G Plus Vol 4 Issue 06 by G Plus

Smart city project moves at snail’s pace

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VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 06 DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

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‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’ Factors behind delays in GMDA projects PG

SEBA learns the hard way – CCTV, GPS to improve Education system

Fat city weddings go slim from demonetization diet

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G PLUS APR 23 - APR 29, 2016

New Chic on the Block Dermi Doley

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G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Lead Story

‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’ Factors behind delays in GMDA projects rahul chanda

The new CEO claims all pending projects will complete soon but city people feel GMDA projects will never complete

f we talk about development of Guwahati, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is the department which is referred to usually for developing the city, but are they doing it? If you go through all the projects in the GMDA websites, there are various projects the site is talking about, some are completed and most of them are ongoing. Some ongoing projects are ongoing according to the site since a long time but the reasons for the delay are not mentioned. Many Guwahatians talking to G Plus expressed their views that GMDA always starts a project but hardly completes it. Irked city people said that they pay taxes so they are not concerned if the projects are halted because of fund crisis but the fact remains that the projects are pending since a long time. G Plus checks some of the major ongoing projects and the status. Panbazar multi level car parking Sanctioned on –March 2011 Work started on –August 2011 Estimated cost – Rs 11 crore Present status – Ongoing The GMDA had taken up construction of an automated multi-level car parking place adjacent to MMCH campus at Panbazar under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR), with a view to facilitate car parking to ease out road congestion in the city, particularly in Panbazar and Fancy Bazar area. The total cost of construction was estimated as Rs 11 crore funded by DONER under

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it that after five years of the start of the work, the work according to GMDA officials is ongoing as the estimated time of completion then was beginning of 2014, but now it is estimated to be commissioned by March 2017. A GMDA source said that the DONER initially released Rs 2 crore 81 lakhs and the state released its share Rs 1 crore 10 lakh and later the DONER released Rs 5 crore 87 lakhs this November, so because of fund crisis the work was on halted. But the common people pay their tax on time so why the fund was not released if the construction was planned. The date kept extending and the GMDA claims that the work has resumed now but March 2017 we will come to know that it completes by than or not. Ropeway Sanctioned in –2006 Work started in –2008 Estimated cost – Rs crores Present status – Ongoing

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After National Monument Authority nod the Ropeway project was halted due to fund crisis, the new government puts the project on priority and asks GMDA to complete it by June 2017. The ropeway was scheduled to be commissioned by May, 2011, but could not carry forward because of stoppage of work by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February, 2011 and not allowing permission for tilt rectification of well foundation No-2 from Urvashi Island citing introduction of new ASI Act, 2010. By November, 2011 all imported equipments had arrived worth Rs7.5 crore. An amount of Rs 22.00 crore was spent till then. A proposal was submitted for NOC by GMDA on 15 July 2014 to the competent authority, NMA rejected the NOC application they

incomplete parking at fancy bazar | File photo

CPR at 90:10 cost sharing basis. Accordingly the DONER ministry has so far released Rs 759.17 lakhs, and the state government has also released its 10% share of Rs 11 crore. The construction work was entrusted to M/s Simplex Project Ltd of Kolkata. So why is

flawed construction on ropeway | File photo

received through the competent authority on 13 October 2014. Competent authority informed GMDA that the application was rejected on 31st October 2014. In April 2015 National Monument Authority granted permission to GMDA to go ahead with the project. GMDA approached the then Congress government for additional funds to resume the work of the project but failed to get any response. The new government after taking charge had put the project under 100 days priority list. An additional Rs 27 crore will be required to complete the project in all aspects according to sources. GMDA source then told G Plus that the project will be commissioned by June 2017. The present CEO Ashutosh Agnihotri recently told G Plus that the project will be commissioned by September – October 2017. Sources in GMDA said that the well which is to be rectified is being designed outside so it is taking time. So all these days why was the well not designed as by every passing day the cost of construction is increasing and the public money is getting wasted. Guwahati water supply project Sanctioned in – 2008 Work started - South West Guwahati – 2010, South Central – 2012, North Guwahati – 2012, South East – 2014 Estimated cost - South West Guwahati – Rs 355 crore, South Central and North Guwahati – Rs Rs 1636.28 crore, South East – 1100 crore Present status – Ongoing There are four water supply projects running simultaneously in Guwahati namely South West Guwahati Water Supply project funded by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), North Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by JICA and South East Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). In the year 2008 GMDA which is under GDD made a DPR which was prepared by Tahal Consulting Engineering ltd and submitted to the central government (Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation). The initial DPR was for the entire Guwa-

the city will get 24/7 water supply but a resident of Lal Ganesh, Komen Das talking to G Plus said, “The GMDA water supply project dream is like ‘Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne’ which looks like will never complete.” Das said the dates are getting extended and the roads are getting digged but water supply project is far from reality. Similarly many city people are fed up of waiting for the completion of the project as GMDA keeps extending the timeline. Metro Rail Sanctioned in – 2015 Budget - Rs 13722 crore (approximate) Present status – DPR being reviewed again piled up pipelines | File photo

hati and it was one project but after srutiny it was found that at one go the entire project is not viable for various issues and accordingly the one project was divided into four projects with different budgets and accordingly different project managing concultencies (PMCs) where hired by fulfilling different criterias. In 2009-10 the PMCs for these four projects where decided which fulfilled the criteria set by the state and the central

The preliminary report of the feasibility study was submitted to GMDA and according to the report metro rail is feasible for Guwahati. RITES (A Government undertaking) received the proceeding notice on 23rd June 2014, and after completing the feasibility study the presentation was made before the Chief Minister on 30th April 2015. The monitoring committee approved the report on 25th May 2015. RITES than started working

representative image of metro rail | File photo

government and also the funding agencies as they are the one who provide loan to the states for development projects. The share of the fund was 90:10 between centre and the state. The work started in 2010, 2012 and 2014 respectively. So initially South West Guwahati water supply project was expected to be completed by 2014 end than the date shifted to 2015 beginning and than 2015 end. Similarly it got extended further to 2016 beginning and than end and now the GMDA officials are claiming the project will complete and people will get drinking water from 1st April 2017. The entire city gets digged in the dream that

on the DPR and finally the DPR was submitted to the state authorities in January 2016. The monitoring and the advisory committee comprising of members from all the stake holders in Assam reviewed the DPR and asked for incorporating necessary changes. RITES made the changes and the state cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had approved the detailed project report (DPR) for MRTS on February 20. The DPR was prepared for the first phase of MRTS construction covering 61.4 kms out of the total corridor length 203 km which will be prepared in three phases.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

City

multi level parking under construction at zoo road | surajit Sharma/G Plus

The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the metro rail on 29th February at Khanapara. Now interestingly the DPR for the first phase metro was just approved by the cabinet on February 20th, the SPV was not formed, the central

government was yet to approve the DPR, the tendering process was yet to be done and funds were yet to be sanctioned, so inspite of all these activities which is awaited for Guwahatians metro rail dream to be completed, the chief minister

Assam State Capital Region Development Authority formed

laid the foundation stone for the metro rail. The then government also announced that the work will start from beginning of 2017. Recently GMDA CEO talking to G Plus said that the DPR is again reviewed to check if the four corridors are required or not. So the reviewing process will take time and the project will not in any chance start in January 2017, so another project which will take a lot of time to complete. Similarly there are many projects undertaken by GMDA but the completion timing is never met by the department. A source in GMDA talking to G Plus said that mostly because the DPRs are not made properly therefore during the work a lot of problems arises. Also the funds by the government is never released on time. Agnohotri said that GMDA has prioritise all the pending projects and no new projects will be taken before the pending projects are completed. He might be assuring us but since ages the CEOs of the department come initiate certain projects and in between get transferred. The remaining work is than taken over by another officer and the things are worked

Gplus News

stimulate fast development of all areas adjoining the city, Assam State Capital Region Development Authority will come into force very soon. However, it was decided to take into cognizance the opinions of the local people and consult them before taking the final call on the project, the statement said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The meeting decided to prepare a draft law to give a shape to the proposed Assam State Capital Region Development Authority, delineate the areas to figure in the Development Authority and consult the people to take all the stakeholders on board,â&#x20AC;? it added.

yyGMDA has many pending projects yyDue to fund crisis and other technical problems the deadline is never met yyThe present CEO assures all pending projects will be completed soon yyMetro Rail DPR is again being reviewed yyRopeway project likely to be commissioned in August 2017

multi level parking under construction at zoo road

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Coming soon

city scape of guwahati | File photo

o bring the peripheral areas under the jurisdiction of a single umbrella, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday announced the creation of Assam State Capital Region Development Authority. According to an official release, Mr. Sonowal held a meeting with Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other senior government officials. The meeting decided that in order to extend the fruits of metropolitan development administration to the peripheral areas of Guwahati and to

on again and again. The previous government declared metro rail work will start by January 2017 but the present government again wants to review the DPR. But in the process huge amount of public money gets wasted.

yyPeople irked over water supply project delay

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Concern

Smart city project moves at snail’s pace

rahul chanda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed that the selected cities will be made smart within five years but in case of Guwahati, with only the PMC being selected over the first year and the DPR yet to be prepared, the Smart City promise looks set to be another unfulfilled pledge

n an assembly session of the recent past, Guwahati Development Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma had expressed that with less than 17% of central assistance to the ambitious Rs 2,400 crore Guwahati Smart City project, it would be tough to proceed without the required funds. According to media reports, replying to a query by BJP MLA Bhabesh Kalita, Sarma had said that the state government had submitted a proposal of Rs 2,400 crores for implementing the Smart City project in Guwahati. Quoting Sarma from the reports, “We have got approval of Rs 400 crores (from the centre). The Government of India has asked us to contribute Rs 400 crores as the state government’s share and directed us to generate the rest through PPP mode.” He had informed the House that out of the sanctioned central amount, Rs 300 crores had already been released and added that the government will have to arrange Rs 2,000 crores in total for the project. Unless they obtain the funds through Public-Private-Partnership mode, the government will have to figure out how they would be able to implement the Smart City project. When Guwahati was announced as one of the wouldbe smart cities in the country, the timeline framed for achieving this smartness was five years. It’s been quite a while since 28th January last when the list was announced and Guwahati found itself listed at No. 17. Almost one year since, G Plus checks the progress. The present status It is yet to be seen whether it was after all a gimmick when on 25th June last, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the smart city project for 20 selected cities from Pune. The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) aimed to kick-start smart city projects from 25th June, marking the first year of launch of the flagship mission. GMC invited all the prominent citizens in the city including councillors, mayor, media, NGOs and government officials to participate in the discussion. The GMC provided the vision and the

aerial shot of a section of guwahati | File photo

proposal plan for the smart city to the MoUD. But interestingly, almost a year thereafter on 10th November last, the Project Management Consultant (PMC) was selected by the Guwahati Smart City Ltd. - the special purpose vehicle which was formed according to the MoUD guidelines. The MD of Smart City Ltd., Ashutosh Agnihotri, talking to G Plus said that initially around 10 to 12 companies participated. Based on the technical and financial evaluation five companies were shortlisted. After the final evaluations, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. was selected as the PMC for three years at a fee of approximately Rs 24 crores. The MD said that the consultancy has already started the work on the DPR. So, after all the fanfare and brouhaha of one whole year, the PMC has finally been selected. The doubt naturally arises that with this sluggish pace of progress, the question of achieving the framed timelines just cannot arise. The Deputy General Manager of Guwahati Smart City, Chinmoy Phukan, talking to G Plus spoke of various plans that are set to be implemented. A smart transportation system, for example, will be created in the city and a

committee has been formed with the MD Smart City, DC Kamrup Metro, Commissioner of Transport, MD ASTC, DCP Traffic and DGM Smart City as members. Phukan said that the committee, in consultancy with the PMC, will design the smart transportation system where all buses will have GPS system installed. The bus stops will be digitalised with WiFi services and bus routes, etc. will be highlighted. There will be smart roads with smart poles in the city which will have solar-powered electricity system, WiFi, CCTV cameras and a host of other facilities. The DGM asserted that the development will happen mostly in PPP mode where private parties will develop the city and eventually generate their own revenue. He said that everything depends on the DPR which will be prepared by the consultant. Meanwhile, the logo for Guwahati Smart City Ltd. was selected through a contest where the creation of one Satyajit Kar was selected. He will get an award of Rs 50,000.

ll this looks and sounds good but the fact remains that with everything being dependent on the DPR, the selec-

tion of the PMC that will draft the same has taken an unduly long time; that is, almost a year. At this rate, we have reasons to wonder when or in what length of time the city will at all become smart. Or is it such that just the idea of declaring the city as one of the would-be smart cities was smart?

• On 10th November Tata Consulting Engineers was selected as the PMC for smart city project • Around 10 to 12 companies participated and through technical and financial evaluation the PMC was selected • The consultant will get Rs 24 crores as fee for providing three years’ consultancy • Smart City forms committee to study and create a smart transportation system • Most of the projects to be in PPP mode • Some of the old bus stands to be removed and new smart bus stops to be created • Everything depends on the DPR which the PMC will prepare • But with just the PMC being selected over a period of one year, the question that arises is whether the remaining 4 years are long enough for the city to become smart

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Based on the technical and financial evaluations of the five companies that were shortlisted, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. was selected as the PMC for three years at a fee of approximately Rs 24 crores.

guwahati by night | File photo

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

City

City pensioners worst hit by new withdrawal rules

rahul chanda

While the government and the bank authorities claim that the situation is easing out, the harsh reality remains that people are facing a tough time withdrawing their hard earned money from their bank accounts

hree weeks after the demonetisation stunt, the central government and the bank officials are claiming that the cash crunch is gradually easing out and there are lesser queues outside ATMs and at banks. Indians have had no other option but to accept the good move and, despite the obvious harassment, are cooperating in transforming the country’s economy and society. In fact, this was a claim made by the union finance minister Arun Jaitley recently. “People have been cooperating immensely with the demonetisation exercise and the country by-and-large has welcomed the decision,” Jaitley said in an event according to media reports. “I don’t find any social unrest ... the queues are by-andlarge disciplined,” he said, referring to the lines outside banks and ATMs after the 8th November announcement. But Jaitley might just be oblivious of the fact that banks in Guwahati are still witnessing long queues while queues at ATMs have lessened because of various reasons, one being that most ATMs are dispensing only 2000 rupee notes. As it is the beginning of a new month when salaried people and pensioners throng banks, G Plus tries to check the scenario and whether there truly is an ease out as claimed by the union finance minister.

