Mizoram Disturbed Areas Bill Being Drafted

Aizawl, Apr 16 : The state government was drafting the Mizoram Disturbed Areas Bill, 2015 to facilitate the process of legally declaring militant-hit areas as disturbed ones, Additional Secretary for Home, Lalbiakzama said.

Lalbiakzama said that the bill was initiated last year and the state Home department held consultations with the law department on the matter.

He said that documents have been compiled for approaching the Ministry of Home Affairs on the issue of declaring the Manipur-based Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) as unlawful organisation.

Following the decision made by the state government and the meeting of all major political parties, the move to outlaw the HPC(D) was expeditiously pursued, he said.

The move to outlaw the Hmar militant outfit and declare the north eastern part of the state adjoining Manipur as disturbed area came close on the heels of the killing of three policemen in an ambush by the HPC(D) militants on March 28 last.

Govt Mulls Delhi-Aizawl Direct Flight

Aizawl, Apr 16 : The Centre is mulling a direct flight connecting Delhi with Aizawl in a bid to increase air and people-to-people connectivity with the northeastern states.

"The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region will take up with Civil Aviation ministry the proposal to start a direct air flight from Delhi to Aizawl," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.

Singh, who is on a two-day visit to Mizoram beginning today, said BJP President Amit Shah will be arriving here tomorrow on his first-ever visit.

The DoNER Minister said there have been discussions on handing over Lengpui airport in Mizoram to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

"Certain clarifications regarding security of airport are sought to be cleared between the state government and AAI," he said.

During the inter-ministerial meeting held by DoNER Ministry with the representatives of Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday, it was decided that the possibility of providing security by state police may be explored and the cost of deployment will be borne by the AAI, he said.

Singh also assured that he will take up the issue pertaining to Bru refugees from Mizoram settled in Tripura with authorities concerned. The minority Reang (Bru) tribes had escaped ethnic tension in Mizoram and migrated to Tripura in 1997.

He expressed satisfaction over increase of 91.58 per cent in the literacy rate in Mizoram, which is second highest in the country after Kerala.

"Not only this, there is a large majority of Mizoram people living in Delhi who are members of the teaching faculty in reputed colleges and universities," he said, praising the contribution of the state's people in this regard.

He said Railways has completed gauge conversion work for 210 km Lumding-Silchar rail track which would enable the movement of foodgrains and other items on a broad-gauge to Mizoram, Lower Assam, Tripura and Manipur. The freight trains on this track have already started from March 21, Singh said.

Shah Visits Mizoram Today

Santanu Ghosh and Nilotpal Bhattacharjee

 Amit Shah

Silchar, Apr 16 : The BJP leaders and youth wing activists in Mizoram are giving final touches to preparations for a public meeting to be addressed by party president Amit Shah tomorrow.

Shah will arrive in Aizawl tomorrow on a two-day visit to bolster his party's set-up in the state where the BJP has had a minimal presence.

The venue, Vanapa Hall, is being prepared keeping in mind the large turnout of people from across the state, including the Chakma Autonomous District, where the party tasted its first electoral victory in the last two decades of its presence in the state in the last village council elections.

"The preparations are almost over. To avoid traffic problem, we have taken adequate steps for parking vehicles at various places and no vehicle will be allowed to go near the meeting place. Security has been beefed up to avoid any untoward incident," a party leader in charge of the preparations, said.

Shah is likely to be accompanied by BJP national secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, DoNER minister Jitendra Singh and BJP's Bengal observer Siddharth Nath Singh.

Besides addressing the meeting at 12.30pm, Shah will meet the party's office-bearers and functionaries in the state, sources said.

The BJP office in Aizawl said the party president could not visit Mizoram earlier because of various preoccupations, including polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.

A party insider said Shah would clarify the Mizos' doubts regarding freedom of religion, quick changing of governors and pledge his party's commitment to making Mizoram a model state.

The sources said Shah would also visit Nagaland, where the BJP is a part of the coalition government, and Manipur on Saturday.

Ministry Of Home Affairs awaits Arunachal Opinion on AFSPA

By Manoj Anand

Guwahati, Apr 16 : The ministry of home affairs is waiting for the opinion of the Arunachal Pradesh government before reviewing its decision on extending the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to the bordering district of Arunachal.

Disclosing that the frontier state was slowly turning out to be a safe sanctuary for many insurgent groups of Assam, security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that it was done to rescue the peaceful districts of the frontier state from getting into the grip of insurgent activities.

Indicating that protest against the AFSPA in the frontier state was more political in nature, security sources said that many civil society groups of the frontier states had expressed deep concern over the growing activities of Naga rebels, forcing Arunachalee youth to take up arms.

Admitting that initially activity of the armed rebel groups was restricted to Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, security sources said that insurgent groups have started spreading their activities across the state. In fact, the NDFB and Ulfa rebels were reported to have been serving extortion notices to Arunachal politicians, security sources said, adding that Arunachal Pradesh has also failed in strengthening the state police forces to take on heavily-armed insurgent groups.

Asserting that the AFSPA was extended to bordering districts of Arunachal Pradesh in order to enable security forces to chase and arrest insurgents crossing over from Assam to Arunachal Pradesh, security sources, however, said that in view of the protest of Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki and home minister Tanga Byaling, the ministry is ready to review its decision.

“We are waiting for the opinion of Arunachal government in writing. If they are confident to handle the situation emerging in the frontier state, Centre may withdraw its order extending AFSPA in 12 bordering districts,” said a senior home ministry official.

