Imphal, April 11: Nearly 200 Hmars, displaced by the ethnic conflict in Assam’s Cachar and North Cachar Hills districts, reached here this afternoon.

They were later transported to Churachandpur district, where they will put up in a relief camp.

Of the 196 tribals who reached here in three buses, 61 are children and 44 women. After fleeing their homes in the Hmartlangmawi and Tlangmawi villages on April 3, they spent five days at the Lumding railway station before travelling to Dimapur by train.

Leaders of Hmar student and youth organisations received the refugees at New Lambulane here. The...

GUWAHATI, April 10— Tension continues to grip the minority Hmar community people who have been under attack from Dimasa ultras of the Dima Halong Daogah (DHD) in different parts of the North Cachar Hill district even as the Centre has been requested to rush additional force and an expert counter insurgency team there. Hundreds of Hmar tribal people have fled their villages in the district out of fear of attack from the Dimasas who are apparently avenging killings of Dimasas by the Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) extremists in Cachar district areas.

The district administration in North Cachar...

SHILLONG, April 10 — The two-day North East Tourism Summit here today advocated adoption of a joint action plan by the governments of the North Eastern states and private operators to promote tourism which it said will not only bring development but also restore peace in the region. Inaugurating the summit at Hotel Polo Tours here this inmorning, Assam Governor and Chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC), Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha, set the tone of the Summit saying a concrete plan comprising short-term and long-term measures to promote tourism in the region is being evolved.

Speaking of...

GUWAHATI, April 10 — Though a lot of things have been said to malign Assam’s internationally acclaimed elephant catcher as well as trainer Parbati Barua by some vested interest circles, involving her with the death of a wild elephant in Chattisgarh in February last, the report prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ (MOEF) Project Elephant provide a different picture. Smt Barua is the Honorary Chief Elephant Warden of Assam.

The above report submitted to the Union Government on March 12 last, said, interalia, that Smt Barua did not catch...

NEW DELHI, April 10— The 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Power Project is scheduled to be completed within seven years of procuring investment approval. The National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) is currently looking for investment approval. The Project estimated to cost Rs 6,608.68 crore is to be located near North Lakhimpur on Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. The Project received techno-economic clearance by Central Electricity Authority on January 31. However, environment and forest clearance is awaited, Minister of State for Power, Jayawanti Mehta said.