Obama Wins Second Term

USA President Barack Obama wins second term

Mizoram Forms Squad To Fight Drug Abuse

Aizawl, Nov 7 : A squad has been floated by teachers to check drug abuse and illicit sexual relationships by students in Serchhip town of Mizoram. The squad was set up recently by the Serchhip Teachers’ Association (STA), Mizoram.

The squad members said their concern has been over the rise of drug use among students and their involvement in illicit relationships resulting in unprotected sex. The squad will take measures and action against any student who violates its directives and rules within Serchhip town comprising of six village councils.

The squad will carry out work at a place where students gather at a particular place. It expressed the hope that parents would be supportive in this mission.

The squad will hand over any student indulging in such activities to the Education Department, sources said. It also reported their measures to pharmacies and asked them to cooperate with them and not sell any drugs without doctors' prescriptions.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had said that child drug addiction and easy accessibility to drugs are areas of major concern in Mizoram. The commission also estimated child drug addicts could be as high as 10,000 to 30,000 in Mizoram and asked the State to get a clear picture and also urged the Government to immediately notify the State-level Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The commission also urged the Mizoram Government to give more emphasis to social counselling, youth and children’s projects, build on local strengths such as music and sports and create more facilities for children.

Mizoram Border Committee's Interim Report

Aizawl Nov 7 : The Mizoram Boundary Committee headed by former minister C Chawngkunga today decided to submit an interim report on the findings on the Indo-Bangladesh border fencing in the Mizoram sector to the government.

The committee, which met here, said that it would urge the government to ensure that construction companies followed the guidelines for border fencing by constructing it at 150 metre to 200 metre from the actual border.

"In some places the fence was constructed at 500 metre from the border, causing immense loss of land to India," the Boundary Committee said, adding that 15 villages were fenced out while in 21 the fencing ran through the village in the southern part of the state.

Those fenced out and also the villages where the fencing went through were practically deprived of land for cultivation by border fencing.

The committee observed that the contractors working under the Union Home Ministry completely ignored the state government and did not consulted the district administration while undertaking the construction of the border fences.

Who Will Wipe-Off The Tears Of Manipur and Irom?

By Maitreyee

There is something poignant and evocative about Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. It has been almost a year back when I first visited Imphal and the loneliness of the place still haunts me. The violence ravaged city stands alone, like a stoic mountain enduring its pain in silence.


As I and few of my friends entered Imphal, all we saw were jawans of Indian armed forces lined up its various streets as long as our eyes could see them. The long queue of jawans in fatigues and bandanaas created a hallucination like feeling for the visitors. They were spread everywhere.

I asked myself, "Is this India, or a foreign land?" The prying eyes of army men narrated the whole story. "Not all is well with Manipur." Otherwise, why in a democratic country army men are dictating every move of civilians? It is the draconian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) which gives Indian army the power to kill and arrest anybody in Manipur according to their whims and fancies.

It is not just Imphal but its inhabitants also carried a piercing melancholic look. Even when they smile, it is not hard to miss the tears in their eyes. This is no exaggeration but reality which we (read mainland India and its people) often love to ignore. And this is the plight of Manipur, where militancy, corruption and lack of governance have created a complex situation, which is difficult to describe in few words.

And defining the tragedy of Manipur and its people is Irom Sharmila Chanu. The lone woman, who is on fast for last 12 years to express her protest against AFSPA.

So, all young men and women in Manipur (the entire northeast for that matter) are prospective terrorists, especially when "special laws" like AFPSA makes a mockery of living in a 'free country'. The shroud of "disturbed area" tag engulfs the entire northeast India, almost since the Indian republic got its independence.

On mere suspicion, people are arrested and killed at point blank by the law enforcing agencies in the Northeast region. It is true that Northeast is hit by militancy but tell me about one place in India where crime and killings don't take place. You can't. But I can tell you that nowhere else in India, common citizens have to prove themselves to be law-abiding citizens of the nation every day.
Sharmila completed 12 years of her hunger fast against the controversial Act on Monday, Nov 5.

Sharmila (41) has been fasting since Nov 5, 2000, a couple of days after Assam Rifles personnel gunned down 10 civilians including a National Child Bravery Award winner near a bus stand at Malom village along the Imphal-Aizawl highway.

"Sharmila completes the 12th year of her fast today (Monday) and she is entering the 13th year of her stir. She will continue till the oppressive act is repealed. The state government as well as the 60 legislators are watching her struggle but are not taking steps to scrap the act. We are not happy with their attitude towards her struggle," Irom Singhajit, Sharmila's elder brother said.

The sight of Sharmila, a petite woman wrapped in a shawl with a pipe inserted in her nose can easily move anyone to tears. But it seems Indian authority has decided to maintain its silence and waiting for Sharmila to die the death of a martyr? No authority, no politician, no bureaucrat had ever shown their solidarity to Sharmila. But the fragile and weak woman is determined enough to fight her battle alone by refusing to take food and water for more than 500 weeks now. In fact, she has created a world record for being "the world's longest hunger striker", a feat which is nothing to celebrate but rather we should mourn about it.

"I am not going to break my fast and am ready to die for a cause that I believe is just and right," Sharmila said.

"I am fighting for justice," Sharmila sounding confident, said in a feeble voice.

