The Northeast Notebook

Tripura8217;s forest brigadeForest ranger Ashok Choudhury8217;s work in west Tripura8217;s Boxanagar in the last five years has been a ca...

Tripura8217;s forest brigade
Forest ranger Ashok Choudhury8217;s work in west Tripura8217;s Boxanagar in the last five years has been a cause for much cheer. The officer has transformed a group of tree smugglers into the forest8217;s protectors.

With Choudhury8217;s initiative, the former smugglers have formed a group called Green Brigade, which not only protects the forest and plants trees, but it also helps authorities in recovering timber smuggled out by other groups.

Nagaland8217;s campus war
THE Nagaland University campus in Kohima is a seat of unrest. Much of that has to do with its vice-chancellor Prof G D Sharma8217;s style of functioning that has angered teachers and students alike.

Last week it was the Nagaland University Teachers8217; Association NUTA that staged a demonstration against the VC, blaming him for allowing corruption to flourish in the university. According to them, selection of teachers was irregular and financial rules are regularly flouted.

Reopening border deals
LAST week chief ministers of all northeast states, except Meghalaya, had a common request. They all asked union home minister Shivraj Patil for more funds to modernise their police forces.

But Meghalaya chief minister D D Lapang8217;s priority was different. He asked Patil to expedite the process of reopening the traditional haats markets along the Bangladesh border so that villagers could sell their produce across the border.

In Mizoram, money grows on trees
SINCE Mizoram does not have enough flat land to grow foodgrain, it8217;s looking at alternatives. Last week, for instance, chief minister Zoramthanga launched a new scheme under which the government will support farmers who will grow four cash crops8212;grapes, passion fruits, jatropha and red-oil palm.

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About a hundred villages will be covered in the first phase and over 1,000 families will be given two hectares of land, free of cost, to grow these cash crops.

Guwahati goes green
Guwahati, long maligned for its unplanned and haphazard growth, is now shedding some of its chaos. The state forest department has launched an ambitious masterplan called 8216;Seuj Prakalpa.8217;

Though originally launched last year as a small scheme, Seuj Prakalpa now intends to also save the hills of the city from top-soil erosion. The state government has also promised to clear the hills of all encroachments.