Page 15 - Northeast India

Railway Board accords FLS approval for 140-km-long Zubza-Imphal project

The Railway Board has accorded its approval for the final location survey (FLS) of the 140-km-long new railway line project between Zubza in Nagaland and Manipur's capital Imphal. The Zubza-Imphal project will provide direct connectivity between the two northeastern states, resulting in better railway traffic mobility, a North East Frontier Railway (NFR) release said on Friday. The direct connectivity will reduce time of travel and cost and distance of transportation of materials, giving a major socio-economic boost to the region. Infrastructural development such as new stations, road connectivity and goods yards will lead to overall economic growth of the nearby districts, the release stated. Goods movement will become seamless leading to major cost reduction for existing businesses using freight services, it said. Work for the Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project from Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima is also in progress. Also, work on the Jiribam-Imphal

Cops try to nab those who are passing off Myanmar video as Manipur incident

Manipur Police said efforts were underway, by tracing IP addresses, to nab those responsible for circulating a "fake news" item in which a video of the killing of a woman in neighbouring Myanmar was being passed off as an incident that took place in the northeastern state. Cyber Crime police station has registered an FIR in this connection and is investigating the matter. The video shows the killing of a woman by armed men in Myanmar. The clip was being circulated to incite rioting and efforts are on to arrest those who are spreading the fake news, the police tweeted. "FIR registered for spreading fake news: On 24/07/2023, Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS), Manipur registered a case in connection with the viral video of a woman being assaulted and killed by a mob including armed men (which happened in Myanmar), which has been falsely depicted as a case of Manipur. "Attempt is made to identify and arrest the accused persons for spreading false news with intent to disturb public ...

Oppn protests in Parliament premises, demands PM's statement on Manipur

Leaders of several opposition parties on Monday staged a protest in Parliament complex demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in the House on the Manipur issue. Holding placards and banners that read "INDIA for Manipur" and "INDIA demands PM's statement on Manipur", the opposition parties raised slogans against the government in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament complex. Speaking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said it is the prime minister's duty to make a comprehensive statement in Parliament on Manipur violence. "It is shameful that the prime minister is making a statement outside the House, when Parliament is in session. It is his duty to make a comprehensive statement inside Parliament on Manipur violence," the Congress leader said. "We are requesting the Chairman of Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of Lok Sabha that the PM should make a statement on the situation in Manipur. We want a discussion under Rule 16

Manipur Naga groups demand inmediate justice for women paraded naked

Several Naga civil society organisations in Manipur, including the powerful United Naga Council, All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga People's Front, have strongly condemned the inhuman act committed against the two women by a mob on May 4. The UNC asked the Manipur government to take up the case in a fast-track court to deliver justice instantly. The government must initiate necessary steps for immediate booking of all the people involved in such dehumanizing crime, the UNC said in a statement. Referring to the viral video clip, the UNC said the incident was extremely deplorable. The inhuman act meted out to the women who were stripped naked, groped and paraded in a broad daylight on the highway towards a paddy field is highly deplorable, the UNC said. The UNC said the beastly act of sexually assaulting right on the nose of the law enforcing agency and unleashing a reign of terror has shattered the basic principles of democracy. The prestige and dignity of our

Instruments of war: Bandit Queen to Manipur

A gendered perspective on conflict - local or international - is essential because women are often targeted as part of conflict strategy

FM urges RRBs to focus on improving credit-deposit ratio by lending in NE

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday reviewed the performance of Regional Rural Banks of the northeast region and asked them to improve the credit-deposit ratio by giving more loans. During the meeting with heads of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), she exhorted them to work towards meeting the credit requirements of rural people of the Northeast, the finance ministry said in a series of tweets. Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi, SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara, PNB Managing Director Atul Kumar Goel and other senior government officials of northeastern states and bank representatives were present at the meeting. The Finance Minister stated that emphasis should be on giving as much credit to the priority sector as possible. "Smt @nsitharaman directed the Secretary @DFS_India to review individual #RRBs in presence of their sponsor banks and to identify their strengths and specific issues affecting their performance," a tweet said. She said that a roadmap has to be prepared with

GST collection, devolution a success story in NE states: FM Sitharaman

The North Eastern states have scripted a success story in the collection and devolution of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Friday. According to the 2023 RBI report on state finances, the eight NE states have registered a compounded annual GST hike of 27.5 per cent, she said. Sitharaman was speaking at the Investiture Ceremony for conferring the Presidential Award for Specially Distinguished Record of Service' to officers and staff of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). Assam was the first state to ratify the GST Act, four days after it was passed and since then there has been a 12 times increase in the collection of taxes, the minister said. Assam's sales tax collection prior to the implementation of the GST was Rs 558.26 crore but this has increased manifold to Rs 7,097 crore. Sikkim and Meghalaya too have registered a significant achievement with the former's collection increas

Manipur has double-engine govt, still burning for over two months: JD(U)

