The Arunachal Times - Archives

Post result tremor jolts Arunachal’s Capital

Taba Ajum

ITANAGAR, Oct. 24: The whole capital complex was shut down on Friday after group of miscreants created ruckus all over by closing shops across the twin town of Naharlagun and Itanagar just a day after the declaration of Assembly Election results.

Group of people in around 10 vehicles zooms past market area and asks all the shops to close their shutters. In helter-shelter everybody close shops and run for the cover. Well, this is not the scene from any Hindi movie; this was the scene at Akashdeep market in central Itanagar on Friday. Just few group of people within a second brought whole Capital Complex to standstill.

It was a gloomy day as within few second of men creating mayhem, the entire capital complex turned into a fortress as men in uniform outnumbered public in the street of capital.

Timely action prevented any damage to the life or property. Capital Complex police have arrested 7 people in this regard and all have been put behind the bar.

According to the police all the detained men are supporters of Indian National Congress (INC) and further investigation is on.

For now police have been able to bring situation under control but there is simmering anger among the public of Capital Complex as such kind of act show the failure of state machinery.

This reporter himself was present at Akashdeep market with few friends and witnesses all the mayhem. Those guys sitting in car and shouting all shops to close, was so much behaving like way Taliban often does in Afghanistan. They had no regards for law of the state and were having fun by creating terror. From which ever party or section they belong, but their behaviors have been a blot in the democratic system of our state. In the last few days there has been lot of resentment against some paramilitary forces because of a particular incident at Seppa. However if situation prevail like this we may see more number of military men in the street of Capital Complex.

Everyone in the street is talking that these incident happened because of the outcome of election result. These way general public have been deeply hurt by this mayhem and they expect our respected politicians to show their real leadership quality and make sure that this kind of shameful act should not happen again in the future. The whole of India has been shining in the recent past with major economic development, however it’s sorry to say our state wont’ be shining in any way if today’s episode is any example. The ugly side our state was today exposed to the rest of world and this will go down as one of the dark day in the history of Arunachal Pradesh. This is really tragic and if it gives any indication of things to come in future, it’s gloomy ahead.

Raj Bhavan ready for Swearing in

ITANAGAR, Oct 23: As the results of recently conducted election are out, the Raj Bhavan is all set for the swearing in. Dedicated efforts are put in to give a befitting adornment to the Darbar Hall, the venue for the all-important-function.

Striding forward for the ceremony, State Governor Gen JJ Singh dedicated the newly renovated and redesigned Darbar hall, which has a terrace garden to the people of Arunachal Pradesh here today. It worth noting here that under the auspices of the Governor and the first lady Anupama Singh, the hall has been redesigned and renovated infused with innovative ideas and touches of Arunachalee cultural through handicrafts, artifacts and pictorial displays.

Cane and Bamboo materials have been thoroughly used in the refurbishment.

Right after joining as the Governor of the State, Gen Singh transformed the Darbar Hall, inside out. The old concrete roof has been transformed into a green lawn, which serves as a sit out with pleasant view overlooking the Raj Bhavan golf course and the Capital city. Arrangement has been made so as to have the high tea on the lawn on the top of Darbar Hall.

Interacting with the people during the function today, the Governor pointed Darbar Hall is a sacred place and efforts will continue to make it befitting to the occasions.

Commenting on the use of cane and bamboo materials in the refurbishment, Gen Singh said Arunachal Pradesh is proud of its green gold and it is my endeavour to use these eco-friendly natural resources in every constructions and works. I hope people will be inspired and work in the spirit of eco-friendly initiatives, he added.

The First Lady who oversaw the work herself said, we live in Arunachal Pradesh and have been proud of its tribal culture. Therefore, attempt has been made to give a tribal look to the Darbar hall which carries lots to all Arunachalees. We will adore the main hall with handicrafts, handlooms and artifacts of each tribe of the State in the future, she added.

A dress rehearsal of the swearing ceremony was conducted at Darbar Hall under the watchful eyes of the Secretary to Governor P.S. Lokhande today. Interacting with those involved in the preparation, Lokhande called for utmost care in ensuring proper clockwise sequence of the important function as it herald the new beginning in the phase of development of the State.

