G Plus vol 05 Issue 17 by G Plus

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018 @guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

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Volume 05 | Issue 17 Feb 17 - Feb 23, 2018 Price `10

Chick PG 24

I am arrested because of political pressure: Sumit Sogani

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Narcotics menace in Central Guwahati: cops raid 3 hubs

Minkumoni Deka, son of retired inspector Monmohan Deka, was arrested by Noonmati police with 10 grams of heroin, valued at Rs 1 lakh | G Plus Photo

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

entral Guwahati, of the three police districts under the Guwahati Police Commissionerate, has emerged as a hub for narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances prompting the police to pull up their socks once again. City police have identified at least eight hot spots in the area where rampant peddling of narcotics, especially

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Assam transgenders seek inclusion in NRC, to knock on Supreme Court’s door

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on the block

GMDA to occupy 7 bighas of forest dept land for ropeway

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Lead Story

SNIPPETS 5 women entrepreneurs bag Achievers Award of Excellence 2017-18

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on Thursday last, presented the Women Achievers Award of Excellence 2017-18 to five prominent entrepreneurs at a function organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation, North East, in Guwahati. The awardees are: Leena Saikia for innovative agriculture, Bano Haralu from Nagaland for conservation of Amur Falcon, H Shubhra Devi from Manipur for Food Processing and Preservation, Lakhimi Barua Bhuyan for Assamese Jewellery and Saroj Khemka for Serial Entrepreneurship. Sonowal has also urged all women entrepreneurs of the region to explore new avenues and contribute towards generating employment and creating prosperity. n

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Narcotics menace in Central Guwahati... Continued from page » 1 opium-based and synthetic drugs, is taking place. (See box) Four such raids have been conducted by the city police in Noonmati and Jyotikuchi of central Guwahati and Kotabari of West Guwahati. In the Noonmati raid at Bishnu Rabha Nagar on February 12, police nabbed an ex-cop’s son Minkumoni Deka aka Maina,

36, and recovered 10 grams of unadulterated heroin worth Rs 1 lakh in the open market. In Jyotikuchi, a joint operation of city police with the Crime Investigation Department (CID) resulted in the arrest of one Ripan Bardhan from whom 8 grams of heroin, six laptops and Rs 1.5 lakhs was recovered. Acting on leads suspected to be based on the earlier arrests, the crime branch had, on February 15, arrested two others - Alia

Assam narcotics scenario getting grimmer

Anti corruption dept raids forest officer’s residence

hief Minister's Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Cell, on Wednesday, conducted a raid at the residence of a senior forest officer in Guwahati. The sleuths conducted the raid at the residence of Aftabuddin Ahmed at Sundarpur, Guwahati. n

we will raid to catch them redhanded,” Ranjan Bhuyan, deputy commissioner of police for central Guwahati told G Plus. This would be the second major drug bust in the city after 2016 when Assam Police had launched an anti-drug operation throughout the state and arrested about 50 persons - 35 from Guwahati and recovered contraband substances worth more than Rs 7 crores. n

Types of contraband Narcotic drugs This includes drugs that are mostly synthesised from natural source and induces awareness, sleep, acts as muscle relaxant and causes other behavioural changes. Heroin, cocaine, brown sugar, morphine, others that are opium-based and marijuana/ hashish etc fall under this category.

Psychotropic Drugs These are the artificially synthesised drugs that affect the brain and nervous system to induce psychiatric changes. Prescription psychotropic drugs are used for psychiatric patients. This includes lifestyle drugs such as LSD, ecstasy and other methane-based chemical drug such as methamphetamine and mephedrone aka meow-meow and various forms of ephedrine such as WY, yaba, speed and devil’s dust.neutralised.

CID to probe illegal coal trade in Assam

tate Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told during Assam Assembly that the Assam government will order CID to probe the illegal coal trade in the state. Even as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned coal mining in the northeast region, there is a surge in the number of trucks carrying coal from Meghalaya to Beltola. At present, previously mined coal is being transported but most of the trucks flout all the norms. The Ri Bhoi district administration and police are facing a tough time curbing illegal transportation of coal out of the state following a Supreme Court order last year. The Ri Bhoi district police have detected 488 coal-laden trucks flouting rules since the apex court extended the transportation deadline for four months last November, a Meghalaya based regional media reported. n

Begum and Hafijor Ali and recovered about 500 grams of brown sugar, an adulterated form of heroin, a few pieces of gold and silver jewellery and Rs 1.5 lakhs cash. “These raids were part of an ongoing process of planning. Now, we have a map of the hot spots where narcotic products are sold and purchased. We also have identified the suspected peddlers and kept them under close watch. The moment we get inputs regarding their activities,

Peddlers Hafijor Ali (L) and Alia Begum. (Inset) Recovered drugs

n 2016, Assam Police had recorded the highest number of cases under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act over the last decade. It showed a threefold rise in cases from 121 registered in 2006 to 386 cases registered in 2016. This has been the result of the rise in smuggling of foreign cigarettes and synthetic drugs into the state. The trend also showed that besides the constant supply of traditional contraband items like ganja and cough syrup from across the border through Manipur and Myanmar, smuggled synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra are also making its foray here. “The number of NDPS cases has been constantly going up in the last decade. Since 2011, every year over 200 cases have been registered across the state. The number soared to 251 in 2013. In the following years, the numbers came down slightly to 210 in 2014 and 217 in 2015. But it peaked last year,” official records said. “Tablets containing ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine are illegally transported from Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh to Manipur and then smuggled to Myanmar. From here, they go to the infamous Golden Triangle (Afghanistan, Myanmar and Thailand). In the illegal factories of Myanmar, they use ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine to prepare party drugs

like WY, Yaba, Speed and Devil’s Dust,” said an anti-vice cell official. Recent investigation revealed that a liquid form of heroin has also been smuggled into the state from Arunachal Pradesh. The drug is believed to come from the bordering areas of China. Assam DGP, Mukesh Sahay, said the department, under its forward and backward linkage process, has already contacted the police of Bihar, Punjab and Haryana in the west and Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur in the northeast after the recent drug hauls in the state. Delving on the forward and backward linkage process, Sahay said, “It is a routine we follow whenever we seize some contraband substances. We try to find out the origin of the substance or whether it is coming to our state or going out. Based on that, we inform the concerned state and launch coordinated operations in the respective states.” “At times it is difficult to identify the channel of the substances from the statement of the apprehended addict or peddler and we go by the nature of the substances to find their origin,” Sahay said. “According to our information, the contraband substances have come from these states. So we have informed the police department of those states. We will be in coordination with those states in order to thwart the supply channels,” Sahay said. n

Substance abuse These are spirit-based or other forms of relaxants that are used in other substances but inhaled or consumed for intoxication. These include adhesives, polishes and removers which have high content of spirit.

Routes Narcotics such as brown sugar, cocaine and heroin come mainly from Myanmar to India through Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. Drugs enter Assam mostly through the Moreh (Manipur)-Dimapur (Nagaland) route and also from Mizoram through Barak Valley (the most preferred route in recent times). Synthetic drugs come from Punjab and other northern and western states through Cooch Behar in Bengal. A part of brown sugar also comes from Bihar.

Punishment Under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances Act Possession below 10 grams carries a six-month jail term and fine of up to Rs 10,000. Possession of more than 10 grams but below 1 kg carries 10-year imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine while above 1 kg between 10-20 years in jail with fine between Rs 1 - 2 lakhs depending on the amount.

2016 Crackdown Over 50 people were arrested in 15 days in Assam. A task force, headed by additional chief secretary TY Das, was constituted to monitor and check peddling as well as rehab of addicts. Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had conducted operations at Gaya in Bihar and Rae Bareily in Uttar Pradesh on basis of information provided by suspected drug dealers in Assam.

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

ULUBARI, G.S.ROAD, GUWAHATI

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Concern

SNIPPETS Assam Govt committed to utilize full amount earmarked in Budget 2018-19

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

State PWD utilises only 30% of allocated budget fund G Plus checks on the fund utilisation scenario by the PWD and tries to probe the reasons for the continuing poor road infrastructure in the city and the state Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

S S

tate finance minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarrna, on Thursday, said that the amount released by the government of Assam on the fund utilisation against Budget 2018-19 confirms the commitment and responsiveness of the government to the people of Assam. Sarma affirms that the present Government has not only been able to utilise more funds for the implementation of developmental schemes in comparison with earlier governments, but also has been able to utilise more funds within ten months of this financial year as compared to the utilisation in the same period of the last year. Referring to the expenditure data, Sarma asserted that between the months of April 2015 and January 2016, the earlier government could incur an expenditure of Rs 30,603 crores only. However, the present government, for the same period in FY 2016-17, spent an amount of Rs. 39,428 crores from the budgeted amount. Further, in the current FY, i.e. April 2017-January 2018, the government has already incurred an expenditure of Rs. 42,934 crores of the budgeted amount. This confirms the fact that the government, in this financial year, has utilized more funds than in the previous two financial years. Against the funds to be received in the centrally sponsored schemes, matching state share is also provisioned in the budget and can only be utilized once the funds from the Government of India are released. Moreover, due to the prolonged monsoon and massive floods last year, most of the planned construction work for infrastructural development have picked up pace only in the last few months and the budget utilization will increase substantially in the coming days. Sarma reiterated that the government of Assam is fully committed to incur the budgeted expenditure for the various developmental activities within the year. n

tate finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, recently claimed that the present government has utilised more allocated budget funds in 201718 than in the previous years. Public Works Department (PWD), which gets the lion’s share every year, however was able to utilise only 30% of the allocated budget fund till 15 February 2018. The consumption was different for 2016-17, as in that year, the department had utilised 95% of the allotted budget. A senior official of the PWD said, “Rs 3,672 crores was allocated in the state budget under all heads but only around 30% was utilised this year for various reasons.” For the record Rs 479.8 crores was allocated under the non-lapsable control pool of resources. Under revenue investment, Rs 982 crores was allocated and under state-owned projects for development (SODP), Rs 2,209.99 crores was allocated. Under SODP projects, Rs 100 crores was allotted for converting 1,000 rural bridges into semipermanent timber bridges. But till date only 150 such bridges have been converted. Rs 50 crores was allotted as

File photo of office of the Chief Engineer, PWD (Roads) 50% state fund for converting some sections of railway tracks into railway over-bridges. The project is still under scrutiny. Rs 100 crores was allotted for construction of 3 flyovers at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar. The PWD official claimed that the detailed project report preparation work for the project is under process. Similarly, many other projects in the department are under process or have not been started.

“PWD works are mostly carried out between November and February only,” the PWD official said. He also explained that most of the construction contractors deposit their bills in the month of March - that is after the season is over. Resultantly, many bills are pending payment and hence the budget looks unutilised. Contradicting the view, another source in the PWD department said that many proposals for utilising the funds

are pending with the finance department. The source said, “The finance department takes time in approving proposals.” The source also revealed that the proposals are made by the ground level engineers which are forwarded to the senior officials in Dispur for ministerial approvals. Many files are pending in the PWD minister’s office in Dispur and also with the finance department, the source informed. n

Rainy season, stone chip scarcity mar PWD works

Solitary officer burdened with too many responsibilities

he Public Works Department (PWD) works have mostly been stalled because the contractors cannot work during rainy season. Further, the scarcity and non-availability of stone chips is making things difficult at present. One Class A PWD contractor, Prabeen Thakuria said, “This year the rainy season continued till November disrupting all road construction works.” He is a Guwahati-based contractor and revealed that non-availability of stone chips has also added on to the existing difficulties. In the middle of 2016, the Meghalaya government had banned earth cutting in the state resulting in the closure of the stone quarries located on the

Assam-Meghalaya border areas like Pilinkata, which was a major supplier of stone chips to Assam. For around three months (July to September) the PWD road construction work was stopped in the state areas were Meghalaya stone chips were used and later the state government arranged for stone chips from Bhutan. But the process raised the expenditure of the contractors as one cubic metre (CM) of stone chips, which used to cost Rs 1,800, escalated to Rs 3,500. The problem continues in the state and the government is yet to resolve the matter. The scarcity of stone chips has also impaired other construction works in the city and the problem has percolated to the real estate industry as well. n

he public works department (PWD) minister Parimal Suklabaidya recently ordered an enquiry to probe the poor quality of works rendered by the various engineers and contractors in the state. Sources revealed that since only one person is taking care of the entire department the quality

