State News

ITANAGAR : The 10th edition of the Northeast International Fashion Week (NEIFW) will be held on July 18 and 19 at Regal Gardenia on Lokhra Road in Guwahati, bringing together fashion designers, models and creative professionals from across India and neighbouring countries. Organised by Kreative People and supported by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), this year’s event will be held under the theme “Save the Earth, Style the Future”, highlighting the need to raise awareness about global warming and environmental conservation through fashion. Over the years, NEIFW has evolved into a platform that blends fashion with social causes. Previous editions have promoted issues such as environmental protection, support for old-age homes, and eye and organ donation, besides showcasing the rich handloom and handicraft traditions of the Northeast. The organisers said the event offers aspiring designers, models and young talents an opportunity to gain national and international exposure while connecting with fashion industry professionals. Fashion accessory stalls by emerging and established entrepreneurs from across the country will also be featured. This year’s edition will see participation from designers representing the Northeastern states, other parts of India, and neighbouring countries including Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Among the featured designers are Mumbai-based Felix Bendish, who has showcased his collections at London, New York and Paris Fashion Weeks as well as Lakmé Fashion Week, resort wear designer Sakshi Bindra, and Nepalese designer Roney Alay Magar. As part of the 10th edition celebrations, NEIFW will also honour 10 personalities for their contribution to the growth of the fashion industry in Northeast India. The event is spearheaded by fashion designer and choreographer Prasantt Ghosh, who has been associated with the fashion industry since 1994. Since launching NEIFW in 2015, Ghosh and his team have worked to promote the Northeast’s handloom and handicrafts on national and international platforms. He has choreographed more than 2,500 fashion and beauty events in India and abroad during his three-decade career. The organisers said NEIFW has emerged as a structured platform for fashion designers, models and creative professionals from the region to access wider markets while promoting Northeast handloom and handicrafts to domestic and international buyers. Previous editions have featured participants from countries including Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.    

ITANAGAR : The death toll in the current wave of floods in Arunachal Pradesh has risen to seven after the body of a woman, who had gone missing along with another person, was recovered in Papum Pare district, an official report said on Friday. Police on Thursday recovered the body of 43-year-old Taw Ajini from the Lichi area in the district. She was swept away in the flash flood at Possa in Keyi Panyor district on June 24 and had remained untraced despite continued search efforts, according to a report from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). One woman is still missing after the monsoon deluge struck the district. Two labourers from Bihar were killed, and four others injured after a rain-triggered landslide hit a construction site in Lohit district on Wednesday. Earlier, one person was killed in a landslide at Sarti village in Anjaw district on June 28, while three others died in the flash flood at Possa in Keyi Panyor district. Meanwhile, houses, roads and crops were damaged as fresh floods and landslides were reported across three districts of the northeastern state. The fresh incidents were reported from West Kameng, Upper Subansiri and Tirap during the last 24 hours, the SEOC said. The affected villages included Khellong and Pangma in West Kameng; Riamukhi, Tachiring, Baring, Nungnu, Esso, Ginglo, Maling, Kamsar, Kamda, Dupit, Ayeng, Rigia and Duchok in Upper Subansiri; and Khonsa town in Tirap. In the ongoing spell of rain-triggered floods and landslides, at least 94,201 people have been affected across 333 villages in 237 circles spread over 26 districts, the report said. Floods and landslides have caused extensive damage to agriculture and public infrastructure across the state. A total of 334.2 hectares of crop area has been affected, including 185.5 hectares under horticulture and 148.7 hectares under agriculture, while 1,010 hectares of forest area have also been impacted. Infrastructure losses include damage to 131 roads, 19 bridges, 21 culverts, 191 water supply systems, 58 government buildings, 21 power lines, 224 electric poles, four hydel projects, seven retaining walls, seven flood protection walls, two hospitals and three schools, besides drainage networks and other public assets. Hundreds of houses have also been damaged across the state, the report said. Four relief camps continue to operate in Keyi Panyor, where 252 people are currently taking shelter. Rescue and relief operations are continuing in the affected districts. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall is expected to continue across the state till Tuesday, with the weather office issuing an orange alert (Be prepared) for East Kameng on Friday, warning of heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. A yellow alert (Be aware) has been issued for West Kameng, Tawang, Lower Subansiri, Papum Pare, East Siang and Tirap on Friday, while the remaining districts have not been placed under any major weather warning. On Saturday, a yellow alert has been issued for Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, West Siang, Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw and Longding. No warning has been issued for the remaining districts. On Sunday, yellow alert conditions are expected to persist over Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Namsai, Changlang and Longding, while the rest of the state is likely to remain free from any significant weather warning. The IMD has forecast a further improvement in weather conditions on Monday, with yellow alerts confined to Tawang, West Kameng, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Namsai, Changlang and Longding. On Tuesday, isolated heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is likely over West Kameng, Tawang, East Kameng, Pakke-Kessang, Papum Pare, Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Siang, Siang, Upper Siang, Dibang Valley, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Anjaw, Changlang and Longding, while no warning has been issued for the remaining districts. (Source: PTI)    

