C M Y K
www.morungexpress.com
The Morung Express
Dimapur Vol. X issuE 42
www.morungexpress.com
“
The big fat Hinduja wedding!
Fire services request public to comply with fire exigencies [ PAGE 2]
At least 19 killed in attack on Shi’ite mosque in Pakistan
[ PAGE 11]
By Sandemo Ngullie
lipichem Avankhu | February 13
The Morung Express Poll QuEsTion
Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 Do you agree with NSF that the Non-Detention Policy does not suit the Nagas at this very juncture? Yes
no
others
A Yanang Konyak appointed as new NPSC Chairman KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 13 (MExN): The Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) today informed that A Yanang Konyak has taken over the charge as the 16th Chairman of the Commission with effect from February, 2015. A press note from the NPSC informed that Konyak, BD, MA. has pioneered numerous works for the development of the Konyak Language and has authored several books. Before joining the Nagaland Public Service Commission as Member on February 1 2012, Yanang Konyak worked with the Students’ Christian Movement of India (North East Region) as its Secretary and was also the Administratorcum-Treasurer of Alam Kaphen College (Wangkhao Government College) Mon. The officers and staff of the Commission welcomed its Chairman in a formal function conducted on February 13. The new Chairman stated that he would “give his utmost sincerity and dedication to his office in the interest of the future Naga generation.”
ANAHTA to protest non release of salaries
C M Y K
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 13 (MExN): The All Nagaland Aggrieved Hindi Teachers Association (ANAHTA) is scheduled to start its agitation from February 16, in protest against the non release of salaries. A press note from the ANAHTA informed that the association has decided to “bunk classes starting from February 16, Monday.” “If the pay is not released by February 17, the association will start fresh agitation from February 18,” it cautioned. The ANAHTA conducted an emergency meeting on Friday in Kohima to discuss the pending salary issues relating to the 6th ROP and arrear benefits. The meeting expressed concern at the Nagaland state government’s failure to live up to its promises of resolving the pending pay issue within January 31, 2015 and to release the 6th ROP with arrear benefits. This inaction, the ANAHTA stated “shall not be tolerated anymore.” The association further lamented that non-release of 6 months of pay has led to “acute hardship of teachers and their families.”
A battle between two nations [ PAGE 12]
living on the eDge christian school
For people of Avankhu village, poor connectivity and lack of infrastructure hinder opportunities to earn a decent living
Drinking should be elevated to the dignity of a career.
”
–Howard Zinn
[ PAGE 9]
[ PAGE 8]
reflections
saturday, February 14, 2015 12 pages Rs. 4
There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people
ISI cultivated Taliban to counter Indian interests: Musharraf
C M Y K
Avankhu, a village located along the border between the Indian state of Nagaland and Burma, is inhabited by the Pochuri Nagas. The name of the village means above the bamboo groove, derived from the Bara language of Burma. State policies indicate that the village will witness an international trade centre covering 52 acres in a short time. However, at present, the village is struggling to find ends meet due to lack of basic infrastructure, distance, poor road connectivity and a poor economy. Avankhu depends on Meluri, the administrative Hq, for survival. Most of the essential commodities, from salt to matchsticks, come from the administrative Hq which is 136 Kilometer away. And the road connecting the village resembles a track for off road enthusiasts, with no tarmac, gut wrenching turns and rock outcrops. There are 31 households in Avankhu, with 6 to 7 members in each family. The total population is 201. Villagers of Avankhu depend mostly on agriculture for their livelihood and many struggle to earn a decent livelihood. Rocky outcrops in fields have hindered agricultural practices in the area. In addition, wildlife from the virgin forests surrounding the village intrude into Jhum fields and destroy crops. And due to its isolation on the India side of the border, villagers prefer
attacked in Delhi
NEw DElHI, FEBRUARY 13 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday expressed his “deep concern” and “anguish” over rising crime in the national capital as he summoned Delhi police commissioner B.S. Bassi following the ransacking of a Christian school here. It was the sixth such incident targetting Christian institutions in the last two months -- with the other cases involving vandalism. “The prime minister expressed his deep concern and anguish to Bassi over increasing incidents in the capital in which churches and Christian institutions have been targeted,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said. Modi asked Bassi to “speedily investigate the recent incidents of vandalism and ensure that the guilty are brought to book”, it added. The prime minister also directed union Home Secretary L.C. Goyal to pay special attention to the rising incidents of crime and vandalism in the city. Employees of Holy Child Auxilium School in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area have told police that a few CCTV cameras in the premises were damaged, the principal’s office was ransacked and Rs.8,000 stolen from a donation box. The incident was condemned by the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party. Union Human Re-
source Minister Smriti Irani, who has been a student of the school, visited the school following the incident. Delhi chief ministerdesignate Arvind Kejriwal said such incidents will not be tolerated. Modi asked the home secretary to pay special attention “to the rising incidents of crime, and vandalism, and work towards ensuring safety and security of women in the capital”. Bassi later told media
Prime Minster Modi expresses anguish; summons Delhi police chief
A young girl and a child at play with a handmade wooden cart in the village of Avankhu, located at the border between nagaland state and Burma.