The customers An elderly pensioner in the Jyotikuchi area looked rather distraught outside an ATM at Jyotikuchi Tiniali. Talking to G Plus, he said that his pension was credited to his account on the night of 29th November and since 30th November he has been trying to withdraw some money and getting only 2000 rupee notes from ATMs. He expressed his distress saying that these notes were of no use to him as no one gave change. On enquiring why he did not withdraw money from the bank, he said that there is a huge queue whenever he goes to the bank. G Plus talked to the bank manager at Jyotikuchi and she said that the queues are both for deposit and withdrawal. She said that usually during the first of every month there are queues but this time these are a bit longer because the ATMs are dispensing only Rs

queue outside a bank on 1st dec | File photo

2500 while people can withdraw up to Rs 10000 at banks. Similarly, almost in all branches of banks in Guwahati there are long queues since 1st December that are proving to be irksome for the people. Talking about the private banks and ATMs, most of the private ATMs run short of cash every now and then. Along with the SBI ATM, all other private ATMs were not functional on B Baruah Road when checked on 1st December at around 11 pm. Further, most working ATMs of the city are dispensing only 2000 rupee notes and people are facing a tough time getting change for the big note. A police personnel talking to G Plus said that he is usually on duty in the Lokhra area and hardly gets time to go to a bank. He has become used to withdrawing money from ATMs but now, with banks not having any extra line for people like him, juggling between duty and running the household is proving difficult.

The authorities G Plus tried to talk to bank officials. CGM of SBI NE Circle PVSLN Murty, talking to G Plus,

again claimed the situation is not that chaotic and there are queues only inside banks which is a normal occurrence during the first of every month even prior to the demonetisation. He said that in Guwahati there are approximately 40,000 pension accounts with SBI and many more numbers of salaried accounts as almost all the government offices’ salary accounts are with SBI. His observation was that when 500 rupee notes are kept in ATMs people withdraw Rs 1500 first and then Rs 1000 more, thereby extracting all the Rs 500 notes leaving the ATM with only 2000 rupee notes. No wonder people, instead of going to ATMs, are thronging the banks for withdrawal resulting in queues. He said that to provide smooth and hassle-free service for pensioners drawing pension from SBI, the organization has identified 10 branches in Guwahati Centre from which they can withdraw money from their pension account. This is in addition to their normal home branch from where they were drawing their pension. The 10 branches are Dispur, New Guwahati, Maligaon, Airport, South Guwahati, Kahilipara, Guwahati Medical College Campus, Guwahati Refinery complex, Noonmati and

Ganeshguri PBB. The bank, according to him, further has mini ATMs/cash@POS mobile vans in 3 residential locations where a relatively higher percentage of pensioners reside. These locations are Pandu Port, Gitanagar and Narangi. Pensioners living near those areas and having ATM cards can take the benefit of these cash delivery vans where one can draw maximum of Rs 2000 from their accounts. Meanwhile, an SBI manager talking to G Plus said that while there were huge deposits made in Jan Dhan accounts the amount of deposits are gradually coming down. Some Jan Dhan account holders, talking to G Plus, said that the decision to limit withdrawal to Rs 10,000 per month is not wise as many have a lot of savings in their accounts and are not in a position to withdraw further if the requirement arose. They said that the government’s decision is like dividing people into classes and categories. So, while the SBI claims that the situation is easing out and the first of the month queues are normal people continue to face problems and far from believe that the situation is under control. The question remains as to when the situation will become normal and

ATMs or a bank will dispense all the notes without people having to stand in queues. • ATMs are seen to have lesser queues the reason being that most ATMs are dispensing 2000 rupee notes; with people not ready to provide change, the 2000 rupee note is not an attractive proposition • Many city ATMs continue to run out of cash quickly • The banks are still witnessing long queues with everyone wanting to withdraw more than Rs 2000 especially after getting their salaries and pensions • There are no separate lines/counters for salaried people or pensioners • SBI pension account holders can withdraw money from any branch • Despite all the claims by the government about the situation easing out, people continue to have apprehensions about the time it will take for things to be actually normal rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Concern

SEBA learns the hard way – CCTV, GPS to improve Education system

Juthika Baruah

The education department has kept a strict vigil on the examination centres so that HSLC and HS examinations can be conducted smoothly

dr himanta b sarma addressing teachers at kalakshetra | File photo

he education department has left no stone unturned to conduct the upcoming HSLC and HS examination without any hiccups whatsoever and the state education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has issued strict orders to install CCTV cameras in the examination centres, the sorting room and other confidential rooms. In the past, candidates of HSLC and HS have had to undergo severe mental turmoil due to negligence of the concerned department, its officials and other miscreants. Incidents of leakage question papers or burning of answer scripts or on one occasion, the answer scripts being eaten by stray cows have surfaced in the past as a result of which students have had to appear for re-examination. To avoid such incidents and to conduct the examinations smoothly, the education department has issued guidelines to the centres which need to be followed strictly and if any untoward incidents take place during the examination strict action will be taken against the culprits. The minister also announced that any employee who is working in the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) or in Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) or any children of school principals or teachers who might appear for Matriculation or Higher Secondary Examinations should make voluntary disclosure that they will

not take any responsibilities of the examinations and would stay 200 metres away from the question paper. It has also been declared by the minister that from next year no examination or centre fees would be taken from the students who are economically poor. The examination fees have also been increased from Rs 650 to Rs 880 without the consent of the minister with the justification that fees for online submission of forms have been increased whereas maximum schools have computer labs and computer teachers under the Rajiv Gandhi Computer Literacy Programme. “From next year no one will pay for online submission of forms and the schools should take the responsibility of imparting training to one teacher from the school and one teach-

er who is appointed under the Rajiv Gandhi Computer Literacy Programme and forms will be filled up by the two trained persons in the school itself instead of taking outside help. Each school will also be provided with a computer and internet connection from next year,” the minister said. The Minister will visit 50 schools to inspect the installation of CCTV cameras before the examinations. It has also been declared that a space technology firm from Shillong has been contacted so that the examination centres can be kept under surveillance and tracked with a satellite system

erwise, will not be tolerated as a single mistake by a single person puts the entire department to shame. A workshop has also been conducted among the principals of the schools with the officials of SEBA and AHSEC so that the examinations can be conducted fairly. However, SEBA Chairman, Kamaljyoti Gogoi said that earlier due to non-availability of funds CCTV couldn’t be installed but this year the government has released funds for their installation. The education minister also said that an estimate will be prepared centre-wise and the schools which do not have sufficient funds

dr sarma in attendance at a teachers’ workshop | File photo

through GPS. The examinations will be conducted in 820 centres across the state. The minister added that any lapses, unavoidable or oth-

education minister dr h b sarma addressing a gatgering| File photo

will be provided the same by the Board to install the cameras successfully. A candidate of HSLC, Bikash Rahong, appreciated the move of the government and said that the education department has taken a very good step this time by mandating installation of CCTV cameras. “Every time, it’s the students who get harassed because of the negligence of the teachers or misdemeanours of miscreants. Matric is the examination which decides the future of the students and having to reappear for an exam due the negligence of some people is not fair on them. This year we hope that the examination would be conducted smoothly so that students are not harassed and can prepare for the examination without any stress in mind,” said Rahong.

Guidelines to the Examination Centre: A sub-divisional committee has been formed in every district CCTVs will be installed in the examination centre, sorting room, in the corridors and in the confidential room Use of mobile phones strictly prohibited even by teachers and officers incharge Sensitive and hyper-sensitive centres should be examined The question papers will have to be sealed in such a way that if anyone wants to open the seal the whole packet must be torn off The question papers should be taken from the police station in the presence of the officer in-charge and the principal or his authorised officer Timeline: Physics paper leaked on 2nd February, 2016 Biology paper leaked on 7th March, 2016 Answer scripts eaten by cows in 2015 Govt. announces CCTV installation on 31st October Govt. announces reforms – sanctions funds on 30th November, 2016 More than 10,000 answer scripts were burnt in 2016 at Jorhat CCTVs to be installed in the examination centres Education minister to visit 50 centres himself There are 820 centres across the state 4,15,000 candidates to appear for Matric this year Enrolment of students should be submitted to the Board correctly so that the answer scripts and question papers could be sent correctly juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Crime

Police interrogate jehadi motivators to explore bases in Guwahati rahul chanda

• Top JMB members, wanted in West Bengal and Assam, sent to 7-day Assam Police custody • The members were arrested in September last from Gumrah in Cachar District • They were taken to West Bengal and later their Assam module came to light • West Bengal Police informed Assam Police and they have been brought to the city for investigation and to break the entire module in the state • Zahirul is from Bangladesh but started living in Assam after marrying a daughter of an imam • He and his two associates are involved in motivating people towards carrying out jehadi activities the jmb members being brought to court | G Plus photo

n 1st December three Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members namely, Zahidul Islam, Sahidul Islam and Yusuf Shaikh were brought to Guwahati from Kolkata. On 2nd December they were produced before the court which sent them to 7-day-police custody. According to sources in the police the trio was arrested from Gumrah in Cachar District on 26th November initially on suspicion of running a fake note racket and was taken to West Bengal as they were wanted in that state. Recently, the West Bengal police informed Assam Police that the three were involved in jehadi activities in Assam and hence were brought here and produced before the court. Now the question that arises is: how come they were sent to West Bengal if they were involved in jehadi activities in Assam? What are the areas in Assam where there are jehadi bases? Is there any base established in Guwahati by the jehadis? G Plus looks into the matter. Arrest, handover and return to Assam It was rumoured that the Assam Police arrested the three in Gumrah and handed them over to West Bengal Police. Now is this correct? ADGP Special Branch (SB) Pallab Bhattacharya, talking to G Plus, said that the trio was arrested by West Bengal Police from Gumrah as the Ben-

gal police were investigating the Burdwan bomb blast case and accordingly they were taken to West Bengal. Later they informed that Zahidul Islam was involved in jehadi motivation in Assam and accordingly he along with his two associates Sahidul Islam and Yusuf Shaikh have been brought to Assam. He said in Assam the presence of jehadi was known only after 2nd October, 2014 Burdwan blast. The existence Till date after the Burdwan blast Assam police has arrested more than 50 persons who were directly or indirectly related with the JMB. Till date after the Burdwan blast Assam police has arrested more than 50 persons who were directly or indirectly related with the JMB. Actually, the arrest of Sahanur Alom, a JMB militant who is a key accused in the 2nd October blast in West Bengal’s Burdwan District, destroyed all JMB modules in Assam. Sahanur Alom was arrested by state police’s Special Operation Unit from Larkuchi Village under the Mukalmua Police Station in Nalbari District. Alom had been absconding from his house in Barpeta District’s Chatla Village since October 2014. Alom’s name had cropped up several times during the NIA’s investigation of the Burdwan case and the agency had even netted his

wife Sujna, for her alleged involvement in the case. Sahanur Alom is a trained cadre of the JMB and he was involved directly in the Burdwan blast. The police have records of him visiting Burdwan and meeting some of the top leaders. Similarly, Zahidul Islam who is from Bangladesh was, since a long time, living in Barpeta and had married the daughter of an imam there. He changed his name and was living there as Zabirul and used to target people living in the char areas to motivate them. Even Sahidul Islam is from Barpeta and got involved with Zahidul, but Yusuf Shaikh is from Burdwan and has close ties with Zahidul. Zahidul made some relations with a girl from Gumrah in Barak Valley and shifted his base from Barpeta to Gumrah where he started working in a shop of the girl’s father. According to police sources there he used to often visit a mosque and try to motivate people. In September, the West Bengal special task force, according to police sources, went to Gumrah after tracking them and arrested the trio from a shop. They were taken to West Bengal and produced before the court after which they were sent to police and judicial custody. West Bengal police, after interrogation, came to know about their Assam link and informed Assam Police. State police sought their custody and accordingly they have been brought to Assam and at present they are in 7-day police custody. According to police

zahidul islam being escorted to court | G Plus photo

they have links with Sahanur Alom. So did they succeed in creating any base in Guwahati? Is there any jehadi base in Guwahati? SB ADGP Pallab Bhattacharya, talking to G Plus, said that as far as Guwahati is concerned, many things have happened here in the past. In the late 1990s, three ISI members were also arrested here. He said that only after the Burdwan blast was the existence of jehadis in Assam known and police accordingly started acting on it resulting in many

arrests. He said that the trio is being interrogated and if there is any base established Guwahati it will be known. He said that till now there is no threat but everything depends on the investigation. Meanwhile, police sources said that the motivators mostly target the underprivileged group in the rural and backward areas. But for now the police said that Zahirul and his two associates are vital to break the entire module and the investigation will extract many hidden facts. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Buzz

