Development / Assam

GUWAHATI, June 12 ? Internationally reputed experts on forest resources and scientists have recommended some urgent steps to be taken by North Eastern States to mitigate the ?catastrophic famine? that is likely to hit the region subsequent to ?gregarious flowering of bamboo? predicted to occur during 2005-2007. Scientists have predicted that gregarious flowering of bamboo will occur in an estimated area of 18,000 square kilometre in the States of Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur and parts of Assam and Meghalaya during 2005-2007. The epicentre of bamboo flowering will be Mizoram. It is calculated that...

GOLAGHAT, June 12 ? According to the Supreme Court?s verdict against encroachment of forest lands in Assam, the Forest department of Golaghat district began eviction works in Numbor reserve forests. During a period of three days, the Forest department has evicted and cleared 96 houses in Nikori, Kocharihola and Wepather areas. A total of 300 hectares of land were cleared from encroachment. Meanwhile, 250 houses were damaged and 900 hectares of forest lands were cleared by eviction. The local people have lauded the Forest department of the district. But following interference by some political...

ITANAGAR, June 12 ? The ruling Congress (I) government in Arunachal Pradesh continues to be in a slumber sleep, despite the mass eviction carried out by Assam forest officials against the Arunachalis living in the foothills areas bordering Assam under the pretext of the recent Supreme Court ruling. ?Despite the mass eviction being carried out by the Assam govt. against our people living in foothills, bordering Assam the ruling congress (I) govt. in the state is sleeping?, AAPSU and Papum Pare District Students? Union-who made a tour to some affected areas alleged.

?The Supreme Court in a...

ITANAGAR, June 11 ? The Arunachal Pradesh Government has filed a fresh petition in the Supreme Court seeking restraint on the evictions carried out by the Assam officials in various areas of the disputed portions of Assam-Arunachal border, reports PTI. Takam Sanjoy, Minister for Education and the spokesman of the Government in a statement on Monday said that more than 40 families have been affected in the wake of recent eviction carried out by the Assam Government officials. School buildings, transformers, water tanks, electricity facility and even houses of the teachers and villagers were not...

DIBRUGARH, June 11 ? Troubled days are ahead for Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Several ethnic organisations of the State today formed a joint action committee here to resist the ongoing eviction process, which the State Government has embarked upon, following a Supreme Court directive. The groups which would be constituents of the joint action committee include the Tribal Students? Federation, All Assam Moran Students? Union, All Assam Deuri Students? Union, All Tai Ahom Students? Union, Assam Sonowal Kachari Students? Union, Assam Tea Tribes Students? Association and the Tai Yuba Chatra Santha...

GUWAHATI, June 10 ? The Minority Department of the Assam Pradesh Congress (I) Committee (APCC-I) is critical about the procedure followed by the State?s forest department in evicting the encroachers from forest lands. Addressing a press conference here today chairman of the APCC-I Minority Department A F Golam Osmani said that at its meeting on June 8, the Minority Department had decided to move both the Government in the State and at the Centre with the plea that they should submit a plan on the eviction procedure before the Supreme Court in connection with the case leading with the Apex...

GUWAHATI, June 10 ? Large-scale encroachment of railway land all over the State has turned out to be a major problem not only for the railways but also for the society as a whole as both sides of the railway tracks in Guwahati city have become dens of anti-social elements. Encroachment of railway land is not a new problem but the issue has come into focus once again in the wake of the eviction drive launched by the forest department against the encroachers of forest land and the concerned citizens are of the view that if the forest department can launch eviction drive, there is no reason why...

DIBRUGARH, June 10? The current spate of evictions from forest lands by the authorities have not only been criticism but was also condemned by the All Assam Small Tea Growers? Association (AASTGA). AASTGA general secretary Hemanta Kumar Gohain said that in the name of eviction of encroachments in ?so-called reserve forests?, several small tea growers of the State now face a bleak future, as their plantations too have been destroyed. He called for a proper compensation and rehabilitation plan for the eviction-affected person. He also questioned why the ?so-called reserve forests? were allowed...

GUWAHATI, June 7 ? The water pressure on the south bank of the river Brahmaputra throughout its entire course in Assam is increasing considerably over the years due to heavy siltation from the north bank, which resulted in severe erosion. State Flood Control Department sources told The Assam Tribune today that almost in its entire course, the bed of the river Brahmaputra near the northrn bank has become much higher than the south because of heavy siltation. Sources pointed out that the lower Himalayas has always remained a fragile land mass, while, large-scale deforestation in southern...

GUWAHATI, June 6? While political expediency on the part of majority of our politicians on the issue of eviction of encroachers from forest land has been vitiating the social atmosphere here, the Supreme Court of India and the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, with the prudence to save the environment and maintain the ecological balance for posterity, have adopted a firm stand against the encroachers. The Supreme Court of India (SC) in its order in connection with the Interlocuttory Application (IA) Numbers 703 and 502, directed the Chief Secretaries of the States of Orissa, West Bengal...