Kicking off his party's election campaign at a public meeting at Lumpyngngad here, senior NCP leader Purno A Sangma alleged that development had not reached people of the State due to corruption, bad governance and political instability during the five-year tenure of the Congress-led Government.

He said "change" was becoming a topic of constant public discussion in Meghalaya as the people were fed up with corruption, non-performance and frequent change of governments.

Mr Sangma appealed to the people to look beyond their constituencies and see the larger political situation in the State, claiming that only NCP could provide strong leadership, good governance, stability and a policy of inclusiveness in the State.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker said NCP, if voted to power, would bring legislation for creation of an alternate mechanism for direct funding to traditional institutions as per Constitutional provisions, besides generating employment avenues for educated youth.

NCP will release its poll manifesto on January 18.

Mr Sangma also said Congress and UDP could not name their chief ministerial candidates due to internal problems, whereas NCP had already projected him as party the candidate for the top post because people needed to know who should lead the State before giving their mandate in the Assembly elections.

"Can the Congress leadership name its chief ministerial candidate? Can UDP say who will be its candidate for Chief Minister? I challenge these parties to do that. People have every right to know that before casting their vote," the NCP leader said.

The Congress dream of sweeping the recent Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh did not come true because of the party's failure to declare its chief ministerial candidate before the polls, Mr Sangma added.

Meanwhile, NCP candidate for Malki-Nongthymmai constituency Jemino Mawthoh said people of the State were "elated" after Mr Sangma's decision to come back to State politics.

"During the past 35 years of statehood, we have got 18 governments instead of seven. This speaks volumes about the political situation in Meghalaya. Infighting in political parties has really affected overall development of the State," Mr Mawthoh said.

"For the last five years, they (MDA allies) have been sleeping together on the same bed and eating from the same plate, but now they are biting each other," he remarked.

Participating in another election rally at Mawlai Mawiong in the city, Mr Sangma expressed the hope that 2008 would see a positive change in State politics with youth taking Meghalaya to a better future. 

"I decided to come back to State politics to act as a guiding force for the youth who would take up the responsibilities of leading the State in the years to come," he said.

The NCP would fight the coming elections with a combination of experience and youth. This time, 75 per cent of NCP candidates are aged below 35 years, Mr Sangma said.

He called upon the people to elect representatives who would work not only for their respective constituencies but also for development of the whole State.

NCP candidate for Mawlai constituency C Lamin also addressed the rally.

In a novel initiative, the newly-formed Meghalaya Citizens for Change (MCC) is planning to circulate pamphlets containing specific queries which voters could ask candidates during poll campaigns in their constituencies.

"This will help voters gauge the seriousness of a candidate standing for elections and his concern about the issues at stake," MCC president Manas Chaudhuri told reporters on Saturday.

Further, the organisation will frame a pledge on various issues pertaining to public good, which each candidate contesting the polls would be asked to sign.

According to Mr Chaudhuri, MCC will also organise public meetings in various parts of the city to sensitise people about the need for political change, good governance and corruption-free administration.

SHILLONG: Pressure is mounting on the MDA Government to scrap the controversial power deal with two Opposition legislators AL Hek (BJP) and Manas Chaudhuri (Ind) demanding a White Paper from the State Government on the issue and lending support to NGOs who have raised their voice against the "shady deal."

The MDA Government ought to come out with a White Paper before Assembly election is announced giving all aspects of the deal," Mr Chaudhuri said at a joint press conference here on Saturday.

Mr Chaudhuri also strongly criticised Deputy Chief Minister Mukul Sangma for not adequately clearing the air of misgivings on the power projects deal and questioned Mr Sangma for not clarifying on several aspects of the deal during his recent press conference on the issue.

"On what basis were five companies chosen? What are their credentials and track records? What are the financial terms by which the companies were chosen? We want to know the broad considerations by which the deal was struck. The Power Minister is answerable to the people on this matter," Mr Chaudhuri said. The Independent legislator also termed the present MDA Government as "a bundle of contradictions," adding that ministers were giving statements against each other on the power deal.

