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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. X ISSUE 39
www.morungexpress.com
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Wednesday, February 11, 2015 12 pages Rs. 4
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You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus
Obama Crouching Tiger weighing star Zhang to decision marry Rocker on arming after drone Ukraine forces proposal [ PAGE 9]
SIRD and SLNA team visits DoLR’s resource centre [ PAGE 2]
Right to religion not above public morality: SC
[ PAGE 11]
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– Mark Twain
India crush Afghanistan by 153 runs [ PAGE 12]
[ PAGE 8]
AAP victory unmasks the BJP’s invincibility DELhI POLLS: AAP – 67 •BJP – 3 •congress – 0
Students appear for their Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) examinations at an examination centre in Holy Cross School, Dimapur on Tuesday, February 10. A total of 52793 students will be appearing for the HSLC, HSSLC and Class 11 promotion exams this year under the Nagaland Board of School Education. Photo by Caisii Mao
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
NLTP ought to be scrapped. I joined the force to hunt down hardcore criminals not haul booze bottles.
ASU appeals for lower transportation fares KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 10 (MExN): In the backdrop of falling fuel prices internationally as well as in the country, the Angami Students’ Union (ASU) has appealed for cutting down the fares of taxis, buses and all modes of public transportation in the state, particularly Kohima. A press note from the ASU appealed to the Kohima Deputy Commissioner to “regulate a contingency plan to cut down the rates at the earliest for the welfare of the public in the Capital of Nagaland.” It also requested that taxis and public transport exiting and entering Kohima be included in the formulation. The ASU further urged for strict implementation of students’ concession for the students in uniform, proper college blazers and identity cards. A representation to this end has been submitted to the Kohima DC.
NSCN (K) expunges Ao tribe
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 10 (MExN): The NSCN (K) has decided to ‘expunge’ the Ao tribe from the content and context of Naga political struggle under NSCN/GPRN. “With the struggle entering into crucial stage and seriously viewing the unrelenting stand of the Ao tribe led by Ao Senden and supported by Ao’s apex organisations,” the NSCN (K) stated in a press release from its Military Supervisor, Nagaland, Lt. Gen. Niki Sumi and PRO, Nagaland, Isak Sumi, that “henceforth, the Ao as a tribe in general shall be treated as expunged in both the content and context of Naga political struggle under NSCN/GPRN.” In that, every administrative and military unit of the NSCN (K) spread across Naga inhabited territories have been directed to “cease entertaining any Ao organisation starting from Ao Senden down to grass root levels in any situations, crisis or issues.” The NSCN (K), however, sincerely honoured the “unre-
mitting sacrifices” of Ao workers in the struggle “despite antiNSCN (K) attitude, stance and actions” of the community. The nationalist group recently reviewed the 12 years of “clog up” with the Ao community, the press release informed, and presented the facts and events that, as per the NSCN (K), “triggered off the crisis in the year 2002 and the resultant persisting impasse.” “Since then, the Ao tribe declared non-cooperation to the NSCN/GPRN, the affirmation continues to be maintained hitherto with several efforts for reconciliation both formal and informal proven futile,” it noted. While espousing “equal partnership” with every Naga tribe in the course of the journey to ‘Sovereignty,’ the NSCN (K) maintained that “transgression upon Naga political struggle by any individual tribe or community shall never be a cause for NSCN/GPRN to renege on our commitment.” Full text on page 4
