G Plus Vol 4 Issue 07 by G Plus

Child-marriage exists in Guwahati

VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 07 DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

PRICE `10

City CCTV surveillance yet to be reality despite Rs 695 Cr central funds in 15 years

Cotton College Prof allegedly threatens molestation slur on students

Concern

ward talks MLA slams GMC, police

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G PLUS APR 23 - APR 29, 2016

New Chic on the Block Iffat Rubayat Hussain

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G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Lead Story

City CCTV surveillance yet to be reality despite Rs 695 Cr central funds in 15 years rahul chanda

The Rs 10-crore CCTV project remains long pending despite Assam Police receiving central funds to the tune of Rs. 695 crores even as the police now claim that it will be completed soon. The question that lingers is why it takes 4-5 years for our so-called smart police to implement one small modern policing project

nder the modernisation of state police forces schemes (MPF), the central government had released an amount of approximately Rs 695 crores over the last 15 years. Assam Police, till date, has utilised an amount of Rs 586.66 crores (almost 84%) of the released amount. According to the DGP Mukesh Sahay, utilisation of the balance 16% is under process. While almost 84% of central funds have already been utilized over the last 15 years, Guwahati ironically still does not have 24/7 CCTV surveillance. G Plus checks the CCTV surveillance scenario and why the long pending project has not been implemented yet. Where was the amount of Rs 695 crores used? What is the budget for CCTV surveillance and by when will it be commissioned? The central money utilisation According to Sahay, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has stopped the allocation of plan fund which is utilised for construction activities under MPF scheme. He said that in strengthening the infrastructure, Assam Police made 214 police stations, 156 outpost buildings, 2,438 quarters, 83 barracks and 325 other buildings in the last 15 years. For mobility 1,788 four-wheelers and 1,983 two-wheelers were procured. In respect of weaponry, Assam Police procured various sophisticated arms, ammunitions, explosives etc. Assam Police has also procured different sophisticated security related equipments in the last 15 years. Various new modern gadgets were procured for forensics and various types of modern communication equipment were procured under MPF schemes. A state-of-the-art cyber crime cell and forensic laboratory was established in the CID. The police claimed that for training purposes, training aids like computers, laptops, projectors etc. were procured. In this scheme computer aided dispatch system (GIS/GPS based dial 100 project) for Guwahati city police control was installed for quick response. The DGP also said that in the MPF scheme there are various projects in the pipeline like

could be extracted during law and order disturbances to find out the cause of any criminal activity occurrence. The source further said that as the company then did not provide the storage facility their bill was not cleared and the company went into financial crisis. The source also said that many cameras and IT racks at the locations were not placed strategically because of which many cameras and IT racks containing technical modules, switch board etc. were spoilt after getting hit by moving vehicles and also due to wind, rain and other natural factors. The company pleaded for clearance of the bill amount but it was blocked and the matter was escalated to the higher level. The project never got commissioned and after the new government came to power, it decided to install and commission the CCTV project. cctv installations in various city locations | SURAJIT SHARMA/G PLUS

installation of 48 solar power plants (1 KW) at rural police stations, installation and commissioning of automation of district special branches (DSBs) and their integration with SB HQ, CID HQ and border HQ, installation and commissioning of instant finger print registration and identity verification system for border organisations, installation of equipment and accessories for modern interrogation room at CID headquarter. Also in the pipeline is the setting up of 7 cyber investigation laboratories at 7 Range Headquarter and video conferencing system for all districts. Moreover, the police is planning to construct many more barracks, quarters and buildings. Besides this, the MHA had also released Rs 59.30 crores to the state government during the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) held at Guwahati with which various sophisticated gadgets and equipments were procured for security and traffic management of the Games which are now distributed to different districts for further use. For modernizing Assam Police, the state government also earmarked an amount of Rs 20 crores in this year’s budget for MOITRI (Mission for Overall Improve-

ment of Thana for Responsive Image), under which construction of 3-storied reception and conference hall with cyber room and work station, women cell, counselling room for drug addicts and juveniles at 51 police stations have already been taken up in this financial year as claimed by the police. All said and done, coming to the city CCTV surveillance, it’s a long pending project and has still not been commissioned. City CCTV project According to highly placed sources in the police, the CCTV project started in 200809 when the idea originated and through proper bidding process a private company got the contract of installing CCTV cameras in the entire city at a budget of Rs 10 crores. The work started in 2013 and at around 90 locations, 280 – 290 CCTV cameras were installed. But the irony remains that the project was never handed over to the police. The source said that there were loopholes in the request for proposal (RFP) and the officers then were not able to read and understand the RFP because of which the CCTV cameras were installed but there was no storage system for the recorded footage which

The present status DGP Mukesh Sahay, talking to G Plus, said that the CCTV work is in progress and according to him the project will be commissioned within one month’s time. He said that only Rs 1 crore has been given to the company out of the Rs 10 crores and the balance will be issued once the project is commissioned. He said that 290 cameras will be installed at 91 locations with all the storage and server facilities. Another police source, talking to G Plus, said that the project which is getting rectified and installed might again have some problems as it is not sure that the CCTV control room will able to extract required footages speedily. He said that the company is using high-end cameras but it is all based on optic fibre mechanism and not wireless which again requires a lot of maintenance. The source also said that the police is not sure if the maintenance clause is there in the contract as once the project is commissioned it will be handed over to Assam Police and the police is brainstorming whether the department will able to maintain it by itself. The police are checking if the project will actually be using the public money or wasting it. What is questionable here is that in an era when everyone

is talking about smart policing and artificial intelligence, Assam Police has required more that 4-5 years to install and implement effective CCTV camera surveillance in a major city of the state which always lives under the threat of extremists and other rebel groups. • Over the last 15 years Assam Police has received Rs 695 crores from the central government; 84% of this has been used for modernisation • Police has constructed many police stations and buildings, procured vehicles, weaponry etc. • Police also claims that they have various projects in the pipeline and the balance 16% will be utilised accordingly • Police also received some funds during South Asian Games with which many equipments etc. were procured; these are now being used by other districts • State government has announced Rs 20 crores for police under MOITRI • •Ironically, after all this, the CCTV installation project for Guwahati has not yet been commissioned • The project started in 2013 and was given to a company which left the work half done as the bills were not cleared • Police sources said the bill was not cleared because there was no footage storage facility in the installed CCTV projects • According to the DGP, at present, the project is almost complete and will be commissioned within one month • The budget of the CCTV camera project is Rs 10 crores out of which only Rs 1 crore has been paid; the balance will be paid once the project is commissioned • The question that remains is why does the police require so many years to complete just one small modernization project rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Concern

Child-marriage still prevalant in Guwahati Kalyan deb

With 6 cases reported this year it is neither financial well-being nor moral policing but embarrassment in society that plays a key role in most of child-marriage cases

hroughout the world, marriage is considered a social institution. It has been established by the human society to control and regulate the sex life of humans. Marriage is the corner stone of a society and apparently a very necessary part of the Indian social system. But it is a social problem as also a crime if it takes place before the person reaches the appropriate and lawful age. While the problem of child-marriage is very complex, one usually associates such events with the rural areas of the country. But what will raise quite a few eyebrows is that several cases have surfaced within urban Guwahati. As per the Child Marriage Act, 2006, while the legal age limit for boys and girls in India is 21 years and 18 years respectively, many areas of the city have witness attempts at child marriages.

spot along with police and rescued the girl. Police detained the girl’s guardians and questioned them while the girl was taken for medical tests and then to Kalyani Nivas - a shelter home for women run by Indian Council for Child Welfare. Moreover, the would-be groom was also found to be a minor at 17 years. However, this was not the only incident of its kind that has taken place within the city. A total of six cases have come to light this year after Childline had intervened

Incidents that came to light Such an incident emerged when a 14 year old was rescued by Childline (Guwahati unit). The girl was rescued by a joint team of Childline and Fatashil Ambari Police from the city’s Dhirenpara area on 26th November last. Childline got a tipoff through a phone call on its toll-free number 1098 and a team immediately rushed to the

in this illegal practice.

ry off their children after learning about their love affairs. The parents feel that such affairs might bring social castigation to the family if the neighbours learn about their children’s love affairs and thus they decide to marry them off. In the first incident registered, it was such that the young male, under the influence of alcohol, harassed the family members of the female on several occasions. Thus the family members came to a conclusion that marrying off the children would resolve the problem. “People indulging in such activities do know about the age restrictions but they are unaware of how child-marriage will affect the children and the family members. At such age the adolescents are not mentally, physically and psychologically prepared for the responsibilities that a marriage brings and are not capable of handling either themselves or the burden that marital responsibilities bring. People should be made aware of such factors,” said Nirmal Deka, Centre co-ordinator, Childline Guwahati. “These marriages are low profile, solemnized in complete

The cause The general idea is that it is lack of awareness primarily that people indulge or attempt such practices and most of the cases take place within the economically weaker section of the society. However, in the cases where Childline has intervened, most of the families are well-off and belong to the middle-class. Neither monetary well-being nor moral policing have played any role in most of the cases. Embarrassment in society has been the key factor. It is learnt that parents of the adolescents try to mar-

Childline

helpline number

1098

Cases registered with Childline in 2016 Date

Childline Case number

Age of the victim

Gender

Address

28th January

623/15-16

16 years

Male

Ujjal Nagar, Dhirenpara

28th January

624/15-16

13 years

Female

Near Champawati High School, Dhirenpara

7th May

118/16-17

16 years

Female

Krishna Nagar, Japorigog

23rd May

164/16-17

14 years

Female

Prabhat Boro Path, Dhirenpara

14th June

210/16-17

14 years

Female

Subhash Gali, Dhirenpara

26th November

505/16-17

14 years

Female

Ratnagiri Path, Dhirenpara

It is pertinent to note that the maximum cases have surfaced in the Dhirenpara locality of the city making the area certainly a cause for worry secrecy and are underreported. Such cases are only brought to light after concerned people inform us but there might be several such unreported incidents taking place in the city. We urge the people to contact us through our toll-free number 1098 if they come across any crime against children,” Deka further added. The urban contrast Guwahati has been galloping towards development. Yet it continues to be stuck in the shackles of social quagmires especially against woman and children. Early marriage is just one of the many social problems that impair the development of the nation in the real sense. It not only affects the persons involved, but also affects the society and the nation as a whole. Child marriage affects both girls and boys and deprives them of their childhood. It also violates many of the basic rights of children. Early marriages are a big threat to the human rights and well-being of children. It denies the young an opportunity to grow and empower themselves. It challenges the basic right of these children to education, health, protection and development. Girls are forced into it a lot more in comparison to their male counterparts and are impacted adversely. Girls from poor households are twice more likely to be married off early than girls from higher income groups. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

City

Trekker ban leaves thousands unemployed in Ghy Juthika Baruah

The trekker association has asked for replacement of the old vehicles with Tata Sumo rather than Tata Magic or Maxima citing reasons of poor service

he ban on 10-15 year old trekkers and city buses have put the owners and workers associated with the business in a dilemma as their only source of livelihood has disappeared. Following an order of Gauhati High Court to replace the age-old trekkers the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) has banned plying of old trekkers and city buses and asked the trekker owners to replace the old vehicles with new Tata Magic and Maxima. This has been opposed by the trekker owners who say that these vehicles will not last even two years. “There were 1,150 trekkers earlier and after the order of the High Court 600 trekkers have been removed from the roads. In the process, the livelihoods 7,000-8,000 people associated with the business directly or indirectly has been threatened,” said President of All Guwahati Share Taxi Coor-

dination Committee, Sadak Ali while speaking to G Plus. Ali said that the RTA and GHC have issued the order without giving any solution for the people who were dependent on the business to survive. “The transport authority has asked us to replace the vehicles with Tata Magic and Maxima but these vehicles will not even last two years given the pathetic service available. The roads of Guwahati are not good and they get flooded during the monsoon. These vehicles will not give any better service. We have asked the authority to give us permits for Tata Sumo,” said Ali. “There is an unemployment scheme of the central government where the unemployed are given a subsidy but the RTA has not given us any subsidy to replace the vehicles. In Delhi, Kerala and other states this scheme is available but in northeast it has not been im-

a trekker stand in guwahati | G PLUS photo

plemented. If they don’t give us the subsidy then they should provide us with permits to ply Tata Sumo instead of Magic and Maxima,” informed Ali. A permit case has also been registered by RTA on 11th July in Gauhati High Court and the permit has also been closed. The permit should be given along with the route name but as the case has been filed it has been put on halt. “The families of the trekker drivers and owners are facing serious problems; they are even unable to pay school fees of their children. It will take another few months to replace the vehicles and till then they will have no earnings,” Ali added. Moreover, general secretary of Guwahati Metro Transport Association, Bipul Ch. Kalita said, “The city buses have al-

ready been replaced and new buses are plying on the roads. There were 100 old city buses when the order was notified but during the one month period all the buses have been replaced. The city buses create chaos on the roads with many accidents occurring due to rash driving. Regulation of city buses, as such, is important. And although the transport authority and the traffic department have defined routes for the city buses to ply on, the buses don’t ply on most of these routes. Replying to it Kalita said, “The routes are prepared without any consultation with the city bus association or the owners. On some routes buses do not run as they don’t get passengers. We are in business and cannot afford losses. We have many

• 600 trekkers removed roads after the High Court order to replace the old trekkers • Trekker owners seek permits for Tata Sumo rather than Tata Magic or Maxima as replacements for their old vehicles • City buses have already been replaced • 7,000-8,000 people associated directly or indirectly with the trekker business have been affected expenses, both operational and domestic. The routes on which trekkers ply, commuters prefer them against buses as the travel consumes lesser time.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Free health check-up camp organised by city hospital

n response to the call of Chairman Dr. C. Pratap Reddy to make Assam an epitome of quality healthcare, the Apollo Hospitals Guwahati organized a free health check-up camp on 9th December 2016 at Sixmile, Guwahati. More than 200 people from the nearby area were provided free health check up, blood sugar tests and distribution of free medicine. A group of specialist doctors from the department of internal medicine, obs and gynaecology, paediatrics examined the cases and advised treatment.

