October 17, 2019

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXIX No. 311

DIMAPUR, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 Pages 12 ` 5.00

Turkey won’t enter Kobani: Erdogan to Trump

Spain clinch Euro 2020 berth

Royalty, dynasts, stars enliven Maha polls

international, Page 9

sports, Page 12

national, Page 5

Ayodhya case: SC reserves verdict Nagaland becomes first NE State to commission SMP Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT 16 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrapped up the 40-day hearing in the decades-old temple-mosque dispute in Ayodhya— the second longest proceedings in its history— and reserved its verdict in the politically sensitive case that is expected in a month’s time. The concluding day of the marathon hearing during which Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi heading a 5-judge Constitution bench observed “enough is enough” was marked by high drama when Rajeev Dhawan, a senior counsel for the Muslim parties, tore a pictorial map provided by Hindu Mahasabha purportedly showing the exact birth place of Lord Ram in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. The high voltage hearing in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute involving 2.77 acres of land is the second longest after the landmark Keshvanand Bharti case in 1973 during which the proceedings for propounding the doctrine of basic structure of the Constitution continued for 68 days. The bench, also comprising SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and

Global Hunger Index: India behind Nepal, Pak, B’desh NEW DELHI, OCT 16 (PTI): India is ranked 102 of 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2019, behind its neighbours Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with GHI scores of less than five, the website of the Global Hunger Index said on Wednesday. The report, prepared jointly by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe termed the level of hunger in India “serious”. In 2018, it was ranked 103 out of 119 countries. In 2000, the country was ranked 83 out of 113 countries. Now, with 117 countries in the fray, it has dropped to 102 rank. India’s GHI score has also decelerated -- from 38.9 in 2005 to 32 in 2010 and then from 32 to 30.3 between 2010 and 2019. Neighbouring countries like Nepal (73), Sri Lanka (66), Bangladesh (88), Myanmar (69) and Pakistan (94) are also in the ‘serious’ hunger category, but have fared better at feeding its citizens than India, according to the report.

This is it!

“Unfortunately, if extortion goes so also our excuses- my budget cuts and you, steep prices of goods.” K Y M C

Mahant Ramdas of Nirmohi Akhara with Jamaat Ulama-e-Hind president Molana Suhaib Qasmi at Supreme Court premises, Wednesday. (PTI)

SA Nazeer, came out with schedules for hearing more than once and the arguments, which were first fixed to be concluded by October 18, was advanced to October 17, but on Wednesday, it decided to wrap it up saying “enough is enough”. The bench is racing against time since the verdict has to be delivered before Justice Gogoi demits office on November 17. It also granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on ‘moulding of relief ’ or narrowing down the issues on which the court is required to adjudicate. The hearing was marked by heated exchanges

between the lawyers of the Hindu and Muslim sides and midway the issue of settling the dispute through mediation once again cropped up. The first mediation bid failed to find an amicable resolution leading to commencement of day-today hearing from August 6. Later, the panel, which comprised FMI Kallifulla, a former apex court judge, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living Foundation and Sriram Panchu, an acclaimed mediator, was allowed to continue mediation proceedings. The panel was believed to have submitted its report to the court on Wednesday.

Dhavan created a flutter after he took strong objection to senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for a faction of All India Hindu Mahasabha, relying on a site map and books written by foreign and Indian authors to buttress claims that the central dome of the now demolished structure was the birthplace of the deity and asked the bench as to what he should do with map. The bench said he can shred the documents into pieces. Dhavan then tore the pictorial map in the courtroom. The drama did not end and during post-lunch session, Dhavan made a reference to his action and said “outside the court, it has become viral”. “The news that has become viral is that I on my own tore the papers,” he said. Dhavan said he had asked and sought the permission of the bench whether those papers can be thrown and the reply from the CJI was “if it is irrelevant, you can tear it”. CJI shot back saying, “Dhavan is right that the chief justice said, so he tore up. Let this clarification also be widely reported.”

Storm lashes Naghuto villages

House destroyed by storm at Naghuto village under Zunheboto district.

DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): Rain accompanied by severe storm on Tuesday lashed Naghuto Old and Naghuto New villages under Atoizu sub-division in Zunheboto district damaging properties worth several lakhs. Sources said rain and storm that lasted about for about 20 minutes battered the two villages at around 10.40pm leaving a trail of destruction. The sources, however, said that there was no loss of life.

According to sources, several houses were damaged, trees and plantations and electric polls were uprooted by the ravaging storm. Several paddy fields were also flattened. A government primary school at Naghuto New village was also partly damaged. Additional Deputy Commissioner Atoizu inspected the villages to take stock of the situation and assess the damages and report to the higher authorities.

