Dimapur, June 1: The first phase of the Department for Development of North East Region-funded embankment project on river Dhansiri at Nahar Bari and Rangapahar was formally inaugurated on Saturday, providing the residents with the much-needed respite from the menace of soil erosion.

?Hopefully, our worst fears of losing our land and homes to monsoon floods is now a thing of the past,? said Hokato, a settler on the bank of Dhansiri.

The residents expressed the hope that the project would serve its purpose and prove its worth when it faces its first acid test in August.

Over the past several...

Guwahati/Silchar, June 1: The truce between the Centre and the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD) hangs by a thread with the militant outfit accusing security forces of ?provocative actions? against its members and the Hmar community of persecuting the Dimasas.

With only a month left for the six-month ceasefire to end, the DHD is undecided on whether it should extend the term of the agreement.

DHD vice-president Dilip Nunisa said over phone from Haflong, the headquarters of North Cachar Hills, that his outfit was alarmed by the situation in the district and in two minds on the issue of extending the...

Aizawl, June 1: Alleged favouritism over allotment of seats in the Imphal Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) under the Mizoram government quota has sparked a controversy here with the names of few political bigwigs of the state being dragged into it.

The controversy started with allegations that the state government had resorted to manipulations to accommodate chosen candidates for the highly sought-after post-graduate course at RIMS, reserved only for medical practitioners working in the state-run hospitals in Mizoram.

Sources said four out of the seven reserved seats at RIMS...

SHILLONG, May 31? A plan size of Rs 555 crore has been fixed for Meghalaya for 2003-04 financial year as against revised plan outlay of Rs 480.43 crore for last year, reports PTI. The plan allocation was finalised after Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang accompanied by his deputy Donkupar Roy and other senior officials met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant in New Delhi on Wednesday last, according to a delayed official report reaching here.

The approved Plan size of Rs 555 crore included an amount of Rs 27.57 crore as additional Central assistance for implementing the Byrnihat...

AGARTALA, May 31?Kailasahar police foiled an attempt to form a ?Tripura Bengali Mukthi Force? when they arrested six youths. Police also recovered a country-made gun and materials for crude bombs.

According to police sources, six youths Pankaj Das, Ranjan Das, Anukul Nama, Ajit Das Dipankar Kar (27) and Badal Roy (24) were nabbed while they were holding a meeting in the house of Badal Roy. They were planning to attack and kill people of a particular community in retaliation to offences by militants against Bengalis. The youths were also distributing leaflets in the name of Tripura Bengali...