Vol 5 Issue 41 by G Plus

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018 @guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

Inside

Volume 05 | Issue 41 Aug 04 - Aug 10, 2018 Price `10

Tangled up in NRC blues Some stories of people omitted from the NRC PG 02-03

First phase of Assam PS revamp under project MOITRI nearing completion PG 07

Residents call Dr Bhupen Hazarika Road in Kharguli a paddy field PG 12

JUDICIARY ‘TARGETTED’ AFTER NRC FINAL DRAFT

In The News Snippets

NRC is the soul of the Assam Accord: Amit Shah in RS

haratiya Janata Party President, Amit Shah, went hammer and tongs in Rajya Sabha while speaking on the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC). In his speech, Amit Shah quoted from history and said that it was Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who signed the Assam Accord on 14th August 1985 and then declared it in his Independence Day speech from Red Fort, the next day. “After hundreds of Assamese youths gave their lives and when the Congress government could not control the movement they signed the accord. What is the soul of the Assam Accord? NRC is the soul of the Assam Accord,” said Shah. Amidst the uproar, Shah pointed out to the opposition that it was mentioned in the Assam Accord that identification of illegal migrants, separating them from our citizen register and creating a National Citizen Register was the objective. “The NRC has been done on the orders of the Supreme Court. Everyone is talking about the 40 lakh figure; I want to ask how many are illegal Bangladeshis in this 40 lakh? Whom are you trying to save? Are you trying to save the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants?” asked Shah. He blamed the Congress party of not having the courage to implement something which was started by their own prime minister. “This initiative was taken by the Congress Prime Minister. You did not have the courage to implement it. We have the courage so we are doing it,” said Shah. The BJP president had to stop his address mid-way as opposition members interrupted by coming down to the well of the house and started sloganeering. The house was then adjourned. n

Magic drivers hit traffic constable near Ganesh Mandir

n what can be termed as growing terror of small city transport operatives, an onduty traffic constable was manhandled by a group of Magic drivers. The incident happened near the Ganesh Mandir at Ganeshguri. According to the police, the traffic constable, Lokenath Pegu, had intercepted the drivers for not following traffic rules. Taking offence, the drivers attacked Pegu and injured him. Pegu was on duty at that time. The Dispur police have arrested the 5 accused: Dwijen Deka, Rustom Ali, Raij Ali, Wahid Ali and Atul Deka. n

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Tangled up in

NRC

blues

My fate is at the mercy of West Bengal government: Lili das Pensively fiddling through some documents in her hand, 51year old Lili Das looked as clueless at the Kalapahar NRC Seva Kendra on July 30 as she was in 1984 when she first came to Guwahati with her husband Swapan Das from Raiganj in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district. 34-years ago, she was a newlywed and was worried if she would be able acclimatise to Assam while now, widowed Lili fears that she will be pushed out of this state. Her son Uttam and daughter Juhi got their names included in the National Register of Citizens through their father’s legacy, but Lili did not. “All the documents that I had from my birthplace, Raiganj, such as my birth certificate, my father’s voters’ card that shows him to be a resident of India before 1971, have already been submitted to the authorities. I don’t have any more documents to prove my citizenship,” Lili said after not finding her name in the final draft NRC released on July 30. “My deceased husband was from Assam and hence, my children managed to get their names in the Register. I have spent the better half of my life here and I don’t have any other place to go to. Even my children are very worried,” the housewife, who has lived for more than two decades at Odalbakhra here, said. Lili is one among the 1,14,971 cases that were sent from Assam to West Bengal for confirmation. All hopes, however, are not lost for her as the Mamata Banerjeeled West Bengal government had responded or sent confirmations regarding only 7,438 of these 1,14,971 cases. While Banerjee has been recently furious that the names of 40,07,707 persons were not included in the final draft of NRC,

name inclusion of 1,07,541 people including Lili’s still remains at the mercy of her West Bengal government. “I hadn’t been much in touch with Raiganj after marriage. I was the only daughter of my father and after his death there is nobody there for me anymore. I will still go to Raiganj again and try to find any other documents which can place him as a resident of India before 1971. If I find any, I will again file a claim, or else, I will have to be at the mercy of the government,” a seemingly apprehensive Lili said.

Scared for my children: Malati Thapa 70-year-old Malati Thapa was witness to the agitation against foreigners’ influx, about 860 youths laying down their lives, the signing of Assam Accord that brought the 6 six year-long agitation to an end, the inception of NRC to weed out foreigners from the state and she has now lived to see her and her family’s name getting excluded from the final draft of the NRC too. Malati, along with her son Binod, daughter-in-law Janmoni and daughter Rubi did not find their names in the final draft NRC. “I have reached the fag end of my life and I have practically seen the influx of foreigners, and the agitation and the signing of the Assam Accord that finally took shape into NRC. I have supported the movement all along but I never thought I will be excluded from the list,” said a confused and seemingly scared Malati. She claimed that it was way back in the 1930’s when her father had come to Tinsukia, about 540 kms from here, to drive for the British government and then the Assam government, a legacy further carried out by her husband, now deceased, Pahalman Thapa, who drove for the Assam secretariat right until

G Plus talked to a cross-section of people whose names have been dropped or do not figure in the NRC final draft. While all of them have expressed hope and reposed faith in the judicial system of the country, they could not help but feel sentimental about the omission of their names. The persons interviewed range from people married into the Assamese society at large but whose legacy lay in another state to the transgender community and onto former president of the nation, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed who, it seems, did not leave behind a legacy. Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

his retirement about 12-13 years ago. “We spent almost entire our lives at Thermal gate in Tinsukia. In the 1970s, when the capital was shifted from Shillong to Guwahati, my husband got transferred to Guwahati. We’ve been living here in Hatigaon since then. I am not worried about myself, but my children. Where will they go?” asked Malati. For legacy document, she had provided her father’s driving license, her husband’s driving license and employment document by the Assam government. “I am still hopeful that it is because of some mistake in filing the documents because there are no ways that our names can be excluded. We will wait for the claims and objection phase and file again,” she added. From August 7, the NRC will release the reasons based on which their documents were rejected and the forms for claims, objection and corrections will be available from August 30. Malati however is not the only Nepali person whose name is not included in the final draft list as according to the All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union, that has about 2.5 lakh strong membership, at least 1 lakh names did not appear in the list.

7,500 transgenders’ names not in the final draft For 35-year-old Nilu, neither disappointment from family, nor the constant fear of alienation was new, and yet, she felt a lump in her throat when she did not find her name in the final draft of the NRC. Abandoned by her family at the age of 3 for being a transgender, Nilu was adopted by the Guwahati transgender community where she grew up. “I don’t even remember my

biological parents, leave alone going to them for my legacy documents,” Nilu said. However, while exclusion from the updated NRC list poses a threat of being ousted from India, Nilu had a faint flicker of hope that her estranged parents would put her name in their legacy data. “I never expected any sort of recognition from my parents while growing up and I wasn’t very hopeful that they would connect my name with their legacy. But, there was still a hope that at least they would care whether I live or die in this country and put my name in the legacy,” Nilu, with tearful eyes, said. Another transgender, Khushbu, who was ousted by her family in Karimganj when she was 12-years-old, has travelled a long way to a transgender community in Nagaon where she grew up. She travels between Nagaon and Guwahati on a regular basis. “I have other documents such as PAN card, but there is no way I can connect those with my biological family. It has been so long that I don’t even remember how they were now. All I know is, they are not very proud of me, and I don’t want to bring more shame to them,” Khushbu said. Nilu and Khushbu, however, are not the only persons from the transgender community who did not find their names in the final draft. According to Assam Transgender Association (ATA) that has 7,500 members throughout the state, none of its members got their names in the final draft. “For their family, they are an abomination. They are ousted and humiliated throughout their lives. Some of them have PAN cards or Aadhar cards, but there is no way they can link those documents with their family tree,” Swati Bidhan Baruah, founder of ATA said. The association had filed an injunction against the Assam Public Works case at the Supreme

In The News

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Snippets Multiple burglaries near Chandmari Police Station

I Azmal Hauque

t seems burglars in Guwahati city are getting adventurous. In a new development, as many as seven shops were burgled at around 2 AM in the Chandmari area, right under the nose of the police today. According to the police, two livestock shops, a salon and a few grocery shops were burgled and cash was taken away in multiple burglaries near the Chandmari Police Station on Wednesday. The police have claimed that the burglaries are the handiwork of roadside petty substance abusers. n

Lili Das

Asom Sahitya Sabha branch now in Singapore

Ziauddin Ali Ahmed

Malati Thapa

Court of India, as a result of which, the NRC 1951 is being updated with March 25, 1971 as base date under the supervision of the Apex Court. The 113-page long injunction had asked for a proper census and screening of the transgender population in the state along with provisions for inclusion in the NRC. On July 31 last, the injunction was accepted by the Supreme Court which provided a hearing date on July 16. “Justice Ranjan Gogoi, under whose supervision the NRC is being updated, had told us that we had already missed the bus, but our cases have been kept on hold. This gives us hope that there must be some plan with the Supreme Court regarding us (transgenders),” Baruah said.

Govt has no document of the 5th president for period 1951 to 1971: Ziauddin Ali Ahmed For Ziauddin Ali Ahmed, a nephew of India’s fifth president, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (1974 – 1977), the total absence of documents in the government’s possession pertaining to the president for the period between 1951 and 1971 came as a bigger shock than even the absence his name in the final draft. Ahmed could not apply to be included in Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) because he

could not find any of his ancestors, including the former president, on the 1951 National Register of Citizens or on any of the electoral rolls up to 1971. The 1951 NRC and all electoral rolls up to March 24, 1971, were digitised for the NRC updating exercise. Everyone who featured on those rolls was allotted a legacy code. Most people applying to be included in the list used these codes to draw connections to their pre-1971 ancestors. Ziauddin is the son of the late president’s younger brother, Ehtramuddin Ali Ahmed. Ehtramuddin and Fakhruddin’s father, Zalnur Ali Ahmed, is considered to be the first Assamese person to obtain a degree in medicine. He was employed by the Army and retired as a colonel. One of the reasons that Ziauddin cited was that most of his siblings and cousins – Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s children – lived outside Assam and had not applied to be included in the NRC. Of his four siblings, two lived in Delhi while a sister was married to a man in Pakistan. “My only other sister who lived here died,” he said. Ziauddin’s father, Ehtramuddin, reportedly moved to Rangia after getting married. According to Ziauddin, his father was an engineer who worked mostly in Guwahati although his family lives in Rangia. Ziauddin lives with his wife and two children in Rangia, about 53.5 km from Guwahati. Fakhruddin however, had a house at Lakhtokia here, which burnt down in 2014 last.

For Ziauddin however, there is hope as he said that he still holds a piece of land in Rangia in the name of his father. “I possess land documents bearing the name of my father Ehtramuddin. But when I went to submit those earlier, I was told that it was too late. Now that there will be an option for claiming citizenship again, I will submit those documents again,” Ziauddin said.

Feeling humiliated on being excluded: ex-army man Azmal Haque It was more a question of honour than fear of getting stripped away of his citizenship for 50-year-old retired Indian Army officer, Azmal Haque, who did not find his name in the final draft of National Register of Citizen that was released on July 30. “After serving for the Indian army, putting my life in the line of danger for the nation for more than 30 years of my service life, to be faced with the fear of being stripped away off my citizenship of the same nation, is very humiliating. Somewhere in my heart, it feels that I have not been given the due respect that I deserved from this country,” Haque, a resident of Chaygaon, about 36 kms from Guwahati, told G Plus. Haque, who retired from the force in 2016 as a junior commissioned officer, had served

in Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, IndoChina border, Indo-Pakistan border, Rajasthan and several other parts of the country. The struggle to prove citizenship for Haque, however, started back in 2016, when his wife Mumtaj Begum was declared doubtful or D-voter by the Foreigner’s Tribunal, a quasijudicial court for trials of illegal migrant cases. “Later she was declared a citizen of India, but a year later, I was served with a notice by the Tribunal to prove my citizenship. When I apprised the authorities regarding the same, the Assam Police, after an enquiry, said that it was a case of ‘mistaken identity,’”Haque said. He claimed that his mother has a voter card of 1961 and his father was there in the NRC 1951 legacy data. Haque, now, said that he will write a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Union Defence Minister and Home Minister, State coordinator of NRC and Assam Chief Minister asking why his name was rejected. Since he was asked to prove his citizenship earlier, he believes that the NRC has held him as part of the 2.48 lakh applicants who were declared doubtful citizens. This includes D-voters, descendants of D-voters, those whose references are pending with the Foreigner’s Tribunals and the descendants of those whose references are pending with the tribunal. His son and daughter too did not find their names in the NRC. n

som Sahitya Sabha, the apex literary body of Assam, has opened its branch in Singapore. Sabha President, Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi, was present during the launch of the branch on July 28, along with other dignitaries from the literary body. According to a press statement issued by the organization, the Singapore branch will act as a hub to help promote the Assamese language, literature and culture across South East Asia. About 40 families from the Singapore Assamese community attended the inaugural function.n

Cyber criminals hand-in-glove with bank and telecom employees: Police

he Fatasil Ambari Police arrested two BSNL telecom employees, Krishnendu Purkyastha and Amarjit Singh, in connection with looting of Rs 10 lakhs from the account of a Central Bank of India customer, Mrinalini Barua, recently. This brings to light the nexus between cyber criminals, telecom employees and senior bank employees, said the police. The two BSNL employees were arrested from Hailakandi and were brought to Guwahati for questioning. According to the police, investigation is on and the brain behind the crime will soon be arrested. n

Lead Story Snippets

Museum on Srimanta Sankaradeva to come up at Kalakshetra

he Government of Assam proposes to set up a museum in the name of the great Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankaradeva at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati in a short time. The museum aims to protect the multifaceted personality of Srimanta Sankaradeva and his contributions to the Assamese society in a more structured manner among the new generation, as well as among domestic and foreign visitors. Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, reviewed the progress of the project and stressed on effectively reflecting the universal personality of Srimanta Sankaradeva corresponding to the different stages of his life. “Srimanta Sankaradeva was a versatile personality who embodied the true spirit of a world human being. He was not simply a cultural connoisseur and religious guru. He was an unparalleled personality who shaped and impelled the Assamese society,” Sonowal said adding that the proposed institution should, therefore, be a glorification of his towering individuality. Chief Minister Sonowal said that the museum should be able to stir up inquisitiveness among the youth and the visitors about Sankaradeva. n

