Development

DIBRUGARH, July 24 ? Assam?s second tea auction centre is likely to be established here before the end of the year, if the current progress in the matter is any indication. The Dibrugarh Nagarik Sangha first raised the demand for a tea auction centre here in 1976, considering that most of the State?s quality tea is produced in the present undivided Dibrugarh district.

The demand from the planters as well as leading citizens of the area led to the recent constitution of the Dibrugarh Tea Auction Centre Establishment Committee, with third generation tea planter and a leading light of the Assam...

GUWAHATI, July 24 ? A serious situation awaits the State?s farm sector. For, almost 50 per cent of the State?s 87-lakh livestock population is affected by the current wave of the floods.

According to an estimate made by the State Veterinary Department, the floods have affected 42.82 lakh of the livestock so far this year. Of these, 28 lakh are poultry. About 4,000 cattle and 5, 525 poultry have been washed away so far by the floodwaters. The Veterinary Department has 418 of its institutions, including the staff quarters, affected by the floodwaters, not to speak of the fate of the instruments...

GUWAHATI, July 24 ? The suspension of rail services due to floods has seriously affected a large number of people on their way to various places in upper Assam. Along with passenger traffic, the transportation of goods ? bulk and perishable cargo in particular ? has also been badly hampered.

The Guwahati rail station wore a very different look today with stranded passengers occupying the platforms and the main hall. Although the official announcement of rail services being suspended was issued on Friday, there has been no rail service to Upper Assam since July 20, said a railway source. Among...

GUWAHATI, July 24 ? There is no change in the overall flood situation in the State. The current wave of the floods, which started on June 24 last completed its 31st day today. Rail and road communication between upper and lower Assam remained snapped for the sixth day even as some attempts have been made by the authorities today to send essential items to some of the upper Assam areas from the city via Mangaldoi. Around twelve million people in 10,067 villages in all the 27 districts of the State have so far been affected by the current wave of floods. The flood has claimed 135 human lives...

AGARTALA, July 23 ? Landlocked Tripura was again cut off from the rest of the country following submerging of a large portion of NH 44, Tripura?s lifeline, at Badarpur in Assam due to incessant rains in the last 24 hours, official sources said. River Barak in Assam was flowing much above the danger mark due to heavy rains in the last two days causing serious threat to NH-44 which connects Tripura with the rest of the country. After clearing of the debris at Sonarpur in Meghalaya by Border Road Task Force personnel on Wednesday, hundreds of Meghalaya and Guwahati bound vehicles had started...

DIBRUGARH, July 23 ? It is stock taking time in the Dibrugarh district, now that the second wave of floods has receded. According to official figures released here, the damages to public property like roads etc alone account for Rs 10.83 crore in the Dibrugarh district. The worst affected are PWD roads, with damages calculated at Rs 3.02 crore, while rural roads maintained by the DRDA would require Rs 75 lakh to be repaired. According to department-wise damage figures, the E&D department in the district needs Rs 2.90 crore to repair dykes and ring bunds that have been affected by floods. The...

NEW DELHI, July 23 ? In a significant development, yet another militant outfit of the North-east, Achik National Volunteers? Council (ANVC) of Meghalaya today came overground by signing ceasefire agreement with the Union Government. The peace pact between the Union Government and the ANVC, which has a strong following in Garo Hills, was pending since last year when the outfit expressed its desire to hold talks with the Centre. Since then several rounds of preliminary talks between the representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and ANVC were held.

The formal agreement to sign the...

NEW DELHI, July 23 ? In a major turn-around, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today retracted its claim that there were 50 lakh illegal Bangladeshis in Assam on the plea that the reported figures were not based on any comprehensive study but were based on hearsay and that too from interested parties! The statement made in the Rajya Sabha, this afternoon, by Minister of State, Manik Rao Gavit on behalf of Minister of State Sriprakash Jaiswal was lost in the din in the House over Shibu Soren affair. The Minister promptly made the statement in the Upper House soon after business was resumed in the...

NEW DELHI, July 23 ? Within days of his tour to flood-ravaged Assam, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh today initiated a series of actions to help flood-hit Assam, including a direction to the Union Finance Ministry to take action on the Assam Government?s plea for conversion of loan assistance worth Rs 380 crore to grant. The Prime Minister?s fresh initiatives came on a day when BJP announced former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani?s tour of the flood-hit State on July 27. Official sources said that Assam Government brought to the attention of the Prime Minister its earlier requests and the...

GUWAHATI, July 23 ? The overall flood situation in the State remained unchanged even on the 30th day of the second wave of the floods today. The number of the affected people has crossed one crore today and the death toll has also shot up to 119. Following an improvement in the weather condition the water levels of the State?s rain-fed rivers have started falling. But the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries Burhidihing, Dhansiri South, Kopilli and Sonkosh are still flowing above the Danger Level (DL) at places. The Barak, the Katakhal and the Kushiyara are also flowing above the DL.

Accordi...