Manipur News

NEW DELHI, January 4: Binalakshmi Nepram, humanitarian, author and civil rights activist, founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, CAFI and Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace who works to support women survivors of armed violence all across Northeast India has been listed in prestigious Forbes (India) Magazine `Minds That Matter` list for 2015, a press release by Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network said.

The release said Forbes India in their 9 January 2015 issue writes that people like Nepram are `Thinkers who best explain a rapidly-changing India to the world (and the world to India)` and that Nepram was chosen as `She fights racism against people from the North East and says it like it needs to be said in a country with deep geographical and regional prejudices`. In 2014 Nepram along with many from region lead massive non-violent movements in India`™s capital Delhi that forced government of India to set up the Bezbaruah Committee to look into racial discrimination of people from Northeast India.On 3rd January 2015,the recommendations of this committed was adopted by Govt of India

It said Nepram is the only Northeast person included in the list. Many from the region hailed the inclusion of Nepram in Forbes list calling it `a feather in our caps` and a `public recognition of the significance` of Nepram`™s decade long work for peace, disarmament, ending wars and a gender-just society in conflict affected Northeast India,home to South Asia`™s longest running insurgency, the release added.

Binalakshmi Nepram was born in Manipur is a writer, civil rights activist and a humanitarian spearheading work on making women-led disarmament a movement and an issue that is meaningful to people`s lives, the release further said. She is author of four books

In 2003, in order to help thousands of women who are affected by gun violence in her home-state Manipur, Nepram started Manipur Women Gun Survivor Network. She has represented India civil society in various women and disarmament meetings held at United Nations in New York & Geneva. Nepram is recipient of Dalai Lama Foundation`s WISCOMP Scholar of Peace Award,Sean MacBride Peace Prize; CNN IBN Real Heroes Award. In 2013, London based organization Action on Armed Violence named Nepram as `100 most influential people in world working on armed violence reduction`, the release said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/binalakshmi-nepram-in-forbes-india-minds-that-matter-2015-list/

IMPHAL, January 4: If the government acts on its decision of shifting the parking lot of all the oil tankers carrying kerosene, petrol and diesel from the Inter-State Bus Terminus at Khuman Lampak to the campus of the FCS godown at Sangaiporou, it will only add into the traffic woes of Imphal City, a spokesperson of the All Manipur Petroleum Tankers & Drivers`™ Union told IFP.

He said that the recent initiative of the Chief Minister to forcibly shift the parking lot of Oil Tankers from ISBT to Sangaiporou is nothing new as it was earlier attempted by the last government when Pheiroijam Parijat was the FCS minister. However, the last government failed in its endeavour as many issues cropped up while enforcing its plan, he added.

Continuing that the heavy vehicular traffic on the Tiddim Road aside it is also located on the Airport road, he pointed out that possibilities of road accidents is also quite high as a result. Apart from that many colleges and schools along with the ISKCON temple is located along the road, he added.

Transporting empty or loaded tankers from NH-2 by crisscrossing Khwairamband Keithel or Nagamapal also poses a big problem, he said.

There are traffic problems even on the Dingku Road when loaded tankers are parked in the ISBT after reaching Imphal as the timing of their arrival coincides with school and office hours, he said.

Due to these reasons, we expect the government to ponder over these issues before carrying out its decision as similar attempts in the past failed, he cautioned.

However, the government is trying to shift all the 700 Oil Tankers parked at the ISBT to the FCS godown in Sangaiporow by January 16, he said, adding that the 700 tankers include 600 tankers of the Indian Oil Corporation with the remaining belonging to Bharat Petroleum, NRL and Essar company.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/transporters-caution-govt-ahead-of-its-attempt-to-shift-parking-lot-for-oil-tankers/

IMPHAL, January 4: The chief and chairman of Kwatha village, Moreh Block, in a statement to the press complained that their village of 75 households and 350 people, located just 18 km from Moreh town and 104 km from Imphal on the Imphal-Moreh road, continues to languish in total neglect by the state administration.

