G Plus Vol 7 Issue 37

@guwahatiplus | /c/gplusguwahati www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 37 Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020 Price `10 Kamrup (M) district worst affected in Assam with over 2500 Covid-19 cases

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Second hacking incident in 7 months Rifa Deka @dekarifa auhati University’s (GU) official website was hacked in the wee hours of July 3 by unknown hackers who threatened to disclose secrets of the university if their demands were not met.

“The university website was hacked at around 3 to 4 am and the university had restored the same by 5 am. The website was hacked again this morning but we soon restored that.

Further investigation is still going on and we are trying to find out who did this,” said Hemant Kr Nath, Registrar of Guwahati.

Students of the university have also filed an appeal with the university authorities to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.

“The university website has our data which can be misused if hacked like this. This is not the first time the website has been hacked. Earlier when the website was hacked, hackers added links to porn sites on the university website,” said Moon Talukdar, General Secretary of the university’s PG Students’ Union.

“Since admission time is approaching, our data could be used by private institutions for admission purposes also,” said the student leader.

“FAKE FREE ADMISSION? WOW! YOU GUYS REALLY LOVE

HBS’s changing stances raise questions galore Centre Spread Pages 08-09

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GU website hacked twice in a day

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How the ‘Sakha-Sindoor Judgement’ was misinterpreted by the media

TO GET HACKED! DON’T YOU?” said the website when it was hacked.

“Let’s talk about the matter?

Straight to the point! What the f**k you guys are up to Guwahati University? Do you even know how much students are struggling for exam fees and admission?” said a message on the hacked website.

“Let us directly clue you guys (GU officials) in! This HACK is “NOT” for fun. We can get access to each and everything Guwahati University literally owns!

You guys better watch your back,” read the message.

The university website was hacked in December, 2019 by some unknown hackers.

When visitors entered the homepage, a message appeared saying, “Upcoming question papers leaked: QUESTION PAPERS.” The link, when clicked upon, redirected visitors to a pornographic site.

Earlier in 2015, a student named Ronny Das of Class XII had also found flaws in the network server of the university. Hackers could have had complete access to the university’s backend and its complete database, according to him.

The student had intimated the university about the same twice after which the issue was resolved. The then vice chancellor of the university, Mridul Hazarika, had also appreciated the ethical hacker for intimating university authorities about the issue.

ANOTHER GIMMICK?

Cabinet ordinance for MSMEs fails to consider bank loan documentations G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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slight recapitulation of the claims made by the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Chandra Mohan Patowary, would bring to the mind the Namami Brahmaputra. The tall claim then was that the Brahmaputra would be dredged from Sadiya to Dhubri; national highways would be constructed on the banks of the mighty river. Experts had then and even now rubbished the claim terming such an exercise impossible. Claims were again made during Advantage Assam leading the people of Guwahati to have visions of river taxis dropping people off at the airport. It is no wonder now that Patowary’s latest claims on industrial development in the state since 2016 are mostly looked at as nothing but gimmicks.

His latest recent move which has created a controversy in the state is a cabinet ordinance which allows use (and conversion) of land for micro, small, and medium (MSME) enterprises to set up industries on the basis of just a self-declaration — without the requirement of any “permission, clearance or licence” for three years. The ordinance is yet to be notified or receive the Governor’s assent. But the announcement has drawn criticism from the Opposition as well as from various other organisations in the state. Though the decision raised questions regarding environmental hazards and indigenous land rights, the main question that arises is whether the ordinance will help the people of Assam in any manner?

Activist and senior journalist, Manjit Mahanta talking to G Plus said, “It is another nautanki of the Assam government. They might have come up with this

ordinance but how will the people of Assam get finance to start their industries? Has any thought been given to that?”

Mahanta said that a selfdeclaration might help them avoid seeking permissions from the various government departments but the banks will surely require all these documents and permissions to sanction their loans. A citybased bank manager, talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity, said that the banks will require all the documents and collaterals for providing loans.

He said that as the ordinance is not yet notified, the banks are unaware of it to that extent. But even if it is notified, the banks follow a particular process for providing loans and they cannot compromise on their documentation processes.

Continued on Page No - 02

2 Cover Story

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

Cabinet ordinance for MSMEs fails to consider bank loan documentations From Page No - 01

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eacting to this issue, cabinet minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, during a press conference held on Friday last said that he can just ask the banks to provide loans to the Assamese entrepreneurs.

Allegations have apparently now surfaced mainly from organisations opposing the ordinance that the minister has taken a U-Turn on certain factors of the ordinance after protests broke out across the state.

Manjit Mahanta said that initially when the ordinance was announced Patowary had claimed that lands held by indigenous people could be given to outsiders and with a selfdeclaration, MSME industries could be set up. But during the press conference held on 3rd July, the minister said that only land owners of Assam could set up industries. Patowary also said, “Land cannot be sold and agricultural land cannot be used for setting up industry.” He also claimed that heavy industries cannot be set up with a simple self-declaration.

Till 3rd July, these things found no mention. Thus it is surmised that Patowary has taken a U-Turn after witnessing state-wide protests against the ordinance.

A person has to self-declare that he is setting up an industry at a particular location owned by him. The applicant has to file the declaration in the form of an application either online or physically to the office of the Commissioner of Industries. “After checking the application, the Commissioner of Industries will acknowledge the self-declaration.

That acknowledgement letter will

itself be a license to start the industry,” said Patowary adding that after three years the owner of that industry will get a time of 6 months to procure all the permissions and documents which are otherwise required.

On enquiring why the ordinance was passed so hurriedly and during a time when people are suffering because of the pandemic in the state, the minister said that because of the pandemic many people who were working outside have returned to their native places. Such people might think of settling down here and starting a business or

a small industry. This ordinance, according to him, will help them.

There might be opposition about environmental hazards and indigenous land rights because of the ordinance but the main question remains is where will people get finance to start the MSME industries? Will banks not require the documents or other collaterals before providing loans for the purpose? Will the government answer these questions or keep promoting schemes and ordinances which are mostly being viewed as gimmicks for the upcoming assembly election?

Advantage Assam got investment response worth Rs 65K crores, claims Patowary G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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ndustries & commerce minister of Assam, Chandra Mohan Patowary, during a press conference, claimed that the state government has received a number of responses from investors who had attended the investors’ summit, Advantage Assam in 2018 and the responses for such investments are worth Rs 65,000 crores. The minister, in the backdrop of the press conference organised to ease the controversy created after an ordinance by the state cabinet was announced for MSMEs which would require a just self-declaration to set up industries, was questioned how much investment the state has received post Advantage Assam which was organised in February, 2018.

The minister, answering the question, initially made tall claims about Advantage Assam being the first of its kind organised in Assam where 25 countries participated and 279 memorandums of understanding were signed that were worth a total of Rs 79,000 crores.

He said, “We have received responses on investment worth Rs 65,000 crores.”

Thereafter, snubbing all other

queries that sought the details of such investment responses, the minister sounded like his homework on the issue was not thorough enough and said, “I will address another press conference next week to answer all your questions on the response details.”

Interestingly, as soon as the investors’ summit was over in 2018, formation of a body “Invest Assam” was announced which was expected to follow up on

File photo of the Advantage Assam summit with PM Modi in attendance

CM Patowary addressing the media the investments promised by investors during Advantage Assam. Sources in Dispur informed that the body never functioned properly let alone

the fact that the office bearers of the body were mostly not even finalised.

A senior official of industry and commerce, when asked about the status of Invest Assam, said, “It will soon start functioning.”

Earlier many activists had slammed the government for organising Advantage Assam as for many it turned out to be just a mela. It’s been two years and the government keeps saying that the investments are in the pipeline or there are responses from the investors but none of

the investments are final yet leave alone having materialized.

The next press conference as promised by the minister is eagerly awaited just to see if the government has indeed derived anything fruitful in the industrial developmental sector by organising Advantage Assam.

Lead Story

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

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Kamrup (M) district worst affected in Assam with over 2500 Covid-19 cases “Guwahati situation worrisome,” Amit Shah “Situation extremely critical,” Himanta Biswa Sarma Plasma Bank opened at GMCH Dr Lithikesh, first plasma donor Assam has conducted 4,28,886 tests so far 17,652 people in institutional quarantine 1,24,947 people in home quarantine

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ssam and northeast’s biggest city, Guwahati, is in focus following a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. With a total of over 2,500 cases of coronavirus being reported in the capital of Assam, Guwahati (Kamrup M) is the worst affected district by the dreaded virus.

The present coronavirus tally of Assam stands at 9,434, of which 3,090 are currently active. The number of persons cured and discharged stands at 6,327 while the death toll is at 14.

Three persons have migrated to other states. In Kamrup (M), the coronavirus tally stands at 2,564 out of which at least 2,000 cases are currently active.

