C M Y K
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SunDAY • MArch 05 • 2017
DIMAPUR • Vol. XII • Issue 61 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
o F
T R u T H
Water adopts the shape of its receptacle, it is sometimes a trickle and sometimes a wild sea — Miyamoto Musashi GST on track, to be implemented from July 1: Jaitley
Philatelic ExhibitionDimapex 2017 concludes
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reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
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84% turnout in Manipur 1 phase polls
CM displeased by Final PhaSe POlling SCheduled On MaRCh 8 lax govt employees the state polls. There are 11 independents in the fray. Votes for Manipur’s two-phase elections will be counted on March 11 along with that of Goa, Punjab, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Imphal | March 4
Storm kills 1 in Mon DIMAPUR, MARHC 4 (MExN): A young girl was killed and her father injured during a storm that raged on the evening of March 4 at Shangsa Village under Mon district. Sources informed that the girl, a class IX student was in the kitchen along with her father when the tragic incident occurred at around 3:30pm. Strong winds caused the kitchen to collapse over the two occupants, killing the girl and injuring the father. The girl was killed instantly while her father is reported to be in critical condition.
State service associations apprise CM on 7th ROP KOHIMA, MARCH 4 (DIPR): The office bearers of state services associations i.e. CANSSEA, NCSA, NSSA, FONSFSA, NPSA, NF&ASA and NASSA met the Chief Minister on March 4 and urged the CM and his colleagues to convey to the government for implementation of the 7th ROP before finalization of the 2017-18 budget documents. After in-depth deliberation, the Chief Minister informed the associations that the effective date and year for implementing the 7th ROP would be decided in the next State Cabinet meeting. In this regard, the associations had submitted representation 4 times to the State Government to implement the 7th ROP w.e.f. January 1, 2016. After in depth discussion on January 27 at Hotel Japfu, the associations decided to accept the 7th ROP w.e.f. March 1. In this regard, the state services associations have requested the State cabinet to approve the effective date of the 7th ROP w.e.f. March 1, 2017 (2017-18).
‘No conservation effort would be successful without women’
C M Y K
KOlKAtA, MARCH 4 (IANS): No conservation effort would be successful without involving women, believes Pramod Tandon, the CEO of Biotech Park, Lucknow, batting for scaling up of initiatives that link women’s empowerment and conservation efforts, particularly in northeast India.”Women are more focused and when they are given task related to conservation, they put all their efforts into it. In northeast India, because of the matriarchal system, it is very important,” Tandon told IANS here ahead of International’s Women’s Day. He was attending the national symposium on Plant Biotechnology at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology.
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Newmai News Network
I wasn’t drunk, I wasn’t speeding, I wasn’t texting or talking on the phone. Your house got in my way!
Lyon floors India with eight-wicket haul
Polling was held in the 38 hill and valley constituencies out of 60 spread over six districts of Manipur in the first of its two-phase assembly elections on Saturday, where over 84 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm. Officials said overall Manipur witnessed a peaceful polling under tight security, barring stray incidents of violence. Some cases of EVM glitches were reported which delayed polling in some polling stations. Voters, including senior citizens and new voters stood in queues to exercise their franchise from 7 am to 3 pm. As per initial estimates, the state witnessed a huge turnout of voters in the first phase of the assembly elections with over 80 per cent voters casting their ballots. The voting percentage went up further after the final calculations were officially declared by Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan during a press meet in his office, Lamphelpat. Meanwhile, workers of two political parties clashed in Thangmeiband assembly constituency in which Congress workers reportedly attacked a candidate of People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) who was reportedly injured. The Rights activist Irom Sharmila led PRJA is fighting the incumbent Congress and BJP
Election Commission orders FIR against BJP office-bearers, newspapers
An elderly man being assisted to a polling station in Keirao Assembly Constituency in Imphal East district on Saturday, March 4. (NNN Photo)
in Thangmeiband constituency. The party is making its electoral debut in the polls. The ‘Iron Lady of Manipur,’ Irom Sharmila will take on Congress Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his home turf Thoubal in the second and final phase of the polls slated to take place on March 8. Meanwhile, both BJP and Congress parties are locked in a bitter fight. The saffron party is hoping to cash in from an anti-incumbency factor. Only the Congress and BJP are locked in straight fight in three constituencies—Sekmai, Nambol and Mayang Imphal in the first round of the elections. Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Th Lokeswar, a Congress nominee fielded from
