Rail Link to Northeast India Capitals by 2016

New Delhi, Sep 30 : Six decades after the country gaining independence, all the capitals of the North Eastern States are likely to find place on the railway map, with the Railway Ministry projecting rail connection by 2016.

The revised projection was given by the officials of the Railway Ministry at the 59th meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) on Tuesday. The Department of Telecom, Inland Waterways were among other ministries that made presentation on the Action Plan for implementation of the North East Vision 2020 document.

Briefing newsmen, Union Minister for DoNER and Mines, Bijoy Krishna Handique said according to the projection, all State capitals in the region would be connected by the railways by 2016 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 17,000 crore. Currently only Assam and a part of Nagaland and area bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura boast of rail connection.

One of the thorny issues, that of land acquisition appears to have been resolved, with the attending Chief Minister agreeing to expedite the process of handing over of the land to the Railways. Meghalaya Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma assured to hand over land within three months, officials said.

Shillong is scheduled to come on the railway map of the country by 2014, according to the revised estimate.

However, majority of the rail projects in the region have slipped deadlines. The Lumding-Badarpur Gauge Conversion project is now scheduled to be completed by 2013. Handique said he is going to visit Silchar in December to ‘ascertain why the work has slowed down’.

Officials said it is the technical snag that is holding up the work, as the Railways now expects to complete the 3 km tunnel work in the section only by 2013. Earlier, it was militancy in North Cachar Hill district that held up the project work.

Meanwhile, the Department of Telecom drew the maximum flak, with the chief ministers complaining about the shoddy services provided by the BSNL in the North-east.

There were discussion on development of the inland waterways, as well as various options of reopening of the Brahmaputra river as a freight corridor for commercial use, introduction of adventure sports and promoting the river as tourist destination were deliberated upon.

In this connection, the demand to name Barak river as National Waterway Eight has been forwarded. The development of 1200 km route from Lakhipur to Bangladesh border is expected to cost Rs 900 crore.

Meanwhile, the plan to float a regional airways initiated by the DoNER Ministry has been dropped. The NEC had twice floated tenders inviting bids from private air operators but there were no takers.

Human Trafficking Alert For Northeast Cops

NGO writes to President on ‘prostitution rackets’

Nagaland police personnel stand guard in front of Commonwealth Games headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday. 

Silchar, Sep 30 : Assam police headquarters in Guwahati has asked all the police stations in the state to be on alert against the possible trafficking of women during the Commonwealth Games beginning in New Delhi from October 3.

The police headquarters was tipped off by the Intelligence Bureau about a few Assamese women being lured to Delhi with promises of safe and respectable jobs.

Women, particularly from Kokrajhar and Barak valley districts, were offered upto Rs 5,000 a day for their services as escorts to tourists during the 12-day sports jamboree.

The superintendent of police of the intelligence department in Guwahati, B. Barua, visited the town on Monday to review the situation in the three Barak valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi.

Barua said some women, who had fallen victim to trafficking, have already been identified and arrangements were being made to bring them back to the state. A careful vigil by the police would soon be mounted in the railway stations, inter-state bus depots and airports in the state to prevent the attempts of ferrying women to the capital.

A few NGOs would also be engaged for keeping a watch on trafficking in the state.

Barua warned that there was a possibility of many unwary women from Assam en-ding up in brothels in Delhi.

Sources said state police were now in touch with their counterparts in Delhi to block trafficking.

Mother Express Arrives in Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh, Sep 30 : ‘Mother Express’, an exhibition train showcasing the life and works of late Mother Teresa, was accorded a rousing welcome on its arrival at the Dibrugarh Railway Station (the new station complex at Seujpur) here today.

As the train was being stationed at platform No.1, hundreds of people waved their hands, showered flower petals and sang hymns to welcome the train. The new railway station was given a festive look altogether. The welcome ceremony was led by the nuns of the congregational order founded by Mother Teresa. A ceremony of arati was also conducted at the big portrait of Mother Teresa by the nuns in the train.

The Union Ministry of Railways had flagged off this special trian as a tribute to the Nobel laureate on her birth centenary on August 26 from the Sealdah Railway Station. It had been inaugurated by Union Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee during the flag-off ceremony.

Mother Express, coming from Sealdah, was stationed for exhibition for at least two days each in Katihar, Raiganj, Siliguri, Kamakhya and Dimapur stations before reaching Dibrugarh. The train will travel through the length and breadth of the country to mark the birth centenary of the apostle of peace.

The train consists of three air-conditioned coaches where life-time charity works of the Mother have been displayed to highlight the selfless service rendered by the great soul to the cause of humanity. Commentary on Mother Teresa and songs written on her are also being played inside the coaches. The train will be kept for two days here and in the afternoon of October 1, it will proceed towards the next destinations, Sourkar Roy, in-charge, Mother Express, told this newspaper.

