Lapang moved by grandeur of Don Bosco museum

SHILLONG, Nov 30: Chief Minister DD Lapang today visited the Don Bosco Museum at Mawlai, Shillong where he was impressed with the well-crafted, well-planned and informative set-up of the museum which exhaustively displays the various aspects of the tribal life of North East India.

The Don Bosco Museum is part of the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures (DBCIC) engaged in research on cultures, publications, training, animation programmes etc., while museum a knowledge sharing centre on the different cultures of the Northeast in particular and of culture in general. The museum was opened to the public towards the end of 2003. Since then, it has been attracting visitors from far and wide.

In terms of architectural design, the DBCIC is startling; built in a hexagonal shape, its seven floors represent the seven States of the region rising in Shillong’s skyline like a flame with a message that if culture are understood well, they can light up and brighten up efforts to build a peaceful, developed and progressive society. With 56,000 square feet of floor space and 15,154 square feet of display wall space, this mammoth creation holds exotic collections, well maintained galleries with artefacts preserved by Air Dehumidifiers.

Lapang while appreciating the efforts of the DBCIC for setting up the museum in Shillong, said that it not only provided the visitor a glimpse of the Northeast under one roof, but also serves as a source of information and knowledge to the people in general and the students in particular. He said that the museum has also been one of the main tourist attractions of the State, which he felt would further boost the Tourism industry in the State. “It’s a matter of pride to have such a beautiful and informative museum of international standards in our State,” he said. THE SENTINEL

Man-elephant conflict takes one more life

MANGALDAI, Nov 30: With the killing of one more villager along the Indo-Bhutan border by a herd of wild pachyderms last night, a total of 13 villagers have lost their lives in the increasing incidents of man-elephant conflict till date in 2009 in Udalguri district of BTAD. As reported, one Juran Kujur (26) of village Thulungjhar (Ghopakona) near Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS) under Dimakuchi police out post of Panery Police Station while was guarding his paddy field at about 11 pm of November 29 met with his instant tragic end as a herd of wild elephants consisting of about five to six in numbers attacked him. Significantly, as reported, his father Alphon Kuzur was also killed by the wild elephants way back in 1995.

On the other hand, talking to The Sentinel over phone this afternoon, Divisional Forest Officer of Dhansiri Forest Division Bankim Sarma said that, the Forest Department has already taken up several measures to drive away the wild elephants and the department has arranged 25 numbers of dragon search lights at the cost of Rs 5,000 per light for the purpose. Besides it, the department a few days back had used female domestic elephants to chase away the wild herds into their own habitat. THE SENTINEL

Poor progress of PMGSY works

Out of 641.606 km, 426.618 km roads are still incomplete

From our Correspondent

JORHAT, Nov 30: Out of 641.606 km roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme 426.618 km roads are still incomplete on date in the Chief Minister’s home district Jorhat. The Central Government project, which is executed by the Public Works Department (PWD), Assam since 2000-2001 year, only 212.195 km roads have been completed in the last ten years, a report of the Assam Public Works Department said.

The PWD Department of Assam has yet to complete many PMGSY works in Jorhat district since 2004. The department has taken up eight phases of works in the last ten years and more than four phases of works are still incomplete due to some unknown reasons. According to the official report, in 2004-05 out of 32.24 km more than 29.34 km of Agriculture Development Bank (ADB), out of 44.28 km more than 39.034 km of general, in 2005-06 out of 116.817 km more than 65.271 km of ADB and in 2006-07 out of 47.595 km more than 46.395 km of ADB and out of 203.31 km more than 195.56 km roads have yet to be completed in the district so far. Apart from this, the department has not taken up any PMGSY road development work in 2008-09 in Jorhat, though as many as 113.295 km have been proposed to be taken up in the current year.

When contacted Rajkamal Dutta, Executive Engineer of Jorhat Rural Road Division, admitted the fact that the PMGSY works in Jorhat district is at a snail’s pace. When asked about the delayed progress of works he said that, due to the shortage of materials they have failed to pick up the works with required speed. Pointing out the lack of stone supply to the district in the last couple of days he said, “We have to depend on the stone quarries located in Bihubar area along Assam-Nagaland border of Sivasagar district. But, due to having the power of Naga people over these stone quarries, we have been facing an acute shortage of stones”, he added. THE SENTINEL

Xatra mahaxabha annual conference held

NAGAON, Nov 30: The annual conference of the Paschim Zilla Satra Mahaxabha (PZSM) was held at the Kobaikata Xatra, the birth place of saint Damodardeva, recently. Various cultural programmes including Usha kirtan, a cultural procession, Bhagawath path, naam prasanga and an open public meeting were held during the occasion.

PZSM president Bhadra Krishna Goswami and the secretary attended the meeting and urged the people gathered in the conference to gear up the sabha and to follow the vaishnavite ideals and teachings. Goswami, while speaking in the conference, condemned the twin blasts that rocked Nalbari recently and pleaded to the government for protection and security for the common people. A new committee was also constituted during the meeting with Buddhadev Goswami as its president. THE SENTINEL

Corruption slur on FCI official

NORTH LAKIMPUR, Nov 30: The employees of Food Corporation of India in Banderdew district office, Arunacal Pradesh, levelled an allegation against area manager in-charge Hanifur Rahman in charges of siphoning money from the Department. The employees alleged that Rahman was involved in mass corruption and withdrew huge amounts of money from the FCI.

It was reported that Rahman allegedly withdrew Rs 90,000 from the FCI as contingency advance for cleaning the office campus although he spent a little amount on it. Rahman also allegedly extracted Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,500 in the name of buying bamboo and showing tea costing during the FCI Union election though official sources indicate that the works shown were fake. Charges of taking another Rs 40,000 for giving water supply connection in the Banderdew office has also been levelled on Rahman.

The FCI staff have, therefore, demanded to the Food and Civil Supply Minister, Government of India, for a quick enquiry in the matter. THE SENTINEL

Students pledge to protect flora and fauna of Assam

MANGALDAI, Nov 30: An awareness campaign on environment conservation was undertaken by the students of Udalguri district which began on November 26 last. In view of the ongoing men-elephant conflict that took a serious turn along the Indo-Bhutan border in Udalguri district of BTAD, a large number of students took out an environment conservation rally traversing a distance of nearly 50 km displaying placards and shouting slogans like “save nature save life,” “wild animals our friends, not enemies” and “protect our green environment.”

The awareness campaign received tremendous response at Garuajhar village under Panery Police Station as a large number of villagers participated in the rally from Garuajhar High School to Nonoipara. According to the villagers, the programme is a novel idea and that it would help to check forest destruction.

Green Valley Forest and Wildlife Protection Society (GVFWPS), a local NGO, in association with a few nature-loving personalities like Udalguri Deputy Commissioner Suttumali Subbaiah Meenaxi Sundaram and Harisinga Revenue Circle Officer Dithaka Nanda Hazarika organized the awareness campaign. Forest officers Bharat Deka and Kushal Deka; Special Police officer Chandra Deka and Balipara Krishak Mukti High School Headmaster Shahiruddin Ahmed also extended their cooperation towards the campaign.

The rally originated at Balipara near Kalaigaon in Udalguri district where Chaibari High School Headmaster Gauri Shankar Das flagged off the rally. The students of the school then moved to Hattigorh Forest office, Ghagra Bengali Basti, Hattigorh Market and Beltola in several vehicles and took part at several meetings. As a part of the campaign, an attractive procession was organized from Ghagra to Beltola Chariali.

Wildlife activist Debanga Mahaliya, wildlife warden and journalist Bhargab Kumar Das and retired lecturer Binoy Kumar Medhi addressed the campaign and stressed on the need for conservation of the remaining flora and fauna of Assam. Local MLA Nagendra Narzary, BTC MCLA Rajen Narzary and Rahindra Nath Brahma also participated in the rally.

All the students who participated in the campaign rally pledged to protect and conserve wildlife and nature and to extend a helping hand to all the efforts to be undertaken in the days to come for conservation of nature. THE SENTINEL

Dibya Kumar Baruah awarded

JORHAT, Nov 30: Dr Dibya Kumar Baruah, Director of Cath-Lab Apollo Hospitals, Visakhapatnam, who hails from Jorhat has added another feather in his cap by being awarded the Best Case Award at the 21st Annual Scientific Sessions of Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) held at San Francisco, USA recently. A press release stated that, Dr DK Baruah passed his MBBS and MD in General Medicine from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, and completed DM Cardiology from Christian Medical College, Vellore in 1996. He worked as a Senior Registrar in Medicine and Cardiology from 1992-1993 in Jipmer, Pondicherry and as Consulting Cardiologist from 1996-1997 in CMC, Vellore. He was also awarded the Sri Krishna Gold Medal in APCSI-2000 for best paper presentation.

