North East - Developments & Debate

IIM Shillong will send Bureaucrats to China

Guwahati, Feb 10 : Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong is rolling out an advanced management programme for bureaucrats in the northeastern states in collaboration with Ocean University of China, from February 17 this year.

To begin with, nearly 20 bureaucrats from Meghalaya will be trained in China on the Chinese way of doing business. IIM plans to cover other states in a phased manner.

IIM-Shillong has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ocean University of China, and the five-day course will be conducted in the university's campus in Qingdao. The fee per participant is nearly Rs 2 lakh.

"We are also in talks with governments of other northeastern states for this course, and by next year, officials of these states will be taken for the course," IIM Shillong director Ashoke Dutta told ET.

The course will involve understanding Chinese business and its growth. "It will include a field visit. The economic transformation of China, state functioning and culture, besides operation of foreign direct investment and urban development will be the focus," says Dutta.

The whole idea of this programme is to establish people-to-people contact and learn from Chinese experience, he adds. "China to wants greater engagement with India and Northeast India is a good platform to do so."

The Northeast's bilateral trade with its neighbour is dismal. During 2010-11, total export from the region was worth around Rs 861.14 crore. "China has emerged as an important trading partner of India and the European Union, and knowing China has become very important for us," he adds. As part of its Look East policy which came into existence a decade ago, India is making attempts to foster greater economic ties with Asian countries.

"Meghalaya is looking to become the launching pad of the Look East policy. This region has close proximity with the emerging

Read more: IIM Shillong To Send Bureaucrats To China | Sinlung

Assam Demands Dedicated Railway Zone For Northeast

Guwahati, Feb 10 : Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has demanded that Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) be declared as a dedicated railway zone exclusively for the North Eastern states in this year’s railway budget.

Gogoi, while stressing on the need for “good connectivity from Assam, so critical for the people of the state and also other North Eastern states,” placed the demand during his meeting with Union railway minister Dinesh Trivedi in New Delhi.

Presently, parts of eastern Bihar and North Bengal are also included in NFR, which is headquartered at Maligaon in Guwahati.

Gogoi had placed the same demand before former railway minister Mamta Banerjee last year, but the same was not met in the last year’s railway budget.

Gogoi also demanded laying of new railway line connecting Salona to Kumtai and Jorhat to Sivasagar. “I told Trivedi that if a new line is laid between these two sections, the distance between Guwahati and Upper Assam will be considerably reduced,” said Gogoi. Gogoi added that he also urged Trivedi for a new railway line linking Tirap to Lekhapani to help transportation of coal to upcoming Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station.

He also requested the railway minister to initiate steps to set up the wagon manufacturing facility at Amingaon, near Guwahati, which was announced in railway budget of 2010, besides upgradation and modernization of coach workshops at Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh.

Gogoi also demanded introduction of a new daily express train, preferable the Durnoto Express, between Guwahati and Chennai, via Kolkata, and between Guwahati and Mumbai to “cut short the enormous time the existing trains take to travel to southern and western parts of the country”. Gogoi also demanded introduction of a new super fast express train connecting Jorhat-Sivasagar-Moran-Dibrugarh.

Gogoi requested Trivedi for doubling of railway track from New Bongaigaon to Guwahati via Rangiya and Guwahati to Tinsukia via Lumding as well as electrification from Katihar to Guwahati.

Other proposals taken up by the chief minister include modernization and improvement of railway stations at Guwahati, Tinsukia, Jorhat and Bongaigoan, railway level crossing at important unmanned locations across the state and setting up of an integrated freight complex at Changsari, near Guwahati.

Gogoi also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, requesting him to consider the proposals submitted by the state and for their inclusion in the railway budget.

Assam Demands Dedicated Railway Zone For Northeast | Sinlung

This seems to be Oracles domain..

Anyways.


407-km long highway sanctioned in Arunachal Pradesh

Nothing like that mate.