GPlus news

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Buzz

Cotton College Prof allegedly threatens molestation slur on students

Juthika Baruah

kamal saikia bringing on the allegations | G PLUS

he Psychology department of the reputed Cotton College State University (CCSU) has been blamed of appointing faculty illegally, classes not being conducted regularly, Delhi University syllabus being followed rather than its own syllabus and complete anarchy in terms of operations. One of the students of Psychology department, Kamal Saikia, alleged that the department head Dimpy Mahanta never takes her classes seriously and mentally harasses the students threatening that anyone adopting a combative stance against her will be reported to her advocate and media people known to her with allegations of molestation on her. “I took admission in 2016 and it has been almost a year but none of the classes have been conducted properly. If we ask her to take the class she threatens that anyone trying to teach her how to do her job would have to face court cases with charges of molestation on her,” said Kamal. He also alleged that the professor does not demonstrate any discipline and decorum in the classroom; instead of sitting in her chair at her own table she would sit on the desk which is completely disruptive behaviour. “The professor also appointed a guest faculty who does not have proper qualification like M.Phil. or Ph.D. which is necessary for getting an appointment in a college or university. As she has a strong network with some media people, advocates, and police she doesn’t care how she behaves in the classroom. She even harassed many of the staff but no one has the guts to complain

against her with her constant threat that she would lodge complaints against them. Apparently, her husband also has a strong network as he is an IAS officer,” said Saikia. The professor even threatened the students that should someone act in defiance he or he would be compulsorily failed in the examinations. The student said that they have reported the issue to the higher authority which has not taken any steps as Mahanta has apparently “managed” the authority with her influence. The student alleged that the professor has copied the syllabus of the Delhi University. She doesn’t have set timings of conducting classes and compels the students to attend classes at her convenience despite there being a set routine which she never follows. On being asked about the issue, the Registrar of CCSU, Prof. Shikhar Kr. Sarma said that the issue has been looked into and it has been solved. Talking about the illegal appointment, Prof. Sarma said that there has not been any illegal appointment. Guest faculties are never given an appointment letter; rather they are brought on contractual basis. The student demanded that strict action be taken against Mahanta so that classes are conducted smoothly and should matters continue the way they are now, lives of the students will be disrupted to a great extent even as the syllabus will not be covered in due time. CCUS opposes conversion of Cotton College into university The move of the govern-

“If we ask her to take the class she threatens that anyone trying to teach her how to do her job would have to face court cases with charges of molestation on her,” Kamal Saikia, student ment to convert Cotton College into a full-fledged university has been opposed by the students saying that it will completely erase the history of being the best college in the state. Speaking to G Plus, General Secretary of Cotton College Union Society, Jintu Thakuria said that the students will never accept the move as the college has a long historical background which will be no longer valid once it becomes a university. “The college should remain as a constituent body of the Cotton College State University but it cannot be converted into a full-fledged university. It will hamper the students; as all students have a craving to study in Cotton this move would bring a sudden death of the British era college,” said Thakuria. He said that the dignity of the college will be lost and the higher secondary stu-

dents will be affected the most. “This year NAAC has assessed it as the best college and has also offered to introduce the commerce stream and the PG courses and if it turns into a university these courses will not be of any use. The number of students will also be less with the formation of the university as students will opt mainly for Gauhati University rather than the Cotton University,” said Thakuria. The students’ union wrote to state education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and said former Cottonians, current students and ‘conscious citizens’ of the state were against the idea of upgrading the college to a university. It also urged Sarma, a former students’ leader of the college, to intervene in the matter. He added that any upgrade of the college to a university would hurt the aspirations of thousands of students of Assam who aim for a seat in Cotton College. “We are not against the University but merging with Cotton College would harm the century old heritage and brand value of this pioneer educational institution of the state. Cotton College can produce jewels to the society by being an autonomous college,” said Thakuria. CCSU was created via an Act of the Government of Assam (Act XIX of 2011), with

Cotton College as a constituent college of this new university. This Act received the assent of the Honourable Governor of Assam on the 3rd of September 2011, and was notified via the Assam Gazette on 5th September 2011. The vision of this new university is to be a world-class one, excelling in both teaching and research, developing knowledge and skills with an emphasis on this part of the country, providing broad-based education to students to take on the challenges of tomorrow via modern curricula, learning and assessment methods, upholding the highest ethical standards, and providing a clean, efficient and transparent administration. • CCSU student alleges mental harassment of students by professor • Student alleges illegal appointment of teachers • Students demand strict action against the professor • CCUS opposed to the move of converting the college into a university • CCUS writes letter to the state education minister requesting intervention into the matter juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Business

rahul chanda

Timber smuggling still rampant in Guwahati

The current government has abolished the check gates to cut down corruption but smuggling of timber into the city continues

Timber in Guwahati forests

Present timber price in market per cubic feet

ale of timber, according to a timber merchant in the Jyotikuchi area, has gone down due to various reasons. According to him though, some people are still involved in timber smuggling in Guwahati. According to the forest department sources, felling of trees is banned in the state unless it is perpetuated by Nature or due to other reasons like clearing forest areas for government construction etc. Given this, what does the timber market scenario look like? Is there any existence of timber smuggling and if yes what is the modus operandi? Who are involved? What is the present price of timber and what are the different types of timber available in city markets? G Plus looks at the situation. The price According to a timber merchant of Lachit Nagar, there are many varieties of timber available in the city and the rates depend entirely on the quality of each variety. The merchant, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that earlier the rates were competitive and the market was good but recently there has been a slump in sales with the prices strangely going up dramatically. He said that instead of wooden furniture and timber used in construction, people prefer aluminium and steel furniture and steel construction materials. He said that these days all deals are above board and people have to compulsorily have transit passes. Resultantly, all taxes have to be paid and therefore the prices have gone up. Timber variety and prices in Guwahati: The merchant further said that these are the legal prices but anyone procuring illegal timber may be able to provide the same at lower prices with their huge savings in taxes, government royalty etc. He further said that earlier illegal timber business was easy but these days it is tough even though it still continues in some places. On being asked where the timber comes from to Guwahati, he said it is mostly from Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram stressing that it comes both through legal and illegal channels.

Saal – Rs 2250

Teak – Rs 2500 Khokhan – Rs 850

Gamari – Rs 1150 Haldu – Rs 1200

Pine – Rs 300 Bogi Poma – Rs 1250 Ahoi – Rs 1300 Jaam – Rs 850

Lali Poma – Rs 850 Koroi – Rs 1200

Halak – Rs 1150

Lali – Rs 850

Nahar – Rs 850 Seedha – Rs 850

The illegality stastistics

Number of timber smuggling cases registered – 29 (1st June – 31st October 2016) Number of timber vehicle seized - 29 Number of forest product cases registered – 181 (1st June – 31st October 2016) Number of timber merchant licenses cancelled – 3 (2016) A highly placed source in the forest department, talking to G Plus, said that after the new government came to power all the forest check gates have been abolished in the city but there are patrolling parties who keep patrolling and seizing illegal timber. Another source in the forest department said that between 1st June and 31st October 2016, 181 vehicles of smuggled forest products were seized out of which 29 vehicles of timber were seized and confiscated. He said that the forest department has put strict measures in place. All the timber traders are to maintain entry register, dispatch register and stock register. A license is issued to the merchants by forest department which needs renewal every year. The source also said that the department, every now and then, visits the timber mills and tallies the registers and if any discrepancies are found the license can be cancelled or suspended. In 2016, the licens-

es of 3 timer merchants were cancelled in Guwahati. The source informed that the smugglers keep changing the modus operandi and take various routes to enter Guwahati with the Khanapara or the Lokhra routes being mostly used for timber traffic from Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland. He also said that the merchandize in the vehicles are well-covered and they travel during the night mostly or during the wee hours when most of the patrolling parties are changing duty. He said that while the forest department has a network of informants and so, the smugglers are often caught accordingly, he also admitted that the patrolling parties sometimes miss out. He clarified that transit pass and challans are mandatory for everyone who is transporting timber but as the vigil keeps getting stricter, the smugglers keep finding ways of changing their modus operandi. A merchant in Lokhra, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that most of the illegal timber goes to Palasbari where there are many mills. Apparently, the illegal timber smuggling happens with a nexus of high profile people involving the police, forest department officials and the timber mafia. The Lokhra area apparently has a number of timber smugglers who smuggle timber from Guwahati forests.

According to the source most of the city wetlands and forests are encroached and the trees are cut and smuggled.

Approximate wet and forest land status in the city

Total area of wetland – 1447.63 acres Total area of encroached wetland – 138.86 acres Total patta land on the wetland – 4.01 acres Total area of forest land – 76282.55 acres Total area of encroached forest land – 21959.06 acres Total area of patta land in the forest land – Nil Total area of hilly land – 50,958.05 acres Total area of encroached hilly land – 49013.82 acres Total area of patta land in the hilly land – Nil The source said that because of lack of alternative livelihood options, proximity of the city to the Meghalaya border and many other such factors, people indulge a lot in timber smuggling activity in the city forests. The incidents have decreased however. Because of the forest department patrolling in the forest area, the only wooden bridge at the Garbanga reserve forest was burnt by miscreants long back disturbing the communication to areas like Umthana, Jalukpahang, Naharpang, Matang etc. Similarly there were many cases of timber smuggling registered in the last few years. The source said that now the incidents have decreased as the forest areas are always under vigil. The source also said that now the city lacks trees which can produce good quality timber and the cost of

cutting and smuggling is more than the profits accruing from such sales. The source also said that the forest department is allotted a very meagre budget. The vehicles and arms are quite outdated and in bad shape. The smugglers use modern vehicles and arms while the department has to combat the miscreants with the outdated technology. The source said that many a time the forest department, acting on secret information, have to set up ambushes in the forest areas and the department is desperate for modern technology.

All put together, the sale of timber in the city might have decreased because of the price rise but timber smuggling is still prevalent and to combat the same the department requires modern equipment and technology. Prices of timber depend on its quality • The price also depends on the way it is brought in to the city - legally it’s costlier, illegally it’s cheaper • Transit pass is mandatory for anyone transporting timber • Merchants have to mandatorily maintain entry, dispatch and stock registers • In 2016, the forest department cancelled 3 licenses of timber merchants in Guwahati • According to a source smuggled timber is usually delivered to the mills on the outskirts of the city • The sale and demand for timber has gone down drastically • Forest department lack modern equipments, technology and trained manpower to combat smuggling effectively rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Snippets

AJ’s Demonetization Diary Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley addressed the media on Thursday and announced a slew of reforms for people opting to make digital payments and e-transactions, after the completion of one month since the demonetization of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 was announced. • Central Govt. Petroleum PSUs will offer discount at the rate of 0.75% of the sale price to consumers making payment through digital means. 4.5 crores consumers buy petrol and diesel worth Rs. 1,800 crore daily; in one month, digital payments have doubled to 40% • 1 Lakh villages with population less than 10,000 to get 2 PoS machines free of cost, supported through financial inclusion fund.

