Kumari Puja held

JORHAT, Sept 26: Crowds thronged the pandal of the Ram Krishna Sevashram near the first bridge on the Jorhat Engineering College Road to participate in the Kumari Puja held on Mahashtami today, the second day of the Durga Puja festivities.

Seven-year-old Kumari Akanksha Sharma bedecked in glittering attire and made up to resemble the Goddess was seated near the idol and worshipped as a form of Goddess Durga.
The main priest, Gurudas Chaitanya Brahmachari, who performed the puja came from Naruttam Nagar Ram Krishna Sevashram and was assisted by Kripa Sindhu Chakravarty of Jorhat.

Kripa Sindhu Chakrabarty narrated that Vivekananda at Belur Math in West Bengal began the tradition of performing Kumari Puja in 1901, on Mahashtami day and the practice still continues. The Kumari Puja began here since 2005.

“A Brahmin pre-puberty girl without any blemishes is the criteria for selection of the Kumari”, he said, adding that the family should allow the worship of the girl. Akanksha, who fulfilled these conditions is the daughter of Biswajit Sharma and Ankita Sharma of Borigaon in Jorhat.
Elsewhere, the Brahma Kumari Puja near the Bisturam Barooah Hall also drew crowds with a girls posing as Goddess Durga and a human being in the form of Mahishasura as well. THE SENTINEL

We will inquire into credentials of Tantia Construction: Tynsong

From our Correspondent
SHILLONG, Sept 25: PHE Minister Prestone Tynsong today said the government is adopting transparency in awarding contract to Kolkata-based Tantia Construction Company and the department is not aware of the allegation that the company is a black listed one.

Reacting to news reports that the State Government has awarded the construction of Phase III of the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme to the company without looking into its credentials, Tynsong said, “The department was not aware of such anomalies.” However, he said that the government would write to State governments where Tantia had worked or was currently working, and seek their official views on its performance and credentials.

Tynsong said, “If the news reports have any truth in them, then the government will take action as it may deem fit. There is no hide and seek here, we will be transparent.” Stating that ‘credibility is more important than the price,’ Tynsong said that the department had complied with all the rules and procedures of tendering and attributed the delay in implementing the project due to the April 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Tynsong also said following permission from the Election Commission of India to proceed with the project, the PHE floated the tender on April 20, 2009, and after following due process which included threadbare scrutiny of the technical bids on August 4, 2009 and financial bids 13 days later by the Tender Acceptance Board (TAB), the department resolved to award the work to the lowest bidder, Tantia Construction Ltd from Kolkata, whose bid was only Rs 51.40 crore. Tynsong further said he only approved what the TAB had found valid. He said the other two bidders include M/s SEW Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, which came second with a quote of a little over Rs 66.49 crore, and M/s IVRCL, which quoted a little over Rs 129 crore. PHE Chief Engineer TG Abraham said the department had sought information from the company on its background, especially whether it was facing any litigation or not to which “the company had replied in the negative”. THE SENTINEL

Resource manual on gender sensitization released

From a Correspondent
SHILLONG, Sept 25: The Training and Resource Manual on Gender Sensitization and Video CD on Multi-Sectorial Project on Crime Against Women was today released by Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr DD Lapang at a function organized by the North East Network (NEN) in collaboration with the Meghalaya State Police supported by the Incarnation Development Research Centre (IDRC) in the conference hall of the DGP’s Office, Shillong. The function was attended by Principal Secretary, Home, PBO Warjri, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare A K Srivastava, DGP B Kezo, Project Manager of NEN D Syiem and police officers amongst others. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Lapang lauded the efforts of the NEN for initiating the programme of gender sensitization on crime against women by involving departments like the Police, Health and Social Welfare which are directly connected with the issue. He said that the training and resource manual will serve as a capacity-building tool to the police personnel and also to the healthcare providers on gender sensitization and also it will be a guidance to the trainers and councillors to deal with the problem.

Expressing his concern over the alarming increase of crime rate in the State, especially crime against women, which he termed as ‘appalling phenomenon’, Dr Lapang said the government is taking serious efforts to eliminate the menace from the society. He said to overcome this problem, concerted efforts need to be made by both the government and the NGOs by working together, especially in terms of creating awareness among the people. THE SENTINEL

‘UCIL white paper not satisfactory’

From our Correspondent
SHILLONG, Sept 25: The Dorbar Ki Khlieh Nongsynshar Ka Ri Hynniewtrep has asked the government to reconsider the decision to allow “pre-developmental activities” and to put in an independent health and environment impact assessment prior to approval of the development activities in Wahkaji area in West Khasi Hills.

The dorbar, a conglomerate of the federation of 25 Khasi states, in a letter to Chief Minister DD Lapang today placed contamination of streams and rivers and irreversible damage to biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in the area as facts for consideration by the government before the development activities.

Pointing out that the white paper submitted by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to the previous MPA Government did not address the serious health and environment concerns, adviser and chairman of the dorbar John F Kharshiing said the matter needs an independent study by independent professionals on the impact assessment on the water resources in the Wahkaji area.

Kharshiing said that the excerpt from the white paper detailing how water resources can be tapped will lead to ecological damage and disaster of the important river resources in West Khasi Hills. He said Sawphew, Phudphra, Blei, Mawkhan, Rangam, (Domasiat, Nongtynger), Snget (Phlangdiloin), Ri Tham (Mihngi), 5 km from Phlangdilion, Phanmawpra, Rangkhait and Wahkaji rivers and their tributaries will be affected if the large-scale mining of the ore takes place.

“It is beyond dispute that this kind of large-scale mining will have a long-term impact on the quality of the important water resources and their tributaries as the overburdened waste rock will be exposed to 6 to 5 months of rainfall,” Kharshiing said. All the streams, rivers and their tributaries flow to the famous river Kynshi and subsequently river Jadukata crosses the international border with Bangladesh where the people of the area rely on the same watershed and surrounding land for drinking water and locally-grown organic food supplies.

According to the white paper submitted by UCIL, “the project activity would require large uninterrupted quantity of water, for which they would tap water resources from the rivers around the project area. Only treated effluents after appropriate monitoring will be released to the environment, waste rock and mill tailings will be used for back filling in mines and the balance material will be contained in an engineered containment system. It also states that wet drilling will be done to suppress dust generation and water will be sprayed on the broken ore or muck to control dispersal of dust. For management of waste rock, mine water, mill tailings and the effluent from the tailings containment the white paper said that will be given due importance during mining and ore processing operations. Environmental surveillance of surrounding areas of about 10 km radius will be carried out to assess impact of these operations. The radiation exposure rate atmospheric radon and gamma radiation levels will be periodically measured in the surrounding.”

On the damage to biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries Kharshiing said the Koh Tyllaw Wildlife Sanctuary will be also be affected and extinction of elephants, wild buffalo, deer and a variety of tigers, cats, wild boar and rare birds is imminent as the 15 to 20 squire km sanctuary is already facing pressure from coal-mining activities along the Borsora, Shallang areas.

According to the white paper “the mine has been planned for 3,75,000 tonnes annual production and the estimated overburden quantity is about 2.5 million tonnes. Initially, overburdened rock will be dumped externally and then it will be back-filled into mined out areas…” which indicates large-scale extraction and mining. Further the white paper states “occupational hazards associated with mining and processing of uranium ore are common to such other operations as hard-rock mining and hydrometallurgical industries. In opencast mining, risks like exposure to siliceous dust, noise and blasting are common hazards, whereas in processing plant, common hazards, uranium mining and processing are also susceptible to low level of radiological hazards.”
“An aerial glance of the area from a contour map will help us understand the pressure created by human behaviour on the biosphere reserve and wildlife sanctuary existing in the area,” Kharshiing said, adding that a number of rivers, streams and their tributaries flow into the biosphere reserve and wildlife sanctuary.

Pointing out that the Ministry of Environment and Forest has also come out with a list of 23 environmentally sensitive places, Kharshiing said the proposed pre-developmental activities are in direct conflict with eight parameters as mentioned in the list of the environmentally sensitive places.

Stating that the white paper failed to highlight the facts of the public hearing held by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, on June 12, 2007 at Nongbah Jynrin in West Khasi Hills Kharshiing also said the government should remember that “the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement December 15, 1947 signed and accepted by the Central authorities with the Federation of 25 Khasi States clearly defines the rights of the indigenous people over their land, minerals, water and forest.”

Urging the government to rescind the transfer of land for the proposed pre-developmental activities Kharshiing said the government can withhold the lease as it is not necessary at this stage. “If the objective for now is only development, lease or transfer of the land would mean that the State Government has ignored the wish of its own people,” he said. THE SENTINEL

Furore over arms licences on poll eve

Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sept 25: The poll code of conduct came into effect immediately after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for conduct of Assembly polls in three States, including Arunachal Pradesh, on August 31 last. Exactly a week before that, the State Government had approved issuance of 85 gun licences on request of three persons of a single district — two sitting MLAs and a former minister.

Documents available with The Sentinel revealed that on August 24 last the Home Deputy Secretary had conveyed the Kurung Kumey district administration of the Government’s approval to issue arms license under additional special quota on request from Education Minister Tatar Kipa, sitting MLA Lokam Tassar and former minister Kahfa Bengia.

While Kipa is recontesting from Nyapin Assembly constituency, Tassar and Bengia are facing each other from Koloriang Assembly constituency.

As per the approval order, issued separately, 50 arms licenses were allotted to Kipa, 25 to Bengia and 10 to Tassar. While the approval to Kipa and Bengia was given on August 24, the same was given to Tassar on July 27.

The revelation has evoked unprecedented criticism from various sections, including high-ranking government officials who do not want to be named.