The statement said Kwatha is one of the oldest Meitei villages in the district.

It said, the winds of development under several ministries in the State have by passed the village and today it suffers from an abject lack of vital infrastructure, including medical.

The statement said there is one Primary Health Sub-Centre in the village, but qualified health professionals are seldom present, though on paper they are supposed to. At the moment only two nurses are the only staff of the centre, and all they can do is give first aid to patients.

The village is prone to outbreak of deadly tropical diseases, and each time such an outbreak happens, the villages are left at the mercy of providence. They have to travel on foot to better health facilities elsewhere, as the approach road is always in a deplorable condition, it said.

This situation gets worse in the monsoons season, as the same approach road becomes muddy and slipper, making it even more unworthy for motor vehicles, the release said.

It said, the area is also a conflict zone, and often gunfight break out between State and non-State fighters, trapping the villagers in the crossfire. The September 28, 2012 bomb blast in the vicinity of the village killing two civilians is a cruel reminder of this fate, the release further said.

In a meeting of various civil organisations of the village on January 4, the villagers have decided to demand all doctors posted at the village to be in station always. It also called for legal action against doctors and nurses who fail to turn up for duties at their posts. It also wants investigation into human rights violation committed in the village and penalties awarded to culprits under the law of the land.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/kwatha-village-demands-govt-attention-to-their-grievances/

IMPHAL, January 4: Due to the indefinite blockade imposed by the Awang Sekmai Nongthonband Youth Club on January 1 on the road leading to the Sekmai Gas Bottling Plant from the National Highway No-2, the bottling of gas cylinders in the bottling plant has come to a stop.

According to a representative of ASNYC, the stretch of road leading to the gate of the bottling plant from the NH-2 is merely one kilometres. Last year, the concerned authorities were approached with the demand to repair the road after its black-toppings had vanished and the road was filled with a number of large potholes.

`The members of the club along with the MLA of our assembly constituency met CAF& PD minister M Okendro and held talks. We even held talks with the Chief Minister in his official chamber. After an assurance was given by these leaders, the State PWD had finished levelling the road by filling up the potholes with earth and gravel. However, the black-topping is yet to be done till date`, the ASNYC representative said.

This road is frequently travelled by bullet tankers filled with gas, loaded trucks carrying refilled cylinders and trucks transporting empty cylinders which are also quite heavy, he stressed, adding that the road blockade was imposed on January 1 after a prior announcement as the heavy vehicles due to their frequent travel on the newly levelled road yet to be blacktopped were causing a lot of dust-storms.

Many vehicles including 50 bullet tankers that are related with the transportation of gas have been stopped from travelling in this road from January 1, the ASNYC representative informed.

He also informed that representatives from the bottling plant have sought permission from the club in a written request for allowing bullet tankers from outside the State to be parked inside the plant by using the road.

However, he said, the bullet tankers won`™t be allowed to re-load and that the activities in the plant would remain closed.

Sources said the representatives of the bottling plant have expressed concern that there could be explosions on account of the bullet tankers being kept outside for long.

Sources said the club is yet to decide on the written request from the bottling plant and hasn`™t replied to the request.

The representatives of the club imposing the blockade have stated that the road which was filled with dusts during the sunny days would now be filled with mud as there is some rainfall.

Attempts for making contact with the manager of the plant by IFP didn`™t pay off as he was out of station. However, an official of the bottling plant who informed that all the activities of the plant have stopped refused to give any further comments.

It may be mentioned here that the general secretary of ASNYC, Khwairakpam Dhananjoy announced on December 16 last to impose an indefinite blockade on the road after the government didn`™t start blacktopping the road even after the timeline it has given had already lapsed.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/blockade-brings-sekmai-gas-bottling-plant-to-a-grinding-halt/

IMPHAL, January 4: The general Secretary, All India Trade Union Congress, Manipur, Sotinkumar condemned the act of Indian Oil Corporation of stranding petrol loaded tankers at Inter State Bus Terminal, ISBT.

