Forum to boycott hearing on tariff

The Consumer Legal Protection Forum, a city-based NGO, today decided to skip the public hearing of Assam Electricity Regulatory Authority on Tuesday, regarding an increase in power tariff in the state.

Chief convener of the NGO, Ajoy Hazarika, said they decided to skip the hearing, as the regulatory authority had failed to look into their complaints raised during similar hearings in the past.

“As the AERC is authorised by the Assam State Electricity Board to regulate the power tariff, we had demanded before it that the board should do away with the annual collection of power tariff from the government departments. Instead, the board should collect monthly tariff from government departments against every connection, as they collect tariff from general consumers. Instead of looking into our demands and other consumer grievances, it is again going to increase the power tariff,” Hazarika, also a lawyer of Gauhati High Court, said.

Musical chairs & more at Jorhat derby

Horses and a game of musical chairs don’t seem to match. Until one attends the historic Jorhat Races, which feature a Mising tug-of-war among other regular events like a car rally, golf and tennis.

Organised by the Jorhat Gymkhana Club, the 133rd edition of the races will commence here tomorrow. Dubbed the oldest major sporting event in the region, Mising riders converge from various parts of the Upper Assam districts to try their luck for the Governor’s Cup.

The annual event, popularly known as the Jorhat derby, is a continuation of the British legacy.

The British planters had started the horse races, with the high-breed horses used by them for transportation. As other modes of transportation took over, native breeds from the Mising villages along the Brahmaputra replaced the high-breed horses.

Initiative to save rhino

Kaziranga University as part of its corporate social responsibility activities in association with State Department of Forest, organized “The Great Save Rhino Walkathon 2013 today from Jorhat District Sports Association’s field to the university campus.

More than 4000 people participated in this walkathon. Hundreds of walkers from civil society, Army, CRPF, Assam Rifles and Assam Police covered a distance of 20 km to complete the walk. Member of Parliament Bijoy Krishna Handique flagged off the event. Cine stars Nishita Goswami and Moloya Goswami cheered the crowd. Hridesh Mishra, Conservator Wildlife, Govt of Assam participated in the event.

To promote the event the university has launched a website www.saverhino.in with all details and day-to-day updates. Participants can register online in order to avail attractive walkathon wears.

Displaced women vulnerable to trafficking

Violence-induced internal displacement has put at risk a large section of people, particularly women and young girls in Assam. Those acquainted with the situation believe that it is time for the State Government agencies to recognise the problem of trafficking of women.

Those who have first-hand experience besides monitoring secondary data believe that following dislocation, and amid a rootless existence away from their original environment, women have been targeted by criminals who run well-oiled trafficking operations.

“A substantive change at the policy level from a very strong gender perspective is the need of the hour. The Internally Displaced People (IDP) should be protected under a protocol that must conform to international standards,” said Anurita Pathak Hazarika of North East Network (NEN). The strategic and specific gender needs of internally displaced women should be addressed in all conflict areas. Violence and abuse on women, which violate their human rights in North East India need to be checked from all perspectives, she added.

Vulture conservation efforts yielding results

The decline in the population of vultures could be slowing down, according to experts, who believe that the ban on use of diclofenac has had a positive effect in vulture habitats in different parts of the country, including Assam.

On the action taken by authorities in India, the Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Dr Asad Rahmani said, “The timely ban on veterinary diclofenac in South Asia, along with the research and conservation efforts of BNHS and the SAVE partners, based on scientific facts has proved to be a successful step in the right direction”.

Over 200 more hospitalised for food poisoning

Over 200 hundred more people were admitted to different hospitals in the last 24 hours from Khetri-Sonapur area complaining food poisoning after they reportedly consumed ‘prasad’ in Durung High School during Saraswati Puja.

Over 600 people mostly children has so far been admitted in hospital following the incident. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital today and took stock of the situation.

The district administration has already ordered an inquiry into the incident. The district administration has opened a make-shift health centre at the Durung LP School where people are being treated.

HSLC Exam from today

The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and High Madrassa Examinations-2013, and the Higher Secondary Final (new course) Examination-2013 – conducted by SEBA and AHSEC respectively – will get under way throughout the State tomorrow. The Higher Secondary examination in the Arts, Science, Commerce and vocational streams will be conducted at 768 centres in which nearly 2.37 lakh candidates will appear.