JING DIMASA BLOG

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Haflong doctors to suspend work from today

HAFLONG, Oct 31 – All the doctors of Haflong Civil Hospital have vehemently condemned yesterday’s kidnapping of a doctor from his residence at gunpoint by some unidentified miscreants while demanding adequate security to them.
It is learnt that yesterday around 2.30 pm, one doctor of Haflong Civil Hospital was kidnapped from his official residence at gunpoint by unidentified miscreants without any prior notice or demand. After taking him near Mahur they demanded Rs 10 lakh as ransom. However, he was later released around 9.20 pm.
Since 1999, the doctors’ community of Haflong has been under security threat. The then superintendent of Haflong Civil Hospital was kidnapped. Though he was released later, he succumbed to his injuries sustained during torture by the kidnappers. Earlier, all the doctors on September 9, 2009 had requested the administration to upgrade the police outpost by deployment of armed forces with siren system, to restrict parking of all thevehicles, to transport doctors on night duty by ambulance, and to investigate into all the illegal liquor shops and antisocial activities in and around hospital campus and take proper action thereafter.
It is to be mentioned here that, the absence of security wall surrounding the hospitalcampus has been encouraging these antisocial elements to carry on their nefarious activities. Only recently, a few incidents of murder, snatching, etc., near the hospitalcampus were reported but nothing was done to prevent such incidents by the administration, the people here alleged.
As the district administration seemed to be callous regarding the demand of doctors to provide adequate security in the hospital campus, all the doctors decided to suspend their routine duties from tomorrow.
All the civil organizations of Dima Hasao have appealed to all not to harass the doctors’ community for the greater interest of entire populace of the district.

Lucky Ali wows Assam crowd, to promote district

Lucky Ali wows Assam crowd, to promote district
LUCKY ALI


Bollywood singer-composer and actor Lucky Ali, who regaled the crowd with a rocking performance in this Assam town, will be the brand ambassador of the state's Dima Hasao district.

Lucky's performance was part of the first edition of the three-day Jatinga International Festival and he got a huge round of applause by a crowd of nearly 15,000 Friday.

"I am moved by the kind of hospitality the people of Haflong have showered on me. It is such a beautiful place. Living in Mumbai and Bangalore, we hardly can have such warmth. Politics should be kept apart from development. The place needs to be developed as a popular tourist spot," Lucky told IANS.

Lucky has given his consent to promote the district, of which Haflong is the headquarters, said Debojit Thaosen, chief executive member of the Dima Hasao District Autonomous Council.

This was Lucky's first visit to Haflong, also known as the Switzerland of the East. He is also planning to popularise Assam through his next video album.

"I am going to shoot my next video album Xsuie in Assam," said Lucky, who has also featured in movies like "Kaante" and "Sur".

He said his next acting project "Rock Shock" is currently in post-production stage and is slated for either a December or early 2011 release.

At the event, Lucky sang songs from his albums like "Sifar", "Aks", "Sunoh", "Kabhi Aisa Lagta Hai" and "Xsuie", apart from some of his popular film songs.

He also crooned an evergreen number from his father, legendary comedian Mehmood's 1976 film "Sabse Bada Rupaiya".

And the audience at the District Sports Ground here was thrilled.

"It was awesome. I am a big fan of Lucky Ali and I will treasure his autograph," said Kalpana, a student.

Vishwanath, who stays in nearby Silchar, was mesmerised by the soulful songs, and said: "I am attending his (Lucky Ali's) show for the first time and I am damn impressed. He has got an awesome voice."

Two other bands -- Guwahati-based Moon Win and Low Rides from Bangalore -- also enthralled the crowd.

Plan to revamp cream unit in Umrangsu

SARAT SARMA



Haflong, Oct. 31: The Dima Hasao District Autonomous Council plans to renovate its cream production centre at Umrangsu, which was closed since 2005, this financial year.
Along with cream and custard the unit would also launch the production of pasteurised milk with support from four local milk societies.
“Last year we received Rs 34 lakh from Dima Hasao district autonomous council to buy machinery. Now we want a new plant for which we have approached the local autonomous council. It will cost Rs 30 lakh and the council has agreed to release the funds immediately,” said a source from the Dima Hasao district dairy development department.
“The departure of most of the Nepali milk cultivators because of unrest and trouble in the district, the local autonomous council’s refusal to increase the price of cream and corruption in the administrative system has brought down the centre’s production,” Sarthe Engti, a resident of Umrangsu, said.
The cream production centre at Umrangsu is the only such unit of its kind to be run by the state government. Right now it has 29 employees and 10 vacant posts in different categories. “The centre was established in 1972 to support 2,000-odd Nepali households, living in greater Garampani, who were involved in cream production. The department had distributed cream producing machines among the households and would collect cream once a week from the interior villages. The cream was then processed in the centre to get ghee,” a source from the department said.
“They (the department) give us Rs 130 for per kg cream, but outsiders give us more than Rs 220. We are not fools to sell our cream to the department,” said Robi Thapa, a Garampani villager.
According to the department source, the dairy development department has asked the local autonomous council to revise the sale and purchase rates of cream immediately.“Now we are targeting the revival of the milk societies. The dairy department plans to involve 10 to 13 households, which will be given financial support from different rural development schemes to purchase cows,” the source from the dairy department said.
After the renovation, the cream production centre will be capable of collecting 500 litres of milk per day and produce 200kg cream in a week.
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