Dr Baruah has published eight research papers in International Cardiac Journal and 15 in National Cardiac Journals. He has also presented 38 abstracts in Indian Heart Journal and Cardiological Society of India.Dr Baruah is a pioneer in Interventional Cardiology and started cardiac intervention for the first time in the coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh. He has more than 12,500 catherization and more than 5,000 cardiac intervention procedures to his credit involving coronary, carotids, renal and peripherals. Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics is the biggest conference involving Interventional Cardiologists from all over the world. The meeting is the platform for presentation of results of various major cardiovascular research works as well as case-breaking trials. THE SENTINEL

Let Gogoi Answer

Talking to the media after his visit to Assam on Sunday, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman Buta Singh came down heavily on the Tarun Gogoi government for having failed the Scheduled Castes (SCs) of the State. ‘‘The Harijans are living in a veritable hell in Assam. Even beasts won’t be able to stay in such a condition... I have found that the Central funds under the SC component have not been released to the departments concerned by the Finance Department as yet in Assam. There is no system worth the name to monitor implementation of schemes and utilization of funds meant for SCs in the State.’’ Singh has also accused the Gogoi government of not even going by the Constitutional safeguards guaranteed to SCs and of being callously casual in its replies to the queries sent to it by the NCSC on implementation of various schemes for SCs. It is now incumbent on the ‘progressive’ Congress-led State government to explain as to what has deterred it from evolving a mechanism to bail out the Harijans of the State from the ‘‘veritable hell’’ where even ‘‘beasts won’t be able to stay’’. How holistic is this government’s socio-economic agenda? Or must only vote pockets, such as the ‘minorities’ constituency, determine the government’s course of affirmative action? This government seems to have chosen to write off an entire segment of population for it being politically insignificant. THE SENTINEL

And Now for Climate!

C all it Mother Nature anointing herself for a new role in relation to the unimpeded flow of people from Bangladesh to India, especially to Assam. But let us not blame climate change, which will trigger a new stream of poverty-stricken Bangladeshis to India. The fact of life is that climate change will only be a natural addition to the political dimension of the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India. Mother Nature has her own ways of chastising the homo sapiens who have played with her ever since the Industrial Revolution. Hers is not a game to aid the ‘secular’ Congress, for instance, in its wondrous exercise of certifying illegal Bangladeshis as Indian ‘minority’ citizens. So let us not blame things natural. And yet, Nature herself seems to have become such a huge advantage for the pro-Bangladeshi politician in Assam who has been winning elections solely on the strength of illegal Bangladeshi votes.

To quote Ainun Nishat, senior Bangladeshi climate change advisor and one of those who have drafted the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan 2009, in the wake of Cyclone Aila in May this year that hit Bangladesh, ‘‘many from Khulna (one of that country’s coastal districts) have moved to Dhaka and India’’. The real worry is that the migration will not be restricted only to the victims of Cyclone Aila alone. It will be a sustained process, provoked and aggravated by climate change. ‘‘Another aspect of climate change would be in the form of increase in river bank erosion. This will also push people out of their original settlements. For a densely populated country like Bangladesh, any further concentration of population in safe areas will not be desirable. Thus migration, first within the country, then to areas far beyond, is not to be ruled out,’’ Nishat has told a news agency in an interview. According to Bangladesh’s national action plan to deal with climate change, the people of the coastal belt will face an adverse situation due to reduction in foodgrain production and lost livelihood opportunities, which will force them to migrate to safer places within that country as well as outside — that is, to India. Another Bangladeshi expert, Saleemul Haq, who is a senior fellow of that country’s climate change group and also chairman of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, says ‘‘Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, and in the next 20-25 years it will become a severe problem because of the increased flood frequency’’.

Where will the affected Bangladeshis go? Given Bangladesh’s inability to sustain with such a heavy burden as an already poverty-stricken people displaced due to climate change, there is no gainsaying that India will be the obvious destination. And once the crowd looking for means of livelihood enters India, Assam — the most suitable living space for illegal Bangladeshis on earth — will be its most favoured destination. And once they are in Assam, there will be no dearth of ‘secularists’ and Bangladeshi sympathizers here to welcome them and help them graduate to Indian ‘minorities’. This will also be a huge boost to the grand Islamist project to annex Assam to Bangladesh for the making of a greater Islamic state. In other words, the adversity stemming from climate change in Bangladesh will only accelerate the Bangladesh-ization of Assam, reducing the indigenous people of the State to a minority in their very homeland, while the Bangladeshis displaced from their homeland will rule the roost in their new living space. We would like to hear from the ruling ‘secular’ Congress as to its plans for the future. THE SENTINEL

A tribute to Narendradev Sastri

Noted journalist, writer-poet, godfather of various organizations, retired teacher and scholar Narendradev Sastri was born in a Brahmin family at Barigaon of Doomornoi in the Darrang district in 1928. He passed away at 7.45 pm on November 19 last in a clinic at Dispur. He retired from service in 1989.

During his lifetime, late Sastri made associated himself with various socio-cultural and literary organizations. Kavi Chakra Tezpur Xahitya Chakra, Sangbadik Karma Parishad, etc. were among them. He was a good captionist. During Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership in 1972, he was the Editor of Mahajati due to detention of the Chief Editor late Dr Parma Narayan Singha. With the pretty amount of salary of an assistant teacher, late Sastri did some works, which could not be done by rich persons also. He did not hesitate to do such hard work of publishing Ajir Batori, a weekly news paper from Tezpur in 1985. It lasted for about two years. In this period, he rendered so much hard labour, which now cannot be imagined. Performing school duty, household works on the other, he edited and published the paper in addition. Then there was the chance to help him from my side and to come to close with him. But due to unavoidable circumstances, we could not continue the publicity. The idea to recognize the new writers, poets in one platform, he tried much with Bichitra Narayan Mahanta, Pradip Banerjee, Atanu Bhuyan, Bidyut Kumar Bhuyan, Narahari Chutia, Anupam Chakraborty, Gautam Kataki, Mantu Nath, Pulak Deka, etc. Late Sastri and myself spent a number of sleepless nights taking thin arrowroot biscuits and lal chah in the Samabaika Press, Tezpur. We were busy even with bundling the papers to be sent in the morning to different places of Assam.

Late Sastri was a life-long member of Axam Xahita Xabha, president of Sangbadik Karma Parishad, Sonitpur District Unit, president of Xahitya Chakra, Tezpur, chief adviser of Kavi Chakra-Tezpur. He always emphasised on proper pronunciation of words. Late Sastri always encouraged youths to do good for the society. He was a real Pundit with costume and nature, because he was hard-core activist of Rastriya Sayang Sevat (RSS). He wrote 12 nos. of books. He had enough mental spirit to do social works in the sphere of literature for which he was awarded with Dalit Xahitya Academy Award in 1997.Today on the occasion of Sraddha ceremony it will be a little tribute to the departed soul of a noted litterateur, journalist, poet- late Narendradev Sastri.

– Bichitra Narayan Mahanta THE SENTINEL

22nd annual convention of ABSU

GOSSAIGAON, Nov 28: Kachugaon Anchalik Committee of ABSU at the RNB playground, Kachugaon, organized an open session of its 22nd annual convention. This session was presided over by Bidhan Narjary, president of Kachugaon Anchalik Committee of ABSU.

To begin the session, Bidhan hoisted the flag at 9.00 am. Simultaneously Joy Sagarwary paid tribute to the martyrs and talked about the relationship between human modernization and the environment’s sustainability. He highlighted the importance of protecting environmental resources and safety. He stressed the necessity of awareness and education for a safe and risk free environment.

Rabindra Musahary, president of Central Committee ABSU, Jidran Basumatary, Central Secretary ABSU, Gautam Musahary, Vice-President ABSU, Rajendra Narjary, President District Committee of Bodo Sahitya Sabha and Majendra Narjary, local MLA attended the convention as the guest of honours.

At the end of this session, students participated in the open discussion and expressed their opinions about environmental protection and solutions.THE SENTINEL

Poachers surrender after killing of two

BARPETA, Nov 27: After two poachers were killed at Narayanguri in the Manas National Park on Wednesday, another five poachers surrendered in front of BTAD chief Sampha Borgayari yesterday. The surrendered poachers have been identified as –– Mohar Ali, Rahman Ali, Sirajul Ali, Jeheul Islam and Niranjan Barman.