• Govt. will support RRBs and Cooperative Banks through NABARD to issue “Rupay Kisan Cards” to 4.32 crore Kisan Credit Card holders • Railways to provide a discount of 5% for digital payment of paid services offered through its affiliates. • Insurance cover worth Rs 10 lakhs for those who book railway tickets through digital mode • Insurance bought online from customer portal of public sector companies will get 8% discount for life & 10% for general insurance

G PLUS FEATURE Minister Arun Jaitley

Double inferno singes city buildings

G PLUS news

• Govt to expedite digital switchover; 2 PoS (Point of Sale) machines will be given to villages with 10K population, 1 lakh villages to be selected. • Public sector banks will not charge more than Rs 100 a month as rental for PoS machines, micro ATMs, mobile PoS machines • Railways to give 5% discount on catering, retiring room on payment by digital mode. • Rupay kisan cards to be provided to farmers.

• 1 Lakh villages with population less than 10,000 to get 2 PoS machines free of cost, supported through financial inclusion fund.

• 8% discount for those availing life insurance policy directly through customer portals of public sector insurance companies

• NABARD will give Rupay card to people who have Kisan Credit Card: Finance

• People who pay digitally at toll plazas on national highways to get 10% discount

aftermath of the rehabari inferno | SURAJIT SHARMA/G PLUS

In an unfortunate incident, at least one house, three shops and a printing press were gutted after a fire broke out in the Rehabari area on Wednesday. It took the fire-fighters nearly 25 minutes to douse the flames. According to eye witnesses, property worth Rs 20 lakhs was gutted during the

incident. In yet another incident that occurred on Friday last, fire broke out at East Sarania, where property worth approximately Rs 3 lakhs was gutted. The reason behind both the incidents are yet to be ascertained.

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

In The News

GTA to go for democratic protest after December 15

JUTHIKA BARUAH

The Guwahati Traders’ Association submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demanding withdrawal of the notification hiking labour license fees

file photo of a guwahati market | G PLUS

pposing the move of the state government to increase the registration fees of labour license, the Guwahati Traders’ Association demanded the withdrawal of the proposal within 15th December threatening to undertake a statewide democratic protest by all traders otherwise. The labour license is compulsory for the traders. Before the state elections the Congress government had proposed increase of the labour license renewal fees by 10 times the existing fees. The current government, without having any knowledge of it, has approved the proposal increasing the fees 10 times. The Guwahati Traders’ Association has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, the finance minister, labour minister and deputy commissioner seeking immediate roll

back of the hike. General Secretary of Guwahati Traders’ Association, Prantosh Roy said that the structure of fees for registration, renewal etc. has been abnormally hiked, which will badly affect the economy and business of small and middle class traders specifically. “We seek intervention of the chief minister to review the same to a reasonable level which has to be affordable for the above mentioned traders. Traders have always been shouldering the responsibility of the development of the society. Therefore, it is rather unwarranted that these main resources of development of the society be burdened and further taxed with such a decision that directly affects them,” said Roy. He said that fees like Rs. 100 or Rs. 300 have been hiked to Rs. 1,000 or Rs. 3,000 which is ten times higher.

Roy added, “Under the Shops and Establishment Act, we have to pay fees against labour engaged by the traders. But we have not got any help and co-operation from the labour department over the last 40 years. We have not been offered any social security by the government. Schemes like medical benefit, accident benefits, pension benefit and all other benefits which are prevailing under the Shops and Establishment Act are not entitled to us so far. No such development activities have been seen as yet that have been taken up by the labour department for the benefit of the labour class.” The traders vehemently opposed the hike of fees of registration and other activities of labour department and requested the intervention with the statements for the mutual benefits of the government and

the trading community. “We are ready to have a discussion with the chief minister on these issues if necessary. And if our requirements are not fulfilled we will be left with no other option but to go for agitation against the said notification throughout Assam,” said Roy. There are 50,000 traders in Guwahati and 4,60,000 throughout the state whose lives have been affected with the fee hike. One of the traders who owns a garment shop in Fancy Bazaar said that they have to pay a number of other fees and this latest hike has put them in a difficult situation affecting their zeal to carry on with their businesses. “We have to pay fees for renewal of trade license, income tax, labour fees etc. And during elections and all we have to pay huge amounts to the political parties for which we have to bear the losses. So hiking renewal fees to this extent is not warranted and we demand that it should be withdrawn,” the trader said. The traders are mandatorily issued various licenses like trade license, labour license, sales tax license, income tax license, health license etc. for starting a business. For the renewal of trade license which is issued by Guwahati Municipal Corporation the registration fees is Rs. 1,750 for 80% of the traders. “There are different types of fees for different traders but most of the traders have to pay the renewal of the license once in a financial year - an amount of Rs. 1,750 which was earlier Rs. 1,500. The traders whose capital is more than Rs. 20 lakhs have to pay Rs. 8,650 which was earlier Rs. 7,500,” said Deputy Commissioner, Revenue, GMC, Gautam Das.

• The Guwahati Traders’ Association opposes the state government’s move of hiking the labour license fees • The Association will go for democratic agitation if the notification is not withdrawn within 15th December • There are 50,000 traders in Guwahati and 4,60,000 throughout the state • The labour license fees has been hiked by 10 times the existing fees • The trade license fees is Rs. 1,750 for small traders and Rs. 8,650 for larger companies which have capital of more than Rs. 20 lakhs Moreover, an official of GMC said that there are many traders who have occupied the market and avoid paying fees or taxes but still don’t fail to oppose a fee hike. “Fees need to be paid for the development of their own businesses and it has to be paid once in a year. The traders are mostly non-Assamese and they form their own association and demand certain things which are not legal. They make income in crores but still don’t bother to pay the taxes as they have links with political parties and leaders and through mutual understanding do not pay the required taxes or fees,” the official declared. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

1st Elite Senior Men’s Boxing Nationals in Guwahati G PLUS news

T shiva thapa with the cm and other dignitaries at the inaugural ceremony| G PLUS

he 1st Elite Senior Men’s Nationals organised by newly formed Boxing Federation of India kickstarted in Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium, Sarusajai on Thursday, with more than 300 boxers from across 37 units fighting for the coveted title. The opening ceremony was graced by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and sports minister of Assam, Naba Doley. Alongside were present Jay

Kowli, secretary general, BFI, Debojo Maharshi, chairman organising committee and Shri Hemanta Kr Kalita, organising secretary. Inaugurating the championship, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Boxing has given identity to India at the international level, including Olympics. This tournament is a baby step towards our goal of making Guwahati the sports capital of the country. In the days to come, we will have

many tournaments of such stature.” Speaking at the occasion, Ajay Singh, President, Boxing Federation of India, said, “The northeast region of India has established itself as the emerging powerhouse of sports in the country. We are glad to be hosting the men’s nationals in Guwahati and wish to celebrate the region’s contribution to the development of sports.”

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Do all the 850 city ATMs require 24/7 security guards? Rahul Chanda

After the Supreme Court stayed the Gauhati High Court order for round-the-clock security guards, G Plus explores if the city ATMs are safe enough against break-ins and for transactions

file photo of a guwahati atm | G PLUS

ccording to media reports, the Supreme Court recently stayed the Gauhati High Court’s directive to provide round-the-clock security at all ATMs in Assam after various banks pleaded that it was not feasible for them to post guards at all the booths. The High Court had passed the order on 12th December, 2013 on a petition converted into PIL after it took suo moto cognisance of media reports that a BSNL official was duped of Rs 35,000 at an ATM counter. Its directive included 24-hour security cover at ATMs to ensure that only one customer could enter a booth at a time and functional CCTV cameras at the counters. It had also said that people should enter ATM booths without mufflers, helmets or caps and sought checking of character antecedents of temporary workers. So how is the ATM security scenario in Guwahati? Do the ATMs here require security guards 24/7? What is the state police DGP’s view on the SC order? What kind of ATM crimes does the city witness? G Plus looks into the scenario.

was far more effective than deploying security guards. In Guwahati, SBI itself has 301 ATMs and a police source, who had a meeting with the banks regarding ATM security, said that there are approximately 850 ATMs in Guwahati. A security guard at a Punjab National Bank ATM said that his salary is Rs 9,500 as he works round-the-clock and stays at the ATM itself. He also said that there are security guards outside ATMs who also work in shifts and they are paid Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month. A private bank official, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said the number of ATMs is increasing and maintaining security guards 24/7 is not viable. As, according to media reports, the SC had also issued notices to the state DGP, RBI and the Centre, G Plus decided to talk to the police to find out what kind of crimes the city has witnessed at ATMs and do the ATMs actually require security guards? The crimes

The reason for the stay

Number of ATM crimes registered in last 8 months – 2 failed robbery attempts

The banks, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, argued that engaging security guards round-the-clock at 3,605 ATMs across Assam would cost them approximately Rs. 11.72 crores a month. The individual banks need to have flexibility to decide whether they should keep security guards or not depending on the threat perception and footfall at each ATM. They argued that banks were in the process of providing electronic surveillance system round the clock at ATMs. This mechanism

A highly placed source in the CID talking to G Plus said that there are various types of ATM-related crimes witnessed in the past but the incidents have decreased in 2016. In the last 8 months there were only 2 incidents of attempted robberies at ATMs but both were unsuccessful. One was at Rajgarh Road and the other was at Odalbakra. The source said that when someone loses a wallet, the ATM cards are stolen by the criminal. While the cards are blocked, the criminal hunts for a person who requires

help while withdrawing money at the ATM. As the criminal offers his help and learns the PIN number, he exchanges his stolen card with the person who he helps. Before the card owner can realize the switch, the criminal makes as many transactions as possible in his attempts to empty the account. Time to time, the city police keeps registering bank fraud cases in spite of ATM fraud and these mostly fall under cyber crime category. Even though some gangs in Guwahati and Bongaigaon were busted, the city remains a target for all cyber criminals. The state CID has a cyber laboratory with the help of which cyber criminals are arrested after their activities are tracked. The source said that any cyber crime or cases of bank fraud can only take place if the criminals have the personal information about the bank customer. Senior police officials of the police commissionerate also feel that cyber crimes and especially bank frauds are the new trending crimes which they witness in Guwahati these days. The source said that there are many kinds of bank frauds taking place and also getting resolved. For example, CID received a case from a well known private hospital in Guwahati where the cash payments made by customers were not getting deposited in the bank’s account fully. On investigation, it was found that the front desk people, by creating a different software, were involved in siphoning off some of the money to a different account. The culprits were arrested and some of the siphoned money was also recovered. Similarly there are many types of bank frauds happening in Guwahati and the source again asserted that 90% of bank frauds can be prevented. There are many gangs working together. For example, there are some gangs who target the dormant accounts in the banks and this is mostly done by ex employees of banks who siphon the money from the dormant accounts to a different account. The source said these days there are gangs who take bank details from people at ATMs and then commit bank frauds. DCP (Crime) Louis Aind, talking to G Plus, said that the police have had many meetings with bank officials and have taken many measures for controlling ATM related crimes. He said that the police has asked the banks to

• SC stays Gauhati High Court order of 24/7 security guards outside ATMs • SC sends notices to RBI, state DGP and Centre • Police says they have had many meetings with the banks on taking necessary measures • State DGP says all help will be provided if the banks approach the state police • There are 301 SBI ATMs and altogether approximately 850 ATMs in Guwahati • Many private bank officials say it is not economically viable to have security guards 24/7 at ATMs • Police says there have been only 2 failed ATM robbery attempts in the last 8 months • SBI chief says he has not received the SC order yet; will act accordingly on receipt of the same ensure that all the CCTV cameras are fully functional and while they have in-built cameras in the machines, there should also be external cameras. The police has also asked to deploy security guards wherever possible. He said that in the past, there were incidents reported where the criminals used to lift the entire ATM machine. So the banks have been asked to ensure that the machines are grouted deep into the cement floor. There should also be a warning device in the ATMs so that if anyone tries to break the machine there should be an alarm ringing. He however added that this is yet to be implemented. According to banks, the expense of security guards is not viable but he said they should deploy guards wherever possible. State DGP Mukesh Sahay, after the SC order, said that the banks have to decide whether they want security guards or not and according to the order whenever the banks approach the police the required help will be provided. Meanwhile, CGM of SBI NE Circle, PSVN Murty, talking to G Plus on Friday, said he still has not received the SC order. Once he receives the order the required measures will be taken. Hence, for the time being, security guards outside ATMs are not a mandate but the banks and the police have to address the security of customers’ property. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Buzz

What the

Tweet!? TIME Person of the Year - Donald Trump Shaun King @ShaunKing Just a reminder. Hitler. Stalin. Putin. Trump. Time Person of the Year. Trump actually very much deserves to be in this company. Prince Charles @ ‫ ‏‬Charles_HRH If you’re angry about Donald Trump being @ Time’s Person of the Year, wait until you find out who was elected as the US President. Aparna Nancherla @ ‫ ‏‬aparnapkin 1 One of the rare times Time’s Person of the Year needs quotes around the word Person Hiten Gogri @ ‫ ‏‬hiten_gogri Final ResultsTime’s Person of the Year: Trump Time Pass of the Year : Modi

Ramesh Srivats @rameshsrivats Proud that PM Modi has won the online poll for TIME Person of the Year A bit disappointed that UNESCO has still not declared him the Best PM

W. Kamau Bell @wkamaubell Of course he’s the person of the year. Only person w/ a bigger effect on 2016 is The Grim Reaper & he wouldn’t sit for a picture. Or did he? Christopher Hooton @ChristophHooton Give that art director a raise Broderick Greer ‫‏‬ @BroderickGreer TIME has unfortunately - but unsurprisingly normalized Trump by naming him their Person of the Year.

