Journalists return to work after four-day hiatus
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:37:33 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: Print and electronic media based in Imphal resumed work Sunday after a stoppage of four days in the wake of threats to media houses from a faction of the insurgent group, PREPAK.
The decision to resume publications was taken in a general body meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union held on Saturday following receipt of a written apology from the concerned faction withdrawing its threats to the journalists and media houses.
The faction also agreed to acknowledge a “charter of demand” put forward by the AMWJU, said a statement of the union.
The union had demanded that the faction offer apologies for threatening to shoot reporters and editors, to stop interference in the working of the media as agreed earlier by the PREPAK and not to interfere to the freedom of press, it stated.
Mediapersons had earlier staged a dharna in front of the Manipur Press Club in protest against the threat posed on the journalists.
The situation had arisen after a faction of the underground PREPAK led by the vice president had prohibited the publication of a press statement issued by the central committee of PREPAK led by Chinglemba Mangang.
Taking serious note of the threat to shoot journalists if the media houses happened to carry the statement issued by the other faction, Imphal based scribes gathered on the night of October 10 and discussed the situation and later decided to suspend publication of newspapers with immediate effect till a clearcut settlement came up on the matter.
========================================
KYKL unearths 210 more fake teachers; Pension swindler intercepted and chastised
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:38:39 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: The underground KYKL in a press communiqué today claimed it unearthed 210 more teachers with fake appointment documents, bringing up the total of such fake appointments it exposed to 1153.
This is a demonstration of how the not only the Education(S) department of the government of Manipur, but also the state as a whole has become absolutely rudderless, with its leadership leaving it to utter chaos and anarchy, the statement said.
Gangs of thieves are openly siphoning off Central government funds earmarked for education and the state government has done nothing than to be a spectator of the daylight robbery, it charged, adding that even peons and clerks are personal booty out of public funds and nobody is lifting a finger to stop this pillage.
The KYKL release said, its investigation into the fake appointment scandal in the education department is being tremendously complicated by the presence of adhoc teachers. It even charged that much of the fake appointees had been made in the shadow of adhoc teachers.
Complicating the matter further is the fact that a past Governor-in-Council, had acknowledged many of them as adhoc teachers, it said.
The statement further said, the organization is aware of the background as well as the latest developments in the adhoc teachers’ case. It said the Supreme Court had even ruled that their service is untenable and accordingly the chief secretary of the government of Manipur had issued an order discontinuing the service of these teachers from May 4 this year.
It said according to its findings these teachers were recruited during 1996 and 1998. In 201 Oct, the then Governor-in-Council recognized 248 of them as adhoc teachers. Of these 108 are graduate teachers, 132 primary teachers, 3 PET and 5 non-teaching staff. Their services continue to this day through unending service extensions despite the existence of a discontinuance order, it said.
From February 4 onwards, many of these teachers have also stopped regularly taking classes, complaining of non payment of salaries.
The underground organization said it does not care if the government decides to remove these teachers and appoint new ones through proper procedures, or else to retain their service. It however will not spare anybody who neglect classes and thus put the academic careers of students in jeopardy said. If it discovers anybody not listening to this warning, it will ensure that they do not remain as teachers, the release said.
The statement said, the organization also discovered four middlemen on behalf of these teachers, who had collected Rs 30,000 each from every one of them totaling more than Rs 27 lakhs, promising them they would ensure their regular appointments.
The four have been misusing then fund, and also been trying to use the amount as bribes to get their way.
The four are, Thokchom Dolendro Singh, Basikhong; Thokchom Ratana Kameswor, Kwakeithel; Golmei Gaipuijai, Kakhulong; and Hijam Premkumar, Leikinthabi, Shantipur.
In another development, the KYKL also took into custody the senior treasury office accountant Senapati district, Md. Zjauddin Khan, for embezzling funds by manipulating teachers’ pension books as well as pension arrears of three teachers. Zjauddin had three accomplices and he commissioned off Rs 40,000 each to them, the statement said.
Zjauddin was spared harsh punishment as he is a diabetes patient and also because he has been on Ramjan fast, it said, but warned that if any more mischief is discovered in his name he would be forced to quit his job and his pay and pensions would be blocked.
============================================
Draft proposal for improvement of hill roads given to Centre: Rishang
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:32:37 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing has said that a draft project proposal for intra district road connectivity for all hill districts of the state has been submitted recently to the Union minsitry of surface transport. This is to ease the existing problems of road communication in the hill districts of the state which is one of the main hindrances for development in the interior parts of the hill districts of the state.
Disclosing this, Rishang Keshing during a press conference held recently at his residence at Mantripukhri, said that a draft project has been submitted to the concerned Union ministry for construction of circular roads in every district headquarter of the hill districts. The roads would be about 800 kms in length and would cover many parts of the existing national highways, state highways and inter district roads of the state.
