Vole 5 Issue 32 by G Plus

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018 @guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

Inside

Volume 05 | Issue 32 Jun 02 - Jun 08, 2018 Price `10

Walking zone fails to attract recurrent visitors PG 04

PG 09

Blackmailing slur against four-term ATTA secretary

File photo of Tridib Duvarah

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

he newly formed body of the Assam Table Tennis Association (ATTA), and especially its secretary Tridib Duvarah, has earned for itself a rather bad name after holding an allegedly “rigged” annual general meeting (AGM) that prompted Duvarah to reach out to the parent body, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI),

as part of his “damage control exercise.” According to insiders in the Oil India Limited (OIL), Duvarah, who became an employee of the organization through its sports quota by virtue of having been a proficient table tennis player, has collected “positive recommendations” from other serving employees employed through the same quota to prove his credibility to the TTFI.

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On-ground complexities render a Bangladeshi-free NRC impossible G Plus presents a detailed report of the on-ground complexities in detection and identification of declared foreigners which just might result in an error-filled National Register of Citizens

he complete and exhaustive National Register of Citizens (NRC) is expected to be published on 30th June 2018. The question to brainstorm over: how genuine will it be? The NRC secretariat located in Bhangagarh, Guwahati is working round-the-

Health department issues advisory against Nipah virus

clock to prepare an error-free NRC and many government officials across the state are backing the secretariat. And yet, the name of a declared foreigner (Ali Ahmed) was listed in the first draft of the

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City registers just 3 rank holders in AHSEC exams 2018 PG 11

90% VHP, Bajrang Dal members resign in Assam; to

campaign against Modi in 2019 Rahul Chanda

In a remarkable development that is set to have massive political ramifications, 13,900 out of 14,000 Bajrang Dal cadres across Assam have resigned. Further , 380 out of 400 active Vishwa Hindu Parishad members in Guwahati have also resigned. They are set to join a new Hindu organization that is being floated by former VHP president, Pravin Togadia. Continued ON page » 5

Lead Story

SNIPPETS CM Sonowal flags off 28 new fire tending vehicles

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on 31st May, flagged off the 28 fire tending vehicles of Fire & Emergency Services to be deployed at various fire stations of the state at a programme held at the Regional Training Centre of Fire & Emergency Services Department at Sila, North Guwahati. Notably, out of the 28 fire tending vehicles, one is an educational van, one is a mini rescue tender, seven are mini water tender pumps and nineteen are water tender pumps. On the occasion Sonowal said, “Fire & Emergency Services Department is the friend in need of the public and this department has been saving the people of the state from loss of lives and property during emergency situations.” n

Zubeen Garg receives ‘Hero to Animals Award’

ssamese singer Zubeen Garg has been honoured by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for raising his voice against animal sacrifice. According to reports, while performing at a function recently near the Kamakhya Temple, he expressed his anguish over animal sacrifice and said that the practice must end. “For this act of compassion, he receives the ‘Hero to Animals Award’,” said PETA India Associate Director of Celebrity and Public Relations, Sachin Bangera. “We commend Zubeen for being a voice for animals and calling for an end to animal sacrifices,” Bangera added. Last year, following various efforts by PETA India and People for Animals, the municipal council of Kullu issued an executive order against performing animal sacrifices. n

Assam police receives SMART Policing award

ssam Police, on 30th May Wednesday, was awarded with SMART Policing Award in FICCI auditorium, at a function held in New Delhi. n

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Blackmailing slur against... Continued from page » 1 “But the recommendations were garnered through blackmailing,” the insider, who is also a sports quota employee in a different sport, told G Plus. “I’ve been witness to one such incident in which he had asked a table tennis player to write good things about him and make unrealistic claims of his contributions to develop the sport of table tennis in the state through the association (ATTA). He threatened that if the employee did not heed to his demands, Duvarah will have him transferred to Mumbai,” the insider further added. Earlier this week, Duvarah had gone to the TTFI office with a “fat file” of recommendations from fellow members of the association, employees of OIL and one from the Chairman & Managing Director of OIL, Utpal Bora, after G Plus, in its May 5-11 edition, reported anomalies conducted by him in the ATTA. On April 29, ATTA had formed its new committee during the AGM at a city hotel using police force in which the district associations of Nagaon, Nazira, North Lakhimpur and Silchar were not allowed to participate citing “non-submission of nomination letters on time.” The excluded associations thereafter filed a memorandum of “no confidence” to the chief minister of Assam and the TTFI alleging several discrepancies in

The newly elected office bearers and committee of the ATTA | G Plus Photo the accounts and the functioning of the association. On being contacted earlier, the TTFI general secretary MP Singh, had said that the federation was “closely monitoring” the developments and will intervene when necessary. After Duvarah’s visit, Singh told this reporter that just recommendations will not earn Duvarah a clean chit. “A few rules had been broken while constituting the new body of ATTA and we will have to look into the reason behind those discrepancies. A man cannot be a general secretary for more than three consecutive terms no matter how favourable he is to the members. The association should be beyond favouritism,” Singh said. It may be mentioned here that Duvarah has remained the

secretary of ATTA for four terms since 2009 and has been elected again in the recently concluded AGM even though he is not even eligible to file nomination for this post. Meanwhile, Pranabananda Das, the representative from District Sports Association (DSA), Silchar, who was thrown out of the AGM meeting on April 29, levelled allegations against Duvarah of siphoning off OIL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to ATTA. “Most of the sports associations are suffering from dearth of money. Even Assam Cricket Association is under huge debt and so is the scenario with most other sports’ associations which are suffering from dearth of funds due to lack of aid from the government. But ATTA has the luxury to hold meetings at

luxurious hotels and arrange for 3-star accommodations whenever any of the association members travel with the players. This is because of the OIL CSR funds that the association receives through Duvarah,” Das told G Plus. It may be mentioned that Duvarah is one of the members of the OIL’s committee that provides CSR funds; the committee includes the managing director as well. According to an insider at OIL, for the last six months, Duvarah has been holding on to a cheque amounting to Rs 3 lakhs provided by OIL to the association. Duvarah, however could not be contacted. G Plus tried to personally meet, call him and reach him through text messages. But despite several attempts, Duvarah chose to be evasive. n

Holding district tournaments without district associations

n order to hold district sports tournaments, a state association needs to involve the respective district associations. But such is not the case with the Assam Table Tennis Association (ATTA) which does not have any affiliated district associations. In the chain of affiliations, the International Table Tennis Federation stands at the top with which all the country associations, in this case, the Table Tennis Federation of India, has to be affiliated. All the state associations, in this case ATTA, need to be affiliated under TTFI and all the district associations need to be affiliated with the state associations, in this case, ATTA. “Barring a few, ATTA does not have associations that are dedicated to the sport affiliated with it. Most are either clubs or district sports’ associations

that look after other sporting disciplines besides table tennis. Constituting a state body without any district association may

Barring a few, ATTA does not have associations that are dedicated to the sport affiliated with it. Most are either clubs or district sports’ associations that look after other sporting disciplines besides table tennis” Kaushik Kumar Phukan, former table tennis player

put serious questions on the credibility of the association as sports clubs, being non-affiliated entities, may have vested interests,” said Kaushik Kumar Phukan, a former table tennis player and representative from Nagaon Table Tennis Association who was disqualified in the April AGM. Lack of district associations also hampers the overall development of the sport at the grassroots level, Phukan said. “Besides holding sports events, another function of the district associations is to nurture, impart training, identify young talents and promote them to perform on bigger platforms. While clubs are mostly confined to earning profits, general district associations manage several other sports and hence, fail to concentrate on players of one particular sport. The district associations

also build an environment of competition. The district champions have to win at the state level competitions and then get to represent the state in national competitions and thereafter, hold a fighting chance to be included in the Indian team for international matches. Without district associations working at the grassroots level, such talents from poor backgrounds fail to get those opportunities,” Phukan added. For the time being however, a former table tennis player alleged that everything is run by “managing” the ATTA members. “I am aware of (secretary Tridib) Duvarah taking favours - monetary and otherwise - from the parents of several players in return for providing opportunities to play in national competitions from the state,” the former player, under condition of anonymity, said. n

Lead Story

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

On-ground complexities render a... Continued from page » 1 NRC published on 31st December 2017. The NRC authorities blamed the border police for not providing adequate data about the persons who were termed “declared foreigners” by the foreigners’ tribunals. The Gauhati High Court had observed that there appeared to be a lack of coordination between the different agencies that are engaged in helping the state coordinator for NRC, Prateek Hajela, in identifying “illegal foreigners” residing in Assam. There is also a question being raised that out of around 93,000 declared foreigners only 914 are in detention camps; so where are the rest of them? How many attempts of the missing foreigners to appear in the NRC list have been foiled by the NRC authorities? Prateek Hajela, talking to G Plus said, “As of now 4,288 people have been identified and their names will not appear in the NRC.” Talking about other declared foreigners who are missing, Hajela said, “We are looking for all of them.” He informed that the moment the NRC authorities get to know that an applicant is a declared foreigner his name will be struck off. He said that 93,000 is a very old figure and it is even not known whether some or all these are dead or alive. The issue is that there are many people with the same name besides their fathers’ names being alike. Hajela raised the issue that there is no biometric information available of the declared foreigners and such data were not preserved by the security agencies. Hajela is still confident that an error-free NRC will be published

and the declared foreigners will not be listed in the NRC. However, along with all these issues, there are also issues related to the foreigners’ tribunals in the state. It is observed that foreigners’ tribunals delayed in sending notices to the suspected foreigners in the state. According to one case which is being tried in the Gauhati High Court, a “reference” (which means the border police registering a case against a suspected foreigner) was made in 1991 under Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act against one Chandra Mohan Das (from Dhemaji), but no notices were issued till the IMDT Act was declared unconstitutional in 2005. In 2005 all IMDT cases got registered in the foreigners’ tribunals. The superintendent of police (Dhemaji) made a fresh reference after the IMDT cases got transferred to the foreigners’ tribunal and then the tribunal registered a case.

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in In 2016, a written statement was filed by Das before the tribunal using some documents to prove his citizenship. Among his documents as proof of his Indian

4,288

Identified declared foreigners will not appear in the NRC

NRC field level officers verifying documents as part of NRC updating process | G Plus Photo citizenship, he filed a linkage certificate dated 21/11/2016 issued by the secretary of Mukhtiar Gaon Panchayat. It suffices to observe that this linkage document was produced and procured after 25 years of inception of the case. Later, the Gauhati High Court observed that the petitioner had failed to discharge his burden under Section 9 of the Foreigners’ Act, 1946 to establish his linkage with an Indian parent, relatable to a period prior to 25th March 1971, which is the cut-off date for identification of foreigners in the state of Assam as per section 6-A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, as amended. The court dismissed the writ petition of the petitioner, Chandra Mohan Das. This is one such case where the foreigners’ tribunal acted very late on a reference made by the

border police and the declared foreigner managed to procure a linkage certificate after 25 years of him being suspected as a foreigner. There are hundreds of such cases where the tribunals have failed to act on the references made by police. Standing Counsel for NRC, Anita Verma said, “All the cases filed in the Gauhati High Court relating to declared foreigners are decided on merit and the records of the foreigners’ tribunal, and whatever the decision, it is communicated to the superintendent of police (border), Election Commission of India and NRC authorities.” These are cases where petitioners are approaching the court but there might be many such cases which need to be highlighted. She also said that during the

Over 188 persons declared citizens sans opinion in 2 FTs

he authenticity of the proceedings of the foreigners’ tribunals in Assam is questionable as, in a bizarre case, the Gauhati High Court has registered a suo moto case against a foreigners’ tribunal which declared 188 persons as not foreigners without offering any opinion. An opinion is the reasoning provided by a member or a judge of the foreigners’ tribunal justifying the reasons of declaring or not declaring a reference to be a foreigner. The writ petition was regis-

tered suo moto on the basis of a letter written by the member-incharge of foreigners’ tribunal (FT) number 4, Nagaon, to the principal secretary to the government of Assam, home & political department. According to the letter, the earlier member of the FT-4, Nagaon at Juria had disposed off 188 references (complaints by border police) by declaring the proceedees as not foreigners. Though it was noted that detailed orders were recorded on separate sheets but on going through the case re-

cords, it was found that no opinion in separate sheets was rendered in those 188 references. The letter further disclosed that the same member also functioned as member, FT-5, Nagaon at Dhing and had shown 30 references as disposed by declaring the proceedees as not foreigners. However, no opinion in separate sheets was found in the case record of those 30 cases as well. The court ordered the principal secretary to the government of Assam to seize the case records of those 188 and 30 references re-

spectively and to place the orders before the court. The suo moto petition was registered in January 2018. In a similar case, another suo moto case was registered after it was known that the Member, FT2, Nalbari had disposed off 8 references declaring the proceedees as not foreigners but the opinions do not carry the signature of the member. On the other hand, certified copies of these unsigned opinions have been obtained by the respective proceedees. In the same FT, 22 case references were shown

course of hearings it is found that once a foreigner is served a notice of the tribunal, he does a vanishing act and only after an exparte order is passed against him, he re- surfaces and approaches the High Court. She expressed that had the border police kept the complete data of the foreigners at the time of reference, there would have been little scope for him to vanish. There has to be a mechanism to keep a tab on the suspected foreigners. The whole exercise of detecting and proving a suspect to be a foreigner is not only cumbersome but takes a lot of patience and time of many agencies. In such a scenario, can a completely Bangladeshi-free NRC list be published by 30th June 2018? n

as disposed off by the member by declaring the proceedees as not foreigners but the opinions are not available in the case records. In the same FT, 20 references were shown as disposed by declaring the proceedees as not foreigners. The records reveal that while disposing off the references, the concerned member had stated that detailed order would follow but detailed orders are not available in the case records. With these suo moto cases the proceedings of only two FTs are being questioned because the present members of these two FTs had written to the government. What about the other FTs? There are around 100 FTs in Assam, according to the border police. This incident has also raised questions if the members or the judges of foreigners’ tribunal could be bribed. A source in the border police said, “Corruption exists in the tribunals.” n

City

SNIPPETS Two arrested by anti-smuggling unit of Customs Division, Guwahati

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Walking zone fails to attract recurrent visitors Vanshika Sharma & Rajat Sen

n a sudden tip-off, the antismuggling unit of Guwahati Customs Division arrested two persons near Ganeshguri, Guwahati with narcotics worth Rs 1,64,45,000. The Customs Division arrested Mala Narengbam, 52 years of age from Nagampal, Imphal West and Mayanglambam Arun Singh, 39 years of age from Tokyel Khongbal, Imphal West with the seized drugs. The seized drugs were morphine weighting 470 gms with a valuation of Rs 4,70,000, seven packets of heroin weighing 85 gms with a valuation Rs 2,55,000 and 15,720 numbers of metamphitamine valued at Rs 1,57,20,000. n

