Manipur News

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Sept 19

The JAC against the Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL) fresh recruitment will tomorrow shut down all the MSPDCL offices across the state demanding to give first priority to the contract employee working in MSPDCL in its fresh recruitment.

Speaking to the media today at Manipur Press Club, Imphal the JAC’s general secretary, Surfaraj said that around 600 employees are working under contract basis from the past 2 to 5 years and have been doing the jobs of the regular employees.

They are working with full dedication and effort and moreover three employees who were working under the contract basis died by electric shock while performing their duties and many have remained paralysed, he added.  

It is learned that MSPDCL will recruit some regular employee without giving any opportunities to the employee working under contract basis, continued the general secretary.

Regarding the matter they have requested to the government and the officials concerned to give priority to them but there is no positive reply from the government, said Surfaraj.

He added that they have taken up agitation by ceasing their work from September 13 and have decided to shut  down the MSPDCL offices by tomorrow as a part of intensifying their agitation.

He announced that the employees working in contract basis will not be fixing any defects in transformer, HT wire, short circuit etc until the government gives positive reply.

The JAC urged to the MSPDCL and officials concerned to intervene and reverse the notification to appoint new employees and to convert their contract into a regular work.

Newmai News Network

SHILLONG |Sep 19

North Eastern Council (NEC), secretary Ram Muivah today said that the Northeast like always was left out of the ‘Green revolution’ and so the NE and the eastern region needs yet another green revolution to transform the lives of the farmers and the populace.

Ram Muivah said this while addressing a national seminar on Smart Farming for Enhancing Input Use Efficiency Income and Environmental Security at ICAR, Umiam in Meghalaya today.

Pointing out that the green revolution has brought about a remarkable change in states like Punjab, Haryana, the western regions of the country and Andhra Pradesh, Ram Muivah said, “The Northeast region vitally needs another green revolution”.

Stating that before the green revolution the country had shortage of food grain and depended on imports, Ram Muivah said that with the green revolution the country became food grain surplus, however the region has been left out and it needs such revolution.

The three-day national seminar will highlight on the theme “Smart Farming for Enhancing Input Use Efficiency Income and Environmental Security”. The National Seminar will witness brain storming sessions from more than 300 participants from all over India.

Agricultural diversification, processing and value addition along with entrepreneurship development and smart marketing linkages will play a key role for doubling farmers’ income and to achieve the Prime Ministers vision of food surplus India.

Earlier director of ICAR SV. Ngachan said that technology needs to be upgraded for the hilly region because the topography of the region requires special attention.

“The technical and brain storming sessions will give a new direction towards the agricultural development and enhance farmers’ income,” Ngachan added.

Former vice vhancellor, YSPUH&F, Solan K. R. Dhiman, stressed on the implementation of rain-water harvesting, micro irrigation system, and drip irrigation methods to be adopted in the region.

“Location specific nutrients have to be developed and production using low productivity input should be implemented,” he said.

He further added that the hilly regions are the custodian of “natural resources” and “organic production system.”

IMPHAL | Sept 19

Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) has strongly condemned the recent attack on the United Tribal Liberation Front (UTLA) Peniel camp by heavily armed miscreants on September 17 where three persons, including an innocent pregnant woman were killed.

A release signed by secretary joint of TSA, Thangtinlen Haokip said that the association has submitted a memorandum in this regard to the chief minister, N. Biren Singh yesterday but no positive response has been made till date.

Stating that the association hold the government as solely responsible for the incident, it demanded the government to provide ex-gratia and a government job each to the next of kin of the three deceased and to punish the culprits involved and to initiate an inquiry into the incident.

It further demanded suspension or transfer of superintendent of police, Jirbam and to provide full rehabilitation, safety and protection to all UTLA/UTLF cadres and their families.If the governments fails to fulfil the said demands within 24 hours, TSA will launched an intense agitation and the dead bodies will not be taken, it added.

It said, “Acting on good faith and in full confidence with the government, UTLA/UTLF came forward to join the mainstream, although there was an element of risk to their lives. UTLA/UTLF had surrendered to the government of India and government of Manipur on July 17, 2013 and signed a MoU”.

However, the government has neglected UTLA/UTLF and not taken up any significant steps to rehabilitate and protect them as agreed in the MoU, it said adding that, instead, a team of state police led by superintendent of police, Jiribam raided UTLA/UTLF peace camp and seized all the arms and ammunition issued by the government for self-defence on 27 July this year, dumping them like a rubbish to fall prey to some armed groups or miscreants as it has happened.

The release said that as per point 2 of the MoU, security forces comprising of Army, Para military forces and state police are not supposed to launch any operations against UTLA/UTLF while point 10 envisages that security of the settlement village, that is, Peniel camp, is the state government’s responsibility.

While point 11 states that the security forces shall visit the settlement village from time to time, it added.

The government evidently have not honoured these and other points of the MoU, it alleged.

Stating that UTLA/UTLF is no longer an underground group, it said that if any of the cadres were found involved in unlawful activities like extortion, kidnapping, possessing unauthorised arms etc. then he or she should be dealt as per law of the land (as stated in the MoU).

It further said that if the security forces are claiming that UTLA/UTLF cadres were involved in unlawful activities, the association would like to question if they have been dealt with as per the law or got them attacked and killed by some other armed people.

As stated in the objective of the surrender and rehabilitation scheme, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the militants who have surrendered do not find it attractive to join militancy again, it said. It further questioned, what has the government done with UTLA/UTLF who has been caught in a difficult situation between moving forward or being forced to go back underground due to the non-committal and indifferent attitude of the government authority.