Northeast India Prepaid Mobile Services Decision Today

New Delhi, Mar 30 : Doubts persist over continuance of pre-paid mobile phone services in Assam  and other Northeastern states beyond March 31 as government is yet to take a decision on extending permission to telecom service providers for the facility in these sensitive regions.

If a decision is not taken within the next two days, about 33 million subscribers may be affected.

A high-level committee headed by Union Home Secretary LC Goyal will deliberate on the issue today where a final decision on whether to continue the pre-paid service in these regions will be taken, highly placed sources informed.

The Home Ministry is expected to give its nod to continue the pre-paid mobile services in the three telecom circles - Assam and Northeast -with some riders that include restrictions on some frontier pockets and sensitive areas where there is presence of militant groups.

A few norms could also be added in the existing subscriber verification process.

It was in March, 2013 when the last decision was taken allowing the telecom service providers to offer the pre-paid mobile phone services in these three telecom circles for two years.

Long List of Wrongs Behind Mizoram Governor Qureshi’s Ouster

By Shishir Gupta

Mizoram governor Aziz Qureshi got the sack over serious allegations of impropriety and irregularities.

New Delhi, Mar 30 : Dismissed Mizoram governor Aziz Qureshi got the sack over serious allegations of impropriety and irregularities committed during his previous gubernatorial assignment in Uttarakhand from May 15, 2012 to January 7, 2015.

These include wilful misuse of the state aircraft, wrongdoing at the Nainital Golf Club, and mischief in key appointments. When contacted by the Hindustan Times for comments on the alleged wrongdoing, Qureshi said: “All these charges are absolutely baseless... all bogus. My appeal is already pending in the Supreme Court in which I have full faith. I don’t want to comment any further.”

The government’s compilation of alleged irregularities committed by Qureshi, however, lists charges that can only be described as grave.

Several cases have come to notice of the Centre where the Uttarakhand state plane was not just used by the governor but also by others declared to be family members. Sometimes even this bare formality was not followed, and names were directly included in the flight manifest. The requisitions for the state plane had been officially sent from the Raj Bhawan, except on two occasions for which the governor’s residence has no records. On these occasions, people other than Qureshi travelled.
He has also been accused of amending the November 9, 2000 rules of Uttarakhand Raj Bhawan Golf Club Nainital to open the exclusive heritage property to a private club of Nainital being run on commercial lines. The Boat Club House, Nainital was affiliated to the Raj Bhawan Golf Club with an arrangement of reciprocal membership. The Boat House Club is also affiliated to several other clubs in the country.

This decision was taken without taking the executive committee into confidence. According to government report on Qureshi, two days before he left Raj Bhawan, Dehradun, orders were issued to induct two persons — Naseem Khan and Sajid Dehlvi — in the executive committee of the Golf Club. The orders were contrary to the rules and never implemented.

The Union government report also charges Qureshi with alleged impropriety in the appointment of the vice-chancellor for the Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry.

Prof Mathew Prasad was appointed V-C for three years on August 17, 2011 but before the completion of his term was given an extension of six months (from July 15, 2014) pending appointment of a new V-C. The search committee had prepared a panel which included the name of Prasad. He was appointed V-C again on January 2, 2015 after Qureshi’s reassignment as Mizoram governor was announced by the President on December 30, 2014.

Finally, Prof SP Mishra was appointed as V-C of Uttarakhand Ayurvedic University on January 7, 2015 despite Qureshi’s orders to move to Mizoram on December 30, 2014.  Qureshi’s successor KK Paul reached Dehradun on January 7 and was sworn in a day later. The appointment of Prof Mishra, the report says, was irregular as the upper age for V-C was 65 years, which he has attained on July 14, 2014. In violation and hurry, Prof Mishra was given a term of another three years from January 7, 2015 by Qureshi in capacity as chancellor.  “Prof Mishra was appointed V-C on January 17, 2011 for three years but was given another year extension upto January 17, 2015 knowing fully well that the incumbent would cross the age of 65 in July 2014,” the report says.

Former Mizoram Chief Minister Brig Sailo Dead

Aizawl, Mar 27 : Former Mizoram chief minister Brig Thenphunga Sailo died here today, family sources said.

