SHILLONG: With some seven weeks to go for Meghalaya to elect its eight Assembly, it is the same old prospect of a fractured verdict that awaits the State.

None of the three major power contenders - Congress, NCP and UDP - have any pretensions about securing absolute majority on their own. With no pre-poll alliance in sight, once again it will be a perfect setting for power sharks to exploit the post-election fluid situation to their benefit.

It now seems certain that the top three parties will have to be content to vie for the next best thing - to emerge as the single largest party. In this crucial race, outcome in every seat would count heavily, since it is going to a photo finish.

Congress has its own strength having fielded 30 sitting Members. However, the party is most likely to suffer from incumbency factor. Logically, UPD and other partners should have encountered similar situations, but Congress being the "big brother" of the coalition, it will have to take the major share of responsibility. Congress image has also taken a beating due to the ugly spectacle of internal power struggle which stifled normal functioning of government for months. However, Congress with its rich resources can never be written off. Party insiders are claiming a tally of 20 in the hustings.

UDP, which is the other major coalition partner, appears to be cashing in on the Congress weaknesses. It has upped the ante in Khasi & Jaintia Hills where it seems to be doing better now than a month ago. The party officials are hopeful that UDP would further improve from here on. They claim that besides Khasi Hills generally favouring the party, it would pick up at least seven seats from Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills. In such an event, the party might emerge as the dark horse.

The most fancied party, NCP is still an unknown commodity outside Garo Hills. The party is desperate for making its presence felt in Khasi Hills. It now seems likely that the party will be able to rope in Independent MLA Mr PM Syiem and Congress MDC Mr Sanbor Shullai who is a front runner in Laban constituency. If this materialises, as the party hopes to make formal announcement on January 18, NCP's prospects would certainly get a shot in the arm.

In any case, observers feel, as in the past this election will once again throw up a host of Independent and smaller local parties MLAs who would be handy in cobbling up a coalition. It is also a certainty that the true and clearer picture would emerge once the line-up in all the constituencies come to a point of no return.

He will take stock of the law and order situation and the prospects of free and fair election in the State, official sources said.

Although it is unlikely that he would announce the election schedule for Meghalaya, his interaction with senior officials would help firm up the date.

From all indications available here, the Election Commission (EC) is unlikely to fix any date towards February-end. One date doing the rounds here is February 28. The EC is supposed to issue poll notification 45 days prior to the polling date.

As per the Constitution, Meghalaya Assembly will have to be reconstituted by March 10, 2008.

Meanwhile, Director General Police BK Dey Sawian on Sunday left for Garo Hills on to review the security scenario in view of the Assembly elections slated for next month.

Mr Sawian said that the purpose of the visit is to assess the security situation due to the coming elections adding that during his two days visit, he would meet senior police officials to prepare the police team for the smooth conduct of the elections."The police also want to see that there is a peaceful republic day celebration in Garo Hills on January 26," Mr Sawian added.

Chief Secretary Ranjan Chatterjee is also leaving to Garo Hills on Monday to review the security scenario.

Mr Syiem on Sunday said he would formally join NCP in the next few days. "All of my supporters have backed my decision to join NCP," he said.

Meanwhile, Laban MDC Sanbor Shullai said he decided to join NCP after a proposal made by the Core Committee comprising members from all communities of Laban constituency. NCP sources confirmed that Mr Syiem and Mr Shullai would formally join the party on December 18 in the presence of NCP general secretary and former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma.

FKJGP and FAF on Sunday reiterated that they would go ahead with their proposed agitations to put pressure on the government to scrap the "shady deal" on electricity projects.

FKJGP information secretary Dundee C Khongsit told The Shillong Times that his organisation had decided to proceed with its hunger strike in front of the Main Secretariat here on January 15.

Central leaders and those from district headquarters will take part in the FKJGP hunger strike to be held from 10 am to 4.30 pm, Mr Khongsit said.

Meanwhile, FAF president Mac D Shira said the Federation would pursue the series of its agitations as scheduled.

