Orgs announce 24-hr capital bandh

Staff Reporter

ITANAGAR, 23 Jul: The Nyishi Youth Welfare Association (NYWA) and the Arunachal Indigenous Students Union (AISU) have jointly announced a 24-hour bandh in the capital region on 2 August after the state government failed to meet some of their longstanding demands.

The organizations’ demands include floating of notices inviting tender (NIT) on the GeM portal; repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh District Based Entrepreneurs and Professionals (Incentives, Development and Promotional) Act, 2015; annulment of the Arunachal Pradesh Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2014; cancellation of three ST certificates illegally issued to Tibetan refugees; renaming Indira Gandhi Park as Abotani Park; and introduction of a chapter on Arunachal in the NCERT syllabus.

Addressing a press conference, AISU president Techi Talik said there is a need to repeal the District Based Entrepreneurs and Professionals (Incentives, Development and Promotional) Act, so as to provide equal opportunity to all contractors, irrespective of their places of domicile, to participate in any tender process.

He also demanded abolishment of the AP Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, terming the act “draconian in nature as it gives extraordinary power to law enforcers to book any pressure group’s leaders protesting to press their rightful demands, even through democratic ways.”

On their demand for floating tenders on the GeM portal, Talik said that the DoNER ministry passed an order to the state government to advertise any NIT related to procurement of hospital equipment for 10 district hospitals on the GeM portal.

“Instead of advertising the NIT on the GeM portal, the state’s health authority violated the ministry’s order by advertising the NIT through other online modes, thereby depriving many eligible and genuine contractors,” NYWA president Tai Talley said.

He added that, when they contacted officials of the health services directorate, the officials replied that “following complaints made by students pressure bodies and order by higher authority on top of them to promote ‘Vocal for local’, so they are not uploading NITs to the GeM portal.”

Talley also reminded the authorities concerned about the demands for cancellation of ST certificates illegally issued to three Tibetan refugees, and renaming of IG Park as Abotani Park.