Development

Dibrugarh, July 7: Residents of eight villages under Assam?s oil-rich Dibrugarh district have announced an indefinite ?oil blockade? from Friday, accusing Oil India Ltd (OIL) of not taking steps to stop crude spillage from its drilling sites to their croplands. Over 5,000 villagers from Chabua revenue circle of the district will be involved in the agitation. These villagers say the oil spills not only damage their standing crops and reduce the potency of the soil, but also pose a danger to livestock and poultry.

There are two drilling sites in the vicinity of the village that has been affected...

Guwahati, July 7: Two days after trimming his ministry ?under compulsion?, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi sought to placate sidelined senior leaders by promising to shuffle the government next year. Gogoi pleaded with those who missed the bus not to lose heart, saying he would ensure that their ?status? as leaders remains the same. ?We will rehabilitate them appropriately,? he said, hoping the assurance would end the rebellion in former PWD minister Sarat Barkotoky?s hometown Sonari and a couple of other Congress bastions.

The chief minister told the media at Janata Bhawan that the new...

AIZAWL, July 7 ? Former Mizoram Minister of State for Tourism, C Lalrinsanga is all set to occupy the Deputy Speaker?s post in the State Assembly. Speaker Lalchamliana told PTI that Tuesday was the last date for filing of nominations for the election to the Deputy Speaker?s post and no other nomination had been received so far. The election for the Deputy Speaker?s post is being held today.

The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) decided to field Lalrinsanga for the post at its legislature party meeting last night. MNF sources said that while Lalrinsanga would be the Deputy Speaker, PP Thawla...

DIMAPUR, July 7 ? Outgoing power minister and veteran BJP leader Tiameren and outgoing social security & welfare minister K Hollohon, heavyweight JD(U) leader and agriculture minister Huska Sema failed to make it to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio?s team of 12 ministers including the CM, which was announced today to complete the ?downsizing exercise? under a new law passed by the the parliament. Senior BJP ministers MC Konyak as well as independent candidate and outgoing education minister Chuba Chang and Samata Party leader Deo Nukhu, also failed to get into Rio?s favoured eleven excluding CM...

GUWAHATI, July 7 ? Power generation in the North East is coming at a high cost. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) is spending more on security than any other public sector power-generating corporation under the Power Ministry. NEEPCO has demanded that the government should share some of the burden. NEEPCO Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) SC Sharma told newspersons here today that as much as 25 per cent of the Corporation?s 3,276-strong workforce is deployed in security related duties. It is far higher than the three to seven per cent employees assigned similar duties in...

NEW DELHI, July 7 ? Close on the heels of the revelation that the highest number of foreigners were illegally staying in Assam, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today conceded that infiltration from Bangladesh was continuing into different States of North-East. According to available reports, Bangladeshi nationals have been found using porous Indo-Bangladesh border to enter into India illegally, Union Minister of State for Home, S Reghupathy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha here today.

Yesterday, his colleague Union Minister of State, Sriprakash Jaiswal had disclosed in Lok Sabha that...

GUWAHATI, July 7 ? The Ministers who have been dropped in the exercise to downsize the State Ministry would continue to enjoy the same status they used to prior to the exercise. Those who were Cabinet Ministers will continue to enjoy their previous status. They would be provided with the perks too if need be, said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi here this morning at a press conference. He also hinted that some of the dropped Ministers would also be engaged in party activities.

The statement of the Chief Minister that the dropped Ministers would be enjoying their previous status with the perks...

GUWAHATI, July 7 ? Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today warned firm steps against those Congressmen resorting to bandhs in some parts of the State in protest against dropping of some of the Ministers. ? Bandh culture is against the political culture of the Congress. The Congressmen resorting to bandhs in some parts of the State are opposing the Congress High Command. From tomorrow I will be dealing with them very firmly,? he said. He was referring to the bandh called by the Congressmen of Sonari in protest against the decision to drop Sarat Barkataki from the Council of Ministers of the State.

He...

GUWAHATI, July 7 ? The man-animal conflict that has assumed alarming proportions in the State of late, claimed yet another victim today in the form of a leopard that was killed by the public after it strayed into a residential area in the city and attacked three persons. The injured have been admitted to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. The condition of Tilok Chauhan (22) who was first attacked by the leopard, is said to be critical. The other two injured are Bapan Das (20) and an elderly Nepali lady. All the three persons hail from Shankar Nagar on the fringe of the Narakasur hills from...

Agartala, July 6: While the National Socialist Party of Tripura (NSPT) leadership is waiting for the resignation of the party leader Hirendra Kumar Tripura by Thursday, the state government has ordered a CID investigation into charges of corruption against him. Tripura, the chief executive member of the Autonomous District Council (ADC), is currently outside the state for treatment. An official press release issued by the state government last night stated that the state government has received allegations of illegal collection of money by Tripura from unemployed youths. The government has...