Gutka, Pan Masala Containing Tobacco And Nicotine Banned in Assam

Guwahati, Mar 11 : Assam has banned manufacture and distribution of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine.

The ban is for a period of one year.

According to a state government notification these goods are banned under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The government has announced that it will soon table a legislation banning these products. Assam has couple of big pan masala manufacturers prominent among them is Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group.

Assam earns close to Rs 7.98 Crore as tax from sale of tobacco products in the state.

According to the state government according to survey, 3.20 lakh packets of tobacco products, including cigarettes and gutka, are sold every day in the state.

Assam Weaves An Ageless Silk Legacy

By Azera Parveen Rahman

a trendy bag made of Assam silk. - WFS

Assam’s age-old, indigenous silk fabric — be it the Pat, Muga or Eri — has, with age, gracefully adapted to the changing times. “If you want to survive, you have to adapt to changing trends,” states Hemkanta Baruah, a shop owner in Guwahati. “Therefore, as people’s tastes change, so do the garments made out of Assam silk. From the traditional mekhla chadors and Eri shawls, the fabric is now fashioned into exquisite saris, salwars, scarves, dresses, shirts, jackets and much more. We get many customers who want dress material in Assam silk.”

Silk production and weaving are an intrinsic part of Assamese culture. Traditionally, a girl’s weaving skills determined her eligibility for marriage. Such was the significance of the woven cloth in this society that a man, before he went to war, wore clothing that was hand-woven overnight.

In this northeast State, sericulture is dominated by mulberry (Pat) silk, which is white; the golden Muga; and the warm but coarse Eri. It accounts for the country’s entire production of Muga silk and 98 per cent of Eri silk.

Muga, often called the pride of Assam, is produced by the Antheraea assama caterpillar. Its beautiful golden hue lends itself for artistic weaving. The continuous silk filaments are mostly used for mekhla chadors, saris and dress material, while the handspun yarn is used to make shawls and home furnishing.

“Muga silk is one of the strongest threads, and so it ages with the owners and sometimes even outlives them,” remarks Suman Das, who owns a boutique in Tezpur. “My mother was gifted a beautiful Muga mekhla chador by my grandaunt during her wedding, which she wore many times before folding it away for good. Once, when she was cleaning out her cupboard, I saw it. After all those years, its brilliance was untouched, and I decided to stitch a salwar out of it. Today, whenever I wear that piece, it invites many compliments.”

Eri, the “poor man’s silk”, had limited use until recently. Purely handspun in the past, the coarse yarn was used to make shawls and jackets. Today, with the advent of Eri spinning mills, the finer yarn can be woven into mekhla chadors, saris and other products. The beauty of this silk is that although it does not have the shine of mulberry, it has anti-fungal properties, is a good insulator, and a hardy fabric. Its texture is like cotton, but it is warm like wool.

According to the Central Silk Board, Assam’s overall silk production has risen thanks to robust Eri production. In 2011-12, the State produced 2,109 tonnes of silk, next only to Andhra Pradesh (6,019 tonnes) and Karnataka (7,800 tonnes). Apart from 115 tonnes of Muga and 18 tonnes of Pat, the production was dominated by 1,976 tonnes of Eri.

Says Sarat Deori, joint secretary of the Central Silk Board — Northeast, “There is a lot of scope for product diversification using silk, since it can be blended with other fibres. Eco-friendly silk had a huge international market.”

In response, weavers are blending silks into a single fabric, such as Pat-Muga, and even combining silk with cotton. “Indigenous Assam silk is timeless. Its brilliance cannot be matched, and today, when people are eager to reconnect with their roots and love anything ethnic, Muga, Pat and Eri are winners all the way. This is probably why the mekhla chador, too, has not gone out of fashion. Instead, modern designs and contemporary shades have kept it in sync with changing tastes and times,” says Manjulika Borah, a young, Guwahati-based fashion designer.

The demand for modern designs finds a ready supplier in Gautam Chandra Das, who has 10 looms in Sualkuchi, the silk village of Assam, and supplies mekhla chadors to shops in Guwahati, barely 35 km away. “Often, shop owners tell us that customers want modern designs. So, instead of only traditional motifs, like the hingkhap or jaapi (Assamese hat), we also have contemporary geometric designs on mekhla chadors. Traditional motifs on saris and dress material are popular too. There is a lot of mix and match.”

During the festival season, especially the harvest celebration Bihu, and during the winter wedding season demand for mekhla chadors multiplies. This provides employment to migrant workers from the nearby villages.

While the fabric's popularity and demand are on the upswing, the number of weavers is alarmingly dwindling. “Weaving is no longer given much importance, as it does not pay much,” says Das. A Sualkuchi weaver working on a traditional loom earns between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000 a month.

Reminiscing his childhood, Das says he and his siblings were given weaving lessons at home every day after school. “We are a village of weavers, and learning to weave took precedence over everything else. Today, as cost of living is high, it’s a different scenario. Children prefer to take up a job instead of becoming weavers. Hence, the number of weavers is falling — from about 25,000 in Sualkuchi at one time to less than 10,000 now,” he says. Incidentally, most of the weavers are women.

Although traditional looms dominate, there are a few power looms too. “If the number of weavers continues to dip, I guess we will have to rely on power looms. But, frankly, the cloth from power looms tears faster. I tried it once, but it didn’t work for me,” Das adds.

What could rescue the weavers from this dire state is the Chaneki, a device introduced by the CSB as part of its loom upgradation programme. The device can maximise the weaver’s skill and increase productivity by threading the weft bobbins for spot design or motif making. On traditional looms, the weft thread is inserted manually and takes time. Also, the thread often snaps and the process has to be repeated.

