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www.morungexpress.com
The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 329
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www.morungexpress.com
Saturday, November 29, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4
Rengmas come together to celebrate Ngada [ PAGE 2]
PM Please travel to Kohima by road
By Sandemo Ngullie
DIC Dimapur clarifies DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 28 (MExN): The District Industries Centre (DIC), Dimapur today clarified that “on no occasion” was any of its employees “threatened” for “deductions of 24 percent of salary nor any salary is deducted.” A press note from the DIC, Dimapur stated this while responding to recent allegations from ACAUT Nagaland that “some top officials” of the centre had “threatened employees that names and addresses of those not willing to deduct 24 percent salary for the Naga political groups would be handed over to the undergrounds to be dealt by them.” Referring to a letter from ACAUT Nagaland on June 26, 2014, the DIC also asserted that “no deduction is ever made that time or now” and that the “question of returning deducted amount does not arise at all.” The DIC, Dimapur r urged that such accusations should not arise without “proper cerification.”
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AgARtAlA/gUwAhAtI, NOVEMBER 28 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be spending four busy days on his maiden visit to the northeast where he will address the country’s top police chiefs, dedicate a train line from Meghalaya to Assam, commission a power project in Tripura and inaugurate a festival each in Nagaland and Manipur. Modi begins Nov 29 his trip to the northeast region that shares boundaries with China, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh Women perform during the Ngada festival, a harvest festival of the Rengma Nagas, at Dimapur, Nagaland on Friday, No- and Nepal. He will visit Congress-ruled Assam, vember 28, 2014. The Ngada festival marks the end of the agricultural season. Photo by Caisii Mao Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, Left-ruled Tripura and Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN)ruled Nagaland. “Modi’s four-day stay in the northeastern region is very significant, both poKOlKAtA, NOVEMBER 28 (IANS): ism, Choudhury said most of the terrorists Observing that tackling terrorism was be- were trained in the Af-Pak region and have DIMAPUR, NOVEM- litically and otherwise. Afcoming a complex issue with terrorists ac- been increasingly exploiting Bangladesh, BER 28 (MExN): Dima- ter former prime minister cessing sophisticated technology, National Nepal and to some extent Sri Lanka for pur Police have arrested H.D. Deve Gowda (19961997), Modi is the second Security Guard (NSG) Director General J.N. transit and shelter. the main accused in con- prime minister staying “Tackling the terror threat has become nection with the NovemChoudhury Friday said militancy has become a “cottage industry” in northeast India. more complex, with terrorists having ber 24 assault at River Belt several consecutive days in Addressing an interactive session or- global presence and using modern tech- Colony, Dimapur. A press the region to know the area ganised by MCC Chamber of Commerce nologies to train. Now they learn bomb note from the Additional closely,” political analyst Tapas Dey told IANS. & Industry on internal security here, making on the Internet and do not have to Superintendent of Police, He said: “The state govChoudhury said around 800-900 people get training at the ground. “Annually the number of people get- Dimapur informed that ernments in the region are are killed annually due to militancy and ting killed due to terrorism and militancy the main accused “along largely dependent on the terrorism in the country. “In northeast, militancy has become is 800- 900 with Maoist violence account- with his brother and a mercy of the central governfriend had assaulted the ment as their own revenue almost a cottage industry where extortion ing for the 50 percent of the total killings. “While the militancy in Jammu and victim with a machete is very small and there is no and abduction for ransom is seen as an Kashmir and northeast has come down, injuring him on his head big industry in the region easy means for money.” “For militant movements like the Mao- it still accounts for 20-25 percent of the to- and had been evading to deal with both economy ists and ethnic outfits in the northeast, the tal killings,” he said. Should development police arrest.” The ac- and unemployment.” “Modi might declare reason why youth continue to take up come first or security - While some advo- cused, identified as one arms is more than just alienation from the cate development claiming once there is Hussain Ahmed, was ar- some state-specific ecocentre. There is huge bulk of youth with no development there will be security, oth- rested from Lumding on nomic packages during his employable skills and no hope for the fu- ers say security is must for development November 28, with as- tour,” Dey added. ture. And they are becoming readymade to be ushered in. This debate will continue sistance from the Muslim According to chief minbut the issue needs to be resolved adopt- Council Dimapur. recruits,” said Choudhury. isters of the five states, the Talking about cross-border terror- ing the right approach, added Choudhury. state governments would
Militancy is a cottage industry in north east: nsG chief says
Main accused in November 24 assault arrested
