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www.morungexpress.com
Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 229
The Morung Express
“
www.morungexpress.com
By Sandemo Ngullie
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–Helen Keller
Monsoon downpour causes Watson soil sinking in Mon ton steers Australia [ PAGE 02] to 183-3 Japan nuke watchdog may raise leak to ‘serious’
Simon Cowell looking forward to fatherhood
[ PAGE 08]
reflections
Thursday, August 22, 2013 12 pages Rs. 4
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world
LoC ceasefire violation: Pak blame Indian Army
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[ PAGE 11]
[ PAGE 09]
[ PAGE 12]
Damascus ‘Massacre’ Declare foothill road
as a ‘national project’
Minister distinguishes between Foothill Road and foothill connectivity Chizokho Vero Kohima | August 21
We are raiding this place for the third time today!
Rupee dips to 64.54 against US$ MuMbAI, August 21 (IAns): Despite interventions from the central bank and the government, the rupee Wednesday continued its free-fall mode, hitting a new record low of 64.54 against a dollar and benchmark Sensex slipped below 18,000 points mark for the first time in almost a year. The rupee, savaged by large dollar demands from banks and importers, has plunged to new lows for the fourth session in a row. According to Deutsche Bank, the rupee is expected to touch a low of 70 against a dollar in a month’s time. “We now believe that the rupee could touch 70 to the USD in a month or so, although we expect some revival of the currency by the end of the year,” the German bank said in a report.
Prohibitory orders in border areas
Mokokchung, August 21 (DIPR): In order to check the movement of anti-social elements and as a precautionary measure for prevention of untoward incidents, the Additional District Magistrate, Sivasagar has promulgated prohibitory order O/S 144 Cr.P.C, reinforcing night curfew from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the areas of Assam side bordering Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The order in place prohibits movement of a person or group and vehicular traffic in the 5 Km belt in Assam side of Sivasagar District. However, security personnel and officials on duty are exempted from the purview of the prohibitory order. This was informed by Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) Mokokchung, Vekhoyi Chakhesang.
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This citizen journalism image provided by the Local Committee of Arbeen which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Syrian citizens mourning over the dead bodies of Syrian men after an alleged poisonous gas attack fired by regime forces, according to activists in Arbeen town, Damascus, Syria, on August 21. (AP Photo)
bEIRut/AMMAn, August 21 (REutERs): Syria’s opposition accused President Bashar alAssad’s forces of gassing many hundreds of people - by one report as many as 1,300 - on Wednesday in what would, if confirmed, be the world’s worst chemical weapons attack in decades. Western and regional countries called for U.N. chemical weapons investigators - who arrived in Damascus just three days ago - to be urgently dispatched to the scene of one of the deadliest incidents of the two-year-old civil war. Images, including some taken by freelance photographers and supplied to Reuters, showed scores of bodies including of small children, laid out on the floor of a clinic with no visible signs of injuries. Reuters was not independently able to verify the cause of their death. The Syrian government denied that it had used chemical arms. George Sabra, one of
the leading opponents of Assad, said the death toll was 1,300 killed by poison gas rained down on suburbs east of Damascus. “Today’s crimes are ... not the first time the regime has used chemical weapons. But they constitute a turning point in the regime’s operations,” he told a news
Bayan Baker, earlier told Reuters the death toll collated from medical centres was at least 213. “Many of the casualties are women and children. They arrived with their pupils constricted, cold limbs and foam in their mouths. The doctors say these are typical symptoms of nerve gas victims,” the nurse said. Exposure to sarin gas causes pupils in the eyes to shrink to pinpoint sizes and foaming at the lips. A Syrian military officer appeared on state television and said the allegations were untrue and a sign of “hysteria and floundering” by Assad’s opponents. Information Minister Omran Zoabi said the allegations were “illogical and fabricated”. The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition said Assad’s forces had carried out a massacre: “This is a chance for the (U.N. inspectors) to see with their own eyes this massacre and know that this regime is a criminal one,” Ahmed Jarba said.
Syria opposition claims 1,300 dead in chemical attack conference in Istanbul. “This time it was for annihilation rather than terror.” An opposition monitoring group, citing figures compiled from medical clinics in the Damascus suburbs, put the death toll at 494 - 90 percent of them killed by gas, the rest by bombing and conventional arms. The rebel Syrian National Coalition said 650 people had been killed. A nurse at Douma Emergency Collection facility,
college teachers to go on mass casual leave today Morung Express News Dimapur | August 21
College teachers of Nagaland will be on a mass casual leave on August 22, though the leave is not so much casual as it is political. These college teachers have had an enhanced salary, as per the 6th pay commission, approved and to be paid for the period January 2006 to March 2010. But this has not come till date. Having followed various channels of negotiations with the Nagaland state government and failed, the teachers, under the aegis of the All Nagaland Government College Teachers’ Association (ANGCTA), have decided to embark on agitations to have their rights fulfilled. To recap, based on a state government order in August 2010, the pending arrears were to be cleared in the financial year 2010-11, to which effect pay slips were issued to the college teachers in October 2010. In December that year, the government passed another order to stall the payments even before all teachers could
avail their arrears. Though a central government notification in 2012 asked for the state government to pay the college teachers their deserving arrears for the said period, the state government continued to keep silent. In May this year, the ANGCTA met higher officials of the Nagaland state government when they were asked to wait till July 31, 2013 for positive action from the government. The date came and went without any such action. Through consensus drawn among the teachers, they decided to start their first phase of agitation by going on mass casual leave on August 22, after informing the state government. If the government continues to remain silent, the teachers will go on a “pen down strike” on August 26-27. Further, the agitation will reach the Chief Minister’s office in Kohima on September 5 if inaction continues. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, has been informed of the issue, and has given certain positive assurances, which are perceived to be non-concrete as of now.
