C M Y K
www.morungexpress.com
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 154
The Morung Express “
www.morungexpress.com
”
A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd
Sumitra Mahajan elected Lok Sabha Speaker [ PAGE 8]
Longon plans better health care in rural areas
Jennifer Lopez Splits from Boyfriend
World honors D-Day’s fallen, 70 years on [ PAGE 9]
[ PAGE 12]
‘nagaland is rich in gold’
By Sandemo Ngullie
Don’t worry about anything, Papa. Google Search hoon na.
Police officer killed in Assam gun battle
Dimapur traffic rules from June 9
C M Y K
DiMaPur, June 6 (Mexn): In view of the increasing traffic congestion in the main town, the District Road Transport Authority has notified all trucks/heavy vehicles and auto rickshaws with regard to restrictions of entry of these vehicles in the main town on specific timings. No trucks/heavy vehicles shall be allowed to enter from Duncan Basti near West PS toward Dhobinalla till 5:00pm (summer) and 4:00pm (winter) respectively. No trucks/heavy vehicles shall be allowed to enter from Clock tower towards Plaza Point or from Deluxe Point towards Church Road from 7:00am till 8:00pm. No autorickshaws shall be allowed to enter from Dhobinalla towards Plaza Point/ Clock Tower towards Plaza Point and from Deluxe Point towards Church Road from 9:00am to 12:00noon and from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on all days except Sunday. This order will come into effect from June 9, notified the SP of Dimapur today. Any truck or authorickshaw not conforming to the directive shall be penalized as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, it was informed.
–Max Lucado
[ PAGE 2]
reflections
Guwahati, June 6 (ianS): A superintendent of police and his personal security officer were killed in a gun battle with militants in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, police said Friday. The incident took place Thursday night when Superintendent of Police of Hamren Police district Nityananda Goswami led an anti-insurgency operation in Rimthiyam village under the Hamren sub-division, about 150 km from the district headquarters Diphu. “The casualty came to focus only today (Friday) morning after the recovery of the bodies of Goswami and his PSO Ratul Nunisa,” a police official said, adding that the site of the gun battle was close to the Assam-Meghalaya border. “Goswami led the operation yesterday (Thursday) morning after receiving a tip off that some militants were hiding in the area. He was accompanied by 18 policemen. After reaching the area, they formed three six-member teams and launched the operation,” said the police official. Police suspect that militants belonging to Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and United Karbi Liberation Army (UKLA) were behind the ambush. Senior police officials, including Director General of Police Khagen Sarma and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) A.P. Raut, rushed to Hamren to review the law and order situation.
Saturday, June 7, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4
Novak Djokovic into French Open final
[ PAGE 11]
C M Y K
Members of a Sikh group clash with guards of the Sikh’s holiest shrine, the Golden Temple, in Amritsar, India, Friday, June 6. Half a dozen people were wounded Friday as members of a Sikh group brandishing swords and wooden sticks clashed with guards at the shrine in India, an official said. The clash occurred during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the storming of the shrine by the Indian army in June 1984 (Operation Bluebird) in the northern city of Amritsar, said Kiran Jyoti Kaur, a Golden Temple management spokeswoman. (AP Photo) Story on page 8
ACAUT asks Excise Commissioner to shut down liquor shops in 24 hours
DiMaPur, June 6 (Mexn): The Against Corruption And Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland has requested Commissioner of Excise, Maongwati Aier, to “kindly shut down within 24 hours the major places selling liquor illegally in town.” These have been noted by the ACAUT to be all the wine-shops near Axis Bank, Faith Hospital junction, Khermahal Junction, Super Market area, Signal Angami area, etc., masquerading either as mineral water outlets or restaurants; all the wine-shops at Deluxe Point/ Bata Charali area, Eros line area, etc., masquerading as family restaurants, and all the so-called bars and pubs, hotels, restaurants in town, including those located opposite SP office and Popular Bakery area. “Unless the Commissioner takes action within 24 hours under Clauses 35, 36, 37, Chapter-4 of The Nagaland
Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 where the department is EMPOWERED to ENTER, SEARCH, make SEIZURE and ARREST, it would be an open admission before the Naga people that selling/serving of IMFL/ beer in a prohibited state is possible simply because the connivance of the department at the highest level with the mafia elements trading in IMFL/beer,” noted the ACAUT in a press release from its media cell today. Failure to implement the above, it maintained, shall be construed as “abdicating responsibility” and the Commissioner Excise should resign. Further, on the issuing of a showcause notice to a sub-ordinate officer of the Department by the Excise Commissioner, the ACAUT stated that this was a case of “the pot calling the kettle black” since the “whole Excise department is awash with
corruption and the Commissioner himself is responsible.” Instead of suspending a few low-level erring officers, the ACAUT urged the Government of Nagaland to “take a tough stance and initiate action against all erring officers.” With regards to the Excise Commissioner’s statement that “ACAUT Nagaland members did not seek permission from the Excise department for counting the IMFL bottles,” the ACAUT wondered if “the Commissioner takes permission from illegal wine-shop owners and bootleggers before conducting surprise checking and raids, if at all such takes place.” It asked the Excise Department to clarify what it has done to “curb this mockery” wherein spurious IMFL/ beer are sold at prominent places in town right under the nose of the department.
