VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 09 by G Plus

10 Easy steps for staying healthy this winter

PG 17

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 09 DEC 05 - DEC 11 , 2015

PRICE `10

Will Reliance

Stop

its mobile services in Assam?

An sms communication reportedly sent by the telecom operator to many of its subscribers asking them to port to other networks has created confusion. But what is the exact story behind it all?

Guwahatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shrinking Sidewalks a bane for some, a boon for MANY

PG 08

Puja Das

New Chic on the block

Page 23

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Lead Story

Will Reliance stop its mobile services in Assam?

rahul chanda

its services in this region but being the oldest service provider, it has approximately 22 lakh customers in Assam with 7 lakh customers in Guwahati alone who add up to the revenue of the company. Assam is one of the five states in India which provides the highest amount of revenue to Reliance Communications. So the company will never think of discontinuing its services here.

Reliance Communications sends text messages to 2G customers asking them to port out from the network before 12th December

Call drop

Customers get confused as to what they should exactly do G Plus talks to stake-holders and finds out that customers need not worry as the company will route the same service through a different network Reliance has 22 lakh customers in Assam and 7 lakh in Guwahati alone The company has 1700 towers in Assam and 225 towers in Guwahati Company sources say that it is for efficient service in future that Reliance did not renew 900 spectrum for 2G services and it will continue to provide 2G service through a different network The company sources also said that it has 3G license till 2030 and will start 4G service from March 2016

With reports saying that the company is sending text messages to its customers to port out to a different network, customers get confused and G Plus looks into the scenario.

eliance Communications has, through text messages, asked many of its 2G customers across West Bengal, Bihar and Assam to port out to other operators in these circles before 12th December for continued mobile coverage. Hearing the words ‘port out,’ many customers are facing a number of worrying questions like whether they have to take a new connection from a different operator or have to convert their connections from 2G to 3G and other such. G Plus talks to many stakeholders and tries to find out if Reliance is moving out of Assam or there are some other reasons for customers getting such messages.

The new move According to media reports, Reliance Communications has just inked an intra-circle roaming (ICR) pact with Vodafone India for 2G and 3G coverage in all the three circles. The company’s 900 MHz spectrum holdings in West Bengal, Bihar and Assam will expire on 12th December as it did not win back 2G airwaves in these circles in the March 2015 auction. As Reliance Communications has 3G airwaves in West Bengal, Bihar and Assam, it had urged its 2G customers to upgrade to 3G by 12th

November as part of the company’s full-fledged focus on data services in these markets. Under licence conditions, Reliance Communications needs to notify the government and customers about 60 days and 30 days in advance respectively regarding its business continuity plans, post-expiry of its 2G airwaves in these circles. So what will be the scenario now after 12th December?

The scenario According to a highly placed source in Reliance Communications, the customers do not have to panic as the company is in intra-circle roaming (ICR) pact with Vodafone India for 2G services in this region after 12th December which essentially means that after 12th December, the company will not provide direct 2G services to its customers but will route it through a different network without making any change. The difference is that the customers will see an ‘R’ symbol on top of their handsets near the network bars which will indicate that they are on roaming mode. But they will be charged at local rates only. It is just that the company will take the services from a different network which is Vodafone and the payments will be made to that service

provider by Reliance. So, the customers need not panic. Enquiring why the company did not renew the spectrum at the last auction, the source said that from March, Reliance is starting its 4G services in this region. Also it has the 3G license for this region till 2030, so there will be a time when all the data users will opt for high speed service which is 3G or 4G. In such a situation, Reliance will have its own infrastructure. Therefore, for the time being, the company has decided to get 2G service from a different network and give it to its customers. All these days Reliance, Aircel and Airtel were providing 2G services on 900 spectrum while Idea and Uninor were providing 2G services on 1800 spectrum. On 2100 spectrum, Reliance, Aircel, Airtel and Vodafone are providing 3G services. In 2300 spectrum Aircel will provide 4G services in Assam and Airtel will provide 4G services in northeast. Reliance Geo has already announced its 4G service in the entire country from coming March. So the source said that there will be a tie-up for spectrum sharing between Reliance Communications owned by Anil Ambani and Reliance Geo owned by his brother Mukesh Ambani. The source further said that there might be people spreading rumours that Reliance is discontinuing

One of the city-based Reliance customers, CA Lalit Kumar Khandelwal of Maligaon had said in a letter to G Plus that he stays in the Gaushala Bazar and had to take a one-kilometre walk to get network to receive or make calls. He had written, “I have subscribed to 3G data connectivity but I always get 2G connectivity, whereas I am charged for 3G services. Since last 20 days there is no Reliance network in my locality and after complaining to the Reliance authorities, they are not helping me in anyways. They send me the same system generated email every time I complain.” He had further said that he also asked them to refund his money as he never received 3G speeds while using internet but to no avail even as he continued being charged for 3G every month. He finally registered a complaint in the consumer’s court but even there he did not get the desired response. Khandelwal asked G Plus thereafter to help him facilitate an option to complain to the TRAI authorities. G Plus presented the problem to the Reliance source. The source reverted that people “by mistake” may have some problem but they were unaware about the situation. The source took the customer’s number from G Plus and assured us that his problem will be resolved soon. The source said Reliance has approximately 1700 towers in Assam with 225 towers in Guwahati alone and in one tower there are approximately 12 antennas. One antenna provides uninterrupted services to approximately 500 people. He also said that for lower range spectrum, the company requires less towers. For example, if the data service like 2G is provided on 900 spectrum, it will require lesser towers than the 3G service which is provided on 2100 spectrum. So overall, according to the source, after 12th December customers will not suffer. Finally when 4G is launched and the present 2G customers shift to 3G and 4G data service, it will be a win-win situation for both. All said and done, we are left wondering when the time will come when the customers do not have a single call drop and they will receive seamless data service as boasted by all the telecom companies. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Molestation slur on Guwahati city again Police apprehends one of the accused while the other remains absconding A girl falls prey to an incident of molestation while returning from work The victim boards a trekker from Maligaon where two youths accost her The miscreants stalk her after she gets down at Boragaon and taking advantage of a deserted area grope the victim Police has nabbed one of the accused, Amir Hussain, while the main accused, Rahul Das, remains absconding Meanwhile, Amir claims that they have been framed by the family members of the girl The girl and Rahul intended to elope from Maligaon but the same did not materialize

Crime

KALYAN DEB

uwahati seems to acquiring notoriety for molestation cases. Although the memories of the molestation that took place at G.S. Road have perished with time, a similar chain of occurrences keeps rearing its ugly head time and again. The incident of a minor being raped by her step-father in the very recent past (reported by G Plus in the issue dated 28th November, 2015) had not completely sunk in when another incident of sexual abuse against a woman has come into light.

The incident On Monday evening last, a girl was molested by two youths while on her way home. The youths named Rahul Das and Amir Hussain had allegedly molested the girl in Boragaon. The girl was returning from her office at around 7 pm when she was accosted by the youths. The girl had boarded a public trekker from Maligaon along with two of her friends and she got down alone at Boragaon. As stated by police officials, Rahul Das, one of the accused approached her in the trekker itself and later stalked her along with an accomplice after she got down at Boragaon. “While the victim was passing through a deserted road on

her way home, the miscreant approached her asking her to marry him and elope with him. On being rebuffed by the victim, Rahul Das started groping her on the deserted road,” a police official asserted. Police have registered a case (case number 573/15) against the miscreants (under section 341, 354(a), 354(b) and 34 IPC) at the Gorchuk police station. Police has also apprehended the accomplice, Amir Hussain, who is a resident of Hojai whereas Rahul Das managed to flee succeeding in absconding.

Police mentioned that although according to Amir, Rahul is from Bongaigaon, it has turned out to be a false claim. The police also stated that steps are being taken to nab the actual culprit.

Twist in the tale Although a case has been filed against both the accused, Amir, who has been apprehended claims that the victim and Rahul Das were involved in a love affair and were planning to elope from Maligaon. The

family members have framed both of them as the parents are not in favour of the marriage. “It is not practical that a person would meet a girl and ask her to marry him in one single day. Both of them had plans to elope that day. However the intent did not materialize following which we were framed by the parents,” said Amir Hussain, adding that he had known Rahul since the past four years and often met him at the hotel he worked in where Rahul used to stop by for lunch. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Governance

rahul chanda

Old buses and trekkers to be

from April 2016

State government had banned 15-year-old city/ school buses and 10-yearold trekkers in March, 2014 Taxi and bus associations moved Gauhati High Court against the order and the court issued an interim order dismissing the ban till the case is disposed off In December 2015, court again hears the case and disposes the case off in favour of the government According to the order, after 31st March 2016, 15-year-old city/school buses and 10-year-old trekkers cannot ply on city roads The various associations vow to fight against the order and will move the higher forum of the court

ccording to reports, in an order that could improve Delhi’s deteriorating air quality, the Supreme Court this year dismissed a plea challenging the National Green Tribunal’s order prohibiting diesel vehicles that are over 10 years old from plying in the national capital. “Let us assist and not discourage them (NGT),” the SC bench said while dismissing the petition. Similarly, the 15-year-old school and city buses as also the 10-year-old trekkers have to disappear from the Guwahati streets if the recent Gauhati High Court order is to be followed. So what will happen to the old city buses and trekkers and from when will the transport authority start enforcing the order? G Plus looks into the matter in depth.

The order In March 2014, the state government released a notification mentioning that the 15-year-old school/ city buses and 10-year-old trekkers will be banned in Guwahati, but the government’s order was challenged before the Gauhati High Court by the bus and the trekker associations. The court then had put an interim order till the case is disposed and till then the vehicles would ply normally on the roads and the government’s order would not be followed. The court recently heard the case again and disposed the case in favour of the government’s notification allowing the ban on old city and school buses

Taxi and bus associations to move the higher forum of Court against the verdict as according to them government might be having a tacit understanding with vehicle companies for such a move and also on trekkers. This means, by 31st March, the old vehicles should be replaced by new vehicles on the available permit. The court order said, “it is hereby directed that in the cases of all the concerned transport vehicles viz. city buses, school buses and share taxis operating as on 04/03/2014 under a valid permit issued by the state authorities, the time period granted under the notification dated 04/03/2014 for replacement of the old vehicles by the new ones of prescribed specification shall stand extended up to 31/ 03/ 2016.” It was a single bench order and the DTO and Secretary RTA, Kamal Das said, “We will follow the court order and from 1st April 2016, 15-year-old city/ school buses and 10 year old trekkers will be banned in Guwahati.” Similarly, DTO Licensing and Registration, Gautam Das said, “To make Guwahati a smart city, the transportation system also should be smart and I request the people to help us in the work.” He further added that the old vehicles are not safe for the public and it gives a dirty look to the city as well. So, the honourable court’s order will be followed accordingly. According to sources in the transport office, there are approximately 850 city buses plying in the city, 500 school buses and 1182 trekkers. So, with this move one-third of the vehicles will be off the streets. The order might have impressed many, but there are also sections which are against the move and will move the higher forum of the court against the verdict.

The opposition All Guwahati Share Taxi Owners’ Association (AGSTOA) will move the higher forum of the court to challenge the Gauhati High Court order which announced that the trekkers plying in the city which are 10 years old or above will be banned from 31st March next year. This was stated by Deep Majumdar, the President of All Guwahati Share Taxi Owners’ Association (AGSTOA). Similarly, Guwahati Metro Transport Association Secretary, Bipul Kalita said, “The order was a single bench order, and now

the association will move the double bench of the Gauhati High Court to challenge the verdict.” He further said that the government is not thinking about the vehicle owners and the people who are earning their livelihood from all these vehicles and he feels that there might be a tacit understanding between some major public transport vehicle company and some of the government officials because of which such a move is being considered. He said that there are not only old buses and trekkers plying on city roads but there are many other vehicles which are very old and they

are not banned. He said that there are so many diesel autos which are more than 15 years old and are plying in the city. He said that the government, to fight their case in court, said that from 2003 to 2015 there were around 470 cases of accidents related to city buses. But he asserted that two-wheelers, three-wheelers, trucks, and many private vehicles also meet with accidents every day. Kalita said that government did not also think about the plight of the vehicle owners who survive on these vehicles, and to change the vehicles, the government should at least have provided some kind of subsidy or easy loan to the vehicle owners. A trekker owner from Lal Ganesh who drives his own vehicle said, “I bought a second-hand trekker two months ago and it is nine years old. To buy this I took a loan of Rs. 3 lakhs from the bank. But after a year it will be ‘old.’ Now how will I get money to pay back the loan if my trekker is banned and how will I survive? I will have no other option but to commit suicide.” The DTO enforcement will start enforcing the new rule from 1st April, 2016 and according to sources in the DTO, the officials have already floated an enquiry to filter out the old vehicles from the new ones so that, after 31st March, they don’t have to waste time searching which vehicle should be banned and which shouldn’t. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

GMDA initiates Brahmaputra riverfront beautification

City

Juthika Baruah

National Institute of Hydrology has been given the project of Brahmaputra Riverfront development for hydraulic modelling study NIH will submit the project by January, 2016 GMDA has started development works from Sankardeva Park to Sukleshwar temple The Riverfront development project will take another 5-6 years to be The project will include maximum possible reclamation to make the riverfront beautiful; completed

development works from Sankardeva Udyan to Sukleshwar temple have started.

he Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has undertaken the project of Brahmaputra beautification from Sankardev Udyan to Sukleshwar Temple. The Brahmaputra riverfront beautification project was given to National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, for hydraulic modelling study in January, 2014. “NIH is about to hand over the project in January, 2016. The Brahmaputra Riverfront beautification has been proposed from Raj Bhawan to Saraighat Bridge. In order to develop the Riverfront a permanent embankment will have to be built which can be done only after the project is submitted by NIH. The project will cost more than Rs. 1000 crores and it can only be finalised once the project is submitted. Once the project gets started it will take another 5-6 years to be completed,” said Amitava Borthakur, Engineer of GMDA, while speaking to G Plus. Borthakur said that as the Brahmaputra Riverfront project will take so much time, GMDA has already started the beautification from Sankardeva Udyan to Sukleshwar temple. “The project will include maximum possible reclamation to make the riverfront beautiful and the project

can be started only after the submission of the study report by NIH. The project will be undertaken by the Assam Infrastructure Financing Authority which will be a multi-dimensional environment and urban rejuvenation project and therefore it needs to be done with a proper study. The permanent embankment will be built only after the outcome of the study made by NIH,” said Borthakur. The boundary from Sankardeva Udyan up to the Sukleshwar Temple will be rebuilt with grills and the state government has sanctioned Rs. 1 crore for the same with another Rs.

