SHILLONG, June 25 ? Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura will be the first states in the north eastern region where Electoral Photo-Identity Cards (EPIC) have been made mandatory for the Assembly polls due in February next year. Making the announcement here this evening, Election Commissioner of India, BB Tandon told newsmen ?The Election Commission has taken a policy decision to make the EPIC mandatory for the coming polls to the state Assemblies in the three north eastern states along with Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.?

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will also be used in all the 1569 polling...

GUWAHATI, June 25 ? The Union Water Resource Ministry has been constantly maintaining, in view of the Union Power Ministry?s proposal to develop major hydel power projects in the NE region, that adequate flood cushioning provisions should be there in the reservoirs built for the purpose. Disclosing this, sources in the Brahmaputra Board here said that though the Board had prepared, or been preparing, the project reports for the major tributaries of the Brahmaputra like Kameng, Subansiri, Dihang, Dibang, Lohit, Noadihing and Pagladia, except for the last one, all the other projects have been...

DIBRUGARH, June 25? A local association here, Youth Leadership Centre, has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against the modus operandi of the ongoing eviction drives in the State, which began more than a month ago at Batahghooli in Guwahati. Taking cognisance of the petition, the NHRC has sent notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Assam, asking both the authorities to make the government stand clear on the issue. Dr Nabajyoti Hazarika, a cardio-thoracic surgeon at the Assam Medical College here and president of the voluntary Youth Leadership...

Imphal, June 25: The lone zoological garden in the state at Iroishemba is plummeting into a state of decay owing to negligence by the state government. Although the state government had been facing a financial crisis for the last many years, the Centre had uninterruptedly released funds through the state government for the maintenance of the zoo. However, the state government has not made available these central funds for the development or maintenance of the zoo except for bills clearance of contractors supplying fodders and meat for the zoo animals. Even this has not been regular, sources...

Imphal, June 24: For the moment Chief Minister O Ibobi and his men can rest in peace as the 'post merger crisis' that had threatened to rock the boat of the Secular Progressive Front Government has blown over with the Steering Committee of the Front accepting the merger of the 11 MLAs with the Congress after a marathon meeting today. The Steering Committee meeting started at 3 pm and stretched on till 7.30 in the evening and was presided by MSCP president and co-chairman of the Steering Committee Th Chaoba. Along with granting cognizance to the merger of the 11 MLAs the meeting resolved to...