Monthly Archives: August 2018

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19

Fear has gripped residents of Shillong’s Harijan Colony following a move to hand over the area to the government of Meghalaya through the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) which will pave the way for relocation of Dalit Sikhs living in the neighbourhood for several generations.

Confirming that an MoU was being prepared for the transfer of land of Harijan Colony to the state government by the local Syiem (tribal chief) through the KHADC, Titossrarwell Chyne, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the KHADC said they would like to complete the formalities before the state Assembly begun its sittings on March 5 for the budget session.

A tripartite MoU involving the Syiem, KHADC and state government would be signed to give the land to the state government on lease. Once the control of the land is entrusted to the state, it will take appropriate steps to move the Sikh residents from the area and relocate them somewhere else in the city.

“The Harijan Colony, which is also known as Panjabi Lane, is an extremely congested place located right at the heart of Shillong. It is also unhygienic and dirty. The residents need not fear. There is no question of using force to evict them. They will be relocated in a hygienic area,” Chyne, chief of the KHADC, told The Tribune over the phone from Shillong.

The high-level committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, would call a meeting and give approval to the proposed MoU following which the parties involved will sign it, Chyne said. Land laws prevailing in Meghalaya did not give the state government or Shillong Municipal Board jurisdiction over Harijan Colony. This will change if the land is leased to the government.

Gurjit Singh, chief of the Harijan Colony Panchayat Committee, alleged the state was putting pressure on the incumbent Syiem for handing over tribal land to the government. Gurjit Singh said the plot was given to their ancestors in 1853. “We have evidence to prove that the then Syiem of Mylliem gave the plot to our ancestors who came with British troops as sweepers,” Gurjit Singh said.

Abohar/Sriganganagar, Feb 19

Jai Kisan Andolan convener Yogendra Yadav today said the ‘kisan ekta’ would not only force the central government to withdraw the three agricultural laws, but would also serve as a reminder to successive governments to dare not take such anti-farmer actions. He added the farm laws were dead on paper, and it was up to the government how much time it wanted to take to issue the ‘death certificate’.

Besides Yadav, Krantikari Kisan Union chief Dr Darshan Pal Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda) president Jagmohan Singh Patiala and others addressed a ‘kisan mahapanchayat’ at Raisinghnagar in Sriganganagar and Makkasar in Hanumangarh. — OC

Islamabad, February 19

Pakistan has said it is fully facilitating Sikh pilgrims from across the world, including India, for visiting their religious sites in the country.The remarks of the foreign ministry on Friday come a day after India denied permission to around 600 Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan, citing the security and Covid situation in the country.“Pakistan provides maximum facilitation to the Sikh yatris from all over the world, including India, for visiting their religious sites in Pakistan,” Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said at the weekly media briefing.

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India, Chaudhri said, should also facilitate Sikh pilgrims for visiting their religious sites in Pakistan.

In a communication to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), an apex Sikh religious body, India’s Home Ministry on Wednesday said the security situation in Pakistan continues to be adverse and there is a threat to Indian citizens in that country.

Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected five lakh people in Pakistan and 10,000 people lost their lives due to the disease. The health infrastructure in Pakistan is also not adequate, it said.

Citing these reasons, the Home Ministry conveyed to the SGPC that it has decided not to accord permission to the group that was expected to visit gurdwaras in Pakistan from February 18 to 21. — PTI

Gangtok, February 19

The Indian Army provided food, medical help and warm clothes to over 400 tourists who were stranded in East Sikkim district due to sudden heavy snowfall, an official said on Friday.

Around 447 tourists in 150 vehicles were struck at JN Road Axis about 40 km from the state capital on Thursday afternoon due to heavy snowfall while returning from tourist destinations like Tsomgo lake, Nathula, Baba Mandir, Memencho Lake and Kupup, the official said.

Many tourists with medical problems were provided medical help at the 317 FD hospital by an Army medical team.

The other tourists were given hot food, warm clothes and shelter by the Army and were sent back to Gangtok after the weather improved and the blocked roads were cleared by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), the official added. — PTI

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 19

Armed with evidence of physical verification of troops dis-engaging from along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladkah, Corps Commanders of the two countries are slated to meet on Saturday to discuss the next steps of the dis-engagement process.

The meeting will be held at 10 am on the Chinese side of the LAC at Spanggur Gap in Moldo.

The first phase of the dis-engagement process entails both sides withdrawing from positions on the north bank and south bank of Pangong Tso, a 135 km-wide glacial melt lake. The next phases will see talks for similar pull-back at Depsang, Gogra and Hot Springs along the 823 km of LAC in eastern Ladakh. Since April 2020, there has been a massive build-up by either side.

Also read: 5 Chinese soldiers were killed in Galwan Valley clash, acknowledges China

The timeline for the first phase of dis-engagement was between February 22 and February 24. The matters have speeded up as both sides have withdrawn tanks, troops, guns and all vehicles back at their home bases. The pull-back includes dismantling all infrastructure created after April 2020, which includes removing bunkers, helipads, housing units and tents.

A physical verification has been done by both sides using permissible means – physical visits and UAVs.

The commanders can either accept that the disengagement process has been done as per the agreement or can point out to any issues which remain.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Rajya Sabha on February 11 about the future plan and how further discussions would be done. “There are still some outstanding issues with regard to deployment and patrolling at some other points along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.  These will be the focus of further discussions with the Chinese side,” he said.

All along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh there are separate locations where militaries of both sides are in eyeball-to-eyeball situations.

Besides Pangong Tso, the next phases will cover resumption of patrolling limits in areas along the LAC, which have overlapping claims by both sides.

Then comes the issue of 900 square km Depsang plains located north of the Shyok river. Located at an altitude of 16,000 feet, the Indian Army holds a majority of the Depsang plains while People’s Liberation Army of China holds the eastern edge of the plains.