Former Congress MP Accused of Rape, Absconding

New Delhi, Aug 27 : Former Assam Congress MP Moni Kumar Subba, who is accused in a rape case, has been absconding after the Guwahati High Court rejected his bail petition twice.

A team of Assam Police officials are in Delhi to trace Subba. A combined team of Assam Police and Delhi Police raided Subba’s farmhouse in Chhattarpur in South Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday to locate him.

Subba was accused of rape three months ago and an FIR has been registered in Guwahati against him. After it was medically established that rape had taken place, Subba managed to get bail from a lower court



CNN-IBN had also raised questions about Subba's citizenship after accessing documents which revealed that he is actually a Nepali national, convicted of murder and not an Indian citizen.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report has claimed that Subba is a Nepalese national originally named Moni Raj Limbo, who escaped from the Illam prison in Nepal while serving sentence for murder.

Subba has always insisted that he is not Limbo though his brother and father use the surname. But Subba himself gave his game away.

In an affidavit filed before the Tezpur magistrate's court on October 3, 1985, the politician admitted that Moni Raj Limbo and Moni Kumar Subba were the same person.

A CNN-IBN investigation in March 2006 exposed Subba for lying about his place of birth and hiding his Nepalese identity. The birth certificate is the only document Subba has to prove his Indian citizenship, but the CNN-IBN investigation established that the certificate was a fake and that he was indeed a foreign national.

The certificate claimed that Subba was born on March 16, 1958 in Dabgram, West Bengal but the document itself was issued 40 years later on October 28, 1998. Salil Sarkar, the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Dabgram, confirmed it to CNN-IBN.

Fear Grips Non-Manipuris

Migrant workers at the Imphal relief camp.

Imphal, Aug 27 : Manoj Shaha, a 26-year-old hawker from Bihar, has been sitting in one corner of a medium-size room at Dharmasala since his arrival at the lodge here this morning.

He has been in the city for the last 14 years, ever since his father came here in search of a job. The killings of the migrants that resumed a few days back, however, has made Manoj change his mind.

“I do not want to stay here any longer. Who will feed my wife and our two children back home in Motihari district of Bihar if I too get killed? We came here to make a living. I will go home once I am allowed to go out of this camp,” he said.

Manoj is one of nine migrant labourers — five from Bihar and four from Cachar district of Assam — taking shelter at the relief camp opened by the Okram Ibobi Singh government from today at Dharmasala, a lodge run by the city’s business community.

The migrant labourers were rounded up by police teams from their workplaces around the city this morning and given shelter in the camp which is guarded by armed security personnel.

The killing of Mohon Shaha, a migrant labourer, by two unidentified gunmen at the city’s Wahengbam Leikai area on Tuesday night prompted the Manipur government to order the police to pick up migrants loitering about or working in the city’s isolated pockets.

Mohon was returning to his rented house at Wahengbam Leikai when he was attacked. He is the fifth migrant to be killed by unidentified gunmen since January 6 this year and no one has been arrested in connection with his killing yet. So far 34 migrant labourers have been killed by unidentified gunmen in Manipur since February 29 last year.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks on migrants, additional superintendent of police, Imphal West, A.K. Jhaljit, blamed militant groups.

The fresh attack came after the Revolutionary Peoples Front, the political wing of the Peoples Liberation Army served a quit notice to all non-Manipuris (migrants) coming to the state after 1949 — the year Manipur was merged with India — to leave by May 31 this year.

“It is good that the state government brought us here and we feel safe, but how long can we stay like this? We have to work and earn money to feed our families. We will go home after taking our wages from the contractor,” Abul Laskar, a contract labourer from Lakhimpur of Cachar district of Assam, said.

Manmohan Singh Expresses Concern Over Naga-Meitei ‘Divide’ in Northeast

New Delhi, Aug 26 : Prime Minster Dr. Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that the situation in the Northeast is better today than it was in the recent past, but some areas of concern still remain, like the Naga-Meitei divide in Manipur.