The surrender of the poachers was led by 32 battalion of the SSB in cooperation with WWF Traffic India. The poachers who surrendered also laid down some arms and ammunition, six handmade guns, a pistol, deer heads and skin.

It was reported that Mohar Ali, one of the surrenderees, was sentenced to jail in 2006 in a case filed by the Manas National Park Forest Department earlier. Ali, it was reported, confessed that he had come to Manas National Park for poaching rhinos.

On the other hand, the two poachers who were killed on Wednesday were identified as Gayaram Basumatary (40) of Oxiguri and Saran Basumatary (35) of Labdung Guri under Sarbhog Police Station.

It was reported that the bodies of the poachers were to be cremated by people of their villages but the police forbade them from doing so and seized the bodies. A handmade gun, an axe and some sharp weapons were recovered from the dead poachers.

The poachers were killed inside the park when guards inside the sanctuary spotted the two suspiciously talking to each other about the population of the Royal Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos, Forest Department sources said. The guards later managed to corner the poachers and in the ensuing encounter, both of them were shot dead, they said. THE SENTINEL

Writers’ forum recalls Geetiswami

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: The 114th birthday of Geetiswami Gokulananda, an alternative media mogul, was observed with a day-long programme, including an impressive cultural programme that continued till late last night, by the Bishnupriya Manipuri Writers’ Forum (BMWF) at Radhamadhab Sebashram, Maligaon, Guwahati. The programme was presided over by Radhamadhab Sebashram president Shyamakanta Sinha (Paran).

Dr Prabhat Kumar Sinha stole the show light by presenting a comparative study on various aspects of life and contribution of Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha and Geetiswami Gokulananda conducted by himself. Dr Sinha has already submitted a thesis to the University Grant Commission (UGC) on this very topic after completion of his research work.

Litterateur Manashi Sinha, while giving a detailed account on Geetiswami Gokulananda, highlighted the efforts made by the alternative media mogul and bard to uplift the condition of women. A woman activist herself, she made a fervent appeal to the women folk of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community to be conscious enough so as to get their rights at par with the male members of the community. According to her, women in the society can put an end to discrimination against them only when the fairer sex is fully aware of their rights and duties.

Among other speakers, while Advocate Biswa Prasad Sinha and youth leader Shankha Sinha threw much light on the life and contribution of Geetiswami, the BMWF president gave a detailed account on the activities of the Forum. He also elaborated various literary and social activities of the bard.

As many as 31 senior citizens of Guwahati were felicitated in the function. It was followed by a cultural nite in which guest artistes Suchitra Sinha and Shyam Kumar Sinha from Silchar performed much to the applause from the audience. Noted artistes of Guwahati Bina Sinha, Guru Bibhul Kanti Sinha (dance), guitarist Chandrika Rajkumari, budding dancer Saine Sinha, Rumi Sinha, Doll Sinha and others also presented much to the satisfaction of the capacity crowd. THE SENTINEL

How long can the ULFA tread on denial mode?

DATELINE Guwahati/Wasbir Hussain

I’m sure even today, the ULFA hawks would like to regard themselves as ‘revolutionaries.’ The people of Assam are best placed to judge whether or not the ULFA is a ‘revolutionary’ outfit, but the question that arises is how long can a self-professed ‘revolutionary organization’ carry along on a denial mode. After the Nalbari twin blasts on November 22 that killed seven innocent, and obviously unarmed, civilians, the ULFA is on an overdrive to deny its hand in the attack. The group’s ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa, ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Barua and a dreaded field ‘commander’ Hira Sarania have all made it a point to deny having carried out the murderous raid. After all, those killed were all civilians from Nalbari, a district that had given the ULFA so much support in the past, and, perhaps to some extent even now!

One can’t help asking the question whether Paresh Barua & Co would have denied its hand in the blast had a few policemen or security personnel of other hues been killed in the explosion? The answer in that case is not difficult to predict. In any case, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has echoed what the security establishment in Assam has said: the Nalbari blasts were carried out by none other than the ULFA, out to avenge the arrest of its two top leaders, ‘foreign secretary’ Sasadhar Choudhury and ‘finance secretary’ Chitrabon Hazarika. In fact, senior Assam Police officials have said the ULFA wanted to target policemen by first setting off a small explosion and then a bigger one within less than 20 minutes, hoping that policemen from the police station close by will arrive to investigate the initial blast. That was not to be and the second blast ended up killing civilians, all people from Nalbari, the ULFA’s one-time stronghold.

Not many are surprised by the ULFA’s denial. But what has come as a surprise is that the ULFA has sought to pass off the attack as the handiwork of ‘forces’ out to thwart the chances of the group and the government entering into a peace process. What peace process is the ULFA talking about? Has it made up its mind that now is the time to start peace talks with New Delhi? If so, is it because the ULFA has seen the writing on the wall, that the people of Assam are disgusted with the bombings and other forms of mindless violence indulged in by the group? Or, is it because it is now weakened as never before and so wants to talk about peace to take the heat off its back? One should be prepared to ignore these questions if the ULFA is genuinely keen on starting the peace process with the Government of India. After all, a resolution of the ULFA issue can be best achieved through peaceful negotiations.

ULFA ‘chairman’ Rajkhowa has apparently telephoned a member of the People’s Consultative Group (PCG) — one thought the PGC had dissolved itself, frustrated at the lack of progress of its initial initiative — and has asked the PCG to be ready to take up a fresh initiative in the coming days. That is a good sign, but if the ULFA is hoping to step up violence in a bid to pressurize New Delhi to accept its terms for talks, the group would be sadly mistaken. The Nalbari blast is an act of desperation by its perpetrators rather than a show of strength. Something had to be done and it was done. The consequences are far too great for the perpetrators to handle. It is a tricky situation for the ULFA because New Delhi has made it very clear that the ULFA (or any militant group for that matter) must first surrender their weapons before any peace dialogue could start.

As I have written in this column in the past few weeks, the ULFA hawks (aside from having to tackle their internal crisis in view of the arrest of its top leaders and the crackdown by Bangladesh) are also aware of the fact that New Delhi has already begun exploratory dialogue with the pro-talk ULFA faction headed by Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta, Prabal Neog and others. So, Paresh Barua & Co must certainly have realized that if they do not come up with a right move at this juncture, the pro-talk ULFA faction might upstage the hawks and could even make them irrelevant in Assam’s insurgent politics. We have already seen that individuals and groups known to be close to the ULFA have already raised their voice for talks between the two sides, the ULFA and the Government. That would cut ice with New Delhi and taken seriously by the people of Assam only if the ULFA demonstrates its sincerity, stops violence and come forward for unconditional dialogue. Yes, the Government on its part can think of not pushing its ‘surrender your weapons first’ point and can rest at insisting on a truce to start with. THE SENTINEL

Employees submit memo to Gogoi

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: The State Employees’ Joint Action Committee Assam (SEJACA) took out processions in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Nagaon, Tezpur, Haflong, Karimganj, Silchar, Goalpara and Kokrajhar and submitted memoranda to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi through the deputy commissioners demanding publication of the Sixth Assam Pay Commission report in full, not to take the final decision on new pay structures without publishing the Pay Commission report in full, regularization of jobs of casual and muster roll workers, provincialization of non-provincialized schools and implementation of new pay and other allowances of the State Government employees at par with that of their Central Government counterparts with retrospective from January 1, 2006. THE SENTINEL

3 Manipuri rebels arrested, ULFA bunker unearthed

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: Three cadres of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) of Manipur were arrested by a joint team of Manipur Police, Assam Police and the Army from Mirza in Kamrup district today. The three rebels have been identified as “sergeant major” Nanong Singh, “finance secretary” Ammamam Mam Devi and N Bishen Singh, police sources said, adding that the three were suspected to be involved in the grenade attack on Manipur Raj Bhavan and Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Imphal. Elsewhere in the State, two IEDs were recovered by the Army and police from NH-31 at Baihata Chariali and Nalbari. At Alardua Beelpar in Baksa district, the Army and police unearthed a bunker of the ULFA. It was constructed in the campus of a family.

Police remand for ULFA duo

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: ULFA leaders Sashadhar Choudhury and Chitrabon Hazarika were today produced before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court that sent them to for ten-day police remand in the cases relating the Bhangagarh and Birubari blasts. THE SENTINEL

KLNLF announces unilateral ceasefire

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: The Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KLNLF) today announced a unilateral ceasefire from December 1, 2009 to March 1, 2010 in a bid to get a positive response from the government. Earlier also, the Karbi outfit had announced a similar ceasefire, but its term expired without any positive response from the government.