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 10 (AP): An upstart anti-corruption party won a smashing victory in elections to install a state government in India’s capital, dealing a huge blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party. While the results from last weekend’s elections will not have any bearing on the structure of the federal government, they sent a clear message to Modi that he was not invincible despite his party’s strong showing in state elections since it was swept to power last year. They were also an indication of voters’ frustration with endemic corruption. Thousands of jubilant supporters of former tax collector Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Admi Party, or Common Man’s Party, beat drums and danced in celebration after India’s Election Commission announced results Tuesday showing AAP’s overwhelming win. “Such a big mandate is very scary, and we should live up to people’s expectations,” Kejriwal told his cheering supporters, who yelled “Five years, Kejriwal!” and showered rose petals on him outside the party’s headquarters in New Delhi. Analysts said the scale of the defeat of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was a wake-up call for the government. “Modi came to power in May making promises to people. But he has nothing to show on the ground even though eight months have passed,” said Zoya Hasan, a political analyst with New Delhi’s Jawarhalal Nehru University. Kejriwal, whose promises of subsidized electricity also helped him win over voters, said the arrogance of leaders in Modi’s party led to the BJP’s poor showing. The party had
Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, celebrate their party’s victory in New Delhi, Tuesday, February 10. The upstart anti-corruption party has won a smashing victory in elections to install a state government in India’s capital, officials said Tuesday, dealing a huge blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party. (AP Photo)
been on a winning streak since demolishing the competition in national elections in May, with many attributing its success to Modi’s charisma and his promises to increase economic growth and end corruption. Kejriwal has made opposition to widespread graft a centerpiece of his political work. During a brief stint as New Delhi’s leader last year, he promised tough action against police officers and officials caught accepting bribes, and encouraged ordinary people to carry out sting operations by filming officials accepting bribes. Modi said he spoke with Kejriwal on Tuesday, congratulating him and assuring the federal government’s support in developing the capital. “The AAP is going to write a chapter in history, in the his-
strengthen the local leadership. Kejriwal, a former income tax official, became hugely popular during his 2013 election campaign, which honed in on corruption as the country’s greatest menace. While no party won an outright majority in that election, Kejriwal led a minority government for 49 days before resigning, leaving New Delhi under temporary federal government control. While his resignation initially appeared to have left him in the political wilderness, Tuesday’s results reflected his continued broad support, particularly among middleand working-class voters. “Democracy is winning today ... because an honest man is standing for us,” 22-year-old student Pradeep Kumar said. Related story on page 8
nsf kicks off sensitization tour 489-crores announced for Our Correspondent Kohima | February 10
Starting off its tour of all districts in Nagaland and the four hill districts of Manipur, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) today had a joint consultative meeting with the Angami apex organizations and all the ward chairmen under Kohima district here. The tour, according to the NSF, aims to “sensitize and educate” on how Nagas should deal with the “menace of Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants (IBIs).” The Federation had asserted that the
proposed touring is “neither against the Muslim Community nor against the genuine non-locals from the mainland India but a campaign to educate and at the same time seek the opinion of the people to formulate a mechanism to curb the unabated influx of IBIs in Naga inhabited areas.” During the meeting, it was agreed upon that growing population of “Illegal Bangaldeshi immigrants in Nagaland are a serious threat to the present and future generation of our society.” “Therefore Nagas should collectively work together to solve this menace,” stated NSF president Tongpang Ozukum and general secre-
tary Esther Rhakho. Referring to the draft modality brought out by NSF on checking the influx of illegal immigrants, the house had a threadbare deliberation, and while sharing their opinions and suggestions, the house further encouraged the Federation to work with commitment in order to accomplish its mission. After touring all the districts, the NSF will submit certain demands to the government for streamlining the existing monitoring system of ILP and also to formulate an effective and appropriate mechanism for dealing with the “Illegal Bangaldeshi Immigrants issue.”