He said that for Ukhrul district alone a project with a total of 17 schemes under the PMGSY for roads has also been submitted to the concerned Union ministry for approval.
Rishang also said the state government should initiate a long term solution to end the decades old insurgency problem adding that the declaration of suspension of operation against insurgent groups of a particular community could not bring a common solution.
While clarifying on the recent charges the MP, who is the founder member and chairman of the Management of Tribal Areas categorically refuted the charge of mismanagement of funds amounting to Rs. 976.15 lakhs by his agency under the Integrated Wetland Development Programmes of the ministry of rural development, government of India.
Rishang termed the recent press reports on the misutilisation of the said funds as politically instigated to malign his political career by his rivals. The Management of Tribal Areas, MATA and Farmers’ Agriculture and Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd (FARMCO) was established with an objective to generate income for poor farmers mainly in Ukhrul district and with the approval of the project by the Union ministry of rural development various schemes based on horticulture and agriculture have been started succesfully targeting 30 villages in Ukhrul district, he said.
He further mentioned that his agency has already received Rs. 396.80 lakhs out of the total project cost of Rs. 496 lakhs from the concerned ministry since 1999 in four phases after submission of utilisation certificates.
Elaborating on the objective of his agencies he said that the schemes were directly handed over to these agencies by the ministry of rural development after considering the potential for economic growth in Ukhrul district, especially through horticulture and agriculture.
Various schemes like terracing, bank stabilisation, constructions of gulli plugs, water holes, farm ponds, nullah bandhs, brick dams and afforestation have already been completed in the villages covered by the schemes. Besides, his agnecies have already distributed 35,000 saplings of oranges, 12,50,000 of pinapples, 3 lakhs saplings of bananas, 1.16 lakhs saplings of papayas, 24,000 saplings of passion fruit, and 360 saplings of jackfruits for plantation under the said schemes.
Above these, for immediate earnings for the farmers, the agencies have also distributed 5,50,200 kgs of ginger, 20,000 kgs of turmeric, both imported from outside the state, 1881 kgs of rice bean, 5400 kgs of soyabean seeds, 1088 kgs of coffee seeds bought from the Coffee Board of India along with the required instruments for cultivation to the 30 villages covered under the project, he said.
The question of marketing the products does not arise under the schemes, and the agencies were giving priority for buying the products from the farmers, he said.
The MP further mentioned that MATA and FARMCO were not reluctant to continue their venture to uplift the poor farmers of the hill districts despite the allegations.
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:37:33 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: Print and electronic media based in Imphal resumed work Sunday after a stoppage of four days in the wake of threats to media houses from a faction of the insurgent group, PREPAK.
The decision to resume publications was taken in a general body meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union held on Saturday following receipt of a written apology from the concerned faction withdrawing its threats to the journalists and media houses.
The faction also agreed to acknowledge a “charter of demand” put forward by the AMWJU, said a statement of the union.
The union had demanded that the faction offer apologies for threatening to shoot reporters and editors, to stop interference in the working of the media as agreed earlier by the PREPAK and not to interfere to the freedom of press, it stated.
Mediapersons had earlier staged a dharna in front of the Manipur Press Club in protest against the threat posed on the journalists.
The situation had arisen after a faction of the underground PREPAK led by the vice president had prohibited the publication of a press statement issued by the central committee of PREPAK led by Chinglemba Mangang.
Taking serious note of the threat to shoot journalists if the media houses happened to carry the statement issued by the other faction, Imphal based scribes gathered on the night of October 10 and discussed the situation and later decided to suspend publication of newspapers with immediate effect till a clearcut settlement came up on the matter.
========================================
KYKL unearths 210 more fake teachers; Pension swindler intercepted and chastised
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:38:39 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: The underground KYKL in a press communiqué today claimed it unearthed 210 more teachers with fake appointment documents, bringing up the total of such fake appointments it exposed to 1153.
This is a demonstration of how the not only the Education(S) department of the government of Manipur, but also the state as a whole has become absolutely rudderless, with its leadership leaving it to utter chaos and anarchy, the statement said.
Gangs of thieves are openly siphoning off Central government funds earmarked for education and the state government has done nothing than to be a spectator of the daylight robbery, it charged, adding that even peons and clerks are personal booty out of public funds and nobody is lifting a finger to stop this pillage.
The KYKL release said, its investigation into the fake appointment scandal in the education department is being tremendously complicated by the presence of adhoc teachers. It even charged that much of the fake appointees had been made in the shadow of adhoc teachers.
Complicating the matter further is the fact that a past Governor-in-Council, had acknowledged many of them as adhoc teachers, it said.
The statement further said, the organization is aware of the background as well as the latest developments in the adhoc teachers’ case. It said the Supreme Court had even ruled that their service is untenable and accordingly the chief secretary of the government of Manipur had issued an order discontinuing the service of these teachers from May 4 this year.