‘Busu’ mirrors rich culture of the Dimasas

HAFLONG, Feb 11 – After 36 years, ‘Hangsao Busu’ was celebrated at Guaidisa, 60 km from Haflong, with traditional gaiety since January 27, which was attended by Bijoendra Sengyung, executive member of the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council along with others.
In several places of Haflong, like Dibarai, Digrik, Town Rajee, Boildura and Gdain Rajee, Busu was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Busu is one of most important and biggest festivals celebrated by the Dimasa people. ‘Busu’ means the festival of eating newly grown autumnal rice, and so it could be considered as the harvesting festival too, which mirrors the rich culture and tradition of the Dimasa community.

Dimasa people observe ‘Busu’ by arranging feasts and various cultural functions. It is celebrated in three ways, namely Jidab, Surem and Hangsaomanouba.

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Dhubri-Silghat train introduced

GUWAHATI, Feb 11 – A new tri-weekly train service between Dhubri and Silghat has been introduced from today connecting the old city of Dhubri to the town of Silghat in Assam adjacent to the world famous Kaziranga National Park.
The train was flagged off by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with Dinesh Trivedi, Minister for Railways, at Bagdogra.

The people of areas in and around Dhubri and Silghat are expected to benefit by the introduction of this train. Tourists visiting Kaziranga National Park can also avail the service of this train from Guwahati and return to the city in convenient times.

The train from Dhubri will have regular run from February 14. Similarly, the train from Silghat will have regular run from February 15.

It will leave Dhubri at 21.00 hrs on every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday reaching Silghat on every Wednesday, Saturday and Monday at 10.05 hrs. In return direction, it will leave Silghat on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 16.20 hrs reaching Dhubri on every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 05.00 hrs, an NFR press release stated.

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Where prostitution still thrives

Partha Sarkar

SILCHAR, Feb 11 – The brothel in Silchar town situated at Nagapatty, houses near 1000 commercial sex workers (CSW) with families. Prostitution has been thriving here since the World War II when local girls serviced soldiers traveling to frontline stations through this garrison town. It is rumoured that the area, during the pre-Independence period, was also frequented by English planters. However, the character of the area has changed over the decades. The illegal flesh trade racket has now flourished in connivance with police.
It is also said that this brothel established to serve the military people that had different camps across this region . For their entertainment this practise is still prevailing. Over the years people from different places across the country visited the place.

Some of the families have built their houses in the campus. They have children too. Their children are going to school and are maintaining a regular family life despite their guardians profession. Sources said that most of the sex workers are run by the agent and are looked by the elderly women called mashi.

Niba Roy, founder secretary of Nivedita Nari Sangtha talking to this correspondent said that her organisation is running a project in the area about AIDS intervention, treatment , use of condom. Time to time the organisation counsel them.

The most disturbing fact is that majority of the sex workers migrate to other States, Roy said adding that spread of HIV is higher.

Debojit Gupta, an NGO member which is running a project in the area about Targeted Intervention Projects (TIP) said that the girls land here due to financial constraints or are trafficked. Many of them join the profession due to easy earning, he said adding that some of the sex workers are widow and divorcee. Talking about the age group he disclosed that right from teenage to middle aged women are involved in the profession. The plight of aged women is very pathetic, Gupta added. The organisation is further planning for rehabiliting them in the coming days, he added.

It may be mentioned that during the day time mostly college going students, rickshawpullers, police personnel and businessmen visit the area.

Earlier, on January 20 in a joint operation by Meghalaya and Assam police four girls were rescued from the red-light area and all the victims hail from Shillong.

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Northeast quieter, except for Meghalaya: GK Pillai

Guwahati, Feb 13 (IANS): Insurgency related violence is on the decline in the northeastern States barring Meghalaya, which has seen a sudden spate in violent activities by militants, former Union Home Secretary GK Pillai said here today.

While States like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh registered declining figures of insurgency related violence, the law-and-order situation has deteriorated in Meghalaya, said Pillai.

He was in Guwahati to participate in a seminar on 'Sustaining Peace in Northeast India: Changing Dimensions' organised by the Centre for Development and Peace Studies.

