Revised Cost Estimates of Tuirial Hydro Electric Project (60 MW) in Mizoram-Restarting of project works by NEEPCO

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved the revised cost estimate of Tuirial Hydro Electric Project (60 MW) in Mizoram by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited amounting to Rs.913.63 crore including Interest During Construction (IDC) of Rs.36.57 crore at March, 2010 Price Level. The financial pattern of the total cost of Rs.913.63 crore comprises of (i) equity of Rs.137.04 crore, (ii) loan from financial institutions amounting to Rs.184.63 crore, (iii) subordinate loan from Government of India amounting to Rs.291.96 crore and (iv) Grant from DoNER amounting to Rs.300 crore. The CCEA also approved conversion of Government of India loan of Rs.15.30 crore into equity and waiver of accumulated interest and penal interest of Rs.16.13 crore on Government of India loan. The project is scheduled to be commissioned in 36 months from the date of investment approval of Revised Cost Estimate (RCE).

The Government of Mizoram have signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the purchase of power from this project at CERC rates. The project will help the State of Mizoram / North Eastern Region in mitigating the power shortage with a clean source of energy. Apart from benefits due to power generation, the storage created due to project would contribute to economic development through promotion of fisheries, navigation, tourism etc. The project will improve the hydro-thermal mix in the North Eastern Region and the country.

Mizoram governor for census of migrants

Silchar Dec. 21 : Mizoram Governor Lt Gen. (retd) M.M. Lakhera has advocated a comprehensive census of Myanmarese nationals staying illegally in the state.

The suggestion came at a recent meeting with delegates of the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitu Committee in Aizawl and stemmed from concern over a sudden spurt of crime and narcotics peddling.

Mizoram chief minister Lalthanhawla could not attend the meet, as he was undergoing a stomach operation in Aizawl.

Sources said these incidents of crime are mainly attributed to the Myanmarse migrants who have been entering the state through its 404km border with Chin state in northwest Myanmar.

It is difficult to identify the Myanmarese Mizos as they share similarities of features and language with the Mizos of Mizoram.

A recent case of rape and murder of a five-year-old girl allegedly by a Myanmarese Mizo had sent shock waves in the state.

Henry Vaneichung was accused of raping and killing the girl in a secluded forest groove near her village on November 8. He was later caught by villagers and handed over to police.

The number of Myanmarese Mizos in the state is estimated to be between 40,000 and 75,000.

They mostly earn a living by doing odd jobs in automobile workshops, laundries and as domestic helps in Aizawl and other towns.

Many of them engage in drug-peddling and bootlegging in Mizoram, where sales and consumption of drinks is prohibited since 1997.

Myanmarese Mizos and Chin nationals are permitted to engage in border trade within a 15km radius in Mizoram and then return, but a majority of them choose to remain in Mizoram for a longer period.

Aizawl on a Reang rebound

by JB Lama

ONE can only imagine what it has cost the Tripura government to look after Reang (known locally as Bru) refugees, so its desire for a lifting of this burden is very understandable. For more than a decade the state provided shelter to 55,000 Chakma refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts and just when the final phase of their repatriation was about to resume in October 1997, there was a sudden exodus of 12,000 Reangs from Mizoram, triggered by the ethnic clashes in the aftermath of the killing of a Mizo forest warden by suspected Bru militants. This incident merely added to the already surcharged atmosphere created by the Bru National Union’s demand for an autonomous district council and the Mizo Zirlai Pawi — a students’ organisation — whipping up passions against the Reangs.
Over the next few months, the number of refugees swelled to more than 40,000. Several attempts to disperse them failed because the Mizoram government insisted, and continues to do so, that all those huddled in Tripura refugee camps are not its citizens and that it would take back only those with documents to prove their required status.
After verification, the refugees were to leave in November last year but a day before their scheduled departure Bru militants killed a Mizo youth in what seemed an organised move to stall the process.
However, Union home minister P Chidambaram visited Mizoram in October this year and was able to persuade chief minister Lalthanhawla to start repatriation from the last day of that month. The first batch left in early November and the second was to start two weeks later. But now comes the unpleasant news that the Mizoram government has suspended the operation after a faction of refugees blocked passage. The Mizoram Bru Displaced Welfare Organisation now wants the state government to fully implement the rehabilitation package for the first group before more refugees are allowed to leave. The organisation’s major demand – that the refugees be resettled in a compact area for security reasons — has not been met.
Well, Aizawl will have to take the refugees into confidence. Under the Mizo Accord, it is committed to protect the interests of minorities. And unless there is an assurance of sorts for those who do not “qualify” for resettlement, there is little prospect of the problem being solved once and for all.

