The MoA was signed between India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary M S Sriniwasan and US Under Secretary of the Department of Petroleum David K Garman here.The agreement establishes a mechanism to exchange hydrocarbon sector information between US Department of Energy's Information Administration and Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The key issue is the prototype fast breeder nuclear reactor at Kalpakam and at a couple of other places which are of strategic importance to India's interests.Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has made it clear that under no circumstances will they open these fast breeder reactors to international scrutiny.

The DAE is insisting that these reactors will have to be kept away from the civilian list in the nuclear deal and the US will have to agree upon this.The DAE is insisting that these reactors will have to be kept away from the civilian list in the nuclear deal and the US will have to agree upon this.

According to the sources, the Union Government is going to toe the line with the DAE that India's strategic interests will have to be safeguarded.The Indo-US nuclear deal is meant to legitimise and "normalise" India's nuclear weapons and facilitate resumption of civilian nuclear commerce with the US.Civilian nuclear exchanges with the US have been under technology embargoes since India first exploded a nuclear device in 1974.

Under the nuclear deal, the US will help India import uranium for non-military use for generating nuclear power.In exchange, India must give assurances that the uranium will not be diverted for bombs by placing all non-military nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.This means, these facilities will be watched by officials of the IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

However, India's military facilities will not be under safeguards, they can continue making bombs.In December, India gave the US a list of civilian nuclear facilities it is willing to put under safeguards.But in January, Washington said the list was too short and that India's fast breeder reactors must also be put under safeguards. (Agencies)

The MoU seeks to raise awareness and create trained human capital in IT and related areas in the North eastern region, a press statement from IGNOU said.(UNI)

The Supreme Court had last year struck down the IMDT Act saying there was no requirement for a separate law for Assam.A group of ministers had been constituted in the wake of the judgement to ensure minorities in the region are not affected. (Agencies)

Srinagar: At least 31 people were arrested and curfew imposed on Thursday in Leh town, where the army staged a flag march following clashes between Muslims and Buddhists triggered by reports of alleged desecration of the Quran at a Mosque in Kargil.

The state police has arrested 31 people so far in connection with the clashes, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) K Rajendra told PTI over phone from the Ladakhi capital.Kumar said the imposition of curfew and requisitioning of army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had been done as a precautionary measure.

A defence spokesman said the civil administration, sensing trouble, on Thursday sought army assistance in maintaining law and order in Leh following which five to six columns were rushed immediately to conduct a flag march.So far the situation was under control, he added.

Divisional commissioner Kashmir Basharat Ahmad Dhar and IGP Kumar have been camping in the Leh to monitor the situation.Clashes erupted between Muslims and Buddhists at Bodh Kharboo in Kargil area on Monday after some unidentified persons allegedly tore off pages of the holy book in a Mosque there.

The civil administration had enforced prohibitory orders in the Leh and Kargil towns to prevent a flare up in the situation but incidents of stoning houses and establishments of rival communities continued for two days.As tension mounted in the region, the civil administration decided to request army for help in maintaining law and order in this cold desert region of Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)

An official spokesman said that immediately after receiving news of the incident, the Chief Minister asked Director General of Police Gopal Sharma and other authorities concerned to take necessary action against the culprits involved in the attack.

According to a Greater Kashmir staffer, Mir and other activists of the JKLF-Nanaji Group, about 15 in number, visited the newspaper office at 6, Partap Park in the Press Enclave here and threatened the employees to publish a news item (press release).

As the staffers refused to "obey his orders", Mir and other activists of his group vandalised the office and seriously wounded four employees of the newspaper, he added.They also damaged several computers besides furniture, window- panes and other office accessories, the staffer said.

"It was a murderous assault," he added.

The newspaper has registered an FIR with the Kothi Bagh Police station here.(UNI)

The much-awaited OneIndia plan rollout will begin after the formal announcement by the telecom PSU which dominates telecom services across the country with more than 1.53 crore subscribers.

BSNL sources said that the new pulse rates for local calls will be three minutes while that for STD will be one minute. The government had earlier said that the OneIndia Plan to be launched on January one will have a flat tariff of Re one for any call within the country. The launch of the scheme had to be postponed twice as the Access Deficit Charge (ADC) Component had to be revised by TRAI as well as fixing rates for local calls. (UNI)

For more effective patrolling of the areas housing schools, the state capital has also been divided into nine security zones, official sources said. The Security Co-ordination Committee will be headed by Inspector General of Police, Central zone, Rajvardhan Sharma, and will comprise members from district police, principals of schools, officials of Human Resource Development department and those from parents’ associations. (PTI)

"It was around 8’o’ clock. The maid was shouting watchman...watchman. When I went up. I found her hanging right near the front of the door. So, the next thing I did was to inform the secretary and they informed the police," said Santosh, the watchman of the society. In a suicide note, Kuljeet said she was ending her life as she was unable to cope with life’s pressures.

