Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXVIII No. 101
State govt to implement NRMP, 2017
DIMAPUR, MAR 19 (NPN): State government has issued a notification regarding implementation of the Nagaland Road Maintenance Policy (NRMP), 2017 in the state. According to the notification, the NRMP, 2017 would come into force with immediate effect from the date of publication in the extraordinary Gazette. It would remain in operation till such time the state government may consider fit and proper. The notification stated that the government also reserved the right to make amendment to the Policy and Rules from time to time as deem fit. The policy has been approved by the Cabinet vide O.M.No. CAB2/2013 on December 13, 2017. On January 17 last, the former chief minister, T R Zeliang, had said his government has adopted the NRMP 2017 to ensure proper maintenance roads in the state. He had stated that with the NRMP 2017 in place and earmarked funds available, the responsible departments would be able to ensure better up-keep and maintenance of the roads.
Padma awards to be conferred today DIMAPUR, MAR 19 (NPN): Two persons from Nagaland are among several prominent personalities who will be conferred with the prestigious Padma awards of 2018 by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi. The function will be held on Tuesday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan with the attendance of Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministerial colleagues besides others, an official said. Lentina Ao Thakkar and Piyong Temjen Jamir from Nagaland are among 72 others who have been named for Padma Shri awards. This year, as many as 84 Padma awards were announced, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one). The list comprises three Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 72 Padma Shri awards, the official said. The awards -Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri are announced on the eve of the Republic Day every year. The remaining awardees of the Padma awards 2018 will be conferred with the honour at another special function to be held on April 2.
This is it!
“Change Has Come. Here’s your transfer order and I’m to take over from you.” K Y M C
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 2018 Pages 12 ` 5.00
Madhuri Dixit takes Sridevi’s place in Abhishek Varman’s film
Pedro heads Chelsea into FA Cup semis
Putin wins fourth term; opponents say vote rigged
Infotainment, Page 10
sports, Page 12
international, Page 9
No-confidence motion not taken up against Modi govt
NEW DELHI, Mar 19 (AGENCIES): Notices for no-confidence motion against the government could not be taken up Monday in the Lok Sabha as noisy protests by members from various parties disrupted proceedings, leading to adjournment of the House. Amid the din, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government was ready for discussion on any issue, including on the noconfidence motion. As soon as the House met for Zero Hour after the Question Hour was washed out, members from TRS and AIADMK trooped into the Well carrying placards. While the TRS was demanding a rise in quota, the AIADMK was pressing for immediate setting up of the Cauvery river management board. Soon after papers were laid on the table amid slogan- shouting by unrelenting members, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government was ready to discuss any issue. Some members have given notices for no-confi-
Opposition members protest during the ongoing Budget Session in Lok Sabha, on Monday. (PTI)
dence motion and the government is ready for discussion on that as well, he added. He also requested all parties to cooperate so that discussion can be taken up. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan repeatedly requested the more than 25 members from the AIADMK and TRS standing in the Well to return to their seats. As the uproar continued, Mahajan said she was duty-bound to take up the notices for no-confidence motion but could not as the House was not in order. “Since the House is not in order, I will not be able to
bring it... I am sorry,” she said before adjourning the proceedings for the day. Notices have been given by YSR Congress member Y.V. Subba Reddy and two members from TDP-- Thota Narasimham and Jayadev Galla. Both parties have been demanding special package for Andhra Pradesh, an issue on which TDP quit the ruling NDA alliance last week. While Monday was the 11th consecutive day that the proceedings were washed out, this is the second day that Speaker was not able to take up notices for no-confidence motion.
Petrol price cut for fifth day in a row NEW DELHI, MAR 19 (AGENCIES): Petrol prices were marginally lowered across Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai Monday-- a fifth rate cut in a row. Diesel prices were in the metros were increased by 2-3 paise per litre. Effective 6 am, Monday, petrol rates were at Rs. 72.19 per litre in Delhi, Rs. 74.93 per litre in Kolkata, Rs. 80.06 per litre in Mumbai and Rs. 74.86 per litre in Chennai, according to Indian Oil Corporation’s website - iocl.com. Diesel rates were at Rs. 62.73 per litre in Delhi, Rs. 65.42 per litre in Kolkata, Rs. 66.81 per litre in Mumbai and Rs. 66.14 per litre in Chennai, according to Indian Oil Corporation.
