New Meghalaya youth Cong chief elected

Gabriel Wahlang was elected as the new president of the Meghalaya youth Congress Monday. Wahlang a teacher by profession, defeated as many as eight other candidates, including sitting Congress legislator from Nangbah Wahiajer, Sniawbhalang Dhar.

Wahlang’s election to the post was declared at the Congress Bhavan here by party returning officer from New Delhi Manoj Singh Chauhan in the presence of other party leaders.  Presently, there are around  30,000 youths across the state who have enrolled themselves as members of the party.

Shillong : A fierce gunbattle ensued in Meghalaya's restive West Garo Hills district Tuesday after Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels ambushed a vehicle of a senior police officer. No casualty was reported, police said. The gunbattle, which lasted for nearly an hour, began when a group of heavily armed GNLA rebels fired several shots at the vehicle of Ampati sub-divisional police officer Sacheng R. Marak travelling to Dalu from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills. A group of 10 GNLA rebels assembled on a hilltop at Ramdapara area and fired at the vehicle which Marak was in along with his bodyguards. "The rebels fired at the SDPO's vehicle from the top of the hill forcing our men to retaliated back. Though, there is no casualty on our side. The police officer and his men are safe and sound but the vehicle was hit by three bullets," Inspector General of Police (Western Range) F.D Sangma told IANS. Sangma said the rebels fled from the scene after police returned the fire. The GNLA, which is headed by police officer-turned outlaw Champion R. Sangma, is fighting for a Garoland in the three impoverished districts of Garo Hills to be carved out of Meghalaya. The GNLA, which has over 100 rebels, including a few women cadres, operating in East Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and South Garo Hills, has been declared a terrorist outfit. Over 30 people, including security personnel, have been killed while more than 10 people were abducted for ransom by GNLA rebels in the last one year. In the past two months alone, 10 people were killed while two engineers of the government-run Meghalaya Energy Corp Ltd were abducted by GNLA.

Shillong, Feb 29 : Victims of rape and trafficking in matrilineal Meghalaya will now receive adequate compensation from the government. "Victims of rape and those who suffer mental agony due to kidnapping and trafficking will be compensated accordingly," Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters here. The cabinet has approved the Meghalaya Victims Compensation Scheme as per requirement of Section 357 A of the CrPC. The amended CrPC ensures that a person identified by a government authority as a victim in rape cases will be compensated Rs 50,000 while the latter will be paid Rs 25,000, Mukul said. However, the victims should petition a district legal service authority and a complaint with the officer-in-charge of the police station to avail of the scheme. Meghalaya registered only 26 rape cases in 2001 as compared to 130 in 2010. Rape of minors and women are continuing unabated in the state despite being known for its matrilineal character of respecting women folks. While there are more than 500 rape cases pending trial in various courts across the state, the official figure of cases pending trial till 2009 was 414. Out of the total 112 rape cases registered in Meghalaya in 2009, only seven were convicted.

Fierce gunfight after rebels attack Meghalaya police officer

Shillong : A fierce gunbattle ensued in Meghalaya's restive West Garo Hills district Tuesday after Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) rebels ambushed a vehicle of a senior police officer.

No casualty was reported, police said.

The gunbattle, which lasted for nearly an hour, began when a group of heavily armed GNLA rebels fired several shots at the vehicle of Ampati sub-divisional police officer Sacheng R. Marak travelling to Dalu from Tura, the district headquarters of West Garo Hills.

A group of 10 GNLA rebels assembled on a hilltop at Ramdapara area and fired at the vehicle which Marak was in along with his bodyguards.

"The rebels fired at the SDPO's vehicle from the top of the hill forcing our men to retaliated back. Though, there is no casualty on our side. The police officer and his men are safe and sound but the vehicle was hit by three bullets," Inspector General of Police (Western Range) F.D Sangma told IANS.

Sangma said the rebels fled from the scene after police returned the fire.

The GNLA, which is headed by police officer-turned outlaw Champion R. Sangma, is fighting for a Garoland in the three impoverished districts of Garo Hills to be carved out of Meghalaya.

The GNLA, which has over 100 rebels, including a few women cadres, operating in East Garo Hills, West Garo Hills and South Garo Hills, has been declared a terrorist outfit.

Over 30 people, including security personnel, have been killed while more than 10 people were abducted for ransom by GNLA rebels in the last one year. In the past two months alone, 10 people were killed while two engineers of the government-run Meghalaya Energy Corp Ltd were abducted by GNLA.

ICCA Consortium's First Ever Newsletter

The Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Areas (ICCA) Consortium just released its first ever newsletter. The newsletter includes a brief description of the ICCA Consortium and then details recent activities and events the Consortium has lead or participated in. Please do read through to hear about the great work that the Consortium is doing around the world. 

Within are updates from Regional Coordinators on activities in Panama, Canada, Chile, Senegal, Niger and Burkina Faso. Additionally, there are summaries of the Consortium's Fourth Annual General Assembly and the planning retreat, both held in Indonesia. There are also reports from meetings and events in Nepal, Switzerland, South Africa, Taiwan, Indonesia and Italy. 

The newsletter can be downloaded here. Follow the ICCA Consortium on Twitter here and/or like them on Facebook here. 

Meghalaya has to catch up in terms of industrialisation:Lanong

Shillong, Feb 28 (PTI) Barring Assam and Tripura, North Eastern states has to catch up with the rest of the country in terms of industrialisation, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister B M Lanong said. "We are yet to see the real light of the day in respect to industrialization because we are mere recipients," Lanong said. "Barring Assam and Tripura, industrialization is a far cry as we are dependent on supplies from outside. We need to catch up with the rest of the country," he said. Lanong who is also incharge of Mining and Geology department was inaugurating a workshop on mentoring and monitoring of projects under export development today here. The minister stressed on the need to focus on developing small scale and cottage industries in the NE and said respective state governments to facilitate growth. He said, "I do not favour big industries in a small states like Meghalaya. We do not want pollution and we do not want our green to vanish." According to Vinod K Kaul, Deputy General Manager, Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Agency, (APEDA) New Delhi, this region has a vast potential because of its abundant natural resources. "The region fares better in horticulture because of natural factor and being organic, and there is not much chemical, therefore we have to tap this potential which needs to be developed," he said.

Meghalaya to emulate Gujarat model

SHILLONG, Feb 28 – Meghalaya would learn from Gujarat’s success story in reaping benefit from its highly efficient Integrated Check Gates (ICGs), with an Assembly committee slated to visit the BJP-ruled State to learn what the western State can share about ICGs.

Sources said the Assembly Committee appointed to look into illegal check gates in the State have almost completed its report after having summoned and questioned several State Government officers. The report would be tabled during the current session of the Assembly scheduled to begin from March 9. The State Government is seriously trying to set up ICGs in line with Gujarat.

A member of the committee said that Gujarat has one of the highest toll gate collections, which runs into billions of rupees annually. “The technology and the firmness with which the toll is collected on its roads and highways in Gujarat is something that Meghalaya can learn and emulate,” the member said.