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), while claiming to be partners with the ruling Congress in the State, severely criticized the move by the Government to approve issuance of such a large number of arms licenses to three leaders right on the eve of Assembly polls. State AITC president Kito Sora today said such permission to procure arms before the elections, especially granted to two candidates contesting against each other, may lead to an arms race and create a volatile situation during the polls. Accepting that the Model Code of Conduct prohibits procession of arms during the elections and that the DEOs have directed all residents to surrender their arms with the authorities, Sora, however, expressed doubt on its hundred per cent implementation as many people in remote places may not surrender their arms.

Sora has lodged a written complaint with the State Chief Secretary against the government’s approval order and demanded to know the reasons behind the issuance of surplus number of arms licenses under special quota.

Bamang Tala from Sangram has also submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary questioning the necessity to approve 50 arms licenses to Tatar Kipa. He alleged that the procured licenses are being randomly distributed to the villagers in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Kurung Kumey, which has already witnessed poll-related violence that injured election officials and police personnel recently at Palin, has always been sensitive, particularly during election times. THE SENTINEL

Arunachal Election, BJP hints pre-poll alliance with PPA

Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sept 25: Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) State unit today revealed that it would extend support to the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) in constituencies where it would not field its candidates hinting the first pre-poll alliance of the ensuing Assembly elections.

Party general secretary Tai Tagak, while talking to the media, said the party has resolved to restrict the number of its contesting candidates this year in view its interest. He said, “We are open to any regional parties and like-minded persons for negotiation”. Reiterating that BJP’s endeavour is to bring a change and end the political instability, Tagak blamed the ruling party of failing to meet with people’s expectation. He also claimed that his party would give a good fight to its rivals and alleged the ruling party of using money and muscle power to gain mileage in the run-up to the elections.

Highlighting the party’s manifesto, Tagak said that BJP is firmly committed to an agenda which the party would like to deliver after coming to power.

“We have carefully drawn our priorities based on the hopes and aspirations of the common people, which have been deliberately denied for years by successive governments and defectors.” THE SENTINEL

Civil service aspirants cry for question bank

Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sept 25: This year the number of aspiring candidates for the forthcoming Arunachal Pradesh Public Services Combined Competitive Examinations (APPSCCE) has risen in comparison to previous years. It is expected to go up to 12,000 for the declared 52 posts. As per information available, as many as 9,550 copies of forms have been sold out till date. However, aspiring candidates are unhappy with the Public Service Commission for failing to provide the ‘promised’ question bank despite charging Rs 500 (APST) and Rs 600 (general) towards it, including forms.

Despite repeated request by the candidates for question banks, the Commission has not provided the same to them. “I have been coming here for the last three weeks to collect my copy of question bank,” said an aspirant.

When asked, the Secretary of the Commission blamed it on the publisher’s inability to print the required number of copies. Meanwhile, the APPSC went on a damage-control exercise from today by charging only for the forms; thus, reducing the price to Rs 200. However, the Commission is in the process of distributing question banks to those who have already paid Rs 500. With October 6 being the deadline for submission of filled-in forms, the Commission is yet to commit itself to any deadline to provide question banks to the deprived aspirants. THE SENTINEL

AITC promises results within 100 days

Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Sept 25: If voted to power, the State unit All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has vowed to establish a full-fledged Inter-State Boundary department and abolish the practice of charging admission fees from students in government-run schools, set up municipalities for Itanagar and Naharlagan, check the unmonitored price index of essential commodities, establish an independent ADC headquarters at Poma and black top the Doimukh-Potin road.

This, the party said, would be completed within 100 days of its coming to power and dubbed it its ‘100 days commitment’ in its election manifesto released here today.

State unit president and sitting MLA Kito Sora, while releasing the manifesto, said the party has approved the nomination of 30 candidates on AITC ticket from various constituencies for the October 13 polls. He said 20 of its candidates have already filed their nominations, while the rest would do so by this evening. As per the election schedule, filing of nominations ends today.

Incidentally, the list of 30 AITC probables include six sitting MLAs who were discarded by the Congress for reasons kept under closet. Five former MLAs and ministers are also in the list. Representation of women candidates in the party, however, is minimal. It has fielded only three women candidates who happen to be wives of top State Government bureaucrats. Wife of Power Chief Engineer M Mara, Yai Mara, has been fielded from Likabali, while Duter Padu, wife of PHED Chief Engineer G Padu, and wife of Health Director Dr T Basar, Daktar Bassar, have been fielded from Aalo West and Basar respectively. When asked if the poll battle is against the ruling Congress, Sora negated it while claiming that as INC, AITC and NCP were partners at the Centre, they were ‘brothers’ in the State.

“This will be a friendly contest. We are not going into this election with bitterness against any party,” he said.

Sora pointed that ‘big brother’ INC cannot accommodate all able leaders in its fold, therefore, AITC would help it out by fielding these leaders from its own platform.

Exuding confidence of winning not less than 10 seats, the sitting MLA, who is not contesting this time, said majority of the people want change but are denied the opportunity. “This time with the entry of AITC, an ajibo-garib change is eminent,” he said.

Sora said that all the Union ministers of the party would come to the State to campaign, besides a senior MP would camp at the district headquarters where the party is putting up its candidates to oversee the electioneering. THE SENTINEL

8 booths with single-digit voters

ITANAGAR, Sept 25: The forthcoming Arunachal Pradesh general elections will witness eight polling stations with single-digit voters. Upper Mudoi Deep polling booth under Bordumsa-Diyun constituency and Mrambo polling booth in Anini Constituency have only three eligible voters each. Sikaridanga and Molagam polling stations under the Kalaktang and Hayuliang Assembly segments have four voters each. Lumta in Pakke-Kessang has five eligible electorates followed by Matkrong under Hayuliang and Dharampur in Miao with seven people who are eligible to exercise the franchise. Punli polling booth that also falls under Anini constituency has 9 voters.

Informing about the electioneering process on the last day for filing of nominations, a source said the election office has geared up to provide the logistics to conduct the elections. This includes the provision to meet the requirements of the 40 per cent odd polling stations that are not motorable. Moreover, the District Election Officer has been asked to prepare a communication plan that should include all resources such as landline telephones, mobile-phones, wireless sets, satellite phones to facilitate effective monitoring and control of the day’s poll. Altogether, there are 2061 polling stations spread across the 60 Assembly segments in the State.

Even though the election officials have not disclosed the number of sensitive and hyper sensitive polling stations, yet a source said that the Central paramilitary forces will be drawn from outside the State to assist the State police during the election process. The CPF and State armed police will be deployed after assessing the ground situation, stated a source, adding, “the identification of polling stations requiring static coverage by the CPF will be made by the district election officer”. THE SENTINEL

MP Takam Sanjoy in Parliament panel

ITANAGAR, Sept 25: Lok Sabha MP Takam Sanjoy has been inducted as a member in the newly constituted Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances 2009-10 with effect from September 23. This decision of the Lok Sabha Speaker was communicated to the MP today by the office of the Director, Committee on Government Assurances. THE SENTINEL

Rehabilitation of SULFA demanded From our Correspondent NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Sept 23: Nowboicha Anachalik Surrender ULFA Co-ordination Committee strongly

From our Correspondent

NORTH LAKHIMPUR, Sept 23: Nowboicha Anachalik Surrender ULFA Co-ordination Committee strongly alleged that they have not got any aids for rehabilitation since 1991. Most of the ULFA leaders surrendered before the Governor of Asom, Chief Minister of Asom, DGP of Asom from 1991, but facilities have yet to be received from the Government of Asom. The co-ordination committee also alleged that in 1991, 162 nos. of ULFA cadres surrendered and the Asom Government gave them assurance for rehabilitation but have been deprived from Government aids till date. Some of them have not even received the surrender’s certificate from the district administration. The Nowboicha Anchalik SULFA Co-ordination Committee condemns for it and also demanded to rehabilitate the SULFA cadres soon. THE SENTINEL

No request for logistic support: Army

SHILLONG, Sept 21: In spite of the reported movement of Indian troops towards Arunachal Pradesh for ‘operation alert’, there is no extra demand for logistic and ordinance support from the army command known as 101 Area. The 101 Area under the command of a major general is based in Upper Shillong and its ambit is to provide ordinance and daily rations extending up to Arunachal Pradesh.

Though swollen troops means more demand for dry and wet rations, sources in the 101 Area said there is no excess in its supplies to the personnel posted in Arunachal Pradesh. The defence public relations officer (PRO) based in Shillong, R Sahu, told The Sentinel today, “I have checked with the command headquarters and no extra ordinary requirements were asked by the Asom-based army corp that is supposed to channelize the rations or ammunition for supply to the Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh”. He gave an impression that the normal supply is no indication to the reported army build-up in Arunachal Pradesh.

Reiterating that ‘nothing extra ordinary has happened in ordinance and supply section at 101 Area’, Wing Commander Sahu went on elucidating the process
where exercise before the monsoon and bitter winter that are perceived as buildup. Another source in the 101 hierarchy told this correspondent that the so called ‘operation alert’ has nothing to do with the strategic moves. The Army functionaries in Upper Asom Corp headquarters could not be contacted for their comments.

The 101 Area’s revelation is an indication that nothing unusual is happening in the Arunachal Pradesh sector along the Sino-Indian border even as China has already expressed its strong opposition to the Dalai Lama’s forthcoming visit to Tawang.

China has not recognized the McMohan line and even staked claim to 90,000 square kilometres of land in Arunachal Pradesh. THE SENTINEL

KSU launches agitation

SHILLONG, Sept 21: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) today launched its second part of agitation in its series of ‘peaceful protest’ against the Cabinet decision to lease out land to Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) by distributing pamphlets to the public stating the ill-effects of the pre-project development programmes at the uranium mining site in West Khasi Hills.

