G Plus Vol 7 Issue 36_Web by G Plus

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INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 36 Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020 Price `10 Are the state’s national highways worthy of paying taxes for?

The storm of a teacup: Indo-China relations and tea trade

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Centre Spread Pages 08-09

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Is lockdown necessary in

Guwahati? Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2 G Plus News @guwahatiplus

few days ago, the Assam government had boasted that the state is well prepared to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. The preparedness was flaunted and compared to models taken up by states like Kerala. And Assam seemingly came out on top. But today it has been a sudden U-turn. When the entire country is looking to unlocking everything gradually, the Assam government has decided to impose night curfews across the state and lock down the main city of the state Guwahati - for 14 days to contain the spread of the coronavirus. With roughly 6,000 plus positive cases and with a recovery rate that hardly qualifies Covid-19 as a deadly disease (Assam has had 9 deaths so far), was it necessary for the state government to impose a lockdown again in Guwahati given that all the vital economic sectors have suffered badly since the last three months? Talking to G Plus, the chairman of Confederation of India Industry (CII), Northeast, Abhijit Baruah said, “I think the lockdown was

not necessary now as looking at the numbers of death caused by Covid-19, the impact of the disease, by God’s grace, is very minimal in Assam.” He further added that the lockdown will severely affect all businesses which have already been adversely impacted over the last three months; some businesses will, in all likelihood, fail to revive post this lockdown. An employee of a shop that sells musical instruments, located in Paltan Bazar, talking to G Plus said, “It’s been two months that I have not got my full salary.” For the month of March, his employer had paid the full salary, but thereafter he has been receiving only 25% to 30% of his salary. G Plus also talked to the employer to understand the situation better. The employer told G Plus that since 24th March till date, his shop has sold only one guitar worth Rs 3,500, leaving him a profit of 20%. He said that his employee travels to the shop from Jyotikuchi and he understands the crisis he is going through, but he is helpless. There is simply no earning. The salary of the employee is Rs 7,000 per month.

Read Full Story Page No - 03

omplete lockdown will be imposed on Guwahati from the midnight of 28th June for 14 days. The rise in the number of cases in Guwahati is alarming. And it has been brought to my notice that people are not following the Covid protocols sincerely. The gathering of people (adda), mostly in the evening, is gradually coming back like normal times and people have even crowded the highways. So the government, although with utmost reluctance, had to decide to impose strict lockdown for two weeks,” announced health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a press interaction on 26th June. Although people of the city have observed lockdowns earlier, along with the entire nation, the upcoming lockdown is to be completely different given that even essential commodities, except pharmacies, milk and emergency services like health and fire, will not be available for the first 7 days. Apart from Guwahati, the state government has also taken up measures to curb the spread of the dreaded virus in the other districts of Assam.

Below are some of the added restrictions imposed in this allGuwahati lockdown, and on other districts of the state. Vegetables, fish, meat, grocery, other essentials to remain closed for first 7 days No grocery essentials, meat, fish or vegetable stores will be allowed to open for the first 7 days of the lockdown. However, these would be exempted from the lockdown 7 days later, although the final decision on this is still pending. “Those willing to buy these essentials must do it within today or tomorrow,” said Sarma. Only pharmacies along with milk and baby food will remain available and open throughout the lockdown. Inter-district travel to and from Guwahati suspended for 14 days Inter-district and intra-district travel has also been suspended, but only to and from Guwahati. However, inter-district travel across other districts will continue during this period. No special passes will be allowed under any circumstances, but vehicles carrying patients will be allowed. Also vehicles that would be returning to the respective districts after dropping the patient at Guwahati will have to carry a medical

report of prescription of the patient that would serve as the pass. As certain train and flight services will be continuing this period of 14 days, people travelling to and from the railway station and airport will have to provide their tickets as passes. Also vehicles returning after dropping of passengers will have to show a copy of the passenger’s ticket as pass. Curfew to remain in force from 7 PM to 7 AM in Assam Curfew will remain in force from 7 PM to 7 AM all over Assam starting 26th June. However pharmacies will be exempted. Weekend Lockdown to be imposed across all towns & municipalities of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma also announced Weekend Lockdown for all districts of Assam except Kamrup (Metropolitan), with effect from 27th June. This new concept of Weekend Lockdown will be implemented in all town committee areas and municipalities across Assam (except Guwahati for now) until further notice or “till the pandemic is over,” said Sarma. However, this will not affect the areas under village panchayats.

Read Full Story Page No - 05

2 Lead Story

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

Are the state’s national highways worthy of paying taxes for? Kareng Phukan @guwahatiplus

aking the lockdown as an opportunity, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has opened new toll plazas in the state. In the last one month five toll gates have been initiated on National Highway (NH) 36Mikirati Hawgaon (From Nagaon to Lanka), NH 31 - Patgaon (From Kochugaon to Rakhaldubi), Dahalapara (From Rakhaldubi to Kalijhar), Madanpur (From Pathsala to Amingaon) and NH 37 - Nazirakhat (From Amingaon to Jagiroad). For the past few years various groups and organisations have been opposing the opening of the Raha toll gate time and again. Given the incomplete infrastructure of the highways and their pathetic condition with potholes, citizens have often questioned the government’s right to collect taxes for the same. Earlier, the protest over the Raha toll gate was even seen to have turned violent. The gate was first opened on 16th April 2015, without completion of construction work of the highway. But after massive opposition from 29 organisations, its operation was suspended. On 12th July, 2018 the government however reopened the plaza not giving the least heed to all the oppositions, only to again suspend the same within 24 hours after many groups protested under the leadership of peasant leader Akhil Gogoi. Reportedly, before the toll plaza’s reopening on 2018, its responsibility was entrusted to a private party, Indradeep Construction Company, in lieu of Rs. 10.59 lakhs per day to NHAI. Claiming the toll gate in Raha as illegal, Gogoi pointed out that all toll gates across the country are set up as per the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. As per the rules, a toll plaza can be established beyond a distance of 10 kilometres from municipal or local town area limits. Under special circumstances, the executing authority does set up toll plazas within 10 kms, but never within 5 kms of a municipal or local town area limit. “But the Raha toll gate is located just two kilometres from the main town. In fact, the gate falls at the Ward No 7 of the Raha town committee. So, it is

an illegal structure by the rules of the NHAI itself,” Gogoi had then commented. Further, the same rules state that any other toll plaza on the same section of national highway and in the same direction shall not be established within a distance of 60 kms. Citing the importance of toll gates in the state, transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary has said that the state did not receive any funding from the central government for the construction of roads and hence the tax collection. The revenue collected will also be used for repairing works. Due to lack of funding, construction work of the highways had to be put on hold. Even Meghalaya has toll gates. With the gates in place, the number of road weighbridges will increase which will curb the unruly overloading trucks that often causes major accidents on the highways. Congress spokesperson and former Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Kamal Kumar Medhi, speaking to G Plus said, “The government has opened five new toll gates during the lockdown. People are already economically lagging due to the lockdown. Moreover, rising fuel and food prices are draining people’s earnings. Will people be able to pay this extra toll gate tax? This is a purely unfair and unconstitutional step taken by the BJP government to torture its people. Indian citizens strongly stand up against this. Akhil Gogoi is a revolutionary voice. The government had wrongfully kept him imprisoned so that all projects he opposes against can be completed in the meanwhile, like the Subansiri Hydro Power Project, illegal coal mining, now toll gates and others. Had he been freed, Gogoi would definitely have protested and prevented these developments.” BJP leader Pabitra Margherita said, “The concept of toll gates has not been invented by the BJP government. It was always there. Assam has far lesser number of toll plazas compared to other states. The government needs money for development in all sectors, be it education, health, infrastructure, etc. The coronavirus pandemic has degraded the state’s economy badly and the government needs finance to revive. So it’s natural to collect taxes. The toll gates are completely legal and constitutional. “Taking the chance of lockdown, the government is

The toll plaza at Raha | G Plus file photo stealthily collecting taxes,” said Pradyut Bhuyan of Congress. “I don’t disregard the concept of setting up toll gates. But are the highways good enough for collection of tax? We do not have proper quality roads, U-turns, barricades, subways, tunnels, etc on the highways. Then on what basis is the government collecting taxes? Moreover, toll gates are not supposed to be set up on busy roads. Has the government realized what would happen if an ambulance carrying emergency patient gets stuck in long traffic created by these toll gates? BJP is collecting taxes on highways that are equally used by man and animals taking the lockdown as a great opportunity,” he added. Manoj Gogoi, President of Asom Yuva Mancha said, “We do not deny the importance of toll gates, but the construction of highways must be completed first and must be good enough with all necessary facilities for the people to pay tax. Any government must understand the economic difficulties people are facing in this lockdown. So is it feasible to add another tax at such times? They have locked Akhil Gogoi for months now only to fulfil the government’s vested interests.” Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti President, Lakhyajyoti Gogoi said, “Usage of roads is a basic right of the citizens. So

collecting of taxes for using roads is against the rights of the citizens. Had the BJP government developed these as express highways, then we could have supported the tax collection issue. But we have been using these same roads for years now. Further, national highways are constructed with our tax money, then why should we pay taxes again? We already pay insurance tax, license tax, road tax and many other hidden taxes while buying a vehicle. Also there is tax on fuel. Again this toll tax is not at all feasible. As per the toll tax rules, the construction company should give added facilities to the citizens that are not provided in Assam. The government is doing these things taking the privilege of the lockdown and keeping Akhil Gogoi lodged in jail for so long.