Giving this information to The Sentinel over telephone, KLNLF publicity secretary Jijak Dera said: “We have taken this decision for the sake of peace in Karbi Anglong. We want a political solution to the problems afflicting the hill district. Ours is not a problem of unemployment, but a political problem that needs to be solved politically. We appeal to all MPs and MLAs of the State to help bring back peace in Karbi Anglong.”

Dera said: “Even if the government disarms us, our movement will continue. There is no division in the rank and file of the outfit on the issue of laying down arms before entering into a ceasefire agreement with the government as reported in the media. If the government assures us of solving our problems politically, we are ready to deposit our arms. We have a cadre strength of about 300, and we have asked our cadres now staying in Manipur and Meghalaya to return to Karbi Anglong.”

Dera said that the meeting between two KLNLF leaders with Additional DGP (SB) Khagen Sarma and other top-level police officials on September 10 this year had had no discussion on political solution to the problems afflicting the Karbis. “Our discussion was mainly on ceasefire,” he added. THE SENTINEL

1,99,187 children are still out of school in Assam

JORHAT, Nov 27: As many as 1,99,187 children of Assam are out of schools. According to a report of the State Education Department, 1,99,187 of the 55,95,095 children of the State are deprived of primary education due to various reasons. This is 3.56 per cent of the State’s total child population in 2009. Though the governments at the Centre and in the State have been laying more emphasis on development of education in the State with the slogan “Education for All by 2010”, the large number of out-of-school children speaks otherwise.

When contacted, senior SSA Mission Administrative Officer SN Choudhary said that due to late start of SSA in Assam in 2002-03, it would be continued till 2012. He said the mission has taken up various projects like Sanjugi Siksha Kendra, Jyoti Kendra, Bridge Course, Amar Parhasali etc to ensure hundred per cent enrolment of children in school. THE SENTINEL

Protest against separate subsidiary of Navaratna company

SIVASAGAR, Nov 27: Thousands of youth activists of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) and All India Students’ Federation (AISF) today staged a demonstration at the Nazira based ONGC Assam Asset headquarters to protest against the reported move of the government to create a separate subsidiary of the Navaratna Company for the oil and gas resources of Assam.

The demonstrators also brought out a rally in Nazira town to protest the government’s move and handed over a memorandum to the ONGC authorities demanding the fulfilment of their nine charter demands.

In the memorandum, the protesters, while demanding the immediate withdrawal of the reported move of the government to create a separate subsidiary by ONGC for the oil and gas resources within Assam, also demanded to the government to abstain from selling oil and gas fields of Assam to private companies.

The protesters also demanded to the ONGC authorities to take necessary steps to increase production in its Assam oil and gas fields.

They also demanded more jobs to local people and to increase the employee strength in the Assam Asset to 11,000 from the present strength of 7,000.

The memorandum further demanded the immediate implementation of the Rs 4,200 crore Assam Renewal Project and to take steps for utilization of Uranium, discovered in the oil fields of Assam for the nations development and security.

Speaking to The Sentinel, AIYF district secretary Rebakanta Mili said that the government’s move to hive off ONGC’s oil and gas assets in Assam from the main company threatens to hamper the economy of the district.

“We shall be bound to initiate further demonstrations in the future if our demands are not met,” he said. THE SENTINEL

Flood control of ujani Majuli undertaken

GUWAHATI, Nov 27: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) which has been renamed as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) recently, has been in news for both achievement as well as failures since its inception. According to official sources, 12 lakh man days have been created under MNREGA so far since the introduction of this Act throughout the district, which is a landmark for the rural populace of the district that shares 83 per cent of the total population. Other works undertaken under this Act include– measures for flood control for the people of ujani Majuli and steps taken to stop soil erosion at Dhekorgorah areas of the district. Major project like Kakodonga River Embankment in Titabor Development Block at a cost of Rs 35.34 lakh also going on under this Act. The protection of the right bank of Khokotia River at Kumarbari that comes under Ujani Majuli Development Block at a cost of Rs 37.08 lakh have also been implemented under this Act. According to sources, altogether 135 rural families of the district have been provided 100 days employment during the last financial year (2008-09). According to the Jorhat district administration, priority have been given to the unemployed women as well as families belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities while giving employment. A District Social Audit Forum also been constituted in this regard. THE SENTINEL

AGP calls all-Opposition meet

GUWAHATI, Nov 25: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has called an all-Opposition-party meeting in Guwahati on December 1 to have a detailed discussion on the failure on the part of the State Government on law-and-order front, the move to set up mega dams and rise in prices of essential commodities. Talking to The Sentinel, AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary said 21 political parties, including all the regional parties of the State, will also have a detailed discussion on corruption in the State administration. THE SENTINEL

We won’t bow before Government: Rajkhowa

GUWAHATI, Nov 25: Reacting to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement in Parliament yesterday that the Government of India is against holding talks with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on the issue of “sovereignty” of Assam, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa today said the statement of the minister reflects his “imperialist” mentality.

In an e-mail today, Rajkhowa said: “We are closely observing the statements of the Government of India on peace talks with us. Chidambaram’s statement makes its clear that the Government of India lacks courage and sound reasoning for peace talks with the ULFA on the issue of sovereignty of Assam. We want to put an end to our conflict with the Government of India through political dialogue even though the conflict can be settled without such dialogue. However, we don’t want to hold any peace talks by bowing before the Government. Even if the Government of India wants to settle its conflict with us militarily, it should let us know by making a statement in Parliament.”

He said the Government of India is against any political dialogue with the ULFA, and as such it finds one pretext or the other to derail peace initiatives. ULFA leaders Sashadhar Choudhury and Chitrabon Hazarika told newsmen when they were produced in the court in Guwahati recently that ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa would soon spell out the outfit’s stand on peace talks with the Government of India. This is the first statement by Rajkhowa after the utterance by Sashadhar and Chitrabon on peace talks. THE SENTINEL

Corruption in Media

It is disheartening to note that Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice GN Ray has had to lament that the media has become ‘‘a commodity’’ and that “paid news syndrome is a sad commentary on its functioning’’. He said this while delivering the keynote address on the ‘‘Changing Face of Indian Media’’ in Hyderabad on November 16. The PCI chief’s remark that distortion of news solely for monetary considerations has become a usual feature in the media today, has shocked many.

A well-informed public is the foundation of a democratic process. The media should be guided by highest possible professional standards, and reporting of news should be factual, accurate and objective. But on the contrary, the media, it seems, has shifted gears from a being a mirror to the people to becoming a parallel interest group. It is a matter of grave concern that the media, like other institutions, has also ‘‘succumbed to the vice of malpractices and corruption”. Only a few journalists are committed to journalistic values and ethics. Fearless reporting, a legacy of pre-independent days, is today conspicuous by its very absence. Journalists have perhaps compromised their fearlessness with the socio-politico-economic establishments, and the interest of the weaker sections of society is inappropriately projected, as observed by the PCI chief.

In this context, the private electronic media should also keep in mind the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court in February 1995 holding, inter alia, that “airways constitute public property and must be utilized for advancing public good. No individual has a right to utilize them at his choice and pleasure and for purposes of his choice including profit...’’

In the light of the above, it is time the media mended its ways.

Bhupendra Chandra Das,

Amolapatty, Nagaon. THE SENTINEL

26/11: Nothing Much has Changed

A year after the 26/11 attacks in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, the arrest of David Headley by the FBI and the subsequent revelations of likely terror attacks clearly highlight the vulnerability of the country to terror threats. It also seems that India has not learnt any lesson from the terror strikes of the past, be it the government authorities, the police and the security machinery, or the common citizenry.

Every time terror strikes a city, security is beefed up, inquiries are ordered, commissions are set up, compensation packages are announced, and of course an extensive media coverage is given. But after some time life becomes all the same again for everybody, leaving aside the victims’ relatives.

The country has witnessed a series of terror attacks in various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bangalore in the last five to six years, with the casualties mounting to a chilling figure. But even after all these years the country finds itself in the same vulnerability zone as it was a few years back.

The advancement in technology seems to have benefited only the perpetrators of terror, with our security and intelligence agencies lagging far too behind. The scenario becomes more ugly when political parties, taking advantage of the situation, indulge in blame game — at times when they need to come together to curb the increasing menace of terrorism. The role of common citizenry here is also under scrutiny as a vigilant citizenry could have contributed differently in terms of the terror vulnerability, be it in its role of electing political representatives or keeping a strict vigil on its leaders.

