CM: Rules for headmen soon

Shillong, Feb. 20: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma today said his government would frame rules to delegate powers to headmen in Khasi Jaintia hills.

Sangma made this statement in the context of a judgment and order passed by the Meghalaya high court last year, which questioned the authority of headmen.

Asked if the state government would appeal against the high court order or come up with a legislation to define the powers of headmen, Sangma said, “We have taken all necessary measures and the department concerned has been asked to examine the legal and constitutional perspectives.”

On December 10 last year, Justice S.R. Sen passed a judgment, after he adjudicated a writ petition filed by eight residents of different villages of East Jaintia Hills who wanted their fundamental rights to be protected.

In the order, Sen said, “Headmen have no power to issue any kind of certificate unless empowered by the law.”

Sen said some headmen were drivers, peons or small businessmen and “without knowing anything, they try to impose their ideas on others, which is undesirable in this modern world.”

“We also notice that very often local headmen interfere with the work of police as well as with the district administration. Now the question arises, from where did these headmen derive the power to issue no-objection certificates or to interfere with the administration or indulge in removing people from villages?” he asked.

Justice Sen said, “The answer is that no rule of law has empowered them to do so. They are doing these activities according to their whims and will. They try to run a parallel government. As a result, common citizens are the worst sufferers, which should not be allowed at any cost.”

He was also of the view that in a state two parallel governments cannot run simultaneously.

“It is the government, district administration and the police who are established by law and no assistance should be sought from any headman,” he said.

Moreover, Justice Sen warned the Meghalaya government, district administration and the police not to indulge or ask people to obtain no-objection certificates from headmen. They should function independently according to rules and laws, he added.

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No addl burden on Assam after land swap deal

No addl burden on Assam right after land swap deal

R Dutta Choudhury

GUWAHATI, Feb 21 – The Centre has created it clear that Assam would not have to take added burden of any Bangladeshi national if the land swap deal in between India and Bangladesh is implemented. The Centre also assured that a series of actions have been initiated to deal with the issue of infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals and all genuine Indian citizens would be offered photo identity cards right after completion of the method of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).Talking to The Assam Tribune, Joint Secretary (North East) of the Ministry of Property Affairs (MHA), Sambhu Singh pointed out that all the enclaves to be swapped if the land swap deal is implemented, are in West Bengal and there is no explanation for Assam to take the burden of any Bangladeshi national. He mentioned the total population of the enclaves is about 54,000 and if these are swapped, the individuals living in these regions would be given the alternative to determine whether they would like to stay where they are or shift to their nation of origin. Amongst the population in the Indian enclaves in Bangladesh, only about three,500 individuals have expressed their need to come more than to India and that is the only added burden of population India would have to take.

On the other hand, Singh mentioned that a series of methods have been initiated to deal with the problem of infiltration of foreigners into Assam. As the international riverine border is deemed to be the most vulnerable, the government is arranging to deploy 3 floating border outposts in the region for ensuring correct vigil. He stated the BOPs would be assembled in the river Brahmaputra itself as earlier, the Government of Bangladesh had opposed the move to bring in the very same through that nation.

Singh revealed that the government has decided to problem photo identity cards to genuine Indian citizens living in Assam instantly right after completion of the approach of updating the NRC. He said that around Rs 498 crore would be needed for completion of the job and the Centre has already released Rs 140 crore. He mentioned funds would not be a dilemma in finishing the approach and the Centre would offer needed funds whenever essential. He named upon the people of Assam to be vigilant throughout the procedure of updating the NRC and pointed out that the land records or allotments following 1971 would not be taken as valid documents. If any person supplies post-1971 documents and claims that he/she came from other components of India, his/her ancestry would be verified by the state government concerned just before his or her name is integrated in the NRC. Similarly, the land documents of the forests would not be accepted as valid proof of citizenship, he added.

The MHA official admitted that deportation of foreigners from India is a challenging activity as the suspects never ever give their correct original addresses and the Bangladesh authorities cannot confirm the identical to accept such folks as their nationals. He stated that last year, around 1 thousand Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated legally following completion of all formalities and so far this year, the approach for sending back around 800 Bangladeshis has began.

On the issue of installation of floodlights along the border fencing, the MHA official said the Centre is in touch with the state governments concerned on the matter. He pointed out that it is the duty of the state governments concerned to give electricity for the identical and generator sets can only be utilised as back-up.

The Assam Tribune On-line

News-Source

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zeroes in on rock capital

Umiam lake

Shillong, Feb. 20: The rock capital of India could be rocking with Rock On 2 if the Meghalaya capital is finally preferred as the location for the musical.

Those behind the making of Rock On 2, a sequel to Rock On!!, landed here today as a part of the exercise to scout for a location for the Bollywood film.

Shillong has often been hailed as the rock capital of India. It is home to musical bands of various genres while having had the privilege of hosting numerous live concerts performed by the who’s who of music. UK-based Smokie was the latest big-ticket band to have performed at Polo grounds here in December last year.