APSC scam officers dismissed from service

he Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) scam took a new turn with the dismissal of 6 more APSC officers. Earlier, 13 accused civil service officers were dismissed in June for their alleged involvement in the APSC cash-for-jobs scam which rocked the entire state. According to sources, the Assam Government has dismissed Dilip Kumar Kalita and Harsha Jyoti Bora from service. Four other civil service officers, viz, Sabbira Imran, Jayanta Kumar Nath, Jatindra Prasad Barua and Hemanta Saikia were earlier suspended before being dismissed. All of them are accused of using unfair means to get into the Assam Public Service Commission. All accused are at present lodged in the Guwahati Central Jail. n

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Judiciary ‘targeted’ after NRC final draft; contempt case filed against AIUDF MLA G Plus News

s soon as the final draft list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on 30th July 2018, some people whose names did not appear in the list started slamming the government and the entire NRC process. Even the opposition political parties did not leave any stone unturned to take mileage Trinamool Congress leaders from West Bengal even went to the extent of reaching Silchar to “instigate” the people who had been left out of the final draft. The situation is being seen as an attack on the judiciary as a person has filed a contempt case against the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA, Aminul Islam from Dhing constituency, for defaming the judicial system. The petitioner, Pran Bora, has filed a contempt petition before the Gauhati High Court on the basis of a media report published in a vernacular daily. The petitioner, who is also an advocate, stated in his petition that in the vernacular daily, extremely adverse remarks have been made against Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in respect of his decisions rendered in various matters pertaining to foreigners. The petitioner stated in the petition that the article was published on the dictum of contemnor (Aminul Islam), who, by calling a press conference, had made the adverse remarks against the judge. According to the petition, Islam, in a press conference in Moirabari, said that discrepancies exist in the case of the Advisor of

Registrar General of India Sailesh and NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela releasing the final draft of NRC | G Plus Photo All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Dr Samujjal Bhattacharyya and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan himself, and has stated that if a case is filed against them and a trial is held, the judge would have to declare himself as a foreigner. According to the petition, Islam alleged that if government documents and a little difference in case of name and age in the voters’ lists are considered to be the basis of identification of foreigners, the voters’ list of Part 156, house number 1739 of Pub Guwahati Legislative Constituency, 2018 which contains the name of AASU advisor, Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya and the members of his family from serial number 748 to 760 itself is showing three different names of Bhattacharyya’s father. The petition moreover revealed that Islam also gave a sim-

80% TMC members to quit Didi’s party in Assam

hief Minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief, Mamata Banerjee (often referred to as Didi or elder sister), might have tried her best to indulge in some votebank politics to woo Bengali voters in Assam, but her tactics might prove to be costly for her this time. Former Assam chief of Trinamool Congress, Dwipen Pathak, revealed that that there

will be mass resignations from TMC in Assam. Talking to G Plus Pathak said, “There are around 80,000 TMC members in Assam and 80% of them will leave the party now.” He was very upset with the TMC high command’s behaviour after the NRC final draft was published. He said that the TMC leaders wanted to visit Assam and he had asked them not to visit Assam now as the

ilar example in the case of Justice Bhuyan whose name is listed in the voters’ list of Part 116, House number 151 of Pub Guwahati Legislative Constituency from serial number 346 to 349. It needs to be mentioned that Bhuyan is the judge who was dealing with the cases of declared foreigners and their siblings. Bhuyan’s order had backed the state coordinator for NRC, Prateek Hajela’s order to the police to verify the siblings of the declared foreigners. According to the petition, Islam, in the press conference, had said that in connection with various cases, foreigners’ tribunals have declared many people as foreigners upon finding discrepancies in the case of name and age of a person. Islam said that discrepancies of name and age of a person are created by none oth-

er than the government officials. So it is not acceptable if a person is declared foreigner only on the basis of differences found in the aspect of his name and age. The allegations are being taken as an attack on the judiciary and the NRC updation process. Standing counsel for the NRC coordinator, Anita Verma said, “It is totally unfair on the part of a public representative to pass such comments against the judiciary and the judges.” AASU advisor, Dr Samujjal Bhattacharyya, reacting to the allegations said, “We have full faith in the judiciary. They (AIUDF) want to save the illegal foreigners. Assam is for Indians and not for foreigners.” The AIUDF MLA from Dhing will appear before the court soon, said a source in the Gauhati High Court. n

situation is tense. He also said that according to him Bengalis and Biharis are happy with the NRC process and there is no issue in the state. He left the party because Mamata Banerjee tried to project that NRC is an exercise to drive out Bengalis and Biharis from Assam. Meanwhile, Didi might be showing her concern for the NRC-negative citizens of Assam but because of her government’s inefficiency many people did not make it to the final draft list. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Sailesh, talking to national media, revealed that West Bengal is

the biggest defaulter in the NRC verification process with regard to people who came from a different state but were residing in Assam due to various reasons. According to the documents submitted to the Supreme Court by the NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela and his team, the number of pending cases from West Bengal is the highest as compared to other states. Out of the total 1,14,971 cases sent from Assam to West Bengal, only 7,438 responses or confirmations were received and the rest 1,07,541 are still pending, a national news portal stated. This makes the return percentage only 6.46%. n

Concern

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Anganwadi workers to join nationwide strike demanding minimum wages Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

lose to 2,000 Anganwadi workers and helpers from Kamrup (Metro) will join the nationwide strike on August 9 to demand minimum wages from the government. Their major demands include increase in their honorarium and a one-time financial assistance at the time of retirement as part of their pension benefit. The Anganwadi workers currently receive Rs 4,000 per month while the helpers who assist the workers get Rs 2,000. “This amount is extremely low and it gets difficult for the workers to manage their families and households with this amount,” said president of Assam State Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Association (ASAWHA), Tapan Sarma. There are 700 Anganwadi centres in Kamrup (Metro) district out of a total of 62,153 in the state. They were started in 1975 by the central government with a view to combat malnutrition in children and to provide care for pregnant women. They provide mother and childcare and are run under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme. He added that they have had several rounds of talks with the government but to no avail. He further claimed that other casual labourers and workers across Assam too do not receive minimum wages. Further, ASAWHA members said that the previous governments had promised a minimum wage of Rs 350 per day for the tea garden workers, which

too has not been fulfilled yet. The workers say that they are not provided with any pension provisions or health benefits. They have asked the state government to pay the workers Rs 2 lakhs and helpers Rs 1.5 lakhs as one-time payment in lieu of their pension. Anganwadi workers said that a majority of Anganwadi centres in Kamrup (Metro) and other districts lack basic infrastructural facilities. “Almost 80 per cent of Anganwadi centres are in a deplorable condition without proper buildings and furniture. Some are even forced to operate under trees or other community spaces,” informed Sarma. Workers also alleged that sub-standard materials are supplied to the centres. They say that very few centres are supplied with medical kits which contain essential items like folic acid tablets and iron tablets for pregnant women and Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) for children. The workers have also demanded proper management of Anganwadi centres including pucca building, regular supply of medical kits and other materials including furniture. In this regard, the government has made a plan for renovation of centres and will also construct 10,000 new Anganwadi centres. These workers have also alleged that the authorities engage them in other external government duties for which they are not paid additional money. They said that they did not mind working more but they have made a case for extra wages in such situations. n

File photo of Anganwadi workers protesting in Guwahati

City

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Domestic violence constitutes over 50% cases registered at All Women PS Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

he All Women Police Station (AWPS) situated in Pan Bazaar, Guwahati has registered a total of 84 cases in the last seven months, that is, from January 1 to July 30, 2018. The police station, that only registers cases of women-related crimes, has received 47 cases so far under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty, harassment, mental or physical torture), making it the most commonly reported crime against women. In a city that has recently witnessed a rise in crimes against women, the AWPS has been playing a pivotal role. Established in 1993, AWPS receives numerous cases on a daily basis – ranging from rape, dowry, Information Technology (IT) Act, threatening, torture and Protection of Child from Sexual Offences (POCSO), to name a few. “For a rape victim, it’s not easy

to go to a police station that has so many men in uniform present around her, and open up about the incident. But, in a police station where she knows she’ll be dealing with only ladies, she is a bit more comfortable,” APS Mousumi Kalita, Additional Commissioner of Police (Women Unit) told G Plus. While the total number of cases registered at the AWPS has remained virtually constant over the years, with 219 and 206 cases registered in 2016 and 2017 respectively, cases under the IT Act has been increasing enormously. While in 2016, only a single case was registered under the IT Act, a total of 11 cases were registered in 2017 and 8 cases have been registered in just these 7 months of 2018. “Recently, we’ve observed an increase in cases under the IT Act. Cases of boys posting images and videos of girls online and blackmailing them have become very common, especially with couples who had been in live-in relationships and drifted apart for some reason,” informed officer in-charge, Arati Saikia. Further, there has been a decline in the number of cases

All Women PS not equipped to handle complex cases

here are more cases registered at the All Women Police Station than can be handled by the staff. The functioning and set up of the AWPS is very different from that of other police stations in the city. There is an absence of 2nd officer and sheristadar (an officer entrusted with the physical belongings of the station), along with a massive staff crunch that’s leading to inefficiency in crime solving. If regular staff wasn’t enough, currently, three constables are absent on grounds of maternity leave/child care leave. This has led to additional problems for the police station. Further, a lot of women constables are not willing to work during night shifts. So handling cases during night hours becomes a challenge. “We are expected to safeguard women, but we’re ourselves not provided with safety of any sorts,” a woman constable stationed at the AWPS informed G Plus. She further added that

neither are the female police personnel provided with safe travel during night hours, nor are there any changing rooms or rooms without CCTV cameras for the women to change into and out of their uniforms. The infrastructure of the station also acts as a major setback since the boundary walls are very low and there is an absence of washroom apart from the one in the lock up. However, the location acts as a plus point with the Pan Bazar Police Station situated right next door and the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) just across the road for emergencies. Speaking to G Plus, Mousumi Kalita said that there are a lot of limitations in the jurisdiction of the AWPS. “The cases registered here do not give a complete picture. We can only register women-related cases – cases that can be registered at other police stations too. Further, extortion for money and certain IT Act cases also cannot be registered

registered under IPC section 354A (sexual harassment). The year 2016 witnesses a total of 40 cases of sexual harassment, but it reduced to 26 cases in 2017 and merely 10 cases have been registered this year, although the numbers are expected to rise in the coming months. Out of the remaining 18 cases registered this year, one is of rape, six are of POCSO and eleven belong to other IPC. In a recent case registered at the AWPS, a 47 year old woman from Kahilipara has alleged that her husband has been torturing her physically as well as mentally ever since her marriage in 1996. “Immediately after marriage, my husband started torturing me by physically assaulting me and hurling verbal abuses and mentally torturing me with constant demands for bringing money from my parents,” reads the complaint dated 27th July, 2018. Officials at the WPS informed G Plus that many similar cases are registered every month. But, not all of the registered cases are true because women have started misusing their rights and it’s

often found that the husband and his family members are actually the victims. Hence, as per notice issued by the Supreme Court of

India, the cases are investigated and a notice is served under CRPC 41 instead of arresting the accused simply based on the complaint. n

here,” she added. As per notification from the DGP office, AWPS is only allowed to cater to cases from Kamrup (M) but cases come in from all over the state and sometimes, from other parts of the country too. “Women in distress approach us to file their complaints. They expect us to listen to

their troubles and guide them instead of denying lodging their complaint. So, we register their complaints at AWPS and transfer the case to the concerned police station,” Kalita informed. Not only does the All Women Police Station deal with cases, they also provide counselling, when needed. Counselling is formally provided at the women’s

cell of Pan Bazar Police Station. Moreover, AWPS officials also provide counselling in petty cases. “In order to keep serving the society better, our limitations must be studied and we must be empowered further. Only then will this AWPS be able to serve its actual purpose,” an official at the AWPS said. n

Year

Total no. of cases

Cases under IT Act

Cases under 498A

Cases under 354A

2016

219

143

2017

206

140

2018 (Till July 30)

Types of cases registered

No. of cases registered

Rape

498A

354A

IT Act

POCSO

Other IPC

Total

84 (The data in table 2 corresponds to a period of seven months, dated January 1 - July 30, 2018)

File photo of All Women Police Station at Panbazar

In The News

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

First phase of Assam PS revamp under project MOITRI nearing completion Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

n the first phase of Assam government’s MOITRI (Mission of Overall Improvement of Thana for Responsive Image) scheme, a total of 73 police stations from across the state are currently getting a face-lift. There are a total of 346 police stations in the state – all of which are to undergo revamp under the project in a period of just 5 years. The first phase kicked off in December 2017, with 73 police stations earmarked to be renovated in two batches of 39 and 34 each. Under the first phase, the government has allocated a total amount of over 189 crore INR which will be used to redevelop these 73 police stations within a year. However, a trusted source in the implementing agency, that is, the Assam Police Housing Corporation (APHC) informed G

DGP Kuladhar Saikia inaugurates a reception counter at Panbazar Police Station as a part of project MOITRI | G Plus Photo in controlling crime and maintaining peace and harmony, providing citizen-centric service delivery. The scheme will also provide several digital technology systems such as video conferencing, internet connectivity, etc. One of the unique features of the scheme is that it will provide all necessary apparatus by which all

Proposed plan for Basistha Police Station Plus that the work for first phase

is expected to be completed much before time. He further added that the second phase is expected to begin in three months time. Under MOITRI scheme, government has categorized the police stations into metro, town and rural as these will be refurbished into 2 phases – 28 numbers of stations have been identified as green field (new construction) and the remaining 45 as brown field (extension of existing structure). Among the police stations undergoing redevelopment in the first phase are Pan Bazaar, Gorchuk, Basistha, Khetri, Sonapur, Jalukbari, Mangaldoi and Dibrugarh. Earlier, finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the MOITRI project during budget speech 2016-17 in presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and other members of the government as well as media.

