Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXX No. 345
DIMAPUR, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 Pages 8 ` 4.00
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1 killed, houses burned in Thongtsou
A house razed to ashes at Thongtsou village on Wednesday.
Staff Reporter
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): Tension heightened in Noklak district after one person was killed and several houses burned down at Thongtsou village by unidentified miscreants. According to reports received here, the incident took place at around 4.30 to 5 a.m. Wednesday when some unidentified miscreants entered the village and attacked the villagers. Sources quoting of-
Aggrieved caterers demand release of pending bills D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): Aggrieved COVID19 caterers of Dimapur district have urged the authorities concerned to clear their bills, for the food provided to various quarantine centres, that were pending for over 15 weeks now. In a release, aggrieved caterers lamented that their earlier appeals and numerous visits failed to have the desired impact. According to them, this pandemic, unlike any other, required all stakeholders to perform on war-footing manner without any scope for trial and error. And being a major entry point for the State, Dimapur district required maximum adaptability while responding to the highly demanding circumstances during the fight against COVID. However, they said it was unfair that after having shouldered a huge burden and delivered a good performance, the authority could not meet their expectation and honour the agreement. Urging the government to settle the pending bills at the earliest, the caterers said over and above the unexpected and overwhelming crisis, depriving remuneration added more to the painful and exasperating journey for all the aggrieved parties.
This is it!
“Yes! Three cheers for online exams. That way we won’t suffer from exam phobia.” K Y M C
ficial reports, said the miscreants shot dead one person and later set his house on fire. Another person from the village also sustained injuries and was rushed to the nearby Community Health Centre for treatment. Caught unawares by the sudden attack, it was reported that the villagers fled to the nearby jungle for shelter. Several houses were also burnt down during the attack, it was reported.
At least around 10 houses were burnt down, sources stated. According to information, sources believe that the incident may have been sparked by long pending land dispute. On learning of the attack on the village, police personnel including Assam Rifles rushed to the spot. There was no report whether, if any of the attackers were arrested. Police also recovered several live ammunition including empty shells at the site.
Meanwhile, a high level team of officials led by Director General of Police (DGP) Nagaland, T. John Longkumer accompanied by Home commissioner, Abhijit Sinha and other senior officials flew to Tuensang by chopper from Kohima on Wednesday afternoon to take stock of the situation. The high-level official team was also scheduled to visit the affected area, however, due to bad weather conditions, the chopper could not fly. It was also learnt that there is no motorable road to the village. Due to poor connectivity, none of the officials could be contacted. Meanwhile, Noklak district officials along with leaders of various tribal bodies and other organisations held an emergency meeting to diffuse the situation and prevent further escalation of violence. Additional police and security personnel were being rushed to the affected area to maintain law and order and instill confidence among the public. No further details were available at the time of filing this report.
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JCPI urges govt to introduce RIIN Act without delay
Karbi Anglong bodies submit 6-point charter of demands to Assam CM
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): Joint Committee for Prevention of Illegal Immigrants (JCPI) has reiterated its appeal to the state government to introduce Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) Act without further delay. In a representation addressed to the state chief minister, the JCPI co-convenor Atomi Swu and secretary Tia Longchar also reiterated that the cut-off year for enrolment of Indigenous Inhabitant of Nagaland should be December 1, 1963. JCPI stated that it would by no means accept November 21, 1979 date as the cut-off year. The committee stated that enforcing RIIN in letter and in spirit at the earliest was the only remedy to mess and complication arising out of improper possession of Indigenous Inhabitants Certificate. Since RIIN has to be enacted as law, JCPI stated that the primary initiative was for the Cabinet’s approval of the Banuo commission report and place it before the Nagaland Legislative Assembly for making it into an Act of the Government.
