News from silchar

Foundation
Silchar: The foundation stone for work on the Kumbhirgram-Udharbond Road which connects the airport with Silchar was laid by Union minister for heavy industries Sontosh Mohan Dev recently. The 12-km-long road will be made a double-lane under the central road fund.

Hospital
Silchar: Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday that the state government had planned to set up two separate and inde pendent wings for maternity and paediatrics on the Ghoongur campus of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, 6km south of Silchar town, at a cost of Rs 16 crore.

Man held
Hailakandi: Hailakandi police on Wednesday arrested Zakir Hossain, 32, the kingpin of an inter-state car-lifting gang, during a raid in the district.

Silchar blank Naharkatia eves 6-0

Dibrugarh Football
Dibrugarh, July 10: Silchar stormed into the quarter-finals of the 7th All-Assam inter-district under-19 women’s football tournament crushing Naharkatia by 6-0 goals during a match played at the Sonari public playground in Sivasagar district today.

Dayabati Sinha and Phirthangpui Hmar scored two goals each for Silchar. Aprili Brahma started the scoring for Silchar in the 17th minute, followed by goals from Dayabati (30th minute), Phirthangpui (32nd minute) and Mithilina Bhumij (40th minute). The team led 4-0 at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Silchar pumped in two more goals to seal the fate of Naharkatia and advance to the last eight. Dayabati scored in the 42nd minute while Phirthangpui made it 6-0 for her team in the 65th minute of the match.

Tomorrow, Charaideo will take on Margherita. source: telegraph india

DHD-J shatters truce hopes

- CRPF patrol party ambushed, one jawan killed, four injured

Silchar, July 9: Militants of the Jewel Gorlosa faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) today ambushed a CRPF patrol, killing a jawan and injuring four others near Maibong town, 50km north of the district headquarters town of Haflong at 8.30 this morning.

The group’s unilateral three-month-long ceasefire expired on June 25 but it had refrained from any violence since May, indicating that it might extend the truce.

The district police fear that the ambush might be a harbinger of more attacks.
The south Assam DIG of police, Y.K. Gautam, said the incident occurred when troops of the CRPF’s 189 battalion were returning to their camp at Maibong after a nightlong patrol. A convoy of CRPF cars was trailing the team.

The slain sepoy was identified as Dipak Mandal. Havildars D.K. Rai and V. Prashad and constables Nissar Ahmed Tanti and Gagandeep, who were injured in the attack, are being treated at a CRPF camp. They are likely to be shifted to Haflong civil hospital.

Police sources at Maibong said nearly a dozen rebels had laid a trap on a hill slope from where they fired with their AK-47 rifles. The CRPF troops were caught unawares but did not lose much time in retaliating.

It could not be confirmed if the DHD (Jewel) rebels suffered any casualties.
This is the first major ambush by the group after a spate of attacks on railwaymen, truckers and civilians in the second week of May. The security forces are also interpreting the attack as a reprisal after the BSF dismantled a DHD (Jewel) camp at Dimadau Yapoo hills between Haflong and Dihangmukh villages on Monday.

Today’s attack has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the resumption of the NF Railway services between Silchar and Lumding. Railway services between these two towns were shut down on May 15 after a spate of guerrilla upheavals in the district. Nearly a dozen persons were killed during the attacks.

The railway employees working on the metre gauge track in the hill section had vacated their quarters and workstations and taken shelter at Badarpur, Silchar, Haflong and Lumding.
In another incident, three DHD (J) linkmen were apprehended from Rangapahar under Dhansiri police outpost in the district today. A .32 pistol was found in their possession.

Arms racket busted

Silchar, July 6: Mizoram police have busted an international arms racket that used the state’s border areas as transit points.

The 40-year-old Myanmarese kingpin of one of the rackets, Lal Liana, was arrested along with arms last Sunday, the superintendent of police, L.T. Hrangchal, said today over phone from Aizawl.

The police intercepted Liana’s arms-laden truck at Champai on the Indo- Myanmar border following a tip-off.

Liana, who was trailing the truck in a car, was apprehended near Aizawl.
The arms, according to Aizawl police, were meant for the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) in North Cachar Hills district.

The news of Liana’s arrest had been kept under wraps to facilitate investigation, which the police hoped would lead to several more arrests.

Liana, a member of the Kuki-Chin tribe, a kinsfolk of the Mizos, is likely to be produced before a judicial authority in Aizawl tomorrow.

Yesterday, the police seized another cache of arms, which included seven AK-47 rifles, a rocket launcher and assorted ammunition from a Bolero near Vairengte on the Mizoram-Assam border. The Bolero was later traced to a Khasi woman in Shillong.

Mizoram’s 404-km porous border with Myanmar makes it the perfect choice for smugglers to move in arms from China and Thailand, a source said.

