Protests over killing of two traders
Imphal: A huge procession was taken out at Moreh on the Myanmar border in Manipur’s Chandel district on Friday against the killing of two traders at Tamu, two kilometre away from here. Almost all community leaders joined the rally held to demand punishment for the killers of the two traders from Punjab Savender Singh and Daljit Singh who went to Tamu in Myanmar with proper documents, official sources said. The sources said six traders from Punjab left Moreh for the Myanmar border town of Tamu on February 11. Of them two failed to return, the sources said. Their bodies with cut marks and other injuries were found on Thursday from Jangenphai area, about 40 km from Moreh, near the Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district. Civil organisations appealed to both India and Myanmar to find the killers of the victims, reports from the border town said. All markets, shops business establishments and international trade remained closed since yesterday for an indefinite period demanding punishment of the killers. Transport services between Imphal and Moreh have also been suspended. Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Friday visited J N Hospital here where bodies of the two traders were kept. (PTI)
Local committee calls general strike in Manipur
Imphal: A local committee this evening decided to call a ‘general strike’on saturday in Manipur to press their demand, a statement of the committee said. The joint coordinating committee of council of nine employees union said it would call a ‘general strike’ from 5 am to 6.30 pm to press the state government for payment of all the recommendations in the sixth central pay commission, alleging that the government had given the employees only a portion of the recommendations. All the educational institutions, medical, electricity and water supply departments and religious functions would be exempted from the purview of the strike, said the statement. (PTI)
Green tea demand growing by 17 pc in domestic market
Golaghat (Assam): Demand for green tea is growing at a rate of 17 per cent per annum against only 3 per cent for black tea in the domestic market, a Tea Board official said on Friday. Assam produced 2 million kg of green tea of the estimated production of 11 million kg in the country during 2013, Tea Board Executive Director (Incharge) Dipankar Mukherjee said while inaugurating a workshop on Green Tea here. India is the largest producer and consumer of black tea in the world while China is the largest producer and consumer of green tea in the world. “The demand for green tea is rapidly increasing in India whereas in China, the demand for black tea is on the rise,” he said emphasising the need for scientific and sustained production of green tea. The workshop was organised by the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) in association with PARCON (India) Private Limited and supported by the Tea Board. More than 100 tea planters from Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh along with several small tea growers participated in the workshop. The workshop discussed various issues including the manufacture of green tea, its market prospects in India and machinery available for production. Local entrepreneurs shared their experiences of producing hand-made green tea, organic tea and tea processing machinery. (PTI)
Udaipur to be connected by broad gauge rail by March 2015
Agartala: Udaipur, the headquarters of Gomati district, would be connected by broad gauge railway line by March next year, the Tripura assembly was informed on Friday. Transport Minister Manik De in a statement in the assembly said the 413 km stretch of metre gauge line between Lumding in Assam to Agartala was being converted into broad gauge was on and would be completed by March, 2015. By that time, the track in broad gauge would be laid up to Udaipur. So, direct train service from Agartala to the entire country via Guwahati would be available by 2015. He said Sabroom, the sub divisional border town in South Tripura district, 70 km from Udaipur would come into the railway map by the December of the next year. “If train can reach up to Sabroom, it would be easier to be connected with the Chittagong port in Bangladesh, which is just 75 km from the border town,” he said. The Chittagong port in Bangladesh is considered to be the best port in South-East Asia. (PTI)
Khurpui-Lam Fest 2014 celebrated with pomp, gaiety
Imphal: The 23rd state level Khurpui-Lam fest 2014 was celebrated here on Friday at MFDC Auditorium by Kom community. The cultural festival of the Kom community is celebrated this year with the theme ‘Peace and Harmony through Cultural Integration. Dy Chief Minister Gaikhangam who was the Chief Guest of the function while addressing the gathering said, “We should know our own identity, culture and tradition. It is our bounden duty to promote and preserve our own culture and tradition. “Every cultural form has a particular meaning. Culture and tradition precedes all forms of education and so we ought to learn our folk songs, folklores and folk dances which are integral parts of our culture and tradition.” He, further said, “We need to look back to our past in order to preserve the cultural identity of our forefathers. He also said Khurpui-Lam is an important festival not only of the Kom community but also for all the communities settle in the state.” He complimented the Kom people on whom God has gifted talents. He appealed to every section of the Kom community and also to all to encourage and participate in such festivals in future. The festival, organised by the Khurpui-Lam Organisation Manipur, opened with various cultural programmes of the Kom community. (UNI)
Nagaland timber traders demand removal of forest minister
Kohima: The Nagaland Timber Traders Union (NTTU) and its district units demanded the “removal/replacement” of the Nagaland Forest Minister Y Patton, a NTTU press release stated here. According to the press release, timber trader union presidents of Dimapur, Kohima, Phek and Peren districts have alleged that the present Y Patton is selling tree felling wagons at the rate of Rs 3 lakhs per wagon, thereby depriving the Naga tree farmers and plantation owners of the wagons for the transportation of their trees.(UNI)