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United News of India
a day ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Meghalaya CM lays foundation for additional Secretariat Complex at Tura
Tura, June 19 (UNI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday laid the foundation for the additional Secretariat Complex at Dakopgre Tura in West Garo Hills district. The Rs 156 crore project is an outcome of the long felt aspiration of the people of Garo Hills. Terming the project as 'historic' for the people of the state and particularly Garo Hills, the Chief Minister said, '…It is a day for each one of us to remember. We should express our gratitude to the almighty. The Additional Secretariat Complex is not just a building but a testament to the fulfilment of the aspirations of our people.' Sangma said that the additional secretariat will serve the people of Garo Hills, who had to face a lot of problem to avail different government services. The additional Secretariat will serve the people of all the five districts of Garo Hills. 'The people can now look forward that most of the government services will be delivered from Tura. Hence, this is a very important project for the state and particularly Garo Hills and its people', the Chief Minister added. Taking opportunity, Sangma informed the gathering on the progress of the New Secretariat building which is being constructed at Shillong with an estimated amount of Rs 1,800 crore. '… We are creating infrastructure, keeping in mind next 100 years. We want to ensure that administration is not just closer to the people but easily accessible,' he added. Close to 8,000 people witnessed the historic programme. The Chief Minister also informed that with an objective to ensure equitable development across the state, the government has systematically planned intervention for districts and blocks. 'Be it new block offices, sub-division building - old and new, district offices, health infrastructure, police infrastructure or Education, we have put our thrust for holistic development of the state', he underscored. 'South Garo Hills marked its 33rd foundation day of the district on Wednesday (yesterday) but everyone will be surprised that the DC Office complex construction has just started,' Sangma informed. Stating that there has been concerns for poor infrastructure in the region and the MDA government has scripted a road map to achieve its target to ensure that Meghalaya is one of the best states in the country. 'MDA government has sanctioned funds for all blocks across the State. Administrative office in district and blocks, including police infrastructure, has been renovated. We are also strengthening health infrastructure across the State,' he noted. 'Bringing administration closer to people, it is not just a statement — but we mean it and doing it in a systematic manner,' he affirmed. The Chief Minister also informed of the ongoing construction of Mini Secretariat in Jowai and Pynrusla. 'Administrative setup will ensure effective delivery of services to the people.' The Additional Secretariat will have three complexes and the Chief Minister's complex will be completed by January 2027. 'We aim to inaugurate the CM complex on January 21, 2027, and provide make maximum services to the people,' he asserted. The Additional Secretariat will have rooms for CM and his cabinet, Chief Secretary and other senior officers. It will also house offices of different government departments. The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to all cabinet colleagues and political parties for supporting the vision and mission of the government. He also took the opportunity to inform on the recently announced Rs 900 crore Tura bypass, which will decongest the Tura town. 'Shillong, Tura, Jowai, Nongstoin and Williamnagar— if we only develop towns and cities, we are not achieving our mission to make Meghalaya developed, hence, our attention is to rural areas, district- wise and constituency-wise, we are working with concerted efforts to develop,' the Chief Minister averred. UNI RRK SS
NDTV
13-06-2025
- NDTV
After Honeymoon Murder Case, Meghalaya To Tighten Residents' Safety And Security Law
Guwahati/Shillong: The Meghalaya government today decided to revisit the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) in light of the recent murder of a businessman from Indore in the tourist hotspot Sohra. The aim is to further strengthen the law to better prevent criminal activities carried out under the guise of tourism. This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of residents, while continuing to welcome genuine tourists to our state, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. The state government on Friday took stock of the situation and resolved to revisit the MRSSA, 2016 to tighten safety mechanisms and close existing gaps. "Yes, the cabinet today decided to revisit the MRSSA, which is already an existing state law, to add more teeth to it in view of what we have just experienced at Sohra and to ensure that we minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists," cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh told reporters. While acknowledging the persistent demand for an inner line permit (ILP), Mr Lyngdoh said the matter now rests with the Union Home Ministry. "As far as the ILP is concerned, let me remind you that the state assembly has already