News

SHILLONG, July 2 ? Kidnapped Indian Forest Service official D Sathyen was released unharmed at Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district last night after about a fortnight amidst claims by the State government that no ransom had been paid to the abductors for his release. Sathyen, who is in-charge of Balpakram National Park, was escorted back to the Divisional Forest Officer's office at Baghmara in South Garo Hills district at 10.30 pm last night by some Forest officials, Pricipal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) V K Nautiyal said.

Sathyen was found to be in a healthy condition, he said but...

Imphal, July 2: The comptroller and auditor-general (CAG) has pointed a finger at the Manipur government, indicting the home department for misutilising funds provided by Delhi. The money, meant for modernisation of the state police force, was not utilised properly, depriving the state police of additional aid to the tune of Rs 7 crore. This occurred at a time when the state government was reeling under an acute financial crunch.

The CAG, in its latest report, said the home department spent Rs 1.68 crore out of the Rs 2 crore sanctioned by the Union home ministry under the police...

Silchar/Hailakandi, July 2: The diarrhoea outbreak in Hailakandi district claimed two more lives today, taking the toll to 21. Two more persons died at Roopacherra tea garden in the south Assam district. Sources said 33-year-old Raj Kumar Bhar and 40-year-old Gita Roy were the latest victims.

At least 21 labourers have died of diarrhoea and other enteric diseases in Sonacherra, Roopacherra and Serispore gardens in the district over the past four days.

The district?s joint director of health (in-charge), A.K. Bayan, today blamed the Roopacherra tea garden authorities for not doing enough to...

Imphal, July 2: The ministers in the Okram Ibobi Singh cabinet are likely to quit en masse on Sunday to facilitate the chief minister to downsize his ministry. Ibobi Singh, who had been camping in New Delhi for the past week along with some of his senior ministerial colleagues to finalise the list, returned to Imphal this afternoon. The chief minister is said to have made the list final during his meeting with AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

At present, the strength of the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) ministry is 32, excluding the Speaker and the deputy Speaker. The new law requires Ibobi...

New Delhi, July 2: A non-government organisation has sounded a red alert over the spurt in human trafficking from the region. According to Shakti Vahini, the NGO, state governments in the region are yet to grasp the implications of the racket and yet to put the necessary preventive mechanism in place.

Its annual report, Trafficking in India Report 2004, classified all states (barring Arunachal Pradesh) in four categories in terms of the magnitude of trafficking, the existence of the legal and administrative frameworks and their implementation and the concern level for human, woman and child...