Former Principal of Shillong School gets Lifetime Achievement Award By The Shillong Times

Guwahati, Dec. 25. Shillong: Fr. PD Johny, former Principal of St. Anthony`s Higher Secondary School, Shillong, and a member of Don Bosco Educational Society, Guwahati Province has been awarded Guruvar ``Lifetime Achievement, East Zone at Durbar Hall of Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi on Wednesday by Hon HRD Union Minister  Shri Kapil Sibal. Fr. Johny has also recently completed his PhD from Guwahati University and is now the Principal of Don Bosco College of Teacher Education, Tura. The award consists of a citation, trophy and a cash award of Rs 10 lakhs.

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He hails from Ramalloor in Kothamangalam, Kerala (of Devassy and Thresia Parankamalil) and has been in the forefront of Education in the Northeast, particularly in Meghalaya.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is meant to honour a teacher who has spent a lifetime in the profession and influenced and nurtured several generations. The award is a small but important token of appreciation and acknowledgement. Fr. Johny has been nominated for this award by his former pupils who are now spread in different parts of the country and the world, who remember him with affection and respect.

Fr. Johny said that he was totally surprised to receive this award at a relatively younger age and was grateful to all his former students who voted in favour of him.

He said that the little contribution he made in St. Anthony`s Higher Secondary School was considered a great achievement by his students.

Nehu VC guard in pistol row

Shillong, Dec. 23: The North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) turned into a battlezone today as the security officer of vice-chancellor Pramod Tandon whisked out his pistol to scare away a group of “aggressive” employees who had gheraoed the official. They were demanding restoration of the Hills Area Special Allowance and release of advance pay for December.

Tension mounted in the evening as Nehu employees blocked all exit routes to prevent the vice-chancellor from moving out of the campus in Mawlai. Tandon’s official residence is outside the campus.

The university sought help from police but till late in tonight they were not able to enter the campus as all the routes were blocked.

The agitation by the staff — both teaching and non-teaching — which has been continuing for the past few days turned aggressive today with the tussle between the employees and the vice-chancellor.

Sources said the vice-chancellor was “almost manhandled” by the angry staff. Shillong city superintendent of police Claudia Lyngwa said the employees “were so aggressive that the PSO, a Meghalaya police constable, had no other choice”.

The Nehu staff — under the banner of the Joint Action Committee — started the pen-down strike on December 11 after the decision of the university’s executive council a day before to cancel the allowance.

The agitating staff also demanded the resignation of Tandon for his “adamant stand” and a letter in this regard was also faxed to President Pratibha Patil, who is Visitor of the university.

As tomorrow is the only working day before the university closes for Christmas, the employees sought the restoration of the allowance and salary for December.

All the students have vacated their hostels with the launch of the strike which also affected practical exams of the science and technology courses. After the incident, Lyngwa rushed to Nehu and the PSO was called back. The police later strengthened security outside the campus.

“The crowd was aggressive and the PSO was the only policeman who was guarding the vice-chancellor’s office,” Lyngwa said.

She said since the guard was the lone PSO, he was doing his duty and protecting the vice-chancellor.

On December 17, the employees had staged a protest march on Nehu campus against the cancellation of the allowance by the Nehu executive council. The spokesman for the joint action committee, Prof. Apurba K. Baruah, said today that the employees were agitated as they had not availed of the allowance as well as the advance pay for December. The vice-chancellor was also not ready to meet the staff, he added.

Moreover, the employees are yet to get 60 per cent arrears pending since 2006, as per the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations.

Future leaders of N-E

Students of Cotton College stage a streetplay in Guwahati on Wednesday to create awareness on witchhunting. Picture by Eastern Projections

Future leaders of N-E
Students of the first batch of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Northeast campus, received their diplomas in the presence of the secretary of the North Eastern Council, U.K. Sangma, on December 15 on the institute’s premises.

Altogether 27 youths from all over the region were awarded diplomas in community organisation and development practice.
These students were nominated by various government bodies like the Bodoland Territorial Council, NGOs and eminent individuals of the region. These youngsters will now go back to their own areas and contribute significantly to the development of the region.
Apart from rigorous academic inputs, which are characteristics of a TISS programme, the students have been exposed to a plethora of issues and practice skills not related to the region but also outside the Northeast.
“Though I have been engaged in social issues for the past two years, I have greatly benefited from this programme. I am now able to see through and connect the local problems to the regional, national and international happenings,” said Habahun Shisha Niller, a candidate from Bethany Society, Meghalaya.
The Assam government has allocated land to the institute for it initial post-graduate academic programmes in social work, rural development management, health systems studies, human development and other certificate and diploma programmes.