Though the Assam Rifles guards the international border, Kolosib district superintendent of police Lalbiakthanga said the Mizoram government was worried about the unchecked movement of arms. source: telegraph india

Sarkar help sought on rail project

Agartala, July 5: A delegation of All Cachar Karimganj Hailakandi Students’ Association has sought the intervention of Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar to expedite completion of the broad-gauge railway line between Lumding and Silchar.

A delegation comprising the president of the student outfit, Rupam Nandi Purkayastha, general secretary Pervez S. Mazumder and secretary Biswajit Deb met Sarkar here this morning and submitted a memorandum.

They urged him to take up the issue with the Union government and pointed out that unless the gauge conversion was completed along this stretch, the states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram would remain deprived of broad gauge connectivity.

The memorandum appreciated the completion of laying of railway tracks upto Agartala and commencement of railway service but regretted that in spite of being undertaken almost simultaneously a decade ago, the gauge conversion between Lumding and Silchar has made little progress.

The delegation also recalled how former CPM MP Ajay Biswas had raised the issue of a central university for Silchar in the Lok Sabha.

Sarkar assured the delegation of his support and promised to take up the issue with the Centre. source: telegraph india

Both AGP-BJP wants Guwahati seat

The main Opposition Asom Gana Parishad is finalising a pre poll pact with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The deal was finalised on Friday when AGP top guns now camping in New Delhi called on BJP leader Sushma Swaraj and discussed the groundwork in detail.Talking to Assam Times, senior AGP leaders said both the parties have started finalising the seat sharing formula for the same. The process for finalising seat sharing deal has yet to complete, they said adding that a few seats have yet to be finalised. According to information, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Barpeta will go to AGP while BJP will be fielding its candidates in Nagaon, Mangaldoi, Silchar, Karimganj. AGP is seeking Kaliabor and Guwahati while BJP is seeking Jorhat and Dhubri. Once the formula is finalised, the BJP and AGP central leadership will be meeting soon to approve it. source: assam times

the OP-ED page

the OP-ED page

Of Rivers, Floods and Riparian Rights

KN SAIKIA

What may be the lawful rights that may be shown to have been violated by the respective State authorities when it comes to water disputes? Could the Roman principles of riparian rights, as exposed by Roman jurists and writers Home and Buckland, be used in modern practice in India?The frequency and intensity of floods in all the plains districts of Assam is known to all. Inundation also results from southern tributaries like Dihing, Desang, Dikhou, Jhanji, Dhansiri, Kalang, and Kaliapani flowing from the southern Patkai hills and the Naga hills. The Barak Valley is also similarly inundated by rivers like the Kushiara flowing from the Mizo hills. The lower Assam rivers flowing from the hills of Bhutan inundate districts like Goalpara, Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Barpeta and Baksa.Recurrence of floods, three or more times a year, has been a regular feature in all districts of Assam. When all the rivers from north and south are in spate, flood emergency is the call of the entire people of the State. The Brahmaputra valley economy is utterly ruined due to destruction of rice cultivation during the summer season, leading to the spectre of famine and starvation deaths all over the State. It is an established principle since the Roman law era that the riparian owners of public navigable rivers have equal rights of collection and use of the river waters, though not always to the river bed. The lower riparians have the same right of collection and use of the river waters as the upper riparians do. All have the right to use the waters of the river and can take water from it for one’s use. The higher riparian owners do not have the right to so collect and use such river waters as to cause to the lower riparians any detriment, loss or deprivation of collection and use of such waters. This principle has been accepted by the Damodar, Godavari and Narmada water dispute authorities, and upheld by the Supreme Court. If the appropriate authorities at the upper reaches so collect and use such waters in dams and reservoirs, and so release some of those waters without synchronizing with the prevailing water levels, or being oblivious of the lower riparian regions’ water levels, and should that result in floods and damages, the suffering lower riparians should have a remedy in law against the perpetrators as also the State government. When riparian rights are denied, it would amount to violation of such rights, and the law will protect the riparian rights. The Brahmaputra has virtually been Assam’s sorrow. Recurrence of floods, three or more times a year, has been a regular calamity in the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys of Assam. Construction of dams, dykes and reservoirs, for whatever purpose, may result in obstruction and even denial of riparian rights for the lower riparians. During the recent decades, under different hydroelectric projects, a number of dams, dykes and reservoirs have been erected across some of the tributaries of the Brahmaputra, maybe on the Brahmaputra itself, thereby affecting the rights of the lower riparians. Some of the dams and dykes are of great heights serving as reservoirs of the enormous quantities of river waters obstructing the natural flow of the river waters to which all the riparians have their rights under the law. Besides, the reservoir waters sometimes submerge vast areas and population necessitating their displacement and relocation. In case of constant rains in the catchment areas, these dams and dykes prove to be unable to contain water beyond their capacity and a serious problem arises. At such times, the lower riparian areas also reach the end of their saturation point. At such a stage, when the dam/reservoir authorities, without measuring its possible effects on the lower riparian region, without any intimation or forewarning, release the excess dam/reservoir waters, the lower riparian areas — already having been under imminent or even prevailing flooded condition — bear a tsunami effect, with enormous loss in terms of damage to life and property.In recent years, often there have been bolts from the blue. There has been tremendous rise of water levels in Assam valleys even without there being preceding copious rainwater flow, and continuation of the flood waters even after the rains have stopped for some time. This raises the curiosity to know the cause or causes of there being floods sans immediately proceeding or contemporary rains in the catchment areas. Such were the cases reported in lower Assam riparian districts of Barpeta and Baksa in 2007/2008, and of Dhemaji, Dhakuakhana, North Lakhimpur and Majuli areas after only two or three, reportedly, raining days in the catchment areas during the last week of May 2008, when the weathermen forecasted onset of monsoon in the first week of June. One, therefore, wonders if these had anything to do with unsynchronized and uninformed release of dam or reservoir waters at the upper reaches of the catchment areas. If that be so, there is some room for suggesting that there should be information and synchronization between release of dam or reservoir waters from the upper reaches’ hydel projects and the downstream authorities on contemporary water levels at the lower reaches, so as to avoid causing sudden devastating floods at lower reaches by such water releases — unmindful of the water levels prevailing at lower reaches. Production of hydel power is undoubtedly a need of the day, but only that it should be done without unduly submerging and devastating the lower riparian regions and economy thereby. This may kindly be understood only as a suggestion, and not as an accusation against anyone. Another possible reason may be, as often reported, rapid denudation and deforestation for infrastructure development of areas at the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, thereby sending down heavily silt-and-run-offs-laden downstream, thereby possibly raising the beds of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. This may also have been the result of increasing soil erosion and excess silting and consequent rising of the river beds. In such a situation, the floodwaters, needing wider flowing space, are sure to erode river banks, particularly where the river banks are sandy, loamy and/or alluvial. Indeed, it was a lesson learnt in economic geography that once you raise embankments confining river flow, the embankment levels need to be raised every year so that raising of the river bed raises the high water levels. The example cited was that of the Hoangho (known as “China’s sorrow”) and the Yangshikiyang river’ embankments which ultimately happened to be as high as standing bamboos, and the river beds were virtually higher than the ground level of the bank areas. When the flood water spreads, the silting and alluvium deposits take place over a wider area; when embankments confine the waters to the river bed only, naturally silting is likely to increase on the river bed only. An extensive hydro-geological study of the river beds concerned and dredging may be called for in this regard in the valleys of the Brahmaputra and Barak. This would need Central help and rescue. But the question remains: where would the remedy be available to the vast section of the devastated lower riparian people of the Brahmaputra valley?It may be jurisprudentially safe to proceed with the proposition that the upper and the lower riparian regions of a public river have equal rights to the use of the waters that natural flow in it. When such naturally flowing waters result in foods and inundations, the people can have no right against the other riparian people of the river. But when some of the riparian people obstruct, divert or overuse the water of the river and that results in deprivation, damage and destruction to other riparian population, there is breach of riparian rights and the law has to find a remedy against this. It is the basis of public river water disputes. source: sentinel assam

