Normalcy Returns to Cachar

By Santanu Ghosh
Silchar, Apr 30 : Normalcy returned to Barak Valley districts and bordering Mizoram today, after the tension of the past few days.

Tension has been simmering in Mizoram since last week in the wake of a campaign by a few Mizo student and youth groups, directing non-Mizo shopkeepers in Aizawl to wind up their business. Matters took a turn for the worst when the traders were forced to close shopon Tuesday and a majority of them started fleeing the state to their homes in Barak Valley.

Yesterday, the Mizoram home department rounded up seven members of a youth group, Mizo Tlangval Pawl, including its president Vanlalmawana, for allegedly fomenting inter-community tension.

In Cachar and Karimganj districts of Barak Valley in Assam, a few local organisations put up an indefinite blockade on Monday morning in protest against the threats to non-Mizo traders in Aizawl. But they withdrew it in the afternoon after the district administrations intervened.

Last evening, Cachar deputy commissioner G.M. Hazarika held a meeting with the agitating organisations and assured them that he would take up the matter with senior officials in Dispur. It was attended by local residential officers of Mizoram V.M. Thanga and Biswanath Bhattacharjee, senior officials of Cachar administration and representatives of the agitating organisations.

Sankar Dey, secretary of the Forum for Protection of Non-Mizos, one of the agitating organisations, said they would freeze their agitation for a week. But in case of any reprisal on any non-Mizo shopkeeper in Mizoram, the agitation would again gather momentum.

Kokborok in Tripura University

By Sekhar Datta

Agartala, Apr 30 : The Tripura Central University will introduce full-fledged MA course in Kokborok language.

Since the 1996, the university has been teaching Kokborok as a six-month certificate course but growing demand for development of the language persuaded governor P.B. Acharya to call for its study at the university level.

A final decision was taken at a recent meeting of the university and the course will be launched from the current academic year.

Disclosing this in an interaction with reporters yesterday, Tripura Central University vice-chancellor Anjan Kumar Ghosh said preparation for the launching of MA course in Kokborok was on.

"The syllabus has been finalised and now printing of books is on. We will hold an admission test for the course as well as for other courses between May 25 and 28. Leading experts in Kokborok, including poets and authors in the language will be inducted as teachers till final appointments are made," said Ghosh.

Tripura's leading poet Ratul Debbarma expressed his "joy and satisfaction" over the varsity's decision: "It will boost the study and process of learning of the language."

However, a script controversy - whether to use modified Bengali or Roman script - still remain unresolved.

Chief minister Manik Sarkar made it clear in a tribal literary conference in 2013 that the majority view of tribals on the script would be accepted by the government.

"Till finalisation of a single original script the language will be studied in modified Bengali script devised by late linguist Kumud Kundu Chowdhury," said Debbarman.

Naga Girl Working in Gurgaon Guesthouse Alleges Rape

By Shilpy Arora

Gurgaon, Apr 30 : A 19-year-old girl from Assam was allegedly raped on Wednesday morning. She works as a support staff in a DLF 1 guesthouse and was on duty around 8.30am when the incident is reported to have taken place.

The girl was at work in the guest house when one of her male colleagues forced himself upon her.

The accused hails from Nepal and works as a cook and support staff at the facility. The girl is reportedly a Naga, hailing from Dima Hasao district of Assam. She has been working in the guesthouse for the past two months, and has alleged that the accused had proposed her for a relationship last month, which she had refused.

According to a representative of a northeast students' centre, the girl initially approached her manager, who after consulting the senior management, requested her to settle the matter mutually with the accused. She refused, but by then, around 12.30pm, the accused had run away. The girl decided to call up the northeast student helpline number, which sent a team of representatives to her help. She was immediately taken to the DLF 1 police station, and then to Civil Hospital for a medical examination.

"She is traumatized. It is shocking that the guest house management did not inform the police, and the accused managed to flee," said Chumbemo M Patton, representing Nagaland at Delhi Police's northeast cell, who helped the girl lodge her complaint.

Representatives of the Naga students union (Delhi) and Zeliangrong students union (Delhi) reached Gurgaon in the afternoon to assist the victim. "We want Gurgaon Police to nab the accused immediately," said a representative from the northeast.

The girl's family, which has been informed about the incident, did not wish to speak to the media. "The matter was reported to the police at around 5pm. The accused had fled by then. We filed an FIR under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the IPC, and will arrest the accused soon," said ACP (crime) Rajesh Kumar.

