Monday, September 8, 2008

7003 arms allotted for 2008-09 by MHA

Imphal, Sep 8 : The Union ministry of home affairs, MHA allotted 7003 arms of different model and bombs along with ammunitions and accessories to the Manipur police for current fiscal year 2008-09 under modernization of police forces even as a total of 1383 arms of different brands along with ammunitions and magazines are in the DG-Pool of the state police department as reserved.

A well placed official source said that these arms and ammunitions were received by the state police department under the government of India funded modernization of the state police forces scheme and the state authorities are also in the process of procuring another huge consignment of these weapons allotted under the same scheme last year.
Under the same scheme a total of 554 vehicles of different make had been allotted to the Manipur Rifles, IRB units and district police as per requirement on priority basis and another 98 numbers of vehicles of different make are being received to meet the current shortage of vehicles.

The state police department is currently facing shortage of 51 percent vehicles for use in maintaining law and order of the state. Out of the total 1382 arms in the DG Pool as per the source, 1114 are 7.62 mm SLR IAI, 100 are AK-47 rifles, 168 are 5.62 SLR with 2557 magazines of the 7.56 mm SLR, 2310 magazines of AK-47 and 1000 magazine of 5.56 LMG.

Of the total number of ammunitions 36,1,850 rounds are 6.56 CTN, 660011 rounds are cartridge 7.62×39 mm, 43,0,830 rounds are 7.62 mm CTN. Apart from these there are 321003 numbers of 7.62 mm BDR ammunitions, three numbers of .38 special cartridge and 3177 numbers of 51 mm Mortar HE bomb in the DG Pool, the source said.
Further, the state home department has already paid for procurement of 2000 numbers of 7.62 SLR rifles along with 1320 magazines, 54 numbers of equipments of 51 mm mortar E-4, 82,500 rounds of cartridge 7.62 mm ball BDR, 1,70,280 cartridge 7.62 mm CTN, 12828 rounds of 9 mm cartridges, 4944 rounds of 7.62 mm cartridge, 3708 numbers of rifle grenade HE 36, 641 bomb 51 mm MOR ILLG, 1442 bombs 51 mm HE, 221142 MC 9 mm IAI cartridge, 480 number each of carbine MC 9 mm IAI, SQAI insp charge and sling for carbine, 1440 numbers of magazines, 48 numbers of chest for carbine, 12,150 numbers of magazine 2A (SLR Mag), 413820 rounds of 7.62 mm ball BDR, 306 numbers of 5.56 mm excaliber, 54 numbers of projector grenade and 5760 of 9 mm carbine.

The arms and ammunitions are to be procured from the different ordnance factories and the same will be lifted soon as the factories intimated the state authorities, the source added.

Apart from this MHA has also allotted a total of 7003 arms and bombs along with huge quantity of ammunitions of different kinds to the Manipur police department for the year 2008-09, said the source adding that funds for procurement of the allotted arms and ammunitions have also been made available by the state government.

The allotted arms included 72 numbers of 51mm mortar E-1 with CES, 315 LMG 5.56 mm INSAS along with 12060 magazines, 546 numbers of 7.62 mm SLR IAI, 194549 numbers of 5.56 mm CTN, 4070 numbers of 51 mm mortar HE bomb, 500 numbers each of 51 mm mortar illuminating bomb, 51 mm mortar red bomb and 51 mm mortar smoke bomb, 62169 7.62 mm CTN cartridge and 10712 magazines of 7.62 mm SLR.

The state police department has put up a list of the projected arms and ammunitions meant for 4th and 7th IRB personnel to the MHA for sanction, the source said.
The arms projected include 118 of 9 mm pistols (59 each for each battalions), 236 magazines (118 each), 320 SM carbine 9 mm (160 each) with 3840 magazines (1920 each), 1350 (675 each) 7.62 mm SLR IAI with 8100 magazines (4050 each), 36 (18 each) 7.62 mm LMG/INSAS LMG with 864 magazines (432 each), 36 (18 each) 7.62 mm SLR with grenade projector and another 36 (18 each) of 51 mm mortar.

The projected quantity of ammunitions were 8732 (4366 each cartridge of SA 9 mm ball, 222750 (111375 each ) 7.62 mm BDR cartridge, 25992 (12996 each) cartridge of 5.56 mm CTN, 756 (378 each) rifle grenade (SLR) with 7sec detonator, 3296 (1648 each) 7.62 mm ballistic/ND cartridges, 2628 (1314 each) of 51 mm mortar HE bomb, 1224 (612 each) of 51 mm mortar smoke bomb, 576 (288 each) each of 51 mm mortar green, red and mortar para illuminating bombs.