submit memoranda to the prime minister demanding several projects covering higher education, infrastructure and health. During his visit, Modi will also inaugurate the annual conference of state police chiefs in Guwahati on November 29. The meet is being held outside Delhi for the first time at Modi’s instance. In Assam, Modi would also flag off the first train from Mendipathar in North Garo Hills of Meghalaya to Dudhnoi in Goalpara district of Assam through remote control from Guwahati. Modi will inaugurate Nagaland’s biggest annual festival - Hornbill Festival. The prime minister will also inaugurate the Sangai Festival, which showcases the diverse cultures of Manipur. He will then inaugurate the second unit of the 726-MW power project in Palatana in southern Tripura. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has commissioned its biggest ever commercial power project at Palatana in southern Tripura. The power generation from the first unit (363 MW) of the Rs.9,000-crore Palatana power plant began December 2013 and the second unit (363 MW) is expected to start generation after its inauguration. Modi had campaigned extensively in the northeast, particularly Assam, during the April-May Lok Sabha polls and his party secured positive results. The seven northeastern states - Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura-have 24 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP and its allies got 10 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP alone won eight-seven in Assam and one in Arunachal Pradesh. Indraneel Bhowmik, a teacher at the Tripura (Central) University and an author, told IANS: “Modi during his several pre-poll visits to the northeast attracted the youth with the dream of solving the massive unemployment problems in the region.” “The unemployment problem, both among the educated and uneducated youths of the region, is the burning issue of the region,” he said. Bhowmik said: “The (Congress-led previous) UPA government’s performance is very poor for the development of the northeast, creating scope for a surge in favour of the BJP.” Writer and scholar Sekhar Datta too told IANS: “Modi’s visit to the region is a very politically significant move and it shows his keenness to strengthen BJP’s political base in the northeast. In governance also, Modi has given a priority to northeast which is a sensitive but neglected region.” “Northeast India has borders with so many countries, its terrain is also difficult, people are economically backward and hence the region requires constant attention from Delhi and major investment...Modi seems to have realised this. This will give a lot of benefit to the region.”
Dimapur airport goes Nagaland’s roads a testimony to mis-governance: NPCC into overdrive mode
Pending bills for newspapers to be cleared through DIPR • Security measures in KOhIMA, NOVEMBER 28 (DIPR): In pursuance of the Home department Administration order dated November 25, pending bills of various departments are to be cleared through the department of IPR. The Government of Nagaland had sanctioned the expenditure to clear the pending advertisement bills and the department has drawn the bill. Editors/publishers have been requested to produce their office copies of the bills supported with a copy of the release order/press cutting of the publication if available to the department of IPR. These documents are required for submission to Treasury as the sanction was made and drawn on strength of the consolidated amount only without individual bills which are required by the treasury for record as per Treasury and Audit Rules. Government departments have been asked to complete submission of status reports of payments and pending bills pertaining to their respective departments on or before November 29 to facilitate single window clearance to newspapers. The D IPR has urged also newspaper owners to condone the bank transaction time period and other official procedures which resulted in the Department releasing the payment only from November 29.
Pele says he’s ‘doing fine’ in hospital
Modi’s ne fare: train line, power unit and two fests
reflections
Watch live telecast of the Prime Minister’s visit to Kohima at Doordarshan Kohima on December 1 from 9:30am onwards
–Oprah Winfrey
[ PAGE 07]
[ PAGE 08]
Oh shut it. We`re not dead yet! All of you take deep slow breaths. Count to 10 and wait for Modi.
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The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate
No concrete Mexico proof of abducted announces Indians’ fate, anti-crime search on: crackdown [ PAGE 09] Sushma
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place for PM’s arrival • Additional airline to operate at Dimapur in few months Morung Express News Dimapur | November 28
With the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi arriving in Nagaland on Sunday, authorities of the state’s lone airport located in Dimapur have gone into overdrive. Overgrown vegetation inside the airport compound – which some referred to as ‘jungles’ – have been cleared and gardens are being developed. An additional car park has been created for more parking area. The terminal has been lighted, while the VVIP room has been renovated. Mughavi Zhimo, Dimapur Airport Director, speaking on the security measures in place for the prime minister’s visit, informed that troops of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) – which is responsible for security inside the airport – has been sensitised and have been made aware of the PM’s visit. “Other measures will be taken up in coordination with the state government and other central security agencies at the airport,” Zhimo stated, refusing to divulge any more information on the matter. With advent of the Hornbill Festival, the state will receive a fairly large number of tourists from abroad and so the threat of Ebola exists. However, there are no
screening facilities in place at the Dimapur airport. “Dimapur is not an international airport,” he says and adds, “Screening is not mandatory at airports.” He states that the airport authority has been creating awareness of the disease by way of placards, posters etc. Dimapur is also set to receive another airline in a month or two. Zhimo, while informing of this development, hoped that the coming of a new airline will result in better connectivity and competition. “Where there is competition, ticket prices automatically come down,” he said answering to the many who wish ticket prices weren’t so exorbitant. He however washed his hands off the issue of ticket pricing, routing, passenger seat allotment, flight delays etc. saying these were the prerogative of the airline. “We have no role in that. As far as Airport Authority of India is concerned, Airport Authority is mandated to provide terminals, buildings, facilities etc. and these facilities will be used by airlines to service the passengers,” Zhimo stated. On the lack of public transport from the town to the airport and vice-versa, Zhimo informed that Nagaland State Transport had started a bus service from the Railway Station to the Airport some years back, “but it was only 2-3 months.” He lamented the lack of response from people. “There were no passengers, so the government discontinued the service,” he said. Despite this, Zhimo urged the NST to continue the service. He also requested the state taxi association and autorickshaw union to start a service from the airport.