Mizo Missionaries in Nepal Stay Back To Help

Aizawl, Apr 29 : Mizo missionaries in quake-ravaged Nepal declined to be evacuated and wanted to stay back to help those in need, Presbyterian Church's Mizoram Synod leaders on Tuesday said.

Mizoram Synod Mission Board Secretary Rev Lalchhuanmawia said there were no plans to evacuate the missionaries working in Nepal and they did not want to leave the country.

Baptist Church of Mizoram general secretary Rev LH Lianngaia said they had informed two of their missionaries that they could return, but they declined the offer, saying they have to look after the church members in time of crisis.

There were over 50 Mizo families in Nepal working as Christian missionaries, which included seven ordained pastors of the Presbyterian Church, one Baptist church pastor and a Salvation Army Officer.\

Repeated aftershocks forced the missionaries in Kathmandu and their family members to sleep outside the residence of Field Secretary of the Nepal Mission Board Rev Lalrintluanga Ngente on Saturday and Sunday nights, a missionary told his relatives here over phone.

A local church belonging to the Presbyterians was damaged in Lucham, while another under-construction church was also damaged in Padampur, the missionaries said adding, all Mizo missionaries and their family members were safe.

Mizoram NLUP Projects Reviewed

Aizawl, Apr 29 : Major projects under the Mizoram government’s flagship programmes, which have been planned to be continued for another 5 years, were reviewed today in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Lalthanhawla.

The meeting, held at the Chief Secretary’s conference room and attended by Finance Minister Lalsawta, State Planning Board Vice Chairman H Liansailova and Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma, PL Thanga, Vice Chairman of NIB and other officers, decided that in order to continue the New Land Used Policy (NLUP) for the development of the State, the plan for joint venture with agencies like North East Region Livelihood Project (NERLP), IFAD, JICA and German Development Cooperation (KFW) may be accelerated.

The meeting reviewed the ongoing joint venture under NLUP with UN agencies and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The meeting also discussed the financial condition of the State government under, in view of the new Central government’s funding pattern, and the plan for continuing the projects.

The meeting decided to hold another meeting soon to chalk out plans in the light of the discussion today.

Mizoram Set For ADC Poll

By Nilotpal Bhattacharjee

Aizawl, Apr 29 : Altogether 1,776 women candidates are in the fray for the elections to village councils and local councils, slated for April 30, in Mizoram, which is a strict patriarchal society where full gender parity in politics is still a far cry.

The campaigning for the elections to 536 village councils in six districts and 83 local councils under Aizawl Municipal Council, which came to an end this evening, witnessed a rise in the participation of women compared to past years. C. Lalawmpuii became the first woman MLA in Mizoram in 27 years after she won Hrangturzo Assembly bypoll last year.

This is for the first time the seats are reserved for women in the elections to local bodies, thanks to the state Assembly which passed Lushai Hills District (Village Council Amendment) Bill, 2014, according to which one seat shall be reserved for women in a village or local council having five seats, two seats in village or local council having seven seats, and three seats in village or local council having nine seats.

The state election commission today has imposed some restrictions under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 that prohibits "displaying any election matter by means, inter alia, of television or similar apparatus, during the period of 48 hours before the hour fixed for conclusion of poll in a constituency".

An official of the state election commission today told The Telegraph that the preparations for the elections to village and local councils have been done, while security has been beefed up to avoid any untoward incident.

The election commission said a total of 3,96,601 electorates would elect 2,278 village council members for 536 village councils, while 1,92,382 voters would seal the fate of 535 local council members for 83 local councils under the Aizawl Municipal Council area. Altogether 5,894 candidates, of which 1,465 are women, are in the fray for the village council polls in six of the eight districts - Aizawl, Lunglei, Sherchip, Champhai, Mamit and Kolosib.

The number of candidates for the local councils in Aizawl is 1,237. The autonomous district councils, under the framework of the Sixth Schedule, administrate elections in Lawngtlai and Saiha districts.

Of the total 597 polling stations set up for the village council polls, 21 have been declared "sensitive" of which eight are in Kolosib, six in Mamit and seven in Lunglei district. Tight security arrangements are being done at all these polling stations, which are predominantly located in Bru and HPC (D) militants' active zone, sources said today.

The elections are unlikely to be held in six villages in Kolosib district and 25 in Aizawl in northern Mizoram as not even a single candidate has filed nominations in the wake of the diktat issued by the HPC (D) militants to boycott the village council polls. There are 123 village council seats in these villages.

