Mobile boat camp for Kaziranga

- UK charity equips park with a river patrol device to curb poaching

The boat camp at Kaziranga. Telegraph picture Guwahati, April 25 : Tracking the movement of poachers along the mighty Brahmaputra on the northern fringes of the Kaziranga National Park might just get a little easier for the forest guards, thanks to a new facility making its debut in the game sanctuary. The park, known worldwide for the one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), today got its first mobile boat camp — a facility that will allow forest guards to keep better vigil on the river along the northern boundary of the park through which poachers frequently operate. The boat camp — equipped with a powerful motor for high speed — was presented to the park authorities today by the BBC Wildlife Fund in association with the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Aaranyak, a local NGO. The BBC Wildlife Fund had raised money from wildlife lovers in the United Kingdom for improving the security of rhinos at the Kaziranga National Park. Patrolling on the Brahmaputra is considered the most difficult task among anti-poaching activities in Kaziranga because of the large area the small boats have to cover. Bibhab Talukdar, the secretary general of Aaranyak, who was present in the hand-over ceremony today, said that a minimum of eight guards could stay on the boat camp. “Small boats are not strong enough to negotiate the turbulent Brahmaputra. This one is strong and also has good speed,” he said. The custom-made wooden boat is fitted with wireless sets and also has walkie-talkies for effective communication. The boat also has enough space for carrying provisions, which would allow the guards to spend days together on water. “There are no major camps along the entire stretch of the northern boundary of Kaziranga and this boat will be very useful in tracking the movement of poachers,” Suren Buragohain, the director of the park, said. The latest rhino census had put the number of rhinos at 2,048. Mary Nugget from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation said the organisation had faith on the Kaziranga authorities to protect wildlife from all challenges.

Dispur to promote tourism on hills

In for a facelift: Hills at Chandrapur area in Guwahati. Picture by Eastern Projections April 25 : Guwahati’s hills, which have become an eyesore with encroachment and rampant cutting, might get back their place of pride soon with Dispur deciding to convert them into tourism spots. The plan will achieve three objectives at a go — beautify the hills, prevent encroachment and check antisocial activities. Sources said the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority was working on the plan with the help of the tourism department and the Assam Tourism Development Corporation. An Assam government official said, according to the plan, the GMDA and the tourism department would first regenerate the forests in the hills and then dot them with eco-friendly resorts, flower gardens, water fountains and watch towers. The first phase of the project will cover Nilachal and Sarania hills, where the Kamakhya temple and Gandhi Mandap are situated. “Guwahati is the only city in the country that is surrounded by 14 hills. Unfortunately, the condition of the hills has become a cause of woe for the city dwellers. The rampant destruction of the hills because of human encroachment causes landslides and flash floods. The city’s green cover is fast declining because of encroachment on the hills. Something must be done on a war-footing to develop and protect the hills for the city’s future,” the official said. AC Nielsen, a New York-based global marketing research firm, suggested that urgent steps be taken to develop and protect the hills for the beautification and ecological balance of Guwahati. The US firm is currently conducting a survey to create a comprehensive database of hill dwellers. The official said the government would involve the hill dwellers in the plan. “The people who have been living in the hills for more than 15 years will be given permanent settlement by the Kamrup (metro) district administration on the condition that they will be actively involved in tourism promotion and anti-encroachment activities,” the official said. According to the government records available, 1,23,979 people resided on the 14 hills in 2000. The survey recorded 26,985 number of households on the hills with 8,681 permanent structures, 7,510 semi-permanent structures and 10,794 temporary structures. “Another aim of the project is to prevent antisocial activities. Since the hilly areas are not easily accessible, criminals usually take shelter in such places to carry out subversive activities in the city. Beautification of the hills will not leave space for such elements to take shelter,” the official said.