“Silk and hand-weaving are Assam’s heritage, and every effort must be made to preserve this tradition. Despite all the challenges, I am happy that people, especially youngsters, have not lost their love for silk and are willing to adapt it to changing times,” Das concludes.

Road Accidents Casualty Rising in Assam

Guwahati: The number of deaths in road accidents rose by over 14 per cent from 2010 to 2011 in Assam, according to the latest data released by the union government.

A total of 2,854 people lost their lives in road accidents in 2011, up from 2,498 in 2010, as per the ‘Statistical Year Book, India 2013′ released last week by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi.

Altogether 2,499 people were killed in road accidents in the state in 2009.

Overall, 7,851 people were killed in road accidents during the three year period of 2009-11 in the state.

As per the data, in 2011 Assam witnessed an overall casualty figure of 4,773 from “accidental deaths” including road accidents, stampede, poisoning, death by firearms or animals, fire, factory mishaps, explosions, electrocution, drowning, lightning, avalanche and building collapse.

Assam Govt Draws Flak For Privatising Mid-Day Meals

Karimganj (Assam), Jan 8 : Lambasting Assam government for its decision to privatise mid-day meal scheme, CITU said over one lakh women would be rendered jobless on account of it.

The decision was ‘arbitrary and unjustified’ and ’smacked of anti-people policy’ as it amounted to depriving 1,00,350 poor women workers who were engaged as cooks under the scheme from its benefits, CITU state unit organising secretary Mukund Teli said here yesterday.

The women workers engaged in cooking the meals for children in primary schools since 2005 when the scheme was implemented in the state, he told a meeting of CITU Cachar-Hailakandi district unit workers here yesterday.

“Instead of their services being regularised, the women now face an uncertain future,” he observed and claimed that they were also yet to receive the state’s share of 10 per cent payment of their monthly Rs 1000 salary as fixed by the Centre in 2009.

In 2010 the state government had decided to hand over implementation of the scheme to private organisation Akshaya Patra Foundation and the final shape was given on December 7, 2012 to begin it in a phased manner, Teli added.

Assam Drummers hoping to enter Guinness World Records

Artists play the Khol, a traditional Assamese musical instrument for 15 minutes in a bid to create a Guinness record, at Mejenga Pathar in Jorhat district of Assam on Sunday. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Assam earned an entry in the India Book of Records on Sunday for holding the largest ensemble of drummers with 14,833 drummers playing khol (a traditional drum of Assam) in unison in Titabor in Jorhat district.

The organiser of the ensemble Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha will now be sending the video recording of the event to the authorities of Guinness World Records with the hope to earn an entry.

Clad in white attire and headgear the drummers from across the State and also from Arunachal Pradesh played in unison for 15 minutes at a paddy field in Mezengapathar of Titabor.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi played a khol to mark symbolic start of the ensemble in his home constituency.

Addressing the gathering Mr. Gogoi hoped that the largest khol ensemble would help in propagating the creative genius of Srimanta Sankaradeva, the propagator of ‘eksarana naamdharma’ or Mahapurshiya dharma (a Vaishnava faith), playwright, poet, composer, litterateur, painter, communicator. Sankaradeva adopted the technique of propagating his faith through music, art and literature to usher in a socio-cultural renaissance in Assam in 15th-16th centuries.

How Climate Change Affected Livelihood Options in Assam

Guwahati, Dec 8 : Climate change leading to natural disasters, particularly flood and erosion, has affected the livelihood options of thousands of people across Assam, a study has found out.

The impact of the climate change is most pronounced among marginalised women, but it has also pushed people from prosperous families into taking up work of domestic assistance and daily wage labour, the study revealed.

In many cases, young women of less developed and remote areas have even been pushed into flesh trade after natural disasters wiped out their options of making an honest livelihood.

The study was conducted by the Centre for Environment, Social and Policy Research (CESPR) in collaboration with the Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change.


It has been observed that during the last few years there has been a significant change in the livelihood options of people due to climate distortions, CESPR spokesperson Sabita Devi says.

The study was undertaken in the six severely disaster-affected districts of Lakhimpur, Majuli in Jorhat.

Morigaon, Sonitpur, Baksa and Dibrugarh. Devi said many people, who were earlier dependent on agriculture, had been forced to take up other avenues of employment due to change in climatic pattern.

“Climate change is generally perceived by the people interviewed during the course of the study as the presence of more diseases, more rainfall, change in climatic conditions and loss of agricultural output,” she said.

It was also an acute necessity that forced people to uproot themselves from their original homes and workplaces to seek livelihood somewhere, Devi said.

Devi pointed out that senior environmental scientists, who have worked extensively on environment and climate change in the Northeast, had noted rapid climatic change in Assam.

According to meteorological scientists who have been associated with studies related to climate in Assam, a change over the past three or four decades and a steady rise in temperature have been observed.

“Due to excessive floods, communication is disrupted for long periods of time and this has particularly affected the girls who are often forced to drop out of schools and colleges,” she said.

Besides, the adverse impact of the flood on the income of the family often forces the women of the house to step out and seek work elsewhere and when this happens, the children, too, suffer, Devi pointed out.

Assam’s devastating floods have had a major impact on the economic conditions of several households, Siddharth D’Souza of the Indian Network on Ethic and Climate Change pointed out.
“This has also made young girls from the tea garden areas vulnerable as they are lured with the promise of jobs but are instead pushed into into flesh trade,” D’Souza said.

“We have come across several instances when some anti social elements had tried to lure away young women outside the state with promises of good job,” social activist Krishna Sundas said.

In Majuli, the world’s largest river island, women who were earlier home-makers are now forced to take up weaving, daily wage labour and other related activities to make ends meet, while in Morigaon several households are taking up fishing to make up for lost agricultural produce, he said.