It is high time now that the authorities concerned and the lawmakers woke up to the reality and took stringent measures to minimize the terror threat perception in the minds of the people. The ongoing Prime Minister’s visit to the US holds great importance in this regard as India can really learn a lot from the US experience and its counter-terrorism strategies in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The need of the hour, thus, is that we should forget the unproductive and misdirected blame game, and unite to bring peace into our lives to live terror-free.

Dhiraj Jain,

Lakhipur Road, Silchar. THE SENTINEL

Flexibility Needed to Solve Militancy

Seeking to reach out to the ULFA, the Indian government recently offered safe passage to its top leaders Arabinda Rajkhowa and Paresh Barua and expressed willingness for talks if the outfit renounced violence. But the reaction from the militant outfit came on the expected line. The outfit reacted with two powerful bomb blasts in the heart of Nalbari town, which killed seven people and injured 54 others. This attack could be carried out despite a specific intelligence tip-off shared with all security agencies. But this is not anything new. On several occasions in the past, the ULFA has tried to sabotage peace initiatives by violent activities to make their presence felt. But there is something new this time, despite the cited fact. As far as this peace initiative of New Delhi is concerned, the plan was to bring the banned outfit on the negotiating table minus its top brass leaders Paresh Barua and Arabinda Rajkhowa. The initiated peace deal was on the same lines as the Centre had pursued in the case of the NDFB.

The ULFA has always accused the Government of India of maintaining double standard in initiating peace talks with different rebel groups in the Northeast. According to the top brass of the outfit, the Government of India has insisted that it will hold talks with the ULFA and others only after such groups lay down their weapons, but the same stand has not been maintained in case of some other groups active in the region. Even an outfit like NSCN(IM) — the mother of insurgency-related violence in the country since Independence and whose demand is deep-rooted in the concept of ‘‘sovereign Nagaland’’ — is today negotiating with the government on a long-term basis. It has been in ceasefire for a considerable period, which has resulted in security for the people. The government also made a negotiated settlement with the now-disbanded BLT. In the case of the NDFB, which is uncompromising in its demand for a sovereign Bodoland, the Government of India decided to go ahead with a peace agreement without any precondition.

It is true that in the militancy-affected Northeast, New Delhi’s containment policy of the last four decades has produced equilibrium where democracy coexists with authoritarian modes of governance with a disturbing ease. It is time for the policy to be reassessed. The routine use of military force in disturbed areas, supplemented by the pumping of resources in the name of economic development, is not the solution. Even after decades of counter-insurgency operations, militant groups appear to be surprisingly resilient. The policy must seek more democratic alternatives that consider constitutional reforms that respond to the debates about the region’s history that have animated the insurgencies and promote a wider democratic dialogue involving the people of the region. In the militancy-infested Northeast, democratic India has developed a de facto political system, somewhat independent of the formal, democratically elected governmental structure. This parallel system is an intricate, multi-tiered reticulation with crucial decision-making, facilitating and operational nodes that span the region and connects New Delhi with the theatre of action.

It is really unfortunate that the distance between Delhi and Assam is lesser than the distance between Delhi and some of the States in south India. Still Assam feels isolated. In fact the very concept of ‘‘Northeast’’ points to the region as being an isolated one, cut off from the so-called mainland. Who can deny the fact that we are still seen as a people with separate and different identities that do not match with those of the ‘mainstream’ Indian society or culture in other parts of the country? The term ‘‘Northeast’’ was invented by the British colonialists to identify a geographical area, later on adopted by Indian officials, intellectuals and the media for administrative and other reasons. The term certainly requires scrutiny in the light of the contemporary political situation.

In sharp contrast to the existing concept, various ethnic groups in this part of the country identify themselves under their own specific group identity such as the Assamese of Assam, the Nagas of Nagaland, the Mizos of Mizoram — or within the same State like the Bodos of Assam — and so on and so forth. The local people do not use the term ‘‘Northeast’’, and it has no viable meaning for them as there are apparent traits that mark a clear-cut distinction between them. One should not forget that the Northeast holds a unique diversity of languages and cultural practices. This diversity within the region has to be appreciated, rather than portraying the region as a homogenous entity while attempting to initiate discussions or developmental activities.

The post-Independence era has been a period of confusion in the northeastern region. Because of negligence, people of this region felt marginalized and were confused about their future and their identity, which resulted in so many peoples’ movements and struggles. Continuous marginalization has brought about more distrust and apathy. Initially, the only response they got for their demands from the Central government was the Indian Army. But we can see clear evidence of its failure to bring about normalcy in the region after 62 years of trials and experiments with the armed forces. Has the Central government ever given a serious thought as to why so many young people still want to risk their lives by joining the so-called insurgency groups?

Peace has no alternative, or it is rather the only alternative in which there is no scope for debate. It is a necessity as its way goes to development. And it is development that can bring about peace and stability. In fact, all-round development is the most effective counter-insurgency means. But for this, a far greater commitment and accountability are needed.

It is time for the government to introspect the outcome of applying the military option as a counter-insurgency measure. It will be better if both New Delhi and Dispur ponder as to whether they have succeeded in evolving the idea of one nation in the people of, say, Assam even after 62 years since Independence. Have they done adequate to wipe out the sense of isolation that exists even among the people of Assam of this generation?

As for the militant outfits, it is time for them to review the situation from a broader, realistic and unprejudiced perspective. Violence during the last two-three decades has only derailed the process of development.

Peace and normalcy should be on the top of the priority list of both the government and militant outfits. The people of this region have seen much bloodshed and destruction. They are fed up, with many having become indifferent to what is going around. They are silent spectators of the region’s journey to the graveyard. This must be reversed. It is high time that both the government and militant groups displayed greater flexibility to ensure peace and normalcy in the interest of the common man.

Shibdas Bhattacharjee

(The writer is a freelancer based in Halakura, Dhubri) THE SENTINEL

A Year after 26/11

A full year has gone by after the mayhem and tragedy that shook Mumbai and the entire country last November. Pakistani terrorists, with the help of Indian citizens, were able to hold the city of Mumbai to ransom for three days killing about 200 people and injuring about twice that number. A year from that day, we seem to have done more to forget that fateful day than to make efforts to learn our lessons from it. Perhaps this is in keeping with the typical Indian inclination to forget unfortunate events. However, the fact remains that we shall be far better off if we choose never to forget 26/11, to make it a day of mourning for all those who perished or were crippled by the diabolic attack and to look for honest answers to the numerous questions that we need to ask ourselves as a nation from time to time about tragedies like 26/11.

The first of these questions is: Since nothing has happened in India as a result of cross-border terrorism during the last year, is it just good luck or has the government done something about it? Obviously, the government does get some credit for the country being free of cross-border terrorism, but this is more likely to be the outcome of Pakistan’s own internal problems. The government there is trying very hard to survive just as the jihadis there are fighting for their survival. If India had been free of cross-border terrorism mainly due to our own government’s efforts, there would have been some evidence of our being able to tackle the Maoists as well. Our ability to handle indigenous terrorism does not seem to indicate that the year’s cessation of cross-border terrorism has been entirely due to our initiatives. If anything, what is only too evident is that Pakistan is far from being repentant about what it did a year ago, and is inclined to turn its diplomatic manoeuvres on 26/11 into a grotesque charade. Pakistan still continues on its stubborn paths and the ISI still calls the shots. But there are other equally important questions that we should be raising. Ajmal Kasav has been claiming that he was trained just for three months before being sent out on the Mumbai operation. Our observation is that three months’ training does not produce the kind of shooting skills or the cool nerves that Ajmal displayed during the prolonged operation. He was also trained in capturing and hijacking a boat on the high sea. Three months are certainly not enough to impart skills in all such activities. The Indian government must find out where and how such training is imparted. Then there is the uncomfortable question on the role of the nation’s intelligence network. It is now abundantly clear that the intelligence network had failed last November to keep the Maharashtra government informed well in time to avert the tragedy of 26/11. It was learnt later on that the intelligence agencies even had information from the US about the Pakistani plans to attack Mumbai. Why did they not act on that information right away? Kasav and his group had detailed information about the places they were going to attack. This could not have happened without the active collaboration of Indian nationals right from the docking of the boat to complete information on the three or four centres of operation selected in advance. The crucial question is: Are the Indian security forces as inept today at finding and apprehending the enemies within the country who provide all help to such enemies of the country? Or is the scenario even more sinister? Is it that some of the security forces are in league with these enemies within? Is the situation any better today than it was in November 2008? There has been deplorable weakness in the tone and tenor of Indian diplomacy vis-à-vis Pakistan. Given the unrepentant attitude of Pakistan to 26/11 and other facets of bilateral friction, there was need for a dose of coercive diplomacy that has been sadly lacking. Ever since 26/11, Pakistan has been calling the shots and inventing the shortcomings in the Indian charges against the Pakistani terrorists. One typical example of this is Pakistan’s contention that India has no evidence against Hafeez Sayeed. What more evidence is required under the circumstances than that he is the acknowledged founder of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, a terrorist outfit? Was he not held under house arrest by Pakistan as the LeT leader? Then why should any other country have to produce any evidence to the effect that he is a terrorist?

