The shocking revelation by estimation is that every year there is a loss of tropical forest, “the powerhouse of evolution” from earth is more than 150,000 square kilometer. Being at the mercy of human race future of forest is at stake. The irony is, we the most intelligent beings are spelling our own doom by decimating forests. Unbeknown to ourselves, we are digging our own grave by our insensitive exploitation of resources. A host of Environmental legislation going by the unabated destruction has failed to curb the menace. Offshoots are the rise of earth’s temperature, drought, flood, piling of pollutants and man-animal conflict etc. So alarming the pace of deforestation drive in our mother earth is that 54 countries are reported to have lost about 90 percent forest. In a developing country like India, forests have to bear the brunt of development such as the expansion of both human settlement and road network.
There is, so to say, not an iota of doubt that the indigenous people of Assam, particularly those of the Brahmaputra valley are genuinely apprehensive of losing their culture and identity, and turning into a minority in their own land. Since the controversial citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, some politicians dub as the anti-indigenous people was introduced in the Parliament on July 19, 2016. The Bill, it may be noted here, seeks to provide citizenship to six religious minority communities such as Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis belonging to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India without valid documents or are overstaying even after the expiry of their valid travel documents.
The Teachers strike of the Nagaland Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers’ Association (NSSATA) which started in the month of May 2018 has reached the pinnacle where teachers are protesting in front of the State Secretariat in Kohima. A section of aggrieved NSSATA of batched 2010 & 2013 resorted to hunger strike in Kohima to protest against the failure of the state government to meet their demands.
Them Iew Mawlong, adjacent to the Iewduh m a r k e t , the oldest and biggest traditional market in the North Eastern region has all along being congested with criminal activities, which sparked off the Shillong violence leading to the imposition of curfews which affected normal life for a stretch of one week or so. The big question, however, is that residents of this crowded area be allocated elsewhere, people of this area mainly belonging to Punjab origin settle in the colony, however with no land ownership rights.
The ‘Clean Dhubri Green Dhubri’ project was launched recently in Dhubri town with a view to make historic Dhubri town a clean city in Assam. A host of members from leading social organizations and also social group active in the social media joined the campaign appealing for clean and green Dhubri. It was, of late, realized that without the active participation and cooperation of the local people, it was extremely difficult for Dhubri Municipal Board alone to keep the town clean. So, the project envisaged involving people to make the Dhubri town free from garbage and transform it into a place of healthy living. Dhubri Deputy Commissioner, Anant Lal Gyani who is taking a keen interest also made a fervent appeal to the people and social organizations to extend co-operation in the mission of cleaning Dhubri.
On the day Salima Memcha Moijing was scheduled to give her statement to the Criminal Investigation Department in her husband’s case, paramilitary and state police personnel barged in and vandalized her home and threatened her. The 38-year-old widow lost her husband, Md Fajiruddin Moijing, 45, allegedly in an encounter with a combined security team of 33 Assam Rifles and Manipur Police Commandos on January of 2010. What was distinct in the case was the fact that her husband’s lifeless body was found clothed with an oversized camouflage trouser and a jacket that did not belong to him. His acquired clothing did not bear any bullet holes on them despite Fajiruddin having succumbed to 10 bullet wounds.
Similar was the fate of Sagolsem Menjor Singh. Manipur Police personnel came to ‘arrest’ Menjor Singh from his Mayang Imphal residence on 8th January 2018. He escaped the ‘arrest’ being away at that time. Later police source known to Menjor informed him that there was no official arrest warrant issued against him. Menjor has been seeking justice since his only son was killed in an alleged extra judicial execution in 2009.
The export of terror from pollbound Bangladesh to West Bengal, the Seven Sister Zone and Sikkim has emerged as a major concern for the security of India. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that the infiltration of pro- Islamic State Mujahideens, arms smugglers and drug peddlers in India through the 4,096 km Indo-Bangladesh border is jeopardizing the national security in its entirety. Though the entire India is in risk as the Bangladeshi Mujahideens are setting up their arms training camps, recruiting Indian Muslims as fighters and establishing clandestine bases dotting across India, Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar are particularly under the scanner. In fact, a real-time risk now is looming large as the Sheikh Hasina Government has launched a massive crackdown on the Islamic terrorists who wants to oust her government and establish a Sharia-based Islamic rule in Bangladesh. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has so far killed over 162 frontal operators of pro-Jihad militant outfits. The RAB has been given a free hand to kill in encounters the Jihadi fighters. These fighters are meant to carry out killing operations and causing subversive activities both in India and Bangladesh. To exemplify, they plotted earlier this year to kill the Dalai Lama, supreme spiritual Guru of Buddhists. The NIA has already warned West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand about the possible escalation of operation by these fighters in near future.
These Jihadi fighters also tried to kill Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, over 19-times since she came to power. Now these Jihadi fighters are fleeing to Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar to save their lives. Living in Bangladesh may mean their encounter killing by the RAB. The RAB has so far busted over 362 safe havens, camps, hiding places and dens of these Jihadi fighters. Naturally, they have nowhere else go to but these states dotting India.
The Congress in Meghalaya has decided to lend support to People’s Democratic Front (PDF) for the Ranikor by-poll. This came after 16 MDC of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) decided to oust CEM Pynsgngain N. Syiem. This came after UDP did not agree to go hand in hand with Congress.
Earlier 16 MDC of KHADC met Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to demand a special session in the KHADC.These 16 MDC include 5 of UDP, 4 of NPP, 3 of HSPDP, 3 of PDF and 1 Independent. It is also learnt that NPP and UDP MDC are against P.N. Syiem as the CEM of District Council.
