June 1, 2016

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Killing of Congo youth not a racial crime: Swaraj

Vol XXVI No. 173

Major fire at army ammo depot in Maha; 16 killed

Combo pic: Fire at the ammunition depot and the injured being admitted to hospital.

NEW DELHI, MAY 31 (PTI): At least 16 defence personnel, including two Army officers, were Tuesday killed in a massive fire that broke out at one of Asia’s biggest ammunition depot in Maharashtra’s Pulgaon that houses the largest stockpile of weapons in the country. The fire which started at 1 a.m. at one of the sheds that housed “highly sensitive ammunition” in the high security central ammunition depot (CAD), spread over 7,000 acres, has been completely doused and the situation brought under control after an overnight operation. “However, in efforts to douse the fire, two officers and

Nagaland may get extra PDS grain N E W D E L H I , M AY 3 1 (AGENCIES): Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is likely to approve on Wednesday a proposal to allocate an extra monthly 62,300 tonnes of grains for supply through ration shops in Nagaland, Tamil Nadu and Kerala that have not yet implemented the food law. Barring these three, rest 33 states and Union Territories have rolled out the National Food Security Act (NFSA), under which 5 kg of wheat and rice are supplied to each beneficiary at highly subsidised rates of Rs 2-3 per kg. “The CCEA meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. The Food Ministry’s proposal on additional monthly allocation of foodgrains to BPL and APL families to three states is on the agenda list,” a source said. In the Cabinet, the ministry has sought approval for additional monthly allocation of 62,307 tonnes of foodgrains to families of BPL and APL to non-NFSA states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Nagaland -- for six months till June or till implementation of the food law by respective states, the source said. Out of the total quantity, the ministry has proposed allocation of 41,800 tonnes of foodgrains to BPL families at BPL rates and the rest 20,507 tonnes of foodgrains to APL families at two-thirds of the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and rice or MSP derived price. Wheat and rice are priced at Rs 4.15 per kg and Rs 5.65 for BPL families while MSP is fixed at Rs 15.25 for wheat and Rs 14.5 for rice.

This is it!

“Why should you need permission to leave Kohima? You’re a minister and not a bureaucrat.” K Y M C

14 personnel (to include one Army jawan and 13 civilian fire fighting staff) lost their lives and two officers and 15 personnel (to include nine Army Jawans and six civilian fire fighting staff) were injured,” director general of military operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh told reporters in New Delhi. Loud explosions were heard one after the other as the raging fire lit up the night sky. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the Army has instituted an inquiry into the incident, Singh said. “Actions to assess the damage are in progress,” the DGMO said. The Army had earlier put the casualty at 17

which has now been revised to 16. It had also earlier said the majority of personnel killed were Defence Security Corps jawans. Following a directive from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was in Pune, rushed to the spot. Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag also visited the site. Modi tweeted, “Pained by loss of lives caused by a fire at central ammunition depot in Pulgaon, Maharashtra. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. “I pray that those who are injured recover quickly. Have asked RM @manoharparrikar to visit the spot & take stock of the situation”.

Bank’s NPAs serious concern, says Jayant Sinha

(5)

DIMAPUR wednesday, june 1, 2016

Assam border to be sealed by year end: Ram Madhav NEW DELHI, MAY 31 (AGENCIES): The IndiaBangladesh border along Assam would be sealed by the end of this year putting an end to the menace of infiltration, BJP general secretary and Assam in-charge Ram Madhav told Mail Today. The border would be jointly patrolled by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the Border Security Force (BSF) of India. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had made similar announcement asserting that infiltration will be completely plugged in two years. The move will fulfill BJP’s major poll promise. The party had contested elections primarily on issues of infiltration and illegal Bangladeshi migrants damaging the cultural identity and demography of the state. Ramifications: “The victory in Assam has ramifications which are ideological, local and national as well as international. We promised two things in the elections: development and the security of the identity, honour and culture of Assam which has been facing the perennial problem of infiltration. A lot of the border had been sealed post Indo-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement and the remaining will be sealed by 2016,” said Madhav. He also said action would soon begin against illegal migrants living in the state.

