Ex-Mizo CM faces court on Oct 15

Aizawl, Sep 24 : Former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga, charged with two counts – misusing government’s property for personal purpose and disproportionate assets –, has been asked to appear before the special court here on October 15.

The state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed the chargesheet in the first case against the Mizo National Front (MNF) supremo but failed to file an additional chargesheet in the second count within the stipulated time on Friday, sources said. As a result, he will be tried only on the first count.

“The court had earlier extended the period for the ACB to file the additional chargesheet. As the extended deadline ended without any action from the ACB, the court had decided to go ahead with the first charge,” the sources said.

Anti-corruption organisation Prism had filed an FIR against Zoramthanga when he was still the chief minister on June 22, 2007 with the ACB, for allegedly using farming materials worth Rs 37 lakh of the agriculture department at his private farm at Aii Puk near Aizawl.

After no action was taken, the civic organisation filed a PIL with the Gauhati High Court on July 14, 2009. The high court on December 21, 2009, ordered a probe into the allegations to be completed within four months.

According to Prism president Vanlalruata, the Mizoram government played “delay tactics” to carry out the high court’s order.

“We had pressurised the state chief vigilance officer for a number of times to initiate the investigation,” Vanlalruata said.

The inquiry report has revealed 30 rolls of wire mesh and 660 of angles iron post were issued by agriculture department in favour of Zoramthanga’s farm, on the request made by his wife Roneihsangi through 50 per cent subsidised payment. It also revealed that payments were made but backdated through manipulation of official documents.

The report also revealed Zoramthanga admitted that three per cent was deducted from PMGSY contractors for his party fund, he said.

The 68-year-old two-time chief minister was also accused of possessing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, and for allegedly collecting three per cent from all contractors under PMGSY for party fund during his two consecutive terms from 1998 to 2008. It was alleged that Zoramthanga possessed Rs 54,18,061.94 and Rs 1,38,02,241.26 in 2003 and 2008 respectively in his affidavits declared on the eve of the 2003 and 2008 state assembly elections.

”The difference of his possession between 2003 and 2008 is Rs 83,84,179. But he could have had accumulated only Rs 17,84,234 during these five years from his known sources of income,” Prism had stated in the FIR. The ACB on September 16, 2010 raided Zoramthanga’s residence at Ramhlun here and seized a number of bank passbooks, land settlement certificates and periodical pattas for agricultural land. Maintaining his innocence, Zoramthanga has alleged that he was being framed to spoil his political career.

”If I had indulged in any corruption, let them nail me, for no one is above the law. But, they are making false charges against me to politically spoil my image,” he has said. “The PRISM submitted the FIR when I was in power and the vigilance department and the ACB then did not find any prima facie case,” he also said.

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Aliens get job cards, voter IDs in Mizoram

Aizawl, Sept 21 : Numerous Myanmarese nationals living in Mizoram are said to possess not only NREGS job cards, but even the electoral photo ID cards.

The deputy commissioner of Lunglei district has disclosed that a number of Myanmarese migrants staying in the southern Mizoram district are reported to have job cards for the Central government’s scheme for 100 days’ employment and even the voters IDs.

“Some of them are said to possess not only one, but two voters ID cards,” V Sapchhunga said during the district vigilance & committee meeting at Lunglei on Tuesday, which was attended by the two MPs from Mizoram, CL Ruala (Lok Sabha) and Lalhmingliana (Rajya Sabha).

The district administration said cooperation from the Indian citizens would be required to find out the illegal voters and job card holders.

Voicing grave concern over the issue, the Lok Sabha MP also added: “Mizoram is housing a large number of Myanmarese migrants who have been causing social, economic and administrative problems in the society. Unless the illegal foreigners are checked soon, they are sure to give us greater problems.”

In the light of the officials’ remarks, Myanmarese migrants are suspected behind existence of bogus NREGS job cards in Mizoram in all of the eight districts.

According to the officials, not only Myanmarese nationals, but also Indian citizens from the neighbouring states are working in different sectors in the state causing jobs scarcity for the sons of the soil.

Mizoram, which shares 404 kilometres border with Myanmar (Burma), is home to not less than 60,000 Myanmarese migrants, majority of them ethnic Chins who share similar cultures and language with the Mizos.

They work in handloom industries, shops, restaurants, automobile workshops, and also domestic help. Many of them are also engaged in moonshine factories and drugs peddling.

According to a Myanmarese social activist who did not want to be named, the recent political change in Myanmar has not yet instilled a sense of confidence among the Myanmarese refugees to go back to their country.

“Only a few of them have gone back home. Majority are still afraid to go back,” he has said.

