Manipur News

IMPHAL, Jan 11: Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, Th Lokeshwar Singh has today sent Gaan-Ngai message to the people of Manipur especially to the Kabui community.

Conveying the message in a statement, it said that Gaan-Ngai is a cultural grandeur celebrated with utmost sincerity and happiness by the Kabui community and added that the preserving the place of elders, married women, unmarried women and man etc is reflected in the festival of Gaan-Ngai.

The statement further mentioned that the Gaan-Ngai festival will help to provide social discipline across the state as it is celebrated irrespective of hill and valley as Kabui community inhabits both hill and valley.

The speaker lastly expressed his heartfelt wish to the Kabui community and also the people of Manipur on the occasion of celebrating the festival.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/speaker-sends-gaanngai-message/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=speaker-sends-gaanngai-message

JIRIBAM, January 11: The Jiribam sub-division electricity department has recovered a revenue of around Rs one crore from drives against unauthorised power connection and overdue bills in the sub-division led by executing engineer M Dorendra Sharma and SO Ali.

A drive was conducted today at Kamranga and Hilghat.

As of today, drives have been conducted at Kalinagar part I, II, Babupara, Dibong, Lalpani, Champanagar, said the EE while adding that similar drives will be conducted at Chingdong Leikai, Sonapur and Uchathol.

Till the end of December 2013, the department had collected fines to the tune of about Rs 95 lakh as revenue and the target of collecting Rs one crore upto 2014 will be achieved, he added.

He further appealed to the electricity consumers to use only authorised connections and to pay their bills in time.

Today’s drive was conducted in the presence of Jiribam police personnel.

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JIRIBAM, Jan 11: The UJK Road Development Committee, Jiribam has blocked Inter Village Road between Uchathol and Leishabithol today.

The road blocked has been initiated following failure of the concerned authorities to respond positively to the repeated request to repair the said road stretch, which had been badly damaged due to disproportionately plying of loaded vehicles for the railway construction works.

A large number of villagers came out and supported the IVR blocking.

Convenor of the committee, Y Romen Singh told media persons that the step has been necessitated by the government’s failure to act on its reasonable demand.

While the road block doesn’t cover medical, religious, electricity and water supply services, it will be continued unless the demand is met, he added.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/01/ivr-blocked-in-jiribam/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ivr-blocked-in-jiribam

IMPHAL, January 11: The All Manipur Ethnical Social Cultural Organisation has also wished happy greetings to the Kabui community on the occasion of celebrating Gaan-ngai festival, it said in press release.

The release further said that AMESCO will celebrate the festival on January 15 at Ramji Kabui village in association with the Khangchu of the said Kabui village.

In a separate press release, the United People’s Front (UPF), Keishampat has also greeted the people of Manipur on the occasion of celebrating the festival of Gaan-Ngai of the Kabui community and Imoinu of Meitei community respectively.

The press release further wishes to let the two festivals bring social harmony by minimising the community differences among the various communities in the state.

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IMPHAL, January 11: Ng Jitkumar’s solitary goal through penalty helped Sahastra Sheema Bal, West Bengal lifted the 57th CC Meet trophy, defeating Tiddim Road Athletics Union, Kwakeithel 1-0, in the final match at Main Stadium, Khuman Lampak, today.

The winner received a cheque of Rs 2 lakhs along with the championship trophy while the runner up received a cheque of Rs 1 lakh along with runner’s up trophy.

His solitary goal was made when he intercept the ball inside the 18 yards box from a corner kicked of Rana Dep Das, but luckily his shot touched M Meino hand and then the referee gave penalty in favour of SSB.

He found net in 31st minute, with his lone goal the first half ended with SSB leading 1-0.

In the second half, the kwakeithel lads strongly played against SSB to equalize, N Momocha gave a pass from near the right corner, however SSB defender Joykumar headed the ball and save from danger.

TRAU’s Surchand header in the 54th minute, through a free kicked of L Ratan was missed to convert goal. Just four minutes later, another opportunity for TRAU to equalize, but S Surchand missed his shot was over the bar through a corner kicked of L Bikram.