Addressing the second-day session of the 45th conference of Director Generals Of Police and other senior security officials here, Dr. Singh said: “In Manipur, for example, the Naga-Meitei divide had accentuated. The unfortunate growth of identity-based assertiveness in the Northeast, particularly in Manipur and the North Cachar Hills, needs well thought-out and sensitive handling.”

He said that, in other areas of the Northeast, there was need to consolidate the gains of the past while at the same time ensuring that new problems did not arise and could be controlled when they did.

“The Darjeeling hill area also needed a careful watch,” he added.

Stressing that the State police and the central paramilitary forces should take firm action against those who take the law into their own hands, Dr. Singh said: “The writ of the State should be firmly established in all these areas.

He also called for continuous vigilance against the rise of communal tensions.

He further said the conference was a valuable opportunity to enhance understanding of matters relating to internal security and to build a consensus on the new strategies that could be devised to meet the challenges facing the nation.

Dr Singh said policing in the country had become increasingly complex over the years.

“But of late the growing presence of non-state actors, fundamentalist groups and left-wing extremists has further complicated matters. The growing inter-linkages of the destabilizing and criminal forces, across states and across our borders, call for far greater vigilance and coordination between the security agencies than ever before,” he observed.

He said the Government had, over the past decade, institutionalized deliberations and structured interactions at various levels.

“This conference has been a time-tested mechanism for enhanced coordination but given the changing circumstances I believe the time has perhaps come for it to reinvent itself. Perhaps this year onwards you could set for yourself some quantifiable goals to be achieved in the coming year,” he said.

He also felt the conference should pursue its agenda of making available the considered professional consensus on important police matters in a more focused manner.

In this context, he repeated an earlier suggestion to set up a Standing Committee of Director Generals of Police to provide policy inputs and hoped that it would begin work in right earnest.

Dr Manmohan Singh also drew the attention of the conference to the disinformation campaigns of the ‘adversaries’ and asked the police to take steps to counter them .

He said modern means of communications had enabled adversarial forces to mount powerful and convincing propaganda.

“Our response to this development needs to be improved. We have to challenge disinformation, often masquerading as objective third party expert opinion, not through suppression or in position of censorship, but by ensuring the availability of better and informed opinion to public at large,” he said.

“Over the past decade, the Central Government had sought to assist states in addressing their manpower requirements through financial support for India Reserve battalions, Special Police Officers, and the setting up of village defence committees,” he added.

He pointed out that, within the police forces, the current system of promotion was based essentially on seniority.

He said this needed to be suitably recalibrated to catalyze better performance and motivation.

Dr Singh also spoke about the need to build up capacities for gathering intelligence in various Indian languages. The intelligence agencies of the Centre and States could draw upon police persons and also incentivize officers to acquire and use relevant local language skills, he said.

Cloudburst in Leh May be Due to Climate Change

New Delhi, Aug 26 : Based on a detailed analysis of weather data from the last five years in Leh, Ladakh, scientists have attributed the recent cloudburst in the region to prolonged winters which may be due to climate change.

"After going through the sequence of events of the weather that led to the cloudburst on August 6, it has been reinforced that the catastrophe was due to prolonged winters being witnessed in the region," sources in Leh-based Defence Institute For High Altitude Research (DIHAR) said.

The analysis by the research institute under the Defence Ministry was done to look into the reasons that triggered the cloudburst in Ladakh which is usually considered unnatural because it is a rain shadow area.

On the condition of anonymity, he said at a recent meeting on "Evaluation of climate change in Ladakh sector and causes of Cloud Burst in Leh," the scientists led by DIHAR director Sashi Bala had analysed the weather data of the last five years in terms of monthly temperature, rainfall, humidity and snowfall.

The study indicated that increased temperature and hot summers in the plains lead to increased evaporation and subsequent cloud formation in the hills. "This in turn, lead to increased duration of snowfall in Ladakh when compared to previous years."

"The winters in Ladakh were found to be prolonged," the experts concluded though they felt the phenomenon could not be directly associated with climate change given the short range of data.

The region was witnessing unusual phenomenon of bright sunshine in the June and July months causing melting of snow and high relative humidity (72%) as compared to previous years (50%), the scientist said.