I have no issues in handling all the divisions of the department as there are so many efficient officers to help me” Rajesh Kemprai, engineer

check is not up to the mark. Till last year two commissioners and secretaries used to head PWD (Roads) and PWD (National Highway and Buildings). Since last year, Rajesh Kemprai is the only engineer who is heading both the divisions of the department, which therefore is affecting the quality check of the work carried out by the department. PWD is the only department in the state which is headed by engineers and not IAS officers. Sources in the department revealed that Kemprai is not being able to handle all the divisions of the department individually. Kemprai, when contacted however said, “I have no issues in handling all the divisions of the department as there are so many efficient officers to help me.” n

Crime

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Four arrested for allegedly looting Last Gate petrol pump Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

atigaon police have arrested four persons for allegedly looting Kiran Petrol Pump located at Last Gate near Housefed. Local police sources said four

Rs 1.5 lakhs from the cash box.” Mukut said that only one employee besides a security guard was present in the petrol pump office when the incident took place. The employee, Putul Kutum, who is an eye witness said, “Sumit Sogani entered the office and took away the hard disc of the

Kiran Petrol Pump | G Plus Photo persons (Sumit Sogani, Mayur Kulshreshtha, Rajkapur Mandal and Jitendra Mandal) were arrested after the owners of the petrol pump filed a complaint alleging that the petrol pump was “looted” on 13th February. All the four are in two-day police custody. The owner of the petrol pump Dr Shankar Mukut (son of former state Assembly speaker Late Ganesh Kutum) said, “Sumit Sogani along with around 20 people had forcefully entered the petrol pump at 12.30 am and took away

computer which was connected to the CCTV cameras installed in the pump.” Shankar Mukut said that Sogani had also brought two former employees of the pump along with him. The two knew about the operations of the pump and accordingly, after switching on the machines, forcibly filled diesel in three to four vehicles. The police was informed and as soon as they reached, Sogani and his friends left the spot, Mukut alleged. n

I am arrested because of political pressure: Sumit Sogani

umit Sogani, who is in police custody now, talking to G Plus, alleged that he was arrested because of “political pressure.” Sogani said, “I have been the lessee of the petrol pump for the last 12 years and the lease will end in April 2018.” He alleged that the owners (Shankar Mukut) had forcibly taken over the petrol pump in February from him and had asked him to vacate the pump within one day. Sogani said, “We even have a stay order from the court.” “The allegations are all false because only two of us were there at night and two pump men were there who dispensed fuel into the vehicles,” Sogani alleged adding that they were there because they have the stay order from the court.

File photo of Sumit Sogani According to Sogani, the case has been twisted with political pressure and also because the owners do not want to pay Sogani his dues. Sogani said he has all the lease agreements which prove that the agreement was initially from 2008 to 2013 and which was further extended till April 2018. The owners, however, have filed another case in the same police station saying the papers are fake. n

Business interests related to the incident

hile the four have been arrested, the city police is minutely investigating the case as there seem to be business interests related to the incident. A senior police official said, “It will take time to resolve the case as there are too many angles to it which are mostly related to business interests.” Shankar Mukut said, “The management of the petrol station was handed over to Laxmi Narayan Sogani (father of Sumit Sogani) as our family had known Laxmi Narayan Sogani for several years.” Since 2008, Laxmi Narayan was taking care of the pump and Sogani appeared on the scene just two years ago, said Mukut. Mukut further alleged, “Ever since Sogani started coming here

there have been discrepancies in the accounts and many employees were forced to adulterate the fuel.” Eventually, Mukut’s family decided to manage the fuel station by themselves and in the first week of February, they decided to

The management of the petrol station was handed over to Laxmi Narayan Sogani (father of Sumit Sogani) as our family had known Laxmi Narayan Sogani for several years.” Shankar Mukut, Owner, Kiran Petrol Pump

discuss the issue with Sumit Sogani and his father. Mukut said, “Since then, he (Sumit) has begun behaving very rudely and every night he comes to the station to bully the employees working there,” adding that Sumit had even taken all the keys of the petrol pump and is also in possession of some documents related to the fuel station. Sumit however had filed a complaint with the police saying that the petrol pump is under his management through a lease deal that is valid till April 2018 and the owners have illegally taken over the station from him, informed police sources. Police sources also said that he had showed some documents which the owners claimed were fake. Police is verifying all the documents and investigation is ongoing. n

Ward Watch

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Metal contamination in Lal Ganesh groundwater - a serious concern In this week’s Ward Watch, G Plus reports on the acute water crisis in Lal Ganesh (Ward No 16) plus the contamination that the depleting groundwater in facing the emerging residential areas of the city. Realtors have said that the water crisis has not only affected the residents but also the real estate value of the area. “The clients are not willing to pay according to the current rates of the flats as we cannot ensure regular supply of water there. The underground water is running dry. That’s why I have kept most of flats unsold and decided to wait for the water supply projects to be over as only then, we can expect good value for the flats,” a realtor who has built a housing complex here said. n

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

cute crisis of potable water has thrown life out of gear in the Lal Ganesh area in Ward No 16 of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC). The residents complained that except for the monsoon season, they have to purchase water round the year as even the groundwater reserves have almost depleted. “It has become a regular affair for us that the wells and the deep tube wells turn dry in the dry seasons. Those who can afford, purchase water while the rest have to collect it from the public water taps. The GMC provides water twice a day but it isn’t enough for all the residents living here,” Abhijit Bose, a resident living in Lal Ganesh said. Another resident, Partha Goswami, who has been living there for the last 10 years, said that the problem persists and has remained unaddressed by

The govt water supply project at Lal Ganesh that provides water intermittently to the area | G Plus Photo the GMC over the last two years. “We had filed several complaints to the GMC and the district administration. But no step has been taken yet. Every time we were assured that they will look into the matter. But

in the end, it all boils down to one thing – wait till the ongoing water supply projects are over,” Goswami said. Lal Ganesh, a tri-junction where Kahilipara Road meets the Lokhra Road, is also one of

Concentrated Area: Lal Ganesh (16C) Ward No: 16 Population of the Ward: 49,000 Voter Population: 27,300 Population of Mathgharia: 3,750 Ward Councillor: Pran Krishna Bhaumik

Heavy metals pose threat: CGWB

Councillor to encourage green cover in the ward

ith the groundwater reserve depleting fast the threat of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium in the water is also becoming more ominous, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) predicted. According to a survey conducted by the board, Lal Ganesh already falls under one of the 17 high fluoride zones in the city. In Lal Ganesh, we have found that the fluoride level is above 7 milligram per litre which is way above the permissible 2 mg per litre. However, if the ground water reserve keeps on getting depleted at this rate and not renewed at the same rate, we are

staring into an ominous threat of heavy metal accumulation in the region,” a scientist in the Guwahati office of CGWB said. Heavy metals, as the name suggests, are heavier than other metals and thus has a tendency of settling at the bottom of the groundwater. “Like rivers, water streams run underground too. Now, heavy metal sedimentation is not a threat if the stream is running because, then, by the time heavy metals get chance to settle down, they are washed out by the new stream of water. But such is not the case in the city as due to deforestation and “metalling” of the green covers in the city, water doesn’t get soaked in by the earth and hence has

lesser scope of replenishment,” the scientist explained. Lal Ganesh area, along with a few its neighbouring areas, faces greater threat than most other parts of the city due to its distance from the Brahmaputra River which acts as a natural replenishing source for the groundwater too. While fluoride contamination causes health hazards like skeletal fluorosis causing bent bones in legs and dental fluorisis causing crooked teeth, hazards of heavy metal are more serious. These include neural troubles, serious skin diseases, disability in children and weak development of certain body parts among others. n

ran Krishna Bhaumik, councillor of Ward No 16, admitting his inability to provide regular drinking water, said that he would encourage more green cover in his ward. “The green cover is a major concern, I admit. Even the urban floods are caused due to lesser green cover in the area. I had been encouraging the people of my ward to refrain from laying their verandas with concrete. This will at least delay the ground water depletion to a lot of extent,” Bhaumik said. According to a map prepared by the Assam Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on the green covers in the city, Lal Ganesh is one of the mildly vegetative wards among the rest.

Major gold smuggling racket busted at ISBT, Guwahati

cting on specific information, a team of officers of Anti-Smuggling Unit of Customs Division, Guwahati, headed by the Superintendent, busted a major gold

smuggling racket at ISBT, Guwahati. On interception and search of a night super bus bearing registration number MN-01-2071 coming from Imphal, the officers recovered 40 pieces of gold biscuits of Myanmar

origin weighing 6.6 kgs. The value of the gold biscuits is estimated to be Rs 2,05,90,510. Two persons identified as Md Nasir Khan of Lilong, Imphal and Somnath Subarao Mane from

Sangli, Maharashtra have been arrested in connection with the incident. The accused are now in judicial custody. Further investigation of the case is going on. n

A BJP councillor, Bhaumik is banking all his hopes on the incumbent government of the same party to solve the water crisis problem. “Water crisis is a problem that has gripped the whole city. It is due to the inefficiency of the 15-year rule of corruption by the former government. The work in the water projects has already started and is being done on a war footing. Soon this problem will be solved too,” Bhaumik said. He further adds, “Once people get water 24X7 from the government, the groundwater usage will decrease to a lot of extent. Heavy metal contamination is a threat in the long run and we hope that the water crisis will be sorted way before that.” n

In The News

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Assam transgenders seek inclusion in NRC, to knock on Supreme Court’s door G Plus explores the need of Assam’s transgender community to be included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) currently being updated in the state

SNIPPETS City hospital celebrates anniversary

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

rotesting against the exclusion of their names from the register, the All Assam Transgender Association has decided to move the Supreme Court against the Registrar General of India supervising the exercise. A 113 page petition which has already been prepared for submission to the apex court makes a case for the screening of the transgender population in the state and their inclusion in NRC. “The Supreme Court has ordered the update of the NRC and we would like to know from the Court whether the transgender, who are compelled by society to lead a substandard life, would be termed as Bangladeshi migrants or a domicile of the state,” said Swati Bidhan Baruah, who heads the association with a membership of over 5,400 in the state. She said, “Producing legacy data is difficult for many of us (transgenders) because, in most of the cases, when a family finds out that the child is a third gender, either they shun us or they send us to the hijra guru (families of transgender). Most of us don’t have enough documents with ourselves. Those who have, due to the fear of insult and embarrassment, have not kept

A demonstrator with placards demanding NRC inclusion for Transgenders in Guwahati | G Plus Photo any contact with their real family members and so, approaching them for legacy data is out of question.” However, Baruah admits that the arrival of transgenders from other parts of the country to Assam for livelihood pose a threat to the indigenous transgender population. “This is the reason why some security for us is necessary including our enrolment in the NRC.” “According to the 2011 census

report, there are at least 11,000 transgender people in the state which might have increased to more than 20,000 now. Many of the new entrants are either too scared to come out fearing embarrassment or have come from other parts of the city. So, a screening by the government is required to differentiate the original inhabitants from the shifting crowd,” said Baruah. The association had, last month, moved the State

Identity tug-of-war between transgender and sexual minorities

data is difficult for many of us (transgenders) because, in most of the cases, when a family finds out that the child is a third gender, either they shun us or they send us to the hijra guru (families of transgender). Most of us don’t have enough documents with ourselves. Those who have, due to the fear of insult and embarrassment, have not kept any contact with their real family members and so, approaching them for legacy data is out of question.” However, Baruah admits that the arrival of transgenders from other parts of the country to Assam for livelihood pose a threat to the indigenous transgender population. “This is the reason why some security for us is necessary including our enrolment in the NRC.” “According to the 2011 census report, there are at least 11,000 transgender people in the state

which might have increased to more than 20,000 now. Many of the new entrants are either too scared to come out fearing embarrassment or have come from other parts of the city. So, a screening by the government is required to differentiate the original inhabitants from the shifting crowd,” said Baruah. The association had, last month, moved the State Coordinator of NRC with their demand and had been assured of a solution by the second week of January. “However, no solution has so far been reached,” Baruah said. Out of a total of 3.29 crore applicants, the NRC has been able to cover only 1.9 crores in a list already that has already been released. The entire exercise which found mention in the Assam Accord is now being monitored by the Supreme Court. n