One of the noteworthy things to have happened since 26/11 is the constitution of the national anti-terrorism agency that needs to be supported and strengthened. What is far more important in dealing with terrorist activities is the prevention and pre-empting of terror attacks rather than taking action after the event. India must be able to demonstrate its pro-active capacity to prevent such attacks and to punish the would-be perpetrators of such activities. One aspect of the mindset within our polity that has come in the way of dealing effectively with terrorism is our disinclination to punish the alien terrorist and the Indian traitor who helps him. The classic case is the one of Azmal Guru who is still alive after masterminding the attack on the Indian Parliament which led to several deaths among our patriotic security forces.

Finally, there is the failure of our External Affairs Ministry mandarins to convince the US that in all fairness there has to be stronger arm-twisting of Pakistan if the US honestly expects the world to believe that it is waging a global war against terrorism. Here is a country that has been exporting terrorism to India and is carrying on a proxy war in Jammu & Kashmir for years. And yet the US insists on continuing economic aid to Pakistan despite the well-known fact that much of this aid has been used to arm itself against India and will continue to be so used. THE SENTINEL

Lachit Divas observed

JORHAT, Nov 24: “Lachit Borphukan, a unique character of the Assamese history and the legendary general of the Ahom kingdom who lead the nation from the front up to the win of the historic Saraighat battle, is a model character for the new generation,” said Dibrugarh University Professor Dr Dambarudhar Nath participating in a meeting as special guest held at Dr Pitambor Dev Goswami Auditorium here today on the occasion of the Lachit Divas.

In his speech he also said that the subject of History should be made compulsory in the high school level curriculum for the greater interest of introducing our legendary figures to the new generation.

Moran College former Professor Dr Dayananda Borgohain, who participated the programme as invited guest, highlighted the life and learning of Lachit Borphukan who defeated the mighty Mughals in the battle of Saraighat. He attributed the Saraighat win to the heroism of Lachit and appealed to the younger generation to follow his path.

Earlier, the programme was started with aisinglao (a traditional Tai prayer) followed by a multi-lingual (Tai and Assamese) chorus presented by the women of Joya Romoni Sora, Jorhat. A colourful cultural procession was also taken out in the heart of the town which was participated by as many as 17 organizations including tribes like Mising, Deuri, Tea tribes and Koch community. A souvenir Lachit edited by Minakshi Bora was also released on the occasion.

The central Lachit Divas programme of the district was organized by Tai Ahom Sanskriti Sanrakshan Aru Siksha Bikash Samiti in association with Purbanchal Tai Xahitya Xabha, Joya Romoni Sora, Chutia Jatiya Parishad, Tai Ahom Students’ Union, Hatigarh Dewaloy Managing Committee, Borveta Sakha Xahitya Xabha and Ahom Xabha. Historian Bharat Handique presided over the open session while Jorhat Deputy Commissioner LS Changsan flagged off the cultural procession.

SIVASAGAR: Lachit Divas was observed in Sivasagar in conformity with the State-wide observance of the day. The day was observed here under the aegis of Rangpur Ancient Monuments Protection Society at Lachit Park near Central Market.

Rich tributes were paid to great Ahom general Lachit Barphukan whose meticulous planning and great leadership led to the victory of the Ahom forces in its war against the mighty Mughals at Saraighat.

Speaking on the occasion, former minister Pramod Gogoi while recalling the great Ahom warrior said that Lachit Barphukan led the Ahom forces against the mighty Mughals despite his ill-health and led the Ahom forces to a thumping victory in the Battle of Saraighat. His accomplices included Bagh Hazarika, who was a Muslim, fought to protect their land from enemy invasion.

“Religion do not find a place in protection of nationalism”, Gogoi said. He also appealed to everyone to stand united against the illegal Bangladeshi infiltration, which he termed as a burning problem of the State. “The Government of Assam has failed to handle the illegal infiltration, which has posed a threat to the identity of the native people of the State”, he added.

In his speech, Gogoi vehemently opposed the reported move of the government to create a separate subsidiary of the ONGC for the oil and gas resources of Assam. He appealed to everyone, including local organizations, to protest the move, which he termed as another ploy of the government to privatize the Assam Asset of the ONGC.

A poem recitation competition was also held on the occasion. Sivasagar DIPRO Tridip Nandan Bora also spoke on the occasion. Dharma Baruah delivered the welcome speech. THE SENTINEL

Students overlook on Sankardev, Gandhiji and Laxminath Bezboruah: IS

JORHAT, Nov 22: ‘As many as 95 per cent students of Jorhat DCB Girls’ High School, BDS High School and Geetashree High School have yet to know about Srimanta Sankardev, Mahatma Gandhi and Laxminath Bezboruah’. This shocking comment has made by Jorhat Inspector of Schools (IS) Dr Tilok Chandra Saikia, after inspecting a number of schools of Jorhat district here yesterday. The Inspector of Schools also said that, the high schools located in the urban areas of Jorhat district have mostly ignored this matter and failed to answer before him regarding these legendary personalities of the country. “I felt very sad while I observed that more than 95 per cent students of the three high schools failed to answer me about Sankardev, Gandhiji and Laxminath Bezboruah. The high school students even failed to utter a single word about these prominent personalities of our religious, historic and literary life”, he added.

The Inspector of Schools has been making a sudden inspection of the high schools of the districts during the last couple of days. In his inspection, the Inspector witnessed the poor quality of teaching by the high school teachers and their negligence of duty with his own eyes. Talking to The Sentinel, the School Inspector of the district revealed that, he has witnessed the poor rates of teacher’s attendance in schools and the meagre teaching skills of the teachers. He informed that, when he reached at the Malowali Higher Secondary School recently at 10.30 am, no teacher was present in the school including the headmaster. The Inspector made a pay cut order of eight teachers of the school as a disciplinary action.

It is a matter of fact that, Jorhat is the cultural capital of the State. Apart from it, Jorhat district is on the top of the list of literary people with 78 per cent. If the education scenario of the highest literary district of the State is so regrettable, the scenario of the other districts can well be imagined. Dr Tilok Chandra Saikia appealed to the textbook makers that they should pay attention to this pitiable condition of the student’s knowledge and should try to introduce these eminent figures of the country through the curriculum. THE SENTINEL

Na-laga feast today

JORHAT, Nov 21: More than 50,000 people of the Moamariya tribe have congregated at the historical Borbhetti ground in Northwest Jorhat to partake in the 242nd edition of the Na-laga feast tomorrow. The Na-laga or na-khua is a ceremonial community feast which symbolizes the eating of rice, newly harvested. For the Moamariyas, however, the feast signifies more than this and is symbolic of a show of strength and unity. The story goes that the Moamariya chieftain, Astha Bhuj, had called all the clansmen to unite against the powerful Ahom king and it was at Borbhetti where the first congregation of the Moamariyas had met and taken an oath to fight against the then Ahom King Lakshmi Singha and his official, Kirti Chandra Barbaruah. The call to mutiny was answered by thousands of Moamariyas at the historic site of Borbhetti. It was at this place that there was a water body of a depth of 60 feet. Astha Bhuj asked all the people to throw in a basketful of earth into this lake and there arose a hillock about 24 feet in height in its place. This site became known as Borbhetti and the raised ground now has became the annual meeting place for the tribe at this time of the year. A member of the organizing committee said that, while thousands have arrived today, more are expected tomorrow. “It takes a lot of effort to organize a feast of this size and while a lot of donations come in we have to still buy a lot of food items on our own and the rice runs into quintals”, the member stated. “However, this is a tradition which no Moamariya would like to miss at any cost”, he further said. the sentinel

Altered Equations

So now the US, the world’s most powerful democracy, and China, the most powerful Communist authoritarian state, have taken a wondrous resolve to commit themselves to working for stable and peaceful relations in all of South Asia. This is what US President Barack Obama said during his joint briefing with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on Tuesday. Going by the joint statement, the two countries ‘‘support the efforts of Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight terrorism, maintain domestic stability and achieve sustainable economic and social development, and support the improvement and growth of relations between India and Pakistan’’. The naive would hail the joint statement as a reflection of Obama’s new-world vision, when every country would support every other. In that narrative, therefore, what it boils down to is an exceptionally reformed China coming to the rescue of India-Pakistan ties. Since when has Obama realized that such a China has already happened, to which the job of monitoring South Asia and especially of making an invaluable contribution to the strained India-Pakistan relations can be outsourced? Since when has Obama realized that Pakistan can keep sponsoring terrorists against India and yet China can help effect a new India-Pakistan camaraderie phase without even being seen asking Pakistan to stop the ISI terror notoriety? Since when has Obama realized that it is China that can be reliably banked on in securing peace in South Asia, especially in the world capital of jihadi super-terrorism, Pakistan, in relation to India?

