Environment / Assam

GUWAHATI, Jan 23 ? Despite repeated requests by the Assam Government and demands from various quarters, the credit-deposit ratio of the banks operating in the State has not improved to the desired extent and the ratio is still much lower than the national average. According to records available, the credit-deposit ratio of the banks operating in Kamrup district as on September 30, 2002 was only 33 per cent, which was eight per cent lower than the ratio of the same period in the previous year. As per records, the CD ratio of some of the banks in the district was even less than 20 per cent. The...

Jorhat, Jan. 21: Thirteen poachers surrendered before chief minister Tarun Gogoi today to mark the beginning of what is dubbed as the first step towards protection of birds in Assam.

The poachers, who earned their livelihood by catching migratory birds and selling them in nearby markets, pledged before the chief minister that they would not catch birds in the future. The new awakening was witnessed at the inaugural ceremony of the bird festival on the bank of the Brahmaputra at Bahona on the outskirts of Jorhat.

What convinced the poachers to give up their ways was a 100-metre-long...

RAJMAI (Sivasagar), Jan 21 ? The year-long Panidihing Birds? Festival 2003, the first of its kind in India, got-off to a colourful start today with the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi lighting the ceremonial lamp in the inaugural function at Rajmai, 10 km from Panidihing Birds Sanctuary proper, under the broad wings of a huge bamboo-made image of a Ruddy sheldrake (Tadorna ferruginea) ? the logo of the festival. In his inaugural address Sri Gogoi lauded the effort of the organisers and the local people in and around Panidihing for arousing mass awareness about conservation of nature, especially...

GUWAHATI, Jan 19 ? The 2,000-MW Subansiri Lower Hydel Power Project has been given the ?Techno-Economic Clearance? by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The 256th meeting of the CEA held on January 13 gave its recommendations on technical and economic viability for construction of the Subansiri Lower project at a total cost of Rs 6418.37 crore and US $ 39.648 million (December 2002 price level). The members of the committee which studied the techno-economic aspects of the project included, apart from the CEA, Department of Power, Government of Assam, PWD and Power Department, Government...

The drive against forest encroachers began in Assam on May 7, 2002. It reached a flashpoint during the eviction drive in Botahguli, where one person died of bullet injuries after paramilitary forces opened fire to control a mob. It immediately became a political issue. The powerful student bodies of Assam challenged the forest department to act against illegal migrants. Assam Gana Parishad (agp), the state’s main opposition party, argued for protecting the indigenous peoples’ rights. Tribal bodies strongly opposed the drive, alleging that it targeted the indigenous people only. “Tribals are...

Jorhat, Jan. 16: A landmark signature campaign is under way in rural areas along the Brahmaputra in Jorhat and Sivasagar districts to create awareness to conserve birds in the region. A charter containing suggestions for protection of birds with one lakh signatures will be presented to chief minister Tarun Gogoi at the inaugural function of first-ever bird festival in Assam. The four-day event will begin on January 19 in Jorhat and Sivasagar simultaneously.

The festival has been organised by the Action for Greener Earth to generate awareness among the people to preserve the avian heritage on...

MIHIMUKH (Kaziranga), Jan 11 — Wonderful activities of domestic elephants on the occasion of the two-day Elephant Festival, that got under way here this morning, reminded the people of the cultural heritage of the State in which elephant occupies a place of love and respect. The festival is organised with the twin objectives of reducing the tension between the elephant and man and promoting State’s tourism. A colourful procession of about 60 elephants from the Kohora NH point to the festival ground here earlier this morning, set the mood of the festival. The elephants, which took part in the...

DIBRUGARH, Jan 7 — A herd of elephants, numbering between 30 and 35, have been terrorizing the people in a dozen villages in the south-western fringes of the city. This annual depredation by the pachyderm pack has till now gone unchecked, even as the forest department officials are at their wit’s end as to how to tackle the situation. The villages that have been hit hard by elephants knocking at human dwellings include Kathalbam, Metakani, Sessa Nagaon, Bordoibam and Majgaon in the Medela Dehingmukh area, Dighalia and Moinammirigaon in the Kolakhowa area and Paroliguri, Baregharia and...

Guwahati, Jan. 5: The outlawed United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) has announced a seven-day economic blockade from January 12 in the two districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills in protest against destruction of forests by ginger cultivators. “The blockade is a step towards implementing a practical and rational forest policy that our outfit has drafted to protect the dwindling green cover in the two districts,” the Karbi Anglong N.C. Hills People’s Resistance, which is the armed wing of the UPDS, said in a release here. “We protest against massive destruction of forestry...

GOLAGHAT, Jan 4— Depredation of the wild elephants is becoming a common feature at Marangi Revenue circle within Golaghat district. A herd of wild elephants have been continuously damaging dwelling houses and standing crops of the people of the area since 2000. The elephants have so far killed more than 30 people and this has made the people of Fallangani, Fulbari, Balizan, Porajanghal Thuramukh, Kdoju and Symraipur areas spend sleepless nights.

Recently, a herd of 50 to 60 elephants had damaged — the dwelling houses of Modon Gogoi, Bopai Bora, Ghanasyam Gogoi and Sashidhar Konwar of Rangbong...