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Governance

City traffic police cracks down on modified bikes Kalyan deb

• As per section 22 of Motor Vehicles Act, if a person is convicted for a second time for dangerous driving under Section 184, the court can cancel the driving licence. • Section 52 of the Act says that no owner of a vehicle shall so alter the vehicle that the particulars contained in the certificate of registration are no longer accurate. Such alteration can be made only with notice and prior approval of the Regional Transport Officer. • As per section 129 it is mandatory to wear a helmet of ISI standard while riding a motor cycle in public place. Moreover, the traffic department will soon initiate a drive against those who do not buckle the straps in the proper manner.

Most of those who have modified bikes indulge in over-speeding and are found to be teenagers

he city traffic, in a recently launched drive, has cracked down on modified bikes and scooters that create noise pollution and flout other safety norms. These bikes are modified by effecting certain changes in the vehicles. Keeping a tab on the bikers who have modified their bikes the traffic department is taking action against modifications like changing the body of the bike, tampering with the engine and the exhaust silencer, etc. which are illegal as per RTA rules and regulations. The police also called on mechanics and visited several garages across the city and notified them not to indulge in or promote such modifications. Following the drive, the police has tracked down several such bikes and fined the riders. So far, approximately 5 to 6 such cases have been surfacing each day in every police station area. The streets of the city have

a modified bike in guwahati | G PLUS

been flooded with several modified bikes and scooters and most such vehicles can be seen with several parts removed or altered that jeopardize the safety of the riders. Such bikers, in order to make their bikes lighter, fiddle with several parts such as mud-guards, head lights, number-plates, etc. Crackdown on bikes causing noise pollution The modification of the exhaust silencer is another major ground based on which such bikes are being penalised. The prime motive of the drive is to control noise pollution as tampering with exhaust silencers is a major reason of causing such nuisance. Noise pollution and human-created noise are harmful to health and welfare and transportation vehicles are the worst offenders even as motorcycles with modified exhaust silencers produce excessive noise. Noise intensity is measured in decibel units. The decibel scale is logarithmic; each 10-decibel (10db) increase represents a tenfold increase in noise intensity. Human perception of loudness also conforms to a logarithmic scale; a 10-decibel increase is perceived as roughly a doubling of loudness. Meanwhile, Royal Enfield bike owners who have modified its sound status are also in the radar. They are oblivious to the sound disturbance it causes. In the meantime, garages that repair and modify Royal Enfield motorcycles have also been notified against indulging in modification of exhaust silencers. Traffic police are also on the lookout for garages where these bikes are being modified and will take stern action and impose stiff fines against them as well.

Janasanyog 1695/16

Speeding Teens Speeding two-wheelers amidst massive traffic has become a common sight in the city. Teenagers see their driver’s license as proof that they’re grown up. That piece of plastic with their photo symbolizes greater independence and freedom. What they don’t realize is that a license can also expose them to the dangers of speeding. Speeding or going too fast, for the given road conditions, is a major factor causing fatal accidents. Meanwhile, most of the riders identified during the

“Traffic sense is an offshoot of your civic sense and it reflects what we are as human beings,” Amanjeet Kaur, DCP (Traffic) drive have turned out to be teenagers. Performing wheelie in the middle of a road with heavy traffic, breaking traffic norms and not taking safety measures not just elevate the chances of causing fatal crashes but also put the lives of pedestrians and other vehicle drivers at risk. “Any kind of modification used in tampering the function of the vehicle is illegal according to law. There is also a co-relation found during the drive that most of those who have modified bikes are indulging in over-speeding. It is a very bad demonstration to the kids. Moreover, most of those found during the drive are teenagers - below the age of 18 years,” said Amanjeet Kaur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic). “They are mostly in the age group of 14 to 25 years. Indulging in speeding is a major concern for us. We will be taking additional measures to end this nuisance but the prime responsibility is of the parents and the teachers who should educate the students not to indulge in such activities,” the DCP (Traffic) added. Instances of 14 year-olds riding vehicles along with a younger one on the pillion has also come to light. The DCP mentioned that if such instances are taking place then it is the parents in whose name the vehicles are registered. “The onus is on the parents and they should ensure that the youngsters should not be given a vehicle before they are of lawful age. It will be an even bigger fault of the parents if the youngsters meet with accidents. I would urge the parents and teachers to share equal responsibility of teaching them and restrict them from getting involved in such activities. Traffic sense is an offshoot of your civic sense and it reflects what we are as human beings,” Amanjeet Kaur said. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

CIty

MLA slams GMC, police during Ward Talks Locals opine for parking in jail complex until initiation of botanical garden project

gauhati east mla addressing the public at ward talks| surajit sarma | G PLUS

n its continued initiative to provide a platform for the citizens of Guwahati to express their problems and a medium to connect them with the administration, G Plus has been featuring a column called “Ward Watch” since its inception. To further supplement the purpose of the column - which is to initiate some tangible improvements in the city starting with the micro-level of the ward - the media house has been regularly providing a platfor called “Ward Talks” whereby the people of a particular ward and the representatives of the Ward Unnayan Samitee come together onto a common platform along with the authorities from various government departments like GMC, GMDA, Police, etc. for interaction and exchange of ideas. The fourth phase of the initiative was held on 4th December last. The edition witnessed participation of a large audience who expressed their sufferings related to unconstructed roads, water logging and several such issues. However, a major issue surfaced

relating to street vendors as the fourth edition covered the business hubs of Guwahati. Concentrated in Ward No. 9 which includes several commercial areas such as Fancy Bazaar, Athgaon, Chatribari, etc. the discussion forum took place at the Bhagawan Mahavir Udyan located on the Fancy Bazaar riverside. The panel of the forum included Siddhartha Bhattacharya, MLA, Gauhati East, Mrigen Sarania, Mayor, Rajkumar Tiwari, Councillor Ward No. 9, Daya Ram Rajbongshi, Advisor, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Anil Mishra, Superintendent Engineer, Water Supply, Palash Baruah, Zonal Engineer, Division 4, GMC and Jeet Das, Sub-Inspector (Traffic). Several associations such as Friends Club of Fancy Bazar, members of Brihattar Chatribari Unnayan Samiti and others also attended the forum. The event, moderated by the editor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali discussed ways to address several issues related to road conditions, traffic and health concerns among others.

Several cases of dengue have surfaced in the area. Thus the people urged the members in the panel to initiate regular fogging and take necessary measures in order to control the outbreak. “There are several families in the Fancy Bazaar and AT Road area where people are suffering from dengue. Moreover, no initiative for fogging the area has been taken by GMC except on one occasion when the MLA had initiated the process,” mentioned one of the members in the audience. To the same Daya Ram Rajbongshi, Advisor GMC said that the initiative has been taken up by GMC and the issue will be taken up in the right earnest. While addressing the locals of the area the advisor also urged them to maintain cleanliness of their premises, homes and surrounding areas. The people attending the discussion pointed out problems emanating from the condition of the Jail Road where the authorities had ploughed through the road and even made a crater while cleaning the drainage system. It was mentioned that this happened way back during the Durga Puja and has not been addressed to till date. Meanwhile the officials seemed to dodge the ball into each other’s court even as the councillor said that the Zonal Engineer was informed about the issue. The locals also pointed out traffic congestions on SRCB Road where trekkers occupy a fair portion of the road causing major traffic issues. Residents also expressed concern over the traffic alteration where several crossing points of MG Road have been blocked. The locals

kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

mentioned that one has to travel all the way to Bharalumukh in order to take a u-turn which can be troublesome in cases of emergency. Ward Talks highlights • Several cases of dengue have surfaced in the area. The audience urged the members in the panel to initiate fogging and take necessary measures in order to control the disease. Fogging in the area was undertaken by GMC on just one occasion when the MLA had initiated the process. • The people attending the discussion pointed out problems surfacing from the poor condition of the Jail Road. The authorities had ploughed through the road and had even made a crater while cleaning the drainage system. This happened during Durga Puja and the road has not been repaired till date. • Siddhartha Bhattacharya, MLA, Gauhati East, said that the city has been systematically destroyed over the past ten years and a change of policy and mindset is required. The replies of the various departments are indicative of them trying to shy away from their responsibilities. • He also mentioned the requirement of monitoring at the grass-root level by all concerned departments and their officials.

Kalyan deb

• He threw light on the encroachment of drainage systems in several areas. Mentioning about the size of the drain near Himatsingka petrol pump on AT Road, the MLA said that it is not the poor who encroach drains but rather those who are staying in multi-storeyed buildings. • The MLA mentioned about an ongoing syndicate in the Fancy Bazaar area and stated that vendors are being charged huge amounts of money for a particular space to operate in the area. • The MLA further mentioned about vendors doing business in unauthorised areas on SS Road and being charged for the same on a daily basis. • Swapnil Bharali, Editor, G Plus raised the issue of the proposed botanical garden project on the old jail complex in Fancy Bazaar. Several people urged that the jail complex be made accessible for parking until the garden project is initiated. To the same the MLA said that such steps should be taken and the Guwahati Municipal Development Authority (GMDA) has been given directives for the same. GMDA has also been directed to use the spaces underneath the flyovers for parking which can address the city’s parking issues to a large extent. Continued on Pg 14

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Ward Watch

Kalyan Deb

Manipuri Basti: A human corral of heritage and delicacies

WARD NO

Concentrated Area: Manipuri Basti

Ward Number: 14 sub disivion: 14 (b) Councillor: Ashima Bordoloi Phone no: 9435010647 Area sabha member: Naren Medhi Phone no: 9957174605

ssam has been a hub of Manipuri Diaspora and Manipuri Basti, located in the heart of Guwahati, adds vibrancy to its culture. The Manipuri population of Guwahati is mostly a conglomeration of the Manipuri people who migrated to Guwahati from different parts of Assam and Manipur itself. According to a legend, a Manipuri king had married off his daughter to a prince in Assam. The king then ordered several Manipuris to relocate to Assam so that the princess did not feel lonely. However, it so happened that at the instance of Manipur’s king Maharaja Sir Chura Chand Singh’s stay in the city, the British government allotted a plot of 14 bighas between Paltan Bazar and Ulubari on GS Road to settle the Manipuri people who migrated to Guwahati then. Honouring the desire of the Manipuri king to set up a Rajbari there, the Manipuri settlers of that area named the settlement Manipuri Rajbari. This area is now popularly known as Manipuri Basti and has several arterial roads of which the two major roads are AM Road and Bir Tikendrajit Road. Over 500 Manipuri families live here and earnestly follow their age-old

|surajit sharma/G Plus

customs. Every Manipuri home comprises a courtyard where women pray before a Tulsi plant in true Vaishnavite spirit. Girls perform Manipuri songs and dances at religious gatherings. Wearing traditional sarongs, they celebrate important occasions with style and pomp. Today, there is a slice of Manipur in every nook and corner of the city.