All of that would not be if it were not for Washington’s coming to terms with the South Asian geo-strategic dynamics as well as the reality of China’s present stardom, both economic and military — it being the second largest economy in the world on the one hand and aspiring to territorialize outer space, too, on the other. An unspoken sense of practicality, therefore, is impacting on the US’ take on the unstoppable Chinese stride: it cannot afford to ignore China from the business point of view, with the American Inc only too eager to draft a new business text with China, nor can today the US dictate anything to China as Beijing freely goes about concretizing and refining its military hardware. In other words, the US has already accepted the China inevitability; the US can only watch China rise as a parallel power. Hence the grand Obama statement that the US will not come in the way of China’s rise. What the US President, of course, will not say is that even if his country wants to come in the way of China, it just cannot.

How should India respond now? Not like a shocked nation struggling to script a new US and China thesis in view of the incredible Obama-Jintao joint statement, but as an assertive global player calling a spade a spade and making it clear that China can begin to make a meaningful contribution to peace in the India-Pakistan region if and only if it has the will — and honesty of purpose — to ask its all-weather ally, Pakistan, to stop its sustained export of terror to India. But for all this to happen, China must directly address the Pakistan Army’s ISI, for it is the ISI that is presiding over the jihad against India. Will China ever risk a direct address to the ISI audience, all of whom are party to a gamut of sinister arms and nuke exchanges? Therefore, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh meets Obama next week during his visit to the US, he should make it a point to remind the US President of the Beijing joint statement and tell him how it makes no sense at all. THE SENTINEL

National Design Institute to be set up

JORHAT, Nov 15: The second design institute next to Ahmedabad of the country would be set up at Murmuria area near Cinamora of Jorhat district. Jorhat district administration has acquisited a land measuring 110 bighas at the said area to do the same. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today visited the proposed site of the National Design Institute and announced that the construction works of the project will be started shortly.

The National Design Institute, Jorhat which is said to be the second of its kind next to Ahmedabad would be well-equipped with all modern science and technology. The institute will provide design training and research on designing by the educated youths.

Jorhat district administration sources informed that, the required land acquisition process is going on and the process would be completed shortly. THE SENTINEL

‘Ghost’ FI cards eat the poor’s quota in Assam

GUWAHATI, Nov 18: Following a directive from the Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs, the Food and Civil Supplies Department of Assam has been carrying out a drive for detection of bogus family identity cards (ration cards) and found many anomalies. The Union ministry has asked the Assam Government to carry out the drive and submit a detailed report to it by December 31 this year.

According to sources, ‘‘ghost’’ family identity (FI) cards — against people who are no longer alive or who have shifted to other places, as well as against people who exist only on paper but not in reality — have been detected in almost all the districts of the State. The Food and Civil Supplies Department has asked the district administrations to initiate action against the erring officials guilty of issuing such cards.

According to sources, the Union ministry issued the directive to the State to initiate the drive as it suspects that a number of people of doubtful nationality have been availing of the benefits being given to the poor section of the society under the fair price shop system in Assam. This apart, sources said, the Union ministry wants to make the public distribution system (PDS) corruption-free. That some fair price shops keep ‘‘ghost’’ FI cards, is an open secret, sources said. This apart, giving less quantity of commodities available under the fair price shop system on the pretext of less supply from the Centre is a common practice in the State, the sources added. THE SENTINEL

Assam reply strongly against Jharkhand

At the end on the second day of the four-day match against Jharkhand, Assam were 143 for one in reply to the visitors’ 261 in their first innings. Dheeraj Jadhav and Sib Sankar Roy were at the crease with 49 and 9 respectively.

Jharkhand resumed their innings at the overnight total of 160 for four and lost their remaining six wickets for 101 runs in 32.5 overs. Leggie Sairaj Bahutule was the star performer forAssam today with a five-wicket haul while Dhiraj Goswami and Sujay Tarafdar took two wickets each. Abu Naschim Ahmed was the other wicket taker. Among the Jharkhand lower order, ShahbazNadeem showed some courage and he added 38 valuable runs for the ninth wicket with Samar Quadri. The last pair frustrated the Assam bowlers for 39 minutes. Finally, Bahutule managed to trap Nadeem leg before at his individual score of 33.

Assam began their first innings on a positive note as both Parvez and Dheeraj Jadhav stood tall at the middle. While Parvez was quite aggressive against the Jharkhand medium pacers, Dhiraj tried to control theinnings with a cautious note. Parvez struck 11 fours and three towering sixers in his 152-ball innings which can be termed as a classic one.

SCORECARD

Jharkhand 1st innings : SR Sinha c Ahmed b Bahutule 89, MS Vardhan c Saikia b Tarafdar 5, IR Jaggi lbw b Bahutule 5, SS Tiwary c Saikia b Ahmed 35, SP Gautam c Saikia b Tarafdar 18, Sunny Gupta c Goswami b Bahutule 15, SNadeem lbw b Bahutule 33, Kuldeep Sharma c Saikia b Goswami 5, VR Aaron c Saikia b Goswami 2, SS Quadri not out 12. Extras: (b 2, lb 6, w 3) 11. Total : (all out; 120.5 overs) 261. Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-21, 3-101, 4-157, 5-186, 6-204, 7-204, 8-219, 9-223, 10-261. Bowling: AN Ahmed 23-6-65-1, S Tarafdar 18-7-32-2, SV Bahutule 23.5-8-53-5, A Konwar 33-8-40-0, DS Goswami 23-4-63-2.Assam 1st innings: DS Jadhav not out 49, P Aziz b Nadeem 85, SA Roy not out 9. Extras: (lb 2, w 1, nb 1) 4. Total: (1 wicket; 54 overs) 147. Fall of wickets: 1-128. Bowling: Kuldeep Sharma 5-1-17-0, VR Aaron 5-2-15-0, Sunny Gupta 14-3-36-0, SNadeem 20-4-48-1, Quadri 10-2-29-0.

Rebia takes oath as parliamentary secretary

ITANAGAR, Nov 18 – Congress MLA and two-time former MP Nabam Rebia today took oath as a parliamentary secretary in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.

Rebia, who was elected from Doimukh in Arunachal Pradesh in the recent Assembly election, was among 17 parliamentary secretaries who were administered oath by Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu.

Rebia was first elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent defeating a Congress nominee in 1996. – PTI

Bru repatriation faces setback

At least 2,000 people, belonging to Bru community have taken shelter in the foothills of Jampui in the Kanchanpur subdivision since Saturday last following ethnic violence in Mamit and Kolashib districts, bordering Tripura.

In a related development, the Mizoram Government today announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 each for Bru families who fled to neighbouring Tripura in the wake of the mob violence.

With Rs 50 lakh having been allocated for the purpose, each family would receive Rs 3,000 once they returned back while the remaining amount would be disbursed for their resettlement, an official spokesman said.

Making it clear that Mizoram must ensure the security of the Brus, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), the sole representative body of the refugees, however asserted the community members, sheltered in the evacuee camps, would not return on their own unless the safety aspect was ensured.

“We cannot and will not return to our own land unless the government solves this problem in a democratic manner and give us full guarantee of safety and security. We can not just return to be butchered and our properties destroyed there,” Secretary of the MBDPF said over phone from Kanchanpur.

The repatriation was scheduled to begin on November 14 as decided in the tripartite meeting in Aizawl on November 4 last.