Kuljeet, a well-known face in advertising, had worked in the commercials of a large number of companies like Pepsi, Whirlpool etc.After making a name for herself in advertising, she turned to acting and hit the small screen with hit serials like Special Squad, Kohinoor etc.She became extremely popular through her role as Shaina in Special Squad and as ‘Irawati Kohli’ in the serial Kohinoor.(ANI)

Kolkata: In the backdrop of growing strains with the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, CPI(M) Polit Bureau today deliberated on the strategy for the assembly elections in five states, including West Bengal and Kerala where Congress is its principal adversary.

The meeting was held at a time when the Left parties have developed sharp differences with the government’s stand on the Iran issue and several other matters including airport privatisation and FDI in retail."We are discussing the forthcoming elections in five states. The discussions are still on," CPI(M) patriarch Jyoti Basu said after the meeting which would continue on Friday.

Basu, as also West Bengal Secretary Anil Biswas, had on Wednesday sought to allay apprehensions about the Left parties drawing up plans to withdraw support to the UPA government.At the same time, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on Thursday sought to dispel the impression that Iran vote and airport privatisation issues were off the Left agenda.

"There is no question of shelving the issues of Iran vote and airport privatisation. These are the issues on which our opposition is very clearly known and that is the position we continue to hold today," Yechury told reporters.

The party, however, skirted the issue of supporting the Samajwadi Party’s plan to bring a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the UPA government over the Iran issue. (PTI)

In the case of the third girl, the teacher reportedly approached the family and offered them Rs 1.5 lakh to get the child aborted. But the parents refused and called a mahapanchayat (village committee meet) where other sixteen girls came forward and revealed that they too had been raped by their teachers.

Now, the extremely conservative community of Jats is furious and has threatened to kill the two accused teachers if the administration fails to take any swift action against them.The two accused teachers who taught Mathematics and Physical Education at the Durjanpur Senior Secondary School are now absconding.

The parents of the girl child who were initially reluctant to report to police have now lodged an FIR in the Durjanpur police station.S D M Mohammad Shahin, Durjanpur police station in-charge told the channel that "as per the information, father of one of the girls has come forward and lodged an FIR at the police station.

The FIR has been lodged under Section 676 B."

The Haryana Government has swung into action and has suspended seven members of the staff including the two accused teachers and the principal.Ajit Singh Sangwan, Joint Director of Education Haryana while expressing his dismay at the incident said that "they would do all in their power to apprehend the teachers and punish them,’ and informed that "all the teachers of the school are being transferred and a brand new staff is being brought in." (ANI)

New Delhi: Accusing the ruling UPA of attempting to overrule a parliamentary "consensus" during the NDA rule to outlaw lotteries across the country, the BJP on Thursday warned of an agitation if the Centre fell short of anything less than a national ban on lucky draws.

In the wake of Monday’s all-party meeting on an anti-lottery legislation, BJP Secretary Vijay Goel told reporters here state governments opposing such a law for economic reasons should explore other means to raise revenues."Revenue cannot be a justification to let any social evil like lotteries flourish.

Tomorrow, the same logic will be applied to legalise prostitution, gambling and a whole lot of other such activities," he said. After an all-party meeting, convened Monday by the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the Lotteries (Prohibition) Bill, 1999, the Centre said participants had supported effective regulation of lucky draws instead of a ban on them.

But the BJP leader alleged that the Central statement showed the Congress-led UPA was under pressure from the lottery mafia not to let the legislation get a parliamentary approval. "There seems to be pressure on the UPA from the lottery mafia to let this bill die, which we will not allow. The BJP will oppose any such attempt, even if it means agitations," he said.

The BJP leader, who claimed there was a Parliament consensus during the NDA rule to ban lotteries, also slammed the communists for allowing lotteries in the Left-ruled West Bengal.Other states where lotteries are allowed are Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra and the North-East. (PTI)

New Delhi: At least 863 wild birds have died from wetlands pollution or poisoning by humans in four places across the country in about a month, say experts.The shocking toll, including the deaths of 47 migratory birds in the Okhla area of the capital last Saturday, is the highest in three years, they say.

"We have collected the carcasses of 863 birds, but the actual number of deaths could be more," said Prakash Rao, senior coordinator, Worldwide Fund for Nature.