AUDF worker hacked, clash in Kokrajhar

Zero voting in 12 booths

An old woman walks towards a polling booth at Gamchacobra village near Agartala on Thursday. (Reuters) April 24 : An AUDF leader was hacked to death while seven persons were injured in a group clash soon after polling ended in the state today, registering 62.5 per cent turnout. In another incident, the body of an AGP worker, who had been missing since yesterday, was recovered today. AGP leader Puspa Deka was arrested for allegedly manhandling an election official and preventing voters from casting their votes at a polling station at Dadara in Kamrup district today. However, Deka’s supporters said he was arrested on false charges because he was protesting against rigging by Congress workers at the polling station at Dadara. However, a dozen polling booths spread over various constituencies in Assam recorded zero voting with voters refusing to exercise their franchise in protest against non-redressal of grievances. Polling passed off peacefully in Tripura, too, but the weather played spoilsport. A heat wave worsened by high humidity marred the otherwise peaceful polling for the state’s two Lok Sabha seats today with additional chief electoral officer Dilip Acharjee putting the initial polling percentage at 80, pending final computation of data from the interiors of the state. In Assam, general secretary of AUDF Goalpara district unit and treasurer of the party’s Goalpara (East) Legislative Constituency Committee, Ganesh Hazarika, 40, was chopped to pieces by one Ramu Das at Dubapara under Matia police station of Goalpara district around 5pm today. Police arrested Das, a supporter of Arun Chandra Das, an Independent candidate backed by the AGP-BJP in Dhubri parliamentary constituency. According to an eyewitness, Hazarika was sitting near a polling station at Dubapara when Das attacked him with a sharp weapon. Hazarika died on the spot. Irate villagers later set Das’s house and his cycle repairing shop at Dubapara on fire. The situation at Dubapara is tense but under control. At around the same time, seven persons were injured when supporters of the All Koch Rajbongshi Students Union and the BPF clashed at Kalipukhuri under Kokrajhar police station over allegations of attempts at booth capturing. According to preliminary information, some members of the student organisation had caught hold of a BPF supporter accusing of having tried to instigate others to capture a polling booth in the area. As the news spread, a large number of BPF supporters descended on the spot and the clash ensued. The assistant secretary of the AGP’s Hariamukh anchalik committee under Raha Assembly constituency, Jadav Das, was abducted from near the party office. His body was recovered from Hariamukh this evening. The body did not bear any injury mark. Police suspect it to be a “political murder”. The AASU alleged that a large number of people had to return disappointed from the polling booths without casting their vote because of “widespread confusion” over the set of documents accepted by the Election Commission as valid identity proof of the voters in place of voter identity cards, which is yet to be issued to voters in Assam. A polling officer checks the name of a voter by candlelight at a polling station in Tiamari village near Guwahati on Thursday. (Reuters) AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said several people could not vote as poll officials in some polling booths insisted that only seven documents — passports, driving licence, PAN cards, bank passbooks, insurance documents, caste certificates and job cards issued under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act — could be used as authentic identification proof. Bhattacharyya said he was not initially allowed to vote at a polling station in South Sarania Lower Primary School as he does not possess any of these seven documents. “I had to argue with the polling officer for more than 30 minutes after which he allowed me to vote after confirming my identity from one of my telephone bills which I had with me.” At the South Sarania Lower Primary School, former director-general of Assam police Harekrishna Deka and his wife Anjali were denied their right to vote as their names could not be located on the voter’s list. Two polling officials, Samudra Rajkhowa, deputed at number 15 polling centre at Rajadhap under Sonari sub-division in Sivasagar district and Anil Bhattacharyya, deputed at number 126 polling station at Ulubari in Sonitpur district, were arrested after they were found in an inebriated state inside the polling booths.

Assam MP's convoy ambushed, three killed

Kokrajhar, apr 24 : Suspected NDFB (Daimary) militants ambushed the convoy of Kokrajhar MP Sansuma Khungur Bwiswmuthiary in the district today, killing three persons.

Mr. Bwiswmuthiary escaped unhurt in the attack though his vehicle was damaged, official sources said.

The Bodoland Peoples Front MP Mr. Bwiswmuthiary and some journalists in the convoy came under heavy fire of the militants from hills on both sides of the road near Panbari.

Two security guards and Bodoland Territorial Council executive member Mono Kumar Brahma's driver were killed, while four others in the convoy were seriouly injured, the sources said.

None of the journalists accompanying in a separate vehicle were hurt, though all the vehicles were damaged in the firing, the sources said.

The insurgents fired indiscriminately at the MP's convoy forcing even the locals moving in the area to lie down on the ground for safety, one of the journalists travelling in the convoy said.

The MP along with BTC speaker Jeruwa Narziary and the local media persons was travelling towards Hengrabari to take stock of the violent situation there arising out of the torching of 11 houses by unidentified persons last night.

BTC chief executive Hagrama Mohilary along with police rushed there, while the army, police and paramilitary forces under the Unified Command Structure had launched a search operation to nab the culprits.

The injured had been admitted to hospital, the sources added.

People upbeat about PM casting vote in Assam

Guwahati, Apr 22  : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision to cast his vote in Assam during the second phase of polling on April 23 has created enthusiasm among the people of the state.