He added that the team would visit Gujarat for two days and meet officials who are responsible for the smooth operations of the ICGs. The team would incorporate some of the “good practices” of Gujarat’s ICGs and suggest those in its report to the Assembly for emulation in Meghalaya.

The Assembly formed the committee headed by Congress legislator Lakhmen Rymbui on March 25 last year. The other members of the committee include Conrad Sangma, leader of the Opposition from NCP, Marcuise N Marak (NCP), Paul Lyngdoh (KHNAM), Adviser Pariong (HSPDP), Ismail R Marak (Independent), Comingone Yambon (Congress) and Metbah Lyngdoh (UDP).

The committee is divided into two sub-committees, one headed by Marcuise N Marak looking into illegal toll collection on National Highway-62. The other sub-committee is headed by Paul Lyngdoh to look into illegal toll collections on National Highway-40 and 44.

Isolation from the natural world and our perception of biodiversity

Why doesn’t society value and effectively protect biodiversity?  As a “biodiversity scientist” this question often occupies my thoughts, especially when I contemplate the current rates of human-caused biodiversity loss and environmental degradation.  Two recent papers point towards a couple of potential causes:

(1) The increasing isolation of human populations from the natural world

(2) People’s relatively poor ability to perceive the actual level of biodiversity in the environment around them

Children's picture books that depict
the natural environment, like these,
are becoming more rare

(1) One of the first ways we're exposed to important social issues is through children's picture books.  The stories we tell our children are often designed to teach important moral lessons, as well as entertain.  A recent paper in Sociological Inquiry by Williams et al shows that depictions of the natural world in children’s books have declined over the past forty years.  This despite increasingly serious and widespread environmental problems and a highly public environmental movement.  Their study examined 296 children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 that won Caldecott awards for illustration.They found that depictions of the natural environment in children’s picture books peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, but have since declined.  Depictions of built environments (anything constructed by humans) have increased since the 1970s.  Likewise, pictures of interactions between humans and the natural environment or between humans and animals, also declined, reaching their lowest levels during the past ten years.  While the authors caution that their study cannot say that these changes are directly caused by our increasing isolation from the natural world, or that environmentalism is not taught through other media, it does suggest that young children are less and less exposed to the connections that exist between human society and the natural environment.  I read with surprise that this mirrors other studies that have found similar declines of environmental issues in children’s science textbooks, television entertainment, news programs and magazines.  One possible consequence of this lack of early exposure to environmental issues may be a subsequent lack of understanding of environmental issues, like the consequences of biodiversity loss.

How much biodiversity we perceive in a
landscape influences our well-being,
but how good are we at perceiving the bio-
diversity around us?

(2) Society derives a multitude of benefits, both material and emotional, from the biodiversity that makes up the natural world.  Apart from essential ecosystem goods and services, these benefits can include improved psychological well being, increased cognitive functioning, and lower stress.  Dallimer et al (2012) set out to investigate whether psychological well-being of park visitors was positively correlated with the actual species richness (plant, butterfly and bird) of riparian greenspaces around the city of Sheffield, England.  They found no consistent relationships between actual biodiversity and human well-being, but a positive link between the perceived level of biodiversity and well-being.  Essentially, people were unable to accurately identify the actual level of biodiversity present in the greenspaces around them, leading to a mis-match between reality and perception.  However, if they perceived a high level of biodiversity this had a positive effect on their well-being, irregardless of the actual level of diversity.  People’s well-being was instead better predicted by the “greenness” or tree cover of the greenspace, similar to a recent study of urban areas in Australia (Luck et al 2011).  Park visitors also had poor species identification skills, with many unable to identify a single common bird, butterfly or plant species from pictures.  These results could have important conservation implications.  If the areas the public perceives as biodiverse and lobby for protection aren’t the same areas that contain actual biodiversity, conservation programs may be unable to effectively conserve biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides.

So what can be done to improve people’s understanding of our connections with nature and perception of the biodiversity around them?  In general, the scientific community (myself included) could do a much better job at communicating the importance of biodiversity to the public.  This doesn’t mean that we all have to write children’s books and teach people to identify plants or insects, although these might help at a small scale.  Instead, new and innovative ways to communicate science need to be developed, including research-based communication initiatives, greater participation in public forums, digital science news communities (blogging, video posts, etc.) and involving the public in biodiversity research (see Groffman et al 2010 for a discussion).  Increased training for graduate students and young scientists in public communication should also be encouraged in our universities.  Programs like Let’s Talk Science, the new TerreWEB program at the University of British Columbia, and the Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network (BEAN) in Ontario are all good starts, but require all of us to be engaged and involved in communicating our research and knowledge of biodiversity and human well-being.

References

(1) Williams, JA et al. 2012. The human-environment dialog in award-winning children’s picture books. Sociological Inquiry 82(1): 145-159.
(2) Dallimer, M et al. 2012. Biodiversity and the feel-good factor: Understanding associations between self-reported human well-being and species richness. BioScience 62(1): 47-55.
(3) Luck, GW et al. 2011. Relations between urban bird and plant communities and human well-being and connection to nature. Conservation Biology 25(4): 816-826.
(3) Groffman, PM et al. 2010. Restarting the conversation: challenges at the interface between ecology and society. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 8(6): 284-291.

International rice researchers visit Meghalaya

Shillong, Feb 25 : A team of experts from the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) visited state's rice growing areas to improve its production and there by up-scaling farmers' income. "The visit is part of a mapping exercise of rice growing areas with the objective of increasing productivity by several times, ideally under organic conditions," Julian A Lapitan, IRRI senior research fellow, said. Led by Lapitan, a team of four experts from IRRI concluded their four-day tour of the state yesterday after visiting places like Resubelpara in Garo Hills, Ri-Bhoi and rice fields of Jaintia Hills district. "We interacted with farmers through which we, at IRRI, would try and evolve a successful technology to suit local needs in the state," Lapitan told PTI. The team also visited the the Central Agriculture University and the research complex of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research in the state. Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had met IRRI officials during his visit to Philippines last December. Meghalaya is an agricultural state with about 80 per cent of its total population depending entirely on agriculture for their livelihood.

Unscientific mining led to water crisis in Meghalaya: Report

SHILLONG: The mineral-rich Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya faces an acute drinking water crisis as major rivers there have been declared "unfit" for human use due to high level of acidity caused by unscientific mining.

The rivers close to coal mining areas and cement plants have acquired a blue colour over the last five years-- a phenomenon baffling even environmental scientists of the state.

The Delhi-based Central Laboratory of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which conducted an analysis of water samples collected from these rivers, said the water was highly 'acidic', rendering it unsuitable to support life forms.

The latest report, submitted by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board to the state government and CPCB, Delhi, said, "Mine run off from coal mines are the major probable causes of water pollution in the area."

"The undesirable change in water quality affects a variety of flora and fauna of the rivers. Fish, as such, are susceptible to acidity and low pH values are unsuitable for most aquatic organisms," the report said.

