Guwahati, Feb. 23: The crisis in Gauhati University today deepened with teachers announcing a phasewise total non-cooperation demanding immediate implementation of the revised UGC payscale.
Dispur, however, maintained that the matter was under consideration of the finance department.
An emergent executive committee meeting of GU Teachers’ Association (GUTA) this afternoon decided to launch the non-co-operation from Friday by boycotting the classes and all other academic activities.
The GUTA meet also decided to block the vice-chancellor’s office for three days from March 3 to jeopardise the functioning of the university.
Jogen Chandra Kalita, the general secretary of GUTA told The Telegraph that executive members of the association expressed resentment over the way the state government, especially the education department, had handled the issue of revised payscale.
He said the meeting found no other option but to go for non-co-operation as the last resort of the teachers to pressurise Dispur for implementing the revised payscales.
“During the VC office blockade programmes on March 3, 4 and 5, the teachers will abstain themselves from attending classes and all other academic activities. The GUTA will also disrupt the administrative functioning of the university during those days to send a strong message of resentment to Dispur,” Kalita said.
The 6th Revised New Payscale was approved by the UGC in 2008 for teachers in central and state universities.
The existing basic pay of is Rs 8,000 for a lecturer, Rs 12,000 for a reader and Rs 16,000 for a professor. In case of the revised pay, the expected basic salary will be Rs 16,000 for a lecturer, Rs 37,000 for a reader and Rs 39,000 for a professor.
Education minister Gautam Bora told The Telegraph that the agitation was unfortunate and urged the teachers to be patient.
He said his department had already moved the file relating to the revised payscales and it was pending with the finance department.
“Chief minister Tarun Gogoi even assured the teachers to implement the revised payscale during the meetings with GUTA. The government will have to take additional financial burden of several crores of rupees while implementing the revised payscales. So the finance department will take some time to clear the file and teachers must co-operate,” Bora said.
He said the state budget for 2010-11 might allocate funds to implement the revised pay.
The GUTA, however, termed Bora’s stand on the issue as very weak.
The association’s general secretary said the education minister could have impressed upon the chief minister and finance department to implement the new payscales within the current financial year.
Imphal, February 21, 2010: With the release of the abducted former president of a district branch of a students’ body, locals of Nambol in Bishnupur district today called off all planned agitations including state-wide general strike from midnight today.
Sairom Robindro (33), former president of the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Bishnupur district, a resident of Kha Jiri of Nambol, whose whereabouts remained unknown since he was abducted by suspected security men in civil dress on the night of February 17, was released unharmed last midnight at Nambol Khoriphaba area by the abductors.
Mention may be made here that locals of Nambol area alleged that he was picked up by the security personnel, threatened to impose statewide general strike if abductors failed to release him safe and sound by 4 pm today.
Apparently in response to the demand of the locals, the unknown abductors released him last night.
However, residents as well Robindro himself are still at dark whether the abductors were security men or underground groups.
Today, Robindro said after picked up from his home on the night of February 17, he was blind folded and kept in an unknown place for two days.
The abductor did not identify who were they but asked many questions like whether he has nexus with underground elements or involve in their activities.
They also beat up him at every instant of questioning.
"Unable to bear with the torture meted out by them, I even pleaded them to kill him," Robindro added.
When asked, he said, they (abductors) were suspected to security forces but they never tell their identities.
Mention may be made that locals yesterday formed a JAC and decided to launch intensify forms of agitations and also threatened to impose general strike from midnight tonight by setting deadline to release Robindro by 4 pm today.
The JAC also announced suspension of all forms of stir announced earlier but urged those group or individuals to clarify on the matter of abduction of Robindro.
Guwahati, Feb. 20: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute a CBI inquiry into the allegations of involvement of several ministers of the Tarun Gogoi government in the Rs 1,000 crore scam in North Cachar Hills district.
The AASU also demanded that the Union home ministry immediately publish the main report of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that indicted the ministers in embezzlement of the funds meant for development in the district.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi had yesterday rejected a CBI inquiry unless there was prima facie evidence against the ministers.
Reacting to a news report published in a national magazine about the alleged involvement of the state’s ministers in the scam, the AASU leaders dared Gogoi to “prove his moral uprightness by constituting the CBI inquiry”.
The magazine in its report named seven ministers, besides sitting MP Dip Gogoi and former Assam Governor Lt Gen. (retd) Ajai Singh, for their involvement in the scam.
“Since the central funds meant for development of NC Hills used to go through Dispur, it could easily be understood that someone in the government might have siphoned off the funds. The NIA, which probed the alleged politician-bureaucrat-militant nexus in embezzlement of funds in NC Hills, also recommended a CBI probe. Why is Gogoi afraid of asking the CBI to conduct the inquiry? The Prime Minister, who is a representative from Assam in Parliament, must intervene and order a CBI inquiry to punish those involved in siphoning off public or tax payers’ money in NC Hills,” AASU advisor Sammujjal Bhattacharyya told reporters.
