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MOnDAY • nOveMber 21• 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 320 • 12 PAGes • 5
T H e
ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
True happiness involves the full use of one’s power and talents Obama tells Latin America and world: give Trump time, don’t assume worst PAGe 09
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
Effective immediately, The Morung Express has decided to refrain from publishing any news and advertisements that contravene the call of “Clean Elections in Nagaland,” and the universal principle of ‘One Person – One Vote.’ For instance, this includes all news and advertisements by village councils, or any other non-political organisation that endorses one particular candidate, or any other item which goes against the tenets of ‘Clean Elections,’ and ‘One Person – One Vote.’ The Morung Express
The Four Felons: Finding voice through Spoken Word Poetry
PV Sindhu wins maiden China Open Super Series title PAGe 12
120 killed in deadly train derailment
Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a train derailment in Pukhrayan, south of Kanpur city, november 20. (REUTERS)
that there was screaming and shouting as many of the injured were in agony. The worst hit were the sleeper coaches S1, S2, S3 and S4. A passenger who survived told journalists that the train stopped a couple of moments after 3 a.m. for unexplained reasons. “It then suddenly picked up speed,” the man said. “And then I got an eerie feeling that the train was rolling down a valley,” he said. “By the time I leant what had happened, some 20-25 people in my coach had been killed. A six-year-old girl was literally cut into two pieces,” said the ter-
rified man. Swayambi Mishra, in her early 20s, said she was in S1 coach and did not know what had happened to her father. A passenger in his 60s added: “God saved me. But most of the people who were with me in the coach seem to have disappeared. I can’t find them.” It was the worst train accident in the country after the May 2010 disaster in West Bengal involving Gyaneshwari Express in which some 170 people were killed. Relief officials described gory scenes, with many passengers crushed by tonnes of steel as several coaches
rolled over. Gas cutters were used to rip through the coaches to take out the bodies and the wounded. Hundreds of bags and suitcases belonging to the passengers were strewn all along the rail track. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) spokesperson Krishna Kumar told IANS: “Most bodies are beyond recognition as they are badly crushed.” Ruby Gupta, who was going from Indore to Mhow to attend a wedding, could not find her father after the accident. “Some people are telling me to look for him in the hospital. I need my
father back.” Said another dazed survivor: “I was awake when the train derailed. There was a loud noise and then pandemonium broke out. I thought I was dreaming. My wife and children are fortunately safe....” Survivors said the first to reach the semi-rural site were villagers. An Uttar Pradesh Police constable rescued five people from S1 coach. “I felt bad... I had to walk over some bodies but I had no choice as I had to save those who were alive.” President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in mourning the dead. Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each of those killed and Rs 50,000 for each of the seriously injured. The governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar also announced financial compensation. Meanwhile, a row erupted when Sinha visited a hospital in Kanpur and gave an injured woman Rs 5,000 in demonetised notes of Rs 500. At the accident site, the railways used heavy machinery to separate the tangled coaches. NDRF personnel used hammers to smash the windowpanes to enter the air-conditioned coaches as most doors were locked from inside. A railway official in Indore said the train, which left there on Saturday and would have reached Patna on Sunday evening, was carrying 1,266 passengers, including 308 in air-conditioned coaches. The accident led to cancellation and diversion of several trains. Later, a special train left from the accident site for Patna with the passengers who survived the disaster and could travel.
UlfA (i) claims responsibility Rising income inequality may for attack on Army convoy erode support for democracy
GuwahaTI, november 20 (pTI): The United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) today claimed responsibility for the attack on an Army convoy in Tinsukia district in which three soldiers were yesterday killed. The 15 Kumaon Regiment of Indian Army at Burhi Dihing, Tinsukia, was attacked yesterday morning, the banned outfit said in a statement, adding at least four jawans were seriously injured in the ambush. The attack was carried out by ULFA (I) and the Coordination Committee (CorCom), an um-
brella body of militant groups: Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive), Revolutionary Peoples Front and United National Liberation Front, the statement said. The attack was carried out at a dense forest in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district, police said. “An Army convoy was moving from Pengeri to Digboi today (Saturday) when it came under attack in Upper Dihing Reserve Forest at around 5.30 am,” Assam Director General of Police Mukesh had informed.
Tinsukia district Superintendent of Police Mugdhajyoti Dev Mahanta had said the ambush was carried out jointly by NSCN (K) and ULFA(I) militants and they used sophisticated weapons, including Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), AK-47 rifles and mortars. The incident came just three days after militants attacked a vehicle belonging to a tea estate between Pengeri and Doomdooma on Wednesday, thinking it was carrying cash. One person was killed and two others injured in that incident.