KOHIMA, OCT 16 (NPN): With the inauguration-cumcommissioning of septage management unit (SPU) at Dzürüzou Merima here on Wednesday, Nagaland has become the first Northeastern State to commission septage management plant (SMP). Adviser for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Dr Neikiesalie Nicky Kire officially inaugurated and commissioned the project. The project was taken up in the Northeast as part of the NE Region Capital Cities Development Investment Programme (NERCCDIP) by Government of India (GoI) through the Union ministry of housing & urban affairs (MoHUA). In his brief address, the advisor thanked all the people involved in commissioning the SPU successfully and exuded confidence that just as GoI and Asian Development Bank (ADB) had come forward to generously finance it, he appealed to Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) to handle the project carefully. He remarked that people in the State Capital experienced unpleasant feel-

ANCSU appeals for early settlement of Naga issue DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has appealed to the Governor of Nagaland for an early settlement to the long pending Naga political issue “not obliviating the sovereign rights of the Nagas.” In a memorandum addressed to the Governor of Nagaland, ANCSU president Katho P Awomi and general secretary Vimeyiekho Vitso stated that the “decade long pending Naga Political issue has put doubts and fears in the minds of the Nagas”. ANCSU, however, stated that the assignment given to him to address the Naga issue as the Interlocutor and as the Governor of Nagaland has “once again revived the hopes of the Nagas for an early settlement.” Stating that the Government of India over the years had “deliberately” not prioritized the Naga political issue, ANCSU has appealed to the Government of India to recognize and acknowledge the unique political rights of the Nagas. ANCSU further maintained that settlement should be honourable and acceptable to the Nagas. It hoped that government of India would not “deviate from its commitment to solve the Naga issue.”

Not an agent or tool of GoI: WC, NNPGs DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): Working Committee (WC), Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) has clarified that it was not an agent or tool of Government of India (GoI). Referring to such a “preconceived notion”, the committee in a statement asserted that it comprised of remarkable Naga leaders from different Naga tribes and political entities, “all with great patriotic dreams and visions inherited from forefathers”. It said its leaders understood that Nagas could not remain enslaved to the past. Mentioning that lessons learnt from the past was sufficient, WC pointed out that Indian military invasion and occupation brought much misery to the people in the early decades, while Naga leaders’ ego and pride wiped out a generation in the later decades.

The statement explained that seven Naga political groups were together because Naga people desired unity, stressing a divided people could not build a nation. WC existed because it was the call of the Nagas and the future must be secured. There were no ego problem, personal ambitions or desires among NNPG leaders either for present or post solution period. There was constant consultation on all major issues with Naga civil societies, tribal hohos, hereditary village elders, intellectuals, the church and peace mediators. All political matters were then thoroughly deliberated within WC prior to talks, the statement added. According to WC, after 57 rounds of political dialogue in a span of three years, GoI and Nagas were

now on the threshold of a new beginning. With an acceptable and honourable solution, it said it believed a robust future lied ahead for “our children”. With 90,000 Naga youth registered as unemployed in Nagaland and asking question on his/ her wretched social and economic condition, the committee asked who was responsible for this mess. After 22 years of political talks, when a Naga from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam or Manipur declares that Nagaland will cease to exist and replaced by people’s government of Nagalim, WC stressed it was time for Nagaland tribes and inhabitants to wake up from slumber and pinch themselves if they were alive. It also meant Nagaland tribes had grown weak, timid and weary from

shouldering Naga national cause since the conflict began. Decades of serving and sharing meals in the morning and at night with Naga brethren from other Naga areas in the name of Naga cause was a thankless job, it added. Calling upon Nagas not be carried away by propagandas being churned out to confuse “our people” and to ensure demographic invasion of Nagaland, WC asserted that Nagaland could not accommodate Naga brothers from other States without integration. The committee asked Nagaland inhabitants who thought otherwise to demonstrate their generosity by demarcating their own fertile lands first, subject to approval by their tribes, for donation to landless brothers from other Naga areas.

ing during rainy season as many citizens were careless with release of wastes from their septic tanks, which also affected human health. He hoped that with septage plant equipped with the capacity to process 90 kilo litres per day (KLD) of septic waste every day, Kohima would soon become healthier, cleaner and more environment-friendly. Appealing to KMC to maintain the eight cesspools, Kire asked the municipal authority to check and ensure that its employees performed their duties with sincerity and dedication, adding the attitude of regular government employees who took their responsibilities casually should also be taken to task. He stressed on proper handling of SMU to avoid pollution in KMC dumping area, while adhering to the prescribed standard for avoiding any complication. In her technical report, chief engineer (R&B) Limanaro said State Investment Programme Management and Implementation Unit (SIPMIU), functioning under the State urban development department, was the implementing agency of SMU, which was supported

