The Arunachal Times - Archives

Committee oppose MoA between state and Jindal Power Ltd

ITANAGAR, May 16: Land Affected People of Subansiri Middle Power Project, Local Implementation Committee has alleged that there was no transparency even as the government signed an MoA with Jindal Power Limited for execution of 1600 MW HEP on Kamla River near Tamen village in Lower Subansiri.

It demanded that ongoing survey/ investigation work at project site be stopped as it is being undertaken without prior informed or transparent consent of the traditional local land owners.

Project was initiated earlier by the NHPC Ltd. But later it was allotted to the joint venture of Jindal Power Ltd and Hydro Power Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh Ltd by the state govt without taking into account the concerns of the Land Affected People, said a release by the Committee.

Committee expressed unhappiness at the government’s decision while informing that there was no consultation, negotiation and majority will of the public of the affected areas was not sought while signing MoA with power developer. It further added that such an authoritative action by few in power is objectionable and undemocratic.

The Committee further mentioned that during a meeting held at Raga involving people from land affected areas it was noted that govt should maintain transparency with the concern public before the works starts failing which land affected people shall not allow execution of 1600 MW HEP at proposed site.

ANYA seeks public apology from Dabi

ITANAGAR, May 16: All Nyishi Youth Association (ANYA) has taken strong exception to Home Minister Tako Dabi’s statement urging government agencies to strongly deal with bandh calls and has sought a public apology. In a statement to media ANYA president Tarin Nabam termed home minister’s press announcement as dangerous precedent.

The bandh call given by Association has been deferred after an assurance by the government to look into the demands.

“What does the Home Minister want to convey with this kinds of message? ANYA is not an underground organization. All these days we have adopted democratic means to seek justice,” said Nabam.

He further added, “The various issues raised by ANYA are genuine and that’s why we have support of all the public..”

Just because we had deferred the bandh call, government should not think that ANYA has given up the issue, Tarin added. He also informed that ANYA had kept in mind the welfare of the student community who are writing exam while taking decision to defer their proposed bandh call.

Gap that remains to be filled

Ranjit Sinha

In a recent North East level meet in Arunachal Pradesh a veteran politician as well as senior citizen expressed unhappiness at the huge gap that has cropped up between the grass root level people and Govt agencies. He called for a mechanism and coordinated effort to reduce the huge gap.

To be frank, the gap is widening not only in Arunachal Pradesh but everywhere in other North East states also.

Discontents have been expressed by the legislators in the last state Assembly session that exposed the huge gap in terms of development in health and education sectors. Large number PHCs, CHCs, besides district hospitals are running without doctors or specialists and subordinate staff.

Education sector was also under scanner during last Assembly. The members were at all not happy with the Education sector.

The tourists from other parts of the country and abroad generally visit the North East for its beautiful landscape and also have a taste of human values that has been maintained by the pious and peace loving people of North East since time immemorial.

Unfortunately, there is a visible huge gap between human values and human dignity. The senior citizens, who are resource persons in the society, are becoming useless in the eye of so called modern society and the younger generation is becoming helpless. The middle-aged persons are wondering clueless as to how fill up the gap between the young and aged. Should we christen it as transition period?

There is a huge gap in between tradition and modernity too.

There are only a handful of social activists and NGOs who are striving hard to preserve age-old and time tested tradition, literally they are fighting within their own society against the mindset that rummages around for wealth and comfort undermining all human and traditional values. Instead of promoting our own dialects, a well-educated class within indigenous groups of the North East has been promoting Hindi and English in the name of modernity and globalization!

There is a common adage that ‘Loss of culture is loss of identity”. Unfortunately, the word culture and identity are adorning only the to-do list during the festival season, for rest of the year, we prefer to live a own life-style well-attired with our personal choice notwithstanding the fact that we are actually leading the coming generation towards wrong direction in the name of modernity.

Everything is not lost yet. The Art and Culture Department made a beginning at last to save culture with involvement of senior citizens. The need of the hour is sheer determination and strong will for preservation of culture, identity and human values. Unlike the people of rest of India, we the ethnic tribes of North East need to put extra energy as because we cannot live without the social institution with time-tested tradition, culture.

Dam waters inundate scores of villages

Guwahati: Hundreds of people of over 25 villages in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district were affected when North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) reportedly released water from its Ranganadi hydel project on the upper reaches of bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

Official sources said water from the Ranganadi hydel power project of the NEEPCO was released Saturday evening.

The Lakhimpur district administration was alerted by the NEEPCO officials but the notice was very short, the sources said.

As a result, the district administration could not evacuate the people to safety and hundreds of people were left stranded in flood waters.

Lakhimpur and neighboring Dhemaji regularly face the onslaught of gushing waters released from NEEPCO.

Illegal timber operation still on, says union

ITANAGAR: Illegal timber operation is going on in Namorah and Seijosa area under the Khellong forest division for the last two years, complained All Pakke-Kessang Pijeriang Dissing-Passo Seijosa Students’ Union (APPDSSU) today.

In a complaint letter to Parliamentary secretary, forest and environment, the union said that illegal tree felling and transportation of timber from Arunachal Pradesh to Assam has threatened the existence of forest in the area.