Coordinator of NRC with their demand and had been assured of a solution by the second week of January. “However, no solution has so far been reached,” Baruah said. Out of a total of 3.29 crore applicants, the NRC has been able to cover only 1.9 crores in a list already that has already been released. The entire exercise which found mention in the Assam Accord is now being monitored by the Supreme Court. n

The times, they are a changing 1. Acting to a PIL filed in the High Court, the Assam Government has constituted a core committee and an advisory committee to look into the issues and problems of the transgender community 2. Dispur is mulling on constituting a Transgender Welfare Board by this year which will create education and employment opportunities for the community 3. Academy awardee British actor , Eddie Redmayne, who had been vocal about the rights of the transgender community is to take part in a pride parade organised by the All Assam Transgender Association in Guwahati this month

he 29th anniversary of down town hospital ended with the 26th down town Public Oration & Award function on 15th February 2018 at ITA Machkhowa, Guwahati. For the last 25 years, down town hospital has been organizing a public oration programme to bring awareness among the general public on a common medical topic. Eminent personalities from different medical fields deliver the lecture to encourage the public to maintain a healthy life. This year, the 26th public oration was delivered by Dr Sunil Shroff, Senior Consultant - Urology & Transplantation, Madras Medical Mission Hospital, Chennai and Managing Trustee - MOHAN Foundation on the topic “Progress Made with Deceased Organ Donation & Transplantation Programme in India.” Dr Shroff, during his oration, highlighted that in today’s world, with the increasing number of deaths due to diseases and epidemics, the number of road traffic accidents is also growing exponentially. Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, Vice Chancellor of Assam Down Town University inaugurated the oration and appreciated the efforts of down town hospital for organizing the public oration and its endeavour in spreading the message to the masses for building a healthy society. He encouraged Dr NN Dutta to take more such steps in bringing awareness for organ donation. Mayurakshi Dutta, Executive Director, in her speech welcomed the guests and expressed her gratitude to the orator and also congratulated the awardees. In order to uplift the spirit of the doctors and to encourage them to continue their dedicated services to the community, the hospital has instituted an annual “Award of Excellence in Medicine” since 2000 for the doctors of northeast region for setting exemplary service within and outside the state. This year down town “Award for Excellence in Medicine - 2018” was conferred upon Dr Bibhash Chandra Goswami, Founder Director, State Cancer Institute, GMCH for his outstanding contribution in the field of medical and health service. The award carried a gold medal, a memento, a citation and a cheque of rupees one lakh. n

City

SNIPPETS Landscape garden developed at Khanapara

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

GMDA to occupy 7 bighas of forest dept land for ropeway G Plus brings in the latest news on the Guwahati-North Guwahati ropeway which is now under construction after the project was hit by a number of delays Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

he newly developed landscape garden in the city at the Khanapara round-about by Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in association with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)was inaugurated on 13th Feb, 2018 by Satyamrit

(Mridu) Kagti, Chairperson Shishu Sarothi and Arman Ali, Director - Shishu Sarothi in the presence of the Managing Director of NRL, SK Barua, Sr. CGM (Mktg & BD) of NRL B Ekka, CGM- NHAI Raj Chakravarty and other officials of NRL & NHAI. The landscaping of the Khanapara roundabout on NH37 is part of NRL’s CSR initiative towards beautification of the city. Under the same initiative, NRL and NHAI will also develop another two roundabouts on NH37 in Nagaon District. n

Notorious car lifters arrested

n a drive conducted jointly by Palashbari Police Station and Bijaynagar Police Outpost, notorious car lifter Boga aka Anowar Hussain has been arrested. Two other miscreants, viz Javed Ali and Ajed Ali who have been accompanying Anowar for a long time, have also been arrested during the drive. Police apprehended the miscreants from Haligaon, Bijaynagar. Police also alleged that, Javed Ali is the main culprit behind the murder of Bijaynagar businessman Shanti Lal Jain and that he was guided by Anowar Hussain. n

n a move to develop the upcoming ropeway terminus area at Kachari, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) will be occupying the 7 bighas of land belonging to the department of environment & forests. A senior official of GMDA said, “Rs 2 crores will be paid as compensation to the forest department to shift their offices located at Kachari.” The area was occupied by the offices of the district forest conservator and the forest ranger. Also, some adjacent barracks were used by forest officials for other works. These offices will be shifted to Shantipur near Bharalu, a source in the forest department informed. 80% of the construction work on the 7-storey ropeway terminus station which is coming up at Kachari has been completed. The building will be installed with three lifts and the roof of the building will be converted into a view point for tourists. The building is expected to have all the amenities for the visitors and passengers like food joints, toilets, rest rooms and shops. The surrounding area will be beautified under the Smart City Project and GMDA will also

Forest office at Kachari Ghat which is set to be dismantled soon | G Plus Photo construct a parking lot for all kinds of vehicles. The Guwahati passenger ropeway project connecting the northern and southern zones of the city will be completed in the next nine months, Guwahati Development Department (GDD) minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, informed G Plus. The project was scheduled to have been commissioned in

Kachari Ghat to be developed into integrated transportation terminus

he Kachari Ghat near the office of the Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner will be developed into an integrated terminus for all means of transportation. A senior official of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) said, “After the construction of the ropeway terminus, the area will be gradually developed into an integrated terminus for buses, taxis, river taxis and the metro rail.” According to the detailed project report (DPR) which is being reworked upon, a metro station will be constructed at Kachari

Ghat near the ropeway terminus. The inland water transport department sources revealed that a terminus for river taxis will be created near the ropeway terminus. The GMDA will construct a parking lot where space for taxis and buses will be allotted. n

May 2011, but work was stopped by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February, 2011. Permission for tilt rectification of well foundation number 2 (pillar T-2) was not given at Urvashi Island. The GMDA received the permission in 2015 with the condition of relocating the pillar (T-2) beyond 300 metres of the Urvashi Island.

The pillar has been constructed accordingly at the south bank (near the office of the Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner) and construction work for the other four pillars has almost been completed. The towers to be installed on top of the pillars and at the stations will arrive by 1st March. Thereafter, the rope pulling and cabin fitting work will start. n

Integrated terminus impossible at Kachari: Ajoy Dutta

lamming the city development authorities, city-based social activist, Ajoy Dutta, said that an integrated terminus for all means of transportation at Kachari is an impossible dream. Dutta, who is also a member of the NGO Save Guwahati Build Guwahati (SGBG), said, “Kachari is the busiest area in the city and an integrated terminus will only create more chaos.” The activist informed that the previous government had already blocked a road connecting Kachari to Guwahati railway station by constructing an underground parking lot and a food court. Taking about metro rail, the activist opined that it is a “dream”

which might be fulfilled after 30 years. Dutta said that to develop Guwahati the authorities should first think about constructing an underground sewerage system and then think of coming up with projects like metro rail. n

Concern

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Lack of awareness results in gross underutilisation of OSC for women This week G Plus looks at the centrally sponsored initiative ‘Sakhi’ which provides centres with legal, medical and counselling aid for women in distress. It was revealed that the people are largely unaware about the scheme resulting in low number of cases. Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

Many people still do not know about the centre and the services it offers for women in distress. There is a need to create large-scale awareness about the same”

n a city where domestic violence accounts for a majority of cases under crimes against women, a comprehensive care centre for women launched by the central ministry of women & child development remains underutilised. Launched in January 2017, “Sakhi - one stop centre” provides integrated support and assistance to women who have faced any form of violence including physical, mental or sexual abuse. Under this centrally-sponsored scheme, female victims of abuse and violence can avail medical, legal and counselling services provided by the government. There are a total of five one stop centres (OSC) in Assam and these are located at Nagaon, Jorhat, Kokrajhar and Cachar apart from Kamrup (Metro). These provides emergency and non-emergency services to survivors who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, human trafficking

Nilakshi Sarma, Centre Administrator, Kamrup (M)

File photo of Sakhi One Stop centre among others. However, as per the data made available by the officials, the Sakhi centre located in Kamrup (Metro) district has only handled 12 cases till now. Of these, a majority have been referral cases by different citybased NGOs. The authorities blame the low number of cases on the lack of awareness about the initiative

Most cases related to domestic violence

ut of the 12 cases received by the one stop centre, 11 were of survivors of domestic violence and one case was related to human trafficking. Last year in Guwahati, the police registered maximum number of cases against cruelty by husband and relatives with 590 cases being filed in the city till October 2017. This was the highest among all categories of cases under violence against women. According to the data provided by the crime branch, 2017 saw a slight increase in the number of cases of cruelty by husband and relatives as compared to 2016. A total of 507 cases were registered under this category in 2016. Officials at the OSC informed that in almost all the domestic violence cases, extra marital affair was found to be the primary reason for discord. Further, an emergency helpline for women (181) which is yet to be inaugurated will be inte-

grated with the Sakhi centres. The helpline will also provide 24hour emergency response to all women affected by violence and will also provide information about women-related government schemes and programmes. Officials believe that once the helpline comes into place, the number of women approaching the OSC for help will increase manifold. “We will definitely see an increase in the number of cases received by the OSC after the inauguration of the helpline since they will all be directly handled by the one stop centre authorities along with social welfare department officials,” remarked Kunjalata Lachon, district social welfare officer of Kamrup (Metro). Authorities said that the helpline would most likely be inaugurated by March. The OSC is yet to get a designated police personnel and in the future, the OSC will also be eligible to register FIRs, informed officials. n

among locals. “Many people still do not know about the centre and the services it offers for women in distress. There is a need to create large-scale awareness about the same,” said Nilakshi Sarma, centre administrator of the Kamrup (M) centre.

The OSC, which is located at Hatigaon, is also equipped with five beds which functions as a temporary shelter for those in need of a place to stay for a few days. “We also receive cases where it becomes difficult for women to continue staying at their homes in cases of domestic abuse. They can stay at the centre for up to five days after which they are shifted to a permanent home,” said Sarma. n

yy One stop centre for women remains grossly underutilised in Kamrup (M) yy It is a centrally sponsored initiative for victims of abuse and violence yy OSCs provide medical, legal and counselling services yy There are a total of five one stop centres (OSC) in Assam located at Nagaon, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, Cachar and Kamrup (Metro) yy The OSC in Kamrup has handled only 12 cases till now, a majority of which have been referral cases by different citybased NGOs yy Authorities blame lack of awareness for low number of cases

OSC instrumental in helping women regain confidence

ince the OSC provides counselling to survivors of violence who come from an emotionally traumatic background, it has proved to be instrumental in helping these women get back their confidence, said Sarma. “We have seen cases where the survivors were indifferent towards themselves and others when they first approached us but later, with time, we saw marked improvements in them in terms of their self-confidence and selfcare.” However, one of the major

challenges faced by the officials at OSC is the delay in court proceedings which drags the case on for a long time. “Usually the district court has to provide for an interim relief within two months, but in one case, the survivor has not received it even after several months have passed,” said an official. On the other hand, in a bid to create awareness among people, the OSC has been organising street plays and several sensitisation programmes in slum areas and in different schools and colleges of Guwahati. n

SNIPPETS Guwahati master plan likely to be amended within 6 months

he 2009 Guwahati Master Plan which is valid up to 2025 is likely to be amended within six months for expanding the metropolitan development area. Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has already started working on a proposal that will also decrease the congestion in the city, a senior official said, adding that parking spaces for trucks could be shifted outside the metropolitan area. According to the 2009 master plan, the northern limit of the metropolitan area is Xila Sundari Ghopa Mouza, Borjhar Airport wall in the west, 9th Mile (Jorabat) in the south and the city’s border with Meghalaya in the east. The expansion, however, will be towards the eastern and western zones of the metropolitan area which will be included in the amendment proposal. Recently, the GMDA had issued a notice to concerned stakeholders of warehouses, truck parking and coal stacking yards along the national highway from Khanapara to Jalukbari for shifting outside the metropolitan area within six months. GMDA is awaiting a response from the stakeholders for implementation of the plan. “Existence of the warehouses, truck parking and coal stocking yards have been found to create chaos and traffic snarls in the entire stretch of national highway,” an official said. He informed that an alternate route for truck and heavy vehicles was also being “actively considered.” n

Minor sexually molested in city

n yet another shameful incident that occurred in Guwahati, a 13 year old minor at Hengrabari was allegedly sexually molested by one Minhar Ali. Ali was working as a carpenter at the residence of the victim. Reportedly, Ali, in absence of the minor’s family members, tried to take advantage of the situation. A case has been registered at Dispur Police Station in connection with the incident. n

Governance

SNIPPETS Administration to launch ‘I Love Guwahati’ app

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Govt to act against sale of ‘imported’ Axomia gamocha To give a fillip to local weavers who produce gamochas to go with the Bohag Bihu demands, the government has decided to ban gamochas made outside the state. Traders however are concerned whether the massive demand can be met locally Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

I T

he Kamrup (M) administration is all set to introduce a new mobile app - I Love Guwahati - which aims to address the problems of the city by bringing all departments of the district on a common platform. According to reports, the app will be designed as part of the Smart City project, which has been initiated in the district as part of the central government project. “To make Guwahati a fullfledged smart city, we should work together. So in the very first stage of implementing the project we are working towards taking all the departments concerned of Guwahati on a common platform. The app will be a part of this initiative,” Angamuthu told the media. “The app will be introduced experimentally within a month, where residents of the city can upload pictures or inform about any problems they are facing, ranging from cleanliness to education. All departments are interlinked. But because of no proper coordination between them, many cases remain un-addressed. So, after the introduction of the app, if anyone files a complaint there, whether the complaint is related to health department or municipality, all department officials will be alerted about it and all will take necessary steps on their part,” added Angamuthu. The app will be available on the Google Play Store for free. n

n a move that would benefit local weavers, the government has decided to ban the sale of Axomia gamochas produced outside Assam. District Development Commissioner (DDC), Barnali Sharma said, “There was already a standing order since last year from the department of handloom & textile to activate flying squads.” The DDC is just following that order and had asked the handloom & textile department to check the sale of gamochas to benefit the local weavers. The flying squad will be formed soon with members of district administration and handloom & textile department experts. The traders found selling non-locally woven gamochas will be penalised by the squad. A source in the department of handloom & textile revealed that every gamocha shop in Guwahati sells gamochas woven outside the state because it is cheaper than the gamochas produced in Assam.