“The main objective of the MOITRI Scheme is to create a peoplefriendly environment in police stations of Assam. The Assam government has fixed a sum of Rs 2 crore to redevelop each of the police stations,” he said. The 346 police stations covered under the MOITRI scheme will be transformed into centres for PSDS (Public Service Delivery System). The main motive of the scheme is to convert and remodel all the police stations in such a way that distance between the common people and the police force is abridged. MOITRI includes capacity building, soft skill improvement, responsiveness to deal with new generation crimes, such as drugs and cyber crimes, along with provisions for counselling of juvenile offenders, genderbased violence as well as special amenities for the differentlyabled. It also includes greater community participation

Other facilities to be incorporated under MOITRI scheme are – 1. Separate women’s and children’s corners with access from outside to be provided for the comfort of women and juvenile. 2. A spacious visitor’s room to be provided in every PS, adjacent to the reception, with drinking water and separate toilet facilities. 3. Proper and designated gate and boundary wall along with parking areas. 4. Running water, drainage, water harvesting and biodegradable toilet to be put into place into every PS. 5. Cyber room and work station to be accompanied. 6. Counselling room for drug addicts, juveniles, etc. 7. Facilities for the differently-abled, including toilets.

cyber-crimes will be able to be detected by the police force and subsequently it will improve the technology condition of the state. “Presently, if you go to a police station and complain about your cell phone being stolen, they do not know how to tackle the case due to lack of technical knowledge and unavailability of cyber tools. So they approach the cyber cell

and solving an easy case becomes a tedious process. However, under MOITRI, these problems will be tackled,” Chairman-CumManaging Director of APHC, RM Singh told G Plus. “Each police station is a study on its own. There’s no single formula that can be applied to all when it comes to refurbishing them,” said SC Goswami, Chief Engineer, Assam Police Housing Corporation. He further added that some police stations, including the Dhubri police station, will be preserved for their aesthetic and historical value. Although they will be equipped with better technologies and tools, the exteriors of the station will remain same. Moreover, all police stations are to include a proper landscaping designed with a horticulture and floriculture plan, to be implemented along with the construction. Police stations will become eco-friendly, decked with trees. The governing body of MOITRI is headed by the chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal and holds a meeting every year to take major decisions and review the works. The executive body is headed by director general of police Kuladhar Saikia that holds a meeting every month to discuss various issues. But the day-to-day activities are taken up by the Assam Police Housing Corporation (APHC) which is the implementing agency of project MOITRI. n

Concern

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Consumer courts witness spurt in complaints of medical negligence by city hospitals Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

city resident has approached the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) with an alleged medical negligence complaint against Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH). In her complaint, the woman has stated that her husband underwent an operation for kidney stones at the GMCH in September 2007. She has claimed that the surgery was intended to remove the stones from her husband’s kidney, but it was wrongly operated and due to the negligence of the hospital authorities, there was severe bleeding from the kidney after

Medical negligence cases against GMCH, Pratiksha Hospital reach consumer court Complainants claimed wrong treatment on the hospitals’ part They say due to the treatment, a kidney was affected and had to be removed They have filed for a compensation of Rs 15 lakhs DCDRF officials informed they receive at least four cases to medical negligence in a month

the operation and his condition started deteriorating. Further, he was again advised to undergo a second operation and due to the spread of infection, he had to be treated and kept in ICU for 28 days. Ultimately, the doctors had to remove one of his kidneys. The complainant stated that her family had incurred a huge financial loss in the treatment of her husband and when she approached the GMCH authorities, they refused to refund the amount of the treatment. Authorities at the SCDRC informed that the woman has filed for a total compensation of Rs 15,00,000 which includes Rs 5,00,000 for deficiency in their service and an additional Rs 10,00,000 for the loss of her hus-

band’s kidney. “In this case, the complainant is a cancer patient herself and the hearing of the case is still ongoing and a final judgment is yet to be delivered,” informed Anuja Bhuyan, ACS and registrar of the SCDRC. On the other hand, in their defence, the GMCH authorities have mentioned that they provided correct and appropriate treatment to the husband of the complainant and whatever procedures were undertaken were to save the patient’s life. Similarly, a lot of such cases have been coming to light in the recent times, informed officials of the district as well as the state consumer courts. In another instance, a case was registered against Pratiksha Hospitals for negligence in which

a city-based couple filed a complaint before the state consumer disputes redressal commission. The complainant claimed that she suffered burn injuries in the form of blisters on both her heels after the successful delivery of her first child in the hospital. According to the complaint, the woman was shifted to the recovery room after a caesareansection operation and was under the influence of anaesthesia. However, after she regained consciousness she felt a burning sensation in her heels and saw blisters. On questioning the hospital authorities, the complainants were told that after the surgical delivery process, the duty nurse in the recovery room had placed a heater plate under her heels to

keep her warm but later forgot to turn it off, leading to the burn injury. Further, their request to see a burn specialist was also turned down by the hospital authorities saying that they did not have any burn specialists in the hospital. The patient had to ultimately undergo a surgery after consulting a burn specialist in a separate hospital who claimed that her wounds were seconddegree burns which would require an operation. They have claimed a compensation of Rs 96 lakhs in this case. The Kamrup (Metro) District Consumer Disputes Redressal forum (DCDRF) officials informed G Plus that they receive several cases related to medical negligence every month. The cases range from wrong diagnosis of diseases to negligence in medical services. Officials of the DCDRF informed that such cases of medical negligence have become very frequent with at least three to four cases being filed with the consumer forum every month. President of the DCDRF, Mohammad Sahadat Hussain, informed that such cases of medical negligence have become very frequent with at least three to four cases being filed with the consumer forum every month. In a recent similar case, a case was registered with Bharalumukh police station a few weeks ago against the Institute of Human Reproduction (IHR), commonly known as Goenka Nursing Home, for alleged medical negligence. A resident of Athgaon, 31-yearold Nasima Sultana who was pregnant, died a few hours after she was admitted to Goenka Nursing Home for delivery allegedly due to high dose of anaesthesia. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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In The News

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Long due AIIMS construction work to begin from October Ever since the government decided to set up the AIIMS in Assam, it was caught up in debates and protests with regard to its location; the longpending project will finally see the light of the day with its construction set to commence in October Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he long-pending construction work for the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to be set up in the state is finally set to begin October onwards. Authorities informed that the primary level works are in process and the survey has already been completed; the construction work will begin in full swing from October. “The work is already in progress and currently land filling is in progress but things are a bit slow of late because of the ongoing rains. However, we are expecting a lot of work to be completed within the coming

months,” director of medical education, Anup Kumar Barman, informed G Plus. A lot of controversy and uproar followed the selection of the site for construction of the hospital. However, Changsari was ultimately finalised by the state government as the location to set up AIIMS in Assam. However, regarding the earlier concerns raised by several persons and organisations regarding the site selection, Barman said that now everything has been settled and Changsari has been decided as the final location. “It has also received clearance by the National Green Tribunal,” he said. Officials said that recently, the state government has constructed an approach road from the national highway towards the site.

File photo of PM Narendra Modi unveiling the foundation stone of AIIMS Changsari “We are also in the process of providing important amenities such as water supply and electricity to the location which is under the jurisdiction of the state government,” said Barman. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had earlier announced that the hospital will be 750-bedded and will consist of several super speciality departments. Before finalising on Changsari, there was a strong pitch for the hospital to be set up at Raha in Nagaon district. The change of location by the government triggered widespread protests in Nagaon by the residents of Raha who wanted AIIMS to be set up in their district. Amid protests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the

Concern over environmental impact

N Khataniar, a city-based consultant engineer who had opposed the plot selected for AIIMS at Changsari, reiterated that construction over the Jalah Beel will have an adverse impact on the environment as Jalah Beel was a notified water body as per the Guwahati Master Plan and an ecosensitive zone. “I had opposed the government’s decision to set up AIIMS here stating that Jalah Beel should be preserved for the water retention of entire North Guwahati since already a lot of water bodies were converted into several projects. I had proposed that the government should select another site in North Guwahati,” Khataniar told G Plus. Sources informed that while the case was still ongoing in the NGT, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority had modified their master plan to show Jalah Beel not as a water body but as a field or

a grazing land. Further, Khataniar added that the construction itself will prove to be difficult over a water body. “It will be a challenging job from an engineering perspective to construct a super-speciality healthcare unit over an ecosensitive zone like Jalah Beel.”

Additionally, civil society groups had claimed earlier that the plot was unsuitable due to the high fluoride content in water and over ground pollution from a cement factory in the vicinity. They claimed that the people of North Guwahati will suffer a lot if anything goes wrong. n

The long-pending construction work for AIIMS will begin from October The state government has already begun the process of providing electricity and water supply to the area Currently land filling is ongoing at the plot A lot of uproar was witnessed over the selection of this site for construction of AIIMS Changsari was ultimately finalised by the state government Matter also reached the NGT which has cleared the plot at Changsari However, activists are still concerned about the environmental impact of the construction over Jalah Beel

foundation stone of AIIMS in 2017. On the other hand, certain individuals as well as groups had also opposed the plot selected for AIIMS at Changsari in Kamrup district. Meanwhile, the matter also reached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) when four persons approached the tribunal stating that according to the government’s proposal, if the AIIMS is set up at Jalah Beel in Changsari, it will violate several acts pertaining to

environment protection. The applicants told the NGT that by deciding to set up the AIIMS at Jalah Beel, the central as well as the state government would violate the Guwahati Waterbodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act 2008 and the Wetland Conservation and Management Rule, 2010. But in November 2017, the NGT cleared the setting up of AIIMS at Changsari, on the outskirts of Guwahati. n

Governance

Snippets One arrested from DC office for stealing power of attorney deed

he crime branch of the city police has arrested one Kabindra Sen from the Deputy Commissioner’s office on suspicion of stealing a Power of Attorney Deed. Interestingly, the deed was later recovered from the backup database of the Senior SubRegistrar Office. A complaint was recently filed by one Sabita Sen before the DC, where she alleged that Kabindra Sen, in connivance with a few officials of Senior Sub-Registrar Office, had stolen her deed of Power of Attorney. Virendra Mittal, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro had instituted an enquiry to look into the matter. The enquiry was carried out by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro, Nabadeep Pathak. The Senior Sub-Registrar of Kamrup Metro had also lodged an FIR before the DCP Crime regarding the missing document. Based on the enquiry instituted by the DC and the FIR lodged by Senior Sub-Registrar, the crime branch, on Thursday, arrested Kabindra Sen on suspicion for further investigation. It is suspected that land mafias may be involved in these types of cases. n

APSC Scam: Daughter of BJP MP granted bail

allavi Sarmah, daughter of BJP Lok Sabha MP from Tezpur, RP Sarmah, has been granted bail by the Special Court on 1st August, Wednesday. Earlier today, news came in that RP Sarmah was placed in the ventilator at Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Kolkata after he went for a kidney transplant. Owing to this medical condition, Pallavi has been granted bail. It is to be mentioned that previously, Pallavi had applied for bail twice but was rejected. However, she has been granted bail for twenty days. n

Domestic violence lands builder in jail

he Pan Bazar women police unit, on 31st July, arrested one builder, Paban Dowari of Kahilipara, on charges of subjecting his wife to cruelty and also causing miscarriage. According to the police, the said accused also tried to get a divorce using a forged signature of his wife. n

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Online building permission system receives over 150 proposals in 2 months Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

he Online Building Permission System (OBPS) that went online in June 2018 has received over 150 building proposals in these past two months. These proposals range from commercial and residential buildings to educational and health institutions. Further, proposals have come in from people who intend to erect/re-erect/make alteration in a building or part or intend to subdivide or transfer

any plot of land. Officials at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) informed G Plus that the first proposal received online dates back to June 6, 2018. While the works of making the entire process online had been going on for over a year, it only went online in June. All the forms and proposals are currently being processed and work is moving at a fast pace. Earlier, in a major move to make building construction clearance hassle-free in Guwahati city, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC)

Engineers relieved with the introduction of OBPS

ith the introduction of online auto-scrutiny, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC)’s Online Building Permission System is one step ahead of the existing online systems. While most online systems have personnel carrying out the scrutiny manually from back-end and then updating the same online, GMC has devised the system such that all scrutiny work is done online automatically. “Online system has helped decrease our workload tremendously. Our department is very thankful to the higher officials for coming up with

such a dynamic system,” a GMC engineer expressed his happiness while speaking to G Plus. Town Planner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Deepak Bezbaruah, informed G Plus that the GMC is currently facing a crunch of engineers. While there’s a need for around 30 engineers, there are only seven engineers present right now. He further added that, “The online system should have been put in place in the beginning itself. Although it took a while, we’re happy that the system is finally active and we have been receiving positive response from all stakeholders.” n

CM Sarbananda Sonowal reviewing the scheme at Janata Bhawan to act as the single window agency overriding the multiple agency system. He also directed the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to make necessary modifications in the existing system so that applicants could obtain permission by applying at GMC itself. This decision came in after Prime Minister Narendra Modi mandated all municipalities to get online to grant permission for construction of buildings to give way to ease of doing construction business and dealing

he first proposal received online dates back to June 6, 2018

with construction permits. Recently, PM Modi has also set March 2019 as the deadline for all municipalities to get OBPS. Sarbananda Sonowal, while reviewing the implementation of various government schemes and programmes under the GDD in July 2018, said that due to involvement of multiple agencies in the issue of building construction permission, the citizens have to face lots of difficulties as well as lose valuable time. Considering this, he directed the GDD minister to introduce a new system for online receipt of application, fee etc at GMC and develop it as the single window agency for issue of building construction permission. OBPS is expected to be officially inaugurated sometime in the coming month. n