Last night, film producer Ritesh Sidhwani tweeted, “Tom morning location scout for #RockOn2 begins.. Can u guess which state & city? (sic)”. Sidhwani had co-produced Rock On with actor Farhan Akhtar in 2008.

This was followed by another tweet, “I’ve got Banglore Delhi Goa Shimla till now as the possible location for #Rockon2. Sab Galat hai. Come on try harder (sic),” before tweeting “Shillong it is” this morning.

Besides Akhtar, Rock On 2 is likely to star Prachi Desai, Shraddha Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. Prachi and Farhan’s acting careers were launched with Rock On.

While the temperature dipped significantly in the afternoon when rain pounded the city, director Shujaat Saudagar tweeted a view of the Umiam lake, along National Highway 40 on the Guwahati-Shillong road. “I love not man the less, but nature more!” (sic)

However, Shillong still has a long way to go in putting in place the necessary infrastructure required for filmmaking. This has been the prime reason that deterred filmmakers from making films here.

Local filmmakers have always asked the state government to set up infrastructure which would not only aid them but also attract filmmakers from outside, including the Bollywood fraternity.

Speaking to The Telegraph over phone, Sidhwani, who came along with Saudagar here, asserted that Shillong was “the apt place” as the upcoming film would be based on rock music. “The place fits into the sequel very well. It has a strong emotional connect with the film although I cannot reveal the script yet. I feel this place has not been exploited by filmmakers yet,” he said.

While not confirming whether Shillong had been finalised as the film’s location, Sidhwani said it would be “the first choice” despite logistical hurdles.

“If you ask me, I would always say Shillong would be the first choice. We are actively working on our plans, and trying to sort various logistical issues. Hopefully, after us, many more would come here and make their films,” he said.

In a tweet posted this evening, Sidhwani shared a view from “my cottage at Ri Kynjai resort”, “Wish I could wake up to this view every morning”. This was followed by another tweet: “I’m so glad #RockOn2 scout brings me to the North East. I’ve always wanted to come here but couldn’t make it. gorgeous beautiful & serene (sic).”

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Prodyut game for 1000 good men

Prodyut Bora

Guwahati, Feb. 20: Prodyut Bora, who quit the BJP on Wednesday, said he will form Assam’s “most ethical and performance-driven party” if 1,000 people come forward to donate Rs 1,000 every month. Otherwise, he has decided to bid “goodbye to politics”.

Bora today ended all speculation regarding his joining another political party by declaring his plans/vision in a statement released in social media, where he announced his wish to float a new political party, its ideology and operational aspects.

Bora, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, was the BJP’s national executive member and former head of the party’s IT cell. He attributed his resignation from BJP, among others, to the party’s style of functioning and “political corruption” in its Assam unit.

In a four-page resignation letter to party president Amit Shah, which was also released on Facebook, Bora, raised several questions about the party. He was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and state unit president Siddhartha Bhattacharjya, a section of Assam MLAs and MPs.

While calculating the running cost of the proposed party, Bora thought of the running cost of the BJP’s Assam unit, which he estimates to be Rs 10 lakh.

“If 1,000 people contribute Rs 1,000 per month, its adds up to Rs 10 lakh. If at least a thousand good people believe that they should contribute to the creation of a party that does not have to go to questionable characters for money, I think the financial sustainability of this new party is assured. Once we have the daily sustainability assured, I think we can find out other innovative and ethical means to raise election finances whenever necessary,” he said.

To maintain accountability, Bora said, the party would submit a quarterly financial report to its donors.

“In my opinion, today there isn’t a single party in Assam that can claim to be qualitatively different from each other. And this is precisely the reason why I resigned from the BJP. So why don’t we create one?” he said.

Bora explained why AAP is not an option for him.

“Why do we have to ride on the back of a Kejriwal (Arvind)? Why can’t we be Kejriwal ourselves? We don’t need to get Kejriwal to Assam; instead, if we like, we may adopt the values of integrity and transparency that he espouses,” he said.

But Bora has taken cue from Kejriwal in forming a new political party.

“The only thing I promise is that we will attract the most honest and dedicated people in Assam, and put them to work in the grassroots. Just as Kejriwal did in Delhi!” he said.

Bora said the ideology of the new party would be “liberalism and democracy” and will refrain from calling Assam strikes and from violence, anarchy or abusing opponents.

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Joint squad to curb wildlife crimes

Forest guards examine the carcass of a rhino killed by poachers in Kaziranga National Park. File picture

Jorhat, Feb. 20: Representatives of law enforcement agencies in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur have joined hands to set up a wildlife crime control unit with focus on National Highway 39 that connects the three states with Myanmar and is a key route for illegal trade in animal anatomy.

A meeting, organised by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and ministry of environment and Nagaland forest department at Dimapur in Nagaland yesterday, identified National Highway 39 as a major transit route in the country for trade in wildlife products.

It decided that law enforcing agencies and army and paramilitary forces should join hands to check wildlife crime along the route.

The newly formed unit will have representatives from the army, BSF, Assam Rifles, CRPF, the state police, transportation agencies – aviation, rail and surface transport – and customs and forest departments of the three states.