Rules for collecting toll gate fees: The concerned agency has to display its name, phone number for everyone to see. Proper fee structure for different kinds of vehicles must be displayed clearly. It is mandatory for every vehicle to pay the required

toll fee. If any commuter wishes to see the necessary documents of the fee collection agency, then the same is to be provided. A vehicle, after paying the toll fee at one plaza, can travel 80 kms before the next fee is levied. If a vehicle passes through the same toll gate twice in a day, then full fee will be levied for the first time, but only half the amount has to be paid the second time. However, the vehicle will have to report this to the agency the first time and collect an advance receipt for the return trip. If the vehicle plies via the same toll gate regularly, then a monthly fee module can be collected from the agency. If any vehicle refuses to pay the necessary fee, then the agency might keep any possible article/ package that the vehicle is carrying as mortgage. And if the vehicle owner fails to clear the payment within

Lead Story

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020 the specified time, the mortgaged article may be sold to recover the toll fee.

Pre-paid toll gates: The toll gates are major causes of traffic congestion. To prevent such regular traffic jams, many developed countries have opted for digital toll or FASTag toll. It is a pre-paid method, wherein the pre-paid tag is attached to the windshield of the vehicle that is scanned at the toll plazas. This year IOC, BPCL and HPCL made such FASTags in India and have even come to an agreement with their affiliated petrol pumps for its sale.

Fee-structure:

In 2007-08, NHAI issued rules with complete fee structure for every kind of vehicle. As per the rules the payment structure is given below: Light vehicles - Rs. 0.65 per km, Medium weight commercial vehicle - Rs. 1.05 per km, Bus and truck - Rs. 2.20 per km Heavy weight vehicle - Rs. 3.45 per km Large size heavy weight vehicle - Rs. 4.20 per kms Further, extra payment is levied for usage of bridges and tunnels present on the said highways.

Exemption from toll gate fee: No fee shall be levied and collected from the President of India, the Vice-President, Prime Minister, Governor of a State, the Chief Justice of India; the foreign dignitary on state visit, other politicians holding post and para-military personnel, ambulance and fire services and also officials at work with NHAI. Further, if a vehicle has to wait for more than 3 minutes in a toll gate, then as per rule, the vehicle must be exempted from paying the fee as compensation. Central Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, commenting on the

revenue earned from toll gates said, “India’s toll revenue is likely to swell to Rs 1 lakh crore annually in the next five years on the back of initiatives like electronic toll collection programme, which is being implemented panIndia to remove bottlenecks. In total, there are 1.4 lakh kms of highway under NHAI, out of which 24,996 kms are currently under the toll ambit and the length will swell to 27,000 km by the year-end. Our toll revenue is Rs 30,000 crore per annum... As we are constructing more roads, we will move forward with the target in the next five years,

the income from tolls gates to rise to Rs 1 lakh crore every year.” Citizens of Assam would not have opposed the setting up of toll gates had those been imposed as per proper guidelines and after proper development of roads. Rather, it has been seen that many a time, toll charges have been unfairly raised against the set guidelines. People have opined that the current toll gates have been set up even in this pandemic situation without considering the financial crunch the people are in due to the lockdown, only for the government’s own benefit.

Is lockdown necessary in Guwahati? From Page No - 01

imilarly, a businessman from Fancy Bazar said that 80% of the shopkeepers in Fancy Bazar are middle class people who survive on daily

online classes without any issues with the network is impossible, he said. The educationist was unhappy with the performance of the education department. Many parents of private schools and universities have complained about having to pay fees without their children

any time soon. Talking about health sector, city-based paediatrician, Dr Prakritish Bora said, “Out Patient Department (OPD) foot fall will be zero in the hospitals and even In Patient Department (IPD) will witness around 50% to 60% decrease in footfall. The

health sector will be impacted as people will not come to hospitals. Patients with chronic diseases will also avoid coming to hospitals which will further create problems.” He further added that the lockdown is not a permanent solution, as it will just halt the surge temporarily.

The doctor said that the administration should lay stress on educating and enforcing social distancing strictly. Guwahati is indeed bracing up for a grim fortnight and only time will tell whether the lockdown would at all serve its desired purpose.

sales from which they have to also look after their employees. Business has been virtually non-existent since the last three months and the latest lockdown will further cripple the business sector. The businessman said, “The government is confused.” Talking about education, noted educationist Shantikam Hazarika, talking to G Plus said, “I am apprehensive that the students have been away from their classes for so long. And no one is even thinking of how to bring them back.” He said that digital classes are completely over-hyped but practically these are of no use. Hazarika had taken some online classes himself but did not find them effective enough as he could not gauge if the students were at all learning or not. Moreover, in a country like India, with all its call drop problems, connecting to someone over the phone itself needs multiple attempts. So

getting to attend physical classes. While the government had requested schools for fee waivers, it was only for two months of the schools’ tuition fees. The private schools and universities, on the other hand, spend huge amounts of money on maintaining their expensive infrastructure and cannot waive off the fees. They also have to pay salaries to the teachers and this issue does not seem to ending

Janasanyog No. 980/20

Representative image

4 Business

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

The storm of a teacup: IndoChina relations and tea trade With huge investments made on tea processing units, continuous innovation in technology and expansion of the market, Indian tea is considered among the finest teas grown in the world. But the COVID-19 pandemic has not spared any sector, not even Tea. Rifa Deka @dekarifa

lthough the pandemic has brought about a sudden increase in demand for hot beverages and health conscious consumers are now choosing immunity boosting drinks like tea, the industry has seen a downward trend in business. Tea, coffee and cocoa have been selling like hot cakes at a time when people would usually prefer cold beverages to beat the heat of the summer, not only in India but also in other parts of the world, as reported by some big global retail chains, despite which, the Indian tea sector has been crippled to an extent. Indian tea traders and exporters were eyeing to sell Indian black tea to China as an immunity boosting drink and play the trump card by selling Indian produce to those who once held monopoly over the same. According to Tea Board of India, 1.47 million kilograms of tea have been exported to China during January–February of 2020, making China the 3rd largest global destination for Indian tea. Last year, India overtook Sri Lanka to become the largest tea exporter to China as demand for Indian black tea was on the rise. India’s tea exports to China have increased substantially; the country which had exported just 4.79 million kilograms of tea to China in the year 2015-16, raised the same to 12.71 million kilograms in the year 2019-20. Despite the COVID-19 situation, tea trade enquiries have reportedly been rising but now, there are fears that amid the ‘Boycott China’ movement, trade could be hit between the two countries. “There are lot of uncertainties now with regard to trade with China, especially after the recent India-China

face-off at the Galwan valley of Ladakh,” said Mr Bidyanand Borkotoky, Adviser of North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) and former Vice-Chairman of Tea Board of India. The North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) is an organization that issues advice and consensus of professional opinions’ of tea producers to its members, associated groups and the government, on tea. Earlier, post conducting a Strengths–Weaknesses– Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis, the adviser of the organization had projected a better price from the second flush during the peak season. Second flush teas (leaves plucked during May–June) are the premium quality teas of Assam. Teas made throughout the tea season (March–December) are exported to different countries at different points of time. With the peak plucking months - July, August, September and October - approaching in which 60 percent of the tea is harvested, there was much speculation over the expected outcome of “Boycott China” campaign on tea export from the state of Assam. More so, considering that China was being looked upon as a potential market for Assam to sell black tea as an ‘immunity booster’. “Assam produces 52% of our country’s tea. Black tea is becoming popular in China particularly among the young generation and it is a well known fact that Assam tea goes very well with milk compared to teas produced by other regions of India,” said Borkotoky explaining the reason behind why import of Indian tea has gained momentum in China. Further, the NETA adviser said, “We have a huge domestic market – 82% of our production is sold in the domestic market and only 18% of India’s production is

Representative Image exported. Tea is an immunity booster and we are expecting increase in consumption of tea in the domestic market. This increase in consumption of tea in our own country is likely to set-off any decrease in exports of tea to other countries including China.” Earlier, when the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun wreaking havoc on the country in the month of March, tea planters across the state had claimed that there was little to no supply of tea left with traders across the country anymore, despite which, in the successive month of April, a very small quantity of tea moved out of Assam. “Our annual production this year will be at least 10% lesser than last year and there is good demand of tea in our own country,” said Borkotoky, assuring that the state has no reason to worry as Assam may be affected but not to an

extent that it would hamper the economy. To get a fair idea about the prevailing situation amid the COVID-19 fright and cross-border tensions between India and China, G Plus also sought the exporters’ viewpoint. “Tea exports to China are only 12 million kgs and the country’s overall tea exports are around 250 million kgs. Due to the COVID situation, 100-150 million kgs have been lost because of the crop and the lockdown. We expect exports to go down by about 50 million kgs,” said Azam Monem, Wholetime Director of McLeod Russel India Ltd. which is currently the world’s largest tea growing company and is also a part of the Williomson Magor group. “As far as exports to China are concerned, so far there is no trade embargo declared by any association or government as of yet and as we understand, it continues to be a potential market subject to direction from

the ministry of commerce. If we hear anything, then we will stop exports to China,” he added. “The supply is less and the demand is very high at the moment. So prices have gone up substantially. The crop is low because there was no production these past few months and now there are heavy rains again. China is a big market for black tea for us right now but we cannot comment yet on whether the tensions between the two countries could affect tea exports to China,” said an official of the NE Zonal Office, Tea Board of India. The North Eastern Tea Association Adviser also asserted the organization’s stand on the issue of trade between the two countries due to the border dispute. “We will stand by government of India’s policy on trade matters with China. There is a huge potential of increase of exports of tea to China but the country comes first and trade is secondary,” he said.