"In my view, they (ministers) should have quit the government instead of clinging on to power," he said.

While attacking the State Government for "merely holding power and doing nothing," Mr Chaudhuri said even President's Rule would have been a better choice for the State rather than having a government in which everyone was looking for a piece of the pie. "MDA's was the only government in the country which did not have its own Common Minimum Programme and described it as a lame duck government which has been drifting. The Chief Minister is not in the control of things and has no control over his ministers," Mr Chaudhuri observed.

Mr Chaudhuri also said in order to bring a perceptible change to the State's infrastructure, a new government that would come to power in the State should have proper planning on all sectors, besides setting up consultative committees in various departments with experts on various disciplines to lay out priorities for the State.

Demanding scrapping of the "dubious" power deal, Mr Hek said if the government failed to read the writing on the wall, all forces opposed to it would unite for a common cause. He said filing RTI and PIL were options that were open before the people.

Speaking at the inauguration function of the indoor stadium at Mawlai Phudmuri here on Saturday, Lapang said NEIGRIHMS has been facing difficulties in recruiting faculty staff as qualified persons are reluctant to apply for jobs in the institution due to threat perceived by them about Meghalaya.

He said the institute had advertised around 300 plus vacancies of faculty staff last year but only 60 candidates came forward to apply against those vacancies.

"After threadbare discussion on the problem, the State government has decided to seek the help of AIIMS, Christian Medical College, Vellore and other renowned hospital in the country to set up consultation centre by NEIGRIHMS," Lapang stated adding some of these hospitals had agreed to send their doctors to assist NEIGRIHMS and also to set up a consultation centers in the institute.

Moreover, the Chief Minister said even major potential investors, who had shown interest to make investment in the State, are retrieving back from their commitment which is huge setback for the State.

"There is a need to remove the "fear psychosis" among people from outside by taking the responsibility of improving the law and order problem," Mr Lapang added.

Speaking as the chief guest, State Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee hailed the influence of Swamiji on the Indian youth, which has made India shine at the global level. "People in the West are beginning to recognise the values of India due to its dynamic youth," Chatterjee said while calling upon the youth of Meghalaya to make the State shine by taking full advantage of their creative skills. Others who spoke on the occasion include Prof SR Joshi and Centre-in-Charge of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Cultural Centre Swami Achyuteshanandaji Maharaj. The Chief Secretary also released the new prospectus of the institute at the function.

The highlights of the programme included a reunion of nearly 300 former students of the Mission's computer unit and a debate on the theme 'Indian youth: Are they ahead of their counterparts in rest of the world'.

Addressing a press conference, HNPF president Ronnie Rani said that the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) had failed to impose trading license on Munshis who were presently carrying out coal trade freely.

"For so long these Munshis are taking advantage of the failure of the authorities to deal with such illegal business transaction. They not only exploit coal trade at the cost of local traders but are also involved in various nefarious activities" Mr Rani alleged.

While stating that the matter had been brought to the attention of the State Government, Jaintia Hills district administration and JHADC since May last year but no action was taken by them to deal with the problem.

The HNPF leader also said that unless the authorities concede to the demand of the organisation within ten days from January 14, his organisation would go for agitation in protest against the adamant attitude of the State Government.

Mr Rani also demanded that authorities should conduct checking of load capacity for all trucks plying in the highways instead of targeting only coal trucks.

He also said that checking of trucks should be done round the clock in order to ensure that none of them were discriminated.

The 'top-ups' will have calling values inbuilt in them with zero validity. A special voucher of Rs 99 with a validity of 30 days, having an STD pack, allows a customer to make an STD call to anywhere in India at a flat rate of just Rs1.20 per minute. All local and national SMSs will also be charged at 50 paise per message.

The Rs 75 and Rs 80 (30 days validity) value vouchers allowed a customer to make local calls at reduced rates as low as 30 paise per minute. The former will be applicable for non-lifetime customers whereas the latter will be applicable for lifetime customers only.

Aircel has also introduced a special Rs 25 value voucher which is a night pack with special off-peak rates having a validity of 30 days.

