March 21, 2018

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXVIII No. 103

SC fixes Rs 50 as maximum fee for RTI application NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (IANS): Supreme Court on Tuesday said the fee for filing applications under the Right to Information Act would be maximum Rs 50 and photocopying charges will be Rs 5 per page. The order would be applicable to all institutions, including high courts, legislative assemblies and other government and autonomous bodies that come within the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. A bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit passed the order on a batch of petitions challenging the RTI Rules of various high courts and other authorities including the Chhattisgarh Assembly which had imposed excessive fees for RTI application and photocopying. Under the Central government rules, the fee for making application to seek information under RTI is just Rs 10 and Rs two for getting the photocopy of the documents submitted by the government or its institutions and other bodies.

Odisha Gov Dr SC Jamir retires

DIMAPUR, MAR 20: Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik was on Tuesday given additional responsibility of Odisha after Dr. S.C. Jamir completed his five-year tenure, an official spokesperson said. A Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué said the Bihar Governor will have additional responsibility of Odisha until regular arrangements are made. Jamir, 86, completed his tenure as Odisha governor today, the spokesperson said. The five-time Nagaland chief minister had taken over as Odisha Governor in March 2013 after serving as governor of Goa and Maharashtra. He had also been given additional charge of Gujarat in 2009.

No plans to withdraw, amend AFSPA: Govt

NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (PTI): Central government has no plans to withdraw or amend “the Armed Forces (Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990”, which gives the security forces immunity and special rights in carrying out operations in disturbed areas, Union minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said Tuesday. There has been a longstanding demand from various quarters in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East to withdraw the Act. Ahir, however, said in the Lok Sabha that a proposal is under consideration to make AFSP more operationally effective and humane.

This is it!

“We’re trying to make law under Article 371A to appoint you all as GBs of various departments.” K Y M C

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 Pages 12 ` 5.00

China ready for ‘bloody battle’: Xi

Kidambi Srikanth, Somdev receive Padma Shri awards

Will hold talks with militants only if they give up arms, says Conrad

international, Page 9

sports, Page 12

northeast, Page 4

39 kidnapped Indians dead: Govt Row erupts over govt’s ‘insensitivity’ while breaking news NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (AGENCIES): The 39 Indians abducted in Iraq in 2014 were killed by Islamic State (IS) terrorists and buried in a mass grave, the government told Parliament Tuesday, setting off a row with the opposition, which accused it of being insensitive for not informing the victims’ families first. As many as 40 Indians were abducted by terrorist organisation ISIS in June 2014 from Mosul in Iraq but one of them escaped by posing as a Muslim from Bangladesh, Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha. She said the mortal remains, which were exhumed from a mass grave in Badush, will be brought back to India on a special plane and handed over to their relatives. While it was not immediately known exactly when these 39 Indians were killed, their bodies were recovered from Badush - a village

(L) The area where the bodies were exhumed. (R) Sushma Swaraj addressing the Parliament on Tuesday.

northwest of Mosul, and their identities established through DNA testing, she said. Of the 40 Indians, Harjit Masih from Punjab’s Gurdaspur had managed to escape and claimed to have witnessed the massacre of the others. The government had rejected his claim and stuck to its stand even today. “His was a cock-and-bull story,” Swaraj said. Addressing a press conference later, Swaraj did not give a direct reply to a volley of questions on when the Indians were killed, saying the queries were irrelevant as the bodies could have been recovered only after Mosul was liberated from the ISIS. Mosul was freed from ISIS in June last year. I m m e d i a t e ly a f t e r

Swaraj’s statement today, opposition parties, including the Congress and CPI (M) slammed the government. Opposition leaders have blamed the MEA for keeping the families hopeful for all these years. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that Swaraj has been misleading the Parliament and the families of the victims. Congress accused the NDA government of being “insensitive” towards the families of 39 Indians killed in Iraq and giving them “false hopes”, and charged External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with “playing politics” on the matter. The party also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swaraj

