Power project if Congress comes to power: Fernandez

Aizawl, Aug 29 : Union Minister of State for Labour Oscar Fernandez today said that all pending power projects in Mizoram would be implemented if the Congress came to power in the state.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan here, Fernandez said that the main problem in Mizoram was lack of energy, which would be solved if the Congress was voted to power in the polls scheduled for the year-end.
Vylar Ravi, Minister of state for Overseas Indian Affairs, said that people of Mizoram deserved to be given more support for overall development activities.

“Mizoram needs better connectivity in land and air transport which the Centre is aware of and doing its best to improve connectivity in the state,” Ravi said.

AICC general secretary Margaret Alva and state PCC chief Lal Thanhawla were also present in the press conference.

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Assam govt challenges release of Pakistanis

Guwahati, Aug 29 :The Gauhati High Court today admitted an appeal filed by Assam Government challenging the acquittal of two Pakistanis and a Bangladeshi along with four Indians by a trial court after their arrest for alleged involvement in anti-national activities.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice J Chelameswar and Justice Hrishikesh Roy admitted the appeal filed against the order passed by Kamrup additional sessions judge on June 12 acquitting the seven persons.
Additional Advocate General K N Choudhury submitted before the high court that the three foreigners along with the Indians were arrested on August, 1999 and during interrogation it was revealed that Mohammad Javed Waker and Faizulla Hussain were Pakistani nationals and deeply involved with terrorist organisations like Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

The duo along with a Bangladeshi national, Mohammad Billal Miah and four other Indians were planning to create disturbance in the state and the order of acquittal passed by trial court is without proper scrutiny of evidence on record.

The three foreign nationals are currently lodged in different jails in the state in connection with other cases.

The court directed that if any bail application is moved by any of the three foreign nationals in any court, it must be transferred to the high court for appropriate order and also directed the secretary to state home department to monitor the matter.

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Farmers pin hopes on fruitful fair

Imphal, Aug 29 : Come Saturday and the pineapple festival at Khousabung near the Churachandpur district headquarters will literally sweeten the mouths of the visitors to the event.

The first of its kind in Churachandpur district — the largest producer of pineapple in Manipur — the festival will be organised by a group of pineapple farmers with support from the district administration.

It will include cultural programmes, a beauty pageant and a soiree.
“This is the first ever pineapple festival in the district and we hope to attract several buyers from other parts of the state,” the secretary of the organising committee, Gin Gangte, told the media today.

With 300 pineapple farmers and more than 1,000 acres of cultivable land, Churachandpur produces 70,000 pineapples every season.

“The festival aims at providing the farmers a platform to discuss issues like marketing and promote pineapple cultivation,” Gangte said.

Though the farmers had a good harvest, marketing the produce was a problem.

The main markets are in Imphal city, Moirang in Bishnupur district and the district headquarters of Churachandpur.

“We have many success stories; come and listen to them during the festival,” Gangte said. The Pineapple Queen will be given cash awards, he added.

Till today, at least 50 cultivators have registered their participation and the organisers are expecting more to follow suit.

“We expect the event to be a grand success,” Gangte said.

The government is yet to respond to the Churachandpur farmers’ demand that pineapple be made the state fruit.

Pineapple cultivation started in the district in 1947 when Songpu Gangte, a local resident, planted 40 saplings he had brought with him.

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Northeast car lifters form Vehicle Kidnapping Association

Shillong, Aug 29 : Strange though it may seem, car lifters in the Northeast have formed an association - Motor Vehicle Kidnapping Association - setting the police on its trail.

The association with its headquarters in Shillong is spread all over the Northeast including Ladrymbai, Karimganj, Silchar, Tezpur, Hojai, Nagoan, Patharkandi, Anitpur, Ratabari and parts of Mizoram, superintendent of police M K Singh said.
Before the police began its search for the car thieves, it was the Khasi Students Union which carried out overnight raids at Ladrymbai and Khliehriat in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya last Monday and apprehended six of them.

They were handed over to the police. The very next day the police arrested the main gang leader Abdul Fateh.

Mobile phones, daggers and a piece of paper, inscribed with the name of the association, were seized from the possession of the gang-members who were identified as Lias Mia, Govin Chetri, Sunil Barman and Pradip Kalita all from Assam, Sonu Tamang Nongrum of Pynursla and Plom Bareh of Mynkre, Khliehriat Pohsh Nong.

Lias Mia is reported to have confessed that one Abdul Pate alias Lambu from Silchar was heading the group and activities in Jaintia Hills were being controlled by one John Lyngdoh alias ‘Boss’.

Singh said the gang has confessed to have lifted at least six cars from the district alone.

Revealing the modus operandi of the gang: Singh said quoting one of the arrested Plom that the vehicles after being stolen were rushed to a petrol pump at Mynkre where a group from Silchar took over after paying commission to the group in Jaintia Hills.

A second group then drove the stolen vehicles to Shillong. From there another group took them to Tezpur and later to Nagaland and other parts of the Northeast, Plom divulged.

The Jaintia Hills group usually received Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per stolen vehicle as “commission” which was later divided among the members.

The superintendent of police said more arrests of the members of the association were on cards as police were carrying out raids acting of revelations from the members.

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