SHILLONG, Sept 11

SHILLONG: The government slogan that "Let's Make Meghalaya Clean and Green" may end up being an empty rhetoric if urgent steps are not taken to deal with the problem of thermocole pieces or styrofoam dumped by fish-loaded Shillong-bound trucks on the National Highway 40. Mounds of this non-biodegradable pollutant seen on various stretches of highway are not just an eyesore to tourists visiting Meghalaya. They are a potential threat to the environment and human health as well.

SHILLONG: The government will soon notify rules for incorporation in the existing Meghalaya Forest Regulation Act 1973 to ban felling of trees for charcoal manufacturing, especially in West Khasi Hills, which is one of the major causes of depletion of the State forest cover.

SHILLONG: Despite the government taking help of experts from Delhi to fight meningococcal meningitis, the virus has remained a headache to the Health Department, claiming the life of one more person on Sunday, taking the toll from the disease to nine in the State.

SHILLONG, Sept 5

SHILLONG: With a hope to break the ice over uranium mining issue in Meghalaya, the Centre is sending its emissaries one after another to the State.

The latest one, after the recent visit of Union Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekar and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar, is Principal Advisor to Department of Atomic Energy VP Raja.

Mr Raja will arrive in Shillong on September 22 to discuss with the State government, political parties and prominent NGOs the proposed Kylleng-Pyndeng-Sohiong uranium mining project in West Khasi Hills.

By Ace Puri

The debate has been raging back and forth about the economic benefits and the health hazards associated with uranium mining in the state. What compounds the complexity and confusion of the debate is a lack of clear understanding of the uranium mining process and its attendant implications on health. This article is an attempt to demystify the various aspects of the uranium mining lifecycle and therefore help the members of the public make an informed opinion about this issue.

VPTS provided to ne villages

SHILLONG, Aug 28

Shillong: The ambitious housing project of the State Government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for urban poor people of the city will be completed within 18 months.

The two-phase housing project estimated at Rs 30.44 crore has been handed over to Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL) for execution and the housing units will be constructed in a nine-acre area at Lumphira in Nongmynsong on the city outskirts to accommodate 600 families.

SHILLONG: In an effort to woo the anti-uranium mining groups in Meghalaya, especially after the Central delegation's recent failure to convince the NGOs and political parties for the UCIL project, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 800 crore for development of infrastructure around the mining sites in West Khasi Hills.

According to official sources on Tuesday, the decision to sanction the funds was taken in a meeting between Union Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar, State Government officials and representatives from UCIL and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in New Delhi on Monday.