PC takes up NC Hills case

Guwahati, Jun 2 : The Centre has intensified efforts to restore normality in North Cachar Hills district with home minister P. Chidambaram summoning Assam chief secretary P.C. Sharma and the director-general of police, G.M. Srivastava, to Delhi tomorrow evening to review law and order in the trouble-ridden district.

Chidambaram wants an early end to the continuing violence in NC Hills, according to sources.

The state government’s eagerness to end lawlessness in the hill district is also evident from the arrest of the chief executive member of the district autonomous council, Mohit Hojai, yesterday and its attempt to streamline the functioning of the council.

Hojai who had allegedly paid Rs 1 crore to help an outfit buy weapons, and the liaison officer of the council, R.H. Khan, were remanded in two days’ police custody today by the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Kamrup.

After meeting Chidambaram, the senior Assam officials will be closeted in a meeting with cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar who on Monday had an hourlong review of the situation through video conferencing with Sharma.

The back-to-back meetings indicate the seriousness of the Centre as well as Dispur to get things back to normal.

There would be zero-tolerance towards those indulging in subversive activities in the district, sources in Dispur said. They said things had started moving after the visit of a team of senior home ministry officials to Haflong on Thursday. It stressed the need to run trains at the earliest by involving army personnel.

Sources said the two officials would not only brief Chidambaram and Chandrase-khar about follow-up measures being taken after the central team’s visit, but would apprise them of the constraints, including shor-tage of security personnel and lack of coordination, in implementing certain suggestions.

“Following the team’s visit, security personnel have been earmarked areas of responsibility. It was also decided to choke the flow of funds to the militants and criminals. Both Delhi and Dispur are working towards a common goal and with an intensity not seen before. The continuation of Chidambaram as home minister has been a big plus point,” a source said.

As part of its measures to bolster security, Dispur will reshuffle the bureaucracy and police in NC Hills.

“Enterprising and upright” officials who will help run the council and some experienced police officers able to add teeth to the law and order machinery, will be posted in the district.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who the cabinet authorised last evening to take appropriate steps to restore normality in the district, has made it clear that operations to neutralise the militants will continue and there is no question of ceasefire unless the DHD (J) abjures violence.

and surrenders arms.

Assam chief minister under scanner for receiving funds from tea industry

GUWAHATI - The Election Commission is set to hear a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by taking a ‘political donation’ from the tea industry.

Assam’s main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) lodged a written complaint Monday with Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, accusing the chief minister of misusing his power by taking money from the tea industry.

‘The Election Commissioner told us that the full bench of the EC would hear the case Thursday and take necessary action,’ senior AGP leader Kamala Kalita told IANS Tuesday.

Kalita, along with other AGP leaders, Monday met Chawla here to lodge the complaint. Chawla arrived here on a two-day visit to review the security situation ahead of the two-phased polls April 16 and April 23.

‘Political donations are acceptable, but it was tantamount to misusing the chief minister’s office when he admitted to receiving funds for elections from the tea industry,’ Kalita said.

The chief minister sparked a controversy when he told a press conference in Guwahati that he was in Kolkata last week and received funds for the elections.

‘Yes I took money in cheque for the party. There is nothing wrong in accepting political donations… all parties do take money from business houses during elections,’ Gogoi told reporters.

But the chief minister’s admission of receiving funds has now turned into a major political issue.

All the opposition parties have also expressed apprehension about possible rigging by the ruling Congress party in Assam.

‘We told the election commissioner that there are genuine fears about possible rigging likely to be attempted by the Congress party and hence (we are) not very sure of free and fair polling,’ said Aditya Langthasa, a senior leader of the Asom United Democratic Front.

Similar apprehensions were expressed by the AGP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well.

‘The Congress has already made a blueprint to manipulate the elections and that is why they were going about making claims of winning 13 of the 14 parliamentary seats,’ AGP MP Sarbananda Sonowal said.

The Congress refuted the charges.

‘The AGP-BJP is simply jittery and almost accepting defeat by making excuses of rigging even before the vote,’ Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi told IANS.