The first batch of students of TISS, Northeast campus

New ‘library’

The fully automated EXIM Bank Knowledge Centre at Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Shillong was formally brought into operation on December 10, therein beginning a new journey in the field of technology with the implementation of the integrated library management system.
The integrated library system is not only a standards-based, fully integrated, flexible and open, but more. It has advanced features such as functional requirements for bibliographic records, update notifications through selective dissemination of information, user reviews and ratings.
The system completely fulfils requirements of the EXIM Bank Knowledge Centre. Because of its flexibility, it allows creation of customer profiles for the library and staff user and controls access to more than 600 functions throughout the system. It is engineered for the robustness and ease of use that library patrons and staff demand. In a nutshell, it allows setting of the rules and parameters that work best for the library.
CHIT CHAT
A popular talk on Primatology in the Northeast was held recently on the Digboi forest inspection bungalow premises. It was organised by the department of zoology, Digboi College, for the students of zoology of Digboi College and Margherita College.
Narayan Sarma, a doctoral research scholar of National Institute of Science Academy, Bangalore, delivered a lecture on the primates of India with special reference to the Northeast and Assam.
Another resource person, Sumitra Sankaran of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, gave a lecture on the Western Hoolock Gibbon’s distribution and their biology. An interactive session with the resources persons was also carried among the participants chaired by the head of the department of zoology, Digboi College, Anu Borgohain. She also highlighted ongoing various courses in wildlife at the masters degree level in India, where a science graduate can begin his/her career in wildlife field. Later, Narayan Sarma gave a live demonstration on how to record latitude and longitude, way points, track records with the help of GPS to the forest officials of Digboi forest division.

Status quo on power projects

KSU stand plays a part

Shillong, Dec. 15 : Meghalaya principal secretary, power, B.K. Dev Verma today said no decision was taken by the cabinet on the handover of two power projects — Leshka stage II and Umngot, to private companies, with the Khasi Students Union reiterating that it will oppose the move.

The students’ union had favoured the formation of a joint action committee to oppose any move to hand over the power projects to private companies after meeting the residents of the areas in Jaintia hills where the projects are located.

The KSU had also organised a public meeting at Amlarem on Saturday after getting inputs that the government was planning to take a decision soon regarding handing over these two projects to private companies.

The student group said its Amlarem unit, after the meeting, opposed any move on the part of the government to hand over the projects to private companies.

KSU president Samuel Jyrwa today said the state government should hand over these two power (above 100MW) projects to the state owned Meghalaya State Electricity Board. The state power board is at present executing the 126MW Leshka stage I hydel project.

In 2007, when the Congress-led government under the leadership of D.D. Lapang was in power, it had to keep in abeyance the power deal with the private companies after protests from the KSU and other pressure groups.

The erstwhile Congress-led government had also entrusted an official-level committee to look into the merits and demerits of the power deal with the private companies.

When the NCP-UDP led Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) came into power in 2008, it had cleared two power projects, Umduna and Umjaut that are below 100MW. It decided to scrap two other major projects, Leshka hydel project, stage II, Umngot among others, which are above 100MW, as these did not follow the international competitive bidding.

However, after the new Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government came into power in May this year, no decision was taken regarding the projects.

Deputy chief minister in-charge, power, Mukul Sangma, told reporters today that the erstwhile MPA government had earlier decided that the private companies which are interested to execute the projects above 100MW will have to enter into a joint venture with the state-owned power board.

“We are studying the various decisions taken by the erstwhile MPA government so that we can decide what is best for the state,” Sangma said.

According to Sangma, the next cabinet meeting will take a collective decision on the handover of the projects either to the state power board or to private companies

Students slam NSCN recruitment

Blame on lax security
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itanagar, Dec. 13: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has voiced concern over the Khaplang faction of the NSCN’s “recruitment” of 18 youths from Tirap district, bordering Nagaland, last month.

The students’ union alleged that 18 youths, aged between 18 and 23, were recruited by the NSCN (K) from the remote Pongchau circle in Tirap district on November 19.

Of the 18 reported recruits, 16 are from Pongchau village while two belong to Bonia village under Pongchau circle.

Takam Tatung, the president of the apex students’ body, in a statement issued to the press last evening, condemned the recruitment drive by the Nagaland-based outfit and urged the state government and Delhi to act tough on the outfit immediately to stop such drives in the future.

“The recruitment of 18 youths from Pongchau and Bonia villages in Tirap district on November 19 has laid bare the loopholes in the state’s security system, making the youths vulnerable to external elements like the NSCN (K), which has been carrying out a recruitment drive in the district. The act on the part of the outfit within the territory of our state where there is an elected government is a matter of real concern and disturbing. Blame it on the security agencies operating in the area, which were caught napping during such a recruitment drive in the district.”

The union sought the immediate intervention of the state government and the Centre to bring the youths back to the mainstream. It also said law and order in the district was “dismal”.