Double Jeopardy with or without new notes Life at the time of demonetisation in Nagaland - II Moa Jamir Dimapur | November 20
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T R u T H
— John W. Gardner
PAGe 02
Kanpur, november 20 (IanS): In one of the worst rail disasters in the country, at least 120 persons were killed and around 100 injured before dawn on Sunday when 14 coaches of the IndorePatna Express derailed near Kanpur. The tragedy occurred when the coaches of the Patna-bound train ran off the rails shortly after 3 a.m. near Pukhrayan station, about 60 km from Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh, railway and police officials said. Inspector General of Police, Kanpur, Zaki Ahmad told IANS that 120 people were killed in the accident and over 40 of You’re carrying only 2000 the injured had been admitted in differnote? Get off my Rig. i don’t ent hospitals in Kanpur. All others have have change. been given first aid and discharged. The deaths could rise as some pasThe Morung Express sengers were in critical condition. Poll QuEsTion He also said that at least 60 of the Vote on www.morungexpress.com bodies have been identified with most sMs your answer to 9862574165 of the victims hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Do you support NBCC’s Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, stand to oppose in totality Minister of State for Railways Manoj the social, cultural and Sinha and a host of top railways officials religious codification into a single entity as uniform visited the site and supervised rescue civil code? Why? and relief operations. Prabhu ordered an inquiry and vowed to take “strictest possible action” Yes no others against the guilty. Do you think that While the cause of the derailment is demonetization of Rs 500 and yet to be ascertained, Sinha said the acRs 1000 will serve only as a short-term measure in rooting cident could have been caused due to out black money? Why? rail fracture. Panic set in when the coaches de54% Yes railed in darkness, throwing scores of 36% no sleeping passengers over one another. 10% others Many took a while to realise that a tragDetails on page 7 edy had hit the train. Passengers who survived related
Public Notice
o F
The demonetization move by the central government has created chaos across the country. Nagaland is no exception, and places in the interiors are facing the brunt of the problem. Here are a few examples. For instance, in New Riphyim Village under Wokha District, the nearest bank is 14 km away in Wokha Town. For old people either without a bank account or unable to visit a bank, a noble initiative by Green Team, an organisation based in the village, has come to rescue. The team distributed around Rs. 40,000-50,000 in lower denomination in the village. Speaking to The Morung Express, Green Team Leader Steve Odyuo said that when the announcement was made, the team, whose members include small businesses and VDB secretaries, collected the money among themselves to assist needy people. However, they ran out of change by the second day. “Giving them the new Rs. 2000 was a problem as the villagers want the money they are familiar with,” Odyuo said adding that the team is trying to sensitize people through the village council and the churches. In Wokha Town, many shop keepers are either turning their
customers away or giving goods on credit. “Business is down 7080 percent, it is on a standstill,” a retailer from the town maintained. Exam has started and paying fees for the schools has become a big hassle for many parents. Even daily workers are affected as people do not have change to pay, Odyuo added. In Mon, when the implications of demonetization set in, many from the rural areas thronged the lone SBI Bank in Mon Town. In one such incident, a restless crowd managed to tear down the revolving Iron Gate at the bank entrance. Anxiety is more in rural areas, especially in the Lower Konyak areas, where coal business is big and the season has just started. Mon has also witnessed a lot of elderly people coming from the rural areas with a lot of money but without an account or proper identity. In Zunheboto as well, the situation is grim. Hanjon Yunshi L Jakha, a town resident informed that the lone ATM in the town is not functioning properly and the new Rs 2000 is practically useless. People without ATM cards are also facing problems, since banks insist on depositing only through ATMs, he claimed, while narrating an incident he faced while assisting an old man deposit his Rs. 4000.
“After filling up the deposit form I told him to stand in a queue. When his turn came, the bank official demanded his ATM card so he called me to talk with the official since he doesn’t have one. The officer at the counter refused to accept the money without ATM card.” In Mokokchung district, those involved in informal business in the border areas are facing the brunt. The arrival of the Rs 2000 note has created a new predicament, said one Tuli Town resident. “With the Rs 2000 notes, people are going to shops but insist on new notes of lower denomination from the owner. This is creating a deadlock.” A Nagaland State Co-operative Bank employee from Tuli said that people coming from the villages are facing lot of problem. “For those without an account, we are opening new one with KYC compliant. But we are rationing withdrawal limit to 4000 to ensure equity in distribution,” he added. In Longleng, trade in the foothills bordering Assam has been affected, despite this being the best time for business, said Dr B Henshet Phom. Longleng is also facing shortage of meat import from Assam as there is no supply due to demonetisation, he informed. In Tuensang, Gabriel Moses Hongang, narrated an incident
of a man from a far away village who came with his sick son but had to leave his son unattended at a pharmacy and rush to a bank, as the shopkeeper would not accept old currency. In another case, a school initially did not accept fees in old notes but when it realised that no one was paying the fees, a ‘notice’ was put up saying old currency notes were accepted. In Dimapur, a soon to be hitched gentleman went to a bank to withdraw quick cash for emergency shopping. “I went to a bank early in the hope of getting ‘change’ instead of the crisp Rs 2000 note which, though legal, is more problematic. Along with the 2000 notes, I got the change in the form of Rs. 10 coins. I left the bank with all my pockets full of coins. Luckily I was spared of the long queue ritualistic ordeal.” In Kiphire, which has only two banks, there was a reported fight between an irate customer and a shopkeeper for the lack of change. This incident led to a shopkeepers association holding a strike by closing all shops on November 18. Despite the huge rush for cash created by the demonetization move, by the end of the week crowds in the banks lessened as most banks issued out only Rs. 2000 notes. ATMs were also either vacant or closed due to same problem.
