Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXVII No. 255
DIMAPUR, sunday, august 20, 2017 Pages 12 ` 4.00
Life of a dancer; the road less taken
Bayern overpower Leverkusen in Bundesliga opener
JD(U) formally joins BJP-led NDA
Sunday Post Supplement
sports, Page 11
national, Page 5
Tension grips Diphupar village
Staff Reporter
3 NE States asked to chart out plan to control pollution
D I M A P U R , AU G 1 9 (NPN): Tension heightened in Diphupar village and its surrounding areas after police dismantled the structures for erection of memorial monolith outside Agri Expo gate, 4th Mile here Saturday, in memory of the two youths- Khriesavizo (Avizo) Metha and Bendangnungsang Longkumer, who were killed in the police firing on January 31, 2017. A member of Diphuar Village Council claimed that an agreement was signed with the government pertaining to the monument. “This land belongs to the village and it is wrong (for the police) to just storm in and demolish the monument when an agreement has already been signed”, he said. According to another village member, the funds for erecting the monument were collected from members of the village. The member queried why was government trivial about a 15x15 plot of land, when the land itself did not belong to them? However, district administration official, who was at the site, told Nagaland Post that there
GUWAHATI, AUG 19 (AGENCIES): Laying emphasis on both micro level and regional strategies, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) asked Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland to make a joint action plan by August 30 next to control air pollution in “non-attainment” cities and towns. Head of the Air Quality Management Division of CPCB, Dr. P Gargava said the exercise for controlling air pollution should start with identification of the sources of pollution, followed by evaluation of control options, stakeholder sensitization and consultation, then an operational plan with clear roles and finally an institutional framework for implementation, monitoring and review. Since 2011, at least 94 cities have not met national air quality standards. Among them are Guwahati, Nagaon, Nalbari, Silchar and Sivasagar besides Byrnihat in Meghalaya and Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland. These places have consistently recorded higher than acceptable particulate matter (PM10) levels.
DMC warns against random waste disposal D I M A P U R , AU G 1 9 (NPN): Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has issued stern warning against disposal of non-household wastes in public dustbins and garbage in drainages under its jurisdiction. In an order, DMC administrator, Moa Sangtam, said some residents were in the habit of throwing tree branches and other non-household waste in the public dustbins causing inconvenience to the residents, while also making it and difficult for those collecting the wastes. Moa Sangtam said, except for household waste, throwing of any such wastes in the public dustbins was strictly prohibited.DMC also noted that some residents were in the habit of disposing garbage in the drainage, leading to drainage clogging and flooding during heavy rainfall. In this regard, DMC has stated that henceforth disposing garbage in the drainage was strictly prohibited. Meanwhile, all colony councils and GBs under Dimapur municipality have been asked to keep strict vigil on such activities and report to DMC in case of any defaulters, adding that the order was for strict compliance.
This is it!
“These two and threewheelers are the real cause of all traffic jams.” K Y M C
Police personnel seen removing the structures outside the Agri-Expo site on Saturday. (NP)
have been three restraining orders, but the Diphupar youth had forcefully taken over the land. On asking why the structure was being dismantled when an agreement has been purportedly signed, the official said they were just following orders. Further, official sources pointed out that following a complaint petition by joint director (Agri-Expo) regarding erection of signboard at the departmental land, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Dimapur, Sara S Jamir, on July 25, 2017 issued an official order, which asked Diphupar
Village Council to exercise restrain from taking up any developmental activities on the government land with immediate effect. In another official communiqué to the principal secretary & commissioner dated August 17, 2017, the secretary home, Rovilatuo Mor, requested the former to convey to the chairman Diphupar Village Council the decision of the government not to allow erection of such memorial monolith at the proposed Agri-Expo site. Diphupar youth expressed anguish over the “abrupt change of heart” of
the government and stated that they would soon come up with an ultimatum. The situation in the area was tense from the time police arrived to stop ongoing works and remove all structures. It may also be pertinent to point out that the JCC and NTAC which spearheaded the agitation against the government for rushing to implement 33% women reservation, have undertaken the task of construction of a public memorial park at the very location where the bodies of the two youths were buried in Kohima near Old MLA Hostel.