The JD(U) on Thursday attacked the Centre and the BJP administration in Manipur asserting that the northeastern state is burning for more than two months even though it has a double-engine government. Referring to the incident in which two tribal women were paraded naked and molested by a mob at a village in Senapati district, JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh said it is horrific and shocking. The north-eastern state has the double engine government of BJP. But still, it is burning for more than two months. What happened to the 56-inch chest of the PM? The violence in Manipur shows no signs of stopping, he tweeted. BJP leaders use the term "double engine" to refer to the party being in power at the Centre as well as in a state. Innocent people are being killed; women are being brutally tortured. The assault on women in Manipur is horrific, shocking and disturbing, Singh said in the Twitter post. Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday sho

Rajya Sabha adjourned over oppn demand for discussion on Manipur situation

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM on Thursday after opposition members created uproar demanding a discussion on the Manipur violence issue under Rule 267. Soon after the House met at 12 noon, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar accepted eight notices by members for a short duration discussion under the rule. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the government has no objections and was ready for a discussion. When the chairman allowed the notices for a short duration discussion on Manipur, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised objections and said all the business of the House be suspended first and their notices for a discussion on Manipur under Rule 267 be taken up. "How the Leader of the house suddenly gets up and says we are ready for a discussion. We have given notices under Rule 267 for suspending all other business of the House and then take this us. Let prime minister give statement and we will discuss," he told the chairman. Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha pertai

Manipur violence: Villagers seek deployment of more central forces

As Manipur grapples with ethnic violence involving Meiteis and Kukis, several other communities in its villages are also suffering the perils of conflict, living amid danger and uncertainty every day. In Ward Number 9 of Kwatka Municipal Council between Phuoljang and Phaogakchao villages, there is palpable fear among inhabitants as they face unannounced gunfire and the alleged "nonchalant attitude" of local authorities. In the humble settlement dotted by small huts, fresh scars of violence are etched on walls and roofs that bear innumerable chinks caused by bullets from the relentless crossfire. Inside, the furniture and kitchen utensils are riddled with countless holes, each one representing a bullet that pierced through the fragile walls and serving as a haunting reminder of the danger that lurks outside. Speaking on behalf of the villagers of Phaogakchao, Wahid Rehman describes the dire situation they find themselves in. "We are living on the edge, with no certainty about the .

Congress wants to trigger violence by sending leaders to Manipur: Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur has alleged that the Congress wanted to trigger violence in Manipur by sending its leaders there while asserting that some parties were not comfortable with peace in the country. Interacting with reporters in Hamirpur on Sunday, he said on one hand, the Congress party was claiming that Manipur was plagued by violence and on the other its leaders were visiting the northeastern state "without any purpose". "No untoward incident has been reported from Manipur in the past 10 days. But the Congress wants to trigger violence by sending its leaders there, which is unacceptable," he said, adding that some leaders and parties are not comfortable with peace in the country and the Congress is one of them. Thakur, who is on a four-day tour of his Hamirpur constituency to supervise the relief and rescue operations, said the Congress government has not spared the common man even in the face of a major calamity as it went on to raise the Value Added Tax on diesel. The

Manipur violence: Warring groups use quadcopters to target each other

Technology has become both a boon and a bane in the restive Manipur state. While Army and Assam Rifles are deploying drones to rescue and save people, clashing ethnic groups are using quadcopters to target each other. It has been noticed by security agencies that quadcopters have been put to use by warring factions - Meiteis, mostly concentrated in Imphal valley, and Kukis, mainly on the hillside - to know each other's positions, officials said. There have been places like Phougakchao, Kangvai Bazar, and Torbung Bazar in the southwest part of Manipur where the quadcopters have been put to extensive use by the two communities where their villages face each other. The security forces have created buffer zones at these places to keep the agitated communities away from each other. However, Loibol in Senapati district and Leimaram in Bishnupur district have been hotspots during the violence despite the presence of security forces, the officials said. Mistrust runs deep in the two ...

BJP ally NPP to oppose implementation of Uniform Civil Code in Arunachal

The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the National People's Party (NPP) has decided to oppose the immediate implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the northeastern state. The decision was taken at the state executive meeting of the party here on Saturday, NPP state general secretary Paknga Bage said. NPP state working president Likha Saaya told reporters, "Though NPP is in alliance with the BJP on developmental issues, but the regional party follows its own ideology". The party unanimously adopted a resolution at the meeting opposing the UCC, citing the state's diverse multi-ethnic and multi-tribal composition, as well as its strong customary and traditional identity, Bage said. Elaborating the reason as to why NPP is opposing UCC, Bage said since Arunachal Pradesh has its own unique laws, the NPP has unanimously adopted a resolution to go with the customary laws with certain modifications. "The state and the central governments should focus on codifying the existing customary