Condition of Cachar paper mill evokes Centre’s concern

By A City Correspondent GUWAHATI, June 25 – New Delhi has taken serious note of the issue of inadequate supply of raw materials to the Cachar Paper Mill at Panchgram, which has led to a complete standstill in functioning.This mill, the only potential industry in the Barak Valley has been providing livelihood to thousands of people both directly and indirectly.The Ministry of Heavy Industry has discussed the issue with representatives of the concerned parties, including the NC Hills Autonomous Council. It may be mentioned here that the hills district is a major supplier of green bamboo, the raw material for the mill. The Union Minister of Heavy Industry Santosh Mohon Dev has requested the NC Hills Autonomous Council to look into the matter of raw material supply to ensure continuous flow of green bamboo. The Kagaj Kal Bachao Committee (KKBC), a conglomerate of as many as 15 organisations has informed that the production in the Cachar Paper Mill, a unit of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd (HPC) has been stalled since June 7 due to lack of the required green bamboo. In protest against the unconcerned attitude of the Government, the KKBC had blocked the National Highway on June 17, demanding immediate corrective measure to bring the mill back to its previous status.The KKBC has been demanding necessary steps to make the sick mill profitable, removal of alleged political interference into the mill’s affairs and disciplinary action against the contractors who failed to supply the bamboo as per the contract.However, the NC Hills Autonomous Council on being contacted said that the prevailing circumstances had prevented the council to concentrate on matters like supply of bamboo to the mill. “We will look into the matter and do our best to ensure continuous flow of bamboo to the mill,” said Debojit Thaosen, a member of the council who was present at the discussion with the union minister.

Funds breathe life into bird paradise

Funds breathe life into bird paradise

June 18: Hundreds of bird-lovers who learnt to tell the heron from the cormorant at Son Beel will unanimously swear by one fact — the oxbow lake’s ability to remain breathtakingly beautiful despite all efforts by mankind to sully it.