The Darbar Hall, which saw the swearing in of nine Governors, four chief ministers and numerous councils of minister was inaugurated by the then Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Mata Prasad on 6th May 1999. (PRO, Raj Bhavan)

Four drug peddlers arrested in Changlang

CHANGLANG, Oct 23: 25 ASSAM RIFLES, troops of the DAH DIVISION apprehended drug peddlers from Changlang town and handed them over to the Changlang Police. Based on information regarding the presence of some anti-social elements in Changlang town, a team from the 25 ASSAM RIFLES led by Maj Anuj Dhoundial conducted a search operation in the power house complex area inside the town.

During the search operation, Longhum Khumhun of Khimyong, Wangshum Ngemu, of Yanman, Monglang Ngemu, of Khimyong and Pinki Nochi of Changlang town were apprehended alongwith 15 grams of brown sugar worth Rs. 35,000/-.

After initial interrogation and confirmation of these individuals as drug peddlers, they were handed over to the Police Station Changlang.

Changlang district suffers from widespread drug abuse in terms of narcotics and contraband liquor amongst the youth as well as the older generation. This widespread drug abuse has led to physical, social and moral degradation of the general population of this district thereby resulting in various health hazards and risks as well as poor socio-economic condition of the population.

The district administration, police and the 25 ASSAM RIFLES, troops of the DAH DIVISION are making concerted efforts in fighting this social evil and help eradicate it from the society.

Umbrey, Tayeng assure to fulfill people’s aspiration

Bishnu Rana

ROING, Oct 23: Laeta Umbrey once again proved his mettle and won the Roing Assembly seat by defeating his nearest rival Pomaya Mithi of INC by a margin of 833 votes. Umbrey fought the election as All India Trinamool Congress candidate this time.

Of the total 9120 vote cast, INC got 4159 and AITC secured 4961 votes. Umbrey was leading by a margin of 571 votes since the beginning of the first round of counting. INC, however, took the lead from the interior areas but could not reduce the huge gap.

The jubilant supporters took out a spectacular procession from the counting hall to Umbrey’s residence.

Talking to this correspondent, Umbrey said “this is the victory of the people and democracy’. He reiterated that peace and tranquility, development besides the common minimum programmes as mentioned in the manifesto are in his priority agenda.

“People reposed faith on me and I will try my level best to fulfill the hopes and aspiration of the people’, he said.

On the other hand former chief secretary of Meghalaya and NCP candidate from Dambuk Assembly constituency Jomin Tayeng defeated his rival with a margin of 130 votes. Tayeng fought last assembly election unsuccessfully.

Of the total 9662 votes cast, INC secured 4735 and NCP received 4927 votes.

In his brief interaction, Tayeng also gave credit to electorate. “The area is still cut off from the mainstream and my prime endeavour will be to give connectivity to the Dambuk subdivision and to fulfill various other common issues that I promised to the voters. Power connectively, good roads, health & education, drinking water would be given priority” MLA assured.

Brokpas of Dirang

Dr Tomo Riba

ITANAGAR, Oct 23: Brokpas of Dirang exhibits both the characteristics of Nomadic Herding and the Transhumance. The main economic activity of the Brokpas is the seasonal migration along with their flock of animals, esp. the yak. They move up the mountain during summer season and down the hill during winter.

The Brokpas of Dirang who live between Merakmukh and Dongchikpu covers about 50 km while negotiating four major grazing ground; Merakmukh and Jangbrangsha, Nagajiji and Dongchikpu.

Traditionally they depend on animal for food and cloths. They are the main supplier of cheese and butter to non-Brokpas.

It is a perfect human adjustment to ecological set up of the area where there is enough space and less population. Being amid the fresh air and water of sub-tropical deciduous forests, regular physical work and rich food of animal products have made them healthy and wealthy; compared to general inhabitants of the settle dwellers. They are content, as their requirement is limited.

