Saturday, December 15, 2007

Manipur News | December 15, 2007

Rebel camp to fly out today to regroup at New Delhi, CM too leaves state on official business
By : A Staff Reporter 12/15/2007 12:55:29 AM


IMPHAL, Dec 14: Refusing to retreat from their efforts to oust O Ibobi Singh from chief ministership and to put further pressure on the Congress high command at the Centre, the rebel Congress MLAs who were camping in Imphal since a few days back will again shift to the national capital, New Delhi tomorrow.

Meanwhile, chief minister O Ibobi Singh who left the state capital today on a official tour outside the state handed over the charge of chief ministerial duties to the senior most minister, Th Debendra. The chief minister has already reached Guwahati along with his wife Landhoni today.

Confirming the shifting of the dissident camp to the national capital, a source in the rebel camp said that air tickets had been booked with the Jet Airways for the MLAs in the rebel camp today.

MPCC president Gaikhangam will also leave for New Delhi on Sunday (December 16) to join the camp, the source said. However, four ministers including Th Debendra, who the rebel MLAs claim is their projected leader, will not be part of the MLAs team leaving tomorrow.

The source at the rebel camp also could not immediately confirm when the MLAs who are staying back will join the camp at New Delhi.

The sources also disclosed that the MLAs are heading for Delhi to wait for the submission of the report of the Congress general secretary, Prithivi Raj Chauhan who visited the state and is now back in New Delhi after taking stock of the crisis within the state Congress.

Chauhan is likely to submit his report to the party high command after Sunday as he left the national capital for Karnataka on a two-day visit of the state. He is scheduled to stay in the south Indian state till December 16, according to the source.

Meanwhile, the camp of the rebel MLAs at MLA Nandakumar’s quarter dispersed tonight after an informal meeting was held. This was apparently to enable them to make arrangements for their journey to New Delhi tomorrow, the source added.

In the meantime, chief minister O Ibobi Singh who left Imphal after handing over charge to Th Debendra will fly to Shillong tomorrow by chopper to attend the passing out parade of the jamandars of the Manipur Rifles on completion of military training at North East Police Academy, NEPA.
He is scheduled to leave Guwahati for his onward official tour to Delhi the day after. He will attend a meeting of chief ministers of the northeast on December 17 and 18, National Development Council, NDC meeting on December 19 followed by chief minister’s conference to be held in New Delhi on December 20.

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Rockefeller Award for Ratan Thiyam
By : A Staff Reporter 12/15/2007 12:54:45 AM

IMPHAL, Dec 14: Ratan Thiyam, poet, novelist, director, musician, painter and actor has done Manipur proud again. He has been named to receive the Asian Cultural Council’s 2007 John D Rockefeller Award in recognition of his extraordinary achievements as a theatre director, writer, designer, musician, actor and cultural leader in Manipur, India and internationally. The important contributions made by the Chorus Repertory Theatre in bringing the performing arts of Manipur and of India to the attention of international community have also been acknowledged by the trustees.

Each year the Asian Cultural Council presents the John D Rockefeller Award of the Asian Cultural Council to an individual from Asia or the United States who has made a significant contribution to the international understanding, practice, or study of the visual or performing arts of Asia. This award for outstanding professional achievement commemorates the deep and long standing interest of John D Rockefeller 3rd in Asian art and culture.

Candidates for the John D Rockefeller Award must be nominated by artists, scholars, and others professionally involved in Asian art and culture. Recipients are selected by the trustees of the Asian Cultural Council in consultation with various specialists in the candidates’ fields as well as with qualified individuals having firsthand knowledge of the nominees’ professional activities and accomplishments. The award enables recipients to pursue work in some aspect of the arts of Asia through international travel and research.

Funds for the award are made possible by an endowment gift to the Asian Cultural Council from The JDR 3rd Fund.

Ratan Thiyam’s love for Manipur and its culture knows no bounds. He firmly believes that plays should be based on logic and reason - it should mirror the society; it should be able to analyse the social changes and give comment on it. His plays have become ever more experimental with each new play.

His writings also equally voice his concern for his native land. Quoting a few lines from his poem ‘The story of a land turned barren’, he says:
With unknown ‘ism’
with unknown words
this land full of unknown habits
would become like this, would become so terrible unwittingly, because of it,
it is still stuck with ‘Kyamgei is a fertile land’
thinking what teacher Madhumangol had written is correct
I had forgotten to ask teacher Kalachand Shastri.

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While Tml village lives in fear, forest dept says tiger will not be trapped
By : Thingbaijam Dhamen/IFP 12/15/2007 12:53:41 AM

IMPHAL/TML, Dec 14: The state forest department has no plans to catch the Bengal Tiger roaming in the forests of Tamenglong even as the villagers of Bhalok village and its surroundings fear that the big cat might start attacking them sooner or later.

