Nagaon an ISO district now

ROOPAK GOSWAMI
 Nagaon district in central Assam is the proud owner of an ISO certificate, often dubbed as the gold standard in administration.
ISO 9001:2008, which has been conferred on the office of the deputy commissioner Nagaon, will help the district administration handle public grievances, establishment management and public facilitation services better, Nagaon deputy commissioner M. Angamuthu told The Telegraph today. ISO 9001 is the most used and well-known standard for quality management systems in the world.
Nagaon is the second district in Assam to be conferred an ISO certificate, the first being Karbi Anglong, which received ISO 9000:2001 in 2008. Karbi Anglong, too, had Angamuthu as its deputy commissioner when the district received the certificate. Till Nagaon got the certificate, the country had 10 ISO-certified deputy commissioner offices.
The Nagaon deputy commissioner said he had started working on the criteria required to get the ISO certificate a year ago and the review team came in June this year. The certificate was issued by Det Norske Veritas of the Netherlands on July 26 and will be valid till July 2014.
“The Nagaon district administration deals with an average footfall of 1,000 visitors, several socio-cultural-political organisations and an array of development and associate partners everyday. One feels one is entering a maze with rooms, officials, staff and people. Besides, there is an archaic office-centric formality in the form of delay, red tapism and other issues,” he said. 
ISO 9001:2008 will give the administration a wide and excellent scope to improve all the areas of administration, including revenue, development and public facilitation services. “It gives scope for innovations and upgrade of existing services. The most important feature in this experiment is a scientific approach in delivering citizen-centric activities and solutions,” he added.
“We have started fixing time limits and responsibilities for getting work done and transparency has improved,” Angamuthu said.
Nagaon was carved out as a separate administrative unit in 1832. But it was only in 1839 that the British settled on the present site on the bank of the Kollong to set up the district headquarters of Nagaon, which gradually emerged as a town. It became a municipality in 1893. The 3,993 square km district is one of the largest in Assam. It has three subdivisions, 10 revenue circles, 1,396 revenue villages, 18 development blocks and four municipal boards.
Angamuthu said working under the ISO, gives officials and staff “an edge over their counterparts in understanding processes, files, rules, acts and bylaws. Even in the absence of a particular official or staff, things can be handled and well attended to. This helps to save time and create a harassment-free environment for the public”. The ISO also gives a standard level-playing field for human resources and personnel management. “It also gives options for utilising scarce resources, especially finance, as the system itself gets internal audit done and sets a benchmark for day-to-day activities,” he added.

EOM

Industry call for declaring tea as state drink of Assam

ROOPAK GOSWAMI


The North Eastern Tea Association has urged the Assam government to officially declare tea as the state drink and also requested the government to impress upon the Centre to declare it as the national drink.
At the 15th biennial general meeting of the association at Golaghat today, chairman of the association Bidyananda Barkakoty stressed on the importance of having a national drink.
To substantiate this claim, he mentioned examples of Britain and China where tea is the national drink. He also mentioned that sugarcane juice is the national drink of Pakistan and whisky that of Scotland.
On the importance of Assam on the national tea map, he said the genesis of tea industry in the country virtually  follows the genesis of Assam tea and the state is the birthplace of Indian tea.
G. Boriah, director of tea development, Tea Board of India, and other members from the planters’ community attended the meeting.
Assam contributes more than 51 per cent of India’s tea production and 13 per cent of the global tea production. The Assam tea industry employs nearly five lakh permanent workers and another five lakh seasonal workers while another 10 lakh persons are dependent on it for employment and services.
“In Assam, tea is not just a product or commodity; it is a culture steeped in history; and a history replete with highlights of development and contribution to economic growth and social progress,” he added.
In India, about 800 million-kg of tea is consumed annually and consumption is increasing annually at the rate of 3.3 per cent.
On the restrictions imposed on mushrooming growth of bought leaf factories by the state, he said the government should allow green leaf growers having sufficient quantity of green leaf to set up factories.
“Licence to set up factories for producing CTC teas should be issued to applicants having a minimum of 100 acres of plantation,” he said.
“If we want to bring back the lost glory of Assam tea, then small factories should be allowed to be set up within the vicinity of the plantation area. By setting up small factories in the vicinity of a plantation, long distance transportation of raw material as well as the multiple handling of green leaves can be avoided. But this should be restricted to people having their own plantations, ” he said.
The Tea Board has already conveyed to the tea auction organisers that the Centre would bear the running cost of the e-auction system till December and that costs would thereafter have to be borne by the industry.
“We feel that it is extremely important that the e-auction system is made more robust and that the problems currently being faced are fully resolved before the transfer takes place,” he added.


