GUWAHATI, Nov 28 ? A group of reserve forest under Dhubri and Haltugaon forest division namely Sarpamari, Srigram Arearjhar, Bagholdoba, Kolobari, Sagalkuti, Nyakgaon and the adjacent wildlife sanctuary Chakrasila (famous four golden langur) together with the international wetland ?Dhirbil? are under continuous pressure of destruction, a press release said.

Earlier these forests were of the category of ?rain forest? and home of various rare flora and fauna. The international wetland ?Dhirbil? is situated in the centre of the reserve forest and wildlife sanctuary. This beel provides all sorts...

GUWAHATI, Nov 28 ? The Oil India Limited and the Assam Gas Company are bringing in a team of experts from abroad for exploration of natural gas beneath the bed of Brahmaputra. This was disclosed by the Union Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyer, here today.

Addressing a Press conference here today, the Minister said, ? what petroleum was for the 20th century, gas will be the same during the 21st century.? He said that the OIL made a major breakthrough with the recovery of two gas fields in upper Assam. He revealed that from nine million standard cubic metres per day in 1980s, the gas...

NEW DELHI, Nov 28 ? THe banned insurgent outfit, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), active in Assam for a separate Bodoland, wants to give peace a chance and has expressed its willingness to hold talks with the Centre.

?We want to give a chance to India for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,? said Nabla Daimary or D R Nabla, chief of the NDFB, which has been held responsible for several killings and bomb blasts in different parts of Assam, in an interview.

It is understood that some top leaders of the outlawed group were here recently to hold informal parleys with Union Home...

GUWAHATI, Nov 28 ? Noted litterateur and Jnanpith Award winner Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami today asserted that hope was still there as far as effecting a dialogue between the banned ULFA and the Government was concerned, and what was needed was a ?subtle and humanist approach? and a helping hand from all concerned.

?I would say the chance of a dialogue between the two is still 50:50. The militants, though agitated, are still desirous of having a talk with the Centre, and that is very important,? Dr Goswami, who has been playing a major role in trying to bring the militants to the negotiating...

GUWAHATI, Nov 28 ? The Kamal Kumari National Awards for Art and Culture and Science and Technology, 2002 and 2003, and the Siva Prasad Barooah National Award for Journalism, 2002 and 2003, were presented at a function at the Pragjyoti-ITA Centre for Performing Arts, Machkhowa, today.

The recipients of the Kamal Kumari awards were Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi (Art and Culture-2002), Dr Samir Bhattacharya (Science and Technology-2002), Jahnu Barua (Art and Culture-2003), and Dr Jitendra Nath Goswami (Science and Technology-2003). Teesta Setalvad (2002) and Prannoy Roy were the recipients of the...