"We will organise office picketing on January 15-16 and night road blockade from 9 pm to 5 am of January 17 and 18 in all the three districts of Garo Hills. We are ready to withdraw the proposed bandh on January 21 if there is an appeal from the people," Mr Shira said.

According to FAF, financial institutions, government undertakings and State and Central Government offices would fall under the purview of the proposed office picketing.

Mr Shira also said FAF had decided to put mobile patrolling parties in all district headquarters and civil sub-divisions during the office picketing. The mobile patrolling parties would move on two-wheelers from one office to another to prevent people from going to offices, he added. The FAF president called upon the people, especially government employees, to support his organisation during the agitations.

Police had earlier claimed that Mr Kongwang was kidnapped and taken to Bangladesh by suspected HNLC rebels.

Mr Kongwang's friends Stepping Lamin and Sharky Lamin, who were reportedly with the KSU leader at the time of his kidnapping, were also picked up for interrogation.

The duo of Stepping and Sharky told police that HNLC cadre one Bah Hep alias Bah Hep Khoit of Mawlai Nongkwar and two other HNLC activists were responsible for the kidnapping of Mr Kongwang.

Meanwhile, police sources on Sunday said they were trying their best to trace out Mr Kongwang but to no avail.

KSU president Samuel Jyrwa said the Union was still in the dark about the whereabouts of Mr Kongwang.

HNLC, however, has denied its involvement in the kidnapping.

SHILLONG: Cautioning against a "Maharashtra-like situation" in Meghalaya, Independent legislator Pynshai M Syiem on Sunday expressed grave concern over the State Government's decision to allow private companies to take loans under the "amended policies of the State."

Talking to The Shillong Times, Mr Syiem said it was a matter of serious concern that the State Government decided to allow companies to take loans, and expressed fears that the State would have to face the consequences if those companies were bankrupt or failed to repay the loans.

"I'm afraid we would face the same consequences as had happened to Maharashtra where an Enron company, which had invested in power projects in that state, fled away after it was bankrupt," Mr Syiem pointed out. He also said it was shocking that the State Government allowed two companies that signed the power deal to deposit their amounts to the State treasuries.

"Athena has invested over Rs 2 crore in Kynshi Stage-I electricity project while Jaypee has invested more than Rs 2 crore in the Kynshi Stage II and Umngot hydel power project," Mr Syiem said.

The MLA further attacked the MDA Government for the delay in calling a Cabinet meeting to review its decision to hand over power projects to private companies.

In its latest assessment on the state, the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) says, "The ISI is also known to have tried to consolidate its network in Meghalaya, with the wider objective of destabilizing the economy and has funded terrorist groups by means of circulating fake Indian currency notes in the entire northeast."

The ISI, it says, had engaged one Sira Mustafa alias Samrat and Kalek Ali from Munsipara of Mymensingh District in Bangladesh to push fake currencies into India, using some 15 youths from Razinagre for the activity.

Significantly, in May last year, the Meghalaya Police claimed t o have exposed the modus operandi of the ISI in circulating fake currencies in Razinagre and Doomdooma villages of the South Garo Hills District, along the India-Bangladesh border. Razinagre village was the main route through which Bangladeshi nationals sneaked into the neighbouring Indian villages and lured the poor local youth into criminal activities. (PTI)

Shillong: Residents in the Capital city have to doled out extra amounts of rupees to their respective cable service providers to make sure they get to watch their favourite television channels compared to a lesser tariff set by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) even as cable operators in the city refused to slash the rates claiming "loss" in running the business.

TRAI had issued a notification on October 4 last with nationwide applicability from December 1, 2007.

According to the regulatory body, for a minimum of 30 free-to-air (FTA) channels and more than 45 pay channels, the maximum tariff is Rs 260 in Class "A-1" and "A" cities, Rs 220 in Class "B-1" and "B-2" cities, and Rs 200 in other areas.