On Saturday, the KSU had burnt effigies of the government and UCIL kick-starting its series of agitation programmes in protest against the government’s decision. Today, four-page leaflets were distributed all over Khasi-Jaintia Hills by the KSU, which is joined by the Langrin Youth Welfare Association (LYWA).

KSU president Samuel B Jyrwa said the pamphlets are aimed at creating awareness among the public on the ill-effects of uranium mining and the aftermath of the pre-project development programme of UCIL at Mawthabah areas in West Khasi Hills.

Pointing out that UCIL has been trying to mine the ore in the State since 1990 but stopped by anti-uranium mining groups and social organizations, Jyrwa said, “UCIL again wants to mine the ore because of the support it has got from the government and certain groups who want to meet their own selfish interest.” He added: “The government which is responsible for protecting the land has now turned an agent or a contractor involved in the trade of land.”

Quoting a lawyer from Peru Dr Elias Carreno Peralta the pamphlets stated, “Uranium, the heaviest mineral, is known as ayacachi which means salt of death or salt that kills.” Citing examples of the effect uranium has on health in countries like Yucca in America, South Dakota, Jadugoda and the Aborigines in Australia, the social organizations said that uranium caused misery and pain to the people of those areas. “Since 1947, over 86,000 employees and residents of Yucca were affected with Leukaemia, impotency, epilepsy and cancer,” the anti-mining groups said, adding that even in South Dakota over 70 per cent of infants suffered from breathing problems and 38 per cent women experienced miscarriage.

Stating that scientists all over the world have testified the ill-effects of uranium, the KSU and the LYWA said it not only affects human and living things but brings about total destruction to the environment also.

Reiterating that they are not against development, the social organizations said that the pre-project development programme of UCIL for a period of 30 years at 422 hectares of land in West Khasi Hills was a total sell out of the land as the infrastructure activities like construction of roads, schools, hospital and electricity were for the benefit of UCIL only. The development programme of UCIL is a precursor to uranium mining in the state.

The pamphlet distribution against the Cabinet decision will continue till tomorrow followed by a public rally on September 23 at Motphran. THE SENTINEL

Centre for greater efforts by police

Centre for greater efforts by police

R Dutta Choudhury

GUWAHATI, Sept 20 – The Centre is of the view that the State police forces should play a more proactive role to deal with militancy. A fully-computerised regional cooperation mechanism for the North East will become effective soon to improve coordination between police and security forces to deal with the problem of militancy.

Highly-placed official sources told The Assam Tribune that the need for the police forces to become more proactive to reduce dependence on Central forces was discussed in the recently concluded meeting of the police chiefs of all the States. Sources said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is of the view that the State police forces are in a better position to deal with militancy because of the fact that the police personnel know the local situations and people and they should be in a better position to deal with the problems than the forces brought from other parts of the country. If the State police forces start playing a bigger role in dealing with militancy, it will also reduce dependence on the forces like Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), sources pointed out.

Sources revealed that the Centre is “very much concerned” with the security scenario in the North East, particularly in Assam and Manipur. In fact, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram also expressed their concern over the security scenario.

The MHA is of the view that there should be better coordination between the police and security forces operating in the North East states. Though a regional multi-agency centre with its headquarter in the office of the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Guwahati, is functioning, the MHA is of the view that there is a need for greater coordination. Of course, the existing system improved coordination between the police and security forces operating in the North East, which led to the arrest of a number of militant leaders. But the multi-agency centre holds meetings of the senior officials of police and security forces periodically, the MHA has decided to establish a fully computerized regional coordination mechanism with its hub in Guwahati to improve coordination.

Sources revealed that the regional coordination mechanism is likely to be headed by a senior officer of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the police forces of the States would enter the relevant information in the network and steps would be taken to ensure that all the information and leads entered in the network are followed up to their logical conclusion. The information fed in the system and the follow-up actions taken will also be monitored from Delhi daily to ensure that the system functions properly to deal with militancy, sources said.

Meanwhile, though the level of violence in Assam has come down in recent times, the Centre is still concerned with the situation as according to the MHA, militant groups like the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the anti-Talk faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) still have the potential to carry out subversive activities. Sources said that the Centre is not keen on adopting a “short-sighted approach” and judge the situation with the level of violence of only a few months. “Assam witnessed a peaceful situation for quite some time before the serial blasts on October 30, which killed nearly a hundred persons. The MHA is getting reports that the ULFA and NDFB launched recruitment drives in some parts of the State to increase their strength and there is need for augmenting security measures to prevent attacks by the militant groups,” sources added.

67 stolen vehicles recovered

SILCHAR, Sept 20: In the last 30 months, beginning from January 2007, the Jirighat police has recovered 67 stolen vehicles due to strict monitoring and vigilance by a team of men led by officer-in-charge of Jirighat, Yashin Ali.

According to sources, between September 16 and September 19, 2009, a Tata truck, Santro car and Tata Indica were recovered. The Indica was found abandoned at Jirighat refugee colony on September 18. Sources alleged that the cars and other vehicles are stolen by an inter-state gang of criminals operating in Asom, Manipur, Mizoram and beyond the international border. THE SENTINEL

Mobile phones distributed to ANMs in Darrang

MANGALDAI, Sept 20: In a bid to boost the health sector and for better accessibility, networking and communication with the grassroot level in Darrang district, mobile phones with SIM cards were distributed among 161 health sub-centres ANMs at a function jointly organized by the District Health Department and the Darrang unit of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Mangaldai Natya Mandir at Mangaldai recently.

The distribution programme was inaugurated by Darrang Deputy Commissioner Dhruba Hazarika. The project has been implemented in collaboration with the BSNL by NRHM, Asom. The BSNL has created a Virtual Private Network (VPN) Close User Group (CUG) for all phones under this scheme. The ANMs can now call each other free of cost by dialing the CUG number.
Addressing the occasion, the DC attributed the distribution programme as a landmark for the health sector as it will facilitate prompt and proper medical aid to the affected people on receipt of a phone call.

As a matter of fact, the NRHM, Asom will centrally bear an expenditure of Rs 199 per month for each mobile connection, which includes fixed monthly charge of Rs 99, CUG connection charge of Rs 50 and charge outside the CUG of Rs 50. This facility allows the ANMs to make phone calls and send SMS free of charge, besides, 100 SMS to any BSNL mobile.

The occasion was also graced by Sipajhar MLA Bianada Saikia, ADC (Health) Hemkanta Bora, Joint Director of Health Dr Brajendra Nath Sarma and Mangaldai Civil Hospital superintendent Dr Nirmal Chandra Sarma. This was stated in a press release. THE SENTINEL

Brahmaputra Paper Pvt Ltd

TEZPUR, Sept 20: Brahmaputra Paper Pvt. Ltd. has recently come up with their Kraft paper manufacturing facility at Dolabari in Tezpur with its motto of ‘‘Saving the Environment through Recycling’’, apart from industrial development of the region by generating direct and indirect employment opportunities. This was disclosed by Director of Brahmaputra Paper Pvt Ltd Ritesh Tibrawala at a press meet held in Tezpur yesterday.

The company plans to manufacture Kraft paper with its captive power generation unit and waste water effluent treatment plant. The company is the first of its kind in kraft paper industries of North Eastern states having its own captive power plant. It utilizes various agricultural and industrial wastes to faciliate its manufacturing activities. The main raw material used is waste corrugated boxes which are recyled to manufacture kraft paper for reuse as raw material in corrugated box industries, thereby saving plants which could otherwise have been cut for producing paper.

The company uses rice husk as one of the main source of fuel to generate power in its own captive power plant. Due to its nature, rice husk does not get decomposed easily. With its state of the art technology, the company uses rice husk to generate power and is also planning to establish an industry to make fly ash bricks by using the fly ash produced in its plant.

The company has also installed an effluents treatment plant to recycle the waste water for reuse in manufacturing process and thus fulfills its commitment of zero percentage discharge. Even the sludge drain-out during the manufacturing process passes through effluents treatement plant and is again reused in the manufacturing process.

