News Analysis India

Tag: Mizoram Government

  • Mizoram instructs Myanmar refugees not to purchase land or house without govt permission

    By PTI

    AIZAWL: The Mizoram government has instructed Myanmar nationals, currently taking shelter in the state, not to purchase land and run businesses without prior permission from the state government.

    An order issued by the Aizawl district administration recently said that no refugees from Myanmar should purchase land or house without the knowledge and prior permission from the state government.

    The order also said that Myanmar refugees should not run any business without the permission of the government and also not be involved in any illegal business.

    The refugees should inform about their vehicles, which they have brought from their country to the local or village level committee concerned with Myanmar refugees, it said.

    They should not enroll for Aadhaar, state voter list, or obtain a driving license, among others, the order said.

    The government also instructed all local or village level committees to ensure that the order is strictly implemented and report to the chairman of the district task group on Myanmar refugees in case of violation of the order.

    Home minister Lalchamliana had recently informed the state assembly that 30,401 Myanmar nationals have so far taken shelter in Mizoram since the military junta seized power in February last year.

    Mizoram shares a 510 km long porous border with Myanmar.

    The Myanmar nationals, who took shelter in Mizoram, are mostly from Chin communities, who share ethnicity and ancestry with the Mizos.

    The majority of refugees are lodged at makeshift camps set up by the government and village authorities, while some have taken houses on rent on their own and some others live with their local relatives.

    About 156 relief camps have been set up in different parts of the state, according to officials.

    The Myanmar nationals are provided with food and other relief by the state government, NGOs, churches and village authorities.

    The state government has so far provided Rs 380 lakh as relief to the Myanmar nationals, officials said.

    Last year, Chief Minister Zoramthanga urged the Centre to provide humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar refugees.

    In December last year, the state government had constituted a high-level committee chaired by Lalchamliana to monitor the Myanmar refugees due to a continuous rise in the number of Myanmar nationals fleeing to the state.

    Apart from this, the government also set up a task group on Myanmar refugees, district level committees chaired by deputy commissioners and village or local level committees (under the chairmanship of village council president) to oversee the refugee issue.

    The Mizoram government has been conducting profiling of Myanmar nationals taking shelter in the state since February this year in order to maintain a proper record of the refugees.

    So far, 30,401 Myanmar nationals have been documented and 30,144 of them have been issued identity cards.

    The identity card, which certifies the holder as sheltering in Mizoram, is only for identification purposes to differentiate the holder from Indian citizens and is not valid for availing the government’s scheme, according to a state home department official.

    The ID card is valid only in Mizoram.

    AIZAWL: The Mizoram government has instructed Myanmar nationals, currently taking shelter in the state, not to purchase land and run businesses without prior permission from the state government.

    An order issued by the Aizawl district administration recently said that no refugees from Myanmar should purchase land or house without the knowledge and prior permission from the state government.

    The order also said that Myanmar refugees should not run any business without the permission of the government and also not be involved in any illegal business.

    The refugees should inform about their vehicles, which they have brought from their country to the local or village level committee concerned with Myanmar refugees, it said.

    They should not enroll for Aadhaar, state voter list, or obtain a driving license, among others, the order said.

    The government also instructed all local or village level committees to ensure that the order is strictly implemented and report to the chairman of the district task group on Myanmar refugees in case of violation of the order.

    Home minister Lalchamliana had recently informed the state assembly that 30,401 Myanmar nationals have so far taken shelter in Mizoram since the military junta seized power in February last year.

    Mizoram shares a 510 km long porous border with Myanmar.

    The Myanmar nationals, who took shelter in Mizoram, are mostly from Chin communities, who share ethnicity and ancestry with the Mizos.

    The majority of refugees are lodged at makeshift camps set up by the government and village authorities, while some have taken houses on rent on their own and some others live with their local relatives.

    About 156 relief camps have been set up in different parts of the state, according to officials.

    The Myanmar nationals are provided with food and other relief by the state government, NGOs, churches and village authorities.

    The state government has so far provided Rs 380 lakh as relief to the Myanmar nationals, officials said.

    Last year, Chief Minister Zoramthanga urged the Centre to provide humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar refugees.

    In December last year, the state government had constituted a high-level committee chaired by Lalchamliana to monitor the Myanmar refugees due to a continuous rise in the number of Myanmar nationals fleeing to the state.

    Apart from this, the government also set up a task group on Myanmar refugees, district level committees chaired by deputy commissioners and village or local level committees (under the chairmanship of village council president) to oversee the refugee issue.

    The Mizoram government has been conducting profiling of Myanmar nationals taking shelter in the state since February this year in order to maintain a proper record of the refugees.

    So far, 30,401 Myanmar nationals have been documented and 30,144 of them have been issued identity cards.