Dr. Temsu Changkiri passes away

Late Dr. Temsu Changkiri

DIMAPUR, MAR 20 (NPN): Renowned surgeon of yesteryears and most respected and popular pioneer practitioner of Dimapur, Dr. Temsu Changkiri passed away on March 20 at 7 a.m. at Eden Hospital Dimapur where he was rushed the night before after a cardiac arrest. He was 86 and leaves behind his wife, three children and six grandchildren. The body of late Temsu was buried at Naga Cemetery after the funeral service at the family home at Fellowship Colony where several hundreds gathered to pay their homage.

Dr. Temsu was a doctor with a difference as he treated every patient with his characteristic benevolence and never accepted fees from the poor and needy patients. Born on June 25, 1932 at Changki village, Dr. Temsu, who was from a humble background pursued study and after middle school, went to Kohima where his uncle helped him pursue higher studies. After Intermediate Science at Cotton College Gauhati, he graduated MBBS from Assam Medical College Dibrugarh then worked in Jorhat Mission Hospital. He completed his Masters in Surgery from AIIMS in 1970. He later set up Fellowship Nursing Home in 1978, which became the first nursing home in Nagaland. He had also served as the President of the Indian Medical Association (Nagaland State Branch), and chairman

of Prodigal’s Home, one of the first rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in Dimapur. Condolences: Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio has expressed grief at the sudden demise of Dr. Temsu Changkiri, who has been considered as one of the pioneers in the medical profession in the state. In his condolence message to Mrs. Luithukla & family, Rio described late Dr. Temsu as kind-hearted man, who always had concern for people in distress and gave free services and medication to the under-privileged sections of society. In his demise, Rio said “we have lost a great philanthropist and an outstanding surgeon whose demise will be greatly felt in the days to come”. Further, Rio and his family expressed condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that the departed soul rest in peace.

apologize to the families of the victims, and grant compensation of Rs 1 crore each. Swaraj was quick to hit back, accusing Congress of playing “cheap politics” and asserted that she did not keep anyone in the dark or gave “false hopes”. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, in a series of tweets, said that using Parliament as an excuse for the families of 39 dead Indians having to learn of their heartbreaking loss from TV channels is unpardonable. He also said that someone from the ministry should have spoken to each of the 39 families before making the news public. On criticism by opposition leaders and some family members of those killed that they got to know about death of their loved ones through television, Swaraj said she followed parliamentary procedures. “It was my duty to first inform the House about (it),” Swaraj said. For the distraught families of those killed, all hopes of seeing them alive one day came crashing down.

Framework to check illegal mining in states

NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (IANS): Union Minister of Mines Narendra Singh Tomar Tuesday launched a “sand mining framework” here to help states act against illegal mining, an official said. “The suggestions in the framework will provide a roadmap to the states helping them frame their policies and act as a check on illegal mining of sand,” said an official statement. It was prepared by Ministry of Mines after a study in various states and intensive consultations with various institutions and stakeholders. At the third national conclave on mines and minerals, Tomar said there has been a notable turnaround in the mining sector due to policy reforms. In the year up to January 2018, he said mineral production has registered a growth of six per cent compared to same (Cont’d on p-7) period last year.

APPOINTMENT OF ADVISERS 2 Nagas receive Padma awards

Rio to take call after adv. general’s return

Correspondent

KOHIMA, MAR 20 (NPN): Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio and his cabinet have decided to await the return of State’s advocate general from New Delhi before taking a call on the issue of appointment of advisers. The advocate general is expected to return on Wednesday. Highly placed sources informed Nagaland Post that the cabinet meeting held on Monday could not come to any conclusion on the appointment of advisors owing to the July 26, 2017 Supreme Court order. It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court had on July 26, 2017 struck down the Assam Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2004, noting that Article 194 of the Constitution “does not expressly authorise the state legislature to create offices such as the one in question”. The issue thus continues to hang fire even after 13 days since the People’s

