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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 293
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I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will
Modi marks Diwali in Siachen, announces Rs.745 crore more for Kashmir
‘Canada will never be intimidated’ [ PAGE 11]
By Sandemo Ngullie
[ PAGE 2]
Pop music in the office speeds up work: study [ PAGE 11]
[ PAGE 08]
reflections
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Nagaland governor on US visit; cultural group accompanies
The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn
Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your answer to 9862574165 Do you think the Government of India has the political will to introduce safeguards against racial intolerance? Yes
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Accident kills one in Kohima Our Correspondent Kohima | October 23
One person died and two others seriously injured at an accident at New Secretariat road near Niathu Garden Kohima at around 6:30pm yesterday. The deceased identified as Mukesh Kumar Rai, along with two others identified as Mhasiliekho and Rokovizo, both from Nerehema village, were hit by a bus while returning home. Rai succumbed to his injuries while the two sustained serious head injuries and are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, sources said. Sources said that the family of the accused has compromised with the deceased’s family, but Kohima North Traffic has registered a case acting on the FIR lodged by the family members of the two injured. The accused handyman has been identified as Kechavilie, sources said.
Friday, October 24, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4 –Antonio Gramsci
Lobo sparks Atletico de Kolkata comeback [ PAGE 12]
‘i wish i had educated my daughter’ Zeme Naga women from Assam share their experience
Diwali celebration is over, you can remove your ear plug now!
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Morung Express Feature sons to be educated,” admits ZPB president, Kirang Haflong | October 23 Jeme (45). Faced with povHungkiamle Newme (78) erty, the Zeme Naga womlives on her small piece of en in Dima Hasao, Assam, land in Hejaichak Village in bear the burden of carryDima Hasao district of As- ing heavy buckets of water sam—formerly called the through broken roads to NC Hills district. She culti- houses with no electricvates food from jhum land, ity where they nurture and tends to a small fruit garden educate their children deand feeds chicken from spite their own discrimiday break. Hungkiamle nated status. The markets converted to Christianity are full of them selling veg9 years back from Heraka. etables, as are the fields. On Only 3 of the 8 children the roadside, they hammer she reproduced are alive, stones to chips. scattered in various places now; only her daughter Development & keeps coming back. She political representation fixes the bulb that producMaternal healthcare in es some electricity from the Zeme Naga areas of the solar power—no electric- district is a no-show. “Till ity has found its way to the today pregnant women, village till date. She mends and other sick people, from this and that, and keeps her some villages are carried mother company when she on bamboo stretchers to can visit from her own poor hospitals in Haflong,” incircumstances in Haflong. forms Kingaule Newme “I regret not having sent (33), a research scholar her to school,” says Hun- and women’s rights activgkiamle of her daughter, ist. Primary healthcare not bitter, not sweet, calmly centres are either missing rolling out red chilli seeds (though they exist on refor the next season. “I wish I cord) or deliver poor serhad educated my daughter.” vices. Death-at-delivery Her voice resonates cases are common but with the Zeme Pui Baudi no documentation exists. (ZPB, or the Zeme Moth- Even after a woman gives ers’ Association) in Ha- birth, she has to go back to flong. “Priority is still for the fields within a month.
political level. The underrepresentation of the Zeme people themselves in the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council presents no irony. This shows up at both the level of the family and the community. Survivors of domestic violence hardly ever speak up—“either they are too ashamed or too scared (of familial repercussions mostly) to report cases.” At the community level, women have no voice at, say, Zeme Council (apex body) meetings wondering if it will be too bold a move—women speaking up at all-male-meetings is looked down upon. The Council has never taken up gender issues, whether related to representation of, or violence against, women.