Shillong falls under the category "other areas" and Guwahati in "B-2" cities. The tariff slab for "other areas", or for cities like Shillong, is Rs 130 for 20 Pay Channels and 30 FTAs, Rs 160 for 20-30 Pay channels and 30 FTAs, and Rs 185 for 30-45 pay channels and 30 FTAs.

Cable operators under the banner of Shillong Cable Operators Association had moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on December 8 last for review of the rates while refusing to slash the rates according to tariff set up by the regulatory body.

Meanwhile, James Lyngwa, one of association member said, "The monthly charge in Shillong, at present, is Rs 350 here and 90 FTAs and pay channels are being shown."

Moreover, TRAI's notification directed cable operators to give subscribers their bill with all relevant details including the total number of pay and free-to-air channels. The cable operator must acknowledge all payments made by the subscriber by issuing a receipt duly signed, indicating the period and the purpose for which the payment was received.

Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills B Dhar said he was helpless to intervene into the matter. "People should either approach the Consumer Court or complain to TRAI directly," the DC advised.

Police said the deceased went to have a bath in the river when the incident occurred. The body was taken to Shillong Civil Hospital for post mortem and later handed over to the relatives.

His funeral will be held on Monday at the Mawlai Catholic Church cemetery at 2 pm.

According to the statement of the handyman, unidentified miscreants forcibly, armed with sharp weapons, entered the vehicle, while they were parking the truck on the roadside at Mawiong to get some rest, and demanded money from them.

Both the driver and handyman handed all the money to the miscreants.

However, one of the robbers, stabbed the driver with a knife, for which the driver gave him a hot chase but collapsed after a few yards away and died.

On the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's China visit Beijing has come out with a statement that for "settlement of the border in the eastern sector India should handover Tawang to China as it is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama, who cannot be India's Dalai Lama". China has never accepted the McMahon Line as the eastern boundary between the two nations and has made many demands on different sectors of Arunachal Pradesh, though in recent past our foreign minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, reiterated that Arunachal belongs to India.

But the claim on Tawang is a new one since by the ceasefire following the hostilities in 1962 the Chinese were supposed to withdraw beyond the Sela Pass. Actually they have continued to occupy the heights of the Sela Pass and Chinese infiltration of Tawang has continued. The people of India have been kept in the dark about this. Conceding the Tawang enclave brings the Chinese army to the outskirts of Bomdila and close to Tezpur in Assam. This is a dagger capable of severing the North-east from the rest of India. The new road being built from Gyantse in Tibet to Nathu La in Sikkim will probably have a diversion to the top of Sela. This road is, being built very fast with heavy earth moving machinery. It is funny that the justification for the fresh demand is the Sixth Dalai Lama.

The Sixth Dalai Lama is a peculiar character in the lineage of Dalai Lama. The Fifth Dalai Lama was a powerful and astute statesman and spiritual leader. In 1640, when civil unrest arose in Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682) applied for assistance from his associates, the Mongols. It was after their subsequent pacification of the nation, that the Mongols invested him with complete political control. The Fifth Dalai Lama thereby became the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. So capable was he, in both temporal and spiritual realms that this Dalai Lama is often referred to as the "Great Fifth".

The Chinese, who are very particular about history, have forgotten this action of their Mongol Emperors as also the fact that this "Great Fifth' became the Guru of the Emperor and thereby China.

Problems arose in the choice of the successor Sixth Dalai Lama. He was chosen as a child, probably from Tawang as the former Chinese ambassador to India Mr. Gang insists, but as he grew up he showed unexpected addiction to carnal pleasures. Already chosen he could not be unseated. So the elders took the decision that during day he will fulfil his functions as the Dalai Lama wrapped in a shawl and at night he could leave Potala and go wherever he wants. To the devoted Tibetans the deception held. That is why in all Tibetan monasteries the small statue or picture, whatever it is, of the Sixth Dalai Lama is kept completely wrapped in a small "thankha", his face cannot be seen even now.

We have to give up Tawang to atheist China because of him? What a humiliating demand! And the present 14th Dalai Lama is the property of China to keep or kill! Any day now they will demand Gautam Buddha?