The above numbers are from data published by the government of Assam on their COVID-19 Dashboard website.

It should be mentioned that the state had, on Tuesday, recorded 613 positive cases - the highest ever. Of these, 382 were from Guwahati. The situation in Guwahati city has turned critical with 1,980 positive cases reported in the last 10 days, and a complete lockdown has been imposed to contain the spread of the virus.

Expressing concerns regarding the situation of the state capital, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma termed the situation as “extremely critical” and urged residents to be very careful.

“I had a phone conversation with union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and he informed that in the Centre’s view, the Covid-19 scenario in

Guwahati is extremely worrying.

He instructed us to change our testing pattern urging to conduct 10,000 tests for the city daily,” said Sarma in a press conference.

Among fears of community spread in the Kamrup (M) district, the government of Assam had put Guwahati under total lockdown from June 28 midnight. The 14-day lockdown ends on July 12 but would be reviewed within a week for possible relaxations.

“Spread in Guwahati is fast, yet we’re trying our best to contain it. Appreciate your cooperation during the reimposed #lockdown as we strive to work for #CovidFreeAssam,” tweeted Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Addressing the media, Sarma further added that the government is focusing its attention on Guwahati and preparing to fight coronavirus more rigorously.

He added that the ICMR has suggested the use of rapid antigenbased tests which will enable the delivery of results within an hour. Tests will be done on nasal swab samples.

Those found positive will be sent to isolation and those found negative but having symptoms will be subjected to a RTPCR test.

As such, training of personnel to carry out the new tests started on Thursday, July 2 and the new testing regimen will be in place within the next few days.

“We are also setting up a plasma bank in the next 4-5 days. A plasma separator has already been installed at the Gauhati Medical College & Hospital.

Training of personnel is on and we will soon be able to start plasma therapy for Covid-19 patients who need it,” Sarma added.

On July 3, the first convalescent person donated his plasma.

The donor is a doctor himself, a Covid-19 recovered patient, Dr Lithikesh.

Further, Assam has so far conducted tests of 4,28,886 samples and results of nearly four lakh samples have been uploaded so far on a dedicated state government website.

A total of 17,652 people in the state are in institutional quarantine and 1,24,947 in home quarantine, according to the bulletin of the health and welfare department.

A Covid patient being taken to hospital in an ambulance | G Plus photo

Janasanyog No. 1059/20

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

4 City

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

How the ‘Sakha-Sindoor Judgement’ was misinterpreted by the media EXPLAINED!

Each judgement is for one particular case, this is not a ‘blanket judgement’ or order. It cannot be held as a precedent for other similar matrimonial cases.

In this case the High Court has made an ‘observation’ about the issue with sindoor and sakha (in this particular case); it has ‘not given a direction’.

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

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ver the last few days, local and national media have been agog with reports on a Gauhati High Court (GHC) judgement that “refusal to wear ‘sakha and sindoor’ will project her (a married woman) to be unmarried and/or signify her refusal to accept the marriage.”

The judgement has created a massive controversy across the country and many have even taken to social media to condemn the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court.

The judgement to the much hyped case (Case Number Mat. App.20/2019) was given on 19th June, 2020. The judgement was given by a Division Bench of the Gauhati High Court, comprising Chief Justice Ajai Lamba and Justice Soumitra Saikia.

A synopsis of the media reports

As per the Gauhati HC judgement, a woman’s refusal to wear the sakha bangles made of conch-shells and sindoor (vermilion), as per marriage rituals, would signify her refusal to accept her marriage to her husband.

The court has observed that under the custom of Hindu Marriage, if a lady who has entered into marriage according to Hindu rituals and customs, her refusal to wear ‘sakha and sindoor’ will project her to be unmarried (refusal to accept her marriage).

“Under the custom of Hindu Marriage, a lady who has entered into marriage according to Hindu rituals and customs, and which has not been denied by the respondent in her evidence, her refusal to wear ‘sakha and sindoor’ will project her to be unmarried,” quoted media from the judgement.

The couple in question on whom the judgement was delivered had been married since February of 2012 and just a month after their marriage, the wife had demanded to live with her husband separately in a nuclear family and not in a joint family. Given the frequent arguments between them, the wife failed to conceive a child

and left the house in 2013 after which, she filed a case against her husband and her in-laws. She backed up her plea alleging that she was denied food, medication and all basic necessities which her brother had to provide for her. She was also harassed for dowry.

Observations of the Court (Excerpts from the Gauhati HC Judgement) This matrimonial appeal has been filed by the appellant husband being aggrieved by the judgment dated 15.12.2018 passed in Title Suit (M) No.9/2014 by the Court of District Judge, Dibrugarh, dismissing the suit for divorce preferred by the appellant husband.

His marriage with the respondent wife was solemnized on 17.02.2012.

After marriage, the appellant and the respondent started their conjugal life in the matrimonial house of the appellant. After about a month into their marriage, the respondent wife demanded to reside separately with the appellant husband away from the husband’s relatives in a separate house ...

Being unable to accede to the demands made by the respondent wife for separate accommodation, quarrels became frequent between the respondent wife and the appellant husband leading to unpleasantness in their matrimonial life.

The respondent wife in her evidence ... stated that she was subjected to extreme cruelty by the appellant’s step-mother, sister-in-law, brother and his two sisters. ...the family members of the appellant tortured her physically and mentally by demanding various cash and kinds from her as dowry and also declined to provide her the bare necessities of life.

She stated that she had filed three cases against the appellant. She further stated that she does not want to

Representative Image stay with the appellant or compromise with the appellant.

“That I am not wearing/ putting sindoor right now because I don’t consider him as my husband.” stated the wife.

Under the custom of Hindu Marriage, a lady who has entered into marriage according to Hindu rituals and customs, and which has not been denied by the respondent (wife) in her evidence, her refusal to wear ‘sakha and sindoor’ will project her to be unmarried and/or signify her refusal to accept the marriage with the appellant. Such categorical stand of the respondent points to the clear intention of the respondent that she is unwilling to continue her conjugal life with the appellant.

Under such circumstances compelling the appellant husband to continue to be in matrimony with the respondent wife may be construed to be harassment inflicted by the respondent upon the appellant and his family members. This evidence although available before

the Family Court during the evidence adduced, was not taken into account during the discussion in the impugned judgment.

The actual judgement explained

In the backdrop of such a controversy across media platforms, G Plus reached out to Justice Soumitra Saikia for a proper explanation of the judgement and to clear the controversy.

Justice Saikia however said, “Once a judgement is made I as the judge cannot explain it further. Once I have rendered a judgement, I am ‘functus officio’ so far as that particular case is concerned. I will leave that for people’s assessment after they read the judgement.”

Practicing lawyers of the Gauhati High Court explained the judgement as: Each judgement is for one particular case, this is not a ‘blanket judgement’ or order. It cannot be held as a precedent for other similar matrimonial cases.

The order is actually on grounds of mental cruelty and other issues; it is not targeting sindoor and sakha at all.

A judgement must be read in its entirety. First the facts are placed, then the observations are made and finally the directions are made.

In this case the High Court has made an ‘observation’ about the issue with sindoor and sakha (in this particular case); it has ‘not given a direction’.

The reading meant that as the lady has stated that she will not be wearing sindoor and sakha as she has lost her faith in the institution of marriage and trust in her husband.

So that and due to other issues the couple was granted divorce.

It is a misinterpretation of the whole judgement.

Anita Verma, practicing advocate of Gauhati High Court said, “I have read various posts covering the judgement. Most of them have misinterpreted it.

Headlines should be thoughtfully written and not to create a temporary flutter. These ripples are not good for the society.

The sindoor and sakha part is only an observation of the honourable Court.”

City

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

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Guwahati Lockdown: 319 vehicles detained, 43 persons arrested for violation Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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s Guwahati stepped into compete lockdown starting from the midnight of June 28, the Assam Police personnel were tasked with ensuring compliance of the lockdown guidelines by citizens. As such, the police stepped up its vigil and punished lockdown violators with fines, seizure of vehicles and even arrests.

Within the first four days of lockdown, 319 vehicles have been seized and 43 persons have been arrested for violating lockdown rules in Guwahati.

On the first day of lockdown (June 29), a total of 132 vehicles were detained by the Guwahati police. On June 30, an additional 79 vehicles were detained, followed by 58 vehicles on July 1 and 50 vehicles on July 2.

Citizens are also being charged with fines for non-wearing of masks.

The Assam Police also came up with another method to keep those pesky lockdown violators at

bay.

The Assam Police has now set up some helpline numbers, on which one may inform the police if they see anybody violating the lockdown norms. The numbers are as follows: 6026900970 6026900971 6026900972 6026900973.

