Chief Minister DD Lapang has agreed to hold ‘positive talks’ with the agitating KSU and CCSO leaders.

The government postponed the meeting, earlier scheduled to be held on Tuesday, to November 4 in view of the Nonkrem dance festival.

According to official sources on Monday, Mr Lapang will attend the Nongkrem dance festival at Smit on Tuesday.

Interestingly, as per the new arrangement, the State Government has fixed two different timings for the dialogues.

At 1 pm, Mr Lapang will hold talks with the delegation of the CCSO and at 2.30pm he will meet KSU leaders.

In the previous letter of invitation sent to the NGOs, the State Government proposed to meet both KSU and CSSO delegations in one single meeting.

The dialogue with the agitating groups came after the recent KSU-sponsored road blockade agitation turned ugly with government properties being set afire.

Seven KSU activists, alleged to be involved in arson and stone-pelting, were put behind bars by the State Police.

The KSU and CCSO had separately launched their series of agitations demanding the government to scrap its decision to lease 422 square hectares of land in the proposed uranium mining areas to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for 30 years.

The state-owned mining company would invest Rs 1,000 crore to undertake pre-developmental project activities to build schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure. Initially, the government-owned mining company would invest Rs 209 crore for these projects.

”We want the government to scrap its decision to lease land to the UCIL. This decision is only a ploy of the government to start Uranium mining in the state,” KSU supremo Samuel Jyrwa said.

The students’ body, which was spearheading the anti-uranium mining movement warned of intensifying its agitation if the government refused to revoke its decision.

”We will reiterate our stand on uranium to the government and we hope the government understands the implications,” Mr Jyrwa said.

Similarly, the CCSO, a conglomeration of five pressure groups, have made it clear that the Cabinet decision on land lease and UCIL-funded projects in the proposed mining areas should be revoked.

The proposed Kylleng-Pyndengsohiong-Mawthabah Uranium Project in the state has been hanging fire for three decades due to opposition from tribesmen of the state.

Various groups, including political parties, were opposing the mining of uranium apprehending health and environmental hazards following the uranium projects.

”We are always optimistic for positive talks with them (KSU and CCSO leaders). We wish that their grievances will be resolved amicably through dialogue,” Revenue Minister Prestone Tynsong said here on Monday. (With inputs from UNI)

Source: The Shillong Times

Kick-starting the campaign here, the veteran environmentalist on Monday warned that the next World War, if happens, would be fought over no other resources but water which is getting scarcer especially in dry seasons due to global climate change.

“The Himalayas is the main source of water in the country and we have to save the ecology of Himalayas first save ourselves,” he said adding that the Himalayas should be the focal point to build mutual trust among neighbouring countries to save it and its water and other lives.

According to Kishore Upadhyay, the Convenor of ‘Save Himalaya, Save Water, Save Life’ movement, the snowfall patterns have drastically altered and the glaciers are melting due to impact of global warming in the Himalayan region. He warned that the melting of glaciers was faster than previously thought and consequently there would be more frequent droughts and floods. The campaign that started in Jammu and Kashmir on September 30 is now headed to Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

Source: The Shillong Times

The unrest among theworkers broke out after Vinod Kharia, an employee was beaten up by Gunajit Deka, the assistant manager on Friday. Furious over the incident, the workers including women attacked the assistant manager on Saturday morning and left him wounded. The manager had to be admitted to a private nursing home in the city.

The workers belonging to the Medla, Bolai, Dewan and Lepetkata tea estates protested this morning for at least two hours before dispersing for their works. The demonstration by theworkers also received enormous support from the local members of the tea tribes students’ body ATTSA. The protestors who dispatched memorandums to the tea gaden authorties with copies to the Labour Minister and tea planter’s associations have demanded termination of the assistant manger and withdrawal of the expulsion order of Vinod Kharia.

The demonstrators have also sought for total implementation of the Plantation Labour Act by the management. The workers have demanded among others electricity to each house holds in the tea garden, supply of potable water, clearance of all the benfits of the retiredworkers and repairing of the houses of the workers withing twenty days, failing which the demonstrators have threatened to intensify stir.

Source: Assam Tribune

The meeting was chaired by Golaghat DC Horendra Nath Bora and was attended by MP Dip Gogoi, ex-minister Soneswar Borah, noted writer and Chairman of Golaghat Municipality Board Dr Ajit Baruah, Joint Secretary ITDP Panit Barua, East Assam Forest Conservator JN Kooli among others.

Project Director ITDP Golaghat, Durgadhar Baruah said the certificates were issued as per the Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Right Act 2006. A total of 19,011 applications were received in the district and out of these 1193certificates were ready. Twenty-five such certificates were ceremonially distributed at the function.