Rao said 2006 was turning out to be the worst year because for the first time in three years a large number of birds had died in such a short interval.This year migratory birds have died in Assam, Gujarat, Uttaranchal and Delhi. Some of the birds killed in poisoning incidents were lesser whistling teals, brown-headed gull, slender billed gull, shoveller duck, little egret and black-headed gull.

"We assume that the total number of deaths was more than what was reported because we could have lost a good number of birds that were killed in the four states," said N.V.K. Ashraf, director of the Wildlife Trust of India.

"We had received information of one or two deaths in the past, but the number was never so big."

The first incident occurred Jan 3 in Bokakhat, Assam, when around 150 lesser whistling teals were poisoned by inhabitants of the area with tea garden pesticides."It was found after investigations that these birds were poisoned by locals for consumption," said Ashraf. He added: "We had found 70 traditional traps and several packets of tea garden pesticides."

In a similar case in Jamnagar, Gujarat, 591 birds were killed after they were given food by people in the area. "All the birds died between Jan 11 and 18," said Ashraf. (IANS)

But when Rajiv did not find the bike promised to him by the girl’s family, he fled the scene and headed for Patna in Bihar. The bride’s family lodged a complaint with police and Rajib’s father, brother-in-law and the match-maker were arrested.(IANS)

New Delhi: New technologies will soon make the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in India easier and less costly, an expert said Thursday.

"The innovative technologies like narrow band imaging, Fuji intelligent chromo endoscope and polyfex stent would help in detecting cancer, especially gastrointestinal cancer, in its earlier stage with over 95 percent accuracy and help in preventing the disease from becoming deadly," said Randhir Sud, president of the Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy of India (SGEI).

"While the cost of the treatment currently varies between Rs.100,000 and Rs.150,000, the new technologies will reduce the charge to below Rs.50,000," Sud told reporters.

SGEI, a national body of gastroenterologists and endoscopists, is holding its sixth annual conference in which the new technologies will be introduced to the participants.The two-day conference, beginning Friday, has been organised this year by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, which will adopt these technologies in the near future.

The conference would also showcase endosonography-scopes and linear and radial endoscopes. While the former will perform ultrasound tests and endoscope tests through one machine, the latter would help in diagnosis and biopsy.

Sud said the narrow band imaging technology would help in getting the details of superficial tissues in the intestines and in recognising the disease even a year before it starts showing symptoms.The polyfex stent technology would also be handy in treating cancer in the food pipe.Around 600 doctors from across the country are expected to participate in the conference.(IANS)

The Chief Secretary will be the Chairman of the Board, while 15 more members would be drawn from various departments.The Chief Minister said the funds required for the Board would come from the National Medicinal Plant Board, while the State government and the NEC would also contribute.Though the work for the Board has initially started in 2004, the final draft was prepared in July last year.

Conceived by the Central government, the main purpose of the Board is to encourage cultivation of medicinal plants, so that the rural areas would have sustainable income. Of the 32 medicinal plants listed in the country, ten could be grown in Meghalaya.

Change of name :The Cabinet has decided to rename the Home (Jail) department as Prison department, while the State Revenue department would now be called Revenue and Disaster Management department. The Rehabilitation and Relief department will also merge with this.

SHILLONG: Chief Minister DD Lapang will be conferred with a second doctorate on February 11.The Serampore College Council recommended by the Senate of Serampore College will honour the Chief Minister with the Degree of Doctorate of Divinity (Honoris Causa) for his service to the Church and the society at the Serampore College Council in Serampur.

The first Doctorate of Divinity conferred on Chief Minister was by Bangalore Synod of International Council of Education.

As the Heritage Committee entrusted to look into the State government's request for removal of the heritage tag from the century-old Meghalaya House building at Russell Street in Kolkata is yet to make any decision, Mr Lapang decided to visit and personally take up the matter with his West Bengal counterpart.The Heritage Committee after its first meeting recently decided to inspect the building.

The Chief Minister said besides the discussion on Meghalaya House, tourism related issues would also be taken up with the West Bengal government.Revocation of heritage status to the building by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is necessary to start the construction of the new Meghalaya House.The process involved in having the heritage tag removed has delayed the construction work since the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the building in July last year.

The secretary of the Inquiry Commission, Mr Jopthiaw Lyngdoh, in a statement issued here on Thursday said the last date for submission of written statements on knowledge or acquaintance of the killings has been extended to February 25.He said the statements are to be submitted personally or through counsel at the office of Commission of Inquiry at Tura between 10 am and 3 pm on any working day. It can also be sent by registered posts.

The Commission secretary said the statements and accompanying affidavits should be in English. However, if they are in any other language, it should also be accompanied by a translation done by a first class magistrate or any other authority empowered to administer oath or advocate, he said.