The Chinese politicians are not garrulous like ours, who keep talking to build their image, keep the media happy, journalists employed and people misinformed. The Chinese political statements are deliberate weapons with purpose and are analysed not only by their contents but also the timing and the place of release. Sometimes their statement is in action and not in words as in the recent shooting down of one of their old satellites during a visit by the Israeli prime minister, the journey probably undertaken with American blessings.

Similar was the attack on India in 1962 and our leaders were fooled and it is doubtful whether they have learnt yet. It is the old Mongol technique. On the contrary, the Indian political firmament is a cacophony of noises.

It is not difficult to imagine the reason for this statement emanating from Beijing at this time and from a known person in high position. China has officially kept a low profile on the Indo-US nuclear deal professing their neutrality, treating our political emissaries with cold politeness and encouraging their own supporters in India. Why this sudden demand of Tawang at this sensitive time? Most likely this is a reaction to the visit of prime minister Manmohan Singh.

What can they be saying to us? May be "buzz off kids, this is an adult game; go play your little money games elsewhere". This is the typical Chinese way of sending messages to multiple targets and make them stick. The message to us may be humiliating but may be right! Almost unwittingly we have entered the big game, the danger game. Can we play it with danger lurking on both sides? All these years we have played as linesmen and now suddenly we've been pushed onto the playing field. We need a statesman of stature as manager, which we do not have.

Our politicians are mostly concerned with their personal career agenda. Even the agenda of their own party comes after self and they sabotage their party making Parliament irrelevant. Some have found sudden faith in our able scientists, who toiled with obsolete Russian designs for decades till the collapse of the Soviet Union, to recreate the world from scratch with whatever we give them. Some are kids who love to play "pull the rug" and wait silently till it is time to pull. Some are so blindly attached to an ideology that they refuse to see its failures even if shown time and again.

Our country has suffered for long from ideologist leaders who cared more for their ideologies than for the people. Majority of Indians, if not all, are programmed only on money and make it their God, definitely and literally, and are unconcerned about integrity and security of the society. That is why we have betrayed our nation again and again. Is this a proper team for a big game?

With reference to the present crisis, on the credit side we have the opportunity to join the big league of technology and financial powers of the western countries headed by the USA, and on the debit side we cannot afford to upset our traditional friends, not just China. Other talks of being stooges of the United States are only rabble rousing. A weak nation will always be a stooge whether of the USA or China or someone else. INAV

Sir,

The remark of the Deputy Chief Minister, i/c Power, Meghalaya in his recent press conference with reference to the competence of NEEPCO is totally uncalled for. We on behalf of all associations of NEEPCO strongly protest against such remarks which are nothing but derogatory in nature and an attack on the collective competence of the employees.

NEEPCO does not need to justify its credentials considering the fact that we share 60% of the installed capacity of the entire NE region and we are a consistent profit making company with an asset base of Rs.5000 crores. At present the execution of Kameng HEP 600MW is underway, the environmental clearance for the 1500MW Tipaimukh HEP is in progress and the PIB clearance for 120MW Pare HEP is in the advance stage. The Hon'ble Minister's reference with respect to the Turial HEP in Mizoram is out of context.

The investigation and execution of Mawphu HEP in Meghalaya was entrusted to NEEPCO in 2005 for which the formal MOA has been has been signed only recently. The submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in March 2007 was on scheduled as committed to the Government of Meghalaya. To put the record straight we are to clarify here that the fund for the DPR preparation has not come from the exchequer of the Government of Meghalaya but it is out of the internal resources of NEEPCO.

The Minister's statement that NEEPCO has not shown any interest is incorrect. As a matter of record, the draft MOA for the Kynshi HEP was prepared and submitted in November 2006 and was pending with the Government of Meghalaya. After the Union Minister of Power declared in Shillong that project was to be handed over to NEEPCO by the State Government it was subsequently taken up again in September 2007.

