AIZAWL, APR 23 (AGENCIES): Claiming that the Northeast suffers heavily from sharing a single time zone with the rest of India, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla has stressed upon the need for a separate time zone to catch up with the rest of India. Speaking at a regional seminar on separate time zone for the NE region at Vanapa Hall here today,
Mr Lal Thanhawla said, ''We have to think how we economically suffer from sharing the Indian Standard Time with the rest of the country.'' The demand for a separate time zone should not be construed as a separatist movement. If India considers the Northeast people as Indians, it must set an eastern time for North East India, including West Bengal, he added.
Mr Lal Thanhawla recollected that the idea had been mooted in 1980, 2001 and 2004.
''Till today the Indian government could not agree with it. The matter is now in the hands of the science and technology department at the Centre,'' the chief minister said.
The day-long seminar was organised by Mizo Zirlai Pawl (Mizo students association), under the aegis of Northeast Students Organisation. It had noted filmmaker Jahnu Barua as a resource person and scholars and academicians as speakers.
Though India is covered by a single time zone, there is almost two hours time lag in sun rise in eastern and western most corners of India, said supporters for a separate time zone.
''The time difference between the eastern-most and western-most borders of the country is almost two hours,'' said Mr Barua, who is a former Indian Space Research Organisation TV producer.
Mr Barua argued, through a detailed presentation that caught up within the existing single Indian Standard Time (IST), that the Northeast had suffered colossal losses in the last 62 years of Independence. ''It has created unproductive tendencies, more alienation, imbalance in biological clock, degeneration of society, wastage of electricity, loss in productivity and so on,'' he said.
Based on 20 years of research on the matter, he pointed out that despite two hours time lag in sun rise in the eastern most and western-most corners, the country continued to follow a single, undifferentiated time zone.
On the other hand, western parts of the country are far ahead of the NE states due to the single time zone.
All the prosperous and most productive states of the country, such as Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat, lie on the west of the Indian Standard Time longitude.
''Being situated in the far east, the northeast wastes two to three hours of daylight every day and ends up being the least productive, least progressive and least prosperous,'' Mr Barua rued.
Mizoram Universitys Registrar Benjamina, who attended the seminar as the guest of honour, disclosed that this was the first time he attended a function which was not an university related issue.
''I am so interested with the idea for a separate time zone for the Northeast India. That's what brought me here,'' he stated.
Prof Lianzela, from the department of economics of Mizoram University, and Prof P Rinawma, from the department of geography, delivered speeches in the afternoon session.
There were participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Manipur.
Tension grips Mizoram
AIZAWL, APR 23 (IANS):
Tension gripped Mizoram's capital Aizawl and other parts of the state after a powerful NGO imposed a "people's curfew" asking non-Mizos to remain indoors for four days following the alleged rape of a 13-year-old Mizo girl, officials said Friday. The influential Young Mizo Association (YMA) imposed the curfew Thursday after Laxman Ravi Das, 25, allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl here late Tuesday. Police immediately arrested Das, a non-Mizo cobbler, who was living with his family here. Police said the victim's family lived next door to Das and both families were close to each other. "Even though there was ethnic tension because of the imposition of the curfew, no incident was reported from anywhere in the state," Director General of Police Lalrokhuma Pachuau told reporters.
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