adopted a resolution. The matter is pending before the MHA, which has a number of queries, which we as a state government are trying to address," he said. "Some of these queries relate to the fact that Meghalaya is not an endpoint. We are also connecting the rest of the northeast like Silchar, Mizoram and Tripura," he added. Despite ILP status being uncertain, Mr Lyngdoh emphasised that the state already has safeguards under the MRSSA framework. "If you go through the MRSSA, there is already a lot that is already in place, but we need to upscale and further improve upon what we already have in this law. So we will come up with a formal proposal," he said. On tourism surveillance measures already in place, Mr Lyngdoh said, "We already have a tourism app, which records all movements of tourists, including cars or whatever mode of transport they use, and also compulsory registration of all visitors at homestays, resorts, and hotels. Now, the use of this app is roughly around 50 per cent, but we will now make it compulsory that all homestays, resorts, and other places of accommodation should register all visitors, mandatorily," he said. He underlined the objective of revisiting the Act. "MRSSA is our version of what we would like to do in order to ensure the safety of all residents of Meghalaya. But as I mentioned, we would like now to revisit the act in order to plug whatever loopholes are currently in it, and give it more dynamism and more thrust with whatever has happened at Sohra so that we ensure that we have an atmosphere that is safe and we continue to be tourist friendly." Despite the recent episode, Mr Lyngdoh said tourism activity in Sohra has not been affected. "As we speak, the footfalls at Sohra itself are increasing. There are more and more visitors. Even when the case was still not solved, the footfall was still the same. Now with the name of Meghalaya being vindicated and cleared, we are only seeing a great attraction, more footfall. And we expect that this would touch 20 lakh by the Cherry Blossom Festival." The minister also spoke about improving infrastructure for tourist services. "They're all active. In fact, the one that we have in Shillong will be shifted to the MTC building in order for us to gain more space." To enhance engagement with visitors, the government is preparing to appoint young people under the Tourist Buddy scheme. "We have issued a notice calling for interested young people who are fluent in Khasi, Garo, English, and Hindi, to join the tourist buddy scheme and within the next two months, we should be able to clear the appointment of 100 tourist buddies," Mr Lyngdoh said.
News18
09-06-2025
- News18
‘Negative Trial': CM Flags Online Campaign Against Meghalaya Amid Indore Couple Case
Last Updated: Sonam Raghuvanshi was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur for allegedly murdering her husband in Meghalaya, where they went on honeymoon. Lauding the Meghalaya Police for cracking the case of the missing Indore couple on honeymoon, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday addressed the negative campaign online about tourism in the state after the news of the newlyweds surfaced. As Sonam Raghuvanshi, wife of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was found in a gorge on June 2, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, the Chief Minister said that the state police was under a lot of pressure as the matter pertained to guests from another state. 'I would like to thank DG, DIG, SP Police Department, who did a superb job under such difficult circumstances. There was a lot of pressure, especially since the case involved guests from another state. The police handled it well and brought the case to a logical conclusion," Sangma said while speaking with CNN-News18 on the case. He said that the police did have several pieces of evidence since the beginning of the investigation, however, they waited to put them out in the open to protect the investigation. 'The terrain and geography made the investigation challenging. Although we had several pieces of evidence from the beginning, we didn't share them publicly to protect the investigation. The police worked very hard, and revealing more details earlier could have affected their work," the Chief Minister said. He expressed anguish over the negative campaign run online against tourism in Meghalaya following the incident that came to the fore last month, and said that the people in the state treat tourists like family. 'There was a lot of negative trial, which was unfortunate. I have never seen such an incident in Meghalaya. We were all shocked, as people here treat tourists like family. It was hurtful to see such negative campaigns being spread," he said. 'There's something sinister brewing for a long time, and state police are just trying to hush it all up. A month or so back, a Hungarian tourist was found dead too. I keep reiterating this – Meghalaya is not a safe place, travel in groups, always, don't step out alone after it's dark," a user wrote on X. Sonam was arrested in UP's Ghazipur earlier today, while four others have been arrested in the case so far, including her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, the police said. First Published:
Times of Oman
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Indian couple murder case: Raja Raghuvanshi's wife surrenders, 3 others arrested say Meghalaya Police