The recent electoral drubbing in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab has unnerved the Congress party. It is in a reformative mood to retrieve the lost ground and make the party relevant to the changing political equations in the country. It has recently constituted 13-member AICC committee-Group to Look into Future Challenges-which soon submit a report to the party president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, with far-reaching recommendations aimed at rejuvenating the party from AICC and PCC down to DCC and panchayat and booth levels-by making the constitution and functioning of these party panels democratic by doing away with the age-old 'nomination raj', thrived on patronage system.

The AICC functionaries would like to even equate the ongoing Congress exercise to how the Labour Party had tried to reinvent itself when confronted by the Margaret Thatcher era, even though the circumstances and priorities of the British experiment were quite different.

The report will deal with the task of making the 'top-heavy' Congress system more sensitive to the challenges and aspirations on the grassroots level and will also try to make the candidates selection process for various elections more local-centric, based on organisational merits than the much abused loyalty quotient. In a way, the report will be an attempt to recognise the 'limits of the high command' and accept the importance of the long-neglected Congress foot-soldiers, shaping the destiny of the party.

The year ended with a successive fourth defeat in Gujarat. Not only did the party lose, it hardly dented the huge lead built up by Chief Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, who has been in campaign mode ever since the warning bell sounded in the last Lok Sabha poll where the Congress actually led in a majority of Assembly segments. In just 42 months Congress slipped from leading in 91 segments to winning just 61 seats in a 182-member House.

Even this pales in comparison with the scene that unfolded in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi's campaign did little to retrieve his party's fortunes. It stayed in fourth place in a state that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The clear mandate given to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party saw her forge a new rainbow coalition cutting across traditional caste and communal divides. By the year end, she was busy taking her message to states in the west, north and south. Social harmony, not caste assertion, was her watchword.

This twin assault on the Congress from the chief opposition party, the BJP, and from the youngest but most dynamic of the all India parties, the BSP, is what will pose a challenge in the days ahead. Paradoxically, the coalition government itself looks a lot more stable. A revitalised Hindutva party will make the Left think twice about forcing a mid-term poll. But governmental stability may come at a cost if the chief political entity at the core of the alliance continues to be in disarray.

Drift, even more than internal strife, marks the Congress as it moves towards the last laps of the five year cycle of a government. In times past, it ran the country on its own. It was not constrained by allies. More than that, it had ideas aplenty about what to do when things looked awry.

Even prime ministers with a minority on the floor were able to prevail on their adversaries. Indira Gandhi did so in 1969-70 by changing the terms of the political debate. She took the plunge and dissolved the Lok Sabha ahead of schedule and secured a clear majority. P.V. Narasimha Rao ran a minority ministry for just over two years from mid-1991 on. Even though he led the party to a rout, he left an indelible imprint on the economic landscape.

The comparisons are misleading. In the past, the Congress never came to power with as thin a lead in the popular vote. Even adding up the vote share of all its allies, the United Progressive Alliance polled only 39.8 per cent of the popular vote in May 2004. It was ahead of the rival Vajpayee led alliance but only by a whisker. The gap was half of one per cent.

More crucial is another figure: the Congress was on its own larger than the Bharatiya Janata Party. But it only achieved this prize status by entering into pre-poll alliances with dominant regional players. In his incisive work, The Congress: Indira to Sonia, the veteran party watcher, Vijay Sanghvi, shows how the Congress won as few as 83 seats on its own.

A weak party at the apex could still have seized the political high ground and redefined the terms of the debate. This is precisely what Indira Gandhi did at the end of the Sixties. Confronted with a mutiny within and a unified Opposition without, she chose to redefine the contours of the battlefield. It is important to recall this was before there was any hint of a family-based succession system in the party. It was also at a time when most of today's regional parties barring those in Punjab and Tamil Nadu did not exist in any tangible shape or form.