The exhibition at the opening today was visited by schoolchildren, teachers, members of the Christian community, priests from Bishop’s House, nuns from St Mary’s School, Little Flower School, VG Hospital, besides a huge number of general public. Nuns of the order of Mother Teresa came from far away centres like Bordumsa and Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh and also from Tinsukia and Jorhat.

Before the start of the exhibition, Vicar General of the Catholic diocese of Dibrugarh, Bishop’s House, Fr Joy Pallikunel spoke on the works of Mother Teresa and thanked the Indian Railways for organising the event. Mohim Swargiary, Assistant Divisional Mechanical Engineer (Power), Tinsukia Division, cut the ribbon to declare the exhibition open.

Deputy Commissioner GD Tripathi, Superintendent of Police Arabinda Kalita and Divisional Railway Manager, Tinsukia Division, Sanjay Mukherjee entered the exhibition coaches by organising a simple opening ceremony in the evening and people began to throng the train thereafter.

CWG Weightlifting: Iron Ladies From Manipur

By Biju Babu Cyriac
Indian weightlifters have done really well in the Commonwealth Games over the years. Their collection includes a whopping 92 medals, including 33 gold, 39 silver and 20 bronze. This time too, they are looking at a rich harvest. The squad is a mix of senior and young lifters but its most fascinating aspect is the trio of iron ladies from Manipur who are all capable of lifting gold.

L Monica Devi
The famous lifter returns to action after a long hiatus caused by a dope tangle in 2008 when she saw the other side of fame and adulation. She says she is now determined to prove to the world that she is not a sinner.

"Please. Don't take me back to those horror days. I thank all my family members, well wishers and the Federation who helped me to come out clean," Monika pleaded. "I haven't done anything wrong. So I never left practice so it was not difficult for me to come back. My family wants me to compete till the next Olympics," she said.

Monika also has her plans ready once she quits the sport. "I want to be a coach and help the kids in Manipur. That's my dream."

Monika, who won a silver in 69kg at the Melbourne CWG, is having a close look at the competition in the women's 69kg and 75kg and only after analysing her chances against the competition, she will take a call on the weight category she would participate in. "I have a chance in both weights but I think I will settle for the 75kg class," she said. "My target is to win the gold but I know I will have to fight for it. I'm ready,"

Sonia Chanu
It is not just the monetary and other rewards that motivate Sonia Chanu to go for the gold. "If I win a gold or silver then I may get promoted to the post of DSP," said Sonia, who is now serving in Manipur Police as an inspector.

Sonia's first love was athletics and she showed her proficiency as a sprinter by winning medals for Manipur in junior national meets. "It was in 1998 that my coach prompted me to take up weightlifting as he thought I had more chances there," Sonia said.

The coach was right as five years later, Sonia was on the podium at the inaugural Afro-Asian Games. In Delhi, Sonia is one of India's best bet for a gold medal in the 48kg class.

"I want to give a good performance for the sake of my country and my Federation," she said aware of all the negative publicity that has haunted her sport.

Renu Bala Chanu
The youngest of the trio at 24, Renu Bala has set twin targets for herself. "My aim is to win the gold with a new record in Delhi and a gold or silver at the Asian Games," Renu Bala said.

The lifter who began her medal haul at the senior national level in 2004 has never looked back in the 58-kg class. "I took up weightlifting inspired by my sister. Now I want to win medals in front my countrymen," the Railway officer said.

A big fan of Shaan, she listens to music while training. "I also love to listen to ghazals while training. That keeps me motivated," she said.

A win in Delhi will surely see Chanu packing her bags for a holiday to Goa, her favourite place, and watching all the latest flicks of Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee.

Manipur Govt Tampering Tribal Census

Imphal, Sep 30 : The Government of Manipur has allegedly issued orders to reduce the decadal growth rate of tribal in the hill districts of Manipur, in the current census 2011.

The United Naga Council said to have come to know that the Okram Ibobi Singh-led   Manipur government is attempting to tamper the census by stipulating the percentage.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India is urged to urgently look into the matter and intervene.

“It has come to our knowledge that the Government of Manipur has issued instructions to the state machinery engaged in the ongoing 2011 census exercise to arbitrarily reduce the decadal growth rate for the hill districts of the State of Manipur, notwithstanding the actual projections drawn up from the field…” the United Naga Council (UNC) alleged today in a letter to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.

The stipulated percentages attempted to reduce the growth were for Tamenglong (from the field enumeration of 28% reduced to 20%), Churachandpur (from 28% to 20%), Ukhrul (from 27% to 16.8%), Chandel (from 40% to 17%) and Senapati (from 100% to 17%).

“It may be noted that a clear socio-political divide has taken place between the communal
Government of Manipur and the tribal people who inhabit the 5 hill districts in the state, and manipulations of facts and positions as indicated above are the fueling reasons for the same, as they are done to deprive the tribals of their rights in terms of representation and the benefits of development programs and policies,” the UNC said.

