Lokayukta is A ‘Toothless Tiger’ in Assam

By Manoj Anand

Guwahati, Jul 31 : Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi may claim to have Lokayukta to check corruption but it is nothing more than a toothless tiger as Lokayukta has neither been authorised to register a case suo moto nor have government servants been allowed to lodge complaints. Advocating amendments in the Assam Lokayukta and

Upalokayukta Act 1985, the Upalokayukta of Assam Justice D. Biswas (Retd) told this newspaper that there are states where the Lokayukta has been given power to register the cases suo moto, which gives strength to the institution.

“The Assam Lokayukta does not have these powers. The Assam Lokayukta and Upalokayuktas Act, 1985, needs to be amended,” he felt.

Admitting that institution has not been able to deliver to its expectations, Justice Biswas said, “There was communication gap as for many years the post of Upa-Lokyukta remained vacant.”

Justice Biswas, who requested the state government to set up office of the Lokayukta at every subdivision and district level to enable the people to lodge complaints, said, “May be the general people are not aware of the Lokayukta and the purpose it serves or perhaps there is some communication gap.

Whatever be the reason, we have not seen many people coming forward and approaching the Lokayukta in Assam.

No big case of corruption has been lodged as yet.” He said if cases are registered against ministers and senior officials, the Lokayukta has been authorised to acquire the services of any investigation agency, including the CBI, for investigation.

He said, “We have been trying to communicate the people that they just have to approach us. All they have to do is to lodge a complaint. If they have no evidence and we think that the complaint is in public interest, we’ll ask for relevant documents from the government department concerned.”

Since 1991, 1,001 cases have been lodged at the Assam Lokayukta — but not against any higher officials, MLA or minister — and only 28 cases are pending.

Justice Biswas, who took over the office in April 2010, said that his office has also taken up a few cases to Assam governor, as the state government could not implement the recommendations.

Mizoram Amends Liquor Law For More Wine

Aizawl, Jul 29 : Cheers to thousands of farmers across Mizoram, who grow apple, ginger, passion fruit, peach and pear, as the State Assembly today amended the liquor prohibition law to enable to process these crops into wine.

The Mizoram Assembly unanimously passed the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2011, introduced by Law Minister Lalsawta. Earlier in 2007, the prohibition law had been amended to allow wine processing from grapes and guavas.

The Law Minister, while introducing the amendment bill, said grape growers in Hnahlan and Champhai in eastern Mizoram have hugely benefited from the amendment of Liquor Act as grape, when processed into wine, is much more sellable than as fruits or juice.

As apple, ginger, passion fruit, peach and pear can be processed into wine just like grapes.

The amendment bill aims at large-scale commercialisation of the said crops. In such way, the farmers could get more profits from their fruits of labour, Lalsawta said.

Horticulture experts said Mizoram has an ideal climatic and soil condition to grow grapes and other horticultural crops like mentioned above.

The income of grape growers in Hnahlan and Champhai areas in eastern Mizoram bordering Myanmar has skyrocketed since wine produced from their grapes, said Zawlaidi, hit the market since October last year.

Before the amendment in 2007, the Mizoram Liquor Prohibition Act had prevented them from large-scale commercialisation of their products and wine-making from grapes.

The liquor prohibition law was introduced in this Christian-dominated state in Northeast India from February 20, 1997, after much pressure from the powerful church organisations, spearheaded by the Mizoram Presbyterian Church, the states largest Christian denomination.

Brus Returning To Mizoram

By Nava Thakuria

More than a decade ago, about 35,000 Bru Janajati people (also known as Reang) fled their villages in Mizoram of Northeast India, following an outbreak of violence, and took shelter in northern Tripura, another province of the region adjacent to Bangladesh. Now, these tribal families-mostly Hindus-are being repatriated to Christian-dominated Mizoram, thanks to the joint efforts of the Union Government of India and the rights groups.

By the end of June 2011, over 3000 Brus had returned home, informed Suhas Chakma, a proactive human rights activist and Director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), who has been acting as an interlocutor between the Brus and the governments. He further informed that these returnee families were resettled in five villages of the Mamit district of northern Mizoram.

The repatriation of Brus, who sought shelter in Tripura in 1997, was suspended in November 2010, following protests by some Bru forums. The ACHR Director Chakma facilitated a dialogue between the pro- and anti-repatriation factions of the displaced Brus at Kanchanpur in December 2010. Both the parties agreed to support the process of repatriation once the central government decided to offer financial aid, under a special project for the sustainable development of the returnee Brus.

Thus emerged the Kanchanpur Agreement. And, along with the central government, the Governments of Tripura and Mizoram, as well as the Union Home Ministry were also involved in the process. The central government has already allocated Rs.9.97 crore for the repatriation process. R R Jha, Joint Secretary (North East) of the Union Home Ministry, in a letter dated 5 January 2011, informed the ACHR Director that along with Rs.80,000 cash assistance, one year's free ration will also be provided to each Bru family.

There are about 30,000 remaining Bru (comprising over 5000 families) internally displaced people in the camps. They have already agreed to return to their homes in Mizoram, owing to the assurance given by the central government.

The Brus have been living in miserable conditions in the relief camps in Tripura since October 1997. Over 40,000 Bru Janajati people left their homes due to the violence perpetrated by the majority Mizos.
Since then, they are taking shelter in six camps in northern Tripura.

The Brus (total population is about 435,000, as per the 2001 census) are spread in Tripura, Mizoram, Assam, as well as in some parts of Bangladesh, and are recognized as Scheduled Tribes. The exodus of Brus was prompted by a demand for an autonomous district council for the socioeconomic and political benefits of Brus in Mizoram. Some politically conscious Brus organized a meeting in September 1997 and raised the demand for an autonomous council in the Bru-inhabited areas of Mizoram, in the hope of getting specific administrative, judicial, and legislative powers.

Mizoram, with nearly one million population, already has three autonomous district councils, under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, namely Lai Autonomous District Council, Mara Autonomous District Council, and Chakma Autonomous District Council. On this basis, the demand for a Bru Autonomous District Council was rejected by both the Mizoram government as well as the Mizo civil society groups. While the majority of the Mizo civil society groups, including Young Mizo Association (YMA) and Mizo Zirlai Pawl, expressed their anger against the Bru community, the Brus maintained their demand.

This widened the rift between the two communities.

Meanwhile, the emergence of the Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) added more complications to the situation. The armed group started disruptive activities, and was held responsible for murdering a Mizo forest guard in Mamit in October 1997. In retaliation, a section of the Mizo people carried out massive violence against the Brus, which forced thousands of Brus to leave Mizoram. Another 5000 Brus had to flee Mizoram in November 2009, following the alleged murder of a Mizo youth by Bru militants in the same district, and join the makeshift camps in Tripura.

Since then, a series of discussions among various parties, including the BNLF, various forums of displaced Bru people, the Governments of Mizoram and Tripura, central government, and human rights groups, took place from time to time. Following the invitation of the Mizoram government, a fact-finding team of the ACHR visited the affected areas and met political leaders, including Chief Minister Lalthanhawla, high profile officials, and civil society groups.

The team-chaired by Milon Kothari, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, and comprising of Suhas Chakma, ACHR Director; Nava Thakuria, writer of the article; and Bamang Tago, Chief of Arunachal Citizens Rights, as members-completed the mission after visiting Mizoram and Tripura during December 8 to 14, 2009. In February 2010, the Union Home Ministry requested the ACHR to use its good offices to convince the displaced Bru people to return to Mizoram. Finally, the process of repatriation started gaining momentum and success to some extent.

The move has also been welcomed by the most influential Mizo organization, YMA. Speaking to this writer from Aizawl, General Secretary of Central YMA Lalbiakzuala said that YMA leaders have already expressed their willingness to cooperate with the government in the ongoing repatriation of Bru refugees. Lalbiakzuala, however, maintained that only indigenous Bru people (from Mizoram) would be accepted for repatriation and "the repatriated Brus should not live in a single village or group. Rather, they should resettle in different villages".

