3rd August 2013

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The Morung Express

Dimapur VOL. VIII ISSUE 211

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four statehood demands defy Assam’s legitimacy

Thanks to resurgence of factional clashes, AFSPA, Prices hikes, etc. My house is full with relatives from Dmr, Wka, Mkg, Zbto.........

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73.8% households in Nagaland own houses Our Correspondent Kohima | August 2

The 2011 Nagaland census has informed that 73.8% households in Nagaland own houses, while 21.4% live in rented homes. Ironically, Bihar which is ranked the poorest state in India, has as many as 96.8% households living in their own houses and only 2.1% live in rented houses. According to the report 52.42% of households in the state are of the view that the condition of their houses are good, 45.76% think it is liveable and only 1.88% think their homes are dilapidated. People in the state are quite content with their homes, the report said. People in Kohima district are the most content with 66.08% of households saying the condition of their house is good, followed by Mokokchung district with 64.83%. This is in contrast to 31.43% households in Kiphire district and 35.92% households in Mon district, who felt the condition of their houses, are good.

NSCW welcomes court verdict

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DIMAPUR, AUGUST 2 (MExN): The Nagaland State Commission for Women has welcomed the verdict of the District and Sessions Judge on the four accused in the February 2012, gang-rape of a woman at East Block, Burma Camp, Dimapur. A press note from the Chairperson of the NSCW, Temsula Ao said that the timely closure of this case at a stage when people are “agitated” over the rape and murder of Nungshila Jamir on July 4 at Residency Colony, Dimapur can reinforce public faith in the judiciary. She expressed hope that this case too would be brought to closure soon and that the guilty would be punished in strict accordance with the law of the land. The Commission appreciated the judgment of the Judge, S. Hukato Swu, as well as the inputs of the Public Prosecutors Hutoi Yeptho and Imtiakum Jamir for upholding the rule of justice in the land.

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By Sandemo Ngullie

Do you support the Nagaland government’s willingness to review the impact of Prohibition on society?

–Henry David Thoreau

Kohima Summit SMDS-III State India eye Level Workshop conducted whitewash, Zimbabwe [ PAGE 02] desperate Pope Francis seeks to for victory align Church hierarchy

Angry Katrina appeals to media

reflections

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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined Government defends move to amend RTI Act, activists furious

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Young boys and girls partake in a traditional dance during the Tsungremmong festival at Longsa village on August 2, 2013. Tsungremmong is a festival celebrated by the Aos during the first week of August every year to seek God’s blessing for a rich harvest. (Photo by Manen Aier)

climate change and Violence linked

WASHINGTON, AUGUST 2 (AP): As the world gets warmer, people’s tempers are likely to get hotter, scientists say. A massive new study finds that aggressive acts like committing violent crimes and waging war become more likely with each added degree. Researchers analyzed 60 studies on historic empire collapses, recent wars, violent crime rates in the United States and lab simulations that tested police decisions on when to shoot. They found something in common over centuries: Extreme weather — very hot or dry — means more violence. “When the weather gets bad, we tend to be

more willing to hurt other people,” said economist Solomon Hsiang of the University of California, Berkeley. He is the lead author of the study, published online by the journal Science. The team of economists even came up with a formula that predicts how much the risk of different types of violence should increase with extreme weather. In war-torn parts of equatorial Africa, it says, every added degree Fahrenheit or so increases the chance of conflict between groups by 11 percent to 14 percent. For the United States, the formula says that for every increase of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 Celsius),

the likelihood of violent crime goes up 2 percent to 4 percent. Temperatures in much of North America and Eurasia are likely to go up by that amount by about 2065 because of increases in carbon dioxide pollution, according to a separate paper published in Science. In one study, police officers in a psychology experiment were more likely to choose to shoot someone in a lab simulation when the room temperature was hotter, Hsiang said. He also pointed to the collapse of the Mayan civilization that coincided with periods of historic drought about 1,200 years ago. There is a good reason why peo-

ple get more aggressive in warmer weather, said Ohio State University psychology professor Brad Bushman. His work was analyzed by Hsiang. Although people say they feel sluggish when they are hot, their heart rate and other physical responses are aroused and elevated. They think they are not agitated, when in fact they are, and “that’s a recipe for disaster,” Bushman said. “The world will be a very violent place by midcentury if climate change continues as projected,” said Thomas Homer-Dixon, a professor of diplomacy at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Ontario.