“Guidelines will be prepared for the proper functioning of this platform soon and there will be total co-ordination among these agencies to share information regarding wildlife crime,” a senior forest department official in Nagaland, who attended the meeting, told The Telegraph today.

This was the first high-level meeting organised by the wildlife crime control bureau (eastern region) where representatives of various law enforcement agencies met to deal with the increasing wildlife crime in the region.

The formation of this exclusive unit comes in the wake of reports of involvement of militant groups in the crimes.

The Assam forest department recently claimed that militant groups were involved in the latest incidents of rhino killings at Kaziranga National Park.

The national park authorities also claimed that militants use sophisticated weapons like AK-47 and light machine guns during encounters with forest guards.

Satya Prakash Tripathi, the chief wildlife warden of Nagaland, said an exclusive unit to control wildlife crime was the need of the hour, as forest departments and wildlife crime control units have limited resources, coupled with the problem of insurgency in the region.

While asserting that the region was turning into a hotbed of wildlife crime and the national highway a major transit route of wildlife products to the international market, Tripathi said only recently a consignment of star tortoises and ivory was recovered from Dimapur.

“Wildlife products from the region and other parts of the country find their way to the international market through National Highway 39 via Moreh in Manipur bordering Myanmar,” he said.

Assam has also witnessed a sharp increase in incidents of rhino killings in the last few years.

This year, five rhinos have fallen prey to poachers in the state.

Most of these rhino horns were believed to have been moved out of the country through the international border in Manipur.

M. Sonowal, deputy inspector-general (BSF), Manipur, while welcoming the formation of the new unit, said all law enforcement agencies operating in the region should exchange information.

“Intelligence sharing could play a major role in dealing with such crimes,” he said.

Another forest official in Nagaland said wildlife products found their way into the international market also through Churachandpur in Manipur and Mizoram, apart from Moreh.

Chaturbhuja Behera, the regional deputy director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (eastern region), addressed the gathering at the meeting and said all law enforcement agencies should do their bit to protect the rich bio-diversity of the nation.

While informing the gathering about the ongoing trends in wildlife trade across the country and the prevalent modus operandi of the traders, Behera said it was time that all of them worked together to check such crimes.

“The demand for wildlife products, especially rhino horn, has increased in the international market and there has been an increase in rhino killings in recent times,” he said.

He appealed to the representatives at the meeting to contribute in whatever way possible to stop wildlife crime and trade in the country, particularly in the northeastern region.

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Malaria parasite from Myanmar threatens India

Source: The Sangai Express / IANS

London, February 20 2015 : India faces the imminent threat of malaria parasites that are resistant to the drug artemisinin, the frontline treatment against malaria, spreading from Myanmar into its territory, putting thousands of lives at risk, researchers have warned.

The research team confirmed resistant parasites in Homalin, Sagaing Region located only 25 kms from the Indian border.

If drug resistance spreads from Asia to the African sub-continent, or emerges in Africa independently, millions of lives will be at risk, the researchers added.

“We are facing the imminent threat of resistance spreading into India, with thousands of lives at risk,” explained professor Mike Turner, head of infection & immunobiology at Britain-based Wellcome Trust.

The researchers examined whether parasite samples collected at 55 malaria treatment centres across Myanmar carried mutations in specific regions of the parasite’s kelch gene (K13) – a known genetic marker of artemisinin drug resistance.

Map of Indo – Myanmar Border

The team obtained the DNA sequences of 940 samples of malaria infections (known as Plasmodium Falciparum malaria parasites) from across Myanmar and neighbouring border regions in Thailand and Bangladesh between 2013 and 2014.Of those 940 samples, 371 (39 percent) carried a resistance-conferring K13 mutation.

Using this information, the researchers developed maps to display the predicted extent of artemisinin resistance determined by the prevalence of K13 mutations.

The maps suggest that the overall prevalence of K13 mutations was greater than ten percent in large areas of the East and North of Myanmar, including areas close to the border with India.

The collection of samples from across Myanmar and its border regions was led by Kyaw Myo Tun of Defence Services Medical Research Centre, Napyitaw, Myanmar and coordinated by the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Drug resistant malaria parasites in the 1960s originated in Southeast Asia and from there spread through Myanmar to India, and then to the rest of the world where it killed millions of people,” Turner noted.

“The new research shows that history is repeating itself with parasites resistant to artemisinin drugs, the mainstay of modern malaria treatment, now widespread in Myanmar,” Turner explained.

The study appeared online in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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Along with the whole Nation, North-East India Celebrates ‘Festival of Lights’ Diwali.

The Diwali celebrations are marked by offering puja to Lakshmi – Goddess of wealth and prosperity, colourful decoration, rows and formations of lit up earthen lamps,lots of sweets and mouth-watering cuisines followed by exchanging of gifts between family members and close friends..

The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.

This year, individuals and groups are celebrating the festival of lights in a different way.

From children to youth, most are saying no to crackers and enjoying an eco-friendly Diwali.

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