Meanwhile, a delegation of Brus met the Mizoram Governor, Lt Gen. M M Lakhera at Raj Bhavan in Aizawl and apprised him about the various grievances of the repatriated Bru families. Led by Elvis Chorkhy, General Secretary of the Bru Coordination Committee, the delegation also requested the Governor to take up some special development projects in the affected western Mizoram localities and open a Central School in the Mamit district.

"The resumption of repatriation of Brus is really a welcome move. I believe that the Mizoram government as well as the Union Home Ministry must ensure that these families are immediately resettled in their specified villages," asserted Suhas Chakma, appealing to the Mizo civil society groups to go for continuous interactions with the Bru people.

The rights activist also expressed optimism that if all the stakeholders-the Brus, the Mizoram government, and the Union Government-remain committed, there should not be any further obstacles in the process and, as Chakma says, "if repatriation of all the displaced Brus is completed, this would constitute the largest repatriation of displaced persons of our time, facilitated by a rights group".

Nava Thakuria is the editor of News Network Television, a local news channel of Assam in Northeast India. He also contributes articles to The Statesman (Kolkata), Eastern Panorama (Shillong) and The Independent (Dhaka).

‘Editor’s Remarks’ on Facebook Trigger Outrage, Bandh in Assam

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Guwahati, Jul 29 : The “derogatory remarks” allegedly made by the editor of a local news channel against a community sparked outrage and a bandh that shut several districts of upper Assam on Thursday.

The 12-hour bandh, called by Tai-Ahom Yuva Parishad and supported by several other organisations representing the community, paralysed Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dhemaji, Golaghat and Lakhimpur districts, shutting down schools, colleges, offices and shops and keeping traffic off the roads. There were a few stray cases of stone-pelting but the bandh passed off relatively peacefully.

The “derogatory remarks” were allegedly made by Atanu Bhuyan, editor-in-chief of Guwahati-based NewsLive, on his Facebook page some days ago.

Bhuyan, however, denied making such remarks, claiming that the Facebook page where the remarks appeared was a fake account created by some miscreants to defame him. Bhuyan said he had filed a case with the police, and hoped the “actual culprits” behind this fake Facebook account would be soon brought to book.

Bhuyan’s denial, however,did not cut ice with the Ahom organisations, some of which called and supported the bandh while some demanded his arrest, some his resignation and others a public apology.

Manipur Sadar Hills Committee Calls Economic Blockade

Imphal, Jul 29 : The Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) has announced to impose economic blockade on the two national highways of Manipur from July 31.

It will continue till August 31 and may be extended if committe's demands are not met, a statement said today.

The Committee is demanding a full-fledged revenue district status for Sadar hills, which is now under Senapati district.

The Sadar Hills are dominated by people belonging to Kuki tribe. The Manipur government was earlier to declare it into a full- fledged district but was stopped after objections from certain community.

District status related stir were also witnessed at Ukhrul and Jiribam areas. The state has nine districts now.

Sixth Schedule will help develop hill areas: Kulabidhu

Janata Dal (Secular), Manipur President, W Kulabidhu today said extending the provisions of the Sixth Schedule will benefit the hill areas. He said there are six hill revenue districts where the Manipur Hill Areas (District Councils) Act 1971 is in force.

Now, in consonance with the spirit of the constitution (72nd Amendment) Act, 1993, and the constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1993, enlarging the powers of the Panchayat raj institutions, municipal corporations and nagar palikas, the extension of the Sixth Schedule to the administration of the tribal areas of the hill districts will play a big role.

It will play a big role in solving the ethnic violence which is prevailing in Manipur at the present moment, he said. The Cabinet of the United Legislature Front under Chief Ministership of R K Ranbir Singh took a decision on May 13, 1991 to request the Centre to extend the Sixth Schedule to the Hill District Councils of the State of Manipur with local variations and certain amendments.

Again, the Cabinet of the Congress MPP coalition ministry under the leadership of R K Dorendra Singh reaffirmed the earlier decision on September, 17, 1992. Two consecutive State Cabinet decisions are there for the extension of the act.

Embraceable You: India & Bangladesh

Growing geopolitical interests push India to seek better relations nearer home

Dhaka: Not much noticed by outsiders, long-troubled ties between two neighbours sharing a long border have taken a substantial lurch for the better. Ever since 2008, when the Awami League, helped by bags of Indian cash and advice, triumphed in general elections in Bangladesh, relations with India have blossomed. To Indian delight, Bangladesh has cracked down on extremists with ties to Pakistan or India’s home-grown terrorist group, the Indian Mujahideen, as well as on vociferous Islamist (and anti-Indian) politicians in the country. India feels that bit safer.

Now the dynasts who rule each country are cementing political ties. On July 25th Sonia Gandhi (pictured, above) swept into Dhaka, the capital, for the first time. Sharing a sofa with Sheikh Hasina (left), the prime minister (and old family friend), the head of India’s ruling Congress Party heaped praise on her host, notably for helping the poor. A beaming Sheikh Hasina reciprocated with a golden gong, a post

humous award for Mrs Gandhi’s mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi. In 1971 she sent India’s army to help Bangladeshis, led by Sheikh Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, throw off brutal Pakistani rule.

As a result, officials this week chirped that relations are now “very excellent”. They should get better yet. India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, will visit early in September to sign deals on sensitive matters like sharing rivers, sending electricity over the border, settling disputed patches of territory on the 4,095km (2,500-mile) frontier and stopping India’s trigger-happy border guards from murdering migrants and cow-smugglers. Mr Singh may also deal with the topic of trade which, smuggling aside, heavily favours India, to Bangladeshi ire.

Most important, however, is a deal on setting up a handful of transit routes across Bangladesh, to reach India’s remote, isolated north-eastern states. These are the “seven sisters” wedged up against the border with China.

On the face of it, the $10 billion project will develop poor areas cut off from India’s booming economy. The Asian Development Bank and others see Bangladeshi gains too, from better roads, ports, railways and much-needed trade. In Dhaka, the capital, the central-bank governor says broader integration with India could lift economic growth by a couple of percentage points, from nearly 7% already.

India has handed over half of a $1 billion soft loan for the project, and the money is being spent on new river-dredgers and rolling stock. Bangladesh’s rulers are mustard-keen. The country missed out on an earlier infrastructure bonanza involving a plan to pipe gas from Myanmar to India. China got the pipeline instead.

Yet the new transit project may be about more than just development. Some in Dhaka, including military types, suspect it is intended to create an Indian security corridor. It could open a way for army supplies to cross low-lying Bangladesh rather than going via dreadful mountain roads vulnerable to guerrilla attack. As a result, India could more easily put down insurgents in Nagaland and Manipur. The military types fear it might provoke reprisals by such groups in Bangladesh.

More striking, India’s army might try supplying its expanding divisions parked high on the border with China, in Arunachal Pradesh. China disputes India’s right to Arunachal territory, calling it South Tibet. Some Bangladeshis fret that if India tries to overcome its own logistical problems by, in effect, using Bangladesh as a huge military marshalling yard, reprisals from China would follow.

Such fears are not yet widespread. Indeed, India has been doing some things right in countering longstanding anti-Indian suspicion and resentment among ordinary Bangladeshis. Recent polling by an American university among students found a minority hostile to India, whereas around half broadly welcomed its rise. A straw poll at a seminar of young researchers at a think-tank in Dhaka this week suggested a similar mood—though anger remained over Indian border shootings.

For India, however, the risk is that it is betting too heavily on Sheikh Hasina, who is becoming increasingly autocratic. Opposition boycotts of parliament and general strikes are run-of-the-mill. Corruption flourishes at levels astonishing even by South Asian standards. A June decision to rewrite the constitution looks to be a blunt power grab, letting the government run the next general election by scrapping a “caretaker” arrangement. Sheikh Hasina is building a personality cult around her murdered father, “the greatest Bengali of the millennium”, says the propaganda.

Elsewhere, the hounding of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank who briefly flirted with politics, was vindictive. Similarly, war-crimes trials over the events of 1971 are to start in a few weeks. They are being used less as a path to justice than to crush an opposition Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami.

