Day: October 22, 2012

The Cor Com has issued a list of house owners who have rented out their places to outsiders. In the document having 19 pages It contained lists of 17 house owners of Heingang Assembly Constituency viz, Khabam Lamkhai, Koirengei Keithel, Luwangsangbam Haotabi, Tingri, Ahallup and Achanbigeida.
Names of 36 house owners of Koirengei Nepali Basti (Anand Gram), Nepali Bastida were also given. For Naoria Pakhanglakpa Assembly Constituency it gave list of Malom Sorok Maning, Kwakeithel Mayai Leikai, Kwakeithel Makha Leikai, Malom Maning Leikai, Kwakeithel Lamlong Mari Fangba Sork Maning, Kwakeithel, Kamong Sorokki Awang, Kwakeithel Heinou Khongnembi, Kwakeithel Maning Leikai Sorokki Makha, Kamong Mamang Leikai, Malom Sorok Maning Side, Hiyangthang Sorok Maning (Lai Makhong), Hiyangthang Makha leikai and Hiyangthang Mayai Leikai.
Thangmeiband Assembly constituency has the maximum numbers of 311.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/cor-com-on-renting-out-of-place-to-outsiders/

IMPHAL, Oct 22 NNN: Manipur Commerce and Industries minister Govindas Konthoujam today distributed basic input items and money to 10 self-help groups of weavers working under Sekta Handloom Cluster.
The minister gave away basic input items and Rs 12,000 each to the 10 self-help groups of Sekta Handloom Cluster at a function organized by District Handloom and Textile, Imphal East at Sekta Awang Leikai.
Minister Govindas pointed out Manipur is now in third position with regard to handloom activities all over India and it is indeed a big success of all the weavers working in the handloom sector.
He said the working skills of Manipuri weavers are not lower comparing to weavers in other states of the country and urged all the weavers of the state to have full knowledge about all the assistance and schemes being provided to them by the Government.
A mechanized dying centre will be set up in the state soon, the minister assured. He also assured a mega handloom cluster and another handloom/textile park will be established.
Lamlai constituency MLA Ksh Biren; Additional Director, Commerce and Industries, V Taulthong and District Handloom and Textiles, Imphal East Officer on Special Duty (Handloom) P Minakumari were also present at the function.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/handloom-cluster/

SHILLONG, Oct 22: Meghalaya police today ruled-out the involvement of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) in the kidnapping of three engineers of the Hyderabad – based firm BSC-C&C (JV) recently from Garo Hills region of the state, officials said.
“The GNLA has no hand behind the abduction of the three engineers,” State Director General of Police (DGP) N Ramachandran said here.
Mentionably, the three engineers – Manoj Kumar, Depak Kumar and AK Sharma were kidnapped by suspected armed militants of the GNLA on Saturday last. They (engineers) were on their way to Goalpara district (Assam) from the main camp of the company in Suangre of West Khasi hills district through Rongjeng reserve forest when the incident took place.
The engineers are engaged in the ongoing construction of the two-lane Shillong-Nongstoin-Tura road.
However he informed, “Preliminary investigations have indicated the involvement of some local goons.”
“We are still on the job to rescue the officers to ensure their safe release and nab the culprits,” the DGP said.
Refusing to divulge more on the headway, Ramachandran said, “We cannot share more until we make a breakthrough into the case.”
It is also informed that the senior police officials are camping at the site where the incident took place.
Operations have been intensified in and around the area to secure the release of the abducted engineers, police sources informed.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/gnla-not-involved-in-kidnapping/

