Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXVIII No. 198
MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018 Pages 12 ` 5.00
Ranbir Kapoor arrives in Bangkok to a star’s welcome for IIFA Awards 2018
India beat Argentina 2-1 in hockey
Mike Pompeo warns Iran on nuclear arms
Infotainment, Page 10
sports, Page 11
international, Page 9
Modern food habits and hazards
Staff Reporter
D imapur , J un 2 4 (NPN): Use of harmful substances for food preservation or addition, has been reported in the past but only recently acknowledge by the state government through the branch of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). There is a list of substances used in a whole range of food products ranging from bread, bakery items, raw fish, and meat products etc. which are considered unsafe and harmful when ingested. Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance. Unfortunately many of these enhancers are also known to cause cancer. Here are some food additives that are being used in India, despite banning them in many countries due to side effects. Fish imported from faraway places such as South or North India takes around ten to fifteen days to reach distant places. In order make the fish look fresh, wholesale dealers inject formalin, a toxic and carcinogenic chemical commonly used to preserve dead bodies in
How YOUR
Daily LIFE Is
COATED In CHEMICALS mortuaries, to prevent fish from deteriorating during transportation. Pork meat is the top dish in many parts of India and demand outstrips supply. Some growers are known to use hormones or steroids for fast growth. A feature is that the pig eats very little but drinks plenty of liquid. Since the hormones or steroids survive digestion, some worry they could cause harmful effects in humans. FSSAI Nagaland branch had also cautioned consumers against any packaged drinking water not having BIS certification of FSSAI and sale of which invites liability and punishment with imprisonment under FSSAI Act. In addition to use of formaldehyde for preserving fish or packaged water sold without FSSAI certificate, even use of common plastic
for packaging water is also found to be harmful in the long run. A report stated that as plastic affects human health, toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all people. Prolonged consumption of water packaged in ordinary untreated plastic was suspected to be linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments. The market is also flooded with food items that are adulterated with artificial non-edible colours found in powdered spices and also using Carbide Gas for artificially repining of fruits that are very harmful for human consumption. For the uninitiated, preservatives are a type of food additive that is put into packaged food to prolong its
shelf life, enhance the taste or keep the colour and nutrients of the product intact. Another harmful substance used in food items-Propyl gallate- an antioxidant preservative is used to prolong life of fats and oils-- such as in vegetable oil, chewing gum, meat products, and chicken soup base. It was also said that prolonged use of items having propyl gallate may cause cancer. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is also believed to cause allergies including chest pains, headache, sweating, flushing, numbness or a burning sensation around the mouth etc. FSSAI had also banned use of potassium bromate as food additive in wake of a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study flagging their harmful effects on health, including causing cancer. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), banned in the UK, Japan and many other European countries, are widely used by the food industry as preservatives in cereal, baked goods, packaging, cosmetics, snack foods, chewing gum, meats, butter, dehydrated potatoes, beer etc. (Cont’d on p-7)
6000 kg of formalinlaced fish seized
T hiru v anan thapuram, Jun 24 (PTI): In a major haul, 6,000 kg of fish, preserved in toxic chemical Formalin, was seized at the border check post of Walayar in northern Palakkad district on Sunday. The state Food Safety department officials foiled the attempt to ferry the chemical-mixed fish from Andhra Pradesh during a raid carried out as part of the ‘Operation Sagar Rani,’ a drive launched to ensure safety and hygiene at fish handling and distribution centres. As many as 6000 kg of prawns, brought in 45 lorries, was found mixed with Formalin, officials said. Last week, 12,000 kg of toxic fish, containing Formalin, was confiscated during raids in the state. Formalin is used to preserve dead bodies and prevent its decay in mortuaries. The widespread use of the deadly chemical nowadays in the preservation of fish, fruit and other food items is posing a great threat to public health.
Army Major posted in Dmu arrested for murder of colleague’s wife
NEW DELHI, JUN 24 (AGENCIES): In a sensational murder, suspected to involve a love triangle, Delhi police on Sunday arrested an Army Major in connection with the murder of another Army Major’s wife in New Delhi on Saturday. Both the Army officials were posted in Dimapur . Major Amit Dwivedi’s wife Shelja Dwivedi was found dead on Saturday with her throat slit on a street in the Delhi Cantonment area. Major Nikhil Handa, who is currently posted in Dimapur was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut on Sunday by Delhi Police According to NDTV reports, Maj Handa and Shelja, wife of Major Amit Dwivedi, met about three years ago in Nagaland, where both the officers were working together, the police said. Ms Dwivedi then moved to Delhi after her husband was transferred. “He knew her since 2015... He was obsessed with her... He wanted to marry her,” said senior police officer Vijay Kumar. Dwivedi had left home on Saturday morning for a physiotherapy session at
(L) The victim-- Shelja Dwivedi and accused Major Nikhil Handa
the Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment, the police said. An official vehicle assigned to her husband had dropped her outside the hospital. When the driver went to pick her up, he was told that she had not turned up for the session on Saturday, the police said. Half-an-hour later, she was found dead. The police said they had got a call from passers-by about a body on the road. It appeared that she had been run over by a car, but when the police examined the body, they found her throat was slit. Preliminary investigations indicated that Ms Dwivedi was last seen getting into another car from outside
the hospital, the police said. Police said Major Handa reached Delhi on Saturday to meet Ms Dwivedi and picked her up from Delhi Cantonment in his Honda City car. They said he ran her over to disguise the murder as an accident. “He called her on Saturday, slit throat with a knife and ran his car over body,” Kumar said. A senior investigator said that information gathered at the hospital and the victim’s phone led them to the suspect, who had also disappeared since the crime came to light. Police are still unclear about the motive, saying it could either be a love affair gone sour, or a personal enmity.