Yours etc.,All Associations of NEEPCO
Via e-mail

Sir,

With elections round the corner, we all are looking forward for new strategies taken up by our government to the new power deal, the uranium issue etc., and it is interesting to know that our Power minister is all of a sudden looking for the best interest of our state now. Where was he or the Cabinet when the horrible condition of our Shillong-Guwahati road remained unnoticed for a long time? Was it not for the best interest of our state then to have good roads and ways of communication, or is it that now donations are required for the general assembly elections that our ministers are looking for outside investors? Votes will have to be careful while they go to elect their new representatives.

Yours etc.,
J Lyngwa
Shillong
Via e-mail

"I hope good sense will prevail on rebel groups and they should not interfere with elections. However, we can't fully rule out intervention in some pockets of the State out of individual interests," he said.

The Naga rebel groups usually avoid interfering with elections held under 'Indian Constitution'. However, the rebel NSCN(IM)'s decision to impose bar in entry of former Nagaland Chief Minister and Congress leader SC Jamir, who is now officiating at the Governor of Goa, has gone in the advantage of the NPF.

Meanwhile, the NPF has launched a poster campaign against imposition of President's rule in the State. Posters saying "PR is not for peace" have cropped up all along the streets of Dimapur and Kohima reflecting the regional NPF's attempt to woo people's support against the Congress whose government in the Centre decided to impose PR in the hill State when election was due just over a month time.

"The people of Nagaland had very bad experience with President's Rule. Every time a regional party comes to power in the State, the Congress Government in the Centre tends to impose President's pule. It gives very wrong message to Nagas living in this troubled State," Rio said.

Alarmed at the Opposition NPF's attempt to whip up support of the people taking advantage of the PR, the Congress has tried to blame the regional party for imposition of the PR.

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president, I Imkong said, "The Congress was not asking for imposition of the PR. We wanted dissolution of the NPF led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) Government so that we could stake claim to form our government. The State Governor didn't give us the chance to stake claim and face the floor test."

Meanwhile, Nagaland Governor K Sankaranarayanan have stated here that the election to Nagaland Assembly will be held in time and there are not chances of a prolonged period of President's rule that will last only for about 50 days or so.

NSF demands repeal of Prez rule: The Naga Students' Federation (NSF), apex body of all Naga tribes, on Sunday demanded repeal of the President's Rule in the State saying that this will empower the security forces to commit more atrocities on the civilians.

NSF president Imchatoba Imchen in a press release here has expressed his resentment over the imposition of Central rule in the State at a time when the federation was continuously struggling against the Armed Forces Special Power Act, 1958.

He said these policies were against the very articulate provisions of the Constitution and fundamental rights of the citizens.

Taking note of the ongoing political talks and peace processes between the Centre and Nagas, Imchen said,''Any policy that harms the atmosphere of trust and confidence is a direct infringement to the peoples sentiments and a threat to the peaceful atmosphere prevalent during the ongoing period of cease-fire.'' (UNI)

Police said the incident took place at around 3.45 am when suspected militants assailed the police station using sophisticate weapons including a rocket launcher. The shelled rocket missed its target and hit the Lamlai Sub-division Electricity Department office, which is also located on the police station premises. The rocket exploded after penetrating three kuccha walls.

Neither casualties nor heavy damages have been reported, according to the police. The state bomb squad has detected one unexploded rocket in the noon and defused it safely.

After the attack, a combined force of the Imphal East police commandos and the 115th Border Security Forces cordoned off the Napetali area from 6.30 am till 9 am. Ten suspects were picked up and then freed later after verifications.

Meanwhile, local people of the area reacted strongly against the attack and appealed to the concern parties not to repeat the same in the future in the area.

In a separate incident, a team of the Imphal East police commandos arrested one Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC) cadre on Saturday while conducting frisking and checking at Lamlong bridge in Imphal East. (NNN)

The CEO maintained that the imposition of President's rule in Nagaland would not be affecting the schedule of elections nor the electioneering process. He revealed that besides the usual State police and Assam Rifles, an additional number of 1800 sections of Central para-military forces have been sought by the Election Commission.