The detailed and systematic online process

he current building permission is completely online – the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) submits online file with planning permit after the approval of the CEO of GMDA to the counter clerk of GMC. The counter clerk of GMC, after receiving the file in his/her console, generates the file number of GMC for the file after checking the attached documents and verifying the ward number. After that, he/she submits the file to the concerned zonal engineer’s console. The concerned zonal engineers, after receiving the file in their console, undertake site visit

for the concerned file and updates the site visit detailed check list report with their observations. He/she also checks all the attached documents such as deed, land documents, etc and then performs auto scrutiny of the drawing file and comes up with a detailed report regarding all the observations. After that, zonal engineers update the note sheet with their observations found during site visit, document verification and auto scrutiny and finally sends the file to the concerned associate planner for further processing of the file. The associate planner, after

receiving the file in their console checks the note sheet of the concerned file. Associate planner then examines the zonal engineer’s report, documents and auto scrutiny reports and recommends either for approval, rejection or objections to the additional commissioner. The additional commissioner, after receiving the file in his/her console, checks the note sheet of the concerned file and submits it to the commissioner for approval or rejection. The commissioner checks the note sheet of the concerned file for the comments put up by the respective zonal engineer, associate

planner as well as additional commissioner. After that, the commissioner decides whether to return the file to the concerned associate planner for any clarifications or to approve the file and send the file to the concerned zonal engineer’s console for further processing of the file. In every step and in every process, SMS notifications are sent to the applicants as well as to the concerned architects or engineers informing the status of the proposal. The whole procedure usually takes 45 days for issuing ‘No Objection Certificate’ for building permission. It may extend if any objections arise. n

Snippets

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Notorious interstate car thieves arrested, Creta recovered

n inter-state car thieves’ gang was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF). The gang carried out car thefts outside northeast and then sold them to buyers in Nagaland and Manipur. The gang has been active for some time and is involved in multiple vehicle thefts. Acting on prior information, the STF recently picked up five gang members from Hotel Ritz in Paltan Bazar. The arrested are Mohammed Jonab Khan, Nasir Khan, Mohammad Najir Ahmed, Nasir Ahmed and Mohammad Hafiz Uddin. After interrogation, the police recovered one stolen Hyundai Creta from Borpothar area of Golaghat. The police suspect that some officials of the transport department are colluding with the gang. n

AASU opens control room to help people find their names in NRC

he All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has set up a control room for the people to check their names in the National Register of Citizens. The AASU control room will be working round-the-clock and will help the citizens in finding their names in the NRC final draft. The NRC control room will be operational from 9 AM at the AASU head office, located in Swahid Nyas Bhawan in Uzan Bazar, Guwahati. The student body had set up an NRC control room during the publication of first draft also to help the citizens. n

Man held for attempting to rape minor

zara Police, on 31st July, arrested one Bijoy Rabha (45), for allegedly trying to rape his 17-year-old niece. The incident took place at Matia, Azara when the girl was alone at home. But before things could go out of hand, the girl raised an alarm and the neighbours arrived in no time. The girl’s parents later lodged an FIR at the Azara Police Station, based on which the police apprehended the accused. n

School teacher arrested for demanding bribe from differently-abled

Assam Police creative depicting SRK’s signature pose winning hearts on internet

n assistant teacher of Sonapur Pathar LP School was arrested on Wednesday by the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti Corruption, Assam in connection with cheating differently-abled youths. Based on an FIR, a team led by a DSP rank officer, apprehended one Paramananda Rai while accepting a bribe from the complainant, Md Ali Hussain, a differentlyabled person. The accused was caught accepting an amount of Rs 12,000 in the Supermarket area of Guwahati. According to police, the accused, using his official position, has been exploiting many disabled youths by promising them jobs. A case under ACB PS c/n 17/2018 u/s 7(a)/13 (1)(d) /13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, dated on 1st August, has been registered. The accused shall be produced in Special Court on Thursday. n

Rs 4 lakh relief to family of man drowned in Basistha River

he sudden rains and the rising water level at the Basistha River claimed one life. A businessman, Shankar Sharma, was carried away by the flood waters during Bol Bom pilgrimage on Tuesday. Shankar was a resident of Barpothar locality. Within 24 hours the disaster management authority of Assam Government supported the bereaved family with government relief. A cheque of Rs 4 lakhs was handed over to Nita Sharma, wife of the deceased, by Dispur Revenue Circle Officer, Dhrubajyoti Hazarika. n

Criminals block phone, loot Rs 10 lakhs from Central Bank of India customer

ooting of bank accounts through a combination of tele-callers and usage of internet tools continue in the city. After a lady was convinced to give away her OTP, this time it was a customer of Central Bank of India in Guwahati who has been fleeced by cyber criminals. The victim was a customer of the Central Bank of India, Lal Ganesh branch. The cyber criminals managed to clear Rs 10 lakhs from his account. The customer’s phone number was blocked and two parties were involved in the heist. n

People in Assam have bad habits, we are mentally conditioning them: Patanjali manager

he official social media account of Assam Police has been promoting creative messages over the last couple of weeks as part of the “Think” campaign. In a graphic image, created and posted by an Assam Police officer urging people to obey traffic rules, has taken Twitter by storm. The reason – it depicts the signature pose of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Guwahati Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ponjit Dowarah, uploaded the image that had the message “Traffic Niyam Ka Kripaya Palan Karein” (follow traffic rules) on his Twitter handle.

lant manager at Patanjali, SB Singh, in an interview with The New York Times, has said that people in Assam have bad habits like eating non-vegetarian food. The newspaper also quoted him saying, “We are mentally conditioning them.” The comment has stirred massive controversy among the people of Assam. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has demanded an apology from Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved after the company’s manager said the people of the state have “bad habits” and the company was “mentally conditioning them.” Several senior members of the political party have said that the statement made was absolutely rubbish and that it can portray a very wrong image of Assam among the global audience. Earlier, Patanjali had faced opposition from environmentalists for damaging elephant corridors in Assam. n

ADGP Harmeet Singh to interact with NLUJAA students

ampus Talks, an initiative by G Plus, will organise an interactive session with Harmeet Singh IPS, ADGP (Security/M&L) Assam for the students of National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam (NLUJAA) on August 7th, 2018. The topic for the interactive session will be ‘Digital Media - Its implication and way forward for Assam.’ This edition of Campus Talks aims to get the youngsters’ opinion about the current government, its policies on various political, social and current issues, since it is important to know the changes that the younger generation seeks or wants for the betterment of the society. n

Hima Das likely to skip mixed-team relay at Asian Games 2018

He also tweeted: “The universal pose of @iamsrk has touched all down the ages, but please read the message also #FollowTrafficRules @MorigaonPolice @Darrangpol @cachar_police @KamrupPolice”. Bollywood’s King Khan, who was very impressed with the creative and concept, wrote: “The best message I think this pose has conveyed. Please please follow traffic rules.” Reacting to the retweet from none other than Shahrukh Khan himself, Dowarah said that his concept was to reach out to maximum people but he did not imagine that it will reach the Bollywood superstar and that he would retweet it. n

ima Das, who is India’s fastest female quarter-miler with a personal best of 51.13 seconds clocked in July in Guwahati, will not take part in the mixed-team relay at Asian Games 2018. The newly crowned champion in the IAAF World U-20 Championships from Assam, Hima Das, is likely to focus on individual sprint (200m and 400m) events during the next month’s Asian Games in Jakarta and skip the newly-introduced mixed-team 4x400m relay. Reportedly, there is a clash of event timings and so Hima’s name had to be withdrawn from the mixed-team relay. According to national coach, Basant Singh, it is difficult for one athlete to take part in both the events. n

Ward Watch

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Residents call Dr Bhupen Hazarika Road in Kharguli a paddy field In this week’s Ward Watch, G Plus reviews the condition of Kharguli, the locality that has taken the brunt of the city’s new water supply scheme, being location of the under-construction water treatment plant

88-year-old WTP fails to provide adequate water to Kharguli

I Pathetic condition of the Bhupen Hazarika road at Kharghuli | G Plus Photo

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

ater pipeline work on the newly christened Dr Bhupen Hazarika Road that passes through Kharguli in Guwahati Municipal Corporation’s Ward No 12 has made the stretch treacherous to commute for the residents here. While the road that exits at Noonmati near the Guwahati Refinery connects three wards, namely, 11 that includes Uzan Bazar, 12 that includes Kharguli and 22 that includes Choonchali, Noonmati and the Guwahati Refinery, the road condition is the worst between the Gauhati High Court and the Don Bosco Institute at Kharguli. According to residents, except for a few isolated stretches in Uzan Bazar, the road condition was more or less up to the mark until the water pipe laying works were started. “First, the works started near the Don Bosco Institute way back in 2011 when the water projects were first announced. It caused a lot of problem while commuting, but we endured it as we were hopeful that once the work would get over, we will get regular water. The project has been stalling all this while and the roads have remained dilapidated since then,”

said resident Rituraj Saikia, further adding, “In fact, the condition has worsened as the digging works for laying the pipeline has been extended further along the road.” While most of the city roads remain affected by the three water supply projects that are going on in the city, Kharguli in particular, has faced the biggest brunt as the intake point reservoirs and water treatment plant of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project are located in the area. The project is worth Rs 1363.28 crores and is expected to provide 191 million litres of water daily to the south-central Guwahati. The pipe that goes along the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Road is the main artery of the pipeline network and hence, is the widest. “Two sets of pipes were laid on both sides of the road, in two instalments. Most of the works are done at night, but then again, the road remains dilapidated. More annoying is that, after laying the pipelines, they just cover the dug up portion with rocks, rubbles and sands. Earlier, when we asked if the roads will be repaired anytime soon, the contractors said that there was a shortage of stone chips. Once the shortage is over, it will be done, but nothing has happened so far,” Pankaj Borah, a shop owner on

the roadside said. He complained that he has to dust his shop a number of times daily due to the pollution from the roads. S Venkatesan, managing director of Guwahati Jal Board the parent body that is looking after the water projects – said to G Plus when contacted, “The onus to reconstruct roads falls on the Public Works Department while our responsibility is confined to laying pipelines only. The funds for both the works however will come from JICA. It is probably because of delay in sanction of fund for the latter that the PWD is not being able to reconstruct the roads.” Commuters, however continue to have nightmarish experience commuting through the region. “Driving on this road is as good as driving over a paddy field. The worst part is that this nightmare has been going on for as long as I can remember. Interestingly, some top VIPs including High Court judges and a cabinet minister have their residences here. One would have expected that the road reconstruction would have been put on priority at least for their commuting comfort. But nothing seems to nudge the inertia of the government. We have no idea when the road will be reconstructed,” said F Rahman, a resident of Kharguli who has his own bungalow. n

t has been a long and excruciating eight years of waiting for the residents of Kharguli who have been enduring a dilapidated and dusty road since 2011, when the JICA-assisted South-Central Guwahati water supply project was commissioned with no sight of regular potable water being supplied yet. The project, when completed is expected to provide 190 million litres of potable water daily to South Central Guwahati including Kharguli - a hope on which the residents have been enduring the devastation of their roads, dust emanating thereof, the dirt in dry seasons and muck in rainy seasons. While the Rs 1636.28 crore worth project had been skipping deadlines, the residents of Kharguli have to survive on the water supply from the 88-yearold dilapidated Satpukhuri water treatment plant – commissioned in 1930 and later renovated in 1984 – the capacity of which has gone down by 30 percent from its initial capacity of 22.50 million litres daily (MLD) to 15.75 MLD now. The water distribution network, however, was not renovated and the water supply there is still dependent on the 1930 model of distribution. “Those who live in the plains get water. Though it is in very less quantity, but still they do. Those who live in the hills however do not get water. There are certain water supply points at the foot of the hills to where people from the hilly areas have to come down, collect water and carry it all the way up,” said Nabin Bora, the Asom Gana Parishad area sabha member of Kharguli, that is 12A area of the ward. It may be mentioned here that while certain areas of the Kharguli Hill are encroached, many parts in the hills are patta lands where patta land

holders live too. Nikhilesh Kalita, one such resident, said, “I have been a resident here for the last 30 years. My father brought this piece of land and built our house. We have pattas and a water connection too. But, it’s about a decade now that the pipelines have dried up. Water released from the treatment plant has such less force that it can hardly make it up the hills. Also, of late, a lot of flats and residential complexes have been constructed here. Most of these, while having their own deep tube wells, also have taken water connections from the GMC.” “The demand has risen significantly but the quantity has decreased from the earlier times. We were hopeful that the water supply projects will bridge that gap, and hopefully, it will. But, in the meantime, a lot of people are suffering,” Bora added. Since the term of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) ward council expired on July 31 last, there is no councillor present in any of the wards in the city. But the residents of Kharguli do not have very high regard for their former councillor Balendra Bharali either. Many complained that over his five-year-long tenure since the last GMC election in 2013, Bharali could have at least repaired the 88-year-old rickety water distribution channel. “A lot of water gets lost in transmission due to the condition of the water supply channels. Instead of putting all hopes on the water supply projects, the councillor should at least have repaired the existing water distribution channel. It would not have completely solved the problem, but would at least have brought some relief to those who were already getting water from GMC in lesser quantity,” Bora concluded. n

Polls

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Garbage collection in Guwahati is irregular and lacks planning

everal reports have surfaced in the media about family members of patients taking hospitals to courts for medical negligence and other cases. There have also been allegations of government hospitals and dispensaries lacking the required manpower and infrastructure to handle the growing number of patients, thereby providing lowquality health services. This has forced people who can afford to seek medical help by moving out of the state to private and super-speciality hospitals. Though the government also owns a number of speciality hospitals, like the AIIMS, the queue is too long there and the waiting time can be very tiring.

Daily

31% Votes

Once in two days

69%

Photo Source - Dr Bijoy Acharya Majority of the respondents were unhappy with the GMC’s garbage collection agents. The main problem cited by them was irregularity of the service. There are many areas where the collectors never visit and the people have to carry their garbage to the nearest disposal site. Others have had a weekly pick-up which led to a pile up, much to the discomfort of the residents.

The luckier 31% have their garbage collected regularly and they are happy with the service. They said that the garbage collection can be made better with proper segregation of the wastes. Awareness building exercise by the GMC has to be done on a regular basis and the awareness campaign has to be launched across the city, believe respondents. Responding to the G Plus

Government-run hospitals still provide economic and reliable healthcare Chetan Bhattarai

How often is garbage collected from your house?

604

Chetan Bhattarai uwahati: There have been complaints from citizens of Guwahati that garbage collection is not regular and in some places the collectors have been charging money on a monthly basis. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has engaged non-government organisations (NGOs) to collect garbage from the 31 city wards but the complaints continue to pour in. G Plus recently did a poll where we asked citizens whether the garbage collection from their doorsteps was regular. Only 31% of the 600 respondents had garbage collected daily from their homes. Rest 69% stated that it was once in two days and this 69% also has a mix of respondents whose garbage collection was on the whims and fancies of the collecting agent.