Five years back, river Lukha in the Khliehriat sub-division turned blue and all aquatic life, including fish, died and were found floating in the river.

Natural Justice advises Namibian Government on draft ABS Legislation

On the 23rd and 24th of February, Kabir Bavikatte and Gino Cocchiaro are in Windhoek, Namibia to attend the Awareness Raising Workshop on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for Sustainable Utilization of Cultural and Natural Assets in Namibia. 

Namibia currently does not have ABS legislation and the workshop, attended by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibian Members of Parliament, Traditional Authority representatives and other representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities, aims to inform key decision makers in Namibia about the importance of sustainable utilization of genetic resources thereby preserving Namibia's biodiversity and contributing to poverty reduction and the enhancement of the livelihoods of the people of Namibia.

The draft legislation on ABS for Sustainable Utilization of Cultural and Natural Assets, on which Natural Justice has been advising the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, will be presented to the participants of the workshop by Natural Justice and Namibian law firm Nakamhela Attorneys.

Introduction to BCPs in la Mosquitia, Honduras

On the 21st of February, Johanna von Braun from Natural Justice participated in an introduction workshop on biocultural community protocols in Puerto Lempiras, capital of the Mosquitia region in Honduras. The workshop was facilitated the Central American regional office of IUCN, Mopawi, a Miskito NGO and Moskitia Asia Takanka (MASTA), the main representative body of the Miskito people. The Miskito are an indigenous community that stretches from the southern section of Honduras into the northern parts of Nicaragua inland and along the Moskito Coast by the Caribbean Sea. In Honduras the community comprise approximately 50000 people. 

The territory of the Miskito in Honduras includes the biggest section of pristine wilderness in Central America, made of mangrove swamps, lagoons, rivers, savannas and tropical rain forests as well as mountainous cloud forests. It also includes three protected areas and a UNESCO Biosphere. The community has long been fighting for their rights regarding land title, control over forest and marine resources as well as procedural rights such as their right to Free and Prior Informed Consent. They face a plethora of threats ranging from conflicts including with the protected areas, agricultural expansion, dams and fishing practices all of which they feel undermine their rights established under international law. 

During the workshop BCPs were introduced to members of MASTA, Mopawi as well as to a number of presidents of the community’s 300 territorial councils. Participants then discussed the value such instrument would bring to support their struggles and eventually decided to move forward with a BCP focusing on territorial and resource rights.

The meeting was followed by a second day of discussion in which IUCN ORMA presented to participants a recently commissioned legal analysis. The study outlines the short-comings of Honduras’ new forest law compared to international conventions regarding indigenous peoples rights, namely ILO Convention 169 as well as UNDRIP.

19th Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation

Peter Wood, Natural Justice Associate, attended the 19th Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation, 9-10 February in London. The meeting focussed on the implementation of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), expected to come into force in March 2013, which could have far-reaching implications for the forest sector and forest dependent communities, as it is intended to eliminate illegally sourced wood products from the EU market. Some critics have suggested that by focussing too narrowly on screening for legality, EUTR and related efforts might enshrine socially unjust and environmentally destructive (yet legal) logging practices. Others claim that legality is a first and necessary step towards more progressive reforms. 

Mary Hobley (consultant to UK’s DIFD) presented on Poverty and Social Safeguards in Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). She highlighted socially beneficial aspects of VPAs, including that they provide political space for deliberation on sensitive issues and re-assessment of the “rules of the game”, and help build civil society capacity to engage with policy development and implementation. She went into detail about attributes of effective social safeguards, noting that these can be preventative (in place before-the-fact, to avert conflict) or mitigative (capable of resolving conflict); and soft (process-based) or hard (legally enforceable). Lessons learned from the VPA process could be used to inform the development of effective safeguards within REDD+. 

All presentations are available at the Chatham House website here. 

Assam land being occupied by Meghalaya due to poor infrastructure and basic amenities

Garbhanga (Assam), Feb 22 : Poor infrastructure and basic amenities has compelled sixteen villages in Assam to take help from the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.

Most of these Assamese villages are inhabited by the ethnic Karbi and Rabha tribes.

The villages, which are situated in the Garbhanga area near the Assam-Meghalaya border, don't have enough schools, roads, electricity and jobs.

A villager, Kobin Rohang, said that many areas of Assam have already been occupied by Meghalaya through a gradual assimilation process.

Meghalaya provides electricity to the villages. Since the last assembly elections in Assam, most of the legislators have seldom visited the people who voted for them.

There have been instances of Meghalaya taking over Assam's lands in the past, which led to internal strife.

The Assam Government's apathy towards locals living in peripheral border areas has resulted in a steadily and gradual loss of territories to its neighbouring states.

Meghalaya does away with separate merit lists for SSLC exam

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government is all set to do away with publishing separate merit lists for tribal and non-tribal students while declaring the results of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination.

State education minister R C Laloo on Tuesday told a teachers' delegation that the state government has agreed to the proposal to have only one merit list for the SSLC examination. "SSLC was the only exam whose results were so far published on the basis of tribal and non-tribal categories. But this practice will no longer continue," said RS Marbaniang, vice-president of the Khasi-Jaintia Deficit School Teachers' Association, in a news conference on Tuesday.

A delegation of the association met education minister R C Laloo over various issues relating to the education system of Meghalaya. The teachers' body also urged the traffic department to ensure smooth flow of vehicles during the forthcoming school final examinations scheduled from March 5. "Students, especially from the outskirts of the city, face a lot of problems in reaching their destinations during exams due to traffic jams in the city. This actually makes them nervous," Nongsiang said, adding that the association met the East Khasi Hills SP to discuss the matter.

"The SP agreed to make special traffic arrangements on examination days and also set up control rooms and have recovery vehicles on standby in case of breakdown of vehicles ferrying students. We have also urged the various school authorities to be lenient with students who cannot make it to the examination hall on time due to traffic jams . However, we also request parents to leave home with their wards early," he said.

Nongsiang also informed that the government has agreed to release 30% of the arrears due to the deficit school teachers in the state. He said Meghalaya was the only state to still have the deficit system of schools in the country. "We demand that this system be replaced by provincialization of the services of teachers, like in Assam," he added.

Conrad strikes up pre-budget debate on Facebook

For the first time in Meghalaya, leader of Opposition uses social networking site to get the pulse of the masses

ANDREW W. LYNGDOH

Shillong, Feb 21 : The young, enterprising, net-savvy leader of Meghalaya Opposition, Conrad Sangma, has achieved a first — kicked up a raging pre-budget debate among the masses on a social networking site.

“Was preparing questions for Budget Session...if anyone has any thoughts or issues that they would like me to raise, please feel free to email: assemblyquestion@yahoo.com...thanks Conrad,” — read Sangma’s Facebook “wall” last Saturday.

The budget session, to be held from March 9-23, will be the last of the current eighth Meghalaya Assembly, as the state will be going to the polls in February-March next year.

Though the “wall post” was around the budget, the responses that flooded Sangma’s profile revolved around the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), demand for a separate statehood for the Garos, peace, security, unemployment, influx, traffic congestion, the public distribution system, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and illegal mining of minerals.

