NEW DELHI, Aug 24 ? In a scathing remark on functioning of the Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), a Parliamentary panel has asked it to play a proactive role in development of the north-eastern region (NER) and fix a timeframe for revamping the North Eastern Council (NEC). The role and functioning of DONER have come under scrutiny. Upon closer examination, it was noticed that the role played by the Ministry appears to be inadequate in that it has been playing the role of a mere funding agency for the States. The Ministry should conceptualise and initiate developmental...

GUWAHATI, Aug 24 ? The war of words between the All Assam Students? Union (AASU) and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) continues today with the students? organisation calling upon the militant outfit to first ?liberate Assam from the grasp of Bangladeshi nationals? before demanding sovereignty of Assam. Talking to newsmen here today, AASU president Prabin Boro and adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya asserted that the students? organisation never compromised on the issue of illegal migration of people from Bangladesh. They pointed out that the ULFA is now demanding that all foreigners who...

SHILLONG, Aug 23 ? Social activists in the North East are up in arms against the construction of mega dams in the region claiming it would bring ?untold suffering and land alienation among the indigenous poeple,? reports PTI. The Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD), a forum of people movements, NGOs, professional associations and leading citizens here said that the respective governments proposed to construct 168 large hydro-electric projects in the region and 28 of them were at the implementation stage and some others were also being developed.

Talking to media after its three...

GUWAHATI, Aug 23 ? The State Forest department has prepared a Rs 16-crore scheme for immediate restoration and reconstruction of the infrastructure inside the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries damaged in the last wave of floods. The Minister of State for Forest, Pradyut Bordoloi, said that the scheme has been submitted to the Central team, which visited the State for assessing the damages caused by floods. He also expressed the hope that the State Government, on its own, would be able to release some funds for immediate restoration of the infrastructure inside the national parks and...

SHILLONG, Aug 23: Going by the past experience of adverse economic, social and cultural impacts of dams, a serious review of the proposed plan to convert the north-eastern region into a power-house of the country by building 168 dams, is not only called for but imperative to prevent a massive disaster. The view was expressed at a two-day meeting of the 2nd Consultation on Dams in North east India, which concluded at Youth Hostel here yesterday. The Government of India has identified 168 sites as possible sites for dams, of which 26 projects have already been cleared.

About 50 participants from...