Sailo (93) was rushed to the hospital at around 10 am and died there at 11.50 am after heart failure, its authorities said.

He is survived by wife Thansiami, sons, daughters and grandchildren.

Born on January 1, 1922, Sailo had joined the British Indian army in 1942 as a junior officer.


Mizo National Front (MNF) declared independence from the Union.


When he retired from the army in 1974, he had formed the Human Rights Committee to ease the lives of Mizo people reeling under insurgency and alleged army excesses.

Sailo had formed a political party called Mizoram Peoples Conference in April 17, 1975 and it won the Mizoram union territory elections in 1977 and he became the second chief minister of the state.

He was elected to the state assembly in 2008 for the last time and quit active politics at the age of 92 after his term ended in 2014.

Audi inaugurates first dealership in North-East India

The new venture was inaugurated by Audi India’s head Joe King, in the presence of Pulak Goswami, Chairman, Audi Guwahati.

Audi has inaugurated its first dealership in the North-East region of the country as it opened a new showroom in Guwahati, Assam. Located at the NH37, Lalmati, the new outlet will run under the banner of ‘Audi Guwahati’. The new venture was inaugurated by Audi India’s head Joe King, in the presence of Pulak Goswami, Chairman, Audi Guwahati.

Spread across over 15,000 sq.ft. of area, the new facility incorporates the showroom area for the display of vehicles, an exclusive arena for merchandise and a service facility, which is spread over an area of 7,600 sq. ft. The service floor includes a dedicated body and paint shop. The aftersales facility is capable of carrying out service of six cars in a single day.

With the new dealership kick-starting its operation, Audi is aiming to sell close to 150-200 units per year from its Guwahati outlet. Further, Audi Guwahati claims that it has already received bookings for around 50 units in the region, which going forward is forecasted to get even better. Also, apart from serving customers from seven states of North-East, the Audi Guwahati will also cater to prospective customers in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Commenting on the inauguration of this new dealership, Joe King said, “We enter a new place only when we see there is a market for us. We expect to sell a minimum of 150-200 units in the first year.

We are the first luxury car maker to enter this market and we will definitely get the first mover’s advantage.”

Mizoram Plans To Roll Out Food Security Act, May Benefit Govt But Not Its People

In Mizoram, only 64.40 per cent of the population would be able to purchase rice at the highly subsidised rate under the Food Security Act.

Aizawl, Mar 27 : Mizoram Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs today informed the state assembly that the state government proposed to implement the Food Security Act in the state.

Replying to a query from Lalrinawma of the Mizo National Front ( MNF), John Rotluangliana said that 7,06,296 people would be covered by the Food Security Act.

Under the Act, one person would receive five kilos of rice at the rate of Rs three a kilo in a month, he said.

However, the minister added that only 64.40 per cent of the population of the state would be able to purchase rice at the highly subsidised rate under the Food Security Act.

Rotluangliana said that implementation of the Food Security Act would be beneficial for the government, but would bring heavy burden and hardships to a large number of people as the state government has been providing eight kilos of rice per month to all the people in the state at present.

VDF Rally in Imphal Turns Violent, Several Arrested

Imphal, Mar 27 : The Manipur Police today fired several rounds of tear gas shells and live bullets as the agitating Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel turned violent and tried to manhandle Imphal West Additional SP (Law and Order) S. Ibomcha at Khoyathong.After holding a meeting at THAU ground under the aegis of All Manipur VDF Welfare Association, over 1000 VDF personnel took out a rally towards Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's residence.

Their demands included honorarium hike, setting up of a separate VDF battalion and service security.

A heated verbal confrontation broke out between the VDF personnel and a police team led by S. Ibomcha as the rally was blocked near ABC godown, Khoyathong.

Later, the police teams led by the OCs of Imphal and City Police stations and Imphal West Commando DSP Krishnatombi also arrived at the spot to control the agitating VDF personnel.
The police personnel later fired some tear gas shells to disperse the agitators as they tried to force their way towards the Chief Minister's bungalow pelting stones on the police.

