Itanagar: Taking exception to the damages caused to a number of business establishments in the Capital Complex during Tuesday’s 12-hour Papum Pare district bandh, the Arunachal Chamber of Commerce & Industries on Thursday condemned the anti-socials for their mindless acts.

In a release here ACCI particularly condemned the loot of valuable merchandise from BB Plaza here, causing huge losses to a number of unemployed local youths who had set up shops on loans from banks and other central government schemes including PMEGP.

It further pointed out that the traders stand up for genuine causes of the people of the state and donate generously to numerous organizations. But such vindictive attitude towards the business men would spread fear psychosis among them discouraging them to run their shops while sending a wrong message to outside investors. The ACCI said the state government ‘completely failed’ in providing security and safety to the traders and their establishments during any agitation.

”Interestingly, the traders down their shutters during all bandhs out of compulsion to save their establishments but they are the first to be victimized for none of their fault and suffer huge losses,” the ACCI said.

It demanded a proper inquiry to asses the total losses caused by vandalism and adequate compensation be paid immediately to the traders. (UNI)

Kolkata: A mime play portraying ‘Iron Lady’ Irom Chanu Sharmila’s 11-year-long hunger strike demanding repeal of the ‘draconian’ Armed Forces Special Powers Act has drawn applause at an international theatre festival in South Korea.

The one-hour stage drama Mirel Masingkha or ‘The will of soul’, based on Sharmila’s lone struggle, was showcased at the Chuncheon Festival in the South Korean city of Gwangju last week in homage to the victims of the 1980 Gwangju massacre by a military dictator.

A 15-member team of Imphal’s Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory presented the non-verbal play which was an instant hit as it struck a common chord with the Koreans.

“Our play reflects the atrocities in Manipur by the Indian military forces.

This is similar to the oppression under Chun Doo-hwan’s military dictatorship in Gwangju during the 80’s,” the play’s director, Dr Sadananda Singh, told PTI from Imphal.

Incidentally, Sharmila, who is forcibly nose-fed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal since November 2000, had won the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in 2007.

“The success of the play was sealed when the audience and press barged into the green room after the performance. Someone from the audience came up and admitted that he cried while watching. He said Koreans share our pain as they had also suffered similarly 30 years ago,” Singh said.

Venerating the unrelenting spirit of the 39-year-old civil rights activist through gestures, facial expressions and other body motions, the silent play is also an effort to garner international support for Sharmila’s fight against AFSPA.

“As artists it is our duty to reflect what is going on in our society and take up issues of social importance.

This play is our contribution to Sharmila’s cause which is also the cause of all Manipuris,” the veteran mime artist said. Sharmila’s non-violent resistance has become a nucleus for collective protest against the AFSPA, under which the security forces can even kill people without fearing prosecution.

Earlier, the Kanglei Mime Theatre Repertory had presented the play ‘Power’s Act’, based on a woman tortured by the Army.

Established in the year 1987, the mime group has participated in a number of international festivals like the International Puppet and Mime Festival of Kilkis in Greece and International Festival of Mime and Physical Theatre held at Macedonia. (PTI)

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Governor (Retd) Gen J J Singh has said the state has huge scope for religious tourism, wildlife & eco tourism, cultural tourism and adventure tourism and once tourism sector is developed, it would facilitate in providing livelihood to a large number of people in the state.

This was stated by the Governor during a meeting with state Tourism Minister Pema Khandu who called on governor at Raj Bhawan on Monday last. Discussion was held on various issues that needed to be addressed on priority basis to harness the full tourism potential of the state, official sources said here on Wednesday.

Underscoring the need for exposure tours organised for youth and entrepreneurs in Tourism sector, the Governor advised the minister to initiate programmes for capacity building in the service sector.

Citing the example of Ganga Lake project here, the Governor suggested for taking up tourism projects under public private partnership (PPP) mode and stressed the need for creation of more tourist circuits and home stay facilities, sources said.

Gen Singh, who facilitated the launching of some projects for the State, including the State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM), Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition at Banderdewa, the Adventure Tourism Camping Destination site at Jote and the tourism counter at Guwahati Airport for augmenting tourism activities in Arunachal Pradesh, advised Mr Khandu to expedite the implementation of these Raj Bhavan initiatives.

Enquiring about the progress of adventure tourism camping destination site at Jote, the Governor suggested the construction of a restaurant in the area.

He also asked the minister to speed up the work of Tourism Counter at Guwahati Airport.

The tourism minister informed that he proposed training programmes for the local entrepreneurs and kept fund for such programmes.

He also informed the Governor that eleven projects under the Indian Tourist Development Corporation (ITDC) in Bhalukpong Tawang route had been taken over by the state government for proper implementations.

Responding to the Governor’s query on the starting of the management courses at the SIHM, Principal Secretary, Tourism G N Sinha briefed him that advertisements for core faculties would be issued very soon and hinted at starting the first batch under Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), sources added. (UNI)

Our Spl Correspondent

 NEW DELHI: President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday condoled the demise of Rajya Sabha MP and renowned tea tribe leader from Assam Silvius Condpan. “I deeply condole the passing away of Mr Condpan,” a message from the office of the President said. “I was grieved to learn of the passing away of your husband Condpan,” Dr Manmohan Singh said in a message to widow of the leader. Condapan was deeply committed to the welfare of the tea estate workers and the poor and underprivileged sections of society, the Prime Minister said. In the passing away of Condpan, Assam has lost one of its most experienced and committed leaders, he said.

Nagaland under NGOs pressure

Kohima: The Nagaland government has said it has come to its knowledge that a large number of representations were being received from many NGOs and agencies on service matters of individual officers, particularly with regard to out-of-turn promotions and upgradation and in the matters of posting and transfer. According to an office memorandum here today in some cases, the government said the representations express ‘genuine aspirations’ of the people. However, in most cases it was catering to individual interests of officers or NGOs and agencies. Pointing out that tendency to bring such outside influence on service matters has been viewed very seriously by the government at the highest level, it said it was decided that such acts needed to be discouraged as it amounted to violation of ‘The Nagaland Government Servants Conduct Rules, 1968’. (UNI)

RTI Week concludes

Kohima: Nagaland on Thursday concluded the ‘Right to Information Act’ week along with the rest of the country by holding a one-day seminar on RTI here. Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Commissioner, Bei-u Angami said there should be complete attitudinal change among officials for complete implementation of the Act. He said it was the responsibility of the Public Information Officer of a public authority to supply the complete information within the specified time to any person seeking information under the RTI Act. (UNI)