GUWAHATI, AUGUST 2 (PTI): The UPA government’s decision to create Telangana has brought long-standing demands by four ethnic groups for separate states carved out of Assam to the fore, with largescale violence and agitation erupting in the state. Bodos, Karbi, Dimasas and Koch-Rajbongshis have demanded separate states. The hill district of Karbi Anglong witnessed violence with two persons killed and several injured. The All Bodo Students’ Union was observing a 12-hour rail blockade on Friday with several organizations, including the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, All Bodo Women’s Federation, Bodoland Peoples Progressive Front, NDFB(P), People Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement. The ABSU has also called a 60-hour strike from August 5 to demand a separate state for Bodos. The United Democratic People’s Front, comprising several Bodo organisations, has called a 1,500hour strike, the longest ever in the region, from August five on the same demand. The National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Progressive and the People’s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement have jointly called a 100-hour highway blockade from August 13 and will observe a 24-hour hungerstrike on August 20 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The Bodo Peoples’

Front, an ally of the ruling Congress in the state government, has also stepped up demand for a separate state for the community and had met Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde last Wednesday at New Delhi. The All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union has begun a 36-hour Assam strike from Thursday demanding a separate Kamtapur state which would be followed by a 100-hour hunger-strike and a bandh on Independence Day. The Hills State Democratic Party has called a 100-hour strike in the hill districts of Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong from August 5 demanding separate states of Dima Hasoa and Karbi Anglong. The HSDP observed a 10-hour bandh in Dima Hasao district yesterday demanding a separate Dima Hasao state. ABSU President Pramode Boro on Friday said that the decision to create Telangana was discriminatory. “Our longstanding demand has been ignored and the identity of Bodos is at stake. We will not stop our agitation at any cost till our demand for a separate Bodoland is met,” he said. The PJACBM, comprising 55 Bodo organizations, has also warned the government of intensifying the agitation if the demand for a separate Bodoland state was not met which was more than four decades old and its creation was as legitimate as Telangana.

“NDFB-P, which was holding talks with the Centre for the last seven years, has stressed that creation of Bodoland was imperative for safeguarding the identity, culture and protection of land of Bodos,” outfit’s general secretary Govind Basumatary said. AKRSU President Biswajit Roy said that if the government failed to resolve the issue of a separate Kamtapur state they would be left with no option but to intensify the agitation. He claimed that the demand for Kamtapur was the oldest statehood demand dating back to 1969 and it was high time that the government took the issue seriously. Major political parties in Assam — AIUDF, AGP and BJP along with the ruling Congress were opposed to the creation of separate states. AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that the creation of Telangana would lead to demands for more states in Assam, but any further division would not lead to economic development of the state for its people. The AIUDF, the major opposition party in the state assembly, has also stated that it was opposed to any further division of the state. BJP’s Assam unit president Sarbananda Sonowal said that his party was not in favour of any further division of the state, but would work for the creation of a greater Assam. Related story on page 3

Governor sets parameters No respite for Zoological Park from encroachment for Excise dept personnel Illegal settlement

DIMAPUR, AUGUST Inspector of Excise, Deputy 2 (MExN): The Nagaland Superintendent of Excise, Governor has in a notifica- Superintendent of Excise, tion dated July 23, 2013 Assistant Commissioner informed that whenever of Excise, Deputy Commisany personnel of the Na- sioner of Excise or any Exgaland Excise department cise officials empowered by resorts to firing, each such the Nagaland government incident shall be enquired into • Executive Magistrates to by an Executive enquire instances of firing Magistrate of the locality. The • Investigations in cases of notification isunnecessary, unwarranted sued on behalf or excessive firing of the Governor by Secretary to the Nagaland government, to maintain and safeguard Ramongo Lotha said that public order relating to any proceeding, including state excise and prohibition. institution of a criminal case It may be noted that of any nature or affecting an the Nagaland state governarrest can be initiated by the ment had decided to arm Police. However, this can be Excise personnel in Nagadone on condition that the land with firearms in view magisterial enquiry deems of the “mounting threat” that the use of firearms has faced by the personnel been unnecessary, unwar- while carrying out governranted or excessive and that ment/official duties under such a report has been ex- the Nagaland Total Prohibiamined and accepted by the tion Act 1989 and the NarGovernment. cotic Drugs and PsychotroThis directive has been pic Substances Act, 1985. taken keeping in mind that “the use of firearms in dis- Nagaland Excise and Narcharge of their mandated cotics department comduty and responsibility mended may expose excise personMeanwhile the Deputy nel to vexation of criminal Director General (East) of proceedings and that there the Narcotics Control Buis need to provide them im- reau has in a letter community from prosecution mended the personnel of without prior sanction.” the Nagaland Excise and The Governor stated Narcotics department. The that the provision as envis- letter addressed to the Naaged in sub-Section (2) of galand Excise CommissionSection 197 of the code of er said that seizures made by criminal procedure shall the department during the apply to all Excise Officers last three years are “quite including Excise consta- impressive” and that the bles, Head constables, As- personnel have shown “high sistant Inspector of Excise, standard and dedication.”