1 crore to be sanctioned later. “Rs. 2 crores is not sufficient for the development project and till March, 2016 only a part will be developed. The project requires analysis of the impact of the embankments and possible reclamation at the downstream areas,” Borthakur said. The objectives of the study proposed to be carried out by the NIH include river shifting analysis for studying stability of the river banks, flow variations to determine the perennial water depth, estimate of floods of various return periods for design of river embankments, esti-

mate of water surface profiles employing hydro-dynamic river flow model and design parameters for river embankments. As the Brahmaputra riverfront development project will take time, the beautification of the park has been taken in hand to give an uplift. “The parks under GMDA are looked after by me and it is very unfortunate that the Sankardeva Park cannot be developed much as it is by the river side. In the monsoon season heavy floods wash out all the soil and the floods also damage the environment of the park. And as it is situated near

the Brahmaputra River, the labour class people residing near it steal the installations and other things of the park for which it couldn’t be developed,” Borthakur informed. He said, “I was thinking of setting up a fountain but it will be of no use. Also the other materials of the park are being stolen by the people and so, the park is not in a good condition. The floods wash away everything for which it becomes very difficult to maintain the park. It has become a challenge for me to develop the park. People like other parks but the Sankardev Park is not in a condition to be developed for which it attracts lesser visitors. Only after the completion of the Riverfront Beautification Project will people like the park but that is also a difficult job. Earlier, the guard walls were built several times but the floods washed away the walls and we also can’t appoint security guards for the protection of the belongings of the park as it is of no use. It is not possible for a guard to spend sleepless nights and the thieves take advantage of residing by the river bank.”

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

In The News

Juthika Baruah

Victims’ families seek compensation after botched surgery at MMCH

Five people have lost their eye-sight after botched cataract surgery in MMCH An enquiry committee has been formed to find out the real cause of the incident A doctor and a nurse who were on duty during the surgery have been suspended

fter 2006, when 26 people had lost their vision after cataract operation at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), history was repeated at Mohendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) where five patients lost their eye sight after botched cataract operations. In a routine eye check-up that was held in the MMCH, nine patients were found to have eye infections and out of the nine patients, four were operated upon successfully and five lost their eye-sight after the operation. “We have been conducting routine eye check-ups and cataract operations since 2013 and more than 3000 operations have been done till date. This type of incident never took place but this time these five pa-

After 9 years, history was repeated as five people have lost their eye sight after botched cataract surgeries in MMCH; the same happened with 26 people in 2006 at GMCH. tients have lost their eye sight. There are many factors for which such type of accidents may occur. We examined all the patients before operation as some people suffer from diabetes and other related diseases,” said Dr. M.C. Rajbongshi, Additional Superintendent of MMCH while speaking to G Plus. Dr. Rajbongshi said that an enquiry committee has been formed and Additional Chief Secretary, M.G.V.K. Bhanu, has also directed to enquire into the matter. “It might happen due to the fault of the surgeon or the due to the non-utilisation of sterilized instruments. They were operated on Friday, 27th November and when they came for check up on Monday, the patients complained

that they had pain in their eye and felt discomfort after which they were referred to Shankar Nethralaya. The doctors in Nethralaya conducted evisceration on them which is a procedure to remove a diseased eye. As the pair of eyes are interlinked, the infection might spread to other eye for which the evisceration has been done. Now there is no chance that the other eye might get infected,” said Dr. Rajbongshi. The patients who had undergone surgery in Shankar Nethralaya have been shifted back to MMCH. The actual reason of the incident is still to be confirmed as the enquiry is going on and the MD of National Health Mission will enquire into the matter. The victims are Rupchandra Man-

dal, Sabitri Das, Garga Ram Kalita, Dharmeshwar Ramchiary and Tarini Medhi. One of the relatives of a victim said, “My mother had done a cataract surgery on one eye here in MMCH earlier and therefore we came for the operation on the second eye. Before the operation she had a problem of cataract for which her sight was not so good but after the operation she complained that she couldn’t see anything. We came here as we trusted them but if such negligence occurs then what can we expect from them. Losing eye-sight is not a small problem. One person has lost the eyesight and the hospital authority has to pay for it. If they can’t do proper treatment here they should take the

patients outside but they should take the responsibility of bringing back their vision.” However, Dr. Rajbongshi said that it is difficult to bring back eyesight as the retina has been damaged. The state government has asked for an enquiry by the Managing Director of NHM and the head of department of Opthalmology, GMCH to find out the actual cause behind the botched surgery. The enquiry team has recorded the statement of the surgeon and the nurses who were on duty during the surgery. Meanwhile, the government has suspended an eye surgeon and a nurse of MMCH for their negligence in the surgery. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

‘Angana’ to perform in ‘Kala Ghoda Fest 2016’ A ngana Theatre, Guwahati, is going to perform ‘Licence’ at the prestigious ‘Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2016’ in Mumbai, scheduled to be held from 6th to 14th February, 2016. Based on the short story of same name by Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, the play has been dramatized by Amit Pathak and designed and directed by Pathak himself along with Ujjala Barman. The storyline of the play revolves around the lead protagonist Neeti and her husband Abbu, a horse-cart rider who get married at

a very immature age. The atrocities of society force Abbu to prison and Neeti shows her courage to fight against the odds of society. She decides to earn her own livelihood by riding the cart herself. But the cruel elements of the society do not give her ‘Licence’ to ride the cart. Rather it gives her ‘Licence’ to prostitution. The play deals with the subject of atrocities on women in the so-called male dominated civilised society. The cast of the play includes Gunakar Dev Goswami, Amit Pathak, Ujjala Barman, Manuj Borkataki

and many more. The music has been designed by Trishan Barman, whereas Pallavi Sharma has designed the costume. Rajesh Barman, the Assistant Director of the play will also look after the set design as stated in a press release. It is to be mentioned that over the decade, Angana Theatre has presented Munshi Premchand’s ‘Kafan’, ‘Ishqiya Aur Siskiya’, a combination of Vijay Tendulkar’s ‘Pehchan’ and ‘Madi’ and Laxminath Bezbaruah’s ‘Burha Burhi Aru Shiyaal’, which have been applauded as well as appreciated widely.

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

In The News

City to get 1000 new litter bins

In a pilot project, GMC in association with Oil India Limited has installed 200 twin litter-bins on GS Road KALYAN DEB

GMC installs 200 twin litter bins on GS Road It is a pilot project which targets installing 1000 litter bins in various parts of the city The twin PVC dustbins stand on stainless steel platforms and are distinguishably allocated for dry and wet garbage separately The project has been initiated with a budget of Rs. 25 lakhs and will be under the direct responsibility of GMC Narayan Konwar, Commissioner, GMC expressed optimism towards the success of the initiative

n a joint initiative by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Oil India Limited, twin litter bins have been installed in parts of the city. Till date, 200 litter bins have been installed on GS Road. This is a pilot project and the target of installing 1000 litter bins in various parts of the city will be attempted depending on the success of the initiative. The initiative is a step taken to tackle the problem of littered streets due to the lack of litter bins. The bins will be installed by the main roads of the city depending on the population density and footfall of all the prominent locations. Although there are several dustbins located around prominent areas in the city, they are not easily accessible for a pedestrian or for a vehicle to dump garbage. One reason for this could be heavy traffic congestion on the roads or other factors leading to inaccessibility. In a survey carried out by G Plus earlier this year, it was found that on the long stretch of GS Road there were just 12 dustbins of which the first one was located near Six Miles and the others successively as far apart as Dispur, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Ulubari and Paltan Bazar covering an area of 8.2 kms. For a pedestrian who has just finished a meal from his pack-

ing it is next to impossible to carry around the empty packet looking for a garbage bin to dump the waste. Thus, one either has to dump it on the drain by the road or end up littering the street itself.

The Mechanism Currently, 200 litter bins have been installed on GS Road in areas that witness the most number of pedestrians and heavy footfall. The litter bins have been installed at alternate bus-stops and strategic nooks and

corners. The PVC litter bins stand on stainless steel platforms in order to provide a better look as also durability. The twin bins have been allocated to dump dry and wet garbage separately. The red bins are meant for wet garbage whereas the green bins for dry garbage. Clear sign-notes are marked on each of them. The bins have been installed in such a manner that they can only be tilted and the platforms have been permanently fastened to the ground. The project will be initiated with a budget of Rs. 25 lakhs and will be under the direct responsibility of the GMC.

People of Guwahati are educated and aware enough to have the civic sense of using the bins rather than littering the streets. At present it is a pilot project with the association of Oil India Limited and we will soon start the second phase where similar bins will be installed at Zoo Road. We also look forward to installing such bins in lanes in the near future which will depend on the success of the present project Narayan Konwar GMC Commissioner

The Challenge Garbage, trash, rubbish, refuse or whatever term we use is a scene that we see at every nook and corner of the city. Such garbage piles can be seen under a light post, edge of a footpath, a corner of two walls, etc. An empty wrapper or and cigarette packet or panmasala wrappers being tossed out of a running vehicle or a pedestrian stumbling onto the same while walking down the sidewalk is a common sight in our city. The city has a culture of keeping the homes clean but the streets dirty. Who is to be blamed for this? Though the concerned authorities have come up with several initiatives of waste management such as the solid waste management programme that envisages making Guwahati a dustbinfree city, mandating for all stalls to keep dustbins, etc. the use of the same are habitually avoided by the pedestrians. Narayan Konwar, Commissioner, GMC, expressed optimism towards the success of the initiative. “People of Guwahati are educated and aware enough to have the civic sense of using the bins rather than littering the streets. At present it is a pilot project with the association of Oil India Limited and we will soon start the second phase where

similar bins will be installed at Zoo Road. We also look forward to installing such bins in lanes in the near future which will depend on the success of the present project,” Konwar said. “The litter bins will be under the direct responsibility of the GMC and those which will be installed in the lanes will be under the responsibility of the NGOs of each ward. In order to ensure success of the project we will carry out awareness programs among school students so that the children become more concerned about the cleanliness of the city,” Konwar added. Meanwhile, the commissioner also expressed concern about certain safety issues as anti-social elements can drop explosives or any such material in the litter bins. Thus, this aspect will also be observed. Although several initiatives have been taken by the authorities to make Guwahati a better place, it also requires the citizens’ equal cooperation in order to succeed. Meanwhile, it now remains to be seen if the installation of the 200 twin litter bins will bring any change to the cleanliness scenario of the city and be successful enough in reaching out to the public. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 05 December

SUN 06 December

MON 07 December

TUE 08 December

WED 09 December

THU 10 December

FRI 11 December

Haze.

Morning clouds.

Sunny.

Mostly sunny.

More sun than clouds.

15 / 24 °C

14 / 25 °C

12 / 25 °C

12 / 27 °C

14 / 27 °C

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

City

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Guwahati’s shrinking sidewalks a bane for some, a boon for many

More than half the city’s footpaths covered with either encroachers or product displays Pavements are shrinking and along with it, walking space Pedestrians are taking to the main streets causing traffic block Traffic and municipal authorities trying to maintain a balance

quick hop around the city and one gets to notice that most of the footpaths are overflowing with temporary shops, make shift lottery ticket corners, salons, etc. making the sidewalks in Guwahati a cluttered mess. In the densely populated commercial localities, walking space is not being utilized correctly forcing pedestrians to walk on the streets - one huge reason why the traffic moves at a snail’s pace. If pavements are encroached with makeshift food stalls, display items etc. there is bound to be a shift in the number of pedestrians from the sidewalk (that is technically meant for walking) to the main streets, causing a deliberate slowdown of traffic. Enroute from Beltola to the Secretariat, the main road is over flowing with broken food stalls and pet centers with tiny, cramped cages displaying tiny, sad puppies for sale. We caught up

with one of these stores, Dolphin’s pets. The store’s manager, Mr. Pankaj Bhattarcharya, on being asked if the store was maintaining the territorial regulations, appeared to be confused. According to him, the store is abiding by all space requirements. It was as if the pavement was created to park his display cages! We approached another furniture store on Zoo Road Tiniali’s pavement that seemed to be occupying a lot of unnecessary space. The store manager, Mr. Rakesh Jha, said that the shop was on a rented piece of land and that he was only managing the store. Most store owners on that particular trail of pavement were not too keen on discussing the issue of whether having half of their shops on the pavement was the appropriate and legal thing to do. On the road to Christian Basti, just below the Ganeshguri flyover, one is witness to plenty of tyre shops, merchandise, hardware stores, etc.