The union demanded that Govt should take urgent step against illegal timber operation and deploy adequate forest personnel to save Arunachal forest.

Working Group to look into irregularities in NREGA

NEW DELHI: Union Rural Development Ministry to constitute a Working Group to look into the irregularities in NREGA, the UPA's flagship employment scheme for which the Government has spent over Rs 90,000 crore.

The ministry has already set up six such panels to deal with different issues relating to implementation of the programme like planning and execution of works, transparency and accountability and timely payment of wages which involves generally the issue of attendance. The ministry said in an order.

The Group, to be headed by Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor of the Rural Development Ministry, has been directed to submit its report within three weeks.

Land will be submerged but it’s ours

Dear Editor,

Biki Land Control Committee have taken strong exception to news item published in your esteemed daily on Saturday edition wherein the All Tam Socio-Economic Welfare Association (ATSEWA) has appealed the Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner not to issue land possession certificate to power developers on Kamala River under Kumporijo circle. They have also mentioned ‘Chumring Talung’ in the news item. Now, the bigger question is, Chumring Talung, has been the land of Biki clans since time immemorial. History is the witness that Chumring Talung is our ancestral land.

The press statement by the said Association has confused our clan members. Though we admit the fact that the area is apprehended to be submerged with coming of hydropower projects but we are confused on what basis they are claiming the land as their own. The right to discuss on the said land solely falls under the jurisdiction of our clan members only.

Therefore, we Biki Land Control Committee urged the ATSEWA not to create confusion and make unnecessary controversy.

Yours,

Biki Tamo

President

Biki Land Control Committee (on email)

Don’t let Arunachal Pradesh go the suicidal Bengal way

Dear Editor,

Kudos to Mr. Taba Ajum for his article "Pan Arunachali identity is the need of the hour"( 14 May). He has rightly asserted that if Arunachalis don't care for themselves, rest assured nobody including Delhi would care for Arunachal.

A community or state's survival depends upon its respect to its roots, tradition, culture and language. And if the concerned society forsakes their own unique identity and starts mimicking the aliens to "modernise" themselves, even the Almighty can't save the community from meeting its doom.

Neither have I got any opportunity to visit the beautiful state of Arunachal Pradesh nor do I personally know any person indigenous to that state. But from the reports I have acquired from the media, it has come as an astonishment for me that Hindi( actually the language of Bihar, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Haryana; but disguised as the "national" language) has made a firm ground in that North-Eastern state. Apart from verbal communication, the common Arunachalis are extremely fond of Bollywood films and songs which are essentially nothing but derogatory "culture". I have always wondered why the state is succumbing to the cow-belt culture, despite being host to Adi, Nyishi, Monpa, Mishmi, Nocte and scores of other languages and unique cultures and festivals.

Also I don't know whether the Government of Arunachal Pradesh promotes or encourages film production, but I am yet to hear of any such endeavour or come across any film in languages of that state. Can one envisage such a dismal scenario in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur or Mizoram where local ethnic culture and tradition reign supreme, thereby rendering the "mighty" Hindi simply to a non-entity?

We, the Bengalis, in order to "nationalise" and "internationalise" ourselves, have immersed in all things Hindi and English. We have completely distanced ourselves from the songs of Rabindranath Tagore, the films of Satyajit Ray, the traditional Bengali cuisine, attire, folk art and what not. The middle-aged Bengali parents proudly proclaim that their wards are ignorant or very weak in Bengali! Thanks to such a suicidal mentality of Bengalis, the members of the community are always at loggerheads with each other. Thus not only have the community become quarrelsome and harbours hatred towards each other, the future of West Bengal is the last thing in their selfish minds, thereby leading the state to a catastrophe. The politicians of the state neither work at unison to demand a proper financial package from New Delhi nor do they protest when Hindi is imposed on almost all crucial sectors of West Bengal, that too by doing away with use of Bengali! Since the Bengalis are least interested in their roots and language, no one is eager to prevent the state from degenerating as well.

As a lover of Arunachal Pradesh and firm believer of the necessity to maintain diversity in the world, I sincerely hope that the people of the North-Eastern states will remain true to their culture, language, tradition and not swayed by the glamour associated with the mainstream cultures of India. Else, Arunachal Pradesh will also go the suicidal Bengal way.

Yours,

Kajal Chatterjee, (on email), Kolkata-114.

Recruit fresher for Trans Arunachal Highway

Dear Editor,

Being one of the unemployed engineers of the state I am very sad to learn that state government has turned down the proposal for creation of posts for large numbers of JEs & AEs in trans Arunachal highway. Every unemployed engineer youth of the state were expecting a lot from this much talked trans-Arunachal highway.

I on behalf of Unemployed Arunachalee Engineers Association (UAEA) urge the state govt. to reconsider its irresponsible decision and approve the proposal of creation of engineers posts in long awaited Trans-Arunachal highways. Since the cost of project itself includes the budget for manpower required for the project hence rejection of creation of engineer in trans-Arunachal highway doesn’t arise. This is the right time for the government to reduce the unemployed youth of the state to a considerably extend. unlike other working departments in the state, the trans-Arunachal highway project require precise work, which is to be executed by only well experienced and well versed with latest technology engineers. We have many unemployed engineers having sound knowledge of latest technology and software necessary required for trans-Arunachal highway.