Yet, there were other remarkable similarities of the political climate. The US was engaged then as now in a land war in Asia. Maoism was a major challenge in political as much as security terms. There was a spring in the step of the Jana Sangh which was a power sharer in several state governments. Rural India was in a state of ferment. The Dalit Panthers had caught the imagination of a new, militant generation among the Scheduled Castes. What Indira managed to do for a brief political moment was to pick an issue that combined substance with symbol? The abolition of poverty was not only a watchword to power but a means to capture the political imagination.

By comparison, it is the Congress and not the country that seems to have regressed in time. Rather than set an agenda, it has allowed itself to be guided by a bureaucratic approach to the task of winning the hearts of the common man and woman.

Economic growth means little when price rise puts cereals, and even more so pulses and cooking oil out of the reach for so many. The rural jobs scheme has no political back up to ensure it rebuilds loyalties on the ground. Rural uplift can mean little when the issues that afflict the farm sector merit little by way of concrete attention.

This gap is equally evident on the political front. As for the minorities, the rhetoric on riot victims in Gujarat is not matched by action in Maharashtra now under Congress rule for the better part of a decade. Backward Class aspirations were raised by hopes of reservation but have been dashed by a government unable to renounce, revise or stand up to its own plans.

To do this, it has to be seen to be sensitive to their day-to-day issues. Time is running out. The line of attack from the Hindutva or the Dalit-led party is no secret. Each will reach out in a manner that combines its core agenda with issues of concern to the aam admi. The economic plans and political work of the Congress had better match them on that score.

If one seeks to wrest power, the other hopes to undercut the Congress' historic coalition of the middle classes and the deprived sections.

No one should be under any illusion how high the stakes are. The Congress still has the advantage of the support of its allies and wary neutrality from the Left. Time will tell whether Sonia's Congress succeeds as Indira did in 1971, or, leads her party to a rout at the polls as Rajiv did in 1989. INAV

All the States and Union Territories are up in arms against an order of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Tejendra Khanna, last week. One, making carrying of identity cards mandatory for people in the Capital from January 15. Two, requiring people with driving licences from other States to get them revalidated in Delhi. Little did Khanna realise that his well-intentioned order designed to "step up security in the wake of recent terror attacks" would snowball into a major controversy. Wherein faced with an angry backlash from various Chief Ministers, he was forced to beat a hasty retreat. A livid Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar termed the move as "unconstitutional and anti-Biharis" as they comprised almost a third of Delhi's total population together with the people hailing from eastern UP. Similar anger was expressed by the BJP, JD, BJD and UP's Mayawati who called it "anti-Dalit" and used it to up the ante against the Congress. True, Delhi's Lt Governor may have been forced to backtrack on his ID cards order. Nevertheless, he has once again spotlighted the dire need for all Indians to carry proof of their identity, especially now that factories of terrorism have made India their favourite hunting ground.

More so, after the National Security Advisor, MK Narayanan has sounded a 'red corner alert' to all the Chief Ministers in the country, following former Pakistan Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto's assassination. In a letter to them, he has warned that the jehadis outfits are now posing a major threat to key political leaders and advised them to beef up their security. Especially as the terrorists were using "new wave" tactics. This includes a "great deal of planning, studying the habits and activities of their targets, more sophisticated techniques and the vulnerability of the security forces." Following this missive, the Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's security has been upgraded. Surprisingly, however, the Union Home Ministry has rejected the UP Chief Minister, Mayawati's request for SPG cover as there was a threat to her life on the facetious plea that her security was adequate!

Politics has hit a new low in UP. If the criminalization of the polity was not bad enough the latest head-on confrontation between Chief Minister Mayawati and her bete noire, Samajwadi Chief Mulayam Singh, has brought violence to the centre stage of the political theatre. True, we are accustomed to elected legislators coming to blows in various State Assemblies. However, this is the first time that one has witnessed the BSP and SP cardres clashing in several towns and cities in the State, leaving one dead, three injured and many buses burnt . The provocation? The Samajwadi workers' demand for the students union poll. All hell broke lose when Mulayam's brother, Shivpal, and son, Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh, were slapped. Sadly, this in not the end. Mayawati has notified Mulayam to behave or he too would not be spared. Clearly, if this continues, brutality would become a byword for UP! .