Nicky Kire flagging off the cesspool vehicles, Wednesday. (NP)

by ADB. She said the contract package was awarded to a joint venture consortium of M/s Vi-u Angami & Sons Tomco Engineering Pvt Ltd and Shaji PC Pvt Ltd for an amount of Rs 32.22 crore and work began in August 2016 and completed in June this year. The major components of the contract package included 90 KLD capacity septage treatment plant, supply of eight cesspool vehicles, administrative building with workers’ rest room, laboratory for testing the effluent standards, six units each of staff quarters and operators’ quarters, vehicle garage, security cabin, approach road with drainage system from NH-2 to the site, two

lakh litres capacity rainwater harvesting pond, construction of 11 KV transmission line and installation of 400 KVA, 11/0.43 sub-station, 100 KVA DG set, retaining wall around the site and facilities like internal roads, high masts, water supply, firefighting arrangement, compound wall, etc. The septage will undergo the processes of sedimentation, anaerobic and aerobic reaction, primary and secondary filtration, etc, and the solids/ cakes produced in the process can be used as manure for agricultural purpose, while the discharged effluent (water) shall be as per BIS standards that can be re-used for washing, gardening, etc, or discharged in drains. (Cont’d on p-7)

Chidambaram held in INX media case

NEW DELHI, OCT 16 (PTI): Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former finance minister P Chidambaram in Tihar Jail on Wednesday in connection with its probe in the INX Media money laundering case as it now prepares to put him through extensive grilling sessions, officials said. The investigating team followed procedure after a court here on Tuesday had allowed the agency to interrogate the senior Congress leader, lodged in the jail in the CBI case, and arrest him, if necessary, in this case, they said. A three-member team of investigators of the central agency who arrived at the prison at 8:15 am remained in the premises for about two hours during which they briefly questioned 74-year-old Chidambaram after which he was placed under arrest. The arrest has been made under the provision of the Prevention of Money

NSCN/GRPN-K, CFSB chairman hold meeting

DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): Cease-fire supervisory board (CFSB) of the Khango led NSCN/GPRN (K) held meeting with CFSB chairman Lt.Gen. Shokin Chauhan at Kohima on October 14, 2019 and discussed critical cease-fire related issues. In a press release, NSCN(K) CFSB secretary Michael Yeptho said that the meeting discussed the need to uphold and exercise utmost restraint at this crucial juncture by strictly adhering to the cease-fire ground rules. Yeptho said NSCN-K CFSB team led by supervisor Shellen Konyak and the government of India officials from the Army/Assam Rifles/state police and Nagaland government officials (Cont’d on p-7) attended the meeting.

P Chidambaram inside a police van. (PTI)

Laundering Act (PMLA) and his statement was also recorded under this same provision, they said. The ED subsequently sought 14-day custodial interrogation of the former Union minister from a court here. The Congress MP has been grilled by the ED in this case many times in the past but it had never arrested him as he enjoyed a court-issued order of directing the agency not to take coercive step like arrest against him.

Sources indicated that Chidambaram will now be put through some fresh evidence, obtained from offshore jurisdictions, and confronted with the statement of other accused in the case once his full-time questioning begins, after the grant of custody. Statements given by the accountant of his son Karti and those of others will be put across to him. It is understood that the ED investigating officer will seek answers from him regarding certain foreign-based assets linked to the Chidambaram family including those attached by it in the name of Karti. Last year in October, it had attached assets worth Rs 54 crore of Karti Chidambaram, in India, the UK and Spain, under the PMLA. The agency is also working to file its first charge sheet or prosecution compliant in the case and it may include Chidambaram’s forthcoming statements too.

IAF air exercise underway

A Su-30 MKI at Dimapur airport during a routine training exercise. (PTI)

DIMAPUR, OCT 16 (NPN): Eastern Air Command begun its fighter plane operations exercise from six civilian airfields in North East and West Bengal. I n a p r e s s n o t e, PRO(Defence), Lt Col Sumit Sharma informed that the exercise is being held in Dimapur, Guwahati, Imphal, and Kolkata airports in the first phase between October 16 and 19, while Andal and Pasighat will host the exercise in the second phase from October 29 to November 1. The exercise is a part

of capability build-up and operational training from dispersed locations in case of hostilities, PRO stated. The Indian Air Force (IAF) will use SU-30 MKi multi-role air superiority fighters and Hawk 132 jets in this exercise. The exercise will familiarise the IAF crew with the procedure of flying at these busy airfields and coordinate with civilian counterparts, the official said. The exercise will also help in familiarising the civilian functionaries at these airfields in the conduct of military operations. K Y M C


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