23 dead, 400 injured as 14 coaches derail in Uttar Pradesh M U Z A F FA R NAG A R , AUG 19 (IANS): At least 23 people were killed and 400 injured in a major derailment when 14 coaches of the Kalinga Utkal Express bound for Haridwar in Uttarakhand went off the tracks with one of the coaches mounting on another near Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening. More casualties are feared as a number of passengers are said to have been trapped in the derailed coaches. With nightfall adding to difficulties, the railways were engaged in a grim battle for rescuing those trapped by deploying heavy gas cutters and other equipments to break open into the coaches. “Twenty-three people have died, and 400 are injured,” the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police office said in a release. The accident occurred around 5.45 p.m. when 14 coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Kalinga Utkal Express bound for Haridwar derailed in Khatauli in Meerut-Saharanpur Division. The impact of the accident was so severe that one of the coaches
Coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express train after it derailed in Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar on Saturday. (PTI)
could be seen mounted on another while another coach had crashed into a building along the tracks. Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said that 14 of the coaches had derailed, while the state police chief ’s press release said eight coaches had derailed. Police and railway officials said they were keeping all options open when asked whether there could be a terror angle in the accident. The railways and the police summoned all equipments including heavy lift cranes and gas cutters to access the affected coaches and cut through them to bring passengers to safety. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
also rushed forces to join the rescue operation. A team of the ATS of the state police has been rushed to the accident site, an official told IANS. The team headed by DSP Anoop Singh will probe any terror angle into the rail accident. NDRF teams have also been rushed to the accident site. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke to principal secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and the Muzaffarnagar district magistrate (DM) and directed them to ensure prompt rescue and relief operations at Khatauli. Two dozen people, many women and children have been admitted to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
ACAUT asks FD and RD to clarify Serve and help the needy: Governor tells IRCSN on Rs.1188.79 cr MGREGA fund Correspondent
DIMAPUR, AUG 19 (NPN): ACAUT Nagaland has slammed the frequent rhetoric and “lies of the council of ministers and the MLAs” who have been lamenting that Nagaland government has no money when it disclosed that a whopping amount of Rs.1188,79,10,000 was released by the Finance department to the Rural Development department during 2016-17. Exposing the monumental and blatant corruption which has been the hallmark of the government of Nagaland’s unwritten policy in all spheres, ACAUT said the money was released under MGNREGA. Out of the total sum, it said Rs.591,10,80,000 was drawn during April to October 2016. Again another huge amount was drawn on May 1, 2017 for the subsequent period 2016-17. Further, ACAUT claimed that all villages in Nagaland have been complaining that they were paid only three or four man-day wages under MGNREGA, while both the Finance department and the RD Department seem to be “in honeymoon period.” In the light of the above stated points, ACAUT has demanded a public clarification from the departments:
1. It has demanded to know from the Finance department whether it was “indulging in double withdrawals” as some of the documents seemed to indicate. 2. ACAUT asked the RD Department as to why it has released only 3 to 4 man-day wages for the whole year when the government of India had released such a colossal amount? 3. ACAUT also asked the Finance department to clarify on the actual amount released for the year 201617 for MGNREGA programme since it (ACAUT) suspects that the money released was much higher than the projected Rs.1188 crore. Since the chief minister holds the Finance portfolio, ACAUT has demanded clarification for the Naga people as to whether such a huge sum of money was utilised when the villagers were paid only 3 to 4 man-day wages? ACAUT also demanded that chief minister T.R. Zeliang “should not allow Nagas to conclude, that this colossal amount has been siphoned off for personal gains or to be utilised in the next 2018 elections.”
KOHIMA, AUG 19 (NPN): Nagaland Governor and president of Indian Red Cross Society Nagaland (IRCSN), PB Acharya, on Saturday said it was a privilege to be involved in the Red Cross movement that reaches out to vulnerable people. Speaking at the 31st annual general meeting 2016-17 of IRCS Nagaland Branch at Raj Bhavan, Acharya urged the members to find new methods to help the society, saying the whole objective of the movement was to serve and help the poor. Acharya also advised the members to devise ways to help IRCSN serve its purpose more practically. At the meeting, the governor lamented the decline in number of IRCSN members and said that out of the 11 districts, 8 districts did not have any new membership this year. He suggested that
P.B. Acharya seen with T.R. Zeliang and Dr. S.I. Tushi Ao. (NP)
the college students, youths, NGOs should be encouraged to join the movement for spreading its humanitarian network. Reminding that the movement was universal and not confined to a particular time, race, religion or culture, the governor said the IRCSN should strive to reach out to more people across the State. Further, Acharya expressed discontentment with the poor service of the three IRCSN mobile vans including one hearse. Acharya said carrying just 28 patients in a year and transferring dead body to a morgue was not