“What are the government’s plans to suppress the GNLA which is a terrorist organisation engaged in extortion from coal traders, petrol pump owners and local businessmen?” asked one netizen, a question he wanted Sangma to ask the treasury bench during the budget.

On the much-debated bifurcation of Meghalaya, one asked: “Why don’t you raise the question for the separate state for the Garo people?”

Yet another wrote: “In this way, every state shall start demanding their own share of land and this is not the solution to tackle problems which are intentionally created by neighbouring countries.”

Apart from the GNLA and statehood issues, Sangma has also been tapped on the prickly issue of influx.

“Seriously, we should tackle influx. I’ve seen that the business in Tura and Shillong has been taken over by others. We have seen how our own people are pushed to the road side,” a netizen observed.

“The government should do something about the immigrants from Bangladesh...they are taking our business, our place...if this continues, there will be no place for our children in the future,” another Facebook member said.

On unemployment, a netizen said, “Why don’t you raise the problem of unemployment in Meghalaya? It is the future problem of militancy.”

“Youths are flying abroad. Hence, manpower of the state is fading because of partiality, corruption. So, the government should focus on fair employment...” another Facebook member said.

Determined to end Garo terror outfit: Chidambaram

Shillong, Feb 20 : The government is determined to counter Meghalaya's Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militant group, union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday.

"The numbers are small but we are determined to put an end to the scourge of militancy by the GNLA. The Police will make every attempt to control their attacks and apprehend their leaders or cadres," he told journalists after reviewing the security situation in Meghalaya.

Ruling out the possibility of army deployment in the insurgency-ravaged Garo Hills districts of west Meghalaya, Chidambaram exuded confidence that police and the central forces were capable of handling the situation.

The home minister, who reviewed the security situation in Meghalaya with Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, said: "The GNLA is declared a terrorist organisation. There won't be any talks with them but they have to abjure violence and give up arms".

On Jan 12, the central government declared the GNLA, a rebel group operating in the three impoverished districts of Garo Hills in west Meghalaya, a terrorist outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Over 30 people were been killed and more than 10 people abducted for ransom by GNLA rebels in the last one year.

The outfit, which is headed by police officer-turned-outlaw Champion R. Sangma, has forged an operational alliance with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) besides a Bangladesh-based rebel group, A'chik Special Dragon Party.

Indian intelligence officials believe Champion was "arrested" by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) commandos Nov 23, 2011 from Haluaghat in Mymensingh district of the neighbouring country.

However, the Indian government does not have any official confirmation on Champion's "arrest".

Cautioning the people from supporting the GNLA, Chidambaram said the law will take its own course against those who are extending any help to the Garo outfit, which is fighting for a separate Garoland to be carved out of Meghalaya.

On the ongoing peace talks with the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC), another rebel outfit operating in Garo Hills, the home mnister said: "As long as they are in talks mode we are happy and would continue to engage them in talks and whatever is possible will be done (to fulfil ANVC demands)."

The ANVC is fighting to create a Garoland Autonomous Council in Meghalaya's Garo Hills region. It entered into a tripartite ceasefire with the central and the state governments July 23, 2004.

However, when asked about the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), a secessionist group operating in east Meghalaya, Chidambaram was all at sea. He didn't seem to be familiar with the HNLC and turned to Meghalaya chief minister to give a clarification on this.

Sangma said: "As you are aware, we have been able to containe them (HNLC) and would try to continue to do so."

The HNLC, which conducts hit-and-run operations from its hideout in Bangladesh, has been demanding a sovereign Khasi homeland in east Meghalaya.

On the fencing of India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya, the home minister said that the progress of work was satisfactory.

"There is considerable progress in the border fencing work. Phase one of the fencing work is completed and phase two is underway and we are hopeful that we will accelerate the work on the border before the monsoon sets in," he said.

Meghalaya shares a 443-km border with Bangladesh, part of it porous, hilly and unfenced and prone to frequent infiltration.

Mukul initiates pre-budget talks with public

SHILLONG: After Bihar, Meghalaya became the second state in the country to hold pre-budget discussions with the people in general. The state has also become the first in the northeast to conduct pre-budget exercises, which were first initiated in the country by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

The exercise is aimed at receiving the views and opinions of all stakeholders in the interest of better governance and ensuring participation of the public in the state's budgeting process.

Chairing the second round of pre-budget deliberations here today, chief minister Mukul Sangma said that 2012-13 is a "critical financial year" as it would determine the approach to the 12th Five Year Plan. He said that the proposals and deliberations of all concerned would be taken into consideration before the preparation of the state budget. The first round of talks was conducted in the Garo Hills on February 14.

Sangma said the move would help the government assess the issues that concern the common man from close quarters and give due consideration to their needs. "It's high time the common people became part of the pre-budget consultations so we can meet their aspirations, negate any negative ramifications for the next generation and maintain due transparency," he told the participants.

He claimed that fiscal resources in Meghalaya have "shown steady improvement" over the years going up from Rs 518 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 1,037 crore in 2011-12. The state has been able to keep fiscal deficit as low as below 3% of the GDP, he added. "The first year of the 12{+t}{+h} Five Year Plan - 2012-13 - will actually lead us on how to structure the development in a manner that enables us to have proper schemes and sustainable investments in conformity with the expectations of the people," he said.

Referring to the state's flagship programme on Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Programme, he emphasized, "We need to improve the per capita income to a target of 11% growth by improving the state's capacity through human resource development and on the strength of natural resources creating renewable resources and ancillary activities."

The CM said that the proposals and deliberations of all concerned would be taken into consideration before the final preparation of the state budget. The participants in the discussion, the first of its kind in the northeast, included representatives from several sections of society and non-governmental organizations. Most of the participants stressed on revamping the rural sector in the state, especially agriculture for sustainable and holistic development.

Centre rules out Army operation to combat insurgency in Meghalaya

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram today said the Centre has taken a “serious note” of terror activities of GNLA but ruled out involving army in counter insurgency operations in Meghalaya.

Mr. Chidambaram, who reviewed the security scenario of the State, told reporters that the Centre had taken “serious” note of the terror activities of the GNLA fighting for a sovereign Garo land in the western areas of Meghalaya.

However, ruling out engaging army in counter insurgency operations in the state, he said, “The state police, the CRPF and the BSF are quite capable of handling the issue. Their numbers are small...We are determined to put an end to the scourge of militancy by GNLA...security forces will make every attempt to control their activities.”

The GNLA, which was deemed a terror outfit a month ago, is engaged in kidnapping, extortion and killing in the impoverished Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.

The Home Minister also warned all those who are directly or indirectly aiding the outfit.

“The Centre has declared GNLA a terror outfit and all those, knowingly or unknowingly, helping it must take note of this. No one can provide overt or covert support, harbour cadres or members of the outfit, provide funds for them, or help the GNLA raise funds. The law will act on all such people,” he said.