With 27 exotic birds and 70 species of fish on its permanent residents’ list, the 13-km-long Son Beel is a tourism treasure trove that the administration never bothered to explore.
There is no infrastructure worth mention, even for the most frugal backpacker. No hotels, motels, or even an apology for a road.

And yet hundreds of tourists flock to the lake every winter to watch the seasonal birds build their nests on the trees surrounding the expanse of water.

That there are any trees left in the vicinity of the lake is a wonder. Timber sharks have stripped most of the green cover in the area and if the administration continues with its blind-eye syndrome, soon there won’t be any tree left for the birds to perch on.

Till 60 years ago, the lake was the breeding destination of shoals of hilsa that swam into Karimganj from the rivers in Bangladesh.

The hilsas are now gone, as are various other more commonly found fish, forcing the fishermen living along Son Beel’s bank to look for alternative occupations.According to an estimate made by a fish researcher, the water reservoir now has an annual output of 210 metric tonnes of fish as against 600 metric tonnes recorded in 1905.

After relentless rallying by environmentalists, the Son Beel may finally get a morsel of the government’s attention.

The Union ministry granted Rs 85 lakh three months ago for developing the lake as a tourist spot.

If the project goes as planned, Son Beel may soon figure on the global ornithologists’ must-visit destination list. Source" telegraph india

Dams of danger

Dams of danger

The aggravating flood situation in upper Assam following release of excess water from the Ranganadi hydel project has raised serious questions over the viability of big dams in the region, especially in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra basin in Arunachal Pradesh. Environmental scientists and activists have decried the Centre’s plan to go ahead with as many as 168 large hydro-electric projects in the region on the ground that the basic concerns before initiating such a large-scale intervention on the fragile Himalayan ecology were largely ignored. Indeed, the hurried manner in which the projects are sought to be pushed through without addressing the genuine concerns such as downstream impacts in the form of floods, loss of biodiversity, seismic vulnerability of the region, etc., seems to corroborate the stance of the opponents of big dams. The situation is certainly grave, and calls for a reassessment of the Centre’s hydro-power policy for the North-East. The opposition of the scientific community has been that the projects are being cleared without a thorough study on any of the environmental and social concerns and the downstream impacts. This is valid reasoning and brushing it aside would only jeopardise the lives of thousands of people likely to be affected by the dams. A riparian State like Assam stands to be the worst-hit by the projects, and we have already been victims of dam-induced floods several times in the recent past. Making large-scale intervention on the Himalayan ecology could also lead to catastrophic consequences for its rich biodiversity. The way pristine wildlife habitats are disappearing across the planet, protection of a biodiversity hotspot is a concern of not just the North-East or India but of the entire world. While the proponents of the hydro-power policy would argue that it is the best way to get cheap, non-polluting power so critical for development, the question left unanswered is that the colossal social and environmental costs of these mega dams could effectively negate all the benefits. The circumstances are compelling, and the Assam Government would do well to engage the Centre in a dialogue on the issue before projects are given the nod. Scientific study done by impartial agencies involving top environmental scientists must precede construction of any big hydel project in the North-East. It is a fact that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of the projects cleared so far have been shoddy and give grossly underestimated presentations of the environmental and socio-economic losses. The Assam Government can no longer afford to sit complacent, and must compel the Centre to intervene in the desired manner. While we say that flood is our biggest problem, the question is – can we allow anything that can worsen it further? Source: assamtribune editorial 24.06.08

Mizoram Govt may move SC over HC order on ILP

Mizoram Govt may move SC over HC order on ILP

AIZAWL, June 23 – Mizoram Government would move the Supreme Court, if the need arose, to challenge the interim order passed by the Gauhati High Court restricting the State Government from arrest and deportation of non-tribals staying in the State without valid Inner Line Permit (ILP), Chief Minister Zoramthanga said here today. “We will tell the High Court that the ILP system is extremely pertinent for safeguarding the Mizo people,” Zoramthanga said, adding, the system was provided in the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873 to safeguard the interests of the tribals. The Gauhati High Court issued the interim order on June 13 after hearing a public interest litigation filed by the North Eastern Plain People Traders’ and Youth Federation of Assam’s Cachar district. Meanwhile, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the most powerful organisation of the Mizos, urged the High Court to withdraw the interim order and decided to observe a ‘protest day’ against the order. The decision to observe the protest day was taken at a meeting, chaired by Home Minister Tawnluia, today in which representatives of major political parties, NGOs, student bodies, Mizoram Chamber of Commerce and Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee, a congolemate of 13 major church denominations were present. The date of the protest day would be fixed later. The meeting also decided to ask for a one-day special session of the State Assembly to deliberate on the interim order of the High Court. A delegation of major political parties and NGOs would consult with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland where the ILP system is in force, the YMA said. “The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which provided that all non-tribals to enter tribal areas have to have ILP was enacted by the British India Government to safeguard the interests of the tribals and also protect them from being assimilated”, the YMA said. – PTI

