News

IMPHAL, March 16 — Cash strapped Manipur Government has given the green signal to a Mumbai based firm MWC Market Service Pvt Ltd to start on-line lottery to improve the financial situation of the state, the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh told the state assembly during the discussion on the Manipur state on-line lottery (Regulation) Rules, 2002 which was laid on the Table of the House on December 30, 2002.

The chief minister who also holds the finance portfolio while replying to questions raised by opposition MLAs M Nilachandra Singh, Salam Ibohal Singh, L Ibomcha Singh and BD Behring said...

GUWAHATI, March 17 — The Gauhati High Court in a significant judgement today quashed the 1997 Byelaws framed by Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) thereby declared illegal the checkgates and parking places run by GMC lessees along the national highways No. 37 and 31 around the city.

In response to a writ petition filed by one Md Zakir Hussain, Justice IA Ansari has held that GMC has acted beyond its competence in enacting the 1997 Byelaws and applying the same to the vehicles and animals entering into municipal area in the city while passing by the National Highways around it.

The Court in...

GUWAHATI, March 17 — The first step towards setting up of the 2,000 MW Subansiri hydro-power project by the NHPC has been cleared with the State Government giving clearance for use of 856.3 hectares of reserve forest land for the project. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Minister of State for Forest Pradyut Bordoloi said that the State Government decided to give clearance for use of reserve forest land as Subansiri project would be the largest hydro-power project in the country. However, he asserted that the Government would never compromise on the interest of environment, forest and...

SHILLONG, March 17 — Meghalaya is preparing for a major offensive against militant outfits in the Garo Hills amidst reports of intrusion of large numbers of Assam militants into the State. A senior police official said the ongoing operations by the Meghalaya Police against militant outfits would be intensified once the Centre clears Meghalaya’s request for BSF support to flush out the extremists who have sneaked into the State from Assam.

Confessions of three arrested NDFB militants have led the police to believe that nearly 100 NDFB activists including its Chairman Ranjan Daimary and...

SILCHAR, March 17— Shifting cultivation, which is popularly known as jhum cultivation, is one of the best agricultural practices of the world, admitted Arup Rai, a specialist in this field and an assistant soil conservation officer of North Cachar Hills district, while talking to this correspondent, and said that it is a very cheap mode of cultivation because there is no need of using any artificial fertilizer and irrigation system and a farmer can produce 30 -35 items of kitchen vegetables through it.

He is in favour of continuing the jhum cultivation in the hills and requested the jhumias...