Former Mizoram minister Beichhua to join BJP ahead of assembly polls

: Former Mizo National Front (MNF) leader K Beichhua, who resigned as a minister last year, will join the BJP ahead of the Mizoram assembly polls later this year, a BJP leader said. The veteran Mara politician said he will formally join the saffron camp after poll dates are announced, BJP media convener Johny Lalthanpuia told PTI on Friday. Beichhua said he will contest the polls from Siaha in south Mizoram on a BJP ticket. Beichhua, who had held multiple portfolios including social welfare, excise and animal husbandry, resigned from Zoramthanga's ministry on December 13 last year, a day after he was allegedly told to do so by the chief minister. The ruling MNF expelled him as primary member of the party on January 25 along with the chairman of the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) N Viakhu for 'anti-party activities'. Beichhua had been elected from Siaha on a MNF ticket for two consecutive terms since 2013. The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the poll

Manipur violence: Mob sets ablaze two vehicles in Imphal, firing reported

A mob torched two vehicles in Imphal West district while an exchange of fire was reported in Imphal East district, as violence continued in Manipur, officials said on Saturday. A group of people burnt two private vehicles at Mahabali Road near the historic Kangla fort as they suspected those four-wheelers were being used for ferrying household goods to a particular ethnic community on Friday night, they said. The police intervened and the mob dispersed. Drivers of both vehicles managed to flee and there was no casualty. There was an intermittent exchange of fire at Laikot near Yaingangpokpi in Imphal West district between two communities late Friday night. The incidents occurred after four people including a Manipur police commando were shot dead and several others injured in separate places in Bishnupur district. The policeman was killed in a gun battle with suspected militants at Moirang Turel Mapan in the evening, while three others lost their lives in the wee hours in villages

After Chotu, Munna LPG cylinders to hit North East markets soon: Indian Oil

After Chotu', Indian Oil is all set to launch Munna' in the North Eastern region soon, a top official said on Friday. The PSU is also focusing on infrastructure development in the region, including setting up LPG bottling units in all the seven states, he added. Addressing a press conference here, executive director and state head, IndianOil, Assam Oil Division, G Ramesh said, After introducing the 5-kg LPG cylinder Chotu' in NE last year, we will also be launching the 2-kg cylinder Munna' soon. Ramesh said bottling units for Munna' will be launched in Tripura and North Guwahati soon. These lightweight LPG cylinders are catering to migrant population in urban and semi-urban areas who do not have local address proof, people with lower gas consumption and commercial establishments with limited space. Munna' will be particularly helpful for people in hilly areas as it will be easy to carry, he added. The per kg price of Munna' is nearly same as the regular domestic cylinder, while ..

5 Tripura MLAs suspended from assembly for 'disrupting' budget proceedings

Five MLAs were suspended from the Tripura assembly on Friday for "disrupting" the House proceedings, following which opposition parties staged a walkout, an official said. Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen suspended CPI(M) legislator Nayan Sarkar, Congress' Sudip Roy Barman and three Tipra Motha MLAs for the day for "creating disturbances" during the budget proceedings, he said. The three suspended Tipra Motha legislators are Brishaketu Debbarma, Nandita Reang and Ranjit Debbarma. Tipra Motha MLA Animesh Debbarma sought a discussion on the "misconduct" of BJP legislator Jadab Lal Nath who was allegedly caught watching pornography on his mobile phone in the assembly in March. Debbarma wanted to bring an adjournment motion on the issue but the Speaker did not allow him to do so and asked Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy to place the state budget for the current fiscal. Irked by the Speaker's decision, Tipra Motha lawmakers started the protest, demanding discussion on the Jadab L

Progress in Northeast not possible without peace: US Ambassador Garcetti

Garcetti stated that violence in Manipur is 'Indian matter' and US prays for peace in region as it can bring more collaboration, projects, and more investment if "peace is in place" in the region

Woman shot dead outside a school in Manipur's Imphal West district

A woman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside a school in Manipur's Imphal West district on Thursday morning, officials said. They said she had gone near the school at Kwakeithel Mayai Koibi under Lamphel police station on some work but was not connected with any school. The incident occurred a day after classes 1 to 8 began in the state after two months because of the violence. Following the killing, a tribal organisation demanded imposition of President's Rule in the northeastern state. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF) identified the woman as Donngaihching, a mentally ill person who lived on alms provided by locals. We again urge the central government to relieve the incapable state government and impose President's Rule immediately, the ITLF said in a statement. More than 100 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest

Oppn walk out from Parl panel meet after demand to discuss Manipur denied

Opposition members of the parliamentary standing committee on Home walked out of a meeting on Thursday after their demand to discuss the situation in Manipur was denied by the panel chief, sources said. At the meeting to discuss prison reforms in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, TMC's Derek O'Brien, and Congress' Digvijaya Singh and Pradip Bhattacharya submitted a joint letter to panel chairman Brijlal, saying as committee members they cannot ignore the situation in Manipur, the sources said. The letter signed by all three MPs said that as members of the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, it is their moral and constitutional responsibility to discuss this matter with utmost urgency and the requited sincerity. "Having been a senior police officer yourself, you understand the gravity of the situation in the state. Manipur needs healing and an end to the violence. We as elected representatives cannot look away," they said. They further said t