MZP Leaders Urge Tribals To Firmly Protect Rights

Aizawl, Oct 30 : Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) or Mizo student's federation leaders led by its new president Lalsangzuala Ngente today urged tribal people to stand frim to ensure protection of their safeguards and rights.

The leaders were attending a meeting of different organisations on the occasion of launching tribal movement in Manipur at Churachandpur.

11 Mizo Students Held for Assaulting Neighbour, Cops

Mysore, Oct 28 : Eleven youths from Mizoram, also students of a prestigious law college here, were arrested for assaulting a woman and policemen on Monday night. They were partying in their rented house and the woman had told them to reduce the noise.

Thirteen students have rented a house owned by Yogesh near Sanjeevini Park close to Kamakshi Hospital in Saraswathipuram. The students had rented the first floor house while the ground floor was occupied by Vanitha and Pruthivi and the second floor house was rented to a family from Madkeri.

Police said the students would party every night and it was a nuisance for neighbours who warned them they'd call the cops.

On Monday night, the law students threw a party for a friend from Bengaluru. Ten boys and three girls were allegedly drunk and allegedly threw cigarette butts to the ground floor.

Vanitha, who lives on the ground floor, warned the students that she'd complain to the cops. But the students had a verbal spat with her and in the commotion, assaulted her with a beer bottle. They also attacked neighbours who rushed to her rescue.

The injured Vanitha called Saraswathipuram police. Head constable Shantharaju and a constable rushed to the spot. The students assaulted Shantaraju too. Additional policemen were called to the spot.

11 killed, 21 hurt in Mizoram Road Accident

Aizawl, Oct 26 : At least 11 people including two pregnant women were killed and 21 others injured when a passenger bus fell into a deep gorge in South Mizoram’s Lunglei district on Saturday night, officials said on Sunday.

The passenger bus plying between Aizawl and Lawngtlai, headquarter of Lawngtlai district rolled down the deep gorge near Ramlaitui village.

“The bus fell plunged the gorge, when the driver tried to avoid a head-on collision with a speeding truck,” an official of Lunglei district administration said.

11 passengers including four women and the bus driver were killed in the road mishap.

The injured persons including few children and women had rushed to nearest hospital.
 

Kaladan on fast track

Centre clears NE-Myanmar transit transport project

By Nishit Dholabhai

New Delhi, Oct 15 : The Union cabinet today gave its nod for fast-tracking the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project that connects Myanmar to the Northeast, giving a fillip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Act East policy. The cabinet revised the cost of the project from Rs 535 crore in March 2008 to Rs 2,904 crore. The funds will be given as grant to Myanmar. The project will provide an alternative access route to the Northeast and is expected to contribute towards the region's economic development. The idea is to have a 225km waterway from Sittwe Port to Paletwa, both in Myanmar, along the Kaladan river. A 62km road will connect Paletwa to the Indian border village of Zochawchhuah (in Mizoram). The road stretch was cited to be 109km till December last year but details made available today said it would be 62km. Three surveys were conducted by a Mumbai-based company for the road. Sittwe is nearly 550km by sea from Calcutta. The interlocking Indian road component in Mizoram includes a 99.83km road from Zochawchhuah to Lawngtlai town, the headquarters of Lawngtlai district. A road of over 250km already connects Lawngtlai to the state capital, Aizawl. "A very good road is being constructed on the Indian side which should be finished in three years. But construction is yet to begin on the Myanmar side," a senior council member of Lai Autonomous Council said over phone from Lawngtlai. A study by a think tank last year had nudged the government on pending infrastructure projects that connect Myanmar and the Northeast. Sources said the Modi government is also looking at fast-tracking the connectivity between the Northeast and its Southeast Asian neighbours. A commercial road link and rail link are also on the cards through Manipur into Myanmar. The Modi government has claimed to have transited from Look East Policy to Act East policy. However, the northeastern states have often asked how the region would be made a stakeholder. The Kaladan project has been in a state of stagnation for some time, apparently because of land acquisition problems in Myanmar. The idea was conceived over a decade ago when in April 2003 a detailed project report was made on the waterways component, followed by a road component project designed by the public sector company, RITES. The project was jointly identified by India and Myanmar to create multi-modal transport for shipment of cargo from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar as well as to the Northeast through Myanmar. This project, which will connect Sittwe Port to the India-Myanmar border, is expected to contribute to the economic development of the northeastern states, particularly Mizoram, by opening up the sea route to the land-locked territory. It also provides a strategic link to the Northeast by reducing pressure on the Siliguri corridor. A direct access between West Bengal and Tripura through Bangladesh will be established when the Calcutta-Dhaka-Agartala bus service, scheduled for Friday, starts. Dhaka had recently helped transport foodgrains to Tripura in the wake of a mega block because of gauge conversion on the Lumding-Silchar-Badarpur rail link that carried supplies to Tripura and Mizoram. The Kaladan project serves India's economic and strategic interests but also "contributes to the development of Myanmar and its economic integration with India," a government release said today. In March this year, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the Zorkhawthar land custom station in Mizoram and promised that projects connecting India and Myanmar would be expedited. The Zorkhawthar-Aizawl road is called the old India-Myanmar border road.