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Namdapha tiger reserve road could be a threat

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

A central report on Namdapha tiger reserve has said the road from Deban to Vijayanagar running through the middle of the reserve could be a threat as this could be used for wildlife trade. The management effectiveness evaluation report for the tiger reserve prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority said — though not identified in the tiger conservation plan — the road from Deban to Vijayanagar (85-90 km) could be a major threat. “The road, which is now maintained by the public works department could be helpful in protection, if managed under the tiger reserve authorities. This, however, could be a major threat to the park as this would be used by the PWD and Arunachal transport corporation to run buses for the villagers in Gandhigram and beyond, who are currently using helicopter services or move on foot,” the report said. It mentioned about the absence of a checkpost in Gandhigram located on the border of the tiger reserve. A few days ago, police seized tiger skin and a tusk which reportedly were coming from Assam and meant for Myanmar. “This also indicates the possibility that the path even now could be an important wildlife trade route,” the report said. “The park authorities, though aware of the problem, are forced to see the road as an advantage mostly because of lack of infrastructure and manpower and hope that this would facilitate protection,” it said. Field director of Namdapha tiger reserve S.J. Jongsam said the road from Deban to Vijaynagar remains open for about 2-3 months in a year and remains blocked because of erosion and other problems. “The threat is negligible as its remains blocked for majority of the year,”Jongsam toldThe Telegraph. The 1,985 square km Namdapha tiger reserve is located in eastern Arunachal Pradesh in Changlang district. It was declared a tiger reserve in 1983. The tiger reserve is divided into three ranges — Miao, Namdapha and Gandhigram ranges. Six patrolling/anti-poaching camps are currently available, but all these are on the western part of the tiger reserve. Because of inaccessibility to most of the areas of the tiger reserve it cannot be covered by the patrolparty. The staff on the whole seems to be enthusiastic but most of them have not even received the travelling allowance for quite some time. “Moreover, there is no mechanism in place to brief the staff on the objectives of the tiger reserve in detail though they are all aware of the importance of protection. There is no incentive/reward given though provisions are there,” the report said. The area is rich in terms of plants and animals with several endemics and rare species. Fourteen new species of beetles, four species of molluscs, five new species of fishes, three new species of amphibians, including the only Indian Salamander, the Namdapha flying squirrel, leaf deer and black barking deer all indicate the uniqueness of the area. “The area is under-explored because of the type of forests and terrain as a number of groups of animals and plants especially in the higher reaches are yet to be systematically documented. The status of only a few of the major groups of animals has been done,” the report said, adding that except for the annual census conducted in four zones, a permanent monitoring mechanism for tiger is yet to be in place. EOM

Centre calls for bringing Manas tiger reserve under single authority

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

The Centre has proposed that the buffer areas of Manas tiger reserve, currently under the jurisdiction of the Bodoland Territorial Council forest chief, be brought under the unified command of the field director for better management.

This was suggested in the management effectiveness evaluation report brought out by the Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority recently.

In 2008, an area of 2,837 square km was notified as Manas tiger reserve, which included 500 square km core area as national park and 2,337.10 square km as buffer.

The buffer area is spread over Kachugaon, Haltugaon and Chirang forest divisions in the west of Baksa district and Dhansiri forest division in the east.

“The field director of Manas has no control of these areas, which causes management problems. Furthermore, the buffer area forests fall within the jurisdiction of forest chief of Bodoland Territorial Council, whereas the core area is under the control of chief wildlife warden Assam,” the report said.

The report said the dialogue could be started immediately with the BTC forest chief so as to obtain concurrence of state government and BTC.

The tiger reserve has 38 anti-poaching camps in the core but not a single one in the buffer. The camps are inadequately equipped by way of arms and ammunition, communication and living facilities for staff.

“Illegal activities happen in the buffer area as there is no control of the management over the area. Action has to be taken for bringing the buffer under management control,” a park official said.