SHILLONG: The lingering controversy over border fencing has not died down merely with some reassuring words from Union Minister of State for Home Affairs.The Rangbah Shnongs of border villages in East Khasi Hills, the landowners and the members of different NGOs including a few from the Coordination Committee on International Border (CCIB) have come up with a new demand that the border fencing to be constructed only along the zero line.

The CCIB, which is spearheading a movement against the fencing of international border in Meghalaya, along with the Rangbah Shnongs and the landowners had a meeting with the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Mr DP Wahlang and the BSF Commandant from Dawki on Thursday. They wanted the fencing works to be kept in abeyance in all the disputed areas till fresh demarcation is made.

It may be mentioned that the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr S Ragupathy, who visited the border on Wednesday, had assured that works would be suspended in the disputed areas and the interest of the local people would be protected.

But the members expressed their strong opposition to the fencing coming up within 150 metres of the zero line. They argued that a major portion of their cultivable land would go to Bangladesh for this."We welcome the fencing of border only if the Centre ensures that it would be along the zero line", they said, adding that otherwise the local people would oppose fencing works in areas under their possession.

Another issue, which evoked sharp criticism from the local people, is the recent survey conducted by the BSF and the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) in the border areas of East Khasi Hills without having any consultation with the Rangbah Shnongs and landowners.The Deputy Commissioner admitted that while conducting a survey, the BSF and NBCC should consult the concerned Rangbah Shnongs and land owners.

However, with regard to the fencing works coming within the zero-line area, Mr Wahlang tried to convince the members saying that the border fencing within 150 metres from zero line is an international norm, which the Government of India cannot violate. Hence, he said he was not in a position to commit anything in this regard and added the matter would be taken up with the Centre.

As per the initial report, the fire started from the quarter of the hostel warden. The quarters of nurses and students were completely gutted by fire. Hostel warden and many students are away for holiday.

In a separate incident, a house in Mawkyrwat was partially gutted on Wednesday night, following bursting of its fireplace.Police said the house of Mrs Dinata Snaitang was partially damaged and the loss could be to the tune of Rs 25,000.

SHILLONG : The Association of Power Engineers (APE) has demanded a written assurance from the MeSEB management ensuring that the proposed restructuring of the power board would not affect the interest of employees.

In a letter to the MeSEB Chairman P J Bazeley here on Thursday, the power engineers' body termed the proposal of the PFC to extend the retirement age of Directors to 65 years as "unfair". It also said that matters related to promotion as per MeSEB Service Regulations 1996 were not clearly mentioned.

"We do not have any objection to the restructuring of the MeSEB as proposed if the terms and conditions of transfer of employees are not in any way less favourable to those enjoyed by employees and also the retirement benefits. The conditions laid down in the existing MeSEB Service Regulations 1996 must be protected," the APE said.

The engineers' body also said that regarding the matters related to deployment of employees, the management should ensure that pay structure for all cadres in line with other electricity boards of the region. It also asked the authorities to ensure equal treatment to all employees in terms of placement, promotion and pay scale.

Meanwhile, the All MeSEB Employees' and Staff's Union (AMESU) in a statement issued here said that there should be no partial implementation of the reforms and restructure rules of the MeSEB until the same was fully examined by the recognised employees unions and associations of the power board.

Informing this, the AMESU chairman W Kharnaior said that the recent general meeting of the Union resolved to demand promotion of all senior employees irrespective of posts before corporatisation of MeSEB and settling of service books of employees to avoid any difficulty at the time of their retirement.

"The corporatisation of MeSEB should take place only after full implementation of the pay revision of January 1, 2005. There should be no partial implementation of the reforms and restructuring of the Board as the matter is being examined by the recognised unions and associations," Mr Kharnaior said.

On the controversial move to extend the service of certain officials of the Board, the Union said that such proposal would become acceptable if it covered all existing employees and not just a few.

The shopkeepers' organisation said that the order issued by the District Labour Office was unacceptable since most of the shopkeepers were earning their income from petty business at Iewduh. It also opposed the move to register all shops within the market. According to a statement issued here, the Syiem had assured to look into the matter while stating that the authorities should first intimate him on any matter related to Iewduh as it wasl under his jurisdiction and control.

Inaugurating the function at Don Bosco Youth Centre, Laitumkhrah, Vice Chancellor NEHU, Shillong, Dr Pramod Tandon called for wider steps for the spread of Hindi language in the North Eastern states, through distant learning mode especially in the remote tribal areas and among the youth.He hoped that the seminar would help to remove problems faced in teaching Hindi by teachers in Meghalaya.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Deputy Secretary Education Department S F Khongwir, Vice Chairman KSHM, Agra Prof Kamla Prasad, Coordinator CIH, Shillong Dr R K Pandey.

