For a change, Guwahati is clean post-Diwali
Guwahat:Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan had its impact in the post-Diwali cleaning exercise here on Friday with the Guwahati Municipal Corporation clearing the wastes from the roads early this morning. Workers with scavenger vehicles cleared huge piles of Diwali revelry remains, including used fire crackers, banana plantains used for holding decorative oil lamps, sweet boxes, Kali Puja materials, etc., official sources said. Altogether 12 truck loads of such wastes was cleared from the North East region’s commercial hub of Fancy Bazar area alone, the sources said. Several NGOs also undertook garbage clearing exercise giving a clean look to the city, in a break from the usual dirty roads strewn with hundreds of pieces and bits of burnt firecrackers and their packagings left behind by Diwali revellers. The district administration of Kamrup (Metropolitan), which comprises Guwahati, on its own had engaged six NGOs for the purpose, the sources said adding similar debris cleaning operations would continue tomorrow and the day after. (PTI
Mizoram Assembly autumn session from Nov 11
Aizawl:The autumn session of the Mizoram Assembly would commence from November 11 and would continue till November 26, Assembly joint secretary H. Lalrinawma said. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Assembly’s Business Advisory Committee chaired by Speaker Hiphei today, Lalrinawma told PTI. Finance Minister Lalsawta would present the full budget for the current fiscal (2014-2015) on November 11, the first day of the session. Lalsawta could not present the full budget before as the Centre was yet to allocate the annual plan outlay for the current financial year and he had to seek vote-on-accounts two times. While some government bills were expected to be introduced during the session, the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 would be brought to the state legislature for ratification, Lalrinawma said. (PTI)
3 women confined, tortured after branded ‘witch’
Tinsukia:Within a week after a national-level athlete was tortured as ‘witch’, three other women were beaten up by villagers for allegedly practising black magic and held responsible for outbreak of an unknown disease in Tinsukia district. Additional Superintendent of Police Lamhao Dongol said the three women were rescued this morning after being confined illegally since last night and beaten up at a Kumsang tea garden, under Kakopathar police station area. “After getting information, our forces reached the spot immediately and rescued the three ladies – Ratani Kadha, Mala Bhumij and Gangi Urang. They are all aged between 45 and 50 years and the villagers belong to tribes living in plantation areas,” he added. Elaborating the incident, Dongol said a 14-year-old boy, Suraj Gowala, was suffering from some unknown disease, most likely some liver infection, since last one month. The villagers, under the influence of a ‘tantrik’, blamed the three ladies of practicing black-magic and held responsible for the unknown disease. (PTI)
Kuki community to celebrate Chavang Kut
Kohima:The Kuki tribe of Nagaland will celebrate its first ‘Chavang Kut’ festival on November 1 at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama at the Bamboo Hall, near Kohima.In an official statement, the convenor of the Chauang kut festival at Kohima Thangsat Khongsai informed that the Nagaland Minister for Rural Development C L John and Adviser to Chief Minister of Nagaland Lalthara will grace the occasion as Chief Guest and Guest of Honour respectively. Meanwhile, Presidents of the Angami Public Organization, Naga Mothers’ Association and various other important leaders of the State and invitees will be present at the festival. ‘Chavang Kut’ or ‘autumn festival’ is a harvest festival, the statement added. (UNI)
Assam Police shoot at one in Nagaland village
Kohima:Tension heightened in Ralan area under Bhandari sub-division in Wokha district when Assam Police reportedly fired at some people in Liphayan on Wednesday. According to Ralan Area Lotha Hoho (RALH) chairman Hayithung three Naga youths had gone to Liphanyan village to visit friends. On seeing ‘new faces’ a non-local reported their presence to the Assam Police. A Naga youth received a bullet injury on his neck. He was admitted to the District Hospital in Dimapur. Another person managed to escape while a third was apprehended by the Assam Police and later handed over to the Ralan Police station. Police sources from Wokha said the three youths had gone to Liphanyan when the incident took place. RALH also alleged that the third person who was arrested, was physically assaulted by Assam Police. He was released by personnel of SSB and handed over to Ralan Police, RALH said. The incident took place when a joint peace mission comprising church leaders of Assam and Nagaland met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to defuse tension in the Ralan area. It may be recalled, that Ralan area has been on the boil since past few months. (UNI)
Lal Thanhawla denounces racism in any form
Aizawl:Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Friday said he was against ‘racism’ in any form. Addressing a meeting of the Former Legislators Association of Mizoram (FLAM) on its 20th anniversary, Thanhawla said sometimes he wondered whether the people from north-east were being “accepted” as Indians or not. The chief minister had earlier expressed opinion that the Centre should legislate an anti-racism law to prevent recurrence of recent incidents of attacks against the north eastern people in Bangalore and Delhi. He said that border dispute between Mizoram and neighbouring Assam was a vexed problem. He said that the state government continued to urge the Centre to constitute Boundary Commission to find amicable solution to the border disputes in the region. (PTI)