NIA case: Fresh bout of trouble for TR Zeliang GUWAHATI, MAR 19 (AGENCIES): Beleaguered former chief minister and senior NPF leader, T.R. Zeliang seems to be heading towards a fresh round of trouble after revelations that National Investigation Agency (NIA) has stumbled upon documentary evidence indicating his involvement in a terror funding case, according to a report in The Asian Age. The newspaper quoted security sources as having said that though Zeliang refused to appear before the agency to clarify his position, he would have to appear for cross-examination. Pointing out that NIA was in possession of glaring evidence indicating his direct involvement in siphoning of government funds and facilitating it to
NSCN (K), security sources said Zeliang had sent a written reply through his advocate to NIA, but it was not enough, the newspaper reported. Stating that NIA sleuths had recovered documents signed by the former chief minister to facilitate fund for NSCN (K), security sources said Zeliang, who was now leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, had sought another date for appearing before the agency. As reported earlier, Zeliang’s advocate, in a written reply to NIA, had clarified that he had nothing to do with siphoning of government funds to NSCN (K) or any other outfit. He had also claimed that if government departments had been doing so, he was unaware and that had it been brought to his
knowledge he would have put an end to it. The Asian Age, however, quoted sources as having claimed that NIA probe had revealed that government funds were released on written approval of then chief minister. T h e i nve s t i g a t i o n agency had summoned Zeliang to its New Delhi office on Tuesday. After he expressed his inability to be present due to ongoing Assembly session, the NIA then changed the date to Saturday. Just before the Assembly election in February, the NIA had summoned three officials from chief minister’s office to Guwahati. Two days before the election results were announced, one of these officers was also summoned to New Delhi again.
After Gov, Meghalaya MLAs create language history in Assembly SHILLONG, MAR 19 (AGENCIES): The 10th Assembly session on Monday witnessed a mélange of languages with two legislators speaking in Khasi, a Garo legislator uttering a few lines in Garo while the rest spoke in English. Congress legislator Ampareen Lyngdoh and KHNAM member Adelbert Nongrum, NCP’s Saleng Sangma
spoke in their mother tongue although Sangma spoke just a few lines in Garo, reported The Shillong Times. Lyngdoh expressed joy for getting the opportunity to speak in Khasi which is for the first time in the history of Meghalaya Assembly. Meanwhile, Nongrum spoke few lines in English before speaking at length about the Governor’s address.
Referring to Governor Ganga Prasad’s Hindi speech on the opening day of the state’s Budget Session, Nongrum said, “I don’t have any objection but it is really upsetting. It disappoints me that it happened the very first time since the predecessors use English as an official language…. This maybe a hidden agenda, the Governor may know (Cont’d on p-7) better.”
AR rescue tourists 4 MoUs inked to boost tourism KCR, Didi pitch for ‘non-BJP, non-Cong federal front’ from Dzukou valley in NE, double tourist arrivals
Telangana chief minister KC Rao and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee address the media after their meeting in Kolkata Monday. (PTI)
KOLKATA, MAR 19 (IANS/ AGENCIES): In what is seen as a setback for Rahul’s pitch for the Congress to be the fulcrum of opposition unity in the run up to the 2019 elections, Telangana chief minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee (Didi) on Monday pitched for a non-Congress, nonBJP federal front in the country but claimed the alliance would transcend the barrier of political parties and focus solely on people’s agenda. “There is definitely go-
ing to be a federal front by the people of India. It is not a mere aligning of political parties. It is about unifying the masses, the people of India. Our front would be a federal front very shortly but the agenda we propose would be totally different from the present routine model. It would be people’s agenda,” Rao, also the Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief, said after the meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna here. Terming his meeting with Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, as the first step towards the inception of
the front, KCR, as the leader is popularly known, said the front’s formation can be discussed in more detail once other like-minded political leaders come to a consensus. Echoing Rao, Banerjee termed the meeting as a “good beginning” and hoped the likeminded leaders, focused on the development of the county, would eventually come together to form a “strong” federal front. “Let the leaders talk to each other. All of them will eventually come together to form the front. We want the federal front to be strong. If the states are strong, the centre would also be strong,” Banerjee said. “We are not in a hurry. Let’s approach other political parties also. Politics for bigger objectives, takes time. Everything has been discussed in detail. “ she added. The Congress functionaries especially veterans of the party high command have been proposing that Rahul lead the antiBJP front in 2019.
DIMAPUR, MAR 19 (NPN): Four trekkers from Mumbai, three men and one woman, including a married couple, who lost their way in Dzukou Valley on Sunday, have been rescued by Assam Rifles Kohima battalion on Monday. In a release, PRO said that the tourists, who had arrived in Kohima from Mumbai Sunday, commenced trekking on Dzukou Valley trail from Viswema, about 20 Kms east of Kohima, at 11:30 a.m. and kept following sign boards and reached Dzukou Valley Top at 6 p.m. However, they lost the directions thereafter and rains and thunder storm added to their despair. PRO said after a thorough search of six hours, the troops were able to establish contact with the stranded tourists. They were given immediate relief and brought to Kohima.
GUWAHATI, MAR 19 (AGENCIES): In a major push to tourism in the North Eastern region, four Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were inked with Airbnb under aegis of DoNER for promotion of tourism aimed at doubling tourist arrivals to the North East in the next three years. Online accommodation platform major Airbnb announced that it has inked MoUs with the North Eastern Council (NEC), the North East Tourism Development Council (NETDC) and two key livelihood initiatives, North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP) and North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS), with the aim of creating hospitality microentrepreneurs across key destinations in the North East of India. Through the partnership, the NEC, NETDC and Airbnb will collaborate to boost tourism and create positive travel experiences for both domestic and international visitors to the North East of India, reported The Economic Times.
