Bangla team arrives in Delhi

NEW DELHI, July 30 – A 10-member all-party delegation of parliamentarians of Bangladesh landed in the capital, here this afternoon, for an on site study of the impact of the Tipaimukh dam project. The delegation led by Abdur Razzak would arrive in Guwahati tomorrow on its way to Manipur. They are scheduled to leave for Imphal on Sunday.

“We will ask the Indian authorities not to implement any project that diverts or withdraws water from the Barak river,” Razzak, who is the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Water Resources Ministry, told newsmen.

He said they proposed to request the Government of India to launch a joint survey on the proposed Tipaimukh multi-purpose dam before beginning construction.

The 10-member delegation, whcih comprises six lawmakers, three officials and a water expert, during its five-day tour is slated to meet officials of the Ministry of Water Resources and Power. The delegation also plans to visit Barak Valley and survey the spot where a barrage is proposed to be constructed.

The Centre has recently appointed National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) as the implementing agency for the 1500 MW multi-purpose hydroelectric project replacing North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), which was awarded the project in January 2003.

The project will now be a joint venture between NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and Manipur Government.

The project has obtained statutory clearances from the State Governments of Manipur, Assam and Mizoram. Even environmental clearance had also been given by the Centre, official sources clarified.

The 390 meters long dam, one of the largest in Eastern India, would be built up on the downstream of the confluence of the Tuivai and Barak rivers near the Manipur-Mizoram border. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2012.

The raging controversy over Tipaimukh dam project was raised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the NAM Summit at Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

“We have been talking to the Bangladeshi Parliamentary Standing Committee and invited them to send an all-party delegation to visit the site and see what actually is going on, so that a lot of exaggerated opinions would be set at rest. “Ultimately we might start looking at a more creative solution,” Foreign Secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon told newsmen.

“We are willing to look into all the issues raised by Bangladesh for solution of the issue,” he said.

Facts about Mizoram

MIZORAM [INDIAN STATES]

MIZORAM [Facts about Mizoram]
Capital	Aizawl
Number of Districts	8
Number of Villages	707
Number of Towns	22
Area	21,081 sq.km
Literacy	88.80%
Density of Population(person/sq.km)	42
Date of Formation	20th February, 1987
Principal Languages	Mizo & English
Main Towns	Aizawi, Mamit, Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Saiha, Champhai
Major River System	Tlawng, Sonai, Tuivawl
Neighboring State	Tripura, Assam, Manipur
Neighboring Country	Myanmar

Key Points:

• Mizoram in local language means ‘land of Mizo’ which means highlander
• The high court of Mizoram is at Guwahati
• Jhum method of cutivation, a variant of shifting cultivation is popular among the tribals

Mizo transvestites draw ire of church leaders after gay order

AIZAWL: Transvestites in Mizoram, who enjoys considerable freedom in society in respect of sartorial choices, are caught in a bind after the powerful local church opposes the Delhi High Court verdict legalizing consensual gay sex.

The transvestites, known locally as Tuais, sport the very latest in female hot couture which till now no one objected, though the church authorities sometimes cast a glare.

But the court verdict has snapped their fine line of tolerance, or so it seems. The leaders of the local Presbyterian Church and some social organizations have said they are seeking ways to invoke the executive order of the colonial British rulers issued in 1909 which criminalized homosexuality.

The order, issued by the superintendent of Lushai hills (now Mizoram), HWG Cole, on April 22, 1909 stipulated, "In future, all Tuais (transvestites), who are clearly of the male sex are to abandon wearing women's clothes and are to live as men and will pay revenue and do cooly (porter) works."

The Cole order further said, ''Village chiefs should report cases of any Tuai whose sex is doubtful for my orders. Chiefs are bound to report all cases of unnatural offences that come to their notice whether of not any complaint has been made to them. Failure to do this will be severely punished.''

Mizoram

Perched like a lone sentinel on the tip of the north eastern border of India, idyllic Mizoram is an amalgam of the former north and south Lushai hill districts. Mizoram is a land of great natural beauty, an endless variety of landscape with rich flora and fauna, clusters of whispering pines, and quaint villages with houses on stilts. image
Mizoram, or the land of Mizos (highlanders), has international boundaries with Myanmar and Bangladesh while it shares its domestic borders with the states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the heart of Mizoram, and hence, it has a pleasantly temperate climate throughout the year. A land of steep hills and deep gorges, Mizoram’s highest peak ‘The Blue Mountain’ rises to a height of 2165 metres . Important rivers that flow through this hilly state are Tlawang, Sonai, Tuivawl, Kolodine and Kamaphul.
Climate: Summer(March to June) – Warm
Monsoon(July to September) – Warm and Humid
Winter(October to February)- Chilly and Very Cold
Clothing: Summer – Cottons
Winter – Woollens
Capital:     Aizawl
Places of Tourist Interest

• Aizawl

The state capital is located at an altitude of 4,000 ft. above sea level. Its an ideal hill station for those looking for fresh air and solitude. In Aizawl one can visit -
* The Museum at Macdonald’s Hill
* The Mizoram State Museum
* The mini Zoological Park
* Durtlang Hills

• Bung and Paikhai

15 and 16 kms. respectively, from Aizawl these are two cool breezy places adjacent to each other.