Brisk trade for the Gamocha in a Guwahati market | G Plus Photo CEO of Rudrasagar Silk, Dilip Baruah said, “Nowadays even gamochas made in China are available in the market.” Many traders also invest huge amounts in procuring gamochas made outside Assam. Barnali Sharma clarified that

the decision was taken on 9th February so that the traders do not lose in investing in such procurements for Bohag Bihu, as the gamocha sale goes up during that season. But the gamochas made outside are also sold in

Traders doubt local weavers’ capability of meeting gamocha demand

raders feel that the ban will benefit the local weavers but doubt if they will be able to meet the market demand. Kushal Kalita of Assam Co-operative Silk House Ltd said, “Local weavers cannot produce the numbers required by the market. In one day, one

weaver can weave a maximum of two gamochas.” Similarly, another gamocha trader said that local weavers do not have modern technology and the handloom technology, which has been in use since ages, has not been upgraded. Axomia gamochas are mainly produced in Nalbari and Nagaon.

Cotton gamochas made in Assam cost between Rs 50 and Rs 350, Paat gamochas cost between Rs 800 and Rs 1,300 and Tosh gamochas also cost around Rs 800 to Rs 1300. The gamochas made outside Assam are cotton gamochas only and cost between Rs 30 and Rs 70; therefore their demand

government-owned shops like Artfed, a trader said and if the ban is implemented in the market, even the government agency should observe the ban. But a question remains whether the local producers will be able to meet the demand. n is very high. The technology used to weave such gamochas in places like Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are developed and produce large quantities on a daily basis. During festivals like Bohag Bihu, traders in Guwahati invest lakhs of rupees to procure gamochas from outside. Adequate local procurement is not possible in Assam as the supply here is far less. Therefore, many traders feel that the government should take the initiative in increasing production before implementing such a ban. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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29°/17° C

SATURDAY Sunny

28°/16° C

In The News

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

More than four lakh students appear for HSLC examinations

Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

and parents of candidates across the state. The government had also ordered a CID probe into the matter. Officials said that the digital database will ensure that the answer booklets are secure and not prone to any physical damage. Additionally, from this year

Students at an examination centre on the first day of HSLC Exam 2018 | G Plus Photo

ore than four lakh students have appeared in the state for the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and High Madrassa Examinations which commenced on 16 February. The examination will be conducted across 852 examination centres in the state which will allow a total of 4,53,533 candidates to appear in the examinations. Seventy one centres have been identified as “vulnerable centres” by the authorities. Further, in order to keep proper vigil outside the centres, five flying squads have been appointed which will consist of circle officers and officials from the education department and the police, informed education department authorities. According to an official, supervising officers would also be engaged with every examination centre. They will be tasked with monitoring the day-to-day examination and sending reports to the inspector of schools on the same day. Further CCTV cameras have been installed in each examination centre. Controller of examinations at the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA), Nayan Jyoti Sarmah, said that the mathemat-

ics answer sheets would be evaluated digitally. Further, from this year the question papers would be made available to students in five different languages and SEBA has made black ink mandatory for the students to answer questions. Officials added that the students would not be allowed to leave the examination hall before two hours of the commencement of the examination and high-power LED lights have been installed in all examination halls. Sarmah informed that they have an existing set up of computer laboratories where digital evaluation of mathematics paper were being conducted currently. “There are 11 specialised evaluation zones for mathematics all over Assam. Out of this, two evaluation centres have been set up in Guwahati”. In total, SEBA has set up 852 evaluation centres for evaluating answer scripts for the HSLC examination for the current year. The size of the monitor screens for evaluators will also be larger this time to eliminate scope of errors. In 2016, around 600 answer scripts of the HSLC examination were destroyed in a fire at a school in Jorhat triggering widespread protests by student organisations

onwards, the authorities have also introduced additional security measures in admit cards to eliminate the rampant proxy cases during examinations which have been discovered over the years. “Some of the new features include high resolution border, mi-

cro lining, watermark and copy and check which cannot be replicated in counterfeit admit cards,” said an official from the examination department of SEBA. “For the first time, we have also laid special emphasis to ensure fool-proof security of admit cards this year.” n

Concern

SNIPPETS IPL 2018 fixtures announced – Guwahati not included among venues

he VIVO Indian Premier League 2018 fixtures were announced earlier yesterday. The 11th edition of the world’s most popular and competitive T20 tournament will be played at nine venues across 51 days. The 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League will kick off on April 7 in Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. The first double header will be held on April 8 with Delhi Daredevils hosting Kings XI Punjab in the first game, followed by a clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens. However, despite coming up with a world class stadium at Barsapara in Guwahati, which played host to the headlining Ind vs Aus T-20 match last year, Guwahati will not play host to any IPL matches. Several Guwahatians expressed their disappointment on Guwahati not being selected as a venue. Devajit Lon Saikia, Vice President of the Assam Cricket Association, speaking to G Plus said, “It is not our call. It is the BCCI and the organizers’ call. IPL team Rajasthan Royals had shown interest and had also conducted an inspection. However, because of some litigation and some other issues, it was not done in Guwahati. We have to wait for some more time.” This makes it the 11th season in a row where Guwahatians have to possibly travel, in case they want to catch some of that IPL action. The final will be played in Mumbai, at the same venue on May 27. n

Foundation stone of resting shed for tourists laid at Umananda

n the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, DC Kamrup (M), Dr M Angamuthu laid the foundation stone of a resting shed in the premises of Umananda Temple. The resting shed has been constructed for the convenience of the tourists. IOCL has donated an amount of Rs 20 lakhs for the construction of the resting shed. The resting shed is expected to be completed within the next 6 months. n

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Air travel woes force customers to approach consumer court The consumer court in Kamrup (Metro) has been witnessing an increasing number of cases being filed against airline companies while on the other hand authorities maintain that the consumers have become more aware about their rights Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

irline companies are facing the heat as an increasing number of cases are being filed against them at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in Kamrup (Metro) by customers, informed officials. The DCDRC has been witnessing a high number of cases in the recent past in which aggrieved customers have approached the consumer court after being

Most of these cases are registered under ‘negligence of service’ and in many cases, the customers have also received due compensation” Mohammad Sahadat Hussain, President of the DCDRC

File photo of District Consumer Court, Guwahati “wronged” by different airline companies. The complaints registered in the court against airlines range from airline authorities denying boarding to passengers, overcharging the customers to excessive delay in flight time among others. “Most of these cases are reg-

Excessive delays, long layovers

part from being denied boarding at the last minute, some customers have also complained that they are harassed by airline companies as they are made to wait for long hours to board their flight without any prior information. For instance, two months ago, a resident of the city was travelling to Chennai via Delhi. However, the flight was delayed and he was forced to stay over at Delhi for over six hours. He further informed the DCDRC that the airlines did not offer any food, water or accommodation for the passengers. He then filed a case seeking compensation for harassment by the airlines; the case is still ongoing. Authorities said they are continuously disposing off cases related to airline companies. Member of the DCDRC, Archana Deka Lahkar, told G Plus that in

cases where any natural calamity is not the reason behind the delay or negligence in services on the part of airline companies, the aggrieved party is liable to receive due compensation. Additionally, the consumer court also sees several cases being filed for overcharging on flight tickets. The district consumer forum deals with dispute cases that is valued up to Rs 20 lakhs - which is the maximum compensation that can be claimed at the district-level consumer court. On the other hand, statelevel cases with a value of more than Rs 20 lakhs and up to Rs 1 crore are taken up by the state consumer disputes redressal commission. And finally, the national consumer disputes redressal commission is the apex body which looks after disputes where the total claim and compensation amount exceeds Rs 1 crore. n

istered under ‘negligence of service’ and in many cases, the customers have also received due compensation,” said president of the DCDRC, Mohammad Sahadat Hussain. In a recent case, a resident of Guwahati approached the DCDRC after he was not allowed to board his flight without being given any

legitimate reason for the same. “The customer was denied boarding even after he possessed a legitimate ticket. Sometimes the airline companies say that the seats are full when the customers had already booked their tickets in advance. This gives rise to confusion and trouble for passengers,” said Hussain. In another similar case, a customer was stopped from boarding the aircraft and was told that he did not report before the boarding time while he had already completed his security check before time, informed authorities. Consumer courts are meant to handle cases related to consumer grievances and disputes in order to protect consumers’ rights. The officials mentioned that they now receive at least four such cases on an average in a month while they had hardly registered any case against airline companies till around five years ago. Some airlines against which cases have been filed in the DCDRC include Spicejet, Jet Airways, Air Asia and Indigo. n

yy The DCDRC Kamrup (M) sees, on an average, at least four cases every month against airline companies yy The complaints range from airline authorities denying boarding to passengers, overcharging the customers to excessive delay in flight time yy As per officials, most of these cases are registered under “negligence of service” yy Many customers have also received due compensation yy Cases due to excessive delays and long stoppage hours are also filed at DCDRC

Cases against tour agencies

part from airline companies, tour and travels as well as visa agencies are also becoming infamous for cases being registered against them. A few months ago an elderly couple from Guwahati had planned a tour with Jungle Travels India Private Limited to Thailand, Hong Kong and Vietnam, informed DCDRC officials. The couple had paid Rs 2.63 lakhs to the travel agency for all arrangements including visa, tickets and hotel stays. However, on their arrival at Hong Kong airport, the airport authorities

found that their visa documents were not satisfactory. “They were then detained and grilled by immigration authorities for more than four hours and weren’t allowed to proceed for customs check at the airport.” The immigration authorities later issued a new pre-arrival form and released the couple. The aggrieved party then filed a case against Jungle Travels India Private Limited at the DCDRC upon reaching Guwahati. The total compensation filed for was Rs 4.56 lakhs and the case is still ongoing. n

City

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Second edition of BLF sees enthusiastic participation from across the globe Brahmaputra Literary Festival which was held from February 9 to 11 witnessed participation from 120 speakers with 40 from northeast and nine international delegates Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he second edition of the Brahmaputra Literary Festival (BLF) which concluded in the city on February 11 saw enthusiastic participation from literary buffs from far and wide. The BLF is a one-of-itskind festival in the northeast which celebrates authors and different forms of writings and also hosts panel discussions on several topics revolving around literature. The threeday event was held at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra and was inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Organised by Assam Publication Board and National Book Trust, the event saw participation from 120 speakers over the course of three days. The organisers termed the fest a “great success” and feel that it would considerably help

in further expanding the scope of literature in Assam as well as the northeast. “The literary festival was a great success with an overwhelming participation from international and national delegates,” said Parmod Kalita, secretary of Assam Publication Board. He added that a total of 31 sessions were held during the BLF and at least 3,000 delegates attended different programmes every day. Speaking during the inaugural ceremony, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Literature is the bedrock of any civilization. It is through books that the richness of any civilization percolates down to the future generations. Considering the immense power of literature, we want our youth to dedicate more to literary and cultural activities. This literary event is not just a festival. This is our investment for a strong and vibrant future." He further mentioned that