It said according to its findings these teachers were recruited during 1996 and 1998. In 201 Oct, the then Governor-in-Council recognized 248 of them as adhoc teachers. Of these 108 are graduate teachers, 132 primary teachers, 3 PET and 5 non-teaching staff. Their services continue to this day through unending service extensions despite the existence of a discontinuance order, it said.
From February 4 onwards, many of these teachers have also stopped regularly taking classes, complaining of non payment of salaries.
The underground organization said it does not care if the government decides to remove these teachers and appoint new ones through proper procedures, or else to retain their service. It however will not spare anybody who neglect classes and thus put the academic careers of students in jeopardy said. If it discovers anybody not listening to this warning, it will ensure that they do not remain as teachers, the release said.
The statement said, the organization also discovered four middlemen on behalf of these teachers, who had collected Rs 30,000 each from every one of them totaling more than Rs 27 lakhs, promising them they would ensure their regular appointments.
The four have been misusing then fund, and also been trying to use the amount as bribes to get their way.
The four are, Thokchom Dolendro Singh, Basikhong; Thokchom Ratana Kameswor, Kwakeithel; Golmei Gaipuijai, Kakhulong; and Hijam Premkumar, Leikinthabi, Shantipur.
In another development, the KYKL also took into custody the senior treasury office accountant Senapati district, Md. Zjauddin Khan, for embezzling funds by manipulating teachers’ pension books as well as pension arrears of three teachers. Zjauddin had three accomplices and he commissioned off Rs 40,000 each to them, the statement said.
Zjauddin was spared harsh punishment as he is a diabetes patient and also because he has been on Ramjan fast, it said, but warned that if any more mischief is discovered in his name he would be forced to quit his job and his pay and pensions would be blocked.
============================================
Draft proposal for improvement of hill roads given to Centre: Rishang
By : A Staff Reporter 10/15/2007 1:32:37 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 14: Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing has said that a draft project proposal for intra district road connectivity for all hill districts of the state has been submitted recently to the Union minsitry of surface transport. This is to ease the existing problems of road communication in the hill districts of the state which is one of the main hindrances for development in the interior parts of the hill districts of the state.
Disclosing this, Rishang Keshing during a press conference held recently at his residence at Mantripukhri, said that a draft project has been submitted to the concerned Union ministry for construction of circular roads in every district headquarter of the hill districts. The roads would be about 800 kms in length and would cover many parts of the existing national highways, state highways and inter district roads of the state.
He said that for Ukhrul district alone a project with a total of 17 schemes under the PMGSY for roads has also been submitted to the concerned Union ministry for approval.
Rishang also said the state government should initiate a long term solution to end the decades old insurgency problem adding that the declaration of suspension of operation against insurgent groups of a particular community could not bring a common solution.
While clarifying on the recent charges the MP, who is the founder member and chairman of the Management of Tribal Areas categorically refuted the charge of mismanagement of funds amounting to Rs. 976.15 lakhs by his agency under the Integrated Wetland Development Programmes of the ministry of rural development, government of India.
Rishang termed the recent press reports on the misutilisation of the said funds as politically instigated to malign his political career by his rivals. The Management of Tribal Areas, MATA and Farmers’ Agriculture and Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd (FARMCO) was established with an objective to generate income for poor farmers mainly in Ukhrul district and with the approval of the project by the Union ministry of rural development various schemes based on horticulture and agriculture have been started succesfully targeting 30 villages in Ukhrul district, he said.
He further mentioned that his agency has already received Rs. 396.80 lakhs out of the total project cost of Rs. 496 lakhs from the concerned ministry since 1999 in four phases after submission of utilisation certificates.
Elaborating on the objective of his agencies he said that the schemes were directly handed over to these agencies by the ministry of rural development after considering the potential for economic growth in Ukhrul district, especially through horticulture and agriculture.
Various schemes like terracing, bank stabilisation, constructions of gulli plugs, water holes, farm ponds, nullah bandhs, brick dams and afforestation have already been completed in the villages covered by the schemes. Besides, his agnecies have already distributed 35,000 saplings of oranges, 12,50,000 of pinapples, 3 lakhs saplings of bananas, 1.16 lakhs saplings of papayas, 24,000 saplings of passion fruit, and 360 saplings of jackfruits for plantation under the said schemes.
Above these, for immediate earnings for the farmers, the agencies have also distributed 5,50,200 kgs of ginger, 20,000 kgs of turmeric, both imported from outside the state, 1881 kgs of rice bean, 5400 kgs of soyabean seeds, 1088 kgs of coffee seeds bought from the Coffee Board of India along with the required instruments for cultivation to the 30 villages covered under the project, he said.
The question of marketing the products does not arise under the schemes, and the agencies were giving priority for buying the products from the farmers, he said.
The MP further mentioned that MATA and FARMCO were not reluctant to continue their venture to uplift the poor farmers of the hill districts despite the allegations.
Source: The Imphal Free Press Online
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