Maha plastic ban to cost 3L jobs, 15k cr loss: Report
No concrete solution from govt till date: ANATG Quake jolts ENSF flays Aboi ambush, calls for restraint
MUMBAI, JUN 24 (AGENCIES): The statewide plastic ban in Maharashtra, including carrybags and thermocol by the Devendra Fadanvis government, will result in loss of up to Rs. 15,000 crore and nearly 3 lakh job, says the plastic manufacturing industry. “The ban imposed by Maharashtra from Saturday has hit the industry very hard and plastic industry is staring at a loss of Rs. 15,000 crore, leaving nearly 3 lakh people jobless overnight,” Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India general secretary Neemit Punamiya told PTI Sunday. Nearly 2,500 members of the association have left with the no option but to shut shop following the ban, he added. Industry insiders have said the job losses from the ban will impact the state’s GDP, and also increase banks’ bad loans from the plastic sector. Civic authorities have imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 for the first-time offenders and Rs. 10,000 for the second-time offenders. Those who violate the ban for the third time will face a fine of Rs. 25,000, along with a three-month imprisonment.
DIMAPUR, JUN 24 (NPN): A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 3.5 on Richter scale hit Dimapur and other parts of the state on Sunday night around 9.30 p.m. According to India Meteorological Department report, the epicentre of the earthquake was Karbi Anglong (KA) district, Assam at a depth of 16km. The tremor triggered panic among residents of Dimapur, however there were no reports of damages or casualties reported till the time of filing this report. Meanwhile, an earthquake of magnitude 4.4 str uck near ManipurMyanmar border at 4:37 p.m. on Sunday. No reports of damages or casualties were reported.
This is it!
“I may be a beggar but I don’t worry about what the next day holds for me.” K Y M C
DIMAPUR, JUN 24 (NPN): Even as the ongoing fourth phase of its stir entered the fifth day on Sunday, All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG) - 2015 batch has appealed to the State government to utilise available alternative possible means to regularise the services of ad hoc teachers. In a statement, ANATG-2015 batch presid e n t Ru g u o t s o l i e a n d agitation core committee convener Temsuchiba Aier clarified that the suitability test was conducted prior to filing of the writ petition (W.P.© NO-145 (k)/ 2017) at Gauhati High Court and not after the court’s interim order of July 28, 2017. They said the organisation was left with no other logical option but to appeal to the State government in this regard. According to ANATG, which comprises Grade-III teachers like GT, PT, AT, LT, DT, CI, KI and HT
appointed on ad hoc basis against vacant sanctioned posts, the appointments were made under certain terms and conditions by the State government. These include the ad hoc teachers having to mandatorily undergo professional training i.e.- D Ed and B Ed within two years, and their appointments were to be regularised after three years of continuous service by appearing for the departmental suitability test. The association claimed that the ad hoc teachers of 2015 batch had fulfilled all the procedures and norms laid down by the government, including the verification and clearances from the P&AR department. It pointed out that the teachers of that batch were all appointed prior to December 31, 2012 with a fixed monthly salary between Rs 6,700 and Rs 8,400. And, even after completion of three years of contin-
uous service and obtaining of professional trainings, the government was delaying conduct of suitability test despite numerous appeals in this regard, the group regretted. ANATG pointed out that after a prolonged delay the School Education department decided to hold a suitability test (vide notification no. DSE/ESTT/ REG/01/13 ( pt-11) 1299, dated December 19, 2016) where 912 ad hoc teachers who had completed three years of service as on March 31, 2015 were to appear. As per the notification, the 2015 batch were to submit the necessary documents. However, after compilation of all the documents that took more than three months, the department amended the cut-off date from March 31, 2015 to December 31, 2015 just to delay the suitability test, the association alleged. (Cont’d on p-7)
Dimapur, KA
Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JUN 24 (NPN): Condemning the June 17 ambush at Aboi, where security forces were killed, Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) has called upon concerned parties to uphold the Tuensang Resolution in letter and spirit, wherein ENPO jurisdiction was declared a peace zone. In a press statement, ENSF president Sepili Sangtam and general secretary Choba Chang lamented that for the past few months, the ENPO jurisdiction had become a battlefield for Naga political groups and security forces. This, according to ENSF, had created a sense of insecurity and led to fear psychosis in the minds of innocent populace, which the federation could not afford to let it continue. ENSF said that as a students’ body, it was concerned with the situation within its jurisdiction and therefore bound to respond. Peaceful existence and safe environment for citizens is one of the many priorities of the federation, it added. Strongly appealing to all Naga political groups and security forces to exercise maximum restraint as violence did not help any party, ENSF added that violence had only complicated the prevailing situation. It also warned that violence would sabotage the freedom to live without fear
in “our own homeland”. Appeal to state govt.: Taking serious note of rising incidences of violence in Eastern Nagaland, ENSF has asked the state government to be a good facilitator between Government of India and NSCN (K) in the interest of Nagas. Expressing serious concern over frequent outbreak of clashes between NSCN (K) and security forces, particularly in Eastern Nagaland, ENSF said that the state government as a facilitator should be more pragmatic rather than just being resolute and appealing. The government should understand that peace was pre-requisite for development and growth and it should, therefore, sincerely deal with the issue, it pointed out. Appeal to NSCN (K): ENSF has also appealed to NSCN (K) to reconsider its decision and return to peace talks. The students’ body appealed to the militant outfit to acknowledge the desire of common Nagas to have a peaceful atmosphere as they yearn for a solution to the prolonged Naga political movement. The federation said it was optimistic that “our brothers in NSCN (K)” would respond positively to this appeal in good faith.
