Development

ITANAGAR, Oct 16 ? Gegong Apang heading the Congress today took oath as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the seventh time, reports PTI. Apang (57) was the only person to be administered the oath of office by Governor V C Pande at the Raj Bhavan here.

The ceremony was attended by senior Congress leaders Mukut Mithi and L Wanglat, members of the CLP and independent MLAs but boycotted by the BJP, which had said Apang had betrayed the people of the State and the party by joining Congress at the 11th hour before the polls.

Later, speaking at a press conference, Apang did not give any...

MANESWAR, Oct 16 ? After keeping Manipur on the boil for the last three months and the Centre clueless, Apunba Lup spreading the agitation for withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Act (AFSPA), has agreed to come to Delhi for talks.

This piece of news has come as a major relief for Union Home, Shivraj Patil who almost lost his job for inept handling of the situation in Manipur and Assam besides Jammu and Kashmir. With the Left Parties openly gunning for his head and Congress Party too feeling nervous about the internal security scenario, Sri Patil was desperately looking for a breakthrough...

DIBRUGARH, Oct 16 ? Congress candidate Jibantara Ghatowar today had the last laugh when she defeated Paragjyoti Baruah of the AGP by a convincing 8577 vote margin in the Moran by-poll election result, in stark contrast to speculation in the State?s vernacular media that the AGP has the edge.

Ultimately, Assam Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ripun Bora proved to be prophetic when he told The Assam Tribune earlier this week that the Congress would win by eight to ten thousand votes.

Ghatowar polled 31916 votes, compared to Baruah?s 23339 votes. BJP?s Jadab Dehingia polled 3476 votes...

SHILLONG, Oct 15 ? Meghalaya Chief Minister DD Lapang today said people residing outside the North-east found it to be a gold mine, while bonafide residents here were afraid of being swamped by an influx. ?People (from other places) come here and see the Northeast as a gold mine because of its natural wealth, but we are afraid an influx will swallow our identity,? Lapang said while inaugurating a workshop here.

He said the north-eastern states by virtue of their ?special category? received a great deal of attention from the Centre in terms of funds and schemes. "But we should not become a...

TURA, Oct 15 ? Three days of incessant rains that lashed Garo Hills from October 5 causing massive landslides, floods, and loss to human lives has put damage to the tune of crores of rupees. Officials of the three districts of Garo Hills are presently surveying the damage caused to crops, roads and bridges, and homes. They will be putting forward their findings to PWD Minister Dr Mukul M Sangma, during a review meeting expected to take place on Saturday at Tura Circuit House.

A depression in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the continuous downpour, also caused the death of seven people in the...

GUWAHATI, Oct 15 - The public hearing panel in the city on the oil pipeline proposed by the Oil India Ltd (OIL) for evacuating the products of the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) between Numaligarh and Siliguri yesterday said that it had no objection to allow M/s Oil India Ltd to lay the product pipeline.

However, it laid the condition that in doing so Oil India Ltd should abide by all the existing environmental measures as per provision of the laws and it should also pay due attention to restoring the total environmental quality of the stretch of 456 km in Assam.

Besides, it said that the Oil...

GUWAHATI, Oct 15 ? BSNL mobile (CellOne) customers, both in the city and elsewhere in the State, are having a harrowing time with severe congestion affecting the network for the past couple of months. BSNL authorities, however, have asserted that things would be put in order very soon and from next month onwards, the customers can expect a much improved service.

Things have, of late, deteriorated to such an extent that getting response from a BSNL mobile has become a rarity, with the invariable recorded reply of ?busy network? or ?out of range? greeting the caller. ?I had opted for BSNL...

GUWAHATI, Oct 15 ? ?The entire ecology of Assam and the rest of the North East remains in a delicate balance, and to maintain that, we have to stop the degradation and destruction of forests. Their depletion has contributed to floods, landslides and erosion. Therefore, afforestation is the need of the hour,? said Sunderlal Bahuguna, one of the father figures of the country?s environment movement.

Talking exclusively to The Assam Tribune today, the elderly activist said, ?For a region like the North East, hope lies in protecting its natural resources, and promoting tree plantation. In fact, the...

GUWAHATI, Oct 15 ? Oil India Limited (OIL) has paid final dividend of Rs 168 crore to the Government of India for the year 2003-04, a press release stated. R K Dutta, Chairman and Managing Director of OIL handed over a cheque of the said amount to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar, in the presence of senior government officials and directors of the company.

The board of directors had declared final dividend of 80 per cent on the paid up capital of OIL for 2003-04. The total dividend paid by OIL for 2003-04 is 140 per cent as against 130 per cent dividend paid...

GUWAHATI, Aug 25 ? The Kopili, which has become infamous for its fury this time, was not that infamous as an incensed one till past mid-July this year. It was a serene, quiet river unlike the ones frequently shifting courses and hurtling through the north bank of the Brahmaputra in this geologically nascent part of the earth. Then what made the Kopili so furious this time that it has detached itself from its tradition? The State Government has explained this in the following manner.

On July 17, 2004 the water level of the Kopili dam of the NEEPCO rose to a height of 8.40 metres above the Full...