Its been almost 10 months since Prime Minister visited Arunachal Pradesh . On his visit he promised many development packages for the state. The most important amongst it was the Rs. 55,00 crores 1,840-km trans-Arunachal Pradesh highway that will stretch from Tawang to Mahadevpur. Once this highway will be built it will be a big respite and a boom for the people of the state. Till now the movement of citizens from one part of the state to another part depends on the moods of Assam. I would say if moods because you never know when there will be bandh in Assam. It like that Assam is always under mood swings.
Another important decision for the development of the state was to put the the state in the rail map.
But can Arunachal Pradesh be really a peaceful and achieve what it want to in terms of education, infrastructure, health care, etc without including the Chakmas and Hajongs. That is a big questions? Can a state take stride towards development leaving a section of its citizen behind ? I don't think so.
The state government should accept the Chakmas and Hajongs as its citizen. Their problem is more of a political problem. The leaders in the state lacks visions to solve the problem . There is no leader to take bold steps leaving behind the communal feeling and taking into consideration the reality.
The Chakma- Hajong problem must be solve as soon as possible before it is too late and get complicated. All the concern parties should be taken into consideration.
In 2007, when Chief minister Khandu Dorjee came to power he constituted a high- power committee headed by Assembly Speaker Setong Sena and MLAs from Chakma inhabitant areas. It was welcome by both the AAPSU (All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union), the major party spearheading the anti-Chakma agitation, and CCRCAP(Committee for Citizenship Rights of the Chakmas and Hajongs of Arunachal Pradesh ). The AAPSU welcome the decision thinking that at last the politicians woke up to their call to drive the Chakmas out of the state while the CCRCAP welcome thinking otherwise. The CCRCAP thought that finally the politicians will take the call to solve the problem. Now both the parties are unsatisfied since the committee didn't took any decision till date. If the committee can not reach a decision even after one and half year then what is the point of forming a committee ? It shows the lack of apathy of the state politicos.
Again during the prime minister's visit to the state in February 2008, the Chief Minister requested the PM to form a high- power committee to solve the problem. What happen to the previous high power committee that was constituted in June 2007?
When will the state politicians and the AAPSU will wake up and try to solve the problem once and for all for the betterment of Arunachal Pradesh.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Clearing The Dark Cloud
I was reading about the abduction of some members of Kathan Village by the Chakmas as reported by the media in Arunachal Pradesh. The reports by the Arunachal Times was biased against the Chakmas. It was a propaganda tool by the AAPSU (All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union) and Arunachal Citizens Rights (ACR)to create xenophobia in the state.
But in order to make a judgment it was important to know the view from the Chakmas also. What really happen? What was the problem? The Conflict was only between the members of the two villages. Then why trying to blame the whole community? Why trying to start a conflicts between the two neighbors who were having a harmonious relations?
I was really eager to know what really happen on 4th October. Since the whole community was blamed by the AAPSU(All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union) and Arunachal Citizens Rights (ACR).
All these years there was no major conflicts regarding land between the Mishmis and the Chakmas. They were staying as good neighbors.
The reason of conflict this time was regarding land. The land happens to fall between the boundary of Changlang and Lohit District.The land was allotted to the Chakmas from the time they came to Arunachal Pradesh. They were staying there since.
But now the villagers of Kathan claimed it to be their land. The conflict started from last year. And on 4th October , a mob from Kathan village torch the house of the Chakmas residing in that land. While running away after burning the houses , the Chakma villager caught 6 members of them. They kept them for a night but without harming them physically. But to hand over to the police the next day. That was what transpired. That was the incident that the AAPSU and ACR groups were claiming that the Santhi Vahini ,a Chakma militant group, abducted six members of Kathan village.
There is no such Chakma militant group in Arunachal. Those people who caught them are simple and unarmed villagers.
I hope the dark cloud over the incidence get clear after reading this. Now, it is the responsibility of the village heads from both the side to discuss the problem and reach an amicable solutions. There may be some misunderstanding from both side.
Such incidences can be solve by discussion among the villagers.
But in order to make a judgment it was important to know the view from the Chakmas also. What really happen? What was the problem? The Conflict was only between the members of the two villages. Then why trying to blame the whole community? Why trying to start a conflicts between the two neighbors who were having a harmonious relations?
I was really eager to know what really happen on 4th October. Since the whole community was blamed by the AAPSU(All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union) and Arunachal Citizens Rights (ACR).
All these years there was no major conflicts regarding land between the Mishmis and the Chakmas. They were staying as good neighbors.
The reason of conflict this time was regarding land. The land happens to fall between the boundary of Changlang and Lohit District.The land was allotted to the Chakmas from the time they came to Arunachal Pradesh. They were staying there since.
But now the villagers of Kathan claimed it to be their land. The conflict started from last year. And on 4th October , a mob from Kathan village torch the house of the Chakmas residing in that land. While running away after burning the houses , the Chakma villager caught 6 members of them. They kept them for a night but without harming them physically. But to hand over to the police the next day. That was what transpired. That was the incident that the AAPSU and ACR groups were claiming that the Santhi Vahini ,a Chakma militant group, abducted six members of Kathan village.