Several attractions drew large crowds

part from panel discussions on books, literature and language, the BLF also featured in-conversation sessions with writers, reading sessions as well as book signing sessions. Other guests during the inauguration included author and former professor, Indranath Choudhari, eminent French writer, David Collin, additional chief secretary of Assam, VB Pyarelal and chairman of National Book Trust, Baldeo Bhai Sharma. On the first day of the event, David Collin said that it is literary festivals like this which offer a forum to speak together. Talking about the importance of translation of books, he said that translations help in creating a link between different societies and it is important that literature in different languages is understood by people across the globe. The inaugural day of the event saw panel discussions on a range of different topics. These included ‘Literature in the market place: Publishing, Litfests and Book Fairs’, ‘Lyrics of our times:

Readings in poetry’, ‘Who moved my screen: changing face of Indian cinema’ and ‘Hindi sahitya aur vimarsh: Sandarbh Dalit chetna’. The delegates and speakers also enjoyed a host of colourful cultural programmes which were organised on the second and third day of the literary festival. n

yy Second edition of the BLF concluded in the city on February 11 yy There were 40 speakers from the northeast and nine international delegates yy A total of 31 sessions were organised during the BLF yy The first-of-its-kind festival in the northeast had at least 3,000 delegates participating per day

Interested students at one of the stalls in BLF | G Plus Photo literature is a mirror of society which reflects its strengths and weaknesses. He hoped that the

festival would provide new opportunities of intellectual exchange for the youth and

would prove instrumental in inculcating the reading habit among them. n

Discussions galore

the discussion, Vani Tripathi Tikoo observed that the audience had an important role to play in changing the face of Indian cinema. She said that in the last 10 years, the projection of the role of women, who were generally in movies for showcasing beauty and elegance, has changed

drastically today for the better. On the other hand, Sanjib Sabhapandit mentioned that it was the changing time which played a role in changing cinema content and not the directors, producers or even audiences. He said that changing times brings newer context and relevance for issues. n

he deliberation on ‘Literature in the marketplace: Publishing, Litfests and Book Fairs’ was chaired by Mamang Dai and explored the relationship between literature and money making. Panelist Anant Vijay expressed concern that literature festivals have the tendency to be overshadowed by commercial activities such as selling of ornaments, accessories alongside books at the venue. This shifts the focus away from literary matters, he said. On the other hand, another panellist, Bee Rowlatt maintained that literature and money have a symbiotic relationship. However, she also mentioned that the income of writers had declined over the last ten years. Delfim Correia Da Silva said that such events are actively bridging the gap between the writers and readers. According to him, literature remains incomplete if readers and writers are not brought into conversation with each other. In another writers’ session on the changing face of Indian cinema, panellists discussed how the content, style and presentation in cinema had changed over the years. During

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G Talk D

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Modis Operandi

hree Modis, over time, have really taken us in Guwahati by storm – each in their own unique way. While Narendra has given us enough reason to discuss, debate and argue on how “not” to run the country, Lalit’s high profile cricket circus continues to come annually to us on TV despite his treachery having been long forgotten. The latest Modi however, has stunned us with the sheer enormity of a swindle that he has managed to pull off. High flying jewellery designer Nirav Modi’s fabulous stunt of lightening the purses of Punjab National Bank by Rs 11,000 crores makes me wonder if the magic of money is in the name “Modi.” Now, this brings me to wonder about the modis… sorry modus operandi of nationalised banks ever so often sucking up to these business magnates who are already wealthy beyond imagination and live in the country’s metropolitan cities, even as they fail to even acknowledge the existence of the hard-working entrepreneur in smaller cities like our Guwahati – leave alone help them. Let me cite an example here. A friend of mine who has been in business as a real estate developer for the last 10 years and has

maintained excellent banking records having serviced his overdraft facility wonderfully, felt he could use a good push by his bank to move up the ladder of life. And so, with his fairly commendable banking credentials, he sought assistance from his long serving bank for a “measly” sum of Rs 25 lakhs. The bank turned him down despite the decade-long relationship on the grounds that offering a cash-credit (CC) facility to the real estate sector was not within its policy and it would be ever so gracious and helpful if at all my friend wanted to dabble in trading. Banks today need to refresh and revise their policies and look inward towards those entrepreneurs who seek to do honest business in locations like Guwahati those who actually need their help – rather than get carried away by the flamboyance of the Modis of the metros. Else, Modi’s (I mean Narendra’s) vision of “inclusive growth” will be reduced to the liabilities side of the banking balance sheet even as Nirav and Lalit enjoy life with their illgotten wealth. Swapnil Bharali Editor

‘Wink’ Varrier redefines content barrier

nternet sensation and Malayalam actress, Priya Prakash Varrier, took the internet by storm this week. She caught the troll pages, meme makers and trendsetters by the scruff and showed them that just raising the eyebrows can do the trick. The first year B Com student is now the most searched celebrity on the internet, leaving Sunny Leone, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif trailing behind, likely by a large margin. Varrier has become the first Indian celebrity to have registered 6,10,000 followers on Instagram in one day which takes her follower count to over 3 million. Priya has not only landed a new movie with her eyebrows but also several influencer campaigns which includes one with mobile giants, One Plus. This must have left advertising tycoons in a pickle... The ‘wink’ penetrated all social media, made the headlines and proved that the right content can do the trick. With Valentines’ Day right around the corner, the video echoed with all the single people looking for that ‘movie wala love’. In any case, since Priya shot to fame, it was only obvious that someone would have a problem with it. Enter – intolerance and communal disharmony. Someone somewhere felt offended by the video, registered a complaint and appeared on TV shows; most had their ‘15 minutes.’ However, this entire incident tells us one thing – we see what we want to see and consume what we want to consume. The entire ‘wink’ video kept our news feeds occupied for a week and kept our attention away from the real news. Sidharth Bedi Varma

Guwahati’s water woes The author takes an impassioned look at the looming water crisis of Guwahati, suggests ways and means to tackle it and exhorts the city authorities to come out of their inertia, if any

ll the woes of the city apart, I today am concerned about an impending disaster looming large even as no one seems to be any more concerned other than having a perfunctory interest. I am talking of the water shortage in the city. Guwahati has grown exponentially in the last three decades. The city, bursting at its seams, has spilled to areas which were cultivable lands, swamps or forests. The hills are badly mauled and robbed off its beauty. The ever increasing human settlements, commercial establishments and industries require the elixir of life called water. Today, the heart of the city has an apology of a water supply scheme from the British days and that’s it. To meet their needs over time, most people began to depend on private sources of water. Dug wells and shallow tube wells used to suffice. As the population grew, these fast drying shallow sources proved insufficient in the lean winter months. The municipal water sources were growing old with frequent breakdowns and erratic supply. The next thing to come up was the obvious groundwater. To satiate its growing water needs, Guwahati began to dig holes deep into mother earth. Rich in aquifers, it yielded rich dividends. Being costly, it was restricted to shared accommo-

dations like apartment buildings, housing colonies and the rich households. Gradually, with increased affordability and easy availability of drilling machinery, all and sundry decided to dig deep tube wells. While it kept on supplying good quality water, mother earth is slowly exhausting its bounty. The water table is shrinking rapidly. Isn’t it astonishing that majority in the city depends on deep tube wells for its water needs? Since the deep tube wells are gradually failing, most are now augmenting their water requirements from commercially available water tankers even though not all of these supply harvested river water; some even use ground water. To top it all, local politicians have dug deep tube wells and pumped water to localities from their LAD funds. Given all of this, it is just a matter of time that these wells will dry up as well. For the last few years, Guwahati has seen a massive pipeline laying exercise all over the city assisted by a loan from Japanese agency, JICA. Notwithstanding the allegation of a major kickback scam from across our international borders, we still saw hope

in it. It was supposed to suck in water from the Brahmaputra at two points, purify and supply the same to the whole city through the massive network of pipes laid over the last couple of years. The first part ought to have been commissioned by 2017 but alas, it’s already 2018 and not a drop has flowed through any of the pipes. Now horror stories are surfacing that the drawing of water from

rTotally unacceptable

O p i n i o n Dr Navanil Barua Brahmaputra was ill-designed and hence it’s not feasible to draw water from the river from these two points. A new source construction or technical planning shall require time and resources; both are constrained. So, what has this scheme achieved? City roads totally ruined! Dust and muck! The pipes are lying empty creating a pressure gradient between its inside and outside. There is a theoretical risk that pressure may force leaks from outside in. If that happens, should these pipes ever supply water with possible health hazards surfacing? Moreover, how is the Japanese loan going to be serviced if water is not sold to the city inhabitants? What is the way forward? First and foremost, the city administrators need to realise the gravity of the problem and foresee the impending crisis. They must not be tempted to dismiss the problem citing that the whole world is facing water crisis and Guwahati cannot be an exception. Can we not be an exception by getting around the crisis? My suggestion to the city leaders: First, come clean on the current affairs vis-a-vis, the JICA stalemate. Talk to experts from IIT-G to detect, design and correct the water source assuming the rumours are true. Do all of it on war footing; time is at a premium. While looking for alternate sources, a sustained campaign of water preservation needs to be undertaken urgently. Make it compulsory for all to have grey water recycling. Let there be rain water harvesting. Let there be measures for groundwater recharging of rainfall. Be assured Guwahati is staring at a humongous disaster. Wake up city Lords! Posterity shall not remember you kindly should you fail to act now. n Dr Navanil Barua is a neurosurgeon by profession and a socio-political activist by choice; he is a resident of Guwahati.

Letter to the Editor

n the final day of the budget session, while Prime Minister was delivering his address to the house, Congress MP Renuka Choudhary in particular and a few other MPs from the opposition were creating a ruckus. The Prime Minister, who was accorded 90 minutes to deliver his vote of thanks, was interrupted several times, which was definitely in not good taste. Some people may be in disagreement but repeatedly interrupting during an allotted speaking time is hardly a solution. Interestingly, all this was happening in front of AICC President Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Being the head of the century-old party, Rahul Gandhi should have controlled his erring MP. Even the Speaker’s repeated warning failed to control MP Renuka Choudhary. There are certainly huge differences between Prime Minister Modi often referred to as ‘chaiwala’ and the Prince of the ‘pseudo Gandhi dynasty.’ In fact the hard hitting speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the floor of the parliament left the Congress President in particular and its MPs in general, speechless and for that reason Rahul Gandhi failed to react and control his erring MP. Dr Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati.

In Focus

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Stephen Styris Astrophotographer

ipankar Bhagawati, popularly known as Stephen Styris, is a photography and astronomy enthusiast based out of Guwahati. Astrophotographer Stephen Styris has always been fascinated by the mysteries of the night skies and passionate about photography, even as a child. Born in Guwahati, Dipankar was brought up in Bongaigaon where he did his schooling from Bongaigaon High School and later shifted to Guwahati to study higher secondary from Hindustani Kendriya Vidyalaya Guwahati. He then went on to pursue TDC in English Major from Bongaigaon College and Masters in Mass Communication & Journalism from Tezpur University. Currently, he’s pursuing PhD from Gauhati University. Speaking to G Plus about developing an interest in the field of photography and deciding to take it up as a profession, Dipankar said, “As a child, I remember being fascinated by the camera and writing essays on photography as a hobby during school days. During those days, my family owned a basic camera and it was used only

during occasions. Later, I started using my friends’ phone cameras in college before my brother and I were able to convince our parents to buy a camera phone for

us. So began my journey as a photographer with a VGA camera.” Dipankar’s professional journey began when he was pursuing mass communication and he was gifted his first camera. This self taught photographer is also trained in film and documentary making and has worked with many national as well as international filmmakers including the likes of Green Oscar winner Mike Pandey and national award winner Gautam Bora. He has also worked with multiple news channels, newspapers, North Carolina State University and has been a freelancer for WWF (World Wildlife

Fund) and WTI (Wildlife Trust of India). Dipankar started his entrepreneurial venture, Little Hands Production (LHP), which focuses on creative and candid wedding photography along with Jikirani Mahanta, who was his junior during university years and is now his wife. Talking about LHP, Dipankar said, “Little Hands Production is a

photography and filmmaking firm which conducts various workshops in the name of Cam-Era and also believes in social contribution in the form of Little Hands Infinity, where we do astronomy outreach among the mass.” The duo has been invited to various places and institutions as a resource person to conduct photography workshops and talks, which include IIT Guwahati, Gau-

hati University, Tezpur University, Dibrugarh University, Guwahati Planetarium and Assam Valley School, to name a few. Although Jikirani is not associated with LHP anymore, Dipankar is working on various documentary and corporate film projects in association with UNICEF, Akshay Patra Foundation, etc. Dipankar started capturing stars sometime around 2010 when astrophotography was yet to gain popularity in the northeast region. During his beginning years, he relied on online forums and groups to learn the nuances of the subject. Later, he made friends with people outside India who were involved in the field to learn and grow. Speaking to G Plus about his childhood days and developing a fascination for stars and astronomy, Dipankar recalls, “When I was a kid and load shedding of electricity occurred,

my mom used to take my brother and me outside; we would sit under the sky, stare at the Milky Way galaxy and count the stars. Mom would introduce us to some of the popular stars and constellations and also tell folk tales.”