Students of Lalit Chandra Bharali College fail to find their names in HS result list

s many as 69 students of Lalit Chandra Bharali College, who appeared for HS Examination 2018, failed to find their names in the results announced earlier on Thursday. Out of 37 candidates who appeared for the repeaters examination, only 9 candidates’ names could be found in the results list. Students and parents have blamed AHSEC for the major goofup. The college has not given any statement on the matter yet, and no new date for the results of the students has been announced. n

survey was conducted by G Plus in which 100 people were asked for their opinion on the Walking Zone project. 100 respondents were randomly selected from a cross section of people comprising regular commuters of the area, residents across Guwahati and the owners of the business establishments in and around the area. The findings reveal that the walking zone has failed to attract recurrent visitors. The declining rate of recurring footfall in the walking zone was identified as 24 percent of the people surveyed who had never visited the walking zone on a Sunday earlier. 26 percent had visited the zone 1-5 times, 6 percent had visited 5-10 times, around 10 percent had visited more than 10 times and approximately 34 percent had visited the stretch of road only once before. Moreover, the people had similar opinion on the impact of the project on the riverfront beautification of the city. 42 percent people are of the opinion that the walking zone serves little purpose in this regard whereas 38 percent of the people believe that it addresses the issue and the remaining 20 percent are unsure of whether it has served any purpose to it at all. Despite much hype created while launching the Walking Zone project in October 2017, in which the stretch of MG Road from Bharalumukh to Sukleshwar Temple was dedicated to pedestrians every Sunday (from 4pm to 10 pm), the move in the last few months has managed to woo only half of the initial footfall. While 50 percent expressed their satisfaction over the move, 38 percent expressed dissatisfaction and the remaining 12 percent

The walking zone at MG road | G Plus Photo chose to wait and see its impact. The survey, which aimed at providing an insight into the activities and people participation on Sundays, was done as a follow-up to the multiple stories covered by G Plus on the same issue in the final quarter of last year. Things have hardly changed since then. The people had a mixed opinion on the impact of the walking zone in the city, with the positive replies (at 36 percent) only slightly edging ahead of the negative replies (at 34 percent). The remaining 30% noticed no impact at all. “It is a stupid idea which doesn’t have any positive impact. The idea should be dropped,” said one respondent, Sachin Jain. Even though approximately 48 percent of the people are in favour of the walking zone being anchored to the particular area, 40 percent of the people feel that

business is badly affected due to the move while the remaining 12 percent are not affected by the space at all. “It is hampering business,” said Ajay Murarka, a 45 year old businessman of the area. Parking problems also add to the woes of the people who plan to visit the walking zone on the Sundays. Around 18 percent are affected by massive traffic jams around that area, lack of parking spaces contribute to another 18 percent, while overcrowding of the area adds to 10 percent and illegal street vending are just the tip of the iceberg at 14 percent. 40 percent of the people have not faced any such problems as of now. Even though a majority of the people has expressed their displeasure at the execution of the project, people have still come up with suggestions to improve the state of affairs. “There should be added events

to keep the crowd engaged,” said a resident of the area. “It should be planned in a better way, with adequate parking facilities and proper traffic management,” said Pawan Sharma, another resident. The project had been taken up to address the issue of the riverfront beautification of the city. The project, which was started as a pilot project initially, simply turned out to double up the problems for the dwellers of this proposed Smart City. The project, which was visualized to provide the citizens a space to walk, socialize and enjoy the street food and witness the glory of the mighty Brahmaputra, needs major amends for its proper revival. The administration had promised to improve the infrastructure of the adjoining areas to cope up with the additional diverted traffic but no drastic steps have been taken in this regard so far. n

FASS ‘Welcome Package’ to students of northeast India studying in the USA

n line with the FASS Welcome Package issued in previous years, FASS (Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters) has announced to offer USD 1000 in 2018 to a selected student from north-east India studying in the USA. The student needs to be of northeast Indian origin from any of the eight states and be a fulltime student in any USA university in any subject. The parents of the student should not be working outside India. This Welcome Package is to help the deserving

student with his/her establishment and miscellaneous expenses. To apply for the FASS Welcome package, students may contact

Jayanta Sharma by e-mail to at the id jayantaps@yahoo.com and Rajen Barua (rajen.barua@gmail.com). On e-mail, they have to send the following information: 1) A cover letter explaining why the student deserves this Welcome Package most. 2) Bio Data with a photo. 3) A simple write up explaining “How the NE Community can enhance the enrolment of students from the NE India into universities in the USA.” Highlight some of the problems

commonly being faced by the students from NE aspiring to pursue higher education in the US universities and suggestions to improve. What does the student think FASS can do to in the future to improve the situation? FASS is a platform of global network of people, an international think-tank NGO for the promotion of northeast India. If a student is not qualified for the welcome package this year, he/ she may again apply next year as long as the student remains a fulltime student of any university in the USA. n

Cover Story

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

90% VHP, Bajrang Dal members resign in Assam; to campaign against Modi in 2019 Continued from page » 1

round 90% of the trained Bajrang Dal cadres and active Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members have resigned in Guwahati and Assam. They have decided to campaign against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019. Former Bajrang Dal Zila Sangjujak, Deepjyoti Sharma,

File photo of Bajrang Dal activists talking to G Plus said, “Out of 820 Bajrang Dal cadres, 816 have resigned in Guwahati.” He himself had resigned recently after a crucial meeting was held in the Sukreswar Temple on 24th May last, where most of the Bajrang Dal cadres and some VHP members were present. According to Sharma, out of 14,000 Bajrang Dal cadres across Assam, 13,900 have resigned. Talking about VHP members, 380 members out of 400 active

members in Guwahati have resigned, Sharma added. Top state VHP leaders including VHP state advisor Dr TK Sharma, have resigned from the organisation. From the Bajrang Dal state executive team, 10 out of 11 members have resigned on 24th May officially. The fissure in the organisation occurred after VHP strongman, Pravin Togadia, quit the organisation a month ago. It is alleged that a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)backed revolt saw Togadia’s close associate, Raghav Reddy, lose the election for the post of president. A Guwahati-based VHP member said, “Togadia was the international working president of VHP since the last 6 years and Raghav Reddy was the national president. Because of the hard work of these two persons, BJP is in power in the state and the country today.” According to him, because Togadia used to make comments against the central government, the RSS and BJP wanted him to step down. Accordingly, in the last presidential election of VHP, with a political conspiracy hatched by RSS and BJP, Justice VS Kokje won the election to the post. Raghav lost to retired judge and former Himachal Pradesh

Togadia to visit Guwahati after forming new Hindu organisation

ravin Togadia is all set to form a new Hindu organisation and thereafter will visit Guwahati and address public rallies across Assam. Former Bajrang Dal Zila Sangjujak, Deepjyoti Sharma, talking to G Plus said, “On 24th June, Pravin Togadia will form a new Hindu organisation in New Delhi and he will visit Guwahati on 1st July.” While the Sarbananda Sonowal led Bhartya Janata Party (BJP) government has completed 2 years recently, Togadia and his followers are not happy with the performance of the state government. A Togadia follower said, “Pravin Togadia will question the government on the two years’ performance during his expected

3-day visit to Assam from 1st July 2018.” Togadia is also unhappy with the state government for not being able to resolve the illegal Bangladeshi issue, said the follower. Togadia will also ask the people of Assam to join the new Hindu organisation which would be announced in Delhi on 24th June. According to sources in VHP, the hierarchy structure of the new organisation has already been planned and even the new leaders have already been appointed. It’s just the name of the organisation and the official designations will be announced and allotted respectively after 24th June. Sources in Bajrang Dal said, “Even a few RSS members will join the new Hindu organisation.” n

governor VS Kokje by a two-thirds margin, in what was being seen as a statement of the Sangh Parivar’s support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been at the receiving end of Togadia’s relentless attacks. Kokje got 131 of 192 votes polled despite Togadia throwing his weight behind Reddy. VHP, like the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Togadia has shared an uneasy relationship with Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and the outcome of the

election is a setback to him and his followers. Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP. According to Deepjyoti Sharma, Togadia was upset with Centre’s U-Turn to some of the vital issues which were promised to the VHP and Bajrang Dal before the 2014 elections. He said, “The Centre failed to work on the promise of the construction of the Ram Mandir.” Sharma said that Togadia was also unhappy because Hindu youths in the country were still unemployed, Indian Hindu citizens still slept hungry and the

Centre had failed to solve various issues faced by Hindus in the country. Sharma said, “Around 90% of the Bajrang Dal and VHP members in Assam are backing Pravin Togadia and we will campaign against the BJP and Narendra Modi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.” Some Bajrang Dal members who have quit the organisation and are backing Togadia are getting job and business contract offers, a source in Bajrang Dal said. n

Concern

SNIPPETS Ambubachi Mela preparedness meeting held at Kamakhya

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, along with tourism minister of the state Chandan Brahma, headed a review meeting on Thursday with regard to the upcoming Ambubachi Mela, to be held in Kamakhya Temple. The festival will be held from 22nd June to 25th June, 2018. Sonowal, in the meeting, directed respective departments of the district administration to take responsibility for the smooth conduct of the prestigious festival. He also announced that no NGOs will be allowed to distribute any food to devotees. Further adding to this, he mentioned that prasad and food will be made inside the temple premises and would be served to all the devotees only after thorough quality checks. To make this event chaos-free, the city police will be deployed in and around Nilachal Hill. n

Assam woman sets example; delivers LPG cylinders on cycle

few kilometres away from Guwahati city, there lives a woman who is setting an example of woman empowerment for all of us. She is Alaka Das. Alaka is a resident of Boko and hails from a poor economic background. Since many years, she has been delivering LPG cylinders door to door in the Bijaynagar area, making herself selfsufficient and helping her family survive. Her life isn’t an easy one. Frome early morning, throughout the day, she carries cylinders and delivers these at the doorsteps of people. Alaka has to face criticism from the people of the society from time to time. But the determined lady that she is, she continues doing her work with sheer dedication. The chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, has recently provided her with a financial assistance of Rs 30,000 as recognition of her hard work and dedication. She is a living epitome of the fact that no work can be termed big or small. n

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Weatherman’s breather to flash-flood ridden Guwahati G Plus reports on the impending monsoon season and the probable rainfall that will occur with inputs from the Borjhar-based Regional Meteorological Centre Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

or the flash flood prone Guwahati that has already faced water logging issues in the last two showers of pre-monsoon rain, the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) forecast of a lesser intense monsoon this time than last year, has come as relief to the district administration. According to the long range forecast of IMD, region wise, rainfall is likely to be lesser (93 per cent of Long Period Average of rainfall) in the northeast while the rest of the country – 100 per cent LPA over northwest India, 99 per cent LPA over central India and 95 per cent LPA over the south peninsula. “The rainfall might be 8 per cent higher or lesser than the forecast. This is much lesser than last year. Last year, the northeast had a rainfall of more than 97 per cent LPA and had a variation rate of 19 per cent as opposed to this year’s 8 per cent. So, the monsoon is expected to be drier than before this time,” Sanjay O’Neil Shaw, director of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), the Borjhar-based IMD office, told G Plus. According to the met department, the southwest

monsoon has arrived in the northeast region on June 1 and chances of rainfall are imminent in the next 48 hours. “Southwest monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of the northeast, Bay of Bengal and some parts of Mizoram and Manipur. The Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) passes through Shirali, Hassan, A cyclist battling his commute through the flooded streets of Guwahati | G Plus Photo Mysuru, Kodaikanal, The other system is a trough In the last two weeks, the city Tuticorin, into Aizwal of Mizoram which is extending across West received quite a few showers of and Chura Chandpur of Manipur. Bengal up to Manipur. Moreover, rainfalls that lasted more than 4-6 Rains have already started in southerly humid winds from hours from which several places those areas and conditions are Bay of Bengal are also feeding of the city got inundated for more favourable for further advance moisture over northeast India than an hour. of Southwest Monsoon into some which is resulting in good preAccording to the met more parts of northeast states monsoon activities over northeast department, these rains have including Guwahati in Assam India. been due to the combination of during the next 48 hours,” Shaw But as far as the south-west many weather systems persisting said. monsoon that reaches this region across the region. The first system The city had lost at least seven from Arabian Sea is concerned, is the cyclonic circulation which lives last year during the monsoon northeast is going to have a rather is prevailing over sub Himalayan season due to various cases of sunny than a cloudy monsoon. n West Bengal and adjoining regions. electrocution and flash floods.

Incomplete projects a stumbling block for flash flood free Guwahati

hough the GMDA has this year completed the first phase of a Rs 26 crore worth drain to divert the storm water from the flash flood prone areas to Bharalu River and channel it into the Brahmaputra, one cannot but ask about the old projects that were proposed earlier by the same department and yet remained pending. To mitigate the storm water flowing down from the Jyotinagar Hill catchment area starting from Bamunimaidum to Sunsali Hill including the Guwahati Refinery complex, flooding the Zoo Road area and other low lying areas such as Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar etc, the GMDA built a 1,700 metre long drain connecting Bamunimaidum to Noonmati. “Pumps have been installed

to divert water through this Noonmati drainage system. The project cost is Rs 26 crores (approx) for Phase – I. The total length of the drain already constructed is 1,700 metres. The width of the drain is 6 metres and the depth varies from 3 metres to 5.50 metres which is enough to carry the load of the storm water. The drain has been constructed with RCC framed structure as per requirement of the railway department as it is constructed on railway land. The pump capacity is 4,000 litres per second which is likely to be increased in due course. This will bring down the flash flood in those areas by 25 per cent,” Dhiren Baruah, GMDA chairperson said. However, there are three other projects, announced last year that remain to see the light of the day.

