DHUBRI, June 22 ? Forest department of Dhubri started eviction of encroachers from forest lands from June 9 last. On that day Forest department personnel evicted 10 families from their unauthorised occupation of land in the Rajapara proposed reserve forest. Ten huts erected by the families on the encroached land for dwelling purpose were also dismantled. According to Forest department sources, a total of five hectares of land were freed in the process. It is learnt from the Divisional Forest Office source that Dhubri district has a total of 27831.38 hactres of reserve forest areas, and 18587...

KOKRAJHAR, June 22 ? The Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) has expressed strong resentment over the State government?s dilly-dallying attitude in solving long-standing problems of the Bodos. The outfit blamed the government functionaries entrusted to solve the Bodo tangle for the delay. Referring to the State Government?s commitment to framing modalities with regard to creation of Bodoland Territory as a core issue duly submitted to the Central Government, the BLT said the government has failed to keep its earlier promiseson substantive issues touched upon during several rounds of negotiations at...

Imphal, June 22: Demonstrating strong protests against the merger of the 11 MLAs with the Congress, Rajya Sabha MP and seasoned political figure, Rishang Keishing today resigned from the post of the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Secular Progressive Front. In another development the Nationalist Congress Party has walked out of the SPF sparking off a potential round of political upheaval in the days to come. Rishang Keishing submitted his resignation letter to the Secretary of the Steering Committee, Ph Parijat of the CPI who is also the PCS Minister. In his resignation paper...

NEW DELHI, June 21? In a move which would give a boost to the Naga peace process, the Nagaland Government has ?formally withdrawn? the arrest warrant against NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, a state government spokesman said here today. This paves the way for Muivah and NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chishi Swu to visit India to hold further rounds of peace talks. The district magistrate of Dimapur on Monday passed an order withdrawing the warrant, which was issued in February 2000 following an ambush on Chief Minister S C Jamir?s convoy in November 1999 in which two security...

GUWAHATI, June 21? The All Guwahati Students? Union (AGSU) today warned the Hindi film lobby to desist from any conspiracy against the Assamese film industry and asked the producers, artists and other technicians of the Assamese film industry to put up a united fight against such evil moves. Decrying the withdrawal of the Assamese film Gun Gun Gane Gane which had been drawing a full house at Udeshna hall, all of a sudden and without any notice from 8 p.m. last night. It has been replaced by a Hindi film reflecting the latest instance of the ill treatment and victimisation of the Assamese film...