The initiatives undertaken by the company goes a long way in protecting the enironment through recycling and discharging minimum wastes in comparison to the normal practices. THE SENTINEL

Maintain peace and amity: ABSU

From our Correspondent
UDALGURI, Sept 20: The Udalguri district committee of ABSU has requested to maintain peace and amity and erase out misunderstandings between the ethnic people in the region. Sharply reacting on the Darrang district AAMSU statement, the Udalguri district ABSU said that, “we are not against any community, but the people who were displaced on communal riots are categorised by the administration into three categories. The first and second categories displaced are already rehabilitated as per the Government reports. But the third category people who sans their land and documents are not even enlisted their names in the voters lists and are still on the makeshift camps. The ABSU demanded if they are genuine citizens, then to prove their identity to the authority. The ABSU is not against any community in the region as stated by the AAMSU, the ABSU statement said. Further, they appealed to co-operate ABSU to maintain mutual understanding and co-existence. The ABSU demanded CBI inquiry into the break out of communal violence in the region. The statement clarified that the people who fails to prove their identity as genuine citizens should be pushed out from the region. Each and every organization should back ABSU on this genuine matter, the ABSU said. THE SENTINEL

Debating competition organized

From our Staff Correspondent

DIBRUGARH, Sept 20: Tridip Narayan Baisistha of Tezpur University has bagged the first prize of Rupees seven thousand in cash in the All Assam Inter College Debating competition, organized by the Duliajan College Students’ Union in association with the Duliajan unit of the All Assam Students’ Union in memory of those students who sacrificed their lives during Assam Agitation, held yesterday at Duliajan College Auditorium. All total 15 participants from various educational institutions of the State took part in it. The topic of the debate was– “In the opinion of the house intellectuals have failed to give right direction to the youths of Asom”. The second and third prize won by Nabanit Hazarika of Sivasagar College and Priyanka Sarma of Women’s College of Tinsukia respectively. Dr Neeta Kalita Baruah of the Education Department of the Dibrugarh University (DU) aptly conducted the competition as speaker while Nasmeem F Akhtar of Department of English, DU, Prateek Choudhury, Department of English, Dibrugarh Hanuman Bux Surajmal Kanoi College and senior journalist I Ahmed of Dibrugarh acted as judges of the competition. THE SENTINEL

Early Birds raises National Green Crop forces

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: The Early Birds– an animal welfare organization, had recently opened National Green Crop student groups in eight Guwahati based schools under a scheme of MOEF. In a meeting held in the Gauhati Refinery High School, these groups were formed in the month of August. These schools were Refinery HS, Noonmati HS and ME, Nizarpara HS, Bhabanipur HS, Chunsali ME, Bamunkhat HS, Kajalichaki ME, Jalukbari, Adarsha ME, Noonmati. On September 16, on the International Day for Ozone Layer Preservation, the Early Birds opened a group called ‘Gazali’ with forty members strong troop at Noonmati ME and HS School. A drama based on nature and evils of tree falling was staged by the students. Moloy Baruah, president of Early Birds explained the rules and regulations pertaining to National Green Crop. Junali Dutta, teacher in-charge of the ‘Gazali’ group explained the purpose of the meeting. On September 19, a quiz competition was organized in the same school by the Early Birds team. A tree plantation programme was also conducted in the school campus. Students were also shown nature conservation documentary including the vanishing vultures by the BNHS. The Early Birds was consisted of Moloy Baruah, Pulakesh Talukdar, Debanand Baruah and Achala Goswami. This was stated in a press release. THE SENTINEL

Sudhir Chandra Barua: A multifaceted personality

Born on October 23, 1915 in a respectable family in Sivasagar, Sudhir Chandra Barua had his early education in Sivasagar and passed the matriculation examination from Sibsagar Government High School in the first division with distinction in Mathematics and Classical language. Not only did Sudhir Chandra Barua pass the Intermediate examination from Cotton College in the first division, he also secured the highest marks in Assamese and distinction in Mathematics. After obtaining B Sc degree, Sudhir Chandra Barua started his career as a teacher at Sivasagar. He served the American Petty Geophysical Company in Yangon and also as an operator of Dubbs Plant in Digboi Refinery. He served as the founder sub-editor of The Assam Tribune published from Guwahati along with Late Radha Gobinda Baruah. Then he joined the Tocklai Experimental Station in 1947, and remained there for 22 years. He served as the Chief Scientific Advisor to Warren Tea Company, from 1969 to 1974. He also served as an Honorary Lecturer in Tea Science in Assam Agricultural University besides serving as a member of the Board of Management of the same university. Thereafter, he became a consultant in tea plantations for more than 70 tea estates in Asom and West Bengal. Settling permanently at Jorhat, he was associated with the social, cultural and educational life of the city. In 1950, Sudhir Chandra Barua with Late Suresh Chandra Rajkhowa, the then Inspector of Schools in Jorhat, established Balya Bhavan with only seven students on roll. Going against the trend for English medium, he convinced everyone that mother tongue is the best medium of instruction at the primary level and within few years, Balya Bhavan earned the reputation of being the centre of quality education. He was the founder of the Lions Club’s Charitable Eye Hospital. An authority on tea plantation, he authored a number of books on the subject, in English. Equally proficient in English and Asomiya, Sudhir Chandra Barua wrote several books in Asomiya, besides a good number of articles in newspaper and journals. In a series of interesting articles published under the title “Elandhu” in “Prantik” an Asomiya fortnightly, he threw light on hitherto unknown aspects of many celebrated Indian personalities. On the auspicious occasion of his Adya Shraddha, I pay my respectful homage to Sudhir Dada, as I called him, and pray god for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

–Prafulla Rajguru THE SENTINEL

Congress MLAs worried

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) named its candidates for the Arunachal Assembly elections yesterday. As many as 12 sitting MLAs were denied party tickets and included new faces in their places. This development has kept a number of Asom Congress MLAs, especially those who are in the anti-Gogoi lobby and the 25 MLAs who had moved the Chief Minister recently with signature campaign seeking reshuffle of the ministry, are a worried lot as are apprehensive of the fact that they may face the same fate in the 2011 Assembly elections in the State. In the 2006 Assembly elections in the State also, a number of then sitting MLAs, including Dileswar Tanti, Hemprakash Narayan, Pankaj Bora, Hemanta Talukdar and Mithius Tudu were denied party tickets by the Congress. In the recently held Lok Sabha elections too, the party denied tickets to a number of sitting MPs, including some of Asom. THE SENTINEL

Tarun Gogoi as Home Minister is disappointing

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: In the conferences of the chief ministers and the DGPs held in New Delhi recently, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram expressed their dissatisfaction over the law-and-order situation in Asom. Even in the aftermath of such repeated outbursts on the law and order of the State by the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, seriousness on the part of the State Government on the law-and-order front is under question. This question arises because the agility on the part of the State Home Department to fill up thousands of vacant posts is lacking. The department also failed to fully utilize Central funds meant for police modernization. THE SENTINEL

International Day of Peace: Working towards peace

Rukmini Barua Deka

In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly declared in a resolution sponsored by Costa Rica the third Tuesday of September (the opening day of regular sessions of the General Assembly) as the International Day of Peace, devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September, 1982.

In 2001, a resolution was passed by the General Assembly sponsored by the United Kingdom and Costa Rica to give the day of Peace a fixed date and declare it as a global ceasefire day. In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace, which is observed every year and calls for a full day of peace and ceasefire throughout the world. The ‘Peace Bell’ is rung at the UN Headquarters on this day. The bell is cast from coins donated by children on all continents and considered a symbol of global solidarity.

Wars and conflicts are widespread. We are living in an age of terrorism where tales of atrocities committed by malevolent masterminds dominate the headlines of print and electronic media worldwide. They use violence and threats of violence for fulfilling their demands, thereby vitiating the society and estranging people. Inter-religious and communal tensions and lashings are rife , particularly in our country. Atrocious crimes like terror and massacre of people by human bombs are not something new. Such incidents create strong feelings of indelible fear which people are unable to dispel.

Attempts should be made to cast off and bury the hatchet that exists between different groups. By preventing and resolving conflicts there will be harmony and understanding between different groups and communities. The prevailing injustice should be resolved and justice should restored to people through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, community conferences, collaboration, international law or military action as a last resort.
By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal. Preserving world peace is a central purpose of the UN. Under the Charter, member States agree to settle disputes by peaceful means and refrain from threatening or using force against other states. Over the years, the UN has played a major role in helping defuse international crisis and in resolving protracted conflicts. It has undertaken complex operations involving peacemaking, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. It has worked to prevent conflicts from breaking out. After a conflict, it has taken action to address the root causes of war and lay the foundation for peace.
UN peacekeeping brings hostile parties to agreement through diplomatic means. The Security Council may recommend ways to avoid conflict or restore or secure peace through negotiation or recourse to the International Court of Justice. The UN is increasingly undertaking activities that address the underlying causes of conflict. Development assistance is a key element for peace-building. The Security Council sets up UN peacekeeping operations and defines the scope and mandate in its efforts to maintain international peace and security.
Each year events take place all around the world for the International Day of Peace. Every Peace Day event provides an opportunity to inspire individuals and empower communities to celebrate victories for peace that have been won throughout the year. A Peace Day event can be as simple as lighting a candle or meditating on Peace on September 21. A Peace Event can also be as big as organizing a peace concert for thousands of people.
Multiple factors have contributed to the outbreak of war. In a nutshell, they are greed, starvation, Third World debt, the environment, dictatorship and terrorism. We have to bear in mind that a huge sum of money is being spent on fighting wars and on guns, rockets and nuclear missiles. In the strife-torn regions, thousands of children have been orphaned, women have been widowed and people have become homeless. The world will cease to exist if no action is taken to help humanity which is crying for peace.
Human Rights and Peace Studies should be introduced in educational institutions for youth. They should be imparted instructions to inculcate the virtue of forgiveness and get rid of the vice called hatred. Instead of going haywire, they should rectify their faults and keep away from feud. Only then we can establish a violence-free and peaceful society. THE SENTINEL

Developmental projects of GMC Ward No 37 inaugurated

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: Former GMC Councillors of Greater Karnachal area under Ward No 37 in Guwahati inaugurated various projects taken up for the development of the area under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) community participation fund.
At a function organized by the Greater Karnachal Multipurpose Women Society and Karnachal Mahila Sangha and attended by GMC Additional Commissioner S Thiek and local MLA Captain Robin Bordoloi, former GMC Councillor Kushal Sharma said he had spent Rs 6.57 lakh during his term for various developmental schemes, with contribution from the local people also.

Sharma said,“During my term bylanes, steps leading to the hills, the main road from Jaya Press to Jitendra Nath High School and drains were constructed. Streetlights were installed, dustbins were set up and a public bhavan was constructed.”

Urging the local MLA Captain Robin Bordoloi to take up more schemes and projects for the development of Greater Karnachal area, local development committees today submitted a memorandum to the MLA. THE SENTINEL

International peace exhibition

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: Bharat Soka Gakkai will organize an exhibition titled ‘Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World’ from October 10-October 30. The exhibition will be inaugurated at the Pragjyoti ITA Complex at Machkhowa in the city after which it will be open for public display at various places like Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium, Gauhati University and Gauhati Town Club auditorium.

