Politics / Assam

HAFLONG, July 4 ? In a major political development the Opposition political parties like Asom Gana Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party and Democratic Social Party (DSP), after prolonged debate over the political crisis of the NC Hills unitedly formed an umbrella organisation under the name and style People?s Democratic Alliance on June 25 last. It is learnt that all these parties maintaining its own party identity and ideology agreed upon to form this banner organisation and to move for achieving more political and financial power for the district of North Cachar Hills which has been deprived of...

NEW DELHI, July 4 ? The battlelines between the Congress party and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) have been drawn over the issue of the eviction drives, with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today charging the regional party with playing politics of opportunism. Describing the AGP?s charge of the Congress party protecting the Bangladeshi immigrants from being evicted, as baseless, false and malicious, Gogoi said that he was in a way glad that the regional party has raked up the issue. ?I want to know what the AGP during its tenure had done to evict these so called Bangladeshis, if there were any. They...

NEW DELHI, July 2? Assam Government is likely to constitute an expert committee to examine the entire gamut of issues involv-ing encroachment of forest land in the State and formulate an Action Plan. This was conveyed at the Congress party?s Manifesto Review Committee meeting here this morning by Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi. The meeting was attended by Dr. Manmohan Singh, AICC general secretary in-charge for Assam, Mohsina Kidwai, general secretary, Oscar Fernandes besides Assam Congress chief, Paban Singh Ghatowar, took stock of the implementation of the promises made by Congress party in...

GUWAHATI, July 2 ? More than 143 square kilometre of land belonging to the National Parks and wild-life sanctuaries in Assam is under encroachment by doubtful citizens and so far the State Government has not taken any step to evict those people, alleged the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). In a petition to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sri Hitendra Nath Goswami and Sri Dilip Kumar Saikia, the chief whip and secretary of the AGP legislature party, said that encroachment of the forest land by illegal settlers reached menacing proportion. A number of doubtful citizens managed to enter Assam...

SIVASAGAR, July 2 ? Of 3420 hectares of illegally occupied land out of 4,834 hectares of Deroi-Rangoli Reserve Forest in Sivasagar district, 1,111 hectares have been thoroughly cleared of illegal encroachers by forest-officials during the 10-day eviction drive from June 3 to 13 last. The DFO, Forests, Sivasagar informed that most of the encroachers were established businessmen grabbing forest land rampantly in guise of small tea growers. The entire Deroi-Rangoli Reserved Forest was reduced to denuded wasteland area by unscrupulous timber traders who recklessly felled valuable trees...

NEW DELHI, July 1 ? While reiterating its commitment for creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), the Assam government is likely to propose the enactment of a separate provision in the Constitution on the lines of the Sixth Schedule for the creation of the new council. The Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, who is here to attend a meeting on the Bodo tangle with the Deputy Prime Minister, L K Advani, told this newspaper here today. The meeting itself was postponed to a later date because of the political developments in the NDA government. Gogoi who arrived here last evening to attend what is...

GUWAHATI, June 27 ? The Bodo movement is neither an ethnic movement nor is it against any community. But it is one of the genuine movements of the indigenous people of Assam to safeguard their own identity in the face of large-scale illegal migration of Bangladeshi nationals and also from influx of Nepalis and people having origins in other States, said the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) in its vision paper for Bodoland. The vision paper of the BLT dealt extensively on the problem caused by the illegal migration from Bangladesh and observed that the indigenous people of Assam are facing...

NEW DELHI, June 27 ? The NDA Government?s disapproval of the demand for creation of an autonomous State of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills has triggered fresh bout of war of words between Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and CPI-ML leadership. Reacting to Union Home Minister, L K Advani?s clarification of NDA?s stand on the issue, Dharam Singh Teron MLA and publicity secretary of ASDC described it as nothing new. The Centre and State Government irrespective of party colours, have always maintained an utterly dismissive attitude towards the Karbi-Dimasa demand for implementing...

GUWAHATI, June 25 ? The use of elephants by the Forest Department of the State to demolish illegal structures as part of the Government?s eviction drive against encroachers in forest areas have drawn widespread condemnation from renowned authorities on animal welfare across the globe. The Forest Department has no right to carry out demolition of concrete structures, having corrugated iron sheet roofs through domesticated elephants. It is a violation of Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act 1960, and is a punishable offence, wildlife experts point out.

Dr Daphne...

NEW DELHI, June 26 ? In a major policy disclosure, the Union Home Ministry has today ruled out creation of an autonomous State of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills under 244 A of the Constitution on the ground that it was not feasible. Union Home Minister LK Advani clarified the NDA Government?s stand on the issue, at a meeting of his Ministry?s Parliamentary Consultative Committee held here today. The Union Home Minister was responding to a clarification sought by CPI-ML MP Dr Jayanta Rongpi, who moved three agenda discussions at the meeting here this morning.

The Union Home Minister said...