It hardly suggests that India’s ally has a wholly secure grasp on power. A tendency to vote incumbents out may yet unseat Sheikh Hasina in 2013, or street violence might achieve the same. She would then be replaced by her nemesis, Khaleda Zia, of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Mrs Zia’s family dynasty, also corrupt, is as against India as Sheikh Hasina’s is for it. But India’s habit of shunning meetings with Mrs Zia and her followers may come to look short-sighted. When he visits Bangladesh in September, Mr Singh, the Gandhi family retainer, would do well to make wider contact if India’s newly improving relations are not one day to take another big dive for the worse.

Preserving The Aroma of Topola Bhaat

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Farmers of Assam cultivate around 2,000 varieties of traditional rice.

Guwahati, Jul 29 : The state government, in association with the Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Jorhat, has sought to protect and preserve its wide variety of traditional rice, and two of these are on the verge of being recognised as registered farmers’ varieties.

“Assam and the entire Northeast have an unbelievable number of rice varieties, most of which are yet to be studied scientifically and classified,” said Dr Birendra Kumar Sarma, a former scientist of the ICAR, whose pioneering work, Rice Diversity of North East India, has won acclaim among the scientific community.

According to Sarma, there should be anywhere between 3,000 and 3,500 varieties of rice or paddy in the Northeast, with a World Bank-sponsored National Agricultural Technology Project listing about 2,000 varieties in Assam alone.

Two of the traditional varieties of rice, awaiting registration from the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), incidentally, are exclusively grown by the Singpho tribe of Tinsukia district in Upper Assam. “It is very important to register the traditional varieties that have been cultivated by different ethnic groups and have been part of their culture and tradition,” said Dr Pranab Talukdar, a professor of plant breeding and genetics at the AAU. Talukdar, who heads a team of scientists studying the rice varieties, said the Krishi Vigyan Kendras in each district in Assam have been asked to find out the number of farmers’ variety rice and also the area under cultivation.

The two varieties, Khawlung and Miaotong, are used exclusively for making topola bhaat — rice boiled while packed in plantain, koupaat and other leaves — by the Singpho community. It is a delicacy prepared from purely organic and aromatic glutinous type of traditional fine rice varieties such as Miaotong and Khawlung. Topola bhaat has become quite popular among the tourists and is a big hit during the traditional Patkai Festival and Pangsau Pass Festival organised in Margherita in Assam and Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Once the NBPGR issues the registration certificate, the Singpho community will enjoy the exclusive rights for commercial production as well as cultural promotion of the two varieties, which, in turn, will also bring economic benefits to the small community,” Talukdar said.

While several ethnic communities in Assam and the Northeast prepare topola bhaat, the aromatic topola bhaat of these two Singpho varieties remain fresh for up to three days after being cooked.

Distant cousins of the Jingpo community of the Yunan province of China and Jingpaw tribe of Myanmar, the Singphos are credited to have grown and brewed tea since time immemorial in Assam.

“It is very important that we protect and preserve our traditional rice varieties. We have requested the AAU to expedite the process so that most of these traditional varieties, several of which are already endangered, are not wiped out. This will not only help save the varieties, but also bring good economic returns to the people,” said Assam Agriculture Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka.

Nagaland Targets Self Sufficiency in Meat Production

Kohima, Jul 29 : The Nagaland government has set the target of becoming the first state in the country to become self-sufficient in meat production by 2020.

Under the policy, Animal protein for all: Securing food basket through sustainable livestock and poultry farming, the department of veterinary and animal husbandry has taken up ambitious schemes by involving cross-sections of people, including the HIV-infected and the physically challenged.

State government officials said by 2020, Nagaland was expected to export meat to other parts of the country and also to South East Asia.

At present, the state imports Rs 220-crore worth of meat annually but officials of the veterinary and animal husbandry department are hopeful that this would come down drastically as all efforts are being made to increase meat production.

Senior technical assistant Z. Mekro said the department would soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the German company, Pig Dutchman, to start modern slaughtering houses and pig-breeding farms in the state through public private partnership (PPP).

The detail project report has been sent to the Planning Commission with a projected cost of Rs 1,180 crore.

At present, Nagaland imports Rs 93.726 crore worth of pork, beef worth Rs 23.241 crore, chicken worth Rs 28.575 crore, dog and goat worth Rs 7.62 crore, milk (powder milk and baby food) worth Rs 64.162 crore and eggs worth Rs 3.525 crore. Nagaland also imports cattle and buffalos from Myanmar.

The state’s internal monetary value in terms of internal production of meat, milk and egg is Rs. 637.71 crore, which contributed around 20 per cent to the state’s revenue earning.

“During the eleventh five year plan, the department is focusing on development of piggery and poultry for meat production and infusion of superior germplasm of dairy cattle for milk production to narrow the gap between the demand and supply of animal husbandry products,” Mekro told this correspondent.

He said Nagaland produces the best pork in the country and rural piggery, poultry and dairy are being taken up in the form of backyard farming in rural areas.

The state government has also initiated the process of setting up a veterinary college at Jalukie, 100km from Kohima, to promote veterinary practice and to enhance production of meat.

Mizoram Enjoys Peace, But Clamours For Progress

By K Anurag

Image: A Mizo tribal woman waits for a bus after buying household goods from a market in Aizawl

The  tiny state of Mizoram is called an island of peace in the disturbed Northeast. It is a landlocked hilly state spread over 21,087 square kilometer inhabited by over 10.9 lakh people who mostly follow the same religion, Christianity, and of whom 91.85 per cent are recorded as literate.

The people of this Northeastern hill state bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, recently celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the famous Mizo Peace Accord which was signed on June 30, 1986.

The celebration was not only in the state capital Aizawl but also in all the eight district headquarters reflecting how the people of the state cherish the peaceful atmosphere and want to keep those forgettable two decades (1966-86) of turmoil at bay.

Unlike other peace accords or ceasefire pact signed with various other militant groups in the Northeast which usually end up breeding more disgruntled armed groups instead of restoring lasting peace, the Mizo Peace Accord has worked splendidly well in bringing back lasting peace to the state.

Termed as the most successful peace accord with any insurgent group in the country, peace accord tasted success mainly because the MNF complied with all the requirements of the Accord viz.

This was to abjure violence and surrender all arms, not to aid any other rebel group elsewhere in the region and acknowledge Mizoram as an integral part of India in letter and spirit.

However, questions are being raised whether the government has fulfilled all the commitments it had made in the accord to facilitate all round development of the tiny state that has few sources for internal revenue generation.

Matters like rehabilitation of former MNF rebels and facilitate border trade have been fulfilled partially, but much is yet to be done to tap the real potential of the state in respect of tourism, ethnicity, and horticulture etc sectors.

"We want the Central and Mizoram government to work in tandem to make proper planning and mobilise resources to tap most potential sectors in the state to mitigate the burgeoning unemployment problem in the state. We need professional education institutions and better air and surface connectivity for rapid growth," said a senior office bearer of Mizo Zirlai Pawl (Mizo Students Union).

Lack of opportunities for employment and professional education back home have driven thousands of young Mizo women and men to big cities outside thereby triggering flight of huge amount of money from the cash-starved state every year.

"The state of finances of our tiny state is well reflected from the reality that it was the government which provided the money for celebration of Silver Jubilee of Mizo Peace Accord throughout the state," said a senior leader of the influential Young Mizo Association.

The YMA leader said unless there is massive central assistance Mizoram government would never have resources of its own to build much needed roads to improve connectivity in the state as well as to improve the dismal power supply scenario which have been major deterrent for investment from outside.

"We have urged our chief minister to seek special central assistance to improve basic infrastructure in the state so that the State can be put on the fast track of development exploiting the peaceful situation, the YMA leader said.

The burning problem of unemployment has given rise to a restive young generation in the hill state where drug abuse has become a serious problem and the prohibition has turned out to be total failure calling for rethinking on part of the government.

The dismal state finances has attracted ban not only on creation of new jobs but also on filling up of vacant posts in the state government sector.

The incumbent Congress regime led by Chief Minister Lalthanhawla, however, takes heart that many of the clauses of Mizo Accord related to border trade and rehabilitation of surrendered MNF rebels have been fulfilled to some extent.

