Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Students in Manipur facing a probable zero academic year

T
ime is running out in Manipur as the current academic session is on the brink of conclusion, and the possibility of ruining this year’s academic session into a zero academic year is becoming more realistic as the indefinite class boycott of educational institutes in Manipur continues unabated. Meanwhile, the talk between the state government and the agitating civil bodies remains inconclusive and the agitation is very likely to linger on. In the aftermath of the July 23 incident, thousands of students in Manipur have not been able to attend their classes for nearly 3 months and there is no end to the class boycott imposed by 3 Frontal Student Organizations. On the other hand, protests against the indefinite class boycott are gaining momentum as the possibility of an adverse consequence seems eminent. In an exclusive chat with NETV, Education Commissioner P K Singh has informed that students in the state are in grave danger of facing a zero academic years if classes failed to continue in the first week of November. In the meantime, the first round of talks between the SPF ministry and the Apunba Lup which is spearheading the agitations against the July 23 incident ended without an agreement. While efforts are still underway from various sides to end the ongoing class boycott imposed by 3 student bodies, the agitating bodies and the SPF government continues to be at loggerhead without any visible and quick solution. Till date, students in Manipur have only attended around 90 teaching days against the minimum requirement of 160 for students below 10th and 180 teaching days for secondary students to make them eligible to appear in promotional exams as fixed by the State Education Board. As a result there is a growing concerned as the official academic session ends after December but authorities are ready to stress the current session up to 31 January after which the official academic session of 2010 will begin.

Bomb blast at Imphal, 5 including a scribe injured

I
n what eyewitnesses claimed to be another daring attack on security forces, 5 people were injured when a bomb exploded Tuesday evening at Keishampat in Imphal. The blast reportedly took place at Keishampat in front of the Yaikairol and Sanghai Express Daily office. Among the injured, a scribe from the Yakairol daily also received minor injury. All of the injured have been admitted at the RIMS hospital and are reportedly out of danger. At around 4.45 pm, Tuesday a low intensity bomb exploded in-front of the office of the Yakairol and Sanghai Newspapers under Singjamei Police Station in Imphal. In the blast of what police claim was a Chinese hand grenade, 5 civilians including a scribe from the Yakairol Daily received minor injuries. On the other hand no major damage to life and property was reported. All the five injured persons were rushed to the RIMS Casualty Unit immediately after the blast and are reportedly out of danger. Among those hurt, an Assistant Engineer and a lecturer were also included. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses claim that the bomb was actually targeted at a convoy of security force. According to one of the injured the grenade was hurled at the army convoy but it failed to find the target. Notably, the proscribed People’s Liberation Army in a press note issued recently have warned civilians to keep away from central security forces as the group has announced that it will launch surprise ambush on central security forces as part of its urban guerrilla warfare.

Arunachal jail gets first prisoners

F
ifteen minutes before noon on Tuesday, murder accused Majboor Rehman became the first of 19 under-trial prisoners (UTPs) in judicial custody to ‘inaugurate’ the first jail in Arunachal Pradesh.

Rehman, though, would have been robbed of his dubious distinction had felons of various shades not made off with the furnishings of the seven-acre district jail five years ago.

Under pressure from civil rights activists for keeping UTPs in unhygienic, overcrowded lock-ups, the state government had a decade ago sought funds from New Delhi to establish jails. The Centre obliged in 2000, releasing Rs 10 crore under the 11th Finance Commission to construct two jails and seven sub-jails.

The district jail at Jully Basti, located 6 km from state capital Itanagar was completed in 2004. Somehow, the government could not manage to get a VVIP from New Delhi to inaugurate it. And in these five years, thieves took away almost everything in the jail — from window frames to electrical fittings.

The wait to have the jail inaugurated ended on Tuesday with Rehman moving in as the first of 19 registered prisoners. “They were shifted from Itanagar police station, but not before we renovated the jail at an expenditure of Rs 20 lakh,” jail superintendent Michi Paku told HT from Itanagar.

The jail at Jully Basti, Paku added, has 50 blocks. Ten of these are for women.

Nagaland PCC apprise Sonia on drought relief measures

C
ongress leaders from Nagaland have met party President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and apprised her about the situation arising out of drought-like condition in the state.

A delegation led by NPCC President K V Pusa and CLP leader Chingwang Konyak on Thursday submitted an assessment report on drought relief measures in Nagaland, which had experienced drought-like situation during monsoon adversely affecting agricultural activities in the state.

Pusa said the Congress chief appreciated the initiatives in assessing the state’s requirements and assured them to examine the report so that the drought affected people could avail some relief schemes.

"The union government and the UPA Chairperson would like to see that this time funds reach the targeted people and do not go to the pockets of a handful of people who are in power," he claimed.

Seeing the track records of the DAN government in implementation of development schemes, the Pradesh Congress took initiative to make the assessment of drought relief measures and decided to take up the matter with the central leaders as how some mechanism could be put in place so that real affected farmers get the benefits from the Centre, NPCC president said.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently met the state Congress leaders and assured them that the drought relief funds would not be 'misused' this time and all affected farmers, irrespective of political affiliations, would get the equal share.

While submitting its report to the centre, the state government estimated the drought relief measures at Rs 74 crore while the Pradesh Congress put the state’s requirement at about Rs 100 crore after visiting all the districts of Nagaland recently.

After the visit, the NPCC alleged that the NREGA funds were not properly utilized in many parts of the state and the ruling dispensation was only doling out money to its party workers and supporters without creating any sustainable rural assets.