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SunDAY • MAY 08 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 125 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
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T R u T H
Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated — Will Rogers Funds for Financial Assistance to Destitute Women released
Modi scared of arresting Sonia: Kejriwal PAGE 08
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Dhobinalla-Signal-Thahekhu road under repair …
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e-roll nagaland: Bogus names, double entries, inflated figures Morung Express News Dimapur | May 7
A patch of Dhobinalla-Signal-Thahekhu road seen under-construction on Saturday. The road is being constructed reportedly using German technology for more durability. As seen, concrete materials (cement) are used for its construction in place of the conventional asphalt or bitumen. Minister for Roads & Bridges had recently assured residents of Signal Bosti that the Signal road, on completion would serve as an ‘exemplary road’ for all of Nagaland. (Photo: Caisii Mao)
the other side of development Morung Express News Dimapur | May 7
The Dhobinalla-Signal-Thahekhu road in Dimapur has been closed for traffic due to construction work. While welcoming development, residents in the area and its vicinity have complained about facing inconveniences. School buses plying the route cannot go beyond Sub-urban Police Station towards Signal Basti and Thahekhu owing to blocked road. As a result, many school children are unable to attend classes. Those residing in the immediate area where construction is underway are the most affected. They
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
could neither drive out vehicles from their homes nor drive in, as there is no alternative road. The residents were also apprehensive of any emergency-situation given the case that the road is completely blocked. They were of the view that there could be lesser inconvenience if a portion of the road was given for passageway while construction work continues on the other half. “The road is 100% blocked and my children cannot go to school since their bus has stopped coming to our area. I also cannot drop them to school in private vehicle since both the exit and entrance road to our house is blocked,” said one of the
aggrieved residents. Others complained that with closure of the road, some autorickshaws were charging exorbitant fares. The alternate road from Sematilla with outlet near Suburban Police station is not wide enough for vehicles to ply from opposite sides and causes traffic chaos in the area. Another resident informed that as per a joint meeting of PWD, contractors and Joint Action Committee of the said road stretch, the construction was to complete by December 20, 2015. He also rued the delay in construction works, which is causing extreme inconveniences for the public.
“In Nagaland, the Electoral Roll is infested with a substantial number of (bogus) entries which should not be there,” said the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Nagaland, Sanjay Kumar at a meeting organised by the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) today in Dimapur. The meeting, which was held on the issue had an ‘interactive session with civil bodies on illegal influx and floating population with special focus on purification of the Electoral Roll in Nagaland,’ witnessed a good number of representatives from ACAUT Nagaland, GB Federation Nagaland, Youth Association of Nagaland and Survival Nagaland. Anomalies in the Census and the E-Roll is an open secret yet the Nagaland State government, let alone the Election office has not had the gumption to comprehensively clean up the mess, while a game of ‘finger-pointing’ between the powers that be and the civil society thrives. The CEO, while admitting this, also made it clear that the agency needs the unconditional and unrelenting support of all strata of the civil society. “We all know the problem. Let us not perpetuate the blame game,” he said. According to the CEO, the entries in the E-Roll are simply preposterous and defy logic. Double entries are common but it does not end there.
NTC, ACAUT, NGBF, DDGBA, YAN, SN Resolves
• To urge the State Government to extend Inner Line coverage to the entire territorial jurisdiction of the state of Nagaland. The entire state is a tribal belt and cannot segregate any area as non-tribal belt. • Peace process and hostility cannot go hand in hand and Nagaland cannot be categorized as terrorist state and hence, Disturb Area Act (DAA) must be immediately revoked and create conducive atmosphere favourable for peace process. • The District Administration and the GB federation of Nagaland is urged to sensitize and check random issuing of residential proof certificate and thereafter remove illegal entries in the Electoral Roll. • It is the duty of every citizen and the state machineries to bring about correct electoral roll and enable the citizens to practice ‘One Man One Vote’ to elect the genuine representative to the house of people. • To constitute a Co-ordination Committee comprising of 2 members each from NTC, ACAUT, NGBF, YAN and SN to monitor the concerns expressed in the meeting with Lima Imchen, IPS (Rtd) as it’s Convenor and Leonard Aier as Legal Advisor. To name a few, the anomalies range from mismatched names and photos to villages where the number of electors is equivalent to or more than that of the population of the village. Nagaland has at present 2138 polling stations. He further cited the instances of senior government officials who have names registered in more than one polling station, while reminding that there is legal penalty for wrongful registration. On a suggestion by the ACAUT to link up the E-Roll with Aadhar, the CEO said that it may sound logical but is not practical when applied.
ridor as well as a launch pad.” However, the NSCN (R) stated in the press release from its MIP Secretary, that it will “never allow it to happen.” “Attack on our camp has not come as a surprise as we know that Khaplang is a visionless leader,” stated the NSCN (R). They alleged that the NSCN (K) is attempting to “target” the area as it finds the three districts in Arunachal Pradesh “lucrative for extortion sitting just across the border in Pangsau town and other nearby border villages.”
“As we are not interfering in Myanmar Naga area, Khaplang should also stop his misadventure in the three districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Our people are already facing enormous problems in the hands of various faction and groups. We are also not finding adequate attention either from the state or central government,” noted the NSCN (R). Further, it stated that sovereignty is an “excuse” which Khaplang has “marketed” for long and “beats the drum of sovereignty” among the Nagas
Vishü Rita Krocha
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Quake hits Meghalaya, other North East states SHILLONG, MAY 7 (IANS): An earthquake, measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale, rocked Meghalaya and other northeastern states and parts of Bangladesh on Saturday, an official said. There were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage to property. The tremor was felt at 3.13 p.m. with its epicentre located in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, said a Regional Seismological Centre official here. Seven of the northeastern states “Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur” are considered by seismologists as the sixth major earthquakeprone belt in the world.
Kohima | May 7
A mother’s love is universal- and so is her resilience. Here is one of the countless chronicles of a mother’s strength, resilience and selflessness. Ngutsolhi-u Letro- now aged around 100 year old, the oldest woman in Mesulumi village under Phek district, singlehandedly raised five children and brought them up good. Her husband passed away in the early years of their marriage leaving behind the responsibility of parenting their two sons and three daughters, who were still very young. Ngutsolhi-u recall this period as a phase where she struggled most to make ends meet. However, determined to provide education to her children, despite being uneducated herself, she did everything possible to send them to school, except for the eldest daughter, who opted to assist her. The centenarian still remembers the hardships she endured. “When my husband died, I felt like I was all alone in this world. I had to do everything by myself. I worked alone in the fields, and simultaneously reared pigs and chickens at home. Selling these fetched me some money. I also sold the produce of my farming such as paddy, millet, pumpkin etc so I could pay my children’s school fees,” she explained. Just as hard work has its rewards, her
Ngutsolhi-u Letro is the oldest woman in Mesulumi village under Phek district. (Morung Photo)
sacrifices have been rewarding even as she went on to see her children accomplish goals in their lives. Her two sons became government employees and she was able to see all of her five children settling down in marriage, which is every mother’s dream. Today, Ngutsolhi-u has 61 grandchildren and great grandchildren, who, it goes without saying, are her pride and joy. Most of them are educated and are employed in respectable professions. She also raised one of her grandchildren, who lost his mother at an early age. He is now an engineer by profession. ‘As a mother, I have hoped to provide for my children and
Untold strUggles
to “extort, threaten and torment our people,” asserting that Khaplang is “an unwelcome guest” in these areas. The NSCN (R) also ‘warned’ non-Naga groups “who are supporting Khaplang and operating against us in our area to stop doing so immediately.” “We have no any ill will against other groups or communities but, if you do not do away with supporting Khaplang against us than, it may force our hands also to equally retaliate in a befitting way,” maintained the Women vendors from neighbouring Assam selling fresh vegetables in NSCN (R). Dimapur. (Morung Photo)
strength, resilience, selflessness: A Mother’s love from Mesulumi village Wholesalers may contact
Stating that there is a downside to it, he cited Haryana as an instance where admission to schools declined after the biometric system of admitting children to schools through Aadhar was introduced. On another suggestion to crosscheck the figures with church enrolment, the CEO responded, “We’ve requested. But all we could do is request.” Joint CEO, N. Moa Aier said locals facilitating the inclusion of people of dubious origins are not helping the effort to clean up the E-Roll. The Nagaland E-Roll at present is stated to be 11,
40,000 which is a fair drop from the figure of 13, 38,000 in 2011. However, conservative estimates suggest it should be no more than 7, 00,000. The problem is all too evident as Survival Nagaland members pointed out during the interaction-the recently held Assam elections witnessed thousands of non-Nagas flocking to their respective place of origins in Assam to vote. “These same people had voted in Nagaland in 2013 and they will vote in 2018 too.” A gaonbura at the interaction while acknowledging the significance of the discussions said more effort is required to sensitise stakeholders at the grassroots. He suggested that such interactive sessions must be organised area wise. Deputy Commissioner, Kesonye Yhome said utmost cooperation of all- individuals and groups alike is needed while maintaining that it cannot be job of the ECI alone. According to him, it demands uprightness on the part of the public to come forward and inform of anomalies. On the demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) all over Nagaland, a government committee, which was formed basing on a representation by Survival Nagaland, is reported to have recommended for implementation of the same. The government is still to give a decision, the source said.
