Economy / Assam

NEW DELHI, May 4 — A cash-strapped Assam Government in an apparent bid to stall the disinvestment of Assam Ashok Hotel Corporation Ltd (AAHCL), has offered to buy Indian Tourism Development Corporation’s (ITDC) stake in the three-star hotel. A joint venture project between the ITDC, which holds majority stake of 51 per cent, and the Department of Tourism of Assam Government, it was identified for disinvestment in keeping with the Centre’s policy of pulling out of loss-making ITDC-run hotels. The Assam Government has 49 per cent stake in the hotel.

The Minister for Disinvestment, Arun Shourie...

KOLKATA, May 3 — Two ultras of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, arrested from a city hotel, were being interrogated by the police to ascertain if militant outfits were being funded by major tea companies in West Bengal, reports PTI.

City police detective department’s Deputy Commissioner Soumen Mitra said today that the militant organisation was suspected to be extorting money from tea companies, and the police interrogation was proceeding to ascertain facts.

“Our interrogation is proceeding in that direction, since we suspect their role as extortionists,” Mitra said, refusing to...

NEW DELHI, April 30 —Amidst fervent pleas by the Members belonging to the North-East, Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh today assured to review the proposal to withdraw the excise duty exemption on certain products but stopped short of making any firm commitment. A demand for withdrawal of cess on tea was also turned down. But the Minister tried to dispel the impression of being left out by reiterating the commitment of the Government to implement the special packages given to the region. “My love affair with North-East goes back to 1958”, he said.

“Since that period and during the 1962 war, I...

GUWAHATI, April 25 — The draft forest policy of the State has been prepared with an aim at tackling the issues concerning people’s need and conservation of forests. The State Government will examine the draft for preparing the forest policy in order to meet the challenges throw by the present situation on matters related to conservation of forests and sustainable development. Addressing a brief function held on the occasion of release of the draft policy at the Jawahar Nagar Guest House No 1 this morning, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that the draft was prepared by an expert committee as a...

Jorhat, April 13: Eight years after it was raised, the Assam Tea Plantation Security Force (ATPSF) is struggling to combat the might of militant outfits without the high-tech communication tools considered necessary for such a battle.

The force, raised in 1995 exclusively for the protection of tea garden executives, has been deployed in about 100 tea estates of Upper Assam, Darrang, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Silchar. It has 115 platoons, comprising about 3,000 personnel.

An ATPSF platoon commander who wished not to be named told The Telegraph that members of the force, especially those stationed...

NEW DELHI, April 10—The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has recovered the loss, estimated at Rs 14.47 crore, from the insurance company caused by outlawed ULFA when it blew up one of its fuel tanks in Digboi refinery last month, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Ram Naik told the Lok Sabha this morning. Replying to a Question Hour discussion, the Minister asserting that security cover of all oil installations in the country has been beefed up, said that suspected ULFA militants fired at a tank containing 4500 kilolitres of petrol at Digboi Refinery of IOCL. As a result, fire...

NEW DELHI, April 9 — The high-pitch rhetoric that Centre has neglected Assam has not moved the Union Government as it has drawn the conclusion that the State has not been able to make rapid progress in implementation.

The reason for Centre’s analysis is the State has been given adequate funds but it has not been able to utilize it. For instance, Minister of State of State for Statistics and programme Implementation, S B Mookherjee pointed out that Assam could spend only Rs 7,091.03 crore out of then allocation of Rs 8,140.28 crore during five annual plans of the Ninth Five Year Plan period.

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DIBRUGARH, April 6— The Weights & Measures official at the Assam Legal Metrology department have found to their dismay that the Northeast Frontier Railway is flouting the Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 and the Assam Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Rules, 1994. While the Railways have taken no steps to make good the flaws, the Assam Government too has lost some revenue in the process, as stamping and verification of measurement apparatus by the Legal Metrology Department (LMD) yields some fees.

Though the Railway maintains that the diesel filling unit...

GUWAHATI, April 5— The Oil India Limited (OIL) is going ahead with its plan for business restructuring as part of its preparation to cope with the changed de-regulated environment in the country’s petroleum sector. Making a statement at a seminar organised at Guwahati Press Club here today on restructuring of the Oil India Limited, the premier oil companies Senior Adviser on Strategic and Corporate Planning, Nripen Bharali said any further delay in restructuring would seriously undermine the OIL’s business prospects and consequent growth opportunities in the future. This, he said, would affect...

GUWAHATI, March 4 — Assam Government will bring a Bill to empower the State Government to have control over natural gas resources available in the State in the line of the Gujarat Gas (Regulation of Transmission, Supply and Distribution) Bill, 2001. The State Minister for Mines and Minerals, Gobinda Chandra Langthasa today made a statement in the House in this regard after the AGP legislator Gunin Hazarika moved a private member Bill over the issue.

Sri Hazarika moved the Assam Regulatory Board (Control and Distribution) on Gas and Gas Works, Bill, 2003 in the House today in order to empower...