For the storm water coming down from Meghalaya, the GMDA had taken up building a second alternative channel for flood water into the Basistha River. The department was also supposed to build a sewage treatment plant on Bahini River so that the drains don’t get clogged and had decided to set up seal tape on the Bharalu River at Sarabhatti. These projects are expected to be completed within last year. Every year during the rainy season, the city reels under flash floods in several areas such as Anil Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Rajgarh, Birubari, Khanapara, Dhirenpara, Shantipur and several other regions of the city. Apart from causing inconveniences, flash floods and waterlogging have also resulted in injuries and casualties. So far,

the flood waters were channelled through only two rivers in the city – Bharalu and Bahini River – by using pumps that while giving momentary relief, often used to get overloaded during heavy rainfall. “The detailed project report for the channel that will be built within the Assam border to divert Meghalaya water has been sanctioned by the chief minister and works had also started. But, due to lack of funds, it has hit a momentary limbo,” Baruah said. Regarding the sewage treatment plant, S Venkatesan, managing director of Guwahati Metropolitan Water & Sewage Board that is looking over the completion of the project said, “We are having problem in allocating lands to set up the treatment plant.” n

In The News

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Culture enthusiasts save ICCR from shutting down

SNIPPETS Huge amount of chemically treated mangoes seized at Adabari

Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he central government had to give in to the plea of culture enthusiasts from Guwahati and stayed the shutting down of the Guwahati regional office of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) recently. The ICCR functions under the ministry of external affairs, government of India. The central government had planned to merge the Guwahati regional office with the Shillong regional office about a month ago which caused widespread discontent among lovers of culture. The government had decided to merge all regional offices across India, barring only ten. The Guwahati centre, which is situated in Panjabari Road, was established in 2009. Swapnanil Barua, retired IAS officer and former commissioner & secretary of the cultural affairs department told G Plus, “After great persuasion to the former President Pranab Mukherjee, who

File photo of the Guwahati regional office of ICCR

The central government had to give in and decided to stay the shutting down of the Guwahati ICCR centre The government decided to merge many regional offices across the country barring 10 Culture enthusiasts felt that the shutting down of the centre would have an adverse impact on the cultural heritage of Assam and the northeast The ICCR functions under the ministry of external affairs, government of India The central government had planned to merge the Guwahati regional office with the Shillong regional office about a month ago It caused widespread discontent among lovers of culture

was the then minister of external affairs, we set up the centre in 2009 and found a space at the Shilpgram complex and established the office which allowed for artists to learn and grow from Assam and the entire northeast.” He added that the regional centre served as an important cultural destination in the state to promote local artists as well. Further, the ICCR also allows for 200 foreign students to come to Guwahati and learn about the cultural heritage of various art forms related to the northeast which is rich in cultural diversity. “If the centre was closed down, all these would get affected and Assam would have been deprived

of the talented international artists. Before the ICCR centre was established here, no international artists used to come to perform in Assam,” informed Barua. Officials said that after receiving the news about the merger of the Guwahati branch with that of Shillong, they decided to take up the matter with officials from the Assam government. Eventually, the issue was brought to the attention of the chief minister and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj who eventually agreed to stay the shutting down of the Guwahati branch after receiving a letter from the chief minister, informed sources. n

Operation against adulterated milk in Khanapara

Artificially coated apples flood markets

n early morning check for adulterated milk was conducted in Khanapara by the officers of Food Safety Department today. Milk samples were collected from various vehicles transporting milk to Guwahati. The operation was conducted in coordination with the Dispur Police Station. Commenting on this surprise exercise, the officials said that stern action will be taken against those selling adulterated milk. Similar operations will be conducted for other food items

in Guwahati and rest of the state, officials added. Earlier this week the department had seized chemically treated mangoes from Fancy Bazar and Adabari area in huge quantities. n

ity Police have detained two persons for allegedly colouring apples in Bongaigaon, Assam. At the time of the holy month of Ramadan, where residents of Guwahati and across the state break their fast with fruits, the incident has created panic, with mangoes being injected with calcium carbide and now adulterated apples to follow. It is to be noted that apart from normal consumption of fruits on a day-to-day basis, fruit demands soar on festival seasons. Hence to cope up with the de-

mand and supply, the fruit merchants end up with this kind of practices, suspect police. The adulterated apples have been sent to the forensic for further examination. In this context, the Bongaigaon District Commissioner has issued orders to stop the sale of apples in the region.

team from Food Safety Office, Kamrup (M) District, during a drive conducted in Adabari, seized chemically treated mangoes on Wednesday morning. It was found that the mangoes were treated with carbide, a fruit ripening harsh chemical, which helps the fruits ripen in 24 hours. Consumption of carbidetreated fruits can often lead to health hazards like stomach pain, skin diseases and even cancer. What happens when fruits are treated with carbide? • Fruits that are artificially ripened with carbide tend to be softer to simulate appearance and feel of naturally ripened fruits. However, as is expected from chemically treated edibles, they taste inferior and have a disappointing flavour. • Because the chemical is used to provide a cosmetic lift, it only makes the fruit appear ripe from the outside while the inside still remains green or raw. • Fruits that are extremely raw need to be given a higher dosage of calcium carbide and this can make the fruit even more tasteless and sometimes, toxic. Earlier, this week Food Safety Officer Kamrup (M) District seized and destroyed 12.5 quintals of mangoes at Fancy Bazaar. n

Construction work of new terminal building at Guwahati airport begins

he proposed new integrated terminal building at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) Guwahati has crossed another mile. The commencement of concrete pile foundation of over 2,000 pillars was done by Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra (IAS), chairman, Airport Authority of India (AAI) at the project site of the new terminal. The new terminal building at Guwahati airport is expected to be completed by 2021 which will have all the world class facilities, especially a multi-level car parking area. n

Health

SNIPPETS District level committee for Kamrup (M) formed to facilitate the victims of land grabbers

committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner, Virendra Mittal as Chairman has been constituted under government notification to facilitate and coordinate amongst the victims of land grabbers and police/district administration and process quick disposal of land grabbing cases filed by the victims. The committee will sit once a month to review the land grabbing cases in the district. The Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) as Member Secretary will convene the meeting on a regular basis. The circle level co-ordination committee will be constituted for prompt disposal of land grabbing cases in respective revenue circles. The circle level committee shall also sit every month on or before 25th of the month to review the pending cases filed by the victims. Further, in every police station there will be a nodal officer to deal with land grabbing cases. The concerned DCP will notify the police station wise nodal officer accordingly. n

Railway Staff averts major mishap, receives award

our members of the railway staff namely, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Driver/ Goods/ Alipurduar Jn, Satendra Kumar Yadav, Asst Driver/ Alipurduar Jn, Chandan Kumar, Station Suptd/Dalkhola and Upen Kumar Roy, Pointsman/Dalkhola were awarded by Sanjive Roy, General Manager, NF Railway for showing exceptional devotion towards duty. Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Driver/ Goods/Alipurduar Jn and Satendra Kumar Yadav, Asst Driver/ Alipurduar Jn, while on duty, stopped the train by applying emergency brake and found a piece of rail lying perpendicular to the railway track, saving a probable mishap which was thus averted by alertness. In another instance, Chandan Kumar, Station Suptd/Dalkhola and Upen Kumar Roy, Pointsman/ Dalkhola, while watching through the passing of an Up goods train at Dalkhola station, noticed heavy smoke coming out from a wagon. They immediately arranged to stop the train and the train was controlled at Dalkhola station after passing the starter signal. n

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

District health officials gear up to fight dengue With Kamrup (Metro) being one of the most endemic zones for dengue, the health department is on its toes to reduce the number of cases this year Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

amrup (Metro) district health officials are going all out in order to ensure a decline in the number of dengue cases this year in the district. The authorities said that they have already begun organising awareness camps in various parts of the district. The joint director of Kamrup (Metro) district health services, Ganesh Saikia, informed G Plus that they are also taking up fogging sporadically in different localities. “We are taking precautions much ahead of time this year and hope that the measures taken by us will show results and we see fewer cases this time. We have also planned to intensify the preparedness measures from June 1 onwards,” he said. Saikia added that while the actual dengue season starts from October, the officials want to create awareness among people by organising awareness camps much ahead of time. Dengue is a viral disease which is transmitted by the bite of

Health officials have begun organising awareness camps to combat dengue Fogging activities are also being undertaken on a sporadic basis Although the dengue season starts in October, officials are focussing to be prepared ahead of time They have also planned to intensify the preparedness measures from June 1 The main aim is to reduce the number of cases registered this year As per state figures, total of 4,821 cases were registered in 2017 while 6 have been recorded in 2018 till now

File photo of fogging in the city haemorrhagic fever- which is a more severe and fatal form of the disease. According to experts, the vector-borne disease is characterised by high fever, severe headache, rashes, muscle and

Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Further, the symptoms of the disease do not become apparent immediately and the patient only develops them after 5-6 days. Dengue occurs in two forms namely the dengue fever and the dengue

Total Dengue cases in Assam Year

Total cases

Deaths

2014

2015

1076

2016

6157

2017

4821

2018 (till May 31)

joint pains, nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite among other symptoms. Officials say that the inaccessibility of health services in the remote areas of the state result in more number of cases being reported in the state. Additionally, humidity and a relatively warmer climate further promote the breeding of the vectors. Officials from the state health & family welfare department informed that as part of their sensitisation creation measures, they ask residents to keep their surroundings clean and to keep clean water covered in their houses. n

Assam sees an increasing trend of dengue

ccording to the figures of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), the dengue situation in the state has shown an almost consistent rise in the number of registered cases of malaria during the past five years. As per the NVBDCP data, the state registered 85 cases in 2014. The number of cases saw

an exponential rise in 2015 with 1,076 cases being registered. This number further increased to 6,157 in 2016 while it declined to 4,821 in 2017. Saikia informed that this year a total of six dengue cases have been registered till now in the state with no deaths being reported. Officials at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) also

said that they are undertaking fogging activities on a continuous basis in order to control the breeding of mosquitoes. Regarding treatment of the disease, the NVBDCP states that although there is no drug or vaccine available for its treatment, early detection and proper case management plays an important role in controlling the disease and in preventing death. n

In The News

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Health department issues advisory against Nipah virus Taking precautionary measures against the deadly Nipah virus, officials of the health department have asked people not to panic and maintain calm Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

ealth officials in Guwahati have given out advisory to take precautions against the deadly Nipah virus which killed 13 people in a recent outbreak in Kerala. Talking to G Plus Ganesh Saikia, joint director of health services of Kamrup (Metro) district, said that they have appealed to the people not to panic and maintain calm. “We have issued instructions telling people not to consume fruits which have been bitten by bats,” said Saikia adding however that they have not yet imposed any restrictions on people for visiting Kerala. Officials added that there have been no suspected virus cases in the state till now and that Assam is not under any direct threat since the fruits, barring only coconut, are usually not imported here from Kerala. The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes Nipah virus (NiV) as, “a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.” The first outbreak of the disease was reported from Malaysia in 1998. Some of the symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, disorientation, drowsiness, mental confusion

Bats atop a tree at Panbazar. Nipah virus is reportedly carried by bats gorging on fruits leaving them half eaten| G Plus Photo apart from acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis. Experts say that since the symptoms are similar to other diseases, it becomes difficult to initially diagnose it. The disease is thought to be transmitted by animals such as bats and pigs among others. Further, there is no vaccination available at present for Nipah virus for humans as well as animals - which makes it a deadly disease. Jyotish Das, an official at the directorate of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs informed that the litchi - which is touted

as one of the most vulnerable fruits for transmission of Nipah virus - comes to Guwahati from Bangladesh. Officials also said that they have not imposed any restrictions on the sale of litchi in Guwahati till now. The authorities added that mangoes are brought in from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar while the apples are sourced from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. “The symptoms shown in case of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) are similar to symptoms found in cases of Japanese encephalitis as well as Nipah virus.

So far, here we have seen cases of Japanese encephalitis but none of Nipah virus,” said Saikia. On the other hand, deputy commissioner of Kamrup (Metro), Virendra Mittal, told G Plus that the health department has been given the responsibility to take the needed precautions and to communicate it across to reach people. “All necessary precautionary measures are being taken and the health officials have been made in charge to percolate the advisory down till the health sub-centre level across the district,” said Saikia. n

Meghalaya Nipah scare turns out to be fake

ecently, the news of Nipah virus cases being detected in Meghalaya was being circulated on WhatsApp. This, however, turned out to be false information with officials condemning the act. The WhatsApp message, which is believed to have been circulated widely, mentioned that several people had fallen ill after eating litchi. The message mentioned cases being detected in Williamnagar in East Garo Hill district of the state. Officials of the Meghalaya government have taken serious note of the matter and believe that the news was being spread to create a sense of panic among the general public.

Saidul Khan, media advisor to the chief minister of Meghalaya, confirmed that the news was completely untrue. He added that the health officials have

condemned the work of a few miscreants who seem to be spreading this fake news. “Officials in the state health department have confirmed that

Health officials issue advisory against deadly Nipah virus They said no case of the virus has been reported in Assam till now However, officials have asked people not to eat fruits bitten by bats - seen as carriers of the virus Meghalaya Nipah virus scare turned out to be false Authorities claimed no suspected case of the virus being reported till now

the message being circulated among people regarding Nipah virus is false and was passed around to create panic,” he said. Further, Meghalaya officials have added that no suspected cases of the virus have been detected in the state but they have begun taking precautions and have alerted the health personnel. Calling it a case of cyber crime, the Meghalaya health authorities have also demanded strict punishment for the culprits behind the act. Authorities said that given the proximity of Assam to Meghalaya, the fake news of the virus could have created a sense of fear and panic among people in Assam too. n

SNIPPETS 25 Mercedes buses to ply from Guwahati by June end

ccording to a highly placed source in ASTC, 25 Mercedes buses will ply from Guwahati by the end of June 2018, in the first phase of Mercedes bus service in Guwahati. The buses will ply from Guwahati to Jorhat and Guwahati to Silchar. The buses will have modernized facilities like bio-toilets, pantry carts, fully reclining chairs, individual AC vents etc. An agency named Arya Transport will manage and maintain the bus service under ASTC. The cost of each Mercedes bus will be approximately Rs 1.5 crores. The company was selected by transparent bidding and tendering process. Arya Transport has also signed a MoU of Rs 400 crores with the Assam government during Advantage Assam 2018. Managing Director of ASTC, AP Tiwari (IPS), while talking to G Plus said, “Arya Transport will pay Rs 25,000 per month, per bus to ASTC. They will also pay for the lounge facilities that will be set up in the respective bus terminals.” n

Protesting at Dighalipukhuri is contempt of court: lawyer’s association

he Lawyer’s Association Guwahati might drag the BJP-led government in contempt of court case for allowing protests on the banks of Dighalipukhuri. As per the association, the six-month deadline fixed by the Gauhati High Court had ended on 30th April, 2018. Henceforth, the Dighalipukhuri area is out of bounds for the protestors and agitators. But it seems that the government is trying to bypass the court’s order by allowing protesters and agitators much to the hardship of commuters by such gatherings. The association claims that the government, by allowing the use of Dighalipukhuri as a protest area, violates the order of the Gauhati High Court, for which the government is answerable. The association also demanded for an alternative protest site in place of Dighalipukhuri. n

Crime

SNIPPETS 7.13 lakh ticketless passengers detected by NF Railway

o curb ticketless travel and to facilitate hasslefree travel by genuine passengers, NF Railway has been carrying out relentless drive against ticketless travelling. About 7.13 lakh ticketless passengers were detected by NF Railway in 2017-18 against previous year’s detection of 5.75 lakhs of such passenger. This is about 24% (approx) higher in regard to number of cases detected in comparison to the previous financial year. NF Railway authorities have also realized an amount of Rs 46.17 crores from ticketless travellers as penalty during the last financial year in comparison to Rs 39.12 crores realized during the previous year. This is the highest ever penalty realization by NF Railway since formation of this zone in 1959. n

NRC complete draft to be published on 30th June: Hajela

inally the complete draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam will be published on 30th June, 2018. This has been confirmed by NRC state co-ordinator Prateek Hajela in New Delhi on Wednesday. Hajela informed that complaint can be filed if any illegal Bangladeshi migrants are included in the published draft. Those, whose names have been left out from the published draft, can apply for inclusion. A timeframe of one month has been fixed to resolve all allegations. After these formalities are completed, on the orders of the Supreme Court of India, the final NRC will be published, added Hajela. n

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Scam suspected in tin roof sale business Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

recent raid conducted in a warehouse of two tin roof companies has raised questions regarding the quality of tins (CG sheets) sold as roofing material to the public in Guwahati. Gorchuk police, along with the city police crime branch, raided a warehouse of tin roofs located at National Highway 27 behind Hotel Bhargav Grand. The warehouse was occupied by two galvanised roofing sheet (roof tin sheets) companies – Surya Loom and Aarti Steels Ltd. A source in the crime branch said, “We received some special inputs that one of the companies occupying the warehouse is cheating the public by selling poor quality galvanised roofing sheets.” The police team then raided the warehouse and on investigation it was found that one galvanised roofing sheet was lighter than the other one. The local police (Gorchuk Police Station) said, “The sheets measuring the same in height and length weighed differently.”