blocking more than half the pavement in complete and brazen violation of the law. In a city as crowded as ours, keeping the pavements clear for pedestrians is of paramount importance. As Guwahati progresses to become a metro opting for tight, compact and better infrastructure planning is the need of the hour. This is where the issue of enforcement comes in and the authorities need to play a consistent and tenacious role in ensuring that the pedestrian traffic remain confined to the pavements and does not spill over to the streets disrupting vehicular traffic. This is however easier said than done and DCP Traffic, Pranab Goswami, shed light on the practical enforcement factor and said that the traffic regulators are more than willing to maintain a balance and work for the interests of the shop owners, the pedestrians as also the vehicle owners. “We always have to work in the interest of the people. If

say tomorrow we find a small shop encroaching on the pavement and says that he is incapable of doing anything about it, we cannot take him to jail. There are laws to follow but where we can find some agreeable middle ground, we act on it. We have to work in between the public and the law.” The route from the Chandmari Assam Engineering Institute field to Bamunimaidan - a busy area in the city has lost ample walking space due to misuse of pavement space. Come the evenings, the area under the Chandmari flyover and the sidewalk turns into a tiny carnival of its own with small shop owners and food carts trying to eke out a meager livelihood selling momos and other snacks. Babu Lal, one of these tiny stall owners, comes to the spot every day at about 4 pm. “Usually due to the many events that are held on the AEI field, I can dependably make a living here. There is not a lot of people, but just the right number who would walk a distance to buy and eat from us,” he says with a toothy grin. Babu Lal is about fifty eight, a man in Guwahati with no prospects of a stable job or career. He had a small rented room from where he ran his shop selling betel nuts and paan. This was about twelve to fifteen years back in the same vicinity before the land directly behind the AEI field was renovated. His example is directly reflective of the other side of this city. This is the in-between ground that that the DCP Traffic had earlier mentioned. Where will this existing population of small time business owners go? True, Guwahati is a city that is working towards being a metro. But,

how can we forget the once humble city that was mostly dependent of these small time business owners to function? “We make inspection rounds at regular intervals. This helps us to keep a check if anyone is violating any land laws. This directly impacts on the city’s regular flow of traffic and is therefore a necessity,” Goswami said. Very recently, all the major pavements in Beltola were cleared and any stall or store without a proper license was served with a notice to close down. There is a specific notice period given by the Traffic and Municipal authorities during which the shop owners can comply with authorities. “We allow a food stall or two at small corners and places where we have very little or no crowd gathering. There have been many occasions where a lot of land was used just to accommodate these local, small time businessmen,” Goswami added. When I started to write this piece, I was entirely of the opinion that these small time shop owners in Guwahati who have opened a livelihood right in the middle of the street are nothing but a menace to the city. However on close examination, I found quite a different side to it. There is an entire population of small time shop owners who are dependent on these very footpaths to make a living. And these are not recent and new settlers in the city. Like Babu Lal, many of them have been residing in our city for a lot longer. Our city has a responsibility towards such people, but it should not come at the cost of anyone or anything else. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Fancy Bazaar multilevel car parking omitted from approved projects list

City

Juthika Baruah

Fancy Bazaar car parking missing from the approved projects list of the state government The projects are being implemented by Transport Department and Guwahati Development Department The project was started in 2011 and is currently stalled The Paltan Bazar multilevel car parking has turned into a crime-prone area Revenue earnings from the Paltan Bazar car park not impressive The Fancy Bazaar multilevel car parking was surprisingly omitted from the projects list of Government of Assam. This came to notice only in the review meeting held on 5th November at the Assam Secretariat. The project which was supposed to be implemented at Ambari was shifted to Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital complex (MMCH), Fancy Bazaar riverside, as the Railways had donated the land only for the rotary project at Ambari. “A review meeting was held at the Assam Secretariat by the Joint Secretary, DoNER on 5th November, 2015 in the presence of the Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Development. It is surprising that the car parking project went missing from the approval list of the projects executed by the Government of Assam,” informed an official source of GMDA to G Plus. According to the source, the work at the Fancy Bazaar multilevel car parking is stalled as the estimated funds have not been released. The construction materials are lying at the site and the funny part is that even after the project was started, it does not figure today on the approved list of the government. DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh alleged that as the State Government has been unable to submit the Utilisation Certificate, the Centre is not releasing the rest of funds for the project. On the other hand, the GMDA has claimed that it has submitted the Utilisation Certificate for Rs. 171.40 lakhs to the DoNER Ministry as also the Utilisation Certificate for the State’s share of Rs. 110 lakhs. During a visit to the city, the DoNER

The car parking project, which was shifted from Ambari to Fancy Bazaar, has been surprisingly omitted even though the project was started in 2011

Fees allotment for car parking in Paltan Bazaar Entry Fees: Rs. 20 for first one hour and Rs. 5 for additional per hour Revenue earned per month: Rs. 3,37,000/Revenue earned per dayRs. 11,000/Minister dismissed Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s charges and said that the Centre will implement the Act East Policy and have also earmarked different projects for the region but as the state government is unable to submit any utilisation certificate the Centre is not releasing the funds for the projects. “It’s not possible to submit the utilisation certificate as soon as the project is completed. It takes at least 2-3 months to prepare the list and we have already submitted the utilisation certificate for the car parking project. It is surprising the

project is missing from the approved list especially after it has been started,” informed the source. According to the source such things happen due to the lack of cooperation between the governments at the state and the centre leading to the projects remaining incomplete. There are also people who create problems in the development by opposing such projects. The construction material of the car parking project in Fancy Bazaar has started to rot and is not in a position to be used even if the project is likely to

be started. “Until and unless we get the approval letter we cannot start the project as the funds need to be released. As we cannot pay the contractor we cannot force them to complete the project. We have been writing letters to the Centre and the State repeatedly but nothing concrete has materialized as far as the funds are concerned,” the source said. The DoNER Minister also alleged that under the scheme of NLCPR, the Ministry has released Rs. 1052.01 crores for 220 on-going projects in the state and has received utilisation certificates for only Rs. 616.39 crores. The utilisation certificate for Rs. 435.62 crores of the total funds is yet to be submitted. The DoNER Ministry has also not been apprised of anything about the progress of these projects. There are 151 projects, for which requisite documentation is yet to be received for the Ministry to release funds. The Ministry is eagerly waiting for the documentation and accounts. The delay has denied the public of the State the benefits of these projects. For this game of passing the buck, the fact remains that the piled

Fund Released and the status of Utilisation Certificate: Project

Central Share (Rs. In lakhs)

State Share (Rs. In lakhs)

Fancy Bazaar car parking

990.00

110.00

Fancy Bazaar car parking 1 Instalment- 171.40 (GDD)

1st Instalment - 34.21 2nd Instalment - 75.59

Total

Rs. 110.00

Rs. 171.40

up construction materials have started rusting beyond any utility, the area has become an eyesore and this is another rueful instance of huge public money being flushed down the drain due to sheer apathy. If intolerance is what is trending these days, how long should Guwahati keep tolerating such wastage and apathy? While it is unfortunate that the Fancy Bazaar multilevel car parking is missing from the approved list of projects, is the Government in a dilemma to approve or go ahead proactively with this second car parking project after the Paltan Bazaar multilevel car parking has turned into a crime prone area? The Paltan Bazaar car parking in the heart of the city has become notorious for crime that frequently takes place there. “Private parties are also vying to take the car parking on lease and once it goes into the hands of the parties the place will be more vulnerable. The private parties do not have any security issues and they will allow various people to enter the parking and thereafter, the criminal-minded people will try to take advantage of the place,” said an official of the parking. “The parking lot will be renovated as there is no space for two-wheelers. It is only for four-wheelers but we have made a little area for two-wheelers. The cars that are parked are mainly of known officers and some officers also keep their cars for one-two months when they are out of station,” informed by the official.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Bazaar

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Wedding Wows

It is the Wedding Season!

Guwahati geared up for the wedding season Wedding Planners in the city at the forefront of activities More and more Guwahatians opting for wedding planners to detail their D-Day Wedding Planners provide the ideal solutions of “delivering” your wedding at your doorstep

t is that misty, foggy season of the year when the wedding bells are tolling. Indeed the winters of Guwahati offer the perfect setting to tie the knot. As Guwahati steadily progresses towards being a metro, most of its busy residents hardly get any time to stop, detail and plan a top-notch wedding should such an occasion arise in their families. Guwahati as a city has had its share of planned weddings and wedding planners over the years. But the actual professionalism in the business of wedding planning has become apparent only over the last five years. This season too, there has been a fantastic array of wedding themes laid out and if you are that bride or groom who is looking to tie the knot, it might just not be too late to hire professionals. The wedding planning industry in Guwahati is doing an excellent job of delivering that fabulous wedding to you at your doorstep. Guwahatians are taking giant strides when it comes to celebrating love. Extravagant splurging in the name of cherishing the most important moment of a person’s life is no longer frowned upon. Rather it is celebrated and encouraged. However, when it comes to maintaining that fine line between expense and extravagance, some of the city’s most celebrated wedding experts are helping us with a variety of choices. Amit Jain from Umang Communications Limited, a leading name in wedding planning in Guwahati, says that the months starting from November each year to April are the busiest. “Each year in November our hands are full due to the huge number of weddings in the city. Registrations start as early as March-April,” says Amit. Umang also plans bachelorette and bachelor parties. “Now-a-days, youngsters in Guwahati city are looking for more and more innovativeness to celebrate their weddings. Bachelorette and bachelor parties are very popular. We have different packages. Some come with the pre-parties,” Amit added.

Umang’s craziest experience when it came to handling a wedding bash in Guwahati was when it had to handle a crowd of 25,000 people for about twenty days during one single wedding. The wedding took place in the client’s underground construction site, and was, in his words, “epic!” Lush and extravagant locations in Guwahati are the choices of the times. Outdoor city venues like Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok, Hotel Millennium, Vishwaratna and Bhabendra Aloy are the most preferred wedding venues of Guwahati. Destination weddings at places like Nagaon, Tezpur, Jagiroad and Kaziranga, located at motorable distances from the city are also favored locations. Many couples are also going for more and more contemporary styles of weddings having inter-mixing of cultures. For example, a Marwari shaadi in Guwahati necessarily has a Roka these days. Most Axomiya weddings these days have a Sangeet

before the actual ceremony. Mandakini Hazarika,a businesswoman and a bride-to-be from Guwahati says that she was all for having a Sangeet for her wedding from a long time. “It is very Bollywoodish,” she says. “There is fun and frolic and a Sangeet is the perfect occasion for the bride and all her friends to get together for some fun.” Most youngsters are also opting more and more for theme-based weddings. The most popular wedding themes in Guwahati are the Rajasthani, Bollywood, the Outdoor Garden and the Khati Axomiya. Aakhi Chakraborty, a recently wedded bride in Guwahati, says the Outdoor Garden theme for her reception was the best part of her wedding. “My wedding was a typical Axomiya wedding - the Juroon, the Homor guri bia. My reception however, was a fabulous evening spent under a blanket of stars. Our wedding planners helped us book the Brahmaputra Ashok for

G Plus lists some successful and professional wedding planners in Guwahati.

Grand Affairs Pvt Ltd

Contact Phone: +91 9864073967

Umang Communications Private Limited

Contact Phone: +91 98640 81643

Foodprint Solutions

Contact Phone: +91 98648 23047

Cereal Shooters

Contact Phones: +91 9864155521, 8136068234, 9508066694

Panache

Contact Phone: +91 97060 18799

the big day and the whole ground was divided into small, cozy corners with little white lights and small pans of burning coal (it was a December wedding) for people to keep warm. There were small fountains of flowing water scattered. All in all, the inclusion of the Outdoor Garden theme to my reception was something that my friends are still gushing about.” Aparajita Das, the head of another wedding planner, Foodprints based in Guwahati, talks about the impact of food in a wedding and elaborates it in her own way. “There was a wedding in Guwahati where the couple wanted a dish from each and every state for their wedding. They apparently had friends who were attending the reception from all over the country. Guwahatians are not adhering to traditional Assamese food any more. They are experimenting with different cuisines also.” Earlier, the dessert would consist of some sweetened curd, roshogullas, coffee

but today even the dessert is not left out when planning the menu for a wedding. Now-a-days people like to offer a wide array of cupcakes, pies, brownies and dry fruits. The concept of a wedding cake has also been doing the rounds for some time and more recently, demands for such cakes have become more elaborate. “We have our own chefs and bakers and we work with them on the kind of wedding and the food-theme given to us by our clientele,” Aparajita mentions. Food is a very important element in weddings. It is actually a reflection of who we are as a people and how we treat our guests. As a child I remember growing up and attending weddings where there would be a two-member videography team - one with the camera and the other one constantly tailing him with a light that would blind your eyes. Twenty years later, with Instagram and cellphone cameras being part of our lives, we have people documenting and exhibiting their weddings in the jazziest way possible. Yogesh and Ekta are two young Guwhatians who opted for a pre-wedding video shoot for their wedding and enjoyed watching the video going viral all over social media among their friends. Yogesh had his Facebook page flooded with comments and posts celebrating the small video of their love and it was a feelgood factor at its best. Cereal Shooters, another newly launched wedding planning company in the city, is making its mark when it comes to capturing those cherished moments of a couple’s life-journey. This team is more particularly focused on just the documentation part of a couple’s wedding. Photographs and videos make the memories of today last forever. CS takes just that aspect and enlarges it. This young team is offering grander locations for pre-outdoor wedding shoots. As a part of their package, they take a few days before the couple’s wedding to shoot a small montage of the couple. Be it photography or videography, Cereal Shooters offers you that perfect wedding documentation. Anamika Chetia, a young mother and a social rights worker in Guwahati recalls her wedding a couple of years back. “Looking back now my wedding would have been a mess without my planner. Everything right from scratch was taken care of and I and my family managed to offer our best reception to our guests which were most important to us,” Chetia asserted. The involvement of a wedding planner ensures having quality time on your hands for the most important things like making time to personally invite your own guests rather than depending on a voice call, or God forbid, a Facebook invite! bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Kamrup (M) witnesses highest number of HIV positive cases at