Flyover, road bonanza for Six Mile

An aerial view of the Six Mile flyover after it was thrown open by chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, Feb 15 : Dispur announced the launch of a multicrore-rupee scheme to improve road connectivity in the state as chief minister Tarun Gogoi 

inaugurated the Six Mile flyover and a four-lane road, connecting Six Mile with National Highway 37 via Jaya Nagar, here today.

Speaking at the inaugural function, PWD minister Ajanta Neog said the new project, christened Chief Minister’s Urban Road Development Scheme, would start with an initial outlay of Rs 40 crore.

Gogoi said the government had accorded top priority to improvement of road infrastructure, including bridges, and so there would be no dearth of funds for the projects to be taken up under the new scheme.

He said the 1.65km-long road would be named after Assam’s literary icon Lakshminath Bezbaruah.

PWD commissioner and secretary M.C. Boro said the four-lane flyover would considerably ease traffic congestion at that stretch of GS Road. The flyover will make entry into and exit from the Gateway to the Northeast — as the city is referred to — smoother.

The Six Mile is the first major junction after Khanapara for those entering Guwahati from the eastern side.

“You can now just sail over to the heart of the city,” a PWD official said.

Boro said the construction of the arm of Six Mile flyover, connecting it with Panjabari Road, and the arm of Bhangagarh flyover, connecting it with Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Road, will be completed in three months.

The salient features of the Six Mile flyover include “New Jersey-type crash barrier” at medians for more safety, provision of rotary underneath the flyover for smooth movement of vehicular traffic, carpeting of the flyover’s road surface with mastic asphalt and bituminous concrete, nine high mast lights for better illumination and reinforced earth wall on approach roads.

The flyover is the tenth such bridge in Guwahati. 

Admitting delay in construction of the flyover, Guwahati development department minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was because of certain constraints such as flaws in the initial design of the flyover prepared by the consultant engaged by the PWD.

Gogoi said though the government had prioritised improvement of road infrastructure here, it had accorded equal importance to development of roads and bylanes in other urban centres across the state.

Bangla must flush out Ulfa militants

THE SATURDAY INTERVIEW - Tarun Gogoi

The second son of a tea estate doctor, Tarun Gogoi was born on 10 October, 1934 at Rangajan, Jorhat, in Assam. A former Union minister, Gogoi became the chief minister of Assam on 17 May 2001 and is now enjoying a second consecutive term.
BAPPADITYA PAUL recently spoke to him at his official residence in Guwahati. 

Excerpts:

After Bimala Prasad Chaliha, you are now the longest standing chief minister of Assam. What are the achievements of your government in the past seven and half years?

The major achievement is the turnaround in Assam’s economy. When I took over the governance from the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Assam’s economy was really in a bad shape ~ employees were not being paid salaries, developmental activities had stopped completely.
Today, the economy has stabilised. Earlier the state budget used to be deficit every time, but now we are presenting surplus budget. The state government is not only paying the salaries in time, we are also paying dearness allowance which is at par with the Centre’s.
We have constructed almost 10,000 km of roads so far, provided funds to all educational institutions.
Starting from zero, we now have 1,60,000 SHGs working across the state and creating earning opportunities for the common people. Again, we are helping in farming mechanisation by distributing power tillers and tractors to the farmers.

With the Union government implementing the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the Assam employees too are expecting a hike in salaries. Is there any such move?
The state government has already constituted a new pay commission and we hope to get the report may be in six months time. But keeping in mind the impending hike in state employee salaries, we want the Centre to share the additional burden that awaits us.
But as interim relief, we have declared a 15 percent DA to the state employees recently. Earlier we had announced a 10 percent DA and thus cumulatively, it now stands at 25 percent.

What are the future initiatives that the government contemplates?
We are setting up three more medical colleges in the state at Jorhat, Tezpur and Barpeta and the foundation stones for them have already been laid. With these projects, the total number of medical college in Assam would rise to six but we want one or two more.
Next year we are going to recruit one lakh people in various government departments. Already, during the past few years one lakh recruitments have been made.

But the IIM-Northeast slipped out of Assam and has now been set up in Shillong.
I tried my best and even the experts committee opined that the IIM should come up in Guwahati. But then there were some who felt that Assam already has too many higher education institutes like the IIT etc and other northeast states should also get a few.