The wildlife warden’s office in Imphal has said that they have no plans to catch the tiger as there is as yet no possibility of the tiger attacking human beings. Efforts are also on to count the number of tigers dwelling in the area.

“We believe that more than one tiger may be in the jungle,” said the chief wildlife warden, AK Rana during a talk with the IFP. He also observed that the tiger may have migrated or escaped from the forests of neigbouring states of Nagaland or Assam due to the heavy deforestation there which has led to the reduction of its dwelling space.

Villagers on the other hand said that as many as 17 calves including buffalo calves had failed to return since the beginning of this month and they assumed that some of them might have been killed by the full grown Bengal tiger that has been roaming in the vicinity of their village Bhalok since the first week of December this year.

Officials of the state wildlife warden’s office, however, said that the calves may have been missing due to other reasons.

The presence of a tiger near Bhalok village has been officially confirmed after a team of the state forest department visited the village and found pug marks of the big cat which was once announced to be totally extinct from the forests of Manipur.

A villager named Akhuaikhou of Bhalok village said he had witnessed a tiger roaming with his own eyes at Joupi mountain located not so far away from his village.

According to village authorities, most of the villagers have heard the roaring sound of the tiger at night as well as in the evening since the last around one week.

The villagers have stopped going out from their respective homesteads at nightfall and in the early mornings. “Villagers have also been warned not to go out alone in the forests even in the daytime,” the chairman added.

As a precautionary measure and to prevent the tiger from intruding, jungle cutting operation has been launched by the villagers. Around 100 villagers are cutting the jungle between IT road and Joupi mountain where villagers believed the big cat is dwelling.

Even though the deputy commissioner, Tamenglong district issued an order on December 1 not to cause harm or death of the tiger, the villagers are disappointed with the state government officials who have not arrived at the village for hunting and trapping the tiger.

They said that if the authorities fail to do so they would take up their own course of action to relieve the villagers from the prevailing panic running in the village as well as in the neighbouring village.

In the meantime, the state wildlife warden here in Imphal, while appealing to the villagers not to kill the tiger said that the wild cat has the right to live in the forest and so far there is no possibility of attacks on humans by the tiger.

The officials are continuing their campaign to protect the tiger, the chief wildlife warden said.
He also said that the authorities had no plan to catch the tiger. “But we are making the villagers aware on how tigers become maneaters and the need for protecting the big cat. We are also conducting a poster campaign,” he added.

While reacting to the villagers warning that the tiger would be killed if the state authorities failed to catch the tiger, the wildlife warden said, “That is very irresponsible.”

“We are trying our best to convince the villagers not to kill the tiger and allow it to stay in the forest as the tiger dwelling there is not a maneater,” Rana said reiterating that “it is the right of the wild animals to dwell in the forest.”

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Tipaimukh project public hearing to be reconducted at site
By : Thingbaijam Dhamen/IFP 12/15/2007 12:52:54 AM

IMPHAL, Dec 14: Public hearing on the Tipaimukh Hydro-Electricity Power Project for which the foundation stone was laid a year back in 2006 will be reconducted at the project site.

According to an official source the public hearing on the environment aspect of the project follows a directive from the Union ministry of home affairs. The ministry also asked the Manipur government to conduct the public hearing as early as possible at the project site.

Mention may be made that many civil organizations based in the state like the Action Committee Against the Tipaimukh Project, ACTIP have been objecting to the construction of the project in Manipur. They are also blaming the authorities for conducting the public hearing at other places and not at the site where the dam is to be constructed.

Protesting that a public hearing in Tamenglong district in November 2006 was not conducted in a fair manner, project opposers had also burnt down a government office there.

The Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Multipurpose project is proposed to be constructed on the Barak river at the junction of Manipur, Mizoram and Assam states. The project is targeting to provide 1500 mega watt of power.

The project has been approved by the planning commission at a cost of Rs. 6,000 crores. However, approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA and forest and environment clearance is yet to be given.

The project is to be implemented by the North Eastern Electric Power Cooperation, NEEPCO as Central sector project.

Meanwhile, the NEEPCO has been making headway towards the detailed survey and investigation. The DSI is important from the point of view of preparation of estimates for the main project features.

The new alignment for the NH-53 diversion at Makru bridge site and Barak bridge site have already been surveyed, and necessary check, survey and estimation is getting ready to be conducted by the Border Roads Organization, BRO, an official said adding that the same work for the NH-150 and Manbahadur Road (Jiribam-Tipaimukh) are in progress.

The official also stated that the river route survey along Barak river from Karimgunj upto Jirimukh has been completed.