Khundrakpam appealed to the electorate to choose the “best candidates” who are capable of ensuring good governance. A young new voter said, “We want a peaceful government free of bandh and blockades in Manipur.” At stake was the political fate of 168 candidates, including seven women in the first phase of elections in the state where Congress has ruled for three straight terms. The state elections will be a big electoral test for the three-time Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. Interestingly, there is no Congress candidate in the Churachandpur and the Kangpokpi constituencies. The first round of polling will decide the fate of political bigwigs like for-
mer ministers Thounaojam Chaoba, Yumkham Erabot Singh, O Joy Singh, Nongthongbam Biren Singh, Dr Nimaichand Luwang and the lone former tribal woman MLA Nemcha Kipgen of BJP. She was fielded from Kangpokpi constituency. For Congress, political bigwigs in the polls include Laishom Ibomcha, Khumukcham Joykishan, RK Anand, I Hemochandra, Thaonaojam Shyamkumar, Dr Ng Bijoy and Yengkhom Surchandra. Manipur’s political heavyweight and former Congress minister Phungzathang Tonsing, who had resigned from the grand old party, contested from Churachandpur constituency on the ticket of National People’s Party (NPP) in the first phase of
Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday ordered an FIR against office-bearers of the BJP’s Manipur unit and certain newspapers for publishing advertisements without its approval. In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, the EC has ordered that the FIRs under Section 188 of IPC against be lodged against BJP state unit officebearers and the newspapers, which carried the advertisements on Friday in contravention of its orders and violation of RP Act. The EC had instructed all stakeholders to not publish any advertisements on 3 and 4 March without prescreening and subsequent approval by state-level MCMC committee. The newspapers which carried the advertisements are: Sangai Express (Manipuri and English editions), Poknapham, People’s Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal Free Press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. The poll panel has also sought a compliance report by Monday. With agency inputs
DIMAPUR, MARCH 4 (MExN): With the new Chief Minister Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu known for being a stickler to punctuality, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) expects that a new era in Governance is set to be ushered in very soon with timings for the thousands of Government employees – at least, in the Secretariat about to be drastically changed. A CMO press statement on Saturday informed that the Chief Minister was not pleased with the discovery of the lax practices of the government employees at the Secretariat and the Directorates in Kohima. The 81-year old CM is all geared up to stick to the mantras he dictated to the Heads and Administrative Heads of Department on February 23 last, the day after he was sworn in- Be punctual in office; set your office in order; and give the best of your services to the public. According to the report, the CM had reached office sharp at 9:30am in the morning and had deputed his aides to do a round inspection of all the departments and collect attendance of the officers and staff alike- only to be disappointed with the reports brought in. “Salaries are paid to Government employees and they are required to attend to their duties for a specific period of time on all working days. If traffic congestion is the reason employees cannot reach their office on time, they should leave home early
for their places of work,” the CM is learnt to have commented, according to the CMO press statement. In addition, the CM also gave a standing order that he will not entertain any appointments even for the Ministers and legislators at his private residential office except under unavoidable situations. “I have a fully functional office at the Secretariat, and so have they. They should attend their offices and if need be, meet me there at the Secretariat. And so should bureaucrats,” the new CM said. Further, the CM has insisted that his movement through the city should not inconvenience any member of the public and had fixed his departure for the Secretariat from his official residence for 9am every morning, as and when he does not have other engagements. “I am a public servant and I have no right to inconvenience the people I serve while moving through the city,” he emphatically told his OSD (Security) and insisted that his convoy wait out in the traffic jam as any other motorist caught in the morning rush. According to the press statement, this is a rare gesture in a city where people often complain of the VIPs overtaking motorists caught in traffic congestions thereby causing worse traffic jams. When the head of the State is in such a mode, perhaps, others will take a cue for him, the CMO press statement has espoused hope.
steps being taken to mitigate JCC criticizes TR’s ‘lack of remorse’ delay in salaries: finance dept
DIMAPUR, MARCH 4 (MExN): The Nagaland State Finance Department today stated that the government is seriously concerned over the delay in payment of salaries to its employees and has been taking all possible steps to mitigate the difficulties of such employees. “There are procedural problems which are to be tackled as best as possible according to the situation arising from time to time,” a press note from the department stated.
