Development / Assam

GUWAHATI, May 1 ? Assam accounts for 9.4 per cent of the total flood ? prone area of the country and every year, floods cause heavy damage to the economy of the State. The National Flood Commission estimated the area vulnerable to floods in Assam as 31.60 lakh hectares against 335.16 lakh hectares in the whole country.

According to the latest report of the Economic Survey of Assam, Successive waves of devastating floods every year virtually destroyed the economy of the State. The main factors for floods in Assam include adverse physiography of the region, heavy rain fall, excessive...

GUWAHATI, April 30 ? There was a surplus rainfall of plus seven per cent between March 1 and April 24 this year in the State. There was also an improvement in the overall rainfall situation in the entire NE region during this period. But, this rainfall, however, does not have a clear-cut co-relation with the monsoon rainfall, said Meteorology office (Met) sources here today. The rainfall witnessed by the region now is pre-monsoon rainfall and the latest spurt in rainfall activities is due to the western disturbances prevailing since the last week of March. Conditions were also made favourable...

NEW DELHI, April 29 ? As many as 75 of the total 86 operational airports in the country were consistently making losses with Guwahati topping the list incurring losses of over Rs 25 crore in 2000-01, the Lok Sabha was informed today, reports PTI. Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said in a written reply that Trivandrum (Rs.9.96 crore), Nagpur (Rs. 9.85 crore) and Lucknow (Rs. 9.21 crore) are the among major loss-making airports.

GUWAHATI, April 24 ? The flood-prone State is staring at a catastrophy in the event of even a medium magnitude flood this season as about 72 numbers of critical flood and anti-erosion schemes under the Central sector funding are yet to be completed due to non-release of fund for the last two consecutive years, of 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. Sources in the Flood Control Department informed that during the Ninth Plan period the State received Rs 18 crore in 1997-98 under Central sector schemes. However, out of the amount only Rs 10 crore was received actually as Rs 8 crore was deducted at source as...

GUWAHATI, April 24 ? All major socio-economic indicators including per capita GDP mortality rate, per capita consumption of electricity etc point towards the widening gap between Assam and the rest of the country. According to the figures given in the Development profile of Assam?, published by the State Government recently, the per capita GDP of Assam at constant prices (1993-94) is Rs 6,733 against the national average of Rs 11,632 and the gap is increasing since the beginning of the 9th Five year Plan. There has been a substantial increase of the population living below the poverty line...

GUWAHATI, April 23 ? A group of agitated beneficiaries under a Centrally-sponsored vehicle loan scheme today laid siege to the office of the WPT and BC Minister, Bharat Chandra Narah in Janata Bhawan complex here after the Assam Plains Tribe Development Corporation (APTDC) had postponed the ?loan mela? scheduled for today at the eleventh hour. The WPT and BC Minister, Sri Narah informed that about 18 Tata Sumos, 32 autorickshaws and three mini-trucks were to be distributed among the beneficiaries who had paid their share in December last year, at a loan mela scheduled for today. All the...

DIBRUGARH, April 21 ? First the good news. Railway Minister Nitish Kumar has agreed to restore the original twin BG rail tracks on the Bogibeel bridge, ?as a hearty Bihu gift?, and has also assured that the Rangiya-Murkongselek MG rail section would be converted to BG by the time the bridge is ready to handle traffic. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, attending the ?Bogibeel bridge commencement of work function asked the insurgent groups of the region to give up arms and pave the way for peace and prosperity.

At exactly five minutes past four this afternoon, the Prime Minister pressed a...

GUWAHATI, April 19? The State Government?s failure to provide guarantee for availing National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) fund is likely to prove to be a major impediment in future release of funds by the NSFDC to the Assam State Development Corporation for Scheduled Castes Ltd (ASCDC). The NSFDC recently earmarked an amount of Rs 15.18 crore to the ASCDC as notional allocation for sanction during the current financial year 2002-2003.

The NSFDC is the apex body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for financing, facilitating and promoting...

GUWAHATI, May 18 ? Environmentalists here have decried the attempts made by some circles at politicising the issue of eviction conducted by the State Forest Department presently, at the directive of the Supreme Court of India, to free the forest areas of the State, particularly the city, from encroachers. ?An encroacher is an encroacher. There should not be any attempt at distinguishing the encroachers on the basis of their castes, creeds and languages. Politicians should refrain from deriving any political mileage by using the encroachers as tools for attaining their political goals,? the...

GUWAHATI, April 17 ? The residents of Borjhar area near the city?s LGB Airport are very much resentful of the apathy shown by the authorities concerned towards the problems of sanitation, illegal construction and a spurt in the criminal activities in the area. Slaughter houses flourishing in the area in violation of the set norms have also posed a serious threat to the LGB Airport which has only recently been linked to the international airways. Anyday, birds of prey may cause serious mishap by hitting any of the flights taking off from or landing in the LGB Airport, because of the...