The hub of Manipuri cordon bleu If one needed to explain Manipuri food in one word, it would be “healthy” and Manipuri Basti has a stream of eateries that serve such delicacies. The ingredients of Manipuri cuisine are mainly chilli and pepper thus making it devoid of any other form of masalas rendering the food organic and very healthy. They also do not use oil which indeed has a very positive effect on the body. The Manipuris have their food mainly steamed and boiled and not fried. The Manipuri platter mainly consists of rice, vegetables, salad, a curry of fish and meat. The food is definitely tasty with the aroma being more than heavenly. The people here are lovers of both

vegetarian and non vegetarian food. Their Iromba, Sinju and Chareng appeal to a cross-section of taste buds, and going by the demand during peak hours, the thaalis offered are up there among the most sought-after in town. Iromba - a very popular dish in Manipuri cuisine - is prepared by boiling a lot of vegetables along with dried fish. The dish, once readied, is garnished with coriander leaves and Maroi (garlic chives). Manipuris savour green salad or Sinju as a delicacy. Green, raw, leafy vegetables like cabbage and several others are finely shred and garnished with roasted ground dal (besan) to make Sinju. In-season green tender pods of tree beans or Yangchak (Parkia javanica) are also added. That adds to the taste and nutritive value in terms of protein. Many flavour Sinju with Sidal (fermented fish) roasted on fire. Atoiba is another most sought after dish in the Manipuri cuisine. This is a hot pasty fish curry preparation where the delectable fish stew is cooked with boiled potatoes, fresh bay leaves, onion, cumin, chillies and chives. The fish in the stew gradually softens and

all the wonderful flavours mix with the dish. It is like normal fish curry; only in this particular item, the fish is totally mashed and merged into the gravy and cooked with regular spices and enam so that there are no whole pieces. Rajib Singh, who now runs the new-look Geetanjali Hotel situated in the nook opposite Apsara cinema with his elder brother Binod, said, “We were the first Manipuri food specialists in town. Back in 1979, my father Rabindra Singh had set up the hotel serving traditional cuisine. Our clients, at that time, were primarily Manipuris but now there are more non-Manipuris at the tables during the peak hours. We do not use onions in our dal and curries. Instead, we use a leaf called enam. We have adhered to the original recipes and I think our clients appreciate this.” Dhameshwari Devi of Extra Hotel said that these days it is tough to add the original flavour as most of the ingredients are not available in Guwahati’s market. “Many a time we have to bring in ingredients such

as Hidol and Ushoi (bamboo shoots) from Imphal or Dimapur during peak seasons as the process of making such ingredients is different than other cuisines,” Dhameshwari added.

Rajbari Athletic Club Apart from the mouth watering delicacies Manipuri Basti is also a promoter of sports. A leading socio-cultural and sports organisation of Manipuri Basti is the Rajbari Athletic Club which is also a GSA ‘A’ Division Football League playing team. M Mera Singh was the most prominent personality of Manipuri Basti and was elected as a member of the Gauhati Municipal Board on several occasions. Late Basanta Singh of Manipuri Basti was a reputed goalkeeper and a Class–I football referee. Even today, some of the important sports organisers of the city and the state are from Manipuri Basti. Ibusa Singh and Hemanta Singh are two prominent names in this regard. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

|surajit sharma/G Plus

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Trotter

special

How do I know if I’m blocked on WhatsApp? Answered by: Sunil Kumar Gurjar

Officer dies after car plummets into sinkhole Gplus News Gplus News

You can’t know it directly but there is a trick you can use. Follow the steps1. Go to the contact you think blocked you. 2. Click on the three dots on top. 3. Click on pay for *****. 4. If there is an error and it says thank you for trying etc then it means that person has blocked you. If payment options are there then you are not blocked. Thank you. 466.1k Views Upvote587

It’s so dangerous being a bridesmaid in China that some brides are hiring professionals instead Gplus News

police officer in San Antonio, Texas, died after her car fell into a sinkhole on Sunday night. Dora Linda Nishihara, a Bexar County Sheriff Deputy, was off-duty at the time of the fatal crash, according to a post on the Bexar County Sheriff ’s Office Twitter page. Two other people were injured. Nishihara, who had worked as a reserve deputy for seven years, had transitioned into a part-time deputy role at the Bexar County Courthouse, Bexar Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said in a statement. Shortly after 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, Nishihara’s car was headed down Quintana Road when it

crashed into a 12-foot-deep sinkhole, CNN affiliate WOAI reported. Rushing water quickly poured into the car from a sewer main. Soon, the vehicle submerged. By Monday morning, emergency responders shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission, during which emergency workers attempted to pull the vehicles out of the sinkhole. “We suffered a few collapses that widened the sinkhole, and our technical rescue team firefighters were exposed to raw sewage at a fast, flowing rate, as well as very cold water,” said Chief of the Fire Department. (Source: CNN)

Instagram Photographer of 2016 - Ruddy Roye

Gplus News

Photo: Michaela Rehle/Reuters

oncern over traditional wedding practices in China being pushed too far has reached new heights following the death of a bridesmaid in Wenchang, Hainan province in September. It was reported that the 28-year-old was pressured into drinking an excessive amount of alcohol on behalf of the bride. This is far from an isolated instance. From commoners to renowned celebrities, Chinese bridesmaids are vulnerable to verbal harassment as well as physical and sexual abuse. Video footage went viral on the Chinese internet showing groomsmen attempting to dump Liu Yan, a famous Chinese actress, into a swimming pool when she was a bridesmaid at her friend’s wedding. A rising profession Against this backdrop, it has become a huge ask to invite someone to be a bridesmaid, and

many only agree to act as one reluctantly. Consequently, brides are hiring professional bridesmaids. Professional bridesmaids have become a routine option for wedding packages, currently offered by more than 50 wedding-planning firms in China. A professional bridesmaid would be required to act as the make-up artist, to drink alcohol, and to fend off rude guests on behalf of the bride, among many other tasks. Depending on the level of “difficulty” of the services they provide, a professional bridesmaid is paid between 200 yuan (around Rs. 1964) and 800 yuan (around Rs. 7857) per wedding. Many professional bridesmaids work on weekends, in addition to their routine weekday jobs, in order to generate extra income.

(Source: QUARTZ)

or many, Roye has become the photographer most closely associated with that struggle. As a black photographer who has spent the last few years shining a light on the difficulties of other black men, women and children across America, he brings to his work an unwavering determination that can border on activism. In fact, his Instagram profile is clear about his aim: he’s a humanist; an activist; a photographer with a conscience. Yet, when asked how he defines himself, his answer is unexpected: “Honestly? I define myself as a dad,” he tells TIME. “I think being a dad has taught me how

to be empathetic, compassionate. It has taught me a lot more about patience than anything else could have. It has taught me to see the world in dualities.” This vision of the world, of the people who surround him, is what sets Roye’s Instagram account apart and landed him the title of TIME’s Instagram Photographer of 2016. His feed, populated with more than 4,000 portraits, tells the stories of people in all of their glory, in all of their afflictions. You can check out his Instagram handle at @ruddyroye for some amazing photos of an artist, humanist and activist. (Source: TIME)

City

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Continued from Pg 11

MLA slams GMC, police during Ward Talks

“The city has been systematically destroyed in the past ten years and there is a necessity of changing policies. It has come to notice from their replies that the departments are trying to shy away from their responsibilities. The departments have lost their mooring. Such issues require monitoring at the grass root level,” said Siddhartha Bhattacharya, MLA, Gauhati East constituency while addressing the public. He also threw light on encroachment of drainage systems in several areas. Mentioning about the size of the drain near Himatsingka petrol pump on AT Road, the MLA said that it is not the poor who encroach drains but rather those who are staying in multi-storeyed buildings. The MLA said that roads are not meant only for the “red-light brigade” but equally for everyone. “The alterations made in traffic are only favourable to the rich but the people of the area have to equally participate in controlling the traffic. Congestions are caused

mayor mrigen sarania at ward talks| surajit sarma | G PLUS

since those doing business in the area park the trucks by the road side and it is they who bribe the police that results in traffic congestion,” said Bhattacharya. Several areas of the ward suffer from the issue of encroachment at various levels - from street vendors to those

mahavir jain at ward talks| surajit sarma | G PLUS

residing in the area. Advisor to GMC, Daya Ram Rajbiongshi mentioned that over 7,000 street vendors have been indentified from all over Guwahati of which a major chunk plies its business in the Fancy Bazaar area and according to the Street Vendors’ Act as per Supreme Court norms only

those provided with identity cards will be allowed to run businesses in the city. Rajbongshi also urged the public that in case of any problems the people should also come up with ideas and solutions. The department is accessible through a 24-hour toll free number 8811007000 through which any complaints

can be made and the same will be addressed within 48 hours. MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya also mentioned about an ongoing syndicate in the Fancy Bazaar area and stated that vendors are being charged huge amounts of money for a particular space to expedite business in the area. Those doing business in unauthorised areas on the SS Road are charged money on a daily basis and the same also causes traffic congestion. The issue of parking also surfaced during the discussion wherein the moderator raised the issue of the botanical garden project in the old jail complex. Several people urged that the jail complex be made accessible for parking until the project is initiated. To the same the MLA said that such steps should be taken and Guwahati Municipal Development Authority (GMDA) has been given a directive to the effect. GMDA has also been directed to use spaces underneath the flyovers for parking which can address the problem to a large extent. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Events

Mr and Mrs Anurag Singh, with a friend (L)

Guwahati gets its latest club

From (L-R) Shayesta Kibriya, Jasmine Kibriya, Monmi Das, Amlandeep Das and Ghulam Kibriya

Club Brooklyn was launched and opened to public in Dona Planet mall on Friday. At a private party hosted for patrons on Thursday night, the gathering saw the Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who of Guwahati descending at the club for an evening of fun and entertainment. Lemdi Lewis, Peemand & Ana Paul Mukhtia

(L-R) Saahil Das, Meghna & Aditya Kakoty

Amlandeep Das and Hriday Das

Saturday Night at TerraMayaa MOSS with Vedant and Jawed

Ladies Night at NYX, Hotel Palacio on Wednesday

Thunder Wheelz at Veterinary Field, Khanapara. This two day moto-cross fest saw participants from all over Assam. Dirt, track and adrenaline - the perfect combination for a great show!

Axom Motors, the first 3S luxury car dealership is open in Guwahati; with the whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of Guwahati visiting the grand launch including Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

G Talk

E D I T O R I A L Tearing the magenta shroud

t has been a long month with a lot happening – the world over. A month ago, Castro was alive and so was Jayalalitha. In our field of journalism, the revered figure of Cho Ramaswamy was good enough to be perhaps even writing the last of his pieces. The most important things alive though were of course our very own ‘greenbacks’ and ‘orangebacks’ and how lively our currency felt then. The distress and harassment faced by one and all in the name of killing the black and counterfeit currency is almost akin to a big sacrifice of happiness that needs to be adequately compensated by the government - more so because of the remorselessness and irreverence with which the government has chosen to push its citizens through the gargantuan money withdrawing drill. That people are miffed there is no doubt but with the government positioning itself as a cruel watchdog that can bite hard and deep at the very prospect of dissent which it seeks to garb as anti-nationalism is perhaps what is keeping everyone mum. What electoral gains that the seasoned saffron brigade is eyeing from this whole public discomfort are beyond my politically untrained mind. But the government’s bad planning, frequent change of mind with regard to banking rules and hopelessly inadequate preparation are real and will keep this bad memory alive for a long time. The word of caution from my side, and this is something any politically unaffected journalist will do, is that the government better start delivering now - and as fast as possible simply because funds is no longer an issue. I sincerely pray

and hope that they plan the India turnaround better and not bungle up with the sweeping attitude of complacency that seems to be setting in. The national poll promises of “inclusive growth” and “the last man standing” and the local promises of “poriborton” are being kindly reminded with this piece, lest they are already forgotten. The tangible deliverables are of course the roads, the electricity, the water and all other deliverables that a government is supposed to deliver. The intangible ones will be those campaigns and earnest attempts to change the Indian mindset where it comes to respecting the nation that the Indian lives in. The campaign that will be effective enough to make the Fancy Bazar street vendor realize the value of not littering his surroundings will be as important as the campaign that will foster non-corrupt practices among the utterly high, mighty and easily corruptible public servant. The bank coffers today are full and money sitting tight is as bad as money being lent to the likes of flamboyant businessmen who harbour mala fide intentions. Say, the King “fisher” for example who has managed to what well-heeled Indians do best. Yo government! The pressure is on you now and it is serious pressure. Allow us to invest and enjoy our hard-earned money freely again while you channelize the “black” deposits back into the economy. That will make us tear apart this magenta shroud we are in currently. Swapnil Bharali Editor

Driving home the point

ndia has dealt with economic shocks in the past and has emerged somewhat victorious. Both Subbarao and Raghuram Rajan dealt with calamities that were amplified by global economic disruptions and our economic setup absorbed the shockwaves. However, the current scenario is that of a domestic policy. The past month has only seen announcements being made haphazardly and there is yet to be a proper guidance set for it which is compounded by the lack of transparency around the RBI. I sometimes wonder how well this “recommendation” was deliberated before this step was taken and if Rajan ‘left’ because he chose to not play possum while the country struggled through this. Did the government not predict the withdrawal of investments in the market and the downward slump that will follow? We understand that there was a need to keep this ‘hush hush’, but a shoddy implementation of the entire plan is what concerns me. “Leaving UP elections aside”, the implementation of the GST was already on the cards which was meant to improve the taxation scenario and yet, the government rushed into this decision; we understand you can’t ignore the upcoming UP elections. Following this, the exchange of old notes continue to be unclear as to how long this money will continue to flood the system. Quoting Rajiv Malik, “One wonders why anyone in future should believe RBI’s promise to pay the bearer of its fiat currency when any government can decide— for whatever reason—to make some denomination of its currency illegal, and that automatically absolves the central bank of its promise to pay the bearer.” And what about policy credibility? Despite the assurance that the income disclosure scheme earlier this year would be the last one, what the Government is doing feels like an RCT, waiting for anything to work in their favour. There is an entire grey area around the undisclosed currency too. Is that going to be RBI’s profit? What the government should’ve known is that modern-day money isn’t born illegitimate and not all cash is black or tax evaded. The unfavourable tax climate has given room for tax evasion and black money and that should have been the point of government policies. Despite this exercise, the government will rely on the books created by tax officials, CAs which trust me, is highly misreported and ‘uncredible’ (because saying “in-credible” would be wrong). SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