In Assam, violent incidents had come down to 145 in 2011 compared to 251 in 2010, and only 46 extremists were killed last year against 109 in 2010. Similarly, he said, support base of militants was also decreasing after various factions surrendered and took part in the democratic process by contesting elections.

"In Nagaland, there were only 61 incidents of violence in 2011 compared to 64 in 2010. No security personnel have been killed in last several years in Nagaland," Pillai, who is a distinguished fellow of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), added.

"The situation is seemingly improving in Manipur, perhaps the most problematic state in the northeast. The number of incidents has come down to 298 in 2011 compared to 367 in 2010...."

However, the number of security personnel killed has increased to 10 in 2011 compared to six in 2010, he said, probably because no genuine dialogue has taken place so far with the militant groups in Manipur. He also said that the state police force had become politicised and highly dysfunctional.

"Arunachal Pradesh is by and large peaceful except the two districts of Tirap and Changlang."

The situation in Tripura is also improving as only 13 incidents occurred in 2011 as compared to 30 in 2010, Pillai said.

But Meghalaya tells a different story.

"However, the law and order has been deteriorating in Meghalaya in the last few years. A total of 56 incidents took place in Meghalaya in 2011 compared to 29 in 2010," the retired bureaucrat said, adding that the growing tribal rivalry and political uncertainties had resulted in the lack of attention to governance and security matters.

"Mizoram and Sikkim are beacons of peace and other states of the region must learn from their examples," said Pillai.

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Chidambaram to convince Reang refugees to return home

Agartala, Feb 13 (IANS): Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will on Saturday visit Tripura's refugee camps, where over 36,000 tribal migrants from Mizoram have been staying for the past 15 years, and seek to persuade them to return home, officials said Monday.

"Before Chidambaram's visit, a high-level home ministry team would visit Tripura and meet leaders of the refugees and officials of Tripura and Mizoram governments to finalise the strategies for repatriation of the migrants," a Tripura government official told reporters.

Chidambaram, who came to Agartala May 17 last year, was scheduled to visit Mizoram next day but cancelled his trip to Aizawl due to bad weather.

"The long-awaited repatriation of the tribal refugees had resumed April 12 last year, but the process was stopped as most refugees were unwilling to return to their homes without a written assurance from the Mizoram government," an official said.

Uncertainty is still prevailing over whether all the migrants here would return home, the official added.

"If the refugees are keen to come to their homeland, the Mizoram government, with the help of Tripura administration, would take back the refugees in a phased manner," a Mizoram government official told reporters in Aizawl.

Following ethnic tensions in Mizoram, over 41,000 Reang tribal refugees -- locally called Bru -- had taken shelter in six camps in north Tripura's Kanchanpur sub-division in October 1997.

A total of 701 tribal families -- comprising about 3,585 men, women and children -- were sent back last year.

The home ministry last year broadened the economic package for homebound refugees following mediation by the New Delhi-based rights group Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR).

"Apart from 80,000, cash assistance to each refugee family and free rations for one year, the home ministry will support self-employment schemes to be initiated by the Reang tribals," ACHR director Suhas Chakma told IANS on phone from New Delhi

A special development project for western Mizoram, where the Reang refugees are to be resettled, is also under consideration of the state government and the union ministry for the development of the north eastern region (DoNER), Chakma said.

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Large-scale anomalies come to light
Sivasish thakur
GUWAHATI, Feb 12 – A departmental inquiry into the charges of anomalies in the implementation of the Rs 100-crore Greater Titabor Piped Water Supply Scheme under Jorhat Public Health Engineering (PHE) Division – the biggest water supply project of the department so far — has detected shocking irregularities and flouting of every possible norm including financial, technical and administrative.

The inquiry revealed that right from selection of contractors from among insufficient numbers of tenders and whose credentials were not up to the desired norms for such a mega project, to the absence of quality control measures at the site, to the abnormally high (as much as 2,824 per cent) revised estimates on various heads, all rules were thrown to the wind.

