Mizoram’s Decision – Garage First, Car Later: Debate

By Rudroneel Ghosh

The Mizoram transport department's move to deny registration of any automobile that is bought without proof of parking space needs to be replicated all over the country. In an upwardly mobile society like ours, owning a car is not just a matter of convenience.

It is representative of our status. It supposedly defines where we are on the social pecking order. It is this thinking that is the main driving force behind the third largest automobile market in Asia.

Given the furious pace at which cars are being added to our streets everyday, it is only natural that urban road space is at a premium. To counter this problem, we need to increase the cost of owning and maintaining a car.

It is all very well to say that the government should provide for better public transport facilities and dedicated parking sites. These suggestions have been on the cards for a long time.

Yet no state government can claim to have a plan in place to tackle the massive growth in the number of private vehicles. On the other hand, it is also true that people view public transport as a bitter necessity.

Unlike New York's taxis or London's double-decker buses, we hardly take pride in our public transport infrastructure. It is this lack of both supply and demand that needs to be addressed in order to decongest our roads. The new Mizoram regulation seeks to do precisely that.

Making proof of garage space a precondition for buying a car will indirectly put pressure on the authorities to sanction a greater number of parking projects. It will also nudge people towards public transport, creating sufficient demand for better facilities.

We must create the right conditions for people to take pride in their public transport infrastructure. The first step would be to detox a car-crazy nation with some tough laws.

A Counter View

Raises cost of mobility

In a move to ease vehicular congestion, Mizoram's transport authority has enacted a mandatory provision to have a garage for all new car owners in Aizawl.

A similar suggestion is being made for metros like Delhi and Mumbai. It's not clear that such a "solution" can work across India's metro cities.

We must forsake the temptation to tackle serious public issues by issuing bans and diktats, instead of coming up with pragmatic and enabling solutions that enlarge rather than restrict the individual's freedom of choice.

It would be difficult for authorities to implement such laws in ageing cities like Delhi and Mumbai for practical reasons. Urban planning in these cities has lacked the concept of having a garage or separate parking space. Neither do they have state-of-the-art public transport systems.

Like telephone or internet connectivity, personal mobility is a tool of empowerment that enables people to raise their living standards as well as quality of life. The government should enable rather than raise the cost of personal mobility, if it wishes to improve the living standards of people.

The stress should be on improving urban planning and building public infrastructure like multi-level parking malls. While doing so they can always charge a heavy premium for providing these services, which can be used to improve public transport systems.

Let's assume, for a moment, that all car owners are forced to rent or buy garages to park their cars.

Since cars are mobile entities they will eventually come out of the garages particularly at times when congestion is most acute. Unless parking spaces are widely available, there will still be a problem.

The government and urban planners, therefore, must come up with a more comprehensive solution to the congestion problem. Before wielding the stick, they must provide some carrots too.

84,000 Plus Voters Missing in 2010 Assam Voter’s List

Guwahati, Aug 26 : The recently-published draft voters list for 2010 by Assam State Election Commission showed more than 84 thousand voters have declined in comparison to the previous list .

The report comed amid allegations by Assam-based organizations, namely, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), All Assam Students Union (AASU), and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), that illegal Bangladeshi influx threatening national security and a large number of infiltrators have been included in the voters list.

According to the State Election Commission report, in the year 2009 voter list, 1,74,68,958 people are included as legitimate voters in the state..

But the draft voters list showed 1,73,82,724 people as legitimate voters in the state.

The final voter list will be published on September 15, officials said.

However, local media said, most of the districts that is shown to have witnessed a descending trend in the number of voters, have a large number of illegal migrants.

The draft voters list showed the number of voters has decreased over 15 thousand in Karbi Anglong, Baska and Nalbari, more than 13 thousand in Nagaon and Cachar.

The list marked 670 voters as disappearing in Barpeta, 76 in Darrang and 50 in Morigaon district.

The districts mentioned in the list, including, Barpeta, Darrang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup, Goalpara, allegedly have a large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

It is to be mentioned that, former Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha submitted a report on ‘IIlegal Migration Into Assam’ to the President of India on November 8, 1998 and said, “Large scale illegal migration from East Pakistan/Bangladesh over several decades has been altering the demographic complexion of this State. It poses a grave threat both to the identity of the Assamese people and to our national security. Successive Governments at the Centre and in the State have not adequately met this challenge.

"As Governor of Assam, I feel it is my bounden duty,both to the Nation and the State I have sworn to serve, to place before you this report on the dangers arising from the continuing silent demographic invasion. I have also formulated my recommendations for dealing with this issue of vital importance. I earnestly hope that this matter will receivedue consideration and suitable action taken to avert the grave danger that has been building up for some time. “

In other hand, former Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta stated in the Parliament on May 6, 1997 that there were 10 million illegal migrants residing in India, out of which, 4 million are in Assam.