On whether Centre will engage in dialogue with them, Mr. Chidambaram said, “There is no question of a dialogue with them. They have to abjure violence, give up arms and then we will see.”

PC reviews progress of work on intl border

Shillong: With the Centre setting timelines for securing the country's borders in the North East, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday reviewed the progress of work at the international boundary in Meghalaya.

"We have taken a decision today to accelerate the process and we want to complete it as much as possible before monsoon sets in," he told reporters after the review meeting.

e said phase-2 of construction of roads and floodlighting will begin.

The Home Minister also met members of the Coordination Committee on Border Fencing (CCIB), a conglomeration of influential NGOs in the state opposing border fencing, for a discussion on how to end the stalemate.

While the Centre wants to construct the fence 150 yards inside and away from the zero-line, CCIB has been pressing for fencing at the actual line to prevent loss of agricultural land.

The CCIB is also against the Indo-Bangladesh land pact signed by both countries in September last year. They said, the border survey conducted by the Joint Boundary Working Group was done without consultation with land owners, the traditional bodies and the CCIB.

On December 9, the Centre had agreed to a suggestion made by the Meghalaya government to undertake a single row fencing along the zero line in those areas on the Indo-Bangla border where people are objecting to the 150 yard buffer.

According to the home ministry, the Indian side of the India-Bangladesh border passes through West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

The ministry, on its website, said the total length on the India-Bangladesh border sanctioned to be fenced was 3,436.56 km, of which about 2,735 km of fencing has been done so far.

The remaining work is to be completed by March, it added.

Meghalaya shares a 443 kilometre border with Bangladesh, parts of which are still unfenced and plagued with bad terrain and infiltration.

MPCA Workshop in Uttarakkand

Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) in India are bioculturally rich areas of land with a high prevalence of endemic medicinal plants. MPCAs are usually demarcated by communities or by the government in partnership with traditional healers of the region with the aim of creating a medicinal plants in-situ gene bank which will also host medicinal plants nurseries. Medicinal plants from the nurseries in the MPCAs are then supplied by the traditional healers to the communities in the surrounding villages to set up home herbal gardens with instructions on the combination of plants to be used for a variety of illnesses. These home herbal gardens constitute a domestic pharmacy in every household thus meeting basic health care needs of communities living in remote areas not well serviced by roads and hospitals. Furthermore the MPCA along with home herbal gardens revitalize the traditional knowledge of communities hence leading to increased valuing and thereby conservation of the local ecosystem. Surrounding the MPCAs are buffer-zones called Medicinal Plants Development Areas (MPDAs) where both communities and traditional healers sustainably harvest medicinal plants for domestic consumption and sale in the local markets. 

On the 14-16 February 2012, Kabir Bavikatte and Harry Jonas of Natural Justice were at the Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand, India) to provide technical support to UNDP-GEF’s "Mainstreaming Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plant Diversity in Three Indian States" project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, UNDP and the Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. In Jim Corbett National Park, the project is seeking to establish the Mohan MPCA through the local community with the permission of the forest department. A local management group (LMG) was constituted by representatives of the surrounding villages. The LMG was tasked with stewarding the MPCA along with developing a community knowledge register of relevant medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge in the MPCA. 

Natural Justice facilitated a one day workshop providing a forum for community members and partners to engage in dialogue and to consider the legal ramifications of the Biodiversity Act for the project. Specifically, the group grappled with the question of how Community Knowledge Registers and LMGs developed under the project can become aligned with Peoples' Biodiversity Registers and Biodiversity Management Committees called for by the Act. The following day a community meeting developed the ideas of the first day, focusing particularly on the local challenges communities are facing in supporting the Mohan MPCA. Natural Justice also sought to support the LMG and the local NGO to develop a Biocultural Community Protocol that outlines their vision, plans and decision making structure for the governance and management of the MPCA.

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Meeting on Increasing Number of BCR Lawyers

On the 13th of February, Kabir Bavikatte and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Antara Lahiri (Ashoka Law for All) and Vivek Maru (Namati) to discuss how best to increase the numbers of lawyers focusing on the nexus between the environment, land and social justice issues. Particularly it was felt that opportunities for students and young lawyers to engage with the issues presented a barrier to being able to "imagine" working in the area. The few job opportunities offered, despite the demand from communities, community-based organizations and NGOs, was suggested as another serious barrier to individuals who are interested. A meeting has been mooted to further discuss the issues with a view to developing means to address the problem. Kabir and Harry thank Antara and Vivek for their time.

Maldhari Community Claims Traditional Lands

In the face of government attempts to ban livestock in their traditional grasslands, the Maldhari community of the Banni grasslands of Kutch, Gujarat, India sent notices to their state government demanding recognition of their rights over the grasslands on the first week of February. Fifteen of 19 village panchayats in the region joined in this action. The notices claim the Maldhari’s are entitled to manage their own grasslands by the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006, pointing to the fact that they have grazed their livestock in the area for centuries and were formally given the right to use the land for grazing by the leader of Kutch in the 19th century. 

With about 100,000 livestock, many in the Maldhari community depend upon livestock to sustain their livelihoods. Sajheevan, an Indian NGO and partner of Natural Justice, estimates that livestock on the grasslands produce 110,000 litres of milk daily and that annually the livestock economy contributes one billion Indian rupees (about $20 million) to the region. 

In 2009, the Maldharis drafted a biocultural community protocol (BCP) with support from Sajheevan and Natural Justice. The BCP documents the vital role played by the Maldharis in guarding their region’s biodiversity and in co-evolving with/selectively breeding indigenous livestock ideally suited to the climate for at least 450 years. The Maldharis are also members of the Asia BCP Initiative.

Read more about the Maldhari's demands here. Download the Maldhari's BCP here. 

After Bihar, now Meghalaya conduct Pre Budget Exercise

Meghalaya became the second state in the country after Bihar to conduct the Pre Budget Exercise with the Pre Budget Exercise on Budgetary Resource Allocation for Garo Hills having been successfully conducted here Tuesday.

The programme is being held for the first time in the state to seek suggestions and views of common men in formulating the 2012-2013 state budget.

The exercise attempts to receive views and opinions from all stakeholders in the interest of better governance and the participation of the public in the state’s budgeting process.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, chairing the pre budget exercise, said that 2012-13 is a critical financial year as it would determine the approach to the 12th Five Year Plan.  He said that the proposals and deliberations of all concerned would be taken into consideration before the final preparation of the state budget.

Sangma informed that the government is keen on making the state free of BPL families and to keep pace with the rest of the country.
Therefore the focus is on natural and human resources which are the main strength of the state keeping in mind maximum exploitation of the renewable resources.

Referring to the state’s flagship programme the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Programme (IBDP), he said that it is a complete structured strategy designed for the complete well being of the state.

Interacting with various sections of the society the Chief Minister informed that Human Resource Development and Health are two important sectors that are given top priority. He added that the Tura Civil Hospital now has an Intensive Care Unit which has facilities of a high standard.

Commenting on various issues raised by the house on education, the Chief Minister said that the huge areas of deficiency in education will be corrected and support by the government will be linked to performance.