The MBDPF demanded an inquiry into the incident and arrest of the culprits. “Those, who are against repatriation, must have killed the Mizo youth. Else, why the murder should take place just before the day of begining of the repatriation?”, he asked.

The fresh violence erupted following gunning down of a 18-year old Mizo youth on Friday last at Bunghuma village by suspected militants ofBru National Army.

The 37,000 refugees, now sheltered in the evacuee camps had trickled down to Tripura since 1997 following series of ethnic clashes.

The Speaker of Mizoram Assembly R Rawma arrived at Bhangmun village in Kanchanpur sub-division, neighbouring Mizoram, to assess the situation and is likely to stay there till tomorrow.

The Mizoram Police estimated that more than 600 Brus had fled Mizoram since last November 13 following the murder of the youth. – PTI

$ 200m ADB loan for State power sector

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 – The multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) will grant a loan of USD 200 million to finance Assam’s rural electrification drive, reports PTI. The loan, expected to benefit around 10 lakh households, businesses, hospitals and schools and generate 1,500 new jobs, will be given in three tranches of USD 60.3, 89.7 and 50 million, the ADB said in a statement today.

The loan will be used to partially fund the USD 764-million Assam Power Sector Enhancement Investment Programme, stretching up to 2014.

There are also other contributors to the State’s electricity investment programme including the World Bank (USD 360 million), the government of Assam (USD 154 million), and the private sector with USD 50 million. Besides there is a renewable energy component that will provide off-grid power to around 2,100 villages in the long term.

Assam has one of the largest number of unelectrified villages in the country and the State has been finding it difficult to electrify villages due to the weaknesses in its transmission and distribution networks.

The ADB facility will provide funds to improve Assam’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, including reducing system losses.

A technical assistance grant of upto USD 1 million from the Technical Assistance Special Fund of the Bank will also be provided, with the government supplying an additional USD 300,000.

The State government and the State electricity board will be the executing agencies for the projects, with the funding availability period ending June 2015.

No Teachers, No Learning

At a time when we have all been wondering why the standard of education (especially in our villages) has taken a nosedive, the Dainik Janambhumi has rendered yeoman service to Assam by carrying out a survey of what exactly happens in the name of education in our villages. It has been a habit with most of our educated people to put the blame for the poor state of education in the rural areas on the lack of infrastructure and poor physical facilities alone. But real reason for our miserable level of education is absentee teachers.

The Janambhumi survey carried out on Monday has revealed that even in the rural middle schools, teachers are seldom present. For instance, in Raha, the teachers’ attendance register for November 16 was signed on November 14; in some schools, teachers come for a few days in the month, but sign the attendance registers for the entire month; in most schools, teachers invariably come late; in many schools, teachers are absent without leave; in some schools, teachers do not teach, guardians or members of voluntary service organizations do; in one school, the headmaster did not even know the school timings; a school in Neamati is regularly closed after 11 am; in many schools, headmasters are generally absent from schools; in many others, teachers come according to their whims. Now we know who is responsible for the almost total lack of teaching and learning in our village schools: the teachers. If they do not work, why should they not be removed from service? Must they be allowed to go on ruining the future of village children? THE SENTINEL

Indian project to track foreign nationals begins with B’desh

NEW DELHI, Nov 17: India’s long-term project to track the movement of foreign nationals applying for its visas will kick off with Bangladeshi citizens.

As part of the e-governance plan, the government had drawn up a mission mode project for immigration, visa and foreigners registration and tracking called IVFRT. It is driven by the Home Ministry.

The Bangalore-based National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG) had submitted two voluminous reports on the project, which listed out the concerns and challenges of the different stakeholders.

According to a Home Ministry official, the two reports are under consideration. “The implementation is highly complicated, which may even require legislative changes,” said a Home Ministry official.

The Planning Commission has in principle approved Rs 1,100 crore for the project to be completed by 2014, with Cabinet approval expected by the end of this year.

The pilot project has been sanctioned to start at the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh, which gives out the largest number of visas than any other Indian mission.

“The Indian mission is a crucial link in the project - being the first point of interface of a foreign national with the Indian system,” said a senior official.

In 2008, 5.23 lakh visas were issued by the mission in Dhaka and two Indian consulates in Bangladesh. This translates to over 1,400 visas a day.

Nearly 46 per cent of visa seekers are in the category of visits to relatives or for religious centres, with another 40 per cent issued for business people.

Bangladesh also perhaps accounts for the largest number of India visa violators, with over 25,000 of its nationals reported to have over-stayed beyond their visa validity.

According to an official, a time-table has been drawn up for the pilot project to start.

This includes standardizing the visa forms, fine-tuning the number of documents required for visa, as well as deciding on the access control of applicants to the mission premises.

An important change would be the inclusion of information on the length of permitted stay in the “machine readable zone” of the visa sticker.

“Right now, an official usually manually ascertains if the visa is valid or not. Therefore, there is always a possibility of human error. When visa validity is included in the zone, then the system will automatically put a red flag if the holder has over-stayed,” he said.

He pointed out that both Pakistan and Bangladesh are “special cases” for visa applications.

“We already have a specialized system in place for these two countries. We are now just expanding on their current capabilities.”

One of the major problems of Indian missions is the verification of documents. This is especially critical in a country like Bangladesh, where documents are often submitted in local languages.

Besides, there is a drive on to scan all the application forms and documents to digitized them. “Right now, we have a shortage of space in the Dhaka High Commission to store these documents,” the official said.

Overall, the objective of the ambitious project is to develop an integrated system so that all agencies are able to upload as well as tap information from a centralized database, which will have information not just on all applicants but will also include the latest blacklists of the Home Ministry.

“We often get complaints that the blacklists are not frequently updated on the current system,” an official said.

Ultimately, the system will be able to provide a profile of every visa applicant - listing his prior travel, length of stay and where he stayed. IANS

NDFB vows support for Maoists

GUWAHATI, Nov 16: The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) has announced its support to the Maoists. “I would like to greet and congratulate the Maoists who are fighting for their legitimate rights and also extend all help to them in their fight against the ruling cliques,” NDFB chairman DR Nabla said in a statement e-mailed to IANS.

The NDFB statement assumes special significance amid intelligence reports that Maoists were desperately trying to set up bases in the Northeast, especially in Assam, by forging links with local rebel groups.

“It seems the NDFB is giving clear hints about supporting the Maoists and even helping them set up camps in Assam, bordering Bhutan.

We have such reports and hence intensifying vigil in the border areas,” a senior Assam Police official said.

Reports say Maoists from eastern India may have forged links with a ragtag Assam-based group called the All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA), whose cadres are drawn from the State’s tea workers’ community.

Assam Police claims to have information about some AANLA leaders based in the State of Jharkhand, a Maoist stronghold. “Apart from AANLA, there are also reports of Maoists trying to forge links with the ULFA,” the official said.

The Maoists have been eyeing to create trouble in Bhutan and are hence keen to set up bases in Assam to stage hit-and-run guerrilla strikes in the adjoining Buddhist nation.

Bhutan has witnessed a pro-democracy agitation in the 1990s with a section of Nepali-speaking residents in its southern parts rising in revolt.

The crackdown that followed led thousands of Nepali-speaking people from southern Bhutan to flee to Nepal. (IANS)

Manipur school body seeks early resumption of classes

IMPHAL, Nov 16 – The All Manipur Recognised Private Schools’ Welfare Association on Sunday has urged the authority for the immediate resumption of normal classes in the educational institutions in the State.

A resolution has been taken in this regard after a meeting here at the Hafta Kangleibung.

Sunday’s meeting which was attended by around 3,000 staff and teachers of nearly 250 private schools resolved to urge the State Government and striking bodies including Apunba Lup and three students bodies to thrash out an amicable solution before November 19 in order to commence normalclasses.

The three students bodies – All Manipur Students Union, Manipuri Students Federation and Kangleipak Students Association have been demanding justice in the alleged ‘fake encounter’ on July 23 last and launched an indefinite class boycott agitation from September 9 last.

Most speakers in the public meeting said that the prolonged class boycott stir has put students in an uncertain situation. The students have attended only 90 days of class though the minimum for appearing in exam is 160 as per the norms of the State Board.

Those who attended the meeting expressed the apprehension on whether around 90,000 students will be eligible to appear in the matriculation examination or higher secondary examinations next year.

Sources said the State Government has decided to prevail upon heads of educational institutions to conduct classes on Sundays and holidays in order to overcome the loss of normal classes by the students.