Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 11 Aug: The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) on Sunday called off its proposed 36-hour bandh in the Itanagar Capital Region from Monday, following the Nyishi Elite Society’s (NES) intervention.
Addressing mediapersons on Sunday night, ANSU president Nabam Dodum informed that “the union has deferred the strike ahead of the Independence Day celebration.”
He informed that, after 15 August, the ANSU and the NES will sit in a meeting with the state government.
Dodum informed that there was a meeting between the ANSU and the NES on Sunday, wherein the NES gave assurance that all the 10 demands of the ANSU would be “taken care of.”
It is learnt that all the Nyishi legislators, along with the NES and the ANSU, will sit in a meeting with Chief Minister Pema Khandu to discuss the issues concerned.
Earlier, the NES expressed concern over the issue taking a communal colour and had urged the ANSU to withdraw the bandh call.
The union’s demands include, among other things, repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh District-Based Entrepreneur and Professional (Incentive Development & Promotion) Act, 2015, and restrictions on non-indigenous contractors participating in developmental projects in Arunachal under the road transport & highways ministry.
Earlier, the state government had appealed to the ANSU to cancel its proposed bandh, and implored the NES to dissuade the ANSU from imposing the bandh.
The ANSU had announced the bandh, claiming that the state government had failed to fulfil its 10-point demands, including repealing of the Arunachal Pradesh District-Based Entrepreneur & Professional (Incentive Development & Promotion) Act,2015, and “revamping and composite reintegration of government schools through the public private partnership model of reinvigorating the decaying schools in the state.”
Addressing a press conference at the civil secretariat here, Home Minister Mama Natung had reiterated that the state government is committed to address any organisation’s and people’s grievances.
“The state government will convene a meeting on the Arunachal Pradesh District-Based Entrepreneur & Professional (Incentive Development & Promotion) Act with all stakeholders, such as all our community-based organisations and student bodies, including the ANSU, wherein the need for amendment will be discussed thoroughly, and changes based on the result of the deliberations will be brought in,” Natung had said.
On revamping the government schools, he said that “the policy is still in draft form, and the same will be adopted in consultation with all the stakeholders.”
Natung said that the ANSU’s suggestions in this matter would be endorsed to the education department.
“This government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, is a welfare government. Any grievances and issues of any organisation will be patiently heard,” Natung assured.
He had appealed to the ANSU to reconsider its proposed bandh, saying that imposing a bandh ahead of the Independence Day celebration “is not a good idea.”
He had also appealed to the NES to help the government in negotiating with the ANSU.
The home minister had convened a meeting with the ANSU’s executive members at the secretariat on 3 August, following ANSU president NabamDodum’s announcing the bandh on 2 August, but the initial discussion did not yield any result, prompting the government to convene a second round of talks with Dodum and the 11 Nyishi legislators.