to travel into Burma to engage in trade and barter. An example of this is a group of women, calling themselves as the Self Help Group (SHG), which was formed by the Nagaland state department of Land Resources under the IWMP. This group travels to Shera village in Burma for trade. As the only income generating activity, they carry with them pottery, aluminum products, clothes, Morahs and other essential commodities like salt. They exchange these for Mozu, a Burmese biscuit; Dragon,
a Burmese beer and medication like Pametron. Pametron, a yellow coloured capsule, is used widely by the villagers, and is used to treat ailments from poisoning to dysentery and fever. Shera is the closest village across the border for the people of Avankhu, who can travel there and return home within one day. This has resulted in close ties between people from the two villages. People from Avankhu travel to villages in Burma every alternate day, with geographical proximity and economic opportunities playing a
key role for these close ties. Meanwhile, if the people of Avankhu want to get a whiff of any sort of township, they need to travel for a couple of days into towns like Lashe, also in Burma. The international trade centre, which is supposedly coming up soon in a 52 acre area of the village’s only gentle slope, has provided the villagers with a ray hope. But till that time, Avankhu and its people are making do without any basic infrastructure, and relying on trade across the border for a livelihood.
47 Myanmar soldiers killed hearing on three BJP MlAs deferred in clash with Kokang rebels DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 13 (MExN): The
YANgON, FEBRUARY 13 (AP): Battles between Myanmar troops and Kokang rebels near the Chinese border have killed 47 soldiers and wounded more than 70 others, state media said Friday, in a setback for the government as it steps up efforts to sign a nationwide cease-fire with ethnic insurgents. The number of rebel casualties was not immediately known. Since assuming power in 2011, the nominally civilian government of President Thein Sein has been trying to strike peace agreements with more than dozen ethnic rebel groups that have been fighting for decades for greater political autonomy in resourcerich border regions.
Though preliminary cease-fire pacts have been reached with most of the ethnic groups, clashes occasionally occur with Kachin, Shan and other armed groups. In addition to control over jade, timber and other natural resources in areas under their control, they want assurances that they will have some say over future troop movements. This week’s fighting near Laukkai, capital of the self-administered Kokang zone, has been some of the fiercest in the country in at least two years. Nay Zin Latt, a political adviser of the president, said it was a “tactical move” by ethnic insurgents to derail government efforts to reach a nationwide peace deal.
that Friday’s incident was related to theft, not desecration. “Our initial inquiry suggests it is not a case of desecration. It was a case of theft as Rs.8,000 was stolen from a donation box,” he said. Bassi said the culprits damaged some CCTV cameras in the premises of the school but religious articles were not disturbed. “The police have increased security around churches in Delhi. The police are taking this case with utter seriousness and the culprits will be brought to book,” Bassi said. Police officials told IANS that two people were seen in the CCTV footage. The culprits entered the school premises around 3.30 a.m. and left by 5.30 a.m. The school’s principal Sister Lucy John said six CCTV cameras in the
9 dead in train accident
Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on the petition filed by the NCP against three of its former MLAs Imtilemba Sangtam, Dr TM Lotha and Mmhonlumo Kikon, who had claimed merger with the BJP in June last year. The hearing, which was supposed to be held on February 13, has been deferred to April 21, informed the spokesperson for BJP Nagaland, James Vizo. The three MLAs had claimed a merger with the BJP, resulting in their disqualification from the NLA. However, in pursuance of a judgment from the division bench of the Guwahati High Court, the NLA Speaker reinstated the membership of the three MLAs on February 3, 2015. The NCP had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the high court judgment with the Supreme Court. In response the apex court accepted the SLP(C).