Raid being conducted at the warehouse located behind Hotel Bhargav Grand | G Plus Photo

4 feet broad and 6 feet long, the tin sheets of Aarti Steels Ltd were heavier than the Surya Loom sheets which had the same measurements. Talking about thickness or gauge, the crime branch officer

revealed that on the sheets of Aarti Steels Ltd, it was written 0.25 mm while it was just the figure 25 written on the Surya Loom sheets. The police are investigating the alleged scam and trying

to find out what exactly the process is by which either of the companies might be cheating. The police will send the sheets to technical experts and if required the manufacturers of the sheets will be summoned. n

Alleged scam tough to prove

hough the raid was conducted by the police team, no arrest was made in the alleged scam; apparently it will be tough to prove the scam. A source in the Gorchuk police said, “Surya Loom is based in Kolkata and the other company (Aarti Steels Ltd) is based out of Nepal.” The distribution offices of the companies are located in Guwahati and the warehouse was accordingly raided. But the distributors

here are unaware about the quality and about any scam, if there is any. It is the company which manufactures the sheets. The source also revealed that the scam, if there is any, will be related to the thickness of the tin sheets. There are no irregularities found in the length and breadth of the tin sheets found in the warehouse. A city-based architect, Ranel Das said, “No one can measure the thickness of the tin sheets with a

physical touch. The thickness can be measured only by a Vernier Caliper instrument,” he said. Another tin wholesaler located in Lal Ganesh, talking to G Plus said, “The scam can only occur when the sheets are sold.” He said if a customer is ordering 50 pieces of 0.45 mm sheets, the seller might put 20 pieces of 0.4 mm sheets within the consignment which the customer will not be able to identify. Both the thickness looks the same to

the naked eye and only when it is weighed or a special thickness measuring instrument is used will the cheating come to light. Talking about the quality, the wholesaler said that if the thickness is more the quality of the tin sheets is better. The rest depends on the manufacturers. The distributors cannot dupe the customers with the thickness of the sheets; they sell what the manufacturers provide, he added. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Rain

Storm

Rain

Storm

Rain

Storm

33°/25° C

31°/22° C

30°/23° C

31°/23° C

30°/24° C

28°/24° C

SATURDAY Storm

31°/22° C

In The News

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

City spirits damp with just 3 rank holders in AHSEC exams 2018 Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

I love watching television and listening to music and did not stop these activities because of the higher secondary examinations.” Pratiksha Bachyas

One detained for allegedly leaking P&RD exam question papers on Whatsapp

Excise department books 3, recovers 100 litres of illicit liquor

Mritika Nath commerce and arts streams in Kamrup (Metro) district’s Higher Secondary results. A total of 89.61% candidates of science stream from Kamrup (Metro) passed this year while the pass percentage of commerce stream stood at 88.05% while arts’ pass

Toppers speak ratiksha Bachyas of Gauhati Commerce College secured the 9th rank in the state with a grand total score of 457 marks out of 500. Talking to G Plus she said that she made sure to put in a consistent effort for studies but also ensured that she did not give up on the leisure activities she enjoyed. “I love watching television and listening to music and did not stop these activities because of the higher secondary examinations. I was expecting to achieve good marks but did not reckon becoming a rank holder; it was a pleasant surprise,” said the 18year old.

SNIPPETS

ne person, identified as Saidul Haque, has been detained by CID from Hajo on Thursday for allegedly leaking P&RD question papers on Whatsapp. Saidul, who is a teacher by profession, was a student of B Borooah College, Guwahati. According to information received by the CID, Saidul leaked question papers of the recently held P&RD examination. n

ith only three rank holders in the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) examinations, Guwahati’s colleges saw fewer numbers of rank holders this year as compared to the previous years. The results were announced by the AHSEC on May 31. While there were two rank holders from Gauhati Commerce College (GCC) securing the 9th and the 10th positions in the state, Cotton University produced one rank holder this year from the science stream who secured the 10th rank in Assam. Kamrup (Metro) was placed at the fifth position along with Golaghat and Cachar with three rank holders each. Nagaon emerged at the top spot with nine rank holders, followed by Barpeta and Dibrugarh with seven and five rank holders respectively. Interestingly, there were no rank holders from the arts stream from Kamrup (Metro) in 2018. This year, students of science stream trumped students from

Pratiksha now wishes to pursue B Com with major in accountancy. Sharing her future ambitions, she said she wanted to get into the academic field and preferably teach in her own college. Her mother, Mousumi Barkataki shared that Pratiksha was always sincere in her studies and said she was proud of her achievements. The other rank holder from GCC, Mritrika Nath who secured the 10th rank told G Plus “I had maintained a proper time-table for myself according to my comfort level in each subjects and devoted more time to the ones in which I was weaker.” Mritrika comes from a family with commerce background, with her mother and brother both having studied in GCC. She said that she wanted to major in Accountancy and then would like to follow the path of founding an entrepreneurial venture. Apart from studies, she enjoys playing sports like kho-kho and kabaddi and listening to music. Further, Ujjwal Jain from Cotton University attained the 10th rank in science stream by scoring a total of 471 marks. n

Pratiksha Bachyas percentage remained the lowest at 69.91%. Similarly, at the state-level too, science students came out on top followed by commerce and arts students. In total 74.6%, 85.7% and 84.6% students passed in the arts, science and commerce

Ujjawal Jain streams respectively in the state. The state saw a marginal improvement in the pass percentage for arts and commerce streams this year whereas the pass percentage for the science stream saw a slight decline this time. n

Guwahati colleges’ performance takes a bad hit

ith just three rank holders this year from just two city colleges, the performance of Kamrup (Metro) has declined drastically from the previous few years. The Principal of GCC, Dr Homeswar Kalita, pointed out a number of reasons behind this phenomenon. “I feel that my college has performed well this year and I am happy with the results,” he said adding that the decline in the performance of Guwahati’s colleges is linked to several private colleges which have been established in every district in the past few years. “Earlier, brilliant students from across the state used to come to Guwahati to study but now with good facilities being available everywhere, the inflow of talent to the city has reduced over the years,” said Dr Kalita. He added that there are several factors including the nonteaching duties which are allotted to teachers of government and provincialized colleges. “Teachers are deployed in different

confidential government work like NRC duty and election time duty, which ultimately overburdens the teachers and affects the quality of education,” he further added. Further, he pointed towards the low teacher-student ratio in government colleges and said that these were some practical challenges which needed to be overcome. n

Guwahati saw only 3 rank holders in AHSEC examinations in 2018 Two rank holders were from GCC and one from Cotton University Kamrup (Metro) was placed at the fifth position along with Golaghat and Cachar with three rank holders each Nagaon emerged at the top spot with nine rank holders, followed by Barpeta and Dibrugarh

he excise department on Thursday conducted raids at various locations of Chandrapur, Guwahati at 10 am. Three sellers have been booked under various sections of Assam Excise Act in these raids that were part of the department’s drive against sale of illicit liquor at roadside stalls and shops. Officials have informed that around 100 litres of illicit liquor have been seized from Panikhaiti. The raids have been conducted as per CJM’s directives, officials added. n

Sonowal inaugurates AEGCL’s 2nd gas insulated substation

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, on Thursday, inaugurated the second 2x40 MVA,132/33 KV Gas Insulated Sub-Station of Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Ltd (AEGCL) at Kamakhya. Sonowal said that the state government has taken up many schemes for developing the power sector in Assam and has urged the staffs and officials of the power department to ensure power connection to each family of the state. Minister of state for power, Tapan Kumar Gogoi, said that the power department is working relentlessly to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the state and efforts are being made to modernise the department with latest technologies. n

Ward Survey

G PLUS | JUN 0

NFR aids GMC in maintaining living standards in Maligaon In this week’s Ward Watch, G Plus checks out the locality of Maligaon and finds the same to be one of the city’s better wards thanks to the Northeast Frontier Railway headquarters located there

Negative Response

hile regular water supply and welllit streets are still rarities in most wards of the city, residents of Maligaon, under Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Ward No 5, expressed satisfaction regarding these services, all thanks to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). This was revealed in a survey conducted by G Plus in which 50 families of the ward were asked questions on 14 parameters of living standards such as water supply, streetlights, garbage collection etc. 42 respondents (84 per cent) said they receive regular water while only 7 (14 per cent) said they do not receive water at all. Regarding streetlights, 36 respondents (72 per cent) said that the roads are well lit, while 10 (20 per cent) said the roads are vaguely lit. One said there is insufficient streetlights and three (6 per cent) said that there are no

lights at all. Though most of the Maligaon and Gotanagar areas include the railway headquarters and the railway colonies and the housing quarters are under the maintenance of the NFR, several others besides the railway employees too reside there. “The NFR provides road maintenance, streetlights, water supply and sewage treatment facilities to the railway colony,” Nagen Bhattacharya, a resident said. “The services are provided in the demarcated areas of the NFR. Most of the houses that do not belong to the railway employees are those who had been living here before the NFR was established. There are a few encroachers, and they have also benefitted from the services of the NFR,” Bhattacharya said. According to the survey, 43 persons (86 per cent) also expressed satisfaction regarding the roads of which, 17 (34 per cent) rated the roads as good and 26 (52 per cent) said they were average. Only 7 (14 per cent) are not satisfied of which, three said that the road conditions are bad and

four termed it as pathetic. The residents, however, have expressed satisfaction regarding the door-todoor garbage collection, a service that the GMC provides here. 36 residents (72 per cent) said that they receive the garbage collection service every day while six others said that the services are provided twice a week. Only one said that their garbage is collected once a week and 5 others (10 per cent) said that the collection is irregular. 2 residents said garbage is not collected at all and they have to walk up to the nearest dustbin to dump the same.

The NF Railway Headquarters in Maligaon | G Plus Photo “This area (Maligaon) might be a bit far from the city, but has better services than the city. This is mostly due to the NFR. Also, the councillor can concentrate better on the remaining residents that are not covered by the NFR,” Pulak

84% Yes 14% No 2% Sometimes Water Supply

54% Smooth 26% Occassionally crowded 20% Pathetic 72% Sometimes 16% Half an hour daily 2% An hour daily 8% More than an hour 2% No load shedding Load shedding

82% Yes 0% No 18% Needs improvement Ambulance, Health Services

72% Everyday 12% Twice a week 2% Once a week 0% Fortnightly 10% Irregular 4% Never Garbage Collection

78% Yes 0% No 22% Needs improvement Transport Connectivity

72% 20% 2% 22% Street Lights

Banarjee a resident here said. The residents are also satisfied with the less than frequent load shedding, the transport connectivity, availability of healthcare services and the traffic movement. (See Chart)

Councillor Report

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

2% 58% 40%

Coun

4% 72% 8% 16%

Coun

Ward Survey

02 - JUN 08, 2018

Water logging still a problem due to overburdened drains

ll’s not well in the otherwise untroubled Maligaon area of the GMC Ward No 5 as during the monsoon season, water logging at certain areas are a common phenomenon. 43 (86 per cent) of the respondents identified flash floods as a problem in the area of which 17 (34 per cent) are of the opinion that the problem is confined to certain areas only. The locals said flash flood is caused due to the overflow of the already overburdened drains when storm water descends from the hills nearby after heavy rain. The drain network inside the railway colony is part of the NFR sewerage system, one of the only two such in the city, the other one being the Guwahati Refinery. “These days the drains remain clogged due to the garbage that is stuck there. This wasn’t the case earlier. The sewage used to go to a sewage treatment plant and hence, cleared regularly. But, lately, due to rise in population, the drains have got overburdened,” Pinak Paul, a resident here said. According to a source in the NFR, the department is going to upgrade the sewage treatment plant, but is waiting for funds to be cleared from the centre. Meanwhile, 41 respondents out of the 50 in the G Plus survey

NF Railway sewage treatment plant in Maligaon | G Plus Photo said that the drainage system needs development. Law and order is another issue that the residents of Maligaon are concerned about. 26 respondents (52 per cent) said that the area needs more security while 10 others (20 per cent) said that they don’t feel secure at all. “With all the boons, this is one bane that has resulted from NFR being in this area and unfortunately it will stay for a long time. Because of the railway station and the transfer-prone jobs of the railway employees,

every year, a fair bit of floating population comes here and leaves this region, too. They come from different parts of the country and more than often, their background checks are not done. Many turn out to be criminals or addicts,” Nagen Bhattacharya, a resident said. This area, according to the Guwahati Police Commissionerate too, is one of the crime-prone areas of the city. The residents also complained of lack of public toilets and adequate parking spaces. n

GMC works count too: Councillor

its sewage treatment plant. Once he councillor of Ward No 5, that is done, the problems will be Nilakshi Talukdar, however solved.” refuses to give all the credit Talking about the challenges to the NFR as she believes that she faces on being a Congress that the GMC has also councillor in a BJP majority GMC worked amply to bring up the living council, she said, “Getting funds standards in the area. is not easy. Also, to get PWD “Yes, the NFR activities have contractors to execute the work helped a lot, but it is a well is difficult. This needs constant coordinated service provided by monitoring.” the Railways and the GMC. The Talukdar was elected as deputy NGOs that collect the garbage are mayor in the 2013 GMC election very proactive and the streetlights in which, and road Congress had maintenance a landslide works in victory and the areas Abir Patra that are became the not within Mayor. The the railway council was, colony have however, also been dissolved in conducted 2016 after smoothly BJP won the from the Assembly councillor’s election and fund,” several of Talukdar the GMC said. councillors When joined the asked ruling BJP about the to form a flash flood new council problem, and selected Talukdar Councillor Nilakshi Talukdar Mrigen said, “All Sarania as the drains their new Mayor. lead to the sewage treatment Talukdar, however, is “optimisplant of the Railways. There is tic” of the Congress’s chance in the no other place where the sewage ensuing election that is expected to can be channelled into. We have be held on July this year. to link to Santipur where the “People have started seeing Bharalu River flows in order to through the BJP’s lies. It already start an independent sewerage has been two tenures in the state system. This cannot be done by and four in the centre and yet, no the councillor alone. I have heard progress is seen,” Talukdar said. n that the NFR will be upgrading Survey conducted by Shreya Chakraborty

Always Sometimes Never

ncillor in Community Works Yes No Sometimes Only during election

ncillor Interaction

86% Yes 14% No Do you know Councillor?

