion for Resolute Action) commandos, and if the government doesn't respond, we will send the dead body of Boro,' GNLA chairman Champion R. Sangma told IANS on phone.

Champion, who is hiding in Bangladesh, however, promised to release abducted traders soon.

Meanwhile, Boro's family appealed to the GNLA for his release.

'We appeal to the GNLA members for his early and safe release. Our son, brother, husband is innocent, sincere and hardworking officer who believes in working for the good cause of development,' appealed Boro's sister Sombari Boro on behalf of the family.

'His abduction from the office has caused immense suffering and mental agony to his wife and small son and all the family members,' Sombari told IANS, adding that 'neither he or the rebels have made contact with the family'.

The GNLA has been demanding for withdrawal of central forces - two units of Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) commandos and five companies of Border Security Force (BSF) troopers - ever since the troops were deployed in Garo Hills area in July.

Meanwhile, security forces intensified their operation in the region to rescue the abducted trio.

'The search operation is on,' Inspector General of Police (Western Range) G.H.P. Raju told IANS.

CoBRA and Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos have been pressed into service to trace the hostages.

The GNLA earlier had sent extortion demands of Rs.50 lakh to Boro through mobile text messages.

Over 20 people, including security personnel, have been killed while more than 10 people were abducted for ransom in the area in the last one year by GNLA rebels.

Champion, who claims to be fighting for a separate Garoland, has been camping in Bangladesh for several months in search of support.

The outfit has also forged an alliance with the Bangladesh-based rebel group, A'chik Special Dragon Party.

The GNLA has over 100 rebels, including a few women cadres, operating in three impoverished districts of western Meghalaya.

Govt refuses probe into Meghalaya Housing scam

SHILLONG, Nov 25 – Half of the fund, amounting to over Rs 9 crore, meant for providing roof for the poor, was allegedly misappropriated by the Housing department in connivance with the supplier during 2003-06.

The scam was unearthed by the Meghalaya Right To Information Movement (MRTIM) after filing an RTI and gathering other information. The amount was embezzled in connivance with bureaucrats and the supplier.

Strangely, the Meghalaya government although admitting in black and white that there is “circumstantial evidence” that something was wrong has nonetheless refused to conduct an inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The matter relates to 2003-06 when Corrugated Galvanised Iron (CGI) sheets were being supplied to the rural poor of the State under one of the Housing department’s scheme. The supplier according to Steel Authority of India challan lifted grade VIII CGI sheet and then showed in the supply invoice the CGI sheet as grade III – which is of higher quality.

The department in its defence pointed out that it did not have the material to check the quality of the CGI sheets, but at the same time claimed that all the material supplied were of the same quality as the demand was for.

But what is more damaging is the revelation that the Housing department’s then Director VA Sangma opened a savings account at Vijaya Bank, Laitumkhrah on December 17, 2003 and parked most of the amount from the scheme there.

Under Meghalaya Treasury Rules, 1985 prior permission is required to open a savings account. In Sangma’s case, the permission was not obtained.

None of the transactions made from the account was routed through the cash books of the Director of Housing department and thus evaded the legislative scrutiny, besides the entire amount remained out of Government account.

“The Director withdrew huge sum of amount in cash from the account. There were also mysterious transfers of money to unnamed account holders. Also the money was being paid to self,” Michael Syiem of MRTIM said after holding a public hearing on the case.

Interestingly, government officials stayed away from the hearing despite invitations. “We are making serious allegations that most of the fund was embezzled. We have the documents to prove it. If the government thought we are making false allegations they can take us to Court for defamation,” Tarun Bhartiya another MRTIM activists challenged.

The RTI activists are now demanding that an independent inquiry be conducted, all records and challan from SAIL and the Housing department should be summoned and criminal proceedings against the public servants and supplier involved in the scam be initiated.

Mukul for international, regional tourism circuits

SHILLONG: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sanma has said the state has the potential to develop an international tourism circuit in collaboration with neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand because of its strategic location.