Correspondent
all pattas issued by the government of Nagaland inside Doldoli reserve forest under Lahorijan outpost and 6. that Nagaland should not obstruct all developmental works carried by Assam Forest department within Doldoli reserve forest. The KA organisations also urged upon Sonowal to take prompt action to “protect and regenerate” the Doldoli reserve forest and to evict all encroachers from the reserve forest immediately. In their submission, the KA organisations cited the notification issued by the government of Assam No.TAD/R/31/50/151 dated October 13,1951 after inclusion therein and exclusion there from of areas specified in the another notification No.TAD/ R/31/50/149 dated April 31,1951 and notification No.TAD/R/31/ 50/150 dated April 13,1951 respectively. The KA organisations alleged that “a section of Nagas from Nagaland have been constantly making encroachment into Karbi Anglong since long” and
DIPHU, NOV 18: After temporarily suspending the indefinite economic blockade on Nagaland on the first day on November 17, some 15 Karbi Anglong- based civil society organizations led by Karbi Students’ Association (KSA) Wednesday submitted a 6-point charter of demands addressed to the chief minister of Assam through DC Karbi Anglong at a meeting Wednesday in Diphu. It was learnt that the organizations had decided to put on hold the economic blockade on Nagaland, subjected to fulfilment of their demands. The demands include-1. holding immediate talks on the border issue between Assam and Nagaland with the Centre as mediator; 2. reconstruction of boundary pillars destroyed by those from Nagaland; 3. withdrawal of IRB (Nagaland) from within Doldoli Reserve Forest, KA; 4. immediate dismantling of all temporary/permanent houses and electric poles erected by Nagas inside Doldoli Reserve Forest; 5. cancellations of
Newly elected members take oath NSSB, job quota issues: ENSF serves 7-day ultimatum on govt Correspondent
NLA Speaker administering oath of office to the newly elected MLAs. (NP)
Correspondent
KOHIMA, NOV 18 (NPN): Newly-elected members Medo Yhokha and Yangseo Sangtam from 14 Southern Angami 1 and 60 Pungro-Kiphire Assembly constituencies respectively were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Nagaland Legislative Assembly speaker Sharingain Longkumer at his office chamber here on Wednesday. The two newly-elected MLAs swore their faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India and to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of the country and to faithfully discharge their assigned duty. Supporters of both the MLAs accompanied their leaders to the venue.
Yangseo to support PDA Following taking oath as legislator at Nagaland Legislative Assembly speaker’s chamber here on Wednesday, newly-elected member from 60 Pungro-Kiphire Assembly constituency Yangseo Sangtam announced his support to PDA government. Informed this to a section of media persons after the oath taking ceremony, Yangseo said he as an independent MLA and his supporters decided to extend support to the ruling coalition. As he was State BJP’s executive member, he said the party was also in touch with him. He refused to comment about his expectation on portfolio.
KOHIMA, NOV 18 (NPN): Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) Wednesday served a seven-day ultimatum on the state government of Nagaland to meet its charter of demands for incorporation in Nagaland Staff Selection Commission (NSSB) contents/preview and implementation of job reservation for the six backward tribes of Eastern Nagaland. Addressing a press conference at DUDA guest house here on Wednesday, ENSF president Sepili L Sangtam, said the federation would be compelled to resort to democratic forms of agitation if their demands were not met within the stipulated time. Sangtam alleged that Eastern Nagas were “intentionally suppressed and de-
ENSF functionaries during the press meet in Kohima, Wednesday. (NP)
prived” in all aspects even after six decades of Nagaland attaining statehood. He said that since Eastern Nagas also equally contributed in the formation of statehood, the benefits, especially in the employment sector, should also be shared equally. Stating that ENSF’s demands were based on the principle of Article 16 of the Constitution of India— Equality of opportunity
in matters of public employment, Sangtam said that they would resort to indefinite agitation if they have to in order to let justice prevail. ENSF had earlier placed a six-point charter of demands addressed to the chief minister of Nagaland with regard to NSSB on September 11, 2020 and another representation on October 26, 2020. (Cont’d on p-6)
Pfizer concludes phase 3 study of COVID vaccine Nagaland COVID tally 10366 Says vaccine 95% effective with no safety concerns NEW YORK, NOV 18 (PTI): Global drugmakers Pfizer and BioNTech said on Wednesday their COVID19 vaccine candidate is 95 per cent effective, including in adults over 65 years of age, a major announcement coming just two days after Moderna said its virus vaccine has an efficacy rate of 94.5 per cent. American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said they have concluded phase 3 study of their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate BNT162b2, meeting all primary efficacy endpoints. Based on current projections, the companies expect to produce globally up
to 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021. Analysis of the data indicates a vaccine efficacy rate of 95 per cent in participants without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (first primary objective) and also in participants with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (second primary objective), in each case measured from seven days after the second dose. The company said the first primary objective analysis is based on 170 cases of COVID-19, of which 162 cases of coronavirus were observed in the placebo group while 8 cases in the BNT162b2 group. Vaccine efficacy was consistent across age, gender, race and ethnicity demographics. The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94 per cent. There were 10
severe cases of COVID-19 observed in the trial, with nine of the cases occurring in the placebo group and one in the BNT162b2 vaccinated group. “The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic. We continue to move at the speed of science to compile all the data collected thus far and share with regulators around the world,” said Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO. “With hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected every day, we urgently need to get a safe and effective vaccine to the world,” Bourla said. Pfizer said till date, the Data Monitoring Committee for the study has not reported any serious safety concerns related to the vac-
cine. A randomised subset of at least 8,000 participants 18 years and older in the phase 2/3 study found that the vaccine was well tolerated and any side effects resolved shortly after vaccination. The sides-effects noticed after the first or second dose was fatigue, and headache. Further, older adults tended to report fewer and milder side-effects following vaccination. With the safety milestone required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) being achieved, Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit a request within days to the FDA for an EUA based on the totality of safety and efficacy data collected to date, as well as manufacturing data relating to the quality and consistency of the vaccine.