In the clash, a group of VDF personnel rushed towards Ibomcha with one of them trying to manhandle the police officer, who was trying to help an injured VDF personnel.

On seeing the attack on the Additional SP, Imphal West commando DSP Krishnatombi and his team fired several rounds of live bullets in the air.

Several VDF personnel were taken into custody after the untoward incident.

Mizoram second highest in India in terms of HIV prevalence: Health Minister

Aizawl, Mar 24 : With more than 7,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and more than a thousand having died of complications associated with the disease since 1990, Mizoram is the state with the second highest incidence rate in the country, Health Minister Lal Thanzara said Monday.

Lal Thanzara, however, admitted a change in the way funds are released from the Centre has led to some complications in the fight against the disease even as opposition MLA Dr K Beichhua, to whose starred question the minister was replying to in the assembly, expressed fears such a situation may make Mizoram become the state with the highest incidence rate of HIV/AIDS.

According to Lal Thanzara, 9894 people among the 4.57 lakh who have been tested for HIV have been found positive. Of these, 1038 have died due to complications brought on by the virus.

In his reply to another starred question on the same topic by opposition MLA Lalruatkima, Lal Thanzara said more than Rs 31.25 crores have been received from the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) over the past two years but that a change in the funding pattern in the current financial year has meant some delay in disbursement of salaries to workers at the front line at least twice.

In January this year, leaders of an umbrella group of NGOs that work with the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) had warned of a surge in the disease’s prevalence because the cash-strapped state government was unable to release more than Rs 800 lakhs it had already received from NACO more than five months earlier.

They said this meant the 37 frontline organisations were unable to pay salaries or rent for the premises they were occupying and had to curtail outreach operations, leading to a shortage of preventive equipment such as disposable syringes and condoms to a huge percentage of more than 12,500 intravenous drug users and an equal number of sex-workers, informal migrant workers and homosexuals.

Mizoram Govt Prepares For Bru Repatriation

Aizawl, Mar 23 : Mizoram government has been making arrangements to start the final repatriation of around 3,000 Bru families lodged in six relief camps in neighbouring North Tripura district, an official said today.

Additional Secretary for Home Lalbiakzama told PTI that the state government had prepared Road Map-IV for repatriation of Bru refugees from Tripura and submitted expenditure proposals to the Union Home Ministry.

"Arrangements were underway to begin the process as soon as the Centre releases the fund for the repatriation," Lalbiakzama said.

He said that the Bru refugees were proposed to be resettled in Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh border Mamit district, Mizoram-Assam border Kolasib district and south Mizoram's Lunglei district bordering Bangladesh.

Once repatriated, the Bru families would be resettled in their respective villages where they stayed before they migrated to Tripura and if their original village was abandoned, they would be resettled in a village within the same assembly constituency, he said.

Officials of the three districts said that more than 2,000 Bru families were proposed to be resettled in Mamit district, a little over 650 families in Kolasib district and more than 200 families in Lunglei district.

State home minister R Lalzirliana earlier said that a meeting convened by Union Home Ministry in New Delhi on January 30, attended by representatives of both Mizoram and Tripura governments decided that the Brus in the six relief camps in Tripura should be repatriated within six months.

"The meeting also decided that those Bru families who refuse to return to Mizoram during the time-frame should allowed to remain in Tripura, deleted from the voters' list in Mizoram while the Centre would close down the relief camps and discontinue the free ration provided to the inmates of the camps," Lalzirliana said.

Brus migrated to Tripura from Mizoram during the later part of 1997 after militants belonging to the erstwhile Bru National Liberation front (BNLF) gunned down Lalzawmliana, a forest guard working inside Dampa Tiger Reserve near Persang hamlet on October 21, 1997.

The first effort to repatriate the Brus from November 16, 2009 was not only hampered by the murder of a Mizo youth, Zarzokima of Mizoram-Tripura border Bungthuam village by Bru militants on November 13, 2009, but also triggered another exodus.

Hundreds of Bru families have been repatriated since 2010 but many of them refused to return to Mizoram due to obstruction from anti-repatriation leaders who made a plethora of demands to the Centre and the state government.