The status of women among the Brokpas is very high. Mostly they go for late marriage which helps in slowing the population growth. Brokpas are also Buddhist. Thus, there is no any social distinction between Brokpas and Umpas (Non-Brokpas). They can marry each other, celebrate Lossar.

They also exercise their franchise in electing the representatives for parliament and assembly. They have very good social relationships at individual and community level.

As per the view of investigators, the Brokpas have some perennial problems like other tribal societies of the state. The school, health centre, veterinary, market, etc. are too far for them. The children of Brokpas remain in the forest with their parents in herding the animals. Use of herbal medicines is the traditional healing system they practice to cure minor ailments. Moving with whole family and domestic assets while shifting from one grazing ground to another is the major problem of these people.

Change is inevitable. No society can remain isolated for longer duration. Same is the case of Brokpas of Dirang of Arunachal Pradesh. Many changes have come either from the society itself or brought by the external forces. The main root of all the changes is the construction of road passing through the forest where the nomadic herders live. The road has brought many bad offshoots along equal number of good fortunes. With the coming of road, the life of the people have become easier. Now they can travel in vehicle while instead of travelling in yak and horse while disposing off the animal products and collecting items from the market. Now, there are two shops from where they can obtain minor item like salt, sugar, tea, candle, soap, etc. Sick people can also be evacuated to nearest health centre by road.

But along with the good things, the development of road has led to clearing of age old perennial forest while developing the road, establishment of office and Labour camps of Border Road Development Organisation, ITBP (Indo Tibetan Boarder Police) camp. The shops sell more wine than other commodities.

One of the major changes is the creation of new grazing ground near to road side by the Brokpas themselves. Many trees have been killed by peeling the bark around the trunk. Another undesirable change observed during the visit was the practice of logging along the road side. Many forests, in between Merakmukh and Jangbrangsha have burnt down.

The Dungkarpa Clan Society, a registered society has come up with a noble idea to resettle them at a permanent location. The society has selected the Merakmukh, the lowest grazing ground (2,970 mt.) with the help of the Department of Veterinary Govt. of India. Under the leadership of Mr. Rinchin Tsering, Chairman, the society has constructed the following structures.

One Primary School with teacher quarters, twenty seven numbers of residential house for all the Brokpas, one veterinary dispensary with quarters and one guest house. But till today the responses of Brokpas are very cool to new proposals. Dungkarpa Society has also protected a large area under recently germinated bamboo after flowering at Merakmukh itself for future use of resettled Brokpas.

Dr. Ando Kazuo, Team Leader from Kyoto University for RIHN commented “Why do you want to resettle them at a permanent place. If you want help them, give them a mobile education. Let school move. This same problem Japan is facing; villages are empty”.

Any new change is unfavorable as one has to shift from old system to new one. Sudden changes bring more harms rather than benefiting from it. For example, no doubt, the construction of new road has given many advantages to the life of the people; it has also brought along with it commercial logging, clearing of more forest along road side, wine shops, etc. We cannot accept all the changes, but should filter only the good changes.

It is a must, after few decades these all nomadic herding would be replaced either by livestock ranching and commercial farming which have already started moving upward from bottom of the valley.

Planning for giving education to children of the Brokpas should be more related to the life situation of the people, which will bring bread and butter. Now road has come, there can be two schools, one summer school and other one for winter. Winter school should be at Merakmukh where Brokpas station for seven to eight months and the summer school should be at Nagajiji, in between Dongchikpu and Jangbrangsha. Other facility will follow the road gradually.

(Dr. Tomo Riba, Associate Professor, Dept of Geography, Rajiv Gandhi University talked about “Transhumance and ecological modification: (A Case Study of Dirang Brokpas of Arunachal Pradesh” at the University Weekly Series Talk which is organized every Wednesday at its campus).

ITBP organize Blood Donation Camp

ITANAGAR, Oct 23: 10 ITBP organized a voluntary Blood Donation Camp at its unit HQ Kimin yesterday with the assistance of Blood Blood Bank of Civil Hospital, North Lakhimpur on the eve of the 48th Raising Day of ITBP Force.