'Being Assamese, I Was Asked For My Passport'

By Devidas Deshpande

Director Jahnu Barua -- who made the award-winning 2005 film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara -- gets candid during an award ceremony in Pune. Devidas Deshpande reports.

Pune, Dec 4 : Even as he received an award in the name of his "Dronacharya-like guru" in Pune, acclaimed Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua revealed how he was once asked for his passport in Rajasthan.

"I have been through many such instances. People mistake us (Indians from the north-east) as foreigners and they can't be blamed totally. We also have to blame ourselves," he said, citing an incident in Udaipur, Rajasthan, when he was asked to present his passport at a five-star hotel.

"When I checked in, the receptionist asked me to present my passport. When I told her I was from Assam, she bluntly replied, 'I understand Sir, but we have a policy of asking passports from foreigners.'"

"The issue was not resolved even when I advised her to see the map of India. Later, it was resolved with the intervention of her boss," he said.

Barua received the first-ever award instituted by the Pune-based non-governmental organisation, Sarhad, on Sunday.

The award ceremony was held against the background of the brief exodus of Assamese and other north-easterners from Pune just three months ago.

"During the late 1970s," Barua said, "I did all the work for my production company. The owner of the studio -- where I gave my movie reels to develop -- thought I was a Nepalese working in my company. I did not try and remove his impression and built a good relationship with him since he was a good-hearted fellow."

"He got to know my real identity five years later through a newsreel playing in a movie theatre when I received the National Award. Had I reprimanded him for thinking me a foreigner, we could not have built a relationship," he recalled.

Recounting his meetings with the late maestro Bhupen Hazarika, Barua said even though he met Hazarika just 10, 12 times, he had a close relationship with the composer and was a 'guru' in a way for him.

"He (Hazarika) told me that 'If you are scared, you are not a creative person'," Barua said.
Describing Maharashtra as his second home, the Mumbai-based Barua recounted some humourous anecdotes from his early days at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.

"I spent three years in Pune -- they were the best years of my life," he said, narrating how he spent three nights in a garden in the city. Many years later, he showed the bench where he had slept during those nights to his wife.

Photograph: Jahnu Barua receives the award from former Assam chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (partly seen).

Assam Launches Special Drive To Seize Illegal Arms

New Delhi, Nov 30 : Assam government has launched a special drive to seize illegal arms allegedly being kept by different groups in some areas, including Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).

“It is a fact that there are illegal arms in Assam. Not only in BTC areas but in other areas also. Many groups are keeping illegal arms,” Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said at a press conference here.

He said a special drive has been launched to seize the illegal arms and maintain peace in the state. Floating of illegal arms are said to be the key reasons
for many deaths in recent clashes between Bodos and immigrant Muslims.

Gogoi also said “certain forces” were instigating both Bodos and the immigrant Muslims and creating tension between the two communities.

He said out of nearly five lakh people affected in the recent violence, who stayed in relief camps, most of them have return home and only 37,000 were still staying in the camps now.

The Chief Minister also denied involvement of any Bangladeshi national in recent clashes saying his government was not protecting any foreign national.

Assam On Edge: Six Dead, PM Phones Chief Minister

By Kishalay Bhattacharjee


Guwahati, Nov 16 : Two months after Assam witnessed its worst ethnic violence in a decade, the epicentre of those riots, in which more than 99 people were killed and five lakhs displaced from their homes, is simmering again.

The town of Kokhrajhar and one its subdivisions Gossaigaon - one of four regions that forms  Bodoland and is governed by the autonomous Bodoland District Territorial Council -  is under curfew again.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the Assam, called up Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi this evening and assured the state government all help in restoring peace and normalcy in the affected region.

This morning, Abdul Kalam set up shop in the town centre at the weekly market to sell his vegetables. Suddenly, he was stabbed by a group of young men.  He is in hospital now, recovering from those injuries.
 
On Tuesday, as Diwali was being celebrated in the Salbari village in Kokhrajhar, armed men opened fire. 35-year-old Shaira Begum, who had just finished cooking dinner, was shot inside her home. The neighbouring Rabha households, indigenous tribals, were at the local Kali puja and at first mistook the gun shots for fireworks but soon arrived to help. One of them was injured with a blunt weapon.

Today, not far away in Telipara, Gossaigaon, a Bodo person was shot dead. 

In the last week, six people have died from the local Bodo and Muslim communities.

The attacks, local officials say, signal renewed tension between the indigenous Bodos and Bengali Muslim settlers. In July and August, the ethnic violence that erupted here caused fierce aftershocks in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad- text messages warned North Easterners living here that they would be punished in retaliation for the killing of Muslims in and around Kokhrajhar. Thousands of people from states like Assam and Manipur boarded trains home. 

The politics of Bodoland is embedded in land and population issues. The Bodos believe that wave after wave of Muslim immigrants are robbing them of their land. On the other hand, non-Bodos argue that the autonomous council skews power towards the Bodos.

The changing demographics and the competition for agricultural land intersect with violent force and lately, with worrying frequency. 

'Disturbed Area' Tag For Assam To Remain

Guwahati, Nov 15 : The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has ordered a continuation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in the state and retained the 'Disturbed Area' tag for another year.

The MHA said Paresh Baruah is one of the primary reasons for renewal of the 'Disturbed area' tag, which had expired on November 3. The other reason given by MHA to justify the renewal is the Karbi People's Liberation Tigers (KPLT), which operates in the Sixth Schedule tribal hill district of Karbi Anglong.

State home secretary G D Tripathi said, "We were contemplating lifting the 'Disturbed Area' tag from the state, but the strategic group recommended the continuation of the same. This is more of a preventive measure."

The state was declared a 'Disturbed Area' on November 27, 1990 for the first time by the Centre under the provision of Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 and it has been renewed every year since then.