The ruling Congress and the Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) are the main contenders in the ensuing polls. However, other parties like Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), and the BJP also fielded candidates. The Congress fielded 2,127 candidates, MNF 1,693, ZNP 594, MPC 86 and BJP 200 for the village council polls, while 501 Congress, 460 MNF, 155 ZNP, 67 MPC and 14 BJP candidates are in the fray for the local council polls.

Swiss Duo Help Discover Ultimate Meghalaya Bat Caves

By Anand Chandrasekhar

Meghalaya's unexplored caves hold great promise for cavers and biologists alike

(Thomas Arbenz)

A unique collaboration between cave explorers and biologists has helped discover rare bats in northeastern India. Now, they’re working with local tribes, researchers and officials to secure the future of these flying mammals.

Swiss caving enthusiast Thomas Arbenz is hooked to the thrill of exploration. For the 61-year-old adventurer, caves remain one of the few places on earth where no humans have set foot before.
“It is such a good feeling to step into the unknown,” Arbenz told swissinfo.ch. “You feel like an explorer from the old days.”

It is this longing to discover new caves that led him to a remote part of India - more specifically to the state of Meghalaya in north-east India which has the reputation for being the wettest place on earth. He is a co-leader of a group of international group of speleologists who systematically explore and map Meghalaya’s intricate network of caves. They also contribute to science by helping biologists discover rare bat species that live in these unexplored caves.

Bats galore

In 2011, fellow Swiss Manuel Ruedi, a biologist at the Geneva Natural History Museum, accompanied Arbenz on the Meghalaya expedition after hearing that the cavers routinely come across bats.

“Cavers are often the first people entering many of those caves,” he told swissinfo.ch. “So, the likelihood of finding exciting new biological material is there.”

Ruedi managed to catch some of these bats by placing special nets at the mouth of the grotto. It turned out that he had stumbled upon two new species of insect-eating Tube-nosed bats.  

“When you catch a bat that seems a bit different from the other ones, you don't immediately realise it’s a new species,” he says, adding that differences can be so subtle that it takes a lot of work to confirm if it really is a previously undiscovered kind of bat.

One of the Tube-nosed bat species discovered during the 2011 Meghalaya caving expedition

(Manuel Ruedi)

After a year of cross-checking with specimens in historical collections and examining scientific literature, he was able to prove that he had indeed discovered two new species. He even named one of the bats after the Jaintia people of Meghalaya as a “thank you” gesture to the locals who allowed the team to explore their forests and hosted them.

But the caves of Meghalaya had more surprises in store for Ruedi. In 2014 he also discovered a new colony of the extremely rare Wroughton’s Free-tailed bat, the second such population known to science.

“We were very excited to find a bat colony 2400 km away from the only other known colony of the species,” says Ruedi.

Meghalaya native and bat researcher Adora Thabah was also present during the discovery. In fact, she had captured a single individual in 2002 during her field research for her PhD.

“It was a one-off catch and not finding another colony was very frustrating,” she told swissinfo.ch. “At last I was able to solve the mystery and there is now hope for the species in India.”
She believes that the bats would never have been found without help from the caving expedition.

“There are not many bat researchers in India and it would have been impossible for me to find them by myself,” she says.

Uncertain future

Bats are regularly hunted and eaten by the locals. To keep the rare bats off the menu, the biologists and cavers embarked on an awareness programme to convince people about the importance of protecting them and the caves they live in.

The children of Pynurkba village are keen to protect rare bats thanks to the awareness programme

(Manuel Ruedi)

“The main problem is that the people don’t understand the importance of bats in the ecosystem,” says Thabah. “It was explained to them that the bats eat their agricultural pests and pollinate their fruits, and that they were actually killing and eating a useful animal.”

However, it is not enough to protect the bat caves alone. The bats forage for insects as far as tens of kilometres from the cave. That is why it is equally important to preserve the forest habitat around the caves. However, deforestation for agriculture as well as for coal and limestone mining has taken a heavy toll on prime bat habitat in recent years.

“This is beyond what I can handle,” admits Ruedi. Instead, he has tried to get the state forest department officials invested in protecting the bat habitats by informing them of his discoveries and showing them where the important bat caves are.

Ruedi has also trained two local researchers who will continue the bat research and awareness programme to supplement Thabah’s efforts. This should at least ensure that the forest department officials are supplied with the information necessary for protecting critical bat habitats in Meghalaya.
“I was sort of a trigger for bat studies in eastern Meghalaya but now local researchers are taking the lead,” says Ruedi. “This is a great long-term outcome for the bats.”

