Janjati leaders from Arunachal Pradesh call on top leaders in Delhi
A high level delegation of Janjati leaders from Arunachal Pradesh under the banner of Arunachal Vikas Parishad urged the policy makers, top political leaders including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Smt Sushma Swaraj and Rajya Sabha Shri Arun Jaitley, Vice President of India Moh. Hamid Ansari and also the Army Chief General Vikram Singh to create a sense of responsibility among the political and bureaucratic elites of the state to overcome the Chinese menace. The delegation stressed the need to strengthen the remotest border area of the state.
The delegation included Arunachal Vikas Parishad Chairman Pratik Potom, Vice-President Techi Gubin, General Secretary Tarh Takia, state organising Secretary Sandeep Kavishwar, district youth Secretary Sohan Krong, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activist Smt Joram Aniya Tana, publicity Secretary of IFCSAP Gyati Rana, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram president Jagdeo Ramji, President Purbanchal Kalyan Ashram Sri Ranjit Bhattacharya, joint General Secretary of Kalyan Ashram Vishnukant, NE Convener of Faith & Culture forum of ABVKA Ramesh Babu, Kalyan Ashram worker Smt. Anjali Ramesh, Purbanchal Kalyan Ashram activist Smt. Ratna Bhattacharya.
All the leaders expressed solidarity with the delegation and assured that they would take the issue to the authorities concerned.
Arunachal Vikas Parishad has spread throughout the length and breadth of the state. It has 17 District Level Committees, 88 circle level committees and 42 dedicated whole time workers. Various projects are being run by the organisation to reach the remote areas of the state. It runs 41 Balwadis, 3 Schools, 22 Bal Vikas Kendra, 130 Village Health Workers projects, 02 Medical Centers and 67 Sports and Culture centers in 17 districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Apart from it, every year it organises free medical camps at around 60 places and conducts rural and state level sports meets. It has also constituted a Circle Level Committee in Chaklagam. The sports and cultural activities, village health workers and medical camps are part of its regular work in that area too. This entire endeavour is being done with the active role and support of the local people, state government and the fellow countrymen.
The delegation specifically attracted the attention of the leaders towards the repeated violation of LAC by China in Chaklagam circle of Arunachal Pradesh. On August 11 about 200 soldiers of PLA entered into Indian territory, intrusion was detected on August 13, 2013 and Indian side asked them to quit the area. They left the area on August 16 as reported by the locals. Though the Defense Minister down played the matter in front of media; Army sources privately confirmed that an armed troop of PLA comprising around 200 soldiers had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and erected their camps 20 to 30 km inside our territory for at least 5 days.
Within no time, on August 14 the team of Arunachal Vikas Parishad visited Chaklagam and interacted with the villagers; it was confirmed by the locals about the recent intrusions by the Chinese Army into Indian territory. Earlier, the Parishad had conducted a programme called “Seemanta Darshan Yatra” in 2010- a 10 days tour programme to the border villages in the China occupied Tibet border. The Yatra covered 78 villages of border area of 13 administrative circles in six districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The delegates of the yatra conversed with the members of 16 tribes residing on the border areas.
Governor of Arunachal Pradesh General (retired) Shri JJ Singh was apprised of the observations of the yatra delegations. “It is a matter of deep concern that there are no Army camps on border places, only Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camps are set up in Chaklagam and Goiliang. Only 20-30 ITBP personnel are posted to make surveillance of the border once in two months. It takes minimum 15 days to complete the round. After six days of walk it reaches to LAC as these outposts are 60 to 100 km away from the LAC. There are 06 unmanned posts in the region. This time Chinese Army intruded up to fourth camp, the report said.
Major demands of
the delegation
p Deployment of Army in border places replacing ITBP
p Better infrastructural development of the border area at war foot
p Increase number of surveillance and patrolling posts all along the China occupied Tibet and it must be nearest to LAC
p Regular and supporting interaction of the security forces with the civilians to boost up their morale
p Welfare activities by the defense forces for border area villages
p Improve and strengthen the ITBP and BSF in all respects
p Raising Arunachal Regiment at par with the Ladakh Scouts for better co-ordination and to cope-up with the situation
p Use of the Border Area Development Funds (BADF) more effectively and piously
p Constitution of Border Village Security Committees in the border areas for active involvement of the local people
p Drug trafficking from Myanmar to A.P. (Lohit and Anjaw districts) should be checked and stopped immediately and Rehabilitation Programme to be designed to liberate young generation from the poison of drug addictions, which is posing a serious social and security threat to this border area
p Focus on the activities of SSB, NCC type organisations in the area
p Substantially increase the Union Defense Budget to meet the challenges
p Compel China to issue regular Visa to the people of Arunachal Pradesh as it is a major hurdle in the carrier of sportspersons of Arunachal and to prove their talent in the international competitions held in China, looking to the Staple-Visa policy of China. To reciprocate to their stand, people of Arunachal feels that we should stop sending other members of our contingent to express our uncompromising stand on this issue. This will send needed signal not only to China or to rest of the world, but it will help to take the people of Arunachal Pradesh into confidence, which is utmost need of the hour
p Effective and uninterrupted PDS supply and ensuring the availability of other essential goods in border area.
