IMPHAL, Jan 1 — The survey work for laying the proposed 96-km Jiribam-Imphal railway lines will be taken up by the Tata Energy research Institute soon. Developmental work of the railway lines from Jiribam to Imphal is likely to be initiated at the earliest in order to remove the transport bottlenecks of Manipur. Earlier, the Union Railway Ministry planned to construct a railway line from Diphu (Assam) to Karong (Manipur) and then to Imphal which would have been about 210 km long and would have pass through difficult parts of Nagaland and Karbi Anglong in Assam. General Manager (Construction)...

ITANAGAR, Jan 1 — Talom Rukbo, a prominent literary figure of the State, died in his residence at Pasighat headquarters of East Siang district, family sources said today, reports PTI. Rukbo, who died yesterday was 70. He was survived by his wife and three sons. Rukbo was the founder editor of the Echo of Arunachal, the first newspaper published from the State. He was also the founder member of Donyi Polo Yellam Kebang, a socio-literary orgnisation of the State working for the preservation of tribal cultural tradition besides revival of Donyi Poloism (sun and moon god). He also attended the...

GUWAHATI, Jan 1 – The Assam government has submitted a proposal to the Sangeet Natak Akademi for the setting up of a Sattriya Dance Promotion Forum for the propagation of the dance form of the State. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said in a statement that a Rs 43.87 lakh action plan would be implemented by the State Culture Department for the preservation and promotion of the dance form. Gogoi further said that his government was giving special importance to preservation, protection, discussion, development and propagation of the traditional art and cultural forms of the State. The Cultural...

GUWAHATI, Jan 1 — The Consultative Committee of Plantation Association (CCPA) move to block supply of low-quality end-season tea to the market came a cropper as hardly 30 per cent of tea gardens in both Brahmaputra and Barak valleys complied with its directive to stop plucking from December 1 and 7 respectively. The CCPA in November last year requested tea garden of Brahmaputra and Barak valleys as well as those from Dooars region to stop plucking in advance during December first week so that declining prices in the tea market could be arrested by avoiding flow of volumes of low-quality end...

GUWAHATI, Jan 1 — The Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that he would consider a ‘safe passage’ to the militants of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) as a goodwill gesture for the new year, if they responded to the Government’s appeal for negotiations, reports PTI. “I will be happy to respond to their cooperation by giving them safe passage to visit their families during the new year,” Gogoi told PTI when asked if he would offer safe passage to the ultras as a goodwill gesture. Saying that no date for commencement of the offer or its duration had decided yet, he...