According to the Indian Passport Act, Myanmarese nationals, especially Chins, were allowed to travel up to 40 km from the border inside Mizoram as they have many relatives on both sides of the border. However, the MHA reduced the free zone to 16 kilometres and directed the state government that any Myanmarese national intending to go beyond 16 km inside Mizoram has to obtain permission from New Delhi.

The mass migration of Chins from Myanmar following military atrocities in that country is a big burden for the small state of Mizoram which has a population of a little more than ten lakh.

The Chins easily mingled with the Mizos as they share similar culture and language and have the same physical features.

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Buddhism thriving in Mizoram

AIZAWL: In Majority Christian state of Mizoram , more than 70 thousand Buddhists live in Christian-dominated Mizoram and they constitute the second largest religious group in the state, Statistical Abstract of Mizoram, 2011 said.

Recently approved by the Centre, the report says that a total of 70,494 Buddhists live in Mizoram. State Economics and Statistics department officials said that Buddhists were mainly Chakmas inhabiting the western belt of the state.

It maybe mentioned that Chakma’s are also in large numbers in Tripura They mostly live in the south western part of the state where Chakmas were given a separate autonomous district council in 1972, sources said. The population was based on the Census 2001 in which the number of Christians was placed at 7,72,809. Buddhist community was followed by Hindus at 31,562 and by Muslims at 19,326, the report said. There were 326 Sikhs, and 179 people following Jainism and 3,105 classified as others.

Looking at the sheer growth of the population Mizoram is perhaps the only state after Arunchal and Sikkim where the Buddhist are more than the Hindus .

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Film telecast ahead of hearing on corruption case

Aizawl,Sep 13: Even as the hearing for the three arrested officials of Mizoram falls on Thursday, activists, leaders of social organisations, political parties and church leaders have organised a programme for the day at Aizawl Press Club where they will telecast a film entitled Serkhan-Bagha Road.

On August 18, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACb) had arrested PWD Engineer-in-Chief, Lianchungnunga, former Engineer-in-Chief Liansanga and PWD Accountant B Thanpuia on the charges ofmisappropriation of funds for the Serkhan-Bagha Road surfacing.

At 11 am on Thursday at Aizawl Press Club, PRISM which is a social organisation fighting against corruption will address the gathering.

Political parties including Mizoram state unit of BJP, Mizoram National Front (MNF), Mizo Peoples Convention (MPC), Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), PC and Zoram National Party (ZNP) along with NGOs such as AMFU, AMIS, CITUM, FOMTU, GDN, HR&LN, HZP, MBCS, MCDC, MMS, MRTU, MUP, MSU, MZP, PRISM, SOSA and TZP are responsible for initiating the Thursday programme at Aizawl Press Club.

After the hearing is done, these parties and organisations will take up the next course of action to press for awarding a fitting punishment to these accused officials.

The Anti Corruption Bureau had arrested the three officials- Lianchungnunga s/o Hranga (L) Chaltlang Dawrkawn, Liansanga s/o Suakkunga (L), Khatla and B Thanpuia s/o B Lalnghaka (L), Upper Republic following the FIR lodged against them for their alleged involvement in corruption in connection with the work of Serkhan-Bagha Road construction.

ACB had arrested the three PWDofficials through the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Lianchungnunga was arrested while he was at his office, Liansanga at his residence, and B Lalthanpuia while on his building construction work.

After receiving an FIR in 2009 against the three PWD officials, the Anti Corruption Bureau had carried out investigations after which they came to arrest the three accused PWD officials last month.

After the arrest, the three officials were first brought to Aizawl superintendent of police (SP) office and then at around 5:45 pm on August 18 they were taken to District & Session Court, from which they were proceeded to ACB office.

It can be noted here that the BRTF had earlier worked for the 75 km.

Serkhan-Bagha construction and after blacktopping was done, it was handed over to Mizoram PWD in 2004.Then, the PWD received Rs.6, 00, 50,000 during 2006-09 from the 12th Finance Commission, Rs.1,00,86,000 from Mizoram Plan Fund during 2004-07, Rs.30,00,000 from NEC in March 14, 2006 and again Rs.45,00,000 on September 21, 2006.

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Rs.1120 lakh sanctioned for construction of BPL houses in Mizoram

Aizawl,Sep 13 : Sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Poverty Alleviation (MHUPA), Rs.1120 lakh has been sanctioned for the construction of houses for 142 Below Poverty Line (BPL) families under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).

The pilot project has been approved by the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC).

Mizoram is the first to get approval regarding the RAY pilot project among the North Eastern states in the country.

Mizoram Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation minister Zodintluanga, who is presently on his visit to Delhi said, "The officials in his department have worked hard and put their best effort for the full implementation of the pilot project.

They worked in a very tight schedule and attended the office even on holidays and now the result of their endeavour is seen, which is really commendable".

