November 13, 2017

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXVII No. 339

DIMAPUR, monday, november 13, 2017 Pages 12 ` 4.00

Musharraf’s ‘grand alliance’ falls apart on second day

Ireland hold Denmark in first-leg

Govt to put more capital in PSBs to strengthen them, says Jaitley

international, Page 9

sports, Page 12

business, Page 8

Black-out in 2/3rd of Dimapur

equipments to update and upgrade the system but to no avail. The state government has downgraded the DoP by treating it like a minor department whereas power remains the very nucleus and blood of progress. The purchase of a new 20MVA transformer could take weeks and if the only one remaining also fails then it will be a long cold and dark winter for Dimapur.

Staff Reporter

D I M A P U R , N OV 1 2 (NPN): Adding more to the already crisis-laden power situation, citizens of Dimapur face the bleak prospect of several weeks of total black out after the 20 MVA power transformer at 132 Kv sub-station at Nagarjan caught fire and was completely burnt down Sunday afternoon. The transformer at Nagarjan sub-station blew up into flames at around 1.30 p.m. There was no report of any casualty or injury. The affected areas include at least 2/3rd of Dimapur- main town area fed from Metha Sub-Station such as: Full Nagarjan, Half Nagarjan, Thilixu, Naharbari, Chekiye, Rangapahar Army Cantonment, Signal Basti, Thahekhu and Peren district. This information was contained in a press note issued by Engineer-in-Chief (Power), Er. G. Chishi. He also informed that the supply of power to most part of Dimapur has been affected due to total shutdown imposed by the department for restoration works. While not ruling out that the adjacent

New education policy by Dec end: Javadekar GANDHINAGAR, NOV 12 (IANS): Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the first draft of the new National Education Policy will come out by December end. The policy is being prepared by a ninemember panel headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Kasturirangan. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister said the panel held its fifth meeting two days earlier. “They have said that we can have the first draft of the policy by December end.... It will be implemented as soon as possible after it has been debated (in Parliament),” Javadekar said during a press conference here. It is certain that the new policy will serve the country for the next 20 years and will be more modern, researchoriented and will produce better citizens, he added. Before the panel was formed, suggestions were solicited from legislators, students, parents and other stakeholders for almost two and a half years, the minister said. Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphonse and Fields Medal winning mathematician Manjul Bhargava are members of the panel formed in June this year.

This is it!

“That baba wasn’t very close with the powers that be that’s why he’s inside this jail.” K Y M C

Probable causes

20 MVA transformer at 132 Kv sub-station Nagarjan completely destroyed by fire.

transformer may also have been affected, Er. Chishi however said damage was contained due to the timely intervention of fire service from army and Nagaland fire brigade. He also said that a technical team was despatched to the sub-station to thoroughly ascertaining the cause of the fire. He assured that the report would be made available as soon

as possible. While assuring all efforts are being made to restore normal power supply at the earliest, Er. Chishi appealed to all customers/ public to cooperate with the department during the period. It may be pointed out that the Department of Power (DoP) has been living on borrowed time with regard to the system which was always on the verge of

near-total collapse. The bursting of transformers in several places and Sunday’s major fire at Nagarjan confirmed the worst fears of the Power engineers themselves. It may be recalled that the Association of Power Engineers of Nagaland (APEN) has been coming out with various pleas on the government to lift the restrictions for purchase of urgently needed

(a) Short circuit: A transformer could burn in flames due to any shortcircuit which would produce an electric arc of very high heat energy. This high energy initiates a phenomenon called “oil cracking” which primarily produces acetylene and hydrogen which are dangerous combustible gases. These combustible gases can exist in at least two ways— either as oil in vapour phase or as mist having explosive properties. The high energy of the short circuit easily sets fire to the combustible gases, which then rapidly expands and explodes producing rapidly oscillating pressure waves. (Cont’d on p-7)

Manipur and Assam Cong demand transparency on Framework Correspondent

IMPHAL, NOV 12: Congress parties in Manipur and Assam have hit out at the BJP-led NDA government for keeping the ‘Framework Agreement’ signed with the NSCN (I-M) secret despite fervent appeals from states in the region in order to allay suspicions on territorial integrity. The Congress in both states held protest meetings where former chief ministers of Manipur and Assam-- O. Ibobi Singh and Tarun Gogoin hit out at the Narendra Modi government and demanded that the Framework Agreement be made public. In Manipur, the opposition Congress staged a sitin demonstration on Sunday against the the Centre for failing to come out with a white paper on the Framework Agreement. Former Manipur CM, O Ibobi hit out at the Narendra Modi

government for keeping secret details of the Framework Agreement. “Even after signing the agreement more than two years back, this highly secretive nature of the contents has sown seeds of suspicion in the minds of the people of not only Manipur but also in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” Ibobi said while addressing the protest held at Khuyathong Andolan Keithel here. “Secretly signing the Framework Agreement without consulting the stakeholders or the parliamentarians has led to the assumption that something against the wishes of the people of the State was likely to happen,” he said. Ibobi said “keeping intact the territorial integrity of the State, but granting a separate administration for the Nagas inside the territory of Manipur was nothing but framing a roadway to

divide the State.” Such kind of solution would never be acceptable to the people of the State, he warned. Making it known that the Congress was always in

favour of resolving the problems associated with NSCN (I-M) and other Naga bodies once and for all, Ibobi, however, said solution should be acceptable to all.

