NORTHEAST
This former ULFA rebel produce excellent Bamboo craft products during COVID-19 time
At a time, when the whole country was placed under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dwipen Khataniar who was once a feared leader of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), but today is a highly revered bamboo artisan.
Khataniar a resident of Pathsala under Bajali district of Assam, was busy making decorative bamboo products at his home.
He had joined in 1984 and surrendered from the ULFA way back in 1993. After coming to the mainstream, he started a small business to earn his bread and butter. Everything was going good until COVID struck.
As the lockdown was imposed, he incurred a loss in his business and he was forced to look for an alternate source of income. It was during this period when the idea of making bamboo products struck his mind and thus, the bamboo artisan was born!
From flower pots to idols of Lord Ganesha, the Indian Tricolour to paintings of Mahatma Gandhi- Khataniar began to craft various products out of bamboo and soon he became a popular face in the area.
Today, he boasts of having a rich collection of art and crafts in his gallery that also includes portraits of several prominent leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Speaking to the Times of Northeast, Dwipen Khataniar said, “Northeast has huge reserves of bamboo and instead of plastic material, we should use bamboo products to beat plastic pollution,”
“If we endeavour together we can make Assam an advanced state by making our products outside the state. We need to produce what the people from outside the state demands,” he added.
Today, Khataniar is an inspiration for many. Instead of being heartbroken due to the loss of jobs owing to COVID-19, many youths today have been following Khataniyar’s footsteps and are utilising their arts and skills to the fullest.
If as a rebel leader Khataniar was feared by the people, now as the bamboo artisan he is also loved and adored by the same people.
It may be mentioned here that the northeast has an abundant bamboo resource and this plays a crucial part in the food and nutritional security of the tribal region.
About 50 per cent of the bamboo species are grown in the northeast.
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NORTHEAST
Rotten Foods items Seized From ‘Chef Kitchen’ restaurant in Pathsala
After a compliant recieved from Vishva Hindu Parishad Assam, a team Bajali administration visited at the ‘Chef Kitchen’ restaurant at Pathsala. They discovered that the restaurant’s kitchen was in deplorable condition, with old meat found stored in the freezer for an extended period. Expired sauce bottles were also noted, alongside uncovered food items. The utensils were reportedly kept in filthy conditions.
The incident that has raised serious concerns about food safety, where customers have reportedly been served rotten food in the restaurant near Bhattadev University of Pathsala.
Meanwhile, the Bajali district administration along with food safety department seized the rotten foods and expired items from the restaurant and further investigation is going on.
Vishva Hindu Parishad Assam alleged that, “In Bajali there are many luxury restaurant, the administration should check these restaurants, whether they are providing hygienic food or not. Outdoor and Interior design of many restaurants looks good, but kitchen is in deplorable condition”.
NORTHEAST
Several pilgrims from Assam hospitalised in Gujarat due to suspected food poisoning, 1 dead
As many as 45 pilgrims from Assam were rushed to a local hospital in Jamnagar, Gujarat, after suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting at the pilgrimage site of Dwarka, in which one of the pilgrims died due to food poisoning.
The deceased person has been identified as Udbav Das from Manikpur Bajali.
A 70-year-old woman still is still in ventilator.
Reportedly, the incident occurred on late Wednesday night, and Assam Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, after learning about the matter, immediately informed the Gujarat administration to look into the matter.
Following the intervention, the Gujarat government quickly extended assistance, providing much-needed medical aid and securing the pilgrims’ safety.
Ranjeet Kumar Dass said, “After the Gujarat administration received the information, they immediately swung into action, and they bore all the medical expenses. I really appreciate their efforts and how they took the matter as their own,”
Speaking to the Times of Northeast Ashok Roy, a member of the pilgrimage group, the local administration and police in Jamnagar have been supportive, providing medical aid and ensuring the safety of the pilgrims.
He added that the Assam government and Bajali administration has also been in constant touch with the group to monitor their situation.
Notably, out of 45 pilgrims, 32 returned to the state, while the remaining are still under treatment in Gujarat.
The group had embarked on their pilgrimage on September 23, travelling from Rangia to Dwarka. What was supposed to be a sacred journey turned into a nightmare when illness struck, and they were left without help for days.
NORTHEAST
2 arrested for illegal bird hunting in Bajali
Forest officials arrested two person for allegedly hunting birds in Doloi Gaon-Birbira village in lower Assam’s Bajali district.
The accused, identified as Rabi Daimary (39) and Rahul Baro (22), were residents of Salbari in Baska district.
Sources said, the duo had been frequenting the area to hunt birds every morning.
Locals, who had grown increasingly alarmed by poaching, set up a trap to catch the culprits red-handed. Upon being caught, they immediately alerted the forest department and the police.
Responding to the incident, forest officials and Bajali police rushed to the spot and arrested the two men. They were booked under the Wildlife Protection Act 2022 for their illegal hunting activities.
Meanwhile, Forest officials recovered several dead birds and slingshots at the scene.
The incident has sparked outrage among animal lovers in Bajali, who are demanding strict action against the poachers.
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