There is this talk about upgrading Guwahati University into a Central university. What is the possibility?
There is no such proposal as of now. We already have two Central universities in Assam.
But a world-class Central university will come up in Guwahati and the Union government has already announced its decision to this effect.

What is the Assam government’s stand on the demand for inclusion of North Bengal in the North East Council (NEC)? 
No, we are not in favour of this. With the inclusion of Sikkim, the NEC is already overcrowded and now if North Bengal were to be included, we would be deprived of the allocation that we are enjoying now.
Then, once North Bengal is included, demand would crop up from other adjacent states as well and there is no end to it.
But we don’t mind if the Centre adopts some other special schemes for North Bengal or other backward areas of the country.

With Ulfa turning 30 this year, militancy in Assam seems to have become more vigorous than ever and they are now targeting the common masses mostly?
Not only in Assam, subversive activities have increased across India. Earlier there were no blasts in the North and South of the country, but now there are blasts in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and even Delhi. No place is safe today; none can give hundred percent guarantee.
As far as Ulfa is concerned, its public support base is fast eroding and that is why it is now targeting the masses to create a fear psychosis. If they had public support, what was the need for triggering blasts every now and then, killing innocent people.

Why do you think Ulfa is losing popular support?
Because the people have realised, this (insurgency) is not the way to solve the problems of Assam. The problems can be solved by development and political will and not by mindless violence.
By its insurgency, Ulfa has retarded the progress of the state and has made Assam more backward. If you go on killing people, who would come and invest money here to give employment to your youths. People of Assam have realised this.

You have been iterating time and again that Ulfa has its base in Bangladesh and that the anti-Assam militancy is being bred in from there. Then why isn’t the government exerting diplomatic pressure on Bangladesh?
Pressure is being put on the Bangladesh government. We are categorically telling Bangladesh that it must flush out Ulfa militants from its territory and extradite the arrested leaders to India.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee has himself raised this issue several times, but unfortunately the Bangaldesh government has not acted on this so far. Now, with the change of guard in Bangladesh, we hope that the new regime will realise the dangers of global terror and would dismantle all Ulfa camps from its soil.

Is the Assam government still open for talks with Ulfa? 
Yes, we are. But the conditions are that Ulfa must drop arms and the demand for independent Assam. 

The insurgent group DHD (J) is hampering national projects like the Lumding-Silichar broad-gauge rail route. What is the state doing?
We have provided sufficient security cover for the project to run smoothly. The Assam government is committed to the rail project.

Bangladeshi infiltration into Assam is being viewed as a national threat. What is your government doing?
Infiltration into Assam has been blown out of proportion for political reasons. Isn’t there infiltration into West Bengal? Then why blame Assam alone?

Assam Govt. to provide assistance for Community Radio Stations

Guwahati, Jan 29 : Assam Government has decided to provide assistance for setting up Community Radio Stations in 10 educational institutions of the State.

This was announced by the State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi while inaugurating the first Community Radio Station in the Krishna Kanta Handique Open University at Guwahati on Wednesday.

Flip flop by Gogoi on infiltration

Guwahati : The flip flop by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on the infiltration issue has angered the Opposition, mainly the AGP and BJP besides, the All Assam Students Union (AASU). Gogoi was seen taking a tougher stand on the issue last week in the Assembly but last night made light of a Supreme Court directive on the issue, causing uproar in the state.

Reacting to the apex court's remarks on the foreigners' issue of Thursday, the chief minister today said that there were many states which had more illegal Bangladeshi population than Assam. The Supreme Court had expressed dismay at the lack of initiative to drive out illegal migrants.

Detailing the measures taken by his government to tackle the problem, he said because of the pressure on land and lack of employment, illegal migrants were not interested to stay in the state. This is in contrast to his earlier stand when he had talked of setting up detention camps for detected illegal migrants in the state. The Congress government, which has been doing a tightrope walk on the issue, is in the process of updating a National Register of Citizen (NRC).

This has not gone done well with the Opposition and the AASU. ''This is the real Congress. They cannot stay in power without the help of the Bangladeshi voters,'' said BJP national vice-president Bijoya Chakravarty. The court had also sought a status report on the deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants. It was categorical in expressing its displeasure over the manner in which the government had proceeded so far at a snail's pace in giving effect to its order for identification of illegal migrants in Assam through adequate number of tribunals under the Foreigners Act.