Border trade with Myanmar initiated though it remains to be commissioned formally. A border haat with Myanmar is on the anvil. Talks on border trade with Bangladesh through Demagiri in Mizoram are in progress.

Lalthanhawla met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the latter's visit to India, to discuss the issue and Bangladesh High Commissioner in India subsequently visited Mizoram for the purpose.

Unless rapid strides are made on the path of development and growth, the prevailing peace may turn uneasy in days to come.

Traffickers Use TV Channel To Lure Northeast Girls

By Dwaipayan Ghosh

New Delhi, Jul 28 : A gang of inter-state traffickers has been trying to use the name of a wildlife, knowledge and travel television channel to lure girls.

The gang members have even typed 'offer letters with attractive salaries' bearing fake logos of the channel to attract girls from Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tibetans. The channel has lodged a complaint with the south district police in this regard.

Karuna Gulyani, a representative of the channel said she had come across some pamphlets purportedly being distributed in south Delhi seeking to employ girls from Tibet and Nagaland to travel with the group's two leading channels - one of them dedicated to knowledge and the other to wildlife.

These unauthorized pamphlets also state that the girls will be paid a salary ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month.

The logos, claimed channel representatives, appeared to be so close to the genuine logos that they fear many girls may have already been duped.

It is worthwhile to mention here that Munirka, located close to the Qutub Institutional area, has a huge population of girls - mostly students and young professionals - who come from northeasten states.

What has surprised cops regarding the modus operandi of the gang is the social profiling - asking girls from a particular area to join services.

"An organized gang is just trying to make a fast buck,'' said an officer, adding that the means could be achieved through trafficking or duping the gullible.

DCP (south) Chhaya Sharma said she was aware of the complaint but investigations were only at a preliminary stage.

According to a Vasant Kunj police officer, a case will be registered only after the cops have analyzed the source of these pamphlets. Efforts are on to trace the printers of these pamphlets.

Gulyani has advised girls to ignore these posters as they are in no way involved with the employment drive of the channel.

"Please report such incidents to us immediately and do not be fooled by these pamphlets,'' said Gulyani.

Youth-Centric Channel Hit7 Launched For Northeast India

By Nitin Pandey

LSD Media Pvt Ltd has launched its first media venture - a free-to-air youth targeted entertainment channel Hit7 - for the North-East region of India on July 15, 2011. The channel is targeted at the regions including Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.

The channel, which is headquartered at Kandivili (West), Mumbai, will be carried on INSAT4-A. The content packaging, ingestion and transmission will be done from company facilities in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

Speaking to exchange4media on the thought process behind the launch of the channel, Sunil Manocha, Co-Founder, LSD Media Pvt Ltd, stated, “The primary youth segment (15-25) and secondary segment (26-35) roughly account for 70 per cent of the region’s 50 million population.

And there was no any dedicated entertainment channel available in the region for youth. Hence, we found a greater need for a localised entertainment channel there.

Now, the channel will also give an opportunity to those advertisers who want to reach out to the young audience of the North-East region of the country.”

Meanwhile, Hit7’s content plan consist content from 5 major sources that include International music labels like EMI, Virgin and Warner Music; locally sourced content like music videos and regional film music; IPR (Intellectual Property Right) based fiction and non-fiction content that will include daily serials, studio based shows and reality shows; IPR based shows containing local talent like performing bands, individual performers; licensed formats that will be indigenised to suit local taste and flavour.

Right now, in the North-East region of the country, there are few current affairs and entertainment channel available that include regional channels of DD, DY 365, News Live, Rang (GEC), News Time, NE TV, NE Hi-Fi and Frontier TV.

Presently, the advertisers on the local North East channels are a mix of national advertisers, local companies, local state governments and DAVP. In the first year of operations Hit7 aims to capture 10 per cent market share of the advertising spends. Manocha said that they will be targeting all sets of advertisers in the region for Hit7. He noted, “The FMCG companies like HUL, ITC, L’Oreal, Emami, Godrej are among the largest category of advertisers in the region.

All the telecom service providers like Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, Tata Telecom, Aircel are advertisers on the local channels. The other categories that are advertising on the local channels include Insurance and Banking sector, 2 wheelers among others. The local governments of the 7 states also use these channels to highlight the various schemes and projects of the government.”

On the distribution strategy for channel, Manocha remarked, “HIT 7 will be distributed across all the 7 states of North East India. The distribution of the channel is focused on local cable platforms, 20-30 urban/youth centers and deals have also been inked with all existing MSO’s (Multi System Operators) in the 7 states.”

Meanwhile, Hit7 plans a transition to DTH within two years of operations.

LSD Media Pvt. Ltd. is promoted by Sunil Manocha, Sanjay Dhar and Sumit Luthra. The mandate of LMPL is to identify, develop, deploy and own regional electronic media vehicles including Specialty channels like Music, Sports and Youth. The company mandate also includes creating media assets like talent representation; creation of IPR based formats and events.

HPC-D Violates SoO, Alleges Mizoram CM

Aizawl, Jul 28 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today accused the underground group Hmar Peoples Convention-Democratic (HPC-D) of violating a suspension of operation (SoO) agreement it had signed with the Centre in 2007.

"Several insurgent groups of the NE came under the umbrella of UPF (United Peoples Forum) in August 2007. I am not sure about the exact date to begin a political dialogue with the Central government. HPC-D was part of the UPF," Lal Thanhawla said in the Mizoram state assembly today.

"According to the agreement, the HPC-D was supposed to stop all kind of anti-social activities.

Instead, the underground group continued extortion rackets in northeastern parts of Mizoram.

As that was not what the HPC-D was supposed to do, we had to inform the central government," the Chief Minister continued.

Even though the HPC-D argued that the suspension of operation did not include Assam and Mizoram, the Central Government maintained that it did, he added.

On the alleged suspension of political dialogue with the HPC-D by the State government, Lal Thanhawla said, "We are not unwilling to talk.

But, it is the Centre, and not us, who are to hold talks with the insurgent group."

''If an insurgent group continues anti-social activities notwithstanding a truce, it should be treated as dacoits. So are offshoots of a main insurgent group,'' Lal Thanhawla added.

Pointing out that the Centre, in collaboration with state polices, has begun combing operation in Assam-Tripura-Mizoram border areas to flush out militants, Lal Thanhawla warned that if the HPC-D continues underground activities in Mizoram-Manipur border areas, the Centre would crack down on them.

To make this statement, the Chief Minister intervened when State Home Minister R Lalzirliana was answering queries raised by some members pertaining to the Sinlung Hills Development Council (SHDP), in the Hmar-dominated northeastern part of Mizoram, whose council members resigned en masse recently.

The HPC-D was an offshoot of the Hmar Peoples Convention, following dissatisfaction with the 1994 peace agreement, and continued to fight self-government for the Hmars in northeastern parts of Mizoram

Real Heroes: Bina Helps Militancy Scarred Widows

By Tridip Mandal

Imphal: Manipur's Binalaxmi Nepram, who's seen how militancy has permanently scarred women in her state, has set up the Manipur Women Gun Survivours Network for widows who have lost their husbands in the ongoing conflict in the state.

More than 20,000 people have lost their lives in the killing fields of Manipur in the last five decades and every year more than three hundred widows are created because of the ongoing conflict in Manipur. Everyday three to four Manipuris are shot dead and most of them are young men between the age group of 19-40 leaving behind young mothers and their small children.

Binalaxmi's group helps these women cope with their grief.

One such widow is Nutan who was married for just two years. She was left widowed with a newborn child when one day her husband vanished.

"My husband left that day to go meet his mother in the market and he hasn't returned since then. I have been waiting for his return. His mother also came looking for him that day. We looked for that day and the nect day but could not find him," Nutan said.

Nutan added, "There is this woman in our colony who is a commando officer's sister, she asked her brother about my husband and he said to go to the mortuary. When we went there, we found his dead body just lying there."

After Bina heard other such stories she decided that compensation was just not enough.

"When I started meeting women and listen to their testimony and stories that how a woman lost 2 sons in one day, a women who lost 3 members of her family in a conflict, I knew that this is not fair to them to just forget and about the compensation from the government it is just not enough. Nobody is even bothered about how these women get on with their lives," Bina said.