Though the buffer zone of a tiger reserve will not have the status of a national park or a sanctuary, as a “multiple use area”, it may encompass conservation or community reserves, apart from revenue lands, private holdings, villages, towns and other production sectors.

According to the latest guidelines of tiger conservation plan, the buffer zone should be notified as required under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006, and placed under the unified control of the field director of the tiger reserve.

The guidelines say the buffer zone management should address threats to wildlife conservation emanating from regional development activities such as forest concessions, industrial pollution, highway development, extensive high-value farming or ecologically unsustainable and intensive land uses like mining.

The buffer area also absorbs the poaching pressure on populations of tiger and other wild animals. In case of severe habitat depletion in buffer areas, the source population would get targeted and eventually decimate.

The core area is critical and inviolate, while the buffer area is the peripheral area to foster co-existence with the local people.

The issue was earlier raised by a team of experts from the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2009 and had pointed out to the state forest department that the buffer area of Manas tiger reserve is not under the control of the management.

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swine fever study in northeast india

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110806/jsp/northeast/story_14296811.jsp Study to curb swine fever - Nairobi-based institute will finalise action plan on disease

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Guwahati, Aug. 5: The Nairobi-headquartered International Livestock Research Institute is undertaking a comprehensive study on the mortality of pigs in the Northeast because of classical swine fever and will suggest effective mechanisms for its prevention and control. The study will focus on Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram, which are known for their swine population in the region. The mortality rate in pigs because of classical swine fever varies from 60-80 per cent. About 80 per cent of the population in the Northeast are indigenous people and pig-keeping is an integral part of their life. Swine fever, also known as hog cholera, is a highly contagious viral disease and is said to be the most serious threat to the pig population in the Northeast. When the disease strikes, it destabilises the local rural economy. The total pig population in Northeast is 3.8 million. “Death of pigs is not always recorded in the veterinary hospitals mainly because of lack of facilities.If we can control swine fever, we can solve most of the problems affecting the swine population,” said Rameshwar Deka, scientific officer at the Northeast office of the institute in Guwahati. The results will be declared next month. The study will look into the incidence and impact of classical swine fever on pig production and livelihood. It will also review the current status of the manufacture, availability and efficacy of swine fever vaccine and its import policy. The study is being done at two levels — at the field level where participatory epidemiological study is being done to assess the incidence of the disease and its impact on the livelihood of poor pig keepers. Discussions are being held with officials on the policy issues. Besides, the study will look at the effectiveness of vaccine delivery, including availability of cold chain facilities, veterinary services. Deka said the study would look into the gaps and limitations to control the disease, including import policy of live pigs, quarantine measures, surveillance and disease reporting mechanisms. The study will finalise a collective action plan to address the technical, institutional and policy issues that constrain effective control of the disease in the Northeast with roles and responsibilities of the relevant organisations and define monitoring mechanisms. “Though swine fever vaccine is produced in the country, it is not available in sufficient quantities and is not easy to import it either. There are also reports of vaccination failure but the reasons are not clear. Vaccine delivery mechanism is also reported to be very weak. All these issues will be looked into,” Deka said. eom

India bhutan wildlife MoU on anvil

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110805/jsp/northeast/story_14334062.jsp

Indo-Bhutan team up for conservation

- Centre plans to sign MoU to save wildlife

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan. Telegraph picture

Guwahati, Aug. 4: The Centre is inching towards signing an MoU on wildlife cooperation with Bhutan.

A source said a draft MoU highlighting the areas of cooperation and the way for implementation had been prepared.

“It will take some time but this is going to happen. Relations with Bhutan have always been at the best and in wildlife sector it is improving,” the source said.

At present, India has an MoU with Nepal on controlling transboundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation, apart from a protocol on tiger conservation with China.

The Union ministry of environment and forests had asked the Wildlife Institute of India to identify and prioritise transboundary protected areas for effective bio-diversity conservation.

Five transboundary sites were prioritised, of which Manas, that shares a boundary with Bhutan, was one.

“A large, contiguous area of protected ecosystem will be of benefit to a variety of species that range across the border and transboundary-protected area is a major issue in conservation,” the dean of WII, V.B. Mathur, said.

Manas forest officials said cooperation between the managers and staff of the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan was very strong as they visit each other to exchange information.