The agencies have agreed to expand tourism in the North East of India through Airbnb’s global platform, improve the quality of homestay facilities and unique properties in the North East of India, provide and promote outstanding tourism resources in the North East of India, and cooperate to improve the regulatory environment for home sharing in the North East of India. According to a statement Airbnb is also pleased to announce MoUs for strategic partnerships with the NERLP and NERCRMS to generate technology-enabled livelihood opportunities in tourism and hospitality for micro-entrepreneurs in the North East of India, and to help low-income families monetize their existing assets through home sharing. Under these agreements, Airbnb will provide training to core teams of the NERLP and NERCRMS, which will further train existing and potential hosts on home sharing, responsible hosting, hospitality standards, hygiene and basic amenities.
Threat to environment? Rubber plantations in NE eat into forests SBA national convenor to lead NEW DELHI, MAR 19 (AGENCIES): Rubber plantations, which have been vigorously promoted in north-east India in the name of increasing forest cover and rehabilitation of tribespeople, have got environmentalists worried. These plantations are not only eating into the land occupied by the region’s native forests, they could also disturb the ground water reserve and soil quality, showed a recent study led by Kasturi Chakraborty, scientist at the North Eastern Space Applications Centre in Shillong. North-east India accounts for a fourth of India’s forest cover. Chakraborty’s team used remote-sensing techniques and satellite data between 1997 and 2013 to analyse the extent of rubber plantations in parts of north-east India. They found a sixfold increase in rubber plantations from 447
hectares in 1997 to 2,842 hectares in 2013 in the areas they studied. The expansion, however, catapulted between 2010 and 2013, so much so that rubber plantations increased by 119 per cent in this period. This corresponds with the high price that natural rubber fetched at Rs 190-200 per kg. Currently, it is being sold at about Rs 120 a kg. Most of this rubber plantation is monoculture — growing only one plant species
in an area. Scientists term monocultures as “biological deserts” because unlike natural forests, they don’t house diverse plant and animal species. The study was published in the January issue of Current Science journal.
Threat to the environment?
Scientists compare rubber’s expansion in the Northeast with a similar expansion in South-East Asia, where rubber monoculture took over 250,000 hectares
of natural forest and 61,000 hectares of protected area between 2005 and 2010, according to a 2015 study led by Kunming Institute of Botany in China. Over half of these plantations are in areas which are susceptible to insufficient water availability and soil erosion. Scientists have also linked rubber monoculture to reduction in water reserves, soil productivity and biodiversity in SouthEast Asia. Similarly, in Kerala, rubber plantations replaced natural vegetation and were pushed in regions which were environmentally unsuitable. Studies linked this to reduced biodiversity, river flow, and soil nutrients. “We should draw from these studies and take a precautionary approach,” said T R Shankar Raman, scientist with Nature Conservation Foundation, a Bengalurubased NGO. Arun Jyoti
Nath, ecologist at Assam University, said r ubber plants require 60-80 per cent more water in comparison to other plants in a forest, which not only depletes ground water but also take away from the share of other plants. Agreed Abhik Majumder, assistant professor at the National Institute of Technology in Agartala. Majumder’s 2014 study found that many latex processing industries were discharging partly treated or untreated waste water in the surrounding environment which could contaminate soil and ground water. Although Mihirlal Roy of Tripura State Council for Science and Technology agrees that rubber monoculture reduces biodiversity, he said that rubber’s impact on groundwater, soil and rainfall hasn’t been studied well.“Rubber trees sequester more carbon than rain forests,” Roy said.
cleanliness drives in Dmu today
Correspondent
KO H I M A , M A R 1 9 (NPN): Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) national convenor, Yashwant Singh Darbar, who is also the national vice president of ST Morcha and director of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation Ltd (TRIFED), reached Dimapur on Monday as part of the Northeast Swachh Bharat Abhiyan tour programme and held a meeting with PHE minister Jacob Zhimomi. Accompanied by national social media committee convenor and ST Morcha convenor of SBA Manipur Veronica TK Savanai and NGOs Forum representative Akshay Shah, Darbar also inaugurated the State Swachh Bharat office at NST Colony, Dimapur after a dedication was of-
fered by pastor Aba Khesoh of Faithway Church. State BJP unit general secretary Eduzu Theluo informed Nagaland Post that Darbar was on a tour across the country after being made SBA national convener and he had reached Nagaland after visiting Manipur. He said Darbar held a meeting with party official in Dimapur, after which two places in Dimapur – Dimapur Civil Hospital and Dimapur Commerce College – were selected for carrying out cleanliness drives beginning from 6 am. The SBA national convenor will be joined by State BJP party workers, he added. Theluo said that the national convener will reach Kohima on Tuesday to meet governor PB Acharya and chief minister Neiphiu Rio. (Cont’d on p-7) K Y M C