It meanwhile said that the clarification issued by the Finance Department on February 22 “contained facts, and there cannot be any question of accepting or rejecting facts.” “While the news item of February 23, 2017 referred to the alleged ‘parking of more than Rs.5000 crore in the State coffers’, the one of March 3, 2017 has shifted to the utilization of CSS funds, payment of State Share and delay in payment of salaries to the SSA, RMSA and Hindi
teachers,” the department observed. The department said it would be proper “if, instead of making wild allegations, specific instances of irregularities committed by the Finance Department or its Officials are brought to the notice of the concerned authorities so that appropriate actions may be taken.” The details of executive action taken by the Government from time to time cannot be made the subject matter of debate in the media,
it added, while stating that the Finance Department, “therefore, does not wish to be drawn into such media debate and hence shall not respond to such opinionated views in future.” The department made clear that the government in general and the Finance Department in particular “will continue to take actions as deemed necessary from time to time to redress the grievances of the employees as best as is possible under the given circumstances.”
DIMAPUR, MARCH 4 (MExN): The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) today stated that former Chief Minister, TR Zelaing’s “utter lack of remorse as shown in refuting moral ownership on the whole unfortunate incident and portraying himself rather as victim of majoritarian politics is intolerable and shows his sheer disregard and insensitivity for the two departed youths, who lost their lives because of his flip flop decisions and treachery.” A press note from the JCC termed it “unbecoming of true statesmanship and leadership to divert and po-
liticize the whole disastrous episode to minority politics v/s majority politics and try absolving himself of any responsibility for the carnage and loss of lives.” Condemning the former CM and his supporters for playing the “minority card,” it termed this as “nothing but a foul and insincere attempt to blemish the Naga people’s movement to protect Article 371 (A) and shift the blame to the people of Nagaland.” The JCC meanwhile stood by the decision of the Diphupar Village Council decision “i.e. that under no circumstance JCC would allow the Chief Minister
post to be given back to T.R. Zeliang as it would be a sacrilege to the Naga people as a whole.” It added that unless a Joint Inquiry Commission (JIC) is setup to make an impartial investigation and bring this matter to a logical conclusion, JCC will “continue its fight.” Meanwhile, in addition to the resolutions adopted at the March 3 NTAC and JCC meeting, the JCC informed that the immediate suspension of the DC Longleng and the police personnel involved in the firing in Longleng within 7(seven) days, is also one of the demands.
Dobhinalla-Signal road deteriorating due to inadequate drainage: JAC
DIMAPUR, MARCH 4 (MExN): The DobhinallaSignal Angami-Thahekhu Road, only recently constructed during 2015 end and 2016 beginning, is in grave danger of deteriorating to its earlier condition due to inadequate drainage and its poor construction, Joint Action Committee (JAC) for Dobhinalla-Signal Angami-Thahekhu Road informed on Saturday. According to a press statement from the JAC, inadequate and improper drainage issue has become the most common complaint from the residents and this problem is worsening day by day. The JAC also furnished photos as evidenced along with the press statement. It stated that the road was constructed with new German technology and was expected to last for 15
(LEFT) Photo of damaged slabs seen along the Dobhinalla-Signal Angami-Thahekhu road stretch furnished by JAC for Dobhinalla-Signal Angami-Thahekhu Road. (RIGHT) Fence erected by Army beyond the drain clearing encroaching upon the road leaving no space for pedestrian movement. The far end of the image shows the public drain being fenced inside Army territory. An open drain without slab is also seen without any option for pedestrians thus endangering lives as well.
years. However, within a year of its construction, almost all the drainage slabs have been damaged and the road was on the “verge of losing its much-acclaimed German technology tag.” Most of the drain slabs along the stretch notably
Army Supply Depot, IFC godown area are thinly constructed and huge damages have already started, the JAC stated. Further, the regular practise of the Army parking their heavy vehicle over the drain slab pavements
near the depot has had a detrimental effect causing break-ins, which were already in a critical condition, it alleged. Owing to haphazard parking by Army vehicles in the depot area, vehicular accidents happen quite of-
ten, the JAC further claimed adding, several cases of injury to humans have also been reported after they fall into the drainage. While expressing gratitude to the to the PWD, Department of Roads & Bridges and Minister in-
charge, Y. Vikheho Swu for constructing the road, the JAC has appealed the concerned department to initiate proper drainage system and construct durable slabs which also serve as a strong and safe pavement for the pedestrians.
The JAC also drew the attention of the district administration and the department concerned about a fence constructed along the road stretch by Army, which it alleged was clearly encroaching public property and road.