BanGalore, June 6 (ianS): “There’s gold in them thar hills” was a promotional campaign that ran in Georgia in the US for almost a century from the 1830s and this could well apply to the Naga Hills straddling India and Myanmar, which are a promising place to prospect for the yellow metal, according to a geologist who has worked extensively there. The discovery that can potentially put Nagaland on the gold map has been reported by Naresh Ghose, a retired geology professor of Patna University in the journal Current Science. His conclusion has emerged from an intensive study of rocks called “ophiolites” found in that region. Ophiolites are slices of what were once the ocean floor but were thrust on to the continental crust more than 65 million years ago by the action of what geologists call plate tectonics, a mechanism that gave rise to the Himalayas. The hill ranges of Nagaland and Manipur bordering Myanmar are one such place on earth where an ancient oceanic crust had emerged on the land as a result of collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate. The Naga Hills Ophiolite (NHO), as this region is called, consists of a variety of sedimentary rocks. Though the NHO was discovered in the 1970s its potential as a source of minerals was not realised till the 1980s when Ghose launched the study. According to Ghose, the inaccessible nature of the terrain and lack of infrastructure are among the major constraints for undertaking a systematic study and exploitation of the NHO. Ghose says his preliminary study has brought to light the occurrence of gold in NHO in the native as well as in alloy form. Ghose’s study dealt with rocks exposed as ophiolite at the northern and eastern margin of India along the suture zone where India and Eurasia collided to form the Himalayan mountain range. About 1,200 thin sections of rocks collected from across the NHO by his students were ana-
lyzed using instruments at the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Bangalore and were found to contain grains of both native gold and gold-silver alloy, the report said. Gold mineralization in layered sections of Ophiolites “opens a new avenue for searching for primary gold in NHO,” Ghose told IANS. According to the report, gold in pure form and also as gold-silver alloy, is found to occur near Sutsu, a village in Phek district about 60 kilometres from Nagaland capital Kohima. Small, detached lenses or larger bodies of “gabbros” (igneous rocks) are encountered between Tizu River gorge and Lacham Lake in the central part of ophiolite belt. The largest body of ophiolite - three km in length, 2.5 km in width and 300 metres thick - is present east of Moki, the report said. Ghose said that sediments in the northern and central parts of the ophiolite belt are favourable sites for exploration and prospecting of noble metals. Similarly, a search for placer deposits in the Tizu River and its tributaries flowing across the northern part of the ophiolite belt “is also favoured as an alternative prospect of secondary gold”. According to GSI, India now produces gold from Hutti, Uti and Hirabuddni mines in Karnataka and as by product from sulphide deposits of Khetri in Rajasthan and Mosabani, Singhbhum and Kundrekocha in Jharkhand. The Puga geothermal system is a “hot spring type” epithermal gold deposit in the making in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Ghose said that the ophiolitic rocks of mantle and oceanic crust parentage at the continental plate margin in northeast India “have vast potential for intensive research and economic growth”. However, the extent of gold reserves in Nagaland cannot be predicted on the basis of his preliminary study. “It calls for a more detailed geophysical and geochemical studies,” Ghosh added.
However, the extent of gold reserves in Nagaland cannot be predicted on the basis of preliminary study
all set NSCN (K) on Naga Sovereignty rio takes charge of issues in Parliament centre to ban KPlt
“There is no alternative but sovereignty even if it be in God’s own good time”
DiMaPur, June 6 (Mexn): The NSCN (Khaplang) has stated its position that “there is no alternative but sovereignty even if it be in God’s own good time,” clarifying on claims that it was “already inclined to political arrangement with Myanmar.” “Exception of ceasefire/peace agreements with India and Myanmar, the NSCN/GPRN is yet to initiate any formal political processes; therefore, the detractors’ eagerness to brand NSCN/GPRN as having already inclined to political arrangement with Myanmar is nothing but anti-Naga psychological campaign to demoralize the NSCN/GPRN and the Nagas in general,” stated a press note issued by Lt. Gen. Niki Sumi of the People’s Army of Nagaland NSCN (K). While stating that “the IndoNaga-Myanmar political issue basically is none but “Sovereignty” of the Nagas,” it affirmed that “NSCN/ GPRN’s commitment on the issue remains clear and undiluted.” The NSCN (K) has taken exception to how the group had been “unnecessarily dragged in by few high profile individuals either out of their ignorance or with ulterior motives” while “speculating on possible settlement between GOI and IM.” Clarifying its position on Naga sovereignty, it informed of a number of facts, namely when Myanmar held its first democratic election (since 1951) on 7th November 2010, SS Khaplang led NSCN/ GPRN boycotted the process in the entire Naga inhabited area, as a result, balloting could be held in only two military stations. Furthermore, that the few educated Naga elites representing
