News

Imphal, June 14: Even though construction works of the KV 33 power station at Saikul have been completed, the station is yet to start functioning till today due to shortage of staff and reluctance of the employees to work in the area, said Power^ Minister Phungzathang; Tonsing while replying to a query from Saikul MLA C Doungel during the opening session of the State Assembly's Monsoon Session today. Power Minister Phungzathang Tonsing however added that the Govt is doing everything within its means to make the station functional within July by putting in the required staffs at the station. He...

KOHIMA, June 14 – Taking exception to the letter by senior Congress leaders of the North- east to the Centre, Naga NGOs have charged former chief minister S C Jamir and the other signatories with ‘sabotaging’ the ongoing peace process at a time when the Nagas were hoping for an early settlement of the protracted political conflict through dialogue, reports PTI. Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) and Naga Mothers Association (NMA) condemned the Congress leaders’ stand on the ongoing peace process and their insistence on declaring NSCN(I-M) as a...

Agartala, June 14: The mass abductions by the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)’s Biswamohan Debbarma group this morning belied speculation about the outfit planning to follow the path shown by the two factions which suspended hostilities in April.

The Nayanbasi Jamatya and Mantu Koloi-Kamini Debbarma factions signed tripartite agreements with the Centre and the state government in New Delhi on April 15 and surrendered thereafter, giving insurgency-scarred Tripura something to cheer about after a long time.

Most people thought the stronger Biswamohan faction would follow suit, but...

AGARTALA, June 14 – A group of about 30 insurgents of banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (Biswamohan group) kidnapped 37 persons, mostly small traders, from Kampui-Bhandarima road in North Tripura district from two vehicles in the wee hours today, police said, reports PTI. However, later they released 13 persons, mostly tribals, police said. The small traders were going to a market at Kampui, a hill top tribal hamlet bordering Mizoram to sell goods and agricultural and horticultural products. SP (North) Arbinder Singh and District Magistrate Debotosh Dutta rushed to the spot with...

GUWAHATI, June 14 – Though consumption of electricity has increased by as much as 6 percent in Assam over the one year period from 2001-02 to 2002-03, the State’s power generation has continued to decline leaving the people starved for power. The demand-supply shortfall during 2002-03 was 23.78 percent, according to data supplied by the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB).

Assam, despite its tremendous potential to generate power ranging from hydel to natural gas, including oil and coal resources, has not been able to make any progress in this sector. “There exists a big gap between...