Jaipur blasts suspect apprehended from Karimganj in South Assam

Jaipur blasts suspect apprehended from Karimganj in South Assam

From Jyoti Lal Chowdhury in Silchar

With the arrest of a middle aged Bangladeshi national identified as Helal Ahmed in the district of Karimganj in South Assam recently by BSF in the aftermath of the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur and the claim of the paramilitary forces and the police who grilled him about his being a sector commander of HuJI (Harkat- ul-Jihad-al-Islam) in Sylet, there is enough substance to lend credence to the reports of the intelligence agencies that the dreaded terrorist outfit is operating from its Dhaka base. He is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the Jaipur blasts. Investigation by the intelligence arms of the various agencies so far has established that he is a diehard terrorist. He used to frequent Barak Valley, different parts of Assam and across the country. A senior police officer of Barak Valley admitted that Helal Ahmed used to cross over from Bangladesh posing as a cleric, often leading a group of religious persons. The police official said he has been sent for narco-analyst test to SB headquarters at Guwahati and many more things are expected to come out about his identity. Intelligence reports have documents to prove that HuJI is based at 380, Khelgaon, Taltula, Dhaka with ever widening network in close nexus with ISI and other anti-national elements. The deadly bomb blasts in Mumbai, Delhi, Varanasi and Hyderabad brought out Bangladeshi connection with HuJI in sharp focus. Director General of Field Forces Intelligence of Bangladesh plays second fiddle to HuJI. Khwaja Ilyas, intelligence agencies say, is the present commander of the outfit whose modus-operandi is to rope in unemployed youths in Bangladesh and India for arms training in Karachi. The agencies have sounded alarm bell for cities and towns of Assam as well. Despite all the big talks of the border being fenced or brought under close watch, it is as easy as ever before to infiltrate or exfiltrate mainly through West Bengal and float or set up modules. These modules are formed with persons drawn from diverse professions, from a tailor to shop owner and engineer. Mobile numbers of some of them have been listed by the intelligence agencies, raising intriguing questions about their unhindered contacts. Suspect mosques and madrasas in sensitive border areas, about which BSF has given enough indication; provide leverage about a large consignment of arms brought in to an air force base near Dhaka by a Kuwaiti C-130 Aircraft which was received by the terrorist outfit in question under the supervision of the Director General of Field Forces Intelligence. HuJI rank and file receive training in Pakistan and Pak Occupied Kashmir. The outfit’s ever expanding base and influence is attributed to its flow of funds. Investigations reveal that a banned NGO of Kuwait Al Harmain linked with Al-Qaeda was the major funding agency for HuJI. Now its main source of funding is Al Farooq International Trust, headed by Amir Urf Maulana. In the Varanasi blasts, it was the Bangladeshis who did the spadework. Mastermind Wall Ullah, local commander of HuJI, was conduit for the three Bangladeshis identified as Bashir Uddin, Mustafez and Zakaria. After carrying out the blasts in the temple city, they safely slipped away and were reported to have left for their native country. Intelligence agencies are worried at the fragile security and long stretches of porous border in the Northeast. Even in the Hyderabad blasts, it were the Bangladeshis who provided a sort of emotional base for the terrorists to carry out the blasts. It is to be recalled that HuJI, a pan-Islamic outfit born out of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) has its cadres drawn from SIMI which provides local base in India and help with logistics. Most militants of the outfit are products of the Wahabi-Deobandi madrasas of Pakistan. Hundreds of cadres, trained in bomb making and armed insurgencies infiltrate the Indo-Bangladesh border for terror acts in India. It has global affiliations and is part of the Islamic front of Osama bin Laden.

DHD-D talks to begin today

DHD-D talks to begin today

Silchar, June 22: Tripartite talks between the Centre, the Assam government and the Dima Halam Daogah (Dilip) will begin in New Delhi tomorrow to discuss the outfit’s demand to upgrade North Cachar Hills district in south Assam into a state, to be called Dimaraji.

Dilip Nunisa, the chairman of the DHD (Dilip) faction, said today they would discuss the five-year ceasefire between the security forces and his group and the formation of a separate Dimaraji state by amalgamating some portions of Assam and Nagaland. He said the talks would be held in phases this time. The first phase would involve talks between senior officials of the Union home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), while the second phase would involve parleys with Union home minister Shivraj Patil.

The talks would also include the extension of the current ceasefire between the police and security forces and the DHD (Dilip), which is slated to expire on June 30.

An eight-member team of the DHD (Dilip) is now in New Delhi for the talks.

Pranab Nunisa, the self-styled commander-in-chief of the DHD army, Rongsling Dimasa, the organising secretary of the DHD (D), Kanta Langthasa, the outfit’s home secretary and Nairing Dimasa, the deputy commander-in-chief, will also participate in the talks, which will take place in the North Block housing the Union home ministry.