While Manas has been declared out of danger, the officials said it was time for Bhutan to nominate Royal Manas as a World Heritage Site, which will help both the sides.

The issue of transboundary between both the countries was discussed at a meeting in Guwahati on Sunday where the additional director-general (wildlife) of Union ministry of environment and forests, Jagdish Kishwan, said the Centre would provide technical assistance to Bhutan for preparing a nomination for the Royal Manas National Park for declaring it a World Heritage Site and assist in policy advocacy to achieve a favourable result.

“This will also show a greater level of recovery of Manas (India) after its removal from the danger list. It will give an advantage to Bhutan when it applies for the World Heritage Site status,” Kishwan said.

Both Bhutan and India have just completed camera trapping of tigers, covering a total transboundary area of 50,000 hectares.

The 2011 monitoring mission report on Manas said the continuity of the Indo-Bhutan Manas Tiger Conservation Landscape was of major importance for India’s national tiger population, as it provided habitat to a tiger source population that could potentially reinforce other tiger populations in the country.

It also asked India to conduct a joint feasibility study with Bhutan on a possible transboundary extension of the site.

“Other wildlife, including golden langur, gaur and elephants, also benefits from this continuity. It is likely that the recovery of the park’s wildlife population depends heavily on ability of animals to move freely between the two national parks,” the report said.

A team of experts from the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India organised a capacity-building programme on wildlife rescue and rehabilitation and a workshop on prevention of illegal wildlife trade in Bhutan in the second week of July for initiating trans-border cooperation for conservation of wildlife in both the countries.

EOM

MANAS RELOCATION HITS HURDLE

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110804/jsp/northeast/story_14330161.jsp   Rebel spanner in relocation - Daimary men stall Manas project

ROOPAK GOSWAMI

Manas National Park Guwahati, Aug. 3: Suspected militants belonging to the Ranjan Daimary faction of the NDFB are preventing the relocation of people from the Panbari area of Manas tiger reserve, thus throwing a spanner in the Centre’s plans to clear the core area of human habitation. The site evaluation report of Manas tiger reserve says the relocation process has slowed down and a faction of the insurgents working in the area is instigating the people not to move out. The National Tiger Conservation Authority had sanctioned Rs 646 lakh in 2009-10 for relocating 912 people in the Panbari area which is on the fringes of the core area of the tiger reserve. Panbari is the western range of the reserve. The other two ranges are in Bansbari and Bhuyanpara. The report also says the process is being slowed down because of political interference. The village relocation is also one of the many indicators under which the reserve is evaluated. “The militants, suspected to be belonging to the anti-talks faction of the NDFB, are disturbing the relocation process and have created a fear psychosis,” a park official said. The tiger reserve management had initiated discussions with the villagers, who accepted the first option of Rs 10 lakh per family for moving out. There are two options in the relocation. The first is payment of the entire package amount (Rs 10 lakh) to the family. The package does not deal with any rehabilitation/relocation process by the forest department. The second option is carrying out relocation/rehabilitation of villagers from protected areas/tiger reserves by the forest department. Manas tiger reserve authorities had opted for the first option — payment of the entire package amount to the family as the second option involving relocation process was difficult to be carried out. With tiger being an “umbrella species”, the relocation move will also ensure viable population of other wild animals (co-predators, prey) and forest, thereby ensuring the ecological viability of the entire area/habitat. Thus, it becomes ecologically imperative to keep the core areas of tiger reserves inviolate for the survival of the source population of tigers and other wild animals. Based on empirical scientific data and simulation results, it has been established that a minimum inviolate area of 800-1,200 square km is required for a viable population of tiger (20 breeding tigresses). A meeting is being scheduled tomorrow on the relocation issue by the management at the park. The entire Panbari area with an area of 16.3 square km is under encroachment. The Manas tiger reserve with an area of 2,837 square km was one of the first tiger reserves declared under Project Tiger in 1973. In the first option, a monitoring process involving the district magistrate would be ensured so that the villagers rehabilitate themselves with the package money provided to them. NTCA rules say that the relocation process be monitored/implemented by the state-level monitoring committee of which the chairman would be the chief secretary of the state and the district-level implementing committee for ensuring convergence of other sectors of which the district collector would be the chairman. EOM