Development / Assam

JORHAT, August 9: Development activities along the Assam-Nagaland border within Jorhat district have taken a backseat over the past few months as an amount of Rs 23 lakh sanctioned by the state government for welfare works in the area for the financial year March 2000-2001 is still awaiting release. A bone of contention between the two neighbouring states since the past few decades, frequent skirmisher along the border over allegations of land encroachment have been a constant pain in the neck especially for the Assam Government, which has all along claimed that land-hungry Naga folks have...

DHUBRI, August 7: The proposed new broad gauge railway line from New Mainaguri (West Bengal) to Jogighopa (Assam) via Boxirhat is soon going to be shelved, according to a feasibility report proposed on the line. It is known from a letter written by AS Choudhury, DGM(G), Alipurduar to the Railway Users Advisory Committee that the proposal for the construction of the new BG line from New Mainaguri to Jogighopa at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 700 crore is now going to be shelved for two reasons - (i) unproductive nature of the line and (ii) constraints of resources. It may be recalled that the...

GUWAHATI, August 7: The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), in a bid to encourage export of pineapples from the Northeast is experimenting with the cultivation of organic pineapple in the region for which there is a good market, especially in Europe. Almost 19 per cent of the total land under horticultural crops in the region is devoted to pineapple cultivation and Assam, along with Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur, are among the major pineapple producing states in the country. However, it is only now that an attempt is being made to grow the fruit...

GUWAHATI, August 5: Beginning August 15 there will be a statewide ban on sale of mekhela-chadar produced in powerlooms as the state Government has decided to enforce the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Protection) Act, 1985 for protection and development of handloom sector in the state. Alongwith mekhela-chadar, the ban will be also applicable on sale of powerloom produced dakhana (worn by Bodo women), danka (worn by Mising women), khamlet and phanak (Manipuri dreses) as these items are reserved for exclusive production in handloom under the Act. In pursuance of the above Act, it is...

DIBRUGARH, August 4: The Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) has stated in an interim report that to arrest floods and erosion in the Upper Assam districts, the river Debang will have to be brought to its old course and the Ananta Nalla blocked at its offtake point near Hatighuli in Tinsukia district. Over the past several years, the Brahmaputra and its tributaries have been playing havoc with life and property in several Upper Assam districts. Among the worst affected by floods is the Dhemaji district and the worst erosion hit has been the Rohmaria area of Dibrugarh...

GUWAHATI, August 4: The National Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) has released a net amount of Rs 978.87 lakh to the Assam Plain Tribes Development Corporation Ltd till the end of June, 2000 providing an opportunity for the tribals to better their lives. About Rs 339 lakh has been made available to the Assam state Development Corporation for SCs Ltd till the end of May for similar development efforts for the Scheduled Castes. Sources in the NSFDC, an organisation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, told The Assam Tribune here...

JORHAT, August 3: The Tocklai Experimental Station here, reputed to be among the foremost and best tea research centres in the world, is all set to add more zing to the 'cuppa' that cheers. In the words of Tea Research Association Chairman Abani Borgohain, 'the best-ever clones ever developed by this premier tea research organisation are presently undergoing commercial trials.' Reputed to be sturdy and qualitatively superior to existing clones in almost all respects, 'the promising aspects of the newly-developed varieties - P - 463 and P - 492 - provided they successfully pass the commercial...

GUWAHATI, August 3: Expressing concern at the diversion of Tribal fund during the Eighth Five Year Plan, Centre has sent a letter to the state Government seeking a detailed report in this regard. Centre's move assumes significance as several Tribal bodies have been demanding a probe into the 'diversion or misuse' of funds in the state. The letter, which was sent on July 25 by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry also asked the state Government to look into the matter immediately. During the Eighth Five Year Plan, Centre Government had released Rs 7,802.75 lakh, of which the state Government could...

NEW DELHI, August 2: The Agriculture Ministry has sanctioned Rs 37 crore to the Assam government for undertaking flood control work provoking some of the Congress members to protest the 'meagre' allocation of funds. Union Agriculture Minister, Nitish Kumar, however, did not feel that the amount was inadequate. He argued that the flood control problem in Assam has to be seen in larger perspective. So far over 4560 km embankments have been constructed and 945 km drainage channels have been created in Assam to tackle the flood problems in the state, he claimed. Kumar was reacting to Paban Singh...

GUWAHATI, July 30: Twelve bogies of a goods train carrying cement from Satna in Madhya Pradesh to New Guwahati were derailed in a powerful explosion on the railway line in between Rangiya and Ghograpar Railway stations around 5.10 am today. The engine of the train was also damaged in the blast. However, no one was injured, according to reports received here. Railway sources said that the powerful explosion created a crater of 10 metre diameter and five meter depth in the area and damaged 200 metres of the track, cutting off train communication between Guwahati and the rest of the country...