Meanwhile, from April 2007 till date, police department has procured 554 vehicles of different kinds to meet the shortage of vehicles in the state police force units and district police.

However, the police department still have 51 percent shortage of vehicles affecting the mobility of the force adversely, the source observed. The procured vehicles include five Bolero, 14 NBP Tata 407, 224 motor cycles, 241 BP Gypsy, seven BP Gypsy, two anti-riot vehicles, three ambulance, nine water tanker, four prisoners van and 45 Tata 207 (DI).

Another 98 numbers of vehicles of different make are being received under the scheme for modernization of state police force and are in the pipe line.
The procured vehicles have been distributed in the different units of the Manipur Rifles and district police.

The vehicles includes 30 BP Mahindra Rakshak, 46 NBP Gypsy, NBP Tata 407, two each of ambulance, Tata 1613/TC and motorcycles

Students awestruck by cleanliness in Thailand

Shillong, Sep 8 : Cleanliness is next to godliness. For Danzil Adrian Mark Kahit and Nada D. Wanbah of St Anthony’s Higher Secondary School in Shillong, the true meaning of the phrase, however, has not come from their textbooks but a trip to Thailand.

Sponsored by the Thai government for a familiarisation trip after being nominated by the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam (ITFAA), the duo were the first students to visit the Southeast Asian hotspot on an “official invitation”. The association is the organiser of the carnival.

“If there is anything we the people of the state and the entire Northeast can learn from the people of Thailand, it is cleanliness. The roads, streets, houses and the parks are sparkling clean. That is amazing given the sheer number of people in Thailand,” Kahit today said.

They have recently returned to Shillong.
As the chosen cultural ambassadors, the two students will impart lessons to the people on cleanliness at the International Shillong Shopping Carnival under way by giving tips on how not to deface public places.

The Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam, had nominated the two students for the trip after consultation with the local dorbar (traditional institution), a spokesperson for the association said.

He added the “trip was aimed at strengthening the bonds between the Northeast and Thailand and youngsters have a natural ability to pick up ideas”.

Though the visit of the students was part of an educational tour, they also had a familiarisation at an international cooking school known as Suan Dusit International Cooking School.

“The cooks there taught us how to cook Thai food and it was a good experience. There are many things in common in our food habits which include their preference for traditional boiled or steamed dishes,” Wanbah added.

The students were impressed by the ardent belief of the people in their religion, tradition and culture “which needs to be followed by the people of the Northeast. We are becoming too western”, said the two students who spent a week in Thailand.

Mark said the places they visited include Bangkok, Chitralada and Ayutthaya. At Chitralada, the students were amazed by the thriving cottage industries set up at the project site of Doitung. The project was introduced by the Queen of Thailand to provide employment opportunities to the youths and wean them away from opium.

They will share their experience with the 50 artisans of the Northeast who are taking part in the carnival.

Resentment brewing in Bru camps

Agartala, Sep 8 : Resentment is brewing in six Bru refugee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision due to non-inclusion of over 7,000 children in the ration cards.

A survey conducted by Asian Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ Network (AITPN) on Bru internally displaced families of Mizoram has found that more than 94 per cent of the camp inmates have documents issued by authorities of Mizoram to prove their bonafide residence in Mizoram.These have been placed on record before the Supreme Court by AITPN but neither the Tripura nor the Central Government had ever attempted to verify the bonafide of the Brus to counter the lies of the Mizoram Government.

The Central Government even failed to accord approval for inclusion of 1,514 children in the ration cards despite recommendation by Tripura Government way back in 2004.

As no approval has been received for inclusion and no survey has been conducted since 2004, no new-born baby has been included for access to food rations and other basic assistance and the other family members have to share their allocated food.

The alleged step-motherly attitude towards genuine citizens has sparked widespread resentment among the refugees, according to Santosh Chakma, Legal Officer of the AITPN.

Alarmed by the ‘development’, a six-member team of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCER) will visit six Reang refugee camps in Kanchanpur subdivision on Monday to hold public hearing over the continuous problem.

After conducting hearing, the team will return to Agartala to hold meeting with State Government officials on September 9, said Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Narayan Debbarma over telephone from Kanchanpur.

The AITPN welcomed the move of the NCPCER to the Bru Internally Displaced Persons’ camps located in Kanchanpur Sub-Division in North district of Tripura from September 7 to 9, he said.

“The Commission is visiting the camps following the complaint of AITPN that over 7,000 Bru children have not been included in the cards for access to ration,” he said.

It is worthy to mention that about 31,000 Bru families had to leave their homes in Mizoram following ethnic clashes in 1997 and took shelter in Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision.