Hydel Power Project in Meghalaya To Be Inaugurated Next Week

Shillong, Feb 22 : Fighting time and cost over-run, the first unit of the 126 MW Myntdu-Leshka hydel power project in Meghalaya will formally be inaugurated on February 29, officials said today.

The Rs 300 crore project, initiated way back in the 1980s, was constructed in 2004 and completed last year at a final cost of over Rs 1000 crore.

"Chief Minister Mukul Sangma will inaugurate the first unit of the project," Meghalaya Electricity Corporation Ltd (MeECL) Chief Project Manager E Lyngdoh told PTI.

He said the second unit (42 MW) of the project is also ready and will be commissioned next month.

The government had to repeatedly postpone its commissioning because of various reasons both technical and non-technical, Lyngdoh said.

It was first scheduled for commissioning in December 2009, before it was shifted to March 2010, June 2010, October 2010, January 2011 and finally February 2012.

MeECL officials attributed the delay in completion and commissioning of the Project due to many reasons including to the continuous rainfall experienced at the project site and also due to geological conditions.

The 42 MW Myntdu-Leshka hydel project is the only hydro unit which will be contributing power during the 11th plan period, officials said.

The DPR for the project was prepared in 1999 and the government gave its clearance only in 2004 at an initial cost of Rs 363 crore, the official said.

MeECL officials said the project can withstand an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale. Anti-corrosion steel and micro-silica and other admixtures have to be added in the concrete to make it more durable and dense, they said.

Man Beaten To Death By YMA Leaders in Aizawl

Sinlung Says: Philanthropy is one thing, taking law into their hands is another. We think YMA should draw the line. 

Aizawl, Feb 21 : A 42-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by an angry mob at Thuampui near Aizawl on Saturday night for perpetrating domestic violence.

Police said R Ralkhuma of Thuampui, who was suspected to be selling illicit liquor and was under the scanner of the local branch of the powerful Young Mizo Association (YMA), was reported to have an infernal fight with his wife on Saturday night. The YMA leaders went to his house on hearing of the quarrel, where his wife complained to them that she was a victim of domestic violence.

When the YMA leaders asked him about the scuffle and his wife's allegations, Ralkhuma dared the YMA leaders to interfere in his personal and family affairs, resulting in the latter hitting him with a club on his head. Ralkhuma was taken to the Aizawl Civil Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on early Sunday morning.

His relatives filed an FIR at the Bawngkawn Police Station and two leaders of the local YMA branch were arrested by the police.

Zomis Celebrate National Day in Imphal

Imphal, Feb 21 : Mind-blowing hits from Mizo pop diva Mami Varte and Naga folk blues sensation Guru Rewben Mashangva and a spectrum of traditional dance and music staged by different communities marked the 'Zomi Nam Ni' ( Zomi National day) celebration at the historic Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre ( Boat) here on Monday.

Zomi is the nomenclature of different sub-tribes living in different parts of the world and most of them are concentrated in the Churachanpur district bordering Mizoram.

Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, chief guest of the event held under the theme cultural conformity said, "I'm extremely happy to join this colorful function."

"As we celebrate this day at Imphal, I am also delighted to inform all those who are gathered here that similar celebration are being held in different towns and cities across the world like Singapore, Tokyo, Washington, London, Rangoon etc. and of course, Delhi, Shillong, Chennai and Bangalore," said LB Sona, chairman of Zomi Council. "The Zomi want peace and development. We dream of a 'Glowing Manipur' that is not only shining from the outside but from its very core," Sona said.

He said the Zomi suffered the pains of colonial injustice. The British annexed their (Zomi) land and fragmented their (Zomi) country into three different sovereign states-India, Burma and Bangladesh. Thus, thousands of Zomi leaders gathered for a historic Zomi convention at Falam (Myanamar) on February 20, 1948 and unanimously decided to reject autocratic rule . Since then the day is celebrated by the Zomi as the day of deliverance.

Oscar Voters 94% White

Blacks, Latinos, women are minorities in the academy
Who votes for Oscars?