Business

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

INDIAN TEA EXPORT TO CHINA: Year 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Quantity (in million Kgs) 4.79 6.09 9.0 10.58 12.71

Total Value (Rupees in Crores) 93.18 113.49 154.08 180.19 200.15

Unit Price in Rupees/ Kg 194.53 186.35 171.20 170.26 157.47

TEA EXPORTS FROM INDIA IN 2019-20 (APRIL TO MARCH): S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Total

Countries Commonwealth of Independent States Iran China United Arab Emirates United States of America United Kingdom Total Exports

Million Kgs 59.40 46.47 12.71 12.57 12.40 10.96 240.02

A complete list of the activities prohibited and those exempted within the jurisdiction of Kamrup (M) From Page No - 01

Prohibitions: 1. Movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited in the specified area; 2. All Government Offices, Offices of Autonomous/ Subordinate Offices and Private Offices shall remain closed; 3. All business/commercial establishments, shops and trade activities shall remain closed; 4. All Industrial establishments shall remain closed; 5. All public transport services shall remain suspended; 6. Movement of all Private vehicles is banned; 7. All hospitality services shall remain suspended; 8. All educational, research, training, coaching institutions shall remain closed; 9. All places of worship shall remain closed for public. No religious congregation will be permitted without any exception; 10. All social/political/sports/ entertainment/academic/ cultural/religious functions, gathering shall be barred; 11. Not more than 20 persons will be permitted in case of funerals; 12. All non-essential and avoidable movement of people shall be banned;

13. Spitting in public places is banned and will be punishable with fine, as may be prescribed by the local authority in accordance with its laws, rules or regulations; 14. Consumption and sale of liquor, paan, gutka, tobacco etc, in public places are prohibited.

Exemptions: 1. Defence, Central and State Police forces, Establishment of the District Magistrate, Commissioner of Police, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire & Emergency Services, Disaster Management, Electricity, Water, Sanitation, Municipal bodies (only staff required for essential services like sanitation, water supply etc.) will be allowed to function; 2. Hospitals and retail medical establishments; 3. Only 10 (ten) % of Bank branches in the District with skeletal attendance and ATMs shall operate. Highest Authority of the Banks shall determine the specific branches and give wide publicity of open bank branches; 4. Print and electronic media including newspaper distribution are allowed. However, it is advised that minimum number of persons shall only come out in the open; 5. Telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and cable services, IT and IT enabled services to continue.

However, personnel engaged in these services are allowed to work from home only. Only emergency repair crew would be allowed movement subject to prior permission/ pass from appropriate authority; 6. Power generation, transmission and distribution units, and services shall continue with persons with specifically assigned duties being allowed to come out; 7. Transportation of essential goods, vehicles of Health, Fire, Law & Order and Emergency Services are allowed; 8. All transport services and movement of people from other districts shall remain suspended except that connected to COVID functions. Inter-state movement shall also remain suspended except with prior permissions/ pass; 9. People (Interstate and inter District movement) holding train/air tickets to and from Guwahati as well to Guwahati shall be allowed to move only on production of such tickets at check points; 10. Hotels which are accommodating quarantined persons, medical and emergency staff, air crew shall operate with skeletal service; 11. Establishments used / earmarked for quarantine facilities shall operate; 12. All officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above shall attend office in Assam Secretariat regularly. Other officers and employees shall

be asked to attend office on need based instruction issued by the senior-most secretary of the Department. Directors shall decide on the number of skeletal officers and staff to attend for functioning of Directorates. 13. Government officers and employees who are directed specifically by their Controlling Officers will only be allowed with documentary evidence of such permission / orders. Rest of Government functionaries shall work from home. Only those Government officers and employees connected with the aforementioned exempted categories would be allowed to come to office/ workplaces. 14. Milk, baby food, medicines and water supply are allowed on specific areas and time; 15. Railway offices and persons directly linked with operation of passenger and goods trains shall be allowed to operate on being so assigned; 16. Continuous process industries would be allowed to function, subject to workforce staying in the premises and outwards/ inwards movement during the period of lockdown shall not be allowed; 17. Only identified Petrol pumps, gas agencies would be allowed to be operational during Lockdown. LPG agencies shall distribute products at home Customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes only. 18. Petroleum products to other districts would be allowed to move through

Highways. 19. Agricultural and Tea garden activities shall continue with social distancing. 20. Lockdown permissions/ passes issued earlier stand cancelled. Fresh permissions / passes shall have to be obtained from competent authority; 21. No person(s) shall be allowed to venture out simply on the ground of being employed in the exempted category of services. The permissions granted to persons/ services/ activities may be withdrawn at any time without assigning any reason or any advance notice. All other activities other those specified as exempted above will remain prohibited in the entire area until further orders. Provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitizer will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas. Wearing of face cover is compulsory in public places, in workplaces and during transport etc. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home, except for essential and health purposes. The Commissioner of Police/ District Magistrate of Kamrup Metropolitan will strictly enforce the above measures without any dilution as these measures are in place to avoid dangers to a large group of public.

6 City

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

GMC expresses preparedness to tackle city floods Rifa Deka @dekarifa

ith the arrival of first monsoon showers in the city, the fear of suffering from floods has returned to haunt the residents of Guwahati. The city’s floods are usually caused by poor network of drains which are either often clogged or unscientifically constructed. Rapid urbanization, illegal settlements, encroachment of land, destruction of forest areas and hills are among a few major problems plaguing the city alongside the already unique topography of the city, which causes severe water logging in parts of the city each year. With cases of people dying due to electrocution and artificial floods caused in the city and water flooding people’s homes, the onset of monsoon this year too has brought questions to the minds of Guwahatians regarding flood preparedness of the authorities. To seek answers to the same, G Plus got in touch with the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to assess their preparedness for the flood season. The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metro, District Disaster Management Authorities, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Public Works Department (PWD), Water Resources Department and Guwahati Municipal Corporation have taken adequate measures to control the city’s artificial floods under the Mission Flood Free Guwahati, as per the GMC officials. “The Bahini and Bharalu are being de-silted by GMC whereas the big ones, such as the Borsola, Pamohi are being looked after by GMDA. Water Resources Department also has a pump house in Bharalumukh and some drains near the railway tracks are being looked after by the

Railways. Some drains near Narengi are being taken care of by Oil India Limited and the National Highway Authority is responsible for the bypass. There are many authorities involved in this and it is our duty to ensure a flood-free Guwahati for its citizens,” said Debajit Das, Chief Engineer of GMC. In a three-year report presented by the GMC, desilting and maintenance of all drains within Guwahati city is being done by them; a total of 330 drains have been desilted and maintained in a total length of 396.783 kms that includes 5 major river channels within Guwahati. GMC has permanently installed de-watering pumps in three locations to overcome the issue of artificial floods which were causing problems to residents of Anil Nagar, Nabin Nagar and Lachit Nagar. Further, 15 other dewatering pumps of varying capacities have been kept ready to pump out water in case of any flash flood in the city. “Although the drains are cleaned, the dirt collected is left beside the drains and a part of the dirt goes back into the drain with the next shower. This is what I have noticed. Also, the vehicles that pass through these narrow lanes tend to tread over the dirt and the entire lane gets dirty even now. Apart from that, earlier, about 5 to 6 years ago, we faced major problems due to water logging in our bylanes but over the past 2 to 3 years, we have not faced any problem as such and although water stays for some time, it flows away,” said a resident of Anil Nagar. Another resident shed light on a problem being faced by many people of the same locality and passersby. “The area right outside the lane where I stay gets flooded for 2 hours at least; it takes time for the water to clear out. Earlier water logging here was even

File photo of desiltation work in progress at RG Baruah Road worse but now we have started to take that normally because this happens each time there is heavy rain,” complained Shikha Deka, a resident who lives close to the Doordarshan Campus at RG Baruah Road. In response to this, the official informed that the issue is being looked into by the Municipal Corporation to ensure that the problem is solved at the earliest. The construction of the Noonmati basin drain was also taken up by GMDA for diversion of storm waters towards Bondajan and to finally discharge the same into the Brahmaputra River from the Jyotinagar Hill, Mathgharia and surrounding localities from where storm water flows into the Bharalu River. Earlier, Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar also used to be inundated, but now it is less affected, which is due to one big channel which has been constructed from New Guwahati FCI Godown, all the way to Bondajan.

