NEW DELHI, Aug 25 ? Fresh alert has been sounded following reports of ULFA planning to target vital oil installations particularly storage tanks in Assam, highly placed sources said. Amidst escalating tension in the Region, Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil will be making his first trip to North-east on September 4-6. The Union Home Minister is slated to tour Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur. Sri Patil visit to Manipur would be crucial as he is expected to break the ice by trying to open dialogue with the agitating organisations.

Meanwhile, according to Petroleum Ministry sources here they were...

NEW DELHI, Aug 25 ? An all-party delegation of the Assam Assembly today urged the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to recognise the floods of Assam as a national problem besides seeking Rs 6,500 crore for rehabilitation of flood victims and repair of the damaged infrastructure. The delegation led by Speaker of Assam Assembly, Prithibi Majhi met the Prime Minister at his Parliament House office this afternoon and presented him a memorandum signed by all the political parties.

Later emerging out of the meeting, he told this newspaper that the Prime Minister?s attention was drawn to the rules of...

SHILLONG, Aug 24 ? The North Eastern Council (NEC) was considering a series of performers presentation (SOPP) and has started writing to all the constituent states about it, a senior NEC official said today, reports PTI. NEC Secretary Kamal Taori said that the NEC like the Planning Commission 'must always' be on the look out of 'intensive search of performers' and organise their presentation into a series in a 'systematic manner'.

Taori, a former Advisor in the Planning Commission (PC) said the main objective of the SOPP was to give a platform to performers to offer suggestions for betterment...

IMPHAL, Aug 24 ? Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh today said his Government also wanted complete removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from the State, but would not tolerate violent agitation for that. In a statement here, Singh said the government was not against democratic agitation and non-violenct movement launched by the people for lifting the Act. But, he said, indulgence in violence and anti-national activities in the name of demanding lifting of the Act would mislead the people and the government would not remain a silent spectator.

Singh said dishonouring of national...

NALBARI, Aug 24 ? The All Assam Students? Union (AASU) has warned the militant outfit ULFA to use gun by the mind and not by the fingers which has resulted in the Dhemaji like situation in Assam. The AASU can?t tolerate the killings of innocent people, schoolchildren in the name of ULFA?s independent Assam.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, the AASU chief Prabin Boro, who came to Nalbari to attend a citizen meeting said that ULFA should realize that they also have been using the masses as a shield like the innocent children who were killed on the independence day function in Dhemaji. The Assamese...