Guwahati, Feb. 16: The North Eastern Council (NEC) today locked horns with the Centre over the cut in its budget, accusing Delhi of keeping the council in dark. NEC secretary P.L. Thanga complained that this slash has created serious problems in management of projects, even impacting on the functioning of institutions funded by it.

Addressing a news conference here today in the run-up to the 49th council meeting at Shillong on Friday, Thanga said a chunk of Rs 104.71 crore has been sliced out of the Rs 500-crore annual outlay for 2003-04. This will necessitate readjustments in all ongoing...

Shillong, Feb. 16: The debacle of Purno A. Sangma?s party in the Meghalaya district council elections has given the Congress enough reason to rejoice. Its leaders are convinced that ?Purno Sangma can be defeated? in the parliamentary elections. Sangma will be looking to retain the Tura seat for a record fifth time.

The split in the Nationalist Congress Party, both at the Centre and in his home state, has not done Sangma?s morale any good and he has been busy doing some damage control.

The Congress in Meghalaya, which Sangma split in June 1999, has once more revved up its campaign to dislodge...

Shillong, Feb. 16: The debacle of Purno A. Sangma?s party in the Meghalaya district council elections has given the Congress enough reason to rejoice. Its leaders are convinced that ?Purno Sangma can be defeated? in the parliamentary elections. Sangma will be looking to retain the Tura seat for a record fifth time.

The split in the Nationalist Congress Party, both at the Centre and in his home state, has not done Sangma?s morale any good and he has been busy doing some damage control.

The Congress in Meghalaya, which Sangma split in June 1999, has once more revved up its campaign to dislodge...

Shillong, Feb. 16: Negotiations between the Achik National Volunteers? Council (ANVC) and New Delhi have received a boost with both sides agreeing to carry forward the talks in a meeting scheduled for next month. Of late, the ANVC has expressed its desire to quit the path of violence and join the mainstream.

Top leaders of the outfit recently told The Telegraph that the ANVC is ?committed to bring back peace in the Garo hills?.

On February 8, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga, back from Bangkok after his meeting with the NSCN (I-M) leaders, said at least three Northeast militants groups have...

Kohima, Feb. 16: Villagers in a Nagaland hamlet have advertised for hired hunters to slaughter sinister ?jackals? even as wildlife activists claim that the menacing animals might not be jackals at all.

Sendenyu village in Kohima district has announced a reward of Rs 1,000 for every jackal killed. The villagers alleged that groups of eight to 10 of these ?jackals? had posed threat to other endangered animals in the ?wildlife protected area? within the village.

Several villages in Nagaland have wildlife protection parks ? Sendenyu having seven square km of such area. The village is also said to...