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On enquiring about the same with those living in nearby localities, Sanjeevani Goswami, a resident of Geetanagar area said, “In front of our house there is no water logging, but it starts from the Geetanagar Police Station and goes on till the beginning of the BSF Camp and sometimes till the Zoo Road Tiniali.” “A heavy downpour leads to water logging, say from Narikalbari to the Zoo Tiniali stretch. The problem has been there and it has only been increasing year after year. Last monsoon it was really bad and we’ll see if it gets any better this year,” the resident added, hoping to get some respite from the persistent difficulties being faced by those living around the affected areas. The Chief Engineer of GMC, who is also the Chief Engineer In-Charge of GMDA, in this regard, also said, “This was one major work done by GMDA in Noonmati Basin Drain. Prior to this, rain water from

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the surrounding hill areas like Choonsali Pahaar and hilly areas surrounding the refinery and Zoo-Narengi Road would lead to overflowing. But now we have constructed a 4 km long channel due to which water is diverted to the Brahmaputra River.” The corporation is also monitoring several other projects and is engaged with engineering institutions for third party evaluation, such as the work being done at Assam Engineering College in Chandmari and P.C.P.S. Girls’ Polytechnic in Bamunimaidan in the city. In addition to this, GMC is also actively involved in flood mitigation. The corporation has dug up two storm water reservoirs inside the Veterinary College Campus in Khanapara and areas like Juripar, Kalakshetra, providing some relief to residents from water logging during the flood season, according to data released by the corporation in its three-year report. n

Concern

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

BJP’s 2016 poll promise of 24 X 7 water supply remains unfulfilled Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

s Assam is battling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on one hand, the state is also slowly gearing up to prepare for the upcoming 2021 assembly elections. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already kick-starting its election campaigning in the state, the political mood is also gradually setting in. In the run up to the 2021 assembly polls, we take a look back at some of the promises made by the BJP in 2016 before being elected to power in the state. The BJP-led government in Assam came to power in 2016 with the BJP winning 60 seats out of the 126-member assembly. Prior to the last state polls, the saffron party had released a ‘vision document’ or a manifesto of sorts which stated their plan of action for Assam’s development in various sectors over the next five years. “Through this vision cum action document, we wish to lay out a threadbare approach towards safeguarding the culture and identity of Assam, developing it as one of the most developed states in the country visualising it as ‘Xarvasreshtha Axom’,” stated the document. Among many other issues, the party had elaborated on the need for drinking water management in the state. Drinking water has been one of the perennial problems for the residents of the state and especially for Guwahatians. The BJP’s vision document mentioned “providing clean and safe drinking water to all households in Assam” and “providing 24 hours urban water supply facilities.” However, the party has failed to deliver on its poll promise of providing water even after five years.

Residents suffer as water projects get delayed

Even as the mighty Brahmaputra River flows through the state, several localities face water scarcity, especially during the summer months. To solve the water woes of the city, the Assam government had undertaken four ambitious water supply projects for Guwahati with the objective to provide uninterrupted 24X7 water supply to residents. The implementation work for all the four projects has been ongoing simultaneously in

the city. However, all four projects have missed their deadlines several times and have faced delays due to several reasons. These four projects include Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted North Guwahati Water Supply Project as well as the South-Central Guwahati Water Supply Project, West Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) while ADB (Asian Development Bank) is funding the South East Guwahati Water Supply Project. On completion of the projects, the Guwahati Jal Board will be given the responsibility for operation and maintenance of all four projects. The West Guwahati Water Supply Project initially began in 2009 and was supposed to be completed within a period of 30 months, but it has been delayed multiple times since then. The project, which will benefit 30,000 households, is now slated to be completed by December 2020. Similarly, the South East Guwahati Water Supply Project began in August 2016 and the pace of work for this project too, has been sluggish. On the other hand, the JICAassisted North, and South-Central Guwahati water supply project began in 2010 but the execution work could only begin from 201213 owing to the logjam over land acquisition and permission issues, as per officials. The authorities have now targeted to complete the entire project by July 2022. “Even though there has been some impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the work for the JICAassisted project is now ongoing in full swing and by November this year we will be able to provide 5,000 house service connections,” Rupjyoti Talukdar, executive engineer of Guwahati Jal Board told G Plus. Officials have cited several reasons for the deferment such as delay in obtaining permission for excavation, delay in approvals from various departments among others. Further, onset of monsoon, lack of availability of labourers and hurdles in land acquisition also compounded the problem, said authorities. With the water supply being an issue of prolonged suffering for the residents of Guwahati as well as Assam, several parts of the city have been reeling under water crisis year after year. A resident of Christian Basti told G Plus that he has been purchasing water from private water tankers to fulfil his family’s daily water requirements for the

The water pipeline burst at High Court area during pressure test is an example of the promise unfulfilled | G Plus photo past 8-9 years. Further, Shambhavi Mukherjee, a resident of Hatigaon, said that her apartment complex was dependent on groundwater via a bore-well for the past 12 years since the apartment was constructed. “But the level of water started declining slowly over the years and now we have almost run out of water for the 20 flats in the apartment building,” she informed adding that the residents of the building complex are finding it very difficult to arrange for water and have been buying water from private suppliers since the past few months. The poll promise of solving the water issues for the city made a comeback in April 2019 when the present BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency, Queen Ojha, was campaigning for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. During the campaigning period, she had promised to solve the water woes for Guwahati city within a year on a priority basis, if she got elected.

No regulation on groundwater usage

Another promise or point of action in the BJP’s vision document aimed at improving the groundwater level. The document mentioned, “Regulating bore-well drilling in urban areas till the water table attains the desired elevation.” However, there is currently no mechanism in place to check for indiscriminate usage of underground water. Even though the state government had made it

mandatory in 2018 for individuals to obtain permission from the Guwahati Jal Board to undertake deep tube well boring, it is currently not being implemented, informed authorities. This leads to rampant unregulated extraction of underground water in the city which, in turn, results in depletion of the groundwater level. In order to check exploitation of underground water, the Assam government had made it compulsory for commercial establishments, individuals, builders as well as flat owners to take permission from government authorities before extracting ground water. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had previously directed the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to make the necessary amendments in the provisions of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Act in order to make it mandatory for residents to take permission before undertaking deep tube well

boring in the city. G Plus spoke to Guwahati Jal Board - the authority responsible for regulating and giving permission for water boring. However, the Jal Board officials said that currently people do not take permission before undertaking boring work. “There is a mandate to take permission from us for drilling of borewells but we have not enforced it sternly because the government has not been able to supply water to every household presently. When the water supply scheme is commissioned in a full-fledged manner, then we will start enforcing the rule,” Rupjyoti Talukdar, executive engineer at Guwahati Jal Board told G Plus. With the residents facing trouble on account of water supply continually and with the previous governments being able to achieve little success in this sector, it remains to be seen as to when the water supply projects will see the light of the day.

BJP’s Vision Document, 2016 stated “We wish to lay out a threadbare approach towards safeguarding the culture and identity of Assam, developing it as one of the most developed states in the country visualising it as ‘Xarvasreshtha Axom’.” “Providing clean and safe drinking water to all households in Assam...” “Providing 24 hours urban water supply facilities...” “Regulating bore-well drilling in urban areas till the water table attains the desired elevation...”

8 Centre Spread

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

Baras @Bara

But what would be the practical impact and fallout on India of actually boycotting all that is Chinese? The call to boycott Chinese products is nothing new. With every major festival season - be it Holi, Diwali, Dussehra in a culturally rich country like India, hashtag campaigns, calls from politicians, environmentalists and others gain traction

and momentum, urging people to refrain from buying Chinese goods. Forget about other major imported products like electronics, nuclear reactors, machineries, chemicals etc, even our Gods are ‘Made in China’.

Let’s take a look at the actual trade scenario between India and China. India-China Trade Face-off: 80 5.73 4.20

6.00

6.86

5.08

76.38 70.32

61.7

60.4

61.3

16.75 11.9

10.2

9.0

13.33

0 2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

Year Imports from China (in billion USD)

Exports to China (In billion USD)

The figures on the top of the bars indicate China’s Export Surplus Ratio

1. In 2019, Chinese capital investment in India is USD 1,907.5 million. 2. Travel updates: While not less than 8 lakh Indians visited China in 2016 only 2.5 lakh Chinese travelled to India. 3. According to the official data of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), 23,000 Indian students are studying in China. Reportedly, there are only 2,000 Chinese students in India (as per a TOI report of 2019). 4. India has been importing ‘Hindu deities’ (idols) by the millions since 2000. Last year, the Diwali market of Delhi finally saw a fall in the Chinese idol market to 10 percent from the 70-80 percent six years back.

“Boycott China” is a slogan that is getting m the patriotic feathers ever since the Indothe death of 20 Indian soldiers, left 76 in by the Chinese army. Many have even gon besides also torching effigies and posters Minister Narendra Modi’s call of ‘Atma Nirb boycotting China has been labelled as

Chinese impact on

(As stated by

About 50% of Guwahati’s mar products.

Products range from furniture fashion items, crockery, cutler items, not to mention automo

100% of the Holi toys like wate procured from China.

50% of the crockery and cutle Chinese.

Chinese products have overta completely.

Also 80% of the fashion produ produced by the neighbouring

Centre Spread

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

sha Das asha_mi2

Products India exports to China: Organic chemical, ores, slag and ash, natural pearls, precious stones and precious metals, cotton including yarns and woven fabric, fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates Products India imports from China: Electric machinery, sound equipment, television equipment and parts thereof, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances and parts, organic chemicals, plastics and articles thereof, articles of iron and steel (Source: General Administration of Customs, China)

more shrill across the country and ruffling -China face off on 16th June which led to njured with 10 soldiers being held captive ne to the extent of burning Chinese goods of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. With Prime bhar Bharat’ in place, the current trend of s ‘Sino Satyagraha’ by national media.

Guwahati Market

Some well known Indian companies having Chinese investment: Big Basket, Byju’s, Flipkart, Hike, Ola, Oyo, Paytm, Paytm Mall, Dream 11, Delhivery, Quikr, Policy Bazaar, Snapdeal, Swiggy, Zomato, Udaan, Make my Trip, Rivigo. Amidst the ‘Boycott China’ calls, Chinese premium smartphone maker One Plus recorded ‘complete sold out’ of its flagship phone OnePlus 8 Pro within minutes of its launch on 18th June on the e-commerce site Amazon. 450

y sources)

China’s Trading Partners in 2019

16.8

India’s Trading partners in 2019

400

rket is flooded with Chinese 350

60 16.8

e, decorative items, idols, ry and many other household obile parts, etc.