A two victory-flush BJP is now busy readying for bigger electoral battles that lie ahead in 2008-09 ---- 9 State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha elections. Towards that end, the BJP President, Rajnath Singh, plans to make kisans one of the USPs of his campaign strategy. He is now undertaking a two-day kisan yatra to spotlight the burning issue of farmers' suicide in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, which continue till date, notwithstanding the Prime Minister's relief package of thousand of crore rupees. Shockingly, a recent survey on the farmers' plight has exposed that a mere 16 per cent of the relief percolated down to the farmers. The rest was taken away by financial and land sharks. What makes the BJP Chief's yatra all the more significant is that it is taking place at a time when strains have developed among the ruling combine, Congress and NCP, with each accusing the other of not doing enough.

Winds of change are blowing across 'Red' West Bengal.The Communist CPM is busy humming a new song: goodbye socialism, hello capitalism. The CPM old warhorse, Jyoti Basu took not only his comrades but also votaries of reform by surprise when he contended that capitalism was the only way to industrialise West Bengal. This has no doubt come as a shot in the arm for Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who has been the lone torch bearer for economic reformation of the State steeped under the burden of antiquated socialist models of economic governance. But it has left the CPM'S Front partners seething. They are aghast that the veteran leader is speaking the language of Manmohan Singh (read reform). Either which way, there is no gainsaying that capitalist winds of change are blowing over Red Bengal!

Is UP Chief Minister Mayawati's honeymoon with the Brahmins over? Though it's too early to say anything, signs of her getting wary are there. The BSP President has dissolved all Brahmin and Vaishya Bhaichara Samitis, formed last year to bring the Upper castes, closer to the BSP. And these did, as the UP Assembly elections proved. However, the defeat of its candidate Vinay Shankar Tiwari in the Ballia byelection last month has made Mayawati angry. At a recent party meeting she blamed the Brahmins for the party's defeat in the Ballia byelection. Moreover, she has announced a reshuffle in the State unit and appointed State coordinators. Significantly, not a single Brahmin has been included. Is Mayawati going back to her party's roots - the Dalits? Time alone will tell.

The New Year has good news for the Goans. Its famed Kaju Feni shall soon "get patent and we will easily be able to export it," says the Feni Producers' Association. Goa is the only place in the world where Feni (liquor) is produced from the juice of cashew apple. Though the process was introduced in Goa nearly 450 years ago by the Portuguese, nowhere in Portugal, or anywhere else is feni produced from Kaju fruit. Goa has over 2,000 distillation outlets and factories working overtime. A team of officers from the Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai were recently satisfied with the Association's claim and the Government expects certification by early May. The GIR will publish the information on the "World Trademark' journal inviting objections. A period of four months hence should see the Kaju Feni, in all probability, patented to the joy of the Goans!. ---INFA

Sir,

I have read in the media about the several reports about corrupt practices prevailing in the Power Department of Meghalaya these days. It is really shameful and disgusting that neither the Department itself has taken any corrective measures nor the public/ NGOs have made any determined opposition to stop all these anti-people activities. However, there seems to be some rays of hope for the State that at least one NGO is now standing up to fight against the dragons. The process of handing over of the hydro electric projects to private parties, which was done hurriedly just before the General Election 2008, lacks transparency. As per the media reports, there are enough evidences to suggest that there exist some kind of clandestine dealing, similar to the Meghalaya House, Kolkatta Sell out and therefore the public must once again be united to force the Government to scrap the deal.

The purchase of thousands of electro-mechanical meters instead of the mandatory Static meters at higher price, the irrational proposal for 100 per cent rise in tariff, the misleading declaration of profit & loss figures of 26 % and latter 46% for the same year, the high loss of power in the industrial areas and the recent glaring case in which the top officials of the Board got direct involvement in the broad daylight corruption as reported in The Shillong Times (Dt December 3, 2007) are some of the irregularities in the Power Department which are ignored and not investigated. It may be presumed that all the top officials in the Power Department may be hands in gloves and that may only be the real reason that no inquiry has been ordered into all these alleged irregularities.