Singh, who did not exercise his franchise in the last Lok Sabha election in 2004, announced to cast his vote here along with his wife Gursharan Kaur at a press conference here on April 19.

The Prime Minister, a Rajya Sabha member from the state, has his residence at the Sorumotoria area of Dispur.

"Last time we waited and waited with a hope that the Prime Minister will turn up. Even the security here was tight suggesting that he might, but he never came. This time we are lucky," said Purnendu Kalita, an employee of the state secretariat whose house is near Singh's residence.

Singh is scheduled to arrive at Dispur Higher Secondary School, which is polling booth number 166 of Guwahati parliamentary constituency, to cast his vote on April 23, official sources said.

A top police official on condition of anonymity said the prime minister was planned to visit the booth later in the day. Elaborate security arrangements will be made in and around the area in view of Singh's visit.

Travelling through Assam's battleground

By Gayatri B

Nowgong, Apr 20 : Ahead of the elections, travelling through Assam's battleground, one gets a feel of the political heat in the state. In different constituencies, amidst varying expectations and sentiments of the people, the performances of the politicians are being rated, discussed and debated. And here's how the scenario looks.

Bad roads and a broken school - shows the tardy pace of development in Congress's crorepati candidate's constituency. Mani Kumar Subba in his 11 years has been as elusive to his voters as he has been with us today while we tried to track him down."

"We have never seen him," says a village woman. Whereas, holding a poster of his, another little boy says, "This person is a king."

As one moves to the towns the resentment is more pronounced. "He doesn't know to speak any language properly," says one. We have been allowing a fool to rule us, no more," puts forth another local. But Mani Subba knows how to win elections. Just before elections, his party comes and distributes money to the voters but right after elections, he vanishes. The mood in the neighbouring constituency, however, is upbeat.

Kaliabor is in many ways Assam's real battleground. This is AGP's bastion, Prafulla Mahanta's homeground, Tarun Gogoi's turf and now his brother's and to take the battle on are the two crorepati brothers Sirajuddin and Badruddin Ajmal of AUDF - a party which threatens to change the political landscape of Assam.
With a 30 per cent minority population in the state Ajmal cannot be ignored.

"Our party is 85 per cent for the benefit of the minority. We are challenging Tarun Gogoi by contesting from this seat which was long misruled by Congress," says AUDF President, Badruddin Ajmal.

Not far from this battleground, it's the BJP which is in full bloom in Nowgaon. It is candidate Rajen Gohain expected to return for a third time.

"We will vote for Rajen Gohain, but he could have done more substantial work," says a local.
It's been an intensely political election this time where issues don't seem to matter. The rise of the AUDF and the alliance of the AGP-BJP has penetrated into Congress strongholds and could well throw up some surprises.

Assam BJP MP denies Congress allegations

Nagaon (Assam), Apr 20 Sitting BJP MP of Nowgong Rajen Gohain today denied Congress&aposs allegations that he had written letter to party president Rajnath Singh suggesting poll understanding with Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF).

Gohain told reporters here that if he had"written any such letter, how come Rajnath Singh does not possess it but Assam Health Minister and Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has allegedly got hold of it".

Congress has been making repeated allegations that AGP-BJP combine and AUDF, a party of the minority community, have entered into an understanding to divide the minority vote on which Congress largely depends.

"Moreover, if the letter was sent to Rajnath Singh, then how can Sarma claim that he has the original which he got tested in the forensic laboratory," Gohain said.

The BJP MP, however, agreed that the signature in the letter may be his as he had"signed blank letter heads and kept it in BJP office for emergency use".

"I believe this could have been manipulated by a former trusted aide of mine who later joined Congress,"he said.

Sarmah yesterday alleged that Gohain had written a letter to BJP President Rajnath Singh to garner support of the AUDF to defeat Congress.

Bandh hits trade in Guwahati

Shops downed shutters during the bandh in Guwahati on Saturday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, April 19 : Business activities were disrupted here today following a 12-hour trade bandh called by the Sodou Guwahati Byabasayee Sanstha in protest against a “steep” hike in trade license fee by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation.

Shops in most areas, including Ganeshguri, Chandmari, Bhangagarh, Ambari, Panbazar, Maligaon and Adabari remained closed during the bandh. However, in Fancy Bazar and Lakhtokia, the city’s oldest and busiest business hubs, the bandh generated a mixed response.