"This view had also been echoed during the Cherrapunjee Festival in December last year when representatives from the tourism industry of all eight northeastern states were present," added Mukul. After the deliberations, the state government, as well as tourism industry representatives, came to a consensus that tourists look at northeast as a single composite destination, he said.

Emphasizing development of inter-state regional circuits, Mukul added that tourists were not guided by political boundaries but more by their own interest of visiting the maximum number of places in minimum time and within their budget. "Hence, promotion of inter-state circuits is essential in the interest of promoting tours within northeastern and eastern India," said the CM, who also holds the tourism portfolio.

"As far as Meghalaya is concerned we can explore development of regional circuits with states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Tripura and even others if the connectivity is good," he said. He added that efforts to attract tourists in certain areas have been hampered by problems of connectivity.

Stating that this was true for all NE states, he stressed the need to develop a regional perspective in tourism development and to also plan in terms of inter-state and regional circuits. The CM said the North Eastern Council (NEC) has developed an integrated tourism master plan for the northeastern region. As many as 33 regional circuits and about six international circuits have been recommended for the region.

Two circuits - Guwahati-Tura-Balpakram-Tura-Manas-Guwahati and Dhaka-Dawki-Shillong - have already been identified for development, added Mukul.

Flagbearers of faith sway Shillong

SHILLONG: Dressed in traditional regalia, 70-year-old Kissor Sing did not seem to tire at all as he kept pace with those much younger than him dancing on the streets of Shillong on the occasion of Seng Kut Snem on Wednesday. The faithful lot was celebrating the foundation day of the Seng Khasi organization of Meghalaya's indigenous Khasi-Pnar community.

Bearing a flag featuring a cock against the backdrop of the rising sun, Sing, along with hundreds of Khasi-Pnars from a faraway hamlet, swayed to the haunting beats of traditional drums to proclaim the ancient wisdom, dignity and grandeur of the religion.

"The cock plays an important part in the Khasi religion and is believed to be a mediator between God and man. According to tradition, at the beginning of time, sins had become rampant among people. So much so that even the sun refused to appear. It was the cock, of all living creatures, that agreed to risk its life for the good of man. At its crowing, the sun came out of his hiding," explains Sing. "Our religion is simple and it preaches the concept of 'Kamai ia ka hok', meaning 'earn with honesty', something that the younger generation needs to understand," he says.

A younger Seng Khasi member, who is pursuing a degree in social science, says, "The Khasi-Pnars believe in one supreme God whom they call U Blei Nongthaw or U Beli Nongpynlong (creator-dispenser). The deity is also occasionally addressed as Ka Blei (goddess), given the fact that the Khasis are a matrilineal society."

More than a century ago, a socio-cultural organization called the Seng Khasi was begun to preserve and profess the indigenous religion.

"The Khasis have their own identity in terms of religion and culture that had been laid down by their ancestors. The Seng Khasi calls upon all Khasis to remember their roots and strive to live in harmony with all other communities so that peace and prosperity can once again reign in these beautiful hills," explains Banteilang Singh Rumnong, a functionary of the Seng Khasi.

Seng Kut Snem is a festival celebrating the foundation day of the Seng Khasi. On November 23 every year, Seng Khasi members following the traditional Khasi faith or the Niam Khasi gather to pay their respects to God, the Almighty.

"This day is celebrated to mark the beginning of the renaissance and awakening of the Khasi community. Its purpose is to influence the people to preserve their religion and culture," says a Khasi elder.

This celebration takes the form of community prayer for protection of the distinct identity of the Khasi race. On the day of the festival, elders impart oral teaching, publish books and writings and conduct lectures on the traditional faith, beliefs, customs, behaviour, etiquette and the Khasi culture as passed on by ancient Khasi predecessors.

Seng Kut Snem kicks off with a cultural procession called 'Laid Pyni Riti', showcasing the various facets of Khasi Life.

The procession, which begins from the Madan Iewrynghep (Fire Brigade Ground), culminates at the Lympung Weiking in Mawlai, where prayers are offered to God, the Creator. Lectures on the Khasi faith and ways of life are delivered by Seng Khasi elders followed by a culturalprogramme.