• Tamdil

Its a natural lake amidst virgin forests of Saitaui village with boating facilities to add to its appeal.

• Vantawng Waterfalls

These waterfalls are 750 ft. high and are surrounded by a lush green tropical forest filled with bamboo groves.

• Champhai

This is situated at the end of Mizoram and one can view from here the Myanmar Hills.

• Dampa Sanctuary

Established in 1976, it is inhabited by swamp deer, tiger, leopard, elephant and Hoolock Gibbon.
ACCESS

View Larger Map

• AIR

Aizwal with Guwahati, Silchar & Calcutta are connected by Indian Airlines flights to major cities in India.

• RAIL

Nearest railway station Silchar (Assam) is 180 kms from Aizwal, where as Guwahati, 397 kms from Silchar, is the most convenient railhead connected with the most of the major places in India.

• ROAD

Aizwal is connected by National Highway No. 54 to the rest of the country via Silchar.  Some of the distances: Guwahati 506 kms, Imphal 374 kms, Kohima 497 kms, Shillong 430 kms, Agartala 443 kms etc.

• BUS SERVICES

Mizoram State Transport and Private buses ply from Aizwal to Champhai, Lunghai, Silchar etc.
Director, Tourism Department
Government of Mizoram
Aizawl – 796001
Phone – (0389)21226, 21227, 21228

64 Mizo militants surrender

Churachandpur, July 18 : Sixty four Sinlung People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) cadres have surrendered to the government of Mizoram.

The surrender of the cadres took place at Vanappa hall, Mizoram at 11.30 am in which the chief minister Lalthanhawla received the surrenderees along with all his Cabinet members present and Assam Rifles officials.

In all 14 arms including two lethod bombs, four AK rifles, two Chinese carbines, two SLRs and other assorted arms were surrendered by the SPLA.

The AR officials present at the ceremony promised no rehabilitation for the surrenderees but at the same time promised to provide driving licenses for free passage in the whole state of Mizoram.

Insurgency should not pay: Mizo CM

Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said that the state government would not give any rehabilitation in the form of cash to the 64 Sinlung People''s Liberation Army (SPLA) cadres as the government firmly held that insurgency should not pay.

Speaking at the 'Home Coming' ceremony of the SPLA cadres, who formally surrendered along with their arms to the state government, chief minister said that non-payment of rehabilitation would show others that being an insurgent do not have any dividends.

"The army would conduct training to the former militants so that they can join the mainstream and work honestly in the over ground," he said.

Taking a pot-shot at the former CM Zoramthanga’s, Thanhawla accused the Mizo National Front government of instigating the SPLA members to go underground with intentions to disrupt the state assembly polls held last December.

"The efforts of the state governor Lt Gen Lakhera and the state police officials prevented the insurgents from disrupting the elections," he alleged.

Manipur Mizo leaders to visit Mizoram

IMPHAL, Jul 9 : Mizo People Convention, an apex body of the Mizos in the State is planning a tour of Mizoram to meet political party leaders and other philanthropic organizations to strengthen its policies and discuss the various challenges it often faces, reports our Churachandpur correspondent. The MPC, according to F Lalnunma-wia, Secretary I&P does not indulge in arms culture, neither support nor against any other communities and non-political body with no political agenda; striving for the integrity of different communities in Manipur.

Lengpui to become India’s first smoke-free airport

AIZAWL, July 7 – The Mizoram Government has said efforts are on to make Lengpui the first smoke-free airport in the country.

“We are taking steps to make Lengpui airport near Aizwal a smoke-free zone,” Chief Secretary and chairman of the State Tobacco Control Society Vanhela Pachuau told a press conference here.

Mizoram spent around Rs 70 crore on tobacco products per annum, Pachuau said, adding that a study conducted by the Presbyterian Church in 2004 revealed that 77 per cent of the church’s over five lakh members in the State together spent around Rs 9 lakh per day on tobacco products.