It is pertinent to mention that a total of 40 families settled in the reserve forest of Chaodang Pather, Merapani, Kachamari and Amguri on Assam-Nagaland border in 1905, havebeen demandingland pattas, and the Daiyang agitation for the same started 1978.

Source: The Assam Tribune

“The projects under the PM’s package, including the ambitious trans-Arunachal Highway linking 11 district headquarters in the State, would be completed in time,” he said.

He also emphasised on strengthening the Public Distribution System in the State.

“More FCI godowns in the State would be set up,” he said adding that the progress of different mega hydropower projects awarded to private and Central power developers would also be monitored for speedy completion.

Source: PTI/ Assam Tribune

It may be mentioned that the state government had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of India in 2003 for Disaster Risk Management in the state. For the information of readers, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is headed by none other than the chief minister with elected representatives as members. The SSC being headed by the chief secretary is supposed to meet on a quarterly basis. Sources disclosed that the meeting was conducted on a quarterly basis but with the change in chief secretary, it has stopped. It was also pointed out that although the SSC had taken some decisions during its few sittings over the last four and a half year, it is to be noted that there has been no concrete results.

Sources also informed that there is supposed to be disaster management committees at district, sub -division and village levels with their own plans and how well these are functioning remains in doubt, according to an officer who did not want to be named. Similarly the State Disaster Management Cell has distributed items such as satellite phones, diamond cutters, portable generators, tents, tarpulins, chain saws, spades, crowbars, firemens axes, GPS devices and many more, to the district headquarters.

Several other decisions taken on paper include the constitution of the Nagaland State Hazard Safety Cell in November, 2005. Further during one of the SSC meetings held in 2005, it was decided that rapid visual assessment survey of lifeline buildings in Nagaland should be carried out. The deputy commissioners had been instructed to identity the buildings that need to be assessed from the point of view of safety, as well as their utility as shelter. All such buildings would have to be listed right down to the village level. According to official sources, the DCs are yet to identify the buildings for assessment.

On the positive side, it was informed that the Planning department has already prepared the draft amendment of building bye-laws. Likewise, practical oriented training of disaster resistant construction practices have been conducted for masons from Dimapur and Kohima with resource persons from Orissa State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).

Fund has been released by Home Department to the other districts in the state for conducting the same. For the masons training, fund has been given to the districts long time back but they are not taking it up, informed one officer on condition of anonymity.

In another information available with The Morung Express, certification of both private and government buildings will have to be done by structural engineers of Municipal Councils and PWD (Housing). The thinking among top government officials is that the unplanned and “uncontrolled developments” especially in Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung is a matter of grave concern as maximum population of the state is concentrated in this three areas. Similarly, Peren, Longleng and Kiphire where developments are at their nascent stage, the emphasis is that proper planning measures should be carried out so that they are able to withstand any disaster.

However one officer laments that “There are many more things that the state government has very well planned in writing but the departments are not taking pro-active roles”. For instance, Certification and Building Bye-laws are not in place although it was already notified that building bye-laws will be enforced by the Municipal Councils. The previous Chief Secretary Lalhuma reportedly wanted the Municipal Councils to be properly sensitized so as to ensure enforcement of the Building Byelaws. Not surprisingly an official source mentioned that the municipal councils are not serious in any disaster related meetings or trainings. In fact some of them even don’t come for trainings despite invitation. There is also a suggestion doing the rounds that there is a need to create a separate department in line with other states so as to create awareness and more importantly inculcate a culture of preparedness and prevention in Nagaland.

Source: Morung Express News

Addressing a public rally organised by the KSU at Mawkyrwat on Monday, Mr Dohling stated that the people have realised the real motive of the UCIL’s pre-development project and would no longer fall into the dirty tactics adopted by the UCIL to win over their confidence.

“We, the majority of the people of the State, are totally against the Cabinet decision to allow the UCIL to carry out the pre-development projects since its primary objective was to facilitate mining of uranium in the area” the KSU leader said.

The KSU campaign against the Cabinet decision to lease land to the UCIL is gaining momentum with majority of the population of West Khasi Hills standing united against it.

Others who spoke at the meeting include the HSPDP leader and Nongstoin MLA Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, Mawkyrwat MDC Enbin K Raswai, Seng Samla Shnong Nonglang Wallambok Syiemiong.

The speakers highlighted their concern about the health status of people residing within the 422 hectare area, which include Umdohlun, if mining of uranium were to take place.