Chandrika Das

Fat city weddings go slim from demonetization diet

The drive to eradicate the plague of black money and the sudden implementation of ban on higher denomination currencies has put all the wedding hopefuls, both families and traders, irrespective of class, in a tailspin

ith exactly two weeks to go for his wedding, the announcement on the night of 8th November came as a big blow for Kavyam Saikia (groom, name changed) and his family. With the sudden announcement of demonetization by the central government, the otherwise celebratory event seemed set to be a disaster. The wedding season in the city is in full bloom, but with most of the cash wiped off from people’s reach, and very few options for withdrawals, people are finding it tedious to be at their best for the functions. The celebratory mood in hundreds of families of the city preparing for the weddings scheduled in November and December has turned into anxiety, as they suddenly have to face the daunting task of arranging cash to be paid to vendors, caterers, florists and make-up artists. Mr Das of Noonmati, who got his daughter married on 25th November, said that he had issues making payments to the caterers. He said, “The problem with our society is that online payments have not caught on and there are very

few who facilitate the same. The caterers of the city mostly accept cash. We being a very small family hardly had anyone to help us with the cash management. I am a retired person now and it was difficult for me to stand for long hours in the banks. The tension of the sudden move was quite thick. I got no time to take rest. At times, my body gave up, after the daylong rush. I understand

it’s a good action by the Prime Minister, but for people having such functions in the family, it’s not easy.” Though Mr Borkakoty of Ganeshguri, a retired government employee supported the move, he termed it as ‘ill planned.’ He is highly of the opinion that the year-end is not the right time to make such moves as events are lined up during this time. “A daughter’s marriage is a big challenge for the parents. We are a middle class family. We have withdrawn nearly three lakh rupees for the necessary payments only to realize that most of the money wasn’t legal tender anymore. This happened just few days ahead of the wedding and we had no clue how to deal with it. On top of that, we had very few helping hands. The happy event suddenly seemed to become an exacting task.” The whammy could not have come at a worse time for Sanghamitra (bride, name changed) who recently got married. The only daughter in the family spoke to G Plus about her plight and sighed that she could not bask in the pampering and grooming ahead of her big day. She was waiting in the never ending lines at banks to exchange and withdraw cash. “My heart broke to see my father going to bank even on the day before the juroon. It’s the day you want your family to

be with you, right?” she said. She further said, “We could not withdraw more than Rs 24,000 at one go. Weddings in our society calls for fairly large expenses, and I and my father had to rush to banks every day. In Assamese society, the bride or groom is not allowed to step out of the house from nearly a week before the marriage, but it was not so with me. If my father visited the banks, I was purchasing the groceries. My father had been to Bank of Baroda, State Bank of India and then to the RBI to withdraw Rs 2.5 lakh. But much to our disappointment, we could not manage that amount since the notification was just released and arrangement was yet to be made for the amount. Our caterers did not accept payments in cheques. My father paid them in cheques, but two days after the wedding he had to take back the cheque from them, encash in the bank and then make the payments in cash again. It would have been very helpful if the weekly withdrawal limit was more than just Rs 25,000.” Bride Suchita Barooah however had another kind of trouble as an aftermath to the event. Although in our society, gifts are given both in presents and cash it was a bit different with Suchita. “I have attended many weddings. I know the scenario well. But during my

reception, I was mostly gifted old currency notes. Our guests were being smart. They wanted to keep it easy on their side, but you have no idea how many days I had to visit the bank to exchange my gift,” said Suchita. For city-based doctor, Milan Krishna Baruah, the move however made little difference in the preparation of his daughter’s wedding. He considers himself one of the very few privileged ones in the city who could get the wedding venue and caterers accept payments in cheques. He opined, “Assamese weddings are not lavish; it is easy unlike rest of the nation. So with the two of us earning and making the arrangements accordingly, we hardly felt the cash crunch.” The wedding season is the time of the year when traders do most of their business, but lack of liquidity has led to problems this year. Caterers are facing cancellations, furniture houses are getting smaller orders and shops selling wedding ensembles have witnessed a decrease in footfall. Deepak Barman, owner of a city-based furniture house said, “I get orders for furniture every year during this season. This year people have ordered designs which are not expensive. Not that these people cannot afford. I strongly feel cash crunch is the reason. I have had to give a lot of credit this year. I do not have any facility for online transactions in the shop. During the initial days of the announcement, I had customers who returned from the shop.” Weddings are those events in our society where lifetime savings are ploughed in. It’s that occasion for a family where happiness and fun takes the upshot. But the ‘surgical strike’ announced by the Prime Minister has taken a toll on the wedding scenario of the city. A newly married couple unanimously said, “More than anything, this move has shattered dreams of families who could have otherwise celebrated an ideal function.” chandrika.das@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Crime

3 suicides in 2 days raise questions on city’s emotional well-being

he taking of one’s own life is the most private of acts, but the incidence and reasons of suicide vary widely across societies. The psychological dislocation that causes one to kill oneself has deep psychological roots. The causes vary from the dissolution of social bonds, the faster pace of life and the growth of overweening ambition. In modern towns driven by commerce and enterprise, people lose the taste and habit of domestic solidarity. Individuals are less close and these factors weaken their spirits. As a consequence, the bond attaching one to life slackens. Studies looking at mental health problems found similar increases, but these results were mixed as it was found that women seemed to be more mentally affected than men. The city recently witnessed similar despondent acts where three people took their own lives. The dates 29th and 30th November saw the untimely demise of three lives. Suspected love affair claims life of youth (UD case number 55/16) In a tragic incident, a 17 year old youth took his life by hanging himself from the ceiling fan of his residence in Islampur. Sahidul Ali’s body was discovered by his father in this condition at around 7 pm after he had returned from his native place. It could be learnt from the suspicions of the police that Sahidul was in love with a girl of the same locality for quite some time and wanted to marry her. Since neither of them were adults it was offered that they could settle down in the later years of their lives. Sahidul was upset over the girl being distanced from him. Thus the developments that followed took place. The same was also concluded by some of the

neighbours of the locality. Sahidul’s father returned from his native place at around 7 pm and found the door of the house locked from inside. Since the lights in the room were switched on he could peep through the gaps of the door panels and found the body of the 17 year old body hanging from the fan. Soon the police was informed and the body was taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospitals (GMCH) where he was declared dead. Woman with unsound mind hangs herself (UD case number 56/16) Not even twenty four hours of the tragic demise of the youth, another distressing incident where a 32 year old lady hanged herself to death in the afternoon of 30th November surfaced. Sangeeta Devi was alone at home when she locked herself in a room of her house in Manipuri Basti in the Ulubari area. Her family members had gone out for some time and on returning, her body was found hanging from the ceiling fan. It has been mentioned by her family members that Sangeeta was in a mentally unsound condition despite having a happy family with a daughter, husband and other family members. It was also mentioned that there were no such problems in the family which would put an element of uncertainty to the untimely demise of Sangeeta. Meanwhile, police are carrying out further investigations in order to get to the root of the act. Chain of events continue with another suicide (UD case number 57/16)

On the same day another suicide was reported within the vicinity of Ulubari when a woman in her 30s hanged herself. sumatary The body of Prishita BaSaikia was found hanging in flat number 411 of Raj Apartment in BK Kakati Road, Ulubari. The incident was simil a r to that of Sangeeta Devi’s as her body was found hanging from the ceiling fan of the apartment. It only came to light at around 7 pm after her husband returned home from work and found the door locked from inside. On not getting a response even after calling her name out several times the police was informed. When they broke into the house her body was found hanging. A suicide note was also recovered that indicates problems in the family that led her to take the drastic step. However, the cause of the suicide could not be made ascertained from the note. Police are carrying out further investigation to find the truth or justification behind the action.

Body recovered from Rehabari

he aforementioned chain of events began with the recovery of an unrecognised body in the Rehabari area. It was around 9 pm when locals of the area found a person aged around 45 years, lying unconscious on the sidewalk. Despite repeated calls and nudges no response was received from the unconscious person. Thus the police was informed and with the help of the 108 ambulance service the person was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead. It is suspected that the person was in poor health and thus simply collapsed on the road. However, more details will unfold on obtaining the post-mortem report. The fact that no identification of the person has been found has raised a few eyebrows. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

What the

Tweet!? Twitter on Rahul Gandhi’s verified handle being hacked

Kalyan deb

Winter_is_coming_ ‫‏‬ @Chaotic_Stark #RaGaTwitterSaga I’m sure the hacker did it for fun, who doesn’t wanna host comedy nights one day just for fun? Sir Ravindra Jadeja ‫‏‬ @SirJadeja Dear #RahulGandhi, When Modi Said Declare Your Account Details,He Didn’t Mean Twitter Account Details As Well. ;) #RahulHacked #PappuHacked Miss Mansi @ ‫ ‏‬LoverGirlMansi #RaGaTwitterSaga no problem. Create the account again but this time keep a ‘strong’ password. The Bad Doctor ‫‏‬ @DOCTORATLARGE We shouldn’t go digital because Rahul Gandhi’s account was hacked. We should go back to using Bullock carts because trains cause accidents sumant choudhary ‫‏‬ @WriteSumant Who says that Rahul Gandhi’s account has been hacked? He has just taken control of his account!! #RahulGandhi #ChotaBheem Anjie @ ‫_ ‏‬Baatcutter #RahulGandhi - My account has been hacked Sonia - Which account Rahul - Twitter Sonia - Thank God! I thought Swiss account. Vikash Chaudhary ‫‏‬ @gm_vikash Old Pwd: ChhotaBheem After Rahul Gandhi New Pwd: MightyRaju Its easy to hack RaGa Official Twitter A/C #RaGaTwitterSaga #RahulHacked Aditya Khannah ‫‏‬ @adityakhannah1 #RaGaTwitterSaga Which idiot did this? Who is this fool who wants to deprive the nation of the childish comedy of our fav Rahul Baba? Sad

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Bazaar

Falling food prices more seasonal than ‘demonetisational’ JUTHIKA BARUAH

The prices of vegetables, fish and fruits have come down due to the winters as the production is more in the winters and the market gets flooded with commodities

vegetable market in guwahati | SURAJIT SHARMA/G PLUS

he demonetization effect has been so profound that even the fall of prices of vegetables, fruits and fish is being attributed to it. But the city traders say that the prices have fallen due to the season as commodities become easily available in the winters. During the winter season, the markets get flooded with vegetables for which the prices fall. “The wholesale markets are not so affected by demonetization as we sell in large quantities. The retail markets have been affected to some extent but not severely as now 500 and 2000 rupee notes are available. The vegetables come from Kharupetia, Morigaon, Barpeta Road and farmers often have to throw away some quantities of vegetables with the production being very high during the season,” said Dharani Das, in-charge of Pamohi whole-

sale market. Das said, “Our farmers are also not aware as to how and what commodities should be cultivated. The cultivation of cabbage, cauliflower, radish etc. is less compared to other vegetables and the farmer cultivates the same vegetables leading to waste. Different farmers have to cultivate different commodities. The prices of cabbage, cauliflower etc. will gradually fall after 1012 days.” Das said that fruits come mainly from outside and therefore the price doesn’t matter much as the prices fluctuate season-wise and the price of the seasonal fruits automatically comes down. Similarly, a member of Uzanbazaar Wholesale Fish Market, Noni Kalita said that the price of fish has also fallen due to the season which is not the effect of

Wholesale Fish Price: Fish breed

Price

Rou/Kuri/Mirga

Rs 80/kg

Bhokua

Rs 220-230/kg

Grass carp

Rs 120/kg

have to pay for cartage and they also have other expenses like daily fees that need to be paid to the bazaar committee and other taxes to the municipality and so, at the end of the day, they do not make much profit out of their business. “The customers think that we are making huge profit which is not the case. There are many expenses that we have to bear and we earn a small profit. It is our only source of livelihood through which we have to run our family and if we do not earn a small profit then how will we earn our bread and butter?” said Raju Singha, a vegetable shopkeeper. He also said that some local youths even collect money from them illegally and if they don’t accede, they vandalize their shops leading to losses.

Bazaar Committee (GMCBC), Azim Ali said that the market has been deeply affected by demonetisation as the traders cannot give change for Rs. 2000 and customers also do not have enough change to pay. “Most of the vegetables get wasted and the traders have to incur heavy losses as they buy the commodities on a daily basis. If these do not get sold it becomes rotten and so, have to be thrown away,” said Ali. Meanwhile, customers have alleged that while the wholesale rate is quite low, the retailers are profiting with high retail prices and this needs to be regularised. Every market should have the same price as commodities are bought at the same price from the wholesale market. When asked, the retailers said that they

Prices of commodities fall due to the winter season Production of commodities are more in winter Retailers affected due to demonetization, not the wholesalers Vegetables to the city mostly come from Kharupetia, Barpeta Road and Morigaon

demonetization. He said that the retailers faced some problems initially but now with the new 500 rupee notes available in the market the problems have been solved. Meanwhile, President of Ganeshguri Municipal Corporation

fish market in guwahati | SURAJIT SHARMA/G PLUS

Wholesale Vegetable Price: Name of Commodity

Quantity Max Price

Min Price

Potato

900 qts

Rs. 1600

Rs. 1000

Rs. 1400

Onion

600 qts

Rs. 1800

Rs. 1600

Rs. 1700

100 qts

Rs. 12000

Rs 11000

Rs10000

Nodal Price

Common Carp

Rs 120-130/kg

Garlic

Barali (Barred-Baril)

Rs. 200/kg

Ginger

50qts

Rs. 2500

Rs 2000

Rs 2200

Barali small

Rs 160-170/kg

Green Chilli

40qts

Rs. 2200

Rs. 1800

Rs. 2100

Chital (Clown Knifeﬁsh)

Rs 250/kg

Tomato

150qts

Rs. 1900

Rs. 1400

Rs. 1600

Ilish (Hilsa)

Rs 250-500/kg

Green Peas

10 qts

Rs. Rs. 12000

Rs. 10000

Rs. 11000

Capsicum

5qts

Rs. 2800

Rs. 2500

Rs. 2700

Bean

15qts

Rs. 4000

Rs. 2500

Rs. 2800

Carrot

30qts

Rs. 3000

Rs. 2500

Rs. 2800

Cabbage

100 qts

Rs. 1400

Rs. 1200

Rs. 1300

Cauliﬂower 80qts

Rs. 1500

Rs. 1300

Rs. 1400

Brinjal

Rs. 1200

Rs. 800

Rs. 1100

40qts

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Health

Top oncologists lament rising incidence of cancer due to low awareness JUTHIKA BARUAH