The exhibition, which brings together the ideas of hundreds of people and organizations dedicated to finding a path to lasting peace, has already toured different parts of the world and some Indian cities. This exhibition will be held in the Northeast for the first time.

The exhibition is not just a collection of panels but an experience that aims to awaken each viewer to recognize themselves as a major protagonist in the drama of building a culture of peace, stated a press release. THE SENTINEL

Illegal influx worries Miyan Parishad

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: Concerned by rising fundamentalist activities in the State and the problem of illegal influx, the Asom-Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad will organize a march from Dhubri to Lakhimpur in a bid to create awareness among the people. The march will start on September 24 at Barpeta.

In a press statement Parishad president MG Hazarika said,“The indigenous Muslims of the State are being harassed in the name of identifying and deporting Bangladeshi immigrants. There is a need to protect the identity of the indigenous Muslims and to protect their identity. There has to be an awareness among people that all Muslims are not illegal immigrants.”

“Moreover, fundamentalists and terrorists are defaming Islam by carrying out terrorist activities in the name of Islam. We want to tell people that Islam does not mean fundamentalism and terrorism. We have therefore organized this march to create awareness among people,” said Hazarika.

Hazarika hoped the march will help to segregate indigenous Muslims from Bangladeshi immigrants. He added a new organization Asom Bakh Sena has been formed under the banner of the Asom-Miyan (Asomiya) Parishad to remove superstition from the minds of the people.“More than 100 youths have become members of this organization. The idea is to create awareness among people against superstition,” said Hazarika. THE SENTINEL

Organization to issue quit notice to Nepalese in Langpih again

SHILLONG, Sept 20: The Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Hima Raid Mynsaw (SNSHRM) said if the government does not take any action against the influx of the Nepalese into the Langpih area, the organization will again issue quit notices to be followed by serious programmes against them.

Addressing the meeting of the Nongsynshar Shnong of Hima Raid Mynsaw held recently at Raid Mynsaw Upper Primary School in West Khasi Hills, Synjuk Ki Nongsynshar Shnong Hima Raid Mynsaw (SNSHRM) president T Nonglang said, “Earlier, also quit notices have been issued to the Nepalese, but no action has been taken by the government as yet. This time, we will again issue notices to the Nepalese and serious action will be taken against them, if the State Government does not take any action in this regard.”

Nonglang said, “The people have been just waiting for the government’s action to decide what action they will take to check influx of Nepalese.”

It may be mentioned, of late, the Nepalese have started building houses in the areas of Umsawli, Umsohram, Lawbah, Mawkoibari and Langpih. There are also a few Nepalese who had shifted to Asom and now coming again to Langpih. The people of Langpih said the Nepalese have tried to encroach the reserve forest at Umtap village. Receiving information about this move of the Napalese, the Rangbah Shnong and the Khasi youths of the area have decided to scare them away from that place.

The sources said that the Nepalese threatened the Khasis of Langpih area yesterday. The sources also said Langpih Sordar Swing Samakha is in great danger as the Nepalese have threatened to kill him since he is the one who informs the State Government and the journalists about the Langpih issue. THE SENTINEL

Onam celebrated in Shillong

SHILLONG, Sept 20: The Onam Festival is celebrated in the beginning of the first month of Malayalam calendar (Kolla Varsham) called Chingam. In South India, this festival is celebrated on September 2. Nevertheless, the Keralites of Shillong decided to celebrate it today.

Organized by Kalakairaly, an organization upholding the welfare of Malayalam people living in Meghalaya, Onam celebration saw more than a thousand men, women and children participating in it. Along with Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh as the guest of honour, Meghalaya Governor RS Mooshahary graced the occasion as the chief guest. He was accompanied by his wife and mother-in-law.

The meritorious students were given awards on the occasion. The day of Onam is celebrated in the honour of King Mahabali. People believe that it was on this particular day in the Malayalam month of Chingam when Lord Vishnu had taken his fifth avatar as Vaamana and appeared in the kingdom of King Mahabali and sent him to the nether world. On that occasion, Mooshahary pleased everyone with his speech in Malayalam. He said, “Onam is a celebration of food, art, culture, the festivity of unity and one creed and one God.” Recalling his by-gone days, Mooshahary said, “I enjoy Malayalam movies, particularly the film Chemmie, a few songs of which I know very well.”

The significance of Onam is the happiness of people at the end of a bountiful harvest. Most of the Malayalam people go to their native places during Onam. Some of them do not get the opportunity to celebrate the festival with grandeur. However, to bring the Malayalam people closer in Shillong, Kalakairaly organized this special programme today. President of Kalakairaly said, “People believe that it is on the last day, Tiruonam, the spirit of King Mahabali, visits Kerala. Hence, the day is marked by feast and festivities. Devotees of Maveli celebrate the golden era witnessed in Maveli’s reign during Onam.”

To welcome their revered ruler, people lay flower mats (Pookalam) in the foreyard, prepare a grand meal (Onasadya), dance, play and make merry. All this is done to impress King Mahabali that his people are prosperous and happy. the sentinel

BSF apprehends anti-national element

SHILLONG, Sept 20: The BSF guards in an anti-infiltration drive apprehended one Indian anti-national element identified as Krishna (38) of Pyrdwah village under Pynursla police station in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Besides this, the BSF troops of the Assam and Meghalaya Frontier seized 10 cattle heads, 35 bundles of bidi, forest produce, crockery and edible items from various locations along the Indo-Bangladesh border while they were being smuggled out to Bangladesh. The price of seized items is approximately worth Rs 3,00,000.

Employees to organize dharna

HAFLONG, Sept 20: The NC Hills Autonomous Council Employees Association has decided to organize a dharna in protest against the non-payment of salaries to the Council Normal employees for the last five months.

At a meeting held in Haflong yesterday, the employees association have decided to hold a dharna with effect from September 22 to September 24 at the Council main gate. The meeting further resolved to take agitation programme after Durga Puja if their grievances are not met at the earliest. This was stated in a press release. THE SENTINEL

Centre gifts 5 NITs to region (The Telegraph, 18.09.2009)

Centre gifts 5 NITs to region

A STAFF REPORTER

NIT Agartala Guwahati, Sept. 17: Technical education in Northeast got a big boost today with the Centre approving the setting up of a National Institute of Technology (NITs) each in five states — Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. The Northeast has two NITs at present — one in Agartala (Tripura) and the other at Silchar in Assam. The new IITs, approved by the Union cabinet today, will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore. These institutes will be covered under the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007, making them institutions of national importance. This will help the region join the mainstream of technical education as these states have few national-level technical institutions. The process for setting up the NITs will start in 2009-10 with formation of respective societies, constitution of a board of governors and appointment of directors. Admissions will start from the academic session 2010-11 and classes will start on campuses either taken on lease or set up temporarily in mentor NITs. Construction of campuses for the new NITs will be initiated subject to land being provided free of cost by the respective state governments. The process of setting up the institutes will be completed over a period of five years. “The question is how fast the states can act on the orders of the Centre as they will have to locate a huge space of land also,” a source said. The NITs will provide high quality education to many bright students from the region as 50 per cent of the seats will be reserved for eligible students from these states. The Centre is providing top priority to the Northeast to speed up development in all spheres. Arunachal Pradesh is also a beneficiary state but has not been named because the model code of conduct has come into operation because of the October 13 Assembly polls, the sources said. The NITs were earlier known as Regional Engineering Colleges. The RECs were set up as joint and co-operative ventures of the Union and state governments with the aim to meet the increased demand for technically qualified manpower. In 2003, the 17 erstwhile RECs were rechristened National Institution of Technology and taken over as fully-funded institutes of the Union government and granted deemed university status. The NITs will produce engineering and science graduates in the short run, post-graduate and PhD students in the long run and teachers for engineering and science subjects at the college/university level. It will also help in development of research and development and generation of intellectual property in engineering and science in the long run .

(The Telegraph, 18.09.2009)

All Manipur Students Union students boycott classes

IMPHAL, Sept 16 – Academic activities in Manipur’s valley districts were severely affected for the sixth day today in view of the All Manipur Students Union-sponsored indefinite class boycott call against the July 23 killings.

Due to the continuous strike,the functioning of the educational institutions in and around the four valley districts – Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur and Thoubal were reported disturbed.

The agitation call is a part of the ongoing movement to denounce the firing during which one young pregnant housewife Th Rabina and one former militant Ch Sanjit got killed and five others were wounded. ASSAM TRIBUNE

BJP urges Centre to frame policy on NE insurgency

ITANAGAR, Sept 16 – Expressing deep concern over the volatile security scenario prevailing in the Northeastern region, including Arunachal Pradesh, the Opposition BJP has urged the Centre to come up with a concrete policy decision, besides forming a constitutional body, ‘North East Security Council’ to put a check on movement of militant organisations operating from the soils of neighbouring countries – China, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

“During the successive Congress regime, the security scenario in North East has been becoming more volatile and dangerous. Due to lack of serious efforts on the part of the Union Government and aggressiveness from other side of the border, the internationally-aided secessionist and militant movement is being encouraged in the NE States, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland which share international borders with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh,” said P Chandrasekhar Rao, the North East organizational in-charge of BJP, at a press conference here this afternoon.

The Saffron Brigade’s reaction came following the alleged Chinese incursions along Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir and reported border skirmishes along Sikkim and Uttaranchal, besides the oft-repeated claims of China over the territory of Arunachal Pradesh.