There is no such Chakma militant group in Arunachal. Those people who caught them are simple and unarmed villagers.
I hope the dark cloud over the incidence get clear after reading this. Now, it is the responsibility of the village heads from both the side to discuss the problem and reach an amicable solutions. There may be some misunderstanding from both side.
Such incidences can be solve by discussion among the villagers.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Neigbours
Its been a long time since i wrote anything in my blog. Now, i have got some space to breath and i wanted to devote some time on my blog . I had been thinking a lot about the topic i want to write. Finally i decided to write about the tribes around whose surrounding i been brought up. I had grown up seeing mainly Khamtis , Singphos , Deoris and Tangsas. I never knew about other tribes in Arunachal until l i started going to Middle School. But till now I i know about all the tribes of the state.
Mainly, i will concentrate on the economic, cultural, educational conditions of Singphos and Khmatis vis-a-vis the Chakmas. I am not here to demean , ridicule or make a judgment on any community but to write about the reality.
I wrote a lot about my people. What i like about the Chakmas of Arunachal is that they are very hard working people. Their aspiration in this adversities. Their believe in fate. Their optimistic thinking, which is really to be proud of .
Singphos are our immediate neighbors. They are Buddhist by religion. They are very known for arts and crafts. They are very able blacksmiths. Which you can see in their tradition swords and knife.
I think the interaction of Chakmas with Singphos is more than between any other tribes. The Chakmas are lucky to be their neighbour. Religion is acting as a binding factor between the two communities. In the last four and half decades the has been any inter community marriages between the two communities. Beings Buddhist they are a peace loving community. There were no major conflicts between the two communities except a few unfortunate incidence , incited by some anti- social elements.
I think one of the major problem that is ailing their society is the drug abuse mainly heroine , against which the whole community should fight. Drug abuse is like a time bomb, which if not diffuse on time will inhale the society the way the the abuser inhale the smoke. In order to overcome this menace , the collective effort of the society is required . It will be the responsibility of the responsible youth to lead the campaign with the help from the leaders, elderly people .
In the field of education, they are also lagging behind. Their literacy rate is not commendable. Though the situation is changing slowly. More parents are emphasizing in education . Which is visible in the annual school reports.
Comparing with the condition of the two communities, I don't see a sea of difference in the socioeconomic condition of the majority of the populace, except in the political sphere.
Their is no much of a difference in the village conditions. In many of the Singpho villages , there
are no metallic roads. Even if there are roads but they are not being repair for a long time which is as good as having no roads. A very good example is the Diyun-Namsai road. The road is very important for the economic development of the area. The road cut across the areas of the Khamtis , Singphos and Deoris finally ending in the Chakmas areas. Being only of 32 km , it takes more than 2 hours to travel from Namsai to Diyun thus giving a average speed of only 14-16 km/hr. Just imagine!!! It is as good as riding on a cycle. How will the economic condition of the people living in this areas will increase , if the major road connecting to their areas is in such a pathetic state of condition? If there is problems in the transportation and communication , how will people sell their product to the outside markets? Agriculture being the main occupation of the people, they expect to sell their product to the outside market thus giving the much needed money.
Mainly, i will concentrate on the economic, cultural, educational conditions of Singphos and Khmatis vis-a-vis the Chakmas. I am not here to demean , ridicule or make a judgment on any community but to write about the reality.
I wrote a lot about my people. What i like about the Chakmas of Arunachal is that they are very hard working people. Their aspiration in this adversities. Their believe in fate. Their optimistic thinking, which is really to be proud of .
Singphos are our immediate neighbors. They are Buddhist by religion. They are very known for arts and crafts. They are very able blacksmiths. Which you can see in their tradition swords and knife.
I think the interaction of Chakmas with Singphos is more than between any other tribes. The Chakmas are lucky to be their neighbour. Religion is acting as a binding factor between the two communities. In the last four and half decades the has been any inter community marriages between the two communities. Beings Buddhist they are a peace loving community. There were no major conflicts between the two communities except a few unfortunate incidence , incited by some anti- social elements.
I think one of the major problem that is ailing their society is the drug abuse mainly heroine , against which the whole community should fight. Drug abuse is like a time bomb, which if not diffuse on time will inhale the society the way the the abuser inhale the smoke. In order to overcome this menace , the collective effort of the society is required . It will be the responsibility of the responsible youth to lead the campaign with the help from the leaders, elderly people .
In the field of education, they are also lagging behind. Their literacy rate is not commendable. Though the situation is changing slowly. More parents are emphasizing in education . Which is visible in the annual school reports.
Comparing with the condition of the two communities, I don't see a sea of difference in the socioeconomic condition of the majority of the populace, except in the political sphere.