Between this blame game and allegations that don’t seem to ebb, G Plus asked its readers where they would prefer to take their family members for treatment — government or private hospital? Only 13% of the 718 respondents in the G Plus Poll displayed their faith in government hospitals. They believed that for many diseases the treatment is faster and economical there. The doctors were more experienced in government hospitals. Moreover, treatment and medicine costs were low at government-run hospitals was the argument. But everyone unanimously agreed that one has to have patience, as government hospitals have a very tight appointment schedule. A few respondents believed that private hospitals were too expensive and kept the patients unnecessarily for extra time

to raise the medical bills. They also are notorious for referring expensive and unnecessary medical tests, blamed a few. Respondents also believed that for lower and middle income groups private hospital bills can break the economic backbone of a patient’s family. Very few people raise their voice against exorbitant hospital bills as they are not aware of the medical terms and the reasons. There is also a sense of fear on taking a big hospital to court. The 87% respondents who were in favour of private hospitals felt that for critical illnesses or emergencies they would prefer private hospitals over government-run ones. Many of these respondents have lost faith in the government hospitals due to their past experiences and wanted better medical assistance. For them, the private hospitals

Poll residents from Ward No 29-2 wrote that they were dissatisfied with the garbage collection as it is done just once a week. Another respondent from Sister Nivedita Path, Bhaskar Nagar, sent an image showing the filthy state of a garbage collection unit and blamed the GMC for utter neglect. A few respondents complained that they have tried to make the GMC aware of the issue but it has fallen on deaf ears of the officials. They are tired of the lackadaisical attitude of the civic body. Respondents overall felt that there is a lack of planning

and monitoring when it comes to garbage collection. GMC officials are, most of the time, ignorant when confronted by citizens through letters and visits. Many have demanded strict action by the GMC against irregular garbage collectors. The respondents feel that GMC is not doing enough to deal with the garbage management. Also, the garbage disposal sites in some neighbourhoods are always filled to the brim which creates inconvenience to the residents nearby and is also a health hazard, pointed out respondents. n

Where do you prefer to go or take your family members for treatment?

Government Hospital

13%

Votes

718

Private Hospital

87%

with their sufficient manpower and latest facilities were a better option over government hospitals. The G Plus Poll respondents in favour of private hospitals shared harrowing experiences at government hospitals mainly related to over-crowding and lack of hygiene. Though it is an infrastructure problem, for the patients’ families it was not how a hospital should be in the first place. The respondents were also not happy with the

rough behaviour of the staff that is common in most of the government hospitals. A few respondents said that it depended on the type of ailment. If it was a serious matter and there was lack of time they would go to a private hospital. But if there was time and the specialist was a government doctor they would readily go to him. It would not only save them money but also they would feel more hopeful under an experienced hand. n

G Talk

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

An exercise in futility?

o all appearances, the mammoth NRC exercise seems done and dusted for the moment. Such was the scale and enormity of the task that at one point we wondered whether the Register will at all see the light of the day. But it was done much to relief of nearly 88% of the state’s population. The fate of the balance, hopefully, will be sorted out in a peaceful manner through the “Claims & Objections” procedure being mulled by the government. And so, congratulations to all! But is it really congratulatory times? Learned observers and journalists of impeccable reputation have ventured to term the whole effort as an exercise in futility. And not without reason. As Amit Shah put it in the Parliament, “The NRC is the soul of the Assam Accord.” And the base of the Assam Accord is the date of 25th March, 1971. Under what duress did the Prafulla Mahanta led All Assam Students’ Union agree to this cut-off date in absolute disparity with the rest of India (which is 1951) is another matter of debate and discussion. Today, the fact of the matter remains that Assam has been made

distinctly different from the rest of India and yet is being dragged to function in parity with it. To corroborate my point, I will offer just one remark of a petitioner whose petition at the Supreme Court of India (SC) challenging the constitutional validity of Assam’s cut-off date is yet to be deliberated upon; a verdict seems beyond the horizon at the moment. “How can a memorandum of settlement [the Assam Accord] between a students’ organisation and the home ministry be a legal document?” asked Matiur Rahman of the Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha. “If the Supreme Court considers Assam a part of India, it will rule in our favour. This whole provision of a different cut-off date for a single state is extremely discriminatory. Are we a colony of India or part of it?” Well, this says it all. If the law of the land is to be equal for all (at least on paper) as is much touted, then this NRC is discriminatory at its very base. Given this, if the SC decides to restore parity of law, the NRC has been nothing but an exercise in futility. Swapnil Bharali Editor

Does Guwahati need a Mayor?

uwahati has a Mayor. This is information that a lot of people are not aware of. Let me begin with the premise that the Mayor is the highest-ranking official in the municipal department of a city/town. The Guwahati Mayor’s term has now come to an end after about 2 years and here’s why people are unaware or his exit isn’t grabbing attention. A Mayor is not elected, rather selected. This of course is at the (secretive) discretion of whichever government is in power… The designation of a Mayor is only significant to the younger age group, future voters and millennials, thanks to US television and content. They take their Mayoral elections seriously and their representatives are answerable to the people. These representatives are not ‘career politicians’ rather public figures who are more ‘relatable’ to the audience; more homegrown if I may add. Unfortunately, our Mayor and his tenure have both been lacklustre; whether it is his personality or the attire that comes with him. Guwahati’s Mayor, simply put, has been reduced to a mere prop for basic photo-ops and this is not good, not anymore. It is high time that the profile and the work of a Mayor are taken seriously. If candidates are not fit to represent, maybe the city can do away with the person or profile. The profile of a Mayor is representative of a city and a dull personality grinding it out for 2 years is a lot of valuable time lost that could have been better utilized for Guwahati’s image building. To tell you the truth, a Bicycle Mayor makes for a more engaging read and profile than our GMC Mayor. Ditch the “sneakers with formals” look and get someone fitter to represent. You feel me?

Sidharth Bedi Varma

Assam’s desperate need for an NRC

he promise held out to the people of Assam with the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985 between the government of India led by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the then Assam agitation leaders, but now part of the coalition government in Assam on detection and deportation of 'foreigners' has finally kept its date on the first part with the release of the completed draft of the updated National Registrar of Citizens (NRC) for the state after a long wait of 33 years. Amid apprehensions in certain quarters that the process is flawed and that genuine Indian citizens would be harassed, the disclosure today that just over 4 million people have been kept out of the NRC list (with some genuine human errors) has been largely welcomed even though some feel that the numbers should have been more. The basis for this has been statements in the past by union ministers in the floor of parliament that over 50 lakh illegal immigrants from Bangladesh had entered Assam and settled in the state. Also, contrary to apprehension in various quarters that there would be large-scale disturbances in Assam following the release of the completed draft list, the citizens have accepted the process fairly well. Of course, these are early days and there would still be elements lurking in corners who would want nothing better than to fan violence to gain political mileage out of it. The violence unleashed in 2010 at Barpeta and Chaygaon following a pilot NRC project continues to serve as a reminder though this time around the administration has been more

than careful to quash the rumours floating around prior to the publication of the completed draft of NRC. As an Assamese, how do I look at the developments? Today, out of 3.29 crore people residing in Assam, barely 50 percent are considered to be 'Assamese' ringing in alarm bells across the state that the identity of 'Assamese' is in danger. Remember, independent studies have concluded that the indigenous people in Assam will be reduced to a minority status within the next few decades or so if constitutional safeguards are not provided to that section in Assam. So in that sense, the draft is only a baby step in that direction. The process is nothing but the identification of illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country. Of course, the humanitarian crisis that will unfold over the next few months or even years will require deft handling by the governments in power. But one thing is certain – even if the government of India allows the identified “illegal immigrants” to stay in India, Assam cannot be the state of residence for these people because over the years, with the depletion of resources within the state, the indigenous people of the state would require help from the government or other authorities to survive and grow economically, socially and politically. Another aspect that needs reiteration at this stage is that this is not a Hindu-Muslim issue. It is really an illegal

he fact that people of Assam have generally accepted March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for this identification process should be viewed as a gesture to accommodate all people who illegally entered Assam since India’s independence until 1971.

rPRADIP BHUYAN, the unsung hero

O pinion MUKUL GOGOI

immigrant issue — irrespective of the religious belief followed by that person. Except for a few, the people of the state have not looked at the NRC issue in any other way. In fact, new voices have emerged within some forums in Assam that for providing constitutional protection to the indigenous people of Assam, the cut-off date should be 1951 and not March 25, 1971, which has been the basis for updating the NRC completed draft. Whether this view gains currency or not time will tell, but the fact that constitutional protection to the indigenous people of Assam for exclusive right over its resources has a ring of truth because Assam’s diverse ethnicity has to be taken into account. The rest of India should not be unnecessarily alarmed at the developments in Assam and should look at the state and its people from a historical perspective. The fact that people of Assam have generally accepted March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for this identification process should be viewed as a gesture to accommodate all people who illegally entered Assam since India’s independence until 1971. Such immigration has already altered the social and linguistic landscape of Assam and people of Assam have already shown “Udarota” — meaning magnanimity — in accepting millions of migrants from the neighbouring country until 1971. Assam has been known to be a land of “assimilation” and the first Ahom king, Sukapha, had shown the way 800 years ago and the present generations have been magnanimous enough to accommodate many millions into its fold. And the ball is now in the court of the lot between 1951 and 1971 to accept Assam as its “Matribhoomi” and assimilate as quickly as possible to lay the foundation for a socially and economically prosperous Assam. n Mukul Gogoi was a former journalist with The Economic Times and is presently Managing Director, Transbiz Associates Pvt Limited, an infrastructure consultancy firm based at Guwahati, Assam.

Letter to the Editor

fter a long painstaking wait, the lifeline of indigenous Assamese people, the NRC, was published on 30th July 2018. The wait got over when NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela, along with few other dignitaries, unveiled the NRC draft. Then followed the case of a few people taking the credit. The likes of ex chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, Praffulla Mahanta, a few people from the ruling party as well as some from opposition party tried to project themselves as the messiah before the public. But for commoners like us, the real hero is none other than Pradip Bhuyan. This man knocked the doors of court, paying the entire expenses from his own pocket. Such people are a rare commodity in today’s world. Through your esteemed paper, I salute this unsung hero of Assam. He is truly ‘Asom Ratna.’ Dr Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati.

In Focus

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Stuti Choudhury Actor, anchor, entrepreneur

fter a successful stint in modelling, anchoring, and singing, Stuti Choudhury has now ventured into the field of fashion. She has turned entrepreneur with the launch of her boutique “Stu’s Closet.” Curetted by Stuti herself, Stu’s Closet boasts of a stunning collection of eri and muga sarees and stoles. Born in Guwahati, Stuti did her schooling from Holy Child School. She went on to pursue higher secondary education and graduation in commerce from Gauhati Commerce College. As a student, Stuti always aspired to be an entrepreneur, as she wanted to be her own boss. But faith had it otherwise and she instead forayed into the field of modelling and acting. It all started back in 2002 when Stuti was a student of GCC and went to attend Alcheringa, the annual cultural fest of IIT Guwahati. There, she took part in a personality contest called Mr and Miss Alcheringa just to enjoy the night, but ended up winning the contest. Stuti, a national level

taekwondo player during school days, neither had the physique of a model nor did she know how to walk on the ramp. But, she had a personality and conversation etiquette better than most people; that made her excel in the field of fashion. In 2003, Stuti came across a poster of Miss Assam beauty pageant and thought of giving it a shot. After a week of grooming and trying all measures of losing weight, Stuti took part in the first state level contest where she was crowned first runner up and awarded a cash prize of Rs 30,000. “When I saw the poster of Miss Assam, cash prizes worth Rs 1 lakh was mentioned. The amount motivated me to take part in the contest. At that time, I was still a student and I couldn’t tell my parents that I had joined such a contest since they expected me to excel only in studies. So, instead of getting proper guidance, I started googleing everything, including tips on losing weight. Using unhealthy steps mentioned on the internet, I lost quite a lot of weight that week to achieve the perfect body. But, it affected my health tremendously and I will

advise the younger lot to never blindly follow the internet,” Stuti said. After winning Miss Assam, Stuti’s modelling career soared. She started getting assignments, mainly for print advertisements. For shoots, Stuti started bunking college and endorsing various brands. Her parents, who were always very strict, didn’t approve of the path Stuti had chosen of herself. While her elder siblings were all pursuing further studies and settling down in their life, Stuti was exploring the fashion and entertainment industry of Assam. Her parents stopped talking to her and never attended any of her shows. Neighbours started calling her names and society started labelling her. Being the confident and determined person that she is Stuti never let any of this pull her back. The self-groomed model soon started doing ramp

shows and acting. While her debut on the ramp was in 2004 at a show organised by CEC at the District Library, her acting career began thereafter with a video album. She went on to feature in various VCDs, documentaries and ad films. In 2006, Stuti took to the stage and began her career in anchoring, which she later figured out to be her one true love. “I must have anchored around a hundred shows so far. But the best memories have been those where I shared the stage with dignitaries like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ratan Tata, Malaika Arora Khan and Radhika Apte, to name a few. Apart from that, I’ve anchored shows for DNA, Wizcraft and IPL Fan Park too,” Stuti informed G Plus. But, not everything came easily to Stuti. She faced a lot of criticism

for being blunt and upfront. However, in 2008, when she was crowned Miss Northeast India (a title won by someone from Assam after two decades), a lot of people started respecting her work. Her parents started talking to her again and supporting her. Talking to G Plus about the pageant, Stuti said, “The moment when I was crowned Miss Northeast remains the most memorable day of my life till date. Before winning the contest, I had won two sub contests and that gave me a major boost.” In the same year, Stuti left for Delhi to explore the national fashion scene only to face a bad experience all alone at a new city; the industry people were objectifying and discriminating her. She returned within 15 days and never went back. After a couple of years of working, Stuti was last seen on the ramp in 2010. So far, Stuti has acted in three mega serials – Indradhanu, Xhendoor and Osin Sinaki, two movies – Grief on a Sunday Morning (Xhandob Daah) and The Curiosity Shop, and modelled for national brands like Geoshine, Tata Financing and various hair and oil products. She is also part of a three-member band called Drift with Amitabh Baruah and Lawrence Mathew. Having accomplished her dreams, Stuti says she’s at a very peaceful and happy place now. She wishes to get married and settle down very soon.