Zodintluanga further said, "To begin with the RAY pilot project, initiative shall be taken first at Zuangtui, after which it will be continued in different places of Aizawl and also in Lunglei".

He then stated that many village leaders had approached department to implement the RAY project in their respective villages, following which initiaves are being taken by the department.

Approving the RAY pilot project without much problems by the Central Sanctioning & Monitoring Committee (CSMC) was another success story of the department, said Zodintluanga.

Sometimes back, officials from the Ministry of Housing and Poverty Alleviation came to Mizoram and inspected the construction of houses in different districts of the state, and were quite satisfied with the work.

The central officials even commented that the work executed by Mizoram is worth a model for India.

CSMC has now invited Mizoram for the presentation on RAY pilot project, following which RL Rinawma (IRS), Principal Secretary, and K.Lalthawmmawia (MCS), Director, UD&PA, government of Mizoram had given the presentation yesterday, which the CSMC found it satisfactory and approved it thereafter.

The RAY project was launched to elevate the many slum areas across India and to construct houses for the poor.

The project is also being carried out in Mizoram and initiatives are being taken in Aizawl and Lunglei as of now.

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Mizoram government orders demolition of illegal ‘village’

Zodin Sanga, 

Aizawl (Sept 14): The Mizoram government has issued a demolition order for an illegal settlement near Myanmar border in Mizoram’s Champhai district, which has emerged as a hub for cross-border smugglers.

According to sources from the state local administration department, the unlawful village, on the banks of Tiau river that divides India and Myanmar, presently has 63 households, 23 of which are of illegal Myanmarese migrants.

“While asking the Myanmarese families to go back, resettlement plan has been arranged for the Indian families,” the sources said.

The resettlement package includes four bundle of GI sheets and plot of land for each family at the nearby Vaphai village and free transportation of construction materials.

About four farmers having paddy fields on the banks of the river built a temporary settlement, and after more farmers started to settle it came to be known as Saikhum Phai Bawk. They were later joined by more farmers.

After a road was constructed under the Border Area Development Programme to connect Vaphai village and the Tiau river with the main objective of harnessing the riverine products, Saikhum Phai Bawk emerged as a hub for illegal border trade with more Myanmarese migrants settling in, sources said.

However, even as the local administration department set a October 31 deadline for evacuation of the village, the villagers have vowed to defy the order.

The village leaders claimed that the village had been built as early as 1963, but was evacuated during the Mizoram insurgency period that started from 1966 and lasted till 1986. It was rebuilt in 1987 with the approval of Vaphai village council and remains under this jurisdiction till date.

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Pillar rakes up boundary row

Aizawl, Sep 13 : The continuing boundary dispute between Assam and Mizoram has flared up once again after Assam allegedly planted a boundary pillar in a paddy field of the neighbouring state near Vairengte, on the inter-state border.

Leaders of Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) subsequently destroyed the pillar on September 3.

ZNP legislator K. Liantlinga warned that any further inaction on part of the Mizoram government over the dispute would only aggravate the issue.

“If the government does not want the mob to rule, it should take up the issue with the Assam government immediately,” he said during a news conference here today.

Liantlinga said most of the encroachers were illegal migrants, who were being encouraged to grab tribal lands by vested interests in the Assam administration.

“We will do anything to stop such encroachment on our ancestral lands,” said the legislator.

According to a complaint filed by C. Zoparliana, president of Aitlang Sihpui, a boundary pillar appeared suddenly in the paddy field of Lalhmangaiha, which the farmers reported to the sub-divisional officer (civil) of Vairengte sub-division on September 4.

The letter said the farmers in the area were surprised, as the land had been cultivated by generations of families living there and asked the official to remove the pillar.

However, since there was no action taken by the government for more than a week, ZNP members decided to remove the pillar on their own.

“There is nothing more important than protecting our land,” Liantlinga said. Criticising the various state governments of the past, which had failed to settle the boundary issue with Assam, he said about 100 hectares of paddy fields at Singkili, adjoining the Aitlang Sihpui fields had been allegedly grabbed some years back. “We will not keep quiet this time,” he warned.

The party, which collected documents from various offices in Silchar, found that 24 people had filed a complaint on August 22, accusing their Mizoram counterparts of smashing a boundary pillar on August 16. The complaint stated they were “living in the village Dholaikhai for the past 40 years”.

However, enquiries from the authorities in Silchar revealed that only 13 people out of the 24 complainants could be traced.

The ZNP legislator said Mizoram’s present boundary, drawn unilaterally by Assam under the North East Reorganisation Act, 1971, was not acceptable to people here as it left much of Mizo tribal lands in Assam. “It was a bitter day for us when the Mizo National Front accepted it in the peace agreement signed in 1986,” Liantlinga said.

The ZNP claims the actual boundary should be the one agreed between the British and Mizo chiefs in 1875.

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