2% Excellent 22% Satisfactory 58% Under performing 18% Poor Councillor Performance

2% Yes 86% No 12% Sometimes

Positive Response

Concentrated Area: Maligaon (5C) Ward No: 5 Population of the Ward: 40,000 Voter Population: 32,000 Population of Maligaon: 10,000 Ward Councillor: Nilakshi Talukdar

Pest Control Measures

52% Yes 14% No 34% In some lanes Water Logging issues

18% Yes 26% No 56% Could be better Drainage system

86% Yes 14% No Public Toilets

34% Good 52% Average 6% Bad 8% Pathetic Road Condition

26% Yes 74% No Parking Spaces

0% Very secured 28% Secured 52% Needs more security 20% No security Law and Order

14 E

G Talk D

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Point driven home?

he first thing I do on waking up is of course scan the newspapers. Yeah, I know that’s part of my job. But more so these days, the progress or rather hopefully, the lack of it, as far as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is concerned, is what is holding my interest. And I am sure, I am not alone but among the teeming millions of concerned indigenous Assamese who are fearful of losing their “jati, mati aru bheti” in the name of “poribartan” – shrill elections slogans as these were two years ago that swept the BJP to power in Assam. Well, somehow the recent reassurances of our chief minister that Assamese jati should not be worried about the loss of their mati and bheti to aliens are being taken with a large dose of salt – a pinch of it doesn’t stand a chance any more. The preposterousness of the very idea that forms the basis of the Bill has truly sunk in from the grassroots to the creamy layers of the state’s population. And the protests continue and will continue despite all reassurances by the chief minister and the union home minister simply because people seem to have suddenly realized that they

cannot take the utterances of these politicians at face value any more. A constant fear of being cheated and betrayed by these same politicians whom we had voted to power is proving to be all pervasive within the Brahmaputra Valley. And so, in this context, it would be worthwhile for Sarbananda Sonowal and Rajnath Singh to immediately throw the Bill – in whatever shape or form it is in now – into the trash bin and undertake a PR exercise such that it would convince us of their good intentions of being our protectors rather than perpetrators. Every press medium, be it television, print or social, has been tenaciously addressing this apprehension by covering the massive protests being staged across the entire valley. And yet, the dillydallying continues with the powers that be. I mean, come on, life of politicians just cannot be about living from one election to the next and consolidating their positions for the same in the meantime. This is just not governance. I just hope the point has been driven home by now! Swapnil Bharali Editor

GUWAHATI ADDA

“No Country for Joke Men”

aba: So the toll gate in Raha in going to be operational is it? And the toll tax will be levied at 18% GST? I think I’m going to look for property on Mars and settle there, mostly because I think no political party is going to swindle me there. Bhau: Did you forget that Mangalyaan happened? Consider it a Government of India mandated recce. China ya Pakistan ka recce kar nahi paye so what? Mars hi sahi! Bhaijaan: Are you calling our Prime Minister a swindler? A fraud? A thug? You dare mock the great Modi ji? Did not you hear about what happened to that fellow from Assam last week who thought he could get away by mocking Modi? He was arrested! Baba: You know, although, this guy made the “offensive” video by choice, it was worse that a government employee was almost suspended last year for sending a WhatsApp forward that mocked Mr Modi. Bhau: Ek toh yeh WhatsApp groups and messages have ruined my life! Bachpan me kaan ke niche maa bajati thi, ab bhi sote waqt kaan ke neeche *ting ting ting* bajati hai. Sometimes she’ll forward a UFO sighting, sometimes there is a Shilvling in Amritsar, other times it’s the damn “Best National Anthem Award” to India by UNESCO. The worst of all however is the “Best Prime Minster Award.” I must say, WhatsApp forwards are the Freddy Krueger of 2018. Too much fake news. Baba: In any case, I think that the Government is serious about developing a sense of humour this time. They gave the Swadeshi Samriddhi Sim cards to Baba Ramdev because it can block all porn sites. Also, you need to apply for a special Sanskaari card and get approved by the government to possess one of these SIM cards. Also, this Sanskaari card will automatically certify you as a nationalist and auto posts pro-Modi memes on Facebook… I think acche din aa gaye... Sidharth Bedi Varma

Plastic usage and Environment

nvironment is the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives. Human activities are playing a major role in polluting our environment thus contributing to climate change. Climate change has impacts on natural resources, economic activities, food security, human health and physical infrastructure. Climate has shown warming of 0.89 [0.69 to 1.08] °C over the period 1901– 2012 which is mainly attributed to anthropogenic activities (IPCC 2013). India is one of the countries which are also affected by climate change worldwide; this includes northeast India. The threat is greater in communities and areas where people’s lives and livelihoods are highly dependent on natural resources. Climate variability and climate change could impact agriculture, water resources and forest sector in our northeast region. Human activities are a major reason for damaging our environment. So, care for our environment has become a necessity. The United Nations Environment Programme is the principal global environmental authority that sets global environmental agenda. It serves as an authoritative promoter for the global environment. In order to create awareness among general masses, “World Environment Day” is observed every year on 5th June. This day is celebrated to raise awareness among people globally to take optimistic action to save environment as also to stimulate awareness of the same and enhance political attention and public action. Communities and individuals around the world join hands to raise awareness about the importance of conserving the environment. Environmental

rHealthy sign

issues are raised and people are urged to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development. This year, India will be hosting the global World Environment Day celebrations. There is a need to shift to low carbon economy by all nations around the world. Great effort is needed to reduce its use and enhance its recycle process. It is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action which seeks to make the biggest global call and mobilization for action. This year the theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution.” The world is coming together to combat single-use plastic pollution. Single-use plastic is contributing a lot towards environmental pollution. People should be made to connect with nature and plastic has become a great hindrance. Plastics are generally useful in our

As an ode to World Environment Day that will be observed on 5th June, the author writes on the dangers posed by plastic to the environment day-to-day life – almost a necessity. But at the same time they are harmful, especially for the environment. Once plastics are used, they are littered around. Even beautiful and clean tourist spots are not spared. Several tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the sea which is damaging the aquatic environment by poisoning fishes, birds and other sea creatures. A new study has revealed that human activities have affected even the deepest parts of the oceans, more than 1,000 kilometers from the mainland. It has also been found that single-use plastic has reached the world’s deepest ocean trench - Mariana Trench where a plastic bag has been found 10,898 metres below sea surface. Tiny plastic particles are polluting soil. Many aquatic and land animals are consuming plastics with foods and this results in their death. About 500 billion plastic bags are used annually worldwide, every year not less than 8 million tonnes

O pi n io n Sanjay O’Neill Shaw

of plastic wastes are dumped into oceans. The production of plastic during the last decade was more than that produced in the last century. One of the best solutions to reduce the use of plastic is to refuse to accept plastic items if we can’t reuse it. If plastic is recycled, about 88% energy is saved in comparison to production of new plastic. One tonne of recycled plastic saves 1000-2000 gallons of gasoline. People should realize the ill-effects of plastic on the environment which is irreversible. Littering of plastic in places like land, waterways and oceans should be stopped immediately. Trash dumps and landfills are major problems as they allow pollutants to enter the ground and affect groundwater as well as flora and fauna. Encouragement should be given for reuse and recycling of plastic. One of the greatest menaces of plastic is that it is upsetting the food chain. Tiniest organisms are being affected by the toxicity of plastic by its ingestion. Larger animals that depend on them for food also get poisoned. Thus, the entire food chain is getting affected. Though plastic has multifarious uses it is becoming a great threat to environment at the same time. In order to reduce the threat of plastic, immediate steps should be taken to save our future. Use of disposable plastic products should be avoided as far as possible. People should take responsibility to reduce the use of plastics and also speak freely to educate and encourage others to reduce the use of plastics. People should be made so aware about the impending problems due to plastics that they should start thinking twice before discarding plastic materials as trash. Everybody should have the ability to understand the impact of plastic on nature and only then positive steps can be taken to combat the menace. Once appropriate steps are taken against uncontrolled use of plastic, it will be a great contribution of mankind to save the environment. n Dr Sanjay O’Neill Shaw is the Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, LGBI Airport, Borjhar.

Letter to the Editor

he just concluded Indian Premium League (IPL) showcased India’s bench strength. The performance of a few young cricketers in the tournament was really outstanding. It augurs well for the future of Indian cricket. There is no dearth of talent and the IPL is just the perfect platform for the budding cricketers to show their mettle. The Rahul Dravid coached under-19 cricketers too excelled in their respective departments which gladdened the hearts of all cricket lovers of the nation. Any nation blessed with a strong bench strength is the future champion in the respective sport. Dr Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati.

In Focus

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Selfish intentions in religious beliefs Bishaldeep Kakati

he dawn of civilization always dreamt of a society that would be free from superstitions as well as illogical notions. And that is the reason a civilized society always desires to do stuff that have valid logic associated with it. However this progress graph of civilization somewhere down the line has always faced hindrances and blockages mainly because of certain prevailing superstitions and beliefs that have been constantly coming from the religious aspects. Although religion and development of conscience are both indispensable parts of human society, an imbalance in this equilibrium is equally harmful when we speak about keeping in terms with this ever expanding and developing world. But the hilarious thing is that even after stepping into the 21st century, we are still driven by religious illusions like an idol of god drinking milk, incarnation of the almighty in the form of ‘sadhus’, ‘babas’ etc. The above scrupulous discussion is intentionally brought in to focus the fact that certain myths and beliefs still linger around the bevy’s mind which are not only irrational but are also harmful for the entire society and nature as well. And out of many such unjustifiable and baseless myths,

the slaughtering of animals in the name of God is quite disturbing. Although this issue of slaughtering of animals brings in many strong reactions every time it comes into focus, of late this issue has once again created a great deal of hue and cry with mass reactions, this time because of an appeal by none other than Zubeen Garg. The entire incident happened when Zubeen Garg, while performing in a Bihu function at Kamakhya Temple, made a bold statement regarding the issue of animal slaughter. Garg appealed to the crowd to completely stop this immoral and unethical action of slaughtering animals in the name of religion. The singer, in a rebellious tone, asked to kill oneself in the name of God if at all necessary instead of innocent animals. As soon as his statement became viral, a section of people supported him and the rest strongly disagreed. However, the locals of Kamakhya were so furious that they even announced that Garg wouldn’t be allowed to enter the Kamakhya Temple premises again unless he seeks a public apology. And in reply, a defiant Garg stood firm to his statement to once again protest the preposterous act. However the pivotal question that arises now is: how logical or illogical is Zubeen Garg? Or to be more precise, is the act of slaughtering animals in the name of God justified?

The matter of fact is that the ancient history of India or Assam not only included slaughtering of animals but also humans. But the thing that we descry now is that slaughtering of humans in the name of God has completely stopped, and this is because may be the bevy realized the fact that slaughtering in the name of God is completely illogical or immoral. That being the case,

people similarly should also understand that slaughtering of animals in the name of God is equally irrational. Added to this, if we consider the fact the fact that all living beings of nature have been created by God, how can we not understand the simple thing that the Almighty never wants its creations to be slaughtered in its name? In simple terms, slaughtering of animals in the name of God is just like killing a boy or a girl in the name of his mother or father which is completely absurd. Along with it, if facts are to be believed, nowhere in any religious scripture, things like slaughtering of animals in the name of God have been mentioned. Secondly, even the two great souls of the state i.e., Mahapurush Sankaradeva and Mahapurush Madhavdeva completely opposed the ‘Boli Bidhan’. And most importantly, if we carry our attention towards the legal perspective, an act known as “Wildlife Protection Act, 1972” has already been passed, which states that killing of wild animals is a criminal offence. And if the honourable High Court has already banned traditional buffalo

fight and Bulbuli fight, they should also be bold enough to ban the act of slaughtering of animals at Kamakhya Temple or during Durga Puja. Further, when animals are recklessly killed, it also destroys the ecological balance which is harmful for entire nature. And even if the religious beliefs are to be given priority, then these animals should not be slaughtered; rather they should be set free in the name of God to live and flourish as no mother wants her dear child to be killed or slaughtered in her name. So like every time, Zubeen Garg, as a responsible citizen and artist, has once again rightly condemned this act of slaughtering animals in the name of God. And for his virtuous statement on this, Garg has also been conferred the “Hero to Animals Award” by PETA. But it is also equally important for the greater masses to realize and understand the appeal made by Zubeen Garg. However, it still feels that the slaughtering of animals that have been going on since time immemorial has less of religious logics and more of selfish intentions. Or may be a particular caste of people is still trying to be more dominant over the others. But, in between all these, the need of the hour is to completely abolish the act of slaughtering of animals in the name of God and take important and necessary steps to save and preserve nature.