In Guwahati and the rest of the northeast cases of cancer are on the rise as people have the habit of consuming tobacco which, more often than not, leads to oral cancer

eople get scared when they hear the term ‘cancer’ and yet they don’t tend to go for early diagnosis in order to prevent the disease. Cancer is curable if it is detected early enough. In Guwahati and northeast, the number of oral cancer is higher as people have the habit of chewing tobacco and betel nut, smoking etc. “Gastrointestinal cancers, especially the gall bladder cancer, are also very high in the region. It is because of the lack of awareness. Poor economic conditions add to the number of cancer patients from this region as such people find it difficult to treat as they cannot afford the treatment. There should be regular campaigns against chewing of gutkha, smoking at an early age etc. in order to prevent the disease,” said Dr. Suvro Ganguly, surgical oncologist who visited the city for the special screening and camp at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital. Dr. Ganguly said that most of the patients go outside the state for treatment thinking that there is no proper infrastructure here in the state which is not true. The infrastructure has improved a lot here as well and people need to go for screening if they notice any abnormality in their body. “The number of breast cancer patients is increasing and by 2020 one out of four women will have breast cancer. If the women above the age group of 40 find any lump in

the breast or discharge from the nipple they should immediately consult the doctor and go for triple assessment. Women who marry late, who do not do breast feeding, who do not have child, are the categories of people who are more vulnerable to breast cancer,” Dr. Ganguly said. The doctor suggested this particular group should undergo periodic self breast examination and can do it on their own if they are hesitant to consult a doctor. The risk is more among the women above the age of 40. In GI cancers loss of appetite, severe weight loss - like loss of 10 kgs within 3 months, bleeding from rectum etc. are the symptoms. Moreover, Dr. Suman Mallik, radiation oncologist from Kolkata, who also visited the screening camp, said that in India most of the cancers are curable but as the people are not aware or they do not consult doctors and it is detected at the later stage people have to lose lives from the disease. “Cancer is increasing day by day and one survey of WHO said that one out of eight men and one out of seven women would have cancer in their lifetime. The most common cancer is head and neck cancer and its incidence is more in eastern India and northeast region and it is because of use of tobacco. If we can bring awareness to the people about the harmful effects of tobacco in any form - be it

rural areas. In northeast region, hidden neck cancer is more due to the habit of smoking and in India around 62% of the people are exposed to passive smoking. The numbers of deaths are more due to cervical cancer in northeast and in urban population death occurs due to breast cancer.

the visiting oncologist | SURAJIT SHARMA/G PLUS

smoke or smokeless tobacco the incidence of cancer could be reduced. Screening should also be conducted mostly of cervical cancer and breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men,” said Dr. Mallik. Dr. Mallik said that they have launched anti-tobacco campaigns all over the country and also joined hands with National Cancer Grid focussing mainly on prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment. The doctor said that the treatment at the first stage is very important. “Sometimes it becomes difficult to quit

the habit of chewing tobacco or follow the advice as it is addictive. In anti-tobacco campaigns started in schools, the children are being targeted so that they do not make a habit of consuming tobacco as they are the most vulnerable age group. The anti-tobacco law has also been implemented in various parts of the country which should also be implemented here in the state of Assam by the government,” said Dr. Mallik. The doctor also said that they have focussed more on cervical cancer as the cases are more in

“The number of breast cancer patients is increasing and by 2020 one out of four women will have breast cancer. If the women above the age group of 40 find any lump in the breast or discharge from the nipple they should immediately consult the doctor and go for triple assessment. Women who marry late, who do not do breast feeding, who do not have child, are the categories of people who are more vulnerable to breast cancer,” Dr. Suvro Ganguly “Cancer is increasing day by day and one survey of WHO said that one out of eight men and one out of seven women would have cancer in their lifetime. The most common cancer is head and neck cancer and its incidence is more in eastern India and northeast region and it is because of use of tobacco” Dr. Suman Mallik juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Opinion

The SC directive: Forcing or fostering patriotism? Izaaz Ahmed examines the worthiness of the Supreme Court directive to play the National Anthem in cinema halls as a means to foster patriotic feelings in the country and water, a fellow individual’s love for their country proliferates when they enjoy a sense of gratification from the things revolving around them. A student from a humble background gushes about his country when he gets into the institution of his choice without greasing the palms of any college official. A traffic police takes pride in his country when his pay is commensurate to the long hours he spends in the scorching heat. And a girl develops a profound admiration for her place when it guarantees her complete safety from the lewd reprobates hovering around. A MORE REALISTIC APPROACH In the recent times, India has been in the news for more bad reasons than good. Various fringe elements, blind-

oercion and force look best on battlefields; not when played out in a bid to keep a democracy in shape. Technically speaking, India is the world’s largest democracy and also one of the fastest growing economies. Yet, several factions treading on its soils seem to be working against the very ethos and interest of the land. Thrusting preposterous ideologies into the people’s psyche, improper use of the right to freedom of speech, and fanning the crushed-out communal flames to life have become too rife, and gnawing into its quest to come across as a top-notch cosmopolitan country WHAT IS PATRIOTISM? Well, the definition of patriotism to a layman is very unambiguous and simple. Safeguarding what your land stands for, not letting personal prejudices come in the way of national interest, and not putting up a flashy show of nationalism to pocket votes, but inspiring people by dishing out meaningful examples: this is the alpha and omega of the word. Waving away the national flag at the slightest opportunity or singing aloud the national anthem may not necessarily be the yardstick to gauge one’s love for their nation. For what’s the rationale behind these ostentatious acts when you harbour malice for your fellow countrymen, when all you can think about is forwarding personal agenda, and when you agreeably let some roguish opportunists get the better of you and turn you into a religious fanatic. Moreover, loving your country doesn’t mean that you’re duty-bound to take sides with the ruling government too. Dissenting to government policies or actions, in stark contrast to being anti-national, is a sign of healthy patriotism. As Julian Barnes, the award-winning English writer, perfectly sums it up, “The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonourably, foolishly, viciously”. IS SUPREME COURT’S MOVE REASONABLE? It is disquieting to learn that the highest lawmaking authority of the country is in-

sinuating the idea of enforced nationalism into the citizens’ consciousness. The Supreme Court of India, in its latest verdict, has made it mandatory for all movie theatres to run our national anthem before screening the feature film. The principal legal body’s mandate also requires the spectators to compulsorily stand up while the anthem is being played. And, the underlying motive, as stated by the court, is to sow the seeds of patriotism in us. But, on hindsight, is this move effectual? Can it instil the fear of law in a venal bureaucrat and purge him? Is this well-intentioned attempt capable of churning out far-sighted and level-headed individuals? Or, does it have enough power to thwart the likes of Owaisi and Thackeray from opening their fatuous mouths? Well, with all due respect to the SC, I beg to differ. Imposing a certain line of thought on the whole nation, on the grounds of it being beneficial, is understandable. But how can a decision that sounds utterly unreasonable gain wide acceptance? How long can an individual take such judgements lying down, lest they’d be held in contempt of court if its sanctity is challenged? Drawing a parallel between the act of in-cinema veneration to the national anthem and stronger feelings of patriotism doesn’t hold much of water. A head-to-toe corrupt businessman stepping into a movie theatre, even if he croons along the anthem besides standing up, would invariably walk out the same person. A cinemagoer who was once mauled by a group of devil-maycare jawans for no good reason, and who thereafter began disdaining the entire fraternity of soldiers, won’t experience change of heart just because the national anthem rightly puts the spotlight on Indian Army’s altruism and bravery. WHY DOES ENFORCED PATRIOTISM LACK DEPTH?

Furthermore, why should anyone force us to be patriotic? A citizen automatically starts appreciating and respecting the land they live in if given enough reasons to. Much like a tree which branches out prolifically when it receives the right amount of sunlight

ed by dogmatism, have marred the nation’s age-old reputation of being the ideal confluence of varied cultures and traditions. Under the subterfuge of patriotism, they’re simply pursuing their self-interest. In the wake of all these tensions simmering below, making the country a better place to live in is the ultimate key to winning our hearts. The Indian government and the judiciary should be sagacious enough not to miss the forest while counting the woods.

Is this move effectual? Can it instil the fear of law in a venal bureaucrat and purge him?

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Theft incidents hit Rukmini Nagar; locals rebuke Dispur police

Ward Watch

Kalyan Deb

Concentrated Area: Rukmininagar Ward Number: 26 sub disivion: 26(b)

WARD NO

Councillor: Manjula Kakoti Phone no: 8011149307 Area sabha member: Rajen Das Phone no: 9864506116 Namghar Path on 23rd November. The culprits of the all the incidents remain untraced till date. Locals’ assertion

peaceful residential locality in the vicinity of Dispur, the Rukmini Nagar area has been mauled by increasing incidents of theft in the recent past. In less than two months, the area has witnessed around seven incidents of theft that has led the residents to lambast the local police for being unable to nab the culprits and recoup the lost property. Facilitated with all the civic necessities Rukmini Nagar is located within the proximity of Dispur and houses several residences and quarters of government employees and other citizens. Areas such as Rangamancha Path, Namghar Path, Balipar, Sanjog Path, etc. are some of the thickly populated areas of Rukmini Nagar. The area connects several surrounding areas such as Rukminigaon and Six Mile on GS Road via West Sadhani Path and Gopalthan Path and to Basishthapur via Rangamancha Path. The various lanes of the area are also used as major detours and short-cuts as these connect various areas of this part of the city. The rampant incidents of theft in the recent past have been a reason of concern for the residents of the area. The

|surajit sharma/G Plus

same was mentioned by several residents and the panellists at the recently held edition of the G Plus Ward Talks that concentrated on Ward No. 26 which includes several areas of Dispur and Beltola. It was mentioned that numerous incidents of theft have taken place recently and the police has failed to address the issue despite being pushed and goaded over and over again. The chain of incidents The chain of incidents began during Durga Puja this year and kept continuing until recently. The first incident took place on 16th October in one Bagadhar Das’s residence in By-lane 1 of Namghar Path late at night around 2 am. On the same night thieves broke into one Amar Kakoti’s residence at Balipar Lane and filched cash of Rs. 27,000, a DSLR camera and other possessions. Interestingly, the miscreants broke into the houses even as the residents were present without causing any situation that could be alarming or which could alert the residents towards the house-break. A major incident took place on 18th October at the resi-

dence of one Rajkumar Chetry where miscreants stole property worth lakhs of rupees. The stolen goods included four mobile phones, some amount of cash and gold ornaments. The incident took place even as all the family members were present and the thieves broke open two doors of the house to gain entry. They also managed to unlatch the door of an almirah and fled with several gold ornaments. However, it took the family members by utter surprise when they realized that they had remained unaware of the intrusion till the next morning. It was also found that the miscreants tried to break into one other neighbour’s residence. It is suspected by the residents that the miscreants used some kind of sedative agent that kept them from waking up. The chain of events continued as a day after Diwali, i.e. on 30th October last, miscreants broke into the residence of one Alpana Rabha in Sanjog Path. Finding the house empty the miscreants cleared most of the goods and chattels of the household. A similar incident took place in the residence of one Depali Bhattarcharjee in

The entire area of Rukmini Nagar is interconnected with several lanes and thus gives various options for such miscreants to flee from the spot without leaving a trace. “Since the area has several by-lanes it gives them ample scope to flee from the spot. Moreover, while patrolling the area the police use the loud sirens which, rather than a move by the police to nab the miscreants, alerts them. The police should take strict action in order to nab the thieves as the rise in thefts in the area is very evident,” a local resident stated. It was also mentioned that despite housing several quarters of government employees there are no security measures taken by the police. Locals mentioned that a gate should be put in place at the main entrance of the area and at least two security personnel should be deployed at all times. “As learnt from the past incidents, the thieves do a proper survey of the area and the houses before carrying out their activities. As it is hard to identify any suspicious person, they execute their operations quite successfully. With security personnel being deployed the avenues of fleeing from the spot will be reduced and act as a deterrent to future housebreak attempts,” said Manjula Kakoti, councillor of the ward. She also added that several approaches have been made to the local police station but words have never been converted to action. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

Blast from the past While interacting with some of the locals it was learnt that a similar chain of events had taken place in 1995-96. There were rampant activities of theft back in those days as miscreants carried out their activities even in broad daylight. That is when the locals decided to come forward to tackle the situation. One afternoon a lady saw three probable miscreants trespassing through her property and immediately called some neighbours. Soon a large number of people (especially housewives) gathered and nabbed two of the three miscreants. One of the miscreants led the police to a gang through which around twenty four thieves were apprehended from different locations of Guwahati. The move also helped in recovering gold ornaments of several kilograms from a lady who used to buy them from the thieves. Police’s Say Newly posted officer-in-charge, Himangshu Das assured strict action against such miscreants and tighten the security scenario in the area. The police official said that there are certain gangs of the Sijubari and Beltola area who indulge in such activities. He also nodded to the local’s say and said, “It is because the area’s connectivity with several lanes that provides several avenues for the thieves to escape. However, we will tighten the patrolling in such areas that will help in nabbing such miscreants,” the officer-in-charge stated to G Plus.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Trotter

Adobe Voco ‘Photoshop-for-voice’ Russian supply ship headed for the Space Station burns up in the causes security concerns Gplus News

A new application that promises to be the “Photoshop of speech” is raising ethical and security concerns.

dobe unveiled Project Voco about a week back which makes it possible to take an audio recording and rapidly alter it to include words and phrases the original speaker never uttered, in what sounds like their voice. One expert warned that the tech could further undermine trust in journalism. Another said it could pose a security threat. However, the US software firm says it is taking action to address such risks. At a live demo in San Diego, Adobe took a digitised re-

cording of a man saying, “And I kissed my dogs and my wife” and changed it to say “and I kissed Jordan three times”. The edit took seconds and simply involved the operator overtyping a transcript of the speech and then pressing a button to create the synthesised voice track. “We have already revolutionised photo editing. Now it’s time for us to do the audio stuff,” said Adobe’s Zeyu Jin, to the applause of his audience. He added that to make the process possible, the software needed to be provided with about 20 minutes-worth of

a person’s speech. “It seems that Adobe’s programmers were swept along with the excitement of creating something as innovative as a voice manipulator, and ignored the ethical dilemmas brought up by its potential misuse,” he told the BBC. Inadvertently, in its quest to create software to manipulate digital media, Adobe has already drastically changed the way we engage with evidential material such as photographs. This makes it hard for lawyers, journalists, and other professionals who use digital media as evidence. Google’s DeepMind division showed off a rival voice-mimicking system called WaveNet in September. But at the time, it suggested that the task needed too much processing power to find its way into a consumer product in the near future. But a spokeswoman stressed that this did not mean its release was imminent. “[It] may or may not be released as a product or product feature,” she told the BBC. No ship date has been announced ether. In the meantime, Adobe said it was researching ways to detect use of its software.