Monita and Mamta made to sweat

M.R. Praveen Chandran
— Photo: H. Vibhu

TIGHT CONTEST: Monita overcame Sarjubala's challenge in the second round. Thrissur: Hot contenders Monita Devi (Arunachal Pradesh) and Mamta (Bihar) had to sweat it out but defending champion Vanlal Duati had it easy in the second round of the 48kg category in the 11th National senior women's boxing championship at the Lulu International Convention Centre here on Monday.
National junior champion Sarjubala Devi (Manipur) went down fighting to Monita, a silver medallist behind Mary Kom in the 46kg section in the 2008 National championship. Sarjubala, who is taking part in her first senior National, lost the closely-contested bout 0-1.
Not overawed
The Manipur boxer was not overawed by her opponent and it was sheer inexperience which cost Sarjubala a victory. Monita connected with a straight left in the first round, but after that she was busy ducking and weaving out of Sarjubala's punches.
Despite being the aggressor, Sarjubala could not nail the crucial point as Monita used the hit-and-run tactic to good effect in the last three rounds.
Last year's runner-up Mamta found unexpected challenge from Assam's Jahnabi Gogri after leading by a point at the end of the second round. Jhanabi went all out in the third but Mamta managed to evade most of Jahnabi's punches.
Mamta, however, ran out of steam in the fourth round as Jahnabi equalled the scores by connecting with a left hook. The scores were tied 1-1 at the end of that round. However, the judges ruled 3-2 in favour of Mamta.
Defending champion Vanlal had a smooth passage against Khalda Wali of Maharashtra.
The results:
48kg (second round): Monita Devi (Aru) bt Sarjubala Devi (Man) 1-0; Aarti (Del) bt Sarita Vishvkarma (AP) 9-1; Roshni Bhushal (Meg) bt Sharda (Cht) 8-0; Vanlal Duati bt Khalda Wali, RSC; Krishna Thapa (Bih) bt A. Punyavati (AP) 11-2; Mamta bt Jahnabi Gogri (Asm) 3-2.
51kg (second round): Daljeet Kaur (Pun) bt Poonam (Raj) 9-2; P. Nirosha (AP) bt Anajali Chauhan (HP) 8-3; Rebecca Lalimawii (Miz) bt Hema Yogesh (Ker) 10-1; Vinita (Utr) bt Karpagavalli (TN) RSC; Suman (Har) bt Sashi Kiran (MP) 2-0.
57kg (first round): Pavitra (Har) bt Savita Rawat (Delhi) 14-1; Shylaja Reddy (RSCB) bt Anjali Krishnan (Ker) 14-1; Minu Basmatary (Asm) bt Mona Unnikrishnan (Guj), RSC; Margareth Nongrum (Meg) bt Aren Imsong (Ngl) 14-10; Kumari Nisha (HP) bt Roshni Bisht (Utr), RSC; Priyanka Kumari (Jha) bt Uma Maheshwari (AP), RSC .

Mizo woman gang-raped in Assam

A 30-year-old Mizo woman was reportedly gang-raped by a group of youths in Assams Cachar district, police said Saturday.

"A woman from Mizorams Champai district was raped by ten youths, including six students, at Silchar in southern Assam late Thursday night," a police official told reporters.

Police, quoting the Mizo woman, said that she had no money to return to her home in eastern Mizoram when she unexpectedly found another Mizo woman, Malsoama Sanga, in Silchar and sought assistance.

"Malsoama took the victim to a house at the outskirts of Silchar city, where the girl was gang raped," the official said adding that the girl escaped from the place and went to the Mizoram Circuit House and informed the liaison officer about the incident.

Police arrested the seven people, including Malsoama, and are probing the incident. During interrogation, the youths admitted that they had paid Malsoama for bringing the victim to them.

The Assam Police have informed their Mizoram counterparts of the incident.

Aizawl One Step Ahead

Aizawl is the largest city as well as the capital of the state of Mizoram in India.
Mizoram is basically a one step ahead for rising the literacy rate. The government really triedto work on this specific areas and several challenges are also come across it..

Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana told reporters in Aizawl that‘Our state government has decided to suspend the ongoing repatriation of Reang refugees from six relief camps in Tripura in the wake of protests by anti-repatriation groups,’

‘The anti-repatriation groups, backed by suspected militants, not only blocked roads to prevent the refugees from returning to Mizoram, but even obstructed state government officials from identifying bonafide residents of Mizoram among refugees.’

The home minister R. Lalzirliana said , There are armed extremists who have been trying to sabotage the government’s programme to repatriate refugees from Tripura. Security forces would not hesitate to use their weapons against such armed elements,’ .

Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana said these militants are intimidating the tribals, locally called Bru, against returning to their villages in Mizoram and warning them of dire consequences if they disobey.

Make Delhi safer for northeast women: NGOs

New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Scores of people from various NGOs, students from the northeast and others participated in a protest rally in the capital Wednesday demanding speedy justice in the gangrape of a BPO staffer from Mizoram last week.

They also demanded that the Delhi government issue a set of guidelines for BPOs so that the safety of their women employees is not compromised.

The protest was organised by NGO Nirantar. A similar protest was organised Monday by the Mizo Students Union and the Mizo Welfare Association, voicing their anger over the rape and other similar cases of harassment against northeastern women in the capital.

A member of Nirantar said: 'We are shocked by the repeated incidents of sexual assault on women from the northeast in the capital in recent months. The rape of a northeastern woman in Dhaula Kuan has again pointed to the failure of the Delhi government to ensure safety of women and especially of women from the northeast.'

In a statement they said: 'Often it is assumed that they (northeastern) are 'available' and (these) women are of 'loose character'. The sexual assaults on women from the northeast are even justified by saying that they 'asked for it' because of the way they look and dress.'

'We demand that the Delhi government take appropriate measures to address and curb sexual assault on women, and in particular women from the northeast who have been particularly targeted in the recent past. The Delhi Police must be more responsive or else its claims to make Delhi safe for women will be proved entirely hollow,' it added.

'The Delhi government must issue guidelines to BPOs and other employers in order that they increase security measures when women staff members are dropped to their residence. Also police patrols should be ensured in all areas and all roads should be well lit, including the bus stops,' it further said.

Madhu Chandra of the Northeast Support Centre and Helpline who participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar Wednesday said: 'The safety of northeastern women in Delhi is a very serious issue. Every other day you hear of girls from the region getting harassed here, and all because they look different.'

'A team of Delhi Police officials was supposed to come and meet me to discuss a plan to make the city safer for the women of the region today, but it didn't work out. They are now coming tomorrow (Thursday) and I hope something concrete comes out of it,' Chandra told IANS.

The victim of the Nov 24 gangrape was a 30-year-old woman from Mizoram working in a BPO. She was abducted by four men and gangraped in a moving goods carrier.