    The identity card, which certifies the holder as sheltering in Mizoram, is only for identification purposes to differentiate the holder from Indian citizens and is not valid for availing the government’s scheme, according to a state home department official.

    The ID card is valid only in Mizoram.

  • Mizoram issues new COVID-19 guidelines with more relaxations from October 3

    By PTI

    AIZAWL: The Mizoram government has issued new COVID-19 guidelines with a few more relaxations to ease economic and other activities in Aizawl Municipality Corporation (AMC) area and other parts of the state.

    The new guidelines will come into effect on October 3 and will remain in force in the state till October 16.

    The order issued on Friday night said that it has been felt necessary to give more focus on providing better treatment to COVID-19 patients than imposing stringent restrictions despite a spurt in COVID-19 cases.

    The new order allowed the re-opening of churches in COVID-19 affected AMC area and also in other parts of the state only on Sunday and Sabbath (Saturday) during daytime with 50 per cent seating capacity.

    Churches in COVID-19 free towns and villages outside AMC area have been already re-opened on August 22.

    School and other higher education institutions will continue to remain close in AMC area but training institutes will be allowed to re-open with 50 per cent seating capacity in the state capital, the order said.

    The government has already allowed re-opening of schools (KG to class 12) and Anganwadi centres in coronavirus free towns outside AMC area on August 15 and further allowed re-opening of all educational institutions, including colleges, on September 5.

    Re-opening of public parks is now allowed even in AMC area with 50 participants subjected to permission of local level task force of the locality where such park is located.

    Social or public gatherings like anniversary or birthday celebrations and other gatherings are now allowed in AMC area with either 50 per cent of the seating capacity or 50 attendees, whichever is less, the order said.

    The number of attendees in funerals and weddings in AMC area has been increased from 30 to 50 or 50 per cent of the seating capacity, whichever is less, it said.

    The government has now allowed full re-opening of all business shops, market places, hawker stalls, hotels, restaurants (with 50% seating capacity) and tourist lodges, among others, across AMC area.

    All government offices in the state will now open with full staff, the order said. Intra-state movement is allowed under exceptional cases, it said. Night curfew will continue to be imposed in all district headquarters between 8 pm and 4 am.

    In areas outside AMC, deputy commissioners will issue separate guidelines depending on the COVID-19 situation of their districts or areas, the order said.

    Meanwhile, Mizoram on Saturday reported 1,626 new COVID-19 cases pushing the state’s tally to 96,456, a health official said.

    The death toll rose to 314 as three more persons succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said.

    At least 263 children were among the newly infected people, he said. The single-day positive rate rose to 20. 53 per cent from the previous day 16.83 per cent, as the fresh cases were detected from 7,919 sample tests, he said.

    The state now has 16,361 active COVID-19 cases.

    At least 1,677 people have recovered in the last 24 hours, pushing the total number of recovery to 79,781.

    The state has so far conducted more than 11.12 lakh samples tests for COVID-19.

    Over 6.82 lakh people have been vaccinated till Friday, of which 4.47 lakh people have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine, state immunisation officer Dr Lalzawmi said.

  • Mizoram alleges JCB operator kidnapped at gun point by Assam cops

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: The Mizoram government on Thursday alleged that a JCB operator was kidnapped at gun point near the interstate border by a group of Assam Police personnel, who also dragged him by a river, ripped off his clothes and threatened him with dire consequences.

    “It has been brought to my notice based on a reliable report that this afternoon at Aitlang in Pu (Mr) Lalngaisanga’s land where road construction connecting jhum land is undertaken by the farmers using excavator JCB…

    “Assam Police went to disrupt their activity and damaged the door of excavator and snatched the keys from the JCB operator Pu Lalnarammawia,” Mizoram’s Kolasib District Magistrate H Lalthlangliana wrote to his Hailakandi counterpart in Assam Rohan Jha in a letter, a copy of which was available with The New Indian Express.Further, the JCB operator was blindfolded and kidnapped with a gun pointed to his head by the Assam Police wearing commando uniform. He was then dragged by the river, ripped off his clothes and threatened. His mobile phone, along with JCB keys, was taken away by the Assam Police, Lalthlangliana further wrote.

    Viewing this as a very serious issue and a huge setback to the peace initiatives, the Kolasib DM said this could aggravate the situation on the interstate border.

    He urged Jha to immediately intervene and take necessary action against the “perpetrators” and return the items to the JCB owner and its operator at the earliest, indicating the operator, who was allegedly kidnapped, was released.

    Senior officials of the Hailakandi district were not available for comments.

    On July 26, six Assam Police personnel were killed while scores of others, including a Superintendent of Police, injured, during a gunfight with Mizoram Police on the interstate border. The trouble broke out due to border dispute.

