Bandh in two Mizoram towns
Aizawl: A bandh was being organised today at Khawzawl town in Champhai district and Hanhthial town in Lunglei district demanding separate districts. Police said that the bandh in the two towns were peaceful and no untoward incidents were reported from both the areas even as the highways running through the towns were blocked by the protestors. The Mizo National Front (MNF) government led by former chief minister Zoramthanga made a decision to create three new districts – Hnahthial, Khawzawl and Saitual in 2008. The Congress government which came to power in December, 2008 was yet to make the districts functional ‘due to financial constraints’ resulting in a number of agitations in the three proposed districts. (PTI)
Nagaland govt signs MOU for copter service
Kohima: Nagaland government has signed an agreement with a private company for operating helicopters in the state, official sources said ton Tuesday. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the state government represented by the Commissioner and Secretary of Transport and Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd represented by its Chairman and Managing Director on Monday. The aviation company will fly two 13-seater choppers BEL-412. While one will be used for regular service, the other one for emergency services. The agreement is initially for two years. The Commissioner & Secretary of Transport said that Nagaland Civil Aviation Board would be set up soon to execute the mechanism for managing airlines and helicopter services. (PTI)
Three militants arrested in Manipur
Imphal: Three militants of different outfits have been arrested during search operations by police commandos and para-military forces in Manipur, official sources said on Tuesday. Police said a militant of People’s United Liberation Front identified as Md Mujibur (35) was arrested from Lilong area in Thoubal district along with one rifle and some rounds of ammunition on Monday. They said another militant of the United Revolutionary Front identified as Sagolsem Boinu (23) and an activist of Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council Chongtham Achouba (41) were arrested during search operations from Thangmeiband area in Imphal west district here Monday evening.Extortion letters to be served to officials and some business persons were recovered from their possession, sources said adding that all the three have been handed over to Imphal west district police station for further interrrogation, sources said. About 200 militants of different organistions have so far been arrested by police and other security agencies from various parts of Manipur this year, sources added. (PTI)
Ghatowar lays foundation stone of hospital
Aizawl: Union Minister for the Development of North East Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of the District hospital in southern Mizoram’s Saiha town. The proposed 100-bedded district hospital would be constructed at the cost of Rs 15.92 crore. Ghatowar said that the UPA government has taken up a number of developmental works that reached the poorest people including those residing in the remotest parts of the country. He said that Saiha would become the gateway of India to South East Asia after the completion of the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project linking Sittwe port in Myanmar. Out of the 127 projects being proposed in the state by the UPA government at the centre, 57 projects have been completed, he said. Ghatowar also visited nearby Lawngtlai town in Lawngtlai district and laid the foundation for construction of 49 school buildings at the cost of Rs 11.09 crore. He said that the school buildings to be constructed included 27 Primary Schools and 22 Middle Schools spreading across the area of the Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC). The Union Minister, who arrived in Aizawl on Monday left Mizoram after the function in Lawngtlai. (PTI)
Arunachal Assembly Speaker pronounce sine-a-die
Itanagar: The five-day-long Arunachal Fifth Legislative Assembly ended ton Tuesday after Speaker Wanglin Lowangdong pronounced sine-a-die. The four-day sitting of the 60-member House had started on September 20, with obituary references to five former members. During the Session, the House passed ‘The Arunachal Pradesh Indian Medicine Council Bill-2013’, which was tabled on the second day. Besides, the usual Assembly proceedings, the members from treasury and opposition benches took active part in threadbare discussions on various social and political and other state related issues during its settings. (UNI)
Union MOS Ninong Ering to visit Nagaland on Sep 27
Kohima: Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering will pay a two-day visit to Nagaland on Friday next to attend the IMI-Kohima Summit or Sustainable Mountain Development Summit III to begin from Wednesday. According to official sources Mr. Ering will arrive Kohima to grace the Valedictory Session of the three-day long IMI-Kohima Summit or Sustainable Mountain Development Summit III at the Naga Heritage Village at Kisama, about 12 Kms from Kohima. The High Level Summit is organized by the Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland (SDFN), which will be participated by all sub-Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, besides the host state of Nagaland. According to a release issued by the Media Cell of the SDFN as the High-level summit, from September 25 to 27 next, will see faces representing the GIZ, the India Water Portal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Swiss Embassy, Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Ministry of Environment and Forests, apart from several other politicians, bureaucrats, policy makers, journalists, researchers, subject experts, participants from the eleven Indian Himalayan states. About 300 people are expected to take part in the three-day Summit, which will also see three main thematic addresses on water, forest and agriculture, apart from the side events including Policy Makers’ Dialogue, Indian Himalayan Legislators’ Meet, State Action Plans on Climate Change, Special Session on Himalayan Disasters, the field visits. (UNI)