nscn (r) censures role of nscn (K) in Arunachal Vegetable vendors:
DIMAPur, MAY 7 (MExN): The NSCN (Reformation) has asked the NSCN (Khaplang) to “immediately stop meddling in the affairs” of the Nagas of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The NSCN (R) alleged that NSCN (K) in conjunction with “different northeast groups including ULFA and the Manipur valley based groups (UNLWSEA)” carried out attacks on the former’s camp in order to expand their “extortion netI have to go to Church, sis- work” by using Tirap-Changter, if I don’t I’d die from lang and Longding as a “corimagined guilt.
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although I am illiterate, I am happy to have sent them to school and watch them grow and succeeding in life,” she told The Morung Express with a sigh of contentment. On the eve of Mother’s Day, Ngutsolhiu also remembers her mother. “I never realized that life would be so tough until I lost my parents,” she expresses with feeling. “I had everything when they were alive but I had to struggle and work a lot harder after their deaths,” she added. Letro admits she has come a long way from where she stood the day her husband passed away. And just like any loving mother would, she hopes her children have healthy and long lives, too.
Morung Express News Dimapur | May 7
From dawn to dusk every day, the women vegetable vendors at Circular Road here work. When they are not in the market, they are busy with household chores. Hailing from different parts of Assam, every morning the women fetch diverse varieties of fresh vegetables and other food items and come to Dimapur to sell them. Working more than 8 hours a day, whatever they earn is used for their household expenses, children’s education, and future securities. With the least prospect to earn back home, they obtain their items at subsidised rate in Assam and travel all the way to sell them here. “I spend Rs 100 by auto and sometimes Rs 80 by bus plying back and forth from Assam to Dimapur to sell my vegetables,” says Kadom, a Karbi woman briskly totting up accounts. Street vendors are an integral part of urban economies. However, for these women, everyday is a struggle. Working outside, their items are exposed to heavy rains, extreme heat or cold. They somehow manage to sell their vegetables earning a meagre profit. Suntali Gurung, a mother of five, travels 10 miles from Assam everyday with her vegetables. The only bread earner in the family, Suntali was a maid earlier but was unable to sustain her family through her income. Thus, she
started selling vegetables. However, her income is not enough to pay for her children’s education. “I take credit from moneylenders’ and pay bit by bit through my earnings,” shares Suntali. Street occupation also adds vibrancy to urban life and also accounts for a proportional form of informal non-agricultural employment. These vendors generate revenue for the city through payment of certain kind of taxes. Yet, they face many challenges every day. Surviving as a street vendor also requires certain amount of skills. Competition amongst them to gain access to customers is strong. They must be able to negotiate effectively with their customers. “Sometimes, it takes days to realise a profit. There is so much competition and then there are unforeseen expenses,” Suntali says, pointing at her vegetables. “Instead of ideally sitting at home, I started this business a year ago to help my husband and also support our family. With the little investments, I somehow save it for our future securities,” shares Deepali Sangma whose husband is a church pastor and is somehow able to pay for their children’s education. Although they live a hard life earning their daily bread, the women express contentment in their works. (With inputs from Akhrienuo Kire who is currently an intern at The Morung Express)