Hungkiamle newme (78) is seen here at her home in Hejaichak village in Dima Hasao district, Assam, with her jhum harvest for the day. With no electricity in her village, she will go to bed by sunset, rise by sunrise and work her field and garden in between. (Morung Photo)
Younger women are then bestowed with childcare. “So either the girl is not educated, or she has to go
to school with a child on her back. With no land inheritance pattern for women as such, she is too burdened
and has no way to empower herself,” says Kingaule, of the Zeme woman who is unrepresented at any
Peace making When conflict broke out between Dima Hasao resident communities in 2009, Zeme Naga men, through local institutions, decided to have a two-level village-guarding system during the nights. The first gate would be guarded by men; women would guard the next level. Women were simply asked to organize. At home, younger women would take care of the children. When they came back from their night duty, the women would get working to put the household together. For the sake of the community, no one objected. “Whenever the Indian army picked up our men on suspicion, we were
summoned to make sure they were handed over to the police on time. We were there to shield the community from human rights abuse. We facilitated peace talks between the two communities,” lists out the president of the ZPB. “We are a consistent pressure group but our views are consistently left out of meetings where decisions for the community are made.” Fear, today, passes like an undercurrent between the two communities. The Indigenous Women Forum of North East India tried to bring women’s voices from the communities on a platform. That failed as male politics ruled the roost. After the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum was formed as a civil platform for non-Dimasa groups in Dima Hasao district, Kirang worked hard to organize the Indigenous Peoples’ Women Forum. When she went to pacify angry youth at a protest bandh in 2012, she was critically beaten with iron bars and bricks. With increasing cases of violence against women in Dima Hasao, both Kirang and Kingaule admit that a ‘solution’ to the problem, per se, cannot be had. “However, the contribution of women to modern society has to be understood as a first step, followed by an acknowledgment of the problems we face,” suggest the two women, speaking for half the Zeme Naga population in Dima Hasao.
Ao Senden says ‘matter settled’ Survival Nagaland meets CM over IBI issue
mOkOkchuNg, Oc- ‘Withdraws the earlier demand of withdraw- requested the Ao Senden office to kindly permit him tOber 23 (mexN): As per its established cultural ing the mandate of Ao Senden endorsement to address his position. In norms, the Ao community of P. Chuba Ozukum to Naga Hoho office’ this regard, the Ao Senden had given a platform to P. has withdrawn its “earlier demand of withdraw- kum, which appeared in lo- sentative to Naga Hoho, Chuba Ozukum along with ing the mandate of the Ao cal dailies on September 17. giving 10 (ten) days to take his village-Yimjenkimong Senden endorsement of P. “This was a direct reac- appropriate actions from Village Council as witness Chuba Ozukum to the Naga tion against the decision of Naga Hoho Office,” stated and after giving his confesHoho office, and the mat- the Ao Senden on Changki the Ao Senden in a press re- sional statement P. Chuba ter settled thereof.” The Ao issue. To this effect the Ao lease today from its presi- Ozukum has apologised Senden, in its Presidential Senden had subsequently dent, Prof. Sangnyu Yaden his mistake in the meeting Council meeting dated the issued a statement on 6th and general secretary, Tsu- of Ao Senden Presidential Council in presence of his October 16, ‘seriously delib- Oct. 2014 to withdraw the pong Longchar. erated’ Naga Hoho’s press mandate of P. Chuba Ozu“However, P. Ozukum village council on the same Dimapur, OctOber release led by P. Chuba Ozu- kum as Ao Senden repre- had tendered apology and day,” it noted. 23 (mexN): The Naga National Council (NNC) has appealed the leadership of the GPRN/NSCN and NSCN (K) to “withdraw quit notice served to each other family members imMorung Express news mediately in the best inter- riO De JaNeirO, OctO- office-sized version sells for 7,000 Dimapur | October 23 est of both the parties and ber 23 (iaNS/eFe): A Bra- reals ($3,180), while the bigger the people of Dimapur in zilian engineer has designed a version has a price tag of 350,000 Residents of Circuit House colony have expressed dismay over the lackadaisical response particular because this is machine capable of producing reals ($160,000). not the time to do such an 5,000 litres of drinking water a “Initially, our clients were of the Power department to consumer comugly and shameful thing day by condensing humidity mostly schools or individuals plaints. A member of Circuit House colony among the brethren again from the air and processing it to who needed modest volumes council on Thursday said that the locality and to vitiate peaceful atmo- make it suitable for human con- of drinking water,” the engineer some parts of Bank colony was blacked-out after sphere prevailing in the sumption. said. “We now sell our machines a rusting electric pole gave way on the intervennight of October 22 and 23. Naga Homeland as everySince 2010, Pedro Ricardo to restaurants, pharmaceutical ing The council member said that on Thursday body desired and only long Paulino has sold 200 of his Wa- firms, a wider range of customfor real peace.” In a press re- teair devices introduced to the ers.” A human being, according morning, efforts to reach out to