  • Mizoram extends total lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation till July 31 

    By PTI
    AIZAWL: The Mizoram government on Friday extended the total lockdown in Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) and imposed certain COVID-19 restrictions in other parts of the state till July 31 to curb surging infections, officials said.

    The ongoing shutdown was scheduled to be lifted on Saturday.

    The state government, in an official release, said the present COVID-19 positive detection rate is “extremely high” despite stringent measures taken to arrest rising cases.

    “It is felt necessary to continue with the current restriction for prevention of the further spread of coronavirus, and to facilitate the ongoing mass testing conducted by the health and family welfare department,” it said.

    Lockdown or other restrictions may be imposed in other places in the state by deputy commissioners depending on the pandemic situation, the release said.

    Essential services like water and electricity supply, healthcare, vaccination and LPG distribution will function normally.

    All shops will be closed in the AMC area except those dealing with essential commodities, it said.

    There is, however, no restriction on travel and transportation of goods outside the AMC area.

    Meanwhile, Mizoram on Friday reported 847 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic struck in March last year, a health department official said.

    The state’s tally stands at 30,492, of which 7,559 are active cases.

    As many as 22,802 people have recovered from the infection, including 185 since Friday. A total of 131 people have succumbed to the virus so far, he said.

    According to State Immunisation Officer Lalzawmi, over 6. 16 lakh people have been inoculated in the state thus far.

  • Mizoram rejects Himanta’s encroachment charge, says Assam laying claim on its territories

    By PTI
    AIZAWL: The Mizoram government alleged on Friday that neighbouring Assam was laying claims on its territories, which the residents of its border villages have been occupying for over 100 years.

    Speaking to PTI, Mizoram Chief Secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo claimed that it did not encroach even an inch of Assam’s territory as alleged by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of the neighbouring state.

    “Assam is laying claims on Mizoram’s territories, which the residents of border villages have been occupying for over 100 years. Satellite images will prove that what Assam claims to be its territories have been inhabited by the Mizos for over a century. There is no encroachment by Mizoram on Assam’s territory. It is the other way round,” Chuaungo said.

    He alleged that Assam officials encroached on Mizoram’s territories under the supervision of the Assam Police and the state’s Forest Department during June-July despite the decision to maintain status quo in the disputed areas.

    “The filing of lawsuit by the Assam government against Mizoram officials is just a gimmick to cover up their massive encroachment on Mizoram’s territories,” the chief secretary said.

    While Mizoram accepts the 509 sq mile stretch of the inner-line reserve forest notified in 1875 under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 as its actual boundary, the Assam side agrees with the constitutional map drawn in 1933, a top official of the Mizoram Home Department had earlier said.

    The 1933 map was an imposed boundary as Mizoram’s consent was not taken at the time of demarcation and the boundaries were not verified on the ground jointly by both the states, she had said.

    On Monday, the Assam chief minister had told the state legislature that a total of 1,777.

    58 hectares of land in the Barak Valley region was taken over by encroachers from Mizoram.

    The Assam government had also filed a suit before a court in Cachar district on Thursday against certain officials of the Mizoram government over the alleged encroachment of its forest land and intentional destruction of forests across the state border.

    Mizoram’s Kolasib district Deputy Commissioner H Lalthlangliana said they did not encroach on Assam’s territory but was protecting the land that they have been occupying since “time immemorial”.

    Though the situation along the inter-state border is normal now, tension is palpable, he said.

    Mizoram shares a 164.6-km-long border with Assam.

    The recent border dispute flared up on June 29 when the two Northeastern states accused each other of encroachment at Aitlang hnar near Vairengte, which borders Assam’s Hailakandi district.

    Tension escalated when Assam officials allegedly destroyed some plantations at Buarchep in the Phainuam area bordering Cachar district on July 10 during eviction, even as Assam accused Mizoram of encroaching more than 6 km into its territory.

    The two states have deployed forces to prevent any further encroachment.

  • No case of new COVID-19 variants in Mizoram: Official

    The Mizoram government has sent 326 samples of COVID-19 infected positive patients to National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in West Bengal for genome sequencing.

  • Ashish Kundra appointed new Mizoram chief electoral officer

    The Election Commission Thursday appointed IAS officer Ashish Kundra as poll-bound Mizoram’s new chief electoral officer, replacing S B Shashank.

    The order came after some civil society groups in Mizoram demanded Shashank’s ouster over a row on allowing Bru voters lodged in Tripura relief camps to exercise their franchise from there.

    “The Election Commission of India in consultation with the Government of Mizoram hereby nominates Ashish Kundra as the chief electoral officer for the state of Mizoram with immediate effect,” a notification issued by the EC said.

    The EC had earlier asked the Mizoram government for a panel of names to replace Shashank.

    Mizoram goes to polls on November 28.