Additionally, responsible citizens may also report these violations on the official Twitter handles of the Assam Police, Guwahati Police or Guwahati Traffic Police.

As on July 3, 2020, a total of 117 Assam Police personnel have tested positive for Covid-19.

While 26 have recovered, 1,132 additional persons are under quarantine. However, the health of all personnel is good.

Moreover, in the entire nation, 100 police/CAPF personnel have died of Covid-19 while putting their lives on the line to shield the citizens. Further, 11,150 personnel have so far tested positive for the virus, exposing themselves while on duty.

Even as the central government has issued guidelines for ‘Unlock 2.0’ for phased re-opening of activities barred to contain the

A police check point during the current lockdown | G Plus photo spread of Covid-19 in the country, the district administration of Guwahati has only allowed for the opening of pharmacies, hospitals and a few emergency services during the lockdown period in Guwahati.

The new lockdown guidelines state that grocery, vegetable stores and meat shops will remain shut, except for milk, baby food and medicines.

The state’s health minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has said

that a review meeting will be held after seven days to inspect the situation and whether or not to reopen grocery and other essential commodity stores for the rest of the remaining lockdown days. n

Nagaland Govt Bans Dog Trade for Meat Rifa Deka @dekarifa

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he Nagaland government, in a cabinet meeting of ministers, took a historic decision to impose a ban on trade of dogs and sale of dog meat. The chief secretary of Nagaland, Temjem Toy, took to Twitter to make the announcement about the same.

“The State Government has decided to ban commercial import and trading of dogs and dog markets and also the sale of dog meat, both cooked and uncooked. Appreciate the wise decision taken by the State’s Cabinet,” tweeted the chief secretary of the state.

The decision came after an

outcry on social media over images of dog meat being sold in Dimapur and the movement against sale of dog meat picked up pace after the Rajya Sabha MP Pritish Nandy urged his followers on Twitter to raise their voices against sale of dog meat.

“This is urgent. You can help make history by sending an email tonight to csngl@nic. in saying Nagaland must stop dog markets, dog restaurants, and smuggling of dogs into the state. Eating dog meat is inhuman, not just illegal. The issue comes before the cabinet tomorrow,” the MP tweeted through his Twitter handle.

Killing of dogs for meat is considered illegal under Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section

11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. According to the Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011, dogs, cats and other animals cannot be slaughtered for food.

Every year, incidents of dogs being smuggled across the northeast were being reported, to please the palates of those people who consider dog meat a delicacy.

The matter was brought up by various organizations from Guwahati also, as numerous dogs had disappeared from the streets of Guwahati overnight in June last year.

There had been instances of dogs going missing from many localities of the city which was linked to scandalous dog

Dogs in sandbags meant for sale sneaking rackets ostensibly plying in the city.

Dogs were drugged, muzzled and stuffed into trucks to be smuggled off to places like Mizoram and Nagaland where there is a considerable amount of demand for dog meat.

Dog meat is popular in Mizoram, Nagaland and

Manipur among certain TibetoBurmese communities but there was no formal regulation in place to regulate sale of dog meat. Earlier, Mizoram government had removed dogs from the list of animals suitable for consumption as per the Animal Slaughter Bill 2020. n

6 Concern

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

From one election to the next Guwahati’s urban development plans remain in limbo Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

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rban development of Guwahati has remained a long-drawn mission for the state government in which it has achieved little success to complete the projects which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had once promised.

Prior to being elected in the state after winning the 2016 assembly elections in Assam, the BJP had promised a plethora of development works in their ‘vision document’ for the state, which is almost like a manifesto and laid out the roadmap for Assam’s development by the party.

“It is certain that this Vision Document will show the path while drawing the outline of development of our state,” the

The ruling party’s poll promise of “using state-of-theart technologies to prevent flash floods” and “reviewing and correcting the flaws in the drainage system throughout the state” in its Vision Document, 2016, have remain unfulfilled even as the next state assembly elections are round the corner. document stated adding, “In the event of coming to power of the state, our Party has set its targets to ensure development in different sectors and the road maps for achieving such targets have been analysed.”

Under its plans for urban development, the vision document mentioned the following actions, “reviewing and correcting the flaws in the drainage system throughout the state” and “designing and implementing an ambitious plan for Urban Solid Waste management by applying practices like

vermicompost, pelletization, aerobic composting, mechanical composting as well as energy generation.”

Additionally, under the section of ‘Guwahati development’, the party aimed at “reorganising the garbage disposal system of the city in line with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” and “using state-of-the-art technologies to prevent flash floods.”

This apart, several other action areas were identified in the document. With the state assembly polls set to take place next year, we take a look at some of these promises made by the BJP with regard to urban development and the status of their implementation.

Solid waste management

The construction of an integrated solid waste management plant has been pending since a long time now.

At present, the city’s collected waste gets dumped at the garbage dumping site at Boragaon.

The Guwahati Municipal Corporation’s (GMC) Boragaon dumping ground is posing a threat to the natural habitation at Deepor Beel, a large natural wetland, which is an important destination of migratory birds just on the outskirts of the city.

The site is protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971.

Conservationists have long been raising their concern over the deteriorating state of the ecologically-sensitive Deepor Beel which has been suffering from environmental degradation due to continuous waste dumping since 2004.

Even after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the GMC in 2019, to shift the Boragaon dumping ground to a different location, the municipal body has failed to do so till now.

The municipal body had later decided not to shift the dumping site but instead install solid waste management projects at four different locations in and around the city.

Officials had told G Plus that once the integrated solid waste management plants will come up, the city’s garbage will no longer be dumped in Boragaon, but will be sent to these plants for treatment. The GMC was initially allotted Rs 10 crores for the

The Boragaon dump yard that has not been shifted despite NGT directives | G Plus photo project by the state government.

Further, the district administration had identified four places to set up the integrated solid waste management project.

Moreover, a formal allotment order was also issued which was approved by land advisory committee.

The initial four plots were located in Chandrapur, Sonapur, Bashistha and Odalbakra.

The GMC authorities informed that they are awaiting the official possession of the plot to initiate the work on the project.

“Till now, the land allotment remains only on paper and due to the COVID-19 situation, nothing has gone forward in the field. So, the work on the solid waste management plant is held up currently,” executive engineer at GMC, Manojit Bujarbaruah, told G Plus.

Bujarbaruah also added that the plots at Bashistha and Odalbakra have been cancelled as the land in Basistha is under litigation since someone had filed a petition in the High Court; and the plot in Odalbakra is not feasible for setting up the plant.

To add to the problem, the officials have also been facing resistance by the local residents at these allotted sites.

The authorities have decided to set up waste to energy projects waste to manure projects at these selected locations.

However, sources informed that

it will take time for the project to become operational with the work getting delayed owing to coronavirus.

“It is difficult to predict as to when the work will begin for the project, the pandemic has made things more difficult with another two-week lockdown now in place,” mentioned Bujarbaruah.

Flawed drainage system and artificial floods

Artificial floods and water logging are the twin issues which have plagued the city. They come to the fore with almost every heavy downpour causing massive traffic snarls and inconvenience to the residents.

The most recent case in point being the incessant rainfall witnessed by the city on June 25-26 and during the previous weeks where several main roads of Guwahati were inundated with water.

The ruling party’s poll promise of “using state-of-theart technologies to prevent flash floods” and “reviewing and correcting the flaws in the drainage system throughout the state” have remain unfulfilled even as the next state assembly elections are round the corner.

Even though the GMC and other authorities such as the Guwahati Metropolitan

Development Authority (GMDA) and Public Works Department (PWD) have been conducting de-silting and maintenance of the drains, to make Guwahati flood-free, the problem has been recurrent.

In another one of its key action areas for Guwahati development, the BJP’s vision document had stated its aim of “protecting water bodies in and around the city.”

G Plus had earlier reported that out of the four ponds located in Guwahati namely, Dighalipukhuri, Jorpukhuri (twin ponds that are adjacent to each other), Nagkota Pukhuri and Silpukhuri, Dighalipukhuri is the only well- maintained pond while the others have turned into dumping yards.

Activists claim that it is a major cause of concern since these ponds help in controlling floods by holding excess water during the rainy season.

Further, 44 rivers in the state have been listed as the most polluted rivers in India in 2019.

Some of the most polluted rivers from Assam in the list include Bharalu, Brahmaputra, Bhogdoi, Beki, Jiyabhoroli, Kalang, Kapili, Janji, Puthimari and Ronganadi among others.

Experts maintain that river pollution in the state could reach disastrous levels if steps are not taken to improve the water quality index.

