Stopping by to loot on a dark Indian evening...

Stopping by to loot on a dark Indian evening... 

(Ps: This was written when Anna's movement was on. This has nothing to do with  some people  taking advantage of the movement  and furthering their  political ambition and forming political party like AAP)  

Whose food and treasure these are I think I know.

The “Aam admi’s” house is in the distant village though;

The blind bats will not see me looting here

To fill my belly and take home more.

 My corrupt soul doesn’t think it’s queer

To steal without leaving a morsel near

Between the infirm in the woods and the cold-hungry man beside the frozen lake

Dear, these are indeed,  the darkest evenings of India!

 

Why doesn’t the resolve to thug the innocent shake

And ask: should  I commit this mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of the uneasy wind and the “Vishesh admi” about to wake. 

The loots are lovely, dark, and inside my pocket deep,

But I have promises to keep,

Loot, plunder and get thrashed before I sleep,

Loot, plunder and get thrashed before I sleep...

  

MEGHALAYA CONGRESS LEGISLATOR ASSAULTS JOURNALIST INSIDE ASSEMBLY

SHILLONG, March 19 – A Meghalaya Congress lawmaker today assaulted a photojournalist inside the Meghalaya Assembly premises for taking a picture of the legislator dozing during one of the current sessions.

Walton Lyttan, a photojournalist with a Guwahati-based photo agency in Assam was confronted by Founder Strong Cajee inside the Assembly and assaulted him. He was immediately rushed to the Shillong Civil Hospital for medical treatment.

Lyttan had taken a picture of Cajee dozing during one of the budget sessions of the Meghalaya Assembly in Northeast India, which was published in several vernacular newspapers.

The Shillong Press Club (SPC) condemning the attack filed an FIR against the Congress legislator and also demanded action from the Speaker, Charles Pyngrope and Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma.

The members of the SPC strongly condemning the attack said that it was an assault not only on the photojournalist alone, but also on the entire press fraternity and freedom of the press.

The members also resolved in an emergency meeting that as a mark of protest black armbands would be worn by all journalists covering the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition from the Nationalist Congress Party, Conrad Sangma condemning the attack said that such an incident is unprecedented in Meghalaya’s history.

“It is unbecoming of a legislator to physically attack anyone, that too inside the Assembly. We from the Opposition strongly condemn the act and demand action from the Speaker,” Sangma said. 

MEGHALAYA TO AVOID GREEDY INVESTORS WITH NEW POLICIES

Meghalaya would regulate its investment policy by incorporating stringent clauses to discourage “greedy investors” taking advantage of subsidies provided by the Government.

Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma said that at least eight industries have violated norms of the State Industrial policy after availing a subsidy of Rs. 85. 28 crore. He said the Government would incorporate stringent clauses to stop such exploitation.

During his reply during Question Hour today, Sangma said the Government has formed a committee headed by the Commissioner Secretary of Commerce and Industries to investigate within 60 days into violation of the State Industrial policy. One of the provisions that the industrial units violated was not providing adequate number of jobs to the local population.

 “We would take action against the violators and won’t allow such greedy investors in the State. We would also regulate our investment by incorporating clauses in our Industrial policy,” Sangma vowed.

The reason for the greed of some of the fly-by-night operators is because Meghalaya provides several subsidies and incentives to attract investors under the State Industrial policy. These include subsidy on capital investment, excise, insurance, hill, transport and other attractive schemes to attract investors.

Admitting that several industrial units have set up their business in the State to avail the attractive subsidy of the Government, Sangma said, such exploitation has got to stop, which has continued for years.

Senior NCP leader, Purno Sangma pointed out that several industrial units have shut down after availing the incentives and subsidies. He demanded that a survey be conducted to know how many units have shut down after availing incentives and subsidies.

The Chief Minister agreed to the suggestion and said that any industrial unit which henceforth violate the industrial policy norms would not be allowed to set up future units in the State.

However, Mukul did not agree to demand from the Opposition to form a House Committee to investigate into such illegal operations of industrial units. He said the Government-constituted committee was competent enough to probe into such malpractices.

WATER WARS A REALITY IN MEGHALAYA INDIA

Fears of water wars is fast turning into a reality with acute water crisis in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district now a law and order issue.

Thursday in the State Legislative Assembly, Meghalaya Speaker, Charles Pyngrope sensing the gravity of the situation, agreed to suggestions to facilitate an inquiry into alleged corrupt practises of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, leading to water crisis in the State. Meghalaya is one of the smaller north-eastern States situated in India.

Pyngrope said that rules would be studied whether a Standing Committee of the House can investigate into corrupt practises of the PHE department.

West Garo Hills’ headquarter Tura and several parts of the State have been hit by severe water crisis, especially during this lean Winter-Spring seasons.

