GUWAHATI, March 9— The recent spurt in violent activities by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is an attempt by the outfit to prove its existence, highly placed security sources said. Sources revealed that according to information available with the security forces, at least 200 youths from different parts of the State last year joined the ULFA and most of the youths had passed at least school leaving certificate examinations. The local level leaders conducted some kind of interview of the youths before they were recruited, which proved that the outfit has become selective in...

GUWAHATI, March 8— Banned ULFA separatists today carried out a series of attacks setting on fire a 5000 KL petrol tank at the famous Digboi Refinery, blasting a gas pipeline nearby, attacking a police post and a commando barrack and firing at a Bihari settlement killing two persons and injuring six others, reports PTI. The two deaths occurred in Goalpara district where a police outpost was attacked. There was no casualty in the explosions in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts.

Self-styled Commander-in-Chief of ULFA Paresh Baruah rang up media houses in Guwahati this morning to claim...

NEW DELHI, March 8 — The Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) has agreed to take up the issue of withdrawal of excise duty exemption with retrospective effect on petroleum products of the State’s four refineries with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Union Finance Ministry, State Industries Minister, Bhuba-neswar Kalita said here today. The minister was given this assurance by minister-in-charge of DONER, Dr CP Thakur when he called on him. Sri Kalita joined the chorus of protest over the budgetary proposals envisaging withdrawal of the exemptions with retrospective...

GUWAHATI, March 8— The North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO), a company owned and controlled by the Central Government, is rather exploitative towards the North Eastern States! The attitude of the NEEPCO authorities was found to be so discriminatory to the NE States that at one point of time, the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission even indicted the NEEPCO for its neglect and higher rates charged from the NE States for the power it is supplying to them.

The Regulatory Commission in its ‘Suo-moto proceedings in matters of supply of power from Doyang HE Project, NEEPCO, to...

GUWAHATI, March 8— The famous muga silk industry in Assam is fast losing its credibility, both inside and outside the State, as large scale adulteration threatens to turn the industry into a farce. The situation is such that the industry may collapse any day, trade watchers say. For quite a few years now, the muga silk industry in the State has been witness to adulteration. Cheap tassar yarn is mixed with muga to make products that are passed off as ‘pure’ muga. Polyester yarn is mixed with muga on the borders of cloth, experts say.

The driving force behind rampant adulteration is the...