Tuki for planned dev in hydel sector
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has stressed on planned investment in the hydro power sector and insisted on good access and connectivity to facilitate the aim of making the state a “powerhouse” of the country. Tuki, who called on Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Oscar Fernandez in New Delhi yesterday, highlighted the need to give special dispensation to the areas where hydro power projects are coming up, official sources said here on Thursday. The chief minister also appealed Fernandez to expedite the sanction of important road projects in the state. The union minister assured the chief minister that he would examine and take necessary steps in this regard. Senior MoRTH officials, present in the meeting, apprised the chief minister that NH 52 (A)Itanagar Banderdewa Road proposal was in the process of being sanctioned. They also discussed the status of other ongoing projects like the Trans Arunachal Highway and others roads, sources added. (PTI)
BJP snub Tuki on demand for Mon and Patkai autonomy grant
Itanagar: Terming “election gimmick”, the move of the high-level delegation led by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki to convince the Centre for granting Mon and Patkai Autonomous District Councils (ADCs), the BJP on Thursday accused the government of doing nothing in favour of the proposed two ADCs in the past. “Advocating for Mon and Patkai ADCs and talking about the China issue particularly before the ensuing Lok Sabha and State Vidhan Sabha elections is nothing but a mere election gimmick,” party’s state general secretary Dominic Tadar said in a statement. “Where did the Congress-led state government go since 2004 if it was committed for the proposed two Autonomous regions in the state,” the party questioned. The party maintained that long-standing issue of autonomy to Mon and Patkai region was nothing new for which the state Legislative Assembly twice recommended to the Centre but it remained unattended despite the party ruling in both the Centre and State, it said. “Had the chief minister and the ruling Congress government been serious they could have pursued the matter recommended by the state Assembly rigorously,” the party said. The BJP further alleged that a jumbo size delegation before election time is nothing but a political stunt just for vote bank politics. On China issue, the BJP said that the state government and its leaders “had always kept mum and was busy in power struggle within the party though Chinese claim over Arunachal continues”. The party urged the chief minister and his cabinet to visit Indo-China border areas by road and get into the ground level situations facing the people in the border villages and outposts, the statement added. (PTI)
AICC initiative for peoples’ manifesto ahead of Lok Sabha poll
Agartala: All India Congress Committee has decided to mobilise it’s students’ wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) to prepare state wise peoples’ manifesto in consultation with the youngsters for upcoming Lok Sabha poll. NSUI Tripura state president Vikki Prasad today said here that they had been instructed to collect opinions from students of colleges, universities and hostels on the state specific issues to be kept in the party’s election manifesto for coming Lok Sabha elections. He said that structured forms had been distributed in colleges, universities and student hostels to collect their opinions on certain issues relating to students’ interest. Filled up forms would be accepted till January 29, Mr Prasad said. “We will send these forms to Delhi. All other states of the country will do the same. Selected issues of significance for student interest among these will be maintained in the party’s Parliament election manifesto”, he stated. He claimed that the initiative is an attempt to introduce further democracy and opinion decentralization among the masses. However, Pradesh congress leaders stated that AICC had launched similar programme for Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and other frontal organizations of the Congress party to prepare a peoples’ manifesto. (UNI)
Nagaland BJP criticises quality of Border Roads Org roads
Kohima: BJP Nagaland Unit President Dr M Chuba on Thursday criticised the quality of road being constructed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the state. In a statement issued here today, Dr Chuba while appreciating the BRO for commencing the resurfacing of the NH-29 (Dimapur-Kohima to Mao gate road), however lamented that quality road is hardly noticed. “The people of Nagaland are delighted to see the development of road taking place after a long gap, but at the same time is disheartening to notice the poor quality of the work,” he said. BJP Nagaland Unit also questioned the thickness of bitumen layer on the road citing that it has not been upgraded to 5-6 inches despite the flow of traffic having increased enormously over the years in the state. With the improved socio-economic development of the state, 12-wheel loaded trucks are also plying on the road, for which the strength of the road has to be upgraded to withhold the weight while the flow of vehicles has increased more than ten times. Thus, the thickness of the road needs to be upgraded to 5-6 inches, he said. (PTI)
Gogoi directs officials to update NRC within timeframe
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has directed officials to complete the task of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), 1951 within the stipulated timeframe by outsourcing and engaging more revenue officials and employees. The preparatory work for updating NRC 1951 and electoral rolls upto March 1971 was reviewed at a meeting by the chief minister here, an official release said here on Thursday. The entire exercise for updating NRC 1951 would take 36 months and will be carried out at the state level, DC/SDO level and circle level. The exercise for digitalisation and printing of NRC 1951 would take around 12 months. The funds for the exercise would be entirely borne by Registrar General of India for engaging contractual staff, outsourcing of services, procuring of computers, scanners, generators and hiring of vehicles. The meeting also discussed the issue of delegating financial as well as administrative powers to the state coordinator, who will carry out the entire NRC updation process on behalf of RGI as per its guidelines. (PTI)