Why Not Hold The Games in Manipur, Asks Aiyar

New Delhi, Aug 26 : Keeping up his campaign against organisation of Commonwealth Games, senior Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday questioned the rationale of Delhi hosting the event and said it would have been a "very good answer" to insurgents if it would have been held in Manipur.

Speaking to a group of Delhi University students at Press Club, Aiyar wondered why such mega events come back to Delhi again and again. Even if it is organised here, he asked, why localities in the outskirts like Bawana are ignored.

"There are 37 days to go in which the government has to fill the gaps to ensure a spectacular Games which it has promised us. I am content to wait. The Games will last for 15 days. I will come back. Neither are you going away nor I am going away," Aiyar, a vocal critic of the Games, said.

He said, "What is the point in crying over spoilt milk? We have lost the Games."
Aiyar said there was a "danger" of Asian Games 2019 and Olympics being organised in the city and asked why was it that mega events come back to the city every time.

"Manipur is a tiny state. It bagged the highest number of medals in the National Games (when I was the Sports Minister)...If Rs 35,000 crore (an estimate of the cost of CW Games expenditure) is spent in Manipur, if we conduct the Commonwealth Games there, the insurgents would have got a very good answer," he said.

"There are excellent facilities in Imphal. Why do we keep coming back to Delhi," he said.

Aiyar took potshots at Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi saying that he was not invited to the National Games despite being the country's Sports Minister.

He also asked why the Games should not be conducted in Bawana in outer Delhi, which has a huge number of SC population. "This area is used to burn rubbish only. What message are you giving to its people?" he said.

Later, talking to reporters, Aiyar said sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar did not seek money for composing the welcome song of Afro-Asian Games held in the country earlier.

"He did not seek money nor did we give him money," Aiyar said when asked about a media report in this regard.

Best Record of Achievement in Northeast: Chidambaram

“One of the main concerns is maintenance of communal peace and harmony”

New Delhi, Aug 26 : Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram claimed here on Wednesday that besides containing terrorism, the best record of achievement was in the northeastern States. The year 2009 was a distinct improvement over 2008 and 2010. There was a dramatic decline in the number of incidents and casualties. He, however, admitted that Manipur and Assam were affected by blockades, bandhs and intermittent violence.

The Minister pointed out that a number of groups in the northeast were engaged in talks with the Union government. He expressed the hope that the United Liberation Front of Asom would formally come forward to begin talks with the Centre and the Assam government.

Mr. Chidambaram said one of the main concerns was the maintenance of communal peace and harmony as even most petty disputes and imagined slights triggered conflicts between communities and groups.

Touching upon some of the key measures taken by the Centre over the last one year, he said the allocation for internal security went up to Rs. 40,582 crore in 2010-11, against Rs. 25,923 crore in 2008-09. Schemes for the modernization of the State police forces and Central forces were extended to 2010-11.

The government had sanctioned raising of 38 battalions for the CRPF, 29 for the Border Security Force, 32 for the Sashastra Seema Bal and induction of 14,259 personnel in the Central Industrial Security Force. The strength of the IPS was also increased from 4013 to 4730.

Mr. Chidambaram mulled over the idea of transfer of funds under the modernization of police force scheme directly to the Director General of Police of a State. He asked the State police chiefs to spell out the steps taken to enact a new Police Act, based on a model Bill that was circulated to the States. He also wanted to know the steps taken by the States to set up State Police Establishment Boards and the Police Complaints Boards.

Admitting that the security forces too had their shortcomings, he pointed out that “nothing that is said or written can take away a jot from the fact that the security forces are the first line of defence of our democracy and liberty.'' He also acknowledged the willing cooperation of the State governments in standing up to the challenges posed by forces inimical to the nation, both within and outside the country.

Earlier, Mr. Chidambaram gave away police medals for meritorious service to officers of the Intelligence Bureau.

In his address, IB Director Rajiv Mathur warned that “inimical agencies from international bases'' were trying to revive Sikh militancy in Punjab by forging an alliance between Sikh militant groups and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Manipur Blockade Highlights India’s Northeast Dilemma

By David Lalmalsawma

An entire state held to ransom for the past three months. And a central government that seems helpless to stop it.

Naga groups on Tuesday said they were extending for another 25 days their blockade of the two highways linking landlocked Manipur to the rest of the country.

This follows almost consecutive 20 days and 69 days of similar blockades, leaving the northeast state surviving on army-escorted supplies for the past three months.

Before a recent deployment of security forces for escorting food supplies, the state faced acute shortage of essential commodities like live-saving drugs. Petrol was priced at 200 rupees, LPG cylinders at 1,500 rupees and a kilogram of rice at 60-70 rupees.

The unrest started in April when Naga students protested amendments to a law governing the state’s autonomous district councils, which they say took away vital rights of the hill people, and intensified it when Naga separatist leader T Muivah was barred from visiting his birthplace in Manipur.

The United Naga Council, which is leading the agitation, says the blockade is being extended because the Centre has not fulfilled their demands, which include demilitarisation of all Naga-inhabited areas.