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 28 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) today stated that the “potholed ridden roads of the state bear testimony on the mis-governance perpetrated by the NPF led DAN government for the past 12 years.” A press note from the media cell of the NPCC rued on the conditions of the roads in the state despite “hundreds and thousands of crores being pumped into the state road sector.”
The NPCC informed that former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had granted Rs 400 Crores for expansion of Kohima-Dimapur road into four lanes during his visit to the state in 2003. The Congress led UPA government it added “continued the momentum irrespective of party in power in the state by generously doling out thousands of Crores under various schemes for improved connectivity in road sector.” However, it said that the NPF led DAN government has “land-
ed itself into a precarious position created by its own mis-governance and has no one else to blame.” Claiming that the state is currently on a “plan holiday for the second year running,” the NPCC further noted that several state government employees associations are on agitation for nonpayment of salaries running into 5-6 months, non release of payments to contractors and suppliers “barring few privileged ones.” It further said that the “total dilapidated condition of infrastructure all across the
state sums up the sordid state of affairs.” In the midst of the state’s “financial ruins,” the NPCC stated that anticipating a bailout package from the Prime Minister during his visit to the Hornbill Festival “will be a farfetched dream for the NPF led DAN government unless the Prime Minister makes a Uturn on corruption issues and decides to compromise with the corrupt activities of the NPF led DAN government.” Full text on page 10
nPMHr demand justice for naga human rights activists KOhIMA, NOVEMBER 28 (MExN): The Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) has informed that a hearing at the Delhi High Court on November 27 “marked another important step towards justice for Naga human rights activists Luingam Luithui and Peingamla Luithui.” A press note from the NPMHR Secretary General, Neingulo Krome informed that the two human rights activist, who are also spouses, have been living in “virtual exile” in Canada for almost 20 years after the Government of India (GoI) “arbitrarily impounded their passports.” It stated that a writ filed by the activists, and 12 members of their immediate family and clan, demands the full restoration of their “citizenship rights.” NPMHR informed that the
plaintiff’s counsels pointed out the “illegality and unconstitutionality of impounding” Luingam Luithui’s passport “without providing him due notice and opportunity to respond, as required by law.” The plaintiffs became Canadian citizens in 2006, almost a decade after Luingam’s passport was “impounded” and his wife was not issued a temporary travel document or duplicate passports after hers was pickpocketed. Indian law does not recognize dual citizenship, and Indian citizens who “voluntarily” acquire citizenship in another country forfeit their Indian citizenship. However, the petition argues that the decision of the plaintiffs to seek Canadian citizenship “does not fit this provision as it was a decision forced on them by the illegal actions of the Indian government which rendered them stateless.”
At the hearing, according to NPMHR, the Chief Justice determined that a tourist visa issued to the plaintiffs so that they could be present in the Court was “not an adequate response to the serious issues raised in the petition.” Following the issuance of tourist visa, the plaintiffs attended the Court hearing on November 27. The Court was not satisfied with the Government’s failure to file a counter-affidavit which addressed the contentions raised in the petition, it added. NPMHR informed that the Court has given the GoI four weeks time to file its counter-affidavit. The case has been adjourned until February 10, 2015. Aside from NPMHR members, the hearing was attended by supporters of the plaintiffs, including indigenous rights advocates from Malaysia,
Denmark, Switzerland and Canada. NPMHR expressed hope that the response of the GoI will “finally put on record the explanation for its actions persecuting Mr. and Mrs. Luithui, and that the Court will provide justice in the case.” Luingam Luithui, was one of the founders of both the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights and the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact among others. He was also a signatory to the letter petition that eventually resulted in the Supreme Court of India’s judgment on Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in NPMHR v. Union of India (1998 2 SCC 109). The “denial” of the plaintiff’s “citizenship,” lamented NPMHR, “has deprived them the opportunity to freely travel to and from their homeland and to enjoy their rights as citizens.”
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