300

11.2

250 40

aken the Indian toy market

ucts in Fancy Bazar are actually g country.

200

418.6

150

5.7 4.4

100

3.9

279.6

3.2

3 2.5

143.2

111

United States

Export (in billion USD)

ery, mostly fancy items are

Export (in billion USD)

er guns (pichkari) etc are

Hong Kong

Japan

South Korea

Vietnam

79.7

Germany

74.9

India

73.9

Netherlands

62.3

United Kingdom

9.2

54.2

5.3 29.7

2.2

3.5

11.5

55.1

Taiwan

Country The figures on the top of the bars indicate Caina Export percentage to each country

3.3

2.7

2.6

10.7

8.82

8.75

8.6

8.3

Singapore

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Germany

Bangladesh

United States

United Arab Emirates

China

Hong Kong

2.2 7

Nepal

Country

The figures on the top of the bars indicate India’s Export percentage to each country

10 G Talk E

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020 T

Lost the plot?

nlock, unlock, unlock,” said PM Modi hardly two weeks ago. This mantra echoed in the words of HBS as well; Guwahati had ‘unlocked’ much ahead of the rest of the nation, thanks to his gumption. And so you ponder: why another 14-day lockdown for Kamrup(M)? Whether this decision actually results in controlling the spread of Covid-19 in Guwahati only time will tell. The tale of the statistics post the earlier prolonged lockdown was all about influx of passengers leading to exponential growth in positive cases. But what this lockdown would surely do is further cripple the already limping economy. Massive losses on all fronts is a given. Take the case of the essential goods stocks in transit. With no labour force to unload and no trucks to relay the distribution chain, the fate of these perishables is sealed. The ripple effect will be scarcity and price rise in the city’s markets as and when this latest lockdown is unlocked. Not to forget those wholesalers and traders who would be extremely apprehensive of ordering new supplies for fear of wastage. Beyond all these potential losses are of course the lives of the daily wage earners for whom this latest announcement is akin to sounding the death knell. Already reeling under transit and travel hardships and

looking to revive their sagging lives through daily earnings, a 14-day lockdown which does not guarantee the death of Covid-19 would surely be the cause of economic death of this huge workforce. What spurred this decision of the government is difficult to fathom especially in the backdrop of the central government’s announcement that Indians have to learn to live with Covid. With a low fatality rate, the recovery rate so promising and the total number of positive cases being more than modest, wouldn’t it have been more prudent that Covid-19 protocols were more proactively enforced by the authorities rather than imposing another prolonged lockdown that comes with no guarantee of flattening the curve, leave alone eradicating the disease altogether? Cities that have been affected far worse – Mumbai for example – have far more lenient protocols simply because the nation has to get on with life and the clarion call now is for the economy to revive. That livelihood is as important as life itself has been made loud and clear by no less that the PM himself. This lockdown makes one wonder if the state government has somehow actually lost the plot.

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

My way or the highway

crying baby, swollen legs, uncalled for deaths on the long road to home. The sudden clampdown of the first lockdown had its share of melancholic stories. Nobody listened. As the first lockdown was announced, middle class Indians ran to the grocery stores - some to wine stores – for their provisions. A clampdown which should have happened at international airports since the beginning of the pandemic was thrust upon hapless citizens. A similar play was enacted when demonetization was in force. Initially, it was hailed by many as the greatest move ever. But down the line we all understood what it was. Taking decisions on whims has become the norm rather than the exception. If the signals coming out from our political class is anything to go by it looks like no one has an iota of idea on what is coming next in the pandemic. A near real achievement of the Assam government “model” of containing the virus that could be emulated by other states is done and dusted. Are Guwahatians today ready to embrace the latest lockdown? Citizens are clueless and have to rely on government information; at times the confidence showed by our political masters make us believe that the COVID 19 infection is under control and within redeemable limits with political bosses consuming massive airtime on TV and digital media. But the scene which has transpired now calls for a serious introspection where we need to raise hard questions to the political class. A classless citizenry is the real armoury of any nation. And can we raise those? Both the demonetization and the COVID 19 pandemic have left the citizens with a lot of questions that many won’t dare to ask. In one sense it looks like “It’s my way or the highway!”

Scuttling Assam’s entertainment industry

he world is virtually in the grip of morbid death fear and experiencing hitherto unknown lockdown scenario as a disastrous consequence of COVID-19 that has taken a whooping 447,463 human lives, so far, (as on 18th June) with more people falling into its vicious trap heralding a new chapter in human civilization. Possibly, for the first time, scientists and researchers appear perplexed by the advent of a virus that goes on relentlessly ransacking ageold avenues of human earnings, desecrating multiple sources of human entertainment besides engulfing millions into its deadly fold. Agonizingly, in contrast to numerous path-breaking developments dating back to different centuries that have enriched human civilization, the impact of COVID-19 has been demonic and regressive across the world. Closer home, a casual look reveals disturbingly the extent of damage caused to Assam’s unique mobile theatre groups in view of prohibition of mass gatherings due to the coronavirus outbreak. Consequently, the iconic theatre groups, an embodiment of Assam’s rich cultural heritage, are passing through a bleak, torrid time financially and commercially in its glorious history spanning over sixty years, first time ever. It needs no reiteration that the highly professional mobile theatre groups - Bhramyaman Natok Gosthi an inseparable part of Assam’s cultural ethos, have always been a prolific source of entertainment to the connoisseurs of dramas in the length and breadth of the Brahmaputra valley. The gradual ascendency of the mobile theatre groups from the 1970s onwards that culminated into producing a number of breathtaking, stupendous plays on stage ranging from, ‘Miri Jiyonri’, ‘Mahabharat’, Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ to Hemanta Dutta’s ‘Titanic’and the recent block buster like ‘Mulagabharu’ or ‘Mirabai’, to name a few, have always been significant earning sources for a wide spectrum of the society. Basic livelihood

of the entire gamut - from the actors, singers, dancers, directors, producers, action artists, makeup artists, to the workers responsible for erecting the tents etc - depend on the earnings from these theatre groups. The pandemic, needless to say, has broken the financial backbone of the passionately involved stakeholders of the pristine theatre groups and a bleak future is staring at them. Perfect blending of artistic brilliance with refined entertainment values saw the flourishing of the Assamese film world with a number of superlative movies in the year 2018-19. If the splendidly directed ‘Village Rockstar’ with its aesthetic excellence had created a flutter across India and was promptly nominated for Oscar Awards with Rima Das becoming a household name, Jatin Bora’s highly entertaining ‘Ratnakar’ had been a run-away success in box office, a virtual chartbuster, creating unprecedented wave and craze among cine-goers. ‘Mission China’ and ‘Kanchanjhanga’ were runaway super-duper movies that overwhelmed Zubeen Garg’s countless admirers by his elegant screen presence as well as his mellifluous voice. ‘Xhoihobote Dhemalite’ directed by Bidyut Kotoky, ‘Doordarhan Eti Jantra’ starring Prastuti Parashar, Bhaskar Hazarika’s ‘Aamis’, ‘Bornodi Bhotiai’ to name a few, are some of the outstanding films that have embellished ‘Jollywood’ in the recent times. Ironically, as a remarkable anti-climax to such heartening developments, the cinema halls today have the silence of a graveyard. Assam’s steady amelioration of economic status of general run of people, better standard of living of the ‘hoi-polloi’ can be understood from the fact that there has been a staggering increase of 86 percent vehicle population in the last three decades, as per reports of Economics and Statistics department, Government of Assam. The state vehicle population in Assam was around five lakhs in 2001 that rose overwhelmingly

rDomestic violence during lockdown

O pinion Gautam Ganguly

to 15,28,269 in 2011 and by 2018, the figures have crossed twenty lakhs! This data has emerged in the ‘Statistical Year Book, India 2013’ released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in New Delhi. Further, it is revealed from the Census Data 2011, that a whopping 63.2% houses in India use telephone out of which 13,12,40,499 houses in India have mobile phone connectivity. In Assam, out of 63,67,295 houses surveyed, 30,49, 934 households have telephones indicating our state’s roller-coaster ride to financial stability. The experts feel that that a tough challenge lies ahead to go back to the days of prosperity when the world was cheerfully free from Coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants and eateries are other casualties of the dreaded Corona. Burgeoning growth of restaurants and joints from internationally acclaimed Dominos, KFC, Bar B Q Nation etc to our own iconic Paradise restaurant serving a wide variety of food from - Asian, Continental, Chinese, grilled dishes to traditional Assamese cuisine etc showcase the rich variety of tastes of food loving people of Assam besides highlighting their buoyant, cheerful and progressive nature. With social distancing becoming the new chanted mantra, the future of these eateries lies buried in unforeseen future. On a lighter vein, Coronavirus threatens to wipe out and eradicate mankind’s perennial desire to remain healthy, glowing and handsome. The pretty ladies look cadaverous with their masks on in their bid to escape from COVID19! (The author is a retired civil servant and a die-hard theatre enthusiast. The views expressed in the article are his own)

Letter to the Editor

Sir, During these days of lockdown, many cases of domestic violence are springing up. Some husbands are physically abusing their wives and in some cases wives are giving it back in equal measure. It may sound funny but this is a serious matter to be looked at. Recently, I found out while talking to a female labourer that she is a victim of wife-battering. Her husband is a drunkard and wanted her money for gambling. I request men to show respect for women and vice versa and not indulge in domestic violence. Respect a woman and she will respect you too. Respect a Man and he will respect you too. Neha Singh, Tezpur

In Focus

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

Assam likely to get investments from Singapore companies

1 companies from Singapore are interested in investing in various sectors of Assam. The same was expressed in a webinar that Industries & Commerce Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, held with companies from Singapore at Janata Bhawan on 22nd June last. The webinar was coordinated and facilitated by Enterprise Singapore and Invest India, a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Singapore. Also present were Chief Secretary to the government of Assam, Kumar Sanjay Krishna, Commissioner and Secretary Dr KK Dwivedi, Commissioner Oinam Sarankumar Singh, and Secretaries Manjula Saikia Bhuyan and Pabitra Khaund. The companies which included Advanced Produce Centre Development Pvt. Ltd. (APC), Agrocorp, Capita Land (Ascott), Nanyang Polytechnic, Skill SG Venture (SSGV), ALLIN Technologies, etc are interested in investing in the state’s food processing, hospitality sector, infrastructure development, industrial town development, start-ups, airline catering, skill training, organic farming and marketing.