The talks have assumed importance after the intelligence wing of the army’s 4 corps arrested the publicity secretary of the Jewel faction of the DHD, Paiprang Dimasa alias Shubha Hojai, in Dimapur on Wednesday. Though the Jewel faction had announced a unilateral ceasefire, which will expire on Tuesday, the Centre is taking a tough stand against the outfit because of its spree of killings.

Nunisa accused Paiprang of masterminding as many as 180 killings in North Cachar Hills and its adjoining areas during the past four years and said, “No mercy should be shown towards this terrorist.”

Nunisa also made it clear that if the security forces, particularly the army, could expand their network in North Cachar, the “other members in the rival group would not be able to retaliate”. He described Paiprang as the real brain and the strategist of the Black Widow outfit, the other name of the Jewel faction.
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080623/jsp/northeast/story_9448091.jsp

Meet reviews development schemes of Cachar district

Meet reviews development schemes of Cachar district

From Our Correspondent HAILAKANDI, June 21 – The Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, Gautam Ganguly recently reviewed all the ongoing developmental schemes of the district and asked the concerned officials to intensify the progress of implementation of these schemes. Presiding over the meeting of the District Development Council (DDC) meet at his office's conference hall, Ganguly asked authorities to start the reconstruction works in the dilapidated Silchar-Kalain road. The North Eastern Council (NEC) has sanctioned rupees 4.92 crores for the repair of the Silchar-Kalain road.The School Department informed the Deputy Commissioner that 7353 below poverty line (BPL) students of 103 provincialised schools of Cachar district, living 2 kms outside the school have been identified for the free distribution of cycles. The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department informed in the meeting that the low cost sanitary latrines have been constructed in the 1500 households of 64 Gaon Panchayat in Cachar district. Latrines have also been constructed in the 88 Lower Primary and Middle Schools of Cachar district till the end of May. DC Ganguly has suggested the PHE to apply for the Nirmal Gram award as the department has achieved the target of constructing the low cost sanitary latrines in the Gaon Panchayats. DC has also asked the Town & Country Planning department to complete the construction works of road in the Itkhola area of Silchar town within the second part of July. Besides, he also asked the Brahmaputra Board to intensify the construction works of Amjurghat scheme and Kakrakhal Sluice Gate and a said that due to the non completion of these works the construction of roads and fencing along Indo-Bangla border is being hampered. The District Transport Officer (DTO) informed the DC that they have collected rupees 89.83 lakh as motor tax inCachar district till May.The DC also reviewed the present status of the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the concerned authorities informed that 79,000 labourers have received the job cards in Cachar district and they are working in the 200 different projects in the various parts of the district. Source: assamtribune

No compromise on 5 seats: BJP

No compromise on 5 seats: BJP

By our Staff ReporterGUWAHATI, June 20: Asom BJP general secretary Nakul Baruah today said the party will field candidates in at least five seats — Guwahati, Nagaon, Mangaldai, Silchar and Karimganj — in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls if an AGP-BJP understanding becomes a reality, and if the proposed AGP-BJP understanding does not materialize, the national party may field candidates in 12 constituencies, barring Diphu and Haflong constituencies. Talking to newsmen in the city today, Baruah said the BJP will not compromise on the five seats.

Arms being smuggled through Barak Valley

Arms being smuggled through Barak Valley

From our Staff Reporter Sentinel assam
SILCHAR, June 20: A group of ULFA cadres belonging to the outfit’s 709th battalion is currently camping at Unokoti along the Tripura-Bangladesh border with a consignment of Chinese grenades, intelligence sources here revealed. The group has been waiting for several days for the right moment to sneak into Asom, added the sources.

According to the sources, Bangladeshi arms traffickers are active at Unokoti under the cover of the sizeable Muslim population living in Khasi hamlets of that area. A recent report of the Genes Intelligent Review (GIR), a leading US based defense analysis wing, claims that Chinese arms and ammunitions have started to reach the hands of north-east militant outfits in huge quantities through Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Illegal consignments of arms are being smuggled from the Unokoti foothills in the bordering Kailashar district of Tripura to Guwahati through Badarpur of Barak valley, the sources said. The huge consignment of arms recovered at Jorabat about six months back had also come through the same route, the sources claimed.

The Unokoti-Badarpur-Guwahati corridor is believed to be one of the four “safe passages” passing through the Barak valley. The valley, considered to be an island of peace, is used by various militant outfits of the region for illegal trafficking of arms and narcotics. Besides the ULFA, the KLO and the Maoists are using the Bhairengti (Mizoram)-Bhairabi (Hailakandi district)-Meghalaya-Asom route as their arms supply corridor, the sources revealed.

The other two favorite routes of the militants are the Moreh border at Manipur to Asom via Jiribam (Manipur) and Silchar, the district headquarter of Cachar district. The sources said that Silchar, surrounded by hilly terrains, also falls in another arms smuggling corridor from Kamalpur (Bangladesh)-Dimagiri (Mizoram) border to Guwahati via Lailapur and Bagabazar in Cachar district.

