Lal Thanhawla Seeks Creation of Boundary Commission To Settle Boundary Issues With Assam

Aizawl, Jul 9 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today told the state Assembly that he had asked the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to constitute a Boundary Commission to settle boundary disputes with Assam.

Intervening during question hour, Lal Thanhawla said, "Constitution of boundary commission was the need of the hour to prevent bloodshed and violence in the region by finding amicable solution to the border disputes with Assam."

Replying to a query from Lalruatkima of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), Land Revenue and Settlement Minister R Romawia said that the state government's accepted boundary with neighbouring Assam was the border accepted in the treaty signed between the then Mizo chief Suakpuilala and the British government representatives in 1875.

He said that Boundary Committee was formed to collect documents to prove the veracity of the claims of Mizoram.

Rs 5,116-cr Earmarked For Rail Projects in Northeast

New Delhi, Jul 9 : The State BJP leaders heaved a sigh of relief when Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda said that an outlay of over Rs 5,000 crore has been earmarked for 23 pending projects, including 11 national projects in the North East, marking a 54 per cent jump in allocation.

While there was no word about the fate of the North East Region Rail Development Fund announced by Mamata Banerjee, the then Railway Minister, the Narendra Modi government’s maiden Rail Budget did not enthuse the Congress, but BJP leaders were a contended lot.

Gowda announced a number of new trains connecting North East. But some of the trains were already existing but were re-labelled and proposed as new trains.

“There are 23 projects under way in the North East, of which 11 are National Projects. I propose to allocate substantially higher funds for these projects compared to previous years,” the Railway Minister said presenting his maiden Budget.

In 2014-2015, an outlay of Rs 5,116 crore is earmarked for projects of the North East. This is 54 per cent jump over allocations in the previous year.

With higher allocations and by close monitoring of works in this region, I hope that Dudhnoi-Mendipathar New Line, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar Gauge Conversions, Harmuti-Murkongselek and Balipara-Bhalukpung sections will soon get commissioned. These measures will also give a boost to the State Capital connectivity projects in the region, he announced.

Ten rail projects in the North-East region have been declared as national projects in 2009-2010 Rail Budget. These include Bogibeel rail cum-road bridge and gauge conversion of Lumding-Silchar-Jiribam, Rangiya-Murkongselek.

Presenting the Railway Budget for 2009-10, Mamata Banerjee had said, the North East region is very sensitive and its projects are in progress for providing connectivity to State capitals of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

Gowda, while presenting the Budget, said that the Railways planned to take up eco-tourism and education Tourism in North Eastern States.

Among the five premium trains announced today, Assam got one – Kamakhya-Bengaluru Premium Express. In the express train segment, three new trains are proposed to be introduced in Assam. They include Guwahati-Naharlagun Inter-city Express (daily), Guwahati-Murkongselek Inter-city Express (Daily) and Kamakhya-Katra Express (Weekly) via Darbhanga.

The eight passenger trains proposed to be introduced all over the country included Guwahati-Mendipathar Passenger (daily) and Rangapara North-Rangiya Passenger (daily).

Reacting to the Budget, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi described it as disappointing. He alleged that existing and old trains were introduced as new trains. “We had asked for introduction of long-distance trains, but it were not given.”

Long distance trains running between Assam, Chennai, Trivandrum, Mumbai, and Delhi should be made faster by reducing the journey time and better facilities should be provided to make the passengers more comfortable during the journey, Gogoi had demanded.

Describing the Budget as positive, Ramen Deka of BJP said that overall, seven new trains and 54 per cent hike in allocation for the national projects have been announced for the North East.

Reacting to the Budget, Biswajit Daimary said that compared to the previous budgets, this year’s budget is encouraging. For the first time specific funds have been earmarked for the national projects and a few new trains proposing to connect interior areas like Murkongselek with passenger train has been proposed. “Comparatively, this is a better budget,” he opined.

‘Punishment posting’ may land Sheila Dikshit in Nagaland

With Kerala governor Sheila Dikshit defiant despite being nudged by the home secretary to step down and make way for an NDA appointee, the government is considering transferring her to a smaller state. 

New Delhi, Jul 9 : With the NDA government having hinted at naming new governors mid-session, sources in the home ministry indicated that gubernatorial appointments for around seven to eight states may be announced shortly.

With Kerala governor Sheila Dikshit defiant despite being nudged by the home secretary to step down and make way for an NDA appointee, the government is considering transferring her to a smaller state. Her new address may well be Nagaland, as Mizoram governor Vakkom Purushothaman, who on Sunday was transferred to Nagaland, is reportedly unwilling to accept the new assignment and may resign.