The house deliberated on a number of important issues relating to unemployment, women’s empowerment, power, safe drinking water and food security, fuel security, health, education etc and its incorporation in the final state budget.

New Article on Stewarding the Commons

Natural Justice’s own Kabir Bavikatte recently authored “Stewarding the Commons: Rethinking Property and the Emergence of Biocultural Rights” for the Common Voices newsletter of the Dakshin Foundation. The article explores the legal implications of the growing body of evidence that the conservation of protected areas is best achieved through communities, rather than through privatisation or exclusive state control. The article begins by examining the dramatic expansion of community rights stemming from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol to the CBD on Access and Benefit Sharing and. The article then locates these new rights within the emerging discourse around biocultural rights and identifies biocultural community protocols (BCPs) as a vital vessel for the realisation of these rights. 

The article concludes by looking forward to new uses of BCPs, arguing that ‘the cross-sectoral application of BCPs was bound to happen since the critical issue that underlies all the innovative financing mechanisms for conservation, be it REDD+, ABS or other kinds of payments for ecosystem services, is one of recognising and incentivising stewardship of ecosystems through safeguarding the biocultural rights of communities.’ 

Read the article here, find the full seventh issue of the Common Voices newsletter here, and look through previous issues of Common Voices here.

‘Mother Teresa’ of Meghalaya dies

Sister Amalia Pereda Ortiz de Zarate, known as Mother Teresa of Meghalaya, died in Meghalaya capital Shillong Friday morning. She was 85.

Born on 31 August 1927 to Daniel and Aurora Pereda Ortiz de Zarate in Spain, Sister Amalia joined the Missionaries of Christ Jesus in 1946. She came
to India in April 1961 soon after completing her religious and academic formation in Spain.

Armed with a degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Valencia in Spain, Sister Amalia was one of the founders of Nazareth Hospital in Shillong, where she was the superintendent and surgeon for more than a decade.

Besides treating patients in Shillong, she was the doctor-in charge of one of the camps for refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan (Bangladesh later) from 1965 to 1977. After 1977, Sister
Amalia focused her attention on rural Meghalaya, covering countless villages with her mobile dispensaries.

A spinal injury and weak knees affected Sister Amalia’s humanitarian services a couple of years ago. In January this year, she caught pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. “Her death has left a vacuum that will be difficult to fill,” said Father VM Thomas, director of Guwahati-based Don Bosco Institute, a Catholic organization.

Sister Amalia mortal remains will be laid to rest at Shillong’s Laitumkhrah Catholic Cemetery on Tuesday.

Northeast quieter, except for Meghalaya: G.K. Pillai

Guwahati, Insurgency related violence is on the decline in the northeastern states barring Meghalaya, which has seen a sudden spate in violent activities by militants, former union home secretary G.K. Pillai said here Monday.

While states like Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh registered declining figures of insurgency related violence, the law and order situation has deteriorated in Meghalaya, said Pillai.

He was in Guwahati to participate in a seminar on 'Sustaining Peace in Northeast India: Changing Dimensions' organised by the Centre for Development and Peace Studies.

In Assam, violent incidents had come down to 145 in 2011 compared to 251 in 2010, and only 46 extremists were killed last year against 109 in 2010. Similarly, he said, support base of militants was also decreasing after various factions surrendered and took part in the democratic process by contesting elections.

"In Nagaland, there were only 61 incidents of violence in 2011 compared to 64 in 2010. No security personnel have been killed in last several years in Nagaland," Pillai, who is a distinguished fellow of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), added.

"The situation is seemingly improving in Manipur, perhaps the most problematic state in the northeast. The number of incidents has come down to 298 in 2011 compared to 367 in 2010...."

However, the number of security personnel killed has increased to 10 in 2011 compared to six in 2010, he said, probably because no genuine dialogue has taken place so far with the militant groups in Manipur. He also said that the state police force had become politicised and highly dysfunctional.

"Arunachal Pradesh is by and large peaceful except the two districts of Tirap and Changlang."

The situation in Tripura is also improving as only 13 incidents occurred in 2011 as compared to 30 in 2010, Pillai said.

But Meghalaya tells a different story.

"However, the law and order has been deteriorating in Meghalaya in the last few years. A total of 56 incidents took place in Meghalaya in 2011 compared to 29 in 2010," the retired bureaucrat said, adding that the growing tribal rivalry and political uncertainties had resulted in the lack of attention to governance and security matters.

"Mizoram and Sikkim are beacons of peace and other states of the region must learn from their examples," said Pillai.

Bushbuckridge BCP Review and Code of Ethics Drafting

Faced with discrimination, the unauthorised use of their traditional knowledge and genetic resources, and the overharvesting of the plants with which they sustain the health of their communities, the members of Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners in Bushbuckridge, South Africa, organised themselves in 2009 and drafted a biocultural community protocol (BCP). The BCP asserts their role in maintaining community health, preserving culture, and protecting community knowledge and biodiversity. 

On 8-9 February, 2012, the 30-member management committee of Kukula gathered in Bushbuckridge to assess their BCP and to draft a code of ethics to guide all of their members’ practices. The gathering was facilitated by the chairperson of Kukula, Rodney Sibuyi, and by Natural Justice with support from the management committee of the Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere. The meeting was part of the Africa BCP Initiative which is funded by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative, OSISA, the Christensen Fund, the Shuttleworth Foundation, and OPEN A.I.R.

In reviewing the BCP’s impact, participants examined changes in their capacity to protect their knowledge, the potential for engaging in access and benefit sharing, the protection of their biodiversity and culture, their access to resources within protected areas, and recognition of their roles as healers from the government. Generally, participants felt that advances have been made in the capacity and willingness of Kukula members to harvest resources sustainably, in their access to resources within protected areas, in their current non-disclosure agreement with a cosmetics company that may lead to an access and benefit agreement, and in recognition of their roles by government. While they felt that changes were generally positive, many are moving very slowly. To increase the pace of these changes the community highlighted two interrelated objectives; increased organisation and cohesiveness and increased awareness at the community and government level of the role of Kukula members. 

The committee then outlined the broad themes they wanted to cover within a code of ethics for all members. They then broke into groups to draft guidelines for each theme and returned to the plenary session to debate these guidelines and endorse some of them as the full management committee. The draft guidelines address the responsibilities of Kukula members: the needed qualifications; the general principles around charging fees; the importance of hygiene around the workplace, tools used and medicines prescribed; relationships with patients, other healers and doctors, and with students; and disciplinary procedures. Natural Justice will now prepare a formal document with the draft guidelines and suggested modifications based on national and international law for the management committee to review and present to the full membership of Kukula.

Alcohol, the homebreaker

Shillong, Feb 10 : Alcoholism has been identified as one of the major factors behind the rise in domestic violence leading to broken homes in both Assam and Meghalaya.

The Assam State Commission for Women has expressed deep reservation against the liberal policy adopted by the state in issuing licences to wine shops and bars.