India-origin scientist discovers smallest ever asteroid that is just 6 feet long Gplus News

stronomers, including one of Indian-origin, have achieved another milestone in astronomy by discovering the smallest known asteroid ever with the help of data received by four telescopes. The ‘bald’ asteroid that was discovered last year measures just six feet or 2 meters in diameter. Researchers have named the tiny asteroid as 2015 TC25 while some are calling it as flying bird or burning plane as it is the smallest and brightest nearEarth asteroid ever discovered. Vishnu Reddy, Assistant Professor at University of Arizo-

na’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in the US, was proud to discover the asteroid and said that discovering such small asteroids and meteoroids orbiting earth will enable us to learn the characteristics of these nearEarth objects and how they originate. This will also help in predicting when large asteroids will get deflected from its path to crash into Earth. He further added that probability of collision of 2015 TC25 and Earth is very small. Technological advancement and better telescopes have enabled astronomers to discover

such small Near Earth Objects (NEO) orbiting the planet. “This is the first time we have optical, infrared and radar data on such a small asteroid, which is essentially a meteoroid,” said Reddy. The small asteroid is orbiting 128,000 kilometres above the earth’s surface which is onethird the distance between Earth and moon. It completes one revolution around Sun in 382 days. Unlike other bigger asteroids, the 2015 TC25 is a piece of solid rock and lacks the layer of dirtlike regolith. (Source: TeCake)

atmosphere

Gplus News

A failure 6 minutes into the flight is to blame

n uncrewed Russian spacecraft meant to resupply the international space station has been lost. Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, says that communication with the spacecraft ended 382 seconds into the flight. The third stage of the Soyuz rocket, which helps propel the cargo ship to its final orbit, reportedly shut down “earlier than planned” according to NASA’s live broadcast of the mission. The Progress MS-04 spacecraft never made it into proper orbit without that full third stage burn. Instead, gravity took hold and it burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere sometime in the hours after the 9:51 AM ET launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Reports of explosions and fireballs in the sky of Tuva, Russia were reported around the same time. The ship was carrying more

than 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of cargo, including food, water, propellant, and other supplies. NASA schedules cargo flights in such a way that a loss of one or two missions can’t directly endanger the crew aboard the space station. “Our astronauts and the Russian cosmonauts are safe aboard the station,” NASA wrote in a blog post. “Consumables aboard the station are at good levels.” The next ISS resupply mission is supposed to launch next week, with another one scheduled for early 2017. Roscosmos is one of four entities capable of resupplying the ISS. The Japanese space agency will launch next week’s cargo mission. Two private spaceflight companies — SpaceX and Orbital ATK — have contracts with NASA that allow them to send cargo to the space station. A third company will join them in 2019.

Asia’s first periodic table entry named after Japan Gplus News

ames stick for life. Get them wrong and your kids are likely in for a lifetime of hardships. Luckily, that principle doesn’t apply to elements of the periodic table. ‘Nihonium (Nh),’ Moscovium (Mc), Oganesson (Og) and Tennessine (Ts) are four elements that were officially name-approved and joined 118 other elements on the periodic table Wednesday. With the latest additions, the periodic table is now complete down to the seventh row. What makes Nihonium (Nh) -- named after the country Japan (nihon) -- stand out is, maybe not it’s super-creative name, but

rather the fact that it’s the first element to be discovered by a researcher from Asia. Kyushu University Professor Kosuke Morita (C) points to the “nihonium” on a periodic table during a press conference in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 1, 2016. Kosuke Morita, the father of ‘nihonium’ and a physics professor at Kyushu University said his team’s addition to the periodic table was exciting and symbolic. “All the elements before were discovered in the West, and it is wonderful that we now have an element discovered in Asia,” said Morita in a statement. (Source: CNN)

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Sports

Do or die clash for NEUFC against Kerala BlastersGplus News City half marathon to be held on 18th Dec Gplus News he two teams last clashed

in the opening match of the third season of ISL amidst a carnival atmosphere and now the familiar foes, North East United FC and Kerala Blasters, resume their rivalry on the pitch of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 4th December, Sunday. NEUFC saved the day for itself with an encouraging 2-1 victory over Delhi Dynamos in their penultimate clash at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, on 30th December last where Seityasen Singh (60th minute) and N’Dri Romaric (71st minute) got the goals the hosts needed after a barren first session. Even though Marcelinho Pereira pulled a goal back for Delhi in the second minute of added time, NEUFC were comfortably home. The win took North East’s points tally to 18 - just one point behind Kerala Blasters who has 19 points to their tally. Although NEUFC still continues to be placed fifth the Highlanders fortunately have a match in hand which is against Kerala Blasters. Whichever team puts it across their rivals will qualify for the fourth playoffs’ spot. However, Kerala Blasters have the advantage of qualifying with a draw which

G makes it a do or die situation for the Highlanders. NEUFC opened their account with a win against Kerala Blasters in the very first match of the season. The first half of the match saw many missed chances as the hosts failed to convert their chances. However in the second half, the Highlanders came back strong with more intent to play better attacking football when Japanese striker Katsumi Yusa put the home side 1-0 up. The vis-

itors tried to create chances by bringing on Michael Chopra but failed to find the back of the net. There was a very close call which failed to be converted and this was enough for the home side to register their first win of the season. However, the next match could have a different story to tell. Apart from the last, NEUFC failed to put across a victory in the absence of Nicolás Vélez and his fitness will hold the key to NEUFC’s performance in the next match.

uwahati Runners - a running group based in Guwahati announces its first Competitive Half Marathon – “The Great North Eastern Run – Guwahati City Half Marathon” to be held on 18th December 2016. The objective of the run is to promote tourism in northeast, and give a platform to the country’s most talented professional athletes, racers, Olympians, tri-athletes and trail runners. The sole purpose of organising this marathon is to create awareness of healthy living through fitness activities like running, jogging and walking. The race will be starting from Khanapara Field and go through the heart of the city.

The marathon has 3 categories i.e.: 21.1 Kilometres – Half Marathon, 10 Kilometre Challenge and 5 Kilometre fun run. Out of these three categories, the first two are competitive where the runners will be given automated time chips to measure their distance and time while the later will be a fun run category which is already attracting a huge crowd for participation. To motivate the local community, actor Nayan Nilim and AIGP Sanjukta Parashar will be participating in the run. Guwahati Runners is a Running group of Guwahati was formed with the aim to build up the running culture and community in northeast India.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

G Talk

Objects of ridicule

idiculing the high and mighty is an intensely pleasurable human experience – more so with those specimens that tend to believe that their height and might are divine and perpetual bestowals. The demonetization exercise has thrown up a fair sprinkling of this variety of human beings and crooked, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats comprise the major chunk. In various conversations over coffee, one gets to hear stories about the behavioural changes that have overcome a fair number of these condescending cronies-turnedcreeps who are suddenly faced with the prospect of being finally dependent on their salaries only for their sustenance – having destroyed their 500s and 1000s purely for the lack of avenues to convert the same to the 2000s. The “coffee crowd” of Guwahati currently is doing well keeping abreast of such people. A story goes, and yes, I do want to sound as lascivious as I probably can, that a former minister, who held considerable clout until recently and a lot of cash until even more recently, has gone bonkers with Modi’s sleight of mind. He is apparently dropping into hospitals and nursing homes with a sad mental shape and when he is not, he has been seen in the city’s coffee parlours with a cannula plastered onto the back of his hand in utter readiness to be administered all the required fluids that may balance his disturbed mind. Worthy of ridicule! Another story came in from a businessman friend of mine that a bureaucrat with whom he was socially close has sought his help in depositing 10 lakh worth of old 1000s for a pretty tempting cut; the money

may be returned as and when Modi declares normalcy. Apparently, this bureaucrat also took some training from my friend on how to operate his ATM card to withdraw cash or pay for purchases because he would now have to dip into his salary account which had remained untouched so far. Worthy of ridicule again! Just these two instances among many such, even as I ponder about this supposed financial “emergency” that the country is going through. Capping withdrawal limits on the surging Jan Dhan accounts to a mere 10k a month and doing everything else to ensure that the country proceeds towards being cashless whereby the cashstrapped poor are supposed to be suffering heavily has not thrown up stories of riots and revolutions but only stories that the sustained harassment is in the process of abatement; the harassment indeed has held a calming influence for the teeming multitude throughout the country. All this is perhaps for the hope that people are harbouring – hope that the country will, for once, be truly cleansed. And this is an issue that Modi and his crew have successfully sold and continues selling tenaciously mainly through social media. The success or failure of demonetization will be seen in the long run even though Economics sates that in the long run we may all be dead. The best deal for the short run is to move from paper to plastic when you’re not busy ridiculing the corrupt creep. Swapnil Bharali Editor

guwahati adda Performance issues Uzanbazar’or son: What policy did the RBI announce now? It’s possible that I missed something considering that I was in the bathroom for about 5 minutes. Silpukhuri’r don: Modi Sarkar is redefining flip-flop. Utterly clueless and bereft of basic economic sense. If we continue at this pace, I will pack my bags and move out of this country. In his Nov 8 speech, ‘moody’ (Modi) said that limit of Rs. 4500 to exchange old notes will increase from Nov 24. Look where we are at. Such confusion! Uzanbazar’or son: I feel like we are all ambushed and added to that, I feel like the Finance Ministry is having performance issues. Silpukhuri’r don: Haha! But I wouldn’t say the same for me. Saw this massive hoarding of Manforce condoms over the Ulubari flyover. Made me so excited; these billboards are not all that ugly. Don’t know why you complain so much about them on your building considering you keep getting a fixed income from it. Uzanbazar’or son: It’s not the billboard that’s the issue but the face that has been plastered on it. Shuuush! Your wife is in the kitchen. Silpukhuri’r don: Imagine when Rahul Gandhi’s twitter got hacked and someone would’ve given Sunny Leone’s links. That’s the only time I’d ever say thanks RaGa, but I guess he isn’t old enough to watch that. Ghoini: Wow, what a generic joke! Okol beya kotha jana niki? Silpukhuri’r don: Roba, what is beya kotha in this? Uzanbazar’or son: I feel it will be better in the long run. Silpukhuri’r don: But who’s seen the long run bhai? In the long run, we are all dead. Ghoini: Exactly, that’s what I thought about this marriage. Nothing is long, and nothing is running either. But who said beya kotha was the hoarding? Silpukhuri’r don: Hey Roba, aaji ad eta sai ahisu, kaam’ot ahibo. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

DEMONETISATION VIS A VIS COMMON MAN -II CA Anuj Bajaj

he topic of demonetization has captured the attention of all and sundry and the after effects of the decision are yet to die down. In the previous edition, we had taken note of the current prevailing situation against the backdrop of latest announcements made by the government. Today, we are going to look into the taxation aspects of the undisclosed income along with a few suggestions to the small businessmen on how to adapt to a cashless society. But first let us discuss some common ways people are adopting to disclose their income and the loopholes therein.

Be Careful on how you disclose your income earned in 500-1000 notes

Cash deposit - savings of housewife Cash can be shown as money saved by the housewife out of the monthly household budget. There is no fixed amount mentioned in the tax laws about how much money can be saved like this, but it has to be a reasonable amount and should be commensurate with the total household income and monthly expenses. If the taxpayer earns Rs. 100,000 a month and the household expenses are Rs. 45,000, his wife should be able to put away Rs. 7,000-8,000 every month. The tax department may launch a scrutiny if the amount saved exceeds 20-25% of household budget. Cash deposit - income from tuitions, classes Many homemakers and college students earn from home tuitions or cookery classes. But this is a common method that people use to show income for their wife and adult children, even when their wife or children do not take tuitions or classes. An income of up to Rs. 2.5 lakh a year can be shown as earned from giving tuitions. But if the income reported is too high and unjustified when matched with previous years, the tax department could scrutinize the returns and ask the assessee to furnish the names of students. In extreme cases, they may also investigate the daily records/attendance register of the assessee who claims to be giving tuitions to students. Cash deposit - gifts from relatives Another common trick is to show the cash as gift received from relatives. Gifts from certain specified lineal relatives are not taxable. However, the amount shown as gift should be reasonable and commensurate with the overall economic status of the household. If the amount exceeds reasonable limits, tax department may ask for names of givers and scrutinize their source of income. For example, if the wedding was a lavish affair where a lot of cash was received, the tax department could also ask for the source of the money spent on the wedding. Pay advances and loans to workers Small businessmen, entrepreneurs and even salaried people can utilize cash to pay advance wages to

The ‘Court Jesters’

employees and vendors. There is no limit to how much cash can be given out like this but it should be reasonable, lest it creates an inconvenience to the recipient. Once given 2-3 months’ advance payment, employees may be tempted to switch jobs. Alternatively, one can opt to give loans with proper paperwork.

No taxability on jewellery/ornaments purchased out of explained sources

The government has recently clarified that the jewellery/gold purchased out of disclosed income or out of exempted income like agricultural income or out of reasonable household savings or legally inherited which has been acquired out of explained sources is not chargeable to tax under any provisions of the Income Tax Act. Also, during the search operations, no seizure of gold jewellery and ornaments to the extent of 500 grams per married lady, 250 grams per unmarried lady and 100 grams per male member of the family shall be made. Further, legitimate holding of jewellery up to any extent is fully safe.

Know the tax and penalty on unexplained credit, investment, cash and other assets

If the sources of income are unaccounted for, these would be deemed to be current year’s income under Income-Tax Act, 1961, and will attract income tax at the rate of 30% along with applicable surcharge and education cess, under Section 115BBE of the Act. However, very recently, an amendment in this section has been proposed in the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016, which replaces the above rates with Flat rate of tax @60% + surcharge @25% of tax (i.e. 15% of such income). So, the total incidence of tax is 75% approximately. This is only if the assessee declares the income himself. If Assessing Officer determines income referred to in section 115BBE, penalty would be levied @10% of tax payable in addition to tax (including surcharge) of 75%. The bill has been passed in Lok Sabha and is in the queue at Rajya Sabha. An alternative Scheme namely, ‘Taxation and Investment Regime for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016 (PMGKY) has also been proposed in the above bill. The declarant, under this regime, shall be required to pay tax @ 30% of the undisclosed income and penalty @10% of the undisclosed income. Further, a surcharge, to be called ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Cess,’ @33% of tax, is also proposed to be levied. In addition to tax, surcharge and penalty (totaling to approximately 50%), the declarant shall have to deposit 25% of undisclosed income in a deposit scheme to be notified by the RBI under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016.’ This amount is proposed to be utilized for

Opinion the schemes of irrigation, housing, toilets, infrastructure, primary education, primary health, livelihood, etc. so that there is justice and equality. Any unaccounted income would still attract penalty under Section 270A of the Act, which can range from 50-200% of evaded tax. The 50% penalty will be levied in cases of under-reported income, while 200% in case of misreporting income. The tax defaulter could also attract prosecution under Section 276C of the Act, with imprisonment from three months to seven years with fine.