Patowary highlighted Assam’s geographical advantage stating that it is positioned at the centre of South East Asia, ASEAN and Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal (BBN countries). Also the state’s surplus production of fruits and vegetables and its export to countries like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait were highlighted. Guwahatians took to the social media handles of G Plus to share their views on this matter. Drishana Kalita said, “Why only Singapore? You can also say France, Germany, Japan, Africa, Timbuktu etc are all ‘interested to invest’ in Assam. They won’t put a charge on your speech.” Mushabbir Rahman Hazarika said, “These are just fake promises and election gimmicks. No one should vote for BJP. No Assamese should forget the five martyrs of CAA. No should forget the 10-day internet block out by BJP.” Rupam said, “Many wanted to throughout the years but large scale protests as well as demands from businesses hampered the situation. Quality of skill is lacking here as well as many bottlenecks. Only BJP can bring investments; otherwise it is not possible.” Prandip Hazarika said, “And with this many organizations

will start their commission business and they will again run to some other state.” Dipankar Talukdar said, “Do these people think they can ever make us fools again? Well, I am enjoying at Guwahati’s ‘Twin Towers’ and will later be moving towards Narengi in a metro.” Questioning the government Dipankar Gogoi said, “What is meant by likely to get, can anyone make Industries & Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary addressing the media us understand? if we change the government it takes close to 4 hours? Jorhat Should it not be either we got or they will also not be able to to Sivasagar and further beyond we missed the bus? Secondly, bring any companies to Assam. is better not to be spoken about. what is meant by interested or Why should an MNC come to Even easier targets like making showing interest? For a change, Assam? No skilled labour, no good atleast one airport in the region show us some results. Bare roads, no ports, no good railway a full-fledged one with optimised minimum that this lacklustre network and the main problem cargo and passenger connectivity government may target are a few is that there are too many union assurance has not been done.” low hanging ones like making the bodies who just want monetary Pointing out the difficulties roads and connectivity better. Can benefits from the companies. So Tony Kundu, said, “No company you beat the fact that even now, to no company will invest in Assam.” will ever come to Assam. Even travel from Numaligarh to Jorhat,

A rueful health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that Guwahati will go under complete lockdown from June 28 midnight for 14 days. Following are some reactions on the digital channels of G Plus. John Goldsmith

Riyan Kashyap

Jinesh Paharia

Darshana Deka

Wrong decision by the government. Complete disregard for the daily wage earner. Those employed with small and mid scale Industries will suffer again. Running behind the elusive so-called ‘breaking the chain’. The only way out is herd immunity and finding a cure. These lockdowns will in no way help. Cases will keep coming up and the situation will keep degrading.

Will this be the same lockdown where people will openly violate the rules of lockdown? The first lockdown was made a gimmick by the people where they openly used to roam around during the lockdown and I have similar expectations this time too. Let’s see how beneficial this decision will be for the people in the coming times.

Rumi Kalita

Worst decision totally. Lots of economic hardship and psychological stress on the majority of people leading to nervous breakdowns are on the cards. Coronavirus is here to stay. More than 6000 cases and only 10 deaths! This proves the whole paranoia surrounding coronavirus is a hoax. The media is creating a mountain out of a mole hill out of this whole corona thing. Things can get better. Social distancing with good health will help us fight this virus.

A very good decision by the government. I know this is going to hit back economically but I think if people help the needy and keep following the protocols during this lockdown then there is a high possibility to get out of this. The virus is spreading rapidly and we need to stop it and I don’t see any other way out except lockdown right now. At least not till the time we have a cure for it.

We support the lockdown but we are still in containment zone w.e.f. 14.06.2020. Even the results of our swab tests have not been notified to us. We have neither received any food materials including grocery in our entire building nor have sufficient stock of food materials, medicines and all. Today’s lockdown has been declared for another 14 days and God knows how we are going to survive this. Management is very poor and we people are suffering. Also, we cannot step out from our compound for purchasing essential food materials. So, what we will do now?

12 Lifestyle

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

Some Vaastu tips for success For existing houses and offices, it is not always possible to make structural changes. But certain rules should be followed so that Vaastu brings prosperity. There are several Vaastu rules but following some of them listed below are good enough. 1. The main entrance is the main point of entry for prosperity energy. There should not be any kind of obstruction, big water body, garbage dump in front of the door. In such cases, fix swastikas on both sides of the door. Place the picture/ statue of lord Ganesha on both sides of the main door. Goddess Laxmi also ushers prosperity in the house/shop. 2. The northeast of the house/shop/office should be always kept clean. Shoes, brooms, dust bin etc should not be kept in the northeast. 3. The place of worship should be in the northeast. Puja should be performed in the northeast with photos of god or goddess. However, big statues of deities in the northeast will make it heavier and bring reverse effect! 4. The ‘Sriyantra’ and ‘Kuber Yantra’ are very effective in the place of worship. But these

two yantras should not directly face each other. Lord Kuber is the ruler of wealth as well as goddess Laxmi. 5. The statue of a white Lord Ganesha is very auspicious in the northeast along with the ‘Sriyantra’. 6. An aquarium with fish or a water fountain is very good for wealth in the north. But care should be taken not to flush the same with the northern wall which will make the north heavier. 7. Vacant space at east allows more morning sun rays to fall on the plot which brings all round

happiness and development for children. It also increases wealth. 8. Few auspicious trees

like the Banyan tre e are supposed to be good at east. The Peepal tree is good to have at west. The Palash tree is good at north. 9. We all know by now that the kitchen and electrical items are best in the southeast. Whenever this is not possible, a red bulb can be lit in the southeast corner to offset the same. 10. While constructing a house, it can be started during the period of ‘Hasta’, ‘Uttarphalguni’, Chitra’, ‘Aswini’ and ‘Mrigashira’ Nakshatras which bring success from the offspring. 11. Light an oil lamp in the puja area every evening and burn sandalwood incense sticks.

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

Few Vaastu factors to be checked in general: Size and shape of the plot, The road direction in front, Empty spaces in all directions, The location of the main entrance, Positions of the rooms and directions, Location of water bodies including overhead tank, Nearby Plots and structures of neighbours and surrounding Position of the toilet, staircase and kitchen etc.

Monsoon Tips

ainy monsoon has got its own charm, but during this season many of us suffer from various health issues like stomach problems, skin problems, severe hair fall etc. Thus to keep ourselves healthy and glowing, we must follow certain things. Here are some simple yet effective ways in which you can maintain a healthy gut: Adding Ginger/Garlic: These are the most commonly used herbs in our households and they provide us with an array of benefits. Raw ginger/garlic acts as a prebiotic (food) for friendly gut bacteria, thereby improving gut health. Gingerol and Allicin present in them respectively, are found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties which keep infections at bay. Adding fresh herbs to our food/soups or drinking a warm cup of ginger tea will be a great way to improve gut health. Eat cooked food over raw food: Cooking has a bactericidal (bacteria killing) effect on the food prepared. Humidity provides a conducive environment for bacterial and fungal growth. Raw food can be a host for bacterial growth. Hence, cooking foods rather than consuming them raw is a better alternative. Eg: Having a veg soup over a raw veg salad will be a better alternative. Eating fermented foods: Probiotics are the beneficial gut bacteria which work as the

first line of defence against any infection. They also synthesize Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) and Vitamin K in the body, thereby giving energy. Adding Idlis, dosas, homemade curds, Khimchi, Kefir, etc. to our diet will improve the number of probiotics and thereby improve gut health. Consuming Fruits/Vegetables Immediately After Cutting: If vegetables or fruits are cut and left exposed to air, it can attract flies or insects which can infest the food. If this food is consumed, it can cause infections and affect gut health. Hence, eating the fruit/vegetable immediately after cutting/chopping it, or covering it is beneficial we wish to consume it later. Eating food which are light: Foods such as rice, dal, legumes, soups, vegetables, fruits etc. are lighter on the stomach and are easily digested and absorbed as opposed to the tempting fried Pakoras, vada pav, etc. which can cause bloating, acidity and/or flatulence. Avoiding leafy vegetables:Leafy vegetables like spinach, cauliflower, cabbage etc. may be avoided during this season; instead we may try pungent kind of veggies like bitter gourd, lady’s finger, parwal etc. Moreover, we must stay away from those foods that cause our discomfort or allergy like eggs, corn, wheat or anything triggering problems in our bodies.

Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

For skin and hair care during monsoon we must follow these steps: Cleanse our skin regularly so that the skinpores are cleared up.