According to commission chairperson Meera Barooah, petitions were earlier sent to the excise department and other state government authorities to check the growing number of countrymade liquor dens.

Barooah was in the city to attend the two-day regional conference on achieving convergence for empowerment of women of the Northeast.

“We would again approach the state government with a petition to tackle the increasing number of India-made foreign liquor wine stores and bars in the state. We will also ask the government to have a re-look into its policy.”

Moreover, Barooah said at present, domestic violence was the biggest concern for women of the state and alcohol addiction among men was the main reason behind it.

She also said many victims and their families were reluctant to report domestic violence cases to police. “We are trying to do away with this depressing trend by creating more awareness.”

Monideepa Borkotoky, a member of the commission, drew attention to women trafficking saying the commission was trying to work with various agencies to tackle the crime.

Echoing similar views, Meghalaya State Commission for Women chairperson Roshan Warjri said, “We have been in the commission for the past two months only, but I am shocked by the innumerable complaints we have received. So many deserted women come to us seeking alimony from their husbands.”

She said various measures have to be adopted to fight against burgeoning alcoholism and drug abuse cases.

“Alcoholism is one of the major reasons leading to families breaking up and it is high time we tackled the menace,” Wajri said, expressing anguish over the growing number of rape and domestic violence cases.

Meghalaya constable accused of rude behaviour

SHILLONG: At a time when the Meghalaya police are pressing hard to maintain law and order with a people-friendly attitude, allegations of highhandedness have been made against a constable of the Umsning (Nayabunglow) police station. The passengers of a tourist taxi accused the constable of rude behaviour.

"My mother and I were on our way to Guwahati from Shillong in a tourist taxi with registration number AS-01AC-4475 on Wednesday. Our vehicle hit an auto-rickshaw (ML-10A-4441), which overturned and blocked the road. But, a private vehicle(ML-05H-5689) that was right behind our taxi insisted on moving ahead despite the accident, forcing the traffic police to take all three vehicles to the police station to sort out the matter," said Saurav Biswas, one of the passengers and an engineering student.

He added, "On reaching the police station, we asked the police to let us go as we were mere passengers and had nothing to do with the accident. But, the constable present threatened to lock me up if I spoke another word and even behaved rudely with my mother when she asked him why he was picking on us."

However, the matter was sorted out soon and the police let the vehicles go after keeping their registration. Meanwhile, Ri Bhoi district superintendent of police, C Lyngwa admitted that such lapses do occur from time to time when "the lower rung personnel develop the tendency to get overboard". She apologized for the incident and assured that necessary punitive action would be initiated against the erring police personnel soon.

"We need to be firm while upholding the law, but we also need to be courteous and that is what I have been trying to imbibe in my people," the police officer, who has received several awards including the president's medal, said.

Wapichan Launch Conservation Plan

Credit: T. Griffiths

As plans for mega roads and dams and forestry projects continue to threaten the forests of southwest Guyana, the Wapichan people of the region have prepared a ground breaking proposal for the preservation of 1.4 million hectares of forest. The Wapichan organized more than 80 community meetings from 2008 to 2011 in developing this plan and ensuring that it benefits all and is implemented with full community support. The proposal was launched along with a community-developed digital map that maps out the community’s traditional areas. The Wapichan were supported throughout the process by the South Central People's Development Organisation (SCPDA) and by the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP). 

At the launch, Angelbert Johnny, Toshao of Sawari Wa’o Amerindian Village, said, “Recognition of our rights to control and manage our traditional territory would be one of the best ways of helping Guyana to fulfil its commitments to tackle climate change and meet its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity.” 

Read more about the launch from the press release in English here and in Spanish here.

Indigenous Knowledge Spotlighted in National Geographic

Photo of Posakei Pongap of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, taken by Nicolas Villaume/CWE

National Geographic’s News Watch has highlighted the vital role that Indigenous peoples play in conservation. Opening with a discussion of the global impact of climate change, author Gleb Raygorodetsky demonstrates how the linkages between community and identity and lands ensure sustainable management and have Indigenous peoples at the forefront of adaptation and mitigation. Striking photos from around the world underscore the devastation of climate change and illustrate the resilience and creativity of communities. He also explores briefly the myriad impediments communities face in continuing their traditional practices and asserting their rights. 

Read the full story here.

Camel Charisma Store Launch

Congratulations to Camel Charisma on the successful launch of their first store. A social enterprise jointly founded and run by the Raika community of Rajasthan and Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan (LPPS), Camel Charisma produces products developed from camels’ dung, hair and milk. The first retail store is located on Ranakpur Road, which runs between Udaipur and Jodhpur, and is situated across the road from the Fateh Bagh Hotel. 

To learn more about the store’s launch, click here. To read the story of Camel Charisma, click here.

6th Pan-African ABS Workshop in Cameroon

Between the 30th of January and 3rd of February the 6th Pan-African ABS Workshop brought together 110 participants in Limbe, Cameroon. The workshop is put together every year by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative and was hosted by the Cameroonian Ministry of Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development (MINEP) and the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC). Its participants included national ABS focal points, representatives of indigenous and local communities, private sector experts and other ABS stakeholders as well as representatives of a number of intergovernmental organisations including the CBD, UNEP-GEF and FAO. 

The objective of the workshop was to provide participants with a forum within which to exchange and discuss national and regional experiences in addressing ABS issues with a special focus on non-timber forest product based value chains; approaches to addressing the transboundary nature of biological and genetic resources; and the need to consider the establishment of a Global Multilateral Benefit-Sharing Mechanism. The workshop also provided African stakeholders the opportunity to familiarise themselves with a recently finalised draft study on a "Gap Analysis and Review of the African Model Law"; the outcomes of an expert workshop on ABS and intellectual property rights and the regional perspectives on ABS as relevant in other UN fora, namely WIPOand the FAO. 

Finally, as every year, participants were invited to study with more detail a local ABS case study. In this case participants were able to gain insight into the case of the Prunus Africana at the foot of Mount Cameroon. Through a day long excursions participants familiarised themselves with the value chain of the bark of the tree used among other to treat prostate ailments. The example brought great insight to the actual challenges of implementing ABS in practice.

Briefing Paper from Amazon Watch on FPIC

With the rights of many Indigenous peoples and local communities neglected by companies they interact with, Amazon Watch has prepared an important briefing paper to ensure that companies and other actors fully understand their responsibilities in ensuring Free, Prior and Informed Consent from communities. 

The introduction to the briefing paper states that it "focuses on the roles and responsibilities of companies, investors and finance institutions to identify, prevent and address the adverse human rights impacts of company operations. It identifies the rights of indigenous peoples that are potentially affected by extractive industry and infrastructure projects and explores the ethical, legal and financial reasons for respecting these rights. This paper highlights the importance of a company operating only where it has the free, prior and informed consent of any indigenous peoples potentially affected by their operations. It identifies some of the key challenges involved in implementing a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) policy and makes recommendations for companies and shareholders who engage in business activities or investments in the Amazon."

Download the full briefing paper here.