Sotinkumar speaking to the media today at the office of the All Manipur Road Transport and Motor Workers`™ Union, AMRTMWU, has set one month deadline for the authorities concerned to make the Imphal ISBT functional.

He further said that AITUC and AMRTMWU have already urged the Union Home Minister for establishing `High Way Protection Forces`™ to stop various kind of unwanted activities of militants along the Imphal-Dhimapur road harassing transporters.

He continued that the ministry had assured that the plea will be met within 2014, however, till date it has not been met, he lamented. He said transporter have been avoiding the said highway to stay away from various disturbances and have been relying on the Imphal-Jiribam road, which is also not free from harsh terrains, mostly due to non-maintenance of the highway.

General secretary of Union, S Kulamani said that the check-post along the national highway from Koirengei to Mao currently has seven check-posts.

He said the check posts have started charging more unwarranted fees from the transporters in the recent time. He alleged that the concerned district administration and its police along the stretch of the said areas are doing nothing.

He questioned the role of the authorities in protecting the lives of the common people like the road transporters who frequent the highway daily.

Apart from several check-post, many security personnel such as Manipur Police, IRB, VDFs are also plying along the highway to collect money from the trucks drivers in the name of checking the trucks, which is unlawful, he alleged.

He warned that such practice must end soon in the interest of the people and the government must look into the matter at the soonest before various forms of agitations erupt.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/onemonth-deadline-set-for-proper-functioning-of-imphal-isbt/

JIRIBAM, January 4: The Jiribam Bengali Student`™s Union (AJBSU) organised an educational awareness programme on Sunday at the Latingkhal (Near Multan Singh Pradhan Bazar), Jiribam.

The aim and objectives of organising the educational awareness programme was to promote an educational environment among the students and to ensure bright future for the Bengali students.

The awareness programme was attended by distinguished Bengali educationist of Jiribam. Shri Promotesh Das, retired AI of Schools, Jiribam attended as the chief guest while Al- Ameen English School principal Md. Mizaz Uddin Laskar presided over the function. In his speech as the chief guest, Promotesh Das said that education was the key to development without which a society or community couldn`™t be able to bring a better future. He appealed to all the guardians of students present during the occasion to awake and provide quality education to the children.

Meanwhile, the distinguished luminaries who attended the awareness programme delivered valuable speeches on several topics. Among the luminaries, Jiribam SSA co-ordinator Md. Hafiz Uddin Khan delivered a speech on the topic, `Community participation in Education`™ which was followed by Lalpani High School,Jiribam headmaster Md. Abdul Hasim`™s speech on `Present educational situation in Bengali inhabited areas & its improvements thereof`™.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/ajbsu-organises-educational-awareness-programme/

IMPHAL, January 4: Advocate Khaidem Mani has today demanded that the State government should establish an enquiry committee under the Commission of Enquiry Act 1952, to enquire into the recovery of skulls and bones at the Tombisana School premises last month.

He was speaking to the media today in an interaction session held at his residence. He said the commission may be headed by a retired High Court Judge or a retired District Judge.

Khaidem Mani said such an enquiry is very much called for, taking into account of the disappearances incidents that have taken place in the State under draconian law like the AFSPA, 1958.

Khaidem Mani who is also the secretary of Senior Citizen for Society further said that the special investigation team must highlight to the public of the findings incurred by the investing team or the enquiry commission in a transparent manner.

The people of the State have already witnessed the security personnel have in the past staged several fake encounters, and those incidents have logically infused suspicion among the people by and large, he said.

He recalled that in a conflict ridden place like Jammu and Kashmir, there have been cases of recovery of mass graveyards. He said the grave yards turned out to be of those killed by the security forces under the shadow of AFSPA.

He further demanded that the State government has claimed the site was once a mortuary. If that is the case, the government should clarify the names of those buried at the earliest, he asserted.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/khaidem-mani-demands-probe-by-enquiry-committee-in-skulls-and-bones-recovery-case/