Concern

38%

Juthika Baruah

38% of HIV positive cases in State detected in Kamrup (M) which is the highest Installation of condom vending machines at strategic locations is necessary Assam is vulnerable to HIVpositive infections as it is surrounded by high prevalence states like Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland

amrup (M) is reported to have the highest number of HIV-positive cases in the State with 38% till September, 2015. The reason is attributed to the fact that most of the people have migrated here from other places and Guwahati being the hub of northeast, a lot of people pass through the city for which the district is vulnerable to HIV. Although Assam is categorized as a low HIV prevalence state with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 0.07% which is lower than the national prevalence of 0.27%, it is found that there is still a lot to worry about as the HIV cases are increasing among pregnant women. “The city is said to be the gateway to the northeast and the state is surrounded by three high prevalence states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. Also a large chunk of the young population from the state is going to other cities for employment and gets involves in high-risk behaviour. Also Assam has a large private health sector which caters to all the northeastern states and as such, the cases of HIV are more in the city,” said Dr Chiranjeev Bhattacharjya, State Epidemiologist, Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS). Dr. Bhattacharjya said that HIV epidemic in the state is concentrated among the high-risk group popula-

HIV positive cases increasing among pregnant women and as Guwahati is the gateway to the northeast, the city is more vulnerable due to increasing number of migrants. tions of female sex workers (FSW), men having sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDU). “As there are no migrant or trucker HIV Sentinel site in the state there is no data available from HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) on the bridge population and its possible role in the spread of infection from the high-risk groups to the general population,” said Dr. Bhattacharjya. He said that Karimganj, Tinsukia and Karbi-Anglong districts are found to have higher HIV prevalence among ANC attendees as recorded in the recent rounds of HSS. Also two districts, Cachar and Sonitpur, have recorded more than 1% HIV prevalence among the ANC attendees with 1.25% and 1.25% respectively. According to the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP),

data among Integrated Counselling & Testing Centre (ICTC) attendees and Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) attendees show a stable trend of HIV positivity among the general clients while a rising trend is noted among the pregnant women. On the occasion of World AIDS Day on 1st December observed by ASACS, Project Director Dhiraj Choudhury said, “The World AIDS Day gives an opportunity for people all over the globe to unite in the fight against HIV and extend our support for people living with HIV and this is the significance of the day. The theme for the year is - Getting to Zero - Zero New HIV Infections, Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS-related Deaths.” He further spoke on the vulnerability of the

While Assam is categorized as a low HIV prevalence state with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 0.07% which is lower than the national prevalence of 0.27%, it is found that there is still a lot to worry about as the HIV cases are increasing among pregnant women.

No. of HIV-Positives detected up to 30th September, 2015: 11,122 General Clients

Pregnant Women

Total

880738

1376766

2257504

No. of persons detected HIV- 10255 positive

867

11122

Rate of Thousand)

0.63

4.93

No. of persons tested at ICTC

Positivity

(Per 11.64

HIV/AIDS menace in the state. Speaking on the occasion noted social activist and writer, Dr. Akashitora said, “Life is a celebration but one has to be aware about the comas, colons, semi colons and even full stops. HIV/AIDS is such a menace that if it is transmitted in a human body it would halt the progress of the individual and humanity at large. A person can have complete freedom but he or she has to have absolute control over his life.” She also advocated for the installation of condom vending machines at strategic locations across the state which is very much common in European countries. Dr. Akashitora further stated that all awareness generating agencies must be geared up to such an extent that our region becomes the first HIV-free zone in the country. Noted actor Chetana Das said, “Life is precious and thus one should not hide his or her illness especially if it is caused by HIV virus. Thus people, especially those who indulge in high-risk behaviour, must go for HIV/AIDS testing.” Blood Transfusion Expert, Dr. BN Sarma, who was also present on the occasion, spoke at length about the HIV/AIDS menace. Drugs Controller Gajen Talukdar also delivered his speech on HIV/ AIDS prevalence in the state. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Buzz

irector General of Assam Police, Khagen Sarma, retired ending an impressive career of 33 years. He is a 1982 batch IPS officer who had many experiences with various militant outfits in the northeast. He recalled how he had warned Daulat Singh Negi, the then Dibrugarh District Superintendent of Police, the day before he was killed by Ulfa (on July 29, 1990) that he could be a possible target. He recalled how he, as the Subdivisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Majuli, had led operations against ULFA in the early 1990s, when the outfit was at its peak. He described Assam police as among the top police forces in the country. During a press conference in the Assam Police Headquarters while handing over charge to the new DGP Mukesh Sahay, he said he might think of writing a book on his experiences as a cop and he will only write whatever can be informed to the readers. He also said that militancy is declining in the state but it is far from over.

The new DGP Mukesh Sahay, who took charge as the new DGP, echoed Sarma’s views saying that though at pre-

rahul chanda

ULFA (I) makes its presence felt as Sahay becomes new DGP

sent militancy was declining in the state, the police cannot afford to lower its guard as it was yet to disappear completely. “We will always have to remain vigilant as militancy is one thing which can rise from the ashes any time,” said Sahay, who is a 1984-batch IPS officer and who has served with the CBI and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on deputation. All these days he was the chief of

the CID in the state and has solved many techno savvy crimes. On the threat from religious extremists in the state, Sahay said the state along with the Centre, was formulating an effective response strategy. He said preparing the police force for existing and upcoming challenges and to come up to the expectations of the people would be among his top priorities as DGP. He also said

that media keeps the society informed and police tries to keep the society safe. So, both the entities are in a social service job. He also said that he is an average man, but sometimes an average man can also do extraordinary work.

ULFA (I) attack ULFA(I) militants indiscrimi-

nately fired upon workers of a stone crusher unit at Namrup in Dibrugarh District, leaving two persons seriously injured. Police said that five gunmen with their faces covered came to the stone crusher unit in Namrup on 30th November (the day Mukesh Sahay took charge as DGP) and started firing on the workers, most of whom were Hindi-speaking people. In the attack, two persons, identified as Sanjay Bharati and Gopal Sahu, received bullet injuries, and were rushed to Assam Medical College. The incident has come as a scare for the Hindi-speaking people in the state and people also felt the presence of ULFA(I) after a long time. Interestingly, the attack was done the day Sahay took over as DGP. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has asked the Chief Secretary and also the DGP to act against such incidents and to formulate a strategy to fight militancy. According to police sources, commandos have been already sent to the area to tackle the rebels. But Sahay indeed received a rough welcome from the ULFA(I). rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Holding the torch high

Swapnil Bharali

hen it comes to writing a piece on Brain Jam, I love quoting lines from some previous articles of mine. This is purely because of the timelessness that the event brings - the quality entertainment while at the same essentially remaining an intellectually stimulating occasion. And so, allow me the liberty: “To have witnessed a harmless quiz show that assumed the proportions of an entertainment extravaganza . . . one of international standards, was a matter of privilege . . . it has left me wondering as to how Priya Communication . . . will better itself the next year round.” The talking point of course is the forthcoming Servo Brain Jam 2015. Into its tenth year of presentation, Brain Jam has made an undiluted statement to Guwahatians as an event par excellence; an event that has carved a niche of its own. Year after year, it has successfully caught the imagination of the quiz aficionados of the city as an event to look forward to. The extravaganza, if I may rightfully call it that, is a showpiece of true international standards. And yet today I look back at its initial conception, when the team was struggling to find a suitable name for the event. They thought and thought, racked their brains, tried and made errors deep into the night till their “Brains” were “Jammed!” Today, what elates my heart is the

fact that it, somehow, is our show, Guwahati’s show, an annual occasion to look forward to and one that has endeared itself to us purely with its sheer class, quality and entertainment value commanding a “rock-concert” fan following! As for the quiz itself, Brain Jam always offers a standard of quizzing bordering on the high and highest. The best quizzers from the region usually participate and from initial ice-breaking coolness the quiz reaches a scorching level in the later rounds making it an engrossing experience. The king of quiz-masters, Barry O’Brein holds forte like no one else can and trans-

forms the whole ambience from a quiz among the contesting teams to a quiz for the thousands. His spontaneity of reaction, instantaneous humor, adept story-telling prowess, his incomparable sheer stage presence and special audience rounds get the packed theatre hall so involved that the audience literally sings to his tune. He dictates, the audience obeys. Period! The rounds are always innovative, often dedicated to a sponsor and usually there is a title-sponsor “The Assam Tribune Round” for the audience. To be a trifle wistful, quizzing in Guwahati seems to be a dying practice restricted to social clubs. This in

my personal observation though and I am not sure how much of quiz activity takes place at the educational institution level nowadays. To add to the lamentable scenario is the lack of competent quiz masters who can draw and hold the attention of a demanding audience. Beyond this, I tend to notice a big digression of modern quizzing from its traditional style of testing knowledge to its new variant of testing logical reasoning and presence of mind. Somehow, quizzing today can be also deemed to be a test of solving riddles. Perhaps, technology has a part to play. Ever since Siddharth Basu staged Quiz Time on Doordarshan and “modernized” it with the visual rounds and audio rounds and of course, that fast-paced buzzer round, the art of quizzing has becoming a demanding, money-consuming, technology-based activity that is perhaps difficult to manage. With further improvements in the later years by Basu, Derek O’ Brein and that magnificent monarch of all quiz shows, “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, the bar has been continually raised and the technology is there for all to see. Needless to say, the aficionados that comprise the audience have long become used to the quality that these quiz shows have brought and continue to bring. In this context perhaps, it becomes difficult for a local event to match these high standards and rightly so. For the city of Guwahati, Brain

Jam bridges this gap marvelously. It has everything that one can expect from a show of international standards. Right from its conception to its marketing on to its D-Day presentation, the show reeks of class. The venue – this time it is the upscale GMCH Auditorium – always bursts at its seams; the enthusiasm is over-powering. And its catch-line this time: “Get set for a serious grilling because you’re on the menu as Barry dishes up some BHEJA FRY” itself tells the tale of the expectations that can be harboured. Scheduled on the coming 6th December, 5 pm onwards, the theme this time, considering the sense of “intolerance” pervading the country and with the hope of spreading a message of peace and harmony, is “Apne Desh ko Jaano”. The sponsors are Servo, Oil India Limited, State Bank of India, Aircel and LIC. Reliable sources tell me that a Renault Kwid, sponsored by Fast Track Advertising, is also up for grabs though I choose to reserve my surprise as to the category in which this magnificent prize will be awarded. All said and done, Guwahati can get set for a serious test of its quizzing standards amidst unbridled laughter and intellectually stimulating entertainment. Hope Brain Jam continues to remain the torch-bearer and manages to hold the quizzing torch high in the years to come.

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Assam lads shine in

ssam’s performance over the last few weeks in Ranji Trophy 2015-16 has been a revelation. Although in the current match, Bengal speedster Ashok Dinda and the batting duo of Shreevats Goswami and Pankaj Shaw wreaked havoc on the home team. On Friday 4th December Assam made it to the quarter final after earning one point from the match against Bengal. Assam now has a total point raised to 26 and has claimed the 3rd spot in Group A after Vidarbha and Bengal. The quarter final round will begin in February, 2016. Assam’s performance has otherwise been commendable throughout the tournament. With the bowling sensations, Krishna Das and Arup Das, and debutant Rahul Hazarika, under the captaincy of Gokul Sharma, the team has successfully made a solid impression on the national cricketing scene. “It is every player’s wish to represent the nation. Rahul, as a debutant, has put in a remarkable performance and since it is only his debut season, he has to be consistent with his performance which will definitely help him go places whereas Krishna definitely deserves a spot in the national team. His performance has been tremendous in the tournament and it deserves recognition,” said Gokul. Meanwhile this season, the team’s performance has seen a vital change as the bowling attack has been more efficient than the batting performance. Bowler-friendly pitches in all the six games have resulted in only one batsman has managed to score a century so far. “Last year when we played in Group C there were no such bowlerfriendly wickets and after we made it to Group A this season, most wickets that we played on were favourable for bowling due to which our batting lineup struggled. Even when we look at the matches against Haryana, Orissa and Maharashtra, none of the matches were very high scoring,” the captain added. Assam has never been a topclass team in the Ranji Trophy so far, but did manage to finish at the top in its group division in 2006-07. Assam’s best season came in 2012-13, when it finished as runners-up in the Vijay

Ranji Trophy

Sports

KALYAN DEB

Standout performance by debutant Rahul Hazarika and pacer Krishna Das’s comeback place Assam in top 3

Krishna Das in action during match against Bengal

Hazare Trophy. 2014-15 saw Assam topping its group in the Ranji Trophy, but it lost in the quarter-finals to the defending champions Karnataka. This season began with flying colours when Assam took the first-innings lead against Karnataka, the defending champions, in the first Group A game. It was dismissed as a fluke helped along by favourable home conditions. Victories against an admittedly callow Rajasthan XI and Haryana (minus Virender Sehwag) earned Assam positive press reviews, but it was the five-wicket win over Delhi, the table toppers, in the seventh round that has put the State team in serious contention for a knockout berth. Assam lads have played the Ranji quarterfinals only twice. Apart from the last season, they had qualified in 2009-10 after winning the Plate group

semi-final. Currently second on the table with 25 points, Assam is one of three teams vying for a quarterfinal spot from Group A. Although the team’s performance has been disappointing against Bengal, the team has certainly guaranteed itself a Group A berth in the next season.

The Debutant A product of City Cricket Coaching Centre, Dispur, which is also run and managed by his father Gautam Hazarika, 22-year-old Rahul has had his aim set since a long time. Rahul’s scores speak for him and as a debutant the 22-year-old has been able to make quite an impression. He has scored two double centuries in the CK Nayudu Trophy which earned him a place in the senior team of the state. In 7

Assam players celebrating a wicket

matches Hazarika has scored over 800 runs with a top score of 222 not out against Chhattisgarh. He also scored 209 against Orissa and a quick-fire 113 against Orissa in Assam’s opening match. Rahul has been an exceptional batsman ever since his school days. He played his first district-level match when he was in the seventh standard and his first state-level (U-15) match the following year. He represented Shrimanta Shankar Academy, Guwahati in school cricket.