Minister for Roads & Bridges Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu has asserted that the Nagaland government is urging the Government of India to declare the Foothill Road project as “national project.” The Minister stated that even if Nagaland is set to celebrate its golden jubilee this year, not a single national project has been allotted to Nagaland state till date. “This is a sign of step motherly treatment to the state of Nagaland,” Azo said. He also said that the people should not misunderstand the matter of foothill connectivity and Foothill Road. Talking to The Morung Express, the Minister made it clear that foothill connectivity falls under the category of an immediate plan, which is solely for the purpose of maintenance and upgradation of the existing roads in the state
High Power Committee to study Dimapur roads
kohIMA, August 21 (DIPR): The Government of Nagaland, in pursuance of the Cabinet decision taken on August 8 has constituted a High Power Committee to study the road system in Dimapur and to draw up an action plan for implementation of various road construction projects. The projects include construction of a service lane between Purana Bazar and Chumukedima; widening of the road to CIHSR from NH and the encroachment matter thereof; two laning of the road from Green Park to Sovima Circuit Stadium; two laning of the road to Nagaland Zoological Park; dismantling of buildings at the Agri Expo entrance gate; two laning of the road to Multi-purpose Sports Complex, Dimapur and two laning of the road from NH to
whereas the Foothill Road is a long term four lane project, which will involve Rs. 7000 crores. For foothill connectivity, the minister said that all the tender processes will be completed by September/October, adding that the work should start latest by November this year. Earlier, the minister while passing through Changtongya- Longleng road had last week expressed deep concern over the pitiable road condition. He said that the SARDP-NE project along this road, executed by
ICSAI (6th Mile). The committee includes the Commissioner and Secretary for Works & Housing as the Convenor and the Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur as Member Secretary. Other members include the Chief Engineer, PWD (R&B); DIG Range, Dimapur; SP, Dimapur; Chief Executive Officer, DMC; Advisor to the Chumukedima Town Council; President of the Nagaland Council Dimapur; President of the Naga Women Hoho Dimapur; President of the Dimapur Naga Students Union; President of the GBs Association Dimapur district. Co-opted members of the committee include all elected representative from Dimapur District; President of the Chakhroma Public Organisation and Chairman of the concerned Village Councils.
M/S Maytas & Gayatri, was a total failure and added that instead of developing the road it caused damages to the existing roads causing hardship to the commuters. The Minister continued that the GoI should cancel the work order and hand it over to the state. Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio in his Independence Day speech last week said the Nagaland state government is committed to the task of constructing a super highway along the Nagaland foothill areas, from Tizit in Mon District,
via Tuli and Dimapur town upto Khelma in Peren District with a perspective to connect this to Khonsa in Arunachal and to Haflong and Silchar in the south. Rio said that side by side, a parallel railway line has also been projected, which the Railway Ministry has approved and included in the Railway Budget since 2011. He further added that linear cities are envisaged to evolve along this road and railway line, which will facilitate urbanization and industrialization in Nagaland.
nscn (K) vows to Special Branch nab arms continue struggle
DIMAPuR, August 21 (MExn): The NSCN (K) has asserted that a day would come when the “Nagas in India” will flock to the East (Myanmar occupied Nagaland) to grab a share of its natural resources, as and when political stability and a political solution is achieved. “Visionless and materialistic Nagas may continue to decry SS Khaplang’s pan-Naga political approach as of now in order to justify their eager preparedness to give up Naga’s birth right for a pittance from India, but time and history shall be the witness,” stated a press note from its Military Supervisor, Lt Gen Niki Sumi. The NSCN (K) said that it “practically holds sway over the entire stretch of unexplored virgin landlocked mineral rich area.” It added that Myanmar governance in this area is “only symbolic” in nature, and that the NSCN (K) has been maintaining deep rooted de-facto rule for decades. It also said that the NSCN (K) holds the “key to India’s North-East political
problem, India’s look East policy and her National Security as well.” It added that “the need for India and Myanmar to seriously engage the NSCN is not a mere political hypothesis but drawn from the factual political assessment lest the issue is exploded to international controversy.” It added that its stand on the Naga struggle should not be a cause of apprehension to any other Naga political group engaged in political process with India. It stated that the NSCN (K) would not stand in the way to “any settlement that may arrive between India and other Naga political groups.” It said that the Naga struggle for freedom has endured for more than half a century and that the NSCN (K) would continue with the struggle “no matter how illusive or distant the destination may appear.” It added that the “legacy passed on to us shall be handed over to posterity without blemish and betrayal.” Full text on page 4
The weapons seized by Dimapur Special Branch near Golaghat bus station, Dimapur on August 21. (Morung Photo)
DIMAPuR, August 21 (MExn): The Dimapur Special Branch has made a seizure of two 7.65mm country-made pistols and three magazines from three young men here today. Following information received of a case of “arms smuggling” in Dimapur, the Special Branch team seized the small fire arms from the youth at around 1:30 pm near Golaghat bus station. The trio—Hokavi Yepthomi (30 years), Hokato Awomi (19 years) and Akaito Awomi (25 years)— were waiting there for the arms to be picked up by “one Karbi person,” who was supposed to be pay them Rs. 30,000 each for the pistols, according to the
Special Branch. This deal was arranged by one Kohuxu, an acquaintance of Akaito—they are all residents of Purana Bazar, Niuland. The apprehended have been handed over to the East Dimapur Police Station, where an FIR under the Arms Act has been filed against the three.
GRPS nab ganja GRPS personnel have apprehended one person named Manuranjan Sarkar of Darjeeling at 1:30am on August 21 for possession of ganja while he was about to board a train to a the contraband to another state. A case has been registered against the accused and investigation is on.
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