COVID-19 STATUS AS ON november 18, 2020
District
ACTIVE CASES Symptomatic AsDeath MiympRecovunder Total Critical-ICU Death grattomInvestiCases Mod- Se- With- With On ered ed atic Mild erate vere out gation Oxy- VentiOxygen gen lator
Dimapur
664
15
5
1
0
0
1
4925
33*
4
63
Kiphire
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
23
0
0
0
24
Kohima
330
5
8
1
4
0
1
2698
16
0
15
3078
Longleng
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
9
18
Mokokchung
6
0
0
1
0
0
0
109
1
0
3
120
5710
Mon
31
2
0
0
0
0
0
530
2
0
9
574
Peren
143
0
0
0
0
0
0
306
0
0
0
449
Phek
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
37
0
0
0
43
Tuensang
26
0
0
0
0
0
0
155
1
0
0
182
Wokha
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
28
1
0
0
29
Zunheboto
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
135
0
0
3
139
Total
1207
22
13
3
4
0
2
8955
54
4
102 10366
*6 deaths not due to Covid-19 *4 deaths under investigation
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): Nagaland on Wednesday reported 178 new COVID-19 positive cases-- 158 in Dimapur, 13 in Tuensang, 5 in Kohima and 2 in Peren, taking the tally to 10,366. Another death was reported in Kohima Wednesday taking the number of
fatalities to 58. Further, out of 10366 cases, the distribution across various categories include 4283 cases from the armed forces/police, 1747 returnees, 3859 traced contacts and 477 frontline workers. India’s tally went past 89 lakh (89,12,907) while the death toll climbed to 1,30,993.
occupy a large area inside Doldoli reserve forest. They also alleged that even recently, “encroachers from Nagaland” attempted to occupy land inside the reserved forest but were foiled jointly by the KA district administration and forest department. They maintained that they temporarily suspended indefinite economic bandh on assurances from the KA district administration that it would seriously take up the matter with appropriate authorities. They said the bandh was to pressurise the governments of Assam and Nagaland in taking action against the encroachers. The organisations claimed that government of Assam was well aware of “Naga expansionism” and that the incidents along the border were “well planned and guided by the idea of Greater Nagalim”. While reiterating they are not against Nagas’ struggle for ‘Greater Nagalim’, they said it did not mean they would allow occupation of their land and vowed “not an inch of our land should be ceded to Nagaland.”
Closure of roads in Dimapur, NH-29 D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): In order to facilitate the progress of the four lane construction works, the deputy commissioner (DC) has ordered total restriction of all movement from Chathe River Bridge (Patkai Bridge) to Kukidolong from 7am of November 22, 2020 till 5am of November 23, 2020. In a circular, DC Dimapur Rajesh Soundararajan stated that the restriction was necessitated to facilitate speedy completion of works and as a precautionary measure to prevent any injury, loss of life and damage to property. Public have been advised to take the alternative route from DimapurKohima/Kohima-Dimapur for light vehicles only via 7th Mile-New DC officeShokhuvi-Razaphe-Mhaikam-Pimla-MhainamtsiJhornapani/Medziphema and vice versa.
Road widening
In another circular, DC Dimapur informed that there would be closure of the road from Thahekhu Block-7 gate to Selouphe Junction and upto 1 km towards Greenpark from 8pm till 6am from November 19-29, 2020. DC stated that the restriction was necessitated to allow the PWD(R&B) department to complete the ongoing project “Construction and widening of road from NH-29 (Sovima Village Gate) - Sovima Cricket Ground upto Thahekhu village, Dimapur in Nagaland” under NESIDS.
Clarification D I M A P U R , N OV 1 8 (NPN): Apropos “NSCN (I-M) on Z-plus security by GoI to its leadership” published on November 17, the first para, fourth line should read as “...therefore anyone who tried to draw unparallel comparison is simply going superfluous.” K Y M C