The Bowling Sensations The last few years have seen the rise of two new pace bowlers from the state of Assam. Two childhood friends from a small district of Assam, Barpeta – Krishna and Arup Das – have been creating havoc in the domestic circuit off late. Between the two, Krishna has been exceptional this season, scalping 44 wickets so far in the ongoing tournament. Krishna achieved this feat in his 27th match, trapping veteran Gautam Gambhir LBW for a duck. The Barpeta lad had scalped 10 wickets against Haryana. He made his debut back in 2005, at a young age of 15, playing against Kerala in Dibrugarh. He is currently third in the wicket takers list for the 2015-16 Ranji season. It is hard work and immense determination that has helped Krishna reach the position that he is at today. Krishna was picked by Assam’s current coach, Sanath Kumar, when he was bowling in the nets as a 15-yearold kid. Impressed by his skills, Sanath gave him his first class debut in which he took four wickets in the first

innings. “I have made it so far with the support of my family members, local coach Javd Akhter Khan, and Sanath Kumar and have always idolized Abu Nachim. It was Sanath Sir who gave me the opportunity to be a part of the Ranji team. Making a comeback after being dropped for two years has only been possible due to everyone’s support and I have always tried to give my best. As far as Ranji Trophy is concerned, we have performed as a team so far. Be it captain Gokul Sharma or Arup or me, it has been a collective effort so far. Although we have had ups and downs we look forward to do better in the tournament,” Krishna said. In recent times, the eastern part of India hasn’t quite been known for producing pacers. The West BengalOrissa-Jharkhand-Assam belt has very rarely thrown up pacers for the national team, nor have most of their seam bowlers done consistently well in the domestic circuit. A prominent name from the region would probably be Orissa’s Debasish Mohanty whereas from the current lot there are Bengal’s Ashok Dinda and Jharkhand’s Varun Aaron. Apart from these two Abu Nachim Ahmed from Assam had made it to the IPL limelight for a brief period. However, hailing from such a place, Krishna being among the highest wicket takers in Ranji Trophy this season is indeed a matter of pride for the entire region. The crowd, which primarily comes to see a team batting, are now waiting all day to see Krishna bowl. If harnessed well, another gem awaits a bright cricketing future. Krishna was almost lost in the system after the exit of coach Sanath Kumar in 2009. Despite having represented India Under-19 in Australia, Krishna was overlooked by the selectors for reasons which remain unexplained. Krishna however had the zeal to represent the nation which kept him going and today is one of the most successful bowlers of the tournament. Krishna and Arup Das, who has claimed 21 wickets so far in the tournament, have anchored their team’s performance really well, particularly considering the poor form of their batting counterparts. Arup is another key bowler in the Assam squad and the two childhood friends have apparently turned out to be the best pace bowling duo in the domestic circuit. Discipline, hunger, application and teamwork have been the key factors in this State team which does not have famous names. But it has bowlers who have an insatiable appetite for wickets, a coach with a vision and a captain who commands the respect of his team mates. The thrust to do well comes from them. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G Talk

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Unwelcome Visitors

ver had the feeling of being violated by an unwanted, overbearing guest? And the frustrating helplessness that perhaps could be satiated only with a resounding slap and nothing else? Well, with the elections approaching and with it the inevitable rush of political wannabes, it brings unto me the disconcerting feeling that my Guwahati city often forms a metaphoric brothel of undesirable elements, who to all certainties, are ‘outsiders’ and come to my city with the sole purpose of indulging in a warped, rapist revelry by violating our arduously peaceful existence and I am saddled with a toothless administration which forever remains a dumb witness! Of recent vintage is Akhil Gogoi’s commendable crusade “for his convictions” resulting in a 4-km long procession through the arterial GS Road holding the entire city to ransom and grinding it to a halt. On one occasion earlier, the mayhem perpetrated by his fellow agitators made it amply clear as to their preparedness and determination to burn Guwahati. Cement chunks, earthy bamboo batons and kerosene-filled-plastic-cans are hardly items of sale in front of Assam Sachibalaya that a few thousand ‘peaceful’ protestors could suddenly lay their hands on and turn violent because their sense of propriety had been outraged by an apathetic administration. This mob had obviously come prepared to dance the Bihu at their resounding success of violating Guwahatian property.

Now recalling some pre-election stunts from the last elections: 1) Thousand-strong visitors from a nearby town ransacking their party’s head office (BJP) in Guwahati. 2) The mob-frenzy at Rajiv Bhawan with the frightening rustic busloads from areas around Guwahati! 3) The Kamakhya railway station vandalism! Unruly mobs have, time and again, danced the Samba, Salsa and Bihu through the main thoroughfares of Guwahati causing severe traffic snarls, wasting the Guwahatian’s valuable time to the extent that our school children have, on more than one occasion, had to reach home as late as 7 pm in desperate hunger and fatigue. Roundly condemnable and an invitation for a resounding slap by the Guwahatian to its unwelcome visitor! Guwahati is our city, our space. Any violation is a serious breach of our self-respect, our dignity and a profound compromise on our security. The worst fallout however, remains the fact that the ordinary Guwahatian is not the proudest that national television chooses to bring his city to the spotlight with this megalomania of which he is no part. The joke’s already gone a bit too far and our government needs to be more sensitive to us Guwahatians. To our guests, please behave!

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

Politancy

Will Himanta ensure a BJP victory in 2016?

imanta Biswa Sarma said in many interviews to the media that he has worked for 23 years with Congress and the party did not give him anything. As all political observers somehow know the fact that in 2006 and 2011, Himanta Biswa Sarma was the main “manage master” for the Congress and it was only after the arrival of Tarun Gogoi’s scion Gaurav Gogoi in the state politics that Congress started to get the so called anti-incumbency scares. Himanta, with his strong skills in political management is the main catch for BJP in the upcoming elections, and making him the convener for the polls is a reflection of how much confidence the saffron party has in this state political giant. Moreover, Himanta after leaving Congress has openly declared a political war on Tarun Gogoi and as a 23-year-old Congress veteran, he must be aware of all the strategies Congress can come up with to win the elections. Sarma can actually provide the counter strategies to the BJP. It is first time in the history of Assam elections that BJP is looked upon as the main opponent of Congress. The Modi wave helped BJP win the Lok Sabha polls, but assembly elections is a different ball game where many factors like caste, religion, ethnicity and development together decides the fate of any party. All said and done, just as Pranab Mukherjee, who was the main prime ministerial candidate of the Congress, was sidelined by being made President just to clear the way for the Gandhi scion, similarly Sarma smelled the dynasty politics effect in the Congress party in Assam too. After Himanta almost everyone in the Jalukbari constituency feels like a BJP man these days. So, the master manager might turn the majority of the people of Assam towards voting for the saffron party. Observers feel Himanta has a good relation with another upcoming political party chief Badruddin Ajmal, which again hints towards Kashmir like coalition situation in Assam. Either ways, Himanta can very well help BJP come to power.

KALYAN DEB

fter 23 years, a man feels that he was following a wrong ideology only because he was not able to become the chief minister of a state. All these 23 years, Tarun Gogoi was his mentor and a father figure, but as soon as Gaurav Gogoi entered state politics, the father figure turned into an enemy only because of the apprehension that Tarun Gogoi will make his son the future chief minister. Himanta Biswa Sarma enjoyed all powers in the state because of Congress and mostly because of Tarun Gogoi. At one point of time it was impossible to think about Assam Congress without Sarma. More so, about Gogoi without his most trusted aide by his side. But cracks became evident once Gaurav Gogoi, slowly made headway in politics and finally joined Congress in May 2012. Himanta openly came out against Tarun Gogoi and finally joined BJP promising the saffron party a victory in 2016. BJP on the other hand is so desperate for a win in this state that Himanta was the only option for them but do they actually believe in Himanta’s loyalty? After Himanta’s inclusion in BJP, rifts and fissures have started appearing in the party with many lobbies trying to woo the high command. There was already Upper Assam - Lower Assam lobby, Brahmin - Tribal lobby, and now after Sarma joining BJP, there is the all new old - new member lobby. Many BJP members are unhappy with Himanta joining BJP and with already existing intolerance and blah blah debates, Himanta will not be able to help BJP in any way. KMSS chief Akhil Gogoi’s and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s cold war is openly known in Assam, and with Congress agreeing to Akhil Gogoi’s new land reforms, all KMSS supporters are likely to vote for Congress. Himanta will only create another conflict in the saffron party and finally will have to opt for another party which he would be able to destroy or form a new party which will again not fulfil his chief ministerial dreams.

BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP

rahul chanda

hen an election approaches the state, the militancy factor always plays a vital role as it is one issue which is far from dying out. Before 2011 elections, we may recall that all the top bosses of ULFA were brought to the state, kept behind the bars for many days and finally freed in the context of peace talks. With approximately just five months left for the elections, one more of ULFA’s most wanted rebels, Anup Chetia, is in the state’s judicial custody. The authorities and some intellectuals feel that he will be a value-addition to the peace process. After a few days he will also be freed and will be seen meeting the policy makers in Delhi along with the other rebels who have now joined the so-called peace process. Reports also say that Paresh Baruah, the only man who is running the entire terror show in the “fight” for sovereignty, may be irked by Chetia’s decision to help the protalks group. All said and done, it is a wonder why these most wanted rebels are brought every time before the elections and the ULFA

(I), which is banned otherwise, makes its presence felt. The day a Hindi-speaking IPS officer takes charge as the DGP, ULFA (I) rebels attack a stone quarry having mostly by Hindi speaking people as workers. The militancy may be supported by many because of the cause which they declare they are fighting for, but it is always illegal and a doubt which arises is that the politics somehow may be nurturing militancy in Assam. Till the politicians do not come with a full and final strategy to combat militancy, there will always be militant groups in Assam, and in the future our coming generations too will spend most of the time hearing about this group being banned and the other being in talks. Is it so tough for the Central and State forces to get rid of the militancy issue forever? Is it not the politicians who will have to tackle the issue head-on? Or does some personal gain take precedence? Till politics of personal gain prevail, militancy and militants will never die out and such “Politancy” of rebels joining peace talks will be a continuing process.

Hello sir,

Interactive

This is to invite your attention to the condition of the Retiring Rooms of our Guwahati Railway Station. People are being provided with used bed sheets and pillow covers and their conditions are also indeed revolting. People cannot sleep the whole night due to various kinds of insects which come out from within the mattresses. The mattresses also seem to have blood of these insects on them along with a lot of other unsavoury and ugly stains. Many people have put in complaints but nothing has been done till now to make things better. I request your esteemed newspaper to kindly make people aware of this and reach out to the higher officials of N.F. Railways. Otherwise Guwahati City’s image will take a bad beating from many of our guests and tourists. I request you to urgently look into this matter.

Harjeet Nath

Letter to the Editor Dear Sir,

Last week’s Health and Nutrition page and Kamal Sinha’s breakdown of everyday lifestyle tips is a commendable effort! I happen to be a health enthusiast and your last week’s article has helped me immensely. The simple dos and don’ts of maintaining a well-endowed physical structure is very necessary for any workaholic and there are so many times we overlook that. For example, I was unaware of the fact that consuming half a cup of skimmed milk in the morning before hitting the gym can do a lot to replenish muscles and now I know that I am going to implement this in my schedule. Also, alongside that the small report on transfats that was run was an excellent read. Most people are actually consuming so much of these harmful fats without their knowledge even. This is fatally dangerous. As a religious reader of your health column, I applaud your efforts to take the issue of health seriously and make it a necessary lifestyle concern.

Vimla Pandey Via email

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Are Akhil Gogoi’s repeated dharnas and processions becoming irksome for Guwahati? The activist has, time and again, held the city to ransom with his processions, self-immolations by his co-agitators and his ability to mobilize huge crowds.

e is like a cricket bowler who does not complete a single over and leaves the current match to play another. His bowling is again lacking in line and length. Plus I feel that more than playing cricket he spends most of the time in the field quarrelling with the umpire. Please don’t mind (advance sorry to him and the people who support him) I personally feel that either he is a psychological patient suffering from insecurity and identity crisis always trying to gain attention or he is crook mastermind with a magical way of funding so many people accompanying him. The point is RTI does not work if we want to file one against him to find out his sources of fund.

ot only for Guwahati, he has become a problem for Assam. He persuades poor people and utilises them for his own vested interest. He has no serious issue of his own and jumps into each and every issue he finds suitable to enclose. His thoughts are conservative and against development and he is creating a nonworking section among the ignorant poor people whom he is persuading to become rich without working and by just holding protests and dharnas. Akhil Gogoi needs to be treated soon or else he is turning out to be a parasite for Assam.

Bhargav Jyoti Bora

Ranjib Das

Bidyut Deka

Dib Saikia

Sahil Subba

Gaurav Borkakoty

is logic for land grabbing is superficial… setting up fake/empty/temporary houses and then bullying government to give the rights of the land... be it mountain, wetland, on the side of road, Bharalu River... if government can give away free land to such encroachers, then what about those who have to buy land at skyhigh prices... should everyone start doing that... will that be a place worth living?

think he just a show-off and nothing else. His efforts have not brought any fruitful results to people of Assam. He is just wasting his time and that of the others who blindly follow him. He just wants to establish himself as a politically powerful individual.

e has been running these agitations for years and to be honest, I will be surprised if someday - some fine day - all this melodrama comes to bear any fruit at all. It was a lost cause from day one. What it does at best is slow the city down. We have better things to do and better ways to raise our voice. Akhil Gogoi should try using his intellect but… oh well, I wonder if he has any.

ot just Akhil gogoi all people demonstrating on roads and railways should understand that disruption in communication causes problems to travellers and city dwellers for no fault of theirs.... How do they justify this.....?