The Power Department appears to be operated in a Mafia style, otherwise it cannot be understood as to how could the MeSEB's Member (Technical) openly grab for himself the supply order worth Rs 1.15 crore without inviting tender in the name of his son. There are many formalities in the Board to become a Large Supplier and rules are more stringent for a non-tribal. As per the information available under RTI at www.meseb.nic.in, new Supplier can be registered through Form-A, only when MeSEB advertises for registration in the News Paper and all non-tribal must have an up-to-date trading license relevant to the business from the Khasi/ Jaintia/Garo Hills District Councils. There has been no advertisement in this respect in January, 2007.

Lastly, it is needless to state that tendering process or public auction is a basic requirements for the award of contract worth crores of rupees by any Government agency as any other method, especially award of contract on nomination basis, would amount to a breach of Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteeing right to equality, which implies right to equality to all interested parties. The people of the state have been deprived of their bread and butter. People must stand up for their rights and officials involved in corrupt practices must be punished so as to root out the cancerous corruption which is detrimental for the development of the State. The Power Department also needs to be overhauled and reformed.

Yours etc.,
Mathiew Lyngdoh
Via e-mail

With declaration of emergency in "Nagalim" or Greater Nagaland including Naga-inhabitated areas of the three states of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, NSCN (I-M)'s 'Tartar Hoho' or parliament has been placed under suspended animation with effect from 1 am of January 13.

"Emergency has been declared in view of the precarious situation in Nagalim, which has increasingly threatened peace and normal state of affairs. Henceforth, the state of affairs shall be conducted by the (outfit's) National Security Council until further orders,"

NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chisi Swu said in a statement issued here.

The NSCN (I-M)'s move is likely to have a bearing on the NSCN Unification Camp, which was reportedly established by activists of both NSCN (I-M) and NSCN (K) following the Niuland declaration in November last.

Though the NSCN Unification Camp was seen as positive step towards unification of all Naga factions and tribes, NSCN (I-M) questioned its relevance and instead favoured broad-based unity and unification of all Nagas.

NSCN (I-M) on Friday charged the Central Government with "surreptitiously playing the communal card by using vested groups of a particular Naga tribe to befool it (the outfit)." Since formation of the NSCN Unification Camp, NSCN (I-M) and its rivals have engaged in a war of words accusing each other of intimidation, kidnappings and extortions in and around Dimapur town. (NNN)

NEW DELHI: Traditional tribal chiefs of various ethnic groups of Meghalaya met the Union Minister for DoNER Mani Shankar Aiyer for the first time in 60 years and apprised him about the problems of their respective areas starting from lack of development to infiltration.

The delegation also demanded creation of legislative council (upper house) in Meghalaya to give representation to persons of various groups and the tribal chiefs. They, however, denied any political ambition of the tribal chiefs.

The Union Minister expressed his serious concerns on the issues raised by the chiefs' delegation and suggested for continued discussions, including taking up of the issues with the Union Home Ministry and the State Government, John F Kharshiing, adviser & spokesperson of the traditional chiefs told a news conference after the meeting.

He also stated that being a sensitive issue, it required consensus by all parties such as the people of Meghalaya, the district councils, the State of Meghalaya and the Parliament of India.

The Minister asked the delegation to deliberate how to integrate the traditional institutions with the constitutional bodies in the State and the Centre so as to coexist, Kharshiing informed.

He assured all help and hoped that this dialogue continued and is taken up seriously by the next State Government of Meghalaya after the State elections schedule to be held in a months time, Mr Kharshiing said.

The delegation also apprised how infiltrators from across Bangladesh have gradually settled down in bordering areas of Meghalaya despite opposition from local people and the chiefs. This way, the demographic profile of the State would undergo a sea change bringing in ethnic tension and economic devastation, they said.

The delegation of Indigenous Tribal Chiefs (Syiem, Doloi, Nokma, Sirdar, Lyngdoh) representing the Khasi, Garo & Jaintia indigenous tribes of Meghalaya, were invited by Aiyar, Union Minister, DONER, to discuss the issues raised by the chiefs in their memorandum submitted last November.