After the recent showers that led to water logging in the city last week, the city folk go into an introspective mode and feel that citizens need to do more to help themselves out of the precarious situation Rajneesh K I have seen well-educated people of Guwahati throwing plastic items on the road which find their way to the drains. Not only GMC but people of Guwahati also are responsible for this kind of manmade flood. Every time it rains we the people have to face a lot of problems. It’s so common now that we don’t even feel anything because we know nothing is going to change. This is a common sight for us since our childhood. Shreya Dhar Point is I see no hope in the development of our city. The reason behind this is that first we people don’t want to change as we are so adjusted to such unhealthy lifestyle of ours and also if one tries to do something good, others will still continue to throw garbage and all stuffs which will end up bringing no change to the development of the city. The most important thing is that the people need to be educated and made understood that a smart city can come up with smart work. And not only the government but, the people also need to work hand-in-hand to bring that change. Secondly, every year we see construction of new roads and drains in various parts of the city but still after a mild shower, our city is full of water. So my question is that is the government or the respective authorities that are assigned for such work doing justice towards their responsibility? Debodeep Chaki First make people aware of certain rules related to value of environment and also make them abide by traffic and road safety rules. No matter how smart one makes Guwahati, if citizens are ignorant about the wellbeing of the city one cannot make it a better place and there would such scenes every year.

Nilutpal Das Don’t you all think somewhere it’s our fault too? We throw the waste materials on roads. When it rains, the situation worsens on the streets especially in the areas like Zoo Road, Chandmari, Nabin Nagar and Anil Nagar. Drainage system is worst as always. Nothing is going to change until we change. The citizens need to act smartly to make a smart city. Complaining about everything will never help and neither will blaming the government. Hirendra Sinha To make a smart city we need smart people. Our smart citizens can’t even park their own car properly and they don’t even care to follow traffic signals. Chewing betel nuts and spitting inside lifts or any other place they may fancy, throwing empty bottles anywhere on the road and the list goes on and it us who are clogging our drains by dumping non decomposable plastics rather than utilising the dustbins. We people only blame the government every time because we believe in that ideology and it makes us feel better and safe. Longri Phangcho It is a poor drainage system in the city because of which such situation prevails. But whose fault is it? We are responsible for this. We throw waste materials, plastic bags or plastic glasses on the streets rather than in the dustbin. The government tried their level best to make our city a better place to live in. Therefore, until and unless we stop all these things, artificial floods won’t stop in Guwahati.

Feature

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

The new building of the New Art Players nearing completion | G Plus Photo

New Art Players’ unclouded vision brings modern drama facilities to city Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

n 1954, sitting idle after completing their matriculation examination little did a group of 20 boys in Guwahati know that they would establish one of the most prominent and vibrant dramatic societies of Assam. Businessman Mahendra Baruah founded New Art Players with the aim of helping these young boys utilise their free time in a positive pursuit after passing their class 10 examinations. After receiving help from Baruah, the young group performed their first play Jibonor Posua. Slowly, with time, New Art Players (NAP) established a strong imprint in the Assamese cultural scenario. Along with Mahendra Baruah, some of the pioneers and founding members of NPA who popularised drama and the performing arts in the state were Upendrajit Sarma, Niren Baruah and Pradip Bordoloi. During the mid and late 90s, NAP staged plays like eminent Assamese playwright, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s Rupalim. “During those times, the famous plays used to be staged at Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir, Rabindra Bhawan and the District Library,” informed Arupjyoti Choudhury, the current secretary of NAP.

He added that NAP, which now has close to 150 active members, started the drama movement under the leadership of its founding secretary Arup Chakravarty. “Seeing its popularity and with the evolvement of the drama movement, many prominent artists and actors such as Malaya Goswami and Tapas Dutta joined New Art Players,” said Choudhury who himself joined the club in 2005. Choudhury took voluntary retirement from his government job three years ago to dedicate himself completely to NAP. He added that noted music directors Ramen Baruah and Anupam Choudhury are also senior members of the drama group. In more recent times, the society has enthralled the audience with plays such as Piyoli Phukan, Rupalim, Jatinga, Xei Gosjupa and Torile Dekh Morile Xwarga among several others. Choudhury informed that this year, on the occasion of Republic Day, they had the opportunity to perform at the Gauhati High Court. “Seeing our performance, the authorities again invited us to perform at the High Court on Independence Day this month for which we will begin rehearsals shortly,” he added. With its gaining popularity, New Art Players has seen a tremendous growth over the years, both in terms of qualitative performance and infrastructural expansion.

The members informed that earlier they used to operate from a small office at Jorpukhuripar which did not have the requisite space for rehearsal of their plays. It is a different story now. With a view to promote art and culture, the state government had allotted them a plot of land near Gauhati Club where a four-storey building

is under construction. They have also received funds from different PSUs including Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation under these companies’ corporate social responsibility funds. “The new building will have all the state-of-the-art facilities and latest equipment and will serve as a nerve-centre for cultural

and art activities in the city. We will invite various groups to perform here in order to develop the overall cultural scenario of the city,” informed Choudhury. The new building will comprise library and archives, conference hall, auditorium and rehearsal room. It will also have a decent car parking space. The NAP also organises different competitions at the state level every year such as Bina Dey Memorial Borgeet competition and Niren Baruah Memorial Recitation competition. Their dramas have also featured on Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR). n

Aim to promote amateur talent

ew Art Players is now focussing on promoting amateur theatre groups across the state. “We will invite amateur theatre groups from different places to perform in the new auditorium and for cultural exchanges. Our aim is to support new talent and provide them with whatever opportunity we can in order to keep good theatre alive in the city,” informed the members of NAP. Talking about the change in the theatre scenario over the years, Choudhury said that earlier there was an “amateurish approach” towards drama. However, today’s audience expects perfection in everything including the sound and

the lighting department. The actors earlier used the help of a prompter for their dialogues but now they have to be well-versed with all their dialogues and more alert on stage. Nowadays, the audience is closer to the actors as opposed to earlier when there was some distance between the two, said Choudhury. “Hence, they come to know instantly if the actors are feeling the emotions or are performing mechanically and the actors need to have perfection in their acting,” added Choudhury. Further, keeping up with the changing times and experimenting with drama forms, the NAP has developed a new form of drama called Golponaat or “story drama”. This form of drama

is performed by only one actor and is enacted in the form of long monologues. Members say that Dipok Kumar Barthakur, the present president of NAP has been the guiding light of the society who is actively involved in taking NAPA forward and giving it direction. NAP members say that they have great hopes from the younger generation and believe that the future of Assamese drama is in good hands. “They are much more aware and study everything in detail. The young boys and girls are very much interested in drama and enthusiastic to take it forward and they should be provided with such a platform in every district,” feels Choudhury. n

Trotter

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

He jumped 20 feet to rescue dog; it took 30 men, 14 vehicles to rescue him

Stray dog finishes Australia half-marathon, wins medal

man who jumped down 20-feet to rescue his pet dog ended up needing his own rescue mission. In Norfolk, UK, 59-year-old Tony Stevens is ‘lucky to be alive’ after a dramatic double rescue operation to save him and his dog took place on Saturday. Stevens jumped down a storm drain after he saw his pet dog, Brambles, falling down a manhole which had its cover missing. According to a daily, when he saw his dog plunging down, he himself jumped down to rescue it. However, he broke his ankle upon landing inside and was unable to pull himself out. The rescue mission to take him out of the drain involved three fire crews, paramedics and Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service’s Urban Search & Rescue Team. Pictures of the rescue were shared by Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service on Facebook. The operation lasted two hours. While the dog was pulled out safely, Stevens had to be tied to

a stretcher and pulled out through the narrow opening of the drain. Thankfully, neither of them suffered any serious injuries. While Brambles the dog was taken to a vet, Stevens was taken to a hospital for his ankle injury. “The chap was more than happy, laughing and joking with us,”

an East of England ambulance spokesman said. “Well Tony was hero of the day yesterday and managed to save Bramble’s life... Grateful thanks to the 14 emergency vehicles and their teams who helped get them both out,” his wife, Karen, said. (Source: indianews)

Almost-Billionaire now has her own Instagram filter

elevision personality, model and makeup mogul, Kylie Jenner, has now got her very own custom filter on Instagram. Kylie Jenner’s followers can now open the application’s front-facing camera and take seven of Kylie Cosmetics’ most popular Lip Kit shades - Candy K, Dolce, Posie K, Say No More, Shady, Boy Bye and Glitz - for a virtual test through the filter, reports pagesix.com Kylie Jenner’s Instagram filter will also add false lashes, contouring and a softly flattering blur to Instagrammers’ faces. Kylie Cosmetics was founded by Kylie Jenner in February 2016. Since then, it has earned revenues of $ 630

million. A report by Forbes put the 20-year-old on track to become America’s youngest “self-made” billionaire, thanks to her super successful company. This makes the youngest member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan also the richest. Kylie Jenner owns 100 percent of the company and she’s already

the youngest person on Forbes’ list of richest selfmade US women. Another year of growth would make her the youngest self-made billionaire ever, beating Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who crossed the threshold at the age of 23. Since the almostbillionaire’s beauty products are sold exclusively online, the filter should prove useful for those wishing to try out a shade before purchasing it. A few days ago, a report by Instagram scheduler HopperHQ revealed that as an Instagram influencer, Kylie may charge up to 1 million US dollars for a post making her the first person on the Instagram rich list. (Source: news18)

Man arrested for stealing almost 3 lakh kgs of metal from rail tracks

olice in Saint Petersburg said that they have arrested a man for stealing more than 275 tonnes of rail track. Armed only with a spanner and pliers, the unemployed 38-year-old, who was caught red-handed, stole pieces of metal that connected the rail tracks, the police said in a statement.They did not specify over what period of time the metal was stolen, but said the total booty weighed in at more than 275 tonnes. The thief faces a jail sentence of up to five years. With metal fetching around 14,000 roubles ($220, 190

euros) per tonne, even small pieces are frequently stolen in Russia,

particularly railway tracks.

the

(Source: ndtv)

dog called Stormy has been awarded a medal after completing a halfmarathon in outback Australia and winning the hearts of its human competitors. The crossbreed diligently ran the 21-kilometre (13-mile) Goldfields Pipeline Marathon near the West Australian town of Kalgoorlie this month in two-and-a-half hours, the average time of participants. “People were amused. It was a very friendly dog, and prior to the half-marathon, he was going around saying hello to a lot of people and when the race started, he took off with them,” race organiser, Grant Wholey, said adding, “At the race stations he was having a little runaround and saying hello to the volunteers and participants, and then he would team up with another runner and keep on following the crowd. He was just out there having a trot through the bush and enjoying people’s company.” Wholey said the black and

brown canine came from a nearby aboriginal community where school teachers said it was known to locals as Stormy. Race organisers were told it belonged to the community rather than a single owner, and the one-yearold was impounded by rangers when no-one claimed him after the race. Wholey said he visited Stormy last week to award a participation medal in the hope the publicity would see an owner come forward. If not claimed in a week, the dog will be put up for adoption with some of the runners keen to take the pooch home, Wholey said. While Stormy did not appear to have the traditional physical attributes of a marathon runner and had “legs as long as a Basset Hound”, he endeared himself to everyone. Wholey added, “He looks a really friendly, lovable dog. He’ll make someone a good companion.” (Source: abcnews)

Flooded train station in Sweden turned into swimming pool

hen life gives you lemons, make lemonade, it’s said. So that’s exactly what some people in Sweden did recently. Only, what life gave them was a huge amount of water, so they simply turned it into a swimming pool. Pictures circulating on social media show people enjoying a nice swim after a busy railway station in Uppsala, Sweden got flooded. According to The Local, Sweden saw heavy rain over the weekend following a summer of raging wildfires. The torrential downpour left the underpass leading out of the station flooded with knee-high water. While most people would refrain from wading through the water, many others saw the situation as an opportunity for a fun activity. People not only decided to take a swim in the water, they

also brought swimming pool accessories to use in the water. Pictures circulating on social media show people trying to make the best of a bad situation. “People are having fun; the security are trying to spoil it though,” an Instagram user said. The water was eventually pumped out and the station is now back to normal. (Source: ndtv)

Review

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar, Kriti Kharbanda Director: Akarsh Khurana

Karwaan

he film has a brilliant cast, lush green visuals and a simple, easy-going flow. There are three characters of completely contradictory natures - a bubbly college girl and two friends severed with a lot of age-difference - drive off from Bangalore to Kochi via Ooty with the coffin of a woman killed in a road accident. It is a voyage pierced with difficulties, both for the characters and the screenplay. e Along the road trip, the trio disw Movi vie cover a lot of things about theme R selves, their existence and their estranged middle-class dads. Irrfan Khan is one of the finest actors in Bollywood today and probably the best road trip companion anyone could ask for. Mithila Palkar and Dulquer Salmaan are definitely a revelation in the movie.