Folk songs, dances and other instrumental music are played during the festival. Over the years, Seng Kut Snem has become a famous event of Shillong and a prime tourist attraction.

Meghalaya launches operation to rescue abducted official

Shillong : Security forces have launched an operation in western Meghalaya to rescue a state government official and two Assam-based traders abducted by Garo rebels, an official said Tuesday.
Heavily armed GNLA rebels abducted two traders -- Dulal Modak and Rokybul Haque - and P.K. Boro, the block development officer (BDO) posted at Dadenggre from two areas of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district Monday.
Boro was abducted at gunpoint from his official chamber at Dadenggre block while the two traders were kidnapped from Kalchengpara weekly market.
"The search operation is on," Inspector General of Police (Western Range) GHP Raju told IANS.
Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos have been pressed in to service to trace the hostages.
The GNLA earlier had sent extortion demands of Rs.50 lakh to Boro through mobile text messages.
"We have not got any information whether the GNLA has contacted the family members of Boro and the traders for ransom," Raju said.
The GNLA, headed by police officer-turned-outlaw Champion R. Sangma, has unleashed a reign of terror in the three impoverished districts of Garo Hills in the western part of Meghalaya.
Over 20 people, including security personnel have been killed while more than 10 people were abducted for ransom in the area in the last one year by GNLA rebels.
Champion, who claims to be fighting for a separate Garoland, has been camping in Bangladesh for several months in search of support.
The outfit has also forged an alliance with the Bangladesh-based rebel group, A'chik Special Dragon Party.
The GNLA has over 100 rebels, including a few women cadres, operating in the three impoverished districts. The outfit has procured a cache of HK53 rifles and explosives to add to their arsenal.
The outfit had earlier slapped extortion demands ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.1 crore on government officials, ministers, legislators and businessmen.
The Garo Hills region is being used as a safe haven by various northeast-based militant groups.

BDO abducted in Meghalaya

Shillong, Nov 22 (PTI) Suspected militants of the Garo National Liberation Army today abducted the block development officer of Dadenggre in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, a senior police official said. Prafulla Kumar Boro was abducted from his office at around 2 PM by four gunmen, IGP (Western Range of Garo Hills) GHP Raju told PTI over phone. The vehicle, used by the ultras for abduction, was later found 12 kms away from Dadenggre. Security forces have launched search operations to rescue him. Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics commandos and Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF have been pressed into service to track down the rebels who are suspected to be holed up in the Garo Hills region, Raju said. Police said they have registered a case against the GNLA as they believe that it is the handiwork of the outfit under the leadership of Sohan D Shira, self-styled Commander-in-Chief of the group.

Scam: Meghalaya CM, vigilance chief asked to appear in court

Shillong, Nov 21 : An anti-graft organisation has dared Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and the State Vigilance Commissioner to participate at the second public hearing on the anomalies found in the Rural Housing Scheme.

Meghalaya Right to Information Movement, using RTI, had found fault with the state government and supplier last year regarding the supply of substandard Corrugated Galvanised Iron (CGI) sheets during the period between 2003 and 2006.

"The pilferage percentage under the scheme is a massive 52.12 per cent of the total Rs 19,34,81,221 spent in the purchase of CGI sheets," MRTIM convener Michael Syiem said.

"The public hearing is aimed at following up to the last public hearing held in May last year."

The second public hearing will be held November 24 in the city.
Based on the RTI findings, the MRTIM had complained to the government and demanded that the government initiate an independent inquiry into the scam.

The Chief Minister and the Housing Department had rejected the findings to which the MRTIM followed up with more RTI queries to substantiate their earlier claims.

The State Vigilance Commissioner and other government officers and Suppliers were invited to share their point of views at the public hearing.

Suspected Meghalaya rebels abduct official, traders

Shillong : Suspected Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels Monday abducted two traders and a government official from two areas of Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district, police said.

"P.K. Boro, a block development officer (BDO) posted at Dadengiri and two traders, Rockybul Haq and Dulal, were abducted by GNLA rebels this afternoon," state police chief N. Ramachandran told IANS.