Manoj Kumar Singh Comdt 10 Bn ITB Police inaugurated the blood donation camp and was also the first donator. Total 24 unit of blood was donated.

In his inaugural speech, Commandant said that ITBP is always keen to help and extend it best possible assistance for healthy human lives and civic action programmes for the society. He urged the Jawans to come forward and to be volunteers for such humane donation. He further expressed that besides guarding of borders, 10 ITBP is also devoted to its duties towards countrymen & this donation camp is a shining example of same.

He especially made mention of efforts on the part of unit Medical Officer, Dr. Dipankar Nayak, CMO (SG) who educated and encouraged unit personnel from time to time for blood donation.

Narrating it as a mile stone in a series of various civic action programmes run by ITBP, Commandant said that from this year this unit is going to start a new tradition and it will donate maximum possible units of blood on the occasion of Force Raising Day every year.

Bhajan Hajarika, ICTC HIV Counsellor, Civil Hospital Blood Bank- NLP said that every section of the society are having all the praise to civic action posture of 10th ITBP. He congratulated unit personnel for this initiative and expressed his hope that this will definitely motivated other organization/establishments also of this region to come forward and take such great steps of brotherhood.

Tawang Mobile Unit

Tawang, 23 Oct: The Second Health Camp of Tawang Mobile Medical Unit was conducted at Lhou village recently. This was in continuation with the First Mobile Health Unit which was held in Zemithang.

Total 317 cases were registered in the camp. The camp was a success and the villagers not only from Lhou but also from neighbouring villages benefitted from the MMU.

In the camp Specialized Diagnostic Procedures like Ultrasonographic scanning, ECG, and General Lab with Biochemistry examinations were taken up. General examination of patients' eyes, dental and gynaecological examinations were carried out by the concerned health specialists of MMU.

Medicines were distributed free of cost and immunization activity and family welfare activities were also carried out by the MMU, informed Dr. T.C. Khrimey, DMO, Tawang district.

The cataract cases detected in the camp have been brought under NPCB and free Cataract Surgical service is being offered. "We are treating the suspected TB patients and they are kept for further investigation. Their treatment is free, carried by the RNTCP centre", said Dr. Khrimey. (DIPRO)

High and lows of Arunachal State Information Commission

New Delhi, Oct 23: Arunachal Pradesh information commission has bagged the 3rd highest spot in a list of 23 information commissions in terms of ‘Deterrent Impact’, which means it has a strong tendency to impose penalties on the public information officers (PIOs) who don’t release information within the statutory timeframe.

In a nationwide study of the performance of information commissioners, Arunachal Pradesh also bagged the 3rd highest spot in a list of 25 information commissions in terms of ‘Pro-disclosure Factor’, which means it has a strong tendency to make decisions in favour of information seekers.

Arunachal Pradesh, however, could not be assessed on two important parameters of Overall Public Satisfaction (OPS) and Effectiveness because hardly any appellant or complainant responded to a questionnaire that sought their opinion on the decisions of the state information commission.

The study, conducted by Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), a Delhi-based NGO as a part of National RTI Awards-2009, was based on analyses of 51,128 orders passed by information commissions across the country in the year 2008 as well as responses of 6000 people who had filed appeals or complaints.

Notably, the study found that out of 100 people who filed their appeals or complaints at any of the 28 information commissions in the country, only 27 were able to finally obtain the information requested.

The 27 per cent figure, described as ‘Overall Public Satisfaction’ (OPS) of all the information commissions, indicates the poor performance of the commissions in enforcing the rights of the citizens under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The study also found that even if an RTI applicant was able to get a pro-disclosure order passed by an information commission, there was only 39 per cent chance – termed ‘Effectiveness’ -- that he would finally get the full information that he’d requested in his application.

That means that out of all cases where an information commission directed a PIO to provide all information requested by a citizen, there were 61 per cent cases where there was no enforcement of or compliance with the orders of information commission.

The study found that Arunachal Pradesh information commission passed 43 orders in the year 2008, out of which 40 orders were ‘pro-disclosure’, i.e. 93 per cent orders were pro-disclosure.