Prantosh Roy, general secretary of the sanstha, said the hike in the license fee was three-fold and would impose an additional burden on small traders. He said the GMC was yet to respond to its demand for the withdrawal of the licence fee hike order.

Congress eyes paradise lost

RIPUNJOY DAS

Big Fight -Dibrugarh

The stage is set for a high voltage contest between Congress warhorse and president of the Asom Chah Mazdoor Sangha, Paban Singh Ghatowar, and young Sarbananda Sonowal of the AGP, the sitting MP. While the Congress is trying to regain its lost fortress with Ghatowar again deciding to use the trade union platform to garner votes from the tea community, the AGP — the main Opposition particularly after the reunification — is determined to retain the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat. Since Independence, Dibrugarh has always been considered a Congress bastion. Ghatowar has been representing the seat since 1991 and was seen as an “invincible person” for the Congress in Dibrugarh that has a sizeable number of tea tribe voters. The party, however, not only lost the seat during the 2004 parliamentary elections, but Ghatowar was pushed to a pathetic third spot. Kamakhya Prasad Tasa of the BJP came second. This time, because of the seat-sharing arrangements between the AGP and the BJP, the BJP did not field any candidate in Dibrugarh. The seasoned Ghatowar, who is trying to regain his “lost paradise,” is busy campaigning. He is seen almost everywhere these days along with either his parliamentary secretary and legislator wife Jibantara, or the state water resources and labour minister, Prithibi Majhi. Ghatowar’s main campaign manager is power and industries minister Pradyut Bordoloi, who is a spokesman for the PCC and the government. Other Congress MLAs, including Pranati Phukon, Rajendra Prasad Singh and Rameswar Dhanowar, too, have been accompanying Ghatowar on one occasion or the other. The Assembly segments that come under the Lok Sabha seat are Moran, Dibrugarh, Lahowal, Duliajan, Tinsukia, Tingkhong, Naharkatia, Margherita and Digboi. There are nearly five lakh voters from the mainstream Assamese community, three lakh from the tea community and another three lakh comprising Bengalis, Hindi-speaking people, Nepalese and others. There are around 80,000 voters from the minority community. Unlike last time, the constituency is witnessing a straight contest between Ghatowar and Sonowal, with a total of 10 candidates in the fray. While Ratul Gogoi of the CPI and Romen Chandra Borthakur of the NCP are expected to take away some of Sonowal’s votes, candidates like Gangaram Koul of the CPI (M-L) and Francis Dhan of the National People’s Party (NPP) will make some dent in Ghatowar’s vote bank. However, the fight will be basically a direct one to one between Ghatowar and Sonowal.

Veterans shower fragrance of memories

Sudakshina Sarma and Lakshyahira Das perform during the concert at Rabindra Bhawan on Tuesday. Pictures by Eastern Projections An enchanting musical evening, Sowaran, organised by All India Radio, Guwahati, swept the audience in waves of nostalgia at the packed Rabindra Bhawan on March 24. Those present had the privilege of listening to the first batch of veteran singers who had passed the audition of AIR Calcutta during the era of the weekly 30-minute-slot for Assamese music. Their talented successors, who performed regularly for AIR Guwahati during its early days (after it was established in 1948), also held the audience spellbound. Rani Paul, an AIR singer in Assamese since 1946 who is now based in Shillong, was the first to unfurl the wave of nostalgia. The lady with shining grey hair expressed her emotions with a pair of moist eyes as she presented her evergreen number Jonbaair Deshote Saajim Gaon Ekhanee. Another singing sensation of yesteryears, Sudakshina Sarma, the talented wife of music legend late Dilip Sarma and the sister of maestro Bhupen Hazarika — touched hearts by presenting the famous Maniram Dewan number, Sangraam Lagne Aaji. She also presented a medley of her haunting melodies, including Dhanbor Aaru Ratani. Birendranath Dutta, eminent folklore scholar and an elite vocalist who was unquestionably one of the most illustrious contemporaries of Hazarika during the fifties and sixties, lent a rare flavour to the ambience with his scintillating number Borsha Tomaar Chokut Meghor Anjan. The magical tune of the number and its sensitive lyrics, penned by Navakanta Barua, continued to infuse the atmosphere with nostalgia. Lakshyahira Das, renowned academician and a singer-lyricist in her own right, left no stone unturned to shower musical fragrance on the audience with a heartfelt rendition of her popular number Ethengiyaa Bogoli Hoi Naache. All these much-admired, seasoned singers are now above 75 and, naturally, their pace of rendition differed from yesteryears. But the passion and clear resonance of their distinctive style was still intact. Others who enthralled Rabindra Bhawan that evening included Tarulata Das (Chin Paabaa Taair Khojate), Amiya Mohan Das (Aajir Ei Madhur Raati), Jogesh Barua and Mihir Bordoloi (Mosgul Duniyaat Haaire Dil Aase) and Mridula Das (Dingir Saatesori), among others. Designed and produced by Dinesh Das and Nayan Prasad respectively, the programme was flawlessly compered by Abani Bora and Rituparna Das.