Based out of Guwahati where the weather is unpredictable and the sky is light and polluted, Dipankar has faced many challenges and obstacles in his endeavour so far. “My astrophotography journey so far has been incredible. It’s a journey where you get to learn about yourself and your craft, as well as the night sky above. Although astrophotography is very challenging, I thoroughly enjoy it,” he says. He wishes to make an observatory for the public and an astro-village where locals can explore the universe and astro-tourism can be boosted. He dreams of spreading the knowledge of astronomy to the masses and wants ‘astronomy for all.’ While framing, composition and other technical aspects are all important to capture a good picture, Dipankar says that it’s the emotion, the moment and the feeling trapped in the frame that makes the picture stand out. He’s optimistic about unexpected weathers leading to unexpectedly good shots and believes in bringing the best out of whatever is available. For all the aspiring photographers, Dipankar’s advice is, “In life, there are no shortcuts. Dedication is the key to achieving all goals. As a beginner, an understanding of the subject is the most important. Equipment will matter only after the basics are mastered, both in terms of understanding and practice.”

With Guwahati not being chosen as a venue for the forthcoming IPL cricket tournament despite having one of the best cricket stadiums in the world, here are a few reactions from followers of G Plus seeking reasons for the decision Sunny Das The inability of the government to make Guwahati, the gateway of the northeast, an IPL venue is sad. It would have definitely boosted the tourism sector of the northeast. Both the state and central governments are cheating Assam and northeast. If the central government would have given heed to improving connectivity and tourism sector of the northeast, Guwahati would have definitely been a part of the IPL. This government acts opposite and does exactly the opposite.

Biraj Nath Someone pelted stones at the bus of players and now we need to suffer. If we remember the last time we had an international match, the incident brought a bad name for our city. So when people remain so insensitive, how can we expect good times for cricket lovers in Assam? Only and only people should be blamed for this thing. Today I feel bad that no matches will be played in Guwahati but I hope in future we will be given a chance. Rupak Chakraborty Guwahati administration is not yet mentally prepared for this type of events. Let them prepare first and then expect to have matches in our city. Last year’s incident is the perfect example that shows we are not at all ready for such big events. So it’s better to get prepared well enough rather being shamed in future due to incidents like stone pelting. Also I don’t think there is much need to worry as one can see the rate at which our city is developing. With new things coming up I’m sure that in future Guwahati will be one of the main venues for holding cricket matches.

Debasish Bora You know what? We can build our own Assam team for IPL and then matches will start coming automatically. Now you will ask me from where we will get so much capital like others. Ok! So we have enough money to buy a team. One should just look at the scams that happen in Guwahati. If these people can spend crores of money for themselves why can’t they use it for players? We have players like Riyan Parag, an international stadium; so why not take that initiative ourselves? If we can bring a bad name to our city by the stone pelting incident, then I feel it’s our responsibility to do something and prove that our city is first of all safe for matches like IPL. Manikangkan Das Some are blaming the government for not being able to bring IPL matches to our city. But this time it is we people to be blamed because of what happened at the Ind vs Aus T20 match. Some uncivilised people threw a stone at the bus of the international players and this is the result. Shame on us! I can’t even blame the association as they are right in their decision. If the international players are not safe in our city then how can they assure that the players of India will be safe? First security management should be made strong in our city and then we should think about future matches. Palash KA-ashyap What’s the point of having such a big stadium of international standards if they can’t use it for IPL matches (at least for 2-3 matches). What’s the point of organising one international match every 3-4 years?

Buzz

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Sparsh celebrates 10 years of excellence in the field of education

Chandralekha Rawat (C) lighting the ceremonial lamp while Prateek Hajela (2nd from R) looks on

parsh Group of Montessori School recently completed 10 glorious years of excellence in the field of pre-school education. The school celebrated the occasion of the completion of its first decade with much grandeur on February 10, Saturday. The celebration took place

at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra with Chandralekha Rawat, the Principal of Delhi Public School Guwahati as the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Rawat said, “If you are a good learner, you are not a good teacher. A good teacher is the one who learns things no matter where he or she is.”

The event was attended by many dignitaries including Prateek Hajela, the Commissioner & Secretary of Home & Political Department, Government of Assam, who was also the guest of honour. Hajela recalled his memorable experience with Sparsh and his association with it since 2011 when his daughter was admitted in the school. “Sparsh believes in imparting value education to the young children by adopting service oriented co-curricular activities involving the students directly enabling them to acquire good qualities and habits, besides text book knowledge,” said T Saikia, Chairman of the Sparsh Advisory Board. The event also witnessed the attendance of many eminent singers like Dr Mausumi Saharia, Anindita Paul, Kollol Borthakur and Queen Hazarika. Parents of students as well as teachers of the school also performed various acts of dance and drama on the occasion. n

International conference on environment and ecology held

related to educational planning and administration. Organised by the Department of Zoology, Gauhati University in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Universities, the theme of the conference was “Make India Clean as well as Cleaning up Technologies.” The inaugural ceremony was attended by national and international dignitaries including eight vice chancellors of different universities. n

he 4th International Conference on Environment and Ecology was held at Gauhati University from February 12-14. During the inaugural session of the conference on February 12, Fr (Dr) Stephen Mavely, Vice-Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University, was felicitated with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Confederation of Indian Universities. The award was bestowed to Fr Mavely for his significant contribution in areas

Cotton University week rally Students of Cotton University taking out a cultural procession on the concluding day of Cotton University Week in Guwahati on Tuesday, February 13.

NEWF holds AGM for 2018

orth East Writers’ Forum held its Annual General Meeting on 11th February last at its office premises at Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Stadium, RG Baruah Stadium Complex in Guwahati. It was attended by its members from all its 8 chapters in the other states of the northeast. The old committee

Jamir (Nagaland), Mamang Dai (Arunachal Pradesh), Lalnunsanga Ralte (Mizoram), Ashes Gupta (Tripura), Amanda Basaiawmoit (Meghlaya), Dr. Jodha Chandra (Manipur), Raman Sreshta (Sikkim) and Dipanjol Deka (Assam). The Forum’s advisors are Arup Kumar Dutta (Assam) and Monalisa Chankiza (Nagaland).

Brahmaputra Literary Fest concludes

he second edition of Brahmaputra Literary Festival concluded in the city on February 11. Brahmaputra Literary Festival 2018 was jointly organised by the National Book Trust and Assam Publication Board. Inaugurated on 9th February by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, the festival saw a huge assembly of young literary enthusiasts and authors from across the globe. Terming literature as the mirror of the society that reflects its strengths and weaknesses,

Sonowal said that literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people. “This literary event is

not just a festival. This is our investment for a strong and vibrant future,” he said. Over a hundred writers representing over 15 languages deliberated in 36 workshops during the 3-day event. The festival witnessed close to 30 panel discussions, various book releases, reading sessions and cultural events. Among the participants of the workshops held on the concluding day were AJ Thomas, Robin Ngangom, Neelim Kumar, Kula Saikia, Prajwal Parajuly and V Maamallan to name a few. A total of 12 workshops were held on a range of topics. n

The new committee of North East Writers’ Forum immediately after taking charge during its AGM on 11th February, 2018 headed by Arup Kumar Dutta as President stepped down and a new committee was formed with Dhruba Hazarika as President, Robin Ngangom (of Meghalaya) and T Bijoy Singh (of Manipur) as Vice-Presidents, Swapnil Bharali as Secretary, Srutimala Duara as Treasurer and Tinat Atifa Masood as Joint Secretary. The executive members are Emisenla

On 10th February, the Forum held a panel discussion on the topic: “Is writing a process of self-discovery or a social calling?” with panellists Mamang Dai, Bijoykumar Tayenjam and Rashmi Narzary. Srutimala Duara moderated the discussion. This was followed by a reading session from the works of the various members. n

Trotter

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Virgin Atlantic flight takes heartshaped route for Valentine’s Day hours creating a Valentine-appropriate heart-shaped flight path measuring about 100 miles in length.

overs on Valentine’s Day go the extra mile to express their affection for each other, often involving expensive gifts, trips or well-planned surprises. But to celebrate the year’s most romantic day, a Virgin Atlantic flight went not one but 100 extra miles.

A Virgin Atlantic flight took off from London’s Gatwick Airport and flew to UK’s southwest coast to draw a heart-shaped flight course on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. The Airbus A330 plane took off from London at 11.30 am and spent about two

Man loses rectum after sitting on toilet for 30 minutes

et this be a warning to those who spend hours on their cell phones while doing their business in the loo. A man from China had to part ways with his rectum after he sat on the toilet for too long playing video games. The gaming enthusiast was rushed to the hospital at midnight after a ball-sized lump fell out of his anus. Although hanging out of his bum, the six-inch-long part was still attached to his bottom. Images of a CT scan of the man’s rear showed a big lump hanging outside his body. The doctors believe the man’s rectum could have fallen out of his bottom because of sitting too long on the toilet as it weakens the pelvic muscles. The man reportedly told doctors he

was trying to defecate for about 30 minutes. The condition was diagnosed as rectal prolapse where the end part of the intestines loses its attachment

Man learns of wife’s pregnancy from pilot’s announcement

Florida man who boarded a flight home from Chicago received a shock when the pilot made a special announcement the passenger’s wife is pregnant. Audrey Rose of South Tampa said she secretly slipped a note to a flight attendant on the Tampa-bound flight and the worker offered her a thumbs-up to signal the message had been received. “I have a big favor to ask,” the note reads. “I just found out that I’m pregnant and I really want to surprise my husband! I was hop-

ing you could announce it before takeoff.” Rose posted a video to Face-

The unique flight path was spotted by air traffic monitoring portal “Flight radar 24” which shared a screenshot of the flight’s route. However, some people on Twitter were not impressed with Virgin Atlantic’s Valentine’s Day gimmick and called out the airline for wasting aviation fuel and causing possible delays. Responding to people’s concerns, the airline clarified that the flight was for training purposes. “This was a required training flight that happened to take place on Valentine’s Day, so we altered the flight path slightly to make a heart shape,” Virgin Atlantic said in tweets. (Source: ndtv) with the body and comes outward while turning “inside out”. The man reportedly suffered from rectal prolapse as a child and never got it treated, which made the condition worse, said

the doctor treating him. Surgeons surgically removed the body part from his body and he is said to be recovering. (Source: indiatoday) book showing her husband, David, looking up in surprise as the pilot says his name over the plane’s speaker system. “David and Audrey Rose apparently smuggled an extra passenger on board,” the pilot says. The video circulated on social media showing David repeatedly saying “What?” as the pilot explains that Audrey is pregnant, eliciting applause from the rest of the passengers. “He’s mildly in shock still,” Audrey Rose, “and maybe a little embarrassed.” The Roses said they exchanged information with the pilot so they could keep him and the flight crew updated on the birth of their second child. (Source: upi)

Special daily stop by Russian train for school girl

St. PetersburgMurmansk train has recently added a special stop on its route - all so a girl and her grandma can easily commute to and from school. According to a local daily, Karina Kozlova, 14, has been travelling to and from school with her grandmother, Natalia Kozlova, from their remote locality of Poyakonda. Poyakonda is a rural locality in the northwest part of Russia located beyond the Arctic circle. Since the trains stopped in Poyakonda only for some railway staffers, Karina and her grandma would have no option but to follow their timings. This meant enduring three hour long commutes every day - they would board a train 7:30 in the morning and return close to nine at night. However, now that a new

stop has been introduced, Karina can return home much earlier than before. The introduction of the new stop came about when Karina's mother requested the regional authorities to help with the issue. (Source: indianexpress)