The list is kept secret, but an LA Times investigation shows 94% of them are white and 77% are male. Blacks and Latinos each make up only 2%. "We need to do a better job" of diversifying, says a governor at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

But he insists the problem starts in the film business itself: "If the industry as a whole is not doing a great job in opening up its ranks, it's very hard for us to diversify our membership."

Another shocker: the academy's median age is 62, and only 14% of 5,765 voting members are younger than 50.

Critics say that explains why The Social Network didn't win last year (too Internet-ey), why Shame is ignored this year (too sexy), and why Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is up for a Best Picture (its middle-aged theme: fathers and sons).

But academy President Tom Sherak seems to blame the excluded for not joining: "If you are sitting waiting for us to find your name in our make-believe book and we are going to call you, we are not going to do that," he says. "Come to us, we'll get you in."

Patriarchal Bias in Mizoram

Woman to be ordained, but not to be made priest in patriarchal

Aizawl, Feb 20 : The Baptist Church of Mizoram, the second largest church denomination, has cleared the decks for ordination of an eminent woman theologian, but she will not be made a parish priest which is not surprising as the state is a strict patriarchal society where full gender parity in political and religious fields still seems to be a far cry.

Though the Executive Committee of the Assembly of the Baptist Church has finally agreed to ordain Dr R L Hnuni, scholar of the Bible's Old Testament and Principal of Academy of Integrated Christian Studies in Aizawl, church leaders clarified that she might not look after a pastoral. "Hnuni will be ordained on March 11 at the Assembly of the Baptist Church of Mizoram, the highest decision-maker of the church in Lunglei after which she would have the title of reverend and become a church minister," a church leader says.

But the prominent theologian might not be given the task of maintaining an independent pastoral of her own like her male counterparts, he adds.

Earlier last year, the Executive Committee of the church's Assembly rejected the recommendations of the Pastoral Committee to ordain Hnuni, but finally accepted the second recommendation in January this year.

The Mizoram Synod of the Presbyterian Church of India, the largest church denomination in the state also is yet to agree to ordination of women as priests and church elders though the church employs many women theologians in different capacities.

Legislator

Lalhlimpuii, the lone woman legislator in the first Lalhlimpuii, the lone woman legislator in the first assembly after Mizoram attained full-fledged statehood in 1987, was the first woman minister in the cabinet of then chief minister Laldenga, who led the first Mizo National Front (MNF) government.

She was not only the first Mizo woman minister but also the only one till date since no woman has ever set foot again in the state legislature till date.

No Mizo woman has become member of parliament even as Mizoram has one member in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for four decades.

Lalneihzovi laments that even in the lower local bodies like the village councils, the representation of women is hardly two per cent even as women outnumber men in voters' lists.

A woman councillor of the Aizawl Municipal Council (AMC) says that unless women reservation is in place like the 33 per cent in the 19-member AMC, the place of a Mizo woman would always be confined to the kitchen and home in this strict patriarchal society.

According to Lalneihzovi, though women dominate shops, markets and workplaces, even meat-shops, especially in Aizawl, they still remain a minority not only in religious and political sectors, but also in the government service.

"Women constitute only 23.61 per cent of the service sector under the government," she says adding that there were only 579 female group 'A' officials as against 2,369 male group 'A' officials under the state government.

Nengneihat Kom Wins Federation Cup boxing

Guwahati, Feb 20 : Young Manipur pugilist S Nengneihat Kom (48kg) capped of a brilliant performance as she went on to beat Haryana's Neetu in the summit clash of the light fly-weight division in the 8th Federation Cup Women's Boxing Tournament on Sunday.

Kom's aggressive style coupled with her exceptional footwork proved too hot for Haryana state champion to handle.

By the end of first two rounds, the feisty 17-year-old was already leading 13:7 in what was an enthralling display of skill and agility.

Neetu tried hard to make a comeback, winning the third round 5:6 but the Manipuri boxer came back strongly in the fourth to settle the issue 27:18.

The victory led to Kom winning her first gold medal on the senior tour.