In The News

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

7

Guwahati influencers urge Indian apps to step up their game Rifa Deka @dekarifa

Government of India bans 59 apps of Chinese origin ‘Boycott China’ movement gains momentum with ‘digital strike’ against China Decision taken due to raging concerns over aspects relating to data security Thousands employed to carry out operations of these apps in India lose jobs Content creators lose a platform and an audience created over years Alibaba’s AliExpress among other Chinese apps not banned Ban to open new avenues of opportunities for Indian apps

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he government of India, on June 29, banned 59 mobile applications including apps like TikTok, Likee, online shopping apps like Shein and Club Factory and many other utility apps such as Cam Scanner and UC Browser among others.

The decision was taken due to raging concerns over aspects relating to data security and safeguarding privacy of Indian citizens. Ever since the decision was taken, social media platforms began flooding with posts with people arguing over the boon and bane of Chinese apps being banned.

While most believed that the ban opened up new avenues for Indian brands to kick themselves up a notch, others simply flowed along with the “Boycott China” emotion. Before India, many other countries had initially thought of shunning China as the country was being held accountable for

perpetrating the dreaded Wuhan Virus in the world.

To learn how social media influencers would be affected by the ban, G Plus got in touch with youngsters from Guwahati who have hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and Likee apps which are among the apps banned.

Fashion influencers on Instagram were also approached to comprehend how big a loss it was for them considering the fact that some of the most affordable shopping apps like Club Factory and Shein will now be out of bounds for Indian customers.

“I’d be lying if I said that I have not been affected, because I have. Keeping in mind that 50 percent of the clothing items in my wardrobe are all from Shein, I was pretty close to the brand,” said Peri Brahma, fashion and lifestyle influencer on Instagram.

Such apps have redefined the scenario of fashion in the Indian society where clothing symbolizes a person’s status to a large extent. Through such online shopping apps, common people had gained access to a kind of clothing style which was earlier only associated with elitist ideals of clothing.

“I have also been working with Shein for the past two years. It catered a lot to the students, not just because of its affordability but the trends that it allowed us to keep up with and not just clothes, we got everything that was trending on the app, right from accessories to home décor or even stationary on Shein,” she added on a variety of products which were available on the Chinese app.

“This also opens new horizons for the homegrown brands which would be really exciting and I’ll be looking forward to that. We have a lot to look forward to but at the same time we’ll have to step out of that comfort zone that Shein had provided us,” said Brahma.

“As a fashion content creator it is really hard to see Shein in the list of banned apps as it was not really expected. But we do have apps like Myntra; we do have Koovs and Amazon

Video grab from the G Plus digital story on Guwahati’s SM influencers; Catch the story on our Instagram channel but when it comes to style and price, I guess Shein was always on the top. Also these apps had their own warehouses in India; their own offices and workers here who could be affected,” said Mithu Saikia, a fashion and lifestyle content creator on Instagram and Likee platforms.

“According to the government if these apps are collecting our data and stealing our data then we should definitely stop using these applications. It is high time for Indian fashion brands to come forward in the fashion industry,”

said the social media influencer, urging Indian brands to step ahead and utilize the opportunity to take over the Indian markets.

“Even I make TikTok videos but the current scenario of our country is such that government’s move to ban

these apps is not such a big deal.

It is good news for us, because, like every other app, even TikTok has its own pros and cons. Short 15 second videos on TikTok have helped Assamese short films; their dialogues and music gain popularity from these videos which can be created very easily,” said Rabbani Soyam, TikTok and YouTube content creator on how these social media platforms had helped promote regional content among wider audiences.

“These 15 second videos make vernacular content popular.

Since, we are in India and TikTok is a Chinese app, we should avoid using it.

Even better apps should be developed in India for us to use,” said the influencer on the need for similar Indian apps.

Alibaba’s AliExpress was among the few Chinese apps that will continue to be available for Indian users alongside other Chinese apps like App Lock by DoMobile and M V Master that have not been banned yet.

Alibaba is another Chinese company and tech giant which is considered the world’s

leading wholesale marketplace for traders, operating in India since 2008.

To some, it comes as a surprise that apps like these have not been banned despite India ranking number one on Alibaba’s analysis of top 10 global seller distribution list.

There are speculations being made over a possibility of ban of these apps and there is information doing rounds on the internet of these apps being kept under review but chances of that happening could be thin due to the company’s huge investments in Indian companies like Big Basket, PayTM and Zomato.

The ban on the 59 Chinese apps has undoubtedly left behind those people whose livelihoods were solely dependent on these applications. Some of these banned apps were e-commerce apps with thousands of people employed under them for carrying out operations in India. Some of these apps even provided a platform for digital content creators to put forth their skills and talents and these content creators too have lost millions of audiences built over years. Utility apps which were once on our fingertips have now been terminated and all those people who were in some way or the other associated with these apps will perhaps face minor to major inconveniences from the ban.

Whether this ‘Digital Strike’ was just India’s muscle flexing against China or whether the decision will truly safeguard data of Indian users is the question that still remains.

8 Centre Spread

1.

GoA signed MoU with private hospitals

27th March

36 hospitals have signed MoUs with the Assam government to treat all patients of GMCH at subsidised rates under Atal Amrit Abhiyan and Ayushman Bharat Schemes. (The MoUs were valid for 2 months.)

They will raise weekly bill and we will pay accordingly. First, the payments will be made. The calculations can be done later on. People of all sections will be treated there.

We will try to implement the same agreement in Dibrugarh and Silchar tomorrow.

10th April

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

Ever since the coronavirus outbreak in India, and even before the dreaded virus actually found its way to Assam, the health department or rather the Assam government has been readying itself for the massive combat under the leadership of just one man, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

3 months into the fight against the virus (Assam’s first case was recorded on 31st March) and four months since the preparations for the battle had begun (since the beginning of March), Assam has

We are planning to reopen GMCH as it cannot be shut down for regular patients for a long time.

Private hospitals will not be taking patients even with Covid-like symptoms.

13th April

3.

Quarantine facilities and fund

GMCH will have to be reopened within one week. Because private hospitals do have hidden costs.

If GMCH doesn’t reopen, more people will die of other diseases than Covid.

20th April

GMCH will function from 24th April. We cannot break the agreement now as we had tied up with the private hospitals for 2 months.

Question: What happened to the MoU that was signed with the hospitals since people went back to GMCH before the 2 months were over?

2.

Aryogya Nidhi Fund

27th March

We will be constructing 5 pre-fabricated Covid speciality hospitals to last for 4-5 years.

Each hospital will be 300 bedded and will have all necessary facilities.

Per hospital cost - Rs. 40-45 crores.

1 hospital cost will be from MP donations, 2 hospitals from the one day’s salary donated by govt employees (collection was Rs. 80 crores) For 2 hospitals, people are urged to donate in Arogya Nidhi.

4th April

By tomorrow we will give Larsen and Toubro (L&T) tender for construction of 5 hospitals that will be completed in two and a half months.

20th April

We have dropped the idea of constructing the hospitals since the situation of Assam is not that critical.

We have collected more than Rs 99 crores in Aryogya Nidhi, will not take further donation when we reach Rs 101 crores.

29th April

18th May

Rs 300 crores would be needed to quarantine about 1 lakh people in paying for ‘ruthless quarantine’ of the people.

The government of Assam is in talks with the World Bank with the he Affairs to get a fund of Rs 300 crores.

It will be 7 days of facility quarantine and next 7 days will be home q

21st May

The Government will spend Rs. 20,000 per person for 7 days’ hotel q quarantine.

31st May

We will be reducing facility quarantine to 4 days from June, as we ha We do not want to waste public money.

13th June

Rs 26 crores spent on hotel quarantine of 3,462 people and Rs 8 cror 40,000 people.

Question: Did the Assam government get Rs 300 cror How much did the government save in reducing facil days after giving a detailed budget of Rs 20,000 per h

4.

On 7th May, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the st subsidy to students returning from different states after the returning from southern and western states, Rs 3000 to one ones returning from eastern states.

Rs 107 crores donated in Aryogya Nidhi.

We have formed a committee of senior doctors to decide on the fund’s usage.

Question: Did the students get the said subsidy?

2nd May Around Rs 108 crore collected in Aryogya Nidhi, we need 200 more donors to reach 50,000 donors.

21st May About Rs. 112 crore has been donated by about 51,000 people.

Question: Where has the amount collected in Assam Aryogya Nidhi been utilised?

Is the government still accepting donations? What is the current amount?

5.

Assam procured 50,000 PPE kits directly from China on 15th quality of the Chinese PPE kits, Sarma said on 18th April, “DRD that they just tested the PPE kits, never rejected them. But m same. So I have asked the supplier to keep the 50,000 PPE kit will take it only when required. Payment for the same will not

Question: What happened to those PPE kits?

Centre Spread

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

acknowledged Sarma as its sole commander fighting the pandemic.

The health minister’s regular press conferences and social media handles of Twitter and Facebook have provided daily updates and these have been regarded as the gospel by the citizens of the state.