IMPHAL, Oct 22: A major fire gutted a rented house of 12 shops and 10 rooms at Kwakeithel Ningthemkol near Imphal College along Imphal Airport road under Lamphel Police Station Monday morning. The fire destroyed properties including five LPG cylinders worth about Rs 24 lakh despite attempt of five fire tenders to save them.
The fire that occurred at around 8 am was caused by an electric circuit that swiftly caught an LPG gas burner which went up in flames inside a chicken centre, Manipur Fire Service said. The house was a semi-pucca of a single-storey with 10 separate families on the first floor and 12 shops on the ground floor. The house was completely destroyed in the fire.
Witnesses said loud noise of explosions apparently caused by the gas cylinders were heard as the blaze engulfed the house. Five fire tenders from Manipur Fire Service rushed to the site and tried to douse the fire but it completely destroyed the house and all the properties. Later, the fire tenders put out the fire.
The 12 shops razed to the ground in the fire include one grocery shop, four computer shops, one scooter workshop, one pork centre, one chicken centre, one stationery shop, one barber shop, one tea stall and another godown of iron scrap and waste iron materials.
Thokchom Haripriya, owner of the chicken centre told reporters she saw a sudden short circuit inside a switch box in her shop which immediately caught an LPG gas burner and burst into flames as she along with a butcher boy ran out of the shop.
Most of the family members upstairs of the house were not at the rooms as they went out for Durga pujah festival. The rented house is owned by one Takshelllambam Shanti, a resident of Kwakeithel Mayai Koibi.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/shops-house-gutted-in-fire/

GUWAHATI, Oct 22: Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) in its latest report, “Manipur: Juvenile Justice Suspended”released today claimed that juvenile justice has been suspended in Manipur by the Ministry of Women and Child Development because of corruption and mis-use of the resources. The State Government of Manipur claimed that the Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) have been set up in all nine districts and the Project Approval Board (PAB) for the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development in its 14th meeting on February 22, 2011 approved grants for nine JJBs. However, as the State government failed to establish the JJBs, the PAB in its 35th Meeting held on January 17, 2012 had no other option but to stop funding to the JJBs for the current Financial Year 2012-2013, ACHR said.
“The service delivery for institutional care is an astounding case of total mis-use of resources. For the first year grant under the IPCS i.e. for 2009-2010, the complete grant was shown to have been utilized by the State Government even though no staff has been appointed to State Project Support Unit, State Child Protection Society (SCPS) etc. The officials of the State Government of Manipur informed that “equipment has been purchased in advance”. It is clear that the funds provided for providing services to children have been diverted for equipments! If that was not enough, the entire grant received under ICPS for 2010-11 too has been claimed to have been utilised, even though no staff has been appointed to SCPS, District Child Protection Units (DCPU) and State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA),” stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.
The Manipur Government claimed that there are more than 3000 children in the State who are affected by armed conflict, ethnic clashes, orphan children and children living with HIV/AIDS. The situations of the Children Homes are far from being satisfactory. Given that no Inspection Committee has been set up as required under the JJ(C&PC) Act, the situations in the Homes established under the Act remain deplorable, it added. Asian Centre for Human Rights then stated that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act prevails over any other national security legislation including the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958. However, the Central security forces do not have any knowledge about the JJ(C&PC) Act and children have been regularly apprehended, detained and subjected to torture while many were killed in fake encounters in clear violations of the JJ(C&PC) Act.
The report cited 14 cases of extrajudicial execution of children by the Central and the State security forces.
Citing one emblematic case of abuse of the JJ(C&PC) Act, ACHR stated from February 14 to March 1, 2012, four persons including three minors identified as Sonkhopao Mate (15 years), Ngamminlun Mate (17 years) and Ngambom Haokip (17 years) were arbitrary arrested and illegally detained in the custody of 36th Assam Rifles and at Lamphel police station in Imphal. The personnel of the 36th Assam Rifles arrested them on 14 February 2012 after a civilian Gajendra Singh pointed his finger at the three minors and one adult villager stating that they are the one who murdered his friend and business partner Mangal Ram. Gajendra Singh and the deceased were running a civil canteen (Variety store) under the 36th AR and their canteen was situated inside the AR camp at Sehlon village. Later, the children were sent to judicial custody at Sajiwa Central Prison in clear violation of the provisions of the JJ(C&PC) Act, 2000. Even the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal West sent them to the prison without verifying their age. In the meanwhile, the investigation into the murder of Mangal Ram [FIR No. 2(2) of 2012] registered at the Molcham Police Station under Sections 302/34/195/203 of Indian Penal Code was continuing.
After investigation, the Police arrested Gajendra Singh, who pointed fingers to the juveniles, and three others for the murder of civilian canteen owner late Mangal Ram. They have been sent to jail. It is clear that the arrested juveniles had nothing to do with the murder case but had to undergo the trauma.
In the entire State of Manipur, there is only one Government run Observation cum Special Home at Takyelpat in capital Imphal whereas the Army and para-military forces are deployed all over the State. This indicates that children who are apprehended by the Army and para-military forces are not produced before the Juvenile Justice Boards and Observation Homes but detained in their camps and in the best circumstances sent to the police lock up or prisons.
Only on paper, the state government of Manipur constituted Special Juvenile Police Units as their functioning remained confined to mere notification.
There are reports of ill-treatment of children in the Children Homes. On 15 September 2011, eight inmates of Destitute Children Home run by Leprosy Patients’ Welfare Society (LEWS) at Chingmeirong Lei-Inkhol in Imphal East district fled after allegedly being subjected to ill-treatment by owner of the Home identified as Ahanthem Tolen.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/juvenile-justice-suspended-in-manipur/