It is believed that several consignments of illegal arms and ammunitions are trafficked under the cover of essential commodities in goods carrier vehicles and this can be intercepted if the police becomes more vigilant. According to the sources, the Kanakpur Road leading to the National Highway in the outskirts of Silchar town is one such vulnerable area.

Construction of Tezpur medical college to ready in two years

Construction of Tezpur medical college to ready in two years

From Our Correspondent TEZPUR, June 19 – The proposed Tezpur Medical College will be completed within the next two years. The fifth medical college of the State will fulfil the dream of the people of the North Bank. For the proposed college at Tumuki under Bihaguri development block, some 18 km away from Tezpur town of Sonitpur district, an amount of Rs 160 crore has already been allocated. Out of this, Rs 125 crore will be utilised for construction of the building and the remaining Rs 35 crore for the miscellaneous works.This was stated by Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday while addressing the land handover function organised at Tumuki under Bihagrui development block, the site for the proposed project. Attending the progrmame as the chief guest, the minister further asserted that it was a memorable day for the people of the area as well as for Sonitpur.Though the preliminary works of the proposed medical college for the north bank people will be started immediately, the foundation stone for the same will be laid in July-August by the Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the minister said.He further added that the Congress-led Assam government has set a milestone through these projects for the benefit of the public reflecting the overall development in the health sector, which was not the case during the term of the AGP government.He mentioned in this context that after the establishment of the of the Silchar Medical College, no medical college was established in Assam during the last 30 years. “We expect that there will be no shortage of doctors in Assam if we can establish a medical college after every 10 years,” Dr Sarma added.He informed that the works of construction of medical college has been given to three reputed companies namely, M/s URL, M/s BCL and M/s UIL and that the main building will be of five storeyed one while the building for the medical college (for the class rooms) will have four stories.The dignitaries present at the day-long function included Fishery and Irrigation Minister, Nurjamal Sarkar, ex-MLA, Bhimananda Tanti, Kamal Goswami, DC, Sonitpur, Mohan Boro, commissioner, PWD and John Ingtee Kather, commissioner, North Assam and many others. Source: assam tribune

Pesticide overdose kills frogs on farms

Cachar June 18: Pesticides are killing frogs at an alarming rate in Cachar and if environment researchers are to be believed this could well be the sign of an ecological disaster waiting to happen.
The tail-less amphibian of the Ranidae family, which croaked relentlessly in the farms and orchards, is dying from an overdose of chemicals contained in pesticides and insecticides and before long, a number of species will be wiped out from Cachar’s fauna list.

Years after proving how the residue of an anti-inflammatory drug found in dead farm animals proved lethal for scavengers, particularly vultures, researchers have now found that chemicals sprayed on plants to keep insects at bay are killing a large number of frog species. The news is more alarming for Cachar since it is home to 54 of the 230 frog species found in the country.

The irony is that frogs are considered the best natural “insecticides”, feeding on grass-hoppers, caterpillars, rice weevils and beetles that harm early crops.

Zoologists and agriculture department officials have warned that if the content of pesticides on farmlands was not checked, Cachar may soon lose its croaky creatures and ecological balance.

Barak, Raising in final face-off

Barak, Raising in final face-off

Women’s Football
Hailakandi, June 18: Barak Chanuralup A and Raising Club of Dolu will clash in the finals of the Samayik Prasanga Women’s Football Championship under way in Silchar.

Barak Chanuralup A team entered the finals as Group A champions and Raising Club entered as the champions of Group B.

The final of the championship, organised by the District Sports Association (DSA) of Silchar, will be played on June 29.

