Campaigning picks up pace for Hiyanglam bypoll
Imphal: Election campaigning for Hiyanglam bypoll scheduled for October 17 has picked up pace in the constituency. The bypoll will be the first election in the state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed charge at the Centre. BJP has no MLA in the 60-member House and is expected to open its account. Former MLA Maibam Kunjo of Trinamool passedaway on August 11, necessitating the bye-election. BJP has roped in the son of the former MLA Maibam Kunjo who will be contesting as BJP candidate. Mr Kunjo had defeated Congress candidate Elangbam Dwijamani by only 17 votes in the last election. Congress party will be fielding the same candidate. Manipur People’s Party (MPP) has put up Mayengbam Amutombi as its candidate. Trinamool Congress has decided to field Dr Yumnam Radheshyam as the party’s candidate. As the state Trinamool Congress party and the MLAs have been split into two groups, two candidates have emerged both in the name of Trinamool Congress. Yumnam Thambou will be contesting from Trinamool headed by Th Joykisan and Dr Yumnam Radheshyam as candidate for the Trinamool headed by Th Shyamkumar. Dr Radheshyam had contested the last Assembly election on CPI ticket. Votes will be counted on October 19. Bypoll will be held in 34 polling stations and 23,720 voters are expected to exercise their franchise. (UNI)
Mizoram government backs down in Chakma standoff
Aizawl: Mizoram government on Thursday backed down to end a standoff with the state’s apex students’ body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) over inclusion of Chakmas under category-I of state technical entrance examinations, after thousands of students continued protest defying a prohibitory order for assembly of more than ten people. Thousands of protesters who marched towards the higher and technical education (technical wing) office at Chaltlang to continue the picketing ran into heavy troops of police who formed a human barricade. At this tense situation, the offered talks and agreed to meet the MZP’s demands to remove Chakmas from category-I of Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) Rules 1999, which is reserved for “indigenous people of Mizoram.” The MZP’s stand is that the Chakmas are not indigenous people of Mizoram and cannot be included in category-I. A meeting was held at the chief minister’s office conference hall between the MZP leaders and the chief minister, five ministers and H&TE officials. The officials promised the MZP leaders that Chakmas would no longer be included in category-I of the Mizoram (Selection of Candidates for Higher Technical Courses) Rules, 1999. They further promised to add the word “Mizo” to the “indigenous people.” However, whether or not the 38 Chakma students included in category-I of the state technical entrance exams 2014 be cancelled was left to be decided by the H&TE department (technical wing). (UNI)
Tripura MP advocates treatment of waste and river water
Agartala: CPI(M) Lok Sabha MP from Tripura Jitendra Chaudhury has urged the scientists and technocrats to think of treatment of waste water and river water to tackle the impending crisis of fresh and usable water. While addressing 30th National Convention of Chemical Engineers at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Agartala on Wednesday, Chaudhury told the scientists that ash from coal-based power was problem once upon a time, but now it is being sold by further value addition, the same thing is needed to be replicated in water too. Referring to Northeastern states he sought chemical intervention in medical waste management in a manner so that it can offer an opportunity for profit making industry in India. “We have so many chemical colours but our culture used to use vegetable colour. Now research is needed so that we can have our own brand of colour,” he suggested adding that Agartala, is named after Agar tree, which is used for manufacturing excellent perfume but we don’t have technology open to all. It is seen that our country is exporting raw materials like bauxite and iron ore without value addition. Instead we should develop some simplified process to process these raw materials within the country, which shall fetch more revenue and generate employment, he added. It is believed that the next decades will be of Environment Technology where small state like Tripura needs to develop clean technology for vehicles, power generation and organic foods for innovative industries, he maintained. Natural gas is one of the chemical compounds available in plenty in our country. It has many uses from making electricity to fertilizer. But this is considered to be a very costly factory and requires huge land, where we are in shortage. Why not suggest and develop alternative uses of natural gas, converting it into other chemicals like ammonia, methanol, butane, ethane, propane and acetic acid, Chaudhury asked. (UNI)
Court upholds stay order on Nagaland MLAs’ disqualification
Kohima: The Nagaland unit of the BJP has informed that the state NCP party and the Speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) has filed two writ appeals ‘challenging the interim stay order’ whereby the NLA Speaker’s order disqualifying three MLAs was stayed. In a press statement issued by the President of the Nagaland BJP, Dr. M. Chuba Ao stated that the writ appeals, numbered WA 297 and 298 of 2914 respectively, were filed before the Principal Bench of the Guwahati High Court at Guwahati. Both the writ appeals came up for admission hearing before a division bench of the Guwahati High Court comprising of Chief Justice (acting) Rao and Justice A. K. Goswami. According to the BJP Nagaland, ‘the division bench opined that the subject Matter pertaining to the writ petition filed by the three MLAs namely Imtilemba Sangtam, Dr. T. M. Lotha and Mmhonlumo Kikon, being of immense public importance, the writ petition should be heard by a division bench henceforth, instead of the single bench.’ The bench ordered that the hearing of the ‘writ petition fixed on October 29 before the single Judge will now be heard on the same date by a division bench of the High Court.’ The stay order dated September 12 last, passed by the single bench Justice L. S. Jamir ‘was not interfered with by the Division Bench,’ informed the BJP. It further asserted that the ‘disqualification order passed by the Speaker on the 3 MLAs continues to remain suspended and inoperative.’ The BJP Nagaland state Unit has welcomed the decision of the Judges of the Guwahati High Court and reiterated that ‘justice will prevail in spite of the arbitrary and the unconstitutional act’ of the NLA Speaker. (UNI)