IMPHAL, Oct 22 NNN : The Movement for Tribal Peoples’ Rights, Manipur (MTPRM) has threatened to launch various forms of agitation in case the Tribal Affairs and Hills Department, Gvernment of Manipur does not disburse the post matric scholarship money to those backlog Scheduled Tribe students of the state at the earliest.
In a memorandum submitted to the minister of Tribal Affairs and Hills Department, the tribal rights body stated that there are as many as 698 backlog Scheduled Tribe students who are yet to receive their entitled post matric scholarship benefits amount for the academic session 2011-12 while most of the Scheduled Tribe students of the same academic session have already received their scholarship benefits as per provision given to the tribal students.
Stating that it has already enquired regarding the matter at the department’s office, MTPRM contended that the payment of the scholarship was made to most of the tribal students when there was relaxation of e-payment system and alleged that further continuation of disbursement could not be made due to paucity of fund during the year 2011-12 thereby leaving out 698 Scheduled Tribe students without payment till date.
While informing that there is no relaxation of e-payment for the year 2012-13 although the concerned department has approached for relaxation, it further appealed to the minister of Tribal Affairs and Hills Department to take up immediate necessary steps to disburse the scholarship amount to those backlog Scheduled Tribe students of 2011-12 academic session at the earliest.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/tribal-students-to-launch-stir-on-scholarship-issue/

Imphal, Oct 22 (MNS/NNN) : Olympic Games bronze medalist M.C.Mary Kom has clarified that she had never made any comment against the media in Manipur. On Monday, while refuting the report Mary Kom has threatened that she would take up legal actions on the Mizoram based journalists for publishing fabricated statements which she had never mentioned it.
Addressing newsmen at Manipur Press Club here on the much-hyped story, Mary Kom further clarified that she had never made any comment of discrimination meted out on her by Manipur media as reported in some sections of the media.
Mary Kom said she had shared the emptiness and incomplete feelings which she felt during her last Olympic bout while adding that after winning the bronze medal, when the national media were packed at her house and village, few of the local media were seen.
Mary Kom said, she could not had exclusive interaction with the local media because of her tight schedules and added that she respects the media fraternity AMWJU for giving her a chance to clarify on the matter.
Regarding the reported communally inclined statement attributed to her, Mary Kom said, “I did not say the term ‘Meitei dominated’ as mentioned in some sections of the media.” The pugilist then added, “Of coure, there were times I used to be discouraged of my being from a minority group of people but this did not mean that I was discriminated as the fact remains that all of my mentors and coaches were Meiteis, not a Kom or any tribal. The boxing academy that I run accommodate students from different communities of Manipur which has no limit to cultures and beliefs, tongues and colours.”
“(At the Aizawl press meet when asked by the media) on the trial selections at federation level and the controversy that had captured the media once with L. Sarita, I expressed my straight away feeling that I was very much disappointed when my consent was not asked before it got published as being a sensitive issue but totally relied on a single-sided view. It was even mentioned that the federation was bribed for my selection to the Asian Games, lest, I kept quiet thinking the truth will be revealed one day. It was an individual issue between me and Sarita, not with the Meiteis. Sarita was my best friend and she is still my friend,” Mary Kom clarifies.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/mary-kom-denies-making-allegations-against-media/