Apart from the Paresh Baruah faction and the KPLT, all militant groups have entered the peace process, including the pro-talk faction of Ulfa led by Arabinda Rajkhowa. The two factions of Dima Halam Daogah signed a peace agreement recently while the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) was disbanded a decade back. The five Adivasi outfits too joined the mainstream after laying down arms last year. The remaining faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) led by Ranjan Daimary is also engaged in informal talks with the Centre through its interlocutor P C Haldar.

The disturbed area tag for Assam was renewed despite the drastic fall in militant activities with rebel groups joining the peace process. While sections of the security agencies described the Centre's order as unjustified as the situation in the state has greatly improved, the state government supported the Centre's decision to enforce the AFSPA.

"The situation in Meghalaya is worse than it is in Assam. The Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is active in the state, but the act is not there in Meghalaya," a security source said.

Apart from the state, the 'Disturbed Area' also includes areas that fall within a 20-km belt in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya along their border with Assam.

"The act provides special powers to the army and gives it a freehand while carrying out counter-insurgency operations. Keeping the act also enables the state government to remain dependent on the army in tackling militancy," the source added.

Anna Appeals To Assam To Wake Up To Corruption

Guwahati, Nov 9 : Anti-corruption leader Anna Hazare Thursday appealed to the people of Assam to wake up to corruption and get ready for a second freedom struggle to secure their rights.

The veteran activist was in Guwahati to address a national conclave organised on the problems of foreigners' infiltration, land rights for the indigenous people, floods and erosion, and the proposed mega dams in the northeastern region.

Hazare said it took 90 years for the freedom fighters of the country to chase away the British from India, but the subsequent governments of the country are again inviting foreign companies to India and selling land, water, forests and other resources.

"The government should have made policies to help the people of the country and their economic development. Instead of that, the government is making policies to help these foreign companies," he said.

"I feel we have not received real freedom. So, we have to get ready for the second round of the freedom struggle," he said while addressing a large gathering at the Assam Engineering Institute (AEI) playground in the city Thursday.

The activist also said that he would be touring the whole country from January next year as part of a massive awakening movement to make the people aware about corruption and other issues plaguing the country.

He said his countrywide tour would continue for about one and half years, and hoped that during the tour he would again address a few meetings in Assam.

He encouraged the people to press the government for establishing Gram Sabhas, which are sovereign institutions. He said these could be more powerful than the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Assam's farmers' leader Akhil Gogoi and his organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) organised the conclave, in which many activists and other civil society groups from various states of the country also participated.

Akhil Gogoi, who also spoke on the occasion, set a deadline of December 31 next year for the government to complete the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which could help identify foreigners living in the state and deport them.

As Winter Begins, 20,000 Migratory Birds Sighted in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam

Morigaon, Nov 9 : Over 20,000 migratory birds have been sighted in the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam's Morigaon district with the advent of winter.

Among the 214 species of avian fauna found at the sanctuary, 14 are threatened species and 46 are resident birds, officials said.

The Lesser Whistling Teal and the Greater Whistling Teal have also been sighted here, they said.

Birds of prey Osprey or the fish eating eagle, hawks and falcons of different species as well as endangered storks are attracted to Pobitora's aquatic environment, rich in fish and other aquatic fauna.

Pobitora's authority has appealed the tourists and picnickers not to create sound pollution in the sanctuary which would harm the environment.

Assam Readies For ASEAN-India Car Rally

Guwahati, Nov 8 : The Assam government has sanctioned Rs.3.94 crore for the ASEAN-India Car Rally 2012, a section of which will be flagged off from here Dec 17.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi chaired a meeting of the apex committee for the rally, said a statement.

Gogoi will flag off the rally's final dash to New Delhi from a stadium here Dec 17.

The rally starts in Indonesia Nov 25 and after traversing nine countries and covering a distance of around 8,000 km will culminate in New Delhi Dec 20.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma will attend the flag off in Guwahati.

Cultural programmes and shows by daredevils and paratroopers will be held during the flag-off ceremony.

Gogoi also discussed the visit of ASEAN ambassadors and officials to Guwahati Nov 15 for the rally and possible investments in Assam.

50 Years of Saraighat Bridge

By Kangkan Kalita

Guwahati, Nov 7 : The Saraighat bridge on the Brahmaputra not only connects the northeast with the rest of the country, but it has also been instrumental in strengthening the bond among the seven NE states. Built after a relentless struggle by the people of Assam, the rail-cum-road bridge completed 50 years of its existence recently.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 10.6 crore between 1959 and 1962 by Hindustan Construction Company, the bridge is still in good shape for future use, said experts.

Speaking on the golden jubilee celebrations of the Saraighat bridge organized by the Railways here, Assam governor J B Patnaik and chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday spoke highly of the role played by the bridge in ushering in a new era in the history of the region.

Patnaik suggested that the bridge be renamed as Lachit Borphukan bridge. Borphukan was the general of the Ahom army which had resisted the entry of the Mughals beyond Gauhati (now Guwahati) in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671.

"The contribution of the Saraighat bridge in improving the lives of the people of Assam and in the development of the northeast is immense. The first goods train had passed the Saraighat bridge on October 31, 1962. It is the lifeline of the Railways and connects the region with the rest of India," said Nripen Bhattacharya, public relations officer of NF Railway.

Along with railway technicians, experts from IIT Guwahati who had examined the bridge just before the completion of 50 years said the bridge was in fine condition, he said.

The bridge proved to be of immense help during the Sino-Indian war, which broke out soon after completion of the Saraighat bridge.