Reducing increasing conflicts and saving Assam’s Biodiversity

“

The deer and the rhinos lurking on the national highway are either killed by fast moving vehicles or by some unknown individuals especially during the night time.” “The lush green surroundings on both sides of the highway are disappearing rather rapidly and we can only descry the large illegal migrant settlements.” If you are wondering what these lines within quotes are, let me reveal that these are actually a few excerpts that came out when I confabulated with a few locals residing near the Kaziranga area. And this makes me write about this unhealthy scenario that has arisen between humans and nature causing a major imbalance in the proper functioning of the ecosystem and the environment. In the last 5 years or so, if we carefully ponder about the various burning topics that have created a great deal of hue and cry in Assam, the unanticipated appearances of wild animals especially tigers and leopards in offices, streets, etc. - in daylight probably occupies a spot among the top 5 and this scenario is rather common in the state’s busiest city, i.e., Guwahati. But then, these sudden visuals of wild animals roaming freely in the daytime and being captured on camera definitely puts a question mark on people’s ethical behaviour towards wildlife conservation and protection of reserved forests. However, when we start focussing our attention towards saving the endangered tigers and leopards of Assam, we realise that we are facing a sorry plight because it’s not only the big cats that come into regular conflicts with humans and so, are decreasing in number (the recent news of Jorhat where a tiger was mercilessly killed by a bevy of individuals, when it came near them) but also that other animals are not protected either because of the citizens’ irresponsible attitude

Opinion

Bishaldeep Kakati

and behaviour towards these wild organisms. Two recent pieces of news definitely drew me this conclusion. Firstly, the incident that occurred in September last when two elephants collided with a train and were found dead near the Assam- Nagaland border showed that our railway lines and tracks are still not constructed keeping in view the passage of wild animals and hence, this further reminded me of the railway track near Deepor Beel bird sanctuary where high chances of such situations occurring again in the near future also remains. The second piece of news however is from just a few days back, when an elephant fell into a pit at the site of Patanjali Mega Herbal and Food Park of Ghoramari near Tezpur, resulting in its death. The pit was dug in an area which is understood to be the passage corridor of elephant herds. Though there are numerous incidents of humanelephant conflicts in Assam from yesteryears, these two incidents have silently reiterated that the citizens have not learnt from their mistakes but are simply worsening the situation to say the least. Nevertheless, the question that lingers is why such dicey scenarios occur so frequently in Assam. The answer to this question in practical terms is quite simple. When we talk of wild animals, we need to have sufficient forest areas where these animals can reside and continue with their lifestyle. But unfortunately the volume of forest areas in the state have been decreasing quite rapidly and therefore the animals are bound to come into contact with people in villages and urban areas in search of food mainly. And of course it’s the people who are to be blamed in this regard, as they have recklessly cleared most of the forest areas to fulfil their never ending greed or to bring about socalled urbanization in almost the

entire state. However the need of the hour, especially for the locals of Assam, is to try their best to save the famed biodiversity of the state. In this aspect, the burgess of the state can definitely take inspiring examples from its neighbouring country Bhutan. In Bhutan, people take conservation of forest and wildlife as their primary duty as a result of which over 80% of Bhutan’s land is under forest cover of which 51% is protected forest. In fact, the constitution of Bhutan mandates that 60% of Bhutan’s land must always be under forest cover. Furthermore, they also have a reforestation programme that supplements their conservation efforts. And in this way, they have maintained a healthy forest area cover resulting in peaceful existence of wild animals and this has directly reduced the number of human-animal conflicts in that country. So the conservation saga of Bhutan is something that dwellers of Assam must follow. But with the coming of the new government in Assam, we hopefully do perceive that the government is trying its best to not only increase the forest areas and reduce the human-animal conflicts but also has been very prompt to take strict actions against individuals who are involved in poaching or illegal acts of export of precious timber by clearing those reserved forests which is quite relevant. The government has also encouraged people to plant more trees and has also taken a number of forestation programmes. But ultimately, it’s the people of the city as well as the state who have to be cooperative and knowledgeable enough to sacrifice some of their selfish interest and help the government to once again redeem the lush greenery of Assam and thus help in bridging the gap and the conflicts between the not so-social beings and the wild creatures.

Letter to the Editor Parking at the Nehru stadium complex

Sir,

I am a resident of Lal Ganesh and my workplace is at B Baruah Road. As there is always a parking problem in the B baruah Road, all these days I used to park my car within the Nehru Stadium complex. But since the last few days I am not being allowed to park there as the security guards say that senior officials of the stadium have banned parking of outside vehicles there. As you know that parking sapce on B Baruah Road is minimal, the road always stays jam-packed with traffic. Failure to find parking space meant that I had to go all the way to the Paltan Bazar parking lot and park my car which is a huge inconvenience. What I fail to understand is why can’t the sprawling stadium complex which is a government property, be open for parking of public vehicles? Why cannot the authorities of the police and sports departments coordinate this small thing and make life convenient for the citizens? Or is the passing the buck game so deeply enthrenched in their blood that they just cannot be bothered about the people whose taxes allow them their salaries? I request G Plus to please raise the issue with the stadium and police authorities so that the facility can be revived and the convenience allowed to citizens. Ratan Sinha Via email

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

In Focus

Meet

Idul Ahmed Will playing the National Anthem mandatorily in cinema halls instil a sense of patriotism?

UPSC Topper in IES

The Supreme Court, in a recent judgement, asked all cinema halls to play the national anthem prior to the film being screened “for the love of the motherland.” G Plus asked its readers to comment on the supposed imposing nature of the verdict as also other factors related to the wordings of the Anthem Ankita Choudhury Patriotism is something that comes from within. It cannot be forced on the citizens. Although, being a citizen of this country, I feel proud whenever I get the opportunity to sing Jana Gana Mana. It can, if not wholly, imbibe a sense of patriotism to a section of people. Anirudha Bhakat Ch: I have serious reservations on this issue. It will give us a feel of patriotism or not is an “out of syllabus” question. How much respect are we showing to the National Anthem and the Tricolor by making it compulsory for “every” theatre to play it and show it on screen? Note that there are many theatres that play B-Grade Hindi films and even porn. So, is it really cool to play the Anthem in such a theatre? Chaynn Psykia Saikia No. Patriotism and love for country should be inculcated, not force fed like this. Moreover, I feel that playing the National Anthem at events or places which holds no national interest is actually an insult to the Anthem.

Jenny Sarma No way. It is not something that is to be imposed on someone. It should come from within. And I think to some extent we all have that. The best example is cricket where you can see hardcore patriots; even in some movies like Border, Loc, BMB etc. Anyone who wants to respect will be respectful anyways. He or she doesn’t need goaded, coaxed or forced. Swagata Baishya I don’t know but what’s wrong in trying? I support this. And the best patriotic feeling comes during the flag up and flag down in Wagah. Oh that’s when you feel proud to be Indian the most. And of course when India won the world cup in 2011!

Rajib Das It is probably to create solidarity and harmony amongst all cast and creed at every opportunity. Maybe the same will be introduced in other congregations.

Shantanu Thakur The scene was very different in the years following Independence. Cinema halls were the only place to watch films. Playing the National Anthem in the halls in those years when the nation was young was understandable. Things have changed. India is a mature, full grown nation now. For most people, there are many other ways in which to watch a movie. This order to display patriotism inside cinema halls is rather like sending a postgraduate to a nursery all over again. Even children hate schools when forced to learn things that lack spontaneity. The confines of the cinema halls are hardly the right places to foster patriotism. The film or the movie itself can be a far better catalyst. Jyotishman Das I go to cinema halls to watch movies for entertainment only. I am not bothered about National Anthem. That is not my priority while going for movies.

Manabendra Saharia The names in the anthem don’t refer to places of today or to British provinces, but to kingdoms and regions of yesteryears (Dravida, Utkala were not British India provinces). Bongo, Dravida, Utkala, Punjab, Sindh etc. were etches of historical India in Tagore’s mind. And in that paradigm, it should be Kamrupa as the easternmost marker of the country or historical Oxom (Assam) of today under Ahom kingdom. Neither Kamrupa nor Oxom were under Bongo at any point of time. The sole reason of omission of Kamrupa/Ahom Empire’s is Tagore’s ill-informed knowledge about Assam. Unlike most of the mentioned regions, Assam has been an independent kingdom for more than a thousand years and didn’t capitulate to the Delhi Sultanate. If the Anthem is supposed to instil comprehensive national pride, I don’t know how does excluding the easternmost kingdom of northeast help. So, the Anthem definitely fails to capture the border as we know it and comes from a narrow understanding of India. This was pretty common when the anthem was written and even now. I respect the anthem, but it would be great if GOI modifies it with a constitutional amendment.

ith his schooling done from Don Bosco School, Guwahati in 2007 and HS from Cotton College, 2009 Idul Ahmed has topped the UPSC examination for IES this year and harbours aims to contribute a lot to the society. Idul has cracked the UPSC in mechanical ground with AI 1 rank. “I completed my B.Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. After the completion of my B.Tech. I got an offer from Oil India Limited and was posted in the pipeline department in Guwahati. The nature of the job was good and the pay was also indeed more than excellent but I was just not satisfied with the job. I harboured intentions of doing something for the society,” said Idul in a conversation with G Plus. He could not bring himself to reckon that he would get opportunities to serve people by being associated with a job and so, decided to quit after one year of service. He wanted to be a responsible citizen and leaving the job in September 2015 started earnest preparations for Indian Engineering Service (IES). “My main motive was the Civil Services examination but I appeared for engineering services as a back up and started preparing from September after I quit from my job. From September I studied till May, 2016 which is a period of around 8 months. I did not move to Delhi for coaching and prepared on my own. As my mechanical background has remained strong I did not go for coaching and believed that I could crack the exam myself. I knew the syllabus thoroughly and one needs to know what needs to be studied in order to crack the competitive examination,” said Idul. He reiterated that one should have a concrete idea of what needs to be prepared and while one cannot be a master of each and every subject, one should have the basic knowledge of all the subjects. “When I left my job I had made up my mind that I need to crack the examination as serving the nation has been my desire, my dream. I was consistent in my studies and never skipped a day, which is very important.

One needs to study daily and should remain up to date with all the knowledge,” Idul said. Idul expected to be placed high on the ranking list but did not think that he would top the examination. There were many personal challenges which he went through during this course of time but still he was consistent enough to prepare for the examination. He said that time is a crucial factor and one should not waste a single minute while focussing exclusively on the preparation. “I stay with my uncle and aunt and they had this belief in me that if I had left my job I was surely contemplating something which would be much better for me. They provided me unstinted support all through my preparation time,” said Ahmed. Idul’s future plan is to crack the civil service examination next year for which he will move to Delhi for preparation as he doesn’t have enough knowledge about the course which is necessary for cracking the examination. He will join the Railways in June or July and will attempt the civil services examinations twice. “If I don’t crack the exam in the second attempt I will continue with my job with the Railways. The results of the engineering services examination 2016 have been released in two stages. In the first stage, the results for candidates who had qualified the written phase were released. The qualified candidates had appeared for the interview and personality test and Idul was not fully prepared for the interview due to some personal reasons. The interview apparently went average. In the second phase, the final results of all the phases were declared. The final results were prepared on the basis of the candidates’ performance in the written test and interview/personality test and although his interview was average he was hopeful of being placed quite high on the ranking list but not being the topper. The final result of Engineering Services Examination 2016 was announced on November 29. Idul Ahmed had topped the list.

