Itanagar:&nbsp;Hundreds of tribals belonging to Chakma and Hajong community on Saturday organised a peaceful yet massive protest at Diyun in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district against the denial on issuance of Residential Proof Certificates (RPC) to the applicants of these communities, allegedly "as part of the state government's policy to throw them out".According to the agitating tribals, on July 29, the state government suspended the RPCs already issued and asked the officials further not to issue any RPCs.Krishna Chakma, spokesperson of the Chakma Hajong Rights Alliance, said that the denial of the RPCs is nothing but continuation of racial profiling of the Chakma and Hajong tribals.The two tribal communities would not accept 'Kangaroo justice', Krishna Chakma said, adding that this is not something allowed in a country governed by the rule of law."The first victim of the denial of the RPCs are job seekers and the students. They are citizens of India and often join recruitment in the army. The same is being denied through suspension of the RPCs as the recruitment drive into the Indian Army has started," said Rup Singh Chakma, President of the Arunachal Pradesh Chakma Students Union (APCSU).Another Chakma student leader Sumangol Chakma said that this is nothing but an attempt to deny the existence of the Chakmas and Hajongs in the state.The agitating tribals accused the role of All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union behind the issue.There are about 65,000 tribals belonging to Chakma and Hajong community in Arunachal Pradesh who fled from East Pakistan and were settled by the Central government in the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1964 to beef up security following the 1962 Indo-China war.Krishna Chakma said that though they are citizens, Arunachal Pradesh has been denying the same despite the Supreme Court directing to process the citizenship applications on January 9, 1996."Not a single application has been processed as on date but in 2021, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister announced to resettle the Chakma and Hajong tribals outside the state. The denial of the RPCs is a part of the same campaign," Krishna Chakma said.—IANS

Hundreds of tribals belonging to Chakma and Hajong community on Saturday organised a peaceful yet massive protest at Diyun in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district against the denial on issuance of Residential Proof Certificates (RPC) to the applicants of these communities, allegedly "as part of the state government's policy to throw them out".

 Demonstration in Arunachal against denial on residential certificates

Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar:&nbsp;The Arunachal Pradesh government on Thursday named the under-construction greenfield airport -- the state's third here in the state capital Itanagar as "Donyi Polo Airport", officials said.An official at the Chief Minister's Office said that the state cabinet in its meeting on Thursday approved the name of the airport as "Donyi Polo Airport". Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu chaired the meeting.The official said that the name of the lone airport in the capital city would symbolise the age-old tradition and rich cultural heritage of the tribal dominated state and also would reflect the people's age-old indigenous reverence on the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo).The Central government had earlier accorded its approval for setting up of the "greenfield airport" under the 'Capital Connectivity Scheme' to build up fixed wing air connectivity facility to the state capital which was a long cherished dream of the people of the bordering state, the official added.The "Donyi Polo Airport" airport in Itanagar would be Arunachal Pradesh's third airport after Pasighat and Tezu airports, and northeast India's 16th airport.The Chief Minister had earlier said that work on the airport is on war-footing and shall be made operational soon.The Airport Authority of India has undertaken a Rs 650 crore project to develop the airport to boost air connectivity in the mountainous areas.Currently, there are 15 operational airports in the northeastern region -- Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur, Lilalabari and Rupsi (Assam), Tezu and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Agartala (Tripura), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dimapur (Nagaland), Lengpui (Mizoram) and Pakyong (Sikkim).—IANS

The Arunachal Pradesh government on Thursday named the under-construction greenfield airport -- the state's third here in the state capital Itanagar as "Donyi Polo Airport", officials said.