Shillong: It took the life of an innocent boy to expedite the construction work for the Iew Mawlong-Motphran road with authorities ordering contractors to complete the work within this month.

A visit by this reporter to the site showed labourers working day and night to complete the road repair particularly at the the Mawngap taxi stand near Motphran. Machineries like cement concrete mixers were used by contractors to speed up the work while labourers were engaged on day and night shifts for the purpose.

"This is intriguing. What they can not do for so long has been made possible now that too after the loss of a precious life" a local shopkeeper said adding that authorities so far had remained passive with nothing done to ensure that the road construction work was completed in time.

It may be recalled that a young newspaper hawker - Wanlistar Lyngkhoi (12) died after he was crushed by a Sohra bound mini bus (ML05E-1255) on January 31. The victim was trying to negotiate between the moving traffic and the steel rod netting put up by contractors who could not complete repair of a portion of the road.

The road construction work which was executed by PWD (Central Division) had remained pending for about two months although the bigger portion of the road from Iew Mawlong till Sohra Sumo stand had been completed.The delay according to authorities was due to splitting of the work between various contractors with some of them failing to carry out the work soon after they were issued the final work order by the department. This had also led to other inconveniences to pedestrians and commuters besides traffic jam along this most congested road of the city.

Meanwhile, most people have asked the PWD and the Urban Affairs department to make stringent measure to ensure that the quality of road construction along the Iew Mawlong-Motphran road was not compromised. They have also complained regarding lack of better footpaths and drainage including toilet facility in the area.

Addressing a gathering during the inaugural function of Certified Organic Products Exhibition-cum-Sale at Anton Hall, Mr Wahlang said the Agriculture department and RRTC could device out some kind of strategy, which might help the State government to encourage the farmers to go for organic farming.

"When there is a need to change, we should not shy away from it. We cannot bring about changes in weeks and months as it involves a huge amount of money and also proper and thorough investigation on the subject", Mr. Wahlang said, while asserting that in the present scenario, "we cannot deny that organic farming is better than the farming with chemical fertilizers as it does not harm human health or life span".

He said that the Northeastern Region has a better chance to improve their agricultural practices in comparison to the States in plain belt areas because of its richness in bio-diversity.

Director of RRTC Fr Mathew Payapilly said that the need of the hour is to review the method of cultivation. It is important to have the credit support from the different banks, which would enable the farmers to sustain in the long run, he said.

SHILLONG: The State government has once again urged the Centre to allot fund for raising 5th police battalion (3rd IRBN) a plea that was not upheld so far.State Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh took up the matter with the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mr S Ragupathy during the latter's visit to the State.Mr Lyngdoh apprised the Union Minister of the fact that Meghalaya was in need of one IR Battalion for East Garo Hills District in view of critical law and order situation.

The Minister also informed Mr Ragupathy that an appropriate site was selected, land acquisition process was initiated and posts were also being created for raising the Battalion.The Centre had sanctioned one IR Battalion to Meghalaya on March 21 in 2003 at a cost of Rs 13 crore through diversion of funds that was set aside for raising a battalion in Tamil Nadu.

After the sanction, steps had also been taken to process the matter. However as the cost of raising the battalion as asked by Meghalaya on July 18 in 2001 was Rs 15 crore, the Centre was sought to enhance the amount in 2003.

The State government wanted Rs 3.25 crore more to meet the expenses for raising the Battalion. But the Centre on October 26 last withdrew the sanction in view of the State government's failure to indicate the target date by which the IR Battalion would be raised. That the Centre had earlier withdrawn the sanction, the Union Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs has been appraised of the situation afresh and is urged to accord a fresh sanction for raising the Battalion on a contemporary estimate.

With the strength of more than 10,000 personnel, the Meghalaya Police has requested the Centre to arrange funds for acquiring land, which would be necessary to set up at least seven training centres in the State.

In a memorandum to Mr S Ragupathy, the State government said it desired to establish Armed Police Training Centre, Armed Branch Recruit Training Centre, Fire and Emergency Service Training School, Disaster Management Training Centre with Medical Facilities, Trauma Establishment of Moderate Size Training Centre for Jungle Warfare and Counter Insurgency, Arms, Ammunition, Explosives Depots and Arm Repairing Facilities Centre for Northeast and the Headquarters of National Highway Patrol Scheme. At least 1200 acres of land have been identified in Ri-Bhoi district and the State government wanted the Centre to provide funds for acquiring the land.

Shillong: The Garo Students' Union (GSU) Khasi Hills Zone has reacted strongly to the statement by Health Minister and Rajabala legislator Sayeedulah Nongrum in a section of the press in which he charged the students' body of being a tool of former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma.