Instead of using commercial beauty products we must rely on natural home remedies like fuller’s earth, curd, rose water, lemon, honey mixes etc. For severe hair fall problems we can applyhot oil and massage for root strengthening. Using coconut oil and methi (fenugerk) may help in preventing hairfall. Keep these tips in mind and maintain a healthy lifestyle regime!

Feature

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

The repatriation saga of a Guwahatian What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how - Gabriel Garcia Marquez you remember it.

1 June, 2020: The Taj, Dhaula Kuan. My ‘quarantine hotel’. In other words, my ‘jail’ for seven days. The price of being caught in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic, and returning to the motherland in the middle of a spike in positive cases. It is noon on the second day of my quarantine (or is this my first??). Quarantine is a strange word. It has entered my vocabulary quite recently, and already I’m struggling to pronounce the last syllable as

Padmini Boruah writes from her quarantine facility at The Taj Palace, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, about her repatriation experience as she returns from the USA after spending nearly a year there. The article was written on 23rd June, 2020. ‘tye-in’. For some, the word translates into “a forced (and mostly annoying) experience of endless chores and close proximity with family”. That definition is waiting for me. But this week, the word means “jailed in luxury”. It also translates into “the time required to realign body and mind to one’s native country and culture after a considerable time abroad”. 22 June, 2020: Day 2. Or is it Day 3?? One day seems to melt into the other without preamble. But this is just the first phase of my adventure, an outcome of my arrival in India from the USA on a patriotically coined ‘Vande Bharat Mission repatriation’ flight on 20th June. I love the ring of that phrase. It conjures images of exciting and classified rescue missions drawn up on mysterious undercover maps and surreptitious plan. I wish the actual experience was as exciting, but I should be grateful that none of the horror

Padmini Boruah

stories shared by some other repatriated Indians on social media came true for me. San Francisco airport, my port of departure, was quietly efficient; the Indian Embassy and Air India staff courteous and quick. At Delhi’s IGI Airport Terminal 3, things were surprisingly organized and structured

jet pump and container in hand, ready to douse our bags generously in sanitizing spray, leaving not an inch untouched. It took us a moment to realise that there was no concierge service. We rotated the bags to sanitize each inch, feeling like outcasts caught in some unreal drama.

will be returned to us, and we will be ‘released’ from our palace tower. I’m trying hard not to catch a cold from the air-conditioned air. One cough or sneeze, and my immediate future will be sealed. I have decided I am going to stick to warm water and a stylish neck scarf. I can’t arouse suspicions

warned in advance to avoid death by shock. I’ve been warned of ponytailed hair and unkempt beards and curling moustaches and lockdown-rounded cheeks and middles. I have issued my own set of warnings too. I have warned them of the inevitable “You know, in the US, we used to…” preface to every utterance

too. The only exception was the desperate whine in the arrival officer’s voice as every new group of passengers halfwalked, half-ran to her, jostling anxiously to grab the forms. Most of the other procedures happened quietly, and it was an eerie walk through Terminal 3, with no snaking queues at the immigration counters, and through plastic-shrouded DutyFree liquor aisles and desolate fragrance counters. Patience is not one of my virtues, but I tried to look as un-anxious as I could under the mask and Harley-Davidsoninspired visor that I had been wearing for the last 18 hours. My patience was severely tested in the smog-covered Delhi sidestreet when we were herded into non-airconditioned DTDC buses and I had to lift my two bulging suitcases into the bus, where sixty-odd pieces of luggage already choked its length and breadth. It was a miracle that we managed to get standing space. Once our bus dropped us off at our hotel driveway and the bus conductor handed over our passports to the hotel staff, we half-pushed, half-pulled our motley collection of suitcases to the front porch of the hotel. And there waited an astronauttype creature in a space suit,

On the porch of a desolate Taj, we signed a plain looking guest sheet on a plain looking table. Two masked executives handed over the room key with directions to carry our suitcases into the lobby, the elevator and the room. We dragged our bewilderment and our suitcases into the deserted corridors and quiet elevators and into our rooms. The elevators locked after us, and an astronaut-suited server appeared, whooshing and swishing nosily past, knocking on doors and leaving food trays on the chair outside every room. 23 June, 2020: Day 3, I think. I have stopped counting. The days as well as the number of phone calls from concerned and curious family and friends, checking in, relieved that I have returned after all, having spent more than ten months in California. I have spent the last two days updating them on my adventures as a repatriated and ‘rescued’ Indian national. I have eaten three large meals and binge-watched my Netflix series. The medical team arrives once a day to take our vitals. They check our temperature, our blood pressure, pulse and heart rate. If we test ‘normal’ at the end of the seven days, the District Magistrate will sign our departure form, our passports

by wearing a muffler when the medical team comes. Today I requested two meals a day instead of three. I have to train my body for the 14-day home quarantine that awaits me at Guwahati, the second phase of my exciting repatriation journey. It will not be an easy transition from liveried luxury to ghor-xaara-musa-kapurbason-randha-barha. Already I can feel the calories make themselves comfortable in the nooks and corners of my expanding waistline, and it doesn’t help to have no chores to burn them. Four more days. And then I’ll be home. It’s been almost a year since I saw my boys. I’ve been

that will escape my mouth. As of now, I am counting my blessings. I have got a sevenday lease on my reorientation. An insulated space from which to look out at the India I adore while reminiscing about the America I miss. A time to reset my body clock and adjust to a post COVID-19 India. A time to prepare for teaching in virtual spaces in a land not fully equipped with the technology and pedagogy of online education. To walk the familiar krishnasura strewn streets of a beautiful university campus. To learn and relearn life and living. I know, like King Solomon, “hoc quoque transibit”. This too shall pass. It always does.

14 Guest Column

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

Beyond Covid-19: Combating a health concern

ovid-19 pandemic has captured the attention and galvanized action across the globe, including here in Assam, at a scale never seen before. However, beyond Covid-19, what about other health related issues that have been detrimentally impacting the wellbeing of its citizens

Whither is the Prime Minister’s (read BJP’s) clarion call to make the North Eastern States of India organic? Certainly, organically grown vegetables/ fruits and chemical laden stuff cannot be complimentary! Surely, the present government is aware of this. before the onset of the present pandemic and shall continue to do so even after the Covid-19 issue is behind us? The concern discussed herein is about the chemical and contaminant laden vegetables, fruits and other edibles that are being sold in the market. Today, this scourge is causing great damage to the health of the citizens, with consequent impact on their productivity at work, their financial condition in view of additional medical expenditure; their quality and longevity of life. On one side we perhaps have the untrained and unsuspecting farmer who uses uncontrolled dosages of fertilizer and pesticides to grow vegetables and fruits, oblivious of the damage the residual chemicals in his produce are causing to the health of his fellow citizens. On the other hand, we have the unscrupulous who inject harmful growth promoters, chemicals to increase shelf-life, ripen fruits using harmful chemicals and inject sweeteners, all to meet market demand and increase profit. Under both scenarios, the customer/citizen is the sufferer. The government of Assam is committed to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Goal No. 3: Ensure

Barun Barpujari

Internet photo Healthy Lives and Promote Wellbeing for all at all Ages. The government therefore is morally bound to act against the aforesaid practices that detrimentally affect human health. The government is surely aware as to what is required to be done to meet market demand. It, however, needs the desire and the will to act in a holistic manner to achieve this objective without doing harm to the consumer. Some actions could include bringing more acreage under cultivation of market determined vegetables and fruits.The Agriculture Department would need to offer guidance to the farmers on cropping pattern, training on usage of fertilizers and pesticides etc. Moreover, technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage must aid the farmer on issues like areaspecific rainfall information, training on latest agricultural practices including use of appropriate quantities of fertilizers and pesticides for pest control/management and water conservation etc. Making available real-time data on prevailing prices in target markets would be essential for the farmer to get a fair return for his labour. A clusterbased farming approach would facilitate aggregation of produce for moving to the market or for value addition at lower input cost. Establishment of cold

chains, including refrigerated trucks and cold storages must be planned along major routes of movement of perishable vegetable and fruits in order to reduce wastage. This would require ensured power supply along the path of the cold chains. Thus, involvement of the power ministry would also come into the frame. Hence, inter-ministerial planning and coordination would be necessary. Effort must be made to ensure that the farmer does not have to resort to unhealthy practices to make an honest livelihood. The paddy fields of large parts of upper Assam lie fallow after harvesting just one paddy crop. The acreage of such land would add up to several thousand hectares. Could farmers not be encouraged to grow crops like mustard as a second crop in these fields? It is a less water intensive crop. It is a pity that Assam, whose citizens largely use mustard oil as their cooking medium, does not have its own home grown brand of mustard oil. With greater availability of mustard seeds, surely some farmer producer company or entrepreneurs would step up to do the needful. The people of the region certainly could do with unadulterated mustard oil to grace their kitchens. The mustard value chain offers a lot besides the oil, from employment opportunities in the oil extraction mills

that are expected to come up to the use of the cake as fertilizer and cattle feed. All the northeastern states and possibly some neighbouring countries could be the market for their produce. This is just illustrative of the opportunities that could be thrown up while embarking upon this journey to bring to the table good, healthy food. It is of utmost importance that the government takes immediate action to check this malaise of chemical laden and adulterated food items being fed to its citizens. The government must have the resolve to put an end to this harmful practice and put in place a system of quality check to ensure that farm and other products coming into the market must meet established quality standards. Products failing quality standards must be summarily seized and destroyed in order to create a deterrent against unscrupulous and harmful practices. Of course, there is always a danger of such systems denigrating into another avenue for making unearned money by some corrupt personnel involved. To check this, a system of cross-checking test results and monitoring corrective actions through an independent and autonomous body must also be put in place. This is certainly within the realms of possibility if the government is serious