However, a recapitulation of these press conferences has highlighted certain and regular changes in the health minister’s stance on certain issues and observers have raised questions on these inconsistencies.

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

6.

All test reports must be available within 72 hours so that people can be released from quarantine facilities in 4 days.

We have adequate facility to test 10,000 samples per day.

13th June

elp of the Department of Economic

1st July

quarantine and 7 days’ home

ave adequate testing capacity.

Testing facility

31st May

n Assam; as the government will be

quarantine.

9

We will complete 50,000 tests in Guwahati in the next 15 days.

Amit Shah has asked us to conduct 10,000 tests in Guwahati per day.

We will attempt to do 2000-3000 per day.

On 23rd June, 11 wards of Guwahati was brought under lockdown by Himanta Biswa Sarma. He said that ward-wise lockdown was undertaken so that the livelihood of the entire city is not impacted.

But on 26th June he announced complete 2-week lockdown for the entire city from 29th June.

Question: Was it not properly planned? What made the health minister lead the entire city into a chaos for 2 days?

res spent on home quarantine of

res from the Word Bank? lity quarantine from 7 to 4 head?

tate government will be providing a ey reach Assam; Rs 5000 per student es from the north and Rs 2000 to the

h April. After controversies arose on the DO has clearly stated in a press release many have created controversy on the ts at their storehouse for now, and we t be made.”

CM Sonowal and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at MDTC and IIT-G

10 G Talk E

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| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020 T

O

R

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A

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The simple mantra

T

oday is the 7th day of the Guwahati lockdown – one that is expected to flatten the Covid curve at the end of its 14th day. At the half way mark, things do not look very positive; ironically, there have been more positive cases through the week than ever before.

Some observations through the week show that the government is intent on putting up a dogged fight and yet certain lapses in enforcement of the lockdown were clearly visible. The first day of the lockdown was indeed strict with security personnel manning the streets and flagging down every vehicle moving on the streets. Also, the checking points were carefully strategized so that vehicle movement could be streamlined for proper monitoring.

However, as the days passed, the laxity began to show. Moreover, the propensity of the city folks to gather for small addas in the evening in their by-lanes and main roads means that the message of staying home and thereby staying safe has hardly been understood.

Another observation is that the poorest section has taken the worst brunt this time around.

The Good Samaritans and social workers distributing food to the city’s pavement dwellers were nowhere to be seen this time. The stray dogs also made for a pitiable

sight. The lockdown this time has indeed been the harshest so far.

But it would be rather impractical to even consider that the lockdown would be extended any further given the tumble that the economy is taking. Moreover, the union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has already come up with the Unlock 2 guidelines that seek to further open up all the closed avenues effective July 1. While a reliable and top source in the government has confirmed that status quo would be maintained for the rest of Assam (with Guwahati already being locked down) as far as Unlock 2 guidelines are concerned – which essentially means that weekend lockdown and other conditions would be in place – a reality check and balance exercise is expected to prioritize matters for the state.

And so an apathetic city just has to learn to live with Covid hereafter, I guess.

The small trick to understand is that saving ourselves means saving everyone else. And that can be done by keeping social distance, regular hand washing and maintaining hygiene. That’s the simple mantra actually. This small battle just has to be won even as the war remains.

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Promises meant to be broken?

T

he BJP conquered Dispur in 2016; many promises made since by the Sarba da led government. One of his ministers, holding prominent portfolios, however is living proof of the adage: “Promises are meant to be broken.”

The Industry & Commerce Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary on many occasions, made various promises and yet most of his promises have been left undelivered. He organized Namami Brahmaputra, Namami Barak and Advantage Assam with the motive of bringing investment into Assam.

Along with national BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, patowary promised that the Brahmaputra will be dredged from Sadiya to Dhubri and national highways would be constructed along its banks which would ease international transportation connecting Sadiya to Chittagong in Bangladesh. Well, the experts said that this was impossible and accordingly no sign of such activity is visible on ground.

Similarly, during Advantage Assam, Patowary claimed that Memorandums of Understanding worth Rs 79,000 crores were inked and till 3rd July last responses on investment of Rs 65,000 crores was apparently received from the investors.

In 2018, when the global investment summit was organized, it was promised that river taxis would ply on the Brahmaputra within 6 months. Well, that never happened! So, all the promises from Namami Brahmaputra to Advantage Assam seem nothing but tall claims.

The latest promise made by the minister is that people of Assam can start micro, small and medium industries just by giving a self-declaration. The promise was announced through a cabinet ordinance and Patowary thereafter said that only citizens of Assam having their own land would be able to set up industries. No outsiders will be allowed and agricultural land will not be harmed.

For this, we will have to wait and watch as the Governor is yet to sign the ordinance and there is no strategy finalized about how citizens owning land would get financed for starting Sidharth Bedi Varma these industries. @sid_bv

Indian Law: Guardian or Renegade?

S

ubsequent to the global sensation of George Floyd’s killing in the USA shook the entire humanity, another brutal murder happened a few days ago in Sathankulam, a town located 50 kms south of the port city of Thoothukudi in southern Tamil Nadu. But why read a piece of south Indian news here in northeast India? Here are some reasons why:

Northeast India and south India being parts of this very country are almost ignored in central publications and reports.

Taboos and racist comments are quite common, mostly on northeastern people.

Almost every central general knowledge book or academic course book deliberately avoids these two regions, their histories, and their importance from the world.

Last but not the least, is humanity.

Amidst the India-Pakistan debate, Chinese and Indian animosity, Bhutan and India’s tension, and COVID-19, there is this problem in the very Indian society that is being cloaked and hidden by the levels of patriarchy.

On June 19 2020, Jayaraj and his son Bennicks (Fenix) were picked up by the police for violating lockdown rules. Both father and son run a mobile shop in Sathankulam.

However, on the very day of the incident, they were taken into custody for keeping their shop open beyond the permitted time.

According to their family, bloodsoaked clothes were sent home and fresh clothes were demanded by the police; and this happened thrice. Their knees were smashed with sticks or lathis. Their faces were pinned on the wall while they were hit brutally on their backs and bottoms making them

bleed pathetically. They were stripped off their clothes, their undergarments taken off and they were thrown inside the jail.

The inside story says that they were taken somewhere without CCTV facilities. The police shoved in lathis or batons through their rectums. The eyewitness of the incident stated that their genitals were smashed and mutilated; chest hair plucked out from their body with force.

According to the phoney trial with the magistrate arranged by the police, the two were taken back into custody after which they were pronounced dead: the cause of death being heart failure and fever. The point here is that these two were hardworking individuals who belonged to a lower-middleclass background in Tamil Nadu.

Does the question remain why the government is not doing anything for this? Is it because this time the crime is committed by the protectors of law themselves?

Until now, two of the officers have been suspended and a few are transferred. But is this what we call justice? Why something so heinous has not been covered by the mainstream news reporters?

So many questions, but there is only one answer: “Ignorance is bliss” for the government.

This piece of news needs to be recalled and told from time to time to people about how the police, contrary to being an embodiment of security, can be a medium of spreading hatred and fear at times. Of course, it is not right to curse and defame the entire police force; but have we not heard enough of such incidents already?

Meanwhile, all shops in the district have been closed and over 1,000 people staged a protest. The CM of the state is reported to have paid some compensation to the family.

However, celebrities and ministers of the opposition party tweeted condemning the brutality of the police. Back in the days, when George Floyd’s case was hot topic, Indians came out with slogans with the hashtag #blacklivesmatter.

But what about now? Half of the Indian population is not even aware of the rape of human dignity that

rInconsistent Covid tests

O pinion Prasant Kumar Ojha

happened behind the bars. This does not stop here. The case is beyond brutality and violence. It is about breaking the constitution. It is about breaking the very laws of humanity.

How are we not to fear humans and especially those in power? We know that power can only be misused by those who possess it. The law and the government have always been of help to the privileged class. What about us?

How are we not to fear humans and especially those in power?

We know that power can only be misused by those who possess it. The law and the government have always been of help to the privileged class. What about us?

Is the law equal for the privileged class? We all know that the answer is no but we are afraid to speak about it in the open. We fear controversy. Also, we don’t realise that if we do not speak and address the evil, such things will happen again and again. Who knows who will be next? There is no time to address this issue amidst lockdown, but we still can storm for justice. We have to fight for it because we all know that unlike some we cannot buy it.

(The author is a student of MA History (2nd Semester) at Gauhati University. The views expressed are his own.)

Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir, There are many posts and videos doing rounds on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, where people have complained of having tested negative for COVID-19, despite which they were forcefully being taken away to COVID care hospitals by authorities for treatment.