For example, the revised estimate (Zone-II) on the head ‘raw water pumping main’, the revised estimate was Rs 3,52,36,215 against the original amount of Rs 12,05,000 – an increase of 2,824.18 per cent. Similarly, on ‘railway, bridge, culvert, road crossing’, the revised estimated (Zone-I) at Rs 2,00,13,800 was 1,509.99 per cent higher than the original amount of Rs 12,43,100.

Ironically, while the revised estimate was unjustifiably high, the targets in the revised estimates were reduced to a great extent. In Zone-I, the covered population was reduced to 96,300 from 1,26,303; the covered habitation reduced to 227 from 266; covered gaon panchayats (GPs) reduced to 32 from 41; constituents schemes reduced to 32 from 41; renovation of old schemes reduced to 4 from 16; and length of C/W pumping main reduced to 110.5 km from 145.48 km.

In Zone-I, the cost increased by about Rs 16 crore, with the per capita cost rising from Rs 2,813.47 to Rs 5,352.96 – a per cent of 90.26. In Zone-II, the cost increased by about Rs 23 crore, with the per capita cost rising from Rs 2,537.71 crore to Rs 3,776.38 crore – a per cent of 48.81.

The inquiry committee also noted that no calculation of quality estimation on the basis of the survey report and layout diagram of the pipe network was found in support of the procurements made involving crores of rupees.

“Despite repeated requests, the Jorhat PHE Division did not submit any records/drawings/survey report to justify the procurement…the purchase of pipes for C/W pumping main was made before accordance of T/S which violates Assam Financial Rules,” the inquiry report noted.

Moreover, the project proposal had neither any analysis regarding the operation and maintenance cost of the scheme and the subsequently-created infrastructure nor was there any assessment of revenue potential, raising questions over the sustainability of the very scheme.

In addition, the estimates that were submitted for technical sanction were checked for arithmetic calculation only, and “the aspects of technical soundness and economic effectiveness were ignored at all levels.” The detailed estimates for technical sanction of 24 constituent schemes of Zone-II were received by the CE (PHE) on June 25, 2010 and TS were accorded on June 29. “June 26 and 27, 2010 were holidays, and thorough checking of the voluminous detailed estimates for 24 schemes within 2/3 days is next to impossible.”

The report noted that hiring charge of diesel-driven centrifugal pumps at Rs 4,000 effectively works out to Rs 2.68 lakh for the 67 schemes “which can very well take care of purchasing a few new pumps and corresponding fuel cost for trial run process for all the schemes and creating further assets to the department.”

Noting that the depth of pipeline trenches was also found to have violated the relevant specifications throughout the stretch, the report said that no work programme/bar chart etc., were observed at work site, indicating the absence of planning to meet deadlines. No layout diagram of raw water pumping main and clear water pumping main was found during site verification but work was already under way.

Even the selection of the intake point for tapping raw water from the Dayang river was not apt owing to the river’s tendency to wide seasonal variation of course up to the extent of one km.

At places, pipes were seen to run parallel to waste-water drains, exposing the water to possible contamination (both chemical and bacterial).

On the collapsed boundary wall, the report noted that just 5cm-7cm length of column reinforcement was there at the bottom face of the wall posts.

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Assam Rifles chief bats for AFSPA
Correspondent
IMPHAL, Feb 12 – Director General of Assam Rifles Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy has asserted that the Assam Rifles and the Army can operate more freely in areas where the Armed Forces Special Power Act 1958 (AFSPA) is applicable.

The Director General, who was here on a two-day visit, told the media that wherever AFSPA is there, Assam Rifles along with army is operating more freely compared to those areas where the Act is not enforced.

The infamous AFSPA is in force in Manipur excluding greater Imphal area which covers seven Assembly constituencies.

On the report of NSCN-IM violating the ceasefire ground rules in the recently concluded Assembly polls, the chief of Assam Rifles warned, “If they do no follow the rules, then we will enforce those ground rules to catch them and hand them over to police.”