The authority may be blind towards her demands but they are scared by the bravery of a lonely unarmed woman, who has become a symbol of resistance against dictatorial attitude of the Central government.

Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide", which is unlawful under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, and was later transferred to judicial custody. Her health deteriorated rapidly and the police then forcibly had to use nasogastric intubation in order to keep her alive while under arrest. Since then, Irom Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year under IPC section 309, a person who "attempts to commit suicide" is punishable "with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year (or with fine, or with both)".

Within the confines of her hospital bed, Sharmila writes fervently, with the hope that one day authority would listen to her cries.

Apart from being a political crusader and civil rights activist, Sharmila is a poet too. She has published her poetry collection "Fragrance of Peace" in 2010, which contains twelve of her poems. The poems were originally written in her native language Meiteilon. The poems of Sharmila consist of a unique blend of passion, protest and hope.

Wake Up (By Irom Sharmila Chanu)
Wake up brothers and sisters
The saviour of the nation
We have come out all the way
Knowing we all will die
Why the fear is
So shaky in the heart?
Yes, myself too
In the impact of this hard step
Overwhelmed with anxiety and fear
With the prayer to almighty
Praising the spirit of truth
Touchily from this frail body
I am bidding farewell
Yet longing for life
Though birth is followed by death
So fond of to accomplice
My desired mission
Hope isolation of Sharmila and her struggle comes to an end soon before it takes another shape. For a Gandhian like Sharmila, violence can never be a tool to continue a legitimate struggle. But in Manipur, where militancy has taken the shape of cottage industry, future might have more episodes of violence in store.

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.

Mizoram Aspires To Be 2nd Nirmal State

Aizawl, Nov 6 : With 79 per cent works having been achieved under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, Mizoram is aspiring to become India's second Nirmal state, after Sikkim.

According to sources from PHE, 78,851 individual households have been constructed across Mizoram, completing 88 per cent of the targeted 89,903 latrines.

Fifty-five per cent works have been achieved in school toilets with 3,219 constructed from the project of 5,905 toilets.

As many as 1,209 toilets have been constructed in anganwadi centres from the target of 1,630 toilets, achieving 74 per cent works. Of the targeted 560 community sanitary complexes, 549 have been constructed.

As many as 71 solid and liquid waste management facilities have also been constructed. Implemented from 2003, the department has spent Rs 35.41 crore under this scheme.

Of the sanctioned 43,31,58,000, the Centre has released Rs 28,87,36,000 and the state government also released Rs 7,93,50,000 from its matching share of Rs 15,21,50,000.

Indian Medical Association Warns Mizos Against Quacks

Aizawl, Nov 6 : Indian Medical Association's (IMA) Mizoram branch has asked people of the state to be wary of quacks.

K Lalbiakzuala, a consultant surgeon in the state hospital and health education department and state programme officer of Mizoram Cancer Control Society, said the so-called "faith-healers" have done more harm than good to society.

"These 'spiritualists' prayed for our patients and declared that they were cured by God and instructed them not to continue taking medicine or further treatment," said Lalbiakzuala.

When the treating doctors learn that the patients discontinued treatment and taking medicine, sometimes it's too late for the doctors to treat the patients who eventually die, he added. There are also some quacks who prayed for sick people who approached them and then prescribed medicines, including antibiotics, he added.

He said, "It is no harm if a devotee prays for a sick man as long as he or she does not advise the patient to stop taking medical treatment or medicines prescribed by registered doctors. It was still harmless if a quack prays for a patient without prescribing medicine."

Citing some examples, he said an old woman died after she refused to go to Mumbai for treatment of lung cancer as a quack advised her that she didn't have the disease at all, he said. Aichhinga, an agriculture minister in the Mizo National Front (MNF) government, died on July 1, 2008, at 68 after some spiritualists publicly declared that he was cured of prolonged kidney failure and asked him to stop dialysis.

The incident created quite a furore, especially among the medical fraternity.

Over 100 UFOs Seen Along Indo-China Border

The Army troops deployed along the China border from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast have reported more than 100 sightings of "Unidentified Flying Objects" (UFOs) in the last three months.

New Delhi, Nov 6 : The Army troops deployed along the China border from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh in northeast have reported more than 100 sightings of "Unidentified Flying Objects" (UFOs) in the last three months.

Agencies including the Army, DRDO, NTRO and the ITBP have not yet been able to identify these luminous flying objects.

The 14 Corps, which looks after military deployment along Kargil-Leh and looks after the frontiers with China, has sent reports to the Army Headquarters about the sightings of UFOs by an ITBP unit in Thakung near the Pangong Tso Lake, Army officials said here.

Reports suggested that these yellowish spheres appear to lift off from the horizon on the Chinese side and slowly traverse the sky for three to five hours before disappearing.

The officials confirmed that these UFOs were not Chinese drones or satellites.

They said Army had also moved a mobile ground-based radar unit and a spectrum analyser to verify the identity of the object but could not detect the object that was being tracked visually, indicating it was non-metallic.

Army officials expressed concern over the inability of agencies to identify the object which some believed could be a Chinese surveillance equipment.

Sources said similar reports had emerged about five-six years ago about sighting of such objects but the matter was not taken up at higher levels.

Reports suggested that a group of mountaineers had seen a UFO in 2004 in Lahaul and Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh and investigations were launched into the incident by various agencies.