The district administration of West Garo Hills has imposed section 144 CrPC prohibiting people to pump water from streams. “Section 144 CrPC have been clamped in Tura and this is creating law and order problem,” senior NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, Purno Sangma said yesterday.

He demanded that a House Committee or the CBI to conduct an investigation of the PHE department. The matter was raised again today by Opposition leader, Conrad Sangma and the Speaker agreed that rules would be studied if a Standing Committee of the House can conduct such an inquiry.

 “I am buying water worth Rs 3000 every day in Tura. I am unhappy with this PHE department and I am 100 per cent sure that if an investigation is carried out there would be many scams unearthed,” he asserted.

Apparently most of the water pumps in several districts of the State have outlived their lifespan and has not been replaced or lying waste due to poor maintenance.

During the short discussion for an inquiry Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma did not readily agree to a House inquiry, saying, legislators must first provide some sort of evidence about alleged corruption in the PHE department.

Former PHE minister, Prestone Tyngsong joined in and got in a verbal duel with Conrad for awhile, stating, the matter of water crisis was thoroughly discussed.

However, the Speaker intervened and ruled in favour of the Opposition. 

LOVE SONG OF THE FISH

 LOVE SONG OF THE FISH




One summer,

My childhood was saved

Into the belly of a Fish.

Then on that beach on that bank,

Just baked and sang.

One winter,

My net which laboured through

Had a hole

Still tried

Catching that old love song of my soul.

INDIA'S EASTERN SECTOR NOT GUARDED AS ITS WESTERN SECTOR

Ahead of Union Home Minister Home (State), Mullappally Ramachandran scheduled visit to the Indo-Bangla border , Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said, the International border in the northeast have not been manned as efficiently as in the Western sector.

Ramachandran would be visiting some of the troubled sectors along Meghalaya's 443-km International border with Bangladesh. Ramachandran said he would visit the areas to get a feel of the ground situation and also have a look at the ongoing fencing work.

“We are trying to fence the International border to the best of our abilities,” the Home Minster said during his brief interaction with the media here.

There is opposition along some portion of the border areas in Meghalaya to erect the fence from zero line. The Home Ministry said that discussions were on at the highest level with Bangladesh to be flexible on this bilateral issue.  

Sangma on the other hand said that the north-eastern border with Bangladesh has not been manned by the border guards as desired and Meghalaya has demanded patrolling should be intensified by the BSF along these vulnerable areas.

“The north-eastern border has not been as stringently manned unlike the western sector (bordering Pakistan), so we have requested the Home Ministry to ask the BSF to intensify their patrol,” the Chief Minster added.

Due to Meghalaya’s insistence for better border management, the Home Ministry had recently deputed BSF’s Special Director General to visit the International border in Meghalaya sector as a priority Sangma said.

Moreover, Meghalaya has requested the Home Ministry to raise a Home and Hearth battalion to be the BSF and the local border population’s go-between in the state.

“The battalion would be raised from local population who would have better understanding of the local issues,” Sangma said adding, it would also help local youths to get employment.

The BSF in Meghalaya is not sharing a good rapport with the local population in certain border areas of the state. People in the border areas repeatedly complain of harassment by BSF men.

Therefore, there has been a constant demand for the Home Guard to be posted along with the BSF in these areas so that local issues could be better handled.

Ramachandran, meanwhile, said he would not comment whether the BSF would be encouraged to use rubber bullets along the International border to minimise casualties.

FEBRUARY 29 LEAP YEAR BABIES

Julius Ceaser should be proud today that at least three babies checked into the Earth by “Caesarean section” in hospitals across Meghalaya on a calendar day, which he first officially declared and made popular - now known as Leap Year.

February 29, is a rare day in a Leap Year and comes every four years to compensate for the extra .242 days or about six hours the earth takes to complete one revolution around the Sun. Every four years the extra 24 hours are added into a day so as to keep records tidy.

 

The odds of being born on this day are 1 in every 1461 and naturally “leapers” consider themselves lucky being born on this rare day.

Today in this hilly north-eastern state of India, Meghalaya ten emergency pregnancy-related calls were received by EMRI (which caters to emergency needs)  from different hospitals in Meghalaya. One girl child was delivered in an EMRI ambulance while rushing to Ganesh Das Government Hospital,” Aurie Robert Passah, Public Relations Officer, EMRI said. There are no official records so far of the other nine cases.

In different city hospitals here at least four male babies were born on this day – one at Nazareth Hospital and three at the Woodland Hospital. Waiting to get details from other hospitals was as difficult as waiting for this day itself.

The fun bit of being born on a Leap day is that a person adds an extra candle only after four years. So he/she can remain a sweet 16 till the age of 64 years! On the darker side you get to cut your birthday cake only after four years.

Worldwide, February 29 is also observed as the Rare Disease day. The day raises the awareness on Rare Disease, which are sometimes genetic in nature. India is a partner country joining the International Community to raise the awareness level on these rare Diseases.