Surface connectivity and economic development

Surface connectivity and economic development

— Dwaipayan

In an era of free economy and information technology (IT), improved infrastructure, a sound effective network of roads, highways, air and rail connectivity, as one is conscious of, can only make a relatively violence free region/state a major destination of economic activities. Once it becomes so, its wheel of development will automatically move faster than ever before. But then, there may not be a rapid turn-around in its current state, a day too soon, that is its economic growth rate may not increase as fast one’s expection if the state/region continues to be bereft of an upgraded communication network, no matter if it has a result-yielding lucrative industrial development policy of its own or a steady energy supply, or both.It is true that the North Eastern part of our country is not a predominantly agrarian region alone, but also rich in resources such as coal, power, natural gas, crude oil and other petroleum products, which is precisely why the region holds out ample development opportunities by which it can turn itself into one of the most vibrant and resilent economic in South-East Asia. But a major shortcoming is that it still lacks a sound network of roads that can connect not only all key areas of trade and commerce in Asia, but also remote terrains bordering its states where the various insurgent groups have consolidated their bases. This has naturally clogged the process of development and congenial atmosphere that could attract potential investors.Assam, like most of the states in the region, has also witnesses series of militant violence and border clashes indulged in by miscreants. Such incidents considerably disturb the prevailing investment-friendly ambience in the State. Free flow of capital investment can be ensured at least in some measure if the offenders involved in such periodic violence are rabbed and dealt with firmly. This can be possible if there is good surface connectivity between the nearest police stations or camp of para-military forces in the trouble spots. In remote hills or border areas too, police or security personnel can may reach these spots within hours of outbreak of violence and contain it and apprehend the culprits. These areas at present seem to have turned into more sensitive and disturbed region than the rest of the State.With the absence of approachable roads to such areas, miscreants and militants can make anyone the in target at their whims and fancies, or commit any heinous crime conveniently and slip away into the nearby dense forests.There are innumerable instances in the recent past of miscreants and operatives of insurgent groups in this State and from neighbouring ones when they, taking advantage of inaccessible tract surrounded by dense forest, conducted armed attacks on the people and killed them indiscriminatley before vanishing into an unknown destination. Such cases occurred in recent times, one in May last in NC Hills district of the State, and the other at Geleki sector of Sivasagar district bordering Nagaland in June last year..In both the cases, the security forces reportedly failed to reach the areas on time and nab the culprits due to lack of motorable roads. Had there been a sound network of roads, there would not have been recurrence of violence at these vulnerable areas, nor would it have sent wrong signals to prospective investors.Nevertheless, as per a 1995-96 report, Assam’s total length of roads is 33,110 km which include 2,070 km of national highways, 2,177 km of State highway and 28,861 km of other PWD roads. During the corresponding period, the country’s total road length stands at 33,19,644 km (both surfaced and unsurfaced roads, According to another report, Assam’s road length, until a few years ago, was 52.68 km per 100 sq km on average as against the national average of 63 km per 100 sq km. If it is assumed to be true, Assam is just 10.32 km behind the country’s per 100 sq km on average in terms of road length, which can seldom be construed to be too long a stretch left to be covered under its road map. It can be brought under it provided sufficient funds are made available.If one takes a look at the state-wise break-up in the North East of the road length during the period 1995-96, one thing that stands out clear is that Assam’s position on this front is essentially far too better than all other states in the region. According to a survey report published in 2000, Assam is on top of all of them in this sphere. For example, Assam’s total stretch stands at 68,079 km with both surfaced and unsurfaced ones, just 9,500 km less than West Bengal, which is 77,579 km, whereas the total road area of Arunachal Pradesh, whose geographical area is much larger than Assam, being 83,743 sq km, is a mere 10,760 km. Even though Assam’s road length under PWD is much more than that of West Bengal–the former having 28,861 km against the latter’s 12,288 km – WB’s total stretch of roads under state highway is 3,388 km, i,e, 1,211 km more than Assam’s. Therefore, this cannot be the reason for complacency for Assam because it is still under-developed economically for being hamstrung by two damaging factors: its locational disadvantage and sensitive, strategic border. To get over this problem of underdevelopment, bringing more and more areas phase-wise, if not at one go, under the State’s existing network of roads is all the more important, which in returns can contribute a great deal in not just ensuring steady flow of capital investment, but also increasing the volume of cross-border trade which is the spirit of the mud-vaunted “Look East Policy”.But then, construction of roads in Assam is not only difficult but also much too expensive compared to many other states outside the North East. With the State falling under seismic and heavy rainfall zones, its soil quality is much too soft to favour an all-weather road instead of a fair weather one which is purely ephemeral in nature. As a result, when construction work is started, it takes several years to be completed. This apart, the cost of construction of even a fair weather road which is made of soil and stone, not to speak of an all-weather one that is much more expensive, is also abnormally high because of its locational shortcoming.A couple of years before, Rs 30 lakh was reportedly required for construction of a km of rural road in Assam whereas the same road was built at a much lower cost per km in West Bengal.Road maintenance is a job that also requires adequate funds. Rs 20 crore is much too measly an amount for sustaining all rural and urban roads as well as highways in Assam, but the said amount was sanctioned a few years ago in its annual budget for the purpose, obviously due to dearth of fund. Since Assam is a resource-rich but fund-deficit state, the government can statutable hardly be extending and improving the expected to grant more funds in the coming years for existing expected to grant more funds in the coming years for road network which is far from sound.But for ensuring free flow of resources and capital investment for its accelerated development, funds are to be raised by the government from various sources for the purpose as it is still in a debt trap. It can approach the Centre, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).The North-Eastern Region’s Development Vision-2020 which was approved in the recent two-day North Eastern Council (NEC) session at Agartala is without doubt a unique proposition, a brainchild of the Central Government aimed at addressing wide-ranging issues with regard to all-round development of the region.Among the issues the NE Vision Document is committed to focus on as prioritised areas are development of infrastructure such as road, air and highway connectivity. But there are doubts if it will at all be accomplished by 2020. A major defect is that there is so far no mention of how much money the Centre will release for the purpose in the coming years. That apart, there is also no reference in the document about when the NEC will start development of road connectivity in Assam, or other state. That is why the State Government may embark upon the work in this key area of economy without waiting for the project to start. sOURCE: Assam Tribune Editorial 18.o6.08