IIM-Shillong training for doctors

SHILLONG: As the neo-natal mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) in Meghalaya is as high as 23.6, IIM Shillong is trying to bring expertise from Kerala to improve the situation in the state. Under the sustainable healthcare management systems (SHCMS), IIM-Shillong professors are training state doctors to conduct case studies, analyze the scenario and visit hospitals with guidance from the best doctors of the country for a period of 30 days.

"IIM Shillong professors are schooling the doctors in sustainable healthcare project, hospital planning and management, leadership and motivation, management of finance and accounting with the support of Harvard cases," an IIM release said. "They also undertake field visits and healthcare research after completing 14 days of class-room learning, group exercise, case analysis and simulation," the IIM release read.

The release said the team of doctors, which visited the 1935-established Ganesh Das Hospital in Shillong, was surprised with its lack of facilities to handle the 1200 to 2000 deliveries occurring in a month.

The team noted that the hospital admitted more pregnant women than it could handle and emphasized on the need to find out why these deliveries could not be managed at primary health centres.

The team of doctors, mostly from the Garo Hills, also visited the Shillong Civil Hospital and recommended adequate manpower and equipment with backup for all departments, provision for blood bank or blood storage facilities, treatment plant for effluent, more emergency rooms and ICU beds.

Meghalaya NGOs call for re-conducting census

Shillong, Feb 5 : Some NGOs in Meghalaya today demanded the government re-conduct Census 2011 operations claiming a tribe was not included in the preliminary Census released by the government.

A joint forum of NGOs from Jaintia Hills district today dashed a letter to the Chief Secretary W M S Pariat asking him to re-conduct the Census operation survey in the state.

"All surveys of the Census 2011 operation should be stopped," T Ltep, Chairman of the Jaiñtia NGOs Forum (JNF), told reporters claiming the forum detected the anomaly late. He said "the Census should be re-conducted in the state whereby the Jaintias (consisting of Pnars, Bhois and Wars) tribe should be included." Ltep said "there are no 'Jaiñtias' in the state but only a Synteng tribe (the nickname of Jaiñtia tribe) in both 1991 and 2001 Census."

"In view of this, we demand surveys of Census 2011 be stopped immediately and the Census operations should be re-conducted whereby the Jaintias (Pnars, Bhois, Wars) tribe should be included," the JNF said.

Meghalaya boasts of three major tribes- the Khasis, Jaiñtias and the Garos. The JNF claimed in the past two census operations, there was no mention of Jaintias in the state.

Pollution takes a toll on Umiam Lake

SHILLONG: With the Union ministry of tourism recently selecting Umiam Lake (Barapani) as a mega tourist destination, the issue related to pollution in the lake has been raked up again. The lake is among 45 tourist circuits in the country to be developed as a major tourist spot.

Out of the 45 identified projects, 30 have already been sanctioned, an official statement said. "For each identified mega destination and circuit, the ministry of tourism's contribution as Central financial assistance is Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 crore respectively under the scheme of product/infrastructure development for destinations and circuits," the statement read.

Nevertheless, tonnes of silt, filth, soil and other solid waste are draining into the lake, slowly polluting the most enchanting fresh water body in the northeast. It was constructed in 1965 for storage of water for power generation. But over the years, the scenic lake became the most visited tourist spot in Meghalaya.

But today, pollution has taken such a heavy toll on it that its water is no longer fit for drinking or even recreation purposes. Umiam is filled by rain water in its catchment area measuring 221 sq km and comprising mainly forest and agricultural land.

As many as 16 streams and rivulets drain into the lake. A concrete dam was constructed on the Umiam River at a place, 16 kms from Shillong, on NH 40. The impounded water is conveyed through a two-km long tunnel to the Umiam Stage I hydro electric project power house at Sumer to produce power.

"However, the significant social and economic changes that have taken place over the years in the catchment area have unfortunately brought about adverse ecological effects on the reservoir which calls for urgent preventive and remedial measures so that it remains sustainable during the rest of its projected life span," said an official in the PHE department.

"The rapid urbanization of the catchment area of Umiam river, particularly the unplanned and haphazard growth of Shillong city which comes within the catchment, the unscientific methods of agriculture adopted and rampant deforestation that has been taking place all these years have generated pollutants and silt that flow into the reservoir daily. The resultant pollution and silting of the reservoir has polluted the waterbody," he added.

Experts feel if the problem is not addressed immediately, the damage on the reservoir and the power scenario in Meghalaya will be beyond redemption.

Years ago WAPCOS, an organization under the Union ministry of water resources which studied the extent of pollution and siltation of the Umiam reservoir, had observed that the sediment load deposited in the reservoir was due to "uncontrolled activities" taking place in the catchment area. As a result, the storage capacity of the reservoir has been reduced by 28.9 per cent in the case of dead storage and 5.5 per cent in the case of live storage.

In other words, water depth of 70 feet, which can be utilized, is the live storage while anything below this level to the bottom is dead storage. The lake, which has an area of over 100 sqmiles, was designed with a life span of 100 years, which means it would become unsuitable for generating power after 2065.

The maximum depth of the lake is around 200 ft which is also the height of the dam. The long term measures suggested by WAPCOS included multi-tier vegetation on the land within the catchment; protection of existing forests, as well as newly raised forest plantations on both sides of the river, stop jhum (slash and burn) cultivation, encourage private and sacred forest concept, new areas to be brought under forest; construction of silt detention dams and establishment of silt observation stations to enable monitoring of quality of load on the river.

TK Commons Meeting in Cape Town

On the 31st January representatives from the Bushbuckridge Traditional Healers’ Association, lawyers working on issues around traditional knowledge (TK) from Kenya and Ghana, and Natural Justice gathered in Cape Town with support from the Open A.I.R. Project. The theme was “Non-Traditional Users of TK—Opportunities and Challenges Around Compliance”. Breakout sessions delved into the definition of TK commons, methods of pooling and sharing TK, TK practioners and their issues, external links to non-traditional users of TK, and existing and future policies around TK. Interviews with the healers from Bushbuckridge on the challenges they have faced in managing the sharing of their TK informed much of the discussion. 

Looking forward, the representatives looked to build on the successes of the Bushbuckridge community. As communities in Ghana and Kenya move forward with their development of TK commons, participants will support the development of linkages between these communities and the Bushbuckridge healers. They will also continue to look for ways to creatively collaborate to analyse and shape laws and policies around TK based on experiences at the grassroots level.

Meghalaya aims to have zero BPL family

SHILLONG: Meghalaya aims to have no poor family in the state within ten years, chief minister Mukul Sangma said today.

"We want to ensure that Meghalaya wants to achieve zero Below Poverty Line (BPL) family in 10 years," Mukul told reporters.

He said, "To achieve this, a number of initiatives requiring huge funds from Planning Commission and Centre have been designed."

Chief minister sounded optimistic about getting additional funding based on its objectives from the Centre.

While Planning Commission approves the plan size of each state according to the available resources, Mukul said, "The state government will go beyond the actual plan size to achieve the target."