Sniffing a big conspiracy by China, Pakistan’s ISI and the United States CIA to create disturbance and instability in the region through the NE militant groups operating from foreign soils, the BJP urged the UPA Government to adopt “a clear cut policy” and even, hold an all-party meeting to have in-depth discussion over the matter. “We demand the Prime Minister, who is an MP from Assam, know the ground realities and understand the feelings of peace-loving people of the region,” Rao said.

Reiterating the party’s long-standing resolve for formation of North East Security Council in the line of National Security Council, he said, “A full-time constitutional body is needed to effectively handle the internal security problems in North East and to thwart the movement of militant organisations in the region.”

Holding the successive Congress Governments “solely responsible” for the fracas created in the region both internally and externally, the BJP leader said the Central Government should make a concrete policy decision for effective border management, and constitute Study Groups – one each for all NE States for addressing the security concerns.

State BJP leader and former MP Tapir Gao said that the government should understand the border skirmishes, intrusions whatever is happening along the Indo-China border. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Adhahyan, Magazine released

GUWAHATI, Sept 16 – Adhahyan, a city-based coaching centre released a magazine titled Adhahyan at the Rabindra Bhawan auditorium recently.

A function was also organised on the occasion which was also attended by noted economist Dr Jayanta Madhab and Jnanpeeth awardee Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami amongst others.

Dr Madhab, while speaking on the occasion, highlighted the need for changing the teaching system of the State to pave the way for a better academic atmosphere.

On the exodus of large numbers of students from the State, the noted economist said that the education institutes in the State should pay more attention to grooming the students as it is done by quality institutes based in other parts of the country to check the existing trend. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Bhupendra Sangeet competition

GUWAHATI, Sept 16 – A two-day Bhupendra Sangeet competition was organised by Satgaon Sahitya Sabha on September 12 and 13 at the Satgaon High School Ground.

On the first day, after flag hoisting by Brig (Retd) AK Pait, children from all over Assam took part in the singing competition.

Competitions were also held in dance and essay writing, a press release stated.

Manisha Hazarika, Kanika Bhattacharjee and Nityananda were the judges. On the second day, during the award presentation ceremony, Jnanpith award winner Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami, Sabin Rajkhowa, Loknath Goswami, Samar Hazarika, Bishnu Hazarika, Mahadeb Deka and many other eminent personalities were present.

In the ceremony, Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami released a book titled “Hridoyor Bhasa Jodi Sur Hoi” a collection of 54 patriotic, children and modern songs written by Dipak Chandra Das and published by Sukanya Rajkumar, the release added. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Arangetram and Classical Dance Festival 2009

GUWAHATI, Sept 16 – The Arangetram and Classical Dance Festival 2009 of Nupur Cultural Academy was held at the Pragjyoti Cultural Centre, Machkhowa here recently, stated a press release.

The chief guest and the guest of honour were Sangit Natak Academy award winner, Padmashri Natyacharyya Jatin Goswami and Prof Dr Dipankar Banerjee respectively. Each of them were honoured with a flower bouquet, gamocha, chadar, japi, statue of Lord Ganesha and a book compiled by Monisha Devi Goswami. Dr Hemaprabha Saikia, ex-minister of Assam, was also honoured with a phulam gamocha.

The programme started with a welcome address by the chief patron of the institute Bijoy Chandra Goswami. The students who took part in the Arangetram were Nayanava Sarma, Bipasha Saikia, Kripashree Rajkhowa, Kiranmoyee Kalita, Sarmistha Goswami, Kasturi Bhattacharyya, Nimisha Rajkhowa, Dorathi Das and Archita Bhattacharyya. They were awarded diplomas.

In the dance festival, eight dances – composite Bharatnatyam recital by the students performing Arangetram, Alaripu, Swaravali, Jatiswaram, Shri Rama Chandra Bhajan, Nrityanjali, Saraswati Stuti and Krishnaleela were performed by the students. The dances were choreographed by Monisha Devi. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Jhanji HNS College on swine flu

AMGURI, Sept 16 – An awareness programme on swine flu (H1N1 influenza) was organised at Jhanji Hem Nath Sarma College under the aegis of the Commerce Department of the college, on September 12.

On this occasion, a meeting was arranged at the college auditorium under the presidentship of Dr Anil Kumar Gogoi, principal of the college. Dr Akhil Hazarika, senior SDMO, Civil Hospital, Sivasagar attended the meeting as resource person. Dr Hazarika explained elaborately about the disease which is caused by a respiratory virus called H1N1 virus.

He also explained why this virus is called H1N1 with the help of video projection. The H1N1 virus, though endemic in nature, becomes pandemic if proper prevantive measure is not taken up. The death rate due to H1N1 influenza is mere 0.4 per cent with proper knowledge, people can protect themselves from the attack of this virus.

More than 300 students and teachers of the college and a good number of local people attended the meeting. Lecturer Jayanta Rajkhowa of the Commerce Department anchored the programme. The vote of thanks was offered by Bidyadhar Boruah, HoD, Management Department. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Nalbari civil hospital

NALBARI, Sept 16 – The Nalbari Swahid Mukunda Kakoti civil hospital, which is visited by patients daily in large numbers has been facing a lot of problems in infrastructure and manpower to serve the patients properly.

Though the hospital authority has been demanding the higher authority to solve their grievances of no action has been taken so far. The condition of the approach road starting from the entrance is very pitiable. The road has to be widened with proper drainage system on other side. The floors and walls of the old buildings of the hospital have been eroded presenting an untidy appearance. The walls are also badly stained with betelnut stains. Besides, most of the windows and doors have been damaged creating an insecure situation in the hospital. The district civil hospital also need a minor operation theatre urgently.

The joint director of health services, Nalbari Dr Prabin Ch Chaudhury said that he had already submitted a character of requirements to the Health Minister. According to him the civil hospital should have four ICU cabins on the first floor indoor department.

The other needs of the hospital are connecting corridor between OPD and indoor department, room for ORT corner, doctors room for each ward, conference hall, emergency duty room, PDTCT centre rooms, silent mode generator of 100 KVA, close circuit camera for effective monitoring, intercom facility for whole hospital, provision for children ward to accommodate 20 beds; construction of laboratory among others.

The joint director has also submitted a beautification on plan for the hospital. He has urged plantation of neem trees along the side of the hospital boundary; garden in all suitable locations with decorative turfing and display, exhibitions, clearing of the front side of the hospital by dismantling the garage.

The people of the district has demanded modern amenities in the hospital. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Jorhat Municipality Board Election

JORHAT, Sept 16 – The elected members of Jorhat Municipality Board took oath of office from the deputy commissioner of Jorhat district at a programme held at the auditorium at Jorhat Normal School here on Monday.

The board was formed at a meeting presided over by Aruna Saikia, a senior member of Jorhat Municipality Board. Prasanta Bora was selected as the chairman and Abul Hussain was selected as the vice-chairman of the board. For the first time Jorhat municipality board was formed without a member of opposite party.

Deva Kumar Borah, press adviser to Chief Minister, Putul Buragohain, president of Jorhat Zila Parisad and Padma Sharma, president, JDA, were also present in the meeting. assam tribune

Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB) Election

DIBRUGARH, Sept 16 – Congress leader Chandra Kanta Barua took over as the new chairperson of the Dibrugarh Municipal Board (DMB) while Rampatlal Verma of the same party assumed charge as the vice chairperson.

The names of Barua and Verma were announced after the oath of affirmation of all the twenty-two Ward Commissioners and two ex officio members of DMB at an installation ceremony at the conference hall of the municipality board. Water Resources Minister Prithibi Majhi and local MLA Prasanta Phukan are the two ex-officio members of DMB.

Barua is the 64th chairperson of the DMB. Which was set up in 1873. Barua takes over the charge from the appointed E/O, Saranga Pani Sharma. Indian National Congress (INC) with 16 Ward Commissioners dominates Dibrugarh Municipality Board (DMB). BJP has four Ward Commissioners while AGP has one another being an independent candidate. Voting for the election was held on July 31 and counting on August 4. Altogether 100 candidates contested in the polls.

Meanwhile, Krishna Chenglari (Gogoi) and Dipak Agarwala were appointed as the chairperson and vice chairperson respectively of the Naharkatia Town Committee. The installation ceremony was presided over by Pranati Phukan, Deputy Speaker, Assam Legislative Assembly, and MLA of Naharkatia LAC, in the presence of local and district administration. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Recognition for Down Town Hospital

GUWAHATI, Sept 16 – The Central Govt Health Services (CGHS) has recently recognised Down Town Hospital as the only hospital in the region for the treatment of all Central Government employees and their dependants, a press release stated.

Following the CGHS recognition, Down Town Hospital has also been recognised by the Assam Govt Health Services for the treatment of State Government employees in the fields of Accident and Emergency; Orthopedics and Neurosurgery. Meanwhile, the Neurosurgery Department of the hospital completed 15 years of service recently. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Green revolutionary

Those who named it The Green Revolution clearly did not use the phrase in its contemporary sense. Today green embodies the colour of ecology. Ironically, its proponents criticise the ‘father’ of the so called Green Revolution, Dr Norman E Borlaug, who passed away on September 12 at the age of 95, for having caused more ecological problems than he solved. There is more than a ‘grain’ of truth to this, for the hybrid strains of high yielding and disease resistant varieties of wheat that Borlaug developed completely destroyed traditional and sustainable agricultural practices in favour of less eco-friendly ones. But neither Borlaug, nor the world in the 1960s, had any choice of alternatives. That was the post world-war era of population explosion, with food output, particularly in developing countries, desperately struggling to keep pace with the growing number of mouths to feed. It had been either use of scientific innovation to dramatically raise food production, or confront the spectre of wide ranging famines in areas such as Latin America, Africa and the Indian sub-continent. Borlaug’s success with high yielding varieties in Mexico having attracted international attention, it was but inevitable that he would be drawn into the tussle at a global level. His zealous commitment enabled him to overcome resistance even from the proverbially negative bureaucracy of India, one of the many countries that gained enormously from the fruits of Borlaug’s toil.