Pune woman skydives in sari, sets new record

une adventurist, Shital Rane-Mahajan, set a new record by becoming the first Indian to skydive sporting a colourful “Nav-wari sari” in Thailand. Speaking to IANS shortly after landing, an elated Rane-Mahajan said owing to favourable weather conditions, she was able to skydive twice from an aircraft at heights of around 13,000 above the world-famous tourist resort of Pattaya. “I wanted to do something different with International Women’s Day coming up next month. So I decided on wearing the Maharashtrian ‘Nav-wari sari’ for my skydives,” Rane-Mahajan told IANS on phone from Thai Skydiving Centre. Recounting her experiences, she said that wearing the “Navwari sari” itself is a challenge since the attire is nine-yards (8.25 metres) long compared to six yards of the regular Indian sari. “First, to drape the ‘Nav-wari sari’ properly, plus to wear the parachutes on it, the safety gear and communication equipments, helmet, goggles, shoes, etc add on to and make it all quite a challenge,” Rane-Mahajan explained, as she seemed to stumble in her first landing but escaped unhurt. Rane-Mahajan said that the country’s signature women’s wear sari is draped in different styles all over India, but the Maharashtrian style of “Nav-wari sari” is probably the most difficult and toughest to manage for women. “I wanted to prove that Indian women can not only carry the sari graciously in their routine

lives, but can also use it for high adventure like skydiving,” smiled the 35-year old extreme sportswoman. With this, the Padma Shri laureate and mother of two sons (nine-year old twins) has set around 18 national skydiving records, plus six international records and completed 704 jumps around the world, bagging several national and international honours. This made her the first and the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat at both the Poles at the age of 23. On April 19, 2008, Rane-Mahajan tied the knot with a Finland-based engineer, Vaibhav Rane, and also created another national record. The couple got married in a hot-air balloon, complete with a priest performing the ceremonies and parents in tow, around 750 feet up in the air above the Pune city skyline. Last year, she became the first Indian woman to be nominated by Aero Club of India for the prestigious FAI Sabiha Gokcen Medal for completion of skydiving on all seven continents (Source: ndtv)

Review

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Manoj Bajpayee, Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher Director: Neeraj Pandey

A vie Mo view Re Aiyaary

iyaary is about the delicate relationship between a master and his protégé turns sour when the latter realises the futility of the tasks he is expected to carry out. The highly talented student turns rogue and that triggers a war between the two. They know each other’s methods and are trying to not blink first, but one of them has underestimated the rival. Writer-director Neeraj Pandey seeks to expose the global arms lobby and its corrupt collaborators in India. Not a bad idea on paper. On the screen, however, all that it yields is an insipid, inchoate thriller, more an inert guessing game than an edge-of-the-seat movie experience. The 160-minute marathon makes no leeway for the foxed

audience: the characters are sketchily fleshed out, the lines they speak border on the stilted, and the situations that they find themselves in and create for others are do not enhance clarity. Aiyaary is a massive let-down on many crucial counts. The cast, led by the ever-dependable Manoj Bajpayee and bolstered by fine actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Adil Hussain, Kumud Mishra and Rajesh Tailang, provides occasional flashes of competence. The wishy-washy screenplay simply does not give them enough to work with. A below-par Sidharth Malhotra, playing a young, idealistic army officer who goes rogue in order to take on the establishment, does not help matters. His oh-so-cool demeanour is totally out of place in a world where danger is a constant. n

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira Director: Ryan Coogler

ver the years, we’ve been conditioned to believe superhero films are only about Caucasians saving the world and striving for higher ideals. But the Ryan Coogler-directed joyride is as much about launching an underrepresented race into the mainstream seamlessly and complexly as much as it’s about redefining the rules of entertainment. Black Panther is a film that is as much about respecting the past as it is about embracing the future. So it begins with a story, about Wakanda, a fictional African nation hidden away from the world, behind impenetrable rainforests and unconquerable mountains, uncolonised, unchained. It is a melding of two very different kinds of cultures, both

black, but from either ends of the world. And in an unusual turn of events for a series that has a near-perfect hit rate, the villain this time is not one you’re likely to forget anytime soon. He is the manifestation of this clash of cultures, torn between two homes, two identities, burdened by the past of his ancestors, and worried about the future of his people. Killmonger, as played in Black Panther by Michael B Jordan, is without even a hint of doubt, the sort of villain whose motivations are beyond reproach. It is one of those few occasions when that old chestnut – every villain is the hero of his story – makes complete sense.This is Jordan’s third film with director Ryan Coogler and there is not enough that can be said about what he has achieved with this film. n

Gadget Review

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

here is no denying that Xiaomi has a tight grip on the budget segment in the Indian smartphone market. The Chinese manufacturer’s Redmi and Redmi Note series have been really popular, so much so that the Redmi Note 4 (Review) recently became India’s best selling smartphone. It also helped Xiaomi become the number one smartphone seller in India, beating all other rivals. Now, almost a year after the launch of the Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi has come up with a new

model to replace it. The Redmi 5 Plus, first launched in China, has been rebranded as the Redmi Note 5 in India, and has been positioned as the successor to the Redmi Note 4.

Design and build

The Redmi Note 5 is the first smartphone in the Redmi series to sport a tall 18:9 display. The 5.99-inch display occupies most of the front on the phone and has rounded corners. It sports a fullHD+ resolution putting out 403 pixels per inch and has a layer of 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 for protection.

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Black Panther 09:00 AM, 09:40 AM, 12:30 PM, 03:20 PM, 06:10 PM, 09:00 PM, 09:35 PM Pad Man 09:15 AM, 03:05 PM, 06:00 PM Aiyaary 10:15 AM, 01:30 PM, 04:45 PM, 08:00 PM Padmaavat 12:05 PM, 06:15 PM The Shape of Water 12:10 PM, 03:25 PM

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Gold Cinema Lakhtokia 0361 2735367 Pad Man 11:00 AM, 02:15 PM Aiyaary 11:15 AM, 05:00 PM, 08:15 PM Calendar 02:00 PM Padmaavat 05:15 PM

vie Mo view Re

Black Panther

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Calendar 05:00 PM Padmaavat 05:15 PM

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PVR Cinemas Dona Planet 08800900009 Aiyaary 09:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:10 PM Black Panther 09:15 AM, 03:00 PM, 09:00 PM Pad Man 12:00 PM, 03:10 PM Padmaavat 05:45 PM

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The phone has a metal body with plastic caps at the top and the bottom of the rear for the antennas. The new screen aspect ratio makes the phone relatively narrow and tall. It weighs 180g, but the curved sides make the phone easy to hold and use in one hand.

Specifications

With the Redmi Note 5, you get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage at Rs 9999 while the variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is priced aggressively at Rs 11,999. The new model is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor that has eight Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and an Adreno 506 GPU for graphics. Xiaomi has gone with a 4000mAh battery with the Redmi Note 5, which is slightly smaller than the 4100mAh battery of its predecessor. The battery is nonremovable and Xiaomi ships a standard 5V, 2A charger in the box even though the phone supports

Qualcomm Quick Charge. The phone has a hybrid dualSIM tray that accepts two nanoSIM cards or one SIM along with a microSD card of up to 128GB. It has support for Bluetooth 4.2, Dual-band WiFi, GPS, USB-OTG, and FM Radio. The phone also has an IR emitter on the top, which can come in handy to control IR appliances like TVs.

Camera

The Redmi Note 5 sports a 12-megapixel primary camera with 1.25-micron pixels along with an f/2.2 aperture and PDAF. On paper, it has a lower resolution when compared to the 13-megapixel camera on the Note 4, but Xiaomi says that the camera has larger pixels which help it take better shots. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Himjyoti Talukdar’s ‘Calendar’ released

ssamese film Calendar released on February 16, Friday in different theatres across the state. Written and directed by Himjyoti Talukdar and produced by Himjyoti Talukdar and Dikhit Das under the banner of ‘Enajori Talkies’, Calendar is about the lives of a retired teacher and his wife. The screenplay of the film has been penned by Himjyoti Talukdar, Santanu Rowmuria and Jhulan Krishna Mahanta. The film revolves around in a yearly calendar gifted by Hitesh Kakati, a retired teacher Kakati on New Year. She marks who lives with his wife Manorama every event in that particular Kakati happily in a small town. calendar with a circle mentioning Their son, newly married Arunav, the event name. But she marks stays in Delhi with his nona few dates with circles without Assamese wife. Both the son and mentioning anything which then daughter-in-law are very dear leads to a different tale surfacing to Hitesh and Manorama Kakati, that devastates Hitesh Kakati. and they too love their parents The key roles in the film a lot. But the situation gradually have been essayed by Arun changes when Nath, Malaya Arunav comes Goswami, Gunjan Kalyan Kumar Kalita home during Bhardwaj and Magh Bihu Rimjhim Deka and tells Manorama about a among others. The film’s music major problem he is facing in has been scored by Tarali Sarma, his professional life. Manorama whereas the cinematography of becomes tensed after getting to the film has been done by Dikhit know of Arunav’s crisis and plans Das around some beautiful to help him in her own way. On locations of Dergaon. The film’s the other hand, Manorama always associate director and editor is notes down her monthly activities Jhulan Krishna Mahanta, sound

Assam women bring laurels at Mrs International Global 2018

T designer is Debajit Gayan, DI Colorist is Sujit Bora, graphics has been done by Deepjyoti Handique and Ajay Chetia. The co-producers are Subhas Bora, Arunav Gogoi, Jyotirmoyee Shree, Dambarudhar Das, Trinayan Bora, Anindya Barua, Dhanjit Kalita and Abhigyan Borah. The executive producers are JP Nath and Partha Mahanta. The video of the title track ‘Jibone Umole Jamole’ of the film has been penned by Santanu Rowmuria and rendered by Siddharth Hazarika and the promotional track, written and sung by Tarali Sarma, has already been released and has become a hit among the music lovers. As a part of the film’s promotion, a New Year calendar is also being distributed all over Assam.

hree women from Assam won multiple titles at the Mrs International Global 2018 held at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on January 26 this year. Altogether seven women from the region, who had won titles during the Mrs India International Global contest held in Guwahati in August last year, represented India at the finals of the contest which was held in two categories - Mrs and Classic for married women. The Classic category comprised women above the age of 40 where 25 contestants from various countries including Colombia, Mexico, Borneo, China, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India took part. Mousumi Chakravarty Hazarika, a banking professional from Guwahati, won the Goodwill Ambassador and Mrs Women Empowerment titles and Manaka Medhi, a homemaker from Beltola, was the second runner-up in the Classic cat-

egory and also won the Mrs Timeless Beauty title. Ava Dihingia from Dibrugarh, who is an anaesthetist at Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, was crowned Mrs International World 2018, Ambassador. She also won two sub-titles - Mrs Talented and Mrs Sophistication. Speaking to G Plus, Ava Dihingya said, “I believe in three things – focus, hard work and dedication. These three things have helped me achieve all successes in life. I feel honoured to have won multiple awards at the Mrs International Global beauty pageant and to have featured in the cover of their magazine.” Mrs International Global recognizes the beauty of all married women and their ability to integrate and contribute to the society. It plays a role in providing a platform for inspirational women to be heard and speak for those that might not be heard.

Fun

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Horoscope of the week There is quite an intense focus on a sensitive sector of your chart, which can provide an opportunity to clear up issues that may have been holding you back. On a lively note, an upbeat focus in your sector of travel and adventure encourages you to continue the process of learning and exploring new terrain. A solar eclipse in this zone on Thursday might be a call to take up a course of study or invest in the services of a life coach who can help you live to your fullest potential.

Your relationships continue to be a key part of your life. Indeed, with sobering Saturn in your relationship zone for some time to come, this is a chance to firm up your boundaries and learn to say no to demands or requests that you don’t wish to engage with. There is a solar eclipse in your sector of transformation on Thursday, which could see you letting go of an issue that has been a part of your life for a long time. The relief could be enormous.