"The bridge was just completed. As the Indian soldiers were braving the bullets of the Chinese, arms and ammunition along with food items were being transported to the battle front by means of the Saraighat bridge. The bridge has also played a vital role in the economic growth of Assam's economy," said historian Kumudeswar Hazarika.

The Saraighat bridge stretches for 4258 ft and the double-line meter gauge line, which had been laid down in 1959, was converted to single broad gauge track later. The road on the bridge is 24 ft wide. There is a six ft wide pavement on either side.

An Accord For More Violence?

The tripartite peace deal between the Centre, Assam and the Dimasa rebels might end up sowing the seeds of future ethnic conflict in the region, says Ratnadip Choudhury
Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi, Self-styled Commander-In-Chief, Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) Niranjan Hojai, seen in front of a massive haul of arms and ammunitions surrendered by the 360 militants of the outlawed Jewel Garlosa faction of the Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD-J)

Photos: UB Photos


Chugging along the metre gauge track, the Hill Queen Express is one of the most mesmerising rides in Northeast India. Running between Lumding Junction of Karbi Anglong district and Haflong, the district headquarters of Dima Hasao district, the route, passes through numerous tunnels. Travelling along this scenic route, a first-timer would hardly suspect the pervasive violence in the region. Ask 36-year-old Gautam Dutta — a vendor on the Hill Queen — for whom this route has been both the means to a livelihood and a gamble with life, and he says: “For 10 years, Dimasa rebel groups have unleashed a reign of terror in the area. The train was ambushed on a daily basis, hundreds have died in attacks by Dimasa rebels and even the army could do nothing.” Gautam has himself survived two ambushes on the train.

On 8 October, a tripartite agreement was signed between members of the Dimasa outfit, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. What is being touted as a major step towards lasting peace in the region could well turn into a long and bloody battle between factions of various armed outfits. One only needs to look at the Hill Queen to understand why the peace pact could come to naught.

From 2003 to 2009, the Hill Queen Express was like a train readying for war. Bulletproof engine cabin, bulletproof vests for drivers and guards, paramilitary and army guarding the trains with automatic weapons and mortars. This is the Dima Hasao district of Assam, formerly known as the North Cachar Hills.

Home to many tribes, the hills have been infamous for the terror of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD). In 1995, members of the Dimasa National Security Force (DNSF), a militant outfit, surrendered en masse to security forces. DHD was a spin-off of the DNSF; self-styled commander-in-chief Jewel Garlossa started DHD as its chairman, with Dilip Nunisa as its vice-chairman and Pronob Nunisa its commander-in-chief. Its aim, like that of other ethnic outfits in the region, was to create a separate state of ‘Dimaraji’ for the Dimasa tribe, comprising Dimasa-dominated areas of the NC Hills, Karbi Anglong district of Assam and parts of Dimapur in Nagaland.

In 2003, DHD declared a ceasefire to create a scope for negotiation with the government, but the outfit split again in 2004. Dilip and Pronob Nunisa formed DHD (Nunisa faction), which continued with the ceasefire, while Jewel Garlossa, with the help of trusted aide Niranjan Hojai, formed the DHA (Jewel faction) with an armed wing known as the “Black Widows’ and started a spell of bloodshed.

In 2009, after the arrest of Jewel Garlossa in Bengaluru, the Black Widow faction laid down arms and joined the peace parleys. Currently out on bail, Jewel has been named in the chargesheet by the National Investigating Agency (NIA), which is probing into the Rs 1,000 crore NC Hills Autonomous Council scam, where government funds were not only siphoned off, but also used by rebel groups to purchase sophisticated weapons.

At the time of laying down arms, Black Widow cadres had demanded that the NC Hills district be renamed as Dima Hasao (Dimasa Hills) district. Much to the chagrin of the non-Dimasas living in the region, the Assam government gave in to the demand. According to the 2001 census, Dimasas constitute 35 percent of the total population of the district, while smaller non-Dimasa tribal groups like the Zeme Naga, Hmar, Kuki, Karbi, Baite and Hrangkhol add up to 45 percent. A sizable non-tribal population comprising mostly Bengalis and Nepalis bring up the remaining 20 percent.

“Right from 2003, the Dimasa rebels have been involved in ethnic cleansing of non-Dimasa people and the Assam government has kept quiet,” says Atheng Luingthang, president of the Indigenous Peoples’ Front (IPF), the umbrella organisation of all non-Dimasa tribes. “The nomenclature Dima Hasao is not acceptable to non-Diamsa tribes. Other tribes have also been living here for ages.” The IPF wants bifurcation of the district; they want a separate autonomous council under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution with one seat in the Legislative Assembly. For four years, the non-Dimasa tribes have been vocal against any ‘peace deal’ that gives the Dimasas an upper hand in the region. So, even as the DHD shunned violence, the region saw a series of bandhs, protests, clashes and counter-attacks. Adding to the Dimasas’ worry, smaller tribes like the Hmars and Kukis have their own armed outfits, apart from the NSCN(IM), which is quite active in the area.

It is against this backdrop of violence and an open arms race that factions of the DHD climbed down from their demand of a separate Dimaraji to ink a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with the Centre and the Assam government on 8 October. The peace pact has paved the way for upgradation of the North Cachar Hill Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to the Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC) where fresh polls will be held. A Rs 200 crore special development package will be provided apart from other developmental activities, including those in non-Dimasa areas. Three new administrative units will be carved out.

The DHD will disband and its leaders will in all likelihood form a political outfit and contest elections for the territorial council. Very much like the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), which was formed after the Bodo Liberation Tigers signed a peace deal in 2003 that led to the formation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and disbanded itself. And therein lies the rub.