Although the Kwakeithel lads hardly tried to equalize, but didn’t bear fruit. TRAU striker Th Premkumar despair hope’s for the top scorer, he was change to S Ratan in the 77th minute because of injury.

However, SSB Ranjan was shown yellow while he create foul against striker Ronald. After four minutes, Ronald was also changed K Priyokumar.

After two important striker of TRAU took off, TRAU decrease the probability to equalize.

In the last minute, TRAU got another opportunity to equalize, with Momocha’s shot from 20 yards through intercepting a pass from corner kicked, was saved the goalie Pradip Basumatary, who received the man of the match of final and Jitkumar received the best striker of todays final match.

N Sushil Meitei of NEROCA received the award for the footballer of the year trophy for men, by receiving a cash of Rs 15,000 with the rolling trophy while G Radharani Devi received the award for the footballer of the year trophy for women with receiving a cash of Rs 5000 along with trophy.

North Imphal Sporting Association (NISA) with 706.25 points received the fair play trophy with a cash of Rs 5000.

The best goal keeper trophy of the championship was received by Ch Kumar Singh of TRAU with a cash of Rs 5000 while the best player trophy received by Daniel L Hmar of TRAU with a cash of Rs 4000 and the best top scorer trophy received by L Sanatomba of NISA with 6 goals with a cash of Rs 5000.

The coach of the year trophy was received by M Surmala Chanu with a cash of Rs 5000.

The best defender trophy received by Md Sohail Shah of NEROCA with a cash of Rs 5000 and the best mid-fielder trophy received by L Bikram of TRAU with a cash of Rs 5000.

Md Akbar Khan of Kshetri Iril Mapal Youth Club received the trophy for the young player of the tournament with a cash of Rs 5000.

The closing function was attended by PHED and Labour Minister, I Hemochandra Singh; parliamentary secretary, MOBC and SC, Mohd Amin Shah; MLA Thangmeiband, Kh Joykisan Singh; commissioner, YAS/ arts and culture, Dr RK Nimai Singh; deputy commissioner Imphal West, K Radhakumar Singh and project director, MDS, Y Ningthem Singh as chief guest, president and guests of honour respectively.

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By B.G. Verghese

The new Delhi Government has spent a tumultuous fortnight in office leaving the aamadmi both agog with excitement and bewildered.Frivolous issues like the size of ministerial houses and whether “posh” official cars should be used by ministers are minor teething troubles. But PrashantBhushan certainly spoke out of turn in a random discussion to say that popular consultation might extend to asking the people of J&K whether they wished the Army to be used for internal security purposes under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

The limits of direct democracyin determining policy matters end where the imperatives of governance, constitutional responsibility and national security begin. False precedents can also muddy administrative processes and responsibility. However, Bhushan retracted, stating he did not mean what he said, after being disowned by Kejriwal. Nonetheless, he was lambasted by other partiesglad to have a stick with which to beat the new boy on the block with right-wing Hindutva goons vandalising a central AAP office in Delhi.

But what can one say about the Law Minster, SomnathBharti wanting to summon district judges, who constitute an independent limb of governance under the High Courts, to confer with him. This was firmly scotched by the Law Secretary. Thereafter there commenced an on-going monitoring scheme to inspect basic standards in schools, hospitals and other public service facilities by citizen volunteers. This is welcome initiative and could tone up standards. But asking the CAG to audit private telecom and power distribution firms may not be such a good idea, despite the blessings of the Delhi High Court in the former case. Undue expansion of CAG audit coverage across the private sector might affect its focus and dilute the quality of its work.   

More problematic is Kejriwal’s invitation to all aamadmiin general to become snoopers and expose bribery and corruption by mounting sting operations against suspects through cell-phones after due official tutoring.  Helplineshave been set up and police officials deputed to respond to callers and lay traps.  Given the anger and disgust over widespread corruption, this sounds good.  But there are inherent dangers in any inspector raj through harassment and blackmail of innocent victims. No one defends corruption, but Citizen Don Quixote could soon be tilting at windmills.