Ramachandran said Boro was abducted at gunpoint from his official chamber at Dadengiri block while the two traders were kidnapped from Kalchengpara weekly market.

"We are still investigating whether any ransom has been demanded," Ramachandran added.

The GNLA, headed by police officer-turned outlaw Champion R. Sangma, has unleashed a reign of terror in the three impoverished districts of Garo Hills in the western part of Meghalaya.

Over 20 people, including security personnel, have been killed in the area in the last one year by GNLA rebels.

Champion, who claims to be fighting for a separate Garoland, has been camping in Bangladesh for several months in search of support.

The outfit has also forged an alliance with the Bangladesh-based rebel group, A'chik Special Dragon Party.

Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of which is porous, hilly and unfenced and prone to infiltration.

Govt fails to stem timber smuggling in Ri Bhoi

TV footage shows smugglers with timber in Ri Bhoi
Shillong, Nov. 21 : The rampant felling continues unabated whether it is for charcoal or for the wood-based industries situated in parts of Ri Bhoi district.
After the Supreme Court ban on felling, the Meghalaya government has not adopted any viable working plan to stop the illegal activity.
The forests of Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills and Ri Bhoi districts and parts of Garo hills have become the soft targets for the illegal procurement of timber.
The timber is reportedly used by industries at Byrnihat and Umiam in the identified industrial areas of Ri Bhoi district.
Trucks loaded with timber are mostly brought at night to the Umiam factories after crossing several forest checkgates and police stations with enforcers turning a blind eye, allege the residents.
The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, was meant to stop the diversion of forest land for other purposes, and to stop deforestation.
However, the act is often violated by showing forest areas as arid land.
The Supreme Court’s order in the TN Godavarman case of 1997 said there shall be a complete ban on the movement of felled trees and timber from any of the seven northeastern states to any other state in the country either by rail, road or waterway.
The court had also directed the state governments to constitute expert committees to identify areas that are forests and plantations.
On the allegations, forest minister Prestone Tynsong said the matter would be looked into.
If teakwood is used in plywood industries in Ri Bhoi, it should be from the government plantations, he added.
“However, if other trees are used, we have to inquire into the matter,” he added.
The forest minister added that the government would impose fines and confiscate the charcoal if anyone was found supplying charcoal from the state to the ferro-alloy industries in Ri Bhoi.
He said the high-level committee, which is examining all aspects related to the use of forestland and areas being used by the industries, especially the cement plants, will submit its report.
This will help the government to streamline the industries.

Bangladeshi smuggler trying to infiltrate caught at border

Shillong, Nov 21 (PTI) A Bangladeshi smuggler was caught while trying to infiltrate into the country through the bordering Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, BSF officials said here today. Acting on a tip-off, the BSF troops, deployed at Hangaria border outpost in Jaintia Hills district, yesterday apprehended the smuggler. Some Bangladeshi currency and a mobile phone was also seized from him, they said. The smuggler has been identified as Abdul Majid who hails from Goianghat area in Sylhet District of Bangladesh, the officials said, adding that he has been handed over to local police station for legal action. In another incident, BSF troops, deployed in East Khasi Hills District, yesterday seized cattle worth rupees 4,40,000 while they were being smuggled out to Bangladesh. The smugglers, however, managed to escape taking advantage of darkness and rugged terrain. Seized cattle have been handed over to the custom department for further action, the officials said.

Meghalaya on an 'aggressive mission' to develop villages

SHILLONG: Concerned about the unabated migration of people from rural to urban areas, the state government has decided to go on an "aggressive mission" to develop villages and make them self-sufficient.

"The migration problem needs to be addressed immediately as it only contributes towards unregulated urban growth, which over burdens the urban areas," said chief minister Mukul Sangma, who laid the foundation stone of a housing project under the Integrated Slum Development Programme (ISDP) and Basic Service for Urban Poor (BSUP), a component of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) at Lower Mawprem here on Saturday.

He said that the state government has geared up to tackle the problem on a "mission mode" by developing the rural areas and creating sustained employment opportunities in the rural areas.