“The BTC model has shown its teeth recently,” says Luingthang, referring to the recent violence in Kokrajhar between Bodos and Muslims. “The resentment of non-Bodos at being governed by Bodos even in areas where Bodos are in a minority resulted in conflicts. We do not want this. We want a separate council for the Dimasas and another one for us.” Luingthang adds that if the territorial council is not abolished and bifurcation is not done, the state and central governments will be responsible for another round of ethnic turmoil.

“IPF’s allegation is baseless. The peace deal is not only for Dimasas but also for other tribes. They are playing ethnic politics,” retorts DHD(N) Chairman Dilip Nunisa. However, the bigger challenge for Nunisa is not the non-Dimasas, but his one-time partner-turned-foe Jewel Garlossa. “Jewel is also a signatory of the accord, thus he will have to respect it. His cadres have killed our boys even during ceasefire. Now, as the outfits get disbanded, all this must stop,” adds Nunisa.

Other groups are wary of the animosity between the two warring Dimasa factions. “We took a lot of pain to convince the Jewel faction to lay down arms,” says Jethang Naiding, President of the Jadike Naisho Hosom (JNH), the apex body of the Dimasas. “The Dimasa society wants peace. If DHD leaders fail to show commitment, they will be outcast from Dimasa society.”

Among Dimasas, the feeling is that the deal is a “soft one”. Not only has the aspiration for a separate Dimaraji state been blown into thin air, the demand for inclusion of 94 contiguous Dimasa villages outside the district into the proposed territorial council has also been laid to rest. There’s also the fear that the government will make the same mistake with the DHATC that it made with the BTC — that is, carve out new districts within the territory. If that happens, then, for the people of the region, it could be the classic case of getting out of the frying pan only to get into the fire. To make matters worse, Dima Hasao has illegal firearms in plenty, and rebel outfits ready to use them against each other.

Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka.
ratnadip@tehelka.com

Now, Dial 108 For Emergency in Assam

Guwahati, Oct 18 : The Assam government Wednesday launched a one-point integrated helpline number (108) for all kinds of emergency response.

This is also the first such one-point crisis response helpline ever launched in the country and this integrated helpline number will encompass police, fire and all other disaster-related emergency incidents.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi launched the emergency number at a function at the state secretariat conference hall and said that 108 emergency services have already created an impact on Assam's health services, especially in dealing with accident-related cases and timely care for pregnant women.

"The 108 ambulance service has become very popular in the state and as such, its network has been further widened by encompassing other services like police, fire and disaster-related incidents," he said.

"The launching of the integrated emergency helpline would provide much-needed impetus to people living in far-flung and interior areas, including hilly areas. The integrated service will go a long way in providing timely relief to affected people at the time of exigencies," Gogoi pointed out.

He said the integrated service would help the common man to derive prompt services in health care, police, fire and other emergency services.

Assam's Minister for Health & Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present on the occasion, said the 108 service under the aegis of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has been rendering yeoman services and the integrated service would further tone up health and other emergency services in the coming days.

"The launching of the integrated services will help the poorest of the poor in getting access to health and disaster-related emergency services," Sarma said.

The minister added that 100 small ambulances have been pressed into service for the hill areas under the 108 service. For referral cases, another fleet of ambulances will be placed shortly, he added.

The health department has been designated as a nodal department for implementing the integrated emergency helpline as it has been already partnering GVK-EMRI 108 helpline service.

A total of 655 police and fire stations have been connected with the 108 call centre to render fast services to the people, officials said, adding that a total of 4,355 emergency response personnel of the fire brigade and police have been trained for this purpose.

Tea is Officialy 'State drink' of Assam

Guwahati Oct 17 : The Assam cabinet on Monday gave its nod to declare tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam.

A press release stated that the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held at the chief minister’s residence yesterday evening. A formal notification is expected to be issued by the state government in a day or two.

Tarun Gogoi, chief minister of Assam, had in November last year declared tea as the ‘State Drink’ of Assam and the cabinet yesterday approved the same. Gogoi had also assured the industry to try and convince the Centre to declare the beverage as the ‘National Drink’ of India.

Recently, a parliamentary standing committee on commerce, which was constituted on August 31, 2011, and submitted its report on August 9, 2012, had recommended that tea be given the status of ‘National Drink’.

Welcoming the decision of Assam cabinet, Bidyananda Barkakoty, chairman of North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) said tea had been the only industry where Assam could retain its leadership for over a century.

“Way back on May 8, 1838, three hundred and fifty pounds of Assam tea were dispatched to London and sold at India House, London, on January 10, 1839. Since then, over the last 174 years, it is the only industry where Assam has retained its leadership”, Barkakoty said.

“Tea is indigenous to Assam and is an area where Assam can take a lot of pride. Southern China and Assam are the only two regions in the world with native tea plants”, added Rajib Barooah, chairman of Assam Tea Planters’ Association (ATPA).

The tea industry is one of the largest employers in Assam. Assam tea industry employs around 7 lakh permanent workers and another 5 lakh seasonal workers. Another 10 lakh persons are dependent on Assam tea industry.

Around 50 per cent of workers are women and hence, Assam tea industry is the single largest employer of women. More than 3,50,000 hectares area is under tea cultivation in Assam.

Barkakoty said this formal declaration of tea as the ‘State Drink’ will bolster the marketing of Assam tea. “Tea is now accepted as a health drink world over. This fact coupled with the “State Drink” tag will also attract the large youth population of the region towards this health beverage,” he added.

The tea industry expects that the ‘State Drink’ status to the beverage would increase its per capita consumption in Assam from 650 gm and help touch the national average which is about 730 gm.Assam’s share to the total tea production of India is around 55 per cent.

Why Isn’t Assam in Focus?

By S N Chary

It’s a shame that the misery of lakhs of people is a non-issue in a nation that trumpets to be the largest democracy.

