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Guwahati, Jan. 31: For thousands of years, countless devotees have walked down the cobbled steps to reach the sanctum sanctorum of the Kamakhya temple to pay obeisance to the goddess. But from now on, pilgrims will not be allowed to break a coconut at the altar of the goddess or light incense sticks inside the main temple.

Threat to the structure of the temple due to vibrations, smoke and harmful chemicals ? pointed out by the Archaeological Survey of India ? have prompted the temple authorities to impose a ?ban? on breaking of coconuts and lighting of incense sticks inside the sanctum...

Guwahati, Jan. 31: The Assam government will move the Centre against the Bajrang Dal?s plan to launch a survey for determining the number of Bangla-deshi migrants residing in the state.

The government?s official spokesman, Ripun Bora, said the Centre would be informed about the survey since the matter is sensitive. If the Centre?s response is not satisfactory, Dispur is prepared to initiate action against the illegal survey by the Bajrang Dal, he added.

?The influx of foreigners is not only Assam?s problem, but a national issue. The state government will first consult with New Delhi on the...

KOHIMA, Jan 31 ? Over 10.16 lakh voters would exercise their franchise on February 26 for the election of a new 60-member Nagaland Assembly, reports PTI.

Of them, as per the newly-revised electoral rolls, the number of male voters stood at around 6.30 lakh while the female electorate were 3.86 lakh, according to official sources. As electronic voting machines (EVM) would be used for the first time in the ensuing Assembly elections, the EVMs were being displayed by the state electoral office at public places with a view to making the people familiar with the functioning of machines.

Meanwhile...

GUWAHATI, Jan 31 ? The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is focusing on accident prevention, safety measures and infrastructure development despite the constant threat from the ultras in the region. Addressing mediapersons at NF Railway headquarters here today, the General Manager of the Railways Vipan Nanda informed that efforts would be geared up to reduce possibility of accidents. He informed that trial of Anti-Collision Device (ACD) was completed in NF Railway and was currently under field trial in Northern Railway. Once the field trials are over, the ACDs are likely to be introduced in the...

Guwahati, Jan. 30: On a cold January morning, some fishermen in Goalpara came up with a catch which they had never seen nor heard of: a deep-sea rayfish from the depths of the Brahmaputra.

The discovery of the rayfish in freshwater has prompted the state zoo authorities to launch a project to study its journey from the deep seas to the Brahmaputra.

The zoo authorities have made arrangements to display the rare fish. Visitors thronging the zoo are making a beeline for the enclosure housing the fish ? albeit long dead ? to get a glimpse of the marine specimen weighing 150 kg with a body span of...