Will not allow anyone to take our land: Gogoi

Agencies: Congress in Assam also staged a protest at Merapani on Saturday, along the Assam-Nagaland border, demanding disclosure of the contents of the framework agreement. “We will not allow even an inch of our state to be taken away for Nagalim. Our protest will continue,” former chief minister Tarun Gogoi said, addressing hundreds of protesters at the Merapani public playground, TOI report stated. State Congress president, Ripun Bora said: “The contents of the agreement have not been disclosed for some mysterious reasons. We opposed that and will never allow anyone to take our land away for Nagalim.” “Manipur chief minister (N Biren Singh) raised his voice in Delhi against Nagalim, but our chief minister failed to utter a single word against it,” he added. Former minister Rockybul Hussain said it was because of Congress’s efforts that the GST rates were cut on several times. “BJP has done nothing to protect our soil. In Manipur, the party has formed the government with four MLAs from theNPF. But Nagalim is the NPF’s primary demand,” he added. Congress has planned similar programmes in Jorhat and Sivasagar districts on Monday and Wednesday.

ACAUT to hold sit-in protest on Nov 15 to push for Lokayukta D I M A P U R , N OV 1 2 (NPN): Fed up with the State government’s alleged lukewarm response thus far to its demand for setting up Nagaland Lokayukta to curb corruption, ACAUT Nagaland, the public body spearheading crusade against corruption, has announced stir on Wednesday. In a statement, ACAUT informed that it would hold a sit-in protest at the New Secretariat Complex, Kohima along with Public Service Aspirants of Nagaland (PSAN) and various other students’ bodies. While appealing for public support in its crusade in the interest of the future generation, ACAUT Nagaland also warned the State government of intensifying its movement if the latter failed to act on its demand. “We wish to tell the Naga people that this is a just fight and it is in the interest of the future generation. And the ACAUT invites Naga people everywhere who believe in a better Nagaland to join us in the protest. We are not against any individual, enti-

ty or any political party and therefore, all Naga people are requested to respect our objectives and support us,” the statement stated. ACAUT Nagaland said that it had been appealing to the State government in conjunction with other organisations to implement the Nagaland Lokayukta. The first appeal was made on October 31, 2014 at the ACAUT public rally held in Kohima and later a petition was submitted to Chief Minister in November 2014. Narrating the sequence, the statement said the High Powered Committee (HPC) too had recommended setting up of the Lokayukta. Then on October 31, 2015, more than 70 college students, professionals and ACAUT members walked from Dimapur to Kohima to highlight the importance of Lokayukta and a signed petition demanding its implementation appended by hundreds of supporters along the route – Jharnapani, Medziphema, Pherima, Piphema, Peducha, Zubza – was submitted to the Chief Minister. Most recently, more than 65,000

CM extends Ahuna festival greetings

EC to hold meeting with CEOs of Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura

D I M A P U R , N OV 1 2 (NPN): Nagaland chief minister, T.R. Zeliang extended warm greetings to the Sumi community on the occasion of Ahuna festival, a post-harvest festival of the Sumis to invoke God’s blessings and to render gratitude to the creator. In his message, Zeliang said that the Ahuna was celebrated after a time of hard work and patience is rewarded by an abundant harvest. On the auspicious occasion, the chief minister also called upon the people to renew our vigour and determination to safeguard and preserve the rich cultural heritage. T.R. Zeliang also wished the Sumi community a happy and meaningful Ahuna celebration filled with humility, love and forgiveness.

SHILLONG, NOV 12 (PTI): Election Commission of India will hold a pre-poll preparedness review meeting with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura at New Delhi on Monday, officials said here Sunday. “At the meeting on Monday, the EC will review the preparedness of these poll-bound states on the use of the VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines and also discuss the launch of BLO-net in these states,” Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) F R Kharkongor told PTI. Among the other issues that will be discussed, will be the launching of BLOnet, a pilot project of the EC aimed at enabling booth level officers to map minute information about polling stations, nearest hospitals,