Tracing the change in weather on the basis of the data available, he pointed out "since snow absorbed the latent heat also, the monthly maximum and minimum temperature remained low and did not shoot up as compared to previous years (2006).

"The low temperature and high relative humidity lead to formation of dense low clouds in the valley. Since the vapour content in the clouds were high and on trying to cross the glaciers, the vapours further condensed.

"The clouds could not retain the water droplets that lead to the cloudburst. Since the rainfall was absent on 3rd, 4th and 5th August and was negligible on 7th, 8th and 9th August the theory of occurrence of a cloudburst in Leh due to prolonged winters may be reinforced," the meeting said on the sequence of event.

The cloudburst, which led to flash floods and mudslides, claimed about 180 lives and injured about 400 people, besides causing widespread damage to public and private property.

The Defence establishment has also initiated research towards preventing soil erosion in case of heavy rains in the area in future in view of climate change.

Source: PTI

Mizoram Sanctioned 8 Air-Monitoring Stations

Aizawl, Aug 26 : Mizoram has received a sanction for air quality monitoring stations under the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), Mizoram Pollution Control Board (MPCB) said today.

One station each at Aizawl and Lengpui and two stations each at Lunglei, Kolasib and Champhai will be set up before the jhum burning season between February and March next year, the MPCB said.

The MPCB meeting, held at the office of chairman Er Dunglena, also discussed bio-medical waste management for hospitals in Mizoram.

Endorsing the health department's step to make use of incinerator at Falkawn Referral Hospital by all private hospitals in Aizawl, the MPCB recommended appointment of bio-medical waste in-charges in all the hospitals and inform the same to the MPCB.

The MPCB also suggested inclusion of hospital waste management subject in nursing schools and agreed to press the health department to follow up the central subsidy for setting up common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility under centrally-sponsored scheme.

The MPCB expressed regret over slow progress with regard to solid waste management. It was hoped that the solid waste management programme would yield results by 2015.

Concerned over increasing noise pollution in Aizawl, the MPCB also disapproved the frequent use of public address system during the night.

The meeting agreed to discuss on the enforcement of the Noise Pollution (Regulations and Control) Rules that prohibit among others the use of a loud-speaker or public address system between 2200 hrs and 0600 hrs except in closed premises for communication within, for example, auditoria, conference rooms, community halls and banquet halls.

Mizoram Records 561 Eye Donors

Aizawl, Aug 26 : Mizoram has registered 561 eye donors since the inception of the first eye bank in North East at Aizawl Civil Hospital in September last year.

As many as 17 people have been gifted with vision following successful corneal transplant at the hospital.

Inaugurating the 25th national eye donation fortnight at Chanmari YMA Hall here, health minister Lalrinliana Sailo said the registration of 561 eye donors and 17 successful corneal transplants within a period of less than one year was a great achievement.

He attributed the achievement to the tireless efforts of the State Blindness Control Society and the nobility of the people in Mizoram.

During the function, the minister distributed certificates worth Rs 500 each from his MLA discretion fund to the eye donors. He also gave away prizes for slogan writing competition on the topic of eye donation to high school students.

Dr K Lalremsanga, head of Aizawl Civil Hospital's eye department, gave a power point presentation on eye donation.

As recorded by the health department, there are 7,800 partially-sighted people, 1253 blinds and 200 people with cataracts in Mizoram.

Mizoram’s Decision – Garage First, Car Later: Debate

By Rudroneel Ghosh

The Mizoram transport department's move to deny registration of any automobile that is bought without proof of parking space needs to be replicated all over the country. In an upwardly mobile society like ours, owning a car is not just a matter of convenience.

It is representative of our status. It supposedly defines where we are on the social pecking order. It is this thinking that is the main driving force behind the third largest automobile market in Asia.

Given the furious pace at which cars are being added to our streets everyday, it is only natural that urban road space is at a premium. To counter this problem, we need to increase the cost of owning and maintaining a car.

It is all very well to say that the government should provide for better public transport facilities and dedicated parking sites. These suggestions have been on the cards for a long time.