(8)

Pages 12 ` 4.00

Zeliang inaugurates short stay home for people living with HIV

T.R. Zeliang (NP) Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAY 31 (NPN): Nagaland chief minister, T.R. Zeliang on Tuesday inaugurated the ‘short stay home for people living with HIV’ at the Naga Mothers Association’s (NMA) Cradle Ridge, funded by Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Speaking as chief guest, Zeliang said many companies have come to the state and had earned through business, however state had not benefited through their CSR. He however, thanked HUDCO for coming up with the noble project under CSR and hoped that other corporates would also come up with similar socially beneficial projects so that downtrodden,

and people from lower economic brackets of the society would be benefitted. Lauding NMA for showing that women are second to none, Zeliang pointed out that the completion of the short stay home even with meagre amount (Rs 75 lakh) would not have been possible if it was executed through department or contractor. He also complimented NMA for their hard work and endeavour in the area of social service. Zeliang fur ther expressed the hope that the home would offer free accommodation to all person and children afflicted with HIV, catering to the needs of those coming from outside Kohima for treatment, beneficial particularly to those coming from poorer section of the society. He also called for collective effort in removing stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. D e l ive r i n g a s h o r t speech, regional chief Housing and Urban Development Corporation, L. M. Yanthan informed that during the last three financial years under CSR, HUDCO had sanctioned four schemes at cost of Rs. 147.55 lakh out of which Rs. 121.30 lakh have been released in the state. He said in 2013-14, HUDCO sanctioned two schemes under waste man-

agement project for providing cesspool each to Kohima and Dimapur through their Municipal councils, while in 2014-15, NMA short stay home for HIV and AIDS patients was sanctioned and in 2015-16 public toilet was sanctioned for Mokokchung town presently under implementation stage through municipal council and expected to be completed in the next three months. Yanthan also urged the state government to fully utilize HUDCO in its endeavor to provide affordable homes to its citizens. He suggested state government to urgently constitute Nagaland State Housing Board to accelerate HUDCO’s effort. Short speeches were also pronounced by former Prinicpal Dircetor H&FW, Dr. Neiphi Kire and president NNP+, Lanu. The gathering was enthralled through special song by children of Cradle Ridge. NMA president Abeiü Meru delivered the welcome address, while vote of thanks was pronounced by NMA general secretary, Lochumbeni Humtsoe. The programme was chaired by Joint Secretary H&FW, Smita Sarangi, IAS. Earlier, the home was dedicated through a prayer by pastor UBC Kohima, Rev. Dr. Rachülie Vihienuo.

Centre sanctions `12 cr for NPPCL revival works DIMAPUR, MAY 31 (NPN): Centre has assured to sanction Rs 30 crores to the Hindustan Paper Corporation, out of which an amount of Rs. 12 crores would be made available to the Nagaland Pulp & Paper Company Limited (NPPC Ltd), a statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO) stated. The amount (Rs. 12 crores) would clear the outstanding dues, so that the machineries sent for repairs can be delivered at the earliest, CMO added. On Tuesday, Nagaland chief minister T.R. Zeliang convened a meeting at his residential office to discuss issues confronting the revival package of NPPCL, wherein parliamentary secretary Industries & Commerce, Amenba Yaden; chief secretary, Industries department officials, joint secretary ministry of Heavy Industries, Rajesh Kumar Singh; Hindustan Paper Corporation CMD, Shashi Kanth Jain and others were present. Zeliang pointed out that out of the Rs. 100 crores released by the Ministry of Heavy Industries in 2013, Rs. 60 crores was diverted by HPC Ltd. To this, he urged the ministry “to get to the bottom of the matter and ensure that mistakes and errors, if any, should be rectified at the earliest”. He also made it clear that NPPCL should not be made to suffer due to wrongdoings of others. (Cont’d on p-5)

Govt to set up TCCs in all districts: Longon NMA rejects 25% reservation for civic bodies Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAY 31 (NPN): As a part of its anti-tobacco campaign, the state government has planned to set up Tobacco Cessation Centre (TCC) in all the districts of the state, informed minster of Health and Family Welfare (H&FW), P. Longon Tuesday. TCCs would be set in the respective district hospitals where counselling services and Nicotine replacement therapy would be made available for tobacco users to quit, the minister said. He said this at the function here to mark, “World No Tobacco Day” held on the theme, “Plain Packaging”. The event was organized by National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) under the Department of H&FW at capital convention center. Longon also assured that his department would continue to invest resources and exercise influence to protect non-smokers and children from tobacco hazards and also help tobacco users to quit the habits through various initiatives.