Meghalaya – a caver’s paradise 

The tiny Indian state of Meghalaya - it is just over half the size of Switzerland - came to the attention of the international caving community two decades ago. In 1992, a group of four European cavers began exploring the caves in the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo hills and soon realised the potential of the region to become a global caving hotspot.

Since then, the small group has evolved into an annual caving expedition comprising around 30 cavers from all over the world and calls itself the Caving in the abode of the clouds project. So far, they’ve identified 1,300 caves, explored 825 of them, and surveyed in excess of 370 kilometres underground.

Most of the caves in Meghalaya are inaccessible to people who don't know anything about caving. To explore even easy caves you need to have basic equipment like head torches, helmets, protective suit and boots. More technical caves require climbing gear like ropes, carabiners and rope ladders. To enter river caves you also need neoprene suits, wellington boots and life jackets.

Besides technical gear, caving expertise and experience are a prerequisite for any kind of cave exploration. However, there are two or three “show caves” in Meghalaya that tour operators take visitors to see.

source: swissinfo.ch

Motorola Eyes Tech-Savvy Northeast

By Saurav Bora
Guwahati, Apr 29 : Mobile handset manufacturer Motorola plans to ride on the growing smartphone market and a tech-savvy population in the Northeast to boost sales of its customised variants in the region.

"The Northeast is a priority region for us. Looking at the demographics here, with a growing population in tune with the latest technology, we plan to expand our footprint here. Service/care centres will be put in place wherever necessary and our marketing will be focused on the region. We also look to engage with our clients through the social media," Marcus Frost, senior marketing director, EMEA (Europe Middle East Africa) & India, told The Telegraph here today.

Motorola, which was acquired by Chinese technology giant Lenovo from Google last year, sells its devices in India through e-commerce firm Flipkart.

"We have assessed the situation and preferred the e-commerce platform over brick and mortar. But we also know the importance of touch-and-feel and plan to set up at least nine brand experience centres in the country and Guwahati is in our scheme of things," Frost said. Motorola, as of today, has over 150 service centres in the country. "We will also be launching motor care vans to take our service to the client's doorstep," he said.

The company today announced the launch of the 3G and 4G versions of the new Moto E range of smartphones. "The new Moto E with 4G network will provide amazing speed with increased bandwidth. Packed with an array of customisation options, the variants are value for money (the 3G version priced at Rs 6,999 and the 4G at Rs 7,999) and suitable for those who choose to migrate from feature to smartphones or opt for an additional phone," Frost said.

The handset manufacturer had last year sold three million units in the country with its Moto E and Moto G variants making up almost 80-85 per cent of the sales.

Mizoram’s Supply Lines Cut Off

Silchar, Apr 28 : Goods-laden trucks and other vehicles were not allowed to enter Mizoram from 5am on Monday due to an indefinite economic blockade called by several Assam-based NGOs.

Hundreds of trucks were stranded on either side of the inter-state border between Assam and Mizoram at Lailapur along NH-306 in Cachar district and at Ramnathpur and Jamira along NH-154 in Assam's Hailakandi district.

Hundreds of members of Silchar-based NGO, Forum for Protection of non-Mizos, All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students Association, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and civil society groups put up the blockade on the two highways connecting Assam with Mizoram from Monday morning. They also staged protests against alleged atrocities on non-Mizo traders and workers in Mizoram by some NGOs there.

Mihir Lal Roy, an activist, said hundreds of non-Mizos have fled Mizoram due to harassment over the last few weeks. The victims hailed from Assam and were engaged in trade and other jobs in Mizoram under valid permit.

Roy said non-Mizos, particularly those from Barak Valley areas of Assam, are subjected to intimidation and cruelty of various forms in Mizoram. He said it has come to their notice that traders from Barak Valley region are targeted, attacked, threatened and physically harassed and asked by Mizo students and youth leaders to leave the state. The traders are also forced to shut shop, he added.

He added there are instances that business establishments owned by non-Mizos are looted by the miscreants and there have been no effort on the part of the administration to check such activities.

Congress MLA (South Karimganj) Siddique Ahmed, who joined the agitators at Ramnathpur, said the indefinite economic blockade would continue until the harassment on non-Mizos is stopped and normalcy restored in Mizoram.

A senior police officer said so far the agitation is going on peacefully and there was no report of any untoward incident.

