GUWAHATI, March 18 ? At least eight militants were killed in separate encounters with security forces in Nalbari, Dhubri and Kokrajhar during the last 24 hours. While four hard-core extremists of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) including a self-styled sergeant major and other members of the outfits? ?Enigma? group were slain in an encounter with security forces in Nalbari while three other ULFA ultras were killed in Dhubri and an NDFB ultra was killed in another encounter in Kokajhar. Nalbari correspondent adds : Atleast four hardcore militants belong to the ULFA were killed in two...

NEW DELHI, March 18 ? The Indian Airlines and Alliance Air have revised air fares in the Northeast sectors ranging between 10 to 15 per cent with effect from February 15, Civil Aviation Minister, Shahnawaz Hussain said this here today. The hike in air fare in the region came close on the heels of the Union Finance Ministry formally issuing a notification (No 2/2002) waiving off Inland Air Travel Tax in all routes to and from and within the Northeastern States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. The Minister, however, refused to estimate the loss...

GUWAHATI, March 18 ? It is a mere refinery with only 0.65 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) capacity. It has no contribution to the industrial development of the country and hence it can never deserve a special treatment. Perhaps, this was the belief in the higher echelons of the Central Government when the announcement for 50 per cent excise duty relief to Digboi Refinery was made recently. The Refinery has been making feverish pleas for the past several years to provide it with a 100 per cent excise duty relief only to enable it to go for product diversification. But the said belief...

NAMRUP, March 18?The Assam Petrochemicals Ltd (APL), a pioneer enterprise engaged in manufacturer of methanol or ethyl alcohol and formalin, with natural gas as feed stock, has been gasping under the price hike of natural gas and power. APL is an Assam Government public sector undertaking (PSU), incorporated in 1971 with 88 per cent equity share of the government and 10 per cent of the IDBI. It started its commercial production of 21 TPD Methanol plant and 36 TPD formalin or formaldehyde plant in 1975. Since then APL has been galloping ahead, crossing several barriers like market crunch...

NEW DELHI, March 16 ? Dawn of a new information technology era in the North East is likely to be hit by fund crunch even in the face of the Ministry of Information Technology?s assertion that the Community Information Centre (CIC) project was on tracks and all of proposed 487 centres in the region were scheduled to be set up by August 15. Implementation of the ambitious CICs Project may be more then just a mouse click away, if the doubts expressed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to IT Ministry, has any substance. The Committee headed by Somnath Chatterjee has pointed out that...