People in my circle have also complained of a difference in test results published on the Assam government’s website and the result handed over to them by GMC. In one video, a man was found complaining that he received a text message saying that his test result was negative but he was also forcefully taken to a quarantine facility.

The government has imposed a lockdown in view of public safety for a period of two weeks to ensure that the virus does not spread further, but why is there so much commotion when it comes to dealing with COVID cases?

How do we know that our test results are accurate?

We are afraid of getting ourselves tested for the viral infection not because we fear the disease anymore, but because we do not want to go through the trouble that people have complained to have faced.

Arif Ahmed, Guwahati

In Focus

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

11

Guwahati Police seizes ambulance selling vegetables, chicken A ssam Police has seized a private ambulance which was being used to sell vegetables and chicken illegally amid the current total lockdown in Guwahati.

The ambulance (AS01 JC 8718) was seized in Dispur area of the city.

Speaking to media, a police official of the Dispur Police Station said, “As per information received from locals, we have seized one ambulance from Ganeshguri area.”

“Upon searching, we found vegetables and chicken were being sold from the vehicle,” he added.

The miscreants were selling vegetables and chicken and upon seeing the police they fled from the spot leaving the vehicle behind.

In the meanwhile, Dispur police has tracked the owner of the vehicle and has also identified miscreants who are yet to be nabbed though.

Guwahatians took to the social media handles of G Plus to share their thoughts on the seized ambulance.

Several residents questioned the hygiene factor of selling vegetables and chicken in an ambulance.

Raj B Hatikakati said, “May be they were trying out their survival in this lockdown when the economy is in such a bad shape.”

Sarita Sharma Pareek said, “Looking at the economic condition we know they are struggling.”

Kamakhya Chaliha said, “One cannot just blame the seller as people were purchasing from the ambulance. Both the buyer and seller are equally responsible in this case.”

Moumita Das said, “It is not right to buy vegetables from the ambulance but the fact is many people don’t have enough stock to eat. Some vegetables should be available. People of India can die by virus but not by hunger.”

Tejaswini Rajkumari said, “These people will keep doing their business and we will be staying at home following the lockdown. What is the point of it?”

Palash said, “Hats off to the people who bought food from

The errant amubalance an ambulance. What were they thinking?”

Geeta said, “I understand the need of money and food but it’s an ambulance. Who knows where it has been. What if it was used to move COVID

patients?”

Another resident said more people would die of hunger rather than COVID-19.

A few residents also made funny remarks on the incident.

Tapash said, “In hindsight,

the chicken and vegetables will be completely sterilized and sanitized.”

Anen Longkumer said, “This is a very good idea but so sad they were caught. Better try your luck during the next virus.”

The Indian MBA VS the Global MBA

T

he craze of pursuing a professional course like an MBA (Master of Business Administration) after graduation has been a trend for quite some time now.

The recruiters from the corporate world also prefer an MBA rather than a regular master’s degree holder as is evident from the placement statistics and the

Cost of studying in business schools outside India is more than 1,00,000 USD per year. Even in India, it is not cheap either. IIM charges more than Rs 25 lakhs. Therefore, one should analyse all aspects, most importantly the Return on Investment (ROI).

pay packages. But is it worth it considering the expenses involved? Is MBA a good career option? Many people will say yes if one pursues the same from a top institute. To get an MBA degree from a top institute one has to have a lot of resources besides academic brilliance.

In most of the top business schools outside India, the cost (all inclusive) is more than 1,00,000 USD per year. Even in India, it is not cheap either. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) charges more than Rs 25 lakhs these days. Therefore, one should analyse all aspects, most importantly the Return on Investment (ROI).

Now, if we do a study of Indian B-schools in comparison to the global B-schools, we may observe that Indian institutions are less expensive. But are they competitive enough or are they at par with others around the world? From a recent survey carried out by CEOWORLD Magazine of New York, several Indian B-schools have been ranked within the top 100 globally in 2020. IIMs have done exceedingly well. Six IIMs namely Calcutta (ranked

Dipak Kr Das

Representative Image 25) Ahmedabad (35), Bangalore (56), Lucknow (62), Kozhikode (73) and Indore (95) are in the top 100. Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, ranked 28th and XLRI

Jamshedpur, ranked 100th, are the other two institutions which are in the top 100. Perhaps FMS is the most economical institute as it is under the University of Delhi.

However, all things considered, an MBA degree from a top notch B-school of the world is always valuable provided one has the talent and financial resources.

For Indian students, the most preferred countries for doing MBA are the US, Canada, UK and Australia. But one should keep in mind that unlike in India, there is no campus placement abroad even in top B-schools. However, 90-100% of the students are recruited within 2 to 6 months of passing out. On the contrary, there is good placement record in the top Indian B-schools.

Considering the above, pursuing an MBA in India or abroad is entirely one’s own choice.

(The author is a retired banker from a nationalised bank. The views expressed are his own)

12 Lifestyle

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

Vaastu effects on male members of family

I

t is very often asked if Vaastu has effects on men and women separately. The answer is yes because the anatomy of the body and the ability to withstand different forces are different for males and females. It is seen that the East and the west directions are more responsible for the male members while the North and south directions affect the women folk more.

In India, the family tradition is to have the male members earning for the household while the females look after the house and children. The trend is changing now with more and more girls getting educated and earning almost at par if not more than their male counterparts. However, the cosmic energy acts differently on men and women due to their physical capacity of absorbing energy. Male and gynaecological systems are different and they respond differently.

The east and the west directions are male directions. The northeast and the southwest also have effects on male members. The north and the south have bearings on the female members. Similarly, northwest and southeast also have effects on women.

A northeastern plot affects the first child of the house, more so, if he is the male member. If the northeast is open with lot of vacant space and depressed, then the male child shines in life. On the contrary, if the northeast is blocked or if it is high, the child suffers in many ways.There is hindrance in most of the steps of life. Work and education get hampered. If there is a cut in the northeast, all the aforesaid problems may arise. It is seen that if there is a cut in the northeast of the plot and the house also has a cut in the northeast, there may be physically handicapped or deformed children born in the household.

An imbalance in the water element at northeast or east can cause problems for the male progeny and cause heart diseases.

The eastern direction is very beneficial for males if the Vaastu norms are adhered to. There must be more vacant space towards east so that plenty of morning sunrays may fall on the plot. The house should have its main door facing exclusively east or northeast, never at eastern southeast. Presence of a water body at east will further benefit the male member. If the east is kept lower than the west, the male child will prosper in all fields of life. Houses, which are constructed right on the eastern boundary leaving more vacant space to west, see a lack of menfolk and it may in the long run become a female property. There are more

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

girls born in such houses and the men tend to stay away. If there is a pond, well or septic tank at west, then the health of the male members suffers adversely.

A depression in the western southwest is very bad for the head of the family. However, the presence of a hill or big building at west is very good. But the same is not true if the building or hill happens to be in the east near the plot.

The southwest has to be kept highest compared to all other areas of the plot , especially northeast.

A low southwest will affect the owner of the house financially and physically. It is better not to have too much of vacant area in the southwest other than the statutory municipal limits. There should not be any well or septic tank at southwest. A gate or main door at southwest will drain the finances of the owner and there may be frequent mishaps.

8 unhealthy processed or packed foods and their healthy substitutes

I

n spite of variety of healthy food knowledge we are unaware of the actual fault we are committing, and thus there is no improvement of our health issues. Processed foods are quite common in most households these days but they gradually deteriorate our health.

Here is a list of a few processed food, their disadvantages and healthy alternatives.

*High calorie content is the main contributor of obesity amongst the children. *High amount of sodium makes blood thicker thus raising blood pressure abruptly.

To beat the hunger pangs of having snacks we can opt for healthy options like sprouted grams, roasted chickpeas, roasted peanuts that are full of healthy fats and protein.

1. Instant noodles

3. Pizza, burger

Though it is said that most of the noodles are made of wheat flour, contain iron, manganese and B vitamins, but still in reality they contain a number of unhealthy elements like*It contains refined maida that may increase obesity and blood sugar level. *It lacks in protein and fiber, thus may cause colorectal cancer or metabolic syndrome. *It contains monosodium glutamate or MSG. We can make zucchini noodles instead of normal noodles or we can add lots of vegetables like carrot, beans, capsicum, peas etc. to the noodles and make it a bit healthier.

*These are made from refined flour thus eliminating the benefits of wheat germ and kernel it may only add to our inches and pounds. *High sodium content makes it unhealthy for hypertension and diabetic patients. *It is made tastier with loads of cheese that in turn may increase our cholesterol level thus affecting normal cardiac problems. *Regular consumption of such high fat foods, especially in teenagers may lead to excess sebum secretion from sebaceous gland thus causing from acne, stomach problems to hormonal imbalance.

We can have whole wheat burger with lots of veggies or even homemade hummus, quinoa pizza, cauliflower crust pizza, vegetable pizza etc. instead of outside pizzas.