He said the NIA had submitted a report to the Union government highlighting the involvement of Assam’s ministers in the scam and the AASU would pressure the Union home ministry to make the report public.
“The NIA was created after the Mumbai terror strikes to probe terrorism-related acts. The agency’s credibility will be at stake if its main report is not published. The Congress government at the Centre might overcome political pressure to expose those involved in the scam. It must also be investigated as to why the NIA could not fully complete its investigation in NC Hills,” Bhattacharyya said.
AASU president Sankar Prasad Rai alleged that the chief minister was trying desperately to shield the corrupt ministers of his cabinet.
The students’ union demanded punishment to all those involved in the scam, including the former governor.
Bhattacharyya said if the Centre did not concede to the AASU’s demands, it would approach either the Supreme Court or Gauhati High Court for a CBI probe.
The AGP today staged a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan, seeking the arrest of those named in the NIA report.
According to the magazine, the indicted ministers are Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rockybul Hussain, Chandan Brahma, Ajanta Neog, Akon Bora, Gautom Roy and Khorsing Ingty. Hussain filed a criminal defamation suit against the management and editor of the magazine at the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court in Nagaon today.
All Assam Student Union Food Demonstration
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Silchar, Feb 15 : In order to put presure both on the Central and the State Government for early completion of Silchar-Lumding BG and East – West Corridor, All Dimasa Students’ Union and All Cachar Karimganj and Hailakandi Students’ Association have arranged a mass convention on February 26 here at Gandhi Bhawan.
Asit Deb Roy, general secretary of ACKHSA central committee, said student and youth leaders of Tripura, Mizoram, Brahmaputra Valley and North Cachar Hills, besides Barak Valley, would attend the convention.
This convention would chalk out the course of action in order to make the movement for the two important projects of this region with the public support of the neighbouring states and districts.
Asit Deb Roy said that so far the authorities concerned have been blaming insurgency as the cause of delay in the completion of BG and Super Highway.
ACKHSA leader said now that militant organizations of North Cachar Hills have laid down arms and ammunitions and normalcy has returned, work on both the projects should be taken up in right earnest by the ministry of railways and the national highway authority of India. He cautioned if nothing came out concrete in this regard, all the student and youth organizations of the areas and states concerned would join a mass movement
GUWAHATI, Feb 10 – Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the demand of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) for DNA test to establish linkages for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is an impracticable demand.
Addressing mediapersons today, Gogoi said that such a demand by the AASU would only slow down the process of updating the NRC and the problem would never be solved. He reiterated that 1971 should be the cut off year for updating the NRC and pointed out that in the Assam Accord also, 1971 is the cut off year for detection and deportation of foreigners.
The Chief Minister asserted that he was not craving for the votes of the foreigners. “I do not need a single vote of foreigners,” he said. He claimed that he was interested in permanent solution of the problem of infiltration and also advocated the need for issuing identity cards to Indian citizens.
On the issue of talks with militants, Gogoi said that apart from the demand for sovereignty, the Government is ready to talk on any issue. He said that a congenial atmosphere should be created for talks but did not specify whether the Government would be ready to release the jailed ULFA leaders to create a favourable atmosphere for talks. He said that more pressure is being put on the ULFA through Myanmar. He also asserted that the overall law and order situation in Assam improved considerably and even Union Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted the fact.
The Chief Minister further admitted that the performance of the ONGC in Assam was not satisfactory and that is why he took up the matter with the Government of India, following which, the Centre decided to form a subsidiary company.
IMPHAL, Feb 8 : The Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) has expressed strong concern over sudden halt of emergency services and teaching programme at the prestigious Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.
In a statement, DESAM said sudden closure of the health care sector without prior information has created much inconveniences to people who are in desperate need for medical attention.
Sudden closure of academic programmes in the prestigious medical institutions is against the wishes of the people and the DESAM’s campaign to bring free zone in education sector, the statement said adding the students body condemned halt of academic programme in the premier medical institute.
It is quite unnatural for the RIMS staffs in launching cease work strike merely for delay in payment of salaries, the DESAM said adding identification and award of befitting punishment to those responsible for the current stir could be the right step for the concerned authority.
While asserting that sudden closure of emergency services at the RIMS has created problems amongst patients, the DESAM appeal for immediate opening of emergency services in the interest of the general public.
The influential students body further appeal the strikers to resume normal academic programme in the institute asserting the DESAM always stood against class boycott, bandh, blockade and general strike.