In a statement issued here, the GSU said that Mr Nongrum should pay more attention to issues like development of his own constituency instead of making accusations against the students' body leaders while it also asked him to prove his allegation.

"Earlier we had strongly said that none of the GSU leaders should support any political leaders but at the same time we are opposed to Mukul Sangma for depriving our democratic rights on September 30 last year. Where was Mr Nongrum when we want to meet him after the tragic incident" the GSU Khasi Hills Zone statement said.

The statement also GSU leaders are not brainless or without any feeling for their own community that they would play to the tunes of any politicians. It also condemned the allegation by Mr Nongrum that GSU leader Aldo Sangma stayed at the house of Purno Sangma and termed the charges as "election propaganda".

At no time in the history of Meghalaya has a Chief Minister been so obligated to his Chief Secretary. We are referring here to none other than Mr DD Lapang and his indispensable Chief Secretary Mr PJ Bazeley. Due to retire this month, Mr Bazeley has been very candid about his own position. If his services are extended he would not be averse to accepting the extra time. Meanwhile, there is a hullabaloo by the usual nitpickers about how they are going to oppose Mr Lapang’s grandiose plans.

While the issue of extension of services is one that has dogged the state not once or twice but several times over, no Chief Secretary has in recent memory enjoyed an extended tenure. The rules of the game are clear. No officer is indispensable. Mr Lapang has lauded Mr Bazeley for raking in profits for the MeSEB. Well, that is part of a CEO’s job in every company. If a CEO drowns his company in debts he would be fired. That is the principle upon which every commercial venture operates. And the MeSEB is no different. Mr Bazeley is only doing his job. The person who replaces him is also expected to follow suit.

By supporting Mr Bazeley’s extension of service, Mr Lapang is insulting the entire bureaucracy but more so its top echelons. They are being shown in poor light. More as children of a lesser God who are incapable of fitting in to Bazeley’s moccasins. As usual, Mr Lapang never seriously considers the consequences of his actions. He is about to demoralize the bureaucracy by playing favourites. Now how does this sort of favouritism develop, one might ask.

Those who have observed Mr Lapang’s style of functioning have also seen how dependent the Chief Minister is on Mr Bazeley. In fact Mr Lapang is more inclined to trust his Chief Secretary than his cabinet colleagues. This present government has achieved little for the State. But individuals in the government have allegedly made tremendous profit from it. This channel of personal aggrandisement is what Mr Lapang is trying to hold on to. Some other officer stepping in now could upset the well-oiled machinery of deal-making. Mr Lapang is therefore only safeguarding his own interests. l.

No one will deny that Mr Bazeley is one among the few tribals officers whose cerebral aptitude is outstanding. But whether that has benefited the state in any way is the moot point. Mr Bazeley did not join service yesterday. He had a long innings and opportunities galore to display his merit. There are several contentious issues that plague Meghalaya from time to time. One cannot recall him going out of his way to resolve any of those issues. For instance when he became the Chief Secretary many believed that he would kick-start some of the long overdue projects such as the Shillong by-pass etc. But this has remained a distant dream. The Shillong by-pass is no longer a political issue. It is an issue that a committed bureaucrat who knows his way in the corridors of Delhi could have cleared of all hurdles.

About the only thing worth celebrating in his tenure is the rotary at Khyndailad which was completed in record time. But even here there are unpleasant allegations of over-spending. Nevertheless one might ask, why is it that project successful and others not? This is a question that Mr Bazeley could perhaps give a clear answer to. But our guess is that if the government is serious about doing something it will find the money to do that. So all the failed projects are not about not having money.

Coming to the MeSEB, Dr Donkupar Roy the honourable Power Minister who is also in charge of Finance has been blowing hot and cold. The man has amply demonstrated by his actions that he does not have a mind of his own. Therefore his opinions are also not his own. It is therefore very boring to listen to people who only mimic their master’s voices. On the corporatisation of the MeSEB Dr Roy is tentative. He does not know what to say. He changes his stance evey day because he has to take the cue from his boss the Chief Minister. Is this not a pathetic situation. Can we compare this man to the intellectually suave P Chidambaram, the Union Finance Minister - an economist par excellence? That is what is expected of all finance ministers. Unfortunetaly, here in our state we have to look at party accommodation instead of talents. So we have square pegs firmly rooted in round holes where they are in terrible discomfiture.