Roadmap for small businesses

Small business owners are advised to follow the following measures to avoid falling under harsh laws relating to black money and help the country move towards a cashless economy. • Bring all of your hard earned income/revenues under the taxation system. This will lead to the strengthening of the economy leading to the development of the country and attain sustainability. Get your applicability to various tax laws checked by your consultant/chartered accountant and take registrations where necessary. • Maintain proper books of account on a regular basis and get your financial statements prepared annually by your consultant. Also, get the applicability of audit under Sec 44AB of Income Tax Act checked by your chartered accountant. • File your tax returns regularly and ensure that there is no mismatch between returns submitted and your books of accounts. • Pay maximum of your expenses through cheque/online mode. If your employees are not having bank accounts, get their bank accounts opened and deposit their salaries/wages into their account timely every month. • India is moving towards cashless economy. Customers generally carry their ATM card/debit cards/ credit cards with them. Talk to your bank and Install a POS System for receiving payments through card mode. Government has very recently announced waiver of fee for swipe transactions/online transactions for a temporary period. • To support cashless economy, a number of mobile wallets have also gained popularity in the market. Eg., Paytm, Mobikwik, etc. You can accept payments from the customers directly to your mobile wallet using registered mobile number. These apps can be downloaded for free from the Android/IOS Play Store. The payments received in the online wallet can be later transferred to bank account or used for paying utility bills through the app itself. Anuj Bajaj is a chartered accountant by profession and can be reached at anujbajaj2007@gmail.com

Letter to the Editor

he then congress government at Dispur was blessed with a few ‘court jesters’, namely Gautam Roy, Dr. Ardhendu Kumar and Rupjyoti Kurmi, who, in many previous instances, amused the people of Assam with their gimmicks. We, the ‘aam-aadmi’ had no other choice but to get entertained by the troika’s varied gimmick shows over the years since the last 15 years. With the change of guard at Dispur, the above mentioned three musketeers have lost their sheen but thankfully the gimmick show has refused to halt. Luckily another ‘court jester’ in the name of Tarun Gogoi has been providing free entertainment with his unlimited gimmicks and tantrums to the public in the present setup at Dispur. The former Chief Minister who is well past his retirement age and still hanging on to ‘the chair’ due to reasons known to all has indeed become an eye sore. One can only shudder in their dreams if all the four mentioned ‘court jesters,’ by any chance, come to power in the state again. Dr. Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

In Focus G Plus conducted a survey in various markets of Guwahati to understand the reaction of people as PM Modi, in his recent ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ declared that small shopkeepers can now keep their shops open for 24 hours if they wish to

Meet

Vikramjit Kakati Photojournalist & Engineer

Munim Deka: It is not practically possible for me, because I run my shop alone and moreover I do not have any staff. Shops which have staff can adapt to it perhaps but not me. Abdul Amin: It’s a great step, if the district administration, police and GMC don’t interfere in my business. I appreciate the step. Pankaj Sharma: In my opinion PM Modi ji took a fantastic decision for us. It will benefit us and the shopkeeper community. It will help us a lot during various seasons and the festive season especially. I and my sister will be sitting in batches to run the shop. Amit Dey: It’s not a bad step; just that more man power will be required. Initially there were just two people working in my business. Now 3-4 will be required. Mira Hazarika: It is a fantastic news for us, but mine is small shop. So if street lights work at night and police keeps on patrolling then it will definitely help my business. Pooja Dey: It is very good news, but I stay in Maligaon. So it’s practically not possible for me to run the shop at night as I shall face transportation and commuting issues while returning home. If the government provides night buses it might help me. Mopin Khan: It is not a bad move until and unless it can provide service to us. But then we will also be needing more staff. If I need to provide 24 hours’ service, my expense will be more. I personally won’t be keeping my shop open. Alok Mazumdar: The decision is progressive but for me as a book keeper it’s not possible. The market of Panbazar is different compared to other parts of Guwahati. Rahul Kalita: It is good news, but extortion from cops, GMC, and municipality needs to end. Everyday a home guard demands 10 rupees, GMC 20 rupees and Municipality 10 rupees from our flower shops. The traffic Inspector abuses us for opening shops here at Sukreswar. We are ready to keep open but will this corruption end? We want to ask the government that while Modi Ji has asked us to keep open will Sarbananda Dangoria listen to our plight? Nitashree Deka: We keep hearing about Indian cities that never sleep. Mumbai for example supposedly is open all night. So is Kolkata. But Guwahati is yet to achieve that metropolitan character where there would be buyers late in the night. And if there are no buyers, what is the point of keeping shops open? Debosmita Acharjee With the kind of security system in place in the city, I have my doubts that small shopkeepers will be brave enough to keep shops open late into the night. Or the whole night for that matter. I understand that the pharmacies in the Bhangagarh Medical premises are open all night. But there is adequate security there with the place being well lit and all. But I am here in Kharguli which is a residential area and the place is asleep by 11 pm. So I have no reason whatsoever to keep my shop open late. Dipesh Bhattacharjee We are in Paltanbazar and this area is always a beehive of activity with various people using the railway transportation and so the footfall of passengers in high. I keep my paan shop open till fairly late into the night and I do get business for my efforts. Should the entire market decide to keep open 24 hours and given that we do face any problems from the so-called authorities, I wouldn’t mind keeping open for business 24 hours as well. I might have to ask my brother to assist or take over the night duty. But additional money into the family would be a good thing. Gitanjali Kakati: PM Modi seems to be a wise man and is a progressive person. He naturally understands that business should be done to the maximum possible extent over the maximum possible time. It would be great if some markets in Guwahati remained open 24 hours. More so, the grocery shops. I am a grocer myself but I work in Uzanbazar which is a sleepy neighbourhood in the sense that there aren’t too many customers after nightfall. So I would like to see how this progresses before I take a decision and take additional hands for the extended hours.

t takes a lot of courage to quit a wellsettled job and pursue a career you are passionate about. Here is one story that is somewhat akin to the character of Farhan Qureshi in “3 Idiots.” The only telling difference is that Vikramjit Kakati has mastered the skills in both disciplines – engineering and photography. Vikramjit is a chartered engineer who has gone on to become one of the most prominent photojournalists from Assam. Born in Guwahati, Vikramjit was first acquainted with the camera in 1977 when his father, Late Rohini Kumar Kakoti lent him a Pentax camera and the first photo Vikramjit clicked was of the entrance of the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden. Impressed by the photograph his father gifted him the camera. After he made it to Jorhat Engineering College he came across Prasad Chakrabarty who introduced him to the next level of photography through single-lens reflect (SLR) cameras. Thereafter, Vikramjit participated in several competitions and won several prizes. Soon after completing his engineering, Vikramjit joined the railways. Meanwhile, his passion for photography only grew. In 2007, Vikramjit was offered a job in Indian Oil Tanking Limited which is a sister concern of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL). He was posted in Sivasagar where he managed to pursue his passion. One summer, during a visit to Guwahati, Vikramjit came across UB Photos which he misjudged to be a photo studio. Vikramjit walked in to get a passport photograph clicked. There he met Utpal Baruah who burst into laughter at Vikramjit’s misjudgement. During the conversation Baruah introduced the term “photojournalism” to Vikramjit. “I expressed to him my desire to work as a photojournalist and I showed him some photographs I had clicked. On the very next day one of the pictures of a girl selling lilies at a Buddha Vihar in Numaligarh got published in Ajir Dainik Batori. Following this, Utpal Baruah asked me to meet Manash Jyoti Dutta, UB correspondent in Sivasagar, who also turned out to be my mentor teaching me several aspects of photography,” Vikramjit said during a conversation with G Plus. Vikramjit’s passion soon started earning him laurels and within a short span of time one his photographs got published in the front page of The Assam Tribune. It was a low angle photograph of a family engaged in grinding rice-flour prior to Magh Bihu. “It was Manash who informed about the photo being published and the moment I saw the paper I was overwhelmed with joy. There are only a few such moments that one experiences

in his or her lifetime,” the photojournalist said. Soon came the moment when the photographer’s life changed forever as he took the crucial decision of quitting his job to take up photography as a profession. In his career till date, Vikramjit’s photographs have been published in several leading media such as Zuma Press and Washington Post among others. He was also the first person from Assam whose work was published in National Geographic. One memorable moment in his career was capturing the reunion of Arabinda Rajkhowa and his mother after 30 long years. Apparently, Vikramjit snuck in with the help of his associates Parikhit Saikia, Manash Jyoti Dutta and Utpal Baruah and managed to capture the emotion-filled moment. The photograph turned out to be a splendid example of perfect exposure. Vikramjit is also focusing towards uplifting the profession among the youths and how one can explore the various fields that can help them earn decent money. He is the co-founder of Photography Club of Assam and adviser to several photography associations of the region. In his message to the youth Vikramjit alluded to stock photography. “Assam is one of the most resourceful places to earn money through photography. The state has such disparate and unexplored flora and fauna that one, with his perception, can present unique photographs to the world and earn money in the process. For example, I had gone to Chandrapur for an event which unfortunately got cancelled. On my way back home I came across a wild flower (Siyal-Kanta), clicked it and gave it to one my contributing agencies called Shutterstock. Till date this photograph has been sold over twenty times. So the aspiring photographers should develop the practice of entrepreneurship which will give them recurrent earning. It is my message to the aspiring photographers to indulge in stock photography that can be easily sold to several agencies,” the senior photojournalist mentioned. Along with practicing his passion, Vikramjit has currently enrolled himself in the Department of Design in Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati after attaining the second position in the entrance examination in order to pursue a Ph.D. in usability engineering on tea plucking machines. The research scholar married his college sweetheart Dr. Bobby Sarma Kakati who is an associate professor at Don Bosco University and who has been the force behind the photojournalist’s success throughout his amazing journey.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA HEALING WITH SOUND AND MANTRAS

THE HUAWEI HONOR 8

he Honor 8 has long been available in China, and more recently in the US market. However, it’s recent launch in India has given people more smartphone options. For those unaware, Honor is Huawei’s “e-brand”, targeting a younger demographic. The Honor 8 comes with both the good and the bad – Dual-lenses and the custom Android UI being the key features. Much like the Huawei P9, the thin bezels around the display immediately makes the phone look more premium. The rear of the phone is constructed from 15 layers of glass, which Huawei says has 3D grating and lithography. It means the prism lines refract and disperse the light in an eye-catching manner. This is difficult to capture with still images, but it’s rather pretty. But all that glass does leave you wondering how well the device will cope with an accelerated meeting with concrete. A cracked rear might lead to a trippy kaleidoscopic effect at least. It is equipped with the level 4 fingerprint sensor, which is circular and the scanner has been upgraded with a “Smart Key” function which essentially sees the fingerprint sensor also become an extra button. You can program shortcuts to single- or double-presses and holds. The Honor 8 uses a USB Type-C port and also supports quick-charging. The phone supports a nano-SIM and a microSD that can instead be used as a second nano-SIM slot incase you don’t require the storage expansion. The device comes with 32GB or 64GB of storage and can be expanded up to 256GB through the microSD. The Honor 8 uses one of Huawei’s own chips, in this case the

octa-core Kirin 950 processor with i5 co-processor with 4GB RAM. The Honor 8 is available in Sapphire Blue, Pearl White, Midnight Black and, for now only in certain markets, Sunrise Gold finishes. Honor 8 looks like a flagship product, performs like one but without a price tag of a flagship. If you need an incredible smartphone camera, impeccable fingerprint sensor, and an outstanding sleek design, the Honor 8 is a steal at sub-30k price point. Features: 4 GB RAM | 32 GB ROM | Expandable Upto 128 GB 5.2 inch Full HD Display 12MP + 12MP Dual Rear Cameras | 8MP Front 3000 mAh Li-Polymer Battery Hisilicon Kirin 950 - ARM Cortex A72 + ARM Cortex A53 Processor Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) Operating System: Android Marshmallow 6 Processor Core: Octa Core Processor Clock Speed: 2.3 GHz Secondary Clock Speed: 1.8 GHz Primary Camera Features: 3968 x 2976 Pixels, Quick Shooting, Panoramic Shooting, Goodfood Shooting, Beauty, Watermark, Audio Control, Touch to Capture, Capture Smiles, Burst Shoot, Wide Aperture.

ords have specific effect on human beings since the days of the early men. As a lullaby can put a baby to sleep, some harsh words can make one have sleepless nights. While some words can make us laugh, some make us cry. Words of inspiration can move soldiers during wars and inspire many acts of bravery. Each word has its own sonic vibration energy which has a resonance with us in life. They also affect our mind and the body. Music therapy has become a very effective technique now to heal different ailments. The soothing sound of melodious music has a lot of positive effects on the mind and the body.