The entire country – the politicians across the length and breadth of our nation, a large section of the media, and the ‘common man’ which is another idiom for the middle class in our country who are not really ‘middle’ but a trifle elite in socioeconomic terms – are all busy analysing the economic ‘reforms’ particularly the foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, insurance and other sectors announced by the Central government, the reactions of the opposition parties such as BJP and Trinamool to these declared measures and the government’s arguments in defence. After the Coalgate, prime minister Manmohan Singh and his colleagues have successfully veered the public (rather, the middle class) attention to the new googly ball of changes in the rules governing the FDI.

It is really distressing and shameful that when a huge calamity has befallen in some parts of the country, no one seems to be bothered. To the north-east of our nation, large parts of the state of Assam are under water due to heavy flooding of the river Brahmaputra. The extent of displacement of people is mind-boggling. Over 30 lakh people are affected and a large portion of them are displaced. The villagers have lost their homes and belongings to the deluge. Some of them are taking refuge in school buildings if and where available. Several are in the open – children, women and old men included. This is supposed to be their ‘temporary’ shelter. However, most of the villagers have permanently lost their homes. Where will they go? How will they manage the rest of their lives?

It is a horror story. In any other country such an issue would have been the main focus of the governments – Central and state. It would have been a huge national concern. It is miserable to find that this matter has come to be a non-issue in a nation that trumpets to the world that it is the largest democracy. Is democracy only regarding voting in the elections? Is the ‘largeness’ only about the number of inhabitants in the country?

If we thought that this was a one-off event, a once in quarter century mishap, we would be wrong. Floods take place with regularity, almost every year in several parts of the country, particularly so in Assam. What did our successive governments do regarding preventive measures? Obviously, nothing. In today’s technologically and managerially advanced world it should not be difficult to find solutions to the problems of meandering Brahmaputra or overflowing Ganga or Mahanadi. Unfortunately, the lives of villagers in remote Assam or interior UP or Orissa come cheap to be sacrificed to the vagaries of the monsoon and the rivers.

Desperate effort

Really speaking, it is not a ‘natural’ calamity; it is the result of an abject neglect by the governments – mainly the Central government and to some extent the state. Because, the government at the Centre claims to be busy with the matters of loosening up FDI norms and increasing the nation’s economic growth - primarily a desperate effort to refurbish its own image abroad.

Prior to the current crisis of floods, five lakh people of Assam became homeless due to the socio-political problems arising out of the unchecked illegal migration of people from Bangladesh and the internecine feuds that would ensue large-scale demographic changes. The Union government has done precious little by way of mitigation of this chronic problem. The media and the news-savvy people of this country seem to have forgotten all about this calamity.

It needs to be clarified at this juncture that the issue is not only about Assam; the latter just happens to be the current victim of calamity. The point is that, most of the times, the government’s priorities have not been right. The entire approach to the problems of this country has increasingly been ‘top-down’. It is assumed that if the top stratum of the society benefits, the same would trickle fast down to the bottom. This is not true.

Even in the definition of the ‘bottom’ there is confusion. The city-dwelling white-collar working class people are not the ‘aam aadmi’. Real India lives in the rural hinterland and in the wretched slums of the cities where people live below the famous Rs 28 a day. The so-called trickle-down is going wrong because the government, the administrative machinery and the political vision and will that drive the machinery are all dysfunctional.

 In this warped economic ‘logic’ borrowed from the West, the present government and the prime minister – who is claimed to be the forerunner of this line of thinking -  tend to overlook the obvious miseries of the multitudes. The miseries could be the daily hardships and the calamitous ones like the mass displacements due the floods of Brahmaputra. The distorted logic of the professed free market can be heady enough to numb the senses to the pains and wails of the suffering lot. It can dull the sight to the malevolence of unbridled corruption and plunder.

 If the rulers in New Delhi think that freeing of FDI, reducing the subsidy on items like diesel and LPG and similar ‘reforms’ will be the magic wand that will do the job they themselves are not doing, they are either living in a world of delusion or they believe that the so-called aam aadmi’s attention can be diverted by economic gimmickry.

(The writer is a former professor at IIM, Bangalore)

Where Camp Is A 4-Letter Word

By Ammu Joseph

MORE BATTLES: While the availability of milk and nutritious supplements for children varied from camp to camp, there was no evidence anywhere of educational services. A relief centre in Dhubri district. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

PTI A relief camp in Dhubri district, Assam.

With winter approaching, addressing the issues of livelihood, housing and clothing for those displaced by floods and strife assumes greater urgency in the shelters in Assam

The latest wave of floods in Assam has affected over a million people in 16 of the State’s 27 districts. More than two lakh people displaced by the rising waters that submerged nearly 2,000 villages have sought refuge in over 160 so-called relief camps in Assam. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are also reeling from flash floods and landslides that have claimed at least 35 lives across the three States.

The question is what happens after the initial drama of rescue operations, evacuations, airdropping of food, et al, ends. After all, the present crisis merely compounds the lingering misery and penury from an earlier round of floods, which inundated more than 5,500 villages in 23 districts from mid-June onwards, caused at least 125 deaths, and devastated the already precarious lives of nearly 2.5 million people, washing away homes, livelihoods, livestock and crops.

On a sunny day just before the onset of the renewed deluge, women in Boramari Kocharigaon, a hamlet in Lahorighat block of Morigaon district accessible only by boat, displayed remarkable stoicism as they told visitors that half their village had been lost to the river. They seemed resigned to the prospect of eventually losing their own homes, too, but may not have imagined that their worst fears would come true so soon. Many, if not all, of them must now have joined previously displaced neighbours living in makeshift shelters on either side of a narrow mud path at a slightly higher level than the surrounding areas.