Meet Meet Meet

In Focus

Ranel Kumar Das

Architect

ith a belief that architecture is one step beyond art, Ranel Kumar Das developed a keen interest in the field from his very childhood. His interest in mathematics also played a pivotal role in him taking up architecture as a career. Over the years, Ranel has been instrumental in planning several prominent buildings in the urban development of Guwahati and continues to do. Born in Dibrugarh in the year 1954 to a family in which his father was a government employee, young Ranel got the opportunity to travel to many places. Due to this, his schooling was not confined to one particular place. Ranel started his initial days of schooling in Dibrugarh but with his father’s transfer to various places, the entire family had to move along. Ranel went on to Silchar, Shillong, Goalpara, Tinsukia, Jharkhand and then landed up in Guwahati where he did his Higher Secondary from Central School, Guwahati which was then the only Central School in the northeast. Ranel then went to Delhi to pursue a degree in architecture and joined School of Planning and Architecture (SPA). He qualified as an architect in 1975 becoming the first Assamese to have completed the extremely tough architectural course from SPA, Delhi. “I believe architecture is based on our imagination. It is another step beyond art. I developed the interest from the elder brother of one of my friends who was an architect and watching him at work fascinated me a great deal. Although, I appeared for examinations to enroll myself in several other institutions, getting selected for SPA paved the way for me,” said the veteran architect who has been practicing for over forty years. Following his graduation, Ranel joined Assam State Electricity Board in 1978 and during his service he contributed to designing the Bijulee Bhawan (the ASEB headquarters) that stands tall on AT Road. In 1998 Ranel took voluntary retirement from the job and started his own architectural consultancy firm, Ranel Associates, on 2nd February the same year. He has never looked back since then. Although, he was a part of a government owned organization, Ranel never stopped designing. In the initial stages of his career from designing a paan shop, Ranel has come a long way and till date, has his name tagged with several building landmarks around the city. “Architecture is all about designing a space. We have to economize each space in an infrastructure. In the initial stage I had even designed a paan shop which was a big experience for me. I used to often visit a paan shop in Fancy Bazar and as he knew about my profession, the shop owner asked me to design the space for him,” Das said. Ranel is currently involved in projects which include, among several others, the entire campus of Golaghat Engineering College, North Lakhimpur

Veterinary Campus Agriculture College in Sapon and College of Fishery Science in Roha. He is designing an eco-resort in Manas which will be completely constructed with feedstock. Ranel has also been associated with several real estate brands of the city. Along with designing most apartment buildings of Meghmallar, he is associated Purvottar, SB Real Estates, Brahmaputra Construction, etc. A lesser known fact about Ranel is that he, along with co-architect Ronojoy Sen, was also behind the initiative of river-front development with the River Front Movement. “I along with Architect Ronojoy Sen initiated the awareness of river-front development. We made several presentations for the development of the river-front and approached several departments of the government including the chief minister, chief secretary, and deputy commissioner among several others. We hired motorboats and surveyed different parts of the river. It was after our initiative that people became aware about the project,” Ranel informed. Ranel has also contributed towards the development of the Assam State Zoo and has designed the hospital within the zoo premises. Ranel, along with Ronojoy, is also responsible for the face-lift of the parking space and frontal areas of the zoo. Ranel is also associated with North East Hills University (NEHU) as a board member of advanced studies. He volunteers in guiding the students of architecture from institutions of the city and helps them with their projects. The veteran architect also has a keen interest towards adventure and enjoys taking long drives. Ranel is a part of group named River Riders who go out on a 3-day-2-two night trip on the Brahmaputra. Besides designing buildings Ranel also enjoys visiting historical ruins.

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area Ganeshpara Ward number 6 Sub-division 6(C) Councillor Debajit Rajbongshi Phone number 9864107028 Area sabha member Dijen Das Phone number 9707079314 Problem: drainage system

KALYAN DEB

Ganeshpara drainage issue resolved after locals unite and protest

long-standing problem of drainage system surfaced once again in the Ganeshpara area of the city which led to protests by the locals. A godown that was formerly a tyre factory was the root cause of the protest. On Saturday, November 28th, over five hundred locals staged a protest in the area demanding demolition of the boundary wall of the godown. Apparently, the boundary wall of the godown had been blocking a part of land that was meant for construction of the drainage system and has been a cause for concern to the locals who face massive floods and water-logging conditions during monsoons. Adjacent to National Highway 37, near Gorchuk, Katahbari, Ganeshpara and Dhirenpara are areas that were deprived of the basic requirements of a tenable society until recently. The

A.K. Dev Road that connects Fatashil to Gorchuk via Ganeshpara is undergoing construction. Although parts of the area have been given a facelift, a major part of the entire stretch remains to be completed. The areas remain covered under a thick layer of dust for most part of the day and also face the problems of poor roads, water logging and transportation. This condition has remained for over a decade now. However, last year an amount of Rs. 17 crores was sanctioned by GMDA for the construction of the main road from Bharalumukh to Gorchukh which is currently in progress.

The crusade: The boundary wall of the godown stands on the part of land that was al-

lotted for construction of the drainage system and due to this the drainage system has been obstructed. The longstanding protest dates back to 2012 when several locals of the area urged Fatashil PS and the then magistrate to resolve the issue. Back then, the godown was a tyre factory owned by one Anand Poddar. On several occasions the locals had persuaded the property owner but the situation aggravated as Poddar never appeared in public to reach a settlement. Several locals of the area that have residences or shops on the A.K. Dev Road have ceded parts of their land for the construction of the road and drainage system. The same will help in resolving the problem of water logging and poor road conditions of the area. However, Anand Poddar has not addressed the problem as yet and

has so far refused to shift the boundary wall. According to sources in the godown, the boundary wall was demolished once few years ago but the contractor-in-charge was made to rebuild the wall. “It is the demand of the property owner that if the wall is demolished the authorities will have to take responsibility of the expense of reconstruction of the wall. Few years ago the boundary wall was demolished but the owner played a few cards that made the contractor-in-charge bear the expense of the reconstruction,” the source said.

Locals’ Say: According to locals the construction of the drainage system will play a crucial role in relieving the area from the problem of floods. During monsoon the area of Ganeshpara goes under knee-deep water and water rushes into several residences of the area. Nayani Barman, a local resident said, “The area suffers from a long-standing problem of flood and apart from the road the water rushes into several residences. As the monsoons approach people get prepared and start moving things that are kept on the ground. Even this year, while the city witnessed lesser problems of water-logging, this particular area was hit by massive floods on two occasions. We have been raised in this particular area and have never had proper streets or drainage system. In winters the area is covered with dust whereas during summer the roads are

filled with water. So the construction of the drainage system will relieve the people to a large extent,” Nayani said. Since the drainage system is connected to the Bharalu River, the obstruction in constructing a small part of the entire system is worrisome for the locals. The flood water of the entire area passes through this particular part of the drain via Manpara and Gorchuk and flows into the Bharalu River. Meanwhile, the construction of road from Gorchuk area is in progress and it is also feared that once the road is constructed the matter will be left ignored. Since till date there have been no assurances from the property owner, the locals demand the eviction of the part of land before the construction of road in that part of the area is completed.

The latest: Meanwhile in a meeting held on 4th December in the presence of locals of the area, the officer-in-charge of the Fatashil Police Station and the District Magistrate, a conclusion has been reached to address the problem. It has been decided that the boundary wall will be demolished and the drainage in the part of the road will be constructed in the next twenty-three days. The land-owner, Anand Poddar, was also present in the meeting and agreed to co-operate to resolve the problems faced by the people of the area. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLus feature

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Easy steps for staying healthy this winter

Health

Boost your immunity throughout winter by consuming a range of fresh foods including green leafy vegetables. You can also boost immunity by taking a quality vitamin such as Echinacea, garlic, vitamin C and or Zinc. While many people will be happily saying good-bye to a long, hot summer and welcoming the new season, just as many of us will be dreading the cooler weather arriving. Winter is often given a bad rap as it brings with it the cold & flu season and those cold, dark mornings. However, with a little effort there is no reason for our health to suffer during the colder months. There are a number of things we can do to help keep ourselves and our family just as healthy, happy and active during winter as we are during summer.

Boost immunity It’s important to take care of our health throughout the year but during the winter months it becomes even more essential. Eating well, getting enough sleep and staying active are all important during winter to help keep you and your family healthy and to support your immune systems. Supplements containing herbs and nutrients such as Echinacea, garlic, vitamin C, and zinc will help to support healthy immune function.

Keep moving While it’s a little harder to find the motivation to exercise when it is cold outside, remember that keeping active during winter is essential to support your health and wellbeing. Moving your exercise indoors during winter will help to keep you warm as well as fit and healthy. Be sure to spend time warming up before you start your exercise as it can take a little longer for your joints to loosen up in the cold weather.

Eating well As winter sets in it can be tempting to start eating more of those warm comfort foods that are often high in fat, salt and sugar. Instead, find comfort in foods such as warming and nourishing soups and stews full of flavour and healthy vegetables. Be sure your diet includes winter fruit and

Weight management Ditching the exercise as well as the salads during winter can often lead to weight gain. While it may only be a small weight gain, it begins to add up as you get more and more winters under your belt. Although it’s tempting to hide behind those bulky winter clothes, by sticking to your healthy diet and exercise routine all year round, you’ll be much healthier in the long run and won’t dread the next swimming season with the kids!

Sleeping well Proper sleep (eight hours for an adult) can help keep the body’s immune system healthy and fight off colds. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes as these substances can affect the quality of your sleep. Regular, moderate exercise, relaxation techniques and establishing a regular sleep routine may help to promote improved sleep.

Skin health The cold weather can affect our skin and contribute to conditions such as dry, itchy skin, chill blains and eczema. This may be due to the reduced humidity, drinking less water than you would during summer or possibly due to reduced circulation which may

How to deal with your child’s fear about bedtime Listen, understand and reassure. It’s best not to dismiss or make fun of what they are afraid of as they seem very real to little minds. Reassure them that everything is OK and that they are safe. If your little one wakes through the night in the midst of a bad dream try to calmly reassure them in their own bed so they can learn to overcome their fears. If they don’t want to be left alone then stay with them until they fall asleep.

ousness, irritability and help support emotional balance. It may also be beneficial to help promote healthy mood balance but speak to your doctor or healthcare practitioner before starting a supplement like this.

vegetables packed with vitamins and minerals such as sweet potato, green leafy vegetables, beetroot, kiwi fruit, mandarins, bananas, garlic and ginger.

Circulation

decrease the flow of blood and nutrients to the skin. Using moisturisers daily may help to keep the skin moist and supple whilst supplements containing vitamin E or garlic help assist blood circulation. If any of your family suffers psoriasis or eczema, try taking fish oils. These provide Omega-3 which can help manage these itchy skin conditions. And don’t forget the sunscreen. It is important to remember we can still get sunburnt when the weather is cold!

Keeping bugs at bay Although we can do a lot to support our health and immunity during winter it is not always possible to avoid catching a cold or flu. The viruses that cause colds are spread by sneezing, coughing and hand contact. Wash or sanitise your hands regularly and avoid close contact with someone who has a cold. Keep household surfaces clean as well as kids’ toys when some-

one in the family has a cold. If you are ill, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, including water, hot tea and soup. Avoid alcohol and caffeine and get plenty of sleep. Supplements such as vitamin C, zinc and echinacea may help relieve the symptoms and reduce the duration of a cold.

Stress and healthy mood While stress is a part of everyday life, and some stress helps us to meet challenging situations, excessive amounts of stress may be linked to negative effects across a range of areas. Stress can lower the resistance to nasty bugs by depressing the immune system. Importantly, stress increases your need for dietary magnesium which is important for muscle and nerve function. Many of the B vitamins e.g. B1, B5, B6 and B12 are also needed for a healthy nervous system. The herb, St John’s Wort, may help to relieve nerv-

During winter our hands and feet can often feel cold. Our hands and feet are at the extremities of our bodies which means they are the furthest from the heart which is pumping blood around our body to help keep us warm. Vitamin E and the herb Ginkgo help to support peripheral blood circulation, thereby alleviating cold hands and feet. Keep moving with gentle exercise to help improve circulation to the extremities of the body and don’t forget your socks and gloves! If you can’t seem to keep your hands warm (and it’s not bothering you excessively) take solace in the old saying “Cold hands, warm heart!”

Stay hydrated Don’t forget to keep drinking water. As the weather cools down and our thirst decreases it is easy to forget to drink enough water. You still need to aim for about two litres/day of water during winter as it is essential for our body to function. If you struggle with plain water (like we do sometimes) try herbal tea. There are so many flavours available now that you’re sure to find some you enjoy.

Monsters, creatures and things that go bump in the night can make a small child understandably anxious and scared. Coupled with nightmares and terrors, some kids might be too scared to even go to sleep. Imaginary fears and nightmares are a normal part of development and often a product of a vivid imagination. But they can be quite distressing for little kids and result in sleeping problems and sleepless nights for all involved. To help deal with nightmares and ease your child’s fears:

Some of the Cenovis mums have found that using ‘monster spray’ or ‘fairy dust’ is quite a fun and effective way to help their kids fight imagi-

nary fears before bedtime. Other mums get their kids to draw a picture of what they are afraid of and then scrunch it up and throw it away.

Keep the bedroom door open and turn on a night light. Cuddling a soft toy or blanket might also help your little one feel relaxed and safe through the night and avoid sleeping problems. Carefully choose what TV shows and movies your kids watch. Even the news can be frightening for little kids and disturb their sleep. Teach them coping skills. Tell them to be brave and think positive thoughts when they are afraid. Reading them

books about characters that conquer their fears might be a good idea. Wind down the day’s activities with an evening routine to help them feel more relaxed at bedtime. After a bath and bedtime story you could try a relaxation/meditation exercise before bed where they imagine a beautiful, happy and safe place. There are lots of apps, websites and books to help you with this.