On the other hand, the implementing agencies have also floated notice for international competitive bidding for engineering, procurement and construction, EPC for major items like dam, electro-mechanic parts etc. and the date of opening of the bids is scheduled on December 31, 2007.

Process is also underway for the development of infrastructure like accommodation and path etc. at the project site, the officials added.

The foundation stone of the project, mention may be made, was laid by the Union minister for power at Thanlon in Churachandpur district in December 2006.

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Music festival to bring together state’s folk musicians
By : A Staff Reporter 12/15/2007 12:51:53 AM

IMPHAL, Dec 14: ‘Wake Up and Reach Out,’ a traditional and folk music festival that would bring together folk musicians and singers of the various ethinc groups of the state is to be held at the THAU ground, Thangmeiband next Wednesday.

The folk music festival, the second of its kind being organised by the Folk Art and Cultural Guild, Manipur aims at bringing music artistes from both the hills and the valley together on a common platform to promote and popularize folk music, Momo Laishram, director of the guild informed a press conference held today.

Laishram, who is also a professional drummer, observed that at this juncture of flux and change in society, the time has come for all of us to come forward and show who we are through our rich culture and music.

He said folk music artistes from Tangkhul, Koireng Aimol, Khoibu, Mao, Thadou, Zeliangrong, Maram, Poumai, Kuki-Chin-Mizo, Anal, Monsang, Tarao, Lamkang, Chiru, Chothe, Muslim and Meitei will be performing at the fest, sharing skills and experiences of their respective music traditions.

He added that there would be two categories - folk and modern music, and all participants will be expected to present their original compositions (rather than cover versions).

Soul Mate, professional blues musical band of Meghalaya, which represented India at an international Blues festival held at Memphis, USA, in January this year, and Warklung, a professional folk artiste from Karbi Anglong will also be performing at the festival.

Guru Rewben Mashangva, well-known Tangkhul folk and blues music artiste, who is an organising member, observed that the traditional music festival will give an opportunity to various artistes from different ethnic communities to improve themselves, and expose their traditional music forms on a broader platform.

Talented artistes and singers from every ethnic group will be selected after the festival for participation in the NE Roots Festival due to be held next year, Momo Laishram added.

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NSCN-IM gift new materials to Tamenglong hospital
By : Daniel Kamei/IFP 12/15/2007 12:50:56 AM

TAMENGLONG, Dec 14: The amount deducted from the state government employees’ salaries for alleged deriliction of duties was used to buy hospital items and handed over today to the district hospital in Tamenglong district headquarter by cadres of an insurgent group.

The material handed over today to the district hospital included 14 each of mattress, bed sheets and pillows. According to the Zeliangrong region NSCN (IM), the materials were bought with the money deducted from the salaries of those employees including doctors who were found out of station and abstaining from duty.

Staffs including doctors of the hospital were found out of station or irregular in their duties when inspected by the cadres of the outfit as a part of their inspection drive at each and every government office in the district.

The cadres of Zeliangrong Region, GPRN (NSCN/IM) have been conducting the inspection and punishing employees since around a month back in the district.

They deducted half the amount from five employees’ monthly salaries and with the amount bought the hospital materials which were handed over to the hospital authorities by cadres of the outfit led by one Rajoupiou (minister) Athimpou and Lisi ( equivalent to SDC of a district) Dingkham today.

Around 15 cadres of the outfit including around 10 well armed cadres came to the hospital along with the minister and handed over the materials today. Before leaving the outfit also helped six serious patient in the hospital by providing their requirements in kind.

As soon as the materials were received, old and rotten materials of 14 beds in the hospital were replaced in front of the Rajoupiou and cadres.

According to the Rajoupiou, they were following directives from their CAO, Longchaibi Golmei.
The hospital staff thanked the efforts of the outfit and said that they had done what the government had not done for a long time.

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Central team arriving to consider NIT construction matter’
By : A Staff Reporter 12/15/2007 12:49:29 AM

IMPHAL, Dec 14: A three-member fact finding team from the Centre is coming to Imphal on December 19 to hold a public hearing on the proposed construction of National Institute of Technology, NIT at the Langol area, according to ex-MP, Kim Gangte.

Addressing a press conference today at the Manipur Press Club, the ex-MP, who is the chairperson of the JAC for Protection of Residential, Agricultural and Wetlands, Langol-Lamphelpat, said the Central team would look into whether the people's consent is heard before taking up the proposed establishment of the NIT at Langol at the cost of destroying wetland and residential areas.

Kim Gangte also informed that recently a delegation of the JAC went to New Delhi and highlighted the public’s opposition to the proposal of the state government to construct NIT at Langol to the AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, and other Central leaders.

The delegation made it clear that a Nandigram-like situation could develop if the state government did not change its mind on the issue, she said.