Yet no state government can claim to have a plan in place to tackle the massive growth in the number of private vehicles. On the other hand, it is also true that people view public transport as a bitter necessity.

Unlike New York's taxis or London's double-decker buses, we hardly take pride in our public transport infrastructure. It is this lack of both supply and demand that needs to be addressed in order to decongest our roads. The new Mizoram regulation seeks to do precisely that.

Making proof of garage space a precondition for buying a car will indirectly put pressure on the authorities to sanction a greater number of parking projects. It will also nudge people towards public transport, creating sufficient demand for better facilities.

We must create the right conditions for people to take pride in their public transport infrastructure. The first step would be to detox a car-crazy nation with some tough laws.

A Counter View

Raises cost of mobility

In a move to ease vehicular congestion, Mizoram's transport authority has enacted a mandatory provision to have a garage for all new car owners in Aizawl.

A similar suggestion is being made for metros like Delhi and Mumbai. It's not clear that such a "solution" can work across India's metro cities.

We must forsake the temptation to tackle serious public issues by issuing bans and diktats, instead of coming up with pragmatic and enabling solutions that enlarge rather than restrict the individual's freedom of choice.

It would be difficult for authorities to implement such laws in ageing cities like Delhi and Mumbai for practical reasons. Urban planning in these cities has lacked the concept of having a garage or separate parking space. Neither do they have state-of-the-art public transport systems.

Like telephone or internet connectivity, personal mobility is a tool of empowerment that enables people to raise their living standards as well as quality of life. The government should enable rather than raise the cost of personal mobility, if it wishes to improve the living standards of people.

The stress should be on improving urban planning and building public infrastructure like multi-level parking malls. While doing so they can always charge a heavy premium for providing these services, which can be used to improve public transport systems.

Let's assume, for a moment, that all car owners are forced to rent or buy garages to park their cars.

Since cars are mobile entities they will eventually come out of the garages particularly at times when congestion is most acute. Unless parking spaces are widely available, there will still be a problem.

The government and urban planners, therefore, must come up with a more comprehensive solution to the congestion problem. Before wielding the stick, they must provide some carrots too.

84,000 Plus Voters Missing in 2010 Assam Voter’s List

Guwahati, Aug 26 : The recently-published draft voters list for 2010 by Assam State Election Commission showed more than 84 thousand voters have declined in comparison to the previous list .

The report comed amid allegations by Assam-based organizations, namely, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), All Assam Students Union (AASU), and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), that illegal Bangladeshi influx threatening national security and a large number of infiltrators have been included in the voters list.

According to the State Election Commission report, in the year 2009 voter list, 1,74,68,958 people are included as legitimate voters in the state..

But the draft voters list showed 1,73,82,724 people as legitimate voters in the state.

The final voter list will be published on September 15, officials said.

However, local media said, most of the districts that is shown to have witnessed a descending trend in the number of voters, have a large number of illegal migrants.

The draft voters list showed the number of voters has decreased over 15 thousand in Karbi Anglong, Baska and Nalbari, more than 13 thousand in Nagaon and Cachar.

The list marked 670 voters as disappearing in Barpeta, 76 in Darrang and 50 in Morigaon district.

The districts mentioned in the list, including, Barpeta, Darrang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup, Goalpara, allegedly have a large number of illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

It is to be mentioned that, former Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) S K Sinha submitted a report on ‘IIlegal Migration Into Assam’ to the President of India on November 8, 1998 and said, “Large scale illegal migration from East Pakistan/Bangladesh over several decades has been altering the demographic complexion of this State. It poses a grave threat both to the identity of the Assamese people and to our national security. Successive Governments at the Centre and in the State have not adequately met this challenge.

"As Governor of Assam, I feel it is my bounden duty,both to the Nation and the State I have sworn to serve, to place before you this report on the dangers arising from the continuing silent demographic invasion. I have also formulated my recommendations for dealing with this issue of vital importance. I earnestly hope that this matter will receivedue consideration and suitable action taken to avert the grave danger that has been building up for some time. “

In other hand, former Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta stated in the Parliament on May 6, 1997 that there were 10 million illegal migrants residing in India, out of which, 4 million are in Assam.