Erosion, silent factor

Many such slender ridges host recurrent batches of refugees dislocated over the years by the mighty, magnificent and capricious Brahmaputra, brimming over now, shifting course every now and then. Some have been living in such “temporary” homes for years. It is difficult to imagine where others currently residing along the crumbling banks of the river and its tributaries — sure to be dislodged sooner rather than later — will retreat to.

The silent emergency of erosion does not make news but it has reportedly claimed nearly 4,000 square kilometres of land, destroying more than 2,500 villages and displacing over five million people in Assam. According to a recent study by Archana Sarkar of the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and R.D. Garg and Nayan Sharma of IIT-Roorkee, 1,053 sq. km. was lost to erosion between 1990 and 2008.

The figures come to life as a young civil servant mentions in passing that his own village no longer exists. Further probing into this astonishing statement revealed that not only his village, South Salmara in Dhubri district, but several neighbouring ones had also vanished. He estimates that nearly 70 per cent of the South Salmara-Mankachar subdivision is now in the Brahmaputra. The NIH/IIT-R study confirms that on the north bank of the river Dhubri has lost the maximum area (104 sq. km.) to erosion.

Assam’s State Disaster Management Authority is reportedly seeking recognition for erosion as an ongoing disaster requiring an urgent, concerted, multi-pronged and sustained response that can address the short- and long-term basic and livelihood needs of the affected population, as well as environmental concerns.

The recent rains must have also worsened the situation in several so-called camps where large numbers of people continue to live in abysmal conditions over two months after being displaced by the conflict that erupted in late July in parts of Lower Assam located within the Bodoland Territorial Administrative District. A substantial section of the nearly five lakh people who fled to nearly 350 camps then have apparently managed to return home. But close to 40 per cent of them are still in over 200 camps, having lost their houses and assets to arson and looting, or held back by the land verification process initiated by the State government and the Bodoland Territorial Council, or simply too frightened to return to villages in areas dominated by the “other” community involved in the violence.

A day after the latest downpour began, the camp in Bhawaraguri in Chirang district was already ankle-deep in water. “Camp” is actually a misleading misnomer. People from seven nearby villages, including some Bengali-speaking Hindus, who had sought sanctuary in the village boasting a significant number of educated, professional Bengali-speaking Muslims, have had to vacate local schools to enable them to reopen. They were in the process of fashioning provisional shelters for themselves in the low-lying school ground, using whatever materials they could somehow secure. Members of the Bodo and Rajbongshi communities still staying at the Mongolian Bazar camp in Noyapara (Chirang) faced the prospect of moving into the slushy school compound as classes were soon due to resume after the extended break. In Gambaribeel (Kokrajhar), the space where temporary housing was to be provided for the Bodo families currently living in and around the local school was also waterlogged. The rudimentary shacks housing well over 10,000 Bengali-speaking people in a huge open field near Kembolpur in the Gossaingaon subdivision of Kokrajhar district were hardly weatherproof either.

Health services

Considering the health hazards posed by such living conditions it was encouraging to learn that delivery of public health services was fairly regular and on the whole satisfactory, though mental health is obviously a neglected area despite the evident trauma induced by violence, fear and displacement. Nutrition is clearly a problem, with official food relief essentially restricted to rice and dal, occasionally augmented by potatoes. While the availability of milk and nutritious supplements for children varied from camp to camp, there was no evidence anywhere of educational services. Local schools are belatedly beginning to reopen but they are unlikely to be able to accommodate all the displaced children, especially from densely populated camps. Residents of Bhawaraguri were worried about the future of older students, too, with persistent safety concerns preventing them from travelling to attend college. Clothes were also in short supply, with most people having fled homes in panic and few usable garments distributed by way of relief, official or non-governmental.

No one seems to know if and when the nearly two lakh people still living in camps — at least 85 per cent of them Bengali-speaking Muslims — will be enabled to return to their villages or provided with decent temporary accommodation elsewhere. Livelihood remains a challenge for many of those who have ventured home but face an unofficial economic boycott. With winter approaching, the issues of housing, clothing, and so on, assume even greater urgency. Clearly there is much to be done long after the water recedes and violence subsides.

(Ammu Joseph accompanied the Oxfam India team visiting areas where the organisation is providing humanitarian assistance to disaster and conflict affected people in Assam. Email: ammujo@gmail.com)

Frequent Floods: Plans to Rehaul Brahmaputra Board

A girl wades through flood waters in the flood affected Morigaon district of Assam last month. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Against the backdrop of frequent floods in Assam and allegations of its failures to deal with the situation, the Centre has decided to restructure the Brahmaputra Board and turn it into a body to develop and manage water resources of the entire Northeastern region.

The Water Resources Ministry has sought feedback of Chief Ministers of the seven northeastern States on the draft proposal to restructure the Board which came into being 32 years ago.

The Government may bring in a new legislation to transform the Brahmaputra Board into the Brahmaputra River Valley Authority and replace the current Brahmaputra Board 1980 Act.

“A review of the functioning of the Brahmaputra Board reveals that it did not have a mandate to provide a strong framework for the holistic development of the Brahmaputra river,” said the draft.

It also said the Board failed to build up competent engineering cadre to support its activities which remained largely concentrated in the state of Assam.

According to the draft, the proposed Authority will be mandated to coordinate development and management of water, land and related sources to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the ecosystem of the Brahmaputra valley.

It will have two parts — a policy making apex council and an executive wing.

The Council will be headed by the Water Resources Minister as Chairman and include the Chief Ministers and Ministers for water resources of the NE states.

The Executive Board will be responsible for implementing the decisions of the council.

After the Authority is set up, the Centre will create a fund called the Brahmaputra Fund. The fund will be used to finance the water resources activities in the member states.

The Centre will be the custodian of the fund which will be controlled by the Authority, the draft said.