Democratic Alliance (PDA) government was sworn. Sources said an alternative could be worked out by way of appointing advisers sans portfolio or executive powers. However, it is feared that such a move could annoy other MLAs in the ruling coalition and hence the chief minister is unlikely to take such a decision. Sources further explained that appointing parliamentary secretaries or advisors could also invite the wrath of the apex court and the new chief minister was not keen for such an eventuality. Further, any wrong move would only provide an opportunity to opposition, which is keenly observing the development, to pounce on the PDA government on the issue. Meanwhile, NPF has declared that it was all set to play the role of a strong constructive opposition. The NPF has 26 MLAs after the result of one seat was overturned in favour of NDPP. NPF sources said the issue will be taken for review by the court.

Spl. Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (NPN): Lentina Ao Thakkar and M Piyongtemjen Jamir were among the 43 prominent people, who were conferred the prestigious Padma awards for 2018 by President Ram Nath Kovind here Tuesday. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministerial colleagues, and several other dignitaries attended the function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Lentina Ao Thakkar, a social worker, and M Piyongtemjen Jamir, a scholar and teacher, from Nagaland were conferred the Padma Shri awards. Lentina, a Gandhian, who served for decades at the Gandhi Ashram in Chuchuyimlang village, Nagaland, demonstrated extraordinary courage to embrace Gadhian values in charged times. P i yo n g t e m j e n h a s taught over 4000 students; 1000 of whom are Hindi teachers today. This year, as many as 84 Padma awards were announced, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one).

2 held on charges of murder of govt official Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, MAR 20 (NPN): In a delayed report, police have arrested two persons on charges of murdering a state government employee at Mukhami village under VK area, Zunheboto district on March 17, 2018. According to police, the two accused identified as Puloka Awomi, son of Abel Awomi, and Pikato Shohel, son of Hetovi Shohe, both hailing from Mukhami village, were arrested on Monday night at Mukhami village following a tip off. Police said the two accused, who have been remanded for questioning, admitted to the crime during interrogation. The deceased has been identified as Lunkholal Singson, veterinary field assistant of Veterinary Health Centre (VHC) Aichi Saghemi, Zunheboto district.

Late Lunkholal Singson was reportedly abducted near Mukhami village on March 17 night while travelling to Dimapur in a night bus from his place of posting.

Condemnations

SH: Expressing shock over the brutal incident, the Sumi Hoho (SH) Tuesday strongly condemned the “atrocious act” and appealed to the law enforcing authority to punish the perpetrators as per the law. The Sumi Hoho appreciated the police personnel and NGOs for timely investigation and nabbing the accused. The Hoho also conveyed deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed that the Almighty God grant them solace and comfort in this hour of grief. VKAGBA: VK Area GBs’ Association (VKAGBA) has vehemently

condemned the “barbaric murder” of Lunkholal Singson (Alal Singson) and cautioned against any attempt to bail out the two accused. In a press release, VKAGBA chairman, Nitoi Assumi GB, urged the police and administration to carry out thorough and swift investigation to apprehend anyone found to be involved directly or indirectly in the abduction and cold blooded killing and initiate most stringent punishment as per the law of land. The association stated that it has resolved to initiate action as per Sumi customary law against all those involved in the gruesome act of crime, which has tarnished the image of VK area. Meanwhile, VKAGBA lauded the effort of EAC VK and OC VK Pemkhah Konyak in quick arrest of the two accused and recovery of dead body. (Cont’d on p-7)