There are better ways of tackling corruption – by simplifying laws and procedures, reducing discretionary powers, using and empowering existing machinery swiftly to award condign punishment to guilty persons and by facilitating growth and employment ensuring increasing plenty for all. The steps taken by VeerappaMoily, Minister MoEF, to break the huge, deleterious logjam of environment and forest clearances that have held up numerous projects entailing critical investments of many tens of thousands of crores for years, is a far better anti-corruption measure than Kejriwal’s brave, symbolic efforts.

The go-ahead for POSCO after eight years of a yes-no, yes-no tango is a case in point. Its clearance commits the company to spend five per cent of its total investment or Rs 3600 crores on social development within in its impact area. What a boon this will be! Vedanta’s bauxite mine has been blocked on the basis of a pallisabha “referendum” from which questionable conclusions have been drawn; but the 800 MW Tawang-II hydro project and a 2800 MW nuclear power plant in Haryana are among others that have been shown the green light. However, the 3000 MW Dibang project, whose foundation stone was laid by the PM several years ago, is still held up.

If 10 m new jobs are not created each year to keep pace with the growth in the labour force, that will hurt the environment, trigger massive social unrest and fuel both corruption and crime.Yet, while preaching virtue, ruling parties are vacillating. The Maharashtra government is handling the Adarsh scam through political blinkers.Muzaffarpur still smouldering with communal resentment and riot-refugees. YetMulayam Singh just staged a costly extravaganza in his constituency, Safai, while the law and order situation is deteriorating.AkhileshYadav has sent a team of Uttar Pradesh MLAs on a study tour of Europe just as a similar study tour of Australia and Latin America by Karnataka legislators has concluded under Congress sponsorship. These holiday jaunts are a disgrace at the expense of state exchequers.

Meanwhile, inter-tribal rivalries on identity and turf control have caused mayhem in a series of clashes between Karbis and RengmaNagas in Assam’sKarbiAnglong autonomous district, along the Nagaland border. Faction fights between militant KarbiPeople’s Liberation Front (KLPT) cadres and armed Dimasa elements of the DimaHalamDaoga seeking separate homelands within Assam over many years, have now led to rival killings.Karbishave targeted Kukis, Dimasas and Biharis who, like other non-Karbis, are being asked to pay a recently-enhanced 60 per cent “tax” on income. Underlying these clashes is the struggle for supremacy between the KLPT and the NSCN (IM). The Naga ho-ho and church leaders have called for peace. Beyond this, the Assam Government and Centre need to take more decisive steps to curb extortion rackets and militancy in violation of extant peace agreements.

In the midst of this upheaval, the Assam Government has done well to advance the clock by an hour as a daylight saving measure. This will relieve the demand for energy by administratively harnessing the sun, which first rises in the east. This simple measure, long resisted without reason, should be extended throughout the Northeast. Few remember that pre-1950 Assam was on “garden time” and Calcutta on “Railway time”, 60 and 24 minutes ahead of IST respectively, while Karachi was in a yet another time zone. Adjusting the clock should cause no confusion and will constitute a major energy reform.   

If Assam has done well to switch time, it has, like WestBengal, been foolish in opposing ratification by Parliament of the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh.  This is in India’s best interest. Any fear in these States of an additional influx of population accompanied by some territorial loss would be mistaken. The Centre should on no account dither on this issue both as a matter of principle and of diplomatic prudence. Bangladesh has just been through an election that was won by the Awami League but boycotted by the BNP-Jamaat opposition, resultingin a constitutionally valid but politically untenable verdict that can best be corrected by a fresh general election in the near future. International observation can reasonably ensure that the polls are not rigged merely because there is no caretaker government, an archaic and costly concept based on suspicion, wisely abandoned.

The war crimes trial and constitutional amendments adopted to restore the secular character of the state constitute no more than fulfilment of the spromise of the 1971 liberation struggle. India cannot but extend its full moral support to this lofty goasl with no political discrimination involved.

www.bgverghese.com

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