The Centre has sanctioned an amount of Rs 21.30 crores for the ISDP project that covers Mawbah, Lower Mawprem, Pynthorumkhrah, Demseiniong and Kynjat Phutbol slums in Shillong. The scheme is being implemented by the Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL).

"The housing project at Lower Mawprem will consist of 48 dwelling units in an area of 9900 sq ft. The infrastructure is estimated to cost Rs 1.77 crores. On completion of the project, the beneficiaries indentified from the locality will be rehabilitated in the dwelling units," an official said.

"The BSUP under JNNURM has been launched as a flagship programme of the Central Government with the objective of coping with the massive problems posed by rapid urban growth resulting in the growth of slums with deficiencies in basic amenities like housing, water supply, solid waste management and sanitation," said the CM.

Thai teachers laud training

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma with Thai teachers in Shillong on Saturday. Telegraph picture
Shillong, Nov 20 : A large number of Thai teachers and students have found Shillong one of the best centres of learning in the Northeast.
The 18 Thai teachers from St Gabriel Foundation, Thailand, were awarded certificates today after completing various courses on behavioural and personality development, communication and business skills and customer care services in Shillong.
They said the training had offered them an opportunity to understand Meghalaya better and added that the initiative taken would bring both India and Thailand much closer.
Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma, who attended the certificate distribution function organised by the Beaconville Training Academy at Hajom Kissor Sing Memorial Hall at Madan Laban here, lauded the efforts of the academy in imparting training to youths of the state and even foreign students.
He said the academy had done a tremendous job in providing focused training and launching effective programmes in different disciplines, including English, with the help of special teaching materials developed and compiled by the academy.
Earlier, the chief minister said globalisation had created a lot of opportunities for youths and added that it also posed challenges for teachers and researchers to equip themselves with the right kind of knowledge and skills for the job market.
“This can be done if innovative and creative ideas are in placed for framing job-oriented courses to equip young students to prepare themselves to meet the job requirements,” he added.

Urban migration a matter of concern: Meghalaya CM

Shillong, Nov 20 (PTI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma today said that migration from rural areas to urban areas is a serious concern as it contributes towards unregulated urban growth. "This over burdens the urban area and needs urgent attention," he said adding that the state government is geared up to tackle the problems on a mission mode by developing the rural areas aggressively and by creating sustained employment opportunities in the rural areas. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the housing project under the Integrated Slum Development Programme (ISDP) and the Basic Service for Urban Poor component of JNNURM at Lower Mawprem here. The ISDP project was sanctioned by the Centre for an amount of Rs 21.30 crore for 5 notified slums in Shillong, official sources said. The scheme is being implemented by Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL). The Housing Project at Lower Mawprem will consist of 48 dwelling units in an area of 9900 sq ft with necessary infrastructure at an estimated cost of Rs 1.77 crore. On completion of the project, beneficiaries identified from the locality will be rehabilitated in the dwelling units. Sangma said that the Basic Service for Urban Poor (BSUP) under JNNURM has been launched as a flagship programme of the Centre with the main objective of coping with the massive problems that have emerged as a result of rapid urban growth resulting in the growth of slums with deficiencies in basic amenities like housing, water supply, solid waste management and sanitation.

Meghalaya to write to Centre on land bill

Shillong, Nov 19 (PTI) Meghalaya government has decided to ask the Center to exclude it from the purview of the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 as the state already has an act similar to it.

"The government will write to the Standing Committee of Parliament to exclude the state from the ambit of the LARR as there would be overlapping of powers and jurisdiction of the new Act and the Sixth Schedule," Revenue Minister R C Laloo told reporters after a Cabinet meeting last evening.

He pointed out that the state already had the Meghalaya Land Transfer (Regulation) Act 1971 which barred non-tribals from buying land in the state.

The land ownership pattern in the state was also different where the government did not own the land. The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and influential NGOs in the state have also objected to the LARR, if implemented without amendments.

The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 7 and proposed a unified legislation for acquisition of land and rehabilitation mechanism for the affected.