Even as rising cases of meningococcal meningitis continue to haunt the State, malaria too has taken its toll mostly in border areas. The West Khasi Hills district of the State that detected one suspected case of meningitis so far is fighting the seasonal malaria, surfacing through the migrant population, stagnant waters in coal and charcoal deposits.

At least two persons have died of suspected meningococcal meningitis in Meghalaya. Nine others are suspected to be suffering from the disease in West Khasi and Ri Bhoi districts.

Meghalaya, a small state in the North Eastern region of India, is inhabited by different indigenous communities, mainly of Mongoloid origin. Of the approximately 2.3 million population, about 85 percent live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood.

Spility Langrin Lyngdoh took a firm decision in 1994 that she would not give her land for uranium mining. She had heard about the radiation horror stories of Jaduguda village in distant Chhattisgarh.

Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), A Government of India Enterprise established in 1967 under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), owns and operates four uranium mines at Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar and Turamdih and one ore processing plant at Jaduguda in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.

Meghalaya's west Khasi hills. He shares with Centre for Science and Environment media fellow P Madhavan his experience of the charcoal trade

National and regional parties contesting the March 3 Meghalaya Assembly polls toe the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) in opposing the proposed Uranium Mining in West Khasi Hills district. The KSU called an all-party meeting today to question the political parties' stand on the vexed uranium mining issue in West Khasi Hills district. The BJP, NCP, UDP, KHNAM and the HSPDP attended the meeting. The UDP sent a letter of support in the opposition to the proposed uranium mining, while the Congress and the MDP abstain from the meeting.

Pages