The deteriorating law and order in the insurgency-ridden district had paved the way for the frequent recruitment drives by the Nagaland-based rebel outfits, it added.

Tatung said the CRPF, Assam Rifles, police forces deployed by the Centre and state police force have miserably failed to contain militancy in the district, which had been at the receiving end of insurgency spilled over from neighbouring Nagaland.

Sources said 39 youths were abducted by the NSCN (K) from Tirap in February last year. Of them, 29 returned home.

AAPSU had called for the boycott of goods coming from Nagaland and a statewide bandh on February 29, 2008, demanding the release of 10 Arunachalee youths allegedly abducted by the NSCN (K).

The sources said the youths were taken to the insurgents’ camp at Kamka, 40km inside Myanmar, the union then alleged, demanding a quick persuasion by the state government to pressurise the Centre to take up the issue with the authorities in Myanmar.

The students’ union also demanded that the state Assembly pass a resolution on the lines of the Assam Assembly for protecting the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh. The Nagaland House had recently passed a resolution for the recognition of Naga outfits struggling for a “Greater Nagalim”.

The student body also decided to extend its ultimatum from a week to a month for the business community to dispose of Chinese goods in the state. This decision came after a request made by the Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

The union welcomed “the concern shown by the leaders of the BJP in Lok Sabha” regarding China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh.

AASU to blockade ONGC

Dibrugarh, Dec. 13: The Sivasagar unit of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) has called a 96-hour bandh of the ONGC from December 21 to protest against the company’s alleged move to privatise some of its operations in the state.

The AASU will take steps to block all ONGC operations across Sivasagar district such as transportation of crude from oil fields to the oil collecting stations, movement of men and machines to field and offices and dharnas in front of offices of the establishments in the district, among others.

The Sivasagar district unit of the AASU today issued a statement alleging that the ONGC had failed to clarify its stand on privatisation of some of its operations in Assam because of which the union had called for the bandh.

“We have been urging the company to clarify its stand on the issue which we feel would be totally detrimental to the welfare of Sivasagar district in particular and to Assam in general. But so far the company has not been able to come up with any convincing reply because of which we had to resort to agitation through democratic ways of protest,” the secretary of the Sivasagar unit of AASU, Manik Gogoi, said.

It had been largely speculated in various quarters that the ONGC is going to privatise its Assam Asset operations, which is located in various parts of Upper Assam.

The AASU alleged that despite repeated formal appeals and reminders, the ONGC had not properly replied to them on the critical issue.

The union had also staged a dharna in front of the company’s Sivasagar office on similar demands on December 4, but it failed to evoke any response from the company.

Deputy general manager (corporate communications and public relations), Dilip Kumar Das, said the allegations brought in by the AASU are not correct.

“We are trying to settle the issue and find an amicable solution so that the blockade does not take place,” he said.

AASU firm on expulsion of illegal migrants

GUWAHATI, Dec 10 – The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), observing its ‘Swahid Diwas’ today, reaffirmed its stand on expulsion of illegal migrants from the State. The students’ body asked the State government and the Centre to give a specific timeframe for implementation of the Assam Accord. “The AASU is firm on its longstanding demand of making the State free from the illegal Bangladeshis and ensuring the authority of indigenous people in the State. Though 30 years have passed since the AASU started fighting for this cause and 25 years have passed of signing the Accord with the Union Government, our borders are not yet sealed to checkillegal influx, let alone the question of finding and deporting the existing illegal Bangladeshis,” said AASU advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, addressing the media today.

“On the other hand, it is unfortunate and a serious lapse on the part of the State Government that even the identified illegal Bangladeshis continue to ‘vanish’ in the State,” he added.

While demanding a special package for rehabilitation of families of those who laid their lives during the movement, and those who became physically disabled, the AASU said that all the political parties forming Government in the State ignored the sacrifice of these martyrs and their families.

“Swahid Kharageswar Talukdar sacrificed his life on December 10, 1979 while participating in the Assam movement and thus the day is observed to commemorate the 855 martyrs, who sacrificed their lives fighting for the rights of the people ofAssam,” added Sankar Prasad Rai, AASU president.

The students’ body has decided to help the families of Assam movement martyrs. As part of this initiative, it announced to help the family of Girish Chandra Nath of Nagaon with a pair of bullock, the family members of Dharani Roy of Bongaingaon with cow and a calf, and the family of Gahin Deka of Nalbari with a manually-operated loom. It also promised to further help these families in future.

The AASU reiterated its demand for constitutional safeguard, inner land permit and rights of indigenous people over land and natural resources.

On the other, the Asom Gana Parishad also observed the Swahid Diwas today. In a central function held at the Khanapara Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium the day was observed with various programmes and prayers in the presence of the AGP leaders Chandra Mohan Patowary, Prafulla Mahanta and Sarbananda Sonowal among others, mentioned a press statement.