Under this, the minister said all the eleven districts would be covered by NTCP activities during 2016-17. Department had also conducted intensive awareness programmes in Kohima and Dimapur, Longon said and added that activities on anti-tobacco campaign would also be launched in Wokha and Peren shortly. The minister also pointed out that Nagaland is the second highest tobacco users in the country where tobacco initiation begins at the age of eight years. He said 28 percent of school children in the age group of 8-12 years used tobacco and at present 41% of this age group buys tobacco products for their parents and relative which needed to be controlled. Pointing out that oral cancer, head and neck cancer, oesophagus cancer and stomach cancer are on the rise in the state, Longon asked the department to come out with new approach to tackle and bring down this life threatening issue, as all these cancers were also related to tobacco. On the occasion, Longon also

congratulated the schools, colleges and Gariphema village in attaining Tobacco free status. He further called for collective effort of all the stakeholders to make tobacco free Nagaland. Speaking as the guest of honour, minister of school education, Yitachu stressed on the need to go beyond eradication of tobacco (smoke) free, but also eradicate smokeless tobacco which is more dangerous with higher number of usage. He also encouraged the children to influence the elders, as they have the power to do wonders not only for them but for the coming future. The chief guest and guest of honor also gave away certificates to 20 tobacco free schools, two colleges and one village in Kohima. SNO NTCP, Dr. Hotokhu Chishi read out the guidelines and action plan for “Smoke Free, Kohima City”. “Voice of children” was delivered by Kessica of Dainty Buds School Kohima, while “voice of tobacco victim” by David. The programme was chaired by secretary H&FW, Senti Ao.

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAY 31 (NPN): Even as chief minister, T.R. Zeliang has reiterated on 25% reservation for women in urban local bodies (ULBs), the Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation (JACWR) has rejected the offer by sticking on its demand on 33% reservation. Zeliang who was speaking at the inaugural programme of the short stay home for people living with HIV, said that state government through deputy commissioners would nominate 25% in consultation with NMA and women associations in ULBs. Zelaing also told Nagaland Post that since the matter was pending in the Supreme Court (SC), the State Government was unable to avail around Rs 40 crore sanctioned by the Centre for ULBs. Meanwhile, NMA president, Abeiü Meru said that it would remain strong to their demand on 33 % reservation. JACWR also demanded implementation of SC ruling of April 5, 2016, to hold municipal elections and implement 33%

women reservation. Meru said that JACWR was waiting action from the state government and expressed hope that the SC ruling would be implemented. In this regard, NMA president said that the committee had also written to the secretary Municipal Affairs last month. When asked on Naga Hoho’s (NH) resolution that introduction of 33% reservation for women in the municipal bodies was premature, Meru said that the case was not between NMA and NH but between NMA and state government. She clarified that it was not premature as other states have already implemented 33% reservation, and opined that Naga women were matured enough and that men folk should not undermine women. JACWR is also scheduled to hold a meeting on the issue.

MAD clarifies, says NLA resolution still holds ground

Municipal Affairs Department (MAD) has issued a clarification with regard to the Supreme Court’s order dated 05.04.2016 Special Leave Peti-

tion (Civil) No. 26794/2012 and Writ Petition (Civil) No. 242/2014 on 33% women reservation and also challenging the Assembly Resolution dated 22.09.2012 exempting the operation of Article 243-T [onethird reservation of seats for women in the ULBs] of Part IX-A of the Constitution of India to the State of Nagaland. In a press note, Municipal Affairs joint director & HOD, A. Zanbemo Ngullie said after making its observation, it was learnt that the Supreme Court had converted the Special Leave Petition into a Civil Appeal [Civil Appeal No. 3607/2016]. “The said order only entails that the matter shall now be argued on its own turn as a regular matter, which may take some time before it is finally decided,” he said. He pointed out that the directions issued by the single judge on 21.10.2011 were not sustained by the division bench and were replaced by the operative directions issued by the division bench on 31.07.2012. He said the single judge’s directives were “subsumed and

merged with the impugned judgment” passed by the division bench. In this regard, he said that the stay on the implementation of the impugned judgment by the Supreme Court “does not operate to revive the single judge’s decision and directions”. He also pointed out that since there was “no stay of the Legislative Assembly’s Resolution (22.09.2012)”, though the same was challenged in writ petition, it has implied that the Assembly Resolution continues to hold the field. It has been observed that the Supreme Court “has neither adjudicated upon the merits of the case nor has it issued any directions to the state of Nagaland”. Therefore, he said the state government was under no obligation to hold elections to ULBs and any communication/information to the contrary was misleading, until the final outcome of the civil appeal. He however, said that the state government may decide to hold the Municipal/ Town Councils election “as and when deem fit”.