So Bina chalked out a strategy. She went from village to village, opened bank accounts and gave these women interest free loans and financial aid up to Rs 9000.

Today these women earn a living by making incense sticks, weaving cloth or rearing fish. Each one of them has become self sufficient.

Working with 80 women in four districts of Manipur, Bina gets most of her funding from donations and her research work with Control Arms Foundation of India.

The guns haven't stopped blazing in Manipur and Bina knows that there are many more women who need her help across the state.

Bina said, "this is the fire of change that can really help the situation in the state. This is not a cliche as I speak this is not a cliche. This is what I have felt and this what I know that we can transform the villages and states in this country."

Source: CNN-IBN

Lalrina Renthlei Wins Maiden Snooker Title For Mizoram

Chennai, Jul 27 : Mizoram produced its first National champion in any form of cue sports as 20-year old Lalrina Renthlei from Aizwal emerged winner in the junior snooker event here Wednesday, winning two of his three semifinal league matches.

Renthlei won the title on the countback after he tied with ML Lakshman (Karnataka) and Himanshu Jain (Andhra), all with two wins and a loss apiece. Jain finished second, followed by Laksham and Mundir Sherazi (Karnataka) who lost all his three outings.

Renthlei, a self-taught player who learnt the basics by watching videos of legendary Steve Davis, made fleeting appearances on the Indian circuit for the past couple of years, and finished third in the 9-ball National championship and fifth in 8-ball this year.

‘This is my happiest moment and although I didn’t play all that well, may be 60 per cent of my potential, I am very pleased that I managed to win my first title.

‘I dedicate this win to my father who passed away in 2004 and Mukesh Rehani (who expired this year) who toughened me mentally when he visited Mizoram for two weeks,’ said the second year Commerce student of Govt College in Aizwal.

Last year, Renthlei made an early exit at the Pune Nationals, but performed well in the senior section, making it to the round of 32 where he lost to Karnataka’s IH Manudev.

‘I got thrashed by a local player in the juniors at Pune where I arrived without much practice. I then worked hard and fared better in the seniors, reaching pre-quarter-finals,’ said Renthlei who took the snooker seriously after giving up a promising career in basketball where he represented Mizoram in several Nationals championships.

Hours before Renthlei created history, Asian Asian and defending champion Alok Kumar (PSPB) tripped to a shock defeat against Shankar Rao (Andhra), but recovered to win his next game Anshul Mittal (Haryana) in the senior National Billiards championship.

The 42-year old Alok hailing from Punjab and the defending champion struggled in the 9am Group B match against the unheralded Rao and lost 1-3, but was back on his feet later in the day when he beat Mittal 3-0.

‘In the 100-up format, you cannot take anything for granted. Anybody can win on a given day and 9 am was a bit early in the day for me.

‘Also, in the past couple of months, after winning the Asian title, I have been playing a lot of pool and that probably affected my billiards game. I need to improve a lot,’ he said.

The results:

Junior Boys snooker (s-f league): ML Lakshman (Kar) bt Mundir Sherazi (Kar) 3-2 (40-66, 77-15, 59-10, 58-61, 59-65); Lalrina Renthlei (Miz) bt Mundir Sherazi (Kar) 3-1 (39-59, 65-57, 58-17, 65-46); Himanshu Jain (AP) bt Lakshman 3-0 (69-15, 49-45, 87(44)-06); Renthlei bt Jain 3-1 (71(52)-17, 18-65, 75-36, 73-19); Jain bt Sherazi 3-2 (51-42, 41-67, 58-67, 71-44, 76(45)-16); Lakshman bt Renthlei 3-2 (18-85(46),74-47, 28-84 ,66-44, 68-41).

Final Standings: Renthlei 1, Jain 2, Lakshman 3, Sherazi 4.

Senior billiards (preliminary league):

Group A: IV Rajiv (AP) bt MS Reddy (Rlys) 3-1; Prem Prakash (TN) bt Jai Shankar Sha (Jhar) 3-0; Pankaj Advani (PSPB) bt Vishal Madan (Mah) 3-1.

Group B: S Simhachallam (Rlys) bt Anshul Mittal (Har) 3-0; Shanker Rao (AP) bt Alok Kumar (PSPB) 3-1; Nitin Kohli (UP) bt Utsav Ramani (Guj) 3-1; Alok Kumar bt Mittal 3-0.

Group C: Ketan Chawla (MP) bt Rajkumar (Kar) 3-1; Siddarth Parekh (Rlys) bt Sanket Saurabh (Bho) 3-0; Geet Sethi (Guj) bt D Bhuvaneshwaran (TN) 3-0.

Group D: Dhruv Sitwala (PSPB) bt Akram Khan (WB) 3-1; Arif Akthar (Chd) bt Abineet Sharma (MP) 3-0; Arun Agarwal (Mah) bt Subrat Das (WB) 3-0.

Group E: Shivam Arora (Bho) bt Kankan Shamsi (UP) 3-2; Saurav Kothari (PSPB) bt Abhishek Saini (Har) 3-0; Rupesh Shah (PSPB) bt Aditya Agarwal (Rlys)3-0.

Group F: Shakeel Ahmed (WB) bt SA Saleem (TN) 3-0; Mahesh Jagdule (Mah) bt Kunal Manchanda (Raj) 3-0; Saleem bt Amit Sharma (Del) 3-0.

Group G: B Bhaskar (Kar) w/o Jayanth Menghani (Raj); IH Manudev (Kar) bt MC Manoj (TN) 3-2.

Group H: Shyam Jagtiani (WB) bt Amit Lath (Ori) 3-0; Durga Prasad (Rlys) bt Manish Jain (WB) 3-0; Devendra Joshi (PSPB) bt Dhvaj Haria (Guj) 3-1.

Mizoram Losing Land, Size Of A District, Says BJP

Aizawl, Jul 27 : Mizoram would soon lose its land, size of a district, due to the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh border fencing, the state unit of BJP said here today.

Leaders of the state BJP said, in a press conference, that the fence was being constructed at one to three kms from the actual border inside Mizoram.

''At this rate, Mizoram would soon lose its territory, the size of a district,'' the BJP leaders said.

The state BJP leaders further alleged that large number of Indian families living along the border have surrendered their land to the border fencing without receiving a single rupee as compensation.

''On the contrary, the chief executive members and executive members of the affected autonomous district councils grabbed a total of Rs 535,35,360 as compensation with fake land certificates,'' they said.

Pawan Hans Resumes Copter Services in Northeast

Agartala, Jul 27 : State-owned Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd, which suspended services in six northeastern states after Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu and four others were killed in a crash, has resumed operations in the region.

"We have asked all our bases in the northeastern region to resume helicopter services in the six states," a senior Pawan Hans official told IANS by phone from the firm's corporate office in Noida.

"On Tuesday, services with double-engine choppers instead of previous single-engine aircraft have resumed in Tripura and Sikkim. Gradually, this would start in other states," the official said.

According to the official, services were resumed after a thorough check of all aircraft.

The decision to suspend operations in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur came after the April 30 crash that killed Khandu and two pilots, a personal security officer and the sister of the Tawang legislator.

A few days earlier, on April 19, 17 people were killed when a Pawan Hans helicopter crashed at the Tawang helipad, located at an altitude of 11,000 feet, in Arunachal Pradesh just as it was about to land.

Tripura Transport Secretary Kishore Ambuly told IANS: "Following the directive of the union home ministry, the Tripura government had earlier floated a tender to operate chopper services.

"Pawan Hans and a few other private companies had also participated in the offer and the state run company won the tender.

"Earlier the copter services were operated like other states of northeast India following an agreement between Pawan Hans and the Tripura government," Ambuly said.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had taken up the issue with his counterparts in northeastern states to pressurise Pawan Hans and the central government to replace the age-old choppers in the region, another Tripura official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

He said Sangma had suggested operating double-engine choppers instead of single-engine aircraft in the northeast. However, a Pawan Hans official here said that was not an issue.

"Many helicopters with double-engines, including that of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and former Lok Sabha speaker G.M.C. Balayogi, have crashed in different parts of India," he said.