To Mr Bazeley’s credit he has worked out the corporatisation package very neatly and also sees himself as the team leader. But whether the political climate will allow that kind of smooth take-over is very doubtful what with the flag bearers and keepers of social conscience getting active after their short hibernation post MBOSE. Here again we have a piquant situation. The same people object to different things at different times while the rest of the population remain silent spectators. In fact at this very moment people are whetting their appetites to watch the game from the ringside. No one will be bothered to speak up and be counted. So-called ‘NGOs’ (spitfires) will be engaged in the numbers game. There will be a confederation of so many organizations coming under one banner. The funny part is that we never get to count those organizations and to find out how many members each one has. But never mind the numbers; the high sounding acronyms are enough to give Mr Lapang sleepless nights.

In all this ruckus all the development plans of the state will be temporarily shelved because the district heads will be fully involved with keeping the peace. This time if the spitfires really mean action then it will be a record of sorts. The fight will be over a bureaucrat whose retirement or non-retirement has become the bone of contention. What a waste of precious time over a non-issue.

Mr Bazeley has himself proclaimed that if he hangs up his boots in the Meghalaya Secretariat today, there are many others who would be willing to use his talents. Well then why wait to leave with a bitter taste. Is it not better to move on from the Secretariat to greener pastures and perhaps a better pay package. The good thing about every good thing is to know when to leave. And the quick-witted Chief Secretary should know this better than anyone else. As we bid goodbye to Mr Bazeley we also wish him a stupendous future where the impediments of political filibustering will not hamper his pursuits.

It was an ornate gold bracelet made in Berhampur, Bengal, in early 20th century. A gift from my grandma, it was a treasured family heirloom. "Keep it carefully", she had told me on my 17th birthday."Wear it as a bride and later, too. It will always be with you as a reminder of your Dida". I had done as she had said, wearing it at all special occasions. And people would never fail to notice it.

The bracelet connected me somehow to the ancestral home I had heard so much about but never been able to visit. On a trip back from Berkeley, California, I lost it. Was it on the plane?

At the airport? Or somewhere in between? It had been a rainy night. I was sleepy when I got off at Kennedy airport at 2 a.m. and boarded the late-night bus. I remembered I had put the bracelet in a small shopping bag for 'safekeeping'.It was the shopping bag I'd dropped off somewhere. After several calls, I found the number of Carlos. "Yes, I look after the main 'lost and found' at JFK airport", he said, "but we haven't come across a shopping bag. If we hear something, I'll call".

One day, Carlos called. My heart skipped a beat when he said the shopping bag had been found on the late-night bus. But there was nothing in it. My last hope of retrieving the bracelet was gone.My thoughts went back to my grandma as a very young bride, wearing the bangle, and entering for the first time the house in Berhampur. The only thing I had as a keepsake from those times was gone.

I was walking around the house listlessly when the phone rang. To my amazement, I heard Carlos say, "The late-night bus driver got off duty and noticed something in the seat just behind his own. It fell out of the bag.You can call the postal service to have it picked up". I called the postal service, and the next day their truck came to my door with a package containing my bracelet. It was while signing the delivery slip that I noticed the date. It was my Dida's anniversary.(By arranegement with The Times of India)

Sir,

The issue of influx from outside the country has finally awoken the Centre from its slumber, acknowledging that this menace poses a serious threat to national security, economical interests and also towards the delicate northeastern region which is already at the receiving end of this menace. West Bengal, Assam and Tripura are already facing tremendous pressures created by this uncontrolled influx. When one ponders about influx, why is it taking time to implement the National ID Card system and the National Citizen's Register? Is it due to the chances of losing out on the 'minority' vote bank or is it something else? No one thinks who actually allows this to happen, even in our state most parts of Garo Hills and Jaintia Hills are reeling under this 'invasion'. It is ironic that certain politicians have occasionally indulged in vote bank politics, and why talk only about Bangladeshi influx? What about the influx that happens in Block I and II. Is the society bold enough to identify who is behind this kind of patronization? This is one part that civil society including all those social groups should be vigilant as the times ahead would witness severe pressures in every form upon our society and community.

Yours etc,
Dominic S. Dkhar,
New Delhi
Via e-mail

Sir,

It refers to Union government rightly deciding to merge local taxes in net printed and payable price of medicines. Government should also bring medicines under Packaged-Commodities-Act whereby drug-manufacturers may be asked to adopt metric-formula of packing all medicines in either packs of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 100, 200, 500 or 1000 units, gms or litres and thereafter in similar multiples of bigger measures in kgs or ltrs unless permission is taken from Union Health Ministry for some different pack for dose-wise administration. This will avoid cheating of consumers by gimmick packing; like cough lozenges are also packed in strips of eight lozenges instead of normal ten because consumer normally judges the price per strip! To avoid duplication of authority, drugs and medicines should be under Union Health Ministry rather than Union Ministry of Chemicals.