Thilixu village serve 48-hr deadline to nab accused Despite minister’s appeal teachers hold stir Staff Reporter

Correspondent

DIMAPUR, MAY 31 (NPN): Hundreds of protestors from Thilixu village converged at DC Dimapur office complex on Tuesday and demanded that the accused involved in the alleged attempt to murder of GB Thilixu village be arrested within 48 hours. Their demand was put forth in a memorandum submitted to DC Dimapur through SDO (C), signed by head G.B, Thilixu Village, Hekuto Kiba; chairman, Thilixu Village Council (TVC), Nikhevi Yeptho; president, Sumi Totimi Hoho, Thilixu Village, Vishili Zhimo; president, Thilixu Village Students’ Union, Tovito Chishi; and president, Thilixu Youth Organization, Hebonto Zhimo. In the memorandum, the organizations stated that Thilixu Village Council (TVC) lodged FIR with the police against Kughaho D Chophy (teacher, SDEO Dimapur) and his brother, Khekiye D Chophy on May 16, on charges of causing public disturbance, assaulting innocent public with

DIMAPUR/KIPHIRE, MAY 31 (NPN): United Sangtam Students’ Conference (USSC), Nagaland Secondary School Field Officer’s Forum (NSSFOF) and All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA) have set aside the minister of School Education and SCERT, Yitachu’s appeal for making agitation as last option for resolving their issues, and called for agitations on Tuesday. Yitachu had appealed to various organizations and associations to exhaust all possibilities to reach an understanding with the department before resorting to agitation on May 28. Two days after his appeal, USSC began its indefinite strike Tuesday at Longkhim town while NSSFOF and ANSTA have called for indefinite total cease work from June 1. Demanding setting up of Sub-Divisional Education Officer (SDEO) office at Longkhim Hq, USSC launched indefinite strike (first phase) from Tuesday. All Government Schools under Longkhim-Chare would

Members of Thilixu village outside the DC’s office Dimapur on Tuesday. (NP)

a mob, firing several rounds of ammunition, and threatening innocent public with lethal weapon during the inaugural function of Daily Market at Thilixu Village Block-III. However, they alleged that no action was taken by the authority and the case kept “idle” at East Police station. Again on May 28, TVC alleged that the elder brother of the accused, Tokiho D Chophy (JE RD), along with a group, “intentionally attempted to murder” G.B Thilixu Village Block-III, Tokishe Achumi, who is also the president of Chumukedima G.B. Associa-

tion. In this regard, TVC lodged another FIR at East Police Station on May 28. However, the organizations stated that when the council inquired on May 29, the investigating officer reportedly informed TVC that the accused had been forwarded to judicial custody. In this regard, the organizations demanded to know as to how the accused was forwarded to judicial custody on a Sunday (May 29). Lamenting that they had lost faith in the police and law enforcing agency, the organizations demanded that the accused be apprehended with non-bailable warrant

within the stipulated time. They warned that failure to arrest the culprits within the stipulated time, the organizations would be at the “liberty to trial the culprits as deem fit and proper as per the Sumi customary law”. The organizations also warned that they would not be held responsible for any untoward incident. Meanwhile, when Nagaland Post visited East Police Station, Dimapur, and asked the OC regarding the case, the official said after conducting all necessary procedures, the accused was forwarded to judicial custody.

down their shutters for three days, USSC said. In a press release, USSC executive secretary, Yangdipi Sangtam informed that the next course of agitation (second phase) would be closing down of government offices and restriction of movement of government vehicles under its jurisdiction till its demand was fulfilled. USSC also criticized the state government for turning a deaf ear and deploying “delay tactics” toward the students’ community by rejecting the “deserving” demand when the department of School Education in its order dated 14th November 2014 had approved their demand and proposal. USSC said it had also submitted memorandums to minister of School Education and chief minister last year mentioning over the issue. The conference also alleged that on the directive of the director of School Education, it had arranged temporary building for SDEO Longkhim, as it was not possible to construct new building at the limited time. Since post creation was dif-

ficult, USSC said that the government assured them that it would arrange teachers under Longkhim-chare as SDEO for a time being. However, USSC alleged that the promise turned out to be fake. In this regard, USSC said that it was left with no option but to go for agitation. USSC also sought the intervention of the chief minister on their genuine demand. NSSFOF and ANSTA: Announcing the stir, NSSFOF secretary, Kevitsiano Luho, convener, Visasielie Suhu and ANTSA general secretary, Visato Koso said that the total cease work would commence from June 1, as second phase of agitation against the failure of the government to address the issue of total bifurcation of elementary/secondary from Higher Secondary sections. They have asked all their members to “strictly” comply with the directive for effective implementation of the agitation. Members have also been asked to be in the respective posting place but abstain from performing duties during the stir. K Y M C


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.