Kom, who is a product of five-time world champion MC Mary Kom's academy in Manipur, has shown great potential and hopes to follow in the footsteps of her idol and coach.

"It was a great victory for me. I have been training hard with my coaches, and all the hard work paid off. I am very happy with my performance and hope carry on the form in future tournaments as well," she said.

In the light welter-weight category, it was experience that prevailed over youth. Defending champion Suman of the All India Police team upstaged Current Youth World and National Champion Minu Basumatary of Assam 12:8 in an exciting contest.

In the feather weight division, local girl and 2011 Youth World Championship bronze medallist Pwilao Basumatary barely had to break a sweat against Pooja Pannu of Haryana.

The 18-year-old was at her menacing best as she devoured the hapless Pooja in just two rounds, winning 17:1.

Haryana's Sweety Boora successfully defended her title, drubbing bronze medallist at the 12th Senior Women National Boxing Championships, Alari Boro of Assam in closely fought contest.

In the Super Heavy weight division, former Youth National Champion Nidhi Chopra beat bronze medallist at the senior nationals B V Padmavathi of Andhra Pradesh while in the Heavy weight cadre, Darshana overpowered P Lakshmi Latha also of Andhra Pradesh.

With 4 gold medals, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, Haryana bagged the top spot. Hosts Assam took the runners-up trophy with 2 gold medals, 3 silver and 2 bronze while AP brought up the third place with 1 gold medal 2 silver and 5 bronze medals.

UN Human Rights Council Recommends AFSPA Repeal

Guwahati, Feb 20 : United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has recommended repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and suggested that security forces should be "clearly" instructed to respect the works, rights and fundamental freedom of human rights defenders.

AFSPA, enacted in 1958, was first enforced in Assam and Manipur, but later extended to other states of the northeast following an amendment in 1972. The Act, which confers special powers to security forces in disturbed areas, has also been enforced in Jammu and Kashmir.

UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Margaret Sekaggya's latest report on India said Manipur, where AFSPA is still in force along with Jammu and Kashmir, is the worst-hit by "militarization" with more than "half a dozen" human rights groups having been branded as "terrorists" due to their "self-determination" advocacy work.

Along with AFSPA, HRC's report has also recommended repeal of National Security Act, the Unlawful Activities Act, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act and the Chhattisgargh Public Safety Act. "Other security legislations should be reviewed in the light of international human rights standards," the report said.

The report will be placed before the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva on March 5 this year. HRC is an inter-governmental body of UN comprising 47 states responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights across the world.

A copy of the report, which is available with TOI, made an observation that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 10 years did not visit Irom Sharmila, who has been on hunger strike for repeal of AFSPA since 2000, despite repeated requests by human rights defenders.

The special rapporteur's report, compiled following her visit to India from January 10 to 21 this year, observed that in August 5, 2010 several human rights defenders were arrested as part of a crackdown to end protest against an extrajudicial killings in Imphal by police.

"They were remanded in judicial custody for 13 days and detained under the National Security Act in addition to the judicial remand according to an order of the Imphal West district magistrate," the report said. Further, the report stated, "On August 25 the same year, the president of Poirei Leimarol Meira Paibi Apunba Manipur was arrested by Imphal West Police along with two activists."

On the other hand, an international symposium will discuss the 11-year hunger strike by Sharmila, various aspects of AFSPA in northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir, the Act's impact on India's democratic, constitutional and judicial practices in USA on February 21.

Manipur: The Land Of The Blind

By Chiranjib Haldar

Amidst the hullabaloo over the polling in Uttar Pradesh, we seem to have forgotten that Manipur also went to the hustings last month and is awaiting the results with bated breath. While the Congress-led Secular Progressive Front is aspiring for a consecutive third term under chief minister Okram Ibodi Singh, the opposition People's Democratic Front (PDF) alliance comprising Manipur People's Party, NCP, JD(U), CPM and RJD is hopeful of toppling the decade-old Congress regime.