He, however, contended that the election passed off peacefully. Stating that no underground groups is active to cause any problems to the people, he said these underground groups act like a thief – they come and hit and go.

The Assam Rifles chief also called on the State Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh besides interacting with the students of Sainik School, Pangei, near here.

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Meghalaya exempts tax on aviation fuel

SHILLONG, Feb 12 – Meghalaya Government has exempted tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to attract more flight operators to the State.

“The exemption is aimed at attracting more aircraft operators to use the airport and help make the Shillong Airport as a re-fuelling centre in the NE,” Excise and Taxation Commissioner J Lyngdoh said.

The exemption of tax on ATF would also make the airfare more competitive in the State, he said.

Consructed in the mid 1960s and operational in mid-1970s, Shillong Airport at present accommodates only 50-seater ATR aircraft six days a week from Kolkata.

Airport Authority of India officials said the airport expansion project was expected to be completed within this year and the runway expansion in six months.

The length of the new runway would be 7,500 feet from the present 6,000 feet with a strength of PCN 54 (Pavement Classification Number) to take the load and speed of bigger aircraft such as Airbus 300, AAI officials said. – PTI

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Bangladesh against fencing at border zero-line: Sarkar

Agartala, March 5 (IANS): Bangladesh has rejected India's proposal to erect border fencing at the zero line along the border, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told the State Assembly today.
"Erection of border fencing at the zero line, instead of 150 yards inside India, is crucial to protect many government installations, markets, roads and human habitations," Sarkar told the house during a discussion. He said that even Agartala airport, many tourist places, temples, markets and sub-divisional towns and government assets have fallen within the 150 yards from the zero line of the border in Tripura.

According to international norms and an India-Bangladesh agreement, the barbed wire fencing has to be built 150 yards inside India from the zero line of the boundary.

"Bangladesh government has agreed to allow India to construct the border fencing in few selected patches, only not all along the border," Sarkar said.

Cutting across political affiliations, the legislators from both ruling Left and opposition Congress urged the government to build the fencing along the zero line of the border to protect thousands of home, farm land, government and private assets and many vital installations.

The Chief Minister told the agitated legislators that of the 7,774 badly affected families, whose houses have fallen outside the fencing, 4,651 families were so far sanctioned houses under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).

"Paddy fields, lands and various farms of thousands of farmers had fallen outside the fence, putting them in an awkward position. The state government had long back sent a 93 crore project to the centre to rehabilitate the affected families but it has yet to respond," he said.

According to a senior State government official, over 8,750 families comprising over 50,000 people in the State have so far been affected by the ongoing construction of the barbed wire fencing along the border as their homes, farm lands and other assets have fallen outside the fencing.

India is erecting a fence and putting up flood lighting all along the 4,095-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram to check trans-border movement of militants, prevent infiltration and check border crimes.

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Mizoram plans tough anti-tobacco laws

Aizawl, March 5 (IANS): The Mizoram government has decided to enact tough laws to curb the use of tobacco products and drug abuse blamed for cancer and heart ailments, an official said here.
"Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla held a meeting here last week with ministers and officials and decided to enforce inflexible laws to check drug abuse and tobacco related menaces," a health department official told reporters on Sunday. "It was decided that the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances act and the Assam Drug Control Act (adopted by Mizoram) would be enforced with state specific amendments to suit the prevailing problem," the official stated.

The proposed laws would be tough and with sufficient penalty and imprisonment for the guilty, he said

According to a study by social group Mizoram Population Base Cancer Registry, cancer claims lives of 550-600 people on an average annually in Mizoram, whose total population is a little over one million.

As per the state government records, the mountainous northeastern state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh, had topped the country eight years ago in tobacco consumption. "Smoking has already been banned in the premises of government offices, educational institutions, health centres and crowded places across Mizoram," an official release quoted the chief minister as saying in the meeting.

Social activist and Chief Minister's wife, Lal Riliani said that more than 50 percent of cancer cases among Mizos were caused by tobacco.

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