Meghalaya cabinet adds thunderstorms, strong winds to disaster list

Shillong, Aug 26 (IANS) The Meghalaya Cabinet on Wednesday approved a series of measures to strengthen disaster response, streamline recruitment and expand enforcement of the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act (MRSSA).

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said thunderstorms and strong winds would now be formally recognised as state or local disasters, allowing damage caused by such weather events to be assessed and addressed under the State’s disaster management framework.

“Earlier, the cyclone was notified as a state disaster. But we are increasingly seeing damage caused by strong winds which are not of cyclone intensity,” Sangma said after the Cabinet meeting.

He explained that the earlier classification created difficulties for officials as destructive winds that did not meet cyclone criteria had to be assessed under the cyclone category.

“To bring clarity, we have included thunderstorms and strong winds in the list,” he added.

In another major decision, the Cabinet approved removing interviews for Group‑C non‑technical posts recruited through District Selection Committees (DSCs), with the new system coming into effect from January 1, 2027. The move follows the government’s earlier decision to scrap interviews for Group‑D DSC posts.

Interviews will, however, continue for Group‑C technical posts, with the Personnel Department to specify the posts covered under the technical category.

Sangma said the government would take three to four months to amend the relevant service rules. Recruitment advertisements issued from January 1, 2027, for Group‑C non‑technical posts will not contain an interview component.

The Cabinet also approved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all DSCs to ensure uniformity and transparency in recruitment. The State will train Deputy Commissioners and other officials to implement it, with the framework eventually proposed for other recruitment bodies.

On the MRSSA, Sangma said the State was pursuing clearance for the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020, with discussions underway with the Union Home Minister and Home Secretary.

At the same time, enforcement of the existing MRSSA, 2016 is being expanded through registration involving Rangbah Shnongs and locality headmen.

The government is also developing a mobile‑based facial recognition system to facilitate registration across Meghalaya’s nearly 6,500 villages and localities. Work is also underway to operationalise tourist facilitation centres envisaged under the 2016 Act.

–IANS

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