India's lone national helicopter company, Pawan Hans has been operating services for nine years in the northeast, the union home ministry subsidising fares by up to 75 percent.

"Pawan Hans was established with the primary objective of providing helicopter support services to the oil sector for offshore exploration operations, services in remote and hilly areas and charter services for promotion of tourism," company's official document said.

Furore Over IGNOU's Naga 'Faux Pas'

Agartala, Jul 27 : Looking forward to take up a course offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) abroad? You can choose Nagaland - a relatively new country included in the prestigious university's website.

Unbelievable? Not really. Till Tuesday afternoon, the drop down menu of the "fees" section on the university's website, giving country-wise cost of each programme, identified Nagaland as a separate "country" and placed it in between USA and Ivory Coast.

Though Ignou corrected the mistake by evening, there was a volley of criticism from various quarters of society earlier in the day as soon as the matter came to light. Angry and sarcastic comments like "we are more than willing to hand it over to whoever wants it" and "typical mainland ignorance" started flooding social network sites and there was a great hue and cry everywhere.

"This is absolutely disgraceful. This is a faux pas par excellence," said Ezaz Hazarika, a former police officer and now a security expert of a foreign company.

When the matter was brought to the notice of Kishore Ambuly, the secretary of higher education (Tripura), he feigned ignorance. "I shall look into the matter," said Ambuly. Congress Legislature Party leader Ratan Lal Nath said he would take up the matter with higher authorities in New Delhi.

The mistake assumes significance not only for lack of knowledge on the part of the authorities concerned but also for the fact that it is likely to used by anti Indian elements active in the region, especially Naga militant outfits. KS Chakraborty, the director of Ignou's Agartala centre, also feigned ignorance about the faux pas.

Manipur Church Body Bats For Fair Elections

Imphal, Jul 27 : The All Manipur Christian Organization (AMCO) has intensified its ongoing campaign in the hills for persuading pastors and church leaders of the insurgency-hit state to remain neutral during election period.

This comes at a time when political parties have begun groundwork for the coming assembly polls likely to be held early next year. Out of total 60 legislators in the assembly, 20 are from the five hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachanpur.

On Tuesday, Amco organized its 4th Pastors Advocacy Meeting at the Senapati district headquarters, which was attended by a large number of church leaders, pastors and Christians.

"Since the church is one of the most powerful institutions for Christians, pastors and church leaders should act impartially during the election period. We have launched our campaign to motivate them," said Amco president Rev Prim Vaiphei told this reporter on Tuesday.

Under any circumstance, church leaders should not interfere with poll-related matters though there might be threats and intimidations from several quarters, including the underground organizations, added Vaiphei.

"Who would come out to take up this task when the church leaders fail to advocate free and fair polls?" questioned Vaiphei. He, nevertheless, said Amco was a non-political organization and has nothing to do politics. "If any church leader is found indulging in poll malpractices or being influenced by any political party , the respective church would take action against the wrong-doers," warned Vaiphei.

Besides this, Amco is also campaigning against poppy and ganja cultivation by Christians in the hills and the indulgence of certain pastors in child trafficking cases.

On Monday, Amco held its campaign (seminar) at KBC centre church in Senapati under the motto "Truth, Justice, Love, Peace and Equality."

"We will hold similar seminars in Ukhrul on August 9 and at Churachanpur town later. We will also do so in other sub-divisions and small towns in the hills," said Vaiphei.

In May last year, Amco was instrumental in bringing about a solution to the ban on entry of Manipur vehicles in Nagaland by Naga Students' Federation (NSF) after holding talks with its Nagaland counterpart- Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC)- and various Naga civil bodies of the neighboring state.

Hmar Leader Held in Barak Valley For Ronmei Murder

Hmarkhawlien, Jul 27 : Police on Tuesday morning arrested Ngursangthang Hmar, a senior Hmar tribal leader, from the Barak Valley area of Assam in connection with the murder of Babul Rongmei, chairman of the Barak Valley Hill Tribes' Development Council.

Babul, a 42-year-old Rongmei Naga leader was shot dead on July 10 by three assailants at his Sabazpur village house, near Silchar Medical College Hospital.

One of the assailants who was caught and lynched by villagers after the incident was identified as Ringson Hmar of Manipur. Two others managed to flee on a motorcycle.

Prasanta Joyti Bhuiyan SP (Cachar) said police from Lakhipur raided the house of Ngursangthang Hmar at Lakhipur in Cachar and arrested him at 5 am on Tuesday.

"The investigation in connection with the murder is in progress. So far, four persons have been arrested in connection with the case. Hmar is now in custody of Silchar police and is being interrogated", said the SP.

Sources said relation between the two tribal leaders soured over the months after Ngursangthang Hmar was replaced by Rongmei as the chairman of the Barak Valley Hill Tribal Development Council earlier this year.

District administration and police took up adequate security measures in the Christian Hmar and Hindu Rongmei Naga hamlets in the southern Assam areas fearing distrust and communal tension after the Rongmei murder.

Three suspected tribal militants had raided the house of Rongmei at 8 am on July 10 and shot him on his head from close range killing him on the spot. Babute Rongmei (22), brother-in-law of Babul Ronmei was injured in the attack.

ZORO Hails Mizo CM’s Remarks On “Imposed Boundary”

Aizawl, Jul 26 : Mizoram-based Zo Re-unification Organisation (ZORO) has highly hailed Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla’s statement in favour of the Zoro’s quest for reunification of Mizo or Zo tribes across the region.

''The organisation is extremely pleased by those remarks made in the House by Lal Thanhawla and opposition member Lalduhoma, who said they would not accept any imposed boundary,'' Zoro said in a statement today.

''Zoro is proud to have such political leaders who firmly believe that all the land inhabited by the Mizos belongs to Mizos,'' the statement further said.

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said in the Assembly yesterday that he had gone as far as Tahan in Myanmar and he firmly believed that 'the land belongs to us'.

The chief minister’s remarks came after a mention of the proposed Indo-Myanmar border fencing by some members of the House during a discussion on demand of Revenue Minister J H Rothuama.

Pointing out that the Mizos had migrated from Myanmar to settle in Mizoram, now a state in India, Lal Thanhawla said large portion of western Myanmar still inhabited by the Mizos is 'our land'.

''We would not accept the imposed international boundary that divides the Mizos. We will oppose the fencing of the international boundary as long as we can,'' the chief minister said.

Earlier on July 7, Zoram Nationalist Party president and Aizawl West-I MLA Lalduhoma said in the Assembly that said the Mizo Peace Accord signed in 1986 neither healed the wounds of Mizoram nor did it fulfill the aspirations of people even after 25 years of signing of the agreement.

Therefore, the Mizos, irrespective of political affiliations, should strive for greater autonomy, including self-determination, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Rights For the Indigenous People, Lalduhoma said.

He added that as India was one of the signatories of the UN declaration, the Mizos can take non-violent steps to achieve greater autonomy.

''As India is the land of satyagraha, the Mizos should struggle for the highest autonomy possible,'' he said.

Zoro is an organisation that stands for re-unification of all Zo tribes scattered across the Northeast region, including Myanmar and Bangladesh.

10 Ways to Stay Cool This Summer–2011 (NSFW)

Over 30,000 Bootleggers Arrested in Mizoram After Dry Law

Aizawl, Jul 26 : Altogether 36913 bootleggers have been arrested in the state since the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act came into force on February 20, 1997, says excise and narcotics police records.

Of these, 27,123 people have been convicted, the information sought under the RTI Act said.

An excise police official said most of those arrested in violation of the MLTP Act were the same persons.

"They were arrested, convicted and came out of jail after serving the terms and got back into their business. There were a few liquor dealers who quit the trade at their own will, but there were hardly anyone who quit due to the punishment they got for the offence," the official said.

The department also earned a revenue of Rs 4,77,32,162 in connection with MLTP Act violations from February 20, 1997 till April 31, 2011, the records said.

The department also seized 1,19,727 kgs of yeast, whose monetary value according to the local market rate, was Rs 5,98,63,500.