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA Why being niche is a nice thing! Aroma therapy in Vaastu D rectification W rawing or painting is a free and individualistic thing. Though we talk of methods and approaches to drawing, eventually every artist does a unique thing on the canvas. Where is the moment when method meets madness (a.k.a. creative freedom) and an artistic expression is achieved? I have seen many artists going through the prescribed routes but often getting lost in trying to imitate the great artists. We get very involved trying to paint like Van Gogh or Monet or Ravi Verma. But the simplest thing is – every artist has an individual style and the more we try to exploit this the better it is for us. The biggest achievement for an artist is to have a niche style which defines him - a niche where people recognise someone for his or her style of work where the artist is himself at his creative best. Ten years ago when I started painting seriously, I too began my art journey in a similar way. I got inspired by various artists and wanted to paint like each one of them. I spent a lot of time trying to do water colours. Then figuratives. I realised that whenever I really wanted to unleash myself, I would go back to drawing flowers. I also learnt quickly that water colours is not my niche. My strokes were hard and bold. My style was raw and unplanned versus the planned vision and delicate strokes required for water colours. A time came when I did only flowers and with thick layers of oil. I know now that I am not a great painter but – “am a painter who paints florals with thick paint and a palette knife.” I suddenly struck home.

henever we come across a nice and pleasant fragrance, it gives us a nice feeling. Aroma can be used to heal the body and the mind. This is a modern therapy which can bring about positive changes in Vaastu surroundings. Essential oils of plants and flowers are extracted for this use. It is almost common for all the religions to burn incense sticks or aromatic latex for purifying the environment. In India, we use earthen lamps with oil or ghee for the same purpose.

I was defined. I got my niche. Over the last few years there is no count of how many flower paintings I have done. It is the most exhilarating experience for me. The last thing I care about is whose work it resembles. This particular work here is titled ‘Amber.’ It was commissioned by a dear friend, who is a talented violinist. It now hangs in her drawing room, amidst many more beauties. A floral painting is not as benign as it looks. There is a lot of background work which goes behind it. This painting was painted from an arrangement of fresh flowers bought from the local florist. I had to wait a few weeks to get the colours of my choice and tried out a few arrangements before deciding to have a careless look about it. It is part of a series of roses called the Colour Series. Do buy a box of colours and try painting some flowers. If it doesn’t lift your senses, let me know! Kasturi Borkotoki Palette knife artist Human Resources Professional http://kasturiscanvas.blogspot.com/

These essential oil or essences are very highly concentrated substances extracted from various parts of aromatic plants and trees. They are usually obtained by steam distillation. Unlike ordinary vegetable oils, plant essences are highly volatile and will evaporate if left in open air. In the north-eastern part of India, Agar oil is extracted from the Agar tree infected by a typical virus which is very popular in the Middle East countries. Various essentials oils can be used in different parts of the house as per its Vaastu requirements. 1) Geranium, rose and lavender are used in the drawing room. 2) Lemon, Lang-Lang oil and jasmine are best in the bedroom. 3) Use basil, rosemary in the office and study room. 4) Sandal wood, lavender and rose essences are very good in the northeast. 5) Use lemon, orange, eucalyptus in the east. 6) Peppermint and cedar wood should

be used at southeast. 7) Juniper and Lang-Lang are suitable at southwest. 8) Use basil oil at north 9) Use lemon oil at northwest.

The following particular essential oils can be used for specific purposes and areas: 1.Use cedar wood oil if there is a seepage problem in the house. 2. Mix a few drops of sandal wood oil and salt in water and then clean the floor. It will mop the negative energy from the house. 3. Lavender oil increases the spirituality in a person. It should be kept in the cen tre of the house. 4. A mixture of cinnamon oil and camphor has cleansing properties. 5. Basil oil can be kept in a drawer in the house or office to prevent stagnation of energy.

recipe of the week SLOW COOKED MUTTON WITH CURRY LEAVES Winter is setting in and what better way to welcome this lovely season than to cook and serve this recipe. Call a few friends, raise a glass or two and welcome the cosy cold season. Happy cooking and happy eating!

process

Ingredients

(a) Take 500 gms of mutton and marinade it with two table spoons of vinegar, salt and one table spoon each of red chillies and garam masala powder. Refrigerate for a day. (b) Take a thick bottom wok and add two table spoons of mustard oil. Heat it well and add two chopped onions, garlic and ginger chopped as per requirement. On low flame cook them till the onion changes colour. (c) Add a small bowl of curry leaves, add a few skinned whole baby potatoes in the mix. Add one tea spoon each of haldi powder, red chilli powder, and whole garam masala in the mix. Add the mutton too. TIP: You can cut down on the red chilli powder. (d) Sauté the mix in high flame for around three minutes and then in low flame for five to seven minutes. When the colour of the mutton turns dark, add enough water to submerge the ingredients. (e) Lower the flame to minimum and cover the wok. Let the whole stuff cook for around thirty to forty minutes adding a little bit of water at regular intervals if required. (It depends on how soft your mutton is) (f) Once the mutton is cooked well and the potatoes soften, increase the flame to high and cook it tossing it well so that the masala doesn’t stick in the bottom till it’s absolutely dry. To be had with hot rotis.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

500 gms mutton 2 table spoon vinegar Salt 1 table spoon garam masala 1 table spoon red chillies 2 table spoon of mustard oil, 2 chopped onions, garlic and ginger Curry leaves Skinned whole baby potatoes 1 tea spoon haldi powder 1 tea spoon red chilli powder 1 tea spoon whole garam masala

KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Lifestyle THE LIFE BAKERY - by Madhur Jain

WORLD’S TOP 10 FITNESS TRENDS

humility is a personal benchmark

Now in its eleventh year, the survey was completed by more than thousands of health and fitness professionals worldwide. 42 potential trends were given as choices and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.

ody weight training, high-intensity interval raining (HIIT) and educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals also remained highly ranked on the survey. “These trends reflect continued strong consumer interest in strength training and functional fitness.” But to keep it short we will discuss in brief about the top 10 fitness trends for 2017. 1. Wearable Technology: Includes activity trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devices. 2. Body Weight Training: It uses minimal equipment making it more affordable. Not limited to just push-ups and pull-ups, this trend allows people to get “back to the basics” with fitness. 3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT involves short bursts of activity followed by a short period of rest or recovery. These exercise programs are usually performed in less than 30 minutes.

4. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals: Given the large number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the recognized organizations. 5. Strength Training: Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete exercise program for all physical activity levels and genders. (The other essential components are aerobic exercise and flexibility) 6. Group Training: Group exercise instructors teach, lead and motivate individuals though intentionally designed group exercise classes. Group programs are designed to be motivational and effective for people at different fitness levels with instructors using leadership techniques that help individuals in their classes achieve fitness goals.

7. Exercise is Medicine: Exercise is medicine is a global health initiative that is focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity when designing treatment plans for patients and referring their patients to exercise professionals. 8. Yoga: Based on ancient tradition, Yoga utilizes a series of specific bodily postures practiced for health and relaxation. This includes Power Yoga, Yogalates, Bikram, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Kripalu, Anurara, Kundalini, Sivananda and others. 9. Personal Training: More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that they are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them. 10. Exercise and weight loss: In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control of their clients. The remaining 10 fitness trends are as follows though we will not discuss in detail to keep the article less complicated. TRAIN SMART AND STAY UPDATED. Source: acsm.org BIBHU MONI SINGHA,

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

e have one life and we cannot afford not to be humble. Being humble is important because it is too easy to become proud, arrogant and take for granted the blessings around us every day. We can all be a little prideful at times. When we have devoted a lot of time to a certain thing it can be quite easy to believe that we know everything about that particular thing and it can be very difficult to hear another person’s point of view. This is natural. It just shows that you take pride in the amount of effort that you’ve put into something and have developed a certain sense of confidence in this area. You should always be careful though that you don’t become overconfident because this overconfidence will create a barrier that won’t allow you to learn new things. If you believe that you know everything about everything or something, then there’s nothing else that you can learn and this is of course not true. Try to always maintain a certain sense of humility so that you are able to contemplate new ideas from different angles and are therefore always able to expand intellectually and in all areas. Being humble is the best way to retain a compassionate

Hair loss treatment with Ginger

air loss is an awkward condition at times in this fashion oriented era as it

might change the person’s look. People worldwide are spending so much on cosmetic and artifi-

cial ways to regenerate hair. Hair loss can be traumatic for people who experience this. This can be a beauty related concern for both men and women. I would suggest you to go for a natural way. We can start it very simple with the kitchen ingredient called ginger. Yes, ginger! So, is ginger really effective in hair loss? Ginger is an anti-bacterial ingredient that is also high in nutrients. Ginger is acidic in nature and contains loads of antioxidant. It is anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory too. This nature of ginger helps in preventing hair loss and re-growth of hair. Furthermore, this also helps in curbing the scalp infections like dandruff, itching, etc. Ginger improves the rate of scalp blood circulation. The rise

heart. No one is below me - I am not in the least way better than anyone else. Don’t take negativity personally; see through a person’s hard shell and try to minister to their broken spirit. One who is humble is more apt to be thankful for things. To appreciate instead of expect. A prideful person keeps looking for more and is never satisfied. And I’m not talking necessarily about tangible items but rather things like kindness, thoughtful gestures and an effort to reach that person half way - pride will blind a person into thinking that they are simply getting their due. Countless books and self-help gurus are dedicated to trying to teach us how to be a better person and the importance of being humble. To do this, they encourage you to practice self-awareness, inner attention, and better self-esteem. But there’s one aspect of this that you must never forget: being a better person should never let you think that you’re better than other people. Your only benchmark is yourself. Madhur Jain

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

Cool Couture

of blood flow to the scalp boosts hair growth rate to the peak point. This is due to the fact that blood actively flows to the scalp and provides nutrients to the hair follicle that is responsible for hair growth and adequate supply of oxygen to the follicles. Ginger is also used against hair thinning, premature grey hair and dandruff since ginger root contains essential fatty acids that helps to re-grow your hair to the old times and fights most plaguing scalp disorders being faced by individuals today. You should note that directly rubbing ginger on your head is not recommended and not applicable since male hair loss is caused by the effects of a chemical by-product produced by your body known as DHT. This DHT

rate cannot be minimized by direct dubbing; rather it needs a series of steps for the preparation of ginger root. To prepare this ginger for hair loss treatment, start grating a ginger root by evenly mixing it with sesame, olive or jojoba oil. Note that you shouldn’t use directly after you mix but wait for at least 10 minutes. After that, add lemon juice to the mixture and mix it thoroughly. Then rub the mixture on your scalp, smoothly massage in a circular motion and leave it on for 30-35 minutes. After half an hour, rinse off using hair soup or shampoo your hair. Sonika Ajmera Fashion Blogger

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Reviews Cast: Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor Director: Aditya Chopra

ditya Chopra’s fourth feature as a director -- Befikre is a hot and sexy film.Despite its thin plot (what plot, a journalist friend asked me after the film’s premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival), the film holds its attention with the good looking stars, their energy, songs, dances and many lovely day and night scenes in Paris. Chopra’s film reminds us that a well-shot Bollywood romantic film can be so entertaining even when it does not necessarily offer anything new.Befikre opens with a string of kisses. As the credits appear on the screen, we see several characters on the streets of Paris -- young, old and of different colours, kissing as Labon Ka Karobaar plays in the background.It is a sweet, romantic and very happy look at Paris. One loses the count of the kisses, just as it is impossible to say how many times the film’s

vie Mo view Re

leads -- Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor -- lock lips through the film.Singh and Kapoor kiss with full abandonment in Befikre, again and again, and it is sexy, fun and absolutely okay.The film is a signal of how far India, Bollywood and the censor board (despite the strange conservative mood the current board often reflects) have come from the days when Hindi films would show flowers and bees to suggest romance, or physical contact between the male and female leads. But the sexy tones of the film do not stop there. The first scene has Singh’s Dharam breaking up with his live-in girl friend. And as he angrily throws her out of his apartment Dharam struts around only in a short black boxer brief. Also I do not know how much the censor board has cut from the film (we clearly saw the uncensored version of the film in Dubai), but Singh will go down

in history of Indian cinema as the first actor to pose completely naked from the back. It is a very brief shot, but I doubt if Chopra used a body double.Kapoor’s fans should not be disappointed. The actress shows enough skin through the film, often taking her top off and showing her bra. She especially looks positively hot shaking her hips and dancing to the song Nashe Si Chad Gayi. And she and Singh are equally attractive dancing on the streets of Paris to the song Ude Dil Befikre. Kapoor and Singh are natural dancers and even in many of the film’s choreographed sequences they move their bodies with a lot of ease. And their tango-ish dance scene towards the end of the film simmers with a lot of sexual tension.With all of this sexually charged energy it hardly matters that Befikre attempts to follow a story line.

branch’s free-spirited manager who inherited the position from his departed dad, decides that holiday cheer is the way to go. Josh (Jason Bateman) worries that the employees are more concerned about their bonuses, and is chiefly worried about winning over the business of Walter Davis (Courtney B. Vance), a high-end client whose contract could save the branch from Clay’s vindictive sister Carol (Jennifer Aniston in full Horrible Bosses mode). When their cut-rate presentation fails to win the veteran buyer over, they take a different approach: “Walter…do you party?” And Walter, well, he used to. And will again. Plot is secondary to a film like this, as Office Christmas Party blitzes through the introductions in order to get to the drunken, high-concept stuff: Olivia Munn

as a chief technical officer who spars playfully with Josh, Karan Soni as an IT director who hires a prostitute to bring as his guest to the party, Vanessa Bayer and Randall Park as a single couple meeting cute in the office, and a host of other familiar comic faces as other office types. Again, hardly the point. Carol demands that the party be cancelled, and informs Clay that the branch will be shut down if they don’t land Walter’s business, and so an unreasonably (and later, dangerously) wild holiday party is born. Office Christmas Party will be exactly what many will want: it’s of the season, it’s relentlessly bawdy (if it stops short of doing anything that feels genuinely transgressive), and it’s a showcase for talented comedians doing what they can to make an impression in the often limited time they get.