Shillong : Three assailants from Madhya Pradesh have been caught, and a woman has surrendered in connection with the killing of Raja Raghuvanshi, a tourist who went missing with his wife in Meghalaya last month. This announcement was made by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. He further said that the police's operation is still underway to catch one more assailant. In a social media post on X, Chief Minister Sangma wrote, "Within 7 days, a breakthrough has been achieved by the #meghalayapolice in the Raja murder case ... 3 assailants who are from Madhya Pradesh have been arrested, a female has also surrendered and operation still on to catch 1 more assailant .. " Meghalaya DGP told ANI that 3 men were arrested, while the woman who had surrendered was identified as Sonam, the wife of late Raja Raghuvanshi. Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur police are yet to issue a formal statement, but sources say that the woman (Sonam) was found in a dishevelled state. The woman is being kept in the Sakhi One Stop Centre, a shelter for women who are victims of violence, in the city, and the MP Police have been informed. Further details are awaited. In the wake of the incident, the couple's family had demanded a CBI probe. On Sunday, Meghalaya Minister Alexander Laloo Hek emphasised the state's commitment to justice in the case of the Indore couple, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam. On Friday, the family of Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed from Madhya Pradesh's Indore whose body was found in a gorge near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting a CBI inquiry into the matter. Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife, Sonam, went missing during their honeymoon in the northeastern state. The couple was last seen on May 23. Later, on June 2, Raja's body was found in a gorge at Sohrarim near Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, while Sonam is still missing, and the search operation to trace her continues. Speaking to ANI, Sonam Raghuvanshi's mother, Sangeeta Raghuvanshi, said, "... We want the CBI inquiry to begin as soon as possible so that my daughter can come home as soon as possible... We want our daughter to be found as soon as possible." Meanwhile, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, said, "We have written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting a CBI inquiry and submitted it at the commissioner's office. We want the PM and the Chief Minister to extend support to us, and the CBI investigation should be conducted into the matter. It could bring justice to Raja and make finding Sonam easier. The way the Meghalaya police are working on this case, they won't bring justice to Raja."
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
This Indian city was ranked the world's most polluted in 2024. It's not Delhi
Byrnihat in Meghalaya has been named the most polluted city in the world according to Swiss Group IQAir's annual pollution report for 2024, surprising many who usually expect Delhi to hold that spot. However, India's capital still ranks second on the list. The Central Pollution Control Board has also declared Byrnihat the most polluted urban area in India for the second consecutive year, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 302, placing it in the 'very poor' category. Amid rising pollution, the Meghalaya Cabinet, chaired by chief minister Conrad Sangma, approved a vehicle scrappage policy on May 1 aimed at reducing emissions across the state. Government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh explained that the policy targets old, unfit vehicles, with about 13,000 cars expected to be removed from the roads—5,000 government-owned and 8,000 privately owned. Lyngdoh said that this policy will help lower pollution by cutting emissions, reduce fuel imports, and decrease the need for raw material extraction and recycling. While Delhi is often assumed to be the most polluted city, it ranks second, followed by Karaganda in Kazakhstan in third place. Mullanpur in Punjab, India, is fourth, with Lahore in Pakistan in fifth. Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan is sixth, N'Djamena in Chad is seventh, and Loni in Uttar Pradesh, India, is eighth. New Delhi comes in ninth, and Faridabad in Haryana completes the top 10 list. Continuing the list of the world's most polluted cities in 2024, Multan in Pakistan ranks 11th, followed by Peshawar at 12th and Faisalabad at 13th. Sialkot, also in Pakistan, holds the 14th position. Indian cities Gurugram in Haryana and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan are placed 15th and 16th, respectively. Hotan in China comes in at 17th, while Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) rank 18th and 19th. Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh secures the 20th spot. Further down the list, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan ranks 21st, followed by Noida in Uttar Pradesh at 22nd. Pindi Bhattian in Pakistan is 23rd, with Ballabgarh (Haryana) and Mandi Gobindgarh (Punjab) at 24th and 25th places, respectively. Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, takes the 26th position, while Bahadurgarh in Haryana ranks 27th. Sreepur in Bangladesh is 28th, followed by Charsadda in Pakistan at 29th. Faridabad in Haryana rounds out the top 30 at 30th place.
