KOHIMA, May 7 ? Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir on Monday said his government had already communicated to the Centre its decision to withdraw arrest warrants against NSCN(I-M) leaders Issar Chishi Swu and Thuingalang Muivah to enable them to visit the country, reports PTI. This would help the NSNC(I-M) to carry forward the political negotiations for an amicable settlement to the protracted Naga problem, the Chief Minister said. ?We have already written to the Union Home Ministry and I have already announced my government?s decision about it (withdrawal of cases)... It is now up to them (NSCN...

KOKRAJHAR, May 7? The 240 MW Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station (BTPS) at Kokrajhar is likely to be shut down following the apathetic attitude of the ASEB. The Chief Engineer (generation), ASEB Apurba Sharma visited the BTPS recently, met several members of Kokrajhar Zilla Thika Sramik Union and assured that the BTPS would be renovated soon. He also said that the workers' union should not be worried about the present condition of the power project. He also added that the Harendranath Das Committee, which suggested the investing of Rs 2 crore for renovation of BTPS is useless, but the ASEB will...

SILCHAR, May 7? The Rs 1600-crore gauge conversion project between Lumding and Silchar is delayed due to several natural factors like the weather condition, rough terrain etc. However, even at the existing rate of progress, the project is likely to be completed by the year 2008. This correspondent visited some parts of the gauge conversion project sites to gather first hand knowledge of the problems faced by the Railways in implementing the ambitious project, and found that in most of the sites, the work had to be stopped due to heavy rainfall. Railway sources revealed that the working season...

NEW DELHI, May 7 ? Reiterating Centre?s conditional offer for talks with the outlawed ULFA, Union Minister of State for Home, I D Swami today while ruling out the possibility of unilateral ceasefire said the offer has to come from the militant outfit. Talking to a group of newsmen on the sidelines of the national seminar organized by All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Minister said the outfit has to first abjure violence and give up arms before negotiations. ?It is the first stated policy of the Government of India to talk to any militant outfit provided they give up violence,? he said.

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NEW DELHI, May 7 ? Taking umbrage at the inordinate delay in solving the infiltration problem suffered by Assam, speakers today suggested that the Centre should be put on notice on the issue and All Assam Students Union (AASU) should seriously consider reviving the anti-foreigners agitation. A two-day national seminar on ?Infiltration of Illegal Foreigners in Assam and IMDT Act and Flood, Erosion and Economy of Assam? organized by AASU today saw former Primer Minister, HD Deve Gowda, Minister of State for Home Affairs, ID Swami, eminent journalist Kuldip Nayar besides several MPs belonging to...