Zubeen Garg’s statement that Maa Kamakhya never seeks animal sacrifice has created a buzz on social media. Here are some reactions, mostly supporting his views Ajitesh Dey It’s not at all a matter for controversy. Sacrificing animals must be stopped if we consider ourselves as humans. And Zubeen is right and has the guts to speak the truth. After seeing the support from the public it’s crystal clear that humanity comes first. People need to understand this. We are doing all wrong in the name of devotion. God has never asked us for animal sacrifice as animals are also God’s creation and we are killing them. Bartrend Dutta Zubeen has likes and dislikes and his thoughts. Some are against and some are for it. I think it shouldn’t be a matter of discussion at all. That’s his perception. If at all, we should ban everything including chicken, goat, lamb, cow, buffalo, duck, pigeon, fish etc. or consume these after they are dead. I am against cruelty towards animals. Pratim Kar I was fascinated by goat sacrifice when I was a kid. You could see it on a daily basis. I have no count how many times I have gone there to just see the ‘pathaboli’. It has reduced to a great extent now. Will stop eventually I think. People have started taking this matter seriously and also with rise in education among the youths I think people will stand against animal sacrifice at temples. Avinash Gupta I really appreciate Zubeen for speaking against animal sacrifice. There is no place for such practices in modern times. It’s solely driven by ignorant people with a twisted idea of religion. I totally support Zubeen Garg.

Dimbeswar Barman I believe that God never wants anything. We all are God’s creations. So, God/Allah never wants animal sacrifices and it should be avoided by human beings. I strongly believe and support the statement of Zubeen Garg. He is absolutely right and animal sacrifice should be stopped at the earliest. Bandeepa D Buragohain What he said was justified. Why sacrifice lives in the name of religion or worship? Which God/Goddess would want it? People should sacrifice their vices, dishonesty, hypocrisy, greed and regressive mindset instead! You can offer your prayers genuinely without making animal sacrifices! Shiva Agarwala First stop animal sacrifice for food. Many of us have eaten a lot of animals than those sacrificed for religious rituals. Zubeen Garg himself eats non-vegetarian food. First stop eating animals and then make these statements. Barman Pulak I support Zubeen. It’s not a controversial statement. If people believe that every living creature is a creation of God, then why God wants his creation to be destroyed? Is there any perfect reply to that? He has the guts to speak the truth. In the name of God why people are sacrificing another creature? One can reach God simply by being good and doing good and also with silent prayers. Animal sacrifice is simply not required and acceptable.

Feature

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Play Assam Play The author, originally hailing from Guwahati, presents some out-of-thebox thoughts about how the city can redirect its path of growth to become a true metropolis and yet retain its unique, small town flavour

have just returned from my second trip to Guwahati this year. I end up making about three-four trips to Assam every year, partly because of an undying hope of doing something for and in the state, after having lived outside the state for close to thirty years now. The journey back is usually filled with new ideas about what can be done. Over the past few years, the moment I land in Guwahati, it has begun to feel like any other big city in India. You see the same brands, you get global cuisine and you see good hotels. Friends and relatives in the city often speak with pride about the new malls in the city. While this is comforting for any newcomer, the downside is that this is depriving the city of any uniqueness. So, when friends from outside the state ask me for things to see and do in the city, there are not too many one can recommend outside the usual trip to Kamakhya, the emporiums and a day trip to Shillong. A city’s uniqueness need not always be dependent on historical structures, but can be part of a city’s current and future development. So, a visit to Kolkata is as much about a trip to Victoria Memorial as it is about a trip to the Science City, a recent addition in the long history of the city. Now it is altogether another topic for another day that the

visible development in Assam is all in and around Guwahati. One wonders if swanky malls can be called real development. The good part though is the recent push for tourism with Priyanka Chopra coming on board as a brand ambassador. This is important because tourism is usually based on a region’s uniqueness. The other visible move is pushing the state as a sports destination, with several big sporting events being organized in Guwahati over the past two years. The verdict is not yet out if the state can successfully earn the tag of being a leading sporting destination. I have always been a strong believer in the power of play. But play is way more powerful than a game of cricket, when one looks at play as a mentality and not an activity. Let me explain. When I visit relatives in Guwahati, kids give some of the most fascinating introductions. Here is a sample: Hi, I am Rinku. I like playing in the mud. Hi, I am Rashmi. I love finger painting, and often use my sister’s face as a canvas. Hi, I am Sarba. I love fishing and playing Tenga-Ball. There are two aspects to such introductions. Firstly it is unrestricted talk. With limited judging and censoring abilities, children speak with a free mind. They are naturally creative with their thoughts. Secondly there is always an element of play or exercise in such instructions. This indicates that creativity is interlinked with play and exercise. Several mind mapping exercises have demonstrated this.

As kids grow up, censorship comes in an effort to ‘fit-in’. Parents and teachers in general teach the young ones what ‘not to do’ and how ‘not to behave’. Children are taught ‘A is for apple’ instead of questioning what could be the different words that start with A. This kind of forced linear thinking leaves no scope for the mind to look at the periphery for solutions. Far from solving problems, such candidates are often unable to define the problem accurately as they become managers or ministers. Meanwhile, the self-introductions become less interesting as they reach college and quite boring when they start working. Introductions begin to

sound something like: Hi, I am Rinku. I am the Head of Marketing. Hello, I am Rashmi. I am in charge of Human Resources. Namaskar, I am Mr. Sonowal. I am the Chief Minister. The childlike playfulness disappears. Putting adults in child-like mindsets help them open up their minds to opportunities, which lie in the periphery. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. The playfulness of Assam seems to have disappeared. Corporate organisations have realized that play is serious business and have become playful and using this as a starting point of innovation. Cities do that. Amsterdam, by adopting a playful mindset, have managed to shift

its image from sleaze capital to innovation capital of Europe. Guwahati, which is increasingly becoming the political capital of the North East, needs to adopt a playful mindset. The government can do this; the Chief Minister can do this. If not directly, it is not unthinkable for the government to invite forward thinking professionals to form think tanks to initiate a socio cultural discourse. The government needs to play an integrative role and identify influencers who can be a mix of local and global players. The government needs to shun the mentality of hiring so called ‘best in class’ players through competitions for various

long been deeply influenced by the western conception of cities, with clearly defined zoning regulations, strict land use restrictions and a suburban residential culture. But faced with scarce land, growing populations, the rise of modern service economies, and rising oil prices, urban planners need to abandon suburban car-dependent planning and favour densely populated urban centres, with closely located residential areas and workplaces, good public transport and plentiful local shopping. Earthquake problem? Have you not heard of Japan and its skyscrapers? The government can smartly keep such a discourse at arm’s length from its role of

governance and encourage failure and play, such that the city and the state can be developed on the basis of a future based on its uniqueness. n development initiatives, as those with past success will propagate ideas, which have worked in the ‘past’. The need is to look for futuristic individuals. For this, one needs to participate in the whispers and identify such silent influencers. Only then can the city and the state break away from stereotypes and use its unique strengths as forces of development. For example, Guwahati’s urban planning has for

An award winning entrepreneur, Parthajeet Sarma, is the author of the book ‘The radically changing nature of WORK, WORKERS & WORKPLACES’, now available on global e-commerce sites. Email: parthajeet@ parthajeet.com

Trotter

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

First female coolie of Jaipur railway station has Twitter in awe

efying all odds, Manju Devi became the first woman in the North Western Railways to take up the job of a porter (coolie in common parlance). It's a profession which is traditionally considered a male bastion. But Devi told news agency ANI that she believes no job is tough, adding that men and women are equal. Twitter is cheering Devi's attitude and approach to life. After the demise of her husband Mahadev, Devi took up the demanding task of porting luggage at the Jaipur railway station. She acquired her husband's porter license no. 15 and started working. She is the only earning member of her family. "After my husband died, my three children and I were left helpless. Then I came here as he worked here. It was tough initially. I didn't understand Hindi or English. The bags seemed heavy

but now it's easy," she said adding, "All other porters help me a lot." Twitterati are applauding Devi's achievements. "People like Manju Devi go on to prove that there is nothing called a man's job... Need many more Manju Devis in India," tweeted one person. Devi was among a gathering of 90 women achievers

at Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier this year. The women's efforts were recognised by President Ram Nath Kovind. Devi was also among 112 women achievers felicitated for setting a milestone in their respective fields by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. (Source: ndtv)

Woman filmed shaving her legs in hotel swimming pool

woman wearing a onepiece swimsuit was seen using a razor on her bare legs in full view of children in the pool. To make it even more gross, she then rinsed off her blade in the pool water before checking on the back of her legs. The pool appeared to be full of young families playing nearby. The footage was shared by a user named Screwsausage and has already been ‘upvoted’ more than 50,000 times. One viewer said, “That is so disgusting. Imagine the inadvertent gulp of water that sometimes happens when you’re swimming.. with all the shaved hair in it.”

when the footage was taken but the women, heard in the video, appeared to have American accents. (Source: metro.co)

Petrol prices cut by only 1 paisa per litre. "Is this a joke?" asks Twitter

ndians today woke up to the news that petrol prices have been cut by 60 paise while diesel price were down by 59 paise. The news was welcome relief after 16 consecutive days of steady rise in petrol and diesel prices. However, celebrations were short-lived as the Indian Oil Corporation soon clarified that the actual reduction was only one paisa per litre. Yes, you read that right: one

Bride drives bus to wedding, picks groom on the way n India, it's fairly normal to see grooms turning up for their weddings astride white horses. However, a bride in China decided to use an unconventional method in order to

ery. Dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown and veil, the bride seems more than comfortable behind the wheel of the bus. "People want green travel. Therefore, I chose to use a bus as

reach her wedding venue. This special bride chose to drive herself in a bus all the way to her wedding hall - and she even stopped on the way to pick up her groom. A video posted on internet shows the bride steering the bus - decorated with balloons and pictures of the happy couple - even as she sits decked up in her bridal fin-

our wedding car when I got married because it is a low carbon way of transport," she said in the video. Her groom can be seen next to her holding a bunch of flowers. "This wedding is unique," commented one Twitter user on the video. "So cute ... very touching," said another. (Source: indiatimes)

'Spiderman' scales building to save child dangling from balcony

A Another added, “Even worse, she nicks herself with the razor and now there’s blood in the pool and she’s bound to get an infection. It is not clear where or

paisa per litre. "The reduction was supposed to be 1 paisa but due to a clerical error the price prevalent on May 25 was communicated as

today's price," news agency Press Trust of India cited a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation as saying. The news of the 1 paisa dip led to many jokes on Twitter, where many vented their frustrations at the negligible reduction. Last week, the steady increase in the price of petrol and diesel had led to jokes on Twitter as well. (Source: ndtv)

young Malian man was hailed a hero after he sprang into action to save a four-yearold child hanging from a fourthfloor balcony by single-handedly scaling the facade of the building and hauling the youngster to safety. Without a thought for his own safety, Mamoudou Gassama took just seconds to reach the child in a spectacular rescue captured on film and viewed millions of times on social networks. The incident took place in northern Paris. Film of the rescue shows Gassama, 22, pulling himself up from balcony to balcony with his bare hands as a man on the fourth floor tries to hold on to the child by leaning across from a neighbouring balcony. On reaching the fourth floor Gassama puts one leg over the balcony before reaching out with his right arm and grabbing the child. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find the child had already been rescued. "Luckily, there was someone who was physically fit and who had the courage to go and get the child," a fire service spokesman said.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo praised the young migrant on Twitter for his "act of bravery" as well as phoned him personally to "thank him warmly." "He explained to me that he had arrived from Mali a few months ago dreaming of building his life here,” said the mayor. Tracked down by reporters 24 hours after the heroic rescue, Gassama said he had acted without thinking. "I saw all these people shouting and cars sounding their horns. I climbed up like that and thank God, I saved the child," he said. "I felt afraid when I saved the child... (when) we went into the living room, I started to shake, I could hardly stand up, I had to sit down," he added. According to initial inquiries by the authorities, the child's parents were not at home at the time. The father was later held for questioning by the police for having left his child unattended and was due in court later, a judicial source said. The child's mother was not in Paris at the time. (Source: foxnews)

Review

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Cast: John Abraham, Diana Penty, Boman Irani, Zachary Coffin Director: Abhishek Sharma

‘P e w Movi vie Re

Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran

armanu: The Story of Pokhran’ is exactly what the title suggests. It’s a part fiction, part fact build up to the Pokhran II tests in 1998, after which India was recognised as a nuclear power on the global stage. While it is inspired by this real-life event, its story doesn’t follow India’s nuclear program to the T. It takes a few, cinematic liberties, in the way our scientific community and armed forces beat the American intelligence and surveillance systems to successfully test three nuclear bombs in the desert of Pokhran, Rajasthan. With ticking clocks, racing surveillance satellites and an escalating sense of ten-

sion, ‘Parmanu’ does manage to engage the viewer. The movie does well to use real-life footage of the heads of state from India, Pakistan and US to create a political atmosphere. John Abraham leads the film from the word ‘go’ and is literally the captain of the mission and the movie. Diana Penty is good too, along with all the supporting actors who form the team of Indian scientists and soldiers. What ‘Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran’ lacks in detail and authenticity, it makes up with emotions and a sense of national pride. The narrative isn’t explosive but it does have the dramatic moments to keep the viewer engaged. Thrills, suspense, drama, a little bit of humour, as well as a solid comment on India’s soldiers – this movie, largely has all the tricks to please even a discerning audience. n

Gadget Review

Coolpad Note 6

ollowing a change in majority ownership and with fresh funding in hand, Coolpad is back with a new set of products and a renewed focus on the Indian market. The company also pans on entering the wearables space later in the year. While many companies now focus on online distribution, Coolpad’s new Note 6 will only be available offline. With prices starting at Rs. 8,999, some of the main highlights of the Coolpad Note 6 include dual selfie cameras and a big battery. Let’s see if offers a compelling enough package to recommend over our usual favourites in the sub-Rs.

while giving audiences something surprising. Shikha Talsania's disgruntled Meera brings warmth and believability to the film, and the immensely likeable actress never hits a false note. While Swara Bhasker plays against type as the party girl, Sakshi, in too-short dresses and too few inhibitors, Sonam Kapoor admirably plays the most messed-up girl, Avni, one who likes saying things like "no sex before the ring ceremony" but likes also to be goaded into 'climbing aboard' new young men by her friends. Veere Di Wedding lands several blows to the patriarchy while never giving up its masala entertainer roots. It is the kind of film that needs to work because of what it says – it gives us four dramatically different kinds of women with agency and spirit. n

Superhero 12:50 PM Parmanu: The Story of

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero

Raazi 06:15 PM

Veere Di Wedding 09:15 AM, 12:00 PM, 02:45 PM, 03:45 PM, 05:30 PM, 08:15 PM Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran 09:30 AM, 03:20 PM, 08:40 PM Phamous 10:15 AM, 06:30 PM Avengers: Infinity War 12:15 PM Raazi 12:45 PM, 06:05 PM, 09:00 PM 102 Not Out 06:20 PM

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 0361 2656968 Veere Di Wedding 09:30 AM, 05:30 PM, 08:15 PM Bhavesh Joshi Superhero 11:45 AM Parmanu: The Story

e w Movi vie Re

of Pokhran 02:45 PM

Grande Cines Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Veere Di Wedding 10:30 AM, 01:00 PM, 03:30 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:00 PM

Veere Di Wedding 10,000 price segment.

