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Meghalaya

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Christmas spirit emerges despite CAA tension

The long shadow of the Citizenship Amendment Act failed to dampen the Yuletide spirit in Christian-dominated Nagaland. Christians, irrespective of denominations, celebrated the festival across the state with religious fervour and held special mass and feast.

After the midnight mass which was preceded by singing of carols, believers attired in new colorful dresses were seen attending special prayer services in various churches across the Christian majority state. This was followed by mass feasts as in other years. K Elu Ndang, general secretary of Naga Hoho, the apex body of tribal organizations in the state, said We condemn the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Bill which is posing a grave danger to the indigenous people of the region.

We feel insecure with enactment of the CAA but it has nothing to do with Christmas,” he said. Christmas is a relationship between Christ and believers. Therefore the passing of the CAA despite rigorous protests did not create much difference in the celebration in Nagaland, Ndang said.

Joshua Newmai, a member of the Nagaland chapter of North East Indigenous Peoples Forum said the people are against the CAA. “But it is a festival break and protests against CAA will resume after Christmas and New Year celebrations”. Protests against the CAA had rocked Nagaland on December 14 and a six-hour shutdown was called by Naga Students Federation.

-PTI

December 25, 2019 by
Environment

Students urged for active role in nature conservation

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“The idea behind celebration of World Earth Day was to create awareness about the need for preserving and renewing the threatened ecological balances upon which all life on Earth depends. However, that idea remained confined to a handful of population around the globe. As a result of which an average of 60% of the population of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles have dwindled in between the celebration of the first World Earth Day in 1970 to 2014,” said Mubina Akhtar, noted journalist and wildlife activist, while speaking on this year’s World Earth Day theme “Protecting the Species” at the NKC Auditorium, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, organized by Earth Science Department.  “An incalculable number of species have disappeared forever, and a large number are threatened with extinction. In Assam, 14 species–comprising seven plant and seven animal species–have now become threatened that includes the siya nahar, lady’s slipper orchid, Cycas and animal species like Assamese day geck, tokay gecko, black soft-shelled turtle etc.  In almost all cases, the threats to wildlife can be traced to human activities. Habitat destruction is the main cause for wildlife extinction in India” she said and added “When the natural habitat of animals is destroyed, it leads to a decline in their primary food supply. With loss of breeding and nesting grounds, their numbers get drastically reduced. In the case of plants, if their natural habitat is destroyed, then their survival is at risk.” 

“We depend on various plant and animal species for livelihood support but unsustainable use has led to rapid decline in those species. We tend to forget that ‘each species is unique and has been created as a consequence of evolutionary process. Therefore every species has a natural right to exist.’

Akhtar appealed to the students for a more active and defined role in creating awareness for preservation of natural ecosystems as she released the 6th edition of the Department’s Wall Magazine dedicated to this year’s World Earth Day theme “Protecting the Species” on the occasion. 

The programme started with welcome speech by Dr. E. Al Huda Head of the Department of Earth Science. 

The Vice Chancellor, USTM, DR. P.K. Goswami in his speech also referred to human interventions that led to imbalances in nature and the urgency need to preserving the same. Dr. R.K. Sharma, Adviser to USTM detailed on the history of events that led to the celebration of World Earth Day.

Earlier, Nitu T. Upadhya, Assistant Professor, felicitated the guests. Dr. Lalit Saikia, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Science offered the vote of thanks.

April 27, 2019 by
Indigenous no-state people

India’s longest, 19.3 km long, Assam-Meghalaya river bridge building approved

Boost for north east road connectivity! 4-lane bridge to connect Assam with Meghalaya. Check details

A year after the longest river bridge in India, Dhola-Sadiya, was opened in the north-eastern state of Assam, the Modi government has announced plans for a longer bridge, again over the river Brahmaputra. The announcement came by the government ahead of the opening of the world’s longest sea bridge, between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. According to an IE report, the new bridge over the river Brahmaputra is likely to be completed by the year 2026-27. It will run between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya, which is close to the Bangladesh border. At 19.3 km, the new bridge will be twice as long as the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, which at present, is the longest in the country.

  • The proposed new bridge will run between Dhubri and Phulbari. Currently, people cross the river either in small boats or by vehicles that have to take a longer route of 100 km before climbing the Naranarayan bridge. According to an official of the Assam’s Public Works Department, four lanes have been proposed for the project. A detailed project report is being prepared by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways through the National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (NICL) and an initial loan amount has been approved by Japanese funding agency JICA. As India looks to build yet another long river bridge, we list out the longest river bridges of the country:
  • The country’s longest river bridge at present, which is 9.15 km long, lies between Dhola and Sadiya in Assam. Moreover, it extends up to 28.50 km if the approach roads on either side are included. The bridge reduces the distance from Rupai in Assam to Roing in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 km, and travel time from 6 hours to just an hour.
  • The 6.2 km long bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, over the river Dibang, was opened this year. Currently, it is the second longest in the country.
  • The 5.75 km long bridge between Patna and Hajipur, over the river Ganga is the next on the list of river bridges.
  • The 5.6 km long Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai is the longest bridge over sea. The sea-link project has been built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at a cost of Rs 1,702 crore.
  • A 4.94 km long bridge, Bogibeel is all set to be opened this year. It is the country’s longest rail-cum-road river bridge. The bridge will be over the river Brahmaputra and will connect Dibrugarh in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. It has two railway lines at its lower deck and a three-lane road bridge on the top. At present, a train journey from Arunachal Pradesh to Dibrugarh means a detour of 500 km via Guwahati. But, with the commencement of the Bogibeel bridge, the train journey will cover less than 100 km. Also, train travel time from Delhi to Dibrugarh will also come down by about 3 hours to 34 hours as against 37 hours presently.

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March 4, 2019 by