KA killing: Media houses, students campaign on social media use Media bodies seek action against NE bikers hold peace rally J&K MLA for threatening press
GUWAHATI, JUN 24 (PTI/ AGENCIES): Social organizations, media houses and student communities in Assam are working to create awareness on responsible use of networking websites, in the aftermath of the recent lynching episode in the state, fuelled by circulation of rumours. Nilotpal Das (29), a sound engineer, and Abhijeet Nath (30), a businessman, were on June 8 pulled out of their vehicle at Panjuri in Karbi Anglong district and beaten to death by a mob, who suspected them to be child-lifters, following dissemination of fake news on social media. The incident prompted a local media house to launch ‘FakeMat’ campaign here to increase awareness about the dangers of “rumour mongering” on digital platforms. The campaign aims to engage with the youth, who are active users of the internet, through various platforms like the digital and social media, outdoor and print media and on-ground activities, the managing director of ‘G Plus’, Sunit Jain, told PTI.
“I request people not to spread fake news as we have seen that such news can lead to tragic situations,” Assam Health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, supporting the campaign. An online crusade has also been initiated by Gauhati University Postgraduate Students’ Union (PGSU). “We have taken a pledge not to circulate unverified information, to create awareness among the backward sections, maintain peace and harmony in all situations and not take law in
one’s own hand under any circumstance,” PGSU general secretary Monjit Sarma said. The editor of web magazine ‘Thumbprint’, Teresa Rahman, along with others, have recently reached out to rural schools in the state to give them lessons in “judicious use” of online platforms. Post the lynching incident, the Assam police upgraded and strengthened its social media presence by launching a special unit for cyber patrolling - ‘Nagarik Mitra’ - to thwart any attempt to spread hatred or rumours.
Over 200 bikers from across the Northeast converged at Khanapara Sunday for a peace rally, with a pledge to unite against mob lynching and moral policing and push for a legislation deterring a Dokmoka-like incident. Red Land Brothers, Axom, a Royal Enfield motorcycle club, organised the rally as a tribute to Nilotpal Das and Abhijeet Nath. The bikers carried placards with messages such as “#Brotherhood is above religion and caste”, “Verify before you share on social media” and “United we can do so much”. There was display of bonding among the participants who came from Garo Hills, Shillong and Mumbai among other places as they kicked off a campaign they pledge to sustain. The bikers have also pledged to take the message against the menace to other parts of NE. Earlier, Geetashree Konwar, the general secretary of International Human Rights Council, India, flagged off the rally.
NEW DELHI, JUN 24 (IANS): Media organisations on Sunday demanded strict action against Jammu and Kashmir BJP MLA Choudhary Lal Singh over his “threatening and intimidating” remarks directed at journalists in the Valley. The Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Club of India, Press Association and the Federation of Press Clubs of India said in a statement that Singh, a former J&K Minister, had warned journalists at a press conference in Jammu to “draw a line”. He openly threatened them with consequences and warned them of a fate similar to that of Shujaat Bukhari, the Editor of Rising Kashmir who was shot dead less than a fortnight ago, the statement said. Bukhari’s assassination was condemned by people in general, besides a number of journalist organisations.
Condemning his remarks, the statement said that Singh also blamed Kashmir journalists for creating a “wrong atmosphere” and told them to control themselves. Singh resigned from the state cabinet in April following his participation in a rally organised by the Hindu Ekta Manch in January in support of those accused of rape and murder of a young girl in Kathua. “We demand that strict action be taken against the lawmaker for making threatening remarks hinting possible violence at journalists in the Valley,” the statement said. It said that such remarks were nothing short of criminal intimidation and a direct attack on the freedom of the press. “They also serve to vitiate atmosphere and endanger the lives of journalists who work and live precariously in conflict situations,” the statement read. K Y M C