ALBUM:

t is hard to say whether it was always a game of chess, but if it were, Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, had the game plan all along. How does one go from being known as a comedian, a writer on 30 Rock, and an actor on Community to a multifaceted star in the truest sense? Take a hiatus from comedy to focus on music, appear in legitimate dramas, write a hit TV show about music, and then drop an album with relatively little rapping, instead showing flashes of Prince in the year of his death. It’s hard to tell whether the man who went on multiple late-night talk

PVR Cinemas

Galleria Cinemas

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 Befikre 12:50 PM 03:20 PM 05:50 PM 08:45 PM

GOLD Cinema ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

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Platform: Playstation 4 u Yo ULD O H S play

shows to tell the world his name was Dong Lover wanted to be taken seriously, but “Awaken, My Love!” proves he deserves to be. All of the album is dipped in the chocolate of ’70s funk and soul, but virtually half of it can be chalked up to Funkadelic directly: “Have Some Love” echoes the acoustic guitar and melodic chanting of “Can You Get To That,” and while “The Night Me And Your Mama Met” isn’t as close of a direct ode to “Maggot Brain” as Mike Watt’s outright cover or John Frusciante’s total rip-off, it’s hard not to hear Eddie Hazel’s late-night heartbreak in the guitar. (The story goes

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

Kahaani 2 03:15 PM 09:05 PM Moana 10:30 PM Dear Zindagi 12:20 AM 03:35 PM 09:00 PM Bahniman 06:30 PM Befikre 12:50 PM 03:40 PM 06:30 PM 09:20 PM

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Game:Sky Force Anniversary

“Awaken, My Love!” By: Childish Gambino

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009

Cast: JENNIFER ANISTON, JASON BATEMAN, T.J. MILLER, KATE MCKINNON, OLIVIA MUNN Director: JOSH GORDON, WILL SPECK he Christmas movie tends to be a low-risk, high-reward enterprise. At worst, you make your budget back from audiences looking to revel in the holiday spirit. At best, you manage to make one of those rare holiday movies that speaks to the collective consciousness and becomes timeless. Office Christmas Party, a film seemingly assembled by way of scrolling through “#millennialsbelike” feeds with Project X playing somewhere in the background, will not enter into the canon of classic films watched for years to come while nestled around a fire. But as filthy, hedonistic comedies with stacked rosters of talented comedians go, it has its moments. Zenotek, a tech company that was presumably founded in the mid-‘90s, is experiencing a bad year. Clay (T.J. Miller), the

Anuradha Cineplex

that George Clinton gave the Funkadelic guitarist some acid and told him to “play like your mama just died”; Gambino’s song title choices do not appear to be coincidental.) Kool And The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie,” speeds it up, and twists it around. While its shouts are reminiscent of Clinton’s deep-fried funk acting on “March To The Witch’s Castle,” the riffs sound like “Cosmic Slop,” and the ass-busting groove of synth bass is the most dance-worthy thing to come out of Atlanta since Outkast’s “Dracula’s Wedding.”

GOLD Cinema

s far as the core gameplay, it’s the same thing we have seen from countless other games. Lone ship, moving through the enemy lines, taking down small enemies that move fast, or huge hulking ships that need specific parts to be blown away before finally succumbing to the hail of bullets players throw at them. I do think games in the genre have been going more toward bullet hell style where there is just so many bullets on screen that it’s hard to see what’s going on. Sky Force feels a bit more scaled back in that sense, and focuses more on patterns and movement of enemies. It’s not to say players won’t

experience bullets flying in their faces, but it feels a bit more methodical and not all over the place. It’s also nice that each level has four bonus goals to complete, such as rescuing people or killing the majority of enemies. Upon doing so a harder version of the levels unlock. It gives the game an even better replay value, as not only can players strive for those goals, but unlocking the more difficult levels takes it up a notch. The shooter-em-ep genre is one .Playing Sky Force Anniversary edition seemed like a no brainer for review.

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

Kahaani 2 11:30 AM 08:30 PM Befikre 11:00 AM 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM Bahniman 02:30 Prem Ki Bujhini 05:30 PM

GOLD Cinema

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

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Entertainment

Bahniman - Glossy, fast paced and stylish

t would not be wrong to say that as a mainstream commercial cinema, Bahniman is one of the few bilingual films to be made in Assamese. Biswajeet Bora, the director, story and screenplay writer of the film, started his career on the editing tables and moved on to assist Jahnu Barua, a filmmaker who needs no introduction. His path to direction began with his first movie Ejak Junaakir Jilmil, which gained critical recognition in many international film festivals the world over. Much later, in the year 2015, he made his first Hindi movie, Aisa Yeh Jahan. Talking about Bahniman, he says the movie happened without prior notice. He wanted to make an Assamese movie which would be totally commercial with the right dose of action, drama, giggles and thrills; a movie that would be visually appealing to all sections of the masses. The story unfolds with a plot of land being the prized booty. Viewers would feel the movie deals with land

grabbing issues. But as it progresses, the spectators are pleasantly delighted to realize that there is a cat and mouse chase going on between the four central characters of the movie. The gangster, his confidant and a lady cop are all chasing the main protagonist. On asking him if there were reasons to make the film bilingual, he says, Guwahati is now no longer a small town with a handful of people. The city has become cosmopolitan and is a diverse cluster with people from cross sections of society. The target audience was not confined to just one section of the viewers. The four central characters – Bahadur, Kanu Sharma, Preeti and Bikram, played by Jatin Bora, Yashpal Sharma, Rimi Hazarika and Ravi Janghu respectively, are introduced neatly one at a time as the story develops and progresses. Bikram, the protagonist, is the calm and sober character. His underplay is a fair deal to the boisterous and energetic characters of the other three leads, toning it down evenly.

Nandini Raybaruah

The film has its lighter moments in the form of dialogues. The characters do not try and attempt too hard to be funny. The humor is situational and is etched out by the characters effortlessly. Arun Hazarika, as the assistant cop, is definitely the show stopper when it comes to comic timings and he blends in smoothly without

interrupting the flow of the story. While speaking to the director, I asked him why he had brought in or better outsource the DoP (Titu Jena), action director (Koushal-Moshes) and the editor (Suresh Pai). And he aptly replied that he wanted to make a movie which would stand at par with movies

made nationally. He also added he gave a free hand to his entire team to improvise during the making of the film. All he was looking for was to bring newness to the Assamese film industry. And he has lived up to his words. The movie is glossy, fast paced and has been stylishly made. nandini.raybaruah@gmail.com

‘Haanduk’ selected for SA New Assamese International Film Festival film ‘Tumi Mok Faki Dila’ Gplus News

EOS 5D Mark-III. The film has been edited by Jaicheng Jai Dohutia and Diganta Bora. The sound has been designed by Debajit Gayan and the film’s executive producers are Srikumar Dohutia and Irawoti Dohutia. Earlier in the year, the movie was selected for Film Bazaar, Goa along with nineteen other movies in different languages. The Film Bazaar is organized annually along with the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at the Goa Marriott Resort.

aanduk – The Hidden Corner has been officially selected for the Rapid Lion 2017, the South African International Film festival. The festival will be held at Johannesburg. The Assamese movie industry has been a platform for new talent and brilliant ideas over the past year. The film has been directed and produced by Jaicheng Jai Dohutia. ‘Haanduk’ is a

Moran word for an unused place or the dark corner of a house. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Bandoi Chetia, Bishal Anuraag, Nivedita Baruah and Jitu Moran among others. The film has been shot around Tongana Maag Gaon, Tinsukia, Digboi, Margherita and Ledo by Chida Bora with a Cannon

Synopsis: Heramoni, the mother of an untraced extremist performed the last rites of her son Mukti and receives intimation that the outfit cannot confirm his death. Along with this, Biplob, a surrendered rebel from the outfit, is unable to mingle with the other surrendered rebels. He struggles to find his place in the society and has his own problems of existence. These two issues make up the main theme of ‘Haanduk.’

Kalyan Kumar Kalita

new full-length Assamese film titled ‘Tumi Mok Faki Dila,’ directed by Hadif Ahmed and produced by Dhiraj Hira, under the banner of HD Production, is currently being filmed in various beautiful locations of Assam and northeast. The film’s story, script and dialogues have been penned by the director Hadif Ahmed. ‘Tumi Mok Faki Dila’ is a romantic film which will definitely enthrall the heart of audiences including the youth. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Nayan Nirban Baruah, Gunjan Bhardwaj, Kalpana Kalita, Jayanta Das, Arun

Nath, Podmaraag Goswami, Mayukh Sarma, Saju Ahmed, Birinchi Dutta, Kabita Devi Saikia and Alismita among others. The music for the film is by Nandita Deka. The film’s songs have been penned by Hadif Ahmed and Abhay Deka and rendered by Zubeen Garg and Nandita Deka. The cinematography has been done by Mumbai-based cinematographer Mahesh Rajan and the actiondirector is Binud Kumbang of ‘Mary Kom’ movie fame. The film’s still photographer is Pranjal Pratim; make-up is by Biswa. According to the producer, the movie will hit the theatres next year.

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Citypedia Horoscope of the week

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.

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. You all might splurge both travel and outings to spend the weekend blissfully. This is a lucky time to earn extra money.

People in job will have a certain sense of dissatisfaction and look for new opportunities elsewhere. Just remain patient as things will improve soon. Curb your desire to spend recklessly or your budget may go haywire. A friend of yours may come forward to seek your help. Friends will be supportive and helpful this week. Your health might require your attention during the first half of the week. Better take care of your diet as well as routine. Talking idealistically, blend your good deeds with personal pleasure that you wish and want.

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. Just achieve more through your routine job or business.

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. The loan that was being tried to obtain will get disbursed this week. Health wise, it is a week of disorders concerning eye infection or dental problems.

Libra

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. Co-ventures with your friends can lead to profit. Health may pose some problems during this week.

Capricorn

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.

Leo

Scorpio

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.

Aquarius

Be strong when facing difficulties and do not depend too much on others. If you want to take risks at your work place then you must stay aware of the risks. Your spouse may demand your attention. Family gatherings and celebrations will also take up lots of your time. Money will come in from recently accomplished deals. There could be several mental dilemmas that keep you troubled. Those engaged in service should be extra careful as there are chances of the stress taking a toll on their married life too. Weekend will fire up your passion between you and your romantic partner.

Virgo

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last week solution

Cancer

Sudoku

Gemini

Taurus

Aries

Sagittarius

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.

Pisces

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. Career wise, you seem to be making progress.Atmosphere at work place will be normal and without much change.

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.

Days

Events

Dec 10th to Dec 16th

Kipsta Football Tournament KIPSTA FOOTBALL SatTOURNAMENT Dec 10 2016 at 10:00 am Venue: Azara, Sat | Decathlon Dec 10 | 10:00 amGuwahati Registrations: 9008787096 Venue: Decathlon, Azara

Nyx Club Nyts Sanjay Dutta 17 Dec 2016 7 PM onwards Saturday Venue: Hotel Palacio

Rock4Life2016-Music for a Cause Sat Dec 10 2016 at 06:00 pm Venue: Underdoggs Sports Bar,

The Northeast India Designer,s Weekend -2016 (Season2) Fri Dec 16 2016 at 06:00 pm to Sun Dec 18 2016 at 10:00 pm Venue: Shilpagram

Karaoke Nyts 15th Dec 7 p.m. onwards, Thursday Venue:Hotel Palacio

Mr. & Miss India North East Models Audition (Online Auditions) Sat Dec 10 2016 at 10:30 am to Sat Dec 24 2016 at 10:30 am WhatsApp. : 8218001929 / 7906386841 / 7011491243

Blackwings at Crossroads Guwahati Sat Dec 10 2016 at 08:00 pm Venue: Cheers Crossroads, Ganeshguri,

MojoJojo Live at Terra Mayaa, 10th Dec, GenNext Sat Dec 10 2016 at 07:00 pm Venue: Terra Mayaa

G PLUS DEC 10 - DEC 16, 2016

Catching Up