There are also three fence-sitters expected to play kingmaker in deciding the fate of the 60-member assembly. The Trinamool Congress, Manipur State Congress Party and BJP are being wooed by both the ruling Congress-led front and the opposition PDF alliance. Foreseeing a fractured mandate, the PDF has also welcomed any political party wishing to join the alliance after the results so as to prevent a Congress-led coalition from returning to power.

But no matter which coalition comes to power - probably with a wafer-thin majority - the state machinery can't afford to overlook the ethnic complexity in this strategic northeastern state. Dozens of ethnic groups are squeezed into Manipur; this has turned it into a sim-mering cauldron down the years. Imphal valley has a majority Hindu Meitei population leavened with Pangal (Muslim Meitei) and Bangla-Myanmar migrants. The Manipur hills contain 40% of the state's population - ethnic groups ranging from Hmar and Paite to Zoumi, Nepalese, Kuki and Nagas living in Churachandpur, Chandel, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul districts. Barring the Nepali and Indian migrants, most of these tribal groups find themselves clubbed into the underground movements and the local mafia.

Electoral politics aside, the Nagas want to unite in an integrated unit including areas from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and ideally, even Myanmar. But the Meiteis want to maintain the integrity of their territory, which is all of Manipur. And both Nagas and Meiteis want to maintain their independent socio-cultural identities and focus on counteracting the state's assimilation of their communities.

Given all this, it's little wonder there is permanent ethnic strife in the region. To add to the impasse, Kukis migrating from Myanmar have caused their numbers in Manipur to rise. They have laid claim to a Kuki homeland on land the Nagas claim to be theirs in Manipur. Continual clashes between the Nagas, Meiteis and Kukis have given rise to demographic shifts. The truth is that bigger ethnic groups in Manipur have always wanted to win over smaller tribes spread across the state districts.

No matter who forms the new government in Manipur, the state has a bumpy ride ahead with a plethora of existential roadblocks. The United Naga Council (UNC) has severed ties with the Manipur government, causing the Nagas of Manipur to stay away from the significant Lui-Ngai-Ni (seed sowing) festi-val. In addition, protests demand-ing the unconditional release of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) foreign affairs head Anthony Shimray - lodged in Tihar jail - have erupted in Ukhrul, Senapati and Chandel districts of Manipur and are expected to intensify.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Imphal in December last year reiterated that the Centre was committed to the territorial integrity of Manipur. The UNC has temporarily lifted the ban on two cru-cial projects: construction of the Jiribam-Tupul rail link and exploration for natural resources in Tamenglong. However, the suspension of the ban is only until the new government takes over in Imphal.

The UNC had imposed the ban in protest against the UPA's lack of political will to come up with an alternative arrangement for the Nagas of Manipur. It had also imposed a marathon 100-day economic blockade on the Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Silchar routes last year to denounce the Manipur government's alleged attempt to bifurcate Naga-dominated areas in order to create new districts. Any resort to this kind of blockade in the future will again cause immense hardship to the people of Manipur with prices of essential commodities skyrocketing.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is another sore point with most Manipuris. Though many have demanded repeal of this 'draconian' Act, the AFSPA has been lifted only in Imphal city comprising seven assembly constituencies. Although Irom Sharmila's fast for repealing the Act has entered its twelfth year, AFSPA still provides the military personnel in the state immunity from the country's judicial system. Any charge against soldiers has to first have prosecution sanction from the home ministry before they can be tried in court. But sensing the popular mood, chief minister Singh has promised to withdraw the Act from the entire state by "improving the law and order situation" if the Congress is voted back to power.

Mudslinging against opponents has been the hallmark of campaigning in Manipur. All the political parties in the fray are conspicuous by the absence of any coherent and realistic blueprint for the state's future. Hence, their manifestos seem to be carbon copies of each other. The absolute paucity of political vision can be gauged from the fact that distributing money among the electorate is seen as an adequate means of uplifting them. Employment can't be generated artificially by creating more government departments. For that, the government must implement policies than enable job creation in the largely untapped sectors of the state's economy.

The writer is a commentator on South Asian affairs.