Try not to promise more than you can deliver at the start of the week, because it could prove embarrassing later if you can’t manage it. It might be better to understate what you’re capable of and so save face. The days ahead could bring unexpected but delightful happenings your way. And with a solar eclipse in your sector of relating, new developments could impact your love life and other connections. If you find yourself falling in love, it might be best not to rush into anything. Take your time.

Your sector of romance and creativity could be particularly intense at this time and remain so for some while yet. You could find that you are putting a lot of energy into activities in this area. Other aspects of your chart are encouraging you to let go of anything that is making life difficult for you. This is particularly the case regarding the solar eclipse on Thursday. Releasing whatever no longer serves your best interests can give you the energy to tackle those plans that are most meaningful.

The week ahead could bring surprises your way, but these seem to be very welcome. Unexpected invitations or a chance to enjoy the company of someone you don’t see very often can bring a little extra sizzle into your life. There is a solar eclipse in your creative and romantic sector on Thursday, and this could see you falling for someone in a big way. If this is the case, the cosmos encourages you not to rush into anything. Bide your time and get to know the person better first.

With a powerful blend of energies in your communication zone, you could be involved in a lot of intellectual work or study. Whatever you undertake over the coming months may be very important to you, and it could bring benefits in the future, particularly when it comes to key ambitions. There is a solar eclipse in your home zone on Thursday, and this could ring in changes by encouraging a fresh start. If you’ve been considering moving or buying real estate, this could begin to come together now.

As feisty Mars continues its journey through your sign, you could feel more empowered and courageous than you have in some time. This week, a potent focus in the form of a solar eclipse takes place in your sector of talk and thought. This might coincide with an idea whose time has come, one that seems particularly appropriate to your situation. As this eclipse acts like a turbocharged new moon, this can be your chance for a fresh, new start. Later, the focus shifts to home and family affairs.

This could be a week of impulsive purchases unless you can hold back and make more informed decisions. Even so, if you find something you want at a bargain price, it might well be worth going ahead. There’s a solar eclipse in your money zone on Thursday, indicating the cosmos is encouraging you to experiment with new ways to earn money. This might involve making use of a skill or talent that you’ve pushed to one side. Doing so could prove very rewarding in more ways than one.

This could be an exciting week, with a solar eclipse in your sign that can bring fresh energy into your life. This eclipse, which takes place on Thursday, could encourage you to take a step in a direction you’ve long wanted to go. Events may conspire to push your hand here, even if you don’t feel ready. You’ll soon get used to living at a higher level and be glad you took the chance. The focus shifts over the weekend, encouraging you to invest in some pampering.

Take note of any intuitive nudges that show up, because they might help you make progress in key areas of your life. There’s also a solar eclipse in your spiritual sector that might coincide with an opportunity to resolve an ongoing issue. If you have battled this for some time, events could reveal a way through. Following it might allow you to finally let go, and experience a great deal of relief. You’ll truly be in your element as the sun enters your sign this weekend.

If the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates this saint’s day on 6th July and a namesake’s day on 30th July, when does the Western Christian Church celebrate it?

2 3 4

Which day is celebrated as Haerath by the Hindus of Kashmir?

curio-city

If it is in Beijing in 2022, where is it in 2018?

By what name did Kulbhushan Pandit become famous in Bollywood?

5 What was first created in 1952 by amalgamation of the Assam and Oudh and Tirhut divisions? 6

Identify the movie from this iconic scene where Death is playing Chess with the protagonist? Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Nanotales by The Writers Nest

7 6 2 37 8 1 22 9 5 4 6 7

4 1

99 8 9 9 4 7 5 8 7 3 7 7 5 3 3 5 1 3 4 7 7 5 1 44

5 8 9 9 6 5 3 6 9 7 42 1 1 Wed 14-Feb-2018 2 3 4 9 6 Daily Sudoku: medium 4 9 7 5 Daily Sudoku: Fri 9-Feb-2018

easy

7last 6 2week 8 4 solution 9 3 1 5 9 5 4 7 1 3 8 6 2 1 2 37 85 13 5 6 62 44 99 87 4 7 68 16 39 9 7 35 22 54 18 1 2 4 8 9 4 2 7 6 8 51 75 63 39 3 8 59 94 85 2 3 14 61 27 76 6 8 7 9 5 1 7 6 3 2 28 19 35 44 6 4 22 43 91 1 5 77 56 88 93 5 1 83 37 56 4 9 96 87 42 21 5 Sudoku: 1 Wed 8 14-Feb-2018 2 3 4 9 7 medium 6 Daily 4 9 2 7 6 8 3 1 5 Daily Sudoku: Fri 9-Feb-2018

easy

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1. 14th February, feast of one or two saints named St. Valentine 2. Maha Shivratri 3. Pyeongchang, Winter Olympics 4. Raj Kumar 5. Northeastern Railway from which North East Frontier Railway evolved in 1958 6. Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal

curio-city

Sudoku

You may be busy regarding goals or personal ambitions this week. However, an intuitive nudge might act as a catalyst that encourages you to experiment with new ideas that can lead to success. There is a solar eclipse in your career zone on Thursday, and this could push you to make a new start. You might not feel ready, but the cosmos could have other ideas. You might find yourself being pushed into activities that are challenging but also very rewarding. On the weekend, your social life fairly sparkles.

The week ahead has an unpredictable yet delightful quality about it. With a heightened focus on your social sector, this can be an excellent time for networking, moving in new circles, and generally enjoying life. However, with a solar eclipse in this same zone on Thursday, there is also the opportunity for a fresh start. You might join a club or connect with people who can introduce you to lively new experiences. The weekend shifts the focus to your spiritual zone, encouraging you to take time out for yourself.

Word of the week Berceuse noun [ber-sœz] A cradlesong; lullaby

Crossword Across

Down

1. Spy — stick (4) 3. Authoritarian footwear? (8) 9. Main constituent of natural gas (7) 10. Push — papers (5) 11. Devoted (5) 12. Where to put new work? (2,4) 14. Security guard for the hours of darkness (5,8) 17. Leave high and dry (6) 19. Online publication (1-4) 22. Japanese capital before 1868 (5) 23. Surround (7) 24. Distant view of a wide area (8) 25. Expectorate (4)

1. Clumsy (8) 2. Round the bend? (5) 4. US ideals (8,5) 5. Done for (5) 6. (Sportingly) with the hand brought forward above shoulder level (7) 7. Boloney (4) 8. Small bar of soap (6) 13. Place of ruthless competition? (5,3) 15. Alight (3,4) 16. Cut (with an axe?) (6) 18. Secretive affair (5) 20. Primula with yellow hanging flowers (5) 21. Intentionally fail to attend (4)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Save Taxes with Tax Genie makes saving taxes a possibility amongst several tax saving options available.

Section 80C to your Rescue to Save Tax

Franklin once said, “Nothing in this world is certain, except death and taxes”, the deductions available under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act 1961 indeed

Vaishali Lohia Service manager, Brand new day contactus@salasarcapital.com

ncome Tax has always been a tricky thing for the common man, since the provisions have been changing almost every year in the annual union budget. Whenever it comes to payment of taxes, the tax saving investments are usually done at the last moment and without analyzing which one can be the best suited for the individual. Further, the mentality with paying taxes has always been about how to save taxes within the ambit of the legal provisions. Even while Benjamin

ELSS refers to Equity Linked Savings Schemes which is a special category of mutual funds eligible for tax benefits under section 80C up to Rs 1.5 lakh every year. ELSS invest at least 65% of their assets in equity markets and equity oriented securities and come up with the lowest lock-in period of 3 years as compared to other tax saving products. Since the amount Is primarily invested is equity markets, the fund comes coupled with a potential of higher returns. Further, since ELSS funds are covered under the category of equity oriented mutual funds, all gains on investments are

Comparison between Most Popular Options available under Section 80C

A comparative analysis amongst various investment options available under Section 80C in terms of returns to be expected, taxability of returns and lock-in period is given in the table below. Thus, it can be seen that ELSS, or Tax Genie as we may call it, emerges out to be the best option as compared to other known products having more interesting traits such as potential of higher returns, no taxes on redemption and lower lock in period.

Risk Profile

Interest/ Returns

Guaranteed Returns

Returns Taxable

Lock-in Period

ELSS funds

Equity-related risk

10-12% expected

Tax-free

3 years

PPF

Risk-free

7.6%

Yes. However, subject to interest rates varying on quarterly basis at the discretion of Govt.

Tax-free

15 years from the date of opening

NPS

Equity-related

8-10% expected

Partially taxable

Till retirement

NSC

Risk-free

7.6%

Yes

Taxable

5 years

Risk-free

5.75-6% expected

Yes

Taxable

5 years

Dancing in blood how you slit your throat, People can’t screa, they’re choking On the dust collected in this mansion of yours, Dancing on still till dawn.

Yet all that blood was not enough.

They gape wondering how you move still Dancing with perfection itself Gliding trails on this slippery floor But then suddenly all stops.

So once again you’ll build A castle on some high rock Send some cards to the ones you fancy Keep them in the stones of the hall.

Heartbeats on the floor Echoes of past tear through Don’t you hear the laughter? All across this place it ensues.

Forever shall they be yours. Oh smile, my knight of red Do not pretend this isn’t what you intend. I see in your eyes the thirst for more but I see in theirs too They can never be alone.

Pressing on with beats The lighter glimmer Finally the screams, Blood on every sinner.

ELSS – Combo of Tax Savings and Potential of Higher Returns

tax free for investors as the tax exemption is for investments held for more than 1 year and under ELSS, the investors need to stay compulsorily invested for minimum of three years.

Investment

Last Dance Then Another

This dead music haunts But makes you move One step then another Your hands on its heart.

If you are just wondering what is Section 80C, here is a sneak peak to it. Section 80C is an important section for taxpayers, as this section provides a basket of options for the taxpayers to reduce the taxable income and thus save on taxes every financial year. This section enlists various investments and expenses that are eligible for tax deductions. As per the current tax laws (as amended by Union Budget 2017), a taxpayer can claim maximum tax deductions of Rs 1.5 lakh for a particular financial year (FY) from his/her taxable income through investments and payment made

by him/her under section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Sanjali Dixit

Vaastu points for new construction 1. Always keep the northeast lighter

This is one the basic principles of Vaastu. The north-eastern portion must always be lighter, open and lower than the southwest and other areas. So, while doing the excavation for the foundations, the northeast most area must be dug first and then the same must be preceded from north and east finally ending at southwest. This will always keep the southwest heavier. Similarly while filling, the southwest most foundation should be filled at first and the northern one at the last. The same rule should be followed for the entire construction of walls, columns and slabs. The construction should be started from southwest towards northeast so that the northeast remains lighter throughout. Violation of this results in delay of construction.

2. Keeping raw materials

The principle of storing the northeast lighter has to be applied here too. Raw materials should

be stored at southwest, south or west only. If any pit is needed to be constructed for soaking bricks or for water during construction, the same must be dug at northeast.

work is in progress at southwest. There are instances of people falling sick or having accidents during this period.

4. Time of construction

The period during the northward movement of the sun (Uttarayana) is best for auspicious occasions. The Indian months of Jestha, Ashada, Aswin, Pusha and Chaitra should be avoided for starting of a house. Sundays, Tuesdays and Mondays of the descending moon (Krisna Paksha) are considered bad for commencement of construction.

5. Horoscope of the owner

3. Constructions at southwest

This is very important as far as the owner of the land is concerned. The energy of the southwest affects the owner directly and any kind of construction in this area makes the owner vulnerable. So it is advisable for the owner not to take other important assignments or travel while

Vaastu does not give any importance to the date of birth of the owner. But Astrology prescribes certain dates which are good for a particular lunar sign. Followers of astrology may follow them but Vaastu has no say in this. Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

Events

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018

Events

February 16-19 Arunachal Carnival AEI Playground 1PM onwards

February 17, Saturday Electronika Club Nights NYX, Hotel Palacio 7PM onwards

February 17, Saturday Bolly and Hip Hop Nite Dunkin Oza 7PM onwards

February 17, Saturday Bolly Beats Topaz 8PM onwards

February 18, Sunday The INDI Dogathon CVS Khanapara

February 18, Sunday Big Bang Blues Cafe Hendrix 9PM onwards

February 18, Sunday Magician Torque Terra Mayaa 7:30 onwards

February 18, Sunday Guwahati Cyclothon Gitanagar Field 6AM onwards

Catching Up

G PLUS | FEB 17 - FEB 23, 2018