Maoist incites Naga Security Personnel to Defy Orders in Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 29 : A top Maoist leader Wednesday appealed to Naga troopers of the Indian Reserve Battalion to defy orders and not take part in the ongoing security operations against the ultra left rebels in West Bengal’s Junglemahal region.

In an open letter to troopers of the Nagaland Indian Reserve Battalion — who are on duty in the mountainous terrain of Purulia district to fight the ultras, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) politburo member Kisanji asked them to “revolt against the orders to battle against the people, desist from pumping bullets into the bodies of your brothers and sisters and defy all orders to dispatch you from one place to another at the diktat and whims of superiors to kill people and get killed”.

“The government considers you as ambush expert Nagas who can easily kill and get killed in the battle zone of the Ayodhya Hills of Purulia district,” Kisanji observed.

Two companies of NIRB troopers were deployed in the Ayodhya Hills of Purulia district recently to flush out the ultra left rebels from the area as part of the anti-Maoists operations launched June 2009 in Junglemahal (forested Maoist-affected areas of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura).

10 Things You Must Know About The UID Project

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handed over the first of the Aadhaar cards at Tembhli village in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra on Wednesday. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), headed by Nandan Nilekani, has endeavoured on a mammoth project to provide Indian residents with an unique 12-digit identification number that will serve multiple purposes.

Given the reach and the impact of such an exercise there is much excitement around the Unique Identity (UID) number (also known as Aadhaar) drive, along with some confusion.

Some facts about the UID project that Indian residents should be aware of:

1. Aadhaar (the UID number) is not mandatory. People can choose not to be a part of the exercise.

2. It is not restricted to Indian citizens only and is meant for residents of India, irrespective of their citizenship. An Aadhaar card does not establish citizenship of India, it is meant for identification.

3. Even people without proper identification documents can apply for Aadhaar. Authorised individuals, who already have an Aadhaar, can introduce residents who don't possess any documents to establish their identity to enable them to receive their Aadhaar.

4. Aadhar will not replace other identification documents such as ration card or passport.

5. The UIDAI will collect only biometric and demographic information about an individual and will not ask for info on caste, religion or language.

6. Date of Birth is optional (for people who don't remember/know their date of birth) and approximate age will suffice.

7. Transgenders have been included in the options under gender and they need not classify themselves as male or female.

8. Residents of India have an option to link their UID number to their bank accounts.

9. To get an UID number residents will have to go to the nearest Aadhaar enrollment camp, details of which will be published in the local media. Residents will have to carry along certain documents, mentioned in the advertisement. Residents will also be photographed and have their fingerprints and iris scanned. The Aadhaar numbers will be issued within 20-30 days.

10. The draft National Identification Authority of India bill has provisions against impersonation, providing false information and for protection of personal information collected by the UIDAI. Violations can attract penalties in the form of fines of up to Rs 1 crore and imprisonment extending up to a life term.

Northeast India Bar Councils Jointly Oppose AIBE

Guwahati, Sep 29 : The Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim have drafted a joint resolution recently opposing the first All India Bar Examination for all law graduates to be held from December 5 this year.

Success in this examination will entitle an advocate for a certificate of practice that will enable him or her to practice law. The Examination was made compulsory under a resolution of Bar Council of India dated April 10.

The Bar Council of the North Eastern states have opposed the examination for many reasons as reflected in the resolutions mentioned below:

• There is no nexus between the proposed examination and the purpose the Bar Council of India wants to achieve, thus in no manner the examination would improve the standard of the legal profession.
• It would give rise to several complicated issues such as status of the advocates during the interregnum period of enrolment and the passing of the qualifying examination.
• In absence of full proof system of examination conducted through a well recognized statutory body enjoying the confidence of all concerned, it would be futile to hold such examination.
• Without raising the standard of the legal education, the holding of the proposed examination would not raise the standard of the legal profession.
• If the Bar Council of India is at all interested in raising the standard of the legal profession then it should reintroduce the system of training either pre or post enrolment. This can be achieved with the help of present union law minister who has been very helpful and there should not be any difficulty in getting the Advocates Act amended for the purpose.
• In absence of appropriate Regulations laying down the detailed guidelines holding the examination is nothing but a farcical exercise.
• The decision to hold the examination has totally sidelined the State Bar Councils and the concerned Universities and therefore the move to hold the examination is absolutely arbitrary.
• The decision to hold the examination in only eight languages besides English ignoring other major Indian languages recognized in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution is not acceptable. The examination should either be only in English or otherwise in all languages.

The bar council of the Northeast India states is also of the firm opinion that if at all any examination is held, the duties and responsibilities for conducting the same should be entrusted to the State Bar Councils only.