‘fare cut is unfair’: Dimapur auto drivers Morung Express news Dimapur | February 13
Autorickshaw drivers of Dimapur have termed the recent cut in fares as unfair. Drivers representing 19 recognized parking spots for autorickshaws in Dimapur (upto 5th Mile), assembled at the State Stadium on February 13 and expressed discontentment over the fare cut. The drivers said that it was irrational and unfair on the part of the authorities to target only autorickshaws. While acknowledging that fuel prices has decreased, they expressed resentment that fares of other transport vehicles have remained unchanged and prices of essential commodities continues to spiral. “It’s not fair… targeting
corridor were damaged, cupboards were ransacked and the two intruders took away money. Set up in 1970, the school is run by the Salesian Sisters. The Englishmedium school, meant primarily for Christian girls, also has students from other communities and religions. Leaders of the Christian community blamed some members of a group of intentionally targeting the community. Delhi Catholic Archdiocese spokesperson Father Savarimuthu Sankar claimed that the latest incident appeared to be aimed at instilling fear among the Christian community. “We see a clear pattern in all the attacks. Earlier, we thought that these attacks have a connection with the Delhi election,” said Sankar. “Now it is clear that this is the handiwork of some fundamentalist group whose motive is to instil fear among the Christian community.” Father Mathew Koyickal of the school told IANS: “The intention of the attackers is to unnerve the Christian community.” “The school was shut Friday following the incident. The earlier cases of vandalism of churches were reported from Vasant Kunj, Rohini, Jasola, Dilshad Garden and Vikaspuri.” Bassi, however, said the Vikaspuri incident had been solved, the incident in Rohini involved an electric short-circuit and the other cases were being probed.
Autorickshaws stuck in a traffic jam in Dimapur. Auto drivers from Dimapur have termed the recent lowering of auto fares as ‘unfair.’
only autorickshaws. Why couldn’t they cut prices of other transport vehicles,” said Hokhuvi Aye, whom the assembled drivers identified as their ‘Sessional president’ in place of the incumbent Dimapur District Autorickshaw Drivers’ Union (DDADU) president. Aye added that a pas-
senger autorickshaw incurs no less than a hundred rupees on “taxes” daily. Stating that the fare cut has hit them hard, another driver, who plies the Dhobinullah-Firing Range route, said that the present rate fixed by the authorities do not correspond with present prices. The driver said that
the present rate is according to 2008 prices when an autorickshaw cost less than a lakh and maintenance cost was lower than it is now. The drivers further expressed displeasure over the incumbent DDADU president’s perceived apathy towards the welfare of members. While demanding that the incumbent vacate the president’s position, the drivers said that they no longer recognise the incumbent as the president of the DDADU. The drivers said that the incumbent is not a fulltime autorickshaw driver and that he was not elected by them rather “selected” without their knowledge. The drivers further stated that they will be compelled to go on strike if there is no positive response to the demands.
Rescuers carry out the body of a victim from a train that derailed near Anekal, about 40 kilometers south of Bangalore on February 13. (AP Photo)
BENgAlURU, FEBRUARY 13 (IANS): Nine passengers were killed and 18 others severely injured when nine coaches of the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Inter-City Express derailed in Karnataka early Friday, an official said. The victims included five men, three women and a nine-year-old boy. As it was a day train with chair cars, the zonal railway did not have the full list of passengers travelling in the express, especially in the two compartments that were unreserved and bore the brunt. The incident oc-
curred at 7.35 a.m. after the train left Anekal station towards Hosur near the border with Tamil Nadu. “The derailment led to two coaches (eighth and ninth) telescoping into each other, resulting in nine fatalities and severe injuries to 18 co-passengers during the journey,” a railway official told IANS here. Bodies of all the victims were extricated from the twin coaches and the injured brought to hospitals at Anekal and Bengaluru for treatment. “A National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) team
conducted the rescue and relief operations at the accident site, while the stranded passengers were shifted to Anekal, Hosur and Bengaluru in state-run transport buses for their onward journey,” the official said. The express train departed from the main city station here at 6.15 a.m. and covered 45 km when the disaster struck between Anekal road and Hosur town on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Even 12 hours after the incident, railway officials could not ascertain the cause of derailment though an expert team rushed to the spot where the engine and the first nine coaches went off the single track and derailed. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who flew to Bengaluru late afternoon, visited the accident spot with Railway Board Chairman A.K. Mital and senior officials of South Western Railways and inspected the derailed train. Prabhu also visited the injured in the hospitals at Anekal and Bengaluru and announced Rs.200,000 compensation to the families of the dead and Rs.50,000 to each of the grievously injured. The minister ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause of the accident. Anish, a passenger on the train, told the media in Kochi over telephone that the rescue team had cut open the two second class coaches to shift the injured to hospitals. Another passenger, Cyriac Mathew, said “police and the ambulance arrived an hour after the accident”.
C M Y K