the Nagas in Myanmar Union are “mostly nominal (nominees) in nature (not mass-based elected) and purely for the purpose of improving wretched economic and developmental aspects and in no manner infringe upon the sovereign status of the Nagas being championing by NSCN/GPRN hitherto”. It was pointed out that in recent years the conflicting states in Myanmar had invited Nagas to join the “Union of States as member so as to pursue negotiated political status within Myanmar Union.” The NSCN (K), however, declined the offer, “keeping in view the inherent panNaga sovereign standing encompassing ancestral Naga home land spread over Myanmar and India.” As recently as in 2014, the Myanmar Government had invited NSCN (K) along with the rest of “conflicting states for joint political consultation and resolution within Union of Myanmar,” The NSCN (K) maintained that “sovereignty being the sole objective of the Nagas, we are in no position to equate ourselves with other states and therefore refused to be a part of joint initiative.” The political convention in question, it was informed, had been “privileged to have had numerous international observers which included European and American countries.” The NSCN (K) also stated that while the Nagas in Myanmar are yet to see the light of modernity “rather than alleged acceptance of political settlement- in staunch defence of Naga Sovereignty,” it was for the “Nagas of India to ponder over accord after accord starting from Hydari agreement, 16 point agreement to NNC/FGN’s Shillong Accord, by which successive acts of treasons the Nagas have been arbitrarily divided and are still languishing in political slavery under Myanmar and India.” Full text on page 4
DiMaPur, June 6 (Mexn): Nagaland’s lone Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Neiphiu Rio took oath as an MP on June 5. According to a press note issued by PRO, Nagaland House, New Delhi, Rio has been meeting a number of leaders and ministers in New Delhi after taking oath. He met Union Home Minister and National BJP President Rajnath Singh, in a meeting with whom he highlighted the need for early resolution of the Naga political issue. He also met and impressed upon Union Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijuju to expedite the peace process and work towards early resolution of the political problem. Later Rio met Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Sarbananda Sonowal and highlighted the need to promote sports and youth activities, create employment and entrepreneur opportunities and promote youth empowerment. Rio stressed on the urgent need to promote youth of the North Eastern region and address the problems being faced by the people of the North East in the rest of the country, especially in metropolitan cities. Urges support for resolution to Naga issue Participating in the ongoing parliament session immediately after the election of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Rio congratulated the newly elected Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan. Rio extended felicitations on behalf of Nagaland, the Naga People’s Front and the North East Regional Parties Front to the Speaker. He assured cooperation to the Chair while urging upon her support in bringing about peace and resolution of the Naga po-
Nagaland Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Neiphiu Rio is seen here with the Union Home Minister and National BJP President, Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
litical problem. He stressed that Nagaland is fifty years old, that he was the lone MP in the House and that the Naga political problem needed to be seriously discussed and addressed. It was also informed that senior leaders, including both the MPs from Sikkim, Rajya Sabha MP, S. Reddy, senior officers and representatives of NGOs and civil societies have called on Rio. Highlights poor air connectivity The Lok Sabha MP has taken up the issue of poor air connectivity in Nagaland with the Prime Minister and the Union Civil Aviation Minister. In a letter addressed to the PM, Rio stated, “at present, only Air India is operating in Dimapur with five flights a week to Kolkata via Dibrugarh. In this regard there is an urgent need to increase air services to Dimapur and also introduce new flights in this sector in the greater in-
terest of the people.” The letter further informed that the Dimapur Airport is in very poor condition and its facilities need to be immediately improved and upgraded. At present the aircraft that is operating in the Dimapur sector is very old and regularly faces technical problems and therefore this concern also needs to be addressed urgently, the letter stated. Rio suggested some immediate actions to be taken up by the Government of India like introduction of direct flights from Delhi to Dimapur and Dimapur to Delhi via Kolkata, introduction of Dimapur – Guwahati – Kolkata flights and improvement of Dimapur Airport facilities. Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Neiphiu Rio together met the Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, in New Delhi today to highlight the connectivity problems of the State. They also met Union DONER Minister Gen. VK Singh.
new Delhi, June 6 (Pti): The Centre is all set to declare a militant group in Assam, Karbi Peoples’ Liberation Tigers (KPLT), as a banned organisation following spurt in violence perpetrated by it. A decision in this effect is expected early next week, a senior Home Ministry official said Friday. The KPLT militants killed a Superintendent of Police and another policeman in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district and their bodies were found early today. The official said the outfit mostly operates in one district, Karbi Anglong. Despite having very few members as its cadre, KPLT has been unleashing a reign of terror and was involved at least 50 violent incidents in last three months, he said. At least 20 people, including policemen, were killed and several crore of rupees were extorted from businessmen, especially contractors, by the outfit, halting development works, the official said.
Rijiju to visit Assam
new Delhi, June 6 (ianS): Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will go to Assam Saturday following the death of a superintendent of police and his personal security officer in a gun battle with militants in the state’s Karbi Anglong district, an official said. “The minister will be leaving for Assam tomorrow (Saturday) morning,” a home ministry spokesperson told IANS.
C M Y K