ITANAGAR : The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has strongly opposed the state government’s decision to convene a consultative meeting on the proposed inclusion of the Kachari community of Namsai and Changlang districts as Scheduled Tribe (ST), Sub-Tribe or Plains Tribe in the National Population Census, and has demanded that the meeting be withdrawn. In a statement issued on Friday, the union said it would not allow the proposal to proceed unchallenged and warned of intensified agitation if the meeting, scheduled for July 13, goes ahead. According to a circular issued by the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Tribal Affairs, the consultative meeting will be held at the Civil Secretariat, Itanagar, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary. Representatives of the All Arunachal Pradesh Kachari Community Development Council, Sonowal Kachari Jatiya Parishad and All Arunachal Pradesh Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union have been invited to participate. AAPSU president Meje Taku said the union’s opposition to the proposal was “firm and non-negotiable.” “Arunachal Pradesh is a 100 per cent tribal state, protected by the Inner Line Permit regime under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, because our land, resources and political rights belong exclusively to the indigenous people of this state. Granting Scheduled Tribe status to communities that are not indigenous to Arunachal Pradesh would strike at the very foundation of that protection,” he said. The union further argued that the Sonowal Kachari community already enjoys Scheduled Tribe (Plains) status in Assam and questioned the need for another tribal recognition in Arunachal Pradesh. AAPSU also cautioned that any dilution of the criteria for Scheduled Tribe recognition in the state could create a precedent for similar claims by other communities with historical or ethnolinguistic links to the region, potentially affecting the demographic and political balance of Arunachal Pradesh. Warning that such a move could disturb peace and social harmony, the union urged the Chief Secretary and the state government to withdraw the proposed meeting and reaffirm that the existing criteria for Scheduled Tribe status in Arunachal Pradesh would not be diluted or extended beyond the state’s indigenous tribes.    

ITANAGAR : The All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) has urged the Arunachal Pradesh government to publish a comprehensive White Paper on land compensation disbursed under the Frontier Highway Project in Kurung Kumey, Kra Daadi and East Kameng districts, seeking greater transparency and accountability in the implementation of the project. In a representation submitted to the Commissioner of Land Management on Thursday, the union sought publication of the White Paper within 15 days, detailing compensation sanctioned and disbursed under the project. ANSU said the Frontier Highway Project involves substantial public expenditure and directly affects the rights and interests of thousands of landowners and beneficiaries, making transparency, fairness and accountability essential in the compensation process. Referring to a writ petition pending before the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court concerning land compensation in the Kurung Kumey stretch of the project, the union alleged that compensation was released despite directions issued by the court on April 10 this year, without mandatory physical verification, videography, photography and other procedures required to verify the existence and extent of land, structures and plantations before disbursement. The union sought district-wise, package-wise and village-wise details of compensation sanctioned and paid, the complete list of beneficiaries, valuation methodology, verification reports, survey records, GPS mapping and geo-tagging documents. It also called for disclosure of complaints, departmental inquiries, vigilance proceedings, audit observations, recovery actions and pending judicial cases related to land compensation under the project. ANSU further demanded disclosure of the total compensation disbursed, the source of funds and corrective measures initiated to recover any excess or fraudulent payments while ensuring lawful compensation to genuine beneficiaries. It said publication of the White Paper would strengthen public confidence and reaffirm the government’s commitment to transparent governance. The union also demanded constitution of a recovery committee within seven days to identify and recover any excess, fraudulent or unauthorised compensation released under the Frontier Highway Project. It further sought declassification and public release of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) investigation report on the alleged land compensation irregularities, saying its disclosure was necessary to ensure transparency, accountability and restore public confidence. In a separate representation to Arunachal Pradesh Land Management, Urban Affairs and Housing Minister, ANSU sought an official meeting involving the district administration, the Land Management Department, the local MLA and representatives of the union to discuss issues related to the proposed Kamla Hydroelectric Project. According to the union, the meeting would enable stakeholders to obtain first-hand information on land acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and other related issues, while helping prevent disputes similar to those witnessed during land compensation for the Lada-Sarli stretch of the Frontier Highway in East Kameng district and facilitating smooth implementation of the hydropower project.