In fact, towards the latter part of the 1960s, after using varieties developed by Borlaug, so bountiful Indian wheat harvests became that there was no space where to store the produce. Having become self-sufficient in grain cereal production, the nation had no need to import food or look for handouts from the more opulent countries. Thus, indirectly, the plant scientist had a huge role to play in fashioning the new image of India in the twenty first century, of a self-reliant and self-confident nation with a fast growing economy. It is said that about half the world’s population goes to bed every night after consuming grain descended from one of the high yield varieties developed by Borlaug and his colleagues. Aptly, he received the Nobel Prize in 1970 not for a scientific discipline but for Peace. The citation had read, “More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world. We have made this choice in the hope that providing bread will also give the world peace.” It is, of course, difficult to correctly gauge the impact of the revolution ushered in by Borlaug, for there are many imponderables to his legacy. Its colour might not quite be green, yet there can be little doubt that by averting catastrophes of the moment he changed the course of history and armed the world with optimism to strive towards a better future. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Family planning

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Notwithstanding some positive developments taking place in the health sector, a sizeable section of the State’s women living in char (riverine) areas continues to suffer for lack of access to health care and even the basic awareness about family planning. A case in point is a settlement on the Moabari embankment near Moirabari in Morigaon district on which this newspaper carried a news feature. The women are compelled to lead a life of perpetual drudgery, with the bane of early marriage and child-bearing at close intervals haunting them for a good part of their lives. All the families have on the average six to eight children, most of them suffering from malnutrition. All this is more surprising given that the area is not exactly remote, with a government hospital located nearby. The grim reality, therefore, is that the much-hyped government interventions on health care, especially for women and children, remain a non-starter in the area. It is regrettable that a crucial area like family planning – something inextricably linked to woman empowerment as well as long-term socio-economic progress – should be neglected in this manner. Moabari is not an isolated episode, and there would be scores of such areas across the State where government-sponsored welfare schemes exist only on paper.

For meaningful implementation of any welfare project, the Government will have to accord thrust on reaching out to the most needy and vulnerable sections. Recently, the Government introduced several programmes aimed at ensuring family planning, institutional delivery, etc. Places like Moabari need to be accorded special focus for success of the projects, as doing things as a matter of routine will lead us nowhere. Along with health interventions there is an urgent need for creating awareness in the backward areas having a high incidence of illiteracy and poverty. A sustained motivational campaign with support from voluntary organisations could help in freeing the minds of the targeted beneficiaries from the deep-rooted social dogmas and prejudices that shackle them. In places like Moabari, women are made to believe that early marriage and child-bearing are their bounden duties. The Government spends crores of rupees on adult literacy every year. The point is why such campaigns fail to reach the areas which need such interventions the most. The Government would do well to realise that drumbeating its perceived successes amounts to living in a fool’s paradise when the reality presents a picture in stark contrast. The abysmal human development indices for women will continue to make a mockery of all tall claims by the Government. THE SENTINEL

Talking sense at last

— Patricia Mukhim
The three-day DGP’s conference held in New Delhi has seen some plain speaking by Home Minister P Chidambaram. He has minced no words in saying that armed insurrection will not be entertained within the Indian State. This does not need further amplification. Groups like the NSCN (IM) and K and a plethora of other gun-totting mercenaries should now get the message loud and clear. Anyone having even the faintest notion of trying to dismember the nation-state, their ‘unique’ histories notwithstanding, stands in grave danger of being treated as enemies. And the Indian State is neither very forgiving nor tolerant of enemies.

However, the Home Minister has also given ample scope for groups to bring their grouses to the negotiating table since there is nothing under the sun that cannot be negotiated without the booming of guns in the background. Militant groups from the North East should get some straight messages from the new Home Minister. Never before has the Home Ministry made as much news and seen to be taking the bull by the horns as is happening today. Even as Finance Minister, P Chidambaram was never as feted as he is today. He is delivering and it is gratifying to note that our jungle warriors have abandoned their bravado and some have already surrendered their arms, to walk the straight and narrow paths of common citizens.

The three day conference in New Delhi is addressing terrorism, extremism and the North East conflicts which perhaps overlap both categories and spills over into more domains. For how do you define the conflicts in Manipur? That State and its people are living in a confused, chaotic scenario of street protests every single day even while the security forces are unrelenting in their attempt to finish off the extremism/insurgency/terrorism/extortionism and what have you in the State of Manipur. While citizens are grappling with State-high-handedness after Sanjit Singh, a reformed militant was brutally shot at by the Manipur commandos, the militants are having a field day because they are left to their devices each time the uniformed personnel are on the back foot.

It is a peculiar situation that civil society has never been vehement when militants have bumped off chosen targets. Perhaps it is due to fear of reprisal. Politicians and security forces are soft targets that can be held to ridicule and be publicly reprimanded because they are easily identified. But why are there no spy cameras to photograph militants while on their killing spree? Are we missing something here in our bravura to hail the secret camera person? It takes an uncanny accuracy to be at the scene of the crime to record what is defined as ‘State-sponsored terrorism’. Perhaps there is more here than meets the eye. Granted that we have the best mobile telephony gadgets and spy-cams but to be in the right place at the right time is nothing short of a million dollar breakthrough.

But like it or not, this very incident has catapulted the North East yet again into the national limelight. A Delhi-based television channel did a thirty minutes feature on the horrors of Manipur and how people there live life on the edge. Those who constantly moan that the North East is nearly always falling off the Indian map will be happy that they are now in the news, albeit for the wrong reasons. That even the students of journalism should be fed with this clichéd gripe that the national media does not give enough space to North East news. For goodness sake why is it so important to be seen on ‘national’ television or ‘newsprint’ unless we suffer some sort of congenital orphan syndrome. Does it affect us when we see farmers in Andhra committing suicide? Don’t we just discuss and forget about the issue? And don’t our power packers in Delhi do the same thing? So why bother about ‘national’ media anyway? Like somebody has rightly remarked there is not such thing as a national media. NDTV or CNN-IBN are Delhi based channels and very metro-centric in their discussion of important issues. We should ask ourselves why we watch them and increase their TRP ratings?

So much for national attention! Let me now come to the point with which I started this article. The North East now needs major infrastructural investments and these will only come in a climate of political stability and economic viability. No one is going to spend his hard earned money here to pay off militant groups. Those who have done so have recovered the profits from us the citizens. It is time now for those who have a stake in development – human, physical, economic, ecological and political to put their heads together and find out means to strengthen the State mechanism that is fighting terror, instead of constantly bailing out hard core militants with our misplaced sympathies and skewed human rights slogans.

Two or three or five decades of violence have taught us enough lessons in adversity for us to want to continue with this lose-lose phenomenon and to look at win-win scenarios. P Chidambaram has hit the nail on the head when he calls the problem by its name. We have fooled ourselves by supporting ‘our ULFA boys’ our ‘Naga National Workers’ our ‘Khasi Freedom Fighters’ and the thirty odd extremist groups in Manipur. In fact I think we have conceded defeat by leaving our living spaces and looking for safe spaces to live in, instead of roughing it out in those theatres of violence. Sadly, after having left our hearths and homes we then become the most vociferous proponents of human rights. This is pure and simple hypocrisy. Those who want to change the world cannot live in heaven. They have to be in the world and with the world. Sadly, Delhi has become the safe haven for all human rights activists of the North East.

We have to get real if we want to get somewhere. The time to begin is now. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Regional trade and role of Chittagong port

— Dwaipayan
There will probably be no understatement to say that the economy of Assam is still in a moribund State, and that there is seldom any sign visible of it turning vibrant or resilient in the foreseeable future with its fast-growing expenditures on wrestling with the insurgency and the post-flood scenarios in particular. Under these compelling circumstances, had the agriculture sector, the key revenue-tax earning source of the State, fared as well as a few years before, it would have been a little but rewarding. But ironically, this sector is seemingly turning out to be unpredictable. Whether it is for lack of sound irrigation mechanism, elusive monsoon or flash floods whatsoever, is an altogether different matter.

This year, for example, the far-below the expectation agricultural output can without hesitation be attributed to the erratic rain and the near drought-like situation developing in the five districts of the State. But what about its performance the previous year? It was not too amusing with rain being normal in most parts of it.

The tea industry in the State that has over the decades bolstered its economy substantially, besides providing employment to a fairly good number of people in the State, to cite an example, is currently passing through a bad patch. The situation turned worse when its production dropped 15 per cent during the first quarter of 2009. Resultantly, its exports too, fell to 50.26 million kg in the same period from 63.70 million kg a year ago.

Shortfall in tea output and deterioration in its quality is a phenomenon that has been a core concern for the State's tea industry for quite a long time now. The long persistence of tea bushes over larger uneconomic and unproductive areas, say for over 50 years, if not less, lack of proper planning and initiative in bringing about a transformation in the existing technique of plantation and replantation are largely responsible for this problem. At a time when the new players, namely Kenya and Sri Lanka, are gradually making their presence felt in the international market with their offer of good quality tea at affordable or reasonable prices, what Assam urgently needs is outstrip them with high quality export brand it has to develop, so that it can regain its waning stranglehold over it. Indeed, it is amusing that this problem is now being addressed through replantation with the recently-raised Special Purpose Tea Fund (SPTE).