Burma Camp lease from its Information markets just as the southern Bra- to UN experts, requires about 3.3 Sub-station to register a complaint proved fu& Publicity Wing, the NNC zilian state of Sao Paulo entered cubic metres of water, or 11 litres tile as no response was forthcoming. Finally, at stated that nobody wants to a crisis due to insufficient water to meet daily drinking and hy- around 10:00am, the colony residents visited the sub-station and found the ‘fuse call’ room see “killing among factions supplies. “All this machine needs giene needs. unmanned. The council member further said and brethren any more in to work is a source of electric pow“One challenge now is to lowthe Homeland but peace er and an air humidity level over er our costs,” Paulino said. “We that the telephone meant for receiving consumand National unity, there- 10 percent,” Paulino told Spanish work on improving our manu- er complaints was found disconnected. While out that the ‘disconnected phone’ apfore, before any unwanted news agency Efe. “Pollution in facturing processes and energy pointing peared intentional, the council member said situation take place do the air doesn’t matter at all since efficiency. Another problem is that only after the residents visited the sub-stawithdraw the quit notice solid particles are not present in the need to import parts from tion did the duty personnel spring into action instantly otherwise both vaporised water.” Paulino, who eight different countries, which and detect the cause of the black-out at around the parties will suffer and said he has invested more than also has an impact on the price.” 11:00am. The fallen electric pole was replaced some people will simply $1 million of his own money over Paulino estimates the cost of wa- and supply resumed at around 5:00pm. laugh at you and clap their the past four years to develop the ter produced by his machine at In an unrelated incident, a distribution hands.” It further asked the apparatus, offers Wateair in two 0.17 reais (about 8 cents) per litre. transformer located at Duncan Basti burst on parties to “forgive and love versions: one, sized as an office Water from Wateair flows, then, Thursday evening, affecting supply. ‘Overeach other in the name of filtering system, can produce at a cost of $77 per cubic metre, loading,’ or drawing more than the specified our living God and for the 15 litres of drinking water daily, compared to $3.30 per cubic me- limit, was suspected to be the reason. In this sake of peace and freedom while the full-size device has a ca- tre of water supplied by the utility case, however, Power Department personnel of Naga people.” pacity for 5,000 liters per day. The that serves Sao Paulo. promptly attended to the transformer.
NNC appeals for quit notices to be withdrawn
Water scarcity solution might be in the air
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Consumers dismayed by power department’s unresponsiveness
The Survival nagaland team with nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang on October 22.
Dimapur, OctOber 23 (mexN): The Survival Nagaland (SN) has met the Chief Minister of Nagaland on October 22 to share their concern about the growing influx of ‘Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants’ (IBI) into Nagland. The SN shared with the CM how “easily any nonindigenous person could enter Nagaland as monitoring ILP is not implemented efficiently and urged the CM to strictly implement ILP system in all the districts.” They also pressed upon the CM to introduce ILP system in Dimapur as it is the gateway to the State. “Containing IBIs in Dimapur will contain the flow of IBIs in the remaining districts,” they stated, according to a press release from its media cell. SN, it informed, promotes dignity of labor amongst locals and encourages taking up various manual jobs “of which we are dependent on non-locals.” Chief Minister T.R. Ze-
liang responded that the government could discuss to make plans for opening booths at the airport and railway station where ILP could be mandatorily checked. Zeliang also referred to the plan of ILP extension from 15 days to 6 months-1 year and said, practically, it is not convenient for all non-locals to re-apply for ILP every 15 days. “There are government teachers and other employees who need not apply for an ILP every 15 days but ILP validating one year could be issued in such cases,” he stated. Zeliang added that the century-old ILP system needs to be reviewed as there is no provision for extension or renewal of the ILP under the current system. He also stated that reviewing of present ILP system will only reinforce the present system. He expressed his happiness to members of Survival Nagaland that they came to meet him in person to share
opinions and know the position of the state before submitting a memorandum/ultimatum. He also welcomed Survival Nagaland or any organization in Nagaland to submit suggestions on the ILP, Nagaland Special Development Zone (NSDZ) and Nagaland Total Liquor Prohibition Act (NLTPA). Lalthara, Advisor & Senior Principal Secretary to the CM, who was also present at the meeting, stated that dependency on IBIs should firstly be done away with and awareness of the destructive impacts of harboring IBIs created. He also suggested locals be encouraged to take up construction jobs as most of the construction works are undertaken by non-locals of which many are suspected IBIs. Relating to this, he suggested to the CM that a year in the near future may be declared as the “year of construction workers” to encourage locals to take up construction jobs.
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