So I strongly oppose the decision made by six members committee of trans-Arunachal highway to take engineers from PWD dept only on expression of interest basis, instead of recruiting well-experienced fresher’s having good knowledge of modern technology and laced with software so that their combine effort can make the dreams of the every Arunachalee come true.

Yours,

Er. Yumlam Aam

President (UAEA)

Revive the lost glory

Dear Editor,

I would like to extend my views in regards to the lost glory of Jawaharlal Nehru College,Pasighat. The premier institution of the state which was established way back in 1964 in the oldest town of the state is today on verge of collapse. Witholding the dignity of being the first college of the state, with more than 230 acres of land donated by the well wisher of the area with a dream that the institution would nurture the coming generations of the state with higher education, the college is today in a totally dilapidated condition. It served as the only institution for higher learning for the people of the state since pre-statehood days till another institution of higher learning was established in 1979 and is still dedicated to the service of the society. But it’s unfortunate that the glory and the hey days of the college has been tarnished today. Hostels has turned into cowsheds, inadequate teachers, massive land encroachment, worse infrastructural development is the present state of existence of this premier institution. Construction of NH-52 road through the college campus is also regretful in this regard which need proper diversion. Endless efforts was extended to mitigate the problems during my tenure as the General Secretary of the college in 2007, but could not materialize due to lackadaisical attitude of the concern authority. Many politicians and bureaucrats has come up with high sounding words in terms of its overall development, but all turned to be mere political languages.

However inspite of all odds, the college still stands prominent. It is still justifying its objective and service to the people of the state by achieving NAAC accredited B++ in 2005 and recently accorded the prestigious title of College of Potential for Excellence by UGC. The ardent need of the hour today is attention from the Govt.

People’s representatives Bosiram Siram, Tako Dabi, Tapang Taloh, Dr Tangor Tapak, Ralom Borang should start to bring back the lost glory of the College. With the belief that “Hope Never Dies”, the peoples of the area are aspiring for a new healthy government policy toward this and relentlessly waiting to witness the college regaining its lost glory.

I also place my sincere appeal to the civil society of the state to extend support in regaining the lost glory of this premier institution of the state.

Yours,

David Gao

Vice President

Rajiv Gandhi University Students’ Union

(on email)

There won’t be much left for China

Dear Editor,

I exactly don't agree with the AAPSU's or our politician's stand vis-a-vis China's claim. To me for peaceful, prosperous and integrated existence of Arunachal, China is not the immediate threat rather it’s our neighboring states namely Assam and Nagaland are the immediate threat!!!. Let me justify, Chinese they came, conquered, saw Arunachal and went back voluntarily in 1962. Had they really wanted these 90000 sq km they would have occupied (like Tibet) without much resistance. Secondly no Arunachalee wants to be a Chinese from the heart.

So without the support of the occupants of the lands they will think twice.

Most importantly how much land they have encroached? How many people have been displaced? How many people have suffered? How much properties have they destroyed? How many people have been tortured, kidnapped, looted, and killed? Compare the acts of Chinese vis-a-vis Assam and Nagaland that have been perpetrated by public along with state and non state actor.

Almost every nook and corner of border areas have been encroached and is going on, every Arunachalee has a tale to tell about their suffering they encountered with either of the states, many have been tortured, looted, kidnapped, killed all in open and broad daylight and is going on, our economy have been affected badly and will siphon away major chunk in days to come, economic blockade and bandhs are frequent events at will by any organization.

As our govt. is exploring all hydro-power to generate own resources, Assam govt. will never let it go free taking advantage of being only a gateway for entering AP. They are and will try to disturb by any means and in the process they are paid lion's share by the companies at the cost of Arunachal which is affecting state's economy. And its open secret that two factions of NSCN are generating part of their funds/economy from our state particularly from two districts at free of cost without much of resistance. If one is really serious for the 90000sqkm (as claimed by China) chalk out plan to deal with these two states first otherwise there won't be anything left for the Chinese to claim. Also a day will come when we have to look for alternative ways of supply and transportation (supposedly if we resist/ retaliate against Assam govt. /public, they will use their best weapon economic blockade and bandh as happening in Manipur now) then we may have to rely on our neighbouring countries like China and Myanmar through cross border trade.

Therefore lets be farsighted and look at the positive aspect in keeping good relation with China and at the same time let them realize that we are Indians and will remain so forever. This can be achieved by encouraging people to people contact, allowing Chinese authorities to visit Arunachal and vice versa, then only they will realize that Arunachalee are fit to be Indians than a Chinese.

Having written all these I declare that I am not pro China, I am an Indian and I want my state to be with the Republic of India forever and also I am not against any communities or states as long as they don’t interfere with our state affair. And at the same time I think AAPSU is the right organization who can change the history.

Yours,

A concerned Arunachalee (on email)