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Lifestyle

How Uber is Uber?

Do it yourself facial hair removal.

Honey Lemon Facial Hair Removal

UBER seems to be making all the right noises in Guwahati. But does this international brand have something that others don’t? G Plus tries to decode the “uber” code.

Things you need: 1. 1 tbsp of honey 2. ½ cup of ground oatmeal 3. Few drops of lemon juice Mix 1 tbsp of honey with ½ cup of ground oatmeal. Mix vigorously with a few drops of lemon juice. Apply paste on face like a mask and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse properly. For best results: Repeat the same twice a week for at least a month for best results. **Lemon has the characteristic to dry out your skin and cause irritation. Make sure your skin is suitable.

TECHWATCH

ith all the tech giants working on their signature wearable devices, Honor just announced and opened the sale for their Honor Band Z1. The Z1 is a smart-watch that is equipped with a fitness monitor, a real-time activity tracker and a touch screen display. The sober design of the Z1 will attract the minimalists. The smart watch syncs with Android devices (firmware 4.4.4 and above) and iOS (7.0 and above) and helps keep a track of notifications. The Z1 has finally incorporated wireless charging with a Magnetic charging dock, fast charging technology that has a standby time of 14 days and runs 3 days with full usage. The Z1 promises to charge up to a 100% in one and half hours and fast charging for 10 minutes guarantees one full day use.

HONOR BAND Z1

t has been approximately five years since the introduction of radio taxis in Guwahati. But hardly any of them have been reliable enough to provide hassle-free commuting for the customers. Uber’s arrival in Guwahati on the 22nd August, 2015 was a much awaited move and Guwahatians were eager to be a part of the worldwide buzz. To be precise, Uber is a ‘technology,’ an aggregator - one that is recognized all over the world. Uber is a platform for passengers who want to be connected to drivers who are ‘just a click away’. Uber’s caption, ‘Everyone’s Private Driver’ is to signify that a car is just around the corner, just one click away on the Uber app.

The band’s powerful Cortex M4 STM32F411 processor delivers fast and impressive data processing without any lags and a smooth user experience. With the BLE technology and the latest Bluetooth 4.1, the Z1’s specially designed chipset allows stable data transfers up to 10m in open space. For very obvious reasons, the Z1 is IP68 certified, making it dust and water proof up to a depth of 1.5 m. So there is no issue if you pop in the shower wearing your smart watch or even if you decide to go for a swim. The processor has a meagre 128 KB RAM and 512 KB Flash memory, but the company claims smooth and lag free experience. Priced at Rs. 5,499/-, the Honor Z1 is available for purchase online via Flipkart and comes in Black and Ivory White.

• The business model: Uber connects a ‘driver partner’ with a passenger via an app where the driver can log in, search for passengers of his own free will and take the fare if he chooses too. Uber prides itself on promoting entrepreneurship by allowing driver partners to have extra income based on flexible timings. ‘If a driver partner wants to log out and be with his daughter on her birthday, he has full freedom to do so and there will be no one to boss him around’ says Harsh Sharma, City Coordinator at Uber. The fundamental reason why Uber has been extremely successful is because the increasing number of cars on the streets has given Uber the potential to replace private vehicles with drivers on your fingertips. The endgame behind Uber’s services is the

Uber Pool – its car pool services - that someday will ensure that one single vehicle will manage ten passengers without increasing the congestion tenfold.

• The deliveries: Uber has three primary goals that they want to ensure for every passenger; reliability, convenience and safety. The Uber services are primarily app based and with everyone on a Smartphone, an Uber vehicle is just around the corner, an ‘application’ away. In fact, the standard ETA for a driver to reach the pickup point in Guwahati is 5-7 minutes. Added to that, the drivers who are part of the Uber program are trained and certified by a specialized team who have copies of the drivers’ documents. Moreover, as extra safety measures, the app also includes an SOS button that sends out a call to Uber’s 24X7 security team and the police stations nearby. There is no direct communication between the driver and the passengers either as all the communications between the two get routed via a third party and the phone numbers can remain private. Every driver-partner on the Uber platform goes through a rigorous verifying process, where he/she has to submit documents including commercial driver’s license, obtain police verification, commercial liability insurance and also go through a verification undertaken by a third-party. All driver-partners also go through a training process, where they’re taught basic etiquette and Do’s and Don’ts, apart from learning how to use the app and

much more. In terms of safety, Uber has brought unprecedented transparency and accountability for the first time to an industry plagued by stagnation for decades. Apart from this Uber has also introduced ‘Disguised Phone Numbers’ where communication between passengers and drivers are routed via a third party, in order to keep the phone numbers private. The service has been received very well in the city and the other services are getting a run for their money. Uber also allows the concept of a ‘surge’ pricing based on demand and supply. If there is a shortage of supply and increase of demand, the fare on the Uber app goes up 1.2 to 2.1 times the normal fare. This is good business for the involved driver partners to earn some extra money. With a mere Rs. 7/KM and Rs. 40 base fare, the existing cab services are going to have a hard time competing with the rates. But with so many competitive services trying to woo the passengers, it will be interesting to see how Uber sustains itself in the city in the long run. Ashwin Dias, General Manager of Uber East says, “Before we expand our services to other cities in the northeast, we’ll make sure we expand Uber in Guwahati making sure there’s a ride for everyone and going by the positive response we have received, we’re happy and humbled to know that Uber has been welcomed in the city with open arms.” Sidharth Bedi Varma sbvgplus@gmail.com

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Pond’s Eclectic Model Hunt 2015

Events

Days

Events

December 5th to December 11th

Pond’s Eclectic Model Hunt 2015 Winner, Binita Chhetry from Guwahati, was crowned by Emika Pakyntein, Pond’s Eclectic Model Hunt 2014 Winner, at ITA Machkhowa auditorium by Managing Director of Eclectic Publications, Tanushree Hazarika and fashion designer Joy Mitra. The 1st Runner-up was awarded to Kaheli Chophy from Dimapur and the 2nd Runner-up to Nandita Saikia from Guwahati. The panel of judges included well-known names from the entertainment industry such as fashion designer Joy Mitra; Shikhar Sidharth, Managing Director of Vogati Talents; Assamese actor Vaishalee Saikia; former model and pastry chef Mandakini Dass and social worker Miani D Shira from Shillong. The pageant was enlivened by Priyam Baruah and her team who performed a Kathak and Bollywood fusion dance recital, Sangeet Natak Academy award winner Moinul Haque’s mime act and Guwahati-based band Swadhyay’s peppy beats. Managed by Tattva Creations Pvt Ltd, the main idea behind Pond’s Eclectic Model Hunt is to groom talented young women from across the Northeast and encourage them to become empowering role models of beauty, health and leadership.

DEC 05 TERRA MAYAA AT 07:00 PM VOODOO CHILD LIVE AT TERRA MAYAA (MLTR PREPROMO GIG)

DEC 06 TERRA MAYAA AT 07:00 PM GUY J, EDM PROJECT: LOST & FOUND ENJOY 2 COMPLIMENTARY BEERS BEFORE 9:00PM SONARAM H. S. SCHOOL,

Winter mela cum mongolian food festival at rajaduwar ghat fancy bazar

RED BULL TOUR BUS HOMETOWN HEROES WITH PAPON. RED BULL TOUR BUS HOMETOWN HEROES IS A UNIQUE CONCEPT SHOW THAT WILL SEE PAPON TRAVEL TO NORTHEAST INDIA, MEET PEOPLE & PLAY GIGS FOR A TWO-PART SERIES. *NO ENTRY FEE*

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Reviews

NOW SHOWING

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone Director: Vishal Pandya

T vie w o M vie Re

Album: Skeletons

he Story is about Adithya Deewan and Siya Deewan a happy couple. Adithya is a successful business man. When he goes on to sign a deal with Saurav Singhania, Saurav asks a deal with Adithya to leave his wife with him for a night. Adhithya gets extremely angry with Saurav. Adithya also keeps doubt on his wife Siya, especially after the conversation with Saurav. Who is Kavya? Watch the movie to find out. The role of Adithya is played by Sharman Joshi while Siya is played by Zarine Khan. The negative lead, Saurav is played by Karan Singh Grover while the

role of Kavya is played by Daisy Shah. Hate Story 3 is an upcoming Hindi Erotic Triller directed by Vishal Pandya. The movie also has Priyanshu Chatterjee in an important role. Written and produced by Vikram Bhat the screenplay is also written by Vikram Bhatt. Hate Story 3 is the third installment of the Hate Story series. The first two parts have been partly successful at the box office. Hate Story is a 2012 thriller with Nikhil Dwiwedi and Paoli Dam in the lead roles. It was a sleeper hit which promted the director of the movie,

Vishal Pandya to make a sequel of it which is the 2014 thriller Hate Story 2 which had Jai Bhanushali, Sushant Singhh and Surveen Chawla in the lead roles.The second part was also successful at the box office and so the makers came up with a third part. Vikram Bhatt joined the production this time and provided the story. The movie is also co-produced by Bhushan Kumar who also produced the second installment. Amaal Mallik and Meet Bros composed the music of the film. The songs are topping the charts already.

of a boozy late-night house show. Surprisingly, its slapdash, lo-fi demeanor mostly works in its favor. Opener “Devil’s Angels,” the theme song from the 1967 bikersploitation film of the same name, bristles with melody-driven, Legacy of Brutality-era Misfits swagger, as does the pulpy “Action Woman” and “With a Girl Like You,” the former a sugary take on the 1967 psych-rock nugget from The Litter and the latter a spirited, fidelitydeficient distillation of the 1966 Troggs hit. A lumbering, stoner metal re-imagining of Sabbath’s

“NIB” and a ballsy, muscled-up rendering of Presley’s “Let Yourself Go” impress as well, but some of the slower numbers like “Find Somebody” (The Rascals) and “Crying in the Rain” (The Everly Brothers) are weighed down by vocal takes that sound like they were laid down after a ten-mile run. Lemons aside, Skeletons never pretends to be anything other than a vanity project (note the David Bowie Pin Ups-inspired cover photo), and it’s certainly a hell of a lot more fun that 2010’s brooding and shiftless Deth Red Sabaoth.

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Author:

Neeraj Kumar W GAME VIE RE

PVR Cinemas

Fun Cinemas

Book:

amusing to toy with the middle man by upping your target’s salary to slightly more than that requested, then greatly reducing his personal cut. At lower league clubs, such penny pinching plays a vital role in your chances of long-term success— one major signing’s weekly appearance fee might cover the wages of three less-talented squad players. Which do you choose? Why are you lying awake at 2am in the morning pondering this? Because that’s the very essence of Football Manager Matchdays, too, are wonderfully elaborate, with press

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Dial D for Don: Inside Stories of CBI Case Missions

ootball Manager is actually something of a misleading title; these days it’s more like Football MicroManager. And while handling the minutiae of training ground life is a relatively new, and impressive, feature, developer Sports Interactive has by no means lost track of what got it this far. Transfer negotiations are devilishly fun. Agree a fee for a player and you’re invited to sit down with his agent to negotiate not only a wage, but clauses such as promotion pay rises and even his fee for being an unused sub. It’s especially

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Artist: Danzig

omprising ten covers and sounding a bit like a raucous open-mike-night takeover (seriously, if Glenn Danzig sauntered into your local watering hole on amateurs night and handed the house band a set list, you would definitely stick around), Skeletons is a delight for longtime fans, especially those who lean harder toward the Misfits/Samhain end of the spectrum. Raw, rowdy, and devoid of any sort of studio chicanery, Skeletons feels less like a proper Danzig album and more like a home recording

Anuradha Cineplex

conferences, team talks and intricate tactical options creating the sense that each is a unique occasion. There’s no breezing through weeks of the season in an evening anymore. That might sound like a negative to anyone who’s skipped a few editions, but it’s not once comfortably embedded. Seeing your lads equalise from a whipped cross minutes after you specifically demand that type of delivery is fists-to-the-skies joyous. After a narrow win, I celebrate the positive dressing room reaction to my warm-down words almost as heartily as the goal that secured it.

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u Yo LD ad SHOU re March 1993. Mumbai was rocked by a series of bomb blasts. Unknown to most, Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the terror attack, had made several calls to the CBI. The don was desperate to prove his ‘innocence’ by giving himself up, but with conditions. October 1999. The world’s very first case of cricket match-fixing led to the banning of six top Indian cricketers, including

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854066166 the then team captain. It was only in 2013, after the then commissioner of police revived the case, that a charge sheet was filed in a court of law. January 2002. Aftab Ansari-a notorious Dubaibased don responsible for kidnapping a shoe baron in 2001 with the help of Jihadi groups in Pakistan-was arrested just as he was about to escape Dubai on a forged passport to Pakistan.

