Politics / Assam

Guwahati, Dec. 17: In its latest attempt to push ahead with its administrative reforms programme, the Assam government has reduced the number of regular holidays from 37 to 29 from next year.

The eight deducted holidays have now become restricted ones. The general administrative department issued a notification to this effect recently. With the induction of these eight, the number of restricted holidays has gone up to 32, of which an employee can avail only two.

The industry captains have immediately welcomed the government?s decision saying it would go a long way in bringing the much-needed...

NEW DELHI, Dec 16 — The Election Commission will not be able to set up new polling booths in the disputed Assam-Nagaland border during the forthcoming Nagaland Assembly polls, as the Supreme Court today ordered status quo following protest by Assam Government. The EC has now to confine polling to the 36 booths in the disputed Assam-Nagaland border as its plea for setting additional booths were rejected by the apex Court. The Commission had filed an application before the Court seeking directions to Assam to allow it to set up new booths in the area.

A two-member Bench comprising Chief Justice...

Guwahati, Dec. 16: The creation of the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will be delayed further as a crucial all-party meeting, convened by the government here this morning, failed to break the deadlock over rights of non-Bodos and the contentious villages.

Only five days are left for the ceasefire between the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and the Centre to expire.

The meeting, chaired by chief minister Tarun Gogoi, however, decided to appeal to the Bodo militant outfit to extend the ceasefire.

Minister for welfare of plains tribes and a member of the Cabinet sub-committee on BTC...

NEW DELHI, Dec 3 ? Assam is the lone State in the North-East to pay for deployment of Central Para-military Forces (CPMF). The State has an outstanding of over Rs 32.49 crore towards deployment of CPMF in Assam. As for the other North Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura, they do not have to share the burden as the Central Government has exempted them from paying for deployment of Central forces. This was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani in the Lok Sabha this morning during the Question Hour discussion. The Deputy Prime Minister added that...

GUWAHATI, Dec 3 ? Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today ordered an enquiry into the December 1 Adhiapara (Dehar-kuriha) incident which resulted in the death of ten persons, including an Army Major and a sepoy and eight civilians. Chairman, Assam Administrative Tribunal MS Pangtey will conduct the enquiry and submit his report within 30 days since today, official sources here said. The Chief Minister also granted an ex-gratia amount of Rs 25,000 to the next of the kin of each of those killed in the incident, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, in a letter to Defence Minister George...

GUWAHATI, Dec 2 ? The Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) today threatened to snap its ?working understanding? with the BJP for the failure of the BJP-led Government in the Centre to resume talks on creation of an autonomous state in Karbi Anglong and NC Hills. Stating that the MoU signed with the Government in 1995 has failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people in the two hill districts, the ASDC has announced its decision to launch fresh agitation with a 48-hour hill areas bandh beginning at 5 am on December 13 next. However, essential services and examinations have been exempted...

NEW DELHI, Dec 2? The Assam Government is likely to lodge a formal protest with the Defence Ministry over the Hajo incident. The State Government now wants the Army to take the civil administration into confidence before mounting any such operations in the future. Describing the incident as an avoidable tragedy, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi said that he plans to move the Defence Minister tomorrow to complain that the civil administration was not taken into confidence by the Army. Sri Gogoi said he would request the Defence Ministry to issue a directive to the troops operating in Assam to take...

GUWAHATI, Dec 1 ? The office-bearers of the Gauhati High Court Bar Association today met the Chief Justice of the Court to register their protest against the transfer of Justice Gopala Gowda from Karnataka to Guwahati. Apurba Sarma, general secretary of the association, told this Correspondent that Justice Gowda was allegedly named in a sex scandal and he was also named in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in this regard. He said that a general meeting of the bar association will be held tomorrow to decide on the future course of action to be taken by the advocates to oppose the transfer of...

GUWAHATI, Dec 1 ? The meeting of the State Cabinet sub-committee on Bodo affairs today decided to adopt a give-and-take policy on the matter of including additional villages in the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), reports PTI. The committee which met here tonight under the chairmanship of Health Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman decided that both the government and the Bodoland Liberation Tiger (BLT) should adopt a give-and-take policy and mutual understanding if the BTC boundary problem was to be solved. The BLT, now on ceasefire with the government, has demanded 93 additional...

KARIMGANJ, Dec 1: They are Indian citizens who remain cut off from India for twelve hours a day. It may sound surprising but this is the plight of the people of eight villages of Karimganj district bordering Bangladesh as their villages are located outside the border fencing. This correspondent recently witnessed the plight of these people during a visit to the Indo-Bangla border areas and it is unfortunate that till date the Government has not taken any concrete step to reduce the sufferings of these people. Eight villages of Karimganj district remained outside the border fencing, which was...