Yours etc,
Madhu Agrawal
New Delhi

Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, AGP president Brindabon Goswami said they had got the inkling of the Congress design following the "emotional outburst" of two-time Congress MP Ranee Narah on Wednesday for the party's internal politics.Mr Narah had alleged that at the behest of Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, the Congress had made arrangement for rigging and in fact she demanded President's Rule.

According to her, Mr Sharma through the Assam Electronic Development Corporation (AMTRON) had hatched a "conspiracy to pre-programme the EVMs in favour of the Congress."

Her outburst had shocked and highly embarrassed the Government and the party and Assam Minister of State for Finance Himanta Biswa Sharma hurriedly called a press conference on Thursday morning and said the Congress leader's allegation was baseless and "She had lost mental balance."

"Their own leaders are alleging that. As the Congress has realised that their Government is not returning, they are not taking any chance. We shall raise the matter before the Election Commission and urge them for taking stringent action to stop the planned conspiracy," he said.

Mr Sharma, however, refuted the allegation saying that EC had never made AMTRON as the nodal agency to service the EVMs so question of programming the same did not arise. Supporting Ms Narah's stand, Mr Goswami said under the circumstance any poll would not be free and fair.

BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan on Thursday said the BJP would play a key role in the next government formation in Assam.Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, Mr Mahajan, who is the party in-charge of Assam, said the poll verdict in 2006 would be fractured and no government could be formed without the support of the BJP.

''Given an opportunity, we like to be the king. But we will not like to term ourselves as kingmaker. We can say that the key to Dispur will be with us,'' he said.

The BJP is contesting nearly 115 seats of the 126 seats in Assam and the party is upbeat of bettering its previous performances when its highest tally was 10. (UNI)

While expressing solidarity with the people of the plain belt who are affected by flood every year, Mr Lapang alleged that the former MP had never took up the matter with the Central Government to solve the problem.The Chief Minister also addressed a public meeting at Rajabala. He was accompanied by Health Minister Sayeedullah Nongrum and other officials.

Imphal: Three unidentified gunmen shot at and critically wounded an Imphal-based senior journalist and general secretary of the All Manipur Working Journalsits' Union on Thursday morning at his Uripok Bachaspati Leikai home in Imphal.

Ratan Luwangcha, the chief of bureau of 'Poknapham', the most popular vernacular Daily of Imphal, sustained two bullet injuries and he was operated upon at the Shija Hospitals at Langol. One bullet passed through his abdomen while the other passed through the left thigh.

Doctors said his condition is serious and he is in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Doctors said one bullet caused extensive damage to his internal organs.The journalist fraternity of Manipur condemned the attack and demanded arrest and punishment of the culprits.(NNN)

GUWAHATI: There was a sea of humanity along the route from the airport here to the city heart on Thursday to have a glimpse of the country's latest singing sensation from the North-East, Debojit Saha, one of the two finalists of the Zee TV's much-watched Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, 2005.

It took volunteers from the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) over three hours of torrid time to travel the mere 22 km stretch escorting Debojit from the airport to the city heart. He was stopped and felicitated by people and his admirers at least at ten points along the route. The AASU has been instrumental in launching a region-wide campaign seeking vote for Debojit from the people of the region.

It happens to be the first home coming for the young singer for Silchar in Assam after he had left for Mumbai in July, 2002 to test his musical talent in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge quitting a stable job of an assistant engineer in Assam PWD.

"The support I have been receiving from the people of the North-East particularly from Assam during my journey through Sa Re Ga Ma Pa episodes in Zee TV has been overwhelming. I am groping for the right word to express my feeling on seeing the massive turn out waiting for me on the street here," Debojit said while talking to the media at the AASU office here.

"For me the people of the region has turned out to be a super power that has shaken up Mumbai," he said. "People of the region hardly knew me when I had left for Mumbai in the year 2002 to earn a place for myself in the big league of music in the country. Today because of affection showered on me by the people of the country especially those from the Northeast I am being loved so much.," said Debojit.

The boy from Silchar aspires to become a top-bracket play back singer in the country to fulfill the dream of his mother who is unfortunately no more. He has come closer to fulfill his dream given that noted music director Ismail Darbar, his guru in the Zee TV programme, has promised to utilise him as a play back singer in his next film. Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali of Devdas and Black fame too has shown interests in Debojit. About his competitor in the grand finale, Debojit said: "Vineet is like younger brother to me. Winning is not the only objective for which I am in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. I am there to help myself do well ."

Welcoming Debojit and hailing his feat, the AASU adviser Dr S Bhattacharyya said, " Debojit is a glaring example of the power of the music to unite people. He said showed the country that there is a part of the country beyond Kolkata in the east."