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G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Entertainment New Assamese romantic movie

Director Hiren Bora enters Politics

‘Ruf & Tuf’

e have seen some very successful forays into politics by renowned artists from the world of culture. People like NT Rama Rao, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, MG Ramachandran, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, today’s Jayalalitha, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs like Late Sunil Dutt, Shabana Azmi, Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Babbar, Smriti Irani, among others have journeyed to the very top of politics. Two famous Assamese artists who made successful entries into politics from culture are Bishnu Rabha and Lakhyadhar Choudhury, admired by many for their intellect and convictions. Dr Bhupen Hazarika became an Independent member of Legislative Assembly from 1967 to 1972. But despite making a mark with some radical initiatives, including the setting up of the Jyoti

Chitraban Studio named after Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, he wasn’t quite happy with the overall progress being made in the state. Of late, there have been a lot people from culture coming over to join the BJP at the national level. Assam is no different. The latest to join the party is the national award-winning filmmaker Hiren Bora. Born and brought up in Holeshwar in Sonitpur district, Bora has been involved in various sociocultural activities of the area. He has always been ardent about giving back to his hometown, which he holds with deep love and pride. With a steadfast resolve to work for society, he has joined the BJP with the intention of contesting the upcoming assembly elections from the historic Tezpur constituency. He hopes to

make the historic tourist town better and cleaner. Besides that, he is keen to revitalize and turn Kolaguru Bishnu Rabha’s home into a museum for posterity and attractively develop Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s Poki. Bora is also keen to initiate some sweeping measures to solve various problems plaguing the Assamese film industry now. Hiren Bora is currently developing an anti-war movie, projecting the trauma, hardships and tribulations experienced by the people of Tezpur during the Chinese aggression of 1962. Bora, who bagged the Rajat Kamal for best Assamese film for his debut movie ‘Basundhara’, is planning to release his new film ‘Khyubh’ at the theatres soon.

new full-length Assamese romantic movie titled ‘Ruf & Tuf’ is currently being filmed at various locations of Sonapur, Khetri, and Meghalaya. The film is directed by Mani Sinha and produced by Narendra N. Sinha under the banner of Norman Studio Works. The film’s story-screenplay and dialogues have been penned by the director Mani Sinha himself. The story revolves around a boy and a girl of completely different character; the boy is a suspended police officer having a rough character and the girl, on the other hand, is a doctor of simple and sweet behavior. But though they are totally different from each other, situations bring them closer to each other and love develops between them. Yet in their journey of love, they face a lot of problems and difficulties and all they do to overcome this situation is what ‘Ruf & Tuf’ is all about. The romance

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

and love shown in this film is of completely different flavor. Though it is a romantic film it also contains some heart-stopping action scenes directed by one of the popular action directors of Assam, Pradhan Dewri. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Gunjan Bhardwaj and Gargi Kristi and they are supported by Pran Krishna Mahanta, Satyen Sarma, Biren Hazarika, Anurupa Deka Raja, Jharna Bishoya, Rajen Neog, Bangkim Rabha, Gunajit Boro, Doli Rani Devi, Debojit Majumdar and Rupam Chakraborty. The music of the film has been scored by Rideep Das. The film has five songs of different flavors. The cinematography is done by Mumbai-based popular cinematographer Aman Jha through Red-Epic Camera. The make-up is done by Nihar Ranjan Goswami. This fully entertaining romantic movie is expected to hit the theatre next year.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

“OLD CALCUTTA SELLS MORE,”

Debashish Sen Sharma

ilmmaker and theatre activist, Debashish Sen Sharma had recently visited Guwahati to conduct a workshop on filmmaking organised by Gauhati Cine Club, November 22-29, 2015 at the State Art Gallery, as part of the Club’s Golden Jubilee Celebration. From advertisement to theatre and on to filmmaking, Mr. Sen Sharma has curved a niche for himself in the recent years. Subhrajit Roy captures some chit-chat moments with him during the workshop.

You have many layers of transition in your career. How did everything happen?

I have been associated with many theatre groups in my twenty year long career, sometimes as director, sometimes as playwright, sometimes as an acting supervisor and sometimes as an actor. Recently I have been associated with my Theatre troupe “Chaepani.” In my 15-year career in advertisement and documentary, I have always found myself unfit for any kind of office job and was not able to do justice to my theatre. Hence I started freelance-writing. I used to write scripts, write columns for newspaper along with movie reviews. All these experiences developed the film-maker in

It has been observed that many production houses out of West Bengal are producing regional language films in Kolkata. Do you think that regional industry is suffering from financial crisis?

me, someone who could observe and tell stories through the audio-visual medium. I got a chance to work in a television project, which encouraged me further to involve myself in filmmaking.

Tell us about your film career.

‘Bicycle Kick’ (2013) was my debut film which was a turnaround story of an ordinary guy. To show positive psychology in our society, football was used as tool in the film. The film had experimental flavour with promotion of youth culture and social message. The film has already received a good response at the Dhaka International

Film Festival. My second venture “Aranyadeb,” inspired by “Phantom,” starring Jisshu Sengupta and Mir Afsar Ali, is a superhero fantasy film.

In recent years, Bollywood has focussed on Kolkata, especially old Kolkata for shooting. How do you feel about such initiative? In one sentence I can say that old Calcutta i.e. North Kolkata sells more. Though I stay at South Kolkata, for shooting purpose I prefer North Kolkata more as it is full of nostalgia. Many landmarks still imbibe the glory of the city which attracts both national and international appeal.

It has always been a fight as well as collaboration between the locals and the outsiders. But afterwards it is the locals who are engaged by the outsiders in the projects. As a result, it’s a local product with the branding of an outside production house. When it goes to the viewers, all good or bad come to the locals directly. It is obvious that more and more investments are required for promoting regional film industry.

Do you think television is responsible for the crisis?

As the same people are working both in big and small screen, so it is obvious to have some crisis on the big screen industry.

Many big cities in India lack cultural hubs unlike ‘Nandan’ in Kolkata, where the State government endorses full support for cultural promotion. Your opinion on that?

Throughout the year numerous programmes are organised in and around ‘Nandan’ and Rabindra Sadan. It is a popular hangout zone with cultural flavour. Sometimes, I do feel the necessity of another ‘Nandan’ in the heart of Kolkata.

Many good films from across the world are easy accessible now through various websites. Do you feel that such practices should be restricted? Ethically, such practices should be restricted. But except festivals people have no scope of watching world class movies. So now-a-days I do term certain screenings as ‘Torrents Film Festival’.

Among the Bollywood releases of 2015 which film do you feel has been most effective and why?

Margarita with a Straw has touched me immensely. Although Masaan, Manjhi and Piku have their own impact, but the issues and situations dealt in Margarita with a Straw are sensitive and have been handled cautiously.

Subhrajit Roy

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Citypedia

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries Perhaps it’s too soon to think about your plans for the next twelve months, especially as the Saturn/Neptune link could incline you to shy away from too many commitments and instead spend time dreaming, creating, or reflecting on the meaning of life. Romance moves into deeper, more emotional waters as Venus glides into Scorpio, adding passion and mystery to the mix.

Taurus With the holiday season officially underway, the week ahead could see you making lifestyle changes in order to avoid putting on too many pounds. Mars in Libra encourages you to take up some regular exercise, which can range from dancing to aerobics as long as you enjoy it. The move of Venus into Scorpio adds a note of intensity to all relationships, particularly romantic bonds and long-term partnerships.

Cancer

Gemini It’s all systems go in romance with Mars in Libra encouraging you to get back into the dating loop. However, you might have competition, so watch out for those green-eyed monsters. Someone may have their eye on the same person as you - or even on you! If you sense edgy vibes, it’s best to back off and let this week pass before you make another attempt. Meanwhile, the move of Venus into Scorpio hints at the potential for a love tryst at work or the gym.

Leo Saturn continues to challenge Neptune, so don’t take things at face value for now. Be prepared to do some research or ask for advice before you make any key decisions. At work you might have to submit to the ruling of a boss or superior who irritates or frustrates you. It would be best to toe the line if you want to keep your job.

You continue to be busy on the home front, perhaps getting ready for the next phase of the festive season. However, to avoid falling out with your partner or someone else, it helps to agree on a plan as early in the week as possible. You may have difficulty reaching a compromise over the weekend, when a discussion could turn into a battle of wills. However, the move of Venus into Scorpio brings a romantic twist to the days ahead.

Virgo

Although there may be one or two edgy issues to deal with over the week ahead, Jupiter’s presence in your sign can help you sail through dilemmas and snafus by employing a sense of humor. When it comes to money matters, you might feel torn between putting money aside for holiday treats and presents and splurging on a trip or experience that you’ve long coveted.

Scorpio

Libra

First, a personal issue could have you feeling irritated or, at worst, enraged. Second, another awkward matter could have the opposite effect, leaving you somewhat exhausted. Between the two it helps to keep firm boundaries and delegate rather than say yes to more requests. As Venus dances into Scorpio and your money zone, consider pampering yourself or enjoying a few small luxuries.

Although you may be busy planning holiday purchases and preparing for the coming weeks by increasing your cash flow, avoid so-called bargains. They could be a waste of your hard-earned money. Anything dubious should be avoided. Jupiter’s presence in your social zone suggests that you’ll be busy with gatherings and very much in demand. The move of Venus into your sign makes you an attractive option.

Capricorn

Sagittarius

Aquarius A clash of beliefs could leave you uncertain as to how to proceed toward a goal. Considering this week’s alignment, it might be best to research your options rather than forge ahead. The move of Venus into Scorpio and your career sector can help pave the way for business moves or career plans, particularly if you’re eager to network within your professional sphere.

Sudoku

Although Mars in your career sector encourages you to embrace your dreams and goals, it clashes with Pluto later in the week. Tension may be felt from midweek on, when you could have a difference of opinion with a superior or feel you’re being hoodwinked in a contract or deal. For now, it’s best to bide your time, especially as clarity seems to be in short supply. Wait until you have the facts before taking action.

Pisces

Although you may have big plans for the coming weeks and months, you might feel somewhat nervous about carrying them out. The clash between Saturn in your career sector and Neptune in your sign continues this week, which could be the reason you lack confidence. Rather than fight it, use this opportunity to tap in to your imagination and creative abilities. Doing so might give you ideas that bolster your courage. A Sudoku puzzle consists of 81 cells which are divided into nine columns, rows and regions. The task is now to place the numbers from 1 to 9 into the empty cells in such a way that in every row, column and 3×3 region each number appears only once.

last week solution

As Saturn in your sign continues to link with Neptune, don’t feel duty-bound to add more tasks to your to-do list. Instead, try to cut back where you can for now. It’s possible you’ll feel less energetic than usual, too. However, should you also be dealing with a trying issue, it’s even more reason to cut your workload and delegate. Once you begin to feel more in control you can step up the pace again.

AMBULANCE

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitals Toll Free: 1800-345-0011 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029 Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611 Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251 Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594

BLOOD BANK

HOSPITALS Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 9207044374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005

Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921 TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619,09864103333

Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998) Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 03612541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351)

GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422) DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118, LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365 Child line Guwahati 1098

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

RADIO TAXI SERVICES Prime Cabs 0361- 2222233 Green Cabs 0361-7151515 My Taxi 0361-2228888 Cherry Cabs 8876222288

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

8811007000

1800-345-3767 police station

SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278 DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242 SB Control Room: Ph-2261511 Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113 Azara PS: Ph2840287 Basista PS: Ph-2302158 Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199 Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351 Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204 Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237 Dispur PS: Ph-2261510 Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285

Fatasil Ambari PS: Ph-2471412 Geetanagar PS: Ph-2417323 Hatigaon: Ph-2562383 Jalukbari PS: Ph-2570587 Jalukbari Out Post: Ph-2570522 Jorabat: Ph-2896853 Khanapara: Ph- 2281501 Khetri PS: Ph-2787699, 2787220 Latasil PS: Ph-2540136 Noonmati PS: Ph- 2550281 North Guwahati PS: Ph-2690255 Paltanbazar PS: Ph-2540126 Panbazar PS: Ph-2540106 Pragjyotishpur Ps: Ph-2785237 Women PS Panbazar: Ph-2524627

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week Guwahati’s youth, always criticized for being undisciplined on the streets pulled off another one of their daredevil stunts. With 4 riders on one vehicle, this photo set the social media handles of GPLUS abuzz. Surprisingly, not every comment was harsh. Some seemed to find the situation very comical. The photo received over 600 likes, and was shared almost 50 times.

facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

R.G. Baruah Sports Complex

New

Chic

on the block

Puja Das About Me

Hi, I am Puja Das. I’ve been born and brought up in Guwahati. I am currently in my second year of HS and I plan to work in the modelling industry in future. I am a very hard working girl and my strengths are my attitude and self confidence. I also love to cook, travel and listen to music. I got on the ramp at the age of 17 and have been a part of many fashion shows till date.

Mojo

he R.G. Baruah Sports Complex has been the mecca for many sports persons of Guwahati. Centrally located in the heart of the city at B.Barooah Road, the complex was founded in 1962 under the initiative of Radha Govinda Baruah who singlehandedly turned a GMC dumping ground into a stadium. Hence, the Nehru Stadium came into being. The complex that also comprises the Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Hall among several other sporting activities has been primarily host to

cricket and football. It is known to all that several international and domestic matches of the Ranji Trophy and other competitions have been hosted here. The first ODI was held between India and West Indies on December 17, 1983. The Nehru Stadium has a seating capacity of around 20,000 to 25,000 spectators in its arena. However, due to poor facilities and lack of up-gradation, the stadium lags behind in providing satisfaction to the spectators who come to watch and enjoy the sporting events.

I choose to take both success and failure in a balanced manner. Modelling is not an easy career to pursue, but my passion for the same will take me places! I live by my ethic to ‘never neglect an opportunity for improvement’.

Route in the Woods

Everybody in this world has an aim to fulfill and I know my destiny lies in the fashion industry. My dream forevermore will be to become a supermodel but then again, I’d love to give acting a shot too

PIC OF THE

Ka m u r of the week

he second phase of update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam - verification - will trace the family tree of each applicant so that unscrupulous elements cannot insert their names as part of bonafide Indian families. After the first phase of submitting all the valid documents for the NRC updation, people are already exasperated and the second phase news has irritated the public turning a vital process kamur. Authorities should have thought of some simple process.

WEEK

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

eacting on the MMC incident where five patients who underwent a routine cataract eye surgery at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) have ‘lost’ their sight, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that sometimes infection happens and he further said that it happens even in states like Punjab and Haryana.

Street Salon Photo: Adib Zamali

G PLUS DEC 05 - DEC 11, 2015

Blueprint

In Association with

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Arkashish Publications (P) Ltd., Katahbari, Garchuk, Guwahati and Published at H/No. 34, K. C. Choudhury Road, Chatribari, Guwahati - 781008, Editor: Koushik Hazarika. Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641