Gun, convoy shield for trains in hills

Guwahati, April 17 : Dispur has chalked out a security plan to counter strikes by insurgents in Assam’s twin hill districts. It will set up light machine gun posts on trains running in North Cachar Hills and run passenger trains in convoys with pilot engines from Dimapur to Lumding.

The security arrangement follows four attacks by militant on trains in the twin hill districts of NC Hills and Karbi Anglong in the past week.

A highly placed source today said goods trains having LMG posts would soon start plying along the vulnerable Badarpur-Lumding route in NC Hills till the situation becomes normal.

To start with, each train will have two posts, one at the front and the other at the rear, manned by at least 10 security personnel. These posts will be set up in open wagons, giving a wider vision of the surroundings and more leg space to security personnel who will be protected by sandbags.

“It is an arrangement similar to the one used during a war to cope with sudden enemy fire. It will be tried first on goods trains and then on passenger trains. This has been necessitated as security personnel inside a compartment were ineffective in checking such attacks because of hindered vision. It is an old army proposal for the vulnerable NC Hills terrain,” the source said.

Railway sources said the police had placed a requisition for the wagons and it was trying to meet it.

Hoping that the new measure would succeed, the source said an LMG can hit a target 500 metres away while the AK series rifles and SLRs generally used by rebels can cover a distance of 100 to 200 metres.

With terror on trains frequently haunting the twin hill districts, the railways had also introduced bullet-proof engines and distributed bullet-proof jackets among security personnel and drivers to instil confidence in them for the smooth running of trains.

But the rebels continued to attack with impunity, disrupting train schedules and even leading to cancellations.

On April 10, suspected militants of the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Gorlosa) sprayed the Badarpur-Lumding Barak Valley Express with bullets in NC Hills district, killing one and injuring 17. On April 11, the outfit attacked a goods train in the district, killing two and injuring one.

On April 12, suspected Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front militants triggered two blasts on the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express route in Karbi Anglong. While the train reached Diphu safely, the engine of the special security train, which is run ahead of a passenger train, was derailed by the second blast. The back-to-back attacks in the twin districts saw the NF Railway reschedule and cancel passenger trains for a few days.

On Monday, Dispur ordered resumption of train services after a high-level review by the chief secretary here. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the CRPF, BSF, railways, army, police and Intelligence.

The participants tried to find ways to neutralise the attacks by Dimasa and Karbi rebels to ensure smooth running of trains in the twin hill districts and the smooth conduct of elections.

It was decided that the army would be used for track domination (to sanitise and provide security cover to tracks) in the two districts.

The meeting also approved the railway’s proposal to run passenger trains in a convoy at an interval of 15 minutes between Lumding and Dimapur after the providential escape of the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express on Sunday night. It also decided to run security pilot and advance pilot engines ahead of the convoy.

“The convoy plan was first tried on Monday night. There will be some inconvenience to the commuters, but it is for their safety and also makes a lot of sense,” the source said.

An attempt was made to run a goods train in NC Hills yesterday, but it had to be aborted following firing by DHD (J) rebels near Migrendisa railway station, 19km from Haflong town around noon.

Polls open in India

Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel patrol a road in Jehanabad in eastern Indian, as the country goes to the polls.

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:39:33 GMT

India's general election starts while neither of the two main parties is deemed capable of securing an absolute majority in the five-stage polls.

Reports say that there has been little in the campaign for Thursday's election to unite a nation of nearly 1.2 billion people accustomed to divisions.

Neither the incumbent Congress nor the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to come up with a splintered result and government by an unsteady coalition which would struggle to see out a full term.

Consequently, the result will have to depend on the support of smaller parties to form a coalition government.

More than 700 million people are eligible to vote around the country, while around 143 million registered for the first phase alone which would take in large swathes of northern and eastern India, including insurgency hit tribal areas.

The Indian government has deployed more than two million security personnel around the country over the five phases of balloting that end on May 13 to ensure safety.

Final results are to be announced on May 16.