Gangte said the Central leaders have responded positively to the grievances of the people of the area and assured to intervene in the matter.

Kim Gangte further pointed out that several memoranda urging the government to review its proposal for the construction of NIT at the area have been submitted to the state chief minister, as well as the three MPs of the state earlier, but no effect has been seen till date.

The ex-MP reiterated that the JAC are not against the setting up of the NIT in Manipur, which is considered a piece of good fortune, ‘but we oppose the decision to construct it at the proposed site’.

Observing that chief minister Ibobi has been insisting that adequate security is a major criteria for choosing a site for the NIT, she said Langol is not the securest place, citing various incidents of violence that have been taking place there.

She also pointed out, people of Bishnupur, and Keithelmanbi have come forward offering to donate land for the NIT at sites located near security posts, and questioned why Ibobi is not choosing these sites.

THE IMPHAL FREE PRESS

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MHRC’s missive to State police

By Our Staff Reporter

IMPHAL, Dec 14 : Following a petition filed by the wife of one Phanjoubam Ghanashyam, the Manipur Human Rights Commission has sent a missive to the DGP to ensure that the ‘prisoner should be treated in accordance with the provisions of the law for the time being in force in the country.’

The petitioner, Phanjou-bam ongbi Bidyapati Chanu in her petition to the MHRC alleged that her husband was shifted from Manipur Central Jail to the Imphal Police Station and subjected to harassment by way of threats and bodily harms.

Acting on the petition, the MHRC said that in view of the allegation that there is fear of torture of Ghanashyam, it would call on the DGP to submit an early report to the Commission.

The MHRC said that the report may submitted on or before December 24.

Earlier in the petition filed to the Rights Commission, Bidyapati urged it to call for a detailed report about the cause for the ‘illegal detention of the accused, Ph Ghanashyam in the police lock up, to inquire into the facts and circumstances leading to the shifting of Ph Ghanashyam from Manipur Central Jail to Imphal PS.’

The petitioner also urged the Commission to prosecute the personnel involved in the transfer of Ghanashyam from the Jail to the police station and to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs or at a rate the Commission deems fit.

The Rights Commission in its missive to the DGP also said that allegations have been raised that no one is allowed to meet the prisoner.

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JAC warns State Govt over NIT site

By Our Staff Reporter

IMPHAL, Dec 14 : The JAC for Protection of Residential, Agricultural and Wetlands in Langol-Lamphelpat has cautioned the State Government against igniting a Nandigram like situation in Langol-Lamphelpat by its adamant move to set up the National Institute of Technology (NIT) there.

Addressing a press conference at Manipur Press Club here today, chairperson of the JAC and former MP Kim Gangte said what is happening in Nandigram, West Bengal is known to all the people now and the possibility of a similar violent situation cannot be ruled out if the State Government is adamant on its stand of setting up NIT at Langol area .

To highlight this point, three delegates of the JAC had recently gone to Delhi to met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, PMO Minister Prithiviraj Chauhan, HRD Minister Arjun Singh, MP Renuka Chaudhury, CPI National general secretary AB Bhardhan and other Central leaders, Kim Gangte said.

Apart from submitting the memorandum of the JAC to each of these Central leaders, the copy of the same have been forwarded to the three MPs from Manipur, she added.
As an outcome of the meeting with the Central leaders who gave a patient hearing to the case of the JAC, a National Fact Finding Team would be arriving to conduct public hearing on the issue at Imphal on December 19, she further informed.

The former MP informed that Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh had misled the Centre by stating that the people have no objection to setting up NIT at Langol.
As a matter of fact, JAC is not against setting up of NIT, but acquisition of the residential area, agricultural land and filling up the natural water bodies at Langol-Lamphelpat for construction of the said institute is objectionable, Kim clarified.

Langol-Lamphelpat area is a place where people belonging to different social backgrounds are living in social harmony. So the step being taken up by the Chief Minister would only disturb the social harmony and displace the people from their own homeland, she asserted.

Reacting to the assertion of the State Government that setting up of the proposed NIT at Langol is imperative from the security point of view, the former MP observed that such assertion is far from the truth and reality.

How could one say that the Langol area is safe, when the bungalow of the Chief Minister itself is not immune to bomb attacks and UGs have been arrested from the high security zone of Babupara quarters of the MLAs and Ministers ?, she questioned.

The security of the NIT lies in the three points appro-ved by the people and the same of which have been placed before the Central leaders by the JAC, she said, while pointing out that the issue of the NIT had been brought up in the Lok Sabha for discussion by MP Kirip Chaleha on December 6. With the support of other organisations and Chur-ches., the JAC would conti- nue to oppose construction of NIT at Langol, she added categorically.

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