STATE ASSAM
Closer to people
measures following the mudslides that
ravaged capital complex and other parts of
the state. Khandu directed the officials of
the Public Works Department to expedite
road restoration with the help of GREF
and asked the commissioners and secre-
taries of concerned departments to closely
monitor the process of restoration.
So far a relief amount of Rs 82 lakh
has been distributed among 828 flood-
affected families of the state.
The Governor, Gen (retd) J.J. Singh,
blamed it on unplanned growth of town-
ship for the extent of damage triggered
by this disaster.
“It is not only the flashfloods that take
away human lives, unplanned construc-
tion of houses that make way for taking
the brunt of nature’s fury,” Singh said.
He instructed all the deputy com-
missioners to update and execute stan-
dard operating practices to deal with
such calamities.
He also directed all other concerned
officials to press relief and rescue opera-
tion on a war footing.
A weather scientist, who did not
want to be named, said, “It’s a man made
disaster and not a natural catastrophe.”
To buttress his claim, the weatherman
said the whole of Itanagar was swamped
with garbage, plastic and other municipal
32 July 08
Aerial view of the city: Congested
human settlement that enhanced the
magnitude of the catastrophe.
wastes that made their way to the rivers.
“Non application of building bylaws,
land management and rampant encroach-
ment have compounded the problem,” he
added.
It’s not only Arunachal Pradesh that
has seen such a haphazard and rampant
Mudslides run from all corners to the
main river.
construction of buildings in the terrain.
Other Northeastern states like Sikkim,
Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and
parts of Assam have been going through
a similar change that can cause a major
catastrophe. It’s a choice between life
and death.
Joydeep Bhattacharjee
The first step towards establishing better
relations with the neighbouring countries
especially China, Myanmar, Bangladesh
and Bhutan that border the Northeastern
region, has come in the form of the In-
dia’s External Affairs Ministry opening
up its Branch Secretariat in Guwahati
– a long cherished dream of the people
of this region.
The Branch Secretariat of the MEA
is expected to go a long way in fulfilling
the needs of the people of the Northeast
to have better liaison and interaction
with the Ministry of External Affairs on
issues concerning external relations, for-
eign trade, foreign direct investment and
cultural exchanges.
The Northeastern states despite hav-
ing 98 per cent of its border with foreign
countries had least advantage on their
sides to take forward trade and cultural ex-
changes with the neighbouring countries.
Proud of being the man behind this
development, the External Minister
stressed on building connectivity among
the Association of South-East Asian Na-
tions (ASEAN) for the economic devel-
opment of India’s Northeast.
Both Mr. Mukherjee and the DoN-
ER Minister, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar,
who attended the inaugural function in
Guwahati, were unanimous that only
connectivity with the ASEAN, be it road
or air, could take the northeast to the
road of economic prosperity.
The Branch Secretariat will advise
various State Governments here on the
issues concerning promotion of over-
seas trade and investments in the region,
take the work of facilitation of political
clearance for any State Government del-
egation visiting abroad, co-ordinate with
the State Protocol for the visits of for-
eign dignitaries to the region.
Since the opening of the Indian
economy in 1991, India has recorded an
impressive economic growth. This has
naturally generated considerable interest
among overseas investors in India. En-
gagement of foreign business commu-
nity in the Indian economy has also in-
creased considerably in the recent past.
The Northeast India, being a land-
locked area, requires such a measure to
overcome this hindrance and, and be-
come more independent in handling its
trade with the neighbouring countries.
“Economic development of north-
east will depend on how fast and quick-
ly we build up the connectivity with the
ASEAN countries,” Mr. Mukherjee said,
adding that the Northeast has a special
importance in this regard, particularly
after India had started boosting its ties
with the ASEAN countries since 1995.
He also played down the issue of
China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh
and Sikkim, and said that the boundary
disputes would not stop these two coun-
tries from having healthy trade ties.
“Bilateral trade with China has im-
proved and size of trade between the two
countries has gone up to $ 40 billion,
while it was only a few hundred million
in the 90’s,” he said.
Opening of the Branch Secretariat
July 08 33