Economic Blockade on Mizoram

Our Thoughts: Every year the Assam groups strangle Mizoram for the slightest reason. The Mizo government should give thought on how it can avoid it. That is, integrating Hmar Areas in Southern Assam with Mizoram building roads that can connect from Assam Hmar areas into Mizoram. Think of Greater Mizoram - Southern Manipur, South Eastern Assam. Its time the term Mizo has "greater" meanings.

Aizawl, Apr 27 : Several groups in southern Assam’s Cachar and Hailakandi districts are planning an economic blockade on Mizoram from Monday morning over some Mizo groups’ recent crackdown on non-local traders they say are engaged in businesses within the state without proper permissions.

Police officials said several groups in the Barak Valley region plan to impose the blockade from 6 am Monday at Lailapur (Cachar district) and Jamira (Hailakandi district), effectively stopping traffic on national highways 54 and 154 respectively.

The two NHs are Mizoram’s lifeline and only link to the rest of India save smaller roads connecting it to Tripura and Manipur.

It is not clear exactly how many groups are involved in the planned blockade and how long it would last, but police officials said some politicians from Karimganj- where a large number of informal workers in Aizawl are generally from- are likely to be present at either of the two places the blockades are imposed at.

The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP or Mizo Students’ Association) and some other organizations have in recent weeks been closing shutters of non-native traders who they accuse of conducting illegal businesses in the Mizoram state capital Aizawl.

The Inner Line Permit system in force in Mizoram bars non-locals from entering, staying and working in Mizoram without prior permission from the authorities.

Both Assam and Mizoram police are preparing for any untoward incident that may take place on either side, especially with the hundreds of vehicles (private, public transport and good carriers) that ply the two highways in every direction everyday.

Northeast Fails To Learn Quake Lessons

By SUMIR KARMAKAR

National Disaster Response Force personnel from India carry out rescue operations in Kathmandu on Sunday. (PTI)

Guwahati, Apr 27 : Vulnerability warnings seem to have not woken up authorities to the threat of earthquakes, though two tremors shook Assam and the Northeast in the past 48 hours.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority today said many schools, hospitals and government buildings have neglected safety measures even after a joint survey by Assam Engineering College in July last year revealed structural vulnerability.

"Since Assam is located in the seismically active Zone V, we had surveyed 600 schools and 40 hospitals, mostly in Guwahati, and identified those having structural and non-structural vulnerability. Following the survey, we had issued notices and requested them to take up safety measures, including retrofitting solution for buildings with structural problem. But very few have taken measures suggested by civil engineers. We have seen the devastation in Nepal and must take measures necessary to reduce the impact in case of a disaster here," chief executive officer of the authority, P.K. Tiwari, said. Tiwari is also commissioner and secretary of the state revenue and disaster management department.

Some buildings in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Majuli developed cracks following yesterday's quake that wrecked havoc in Nepal. A quake measuring 7.6 on Richter scale jolted the Northeast this afternoon as well. But no damage was reported till the filing of this report.

Tiwari said many earthquakes measuring over three on Richter scale had hit the state since February. "The survey found some hospitals blocking their balconies with an almirah or other furniture. How will the rescue personnel reach them in case a disaster strikes? Stocks of blood and medicine bottles are kept in the almirah and in case of a quake these items will get damaged. The emergency support equipment in the ICUs are kept without any strong protection, so if they stop functioning during a quake, imagine what will happen to the critically ill patients," Tiwari said.

"We had served many deadlines to the schools and hospitals and will carry out another inspection and issue notices to make sure they take necessary measures. We are repeatedly spreading the message of vulnerability but people must also understand and take necessary safety measures. Retrofitting solution is costly and time consuming but they can at least go for other non-structural safety measures," he said.

The survey report released in August last year revealed about 34 per cent of schools in Guwahati had major structural vulnerability, 10 per cent located on the hills are vulnerable to slope failure/landslide, 5 per cent are vulnerable to floods and 74 per cent schools have non-structural vulnerability.

"Twenty schools and five hospitals in other parts of the state surveyed were found with structural vulnerability to earthquake. Even many deputy commissioner offices in the districts were found having structural problems and lacking disaster management facilities," he said.

Tiwari said the government departments were yet to prepare their own disaster management plans, which is compulsory under Section 14 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. "This issue was raised in the state executive committee meeting recently and each department was asked to make their disaster management plan within July this year," he said.

Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner M. Angamuthu said they would issue showcause notices tomorrow to mobile companies on complaints of phone towers erected without following safety norms.