Doyang bridge: Lotha organisations file FIR against EE , contractor D I M A P U R , N OV 1 2 (NPN): Lotha organisations of Wokha led by Lotha Hoho (LH) have filed an FIR against the Executive Engineer, (R&B) Dimapur Division and contractor M/s L. Pukhato Shohe & Sons for failing to complete construction of Doyang bridge at Liphanayan under Ralan subdivision of Wokha district under Nagaland Foot Hills Road (NFHR) and for the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of crores of rupees. This was stated in a statement jointly issued by Lotha Hoho chairman, Mhao Humtsoe and general secretary, Er. Mhondamo Ovung. According to the Lotha Hoho, the contractor was issued a work order by the Chief Engineer, PWD (R& B), Nagaland (No. CE(R&B)/TENDER/ FH-BRIDGE/2013-14, dated Kohima the 15.3.2014) and revised work order on 21.11.2014 for construction

The abandoned Doyang bridge as on September 11, 2017. (Lotha Hoho) of the RCC bridge over Doyang river at Liphanyan. The work order amount was Rs 24,52,20,000 and the target date of commissioning of the bridge was October 15, 2016. However, upon conducting physical inspection of the bridge on September 11, 2017, LH said that the Lotha organisations found that the work done had progressed merely 25% to 30% approxi-

mately. Only two pillars with a slab from the abutment were constructed thus far. But, instead of ensuring that the work was complete as the target date for its completion had already lapsed, the Executive Engineer had allegedly made payments to the contractor to the tune of Rs 18,49,73,074, which was 75% of work order amount, LH added. The Lotha organisations alleged that this amounted to

fraudulent payment to the tune of 50% without work. The organisations had obtained detailed information on the matter from the office of the Executive Engineer through an RTI reply, in which the engineer had falsely stated that 75% of the work had been completed, which was actually the amount of bill fraudulently paid by him. The FIR was filed at Wokha Police Station on Oc-

tober 23 and the SP, Wokha, had forwarded the case to the Director General of Police for necessary action. The matter was also brought up by the Lotha Hoho during the Colloquium on Road Connectivity, convened by the State government on October 10 at the State Banquet Hall, Kohima. During the event, the Chief Engineer, R&B, had stated that the work was abandoned. Lotha Hoho demanded to know why the work was abandoned after making huge payment without commensurate work done . Meanwhile, Lotha Hoho has appealed to ACAUT and NPRAAF for necessary support to the Lotha organisations. “Nagaland cannot go on in such malpractice indefinitely and Nagas need to take the required deterrent action,” the Lotha Hoho said in a joint statement.

people demanded setting up of the anti-corruption body at the ACAUT rally held on August 25, it added. According to ACAUT Nagaland, for a failed state like Nagaland that has no roads and bridges, and reeling under scams like mismanagement of MNREGA funds, double withdrawals in the Finance Department, rice and fuel scams, mid-day meal scams, non-payment of students’ scholarship, etc, “all at the cost of the common man”, Lokayukta is the only body that can check corruption. In its meeting with the Standing Committee of Nagaland Legislative Assembly on September 26 this year, ACAUT Nagaland had rejected the government’s draft proposal on Lokayukta. The Standing Committee had suggested that ACAUT submit its own draft proposal and next meeting was agreed upon. However, ACAUT has now condemned the “cowardice” of the Standing Committee in refusing to meet its team that had already submitted its draft proposal on October 2. (Cont’d on p-7)

roads and other landmarks, Kharkongor said. Earlier, the EC had also reviewed the security pre-poll preparedness of these states. Following the meeting tomorrow, the EC officials will visit these pollbound states, Kharkongor said. On November 10, CEO Nagaland, Abhijit Sinha informed that as per the directive of the ECI, VVPAT would be made mandatory in all future elections in the Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies. VVPAT is a system attached with the EVM that allows the voter to verify their votes through a paper slip display. It may be recalled that Nagaland was the first state in the country where the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail was used in the by-election of the 51 Noksen A/C in 2013.

Six villages threaten to continue stalling railway work indefinitely DIMAPUR, NOV 12 (NPN): Land owners of six villages who had stalled work on the rail project in Nagaland expressed concern on Sunday over the complete silence of the authority concerned vis-àvis their demands, 12 days since they halted works. They also threatened to continue stalling the work for an indefinite period. In a statement, Hd GBs-- Dohoi (Pimla) Deji Girisa, (Dhansiripar), Victo (Zutovi); GBs Vekuto (Shokhuvi), Shingyu, (Khemnok) and chairman Razaphe Basa, K.K. Rio said they had not succeeded in getting appointments with the chief minister and chief secretary till date despite several attempts. They deemed it as an attempt to suppress their demand for review of the discrepancies in the payment of land compensation. According to the village heads, the railway authority had through a written statement claimed to have paid Rs. 25 per sq feet to the land owners, while the State government had released only Rs. 3.75, “which is intriguing”. They claimed that despite having a rate fixed by the Cabinet and despite giving away their prime paddy fields, the six villages were paid a very low rate. Asserting that the ongoing stoppage of work on the rail project would continue indefinitely, they, however, clarified that they were not against the rail connectivity. K Y M C


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