However, since the seized yeast were destroyed by the court, no actual cash was received from this.

Meanwhile, there are 2007 persons, who have 'licence to drink' in Mizoram which has been under the dry law for 14 years now.

"Of these, 1838 are ex-servicemen and the remaining 169 are civilians, who are permitted to drink on health grounds," official sources said.

PRISM 'NO' To Departmental Inquiry

Aizawl, Jul 26 : Mizoram-based anti-corruption organization PRISM (People's Right to Information Development Implementing Society of Mizoram) today said it would not appear before a departmental inquiry committee on Kau-Tlabung and Tuipanglui mini-hydel projects.

A committee of PRISM turned down the public health engineering department secretary-cum-presenting officer’s summon to appear as prosecution witness before the inquiry committee on the alleged misappropriation of fund in the two mini hydel projects.

In its reply to the presenting officer, PRISM said, ''PRISM filed a PIL in Gauhati High Court as it did not have trust in a departmental inquiry. Therefore, there is no point of appearing before a committee which we do not trust.'' The case is sub judice, the PRISM’s letter also pointed out.

The presenting officer, in its letter on July 22, asked PRISM president Vanlalruata and its general secretary Liantluanga to appear before the investigating officer during a hearing on July 26.

It may be recalled that PRISM had lodged an FIR with the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (then Anti-Corruption Branch) in 2008 to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds in the construction of two micro hydro projects--Kau-Tlabung and Tuipanglui--in southern Mizoram.

After a thorough investigation, vigilance department ordered ACB to register a criminal case against the concerned engineers on May 13, 2010, PRISM president Vanlalruata said.

''The State Vigilance Department, however, ordered the bureau to withdraw the case on July 2, 2010 without stating any reason,'' he said.

The government, in a confidential notification on July 2 last year, had decided to constitute a departmental inquiry into the case. As a result, the special court (anti-corruption) on July 3 last year allowed the 13 engineers (of power and works departments), whose names had appeared in the ACB investigation, to withdraw their anticipatory bail petitions, he said.

Angered by this, PRISM had last year filed a restoration PIL against the state government’s alleged withdrawal of a criminal case in this connection.

''We termed the government’s order to withdraw the case as an attempt to cover up a misdeed, which we felt was a clear indication that influential people were involved in the corruption,'' PRISM president said.

Earlier this year, the high court’s divisional bench comprising Justice T Vaiphei and Justice Hrishikesh Roy admitted the restoration petition after it had been rejected in October last year by Justice M Lokur of the high court.

BSNL Reveals Telecom Plans in Mizoram

Aizawl, Jul 26 : Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) revealed that BSNL is going to add 45,000 mobile connections in Mizoram which will enhance the present connections by more than 50%.

Sources said that with the launch of Broadband on EVDO and Wi-Max Technology , customers in Mizoram can experience High Speed Broadband on all available technology in the country (ADSL /3G /EDVO /WI- Max, BSNL) plans to invest Rs.3 crores to augment Telecom Network in Mizoram in this financial year, BSNL in collaboration with MHRD has planned to provide highly discounted broadband connectively to UGC approved University and colleges, BSNL sources said every university is to get GBPS Broadband connectivity on optical fiber, against an annual cost of Rs. 1 crore for 10 years. Universities in NEI, NE-II and Assam are expected to pay only Rs.10 Lakhs.

Notably, Mizoram University has already been provided with the connectivity , and every college in Mizoram is to get approximately 0 BB- VPN connections with unlimited Broadband surfing Facility, against annual cost of Rs. 5000 per year per BB-VPN connection colleges in NE-I, NE-II and Assam are expected to pay only Rs.500 per year per BB- VPN connection.

The BSNL source today further revealed that every school in Rural Areas of Mizoram can get BB connection at highly discounted Tariffs.

Concessional   broadband tariffs starts from Rs.99 per month in which broadband is available at a speed up to Mbps with a free download of 400 Mb.

And concessional Tariffs are available in both limited use and unlimited usage categories, including BB. Connections in rural areas are also available with computer building schemes where schools can get computer on EMI as low as Rs.175 per month.

It is learnt that BSNL is geared up to provide connectivity to state wide Area Network for e- Governance project of the Govt of Mizoram; 136 Numbers of CSC’s are also planned to be provided with Broadband connectivity , plans have been drawn up to introduce broadband service in all the BHQ’s latest by June and in all villages of Mizoram by December 2011, and most significantly all the  inhabited villages in Mizoram have been provided with VPT’s.

Too Many Militant Groups For Nagaland Govt’s Comfort

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

The splintering of militant groups in Nagaland has left the government unsure how to deal with which one and struggling to curb a spurt in extortion across the state.

A ceasefire is in place with the main factions of the NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagalim) but the Khaplang faction split vertically over a month ago, and the state government is now confused which faction is actually involved in the ceasefire with the Centre. The state has asked New Delhi to clarify whether both factions have reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire agreement earlier entered into.

What is also significant is that the state government has decided not to provide police escort to leaders of the NSCN factions without specific approval or a direction from the Government of India. At the moment, top leaders like Thuingaleng Muivah and Issak Chisi Swu and others of their faction (NSCN-IM) have been provided government police escort whenever they move out of their designated camps.

One section of the NSCN(K) has remained with SS Khaplang but the majority in June expelled him and appointed Gen Khole Konyak as their new chairman. Subsequent to this, both factions have claimed to be the original and in a ceasefire with the government.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Saturday also discussed the law and order situation in the context of the presence of so many armed underground factions in the state. The state cabinet is understood to have observed that in addition to three NSCN factions now, the two factions of Naga National Council (NNC) too had a “considerable” number of armed cadres operating.

As neither of the two factions has any ceasefire agreement with the Centre, the state government asked New Delhi how the security forces — Central paramilitary forces and the state police — should deal with these armed cadres.

Nagaland has witnessed an upswing in extortion in recent months, with some groups even publishing telephone numbers of their “officials” responsible for collection of “taxes”, much to the embarrassment of the government. The government has now prohibited such publication of names and telephone numbers.

Numerous organisations, underground as well as non-existent ones, have been collecting “taxes” and “donations” from goods trucks and other vehicles on the state’s highways, which in turn has sent prices spiralling.

Amid attempts made to curb extortion and provide protection, especially to the trading community, the state government has ordered the closure, with immediate effect, of check gates except the inter-state gates and the Inner-Line Permit check posts .

The government has been under pressure also from an organisation called Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation, which has been demanding a separate state called “Frontier Nagaland”. With the ENPO sending memorandums to the Centre, the PMO recently asked the state government for its opinion. The Nagaland government has now recommended to the Centre the creation of an autonomous council comprising four districts of eastern Nagaland: Tuensang, Mon, Khiphire and Longleng.

"Snubbed" For Arjuna Award, Lifter Returns Gold

New Delhi, Jul 26 : Peeved at being ignored for the prestigious Arjuna Award, top woman weightlifter Renu Bala Chanu has decided to return the gold medal she won in the Commonwealth Games last year to the Sports Minister.

Renubala, who won gold in the 58kg category in the CWG, said she was hurt at not being named for the Arjuna Awards after 11 years at the top level and winning medals at the international level.

"This is a big letdown for me after being at the top level for 11 years. I have been snubbed and cold-shouldered. It has hurt me and I have no motivation left whatsoever to continue in the sport. So I am returning the gold medal I won in the Commonwealth Games," she told reporters while showing the CWG gold medal.

K Ravi Kumar, who had also won gold in the men's 69kg in the Commonwealth Games, was the lone weightlifter named among the Arjuna Awardees and Renubala said she was more deserving than him for the award.

"Ravi Kumar deserves to win the award but I am more deserving than him," said the 24-year-old Renubala who is now posted at the Guwahati Headquarters of the North Eastern Frontier Railways.

Renu Bala had also won gold in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and she said her brother is coming from her home state Manipur to hand over the other medals to the Sports Minister.
"I have won two Commonwealth Gold medals and a bronze in the Asian Championships. My brother is coming from home to return the other medals," she said.

Renubala said that if the Sports Minister Ajay Maken does not assure him that she would get the Arjuna Award next year, she would altogether quit weightlifting.

