News

Kohima, March 9: Merely four days after taking oath of office, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is ready to expand his ministry. Come tomorrow, Rio hopes to silence dissenters in the fledgling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland through the tried and tested tactic of giving them ministerial berths. However, it will be a surprise if he gifts the finance portfolio to a BJP member.

Apart from inducting new ministers, Rio is likely to elevate some ministers of state to Cabinet rank. At least two junior ministers — Vatsu Meru of the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) and Imtilemba Sangtam of the BJP —...

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...

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...

KOHIMA, March 8 – Several constituent political parties of Democratic Alliance of Nagaland have expressed serious concern over the NSCN (K)’s recent threats to target at least 17 new legislators elected in the just concluded Nagaland assembly elections. The Deputy Kilonser (Minister) of the NSCN (K), Kughalu Mulatonu told a news agency earlier this week that they would attack the 17 lawmakers---10 from the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) and 7 from BJP. Mulatonu was quoted as saying “We would like to make it clear to the NPF and BJP legislators not to create problems for us and not to go...

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...