Display

The new Note 6 feels similar to some of the company’s older models. The body is made mostly of plastic, and yet it feels sturdy and well put together. The mildly curved back and sides blend well with the 2.5D curved-edge glass so you never feel any sharpness. It measures 8.62mm in thickness so it’s not particularly slim, but the weight is distributed well so we didn’t mind the hefty 170g weight too much. The Note 6 has a traditional 16:9 display, measuring 5.5 inches diagonally, with full-HD resolution. Coolpad told Gadgets 360 that it has used Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front. There are multiple cutouts at the

Pokhran 03:45 PM, 08:45 PM

09:10 AM, 12:20 PM, 09:05 PM

Deadpool 2 03:40 PM

Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania Director: Shashanka Ghosh eere Di Wedding, an all-girl ensemble comedy directed by Shashanka Ghosh and written by Nidhi Mehra and Mehul Suri, subverts the usual and the expected at many a bend. It starts out as a buddy film set in the familiar band baaja baroque world of a Delhi wedding, but there is more to this film than initially meets the eye, and certainly more to these ladies than meets the guys. This is a film that rolls its eyes at 'happily ever after.' It knows weddings are hard, marriages take work, and that, occasionally, pampered princes need to be knocked off the moonshaped thrones picked out by their mothers. The casting is clever and spoton. Kareena Kapoor is terrific as Kalindi, giving this foulmouthed film new subversive meaning,

Cinepolis Christian Basti 09435025808

Phamous 10:45 AM Bhavesh Joshi

Gold Cinema Paltan Bazaar 09854066166 Veere Di Wedding 10:45 AM, 01:15 PM, 03:45 PM, 06:15 PM, 08:45 PM Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran 11:00 AM, 04:00 PM Bhavesh Joshi Superhero 01:15 PM, 08:30 PM Phamous 06:15 PM

PVR Cinemas Dona Planet 08800900009 Veere Di Wedding 10:00 AM, 12:35 PM, 06:40 PM, 09:15 PM Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran 10:30 AM, 06:15 PM Deadpool 2 01:10 PM Bhavesh Joshi Superhero 03:10 PM, 08:55 PM Raazi 03:50 PM

Galleria Cinemas HUB 09706989143 Veere Di Wedding 10:30 AM, 12:50 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:00 PM Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran 03:15 PM

top for the two cameras, a fill light, and sensors. Below the display, you get a capacitive Home button and the Android navigation keys, none of which are backlit. The fingerprint sensor is integrated into the home button, and is quick at authentication.

for not having it. Coolpad preinstalls a bunch of apps including Hungama, Ola, Xender, UC Browser, Amazon Shopping, Prime Video, UC news, NewsDog, and Facebook. Thankfully, all of them can be uninstalled, if needed.

Specifications

Camera

Coolpad will be selling two variants of the Note 6 in India one with 32GB of storage and another with 64GB of storage. Both variants have 4GB of RAM. Our review unit is the former, with 32GB of storage. Other specifications include Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, 4G with VoLTE, an accelerometer, compass, and proximity sensor, but no gyroscope. Software is a bit disappointing, as the Note 6 is still running Android Nougat 7.1.1, with an outdated security patch (December 2017). Most phones these days ship with Android Oreo so there’s really no excuse

Coolpad has fitted the Note 6 with two cameras in the front. There’s an 8-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel wideangle sensor, for group selfies. There’s also a fill light on the front, for shooting in low light. Selfies taken with the main camera appear grainy even with good lighting, and this is more noticeable on objects in the background. It also missed the mark with the white balance a few times. The 13-megapixel sensor at the back has an f/2.2 aperture and features phase detection autofocus. With adequate light, the sensor is quick to lock focus, and shutter lag isn’t too much of a problem. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Guwahati hosts Prag Cine Awards 2018 M

ega cine award event “Prag Cine Awards NorthEast 2018” was held at Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) Auditorium in Guwahati on May 26 and 27, 2018. The award presentation ceremony was attended by Bollywood superstar Govinda as the guest of honour along with a host of prominent actors and film directors from across the country. Around 32 regional movies from across the northeast, which were released in 2017, were nominated for the awards in various categories. Eminent director, Utpal Barpujari, won the best director award for his film “Ishu” while Himjyoti Talukdar won the best debut director award for his film “Calendar.” The film “Village Rockstars,” which was directed by Rima Das, got the best film award. The two-day mega cine award event concluded on a colourful note with

performances by renowned singers Papon and Zubeen Garg on May 27 at Guwahati. Eminent artist Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya was honoured with Lifetime Achievers’ Award for his life-long contributions towards the Assamese film industry. Among other recipients of the prestigious awards were Arun Nath for best actor award (male) for his performance in the film Calendar and Bhanita Das for the best actor (female) award for her performance in Village Rockstars. Well-known film critic Mrinal Kr Bora was honoured with best critic award at the event. In the best music

Village Rockstars to be screened at National Award Winning Film Festival

fter winning multiple awards at the National Film Awards this year, Assamese film ‘Village Rockstars’ will now be screened at the National Award Winning Film Festival 2018. The film will be screened on the closing ceremony of the festival, the director of which, Rima Das will be present for a Question & Answer session with the audience thereafter. Goa will play host to the National Award Winning Film Festival wherein 23 films that have won a national award this year will be screened. The festival is being organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals in association with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) from May 25 to June 7 at Maquinez Palace in Panaji. Of the 23 films that will be screened at the festival, four are Malayalam language films while there are three each in Hindi and Marathi, besides other languages.

Among other films to be screened during the festival are Bhayanakam (Malayalam) for which Jayraj won the Best Director, Mom (Best Actress for Sridevi), Nagarkirtan, the Bengali film which took home a total of four awards including the Best Actor for Riddhi Sen and a Special Jury Prize, Irada (Best Supporting Actress award for Divya Dutta) and Newton (Best Hindi film and Special Jury Prize for Pankaj Tripathi). Marathi films ‘Kaacha Limbu’ directed by Prasad Oak which won the award for the Best Regional Film and ‘Pavasacha Nibandha’ directed by Nagraj Manjule which won the award for Best Audiography will be screened on the inaugural day of the festival on May 25 at Maquinez Palace. Oak and Manjule will be present at the inaugural and will interact with the festival attendees following the screening of their respective films.

director category, Michele Josia and Anurag Saikia (3 Smoking Barrels) won the award while Rima Das (Village Rockstars) won the best editing award. Popular singer Tarali Sarma won the best lyricist award (Hothate Dekhu Jibone: Calendar) while singer

Siddhartha Hazarika (Calendar) won the best singer (male) and Anindita Paul (Ojanite Mone Mone) was honoured with best singer (female) award. The song “Din Jole Rati Jole” (of Mission China) got the best choreography award. Popular actor Barasha Rani Bishaya (Tumi Ahibane) won the best popular actor (female) award and Zubeen Garg (Priyar Priyo/ Mission China) won the best popular actor (male) award while Mission

China won the best popular film award. In the best film other than Assamese language category, 3 Smoking Barrels won the award while Leishangthem Tontohingambi (Tonthoi) Devi won the best actor (female) northeast for her performance in the film Iche Tampha – Manipur and Lhakpa Lepcha (Dhokbu) from Sikkim won the best actor (male) northeast. Rupak Gogoi won the best director award for the Khasi film “Gangs of North East” and the best film award was given to Dhokbu (Sikkim) while the Jury’s special awards were given to Kenny Basumatary (Local Kung Fu 2), Kapil Garo (Ishu), Basanti Das (Village Rockstars) and Munin Barua (Priyar Priyo).

Papon renders voice to Rajdweep’s ‘Bauli Mor Priya’

ngaraag (Papon) Mahanta is a name that does not need any introduction. His resonant voice echoes in the hearts of his countless fans. Not only in Assamese movies and audio-video albums, Papon has already rendered his voice in many songs of other languages including Hindi and Bengali. The singer got associated with Assamese mobile theatre for the first time through Hengool Theatre’s ‘Akou Edin’. The play was written by youth storyteller-cumlyricist-cum-journalist Rajdweep where Papon had sung the poem ‘Akou Edin’. But this was not the beginning of this RajdweepPapon collaboration. The duo was highlighted from its very first venture ‘Pokhi Pokhi Mon Mur’ from the Assamese movie ‘Rowd.’ This song penned by Rajdweep and rendered by Papon continues to be on top of the charts of the Assamese music lovers. After that, the duo again came together in mobile theatre with the title track of the play ‘Bonoriya’ staged by Hengool Theatre. The song written

by Rajdweep was not only sung by Papon but he also took part in the video for the first time. Recently, this pair presented some massive hit numbers to the Assamese music industry like ‘Dooronir Nirala Poja’, ‘Bahnimaan’ etc. Last year, Papon again associated with mobile theatre and sung the popular romantic number

Kalyan Kumar Kalita ‘Matho Tumi’ for Rajdweep’s highlighted play ‘Best of Luck’ staged by one of the popular mobile theatre troupes ‘Kohinoor Theatre’. Apart from these, Papon’s song ‘Otitore Siyar Bure’ for MTV’s popular musical show ‘The Dewarists’ was also penned by

Papon and Rajdweep. Papon has rendered his voice to the title track of Rajdweep’s play ‘Bauli Mor Priya’ which is going to be staged by Rajmukut Theatre this year. The song written and musically scored by Rajdweep and to be released in both audio-video formats was beautifully shot around some attractive locations of the northeast like Shillong, Jowai etc. The producer of Rajmukut Theatre, Manash Kalita said, “This song will play a vital role in the play ‘Bauli Mor Priya’ written on the basis of a real story. It’ll hit the market very soon.” Papon expressed his happiness at being associated with Assamese mobile theatre again. He said, “It is always a different type of experience working with mobile theatre. I am emotionally attached to this medium. The script of this play is very powerful. It can undoubtedly be said that mobile theatre lovers will find a different kind of taste with this play and the song which has been so beautifully penned by Rajdweep. I’m hopeful that people of Assam will accept both the song and the play.”

Fun

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Horoscope of the week The quarter moon at the start of the week could coincide with a need to get family members on board before you make a decision. If you can talk them through your plans in some detail, you may find that everything falls into place very nicely. With the sun in your sign making a harmonious alignment with fiery Mars in your sector far horizons, midweek could be a time of action.

This week, you might feel moved to join a group that has philosophical or spiritual inclinations, and if so, this could be very good for you. You might be drawn to a teacher or life coach who can help you live to your full potential or who inspires you in such a way that you feel drawn to adopt new beliefs. Doing so could open new paths to you.

The quarter moon on Monday could leave you wondering whether to commit to a group or membership or leave it for now. If it’s expensive, this could be a sign to leave well enough alone. But it’s unlikely that you’ll want to work solo. Connecting with a team or partner might allow you to accomplish much more.

The general atmosphere this week seems to be very buoyant and uplifting. You might be ready to move out of your comfort zone in order to implement an idea that has been on your mind for some time. The support of a partner or loved one could be instrumental in encouraging you to make a start.

You could be tempted to splurge in the early part of the week. With inquisitive Mercury aligning with fortunate Jupiter in your money zone on Tuesday, you may not think about the price tag in your desire to purchase an expensive item or experience. However, before you spend any money, it might be wise to consider whether this is a good investment. It may not be.

Monday’s quarter moon in your social sector could leave you wondering how far to involve your friends in an idea. You might want to pool resources and skills, but you might also have reservations. Talking things over with the people involved can help put your mind at ease. Finally, an old friend could be eager to reconnect with you.

Allow your intuition to guide you, especially during the early part of the week. With expressive Mercury making a positive aspect to upbeat Jupiter and ethereal Neptune on Tuesday, there is a mystical quality around that you can tap in to. Let yourself be guided by your innate wisdom, and you could reap rewards and perhaps save time and money, too.

Romantic opportunities abound whether you’re spoken for or solo. Tuesday can be an excellent day for a special date with your significant other or a first date with a special someone. With talkative Mercury aligning with jovial Jupiter and caring Neptune, there could be opportunities to discuss matters in depth.

The quarter moon in an intense sector of your chart on Monday could encourage you to think more deeply about a creative idea or project. Working out the costs in some detail can enable you to make a more informed decision. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake over the next day or so. Instead, treat yourself to a massage or other special indulgence.

Your social life continues to be busy, and this could lead to some positive opportunities over the course of this week. With chatty Mercury making an upbeat tie to fortunate Jupiter in your sector of far horizons on Tuesday, a bold step forward could open new doors.

1. Hair Transplantation 2. Gangetic river dolphin 3. Single malt whiskey. He opened the Glenlivet distillery. 4. Sir Mick Jagger 5. Mysore Pak 6. Harry Potter and JK Rowling

Follicular Unit Transplantation is the most common technique for which cosmetic medical procedure undergone by lots of patients, mainly male? What is the official city animal of Guwahati?

curio-city

George Smith, in 1824, became the first Scotsman to commercially produce what?

Which sweet dish was invented by Kakasura Madappa in 1935?

Located in Edinburgh, this cafe is said to be the birthplace of a fictional character, whose author used to write about the character’s adventures over endless cups of coffee at this cafe. Identify the character and the author. Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Luann By Greg Evans

5 1 3

6 4 1 8 59 2 6 8 5 3 8 2 1 2 5 9 2

4 8 33 7 5

4 9 43 5 4 1 3 8 1 8 6 2 5 2 Thu 6 24-May-2018 5 9hard Daily Sudoku: 4 3 8 Daily Sudoku: Thu 17-May-2018

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2 last 7 9week 4 1 solution 5 6 8 3 3 5 1 8 7 6 2 4 9 1 2 87 65 43 9 3 42 91 87 65 9 7 76 28 54 6 8 59 24 33 11 9 1 2 6 3 6 9 3 7 4 81 55 72 48 2 5 44 17 88 2 5 63 17 99 36 2 9 1 4 8 5 8 2 3 6 37 69 51 74 7 1 93 46 65 1 2 98 43 25 87 8 6 15 33 79 5 9 14 78 46 22 8 Sudoku: 2 Thu 6 24-May-2018 5 4 7 3 1 9hard Daily 1 4 7 3 9 2 8 6 5 Daily Sudoku: Thu 17-May-2018

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http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Spagyric adjective [spuh-jeer-ik] pertaining to or resembling alchemy; alchemic.

