Harmony balm for rival unions

The wound must be healed. And what better balm than harmony between people who have been torn apart by mistrust and suspicion after living together for years?

With the objective of creating peace and bringing communal harmony, a friendly volleyball match was held between the All Bodo Students’ Union (Absu) and the All Bodoland Minority Students’ Union at the Adabari playground in Kokrajhar on November 21.

Organised by the 11 Maratha Light Infantry of army’s Red Horns Division, the match was part of the initiatives during the communal harmony week. Absu won the match 2-0 (25-7, 25-13).

Udalguri and Darrang districts witnessed violent communal clashes recently, which left many people dead and injured.

“The aim of the match was to provide friendship, peace and unity among various communities. The coming together of these two student unions assumes significance against the backdrop of events witnessed in Udalguri and Darrang in the recent past,” Col Hitesh Bhalla said.

A large number of people from both the communities turned up for the match.

The inspector-general of police of BTAD, A.K. Sinha Casshyap, attended the function as the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

Comeback for AIR

Like elsewhere in the country, the humble radio is set to make a comeback in the Northeast.

And this renaissance will be led by none other than national broadcaster All India Radio (AIR), which has decided to cover every nook and cranny of the region during the Eleventh Plan period to make it truly a pan-India institution.

AIR insiders said last week’s conclave of engineering heads of 40 AIR stations of the Northeast in Guwahati firmed up plans to this effect.

The plan included setting up 100 new FM transmitters, which has helped the innocuous radio stage a strong comeback in the region.

It also included a Rs 8-crore package to help develop all AIR stations in the

region, setting up of 19 more FM transmitters of 1kW capacity and filling up of over 100 posts of technical and non-technical posts to face the competition from private sector.

The recurring message emanating from the conclave was that the AIR would provide “man, material and money” to provide satisfactory broad- casting service to the people of the Northeast.

Happy listening.

n When Arunachal Pradesh Governor Gen. (retd) J.J. Singh visited Namsai in Lohit district recently, he had a specific purpose. The Khamti Singpho Council had sought help to implement effective measures to tackle the menace of drugs among the local population.

The general announced that one section of police should be deployed especially to deal with drugs and narcotics in Namsai subdivision as demanded by the Khamti Singpho Council. He also sanctioned a sum of Rs 25,000 for development of the anti-drugs cell.

The Khamtis and Singphos have long been addicted to kani, a drug made of poppy seeds. The excessive of kani is said to be the reason for the economic backwardness of the people.