 Arunachal's 3rd airport named 'Donyi Polo Airport'

Itanagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a slew of development projects during his two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh from Saturday. He will lay the foundation of a 51-feet-statue of sage Parshuram at Wakro in Lohit district, besides launching around 40 projects, officials said here on Friday. On Saturday, Shah will attend the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Ramakrishna Mission School at Narottam Nagar, Deomali in Tirap district after which he would go to Namsai and lay the foundation of the Parshuram statue. On Sunday, he will meet social organisations and also offer puja at the Golden Pagoda near Tengapani in Namsai district. Later, Shah will address a public meeting on Namsai general ground and launch important projects, the officials said.The home minister will also chair a security and development review meeting with Army, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles, BRO and National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation LTD (NHIDCL) personnel at Namsai and attend a banquet with them before leaving for Delhi, they added. This would be Shah's second visit to the northeastern state as the Union home minister. He had last visited Arunachal Pradesh in February 2020 to attend the 34th statehood day celebrations. His visit had then drawn strong objections from China which lays claims to Arunachal Pradesh.Shah's visit to Arunachal Pradesh is part of the mega cross-country tour during which he has been attending several public, political and official events. The home minister has already visited Assam, Telangana, Kerala and Uttarakhand as part of the tour and would be visiting Maharashtra and Gujarat next on May 27 and 28 respectively.—PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a slew of development projects during his two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh from Saturday.

Shah on two-day visit to Arunachal from Saturday

Itanagar: The death toll due to landslides in Arunachal Pradesh increased to eight after the body of a woman who went missing was recovered here on Friday, police said. The body of 35-year-old Kusum Rai was retrieved from the debris in the backside of Punjabi Dhaba in the city after six days of an extensive search operation, Capital Superintendent of Police (SP) Jimmy Chiram said.The bodies of Nagen Barman (50) and Tapas Rai (15) were recovered from the spot and the woman was feared dead after their house was hit by a landslide on Sunday night. "The search operation conducted by the National Disaster Response Force, state officials and the police was hampered due to incessant rainfall," Chiram said. Two Public Works Department labourers were also buried in a landslide at Ganga-Jully Basti Road on Monday while trying to extricate a motorcycle stuck in the mud. Three people also lost their lives due to landslides in Kurung Kumey district while another is still missing, sources at the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said. Most parts of the state have been witnessing heavy rainfall over the last few days, with landslides being reported from several districts, they said. Around 3,000 people in 33 villages of 14 districts have been affected till Wednesday by heavy rain that triggered landslides and flood-like situations.At least 7.6 hectares of cultivated fields have been destroyed, while 392 houses were damaged across the state, the sources said. During a meeting on monsoon preparedness, Chief Minister Pema Khandu had on Thursday stressed on the need for putting in a robust advance warning system to avert the loss of lives due to disasters. He insisted that the State Emergency Operation Center should be active round the clock during the monsoon season.—PTI

The death toll due to landslides in Arunachal Pradesh increased to eight after the body of a woman who went missing was recovered here on Friday, police said.

Death toll due to landslides in Arunachal rises to eight

Itanagar: The Indian Army's Eastern command chief on Monday said China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is engaged in infrastructure capacity enhancement across the international border in Arunachal Pradesh. General Officer Commanding-in Chief of the Eastern command, Lieutenant General R P Kalita, however, said the Indian side is also continuously upgrading its infrastructure and capabilities to deal with any situation which may arise along the border. "Across the Line of Actual Control in Tibet region, a lot of infrastructure development is going on. The other side is constantly upgrading their road, rail and air connectivity so that they are in a better position to respond to a situation or mobilise forces," he said at a press conference in Guwahati. The Chinese authorities have built border villages close to the LAC that can be used for dual purposes, Kalita said."We are continuously monitoring the situation. We are also upgrading our infrastructure and capabilities as well as the mechanism to handle the situation. These have put us in a robust position," he added. The Indian Army Commander acknowledged that difficult terrain and inclement weather conditions have been the biggest challenges while enhancing capabilities and infrastructure in forward locations. He asserted that the Indian Army is fully ready with 'high level of operational preparedness'.—PTI

The Indian Army's Eastern command chief on Monday said China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is engaged in infrastructure capacity enhancement across the international border in Arunachal Pradesh.