An order or decision is counted as ‘pro-disclosure’ if the information commission determines that information requested had already been provided to the applicant or orders the PIO to provide the information to the applicant.

PCRF, which conducted the study, sent letters to the 43 appellants/complainants to ask them a simple question: Did they really receive the information that the state information commission had assumed they had received or ordered to be provided to them?

Only one person responded to that question, saying he did not receive the information he had requested even after a favourable order of the state information commission.

Though just one response is obviously inadequate in forming an opinion about the ‘OPS’ or ‘Effectiveness’ of Arunachal Pradesh information commission, it is enough to indicate that the situation in the state may well be in line with the nation-wide trend of poor OPS and Effectiveness.

PCRF, however, has admitted the inadequacy of data and refrained from rating or ranking Arunachal Pradesh’s information commission and commissioners on the parameters of OPS and Effectiveness.

It is still inviting responses from the people of Arunachal Pradesh, who had received orders from their state information commission in 2008, in time for the National RTI Awards-2009 to be presented in December 01, 2009.

With ‘Pro-disclosure Factor’ of 93 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh information commission is behind Assam information commission (top spot with Pro-disclosure Factor of 98%) and Chhattisgarh (second spot with 95.3%).

The bottom three states on the parameter of Pro-disclosure Factor are Maharashtra (43.6%), Uttarakhand (34.7%), and Andhra Pradesh (32.2%).

Arunachal Pradesh information commission has also bagged the 3rd spot on the parameter of ‘Deterrent Impact’ with a score of 17.5 per cent, which measures its tendency to impose penalties on erring PIOs, behind Mizoram (25%) and Nagaland (22.2%).

A score of 17.5 per cent means that out of 100 cases, where Arunachal information commission made a ‘pro-disclosure order’, it imposed penalty on PIO in only 17.5 cases. That compares well with the national average of only 2% (two per cent) on the parameter of Deterrent Impact.

Significantly, a pro-disclosure order made by an information commission clearly establishes the violation of RTI Act and should necessarily invite penalty in all such cases.

The study found that Arunachal Pradesh information commission fared poorly in terms to speed with which it heard and disposed of appeals and complaints. It took an average of 4 months for its 5 (five) information commissioners to dispose of an appeal or complaint.

Given the small number of cases being heard by the Arunachal Pradesh information commission and a handsome number of commissioners, one would not only expect better speed in disposing of cases and sound orders, but also very high level of compliance of its orders.

PCRF has also sought a statement of the annual budget and expenditure of the Arunachal information commission in order to get an idea of the public funds spent in its functioning. It has yet to get those figures from the commission.

( “If an order was passed by any information commissioner in your favour in the year 2008, did you finally get the information? Share the details by calling at 09711222577 or log on www.rtiawards.org )

APSCW congratulates Bagang and Mein

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women congratulated Karya Bagang and Nang Sati Mein for making it to the Legislative Assembly. After a gap of five years, the assembly would feel the presence of women.

The political empowerment of women is rightly perceived as a powerful and indispensible tool for eliminating gender inequality and discrimination, its Chairperson Komoli Mosang said.

The Commission further congratulated all the women candidates who put up brave fight in the elections. While calling for more women participation, it further expressed the hope that they would continue to be active agents of change for development of women in the state.

RGU results

ITANAGAR: The Re-checking and Revaluation result of BA/B.Scc/B.Com II year (Pass & Honours), have been declared. Students who have passed after re-evaluation may submit their original marks sheet to Section officer Exam to get fresh marks sheet.

AYF demands

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Youth Federation has said that Dorjee Khandu should not be allowed to continue as the Chief Minister as the state has seen deteriorating law and order problem, nepotisms and corruption reaching its peak under his regime.

The Federation further questioned the Chief Minister’s ‘close affinity with Dalai Lama and his cultural and social similarity and his deep concerned for the Tibet causes”.

While citing the Chinese claim on the state, it further said that never before the people of the state has felt tremendous insecurity and fear psychosis.

The Federation further alleged the state has witnessed highest rate of corruption especially in department of Hydropower and civil supply.