Crossword

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8 76 9

Word of the week

Performance, a 1970 British crime drama, was the debut movie of which Rock Star?

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http://www.dailysudoku.com/

curio-city 2 3

Sudoku

The start of the week could see you enjoying a social extravaganza and getting along very well with the people you encounter. This can be a good opportunity to take your partner out for a great evening. If you’re looking for love, this could be a chance to chat with your latest love interest. There is certainly romantic potential in the air this week, so be alert.

Go easy with your finances in the early part of the week. You could be tempted to splurge on something, which may not be very useful. With chatty Mercury aligning with dreamy Neptune and jovial Jupiter on Tuesday, you could be buoyed up by inspiring sales talk and thoughts of how you can benefit from this purchase. Give yourself a few days to think about it.

Across

Down

1 Moral obligation (4) 3 Fight (2,6) 8 Memorisation by repetition (4) 9 If absolutely necessary (2,1,5) 11 Stop work (4,2,1,3) 14 Slow-witted (6) 15 Killed in battle (6) 17 Perfect — pure (10) 20 Cause a friend to become hostile (8) 21 Handle of an axe (4) 22 Wild, swinging punch (slang) (8) 23 Uncontrolled slide (4)

1 Company board member (8) 2 Whole amount (8) 4 Declare illegal (6) 5 Bearing — pretence (10) 6 Bodily firmness (4) 7 Comms code for E (4) 10 Compulsive desire for alcohol (10) 12 New Zealand rugby international (3,5) 13 Ate (8) 16 Midpoint (6) 18 Impulsive — skin condition (4) 19 Cunning (4)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Vaastu rules for the Dining Room 19. It is good to have a mirror in the East or North wall of dining area.

Tips to promote the energy of the dining area and make it an enjoyable place for the family members:

. It is best to have the Dining area in West. North or East is second best. 2. The Dining room should always be spacious, hospitable and comfortable. 3. While dining, the head of the family must face East. The rest of the family members can face East, North or West. 4. Children should not sit in the Southwest corner of the dining table as this will make them gain control of house over their parents. 5. No one from the family should face South while dining. It causes small disputes among family members. 6. East, North or West walls are best for doors of dining room. Avoid door in the South. 7. Square or rectangular dining tables are best. Do not have circular, oval or any other shaped dining tables. 8. Place the dining table towards Southwest corner of dining area without touching the wall. Keep enough space between the dining chairs and

the wall so that everyone can get up easily. 9. Dining table must not fold against any wall. 10. Do not place dining table under a beam. 11. Use the Northeast part of the dining area to keep drinking water. 12. Provide wash-basin in the North or East but not in Southeast or Northwest. 13. Do not attach any toilets next to the dining area. 14. The main door of the house and entrance door of dining room should not face each other. 15. Keep the kitchen and the dining area on the same floor. 16. The refrigerator can be kept in the Southeast corner of dining area. 17. If dining place is a part of the drawing-room i.e., drawingcum-dining area, then use a curtain or a plotted plant as a separator. 18. Pink, orange, yellow, cream or off-white are best colors for the dining room.

1. Place posters or photos of delicious dishes in the dining area to arouse hunger. 2. A family, while eating, should always be relaxed, happy and stress-free. 3. Family members must speak politely to each other while eating. Table manners must be taught to the children. They should converse respectfully at all times. 4. During sitting and discussing at the dining table, one should not criticize others or make fun of them. The negative energy generated will get into the food and body. 5. There should not be too much of sermons and advice given to juniors by seniors at the dining table as they may lose interest in their food. 6. It is very good to play soft and subdued music in dining room. 7. Avoid the TV in dining room so that whole family spends quality time together without any distraction and loss of interest in the food. 8. Vaastu experts advise removing shoes while eating. It promotes digestion.

Stars Sitting under the stars On a cold night Breathing the mist I’ll capture the stars for you It’s my fortune to make you smile.

The shutter draws apart It gapes at the sky Drawing in the lights Capturing the stars for you These truest moments can never die.

When everything is in awe It works with a sight Aiming for perfection Like the universe does for you It brought the stars for your eyes.

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

Sanjali Dixit

How does reclassification of MF schemes benefit the investors?

EBI recently decided to rationalize the existing categorization of mutual fund schemes and the investors must have been getting several e-mails from the fund houses regarding the change in fundamental attributes of the schemes they have invested in. With such sweeping changes, most of the mutual fund schemes have a clean slate to start with in respect of the performance as the past performance does not make any difference now. However, at the same time, the decision taken by SEBI has definitely been a landmark decision for the mutual fund sector, moving towards ease and simplification for the investor. This assumes further importance as the retail investors now prefer to park their savings into financial savings like MFs in the post-demonetization era. Here is how this reclassification of MF schemes benefits the investors: 1. Decision Making

Made Easier – The reclassification is aimed to rationalize the scheme categorization so that difference schemes launched by a mutual fund house are clearly distinct in terms of asset allocation, investment strategy etc. This would ensure that an investor is able to evaluate the different options available, before taking an informed decision to invest in a scheme. 2. Uniformity in the Stocks Universe for a Particular Category –The SEBI Circular has also gone a step ahead to define the large cap, mid cap and small cap category of stocks so that there is a uniformity in the investment universe for a particular category. As such, picking the winners will be much important for the fund manager to achieve outperformance the benchmark index instead of selecting different

stocks of companies with varying sizes. 3. Simplification of the Choices Available before the Investor – SEBI has further mandated that only MF scheme per category will be allowed for each fund house except for index funds/ ETFs/ Fund of Funds or sectoral / thematic funds investing in different sectors/ themes. As such,

the investors are now with lesser choices and can be more specific into the choices to be made, given the simplification of the cluttered universe of the different Mutual Fund schemes available earlier. This mandate has been made applicable to both existing as well as new schemes. Further, in case you have also received a communication from your fund house regarding the change in the fundamental attributes of the scheme pursuant to such reclassification or otherwise, you may like to ensure that the new investment objective of your scheme meets your investment requirements. For example, you may have invested in a multi-cap fund which will now be run as a small-cap fund. You may not be comfortable staying invested in such fund as small-cap

stocks are more susceptible to portfolio volatility. So, In case the new scheme does not match your requirements, you can avail of the exit window made available to all the investors of that mutual fund scheme, wherein you can redeem your existing investments in that scheme without any exit load. However, one important thing to note here is that such redemption of investments may be free from exit load, but the gains made will still be liable for taxation as per the extant provisions. This step by SEBI is certainly a welcome step aimed towards simplifying the investment options within the mutual fund sector. Make the most of it by seeing it as an opportunity to review your existing portfolio and its suitability to your investment goals. Pallav Bagaria CEO, Brand New Day – one of Northeast’s leading Mutual Funds Investment Consultancy and Portfolio Management Services pallav@salasarcapital.com

Buzz

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

Campus placement drive concludes

campus placement drive, organised by the Assam Down Town University in association with National Career Service, was successfully held at the university campus at Panikhaiti from May 19-20. The drive witnessed the

presence of 72 national and international companies on board, including the likes of Patanjali, Reliance Retail, Flipkart, Bata and Shoppers Stop. The two-day long placement drive recorded a footfall of more than 3,000 people. Assam Minister for Transport, Parliamentary Affairs, Industry

& Commerce, Chandra Mohan Patowary attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Patowary said, "A person should not be known only by his or her designation but by his or her skills and abilities." Patowary further added that skill development must be given priority along with education because a person who possesses great skills is sure to prosper. He announced that within the next one and a half years, all the industries that are not operating currently will be reopened in order to provide employment opportunities to people. The closing ceremony was also attended by Dr NN Dutta, Chancellor of ADTU and Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, Vice Chancellor of the University. The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Gariasi Dutta, resident trustee of the university. n

FICCI FLO enrols women in skilling program

nder the national FLO women's empowerment initiative, FICCI FLO Northeast started its skilling initiative by getting the first batch of underprivileged women to take the tailoring and beautician training at NSIC Bamunimaidan, Guwahati. FLO Northeast Skilling Committee Head, Mitrani Kakoty, and Senior Vice Chairperson, Srutimala Duara, spoke to the girls about the importance of learning. Speaking to the women present, Duara inspired and encouraged them to use this learning to earn a living after completion of the training. She assured the students that FICCI FLO would continue to hold their hands until they were

established. A host of members, led by FLO Northeast chairperson Sarita Sikaria and immediate past chairperson Prabidita

Bharati were also present at the inauguration of the skilling programme. The endeavour was supported by MeiLing Pranic Healing Centre, Guwahati. n

UTSAH re-launches community based education initiative

TSAH, a leading child rights organization, has been running a community based education program that builds a bridge between the community’s out-ofschool children (OOSC) and the mainstream education system since 2013. Through this program UTSAH has rescued over 300 children from the unregulated labour market and have mainstreamed them into government schools in the last 5 years. Every two years, a new set of out-of-school children (OOSC) are enrolled into the program through the efforts of outreach field workers. To inspire the children UTSAH organizes a small function to celebrate their new journey. This year, another set of 50 children have been

identified and have been enrolled into the centre. Through the next six months, these children will be undertaking a preparatory curriculum and would be mainstreamed into nearby government schools in January 2019. This year’s enrolment function was presided over by Virendra Mittal, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (M), government of Assam, who motivated the children to excel in studies. In his message to the

children, Mittal said, “Development should not be limited to malls and streetlights. True development will only happen when the most marginalized children find their safe space in the urban mainstream.” The guest of honour, Manna Biswas, Child Protection Officer of UNICEF, Assam reiterated the importance of child protection in urban spaces. He also encouraged the children to be regular with schools, which in turn, could help in enhancing child protection in communities. Speaking on the occasion, UTSAH’s executive director, Miguel Das Queah said, “Our mission is to empower every last child. Empowerment of children can reduce protection related issues like child labour, child marriage, child trafficking and child sexual abuse.” n

Guwahati girl clinches triple crown in All Assam TT tournament

nder the auspices of the Assam Table Tennis Association, Jorhat Table Tennis Association organised the 13th Hiren Baruah Memorial All Assam Major Ranking Table Tennis Championship at the Kushal Konwar Indoor Stadium in Jorhat from May 24 to 27. Around 350 players from all the affiliated districts including Duliajan, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Nagaon, Golaghat, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar and institutions like NF Railway and Oil India Limited (OIL) took part in the tournament. Trisha Gogoi of Oil India clinched a triple crown while team-mate Agniv Bhaskar Gogoi bagged a double crown in the tournament. Agniv was also adjudged the most promising player. Trisha got the better of Gargee Goswami of Guwahati in the junior and youth girls’ event while she defeated another Guwahati girl Kritika Upadhyay to lift the women’s singles title. Agniv bagged the youth boys’ title defeating Bibek Rava while he got the better of Zubayer Arshad Barua to secure the double crown. Altogether 319 players from different parts of the state participated in the four-day tournament with altogether 10 individual events held from cadet

to senior level for both men and women. While Subrajit Singha and Biplab Goswami were appointed as observers, Biman Bhagawati was the chief referee, assisted by Gobinda Upadhaya and Chandan Goswami. In cadet girls’ event, Bhuka Kaushik beat Prashee Majumdar (both Guwahati); among cadet boys, Dibyaj Rajkhowa (Guwahati) beat Diptangshu Gogoi (Duliajan); among sub-junior girls, Hashita Das beat Akankshya Deka (both Guwahati); in sub-junior boys category, Aryaman Das beat Ankit Saharia (both Guwahati); in men’s singles, Anal Kashyap beat Gautam Barua (both OIL); and among the veterans, Pratim Barkakaty (Jorhat) beat Jahi Ashan (Dibrugarh). n

Brahmaputra Study Centre set up at GU

nion Minister of State for DoNER, Dr Jitendra Singh, set up an exclusive “Brahmaputra Study Centre” at Gauhati University. The central government approved a fund of Rs 28 crores to set up the centre aimed to carry out research on various aspects of Brahmaputra River like waterways, flood management, hydro-power plants etc. The first major research study, already initiated, deals with ways

and means to control and prevent the occurrence of floods. Brahmaputra is one of the largest rivers in the world and the study centre being set up within the Gauhati University will offer an opportunity for research in different aspects of the river and thus, any scholar from any part of the world who wishes to undertake a study in any of these diverse aspects will find the most suitable and handy ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Gauhati University. n

Events

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018

The Pop Up Store is a joint venture of two fashion label, ‘J by Jahnabi’ and ‘Silk Symphony’ owned by Jahnabi Das & Krishangi Gogoi respectively. The duo collaborated together to launch their exclusive Spring-Summer collection at “Assam Pop Up Store” a one day Fashion exhibition at Maati Centre. The Pop Up Store was officially inaugurated by the Chief Guest Maini Mahanta, a celebrated writer and editor and Dhiraj

Deka, famous fashion designer from Assam as the guest of honour. The event was well attended by eminent personalities from the fashion industry. The Pop Up Store is an initiative by the duo fashion entrepreneurs with an aim to promote their products which are made out of local handloom which are equally fashionable and comfortable to wear.

Date: May 26, Saturday Event: Pop Up Store launch

June 2, Saturday Time Lapse ft. Starling Terra Mayaa 7PM onwards June 2, Saturday Su Real Live NYX Hotel palacio 7PM onwards June 2, Saturday Turn Up Hip Hop Club XS 8PM onwards June 2, Saturday Ladies Night Retro Town 6PM onwards June 2, Saturday Bollywood Beats ft. DJ Mani Dunkin Oza

Date: May 26, Saturday

7PM onwards

Event: Time Lapse ft. Outlaw June 3, Sunday

Venue: Club XS

Sunday Jam ft. Rudra NYX, Hotel Palacio 8PM onwards June 4, Monday Autumn Notes 5:30PM onwards

Date: May 27, Sunday Event: Sunday Club Night ft. DJ Rik

June 8, Friday

Venue: Dunkin Oza

Late Too Soon Live Terra Mayaa 8PM onwards June 8, Friday

Date: May 26, Saturday Event: IPL Live Screening Venue: Underdoggs Sports Bar

Unplugged Friday ft. David Goldsmith Retro Town 6PM onwards

Catching Up

G PLUS | JUN 02 - JUN 08, 2018