The year 2024 was not that eventful for Meghalaya with its buried dreams and long pending problems and decisions which failed to be implemented by the State government.

While illegal coal mining and transportation continues, the border dispute with Assam makes no further progress. A little headway made in Umroi Airport expansion as completion of the new Assembly building too is further delayed.

One of the pending issues is relocation of hawkers into designated spaces has come a cropper again as it could not be fulfilled this year. As the year ends, the policy decision taken in 2023 to shift them and free the hawker-jammed streets will go into the third year without implementation. To streamline the process of surveying and identifying eligible street vendors, the state had formulated the Meghalaya Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Scheme in 2023.

Another one such issue is the relocation of the people living in the area known as the Sweepers Lane in Them Ïewmawlong which has become a tough tussle for the State government to resolve. Numerous meetings, discussions and decisions later, there seems to be very little progress being made in convincing the current occupants of the area to move out to other locations identified by the government. This is one of the land issues that has been simmering over several years and is a flash point which can spiral off into a law and order situation at any moment in the coming year.

The district council election to be held this year end was postponed to February next year leaving many bitter about this unilateral decision by the state government. Earlier, much awaited delimitation of the constituencies of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) was completed and officially accepted in September; even though some pockets remained dissatisfied with the final arrangement. The KHADC (Constitution of District Council) (Amendment) Rules, 2024, and the JHADC (Constitution of District Council) Amendment Bill, 2024, came into force paving the way for the delimitation of constituencies ahead of the upcoming council elections.

The Conrad Sangma led National People’s Party (NPP) passed a crucial marker by winning the by-election of the Gambegre Assembly Constituency in November to gain a clear majority in the state Assembly. Another marker for the state is that the seat was won by a candidate with no experience in the political field but whose sole qualification was that she is the chief minister’s wife, Mehtabh Chandee A Sangma.

Among the many heinous crimes that hit the headlines this year, the murders that became known as the Umpleng mass murder case sent shock waves. Four bodies were found by locals passing by. This happened in East Jaintia Hills. The four bodies were identified and handed over to their families, arrests were made, but till date the police have failed to convict the murderers and neither have they managed to build a motive for the gruesome deed.

The bone-chilling killing has led to shockwaves across the district with the East Jaintia Hills police forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to assist in the investigation over the alleged murder.

Another horror that created some ripples was the burning and severe assault of a woman by her husband known as the Niriang case. The woman is still fighting for her survival.

The demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit regime and Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016 to stop the influx of migrants intensified in July this year with the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) kicking off checking on work permits. They set up check gates and went to construction sites where they detected and pushed back hundreds of non-tribal labourers without valid documents. This was part of their campaign to pressurise the government to enact the ILP in the state. The movement against non-tribal workers died down after some assurances from the government but it is a live-wire issue which can spark off at any moment depending on the political climate.

In a similar vein, tension was created when local associations took to blocking tourist taxis from Assam from ferrying visitors to the rural tourist spots seeking to spotlight the plight of local tourist vehicle owners and drivers who failed to get a share of the tourism visitor revenue. The matter also remains unresolved till date though the blockades have been removed after the state government declared that no pressure group has the right to check any documents of labourers or migrants in the state.

The mismanagement turmoil within the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), which has been simmering for years, exploded into public domain earlier this year with the students and teachers associations aligning to demand the resignation or recall of the vice chancellor Prof P S Shukla. Among other things he is accused of making illegal appointments which the students and teachers demand that these appointments be cancelled. He was asked to go on leave to keep the peace. The campaign continues even as the year ends with the issue promising to continue to make headlines as the stalemate continues with no resolution.

Beef became a matter of public concern once again. The Assam Government’s ban on sale of beef in restaurants in December came as no surprise to the people of Meghalaya and it also caused a lot of morbid mirth with both the BJP MLAs of the state protesting against the ban. One of them, Sanbor Shullai was particularly colourful in the use of his language to protest against chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s unwarranted action to stop beef eaters from getting their favourite food in hotels and restaurants. His call to people to continue to eat beef or any meat of their choice was set to music which went viral as “It’s your Choice”. This year the Hindutva right wing pressure was visible on other aspects of life in the state with cow-protection groups led by Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati attempting to hold a rally in the capital to call for ban on cow slaughter which was vehemently opposed by pressure groups in this beef-eating state. At the same time, the attempt by a the Hindu right-wing organization called the Kutumba Surakshya Parishad (KSP) to force it’s pujas and rituals on a tourist spot, the Mawjymbuin Cave in Mawsynram, has roused up anger and opposition from the local people. The KSP claims that the spot is a sacred spot for the Hindus since generations which are denied as false claims by the local people. This is a flashpoint to watch out for in the coming New Year.

The group had planned to hold a rally in Shillong to seek declaration of the cow as the ‘mother of the nation’ and a cow slaughter-free India. However, they were stopped from boarding a flight to Umroi at Agartala airport and had to take the flight to Guwahati.

After 35 years of service, the State government shut down the Meghalaya State Housing Board (MSHB). A total of Rs 7.42 crore will be granted voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to 18 employees of the board. According to the chief minister, the government body had lost its relevance as the government employees could not avail of loans and assistance to build their homes from other sources.

That was…

JANUARY

Sacking of 3 Lokayukta officials lands state government in soup

Unifying state anthem proves divisive with no mention for Pnar people

Droupadi Murmu makes first visit to state as President

FEBRUARY

NITI Aayog report ranks Meghalaya third poorest state in India

MARCH

Police crack down on HNLC sleeper cells; militant explode IED in Them Ïewmawlong

Helen Giri conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi award

APRIL

Three non-tribal workers murdered in Mawlai and Ichamati; arrest of KSU members leads to spate of petrol bomb attacks; one molotov cocktail hurled at home of Deputy CM Sniawbhalang

Meghalaya goes to the polls in Lok Sabha phase 1 voting; more than 6000 vote from home

MAY

State Govt causes fear after apparently mandating that local colleges affiliated with new state university rather than NEHU

Meghalaya battered by Cyclone Remal; heat wave in days before sends records tumbling

Idashisha Nongrang becomes Meghalaya’s first woman Director General of Police

HYC turns vigilante by demolishing ‘illegal’ makeshift houses of migrants in Lum Survey

Outgoing Director General of Police LR Bishnoi accused of corruption days before retirement

Silbi Passah awarded Padma Shri

JUNE

Tensions rise after BSF ‘high-handedness’ in border village of Kuliang

Expert committee on state reservation policy starts taking suggestions

Ricky Syngkon trounces all in Lok Sabha Shillong seat race; Saleng upsets Agatha in Tura

Renovated Umiam Dam bridge full reopens (except for heavy vehicles)

JULY

CH Vijayashankar takes over as Meghalaya Governor

KSU sets up check gates to screen outsiders to put pressure on Centre over ILP; tourism takes short-term hit; FKJGP, HYC involved in own anti-migrant activities

Heavy monsoon rains lead to flooding and loss of lives, property, damage to roads, etc

Shillong hosts Durand Cup for first time; Criticism for closing schools for opening match; Demand for semi final tickets cause chaos

AUGUST

Three Congress MLAs defect to NPP

Bangladeshi politician dies while fleeing home country for safety in Meghalaya

Unrest in Bangladesh causes jitters in Meghalaya

Kynjaimon Amse, lawyer known for fighting for social causes, dies in road traffic accident

Meghalaya cops foil IED attack plan; 3 suspected HNLC members nabbed

Former CM Salseng Marak dies

Mawjymbuin cave religious activity ban raises hackles in Assam

SEPTEMBER

Sitting MDC Latiplang Kharkongor passes away