MNF organises rally in protest against bad road conditions

Representational image (SNS)

Aizawl, Oct : The Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) on Tuesday organised a protest rally in Aizawl city and south Mizoram's Lunglei and Saiha towns protesting bad road conditions across the state.

Former chief minister Zoramthanga alleged non-tribal contractors employed by the Congress government for road construction and maintenance were "taking the government for granted."

The contractors and the people in high places were having nexus on a quid pro quo basis, he alleged.
The MNF chief also accused the state government led by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla of total failure in financial management resulting to bankruptcy.

He said the common people bore the brunt of the extremely bad road conditions, which not only hit them, but also transportation of essential goods to the district headquarters and villages resulting in shortage of food and other essential commodities.

Angry Mob sets Fire To Baptists church in Mizoram

Aizawl, Oct 14 : Last night, in the self-proclaimed Christian state of Mizoram, a church building which belongs to the Baptist Church of Mizoram was torched by a mob in the area of Bawngkawn, Aizawl.

According to reports, the land in which the church was built is currently under dispute between the locals and the church. The church has the LSC while the locals claimed that the land was given to them for building an indoor stadium by one of the legislators of Mizoram.

As the dispute grew larger, the matter was settled in the court and as the church possesses the LSC, the court ruled that the church can continue their services.

Unsatisfied with the ruling of the court, the residents of Bawngkawn Brigade area unexpectedly turned fierce and torched a church building.

As the police gathered to calm the violent mob, an agreement was made which said that the church building should be demolished by the local church members with three days, upon failure of which the locality will take the responsibility of demolishing the said church.

Still, no further actions have been taken up by the Mizoram government.

Cops to be inducted from Northeast

With Delhi Police recruitment teams camping in the eight States in the Northeastern part of the country, the force has inched a step closer to its long discussed plan of inducting personnel from the region in its ranks.

Eight separate teams — one each for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, collectively known as ‘seven sisters’, and Sikkim — left the city in the beginning of October and will stay there till November-end, carrying out the recruitment process.

A senior police officer said that through the drive, the force plans to induct 450 personnel from these States. While Assam has the highest number of sanctioned posts (100), the other States will account for the remaining 350 (50 for each State).

Notifications uploaded on the websites of the respective police forces of these States suggest that male-female ratio in the vacancies is (3:1). For instance, Mizoram has 34 vacancies for men and 16 for women, while in Nagaland the corresponding numbers are 33 and 17.

As of now, these teams have set the ball rolling by uploading the notifications with coordination with the State police forces and posting advertisements in the local newspapers as well as the national ones which have an edition in bigger centres such as Guwahati.

As far as the composition of the recruitment teams are concerned, each one of these teams is headed by either a Deputy Commissioner rank officer or an Additional Deputy Commissioner and comprise an Assistant Commissioner and an inspector rank officer as well.

“Once the responses come, the teams will scrutinise and shortlist the suitable candidates and make another round for the physical training part. We hope that the process would be completed by November and the results will be out the next month,” said the officer.

On the responses and inclination of youth in these States to join the city police force of a place as distant as the Capital, a senior Mizoram Police officer said that on the first day, 100 forms were sold and he sees the number as encouraging.

Once the responses come, the teams will scrutinise and shortlist the suitable candidates and make another round for the physical training part. We hope the process would be completed by November and the results will be out the next month

North-eastern fest to enthral Delhiites from October 16

To showcase art, culture and heritage of north-eastern region

To make north-eastern art and culture a part of Delhi’s ethos, the Delhi tourism department has collaborated with the Northeast Festival, which is to host its 3rd annual event at IGNCA, Janpath, from October 16 to October 18.

Tourism minister Kapil Mishra said, “This year, tourism is the key focus and so in ensuring that, we will make north-eastern art, culture and heritage a key part of Delhi’s ethos. The festival will showcase various facets of the Northeast. We are inviting tour operators across Delhi and many foreign tourists are expected. Various festivals of the Northeast will be showcased during the fest.

Around 60 tribal artisans/textile entrepreneurs will showcase some of the best Northeast handloom & handicrafts. There would be a buyers-sellers meet as well.”

Apart from showcasing the best that the Northeast has to offer, promoting and boosting tourism in the region will be the key focus of this year’s edition of the Northeast Festival.
The “Northeast Festival” has become a brand which is synonymous with the unification of the various stakeholders of the Northeast under one dynamic platform.
The event is expected to be attended by more than three lakh people and will include top Northeast icons, policymakers of the country, senior ministers in the Union Cabinet, chief ministers of various north-eastern states, top bureaucrats, intellectuals, students and tour operators among others.
Besides tourism, the major attraction this year will be the commencement of the Northeast Festival Football Competition, the inaugural edition of which will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from October 9 to October 15.
Football is a major sport in the Northeast and has produced many of India’s top footballers.
The competition will be a celebration of the association between the people of the Northeast and the wonderful sport.
The competition will feature over 25 teams, comprising of college teams from the NCR region and the Northeast.
The grand festival will have 40 musical bands, some of the best in India, and over 30 dance forms. It will be one of the biggest tourism festivals.
The festival will also feature cuisines from the Northeast and various restaurants in the city, specialising in food from the north-eastern states. Visitors will be able to taste different kinds of food and buy regional groceries too.