As many as five Raj Bhavans fell vacant following the resignation of UPA-appointed governors, including B L Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), M K Narayanan (West Bengal), Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland) and B V Wanchoo (Goa).

Apart from these states, there is a vacancy in Gujarat after the NDA government on Sunday transferred incumbent Kamla Beniwal to Mizoram. If Dikshit is moved to Nagaland, a vacancy would arise in Kerala as well.

Meanwhile, the terms of some governors, including H R Bharadwaj (Karnataka) and Jagannath Pahadiya (Haryana) are ending later this month.

The NDA government's signal to certain UPA appointees in Raj Bhavans to step down had evoked a mixed response. While some governors sent in their resignations without much delay, others like Narayanan and Wanchoo waited to be questioned by the CBI in the AgustaWestland scam before quitting. Others like Beniwal, Dikshit and K Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra) refused to take the hint, with the latter two even asking for a formal communication in case the Centre wanted them to resign ahead of their terms.

The likely list of NDA appointees in Raj Bhavans includes BJP veterans such as former UP Speaker Kesarinath Tripathi, Punjab leader Balram Das Tandon, former MP Lalji Tandon, senior party leader from Kerala O Rajagopal, former Union minister Ram Naik, Delhi leader V K Malhotra and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha.

Kalyan Singh too is being considered for governorship, but the former UP CM is reportedly unwilling to quit active politics yet.

OIL Starts Drilling Near Aizawl To Tap Mizoram’s Hydrocarbon Reserves

Maubuang (Mizoram), Jul 8 : Hydrocarbons major Oil India Limited (OIL) on Monday began drilling operations at it’s Aibawk 1 well, about 35 kms from Aizawl, an action that marks the PSU’s first major activity in a bid to tap into the North-Eastern state’s hydrocarbon reserves.

ONGC, the other major oil PSU, has had a head-start in the state’s northern areas and has already found an estimated 2.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas reserves near Meidum village. The company is currently preparing for hydro-fracturing processes to extract the reserves, according to H L Mawia, director of Geology and Mineral Resources in the Mizoram government.

At a ceremony to mark the beginning of drilling operations, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla called the state’s huge hydrocarbon reserves as “God’s gift for his chosen people’s prosperity,” and recalled how the search for oil began in the state in the late 1980s.

He, however admitted there has been infrastructural bottlenecks within and near the state such as roads that are unable to host vehicles that carry heavy machinery and the absence of rail services.

Ajay Borthakur, head of OIL’s Geosciences division, said work at putting up a rig at Aibawk 1 began in 2007 and that it could not have been done faster because of these logistics problems. With no railway line into Mizoram, Borthakur said, “more than 400 trucks” had to carry material needed to build the rig.

OIL General Manager (North East Frontier) Rahul Dasgupta said the current drilling operation has a target depth of 4500 metres and will likely drill for at least two months. The rig would then be moved to other wells at Keifang, then to Thenzawl and later to Phulmawi.

OIL currently has a license to operate in 3213 sq kms in central Mizoram, while ONGC has sway over 4009 sq.kms. License to operate in a third oil block covering 3619 sq kms in southern Mizoram was earlier held by a conglomerate led by Reliance but has been terminated and a new global tender likely to be floated soon.

Mass Prayer Held in Presbyterian Churches Oppose Liquor Relaxation

Aizawl, Jul 8 : Mizoram Synod of the Presbyterian Church of India held mass prayer Sunday night in the local churches on the issue of relaxation of prohibition in the state.

The church has been opposing the proposal of the state government to relax the prohibition by introducing the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2014 in the state assembly session commencing on July eight, to replace the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1995 in force for 17 years.

Meanwhile members of the Kristian Thalai Pawl (KTP), the youth wing of the Presbyterian Church, put up posters all over the Aizawl city opposing the government's move.

Dr Robert S Halliday, office Superintendent of the Mizoram Synod office said that 80,000 posters were printed to be displayed in different parts of the city.

State excise and narcotics minister R Lalzirliana was likely to introduce the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Bill, 2014 on July ten.

Chasing Away The Spirits

The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, home to Tawang village, sits between Burma and Bhutan and below Tibet.

New Delhi - A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Tibetan-style Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness.

The annual Torgya Festival in Tawang, in north-eastern India, is full of colourful dancing, music and theatre.

The three-day festival is held in the courtyard of the Tawang monastery, which is nestled on top of the hill overlooking the town.

The vibrant event was attended by Australian photographers Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak.

