Soil Conservation Department under scanner

KOKRAJHAR, July 29: In a gruelling session, Members of the Council Legislative Assembly (MCLA) of BTC Executive Council bombarded BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary on the progress made by the Soil Conservation Department. In reply to this, Mohilary said that the Department of Soil Conservation is one of the major departments in the Council.

Members like– Rabindra Brahma, Moon Brahma, Rabindra Bala and others questioned the Executive Member of Soil Conservation, Shyam Sundi on his failure to implement any project so far. In reply to this, Sundi said that due to insufficient funds, most of the schemes could not be implemented. He added that, the schemes would be implemented in due course subject to the availability of fund.

Sundi said that, the department received an amount of Rs 573.46 lakh in the last four years of which Rs 2,10,25,300 at Kokrajhar, Rs 61,10,00 at Chirang, Rs 32,20,000 at Baksa and Rs 2,33,37,600 at Udalguri has been utilized. Interestingly, the Soil Conservation Department did not reveal any data on developmental.

Election campaign concludes

SIVASAGAR, July 29: Election campaign was conducted in full swing on the last day of campaigning for the upcoming civic body polls for the Sivasagar Municipal Board (SMB). All the candidates and political parties took out rallies in the town in a last ditch effort to woo the voters.
The Congress party held a bike-rally in the town in support of their candidates today. There are 22 women candidates out of 47 for the SMB elections. Four out of 14 municipal wards are reserved for women.

AIKS stages demonstration

DIBRUGARH, July 29: The order to evict more than hundred families in Jokai Samguri Bongali Gaon here has earned the ire of the Dibrugarh unit of All India Krishak Sabha (AIKS).
The regional unit of AIKS held a demonstration in Dibrugarh today. They are demanding the withdrawal of the order and the allotment of land to the affected families.
The families concerned have been residing in the village, which falls under Mancotta Khanikar mouza in Dibrugarh West Revenue Circle, for more than three decades.
The organization stated that, the concerned land was earlier a grazing field but was allotted to the poor families under minimum needs programme after being turned into ceiling land way back in 1975. Many of these families have lived on the land since the pre-Independence era, they added. While criticizing the order to evict these farmers, the Sabha demanded that they should be issued land pattas.

Governor to restore relationship between Bihar and Asom

DIBRUGARH, July 26: The newly appointed Governor of Bihar, Devananda Konwar, promised to restore age old cordial relationship between the States of Bihar and Asom regretting the fact that there was an amount of disruption in the last few years. He was speaking at a function to felicitate him organized by the Dibrugarh chapter of Axom Xahitya Xabha and Dibrugarh Nagarik Mancha yesterday. Konwar in his speech stated that, though in negative perception about Bihar still exist in some mind, the fact of the matter is that Bihar’s contribution to the Indian civilization and advancement cannot be ignored. He stated that, it is in Bihar that major religions such as Buddhism and Jainism took roots and flourished before spreading all over the world. In the fields of education and in philosophy, Bihar’s place was second to none, he said. Governor said that, Nalanda University is the first university in the recorded history of the world predating even the birth of Christ.

Even in present time, in spite of the mass publicized state of poverty, the fact that students having their origin in Bihar contribute substantially in the list of IAS and IPS candidates as well as to the other streams of civil services is not generally known. As a reservoir and supplier of human resources to each and every States of India and to the world, Bihar’s claim cannot be ignored.

Konwar stated that, it will be his endeavour to build bridges between the States of Asom and Bihar in the field of education and culture so that misunderstanding of the recent past can be erased.

The former president of Axom Xahitya Xabha, Dr Nagen Saikia presided over the function. In his speech, Dr Saikia recalled the academic ties between the universities of Bihar and Asom when Deva Kanta Baruah was the Governor of Bihar and requested Konwar to explore possibility for renewal of such ties. Niva Konwar, the wife of the Governor also accompanied him.

Earlier, Governor formally released the in-house magazine of Dibrugarh Xahitya Xabha.
A number of organizations of Dibrugarh also felicitated the Governor and the first lady of Bihar.

AGP stages dharna

JORHAT, July 23: Jorhat branch of Asom Gana Parishad staged a dharna in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office here today. A memorandum has been submitted to the DC in this regard.
Senior AGP leader Hemanta Kalita, while condemning the utterances of the State Health Minister saying that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in the six years of rule in the State had completely failed to control or discipline his colleagues.

“He may have said something which passes for an apology but we cannot accept this and will not be satisfied unless he is arrested for using such language against our party”, Kalita said.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma has been given a Doctorate degree by Gauhati University so that he can use such language”, Kalita sarcastically said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma had allegedly told news channel that the Government would pay State Government employees one rupee more than the pay received by Central Government employees and this would be like shoes thrown (slap) on the face of the AGP, who were criticizing the Government for not implementing the Central Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendation. “Unless he is arrested soon, the AGP will continue to agitate”, Kalita said.

Munaf donates land

JORHAT, July 23: Munaf of Jengonikotia in Sivasagar district for donating two bighas of land to the Namtipul Girls’ High School, Namtipul Art and Music School (Charukala Kendra) and a branch office of Gyandeep Sahitya Sabha at Namtipul, has been praised by the people of the area.
The institutional heads of these institutions have through separate letters acknowledged Syed Abdul Munaf’s generous gesture and commitment to the society.
Syed Abdul Munaf is the son of a social worker, late Abdul Nayeem, who was not financially sound but had a large quantity land and property. Though Syed Abdul Munaf inherited a share of the land, he does not have a secure Government job and therefore this donation of more than two bighas of land has been appreciated by the people.
Syed Abdul Munaf also heads the NGO– Samannay Mega Society, which he formed in 2005 with permission of the Deputy Commissioner, Sivasagar.
Various organizations and the people in general have praised the works of the NGO and hoped that it continues its good work.

Shootout in crowded Manipur market, two killed

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IMPHAL: A militant and a woman passerby were killed in a shootout at a crowded marketplace in the heart of the Manipur capital on Thursday morning.


Two civilians were also injured when an unidentified militant armed with an automatic weapon was chased by a security team in the market area around 11am, police said.

"The area was crowded with shoppers and vendors when the militant opened indiscriminate gunfire seeing a security team. In the ensuing gunbattle, the militant and a civilian woman were killed," a police official said.

The identity of the militant was not immediately known.

"We are not sure why the militant was moving in the market area with arms. There are some reports that the lone militant was planning to take people hostage at a shopping complex although we are still investigating the incident," the official said.

The shootout led to panic in the area, with shops downing their shutters.

TOI