NEW DELHI, May 16 ? In a significant development, Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar has assured that creation of the proposed Rangiya Rail Division was on tracks and that a sum of Rs 1 crore has been earmarked for the project. This undertaking was given to a delegation of Congress leaders including Madhab Rajbongshi MP and Bhubaneswar Kalita MLA, when they called on him to expedite the process of creation of the division.

Later, Sri Rajbongshi later told this newspaper that the Railway Minister assuring them that the project had not shelved gave a new lease of life by announcing sanction of...

NEW DELHI, May 16 ? In keeping with the understanding arrived at the last round of tripartite talks on the Bodo issue, the Assam Government has submitted a draft agreement on the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to the Centre, highly placed sources in the Home Ministry told this newspaper. But submission of the draft is unlikely to hasten the resolution of the vexed problem, as the State Government?s plan has skirted all the contentious issues dogging the negotiations with the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT).

According to sources, the submitted draft for instance has not spelled out...

GUWAHATI, May 16 ? Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi today informed that ceasefire agreement between Karbi militant outfit, United People?s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and Government of India might materialise as the process was in an ?advanced stage.? Stating that the insurgency situation in the State had improved a lot during the last one year, the Chief Minister hoped that talks between the ULFA and the Centre would take place as the people of the State were yearning for peace and development. He claimed that of late people?s cooperation towards security forces fighting insurgents in the...

GUWAHATI, May 16 ? Continuing with its crackdown on the encroachers in the city reserve forest areas, the district administration today demolished 355 houses in the Lechubagan area at Hengrabari. The eviction drive started in the morning and continued till the evening. Many of the encroachers had already left their homes apprehending eviction. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) led by its city committee president Ramendra Narayan Kalita today submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, decrying the ?inhuman? eviction drive. While reiterating that the AGP was not...

GUWAHATI, May 16 ? Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today stated that the ongoing eviction drive by the State Forest department would continue till all forest areas including wildlife sanctuaries and national parks were cleared of encroachers. Talking to this newspaper, Sri Gogoi said the State government was bound by the Supreme Court directive to purge forest areas of encroachers and could not stop the eviction drive despite the resistance from encroachers or the criticism from different quarters. When his attention was drawn to the incidents where a couple of ruling party MLAs tried to interfere...