Jorhat, Feb. 21: Suspected United People?s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) militants today abducted two tea executives from a private garden of Karbi Anglong district, further complicating the security scenario in the strife-torn hill district of Assam.

Sources said Bhagawati Tea Estate manager Sarat Dutta and his assistant Kumar were abducted around 8.30 am. The garden falls under Bokajan police station in the district.

Both Dutta and Kumar were inspecting the garden on a motorcycle when a group of six or seven suspected UPDS militants whisked them away. Kumar was to formally join the garden on...

Jorhat, Feb. 21: The chairman of the Assam Tea Planters Association (ATPA), Prabhat Bezbaruah, today said the tea industry should restructure the perks enjoyed by the executives in view of the stiff challenge from small tea growers.

Addressing the 114th annual general meeting of the Assam Branch of the Indian Tea Association at the Gymkhana Club here, Bezbaruah said: ?The working methods of the organised gardens have to be restructured to compete with the stiff challenge from the small growers and bring down the cost level.? The present managerial structure, especially in the organised sector...

Imphal, Feb. 21: Both the ruling and the Opposition coalitions of Manipur are finding it difficult to reach a consensus regarding the candidature of the two Lok Sabha seats in the state. The CPI, the partner in the ruling coalition, has decided to field Moirangthem Nara Singh, the arts and culture minister in the Okram Ibobi Singh ministry, in the Inner Lok Sabha constituency as the party candidate.

The Congress, leading the ruling front is unwilling to sacrifice the Inner seat to its partner and has already sent a list of ticket seekers from both the Inner and Outer seats to the AICC high...

Shillong, Feb. 20: Governors and chief ministers of the Northeast today came down hard on Delhi for slashing the North Eastern Council (NEC) budget for 2003-04. The department for Development of the Northeastern Region (Doner) had announced that the annual plan allocation of the NEC had been downsized to Rs 395 crore.

Cutting across party lines, chief ministers attending the NEC?s 49th annual meet here ? as well as governors ? were unanimous in their view that ?money matters in developing the Northeast?. They added that the sooner the Centre releases the funds the better.

The high-profile...

Shillong, Feb. 20: Buoyed by the success of the Bhutan flushout, the governors and chief ministers of the Northeast today decided to urge New Delhi to put pressure on Bangladesh and Myanmar for similar offensives.

Seven governors and five chief ministers of the region today passed a resolution at the 49th annual meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here to submit a memorandum to the Centre asking it to exert diplomatic pressure on Dhaka and Yangon to dismantle the militant camps and seal the escape routes.

?The memorandum will be submitted to the home ministry and we hope it yields...