Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Northeast India Demands For Separate Time Zone

G
uwahati, Jul 29 : A group of social thinkers will formally press the central government on Friday for a separate time zone for the Northeast so that there is optimum utilization of daylight.

“We would submit a formal proposal to the central minister of the Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) for a separate time zone for the Northeast,” Jahnu Barua, a well-known filmmaker, told media today.

A group of academics, journalists, film personalities, and people from diverse fields met in Guwahati to drum up public opinion for a separate time zone for the northeast – with suggestions for advancing the clock by at least 90 minutes.

“The day breaks early in the northeast with the sun normally rising at least 90 minutes to two hours ahead of other Indian cities. For example today the sunrise time in Arunachal Pradesh was 4.28 a.m. and in Mumbai it was 6.05 a.m., while the sunset time was 6.13 pm and 7.20 pm respectively,” Anirban Das, a geography teacher, said.

“We have every reason to demand a separate time zone for the Northeast, considering the geo-location of the region,” he added.


The group of social thinkers is now planning to broaden the campaign for advancing the clock by roping in lawmakers of the region.

“We need to make productive use of daylight from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. We in the Northeast do nothing and wait for 10 a.m. to go to office. If our clock is advanced by an hour or 90 minutes we can really make productive use of daylight,” Barua said.

Neighboring Bangladesh recently advanced its clock by an hour, aimed at saving an extra hour of daylight to save power.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is practiced in many countries, exploiting daylight by advancing clocks so that evenings have more natural light and mornings have less.

“In reality Bangladesh is now 90 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time although the sun rises earlier in the Northeast than in Bangladesh,” Das said.

India's INS-Arihant no threat to Pak: Naval Chief

B
eijing, Jul 29: The Pakistan Navy does not consider India's launch of its first indigenously-made nuclear submarine as a major security threat to it, The News reports.

Pakistan Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Bashir Noman said the launch of India's first indigenously made nuclear-powered submarine INS-Arihant is not a major concern for the country's naval force.


Admiral Bashir, who is currently in China to witness the commissioning of the first China-made frigate for Pakistan, said Islamabad and New Delhi must maintain a good relationship.

"We are not focused on India. India is a neighbor, so we must have good relationship," said Bashir.

He said Pakistan Navy's prime objective is to combat terrorism, piracy, and other illegal uses of the sea such as drug trafficking, and protecting the sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean.

Bashir's remarks come a day after the Pakistan Foreign Office raised concerns over INS-Arihant's launch.

ANI