News

HAFLONG, March 30 – Jatinga village of NC Hills, 9 km from Haflong, the district headquarters with a population of only 2000 souls has failed to be blessed by the seeds of development. The story of Jatinga village goes back to the year 1902, when the founder father of Jatinga village U Lakhon Bang Suchiang of Gunapara village near Borkhola came in contact with some Khasi labourers working on the construction of new railway line in between Badarpur and Lumding. They used to visit Borkhola market, then a prosperous foothill market where the tribals like Nagas, Kacharis, Kukis etc frequently came...

AGARTALA, March 30—Darkness looms large over the state following NEEPCO’s decision to ‘regulate’ power supply to the electricity department from April 3 next. The ‘Regulation of power supply’ in straight words means ‘stoppage or at least drastic reduction of power supply’.

The NEEPCO decision came as the state’s power department failed to pay up the huge debt of Rs 90 crore to the corporation, despite several reminders. If NEEPCO curtails supply, then there will be a sharp deficit of about 45 to 50 mw during the peak hour and the power department will have no other option but to resort to...

JORHAT, March 30 — “Three ULFA militants, namely Mridul Hazarika, Anjan Barthakur and Phatik Hatimuria, who have since been named as co-accused in the murder of AVARDNE general secretary Sanjoy Ghosh at Majuli river island on July 4, 1997, are still sheltered at camps run by the organisation in Myanmar”, claimed five disillusioned cadres, including a sister-in-arms, who surrendered before police, paramilitary and high-ranking district administration officials at the Sadar police station here today.

Admitting that the ULFA was presently running five training camps with 1,200 youths in the...

IMPHAL, March 29— Underground Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) today confirmed that it had kidnapped the German national Heinrich Wolfgang from Maphou area in Thoubal district of Manipur on March 23 last but denied it was for ransom.

“The life of the foreigner would be at risk if security forces mounted up search operations for Wolfgang who had been abducted to draw the attention of some NGOs who were discriminating against Kukis in the distribution of funds,” a KLA statement said.”

The KLA did not kidnap Wolfgang for ransom. Some NGOs had misinformed the media, that the KLA had abducted Wolfgang...

GUWAHATI, March 29—Forests in 41,000 hectares of land in Assam were destroyed during the period from 1996 to 1999. This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Forest, Sri Pradyut Bordoloi while replying to the debate on the cut motions on the demand for grant of Rs 1,33,41,62,000 for the Forest Department for the year 2003-2004.

Sri Bordoloi, quoting a report of the Forest Survey of India, said that forests in about 20,000 hectares of land were destroyed in Sonitpur district alone. Sri Bordoloi informed the House that the State Government would formulate a pragmatic forest policy on the...