new YorK, november 20 (IanS): Rising income inequality pits electoral winners and losers against each other, and conflict over economic interests may undermine citizens’ satisfaction with democracy, warns a study. “Our findings suggest that rising income inequality pits political winners and losers against each other,” said Eric Chang, Associate Professor at
the Michigan State University in the US. “And this conflict over economic interests can undermine citizens’ satisfaction with democracy and lead to instability,” Chang noted. For the study, the researchers analysed presidential and parliamentary elections in 43 countries, including the US. The researchers found that rising income inequality widens the gap in satisfaction with
democracy between electoral winners and losers. “This study suggests that the degree of income inequality is the real driver behind electoral winners and losers’ satisfaction with democracy,” Chang said. “Elections matter much more for both the rich and poor when income inequality is high,” Chang added. The findings will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Electoral Studies.
CNTC opposes 33% women’s reservation
DImapur, november 20 (mexn): The Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC) has opposed the move of the Nagaland State Government to implement the 33 percent women reservation in Urban Local Bodies. A press note from the CNTC termed this as a move which “infringes upon the Naga customary law and rights enshrined in the Article 371A.” It stated that the resentment and opposition by the tribal bodies of Nagaland must be respected by the government. Nagas, the CNTC stated “have always treated women with reverence and a high regard in every sphere and aspect of life and so reservation is not at all necessary.” “Since time immemorial, women have been held in highest esteem in our Naga society. They are always free to compete with man in any fields and in many aspects too, they are doing better but reservation policy is not required at all in our state,” it added. Describing the series of events regarding the reservation issue since 2001, the CNTC lamented that the present government has “taken a complete U-turn and has passed a cabinet decision to hold election in the local urban bodies with 33% women reservation.” “This was in utter contrast to the Assembly’s resolution passed on 22nd September, 2012. Surprisingly, TR Zeliang, who headed the Select Committee and who vociferously voiced against the women reservation in the Legislative Assembly on 20th March, 2012 suddenly became a staunch advocate of women cause now which is contravening their own decision,” it said. Following the cabinet decision, the CNTC observed that the issue “seems to be getting more and more complex.” It pointed out that till August 10 2016, the bond of contention in this issue was whether 33% women reservation in the local urban bodies violates the Naga customary rights and whether it contravenes with the provisions in Article 371A. However, it stated that after the cabinet decision, a new problem as to whether the cabinet decision can supersede the Assembly’s resolution has been added. “Even legal experts opine that the cabinet decision of 2016 cannot supersede the Assembly’s resolution of 2012,” the CNTC claimed.
It meanwhile pointed out that various sections under the Municipal Act gives provisions to levy tax on land, buildings etc and section 23A infringes on Article 371A. It demanded that section 23A be repealed first in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. “The amendment is necessitated in accordance to stand state government to preserve constitutional implementation referred to Article 371A.These issues need wider, proper and lengthier deliberations and cannot be rushed otherwise it would result in eroding the principles and trample upon the tribal customary laws and practices that were welded to Article 371A,” it added. Meanwhile, the CNTC also questioned the state government on the Rongmei tribe recognition issue and asked whether the government is “really serious about the sentiment of indigenous tribes of Nagaland.” “If so, it has been nearly two months by now, since it said it has appointed a cabinet sub-committee to resolve the issue. But it has now become all silent without any visible stride to address the issue,” it lamented. Regarding the PIL against the NP&NG Rules and Regulation, the CNTC stated that it fully supports the Lotha Hoho. “No body, be it governmental or non-governmental, has the right to impose any policy which is against the will and wishes of the people,” it said, and asked the government to redraft the ground modalities and procedures on the Oil and Natural Gas drilling rights. “The state government should reset the terms and conditions at the earliest possible time which will benefit the Lothas who are the real landowners in particular and Nagas of Nagaland in general without engaging in dirty politics which will only distance them away from the people,” the CNTC said. On the Foothill Road, it asked the Chief Minister and the Minister concerned to uphold the assurance made to complete the road by January 2017. The foothill road has become a great necessity not only for socio-economic development for the region “but for both safety and security reasons against continuous harassment for commuters through the state of Assam,” it said.