Their is no much of a difference in the village conditions. In many of the Singpho villages , there
are no metallic roads. Even if there are roads but they are not being repair for a long time which is as good as having no roads. A very good example is the Diyun-Namsai road. The road is very important for the economic development of the area. The road cut across the areas of the Khamtis , Singphos and Deoris finally ending in the Chakmas areas. Being only of 32 km , it takes more than 2 hours to travel from Namsai to Diyun thus giving a average speed of only 14-16 km/hr. Just imagine!!! It is as good as riding on a cycle. How will the economic condition of the people living in this areas will increase , if the major road connecting to their areas is in such a pathetic state of condition? If there is problems in the transportation and communication , how will people sell their product to the outside markets? Agriculture being the main occupation of the people, they expect to sell their product to the outside market thus giving the much needed money.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Rs. 10000 CR package for Arunachalpradesh
What must be much happier news than this? All the people of Arunachal Pradesh must be beaming with happiness. I think the state is lucky that a state with population of 13 lakhs has got a Rs. 10,000 cr package from the PM visits. Very few North-eastern states got such package. But, it is negligible comparing that the state has been neglected by the Central government for so many years. It is better late than never, which the people of the state should be content with. With so long of negligence, the state is lagging behind 20-25 years in terms of developments. If it got the attention before the condition of the state would have been different.
Thanks to the China’s claim over the state (NO offence intended). Due to which the state is getting all the attention from the centre. Now , it is to be seen how the visionary politicians of the state grab the opportunity to get the attention of the centre and press firmly for the overall development of the state, particularly, in the field of infrastructure, education, health care and impetus for the tourism industry. It will be a test on their manipulative and convincing power.
According to me , the gem of the package is the Rs. 5,500 cr 18,40 km trans Arunachal Highway linking Tawang to Mahadevpur. It is the dream of all Arunachalis to be able to travel from one corner of the state to the other without entering Assam. It is really frustrating for people stranded in one corner of the state to not be able to go to the other corner due to bandh and other disturbances in Assam. Why should the citizen of the state pay the price for the bandh call in Assam?
I don’t know how many people in the state are concern about the building of big hydel power project in the state. Just imagine , how many people will be affected and how much of the forested land will be submerged under water due to the 3000 MW Dibang Power Project. I am not against building hydro Project but against big dam. This will be the biggest in the country. It is good to build small dam which will make less impact on the ecology as well as on the population. Due to the building of such dam on the river Karnapuli in Chittagong hill Tract in erstwhile Pakistan( Presently Bangladesh), lakhs of Chakmas had to seek refuge in India. The careless act of the then Pakistani government made the Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh nation less. Now they are leading a precarious life as refugees in the state.
It is surprising that the CM Dorjee Khandu requested the PM to constitute a high-level committee to solve the Chakma-Hajong problem in the state. I don’t know whether the committee will be made from the Centre or from the state assembly. As already a high power committee had been constituted in the state few months back with Setong Sena as the Chairman. I don’t know to what conclusion they have reach till now. The problem can only be solve if the willingness come from the politician as it is a political problem. Only constituting high level committee will take the problem to nowhere . what is the present high power committee doing till now ? with the state assembly and Lok Sabha election due in the middle of next year, it will require a superhuman willingness from the politicians to find a solution. It is well known fact that ,election will not be held in Chakma and Hajong inhabited constituencies if they are not enroll in the voter list. So, the onus is on the state government side.
Thanks to the China’s claim over the state (NO offence intended). Due to which the state is getting all the attention from the centre. Now , it is to be seen how the visionary politicians of the state grab the opportunity to get the attention of the centre and press firmly for the overall development of the state, particularly, in the field of infrastructure, education, health care and impetus for the tourism industry. It will be a test on their manipulative and convincing power.
According to me , the gem of the package is the Rs. 5,500 cr 18,40 km trans Arunachal Highway linking Tawang to Mahadevpur. It is the dream of all Arunachalis to be able to travel from one corner of the state to the other without entering Assam. It is really frustrating for people stranded in one corner of the state to not be able to go to the other corner due to bandh and other disturbances in Assam. Why should the citizen of the state pay the price for the bandh call in Assam?
I don’t know how many people in the state are concern about the building of big hydel power project in the state. Just imagine , how many people will be affected and how much of the forested land will be submerged under water due to the 3000 MW Dibang Power Project. I am not against building hydro Project but against big dam. This will be the biggest in the country. It is good to build small dam which will make less impact on the ecology as well as on the population. Due to the building of such dam on the river Karnapuli in Chittagong hill Tract in erstwhile Pakistan( Presently Bangladesh), lakhs of Chakmas had to seek refuge in India. The careless act of the then Pakistani government made the Chakmas in Arunachal Pradesh nation less. Now they are leading a precarious life as refugees in the state.
It is surprising that the CM Dorjee Khandu requested the PM to constitute a high-level committee to solve the Chakma-Hajong problem in the state. I don’t know whether the committee will be made from the Centre or from the state assembly. As already a high power committee had been constituted in the state few months back with Setong Sena as the Chairman. I don’t know to what conclusion they have reach till now. The problem can only be solve if the willingness come from the politician as it is a political problem. Only constituting high level committee will take the problem to nowhere . what is the present high power committee doing till now ? with the state assembly and Lok Sabha election due in the middle of next year, it will require a superhuman willingness from the politicians to find a solution. It is well known fact that ,election will not be held in Chakma and Hajong inhabited constituencies if they are not enroll in the voter list. So, the onus is on the state government side.
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