The Nagas, who are demanding a ‘Greater Nagaland’ state which include chunks from three neighbouring states, are also angry at the home minister’s statement in parliament ruling out division of Manipur.

And therein lies the catch-22 situation for the central government.

The Nagas, who say they have never accepted India’s constitution after independence from the British, claim the right to integrate all areas inhabited by the tribe.

But any sign the Centre is giving way on the issue of a state’s territorial integrity could evoke violent protests, something that has been seen in Kashmir and Telangana.

This represents the crux of the problems plaguing the northeast, home to more than 300 ethnic groups living side by side in eight states, each competing to carve out an identity.

The lack of development and the geographical and cultural isolation of the region from the rest of the country may also further stoke unrest.

Even the media and public from the rest of the country are sporadic in their interest in the region, which is rarely in the public imagination due to its relative political and economic insignificance.

The Centre, which doesn’t look like it has a clear policy for the region even after decades of armed insurgency, still lurches from one issue to the next without really achieving any closure (the 1986 peace treaty with Mizo militants being an exception).

Is there any solution to India’s northeast dilemma?

Nagaland Sends 'ill-Equipped' Men to Fight Naxals

Nagaland IRB Jawans boarding train

Kohima, Aug 25 : The Nagaland government is facing flak from the Opposition Congress, which held the Neiphiu Rio-led Nagaland People's Front government responsible for the virtual revolt by IRB jawans demanding better arms and logistic support before their departure for West Bengal to fight the "well-equipped" Maoists.

The 10th IRB of Nagaland has been requisitioned by the Centre to fight Maoists in Bengal's Midnapore and Purulia districts, but a section of jawans staged protest at the police training centre at Chumukedima, near Dimapur, on Saturday alleging they had inadequate logistic support and 'vintage' firearms were provided to them.

In a statement, CLP leader Tokheho Yepthomi asked the state's home minister, Imkong Imchen, to disclose how the huge amount of funds received from the centre for police modernization was utilized by the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government.

He pointed out that the state had received Rs 123 crore in last four years for modernization of the police force, which means that the Centre allotted on an average Rs 30 crore annually to the state government.

He wondered how the state government was sending the 10th IRB jawans without modern weapons, required number of platoon commanders and without a single driver for a vehicle by road to fight the Naxals, which he claimed was "the most organized terror outfit of modern India."

"The situation demanded a thorough probe into how the funds released by the Centre were being utilized in the state," he said.

Senior police officials said the advance party of 'A' and 'F' Companies of the battalion, comprising around 230 personnel led by deputy commander of the force, finally left Dimapur by buses and trucks last Sunday.

The rest of the battalion would leave for Bengal within a day or two, DGP K Kire said.

Nagaland's 1st 'Centre of Social Work' at Mokokchung

Kohima, Aug 25 : The Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Social Work (MGCSW), first of its kind in Nagaland, was set up at Chuchuyimlang under Mokokchung district as part of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education and Development (MGIED).

Official sources said here today that the Centre of Social Work has been established under the auspices of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)-as part of the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram Educational Project, which would initially offer Bachelor of Social Works course and Master of Social Works Would be added from the session 2011-2012 onwards.

Gradually, short term courses with special reference to the Northeast for various stake holders in development field such as Village Development functionaries, Government Officials, NGOs workers and workers in the Health Department shall be offered, sources said.

The MGCSW will have 24 seats for the current session, for which 22 applications have already been received and out of the 22, a total of 17 candidates were selected which has representations from Assam and Meghalaya, as well as through an elaborate selection process conducted at Guwahati.

Sources, quoting Dr Aotoshi, said trustee of the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram, Chuchuyimlang, will take over the classes in ashram's premises presently, but would be gradually shifted to the new complex being developed in a compact area of 230 Acres of land donated by Chuchuyimlang Village Council without any cost or conditions.

The complex will be developed as a flagship programme to commemorate the 25 years of existence of the IGNOU, sources added.

Manipur Traders Misusing Manipur Blockade

New Delhi, Aug 25 : There was shortage of goods of daily use in Manipur not due to blockade but because of other factors like rains and refusal of truck operators and the involvement of local traders in hoarding and black marketing taking advantage of shortage in some essential commodities, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Answering questions on the effect of blockade of Manipur for 68 days by the Naga students, Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran said in written replies that the shortage continued in the state even after lifting of economic blockade on National Highways 39 and 53 due to decision of transporters and drivers council not to drive the tankers and trucks through Nagaland on NH 39 unless the route was fully secured. The supplies have been affected due to onset of rains leading to frequent landslides on the way.

He conceded that the United Naga Council had begun another economic blockade since August 4 for 20 days alleging lackadaisical attitude towards judicial inquiry into the death of two Naga youths at Mao Gate.

Presently the convoys of trucks and tankers were being escorted to maintain supplies of essential commodities to the state on a daily basis.

The Government had made an additional provision of Rs 10 crore to repair the rain damaged portions of Highways. The Manipur Government had withdrawn the rationing of petroleum products in view of improved supply by the tankers.