2. Chips and fries

All kinds of super tasty chips, fried foods are high in fat, calories, and often salt. *Trans fats raise bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, lower good (HDL) cholesterol levels, and raise chances of having heart disease.

4. White bread, cookies

*White breads are made of refined flour thus leading to obesity and high blood sugar levels

often. *As it contains gluten it is absolutely not advisable for patients with celiac diseases. *It contains no protein, vitamins orfibers, thus it has no additional nutritive value, or disease eliminating properties.

Anyone who has not gluten

Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

* Excessive sugar consumption can cause long-term damage to skin proteins, collagen and elastin, leading to premature wrinkles and ageing. *It weakens our immune system too.

We can satisfy our sugar cravings with fruits, dry fruits, fruit smoothies, mango-chia puddings, pineapple custard etc.

sensitivity can have multigrain or whole grain breads for necessary fibre and other nutrients. Persons with celiac disease can substitute white bread for rye bread or sourdough breads.

5. Cakes-cookiespastries

These sugar laden products have certain disadvantages like*Refined flour, all purpose flour, refined sugar, added fats and preservatives leadto long term unhealthy effects. *Excessive sugar consumption leads to sugar craving and obesity and all types of diabetes.

6. Sausage-baconsalami-Hotdogs

*Firstly all of these contain saturated fat which leads to obesity, heart disease. *Moreover, all of these are canned, dried, salted, cured, smoked which add nitrates and nitrites to it, thus making it more risky causing cancer.

If we want to add protein to our breakfast we can add tofu, paneer, chicken etc. to have greater nutritional benefits.

7. Aerated-carbonated or non-aerated beverages:

*All of these beverages including

fruit juices contain sugar that leads to obesity, diabetes etc. *As the fibre portion is lost there is no benefit left, moreover the preservatives added to it make it more harmful. *As soda drinks are high in sugar thus increases the insulin levels which feeds tumours. *Even in diet beverages, artificial sugar - aspartame used as a substitute of sugar are more harmful. Aspartame has been linked to multiple health problems like diabetes, tumours, raised cholesterol, seizures and emotional disorders. *Consuming high amounts of phosphoric acid and citric acid, common ingredients in sodas, can deplete the calcium from our bones and decrease calcium absorption.

As substitute of these harmful beverages one can have natural coconut water, kokamsherbat, mango or banana milk shakes or any other fruit juice.

8. Even instead of butter popcorns, we can have microwave popcorns, makhanas as healthy snacks.

Thus we have to keep in mind that healthy life starts from home based foods!

Feature

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

13

The blossoming of Priyasha Bharadwaj Uzanbazar girl lands the role of Soundarya in “Aarya,” Disney-Hotstar’s latest offering co-starring Sushmita Sen and delivers a power-packed performance.

Presenting a tête-à-tête Sattyakee D’Com Bhuyan.

F

rom Hemchandra Road to Chandivali Farm Road, Priyasha Bhardwaj’s journey that landed her on the same set as former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen hasn’t been an easy one. Guwahati girl, Priyasha, is now an industry name as she plays Sen’s younger sister Soundarya in Aarya Disney+Hotstar’s newest show, a multi-starrer family crime drama series directed by national award winner Ram Madhvani that also marks Sen’s comeback into Bollywood after 10 years.

Priyasha Bhardwaj, born in Guwahati, Assam, belongs to the house of the stalwart Satya Prasad Barua, who was one of the foremost theatre icons in Assam since 1930s. Her latter half of schooling was in Sanskriti School, Delhi where she began to explore her creative interests in dance, music and theatre. A Psychology graduate from Delhi University, Priyasha got her first modelling assignment with Dove and featured in the DoveFemina colab calendar 2009. Her first TVC was for Britannia Good day with Deepika Padukone, post which she cracked several Ad auditions which compelled her to shift her base to Mumbai.

Some of her projects include Amazon Prime’s Made in Heaven and Kaafir on Zee5 costarring Dia Mirza. Later this year, she will be seen playing a completely different character in Amazon Prime’s Mirzapur 2.

Priyanshi was in conversation with multifaceted philomath Sattyakee D’com Bhuyan, Founder Director D’ Passion Collective, TEDx Speaker and a theatre ace who happens to be a tower of inspiration for the talented Priyasha. Excerpts from the conversation:

How did Aarya come about? What is the experience of working with Sushmita Sen?

It was a usual audition day.

Just before I gave the audition, I happened to read a detailed character brief on one of their pin up boards of the waiting room which said, “She needs to have resemblance with Aarya.”

Given such a specific guideline, I thought it unlikely that I’d get this part even if I gave a good audition.

About 2 weeks later, Godfrey

Edge, casting assistant to Abhimanyu Ray, called me to re-check whether I am available on the shoot dates since I had apparently been shortlisted.

A few days later, I received a

lot of layered emotions and an arc. Due to the unconventional multi-cam shooting format with long single shots, Sushmita and I would hold each other through our scenes, effortlessly meeting

the milestones of the script.

The series begins with Soundarya’s royal Rajasthani wedding (to a charming American musician, played by Alexx O’ Nell) and ends with her tragic fate both causing irreparable damages in Aarya’s life.

How did the creative spark sow seeds within you?

message from him which read “Congratulations! You’ve got the part of Soundarya.”

On my second day at costume trials, I came to know that Sushmita Sen was making a comeback after 10 years with this project. I just couldn’t believe my luck. I had grown up admiring her; also she was a Scorpio like me. Being completely star-struck, I went for our first workshop together conducted by director and coach, Vinod Rawat.

Unlike many stars, Sushmita is a delightfully generous co-actor.

She’d instinctively realize that I am not happy with a take and would go straight to the director and say, “Sir, one more please,” and wink right back at me.

Aarya is an intense crime drama so our scenes needed a

I belong to the house of the stalwart, Satya Prasad Barua, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee.

He was like a school by himself.

Moreover, I learnt that he used to involve his own brothers as well as sisters in his theatre productions from 1930s. So, my family has been charged with creative juices ever since.

I used to dance to the Mahabharata soundtrack every time it aired on Doordarshan and my mother soon put me in Indira PP Bora’s Bharatnatyam classes.

Later, when we shifted to Delhi in my last few years of schooling, I learnt jazz and other western dance forms at Ashley Lobo’s The Danceworx. I pursued it as a hobby but I couldn’t convince my family that I wanted to take it up as a profession. So yes, dance, music and later theatre had always been there within me.

When and how did you realize that your calling was to be an actor? What actually drove you to this

line of work where jealousy and stiff competition run in parallel modes?

Soon

after

graduation,

I

started working. My first job was in Citibank. Then I worked in a Canadian Hospitality chain called Fairmont Raffles Swissotel.

But all through my job days, I felt I had more energy within me which I needed to explore and release. Hence, I picked up freelance choreography projects on the side. When the constant switching from my 9 to 5 job to my little creative world was getting overwhelming, I decided to quit. Thereafter as a freelancer, I tried everything corporate choreography, anchor and artist manager for events, assistant casting director, co-ran a production house, did voiceovers. In 2016, I wanted to learn theatre and acting. I chanced upon a 3 week physical theatre workshop in Delhi and I decided to give it a try. We were asked to perform an original 10-minute monologue and I created a piece on a lonely woman, based on true facts of someone dear to me. At the end of the performance, I had an unexpected emotional release; a weight seemed to lift off my chest. I felt empathy empathy for someone I tried to embody just for those few minutes. That day I realized the power of a truthful performance.

From there, I got connected with a niche circle of people who were into English theatre in Delhi. We do theatre for the love of it. I have to say I was fortunate to have met some beautiful people in the beginning of my acting journey.

The first character I played on stage was called The Spirit Keeper

(neither a human nor fully an animal) for a play directed by Shena Gamat. This was the first time I stepped away from the truth of Priyasha and attempted to portray the truth of The Spirit Keeper. For the first time in life, I felt so present, so alive, and so in command of how I was moving, what I was saying, whom I was addressing to, the audience who was listening to what I had to say, the fun of breaking the fourth wall and looking straight into the audience’s eyes.

From there, I found out about auditions and managed to crack the first one that I gave and it happened to be a TVC with none other than Deepika Padukone.

How did you survive Aarya 360 degree?

I was one of the youngest and the newest on set. Even the child actors had been working for longer than I had. So honestly, it wasn’t that difficult. The moment I walked in the set, I was Soundarya, younger sister of Aarya Sareen, married to Bob Wilson. The best part about this shooting format was we were always in character. Aarya didn’t become Sushmita Sen in between takes. She remained my elder sister, called me ‘Chhoti’ and we’d chat casually like two sisters would.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Cannes Film Festival… hmmmmmm - my dream! n

14 Guest Column

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

Emotional wellbeing in these challenging times L ife can be challenging and may include many stressful situations.

