Development / Assam

DIBRUGARH, March 5— Under the Samaritan scheme of the Assam Police called Project Prahari, at least one remote village in the district is set to see a happier future. The project is a brainchild of the Assam DGP, Hare Krishna Deka. Ordinarily used to round up ruffians and maintain law and order, cops of the Khowang police station in the Dibrugarh district are taking up an altogether different role as society peers and thereby helping villagers to help themselves.

Project Prahari was launched at the nondescript Bokahulla village on March 17 last year. During the past twelve months, the hundred...

NEW DELHI, March 4— The Union Tourism Ministry, as part of its plan to boost tourism in Assam, has cleared four projects in the current financial year. This was revealed by Union Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan in a written reply to a question tabled by Dwijen Sarmah. During the 10th Plan period it has been decided to take up integrated development of tourist circuits and integrated development of major destinations, the Minister said. Under the integrated development of tourist circuits schemes, Rs 30 lakh has been sanctioned for Brahmaputra River Front Development at Guwahati. The...

NEW DELHI, March 3 : The Assam Government has undertaken 51 flood control and anti-erosion schemes for river Brahmaputra during the eight years (1995-2003). The projects are in addition to two major Central sector projects taken up by Brahmaputra Board, Union Minister of State for Water Resource Bijoya Chakravarty disclosed in a written reply in Lok Sabha. The Central sector projects included the Pagladiya Dam Project estimated to cost over Rs 542 crore and the avulsion of Brahmaputra at Dholla Hatighuli, which is a measure for diversion of river to its original course with ancillary anti...

TEZPUR, March 1 ? The 106-year-old Tezpur railway station in Assam?s Sonitpur district built by the British is in dilapidated state, lying virtually abandoned thanks to the neglect by the authorities. The station, situated on the banks of the river Brahmaputra at Old Steamerghat, is a victim of severe erosion and the existing buildings of the staff are in bad shape due to neglect for at least three decades by the railway authorities, the locals say.

The chief public relation officer of the North-east Frontier railway, Leena Sharma, however denies there was a callous attitude on the part of...

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 — The Human Development Index of Assam has gone up and the State has been ranked 14th a marked increase from the rank of 26 in 1991, according to the Economic Survey Report released here today. Assam’s Human Development Index was constant since 1981 at 26th position. The State was given a value of 0.272 in 1981 and 0.348 in 1991. But the value in 2001 has increased marginally to 0.386 and the state has been promoted to the rank of 14. However, Assam has miles to go to catch up with the all India average value of 0.472. Kerala remains at the top of the NHDR with an Index of 0...

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 – Uncertainty over the 2000 MW Subansiri (Lower) hydro-electricity project may be finally over with the project likely to get the all-important Cabinet Committee on Economic Affair (CCEA) clearance by next month-end. The project – part of the Prime Minister’s economic package – has been hanging in limbo for past few years caught in bureaucratic wrangles in Delhi and problems with environmental groups back in Arunachal Pradesh. But that is over with the Central government already deciding to do away with the pre-Public Investment Board (pre-PIB) clearance. The project...

Maibang (N.C. Hills), Feb. 23: For Ruben Cashler, a “steam-engine buff” from Colarado in the US, the ride on a steam-hauled train to the last capital of the Dimasa kingdom was the best thing to have happened to him in a long time.

“The sonorous whistle of the mammoth engine, bellowing black smoke and chugging through green fields, dark tunnels and river bridges, was enchanting. I intend to come back with my friends, who are eager to see these steam engines in operation,” Cashler said after disembarking at Maibang.

The American was part of a group of tourists who made the special journey...

GUWAHATI, Feb 23 — A 1967 batch Telco-made steam locomotive came alive on Saturday chugging along the 64-kilometre-long metre gauge route from Lower Haflong to Maibong set in the picturesque surroundings of North Cachar Hills, as the NF Railway ventured into promotion of tourism along its 100-year-old Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section.

As the vintage locomotive steamed in and out of numerous tunnels along the route dotted by a large number of bridges standing since British days, it relived the memory of old-age train safari for many of the small group of tourists converging from different parts...

GUWAHATI, Feb 22 – At a time when rapidly shrinking forest cover is exposing the State’s biodiversity to the gravest possible danger, a move to construct a PWD road through Amchang reserve forest in the outskirts of the city has evoked vehement opposition from the Forest Department and environmentalists who fear it will create serious disturbance to the fragile eco-system of the area. The PWD (Road) Guwahati Division, NEC, on February 10 sought permission from the Forest Department to conduct a survey from Panjabari-Batahghuli to the NH-37 via Patarkuchi.

The proposed survey runs through the...

GOSSAIGAON, Feb 20 – The people of Gossaigaon civil sub-division have expressed satisfaction over the North East Frontier railway authorities’ sympathetic attitude for sanctioning ‘model railway station’ at Gossaigaon. As per information available here, the chief commercial manager, NEF railway Guwahati vide official notification No. C/555/0-53/PL/Pt-II dated 15 January 2003, informed the local MLA Prof Hamendra Nath Brahma that after close examination of the earlier memorandum submitted by him (MLA) the railway authority has sanctioned ‘model station’ at Gossaigaon instead of Srirampur. It...