‘time to examine purposely cooling planet idea’
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tory of politics,” party supporter Nandidi, a homemaker who goes by one name, said while celebrating outside party headquarters. With most votes counted, the Election Commission said the AAP won 66 out of 69 seats, with the BJP winning just three. The AAP was ahead in the one remaining constituency in the 70-seat assembly. “Something dramatic has happened,” a dejected BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli said. The Congress party, which governed the capital for 15 years until its defeat in 2013, was nowhere on the radar. The BJP had hoped to make a comeback in New Delhi, where it lost its stronghold 15 years ago, and many speculated the party decided to field former police officer and party outsider Kiran Bedi, a former Kejriwal ally, to
WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 10 (AP): It’s time to study and maybe even test the idea of cooling the Earth by injecting sulfur pollution high in the air to reflect the sun’s heat, a first-of-itskind U.S. science report said Tuesday. The idea was once considered fringe — to purposely re-engineer the planet’s climate as a last ditch effort to battle global warming with an artificial cloud. No longer. In a report, the National Academy of Sciences said that the concept should not be acted upon immediately because it is too risky, but it should be studied and perhaps tested outdoors in small projects. It could be a relatively cheap, effective and quick way to cool the planet by mimicking the natural effects on climate of large volcanic eruptions, but scientists concede there could be dramatic and dangerous side effects that they don’t know about. Because warming has worsened
and some countries might act unilaterally, scientists said research is needed to calculate the consequences. Panel chairwoman Marcia McNutt, editor of the journal Science and former director of the U.S. Geological Survey, said in an interview that the public should read this report “and say, ‘This is downright scary.’ And they should say, ‘If this is our Hail Mary, what a scary, scary place we are in.’” This is the first time a governmentassociated science panel talked about the controlled small scale outdoor tests of the artificial cloud concept, called solar radiation management or SRM. But even then panelists downplayed the idea and said it would require some kind of government or other oversight before it is done. “Yes, small scale outdoor tests might be allowed, but it wouldn’t just be in the hands of scientists to decide what’s allowable and what’s not allowable,” McNutt said. “Civil society
needs to engage in these discussions where the line is to be drawn.” Some scientists worry that research itself it will make this type of planet hacking more likely to occur. “This creates a bit of what we call a moral hazard,” said Waleed Abdalati, a University of Colorado ice scientist and former NASA chief scientist. “There will likely come a time we’re going to want to know the ramifications of that kind of action. ... You’re talking about potentially changing weather and climate. You don’t want to do that without as good an understanding as you can possibly have.” The panel did favor technology to suck carbon dioxide from the air and bury it underground. But unlike the artificial cloud concept, it would be costly and take decades to cool the planet. Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of the burning of coal, oil and gas. Removing it from the air treats the cause of man-made global warming, while
deflecting the sun with an artificial cloud only treats the symptoms and does nothing about ocean acidification, the report said. A leading climate engineering scientist, David Keith of Harvard, hailed the report, but said it could have gone further. With backing from billionaire Bill Gates, Keith has proposed an experiment involving putting about two pounds (1 kilogram) of a sulfur solution in the air to see what happens. Other climate scientists are adamantly against injecting sulphates into the air, even as a last ditch effort. Such an idea “could do far more harm than good” and scientists should treat the Earth like doctors do their patients, abiding by the rule “first, do no harm,” said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann. But he favors increased study of the issue “if only for one purpose: to expose just how dangerous many of these schemes might be.”
revival of tuli Paper Mill Morung Express News Mokokchung | February 10
After being in the dock for 22 years, the paper mill in Tuli, Mokokchung district saw a ray of hope with the visit of Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise, Anat G Geete. “What has been done is done. Let’s not look back but look forward to the future for its revival”, stated Geete during his visit to the mill on Tuesday. The Union Minister announced a revival package of Rs 489 crore with a share holding of 95 percent with the Government of India and 5 percent with the Nagaland state government. The revival project includes the establishment of paper machines and a power plant of 8.5 MW in the first phase, for which a sum of 130 crore will be sanctioned. He informed that work under phase one would be completed by 2016. The Minister laid the foundation stone for the power plant complex on the same day. Geete asserted that the required power for running the Nagaland Paper and Pulp Corporation (NPPC) is 5MW. So the surplus 3.5MW generated from the power plant will be given to the government of Nagaland. The first phase will be commissioned in November 2016. With an equity share of 23 crore to the Government of Nagaland, Geete stressed on cooperation from the state government for revival of the mill. The union minister promised 100
percent hand skill jobs to the local people and also priority to be given to local people with knowledge and skills of technical hand jobs. Students and unemployed youth looking for jobs will be selected and given apprenticeships for training in bigger mills. The existing man power in the mill is 200. The first phase will require a man power of 600 while the man power requirement in the second phase will be 750. The Union Minister said a meeting will be conducted with the Chief Minister and concerned departments on the second week of March. He further promised to visit the mill every six months. The revival package for the second phase of the project is 190 crore. A worker from the mill however was less optimistic. “Sums of money have been sanctioned but none utilized for the mill. The terminations of officers in recent years are examples of corruption in the management of the mill’’, he alleged. He asserted that transparency is mandatory for the project to achieve its objective. Meanwhile, the workers union also forwarded a representation to the Union Minister for the revival of their 1997 pay scale to 2007 pay scale. A package of revival has been announced; projects and plans have been discussed and the government has two years for the revival of NPPC. Will the revival happen in reality in these two years or will it last another twenty two years?
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