Before quake
Develop an emergency plan with a kit containing food, water, prescription medicines, first-aid, radio, flashlight, extra batteries, sturdy shoes and clothes
During quake
Remain calm.
If indoors, duck under sturdy furniture and hold onto it. If you can’t, move to a wall or archway and sit with your back to the wall, bring knees to your chest and cover your head
Stay away from mirrors and windows and don’t exit the building during quake
If outdoors, move to an open area away from structures such as bridges and power lines
If in a vehicle, stop in an open area away from all structures
After quake
Stay calm and count 60 seconds before moving
Move cautiously, check unstable objects and damaged buildings.
Anticipate aftershock
Listen to radio or TV for emergency information

50 Families From Mizoram Stuck in Nepal, Safe

Aizawl, Apr 27 :  All families Mizoram living in Nepal, many of them missionaries and evangelist teachers, were reportedly safe, reports from Nepal said.

Major Sangliana of the Salvation Army, working with his wife in Kathmandu told PTI over phone that there were around 50 Mizo families in Nepal all of whom were safe.

Sources in the Presbyterian Church said that there were around 30 missionaries working under the church in Nepal while the Baptist Church of Mizoram sent one Pastor and a teacher who were living there with their family members.

Mizo Govt Announces Rewards On The Heads of 6 Hmar Militants

Aizawl, Apr 25 : The Mizoram government has announced rewards on the heads of six militants belonging to Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) who ambushed the state Assembly committee on government assurances team on March 28 killing three policemen.

A notification issued by the government last evening said that anyone who can hand over the militants to the authorities or furnish information to the authorities leading to their arrest would be disbursed the amount placed on their heads.

The wanted militants were Biakliana, leader of the operation against the committee on government assurances team (Rs two lakh), Lalneihkunga (Rs two lakh), Malsawmkima alias Danny (Rs two lakh), Reuben Lalromawia (Rs one lakh), Lalninghaka (Rs one lakh) and Jehova (Rs one lakh).

Malsawmkima is a former constable of the state armed police who recently joined the HPC (D) after deserting the force with one AK-47 assault rifle and a few rounds of ammunition.

Spread of H1N1 Contained in Mizoram

Aizawl, Apr 24 : With no fresh case of swine flu being detected in Mizoram in the last few weeks, H1N1 virus has now been contained although people entering into the state were being screened as a precaution, a senior health official said.

Of the 30 samples sent to Kolkata's National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) in February, four were tested positive and all of them recovered completely a fortnight ago after being treated in the state, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) nodal officer Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma told news agency PTI.

However, as a precautionary measure screening of passengers arriving from outside the state was being conducted at the lone Lengpui airport near Aizawl and at Mizoram-Assam border town of Vairengte for people entering the state through NH-54, he said. The surveillance might be relaxed after this month unless fresh cases or threats are detected in the state, he said.

Sporting Events Help Budding Players Prove Their Talent in Northeast

Imphal, Apr 24 : Altogether 341 black belt holders including 180 girls and 161 boys participated in the 11th edition of the 'Governor's Taekwondo Cup' in Imphal.

The four-day long event was held under the aegis of All Manipur Taekwondo Association (AMTA) in different categories.

After a tough competition, Union Taekwondo Academy from Yumnam Leikai won the championship.

"We are organizing such championship for the welfare of the Taekwondo sports to encourage and improve the players. By organizing more Taekwondo championship will help the players to improve and also will promote the players," said Lamabam Toto Singh, Referee-in-Charge.

"I am happy to participate in the tournament. It will help to improve my skills," said Manichandra, a player.

In Guwahati, the 6th edition of Dr T. AO Memorial Football Championship is being held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.

All eight Northeastern states are participating in the tournament which is being organized by celebrity management group Private Limited in collaboration with SAI and Assam Football Association and sponsored by the North Eastern council (NEC).

Assam state Sports Minister Ajit Singh inaugurated the tournament.

A large number of football lovers are visiting the venues in Guwahati and Silchar to witness the thrilling championship.

"The basic objective of the tournament is to promote the local talents, only the son of the soil can take part the championship and it is funded by Northeast Council (NEC). Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh will play in Guwahati while Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya will play in Silchar," said Ankur Dutta, Secretary of Assam Football association.

"I'm confident that it will be a very successful tournament. This tournament will help young budding talents of the northeast and they will get a good exposure," he added.

"We get a good experience here. We do not have such kind of facility at home. Even we host games but there is no good infrastructure like they have here in Guwahati," said Talong, a player.

The Northeast region has produced many talented sportspersons, who have represented India at international tournaments.

Such competitions will help the national selectors to identify the talent in various sports.