The students body also appeal concerned authority of the RIMS to bring an amicable solution at the earliest.
| JNU professor Manoj Pant is giving a new tune to the timeless epic, the Ramayana |
Photo: Sandeep Saxena
SYMPHONYPant has composed tracks in different genres like rock blues and jazz
The story of Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Ravan continues to find an expression on the artistic horizon. The ideal characters, the concept of Dharma and the devotional element, which are the hallmark of Ramayana — one of the two great Hindu epics – are enough to keep creative minds enchanted. Now, it has caught the fancy of Manoj Pant — economic advisor to the Government of Nagaland and a professor at the Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he teaches International Trade theory. He is composing a rock musical on the Ramayana.
Away from the numerous dance ballets, plays, classical dance and music recitals where the narrative has always been set to traditional Indian music — even if the text was being viewed in a universal context — Pant is lending it a new hue. The two-hour musical has borrowed the tale from Kumaoni Ramlila, which is translated into Hindustani and set to different genres of western music like rock, jazz and blues. So, what you get in this musical package are a number of songs interspersed with minimal dialogues. Running into roughly four acts, the songs in each one of them will be backed by western music arrangements.
“For instance the song in the first act on Sita's Swayamvar sung by a sad and disappointed Raja Janak, “Toote nahin chaap sita rahe kunwari”, after nobody has been able to break the bow, is a blues composition. The number in the fourth act, “Tum mere jaise purush main tum jaisi naari, ye sanyog vidhi racha vichari”, is rendered by Surpanakha. Ravan's sister is smitten by the handsome Ram and Lakshman and, dancing in front of them in the jungles, she is asking them to marry her. The situation lent itself well to a jazz composition,” explains the founder member of Jazz Yatra. Seventy-five per cent through with the work, he is in the process of finalising his cast and crew. Since dance too will be an important part, Pant has engaged Mumbai-based actor, singer and dancer Madhuri Bhatia for choreography. Auditions will begin as soon as the director is in. The music, which is being composed in his house, has vocals of Pant, his daughter and friends for the sake of rehearsals but “all this will be professionally recorded in the studio and then without any vocals because actors will sing it live on stage.
It will be easier to take it to different places then. It won't be a set-based flashy drama but laced with movements, music and emotions,” says Pant.
For the story, Pant referred to a couple of “Shri Ramlila Nataks”, the books on which Kumaoni Ramlilas are based on.
“They are written by different authors in Eastern UP dialect, who again took material from different sources. With the help of my aunt Manorama Joshi, we translated them into simple Hindustani. Going to the Ramlila was an integral part of the lives of the people of my generation and I have used some of the traditional tunes that I heard in these Ramlilas, like in the song “Aye pakshiyon bataon mujhe sita kahan gayi”. Interestingly, Kumaoni Ramlilas were executed in Parsi theatre style,” says Pant, who is formally trained in classical guitar.
But perhaps the seeds of this work were sown back in the ‘70s when Pant attempted a number of western musicals like “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “You are a Good Man Charlie Brown”, which he felt offered little scope for innovation and hardly any challenge. “And also, it's not something Indians connect with. So, I thought why not do an Indian musical based on western music. Simon and Garfunkel's “Bleecker Street” is a nice song but how many people here know where Bleecker Street is. Bollywood has combined the brilliant orchestration of the West to Indian settings,” says the artiste who aims to stage the musical in October this year.
SHAILAJA TRIPATHI
Dimapur, February 2 (MExN): The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has written to the Chief Secretary of Nagaland demanding disclosure of the SIT investigations report on the bogus teachers’ appointment case. Likewise, the NSF has demanded disclosure on the matter of redeployment of teachers to their respective posts from “non-teaching offices.”
In a letter appended by NSF executives, the federation asked the chief secretary to meet its demand immediately, pointing out that the NSF will “stand all out” in the interest of the public so as to ensure “fair practices to prevail.” The NSF also cautioned that it will not hesitate to ‘defend its rights democratically’ should the government remain a mute spectator to its demands.
The NSF lamented that it is almost a year now that the Education department had been playing the “blame game amongst the officials over the bogus appointment issue.” Consequently the government had instituted the Special Investigation Team to examine the nature of appointments.
The NSF however lamented that the SIT report had been kept in cold storage till date. It pointed out that the investigation had affected the academic career of government schools last year due to shortage of teachers and “government’s unsympathetic” attitude towards the affected schools. The NSF stated that further delay “without any tangible result will not be tolerated by the federation.”
It was also pointed out that while the NSF fully supports the ‘cleansing’ of the Education department “without fear or favor”, however “indefinite type of investigative process would yield no good result for corrective process to take shape in the system.” The “improper” system in the Education department was the result of years of “accumulated problems” the NSF said, adding that the anomalism cannot be ‘cleansed’ by delaying the results of the investigation.