CLIMATE CHANGE, INDIA DEVELOPING WEATHERPROOF CROPS

With the entire World’s focus on climate change, India has already initiated an ambitious project to engineer crops that can withstand extreme climate.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Processing has set up a network project in February 2011 dubbed National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Rearch (ICAR.)

NICRA is mandated to undertake research work on crop development that is “weatherproof” keeping in mind global warming and the changing Monsoon pattern.

The project is being monitored directly by the Prime Minster’s Office and has been allotted Rs. 305 crore to carry out its research and technology in the first year. There is all likelihood fund flow would increase for the agency, during the twelfth five year plan.

Under the project, climatologists together with agriculture scientists are mapping 500 districts of India and documenting their changing climatic pattern over the past several years. Not less than 19 other different agricultural research projects are being carried out under NICRA.

“The climate changes in 500 districts across India would be documented by the end of March 2012. This would help scientists to prepare better crop varieties based on the climate needs of a specific district,” AK Singh, Deputy Director General, National Resource Management division of ICAR, said.

A recent study says that grapes in Australia are ripening prematurely due to global warming. The Melbourne's School of Land and Environment reported that in certain wine-growing regions in Australia, grape maturation dates have advanced about eight days per decade due to climate change.

As of now, Indian agricultural scientists say the country need not worry too much about global climate change and its impact on agriculture, but must remain cautious against extreme seasonal behaviours that affects crop.

“Global temperature is increasing by .2 degree Celsius annually, data from the past 50 years suggest. Such increase isn’t a worry so much as extreme weather conditions in a season where temperature increase by over four to five degree Celsius in a day,” Singh said.

Cautioning that there are indications of the Indian Monsoon getting “more intense” in the years ahead, Singh said, short burst of heavy rainfall followed by long dry spells and similar short spell of high and low temperature are the challenges ahead for the Indians farmers.

 

“In the north-eastern part of the country flash flood due to intense Monsoon are an impending threat. We are developing seeds that can withstand submergence for a longer duration,” he added.

Scientists in the northeast informed that under NICRA they are already working on a flash flood resistant variety of Rice. The rice variety – RC Maniphou 7 - can withstand water submergence for twelve days and have 78 per cent fertility rate.

Similarly, developing extreme temperature resistant Rice variety – RCPL 132 and 136 - that can withstand temperature of up to 45 degree centigrade is in the trial process.

 “Agriculture is India’s mainstay and so the government is investing in research and development of new technology to ensure food security for the people in the years ahead,” he added.

INDIAN AIR FORCE LOSES MATCH, WINS GOODWILL

Somewhere in the Eastern skies, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is engaged in an intense war game called ‘Pralay’ under a controlled environment, but in the real game under a harsh environment, the IAF was defeated fair and square here today.

The IAF men were no match for a bunch of determined villagers who bombarded the Men in Blue in a friendly football match with two goals to nothing.

The match was the first of its kind held to “narrow the trust deficit” between the IAF and local villagers, which has its Eastern sector headquarters here at Upper Shillong.

The team of villagers were called the Kings-IX with the Syiem (traditional chief) of Mylliem, Latho Manik Syiem as its patron. The IAF team was called the Air Force Station Laitkor-IX. Laitkor Station Commander, Group Captain, Sanjay Misra, was there to witness the match.

The players descended on the playground, which also doubles as a helipad. The elevated ground was situated near the Lumlyear village, which in local dialect means “windyvillage”.

The peek-a-boo of the Sun behind the clouds, and the gusty nippy wind at 6000 feet above the sea level was no ordinary environment for a game of football and definitely not recommended for the faint hearted.

At times the wind threatened to uproot the makeshift tents erected for the dignitaries. The radar, which keeps a constant vigil of the entire Eastern sky, was a witness to these episodes.

The IAF men in their traditional navy blue jerseys and the Kings-IX, rightly in golden yellow jerseys, scratched it out and understandably the match did not reach stratospheric heights in terms of skill display.

But the Kings-IX displayed better skills and composure and scored twice in each half ofthe game to win the match. Local villagers who came at the venue to cheer their boys were ecstatic.

Syiem said that the friendly football match was a good initiative from the IAF to build goodwill amongst the villagers. “There were some issues, but those are a thing of the past. This football match is a good initiative to move forward and build goodwill amongst villagers and the IAF,” he said at a post-match prize distribution ceremony.

Local legislator Ardent Basiawmoit, who spearheaded several agitations against the IAF in the past, also had similar views. He said that there is need for more interactions between the IAF and the villagers so that “trust and respect” is mutually built and both benefits.

Group Captain Mishra said the IAF’s motive was not in wining the match, but to “win the trust and goodwill” of the villagers – and to an extent he succeeded. “We want to narrow the trust deficit between the villagers and the IAF and we would continue to work in that direction,” he affirmed.