NIRVANA

uwahati offers a wide choice when it comes to eating out. From street food to cafes to fine dining, the city literally offers a buffet of choice. Almost every week there is a new addition to this list. Last week, Nirvana opened its doors the foodies of the city. Conveniently located on GS Road, opposite Rajiv Bhavan, it offers great tasting food at pocket friendly prices. The elevator to the second floor leads one into a quiet and peaceful setting. What immediately grabs your attention is the 3D picture of a vintage Morris car on the far wall. The interior is done in black leatherette seating with simple and no fuss décor. The menu offers a choice of north

Indian and south Indian dishes, along with Oriental. The surprise here for me was the dosa stuffed with chicken masala. It was the perfect balance of the potatoes along with the right amount of chicken and masala stuffing. The sambhar and the accompanying chutney were done well too. If you like dosa but

still want to have your fill of nonvegetarian then this is a great option. The Singapore noodles were light, full of flavor and non-greasy. It married very well with the Hunan Chicken. Succulent slices of boneless chicken cooked in a light oriental broth, flavored with pepper and chili flakes. Although the menu claimed

Music therapy can help people who are recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury that has damaged the left-brain region responsible for speech. Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting for patients receiving chemotherapy. Music therapy has been tested in patients ranging from those with intense acute pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Overall, music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression, and gives people a sense of better control over their pain. Sound energy can be used to heal when entities vibrating at different frequencies come into resonance with one another. Sound can trigger memories, release past memories and stimu-

the presence of white wine in the Hunan Chicken, I could taste none. But the dish was good nevertheless. Next I had some Goan Macchi curry with steamed rice. Fillets of fish simmered in a spicy and tangy coconut gravy. The curry can go well with a light Pulao but the steamed rice complemented the curry better and highlighted the flavours. Roghan Josh with the stuffed Kulcha was the next on my table. The soft stuffed kulcha and the tender meat will tantalize the taste buds. The winter months are a great time to indulge in warm dishes. The menu had many delicious dishes. The classic Paneer Butter Masala was creamy, buttery and tasty. The owner, Mr. Gopalan

late joy. Hindu sages knew the technique of utilizing various sounds for our well beings. Sound waves enter our physical body and move atoms around, rearranging our cellular structure and putting us back in order. The Mantra is nothing but a word or combination of selected words for different uses. It has become so universal that this word has been included in the dictionary by the westerners. One of the earliest known mantras is the “Aum” which is associated with the creation of the universe and hence the unison with god. For optimum effect, the seed mantra should be combined with abdominal breathing. Generally it is done with inhalation and exhalation. The mantra is very useful in healing, slowing down ageing process and in stress management. Negative Vaastu can also be neutralized by regular chanting of appropriate mantras. The effect of mantras does not last forever and so they must be chanted regularly. There are numerous instances of misuse of the mantras by the shamans, witches or by people having negative intentions. But they may boomerang if bounced from a stronger aura besides having Karmic repercussions. Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist

Venkatachalam is an engineer by profession. But the foodie that he is led him to open Nirvana. His aim is to serve the best of food in an ambience of bliss and hence the name is Nirvana. He tells me that plans are afoot to introduce many more dishes from his home state which indeed will definitely give Guwahatians a great experience. The Biryanis and the chicken preparation of the south are indeed full of spicy robust flavor. I am looking forward to Nirvana bringing such exotic dishes to the city soon. Until then, let us indulge in a Chicken Masala Dosa! Kashmiri Nath Foodie, owner at XOXO cupcakes, food blogger, recipe developer and expert on Assamese cuisine

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Lifestyle THE LIFE BAKERY - by Madhur Jain

Dispelling the myths of youth strength training

You are what you consume

While children have traditionally been encouraged to participate in aerobic activities such as swimming and bicycling, a compelling body of evidence indicates that strength training can also be a safe and effective method of exercise for children, provided appropriate guidelines are followed.

espite the previously held contention that children would not benefit from strength training due to insufficient levels of circulating androgens, research conducted over the past decade clearly demonstrates that regular participation in a youth strength training program can offer observable health and fitness value to boys and girls. Nevertheless, some parents have lingering concerns about the safety of youth strength training. The purpose of this article is to dispel common misconceptions associated with youth strength training. Myth: Strength training is unsafe for children. Fact: The risks associated with strength training are not greater than other sports and activities in which children regularly participate. However, the key is to provide qualified supervision, age-specific instruction and a safe training environment because, as in many sports, accidents can happen if children do not follow established training guidelines. Children should not use strength

training equipment at home without supervision from a qualified professional. Myth: Strength training will stunt the growth of children. Fact: There is no current evidence to indicate a decrease in stature in children who regularly strengthtrain in a supervised environment with qualified instruction. In all likelihood, participation in weight-bearing physical activities (including strength training) will have a favorable influence on growth at any stage of development but will not affect a child’s genetic height potential. Myth: Children will experience bone growth plate damage as a result of strength training. Fact: A growth plate fracture has not been reported in any research study that was competently supervised and appropriately designed. Nonetheless, youth coaches, physical education teachers and fitness instructors must be aware of the inherent risks associated with strength training and should attempt to decrease this risk by following established training guidelines.

Lifestyle Surprising Ways to Prevent Colds and Flu

ou’ve got to act fast to fight off colds and flu. Scientists have found that when someone is sick in an office, it takes only four hours for surfaces like coffeepot handles, copy-machine buttons and the fridge door to show traces of infectious virus. It’s well worth arming yourself against aches, cough, fever and general misery. For reality-tested tips that actually work, read along; Get a protein fix Research shows that diets that are too low in protein can deplete the

immune system. So make sure to get protein-rich foods throughout the day, especially fish, eggs and yogurt. Sanitize your office space Clean everything that gets touched by lots of people—microwaves, fax-machine keys, doorknobs, elevator buttons, the armrests on chairs—with a good disinfectant at least once a week, even if it looks cl ean. It’s just basic hygiene. Rhinoviruses can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours! Hit the bottle

Myth: Children cannot increase strength because they do not have enough testosterone. Fact: Testosterone is not essential for achieving strength gains as evidenced by women and elderly individuals who experience impressive gains in strength even though they have little testosterone. When compared on a relative or percent basis, training-induced strength gains in children are comparable to those in adolescents and adults. Myth: Strength training is only for young athletes. Fact: It is essential for young athletes but boys and girls of all abilities can benefit from strength training. For example, strength training can enhance the bone mineral density of girls, decreasing their risk of developing osteoporosis, and can spark an interest in physical activity in overweight children who tend to dislike prolonged periods of aerobic exercise. In summary, the belief that strength training is unsafe for children is not consistent with the needs of boys and girls and the documented risks associated with this type of training. However, strength training is a specialized method of conditioning that requires qualified supervision, appropriate overload, gradual progression, and adequate recovery between exercise sessions. (SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, Avery D. Faigenbaum, Ed.D. FACSM Oct 07, 2016) BIBHU MONI SINGHA,

Gym Manager Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness Gym & MMA

If you don’t have a hand sanitizer on you, pour a little vodka on your hands. Vodka’s high alcohol content makes it a great disinfectant. Zinc it If you get a scratchy throat and think you might be getting cold, pop lozenges with zinc tabs for a few days. They relieve symptoms and get you better faster. Get what you knead Get a massage once a month which helps increase circulation, which in turn boosts immunity by nourishing cells with more oxygen and blood. It also makes you relaxed and less stressed, and when you’re less stressed, you’re less likely to be a germ magnet. Don’t talk dirty You know you need your phone on you at all times. During entire the day, you place it on a counter or use it in between opening doors, pushing elevator buttons

t’s very clear we are what we put into our head. Be it by way of reading, viewing, listening; we become what we take in as input. Just like in a computer, our output depends on what we provide as input to our brain. Wonder why most of the police officers in our city are always in a bad mood? That’s because they’re always around criminals, law breakers and miscreants. Their daily routine puts in a ton of shit in their head that makes them irritated. On the other hand, a person selling flowers in a boutique is more likely to be humble and respectful towards you. If we want to change our life for good, we need to make an effort to take in only good stuff by managing what we read, view and listen to. Here’s a list of things that we can look into to manage that: We spend most of our time on the internet. Almost all of the content these days are consumed on the internet - mostly on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter etc. It is very important to manage who we follow on these platforms. Rubbish contents like rumours, gossip and violence have a negative effect on us. So do not befriend anyone sharing absurd things. Reading good books

or shaking hands with people. Cleaning your phone with a sanitizing wipe regularly cuts back on the germs that get near your face and mouth.

can elevate your life to the next level. There is this experience of millions of people and a weird scientific theory to back this up; books have a really profound effect on us. It can change us for good. So invest time in some motivating, positive books. You are the average of the 5 people you spend most time with. So spend time with only those who are positive, motivating, uplifting. People who drag us down are not worth out time. Like I said in my pre vious article, stop watching news on the TV. You don’t have any control on what you want to see. Instead, select and read news on the newspaper or the internet. Exercise! Some sort of physical activity is going to make your body release chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. Stop listening to peo ple like Kamaal R Khan. They are from Mars. Madhur Jain

Madhur Jain is the founder, author and podcaster at The Life Bakery.

Sonika Ajmera Fashion Blogger

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Reviews Cast: Vidya Balan, Arjun Rampal, Jugal Hansraj Director: Sujoy Ghosh

idya Sinha (Vidya Balan) has only one obsession in life. She wants to see her teenage daughter Mini, who is paralysed waist-downwards, walk again. But, is this scenario as obvious as it seems? Or is Vidya an impersonator of Durga Rani Singh from Kalimpong, who is wanted for kidnapping and murder? This sequel directed by Sujoy Ghosh after a gap of four years is a whodunit that definitely serves up intrigue, but fails to keep a tight grip on proceedings throughtout its duration. So unlike the first part, that hit the ground running and set a benchmark in the genre, this one lacks the shark-bite. But you do invest in Vidya Sinha, a harrowed, working mum from Chandan Nagar in West Bengal and her handicapped teenage daughter, who like most middleclass people overcome hurdles to go through the daily grind. So

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much so, that when Mini goes missing and Vidya meets an accident, there is a sense of void. Enter, Indrajit(Arjun Rampal), the cop-on-the-case, who is the first one to discover that the woman in a coma resembles Durga(Vidya Balan again!), a school clerk from Kalimpong, who is a fugitive-onthe-run. Here it is important to say that the film works because Vidya the mother or Durga the murderer are both believable and solid characters. As is the cop piecing the mystery together. And, to give out anything more about the plot is unfair. Shot majorly at night and on real locations, the film has the authentic texture. If you fell in love with Kolkata in the 2012 outing, you will love Kalimpong here. The background score gives stomachknots (as it must) and the camera work is good. Sujoy Gosh is partly success-

ful in narrating a thriller with the audience sitting at the edge of their seats till the first half but fails unfortunately in the second half to do so because the film loses its steam and becomes too predictable. I wonder sometime that why the filmmakers are in a hurry to wrap up their story and in the process ruin a fine script and the possibility of making an out of the box film. Vidhya Balan who has repeatedly proved that she can carry a movie on her shoulders through films like Parineeta, Dirty Pictures and Kahaani lately seems to fail to do so probably because of her choice of films and being not so careful about the script she is being offered. Well, Sujoy Ghosh Kahaani 2 is a onetime watch because it does open our eyes and brings back our attention to certain sensitive familial issues which is generally carpeted and the victims left to suffer for the rest of their life.

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Trent Garrett, Lara Pulver, Peter Andersson Director: Anna Foerster

he fifth installment of the blockbuster franchise, UNDERWORLD: BLOOD WARS showcases the Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and her battle against ruthless assaults from both the Lycan clan, and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. With only two supporters - David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance), Selene seeks to stop the long-lasting war between Lycans and Vampires. n 2003, the initial premise of pitting vampires against werewolves was exciting and successful enough to spark a string of sequels. However, this fifth entry in the ‘Underworld’ series proves that the franchise has run out of original ideas and is probably left buried deep underground. Kate Beckinsale’s allure is largely squandered, and

while she doesn’t appear to have aged a day since the first release, she certainly acts like it. None of the characters are given much complexity to work with, thereby wasting strong actors such as Tobias Menzies as the Lycan leader Marius along with Lara Pulver’s Semira, and although we see some sparks of quality shown by Charles Dance as the Vampire Elder Thomas, it’s barely enough to salvage the film. It’s almost as if the cold blue grading infected the entire cast and crew with a case of gloom – the script takes itself too seriously, without any humour that could have probably infused some entertainment value. Even the CGI looks outdated, and in the current age of ground-breaking visuals, it’s inexcusable. If the previous outings were action-packed, Blood Wars is no less gory, but the fight

choreography feels exhausting and it’s made worse with choppy editing that barely allows for anything of merit to register on screen. Incredibly, this extends off screen as well – the marketing for the film reveals a significant twist in the trailers, that could arguably add some element of surprise. What is surprising though, is the choice to leave out Selene’s daughter from the proceedings considering that most of the conflict surrounds her. All of this doesn’t distract from the painfully apparent lack of interest written on the face of the lead star Kate Beckinsale - she’s not even the most interesting character in a series built around her, and it’s obvious she’s simply going through the motions to collect another pay check.

ALBUM: 4Ever

bypassing anything released after 1993 due to licensing reasons. This means his last Top Ten hit, 1994’s “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” is absent, as are the other singles he released in the subsequent 23 years, but they’re not missed as much as his own version of “I Feel for U,” “Money Don’t Matter 2 Night,” the minor hit “Let’s Pretend We’re Married,” or “Erotic City,” “17 Days,” “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore,” and “Another Lonely Christmas,” all B-sides that could easily have been included in a definitive compilation. This, along with the odd nonchronological sequencing,

means 4Ever isn’t definitive, but in terms of consumer value, it might be the best single Prince compilation because it rounds up the great majority of his ‘80s and early-’90s hits -- including such singles as “Let’s Work,” “Mountains,” “Girls & Boys,” and “Batdance,” all absent from previous Prince compilations -- in a convenient package. Being born in 1970, Prince is perhaps the most talented and prolific musician of my lifetime. In summary, Prince released eleven albums in the time it took Michael Jackson to release two.

he Dwarves is a fantasy role-playing game with a strong story and tactically challenging real-time battles. 15 playable heroes, each with individual skills, are to be deployed cleverly. Take on superior numbers of orcs, ogres, älfs, bögnilim, zombies, dark mages, and many more foes, to give them the low-down The story, the characters, the setting... everything that surrounds The Dwarves is really good, but its gameplay and its length aren’t that extraordinary. Still, it is a very enjoyable adventure. The Dwarves is a role-playing game that fails to reach its full

gold mine 7d 10.00 AM Kahaani 2 11:00 AM 05:15 PM haunted house 7d 01.00 PM 04.00 PM Bahniman 02.00 PM 08:15 PM Forest Adventure & Aero Bike (7D) 03.00 PM 07.00 PM

PVR Cinemas

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009 Kahaani 2 10:15 AM 12:55 PM 04:15 PM 09:40 PM Moana 01:55 PM Dear Zindagi 11:00 AM 03:35 PM 09:00 PM Bahniman 06:30 PM Underworld: Blood Wars 06:55 PM

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 Kahaani 2 12:40 PM 09:00 PM Bahniman 03:05 PM Dear Zindagi 06:00 PM

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Galleria Cinemas

Game:The Dwarves

By: Prince

Ever, the first posthumous Prince album, arrived seven months after his April 21, 2016 death -- just in time for that year’s holiday season -- and it’s the first Prince hits compilation since 2006, when Rhino/ Warner issued the 17-track Ultimate Prince. A better comparison, however, is the 1993 set The Hits/The BSides, which contained two discs of hits -- also available separately -- and a disc of otherwise unavailable flip sides. 4Ever covers this same territory, even working the B-side “Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)” and the majestic 1982 outtake “Moonbeam Levels” into its 40 tracks,

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Anuradha Cineplex

YouULD O SH PLAY

potential. Its interesting battle concepts are marred by a mediocre execution, very limited RPG mechanics, and just too many technical issues on PlayStation 4. Despite this, the game still managed to be somewhat enjoyable thanks to the gripping yet not too original story, and charming characters. Due to gameplay and technical shortcomings, however, only die hard high fantasy fans may find some enjoyment in The Dwarves. Everyone else would do better in looking elsewhere. The story of the Dwarves is definitely one of the game’s best features.