“There is nowhere on the planet as rich in ancient cultures as north-east India,” says Stephen, 62, of Melbourne. “We woke to the sound of a drum echoing through the landscape, before joining local villagers and pilgrims.”

Guests at the festival, which took place on January 29, 30 and 31, gather in the main square of the monastery wearing their finest clothes.

The three-day festival is held in the courtyard of the Tawang monastery, which is nestled on top of the hill overlooking the town.

Monks dressed in colourful robes and traditional Buddhist masks carry out performances that involve chanting, dancing and acting.

There were markets selling everything from food to textiles, and cheap Chinese toy guns bought by doting parents for young sons who were studying to become monks, explains Steve.

“The whole festival attracts people from many miles around. Some people will walk for many days to get there and come from as far away as Tibet and Bhutan.

“Over the course of the three days, the music, dancing and chanting combine to chase out evil spirits, help the crops thrive, and usher in prosperity and happiness for the people.”

The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, home to Tawang village, sits between Burma and Bhutan and below Tibet.

Stephen says:

“We spent three days there and were never bored once.”

Frog Hunters Nabbed in Manipur

Sinlung Says: "There is a huge truck load of Corrupted officials who need to be apprehended and yet resources are still spent on the weak and poor who are just trying to feed their families. Maybe if the business is good, why not encourage farming - after all Frog is not an endangered species."

By Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, Jul 8 : Unlike other poachers, frog hunters in Manipur move in groups searching for good sites. They look for paddy fields in the rainy season by using torch lights made of bamboo tubes. When they switch on their torch lights on the water, the eyes of frogs glitter making them easy preys for the hunters who chase and catch them.

A hunter could harvest about 50 frogs a night and 3/4 hunter groups could harvest about 40,000 frogs in a month if they are lucky enough. Such groups hand over their collection to a collector who purchase them at Rs 5 - 7 per frog according to their size.

The collectors then take it to the master collector who will buy it at higher rates for dispatch to the markets in the State’s hill districts and neighbouring States where frogs are a delicacy. With the hunting made at night and dispatch early in the morning, the business is not visible to the public.

This came to light following a disclosure by a group of frog traders who were arrested in the State during a raid conducted by Peoples For Animal (PFA) Thoubal accompanied by police from Imphal West Police Station.

The raid was conducted at few locations along Dingku Road in Imphal early in the morning, according to a press release issued by PFA Thoubal.

We succeeded in apprehending four female hunters,” said the PFA release. “A total of 523 frogs of Indian Bullfrog species which are listed in schedule 4 of Wildlife Protection Act were rescued from them.”

The arrested frog hunters cum traders have been identified as Ningombam Dashu, Naorem Memcha, Thabitha Ningshen and Jenni Shimrah. They were fined a sum of Rs 2000 each while the frogs were released back to the paddy fields on Tuesday last.

The step was taken in view of the mushrooming of frog trade which has become a flourishing business among the farmers who spend sleepless nights catching frogs in the wet paddy fields.

Thousands of frogs are being caught and are feared to be exported to the neighboring States of Manipur, the release said. The release pointed out that hunting of frog is a very serious threat to ecosystem. Feeding on pests, frogs are the best natural pest controller. Besides, it is food for many wild birds and animals.

Laldenga Remembered On His Death Anniversary

Aizawl, Jul 7 : Mizo National Front (MNF) leaders today paid their respects to legendary underground leader and former Mizoram chief minister Laldenga on his death anniversary today.

Former Chief Minister Zoramthanga, Laldenga's widow Lalbiakdiki and other MNF leaders laid wreaths on his tomb at the Treasury Square here.

Born in 1927, Laldenga joined the Indian Army as havildar clerk and was working under the then Mizo District Council after leaving the army.

He, and some leaders formed the Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF) during the great Mautam famine caused by gregarious bamboo flowering during the late 1950s triggering rodent population explosion which in turn ravaged the paddy fields.

He converted the MNFF into a political party and rechristened it as the Mizo National Front (MNF).

The MNF led by Laldenga launched a protracted movement against the Indian Union in 1966 plunging the state into disturbance which was put to an end by the signing of the historic Mizo peace accord by the centre and the Laldenga on June 30, 1986.

He became the chief minister of Mizoram in the later part of 1986 in the interim government with the present chief minister Lal Thanhawla as the Deputy Chief Minister.

He was inducted as the first chief minister of the state of Mizoram in 1987 after Mizoram was elevated into a full-fledged state on February 20, 1987.

Laldenga died at the London airport on July seven, 1990 while returning from the US after receiving treatment.