MHA to give more teeth to local cops in NE states 5 Naga minors rescued from B’luru NEW DELHI, MAR 20 (AGENCIES): With BJP’s “unstoppable surge” in the North Eastern (NE) states and development becoming the core agenda in the region, top government sources said the ministry of home affairs is up with a plan stressing on “local policing as road to development in these states”. According to India Today report, the NDA government in New Delhi is preparing a blueprint to realise the “poorna vikas (complete development)” goal of the saffron party in the region, they confirmed. “Development can only happen in peace and that can be ensured only by the local police taking a proactive role the development growth engines, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisages for the region, rests on local states’ police taking the mantle of handling local law and order and ensuring development activities,” says a senior MHA source, requesting anonymity. Elaborating the MHA’s thrust, the source told Mail To-

day: “MHA is seriously pushing the idea that the local police must be at the forefront of handling local crime and state law and order issues. The reason to do so is from the fact that northeast in the last three years, especially in 2017, has seen the minimum violent incidents and sharpest dip in insurgency time has come to leverage this growing peace and suitable environs for development, including infrastructure building in the region, by giving the local police the role it stands for.” This move is seriously being discussed and there is a concerted effort to reach out to the local police in northeast states with a clear plan to strength their own capacity to handle crime and criminals, upgrade their armoury, modernise local police infrastructure as many districts even lack adequate polices stations. “The MHA is also ready to create a separate central fund for security related provisions and even for constructing the requisite police infrastructure and to

get their forces trained to handle the local crime situation. We will also give them training with weapons and intelligence gathering,” says the MHA source. Admitting the fact that a holistic development faces a hurdle under the cover of para-military forces standing in every corner, the source added: “Local crime must be handled and citizens must engage with the local police for their grievances. Not only it infuses a sense of normalcy, the local police also get engaged in vital intelligence gathering to aid security forces. It gets further teeth to handle criminals and miscreants to ensure ‘business as usual’, eventually leading to big infrastructure projects, roads and connectivity networks and crime-free inter region passage to boost tourism.” The region needs hospitals and hospitality sector both working in full swing and that can happen only if the local police are capable of handling those thwarting their expansion and utility, the government source

said, adding, “The MHA feels that the para-military and other special forces deployed in the region can be engaged exclusively in intelligence gathering against terror modules, patrolling the borders and for special operations other than local crime and maintaining law and order in north-eastern states.” The Centre’s idea to engage the local police is encouraged by its recent experiences in Manipur and Assam. “In Manipur, the abductions have come down drastically since we started engaging the local police to handle it. We have been telling this to the previous chief minister, but it didn’t work out as now. In Assam too, the violent incidents have come down and we’re now laying our focus on other states like Arunachal, Mizoram and Nagaland to tackle crimes of cross-border infiltration as the para-forces can check on the borders, but those who still sneak in can only be identified and caught with local intelligence gathered by state cops.”

Dimapur, Mar 20 (NPN): Naga Students’ Union Bangalore (NSUB) and Eastern Naga Students’ Union Bangalore (ENSUB) have helped rescue five Naga minors who had fled their homes in Nagaland and reached Bengaluru. According to a joint statement issued by both the students’ bodies, through NSUB general secretary, Bendangkala Kichu, the five minors– all students of Class IX– had ran away from homes without informing their parents and reached Bengaluru on March 7 in search of jobs. They apparently decided to flee as they did not like school life. Kichu stated that the minors managed to book train tickets with the money they had allegedly received during the recentlyconcluded election and those stolen from their parents. They reached Bengaluru on March 7, but not before losing all their money and mobile phones on the way. They were then left stranded at Bangalore railway station. It was an auto driver who

came to their rescue and asked what they were doing at the railway station. To this, the minor boys replied that they were look for a Job in the city. The auto driver then recommended them jobs at a restaurant, where they worked for a day and left as they did not like the work, Kichu added. The minor boys then joined another restaurant– New Shanthi Sagar – and worked there before NSUB and ENSUB found them. On the other hand, their parents contacted NSUB and ENSUB on March 13, after which both the organisations chipped in to help and finally managed to rescue them and provided shelter until the parents reached Bengaluru on March 16. All of them were safe and reached Nagaland, the release added. Meanwhile, NSUB ad ENSUB asserted that no minors would be allowed to work in Bengaluru as it was illegal and would be sent back home. (Cont’d on p-7) K Y M C


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