''Illegal migrants appear to get more facility than Indian nationals. It has become very difficult to control their increasing numbers,'' observed a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan after hearing counsel O P Saxena and C D Singh appearing for PIL petitioner. ''Today Assam government is doing more to protect the Bangladeshis than its own citizens,'' rued AASU adviser Dr Samujjla Kr Bhattacharrya from Sivsagar.

Dealing with two PILs on the issue, the Bench had asked additional Solicitor General Amarendra Saran questions on the number of tribunals set up till date and the progress in identification of illegal migrants and their deportation. The Bench had also remembered in time the 2006 affidavit of the Centre promising implementation of a National Citizens' Register and issuance of Multi-Purpose Photo I-Cards to citizens to make detection of illegal migrants easier.

In a 2005 judgment, the apex court had termed that Assam virtually faced external aggression and the Centre had failed to discharge its duties under Article 355 of the Constitution to protect a state from such a situation, which had arisen due to massive influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, virtually changing the demographic pattern in many districts of the north-eastern state. Granting eight weeks to the Centre to file a fresh status report, the Bench asked it to also detail the progress made in fencing the Indo-Bangla border, which is a virtual reiteration of its January 5, 2007 order.

Campaign for Manas enters Phase-II

Ron Duarah

DIBRUGARH, Jan 13 – ‘Save Manas’ is the buzzword for the Bodoland Infrastructure Development Company (BIDC), a joint venture of Bodoland Territorial Council , and IL&FS, a financial and industrial consultancy firm. A World heritage site, Manas covers an area of 519.77 sq km of unique faunal features and the rarest species. Large scale destruction of the Park during the insurgency period has taken a heavy toll on its fabric. UNESCO has declared it as World Heritage Site in danger, which is a matter of deep concern to the entire State of Assam all well as rest of India.

The campaign initiated by BIDC is aimed to restore the Park and bring back its past glory and charm. As a part of this campaign, an inaugural session was held on January 8 at Guwahati, where the speakers included Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi.

The initiative aims at creating awareness for conservation and development of infrastructure to promote conservation and of course creation of tourism opportunities. A comprehensive infrastructure development programme is being taken up, which includes replantation, translocation of animals, creation of anti-poaching infrastructure, tourism infrastructure development in Manas peripheries like Panbari, Bansbari, Kokilabari. The programme also entails involving the local NGOs for conservation and sustenance. The objective is to conserve the Park, involve local communities and to create tourism opportunity in the area in line with overall fabric of Wildlife of Assam.

Adding a bit of glamour to the campaign is the association of Angaraag Mahanta and Zubin Garg, both successful singers. Both have agreed to be the "brand ambassadors" for the Save Manas Campaign.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi highlighted the importance of Tourism for the State and that Manas in particular has to be treated as an invaluable asset to Assam, and stressed on the need to conserve the park and its contents. Minister for tourism & forests, Rockybul Hussain talked about the initiatives taken by the State Government for tourism development in the State.

Shyamkanu Mahanta, chief executive officer of BIDC and also the organiser of the event spoke about the comprehensive infrastructure development programme that is taken up with creation of anti-poaching infrastructure, tourism infrastructure development in Manas' peripheries like Panbari, Bansbari, Kokilabari. He said locals and NGOs have to join the bandwagon for conservation and sustenance of the State’s natural resources.

The deputy chief of BTC, Kampa Borgoyari spoke about the conservation measures taken up in Manas. He informed that Rs.35 crore has been sanctioned by DoNER for development of Manas. He appealed to the decision makers, citizens, media and all stakeholders to come together to save the national heritage. He stated that more can be done in Manas if Forest Department is handed over to the Council.

Aniruddha Mokerjee, senior director, Wildlife Trust of India, spoke about the organization's efforts in translocation of rhinos to Manas and other initiatives for Manas National Park. The audio-video presentation on the work of Maozigendri Eco Tourism Society's successful efforts to convert past poachers to protectors kept the audience enthralled.