Dulquer, a Malayalam film star, in his first Hindi film role, has a graceful charisma about him, a warm presence that is flawlessly tempered by Irrfan’s rather glitzy style and Mithila’s endearing hyper fairy dream girl act. The popular songs ‘Chota sa Fasana’ and ‘Heartquake’ from the movie have been composed by Assam’s Anurag Saikia who has successfully made his mark in Bollywood with this movie. The film will make you giggle; it’ll leave you moist-eyed a couple of times too. On the flipside, the film will also stagger a bit when it starts lugging at places. But, the characters are totally rateable and the amusing comedy will swiftly put things back in place. All in all, it will be an adventure-packed movie for you to watch. n

storyline is imprinted without much attempt or logic. While the talented Rajkummar Rao’s chemistry with Aishwarya seems forced, his comic timing comes to the rescue. The film’s storyline goes slightly out of tune in the second half. For instance, there is no real back story for Ashwariya Rai’s character Baby Singh and the only person in her life is a weird manager, who wants her to stage a wardrobe malfunction for a reality show. For a musical, Fanney Khan’s soundtrack doesn’t live up to expectations fully except the Achche Din song which is pleasing and the climax song that radiates vigour. So while the second half of the movie is lengthy and backbreaking, some intense performances have kept the film’s boat afloat. n

Fallout 06:40 PM Mission: Impossible – Fallout, English 11:40 AM, 02:50 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:10 PM Fanney Khan 12:10 PM, 03:00 PM, 08:45 PM Mulk 12:30 PM, 06:20 PM Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, English 01:35 PM, 09:45 PM Karwaan 03:35 PM, 09:25 PM Dham Dhama Dham, Dhadak 05:50 PM

Karwaan 4:00 PM, 08:45 PM

Dhadak 11:00 AM Karwaan 01:15 PM, 09:00 PM Dham Dhama Dham, Assamese 01:30 PM Fanney Khan 03:30 PM, 06:30 PM, 08:45 PM Mission: Impossible – Fallout, English 03:45 PM

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Fanney Khan 09:45 AM,

Fanney Khan 10:00 AM, 05:15 PM Dham Dhama Dham,

Dhadak 12:25 PM

Mulk 08:15 PM

03:15 PM, 08:55 PM Karwaan 10:30 AM, 03:50 PM Mulk 01:00 PM, 08:40 PM Mission: Impossible Fallout 05:55 PM Dham Dhama Dham, Assamese 06:20 PM

e ew Movi vi Re

Fanney Khan

BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X design

BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X specifications and features

BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X

BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X have a 5.99-inch fullHD+ (1080x2160 pixels) IPS LCD display with an aspect ratio of 18:9, an oleo phobic coating, and a maximum brightness of 500 Nits. The Evolve X is powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor, paired with 6GB of RAM. The Evolve in comparison makes

Grande Cines Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Mulk 10:30 AM, 06:00 PM

Karwaan 02:45 PM

GadgetReview

The Evolve and Evolve X have a rubberised plastic back that not only looks and feels sophisticated but aids grip. Despite having a 4,000mAh battery, the phones are quite light and are easy to hold in one hand. The Evolve has rectangular camera housing and a square fingerprint sensor, which is some-

Soorma 11:00 AM Mission: Impossible -

Assamese 12:45 PM

lackBerry has launched two new smartphones in India, the Evolve and Evolve X, which the company declares to have been designed and conceptualised in India, for Indians. Both models will be available only via Amazon India in the beginning and subsequently via offline retailers. The BlackBerry Evolve has been priced at Rs. 24,990 and will go on sale by the end of August. The Evolve X has an India price tag of Rs. 34,990 and will go on sale in the middle of September.

what bigger than the circular sensor on the Evolve X. The cameras on the Evolve X are placed in an oval housing. The initial impressions of the fingerprint sensors were not positive.

Dhadak 01:45 PM

Assamese 04:05 PM

Starring: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, etc Director: Atul Manjrekar tul Manjrekar’s Fanney Khan is a star studded musical that begins on an elevated note and has its instants of grandeur. Anil Kapoor with his smashing performance makes it worth a watch. The film revolves around a middle-class man who is ready to go to any lengths to make his daughter’s dream of becoming a singer come true. Anil Kapoor smacks all the right notes as a hassled father, who is often chastised by his own child for being so gallantly dedicated in his mission to see his daughter succeed. He strikes the right sense of balance of being a middle class man in Mumbai struggling between dreams and reality. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as the hotshot singer - Baby Singh, looks befittingly stunning, but her

Cinepolis Christian Basti 09435025808

do with the Snapdragon 450 processor and 4GB of RAM. They perform quite splendidly, with smooth animations and minimal app load times. Both the smart phones have 64GB of internal storage, which are expandable with a microSD card, as well as a 4,000mAh battery which supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. The company promises a standby time of 21 days, 24 hours 4G talk time, and 45 hours music playback. The two new smart phones run on Android 8.1 Oreo with Blackberry's custom launcher on top. The BlackBerry Hub brings

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Galleria Cinemas HUB 09706989143 Fanney Khan 10:30 AM, 06:00 PM, 09:00 PM

Dham Dhama Dham,

Karwaan 01:00 PM

Assamese 01:30 PM

Mulk 03:20 PM

together all communication apps such as Facebook and Twitter into a single app to help you navigate through your social media accounts. Features present on the Evolve X but not on the cheaper variant include Dolby Atmos and wireless charging. At the launch event in New Delhi, BlackBerry also announced a wireless charger which will go on sale alongside the Evolve X by the middle of September.

Camera

The Evolve X has a 12-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and a pixel size of 1.4 microns alongside a 13-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.6 and a pixel size of 1 micron. The Evolve in comparison has a 13-megapixel RGB sensor alongside a 13-megapixel monochrome sensor, with both having an aperture of f/2.0. On the front, both phones have a 16-megapixel fixed focus sensor with an aperture of f/2.0. BlackBerry smart phones have sometimes been criticised for their cameras and we will have to wait till we can properly test the new phones to see if they can change this perception.

Verdict

The Evolve and Evolve X are sure to face stiff competition from the likes of the Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, and Asus ZenFone 5Z . We will have to wait and see until the launch of these phones for evaluating the design, display, performance, battery life, and cameras of both phones in the real world. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Assam State Film Award ceremony concludes

he Assam State Film Award ceremony was held on July 28-29 at the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The ceremony was inaugurated by cultural affairs minister, Naba Doley, where “Alifa” bagged the award for the best film on national integration award. Further, Baharul Islam bagged the best actor award. A special felicitation was also accorded to the producer of the movie, Armaan Ahmed and director Deep Choudhury, for winning the National Film Awards for Alifa at the 64th National Film Awards. Further, Bollywood filmmakers Amol Palekar and Prakash Jha, who were also present during the occasion urged the state government to formulate a film policy which would support and encourage the new generation of filmmakers. Doley said that the state government was committed to supporting the regional film industry and the new film policy would address many of the issues plaguing the industry. Other awardees included music directors Jitu-Tapan for the Jayanta Hazarika Memorial Award,

Dr Bhabendranath Saikia Award conferred on Munin Baruah

singer Dipen Baruah and actress Mridula Baruah for the Pramathesh Baruah Lifetime Achievement Award for the years 2015-16 and 2016-17. Artistes, directors and technicians who earned laurels for the state during the 64th and 65th National Film Awards were also felicitated. Palekar, the chairman of the jury this year, said, “The most significant thing is that most of the new filmmakers are dealing with social, political and economic issues without any fear. It is a very good sign. The film industry of Assam has been growing steadily. So there is an urgent need for a

vibrant film policy.” Speaking to the gathering, Jha said, “For the past few years, Assamese film industry has got a new mileage. Some films made here have excellent stories. It is a very good sign. Assam is a hub of talent. In Mumbai, the sound industry is largely dominated by Assamese technicians. I have a dream to make a film here. Hope my dream will be fulfilled soon.” Filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who was a jury member this year, urged the government to make the process of certification of a documentary film free of cost.

Trailer and poster of new Assamese film ‘Raja Returns’ released

new Assamese full-length feature film recently released its official poster and trailer. The film, produced under the banner of KD Films and directed by Kishor Das, is ‘Raja Returns.’ Raja Returns is a movie based on a rural and urban fiction story. The main story revolves around Raja who ran away to Delhi without informing his home at the age of 15 due to his poor economic conditions to search for a job. After 12 years, he comes back to his native village and shows himself off as a rich man. The lead character ‘Raja’ has been played by Bhargav Das whereas the female

lead character ‘Smita’ has been played by Fairy Priya Ahmed. Other cast and crew includes Sagarika Goswami, Apurba Goswami, Bijit Deb Choudhury, Manash Sarma, Amitabh Rajkhowa, Saju Ahmed, Madan Das, Dilip Dutta and Kishor Das, whereas the character ‘Mero’ has been played by Anshuman Bhuyan. The film’s story-screenplaydialogues-direction and photography-editing has been done by the director himself. The music of the film has been scored by Poran Borkatoky (Jojo). The film contains four songs of different flavors which have penned by Ibson Lal Baruah,

Rajdweep and Mridul Das and beautifully rendered by Zubeen Garg, Angarag Papon Mahanta, Rohit Sonar, Gitanjali Das and Pompi Gogoi. The background music has been scored by Manash Hazarika. Very soon the music is going to be released under the banner of Sony Music India and Dhwani Records. The film’s cinematographer is Suruj Deka, editor is Sanjib Talukdar, sound-designers are Bijoy Kumar Nath and Babul Das, VFX is by Dharmendra Das, DI colorist is Sujit Karmakar and graphics designer is Tonmoy Chakravarty. The film’s executive producers are Jitumani Das and Mantu Baishya, associate producer is Sanu Bala Das, production manager is Mukul Kalita, production controller is Mantu Baishya, advisor is Pradip Kumar Das and distributor is Kamakhya Films. According to the producer, this comedy drama film will hit the theatres on 5th October all over Assam. The production team is very hopeful about this movie.

he Natasurya Phani Sarma Award, the Sahityacharya Atul Chandra Hazarika Award and the Dr Bhabendranath Saikia Award for the year 2018 were conferred on cine personality Nilu Chakraborty, playwright Jiten Sarma and the late filmmaker Munin Baruah (posthumous), respectively. Manjula Baruah received the award conferred on her deceased husband, Munin Baruah. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal presented the awards at a function held in Guwahati on July 31, Tuesday. Presenting the awards, Sonowal said the artiste community is the backbone of society as it plays the role of a guiding light. He also said the cultural crusaders of the state have played an important

role in uniting the society as a whole. Addressing the gathering, Sonowal said, “The artiste community has brought laurels to the state from time to time in the international arena. They are the collective consciousness of our society.”

Would like to make biopic on Hima Das: Akshay Kumar

ssam’s golden girl Hima Das, who’s been making headlines recently through her epic feat of becoming the first athlete to clinch gold in an international athletic event, has now drawn the attention of Bollywood actorproducer Akshay Kumar. Kumar, while, interacting with media at an event organised by Edelweiss Group here on Saturday to support and wish the Indian contingent for the Asian Games said that he would like to make a biopic on the life of Hima Das. “I think it was very rare feat to achieve because somebody who comes from the interiors of India and wins a gold medal in track (running) event was really incredible,” said Kumar. “India has been little bit weak when it comes to performance in track events and I feel we should encourage and support that form of sports to show the world that we have great talent when it comes to running as we daily run so fast to catch a bus or a train. I would love to make biopic on her life,” he added. Akshay Kumar, who is busy promoting his forthcoming sportsdrama film “Gold,” was asked whether he feels that films can generate importance of sports in the minds of the audience and help India become a better

sporting nation, he said, “I really liked the story of Gold which is due for its release. I thought that this story needs to be told. It is a very interesting and a real story. There are some glorious achievements of our people, by our country but it’s not in public domain. Before doing this film, I was not aware that we won our first Olympic gold medal in 1948. Most of us don’t know when, how, where and in which circumstances we were able to win that gold medal by defeating, on their own turf, England who ruled us for 200 years... So, this kind of things cinema can represent in a very nice way. If we make a documentary on this incident, then one might watch it. Instead, if we incorporate 4-5 songs, 1-2 fight sequences, hero and heroine in it then, it looks entertaining.” A historical sports drama inspired by India’s first Olympic gold medal, Gold traces the “golden era” of Indian hockey through the journey of Tapan Das, a young assistant manager in 1936, who dreams of playing for an independent nation. The film features Akshay Kumar, Amit Sadh, Kunal Kapoor, Sunny Kaushal, Vineet Kumar Singh and Mouni Roy in lead roles. Directed by Reema Kagti and produced by Excel Entertainment, it will release on August 1.

Fun

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Horoscope of the week You may feel restless and yet be uncertain about why this is so. With electric Uranus moving through a more secluded sector, subconscious energies could encourage you to pursue a new path. Yet despite one part of you wanting to explore, another side of you could be resisting new experiences. Bide your time.

If business or financial matters have seemed to stall recently and your best efforts haven’t produced any results, take heart. This could be because courageous Mars is still in its retrograde phase. This time would be better spent adjusting your plans rather than forging ahead.

If it seems like you’ve had more disagreements than usual recently, it could be due to fiery Mars moving backward through your relationship zone. You might find it easier to speak your truth even if it isn’t what another wants to hear. This phase will end later in the month.

With sultry Venus continuing her journey through your sign, you might want to engage with your appearance and overall image as a way to affirm your identity. In addition, connecting with others in your social group or moving in new circles can bring a great deal of satisfaction. Any new associations made at this time could be with people who resonate with your ideas and ideals.

With fiery Mars, your relationship planet, moving backward through your romance zone, it wouldn’t be surprising if a budding relationship seemed to stalled. The good news is that dynamic Mars will turn direct later this month. For now, though, use this time to work on yourself.

Any frustration you may feel concerning a certain person could intensify this week as feisty Mars, your co-ruler, links to disruptive Uranus. Your first reaction might be to want to get away from them so you can center yourself and decide on a course of action.

You are finally seeing results from all your hard work. If you’ve been working with a life coach or teacher to help develop your spiritual awareness and live to your full potential, the fruits of your labor may now begin to show. You can begin to feel very confident about the future.

Both sobering Saturn and powerful Pluto are journeying through your sign, so your perspective on life may continue to be intense. Because of this, it could be difficult to switch off. However, restless Uranus in your leisure sector means that cosmic forces could focus your attention on hobbies or sports that you may enjoy.

With persevering Mars continuing its retrograde phase in your sign, it could seem as though life is moving against your wishes and intentions. However, this can be an opportunity to reflect on what you really want. You may find that what satisfies you most is something far deeper and more heartfelt than you realized.

A feeling of restlessness may be due to the presence of Mars in your spiritual sector. This feisty planet can stir up emotions, and you could feel out of balance unless you’re able to process through and gently release them. Your mood could be influenced by an awkward angle between dynamic Mars and electric Uranus in your sector of talk and thought.

Which famous franchise chain opened its first franchise establishment at Des Plaines, Illinois in 1954?

Who was the first Boxer to win $100 million in prize earnings and also the first to be the world champion in five weight categories?

3 4

With reference to Modern Assam History what is the “Legacy Data”?

Who was voted as the Man of the 20th Century by Time Magazine in 1999 as the editors of Time believed the 20th century “will be remembered foremost for its science and technology”?

Which famous Indian Actress used to write poetry under the pen name “Naaz”?