According to official data, 73.70 per cent men and 16.10 per cent women in the State smoke tobacco as against the national figure of 32.7 per cent and 16.10 per cent respectively.

Mizo House session from July 21

AIZAWL, July 7 – Mizoram Assembly, being summoned by Governor MM Lakhera, would sit only for two days from July 21, Assembly Secretary Ngurthanzuala said.

“Lal Thanhawla is compelled to seek vote-on-accounts for the next four months commencing from August as the Planning Commission is yet to finalise the State Annual Plan outlay for the current fiscal,” Ngurthanzuala told PTI.

An interim Budget was presented during March when a vote-on-account for April to July was adopted by the State legislature.

A MIZO MUSLIM SPEAKS

For the few thousands of Mizo Muslims, life is no longer different from their other (Christian) brethrens in Mizoram. They are as homely and comfortable as other communities. In less than a hundred year since the destruction of the World Trade Centre in New York, quite a good number of the people of Mizoram have crossed over to Islam.

Though the record of who the first Mizo to convert to Islam was is as obscure as it is unimportant to the community, one of the earliests to become Muslim, octogenarian Mohammad Khan (formerly Lalrammawia) says he has come through the difficult route to “enlightenment.”

The son of a prominent church elder, he had been a spoilt brat—alcoholic and drug addict till his mid ages (for which precisely he had not got married earlier). He had been to quite a number of ‘Gospel campings’ and into de-addiction centres but to no avail.

“It was fate, or Allah’s will,” he says, that he had went to Silchar to celebrate his his 45th birthday with booze and drugs (though he had been getting these regularly at home). However, the death of two Silchar businessmen in Aizawl that day under mysterious circumstances evoked a great riot in Silchar that he had to take refuge in a shanty house as he ran trying to escape the rioters.

Fortunately for him, the family he took shelter happened to be a very good and considerate household. Two weeks of his stay with them changed the course of his life forever. Initially, he thought he would die of the kickbacks from his addiction but as he says, he “found a new life” in the humble household.

When he returned home safely, his aging parents were indeed very happy. But their happiness soon turned short-lived as their son whole-heartedly pursued his new-found passion. More vocal and heated arguments and debates began to frequently engulf the family. He decided to move out. He found a low-paying job, and a place to live.

As he studied more about Islam, within the periphery, he found out that 8 years before he was born, World Trade Centre was destroyed by the Al-Qaeda. There was quite a big interest in Osama bin Laden, and that there was even a bunch of hoodlums who called themselves "Black Crow", and professed admirers of him. There was also a case of Islamic literature being the most sought-after item in a Book Fair in Aizawl after that incident.

He also remembered that the Great Aizawl Earthquake ten years ago had turned a blessing in disguise for the propagation of Islam. That event was indeed so devastating that there was an acute shortage of manpower (to handle evacuation and rehabilitation of the affected) that volunteers from outside the state had to be called in. In fact, volunteers from Silchar were the largest in number. Their dedication and self-sacrifice for the affected had greatly attracted the attention and admiration of the Mizos.

The octogenarian proudly says it was his new-found ‘knowledge’ which helped him shake off his bad habits, and find a loving wife in Rubina Begum two years after he converted, and now lives to be a happy and healthy 80 year old imam of his locality. His greatest regret, he says, is his inability to convert his parents before their death.

Mizoram observes Peace Day

Aizawl , June 30 ' Remna Ni&aposor peace day, to commemorate the signing of the historic Mizo peace accord on June 30, 1986 was observed in Mizoram as all the government offices and educational institutions remained closed for the day.
While no official function was organised by the government, functions to mark the day were held in the offices of ruling Congress and opposition Mizo National Front (MNF).

Political leaders, including former chief minister and MNF chief Zoramthanga, said peace in Mizoram ushered in by the accord signed in 1986 is a time-tested and long-lasting one.

"The Mizo peace accord is the most historic and successful accord signed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi," Zoramthanga said.

Mizoram’s wine producers tap new avenues to boost sales

Aizawl, Jul 1 : The wine produced from grapes at Champhai and Hnahlan villages on the Mizoram-Myanmar border is helping the rural economy of the region and producers are tapping new avenues to popularise their products.
From micro-financing to marketing, the wine-producing society here is trying every method to increase their sales and get high value for their products.
The society revived their units in 2007 after the state government amended its 12-year-old Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act.

Specially designed bottles are being brought to Mizoram from Kolkata in an effort to attract the maximum number of consumers during Christmas and New Year festivals, Vanlalruata Chenkual, managing director, Grape Growers Society said.

Earlier, the grapes were fermented in plastic containers and the wine produced was said to be bad for health and the taste was not up to the mark.