and settlers evicted Morung Express news Dimapur | August 2

There is no respite from human intrusion for the erstwhile Rangapahar Reserve Forest, which has been reduced to a mere zoo. The Department of Forests had to once again battle it out against encroachment at the state’s only zoological park at Rangaphar, Dimapur. The department along with the district administration removed an illegal settlement on the eastern side of the Nagaland Zoological Park (NZP) on Saturday, August 2. The settlement consisting of around 20 thatched and semiconcrete structures had started

An illegal structure built alongside the nagaland Zoological Park, Dimapur being taken down during the eviction drive carried out by the Forest department on August 2. (Morung Photo)

cropping up all along the narrow strip of barren land that comes between the PWD road leading to Ganeshnagar industrial village and

the NZP’s brick perimeter wall that runs alongside the road. Settlers had started occupying the strip of land roughly measuring, according

to the department, 800 meters in length since the beginning of 2012. By July 2013, the settlement had grown to around 7 households, including a church. The settlers claimed that the land neither belong to the PWD nor the Forest department. The department on the other hand asserted that the land comes within the ambit of the NZP as the disputed portion of land was originally set aside for “beautification” projects in future. On Saturday, subsequent to an ‘Eviction Notice’ dated July 31, 2013 all the structures were removed and the settlers asked to shift. The notice to vacate came following a judgment from the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court dated July 29, 2013, which quashed an earlier ‘ad interim’ order passed by a lower court in April of 2012. Continued on page 5

“Media Initiative for Social Transformation” Morung Express news Dimapur | August 2

The role of the media in society and its ability to affect the social order was expounded upon at the dialogue on “Media Initiative for Social Transformation” held on August 2 at the Brahma Kumaris Rajyoga Education Centre, Padumpukhuri, Dimapur. Key speaker at the discussion, Prof Kamal Dixit, senior Journalist and Media Trainer, Indore opined that the media has always been a significant pillar of society. As an author of several books on journalism and mass communication,

including training course on value based journalism; Prof Kamal Dixit stated that those who are performing the role of journalists should ‘somewhere along the line’ also be able to take a value based stand when it comes to their work. Stating that all over the world, journalists today are faced with ethical dilemmas, he suggested and called for a more humane approach and a balance to combine spiritualism and better professionalism in one’s work. The participants raised

and discussed important issues on whether the media can bring about a social transformation. They also agreed that although the

media cannot afford to be driven by its own opinions; however it also cannot remain mute spectators. Meanwhile, projecting

a different dimension of the role of media, BK Sushant, Freelance Journalist, social worker and motivational speaker from Delhi felt that the big question and difference lies in the perception of a journalist to choose between one’s work and his/her ‘human element’. He opined that a Journalist has to see what good can be done for society, and in the interest of the people. Speaking on the values of media, he felt that the media being the most important pillar can spread this

positivity and build society. “When the media reflects positivity in itself and exudes spiritual courage and will power, then it can guide the society”, he said. Calling for true social transformation in a sustained way, he also said that the first answer to transformation starts within and then later in society. “Heal yourself first to be able to heal others,” he added. BK Shantanu, Headquarter coordinator of media wing for Brahma Kumari’s institution at Mount Abu also participated in the discussion. It was attended by local media persons, members of the Brahma Kumari Rajyoga, Mount Abu and others.

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