enough. He said that since IRCSN was not a commercial body, it should rent out vehicles at minimum rate and help poor patients. Acharya also advised IRCSN to identify the centrally sponsored schemes and reach out to the poor people and help them receive the benefits of those schemes. In his address, state chief minister and IRCSN vice president, T.R. Zeliang lauded IRCSN for making huge strides in taking up various social service-oriented and humanitarian activities across the state. Zeliang said the patrons and members
Floods behind spike in vegetable prices Rio re-designated as NPF Staff Reporter
D I M A P U R , AU G 1 9 (NPN): The recent marauding floods that have wreaked havoc in most parts of the country have severely affected transportation of goods and essential commodities to Nagaland, leading to scarcity of vegetables in the local market areas and abnormal price hike. Owing to such shortage, the prices of vegetables in Nagaland have driven both retail and wholesale inflation higher. Talking to Nagaland Post on Saturday, some of the vendors at New Market, Dimapur lamented that supply of vegetables were affected due to the floods. Road and railway transport have been adversely affected because of which there has been shortage of supply, one of the vendors said. According to DMC’s Market Retail Control, there
A woman selling local vegetables in the market on Saturday. (NP)
was nothing that the government could do since the sole reason behind price hike was due to shortage of supply. Supplies to the market have been affected mainly due to disruption of roads in different parts of the country, as well as damage in crops due to the floods, an
official said. However, once the situation improves the prices will stabilise, the official added. In Dimapur, the vendors were selling vegetables at different prices. A vegetable vendor in New Market said they were compelled to buy commodities at higher
rates due to unavailability of adequate stock. As noted on Saturday, the price of 1 kg tomato was Rs. 80 as compared to Rs. 50 earlier; price of 1 kg lao (gourd) which was Rs. 40 was up by Rs 50; price of 1 kg green chilly which was Rs. 60 had gone up by Rs.100 and price of 1 kg of garlic which Rs. 100-120 was now around Rs. 180. Tiamenla, a customer, told this Reporter that she had to face the brunt of price hikes every now and then, just for a pot of boiled vegetables. Another customer expressed utter dismay over the sudden price hike. He asked the Dimapur Municipal Council or district price control authorities to take stock of the situation and come up with a uniform price ceiling during such times and to have a contingency plan to meet the exigencies.
president, says NPF P&IC
DIMAPUR, AUG 19 (NPN): NPF Press and Information Cell (P&IC) has announced that the official designation of its leader Neiphiu Rio has been changed from Interim President to President because Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsü has not resigned as party president after the expiry of the 15-day ultimatum served by “ the NPF led DAN absolute majority group.” NPF Press and Information Cell explained that Rio, the three-time chief minister and Lok Sabha MP was selected as Interim President on July 31, by more than 2/3rd absolute majority of NPF-led DAN legislature party. The NPF P&IC further stated that Dr. Shürhozelie was granted a grace period on August 13 but continued to “deliberately and arrogantly” refuse to resign but hang on. In this regard, the Cell said the designation of Neiphiu Rio will henceforth be president of NPF. The group has also constituted and appointed its Search Committee to forward names of party president, central office bearers and frontal wings which would be approved by the party convention on September 20 at Dimapur. The names of the president and CoB shall then be forwarded to the ECI for due recognition so as to claim the ‘Cock’ as the party symbol. The Cell has also requested media houses not to refer to Rio as Interim President but as President.
should be encouraged to come forward and contribute generously for the cause of the needy. As the IRCSN marched forward in its noble mission of reaching out to the unreached and providing support to people in distress, Zeliang called upon the gathering “to be guided by the seven fundamental principles of the RED Cross of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality” and continue to work with the same degree of dedication and selflessness. Earlier, member managing committee IRCSN, Dr. Neiphi Kire, delivered welcome address while general secretary IRCSN, Dr. Kepelhusie Terhüja, gave the report on business session. Vice chairman IRCSN, Dr. S.I Tushi Ao chaired the function and Union Baptist Church Kohima presented special songs.
GST return filing date extended to August 25 NEW DELHI, AUG 19 (AGENCIES): The government on Saturday extended till August 25 the last date for filing returns and payment of taxes under the GST regime after the GSTN portal faced technical issues because of a huge rush. In a statement, the Finance ministry said: “The GST Implementation Committee, consisting of state and central government officers, has taken a decision to extend the last date for payment of GST for July 2017 to August 25, 2017.” It said certain flood-hit states as well as Jammu and Kashmir had sought an extension.
NPYC stir in Kma on Aug 22
DIMAPUR, AUG 19 (NPN): Nagaland Pradesh Youth Congress (NPYC) has decided to hold a protest rally against the deplorable road condition in Nagaland on August 22 at PWD junction, Kohima. In a press note, NPYC general secretary (admn), Limayangba said that the rally would be followed by pasting of pamphlets. In this regard, NPYC has sought cooperation from the public. K Y M C