"How long I will wait? I may get injured and so out of competition and I may not be considered again for the award any more. I want an assurance from the Sports Minister that I would get the Arjuna Award next year. If I don't get the assurance I will quit weightlifting," she said.

She said she has informed about her decision to return the medals to the Indian Weightlifting Federation.

"I have informed of my decision to the IWF but I am not expecting any help from them," said Renu Bala.

Bangladesh Willing To Tango Much Faster Than Delhi Realises

By Jyoti Malhotra



New Delhi Jul 26 : Dhaka allows transit, ready for more, even as Delhi preoccupied in pushing ties with Pakistan.

India — or at least the ministry of external affairs, as well as Delhi’s Pakistan-centric media — is gearing up to receive Pakistan’s newly promoted foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, for her first visit to India on Wednesday. Yet, the truth is that Bangladesh has been quietly undertaking radical breakthroughs in promoting connectivity on India’s eastern flank that have received little or no publicity in the capital.

Bangladesh commerce minister, Mohammed Farouk Khan, has told his Indian counterpart, Anand Sharma, that Dhaka will give India access to Chittagong port, so as to make transportation of goods to our northeast states easier and cheaper.

The assurance was appropriately given late last week at the small border outpost of Kalaichar in Meghalaya, which borders Bangladesh, when Sharma and Farouk got together to inaugurate a trading entrepot, locally known as a ‘haat’ at the border.

“India can use not only Chittagong but several other ports that we have developed in recent years. Other neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar can also use our ports for trade and commerce in the future,” Khan told Sharma, who profusely welcomed the move.

Clearly, Dhaka seems to be bravely papering over the recent hiccup over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comments on the allegedly growing Islamic radicalisation of Bangladesh, by proceeding with the common understanding that economic connectivity is the way forward if Bangladesh has to share in India’s rapid economic growth.

EASING ON PAKISTAN
Meanwhile, as Foreign Minister S M Krishna prepares to receive Khar, word is that the government is finalising key confidence-building measures to promote both people-to-people interaction as well as push trade across the border.

The idea, official sources said, is to push the India-Pakistan relationship on two parallel tracks. That is, keep the focus on cracking down on terror on the one hand – especially, to push Pakistan to give voice samples of the seven terrorists accused of fomenting the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, as well as hasten the domestic process to act against the accused — and to ease restrictions for ordinary people in both countries so that they don’t bear the brunt of government anger.

On the cards, therefore, are measures to improve relations both across the international border at Wagah-Attari in Punjab and the Line of Control in Kashmir, so as to target both key constituencies, as well as the gesture to unilaterally release 90 Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails.

Fishermen from both sides are routinely picked up by the Coast Guard from both countries when they unknowingly cross the maritime boundary across the Gulf of Kachchh and the Sir Creek area, because there are no markers that divide the sea. On the Wagah-Attari front, the proposal is to enhance the number of days that trade can take place, from two to four days per week. Across the LoC in Kashmir, the idea is to increase the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, streamline permits for traders, increase the number of commodities that can be traded and improve telephone facilities.

HANDLING HARDLINERS
Discussions on an easier visa regime are also on the cards, but this will not materialise during Khar’s visit because the home ministries control this aspect of the bilateral relationship. The home ministry in India has severely cracked down on issuing visas for Pak visitors, especially after the Mumbai attacks, including to Pakistani businessmen. While the ministries of commerce and external affairs hope they will soon make some headway on this front, the home ministry is holding out for reciprocal information from Pakistan on the Mumbai attacks.

Home minister P Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik have just met at Thimphu on the margin of the Saarc interior ministers meeting, and officials said Islamabad was being persuaded to send a delegation to provide greater information on the Mumbai attacks.

Nevertheless, the fact that India is moving to dilute its own border controls, in the face of strong opposition from the home ministry, shows that the Prime Minister’s desire to use trade and economic interaction to pave the way for greater understanding and political dialogue is moving forward.

Clearly, Manmohan Singh seems to have outsourced the economic relationship between India and it’s neighbours to the commerce ministry, a charge that Anand Sharma has accepted with enthusiasm and some relish. A former minister of state in the external affairs ministry, Sharma understands well that he can use his current portfolio to maximise gains that are ripe for the picking, thereby enhancing his own profile in the bargain.

DHAKA PAYOFF
For example, the idea to open border ‘haats’ or trading outposts between India’s several northeast states and the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar are not new. In fact, they have been pending for several years. But politicians in charge of the commerce ministry have been disdainful of travelling to the backwaters of Meghalaya and Tripura to promote interaction with India’s poorer neighbours, believing they must focus on trendier, first world nations in Europe and the US.

Sharma’s initiative to travel to Kalaichar in Meghalaya last week is creditable, believe analysts. They also point out that he must now bite the bullet on textiles, ignore lobbies and throw open trade in textiles both with Pakistan and Bangladesh, an area in which both countries are proficient.

Although India has enhanced duty-free access to garments from Bangladesh from eight to 10 million pieces per year, Dhaka remains unhappy at Delhi’s unwillingness to contemplate a free trade treaty. But with Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina having shown the way by allowing Delhi access to the Chittagong port — something each government in Dhaka has refused since 1971 — it may be time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to return the gesture.

Dhaka, in fact, has already done more, behind the scenes. India has already started sending heavy machinery down an inland waterway through Bangladesh to the small port at Ashuganj, close to a Bangladeshi town called Akhaura, barely 10 km away from Agartala, the capital of Tripura. For the record, Indian goods have already begun to transit through Bangladesh, unnoticed, for the first time since the latter became a free nation in 1971.

All eyes on border haats as Indo-Bangla biz swells

SHILLONG: Trade between India and Bangladesh has increased from $ 2.7 billion in 2009-10 to $ 3.9 billion in 2010-11, showing a nearly 45 per cent increase. The growth of exports from Bangladesh to India has gone up to $ 0.39 billion in 2010-11 from $ 0.25 billion in 2009-10.

On Saturday last, Union commerce, industry and textiles minister Anand Sharma and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Muhammad Faruk Khan, inaugurated a border haat (weekly market) at Kalaichar in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district. It is expected that the re-opening of the traditional haats, which were shut down after creation of Bangladesh, would restore economic and commercial ties between the people living on the either side of the international border.

The second border haat proposed at Balat on Indian side and Lauwaghar in Bangladesh will also be inaugurated shortly. It is estimated that bilateral trade worth $ 20 million will take place every year from the border haats.

"During the recent visit of the external affairs minister of India to Bangladesh, instruments of ratification in respect of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) were exchanged. This will greatly facilitate two-way investments. The agreement aims at creating favourable conditions for fostering and encouraging investments between the two countries," an official source said.

"Both the countries have made significant forward movement in their cooperation in the power sector, including establishment of grid connectivity up to 500 MW of power from India. Of this, 250 MW will be at a preferential rate. India responded positively to Bangladesh's request for setting up of a high technology joint venture thermal power plant of 1320 MW capacity at Khulna and has completed the feasibility report," the source added.

Till 1971, residents from the border areas of the then East Pakistan used to cross over to the Indian side for exchange of goods. But, after creation of Bangladesh, the border haats were closed. History has it that border haats in Meghalaya were functional even during the Mughal period.

Besides the border haats, both sides are working on several projects to improve trade infrastructure and connectivity. The border management department of the Union home ministry is developing seven integrated check posts on the India-Bangladesh border - at Petrapole, Agartala, Dawki, Hili, Chandrabangha, Sutarkhandi and Kawarpuchiah. Further, India is developing infrastructure at eight land custom stations along the frontier at Rs 108.19 crore. According to the proposal, the land custom stations will come up at Borosora, Dalu, Ghasupara, Mahadipur, Hilli, Phullbari, Srimantpur and Gojadanga. The projected development cost of all the integrated check posts and the land customs stations is $ 125 million.

"India has welcomed the offer of the Bangladesh government to use Chittagong and Mongla ports. This will, no doubt, provide tremendous benefit for trade and development of Bangladesh as well as the North-East of India. India has already finalized and shared the draft modalities with the Bangladeshi side," the source said.