DIBRUGARH, Jan 7 — A herd of elephants, numbering between 30 and 35, have been terrorizing the people in a dozen villages in the south-western fringes of the city. This annual depredation by the pachyderm pack has till now gone unchecked, even as the forest department officials are at their wit’s end as to how to tackle the situation. The villages that have been hit hard by elephants knocking at human dwellings include Kathalbam, Metakani, Sessa Nagaon, Bordoibam and Majgaon in the Medela Dehingmukh area, Dighalia and Moinammirigaon in the Kolakhowa area and Paroliguri, Baregharia and...

GUWAHATI, Jan 7 – Lack of cooperation from the State governments has hampered the functioning of the National Commission for Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribe (NCSC&ST) in the region, as several departments of the Assam Government involved in the affairs of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), have not responded to the directives and queries of the National Commission for the last two-three years. Things have come to such a pass that the NCSC&ST field office here does not even have the latest data on the SC and ST population in the State. “The State Government is not...

AGARTALA, Jan 7 — There has been an increase of 2.7 per cent voters in Tripura as per the final electoral roll which was published yesterday. The total number of voters who would exercise their franchise in the coming February polls stands at 19,31,000. The previous roll had 18,80,700 voters. Official sources said the entire process was completed yesterday.

“In the special summery revision of the roll, we have received 12.63 per cent voters as per the figures of January 2002 who had wanted to get their names included in the roll, but only 2.7 per cent forms could be cleared depending on the...

ITANAGAR, Jan 7— A revolution in Citronella cultivation introduced by Itanagar branch of Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) has given a new lease of life to about 130 families in Arunachal Pradesh, who have earned Rs 35 lakh over a period of three years from the sell of citronella oil, reports PTI.

Cultivation of this new crop gained ground after formation of cooperative societies to grow citronella and extract its oil, Dr B N Saha, scientist incharge of RRL, told PTI Friday. Citronella oil is mainly used as an ingredient of anti-pest solutions. Saha said the RRL supplied planting materials...

Imphal, January 06: Around 60 NSCN (I-M) top cadres have left the Dimapur Airport for New Delhi as the two visiting supremos of the outfit have cancelled their much speculated trip to Nagaland, according to highly placed sources. Sources said that the cadres, many of whom have not yet seen the outfit chairman Isak Chisi Swu and general secretary Th Muivah in persons, have left the Nagaland commercial town in three batches for New Delhi to meet and to be introduced to them. Muivah and Swu have restricted their trip only to New Delhi due to 'certain reasons', sources said. Sources further...