100km road from Mizoram to neighbouring port to cost Rs 600cr

Silchar, APR 1: The Centre will build a modern highway spanning 99.82km between Lawngtlai town in south Mizoram to Sittwe port in northwest Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal to establish a sea link between several states in the Northeast, including Mizoram, Assam and Manipur with other parts of the country.

Union minister for national highways and transport Kamal Nath will arrive in Aizawl on April 24 to lay the foundation of the multi-modal road transport project in Lawngtlai, 335km from Aizawl. Though this project was approved four years ago after New Delhi got the clearance of Myanmar, the subsequent delay led to the escalation of the cost of the scheme from Rs 420crore to a whopping Rs 600crore.

This road, whose construction will be completed in two years, will unveil a transit access for goods and people between India and Myanmar as part of the Open Asia policy among the nations of the continent.

Sources in Aizawl said more fresh schemes for the improvement of road infrastructure and sea links are now in the pipeline, and the official delegations between India and Myanmar are busy in giving shape and finding out resources to give a go-ahead to some of the schemes. The sources added that other schemes envisaged area network of roads between towns in the Chin hills and Arakan Yoma, including Paletwa and Tiddim on Myanmar’s borders with Mizoram and Manipur to facilitate trade, cultural exchanges and tourism between the two countries and upgrade the waterways of Kaladan river flowing through Mizoram’s southern borders to Myanmar.

The sources also said improvement of the Sittwe port was on the cards. At present, Indian and Myanmarese businessmen exchange produce of the two countries in a Rs 12crore international trade centre at a village near Champhai in west Mizoram.

While India trades in cement, bicycle parts, medicines and horticulture products of Mizoram, from Myanmar handicrafts and clothes, apart from electronics goods and shoes, arrive in plenty.
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Source: The Telegraph

2 killed, churches damaged as storm sweeps Mizoram

Aizawl, Apr 1 : At least two persons were killed and 2,900 houses damaged as a storm swept across Mizoram snappping communication and power in different parts of the state last night.

A 60-year-old man was killed in house collapse and three persons, including the old man's grand son, were seriosly injured in IOC Veng locality of Serchhip, official sources said.

Another person was killed as a tree, uprooted by strong wind, fell on him at West Phaileng village in Mamit district during the same time.

The gale, called 'to' in local parlance, coupled with hailstorm in Mizoram, had struck different parts of the state since Sunday night and rendered at least 5,000 people homeless, officials of the state Disaster Management and Relief said today.

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla informed the state assembly today that officials were working overtime to deliver relief materials to the affected people.

Pneumonia claims 143 lives in Mizoram in 2009

Aizawl, March 30 : Pneumonia has claimed 143 lives during the year 2009 in Mizoram, according to health & family welfare department, government of Mizoram. The data further revealed that 4437 people have been diagnosed as pneumonia in the same period.

Overall, the department highlighted that 491 people have died due to various disease in govt hospital. Out of this, 246 patients were victims of non-communicable disease while 245 died due to communicable diseases. It further said 68 people also died due to road accidents out of the total 17494 victims admitted in various hospitals.

While as many as 21670 people were infected with acute diarrhoea, only 15 of them died. No case of polio was detected, 158 people caught tetanus of which one person died.

Four persons died of typhoid and enteric fever, four people (all women) died of hepatitis B. It is also recorded that 27 persons, including 12 women died of AIDS whereas tuberculosis claimed 11 lives.

Cancer, the disease Mizoram has topped the world in, claimed 51 lives during 2009, the health officials added. Hypertension-related problems claimed 42 persons, the health officials said.

No lives have been lost due to snake bites notwithstanding 195 people admitted with snake bites, the record said.

Neepco signs pact with Mizoram Govt

AIZAWL: Neepco (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd) and the Mizoram Government have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) here to take up three hydro electric projects having a total capacity of 1,526 MW.
Addressing a press conference on Friday night, Mr I.P. Barooah, Neepco Chairman and Managing Director, said the MoA was for setting up of 635-MW Chhimtuipui project, 815-MW Lungreng project and 76-MW Mat hydro electric project.
“Neepco would first carry out field investigations, which would take around 18 months, and thereafter subject to techno-commercial viability and necessary mandatory clearances, the projects would be taken up for execution,” Mr Barooah said.
He said with strong support received from the State Government and the Centre, the abandoned 60-MW Turial hydro electric project is in the final stages of revival and likely to commence work within three months after obtaining fresh clearances from the U nion Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
The Turial project was delayed for six years due to law and order problems over claims of compensation by the land owners for the areas proposed to be submerged. The project cost was revised to Rs 880 crore and would produce power at Rs 3.70 per unit, he said. — PTI

Mizo students demand semester system

Aizawl, March 22 : Mizo Students Union has asked colleges to implement Semester system in all colleges during the current academic session.
In a press release issued after the Executive Committee meeting, the MSU also asked the State Government not to adhere in toto the birth control policy formulated by the Centre as it does not address the need of the State.
The MSU also asked the Government to give a clear cut instruction to the school authorities to ban carrying of mobile phone by students in examination hall.

Myanmarese national held with heroine

Karimganj (Assam), Mar 22 : A Myanmarese was today arrested by the BSF in Mizoram neighbouring for possessing heroine, BSF sources said.

Acting on a tip off, sleuths of BSF's intelligence wing and special narcotic cell arrested the 28-year-old Myanmarese from Bungherh-Kawi area of Mizoram and seized 33 grams of heroine from him.

The market value of the contraband drug is at least Rs 1.2 lakh, the sources said adding the youth was being interrogated.

The BSF said the youth, hailing from Tiddim area of Myanmar, could be part of a racket which smuggles heroine from that country to the North Eastern states.

MNF opposes NCMEI order

Aizawl, March 17  The opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) today took strong exception to the new rulings of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) that require 30 per cent students from a minority community for an institution to claim minority status.


The MNF, in a statement, expressed fear that the country’s best known Christian schools and colleges could lose minority status as their students comprised less than 30 per cent from the community.

“The new orders of the NCMEI will have far reaching impact on the Christian-run institutions in particular and the Christian community in the country in general,” the statement said.

The MNF, led by former Chief Minister Zoramthanga, also expressed anguish over the absence of a Christian representative in the Commission as ‘the NCMEI is required to have members from the Sikh and Christian communities in addition to a Muslim representative’.