Likewise, the NSF mentioned the long held demand of the students’ body for redeployment of teachers to their respective posting from non-teaching offices such as the Directorate, DEOs/DIS offices or attached to MLAs, parliamentary secretaries or ministers. The demand has not been met, NSF said.
The NSF however lauded the DEO/DIS Dimapur, Niuland and Zunheboto for undertaking redeployment exercise. “Favouritism practiced by the government breeds differences in the department in particular and society at large,” the NSF stated.
The organization said it had been upholding the need for standard and quality in education. It has also been extending its cooperation to the authority concern for strict, fair and just action ever since lacuna was detected in the system especially in the Education department.
Itanagar, Feb 3 : The All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) has decided to boycott all Chinese goods in the state from February 8.
The modus operandi of the student activists will be door to door visit to every shop to identify presence of any Chinese goods, union president Takam Tatung said in a communiqué here today.
The apex students' body of the state, while seeking cooperation from the traders' community in its movement, said enough time was given for the disposal of Chinese goods in the state as earlier requested by Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) last month.
''The boycott call has been necessitated in the backdrop of repeated Chinese claim over Arunachal. The approach adopted by the Union Government in the case of Chinese issue leaves a lot to be desired and one of the cases in study was the alleged captivity of one Chabe Chader, a villager of Gumsing Taying under Taksing Circle of Upper Subansiri by the Chinese Army. Chader went missing from Asaphila border area since August 18, 2007,'' Tatung said.
The issue was pursued by the earlier AAPSU leadership even at the level of the Union Home Ministry and then Lok Sabha Member Kiren Rijiju raised the issue in Parliament.
At that time External Affairs Ministry Joint Secretary Ashok K Kantha said the matter had been taken up through diplomatic channels as well as through flag meetings, border personnel meeting and the hotline at Bumla.
''However, till date there is no trace of Chader, thus vindicating the union's apprehension that in the case of China our Union Government can even forego the safety of an innocent citizen of Arunachal Pradesh,'' Tatung said while validating their boycott of Chinese goods.
He further alleged that the successive governments at the Centre had utterly neglected Arunachal in case of development, especially in the aspect of border roads, while China had constructed all weather road leading up to its border posts facing Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Demchok and Fukche in Ladakh.
Annual Meeting of the Aligarh Muslim University Court, the supreme governing body of the University was held yesterday.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis in his opening remarks informed the house that the project of establishing five centres is in progress and the Government of Kerala, West Bengal and Bihar has agreed to hand over the land to the University free from all encumbrances.
Based on the suggestion of Mr. Rashid Alvi, MP and a letter received from the Chief Minister of Assam, Mr. Tarun Gogoi, the University Court has also resolved to establish AMU Centres at Hyderabad and Assam.
Mr. Moosa Raza, Visitor’s nominee to the University Court suggested to constitute a Special Committee to review the University Act and Statutes. The suggestion received wide support and the house unanimously adopted it.
Mr. M. A. Shahnawas, MP suggested that the election schedule for the post of Chancellor, Pro-chancellor, Honorary Treasurer and six members of the Executive Council be postponed so that the 42 members of the AMU Court to be elected in today’s meeting gets a chance to participate in these elections. It will also uphold the democratic values of the country, he added.
Mr. Naseem Ahmad, former AMU Vice Chancellor, Mr. Khursheed Ahmad Khan, Mr. Khwaja Mohammad Shahid, Prof. Saud Ali Khan and Mr. Syed Shahnawaz Husain, MP and former Union Minister have also favoured the postponement of the election to the top court positions. The Vice Chancellor Prof. P. K. Abdul Azis also shared the same opinion and ruled that since many of the members elected today will not get a chance to participate in these elections to the highest offices of the University, the election to these offices be postponed to a later date. The ruling was unanimously approved by the house.
The house also resolved to pursue vigorously the case of Minority status pending before the Supreme Court.
The members present in the meeting appreciated the efforts of the Vice Chancellor and unanimously praised the steps taken by him for the modernization and expansion of the University.
Imphal, Feb 1 : The All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has decried the sudden change of academic calendar of Manipur.
A press release issued by the student body said that for many years student organisations worked hard to maintain academic calendar in the State which has been witnessing bandhs and strikes quite frequently.
It was only in the past 4/5 years that the Education Department and educational institutions of Manipur could maintain some sort of academic calendar.
Asserting that following the new academic calendar would jeopardise of career of many students who wish of pursuing higher studies outside the State, ATSUM appealed to the State Government and Education Department to ponder again on the decision to change the academic calendar in sync with the national calendar.
The academic session/calendar should be ahead of the national calendar/session and those of other states.
It further exhorted all educational institutions in the hill districts to start their session immediately as usual and not wait for announcement of the new academic calendar.