Globally we are encountering an unprecedented turn of events because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Many of us are facing an unwanted intrusion of emotional stress and worries in our life at the backdrop of the viral outbreak. It might be a financial worry for a businessman, career uncertainty for a student, parental issues in handling children constantly in a lockdown mode, fear of contracting COVID, professional uncertainty etc. Many can cope with stress and worries and handle situations and get adjusted with the changing scenario or get acquainted with the ‘new normal’. But many of us, because of poor coping capacity, poor emotional or social support, vulnerability to mental illness will buckle under this stress and will go on to have an emotional or psychological breakdown. Stress can lead to features of anxiety, depression and ultimately in many cases the unfortunate event of suicide. We should all be wary of the subtle signs of stress, anxiety and depression. These are usually sleep disturbances, tremors, breathlessness, irritability/anger, loss of interest in activities, low mood, remaining withdrawn, poor appetite, fatigue, hopelessness, increased substance abuse, crying spells etc.

Handling stress

One important aspect to keep in mind that COVID 19 pandemic is a temporary phase.

But life is very unpredictable.

Trauma, negative events, unforeseen consequences are bound to happen in life. So it is of utmost importance that we give impetus to mental health awareness and know how to handle our stresses and worries.

This will help us to maintain our emotional wellbeing and help us to tide over any adverse situations in our life.

Building resilience

One factor that buffers against stress and improves our

Representative Image coping mechanism is resilience.

Resilience is the ability to steer through serious life challenges and find ways to bounce back and to thrive. Building skills to promote resilience in young people is an important strategy in the amelioration of mental health problem. Persons having resilience will have courage and motivation to move forward, have problem solving skills, will try new things, will recognize his and others’ feelings, will have humor, will have the power to stay centered, willing to take responsibilities and will have a tenacity to accomplish goals. We should try to inculcate resilience in our children. Build their confidence and optimism in life. Give them small responsibilities. This will give them a sense of purpose and improve their pro-social behavior. Try to increase their thinking skills; this will help to solve their problems later on. Treat them as adults and include them in your family talks and seek their opinion.

Empower them to make decisions and guide them in the correct way. Foster a loving, caring communicating relation with your child. Be a positive

Lighter

Persons having resilience will have courage and motivation to move forward, have problem solving skills, will try new things, will recognize his and others’ feelings, will have humor, will have the power to stay centered, willing to take andresponsibilities faster and will have a tenacity to accomplish goals.

Scan the QR code

Get the G Plus app role model. Handling a child during lockdown phase might be quite frustrating. Juggling between the child, your work, home chores can take a toll on you. Create a very flexible and consistent routine having structured activities as well

as free time. Along with their regular studies, some time might be given for extracurricular activities like reading a novel, listening to music, craft making etc. This period is a sublime time for parents to teach children to develop critical life skills and responsibilities. Catch bad behavior early and redirect your kids’ attention from a bad to a good behavior. Praise him for a good behavior which will get reinforced. Adults should try to persevere, stay calm and be flexible during life’s challenges.

Always view setbacks as temporary. Avoid generalizing a problem to every aspect of your life. Avoid blaming yourself for things beyond your control.

Practice an attitude of gratitude by focusing on what you have and positive events from the day. We can all find many positives in the course of the day. Don’t expect perfection or that others should always meet your expectations. Remain away of all negativities. Recognize and accept personal limits.

Set up realistic and optimistic goals.

Do not overburden yourself with things and jobs beyond your ability and things beyond your capacity. Always

Have a story to tell? Be a Citizen Journalist Get in touch with us, Contact/WhatsApp

8486002318/8486002320

Dr Anweshak Das try to view change in your life as normal and a challenge instead of a threat. Be ready for failures. They are a part of everybody life. So maintain a hopeful optimistic outlook and always plan for failure.

Do something you enjoy like gardening, cooking, listening to music, playing an instrument, watching a movie. At times volunteering are good, helpful ways to help you feel better and relieve stress. Good sleep hygiene is a must along with regular exercise and proper diet to ward of stress. All these improve our immune system which has a salutary effect in stress management. Mindfulness meditation focusing on the present and yoga can play an instrumental role in reliving any stress.

Seeking professional help

But it is always easier said than done. Many people may not improve by practicing the above tips that I have just addressed.

If the severity of stress and anxiety is too high you should always seek professional help from a mental health professional like a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. Proven scientifically based treatment guidelines are there and anxiety, stress and depression are 100% treatable. I urge everyone to break the shackles of stigma and discrimination attached with mental illness and speak out openly about your mental health problem if any and seek help. We mental health professionals are there to help you. Seeking help decreases lifelong negative consequences and fosters a healthy society.

Finally do not lose hope because all darkness in a tunnel is temporary and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

(The author is an M.D. - Gold Medallist and a consultant psychiatrist. He is also Assistant General Secretary, IPS Assam State Branch. Views expressed are his own)

Concern

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

Guwahati’s landslides When will this concern end?

Kahilipara

Kahilipara

Kharghuli

Nilachal Hills

Massive Landslide Below Raj Bhawan Borthakur Clinic Vacated

A

dangerous situation cropped up with a massive landslide occurring on the hillock which houses the Raj Bhawan, i.e., the Governor’s residence on June 27. The incessant rains triggered a landslide that now threatens to cause serious damage to the an old and iconic nursing home, Borthakur Clinic. Loose earth rolled down with the temporary solutions like sandbags and bamboo not being able to take the pressure any more. Meanwhile, the landslide triggered panic among the staff and patients of the nursing home.

The side of the building that would bear the main impact was hurriedly evacuated and the machineries removed. The first floor of Borthakur Clinic was quickly evacuated.

A spokesperson of Borthakur Clinic said that the administration was cognizant of the situation and had already taken pre-emptive steps to tackle it.

The nursing home was visited by personnel from the Governor’s residence, fire department and administration.

Considering the safety and security of the lives and properties of the patients as well as doctors and other staff, the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan district had directed the proprietor of Borthakur Clinic and Hospital, Kharghuli to vacate the hospital building immediately.

Moreover, the patients who were still under treatment in the hospital were shifted to a nearby hospital.

Below Raj Bhawan

15

16 Catching Up Talk Of The tOWN

| Jul 04- Jul 10, 2020

PIC OF THE

Art of the week

WEEK

#gameoftwohalves | Art: Rifa Deka

Artist: Sanjeev Handique | The morning knick knack.

Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

CHATTRAKAR DEVALAYA

G

uwahati is known as a city of temples.

Centuries-old temples or ‘Devalaya’ bears testimony to the rich traditions of the Ahom kings, their deep devotion towards a religion, Hinduism, to which they converted only after they came to Assam.

One such old temple in the heart of the city is ‘ Chattrakar Devalaya’.

It is built on top of a hillock on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River at Uzanbazar.

The temple was established by King Suklingphaa (1795-1810) also known as Swargadeo Kamaleswar Singha.

As the hillock is in the shape of an umbrella, it was named Chattrakar and hence the temple, Chattrakar Devalaya.

Originally the temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Later Devi Mangalchandi’s

temple was also included.

There are three domes in the temple complex for the three Gods and Goddess Lord Vishnu at the centre, Lord Shiva to the right and Devi Mangalchandi to the left.

History recalls the establishment of the Goddess’s temple as follows.

The Devi’s temple was established by the Koliabhomora Borphukan. Prior to that the Haradutta-Biradutta brothers of Rangia, Kamrup, worshipped Devi Mangalchandi and had a metal idol of the Goddess. They revolted against the Ahoms in the later part of the 18th century in the Dundiya Rebellion. When they lost, the idol was drowned in a lake to protect it

Work is Worship, Duty is God! | Photo: Surajit Sharma

Gone are the days when wallets, keys, mints and gadgets were the main essentials when going out. With the new normal, alongside masks, gloves, and sanitizers, one should now carry head armors/ helmets, rubber rafts/boats, umbrellas and raincoats. With COVID-19, floods, and landslides everywhere, what are the odds of survival?

from the Ahoms.

It remained forgotten in the lake for years until Kaliabhomora Borphukan’s wife one day had a dream of the Goddess wherein which she was asked to reestablish the idol. So the Ahom minister fished out the idol and set it up at the Chattrakar Devalaya of Guwahati where it still remains.

The temple is now well known for its Durga Puja celebrations.

Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi’s father Saif Ali Khan has made it to the headline with his comments on nepotism. The actor was quoted saying, “Nepotism in its purest form is something that even I have been a victim of. But nobody’s interested in that. Businesses work like that. I am not going to take names but somebody’s dad has rung up and said don’t take him, take him in the movie. All that happens and it has happened to me.”

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