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.

SHILLONG, Aug 26: The Union Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 800 crore for infrastructural development of uranium mining sites in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. The decision was taken after a meeting in New Delhi held on Monday between the Union Cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar with all the Union Government secretaries, Meghalaya Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee and the UCIL and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) officials. The meeting, chaired by Chandrasekhar felt that speedy development in the areas would annihilate apprehensions about mining in those areas.

SHILLONG: Ahead of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Anil Kakodkar's visit to the State, the anti-nuclear groups have asserted that they will not bow down to the government pressure on the contentious issue of Uranium mining in the state.

Dr Kakodkar, who is leading a high-level delegation to Meghalaya on August 22, will hold discussions with Chief Minister Donkupar Roy, also the Chairman of the All-Party Committee on Uranium Mining, and other senior government officials.

SHILLONG: As part of the Centre's push for early start of the uranium mining project in Meghalaya, Union Cabinet Secretary KM Chandra-shekhar will arrive here on Friday to discuss the vexed issue with the State Government and local NGOs.

Mr Chandrashekhar will be the second Cabinet Secretary after BK Chaturvedi to visit the State with the issue of uranium mining high on his agenda. He is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy and Governor RS Mooshahary. He will also deliver the keynote address at the State Civil Service Day function in the city on August 22.

Shillong: The Centre has approved the Rs 193.49-crore project under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to complete the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme, bringing a hope for the city to ease the present water crisis.

Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee under JNNURM on Tuesday gave its approval to the detailed project report (DPR) on the Scheme. Principal Secretary of Urban Affairs Anoop Thakur and Commissioner Secretary PHE AK Bhalla represented the State in the meeting in New Delhi.

SHILLONG: Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Anil Kakodkar is likely to arrive in the State on August 21 to discuss the proposed uranium mining project at Mawthabah in West Khasi Hills with the State Government.

According to sources, Dr Kakodkar is expected to hold discussion with Chief Minister Dr Donkupar Roy and other top officials on the proposed project. He will be accompanied by senior officials of the Union Atomic Energy Department including its Joint Secretary S Mendiratta.

Shillong: With climate changes being felt in the 'Scotland of the East' and the world in general, the urgency to sensitise people, particularly the students, about global warming and adopt measures to address climate change was emphasised by many conscientious citizens.

A step towards this goal was the screening of a documentary -- An Inconvenient Truth -- which was initiated by former US Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore, which speaks about the threats of global warming to mankind and the earth, at the Soso Tham Auditorium here.

From Our Spl Correspondent
Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a vital rural development programme in the country, in Meghalaya has been tardy, according to an official assessment here on Wednesday.

Besides Meghalaya, 12 other states - Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland in North East, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh - are not doing well in this programme.

"In all these states, the ministry feels that the performance so far is a cause of concern," the assessment said.