With all these ills of the State keeping its economy from healthy and strong over the decades, its accelerated growth is possible if the people of Assam are provided with a break to do regular and large volume border trade without interruption with the Asian countries nearby. For this to happen, there is the need for an all-weather route, not like the road at Nathu La pass which remains closed for a better part of a year due to rough weather. There was, for example, no transaction through this border road in the months of May and June this year due to landslide.

Indeed, a mere opening of a route for border trade will not serve any purpose unless officially-notified exchangeable items are modern and of day-to-day use. If the India -China border trade via Nathu La pass is today flat it is largely because of the items, only 29 good to be exported from the Indian side and a meagre 15 items from the Chinese traders, having been obsolete and of no commercial value. Which is exactly why traders from both sides have been insisting on the revision of these commercial items. Therefore, if an alternative trade route is identified in the near future across Assam-South-East Asian nations border, the issue of exchangeable items should be taken into account at any cost.

A sustainable economic development of Assam and the other north-eastern States of the country could be an easy job if they had the privilege of conducting trade with Asian countries and China through the Stilwell road because the cities of these nations including Kunming, capital of China's Yunan province, and Bangkok, to name a few, are much closer to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in particular than they are to mainland India. Frankly, the 1726-km long road at Ledo connects Assam to Kunming after touching almost all the important Southeast Asian metros. The opening up of free and special trade zones between South Asia, Assam and other NE States as well as Asian countries that could be facilitated by the reopening of the Stilwell road will serve to connect the NE region with the ever-expanding global trade regime for markets and profits. Notably, the Look East Police, was formulated only to facilityate providing opportunities for it.

Even though economically underdeveloped, the entire region is resource-rich. There are many exportable items available in plenty here. Think of Assam, it has huge deposits of crude oil and natural gas. It accounts for 50 per cent of the tea produced in the country. It also has good quality Eri and Muga. But all it needs urgently is an opportunity for a good access to and trade engagements with all these countries, which was all in the Stilwell route.

But, after a little over a decade of anxious waiting, it was of late informed that the plan of its reopening has been put on shelve following objections from Myanmar. This has expectantly triggered resentment among sections of people in Assam. The Centre has naturally drawn flak from the AASU on the issue.

However, amidst this depressing event, one good news is that Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina government known to be pro-Indian, has of late expressed its willingness to trade with the North East. The news report that has been the headline stories in most leading dailies in the region says that the country may offer India the facility to use its southeastern Chittangong Port to transport goods from the land locked North East. This was recently divulged by the Bangladesh Commerce Minister Faruk Khan while talking to the newsmen at Dhaka after participating in a function to herald the launch of his country's brick export to Tripura at Akhaura border check-post complex.

Another amusing information is that along with the south-eastern Chittagong seaports, south-western Mongla seaport could also be expected to be offered for use by the neighbouring countries to help boost regional trade in line with the ruling Awami League's election manifesto, as said by the minister. If they are really put to use, the people of Assam and the rest of the region can find and receive the supply of the essential food items such as sugar, potato, dal, onion etc, in their retail markets at reasonable prices which are at present selling at most open markets of Guwahati and many other cities and towns in the State and beyond at alarmingly higher prices. Indeed, it can materiatise once mainland India agrees to use these ports to supply these goods to the region. Should it consent to the use of them Assam can gain economically by transporting its export items to Bangladesh. The State is much closer to it than Assam is to the other Asian countries such as China and Bangkok. The all-important is the upgradation of the ports.

Bangladesh will also be equally gainer from trade with the North East. This perception is further confirmed when Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty earlier said that the country could earn revenue between $ 1.5 billion and $ 2 billion by providing the region Chittagong Port for regional use.

Undoubtedly, it is a golden opportunity for Assam in particular, if it comes its way, to its rapid economic growth. Therefore, under no circumstances can it be allowed to go unutilised. For the much-needed border trade to materialise, there is the need for a bilateral agreement between India and Bangladesh on the use of the seaports all the year and trade. Assam should now excrt pressure on the Centre to take up the issue with Bangladesh to reach a broad consensus at the earliest. ASSAM TRIBUNE

Angry Dragon Creeping up from the West ?

After at least 26 violations of Indian air space in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by Chinese helicopters in recent months, including two air-dropping canned food, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers have come up with an innovative way of sending aggressive messages by painting their country’s name on rocks in Indian territory. Reminiscent of dogs marking their territory by urinating, it takes quite an effort for soldiers to negotiate a couple of kilometres across a guarded border in high altitude terrain to paint rocks.

Both the air and land intrusions have been in Southeast J&K, in the general area of the barren land at Chumar, east of the picturesque Morari Tso (lake), Zulung La (pass) and the 22, 420-feet-high Mount Gya, meaning ‘‘fair princess of snow’’, located at the tri-junction of Ladakh, Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet.

These intrusions happening in August, a month packed with Sino-Indian negotiations at New Delhi, followed by the Indian Army’s GoC-in-C Eastern Command, Lt Gen V K Singh, visiting Beijing and even Lhasa, capital of Tibet, is not surprising, but the fact that they are in J&K, where Pakistan has been brewing trouble for 62 years, is a new development which — to the uninitiated at least — raises some worrisome questions.

Incursions are quite typical of China punctuating its diplomatic dialogue — in an atmosphere of warmth et cetera — with India with some aggressive cross-border action. Former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee’s visit to Beijing was timed with a Chinese patrol coming at least 16 km inside India and intimidating an Indian detachment. Another act the PLA is famous for is creating tension during normal deployment on the border without any incursion, by sparking off a dispute over just a few feet of territory.

In 2000, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi accused China of violating the LAC and crossing into Indian territory. Mithi had said that Chinese-built mule tracks had been discovered by Indian Army soldiers near the Kayela Pass. ‘‘They come in the guise of hunters, cross the LAC and at times even claim that parts of Arunachal belong to them,’’ he had said.

In May 2007, BJP MP Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh made a startling claim that China had moved 20 km into the Indian territory, amounting to 9,000 sq km. ‘‘It has been continuing for a long time. I have written to the Government of India and raised the issue in Parliament. The Government of India is not accepting the incursion openly. But defence personnel do acknowledge that this is happening and that the Chinese are occupying our land,’’ said Rijiju, and he claimed that the Ministry of External Affairs had admitted to Chinese occupation of Arunachal Pradesh. About 140 incursions reportedly occurred in 2007.

The Chinese build-up and incursions with release of maps in the early 1950s, brought to the notice of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by the Indian Army’s top brass, were trashed by him based on his belief in Panchsheel and Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai which ironically amounted to ‘‘bye-bye’’ with the 1962 Chinese aggression. According to Achamma Chandersekaran, neice of Major TP Francis, an expert in 29 languages, who was one of the official interpreters during Zhou En Lai’s visit to India in 1962, his interpretation did not go along with the interpretation that others gave. He predicted that China would attack India in six months. With nobody in the government, including Nehru, who met him, willing to go along with his interpretation, Major Francis resigned in protest. China did indeed attack India within six months. The Indian Army lost 1,860 personnel; everything from potatoes to postage became dearer; Nehru was broken; and the then Defence Minister VK Krishna Menon was at long last given marching orders.

As expressed in Parliament by Pranab Mukherjee, when he was External Affairs Minister, there is no clearly defined boundary separating China and India. To quote Mukherjee, ‘‘China illegally claims approximately 90,000 sq km of Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh and about 2,000 sq km in the middle of the India-China boundary.’’ China also controls 38,000 sq km of territory India claims in Jammu-Kashmir.

After 1962, there were a large number of incursions and violent attacks by the PLA at Nathula and Chola in Sikkim in September and October, 1967 and at Sumdorong Chu Valley in Arunachal Pradesh in 1984 and 1987 — all aggressively retaliated by the Indian Army. Thereafter, the first major step forward was Rajiv Gandhi’s path-breaking visit to China in 1988. This was followed by other high-level visits on both sides. Narasimha Rao took the process forward in September 1993 by signing a Treaty of Peace and Tranquillity between the two countries, which also signified India quietly accepting the loss of 90,000 sq km of its territory. While this agreement ended the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, soon after the late General BC Joshi became the first Indian Army chief to visit China. While his visit was a success, it did not stop the Chinese from continuing to enter Indian territory, looking for herbs — a favourite excuse — or deploying surveillance stations all around India as its ‘‘string of pearls’’ strategy, or targeting it with their nuclear warheads, also substantially supplied ‘‘by private arrangement’’ to Pakistan. The way tension is increasing by repeated provocation by frontline PLA troops, there can be no guarantee of the odd moment when some soldier’s patience snaps and firing is actually resorted to.

In the past few years, China, while further arming regimes in Pakistan and Myanmar, has been flooding Indian markets with underpriced Chinese good crippling our small-scale industries in bicycles, pumps, fans and other articles of daily use, not to mention items of military uniform and deadly commando knives easily available in the bazaars of Manipur and other northeastern States.

In 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh calling it ‘‘India’s land of the rising sun’’ and announcing a long overdue development package, preceded and followed again by Defence Minister AK Antony’s — the latter one to Tawang — provoked a prolonged reaction from China.

Chinese reaction to 26/11 was almost one of glee.
In view of the above and China’s hegemonic mindset, voracious appetite for territory, sustained modernization and enhancement of offensive capability, and now stepping into J&K, where its old friend Pakistan has been busy for over six decades, India needs to take some serious and urgent steps to be able to at least give calibrated responses to both these not-so-good neighbours.
Anil Bhat
(The writer is a Delhi-based security analyst)

THE SENTINEL