DIMAPUR, April 10— In a step ahead of the Centre’s commitment to extend the Railway network to the nook and corner of the country, with special emphasis to connect all the capitals of the Northeastern states, the Northeast Frontier Railway’s General Manager has disclosed that the survey work of the new Jiribam-Imphal railway line was already completed and the Rs 1000 crore project is in the final stage of getting sanction from the Railway Board.

“General Manager of the NFR, Vipan Nanda while interacting with media persons in Kohima informed that the survey of the proposed Diphu-Karong...

New Delhi, April 16: Loss-making public sector units under the department for development of the northeastern region (Doner) could soon be put through a stringent reform process to transform them into financially viable enterprises.

The units that are suffering losses include the Northeastern Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation, Northeastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation and the Sikkim Mining Corporation.

Union minister C.P. Thakur, who is in charge of Doner, said his department could not afford to let things drift. “Doner may face a shortage of funds in view of the...

Imphal, April 16: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, on a roller-coaster ride to keep his flock together, has sought to dispel fears among his loyalists about a possible change of leadership. Ibobi Singh announced that there was no threat to the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) ministry in the state.

“There is no threat to the present government. The constituents of the coalition remain united as ever. The move by the Opposition to pull down the SPF government will not bear any fruit,” the chief minister told The Telegraph today.

Ibobi Singh’s claim that he was firmly on the saddle is...

Agartala, April 16: He is the “son of a coronated king”, to say the least, but in Bangladesh, he is known only as chief of his tribal subjects, the Chakmas.

A successful lawyer in the Bangladesh supreme court, 39-year-old Raja Debasish Roy feels in a modern democracy the title of a king is redundant.

The strapping raja was here as the special guest for the three-day “Bijhu” (new year) festival of the Chakma tribe of Tripura.

He took part in the traditional festivities in the remote Jharjharia village under Natun Bazar police station of South Tripura.

Before returning to Bangladesh, he...

Imphal, April 15: For the better part of his life, Heisnam Megha Singh has been the voice of the campaign to safeguard the sangai, the world’s most threatened species of deer. Little did he know that Manipur police would one day hound him in the same manner this graceful animal is stalked by poachers.

In a strange turn of events, Megha Singh has found himself on the police’s “wanted” list for allegedly instigating militants to open fire on two local poachers.

It all began on January 19, when activists of the Environmental Social Reformation and Sangai Protection Forum caught the two poachers...