The HSPDP leader, a staunch opponent of uranium mining, commented, “As of now, it will be difficult for the pro-uranium groups to organise any meeting on uranium as 90 percent of the population in West Khasi Hills particularly, are against uranium mining.”

The rally at Mawkyrwat was the third public rally organized by the KSU after Umdohlun and Nongstoin.

Another public rally will be held at Mairang on Wednesday, before the Shillong rally on October 6.

Source: The Shillong Times

KSU, which has been most vocal against the proposed mining of uranium from Phodkylleng Pyndeng Sohiong around Mawthabah area in West Khasi Hills and is spearheading the anti-uranium campaign, will join NAAM to protest against uranium mining in the State, at New Delhi on October 1 and 2.

October 2 is the birth anniversary of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

Anti-nuclear activists said, “Gandhi Jayanti is a pertinent day for organizing the programme as Mahatma Gandhi epitomizes simplicity, decentralization, social inclusion and the quest for peace and justice”.

Demanding “No Deals, No Mines, No Reactors, No Dumps,” NAAM has adopted “Don’t Nuke Our Children’s Futures” as the slogan for the protest.

Anti-nuclear activists from all over the country under the banner of NAAM will gather at the national capital to wail and cry at the Samadhi of the Father of Nation about the Centre’s nuclear policies, programmes and projects.

Fearing that the nuclear projects are going to bring about a bleak future for the present and upcoming generations, KSU, which is also part of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), along with the anti-nuclear activists will make a national appeal from Rajghat to all the Gram Sabhas across the country to pass a resolution condemning India’s nuclear policies and programmes and demanding closure of the local nuclear related projects both ongoing and upcoming and send it to relevant authorities.

A 15-member KSU delegation led by its president Samuel B Jyrwa had already left for the national capital.

Besides, Mr Jyrwa, the delegation included presidents of KSU from West Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi (North Khasi Hills), Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills and few CEC members.

The anti-nuclear activists will first organize a seminar on nuclear power and its repercussions on October 1 followed by a protest rally the next day.

“In our country hundreds of millions of people do not have food security, water security, sanitation security and other basic needs of life and human dignity. For the ruling class still wedded to the colonial mode of thinking, the quality of life greatly depends on the amount of energy spent. For a developing country such as India that has many other pressing needs like food, housing, education, health, transportation and so on, energy alone cannot and should not be the abiding priority,” the NAAM said, adding, “meeting the growing energy needs, extremely important as it is, will have to be addressed keeping all the above factors in mind. It has got to be both people-friendly and environment-friendly.”

Source: The Shillong Times

According to official sources, ONGC has zeroed in on a location in upper Assam and has submitted a proposal to the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) for jointly exploring the resource.

The oil major has an agreement in place with UCIL to pursue exploration and exploitation of uranium resources, according to official sources here.

The ONGC has held several discussions with the scientists of UCIL and Atomic Mineral Division, a unit of the DAE. Based on the available data, literature and the discussions, it was decided to go for a field test in an identified prospective location at upper Assam.

The two (ONGC-UCIL) have already set up a steering committee for evolving a time-bound programme for joint prospecting and mining.

There is a widening gap between fuel requirement and availability for the country’s operating nuclear power plants. The country has an estimated 61,000 tonnes of uranium reserves and needs more than double that amount for the nuclear power plants even after receiving enriched uranium from US and other states. The Union Cabinet had cleared an additional spend of Rs 200 crore late last year on aiding exploration and prospecting to boost uranium supplies by an additional 75,000 tonnes.

Source: The Shillong Times

It may be noted that out of nine of them, two were already released, one on health ground and another without registering an FIR against him.

The remaining seven were produced before the Court of Judicial Magistrate, Imphal here today after which four of them were detained under NSA while three others released on bail after executing a surety bond of Rs 50,000 each.

The AMUCO members who have been detained under NSA are A Soken, I Brojen, Y Jiten and T Ramananda while those who have been granted bail are Th Dinesh, L Tompok and S Nando.

In all nine of them including the seven who were produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate, Imphal located inside the complex of Cheirap Court at around 12.30 pm today, were arrested by the police on September 14 .

One of them, however, was released without registering an FIR and the remaining 8 of them were remanded to police custody for 15 days after being produced before the court on September 15 .

In the FIR no.178 (9) 09 registered in Singjamei Police, all eight of them were charged under section 121/121-A IPC read along with, section 16/18/39 UA (P) Act, Amendment Act, 2008-III-Official Secret Act.

While in remand, one of the arrested members was subsequently released on health ground.

Along with the four AMUCO members, so far the total number of people who have been detained under NSA in connection with the ongoing public protest against the Khwairamband incident has reached 9 .

Source: The Sangai Express