This was the first meeting between the Union Minister and the indigenous tribal chiefs since last 60 years. "Ministers and VVIPs go upto Shillong and come back without bothering to visit the tribal areas," they said.

Mr Kharshiing, placed before the Union Minister the critical issues faced by the unique indigenous tribal institutions of Meghalaya who have been demanding constitutional recognition in accordance to the Instrument of Accession and the Annexed Agreement during the Independence. They also demanded review of the 6th schedule of the constitution to give representation to the tribal chiefs.

Meghalaya has been exempted from Panchayati Raj but the traditional institutions have not been adequately defined in the Constitution of India in spite of the numerous memoranda to the Central authorities for the last many years, Kharshiing said.

The Union Minister was also informed that people along the border areas suffered a lot due to restriction on border trade to around 50 border haats (small border markets) where a large number of people depend on this kind of barter trade for their livelihood.

People living on the borders are also suffering due to controversial border fencing, Kharshiing said.

Guwahati: Only eight consumer courts are active in Assam, with even the State Consumer Commission functioning without a chairman for the last four years.

Pointing out this grave lack of awareness regarding consumer rights in the State, president of the Grahak Suraksha Santha Gopal Chandra Baishya on Saturday alleged that even the Government was not playing its part.

He said all districts must have a consumer court but only eight were active in the state.

The Consumer Commission has been functioning without a chairman for the past four years. The government's plea that there are no retired justice to be appointed to the position does not hold ground as the consumers rights act have provision for appointment of sitting judges also, he said.

Stating that the Santha had held several rounds of discussions with the government in the last two years, Mr Baishya alleged that government had failed to fulfill its assurances.

He said the government had assured of special inspections and raids at markets before festive seasons.

''But with Magh Bihu just two days away, prices have escalated and the government is sleeping,'' he added.

He blamed the Food and Civil Supplies department and district administrations for the price rise.

Mr Baishya said the Santha would launch a mass movement after World Consumer Day on March 15 if the government does not fulfill its duty of spreading awareness regarding consumer rights. (UNI)

The victims are currently undergoing medical treatments at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital in Imphal without the assistance from any quarter. All the four girls are sisters.

The incident occurred when one of the four sisters accidentally hit the bomb by a spade while digging and playing near their garden.

The bomb was suspected to have been left during the factional gunfight between NSCN(IM) and NSCN(K) on September 19, 2006 which took place at Kajenlong village.

Out of the four girls, one of them is in critical condition.

The girls were idetified as Taschuiliu (seven years-old), Luningwangliu (twelve years-old), who was injured at both her legs and stomach, Wellingliu Nengmei (three years-old) and nine-month-old Withiuliu. (NNN)

Gangtok: The tiny mountain state of Sikkim, comprising 0.5 per cent of the landmass of the country, has the highest number of glaciers at 84.

The present number of glaciers at 84, with the mapping exercise still underway to find out more ice caps in the State has grown by about four times over the past six years as the figure of glaciers stood at 21 six years ago, a senior scientist of the Science and Technology Department, which has been carrying out mapping of the glaciers and other landscapes of the State over the years told PTI.

The 84 glaciers have been mapped by using remote sensing application system and capturing data through satellite, he said.

The rise in the number of glaciers belied the impact of the global warming phenomena in this region with the scientist pointing out that the impact of global warming has never been a factor in the climate of the border state with the State being landlocked and surrounded by the mountaineous landscape on all sides.

While most of the glaciers have been found to be lying in the north district, the Zemu glacier lying in West Sikkim is the largest such ice cap with an ice mass spread over 26 km and lying in a U-shape, he said.

The Department has plans to map the lakes and forest cover of the State through remote sensing application system, besides sending a team on the interior parts of the state to collect accurate information on the number of glaciers, lakes and forests, the scientist said.

The State Government had set up a nine-member commission under the leadership of the eminent scientist TS Singh last year to find out the impact of global warming phenomena on the topography of the mountain. (PTI)