Tileswari Barua was a heroic, courageous, valiant twelve years teenage girl. Exactly 75 years ago, on 20 September 1942 Tileswari Barua laid down her life while trying to hoist the national flag at top of the police station in Dhekiajuli, Assam. Tileswari was the eldest of four children of Bhabakanta Barua of village Nij-Borgaon on the outskirts of Dhekiajuli. She was so influenced by the patriotic songs which the Congress volunteers were singing every day that she did not think once about her life when Mahatma Gandhi’s call for raising the national tricolor flag.
The North Eastern Region of India is recognised as one of the poor infrastructural development in comparison with other region of the country. As a result the region is lagging behind in the industrial and economic development scenario in comparison with other developed states of the country. But the region has a strong potential to be India’s future powerhouse. It has 42.54 per cent of hydropower potential of the country estimated at 63,257 MW, natural gas reserves of 190 billion cubic meters, coal reserves of over 900 million tones and oil reserves of over 500 million tonnes. Large mineral resources including limestone’s reserves of around 5000 million tones and a forest cover which is 25 per cent of the country’s forest area. Phenomenal biodiversity forest wealth particularly bamboo economy of north east India, agro base, fruits and vegetables and other horticultural products, enchanting hills, majestic rivers, fresh water lake, cave and beautiful islands which are potential for ecotourism and rural tourism, herbs, aromatic plants, exotic flowers and floriculture, other flora and fauna to be a future international trading hot spot towards more on South and South East Asian countries. Further, the present strategies of government of India’s Act East Policy will also led to expansion of more on trade, tourism and human relations between neighbouring countries of south East Asian countries.
If such inexhaustible sources of hydro power resources and other mineral and natural resources are exploited minimum at par with national level and maximum at par with global average of 30 per cent and above, it will make sure to accelerate the socio-economic development of this backward region of the country. There is thus, an immediate attention is required to develop and harness this huge power potential of the region, which not only reap the benefit for socio-economic development of the region but also for filling the gap of changing power scenario of the country in near future.
Hydro Power Potentials of North East India
The North Eastern Region of India is blessed with the highest hydro power potential far exceeding the region’s internal requirement for power. As per the report of the ranking studies conducted by Central Electricity Authority, government of India, there are 1,48,701MW hydro power potential spreading in 845 different schemes in the country. Of which 66,065 MW from 140 schemes have been identified as potential sites from North Eastern states contributing 44.43 per cent of total hydro power potential of the country.
Above given table shows the hydro power potential of North Eastern Region in state - wise. Arunachal Pradesh is having the highest potential of hydro power not only in the region but also among the states and union territories of the country. Next to Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim state accounts the second highest ranking in potential of hydro power with a total potential of 4,286 MW. Next to Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland stood in third, fourth, fifth and six respectively. Assam though lowest in total hydro power potential but it has harnessed the maximum hydropower potentials in the region. Assam is having the highest thermal power resources also in the region. Likewise Tripura has also no potential of hydro power but it has an ample scope for thermal power resources in the region.
Common interest should gain more importance over individual ethnic agendas prevailing in the region said Tibetian spiritial leader, His Holiness Dalai Lama on his first visit to Manipur.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed an international conference on Peace & Harmony in the restive state upon the invitation of the Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker, Yumnam Khemchand.
The iconic world spiritual leader was accorded a civil reception at the City Convention Centre in Imphal by a jam packed crowd comprising of Ministers, MLAs, Bureaucrats, Civil Society Leaders, Students and even delegates from neighbouring states and Myanmar.
Arms and the Men Cox's Bazar to Fox Security of North Eastern India
Way back in 1797 when Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the British East India Company, established a small settlement at Palonki some 150 km from Chittagong Port (now in Bangladesh), could never even imagine that it would turn into a bizarre bazaar for guns, goons and drugs after 218-years of his death.
Goons may not be a tradable commodity but in today notorious Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, they are very much in demand to peddle drugs, arms and ammunitions to the vast North Eastern India and West Bengal. The Cox’s Bazaar is really foxing the security of India.
Since China is fishing in that region’s troubled water by saying “Bye-Bye” to old Nehruvian political era’s famous lyric “Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai,” the importance of Cox’s Bazaar has gone up manifold as a den of desperadoes capable of creating troubles in the North East India.
China’s foster son Pakistan is also finding Cox’s Bazaar very valuable for it to beef up extremism by supporting the insurgents of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland. The notorious distinction of Cox’s Bazaar is for acting as a basket for dumping of China-made arms, drugs and sourcing place for gun-runners. No wonder, it is now the catchword for the underworld.
When BJP targeted to win Tripura as a prestige fight to comply with it’s vow to make India communist free, ruling CPI-M comes out with packages and schemes to allure the voters for their sustenance in electoral politics of the country. After losing foothold in West Bengal and tough challenge in Kerala for past five years, CPI-M has concentrated in Tripura. The political observers indicate, since no where CPI-M is in power, it is oblivious for Tripura government to provide financial support more to the party that enlarged the ambit of corruption in the state. The left front rule till 2008 since 1993 in Tripura was by large spotless and Manik Sarkar government had a pro people approach. Losing in power at West Bengal in 2011 assembly elections, CPI-M in Tripura started getting deteriorated and before 2013 party leaders and their committed bureaucrats charged with serious corruption allegations.
Misappropriation of MGNREGS fund, massive corruption in job distribution and party’s involvement in Non Banking Financial Company’s (NBFC) scam in Tripura damaged the fame and glory of communists. In the last election in 2013, the party in power directly used a section of state civil service officers and lower grade employees for manipulating the electioneering. Even CPI-M intruded their large number of cadres in opposition’s rally when Prime Minister or any other central leader of Congress came for addressing public rally. It made a sense of satisfaction to the opposition and it also confused the central leadership but it was not reflected in the voting.
Tileswari Barua was a heroic, courageous, valiant twelve years teenage girl. Exactly 75 years ago, on 20 September 1942 Tileswari Barua laid down her life while trying to hoist the national flag at top of the police station in Dhekiajuli, Assam. Tileswari was the eldest of four children of Bhabakanta Barua of village Nij-Borgaon on the outskirts of Dhekiajuli. She was so influenced by the patriotic songs which the Congress volunteers were singing every day that she did not think once about her life when Mahatma Gandhi’s call for raising the national tricolor flag.
distribution and party’s involvement in Non Banking Financial Company’s (NBFC) scam in Tripura damaged the fame and glory of communists. In the last election in 2013, the party in power directly used a section of state civil service officers and lower grade employees for manipulating the electioneering. Even CPI-M intruded their large number of cadres in opposition’s rally when Prime Minister or any other central leader of Congress came for addressing public rally. It made a sense of satisfaction to the opposition and it also confused the central leadership but it was not reflected in the voting.