Now fly from Delhi to Dimapur

Nagaland CM TR Zeliang inaugurating the flight at Dimapur Airport in presence of legislator Imtiwapang and IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh

Dimapur, Apr 16 : India's northeastern state of Nagaland, bordering Myanmar, was on Wednesday connected with New Delhi through a daily IndiGo flight via Kolkata.Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang inaugurated the flight at Dimapur Airport in presence of legislator Imtiwapang and IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh.

Ghosh said: "In its ninth year of operations these new IndiGo flights to Dimapur are a reflection of airline company's commitment to grow the northeast connectivity. IndiGo is proud to announce Dimapur as its 33rd domestic and 38th overall destination."

He said that the IndiGo would connect daily flights from Dimapur to Kolkata and Dimapur to New Delhi via Kolkata. "These flights are planned to cater to business and leisure travelers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options."

"These new services would further consolidate IndiGo's position as the fastest growing low cost airline in India, with its 623 daily flights connecting 38 destinations across the network," he added.

While addressing the inaugural session of 64th plenary meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) in New Delhi last week, Minister for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh said a daily return flight from Kolkata to Silchar (in southern Assam) was also resumed from March 20.

No nomination paper filed in 24 villages in Aizawl District

Aizawl, Apr 15 : No nomination paper was filed in 24 villages in Aizawl district and two villages in Kolasib district for the coming elections to the 536 village councils on April 30, due to intimidation allegedly by Hmar People's Convention (Democrats).

Representational image

State Election Commission Secretary H Darzika said that village council elections would not be held in such villages where no nominations were received till on Monday, the last day for filing documents.

The state government could extend the term of these village councils or place them under the rule of the Local Administration department, Darzika added.

The HPC (D) militants asked all the political parties in the north eastern part of the state not to field any candidates for the coming election to the Village Councils.

Darzika said that election to the 83 local councils within the jurisdiction of the Aizawl Municipal Council would also be held simultaneously with the village council polls.

Mizoram Political parties agree on declaring HPC(D) as unlawful

Aizawl, Apr 14 : A meeting of all political parties of Mizoram convened by state home minister R Lalzirliana today unanimously agreed that the state government took steps to expedite declaration of the Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) as an unlawful organisation.

An official statement said representatives of all major political parties in the state attended the meeting, which condemned the ambush of the Assembly Committee on Government Assurances team by HPC(D) cadres on March 28 last killing three policemen.

The meeting also discussed on the steps government had taken after the killing of the three policemen.

The state government had mulled outlawing the HPC(D) and declare the north eastern parts of the state adjoining Manipur, where the Hmar militants usually operated from across the state borders, as disturbed area.

Officials of the state home department said a bill to this regard was being drafted and the state governor might issue an ordinance as the state legislature was not in session.

Arunachal Anti-Army act cry grows shriller

By Ranju Dodum and Khelen Thokchom

AAPSU members at the news conference

Itanagar/Imphal, April 14 : The clamour against the extension of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been mounting in Arunachal Pradesh with student unions and political parties raising the pitch.
The All Arunachal Pradesh Student's Union (AAPSU) has termed the Union home ministry's decision to impose the army act along districts bordering Assam as a "murder of democracy." It said, "The implementation of AFSPA is not justified," and has planned a rally on Wednesday with a march to the Raj Bhavan. The same day, the People's Party of Arunachal will also stage a rally.

Extending support to AAPSU, North East Students Union (Neso) coordinator Pritam Bhai Sonam said, "We have tasted AFSPA, and in 2007, one person was shot dead by the army at Gumto near the capital while he was searching for his mithun." The mithun is Arunachal's state animal.

While chief minister Nabam Tuki has already made his displeasure over the decision known to Union home minister Rajnath Singh, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Seva Dal chief organiser Kipa Kaha accused the army of indulging in illegal activities. Kaha alleged that army personnel have been "caught indulging in multi-million rupee drug trade as well as extorting the public."

The state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said implementing the AFSPA in the state would render its people "unsafe in the hands of the army."

While rival political parties have decried the Centre's move, the state BJP unit said it was taken due to failure of the state government to curb militant activity.

The act's implementation is limited to the 12 districts bordering Assam - West and East Kameng, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, West and East Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Namsai, Changlang, Longding and Tirap.

Yesterday, Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal himself, said he had "directed home ministry officials to review it and seek suggestions from the state government for alternative views".


Manipur support
Rights and student activists of Manipur, too, have extended support to the protest by the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

Two activists of the state, Babloo Loitongbam, the executive director of Human Rights Alert, and Neso secretary-general Sinam Prakash, will attend a series of discussions to protest the imposition of the act in Arunachal Pradesh, beginning on April 19.

The act has been in force in Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh where various factions of the NSCN are active since 1991 after they were categorised disturbed areas. It was subsequently extended to a 20-km belt in districts that share borders with Assam.

"Prakash and I will take part in the deliberations on Arunachal Pradesh, beginning on April 19. This is to show our solidarity with the people of Arunachal Pradesh," Loitongbam said.

Manipur, which is already reeling under the impact of the act, has been most vocal in denouncing the act and is demanding its repeal.

Irom Sharmila, a human rights activist, has been fasting for nearly 15 years, demanding repeal of the act.

Her fast was triggered by the killing of 10 civilians by Assam Rifles troops at Malom in Imphal West in 2000, in retaliation to a militant attack.

"We show solidarity with the people of Arunachal Pradesh. Neso has been demanding all these years that the act should go. We strongly oppose the extension of the act in more areas of Arunachal Pradesh," Prakash said.