about weeding out corrupt practices. Moreover, whither is the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s (read BJP’s) clarion call to make the North Eastern States of India organic? Certainly, organically grown vegetables/ fruits and chemical laden stuff cannot be complimentary! Surely, the present government is aware of this. There is a clamour for improving the healthcare delivery infrastructure and systems in the state. There is no debate on the need for this. However, it is equally, if not more important, to see that people remain healthy. And it is the government’s responsibility to uproot unscrupulous and harmful practices that strike at the root of good health of the citizen. Here the role of a vigilant and active civil society cannot be over emphasized! Another initiative that needs to be considered very seriously is that our school curriculum be amended to include time and attention to developing responsible future citizens with expectations of financial and other returns like respect, only from the dint of one’s own enterprise and hard work and not through gratification and other dubious means. This must be drilled into children at their formative age so that it becomes an integral part of their DNA. This, perhaps, could be the defining weapon in the war against corrupt practices. The effort called for, as can be seen, would require a multiministerial approach involving the agriculture, health, power and education ministries. A holistic, strategic plan and with determined intervention would be the key to success. It is sincerely hoped that the present government is up to the task. Covid-19 has created a new realization and has generated a new resolve among all sections of society - people, industry members, farmers and importantly the government. One could perhaps look forward towards a new Assam claiming its rightful place as one of the most progressive and prospering states of the country. (With 38 years of rich and diverse experience in Energy & Sustainability areas, the author retired as Executive Director of IOCL. The views expressed in the article are his own)

News This Week

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week

All schools in Manipur to waive off fees for April-July amid COVID-19 pandemic

Manipur education minister Th. Radheshyam, on June 22, asked all schools in Manipur to follow directives issued by the state regarding fee collection and payment of salaries to staff. In the directives issued, all private, as well as aided schools in the state were ordered to waive off fees from April to July in view of the on-going pandemic. Schools were also directed to abstain from announcing any hike in fees for the academic session 2020-21. Schools can however, collect fees for the month of March without any increase in the previous fee amount. For those students whose parents or guardians have already paid school fees, the amount is to be adjusted with monthly fee for consecutive months following July.

Over 83 people killed due to lightning in Bihar

In an unfortunate incident, over 83 people were killed in lightning and thunderstorm in five districts of Bihar on June 25. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar announced Rs 4 lakhs compensation each for those who lost their lives due to thunderstorms. PM Modi expressed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the disaster, he tweeted, “I’ve received tragic news about death of many people due to heavy rain and lightning strikes in some districts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The state governments are engaged in relief work. I express condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this disaster.

Bhutan helping India to clear water blockage

KSA to allow ‘Very Limited’ pilgrims for Haj 2020

Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna clarified that Bhutan has been actually helping to clear the water blockage. Taking to his Twitter handle, Sanjay Krishna wrote, “Recent media reports about Bhutan blocking water supply to India has been incorrectly reported. The actual reason being the natural blockage of informal irrigation channels into Indian fields! Bhutan has been actually helping to clear the blockage.” Earlier, in a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan, said, “It is a deliberate attempt by vested interests to spread misinformation and cause misunderstanding between the friendly people of Bhutan and Assam.”

For the first time in modern history, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will only allow around 1,000 pilgrims residing inside the country to perform Haj this year to curb the virus from spreading in the Gulf, according to Haj Minister Mohammad Benten. The pilgrimage, however, will be open to people of various nationalities already in the kingdom.The pilgrimage will be limited to those under the age of 65 without chronic illnesses as per the Kingdom’s Health Ministry. Pilgrims will also be tested for Coronavirus before arriving at the Holy City of Mecca and will have to quarantine themselves at home post the ritual. No directives have been issued yet on the process of selecting people who will be allowed to perform Haj by Saudi authorities.

Google Pay not a payment system operator: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has told the Delhi High Court that Google Pay is a third party app provider (TPAP) and does not operate any payment systems.Further, RBI stated that its operations are not in violation of the Payment and Settlement System Act of 2007, RBI.Responding to a PIL filed by Abhijit Mishra who has alleged that Google’s mobile payment app was facilitating financial transactions without the requisite authorisation, RBI saidthat since Google Pay does not operate any payment system, it does not find a place in the list of authorised payment system operators published by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

West Bengal extends lockdown till July 31

CBSE Class 10, Class 12 exams scheduled from July 1-15 cancelled

In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on June 24, announced extension of the lockdown in the state till July 31. Banerjee said that though there were differences of opinion among the leaders, it was finally decided to extend the curbs till the end of July with relaxations. Meanwhile, government offices will function in a “segregated manner” with 70 per cent attendance on any given day. However, metro and suburban train services will remain suspended.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board has told the Supreme Court of India that it has cancelled the board exams for Class 10 and Class 12. The exams that were scheduled to be held from July 1 to July 15 will be conducted as and when the situation is suitable for the same. On June 26 HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in his tweet mentioned, “Students will be given the choice to decide if they want their results based on the methodology of assessment as decided by #CBSE or choose to write the exams again. I would like to reiterate that the health of students, parents, and teachers is our prime concern.”

Fair and Lovely not to have ‘Fair’ anymore, says Hindustan Unilever

In the wake of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ Movement, India’s leading consumer goods company, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has announced that it would rebrand its popular product “Fair & Lovely.” HUL said that the company would rename its famous facial cream. Sanjiv Mehta, chairman and managing director, HUL said, “We are making our skin care portfolio more inclusive and want to lead the celebration of a more diverse portrayal of beauty….We now announce that we will remove the word ‘Fair’ from our brand name Fair & Lovely. The new name is awaiting regulatory approvals, and the pack with the revised name will be available in the market in the next few months.”

Railways cancel regular train services till August 12

Indian Railways has cancelled all regular mail, express, passenger and suburban services till August 12. All tickets booked for regular time-tabled trains for the journey between July 1 and August 12 stood cancelled, however, passengers would get a full refund. Meanwhile, all special trains – 15 pairs (30) running on the Rajdhani routes from May 12 and another 100 pairs running since June 1 – would continue to operate.

India extends ban on international flights till July 15

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the ban on international commercial flights till July 15. In a circular, the DGCA said, “The competent authority has decided that scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India shall remain suspended till 2359 hrs IST of July 15, 2020.” However, the DGCA clarified that the ban will not be applicable for international cargo flights and those flights that have been approved by the DGCA.

16 Catching Up Talk Of The tOWN

| Jun 27 - Jul 03, 2020

PIC OF THE

Art of the week

WEEK

#deserteddivinity | Art: Rifa Deka

Artist: Sanjeev Handique | Fancy Bazaar in the morning

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

Photographer Devi Ram Das or ‘Devi Petla’

et’s talk about a prominent personality of Guwahati who today is virtually forgotten. Today, with smart phones and DSLRs in hand, everyone is a superb cameraman. People clicking around and others roaming about with fancy cameras is a regular sight in Guwahati. But Guwahati can boast of one photographer who was a true big name way back around mid 1900. You might not have heard of Devi Ram Das. Or have you? Well, Das was so good at his work that he even got an invitation from the last British Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten. Devi Ram Das, as the older generation of Guwahati fondly recalls him, could be recognised by his trademark golf cap and his box camera that he balanced on his big fat belly even as it hung from his neck, roaming across Guwahati on his bicycle. He was

popularly known as ‘Devi Petla’. Hari Das, his son fondly remembers his father’s love for photography, “My dad was born on 1st August, 1900. Our home is at Barpetiapara, Panbazar (exactly at one corner of the crossroad between Danish Road and Dr. JC Das Road. There was a studio named Ruby Art House in Panbazar. My father probably caught the interest from there.” Devi Ram Das was a selftaught photographer. At the age of 17, he took to photography professionally. He bought his first still photo camera from Kolkata. Reportedly, there was no shop in Assam then which sold such equipment. Guwahatians were so fond of him that Das was the one who got the maximum attention when he went to cover the football match between Maharana Club and Friends’ Union at Judges Field in 1946. Das took the only photograph of Shaheed Ranjit Borpujari after

he was shot dead in 1969 at the Cotton College hostel. He was also the only civilian to click photos of Lord Mountbatten and his wife at Uzanbazar ghat and post the pictures all the way back to London after the latter went back from India. Das took pride in the fact that he was sent an appreciation letter and an invitation to meet the last viceroy whenever he visited London; he would carry the letter around to show anyone who cared. Apart from photography, Devi Ram was an eminent actor who played important parts in movies like Bhakta Prahlad, Maniram Dewan, Lachit Borphukan and Loti Ghoti.

Devotion! | Photo: Surajit Sharma

Oh, come on! Another lockdown and this time without vegetables, fish, or chicken? The already fluctuating prices of chicken will now touch the sky with this lockdown in place. Shudh masaharis can go back to stocking up on soya bean and meat masala like the last time. P.S. Paneer is also costlier than chicken!

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. This time the minister was quoted saying, “I will never forget how we Pakistanis were embarrassed when the Americans came into Abbottabad and killed Osama Bin Laden, martyred him.”

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Janambhumi Press (P) Ltd., Kalapahar, Guwahati and Published at 4A, Royale Arcade, Ulubari, Guwahati - 781007, Editor: Swapnil Bharali. Phone: 0361 2522444, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641