Kahaani 2 11:00 AM 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM Dear Zindagi 11:30 AM 08:30 PM Bahniman 02:30 PM 05:30 PM

GOLD Cinema Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

Kahaani 2 11:00 AM 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM Dear Zindagi 11:30 AM 08:30 PM Bahniman 02:30 PM 05:30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Kahaani 2 11:00 AM 05:00 PM Bahniman 02:00 PM 08:00 PM

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Barsha-Ravi starrer ‘Tumi Aahibaane’ hitting theatres soon

Entertainment

“Konwarpuror Konwar” hitting screens coming January KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

new full-length Assamese romantic film titled “Tumi Aahibaane” is all set to hit the theatre. The film has been directed by Prerana Barbarooah Sharma and is produced by Bibi Devi Barbarooah under the banner of Prerana Creation. The film has been written by Prerana Barbarooah Sharma and Bibi Devi Barbarooah. The story

of “Tumi Aahibaane” revolves around a couple named Nibir and Birina and their journey of romantic. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Barsha Rani Bishaya, Ravi Sarma, Gunjan Bharadwaj, Moonmi Phukan, Saurabh Hazarika, Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika, Nipon Goswami, Arun Nath, Jyoti Bhuyan, Madhusmita Saikia, Nilutpal Baruah, Pratibha Choudhury,

Madhurima Chaudhury, Tarulata Kutum and Priyanka Boruah. The film’s music has been scored by internationally acclaimed music director Tarali Sarma; songs have been rendered by Zubeen Garg and Tarali Sarma among others. Cinematography has been done by Pradip Daimary. The movie contains a rap song choreographed by Uday Shankar.

Bengali festival meant to please Lord Shiva and is celebrated mainly in the rural areas. “Since childhood, I was very fascinated by this festival which takes place each year on 14th April, which is the last day of the Hindu calendar. Shooting Charak Pooja was a very adventurous experience and got me into a different world which has no connection

Gplus News with today’s supersonic world,” said the director. The film was shot mostly in Guwahati, which is his home town. The entire movie was shot with one DSLR and a video microphone without any lighting setup. “The place was a hilly area in Guwahati, which has no connection with the city and from where we were unable to make calls. We had to climb one hour to reach the place,” cited Nandi. Shooting the movie was a challenging task considering that everything around him way beyond his expectations. “When they started preparing the skull hunters for their hunt, the place became totally different. Everyone present there was in a trance along with the skull hunters. Holding the camera was a very difficult thing for me as I was shaking and the drums, gongs and chanting were the only the sounds I could hear,” said Nandi. The post production of the movie was done at a studio in New Delhi. The film is 27 minutes long and has been edited by Kailash Dhuriya.

“Charak” screened at Heritage Film Festival

he trend of independent directors going out and tackling new subjects in their movies has been on the rise. A Guwahatibased independent director Suvankar Nandi’s Charak was recently screened at the Heritage Film Festival, Ahmedabad, for which he received critical acclaim. Charak Pooja is a traditional

opular Assamese actor Nayan Nilim will be back on the silver screen with his upcoming movie “Konwarpuror Konwar.” Konwarpuror Konwar, made under the banner of Nilim’s Entertainment and Rosy Bhuyan will release on 6th January next year thus making it the first Assamese movie to release in 2017. The film’s lead actor Nayan Nilim, who has also been credited with the story, says that the film will be an out and out commercial entertainer. Talking to journalists, he said, “The film will have

everything from romance, comedy and action. Apart from all the theatres of Assam, we will screen the film for the Assamese Diaspora living in cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune. The film is the result of three years of planning. A major part of the film has been shot in Margherita. We have also shot in Shillong, Mirza and Kukurmara apart from Jyoti Chitraban Studio.” The film has been directed by Rajesh Bhuyan and apart from Nayan Nilim, it will star debutante Taapsee, Amrita Gogoi, Hiranya Deka, Saurav Hazarika, Juan Dutta, Rina Bora and Siddartha Sarma among others. Songs have been written by Ibson Lal Barua and Paran Borkotoky. Parthapratim has composed the music. Popular singers, Zubeen Garg, Papon, Pompi, Subasana Dutta and Arijit Singh have sung for this movie. Dialogues have been written by Munin Barua. Suman Duarah is the cinematographer. Debangkar Bargohain has done editing and Debajit Changmai is the sound designer.

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Citypedia Horoscope of the week

Cancer

Beware of an unfriendly person who is very inventive. He or she might interfere in a work matter concerning you straightforwardly. Students will achieve laurels in sports, games and competitions. Do not lose temper over trivial matters. Be patient with everyone around. Do not jump to conclusions and make guesses. The responsibility of an important assignment might come your way. Health will remain good for most part this week. Those who had been suffering from fever or headaches will get relief. Watch out for raise in pressure levels.

Libra

You might have an unrewarding professional experience. But a slight push and backing of your colleagues and superiors will help you overcome such situation. This would be very busy and demanding week consuming lot of your energy and resources. Take up only that much work that you would be capable of doing. Repairs or renovation of your house for making it more comfortable is on the anvil…you can start making preparations for it. Friends will remain very helpful and supportive.

Capricorn

In matters of health there is an exciting chance to begin a new exercise and fitness routine. Socially and romantically, this could be a terrific week. You may travel over this week. Guests from afar may visit you, and you may have a really sweet time entertaining them. Possibly, this week, you may change your investments or make new contractual arrangements. Atmosphere at work place will be normal and without much change. You should be patient with your subordinates and listen to what your boss has to say to you this week.

You don’t have to be obstinate, rather keep the avenues of communication open to get through your strategy. Stars indicate that there are rewarding times ahead for you. Just exercise patience to get all that you deserve. Students will do exceptionally well in their examinations. Small problems will sop up lots of your time and resources. Instead of wasting your resources find some creative solution to come out of jinxed solutionDo not speculation in the stock market as chances of losses are foreseen.

Relax and enjoy activities happening around you. Initial days of week will keep you happy and contented with everything happening around you. Good news is on the anvil that will pep up your week. Your family will render cooperation letting you focus on opportunity elsewhere. Your financial position will remain satisfactory but will not match up luxuries that you are eyeing. Review and revise your investment plans to make most of the economic situation. Look after your health, taking great care of cleanliness around you.

Don’t feel disheartened by the testing and troubles concerning your professional area. Manage your new task with great deal of accuracy to maintain the trust at your workplace. You might also exaggerate your concerns. Students may get disappointed with their grades. Work hard and do not allow lady luck to go far away from you. Do not remain ignorant of the importance events happening around you. This is a lucky time to earn extra money. Old due will get recovered thus making monetary position strong and sturdy. Health will remain under duress this week.

Leo

Scorpio

Don’t waste your time over inconsequential matters somewhat look up towards major ones. Little things might distract you like an unexpected expenditure, or forgetfulness in some important matter so be careful with your things and arrangements. Self-employed people could get appreciation for their recent efforts, obtaining significant monetary booty. You are suggested not to give opinions on the subjects that you do not fully recognize. An enjoyable weekend will be spent by you with your loved ones.

Aquarius

You’ll be able to get a new position without any major problem or effort. Those in entrepreneurship will find lucrative possibilities to set up short term projects that will move forward their career. Health care issues concerning elders will need attention. You are definitely going to have a good time irrespective of your spending capacity. Just avoid being impulsive; otherwise your professional life might suffer. Older persons might decide to go for surgery or other significant procedure that has been under consideration for sometime.

Virgo

Sagittarius

New contacts or ideas may impress, urging a review. Prepare for a test of confidence at home, bringing uncertainty or confusion. This week, your stars focus on simple work transactions. There’ll be furtive incidents in the air. Try to find out happening behind the scenes. A partner or close associate will be under pressure from extended duty. You might focus on ways to earn money in or from your home. But you may feel like retreating from the social bustle. Your proficient demands will clash with your requirements.

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Pisces

police station

Winner for the month of NovemberMr Dhiraj Kr. Jain

WhatsApp to 8486002320 or Inbox to G Plus on Facebook with Issue date Entries with correct answers get selected One lucky winner wins a Wrist Watch from IO Plus and G Plus Winner’s name to be announced at the end of every month.

Comissioner of Police: 0361-2540278 DCP, Traffic: 0361-2731847 DCP, (Central): 94350-49599 DCP, (East): - 94350-83103 DCP, (West): - 94350-27744 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

Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 92070-44374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005 Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998)

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

Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351) Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

8811007000

Week

Win Wrist watch

Keep your work focused on precise definite aims and seek your friends support. Act with discretion but without risking or losing the opportunity. Give careful thought before signing any document. You’ll have plenty of good opportunity this week to resolve your personal agenda. Spending will be on higher side. This week will open up some lucrative opportunities with attractive financial possibilities. Health wise, it is a week of disorders concerning eye Complete it Take a photo infection or dental problems.

GUWAHATI

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422)

Every

last week solution

Demonstrate confidence in your great ideas and let them exude positive impacts on others. This week is good time for making new contacts as your future will greatly depend on these. Those looking for new opportunities can expect a good chance concerning their career. Your familial demands will keep you occupied throughout the week. Job opportunities, salary increment, promotions are in store this week. Celebrations with your family and friends will bring great enjoyment.

Sudoku

Gemini

Taurus

Aries

Hospital

TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619, 098641-03333 Dispur Hospital Reception 97070 20370 82539 99124 361-2235759 (Landline No. / Fax) Hayat Hospital 8011003110 GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

1800-345-3767

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Events On the Spot Caricature event by Hastakshar Venue: Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati

Days

Events

Nov 12th to Nov 18th

Artist Pritom Boro amused several Guwahatians by drawing for the guests their caricatures.

“Engaging in the creativeartistic process can ‘free people up’ and connect with a sense of creativity they may have lost in the process of ‘growing up’ and the event was organized with the similar vision”, said Mr Sunit Jain, the director of Hastakshar.

Shameless Mani at Underdoggs An energetic Saturday at Guwahati’s premium sports bar Underdoggs saw the DJ burn the dance floor and the audience loved it!

‘Papon’ Live at Shilpagram! The hometown hero performed for the ‘Mirchi Top 20 Live’ concert here in Guwahati that saw thousands of people flock to the venue. Photo: Jitu Saikia

DJ Shanaya Sat | Dec 03 | 7 PM Venue: XS The Place to be KIPSTA FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT Sat | Dec 10 | 10:00 am Registrations: 9008787096 Venue: Decathlon, Azara

RIDE TO HORNBILL FESTIVAL Sat | Dec 03 | 06:00 AM

2ND PURBARANGA NATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL Sat | Dec 03 | 05:00 PM Venue: Rabindra Bhavan Thunder Wheelz 2016 Sat | Dec 03-04 | 10:00 AM Veterinary Field, Khanapara

Moss Sat | Dec 03 | 7 PM Venue: Terra Mayaa

G PLUS DEC 03 - DEC 09, 2016

Catching Up Most shared story of the week 782 42 The topper of the Indian Engineering Services (Mech.) 2016, Idul Ahmed received accolades from people of his hometown as he conquered the coveted UPSC examinations. This Guwahatian is an IIT-Guwahati alumnus and a former engineer at Oil India Limited. facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Kachomari Ghat

Dermi Doley

New

Chic on the block

About Me Hello readers! My name is Dermi Doley. I am an engineering student,an aspiring fashion blogger, an undercover optimist, a rebellious Virgo and a dog lover. If you ask me what I love doing, the list would be endless. Had I been assigned some super power it would be multitasking. Besides being a fashion freak, I am also a big foodie, and yes you will never see me without my lipstick on.

Mojo Dream, dream and dream, Do not let nightmares sink you; be your own dream catcher. The future belongs only to the dreamers.

Route in the Woods I am an engineering student and if things go on as planned, I hope to see myself as a civil servant someday.

he Kachomari Ghat at Fancy Bazar is the preferred spot for immersion of idols of most Puja pandals of the city. Even this year the port saw several vehicles lined up throughout the MG Road as the process that started from 12 noon continued till 3 am the next day. A lesser known fact is that the ghat is named after a town situated on the river bank of Daiyang in Golaghat District of Assam - the first capital of Hirimba Kingdom before establishment of the capital at Dimapur. The port is used for transferring goods from different parts of the state. However, Kachomari being a major supplier got the name after the town in Golaghat District. The port also has the statue of legendary Ahom General Lachit Barphukan that was installed just over a year ago.

PIC OF THE

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

WEEK

oga guru Baba Ramdev recently refuted reports that he was keen on his niece marrying RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the Bihar health minister. “It is nothing but gossip spread by a section of the media,” Ramdev told reporters after meeting Lalu at his official residence. Ramdev, who visited Bihar to meet and address dealers of his brand Patanjali products, said he visited Lalu after being informed that the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief was unwell.

Ka m u r of the week

any city streets have been dug up in the name of the water supply project and the roads have remained in the same pathetic condition for months now. People are getting irritated that the water supply project is in slow-motion mode and all assurances of early completion of the work are becoming more of a kamur than anything else.

Orange is the new black| Photo: Surajit Sharma

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: Swapnil Bharali. Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641