Development / Assam

GUWAHATI, Dec 19 — That the much-trumpeted Government slogan of health for all by 2000 remains only in paper is evident from the functioning of the three medical colleges which betrays the sheer apathy of the Government towards the cause of the common people. Plagued by acute shortage of medicine, lack of casualty and emergency services, insufficient manpower, etc, the three medical colleges at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar are a sad commentary on the overall health care system in the State. Laying bare the pathetic state of affairs in the medical colleges, the Federation of Junior Doctors...

GUWAHATI, Dec 19 – Worried over the shrinking forest cover and growing incidents of elephant depredation, the Centre has released Rs 1.19 crore for the state forest department. The fund has been released in order to develop the national parks and sanctuaries scattered in various places of the State. According to official sources, Rs 54.25 lakh has been released for maintenance and development of national parks and sanctuaries while Rs 69.70 lakh has been allotted for Project Elephant. The State has been witnessing a series of elephant depredation problems for the last several years due to the...

NEW DELHI, Dec 18 – In what could land Assam Government in an embarassing position, Central Water Commission (CWC) has scrapped 15 flood control projects of Assam because of non-response of the State Government for over a year. The 15 proposals deleted by the CWC were part of the 109 flood control proposals submitted by Assam Government since 1999. Out of these, 47 projects have been techno-economically cleared, while 31 others have been accorded investments clearance by the Planning Commission.

Another 27 projects after being examined by the CWC have been returned to the State Government by...

Silchar, Dec. 18: The spectre of starvation is looming large over the 2,000-strong labour force of Hatticherra and Subong tea estates in south Assam?s Cachar district.

The Calcutta-based Hindusthan Tea Company, which owns both estates, declared a lockout on July 18 following a dispute with the labour union over wages.

The woes of the workers have been compounded by the lack of medical facilities.

Amar Mahali, secretary of the Hatticherra Subong Cha Bagan Sangram Samity, told newspersons here last night that at least 57 tea workers had died of various diseases since the lockout was declared.

H...

Silchar, Dec. 18: Wild elephants last night raided villages near the Badshahi reserve forest under Patherkandi block of Karimganj district, killing one person and seriously injuring another. The victim has been identified as Ram Suryabongshi of Longai tea estate.

Authorities there fear that the man-elephant conflict may worsen, with villagers preparing to attack the tuskers. The herd also damaged cottages and crops in the area.

The rampaging elephants made their way into the Longai estate belonging to the Assam Tea Corporation, bringing down 11 cottages. Rogue elephants destroyed over 70 huts...

Guwahati, Dec. 18: The discount fever, the new-age mantra to boost business, seems to have finally caught up with the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC).

In a bid to encourage the public to use its fast-growing fleet and increase business volume, the ASTC will be offering discounts on fares to those who buy tickets above Rs 75 directly from its counters across the state from January 1.

Besides the discounts ranging from five to hundred per cent which the commuters can avail when they undertake their next journey on ASTC-run buses, passengers can also look forward to winning cars...

New Delhi, Dec. 16: The Assam Development Report (ADR), jointly sponsored by the Planning Commission and the state government, has recommended a detailed study of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries for harnessing their economic, military and communication potential.

Such a study, said the report, should be accorded top priority as part of the ?government?s efforts to reach out to the region? and ?give it a sense of inclusion in the task of ending disparities?. It also suggests that the task should be entrusted to the department for Development of the North Eastern Region (DONER), the nodal...

DIBRUGARH, Dec 1: Generally ?Vinegar? Joe Stilwell must be grinding his teeth wherever he is. For the urgency with which his forces built the road later named after him is today caught in the quagmire of international politics and policy differences. At the end of the two-day deliberations on the problems and prospects of re-opening the Stilwell Road here on Saturday the matter continues to be as complex as it was two days ago whether to expedite the process of re-opening the road at all and if yes how to go about it. A local tea planter, Manoj Jalan, who is involved in the matter, today said...

Dibrugarh, Nov. 30: Experts have once again mooted the idea of reopening the historic Stillwell Road ? albeit while sounding a note of caution ? during the inaugural session of the two-day national seminar on ?Reopening of the Stilwell Road ? problems and prospects? here today.

?Smuggling of narcotics and illicit arms into the country from Myanmar, irrespective of the country of origin, has been going on regardless of the presence or absence of the road. ... This must be eliminated,? said former diplomat A.K. Ray, delivering the keynote address at the seminar. It was organised by the...

GUWAHATI, July 13? Surrounded by hills and with the mighty Brahmaputra passing right through it, Guwahati is ideally located to attract tourists. Unlike most other big cities, Guwahati has not lost its touch with nature. With the objective of harnessing this natural abundance to woo tourists, the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) has taken up several projects in and around the city, some of which have already been completed.

Lack of infrastructure has been a major problem for the Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal hills which is among the holiest Hindu pilgrimage centres. The ATDC...