Even as the dates have not been announced, politicking and campaigning by political leaders has begun in full swing with former ministers, MLAs and aspiring candidates visiting their respective assembly constituencies.

Nevertheless, political observers are of the view that the 2008 Assembly elections would be one of the worst-ever elections in the State besides speculating that no political party would be getting absolute majority unless an alliance is established to form the Government. (NNN)

Agartala: Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has received 450 applications from the party aspirants for 60-member Assembly polls in February. Party observer and AICC representative Sanjoy Bapna told reporters here on Saturday that the TPCC was asked to scrutinise the applications in consultation with the election steering committee and to send the list to the party high command for finalisation.

''The process of selection will be completed in next three-four days but the declaration be made only after announcement of the poll schedule,'' Bapna said adding that he received representation from Congress Women Cell and tribal wing for allotment of the seats as per the norms.

During his one-day visit to the State capital, Bapna held several round meetings with the TPCC leaders and made attempts to resolve the difference among various factions of the party.

However, his bid was foiled as Congress tribal cell and a group of senior leaders refused to accept the poll strategy and revolted against the move, party sources said. (UNI)

AGARTALA: Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami along with three high-level officials of the poll panel will be arriving here on January 16. The purpose of the visit is to review the election arrangements including final photo electoral rolls in Tripura.

Deputy Election Commissioner R Balakrishan had visited the poll-bound state and had meetings with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and representatives of different political parties. The CEO on Saturday told reporters that the Chief Election Commissioner is expected to arrive here on January 16. However, the tour of the Gopalaswami is yet to be confirmed. Gopalaswami will be accompanied by two Election Commissioners and Deputy Election Commissioner, he said.

Guwahati: Every morning in Assam's Kuthori village, adjoining the famed Kaziranga National Park, people wait anxiously to find out whether their crops are safe from rampaging elephants, wild buffaloes and rhinoceroses.

Broken and bent tree branches, deep depressions on earth and vast tracks of trampled paddy stalks mixed with mud, where the paddy crops once stood, reveal what happened the previous night.

But in this high man-animal conflict zone in Nagaon district, 200 km from Guwahati, villagers are now heaving a sigh of relief. For the first time an electric fence is to be constructed to prevent animals from entering their fields.

Two local welfare organisations, Duar Bagori Samabai Samiti and Kuthori Krishi Unyaan Committee, have teamed up with a conservation organisation, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), to complete the work in a 50:50 partnership.

The 12-km stretch from Kuthori to Deopani in the Bagori forest range is an important animal corridor. Wild animals use the corridor to move to the adjoining highlands in Karbi Anglong during the monsoon season. In the dry season, between September and February, they come here to raid crops.

There are eight villages in the corridor where over 5,000 people live. In Kuthori alone, wild animals destroyed 150 hectares of crops last year.

"The project will cover all the villages, though initially we will complete fencing in the three blocks identified by the villagers," said Dilip Deori of WTI.

"The laying of posts has already started from the Kuthori tiniali (a tri-junction) in the village. It will be a four cable power fence," he said.

The villages and National Highway 37 that pass through the corridor at the southern boundary of Kaziranga have been a major source of human-animal conflict.

Currently, around 400 hectares of rice and 270 hectares of mustard are cultivated in the area. Most of the cultivation is done communally under the aegis of the two local organisations, which also provide the produce to villagers at subsidised rates.

"The electric cable and installation posts will be provided by villagers while the WTI is providing the energisers, battery insulators and other equipment, besides technical guidance," Deori said.

"The electric fence will be removed during the monsoon season as crop raiding is common in the dry season."

"The farmers had to bear more losses in the dry season since they had to spend on irrigation. Last year, nearly 150 hectares of paddy and mustard crops were destroyed by wild animals," he said.

"If the project becomes successful we will try it in other places," he said.

Last year, a major accident occurred on the highway here when a passenger bus collided with a wild buffalo, killing the animal as well as several people on board.

"The delay in giving compensation for crop damage to affected villagers also made the situation complicated, as poachers could take advantage of the situation," said Kaziranga Park director SN Buragohain. (IANS)