What is the name of this skirt used in Manipuri Classical Dance? Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Garfield By Jim Davis

curio-city

1. The first Mc Donald’s franchise set up by Ray Kroc in partnership with the Mc Donald Brothers (The original Mc Donald’s was in San Bernardino, California) 2. Sugar Ray Leonard 3. The NRC (1951) and the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24 March 1971 together are collectively called Legacy Data 4. Albert Einstein 5. Meena Kumari 6. Kumil

curio-city

Sudoku 5

2 4

8 3 5 9 1 4 8 19 23 3 8 6 5 4 5 3 4 8 9 1 2 7 6 1 7 1 5 2 3 1 66 2 9 Thu 2-Aug-2018 2 7 Daily Sudoku: 7 9

3 78

4 5 9 65 2 6

You might feel annoyed because you can’t get what you want quickly enough. An edgy aspect building this week might encourage you to cut corners to get faster results. Resist this temptation if you can because your reputation could be at risk.

medium

Daily Sudoku: Fri 27-Jul-2018

hard

3 last 8 5week 1 6 solution 2 4 7 9 9 6 7 8 3 4 2 1 5 4 5 21 16 42 5 9 77 96 83 38 9 6 68 45 23 3 7 19 45 78 21 9 7 4 8 3 8 5 9 6 2 21 63 14 57 6 4 77 33 18 4 5 58 19 22 96 4 1 5 3 2 1 2 8 9 4 96 87 65 73 1 7 46 92 39 7 1 85 38 56 42 7 1 52 74 66 2 8 33 51 99 84 5 Sudoku: 9 Thu 1 2-Aug-2018 2 8 4 7 3 medium 6 Daily 3 8 7 5 9 6 2 4 1

If you feel on edge, it could be because fiery Mars, your ruling planet, makes an awkward angle with energizing Uranus. This aspect could unleash bursts of intense feeling, including anger, so it’s crucial to channel it in a positive way.

Daily Sudoku: Fri 27-Jul-2018

hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of the week hypnopedia noun [hip-nuh-pee-dee-uh] sleep learning.

Crossword Across

Down

1 Anticipate with pleasure (4,7,2) 8 Heavy drinking session (5-2) 9 Slip back (5) 10 Space (4) 11 Northern California university (8) 13 Tyrant (6) 14 Vulnerable (2,4) 17 Support for a column (8) 19 Perform music (4) 21 Partially melted snow (5) 22 London stock exchange index (7) 24 Promise to abstain from alcohol (4,3,6)

1 Propel in a high arc (3) 2 Scented (7) 3 Ran away (4) 4 Public estimation (6) 5 Exhaustively (2,6) 6 A habitual 18 (5) 7 All right (informal) (4-5) 10 Dire poets (anag) — put down again (9) 12 Cricket’s appeal? (4,4) 15 Badly treated (3-4) 16 Rabbit on (6) 18 Inebriated (5) 20 Ballot (4) 23 Day before (3)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

Use of salt in Vaastu Shastra

ithout salt, a dish becomes tasteless and we just cannot think of food without it, barring sweets and fruits. Interestingly enough, salt can bring back the zing in our houses as Vaastu has several uses of salt. It is used in encountering negative energy as well as detection. Salt is used to remove evil eyes. If there is effect of negative energy through evil eye on any member of the family, it is a custom to take some salt in the hand and swing it across the person’s head three times and throw it out. This is supposed to take away the ill effect. Salt has the power Hemanta Kumar Sarmah of absorbing Engineer, Businessman, energy. Advanced Pranic Healer Having and Su Jok Acupressure specialist. a toilet at Northeast, North or East is a big Vaastu defect. In such cases, salt should be put in a glass bowl full of water and kept in the Northeastern corner of the toilet. When the water becomes dirty, it should be changed. The above method can be used for any room of the house by keeping the same in a corner. Salt will absorb the negative

energy of the room. When there is a bad spell of Rahu or Ketu on someone’s horoscope, this can be applied. We have already discussed the use of salt in a glass of water to detect the presence of negative energy in a room. Many people hang sea salt wrapped in a red cloth over the main door so that negative energy does not enter the house. Businessmen also do this in their business premises or offices. Since salt takes the negative energy away, it is very beneficial to take salt water bath once in a while - especially by those suffering from body pain. Salt can also be rubbed on the body and washed with water. Sea salt or black salt are better for this purpose. Washing the feet and hands with salt water before bedtime promotes sound sleep as it takes away negative energy. Salt is very useful in space cleansing. It is good to mop the floor with salt once a week. This will remove negative energies accumulated on the floor.

Vaastu rules for debtors

1. The person under debt should always sleep in a room in the Southwest direction.

Statin: The Cholesterol Buster

holesterol is a big name when it comes to heart disease and for decades now, the only molecule which gives a solution is Statin. It not only decreases cholesterol, it is also cardio protective. It enjoys an unparalleled status much like a superstar – a superstar with a humble beginning. Statin is to heart what Amitabh Bachchan is to Bollywood. The research on Statin started as a treatment for a rare congenital disorder called Familial Hypercholestrolemia, which is characterised by high levels of LDL Cholesterol, aggressive Atherosclerosis and premature death due to cardiac disease. Statin got approved as an orphan drug, which means a drug which is intended to treat a rare disease. Such approval brings state funding, research support and fast track approval and Statin enjoyed this status. It was highly effective and the theory of cholesterol and cardiac disease was extrapolated to the general population. The rest is history as Atorvastatin went on to become the highest selling molecule in the world. The argument related to cardiac disease and cholesterol has been put to rest. Who should be treated and what should be the target of therapy is evolving everyday and is current area of concern. The industry has set standards which

are broad, all encompassing with aggressive control targets. I don’t question the sanity of the guidelines; Statins may well be considered a magic molecule which adds life to years and no one should be denied the benefits. The earliest guidelines suggested a LDL target of less than 130, which was later decreased to 100 and levels lower than 70 are also targeted in high risk groups. The American Heart Association in 2016 talked about percentage reduction with a 50% reduction from baseline levels as the target. So whatever be the baseline LDL value, a 50% reduction is desirable in those with risk factors or manifest cardiac disease. To estimate ones risk and need for therapy, an ASCVD Risk calculator is available as an app. One need to fill the variable and the result guides them on the need for treatment. The American Diabetes Association recommends statin for all diabetics above the age of 40 with an additional cardiac risk factor like hypertension. This is the zeal with which statins are prescribed these

Whose responsibility is homework? Bornali Borah

A days. And this has extended to the management of Triglycerides as well. Although the benefits of lowering it are doubtful, most doctors are tempted to write a drug when the result is highlighted as abnormal. It’s difficult to convince a patient that an abnormal cholesterol report need not be treated. The prescription of Fibrate, the molecule for lowering Triglycerides, is driven more by human behaviour than science. The cholesterol story will keep evolving. It just needs another wonder molecule like Statin to unleash. Dr Rakesh Periwal Critical Care Medicine and Sleep Specialist drperiwal@gmail.com

2. Always keep all the money, jewellery and expensive items in the Southwest zone of the bedroom in a cupboard which is facing in the North or East direction. This helps growth in income and there will be less difficulty in the life of the debtor. 3. Ensure that there are no doors or windows in the Northwest or Southwest direction of the bedroom. If there are any windows or a door in that direction, keep it closed. 4. The North direction is responsible for the inflow of money. So construct an underground water tank in this direction and get your debt paid faster. 5. Construct the Southwest zone of the house higher or create an iron angle/brick/ stone construction in that area. This will help you secure the house from debt. 6. Do not keep heavy objects at North or East of the house. This may lead to debt or some kind of loss. If the North direction of the house has high boundary walls, reduce their height and make the walls in the South zone a bit higher sloping towards the North, East or Northeast.

number of parents with children in middle (sometimes even in high school) tell me that their children are unable to sit and concentrate on their homework. On the other hand, a number of teachers have told me that some students are not bothered that they don’t complete their homework. Both parents and teachers wonder how to change this. A little probing reveals that more often than not, parents take charge of the child’s homework. They micro-manage the child’s study schedule and instruct the child to do this or that. The child is expected to follow.

The more you do, the less they learn

Motivation is linked to responsibility. If we feel responsible for a certain task, we care whether it gets done or not and we also care for the consequences of not getting it done. And so we are motivated to take

charge and complete it. Once motivation is there, concentrating on a task comes easily. As a parent, if you take it upon yourself to ensure that your child’s homework gets done, think again. Doing this not only takes responsibility away from the child, it also prevents the child from developing time-management and planning skills. No doubt you will need to help them to plan their study schedule and revise their work. But as your child becomes capable, he or she should take charge of their homework. Justin-time-help and Just-enoughhelp should be your mottos.

Learning the link between action and consequence

You may be worried that they will not complete their homework or forget it altogether. Let them. Failing to submit homework when their peers submit theirs and facing the teacher’s disapproval are valuable lessons. Once they learn this link between action and consequence, they will be motivated to avoid it in the future.

Buzz

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

International Tiger Day celebrated in city

City school organises faculty development programme

t Francis De Sales School, Narengi organised a faculty development programme from July 25-31. Organised in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, the programme aimed at enhancing the teachers’ capacities to fulfil the technological needs of the 21st century students. The training was organised in three phases. While the first phase was based on information and communication technology (ICT) tools led by Saumyajeet Chowdhury and Lavanya Rao,

male tiger will be brought from Bengaluru to the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Gardens as part of an exchange programme, informed officials on the occasion of International Tiger Day on Sunday. In exchange of the male tiger, a slow loris from the state zoo will be sent to Karnataka. Officials of the state zoo informed that the central zoo authority has given its approval to the exchange programme. Further, discussions are ongoing

Golden Jubilee expedition successful between the zoo authorities of the two states about the execution of the entire exchange programme. The state zoo currently has five tigers including one male, two female and two white tigresses. The zoo also celebrated International Tiger Day to raise the awareness of the big cat’s plight with less than 4,000 left in the world’s forests. The programme started with a talk on wildlife conservation with various school children on the zoo

premises on Sunday afternoon. A painting competition among children and a street play on the theme – “Save the Tiger” – was also held. There are 49 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). India is home to 70 percent of tigers in the world. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers which increased to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014, according to the latest count. n

Summer tennis coaching camp ends successfully

he 7-day Summer Tennis Coaching Camp, organised by Guwahati Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) at the RG Baruah Sports Complex, Nehru Stadium, from July 24 ended successfully. Altogether 31 players from various parts of the region took part in the camp. Coaching was imparted by Jeet Kataria from New Delhi and he was assisted by Rupam Gogoi and Bedabrata Mohan. On July 24 the camp was inaugurated by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Advisor of GLTA in a brief function. She lauded the efforts of the GLTA for organising such camps for promoting the game of tennis and also advised to organize more camps and tournaments to give maximum exposure to the young budding talented players to achieve their

the second phase was based on behavioural remodelling of the teachers led by resource person Anjan Choudhury and the third phase was based on psychotherapy led by Triveni Bhattacharya. The primary aim of the weeklong programme was to minimise the gap between the teachers and the students of the modern world and develop the use of ICT tools to fulfil the needs of the students. The programme was an initiative of Vineeta Jain from IIT Guwahati and Rev Fr George, Principal of the school. n

goals and also assured all possible help to GLTA for the promotion of the game in the state. Earlier, Nabajyoti Kalita, Hony General Secretary, GLTA welcomed the gathering. Kalyan Kumar Das, President of the association

felicitated the distinguished guest and also spoke about the GLTA’s future plan to promote the game of tennis. In the closing function on July 30 Kalyan Kumar Das distributed the certificates and medals to all the participants. n

our members of the Assam Mountaineering Association successfully completed the Golden Jubilee Expedition to DzoJongo in Ladakh which is 6,280 meters high. The members completed the expedition under the leadership of Upen Chakraborty. The other members included Parag Kumar Das, Bhaskar Baruah Kaku and Kaushik Das. The team climbed the peak around 1 pm on Saturday and reached Guwahati on August 2. The expedition was sponsored by the Directorate of Sports &

Youth Welfare and supported by Star Cement. n

WBFI organizes coaching on Wheelchair Basketball in Guwahati

F for

or the first time ever, the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) has organised an introductory camp Wheelchair Basketball at

Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium in Sarusajai Sports Complex, Guwahati on 3rd and 4th August, 2018 in partnership with the Department of Sports & Youth Welfare, Assam State Government and Shishu Sarothi. Participants from all over Assam are getting coached on wheelchair basketball by S Krishnanand from Mumbai and Lee Roy Simon from Bangalore who are trained under International Wheelchair Basketball Federation IWBF. A total of 22 male and 4 female players are participating in this camp. This outstanding initiative by WBFI has been applauded by many and they are going to conduct them across other northeastern states soon. n

Events

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

August 4, Saturday Rajeev Raja Live Underdoggs Sports Bar 7:30PM onwards August 4, Saturday Pre Friendship Day Bash ft. DJ Shreya The Socialite 8PM onwards

Event:

Sunday Club Night

August 4, Saturday Pre Friendship Day Celebration ft. XUE 7PM onwards Madiza Ultra Lounge

Date: July 29, Sunday Venue: Dunkin Oza

Event:

Weekends at Underdoggs

Date: July 28-29 Venue: Underdoggs Sports Bar

August 4, Saturday Pre Friendship Night ft. Shanaya Club XS 7PM onwards August 4, Saturday Big Bollywood Night ft. Amit Nayak Dunkin Oza 7PM onwards August 5, Sunday Friendship Day Celebration Club XS 5PM onwards

Event:

Straight Outta G-City Date: July 27, Friday Venue: Retro Town

August 5, Sunday A Good Sunday Club V 7PM onwards August 5, Sunday Friendship Day Bash ft. Felix Retro Town 7PM onwards August 5, Sunday Xtreme Bollywood Night Xtreme Sports Bar and Grill 5PM onwards August 5, Sunday Friendship Day ft. Joy Banerjee Madiza Ultra Lounge 1PM onwards

Event:

Acoustic Night ft. Blue Wings Date: July 27, Friday Venue: NYX Lounge and Deck

Event:

Social Saturday ft. DJ Evan Date: July 28, Saturday Venue: The Socialite

August 5, Sunday Friendship Day ft. Lloyd Gueizelar Terra Mayaa 6PM onwards

Catching Up

G PLUS | AUG 04 - AUG 10, 2018

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