NEW DELHI, May 15 ? The contentious gas supply agreement between the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has been clinched, thereby clearing a major hurdle in the implementation of the mega gas cracker project in Assam. The resolution of the dispute between the ONGC and the RIL was announced at a review meeting of the gas cracker project, chaired by Union Chemical and Petrochemical Secretary, Vinay Kohli here yesterday.

According to sources, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (P&NG) was expected to take another two to three weeks to identify...

KOKRAJHAR, May 15 ? In a significant move, the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) today decided to reconsider participation in talks with the Centre if the Government fails to show a positive stand on solution of the Bodo problem. This decision was taken at the central executive committee of the BLT held in Kokrajhar today. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the BLT chairman, Hagrama Basumatary said that the BLT representatives would desist from participating in talks with the Government without instruction from the ?BLT cabinet?. The BLT chairman said that the Assam Cabinet?s decision on the...

GUWAHATI, May 14 ? The State Government has decided to ?rename? the District Library, Guwahati as the State Central Library. However, the Government notification issued in this connection made it clear that this renaming would be ?without modification of the pay scale of any of the posts therein?. The notification (No AR 35/2000/1, dated Dispur, the 14th August/2001) said that this step was taken in the ?interest of public service?. It also did not mention anything about a separate District Library that the city has a legitimate claim to for its being a district headquarters. The Government...

NEW DELHI, May 14 ? In a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, engagement of 150 road contractors by the State PWD to renovate 100 km stretch of roadwork of the historic Dhodar Ali road has thrown the project behind schedule by over a decade. The State PWD?s practice of distributing works among contractors has raised quite a few eyebrows in the government circle, as even after engaging 150 contractors to renovate 100 km stretch of the road, it has taken the department over a decade to execute only 80 per cent of the work. The road improvement of the Dhodar Ali was sanctioned in...

Imphal, May 14: Due to unchecked encroachment and alleged issue of land allotment orders to encroachers by the Settlement and Land Records Department, the original area of the Langol Reserved Forest has been reduced by 50 percent. said a source in the State Forest Department. A large portion of the 7.45 sq kms area of the reserved forest which serves as the "green lungs" of Imphal valley has been occupied by new settlers and the 'forest area' has shrunk to a mere 350 hectares. Besides large scale deforestation of the Langol Hills has been going on, he said. Contending that encroaching and...