News

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 ? MPs belonging to major political parties, including BJP and Congress, Saturday had a meeting with leaders of Naga insurgent outfit NSCN (I-M) after which its General Secretary Th Muivah said he was convinced that their voice was being heard, reports PTI. The luncheon meeting was hosted by Swaraj Kaushal of Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) who had earlier acted as the Centre?s interlocutor with the NSCN(I-M) before being replaced by K Padmanabhaiah.

When contacted, Kaushal said he told Muivah and NSCN(I-M) Chairman Isak Chisi Swu that the Naga problem had become a ?national issue...

Imphal, January 19: Former Ministers Y Erabot and Vivek Raj Wangkhem besides MSCP leaders would personally approach the Election Commission of India at New Delhi to demand de-recognition of the merger of MSCP with the BJP. While former Minister and central committee member of the party Dr Y Jiten is already camping at the national capital on the matter, party president M Hemanta and MLA Vivek Raj left Imphal today, informed spokesman cum general secretary of MSCP Kh Devbrata to The Sangai Express. The Delhi visit is in compliance with the EC directives to personally appear before it, he said...

ITANAGAR, Jan 19 ? Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Arunachal Pradesh unit Saturday demanded the immediate resignation of the Minister of State for Finance Rima Taipodia on moral grounds following the alleged involvement of his son in a rape case, reports PTI.

The Minister?s son, Mai Taipodia, and four others had allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl at a government inspection bungalow at Likabali in West Siang district of the State on January 16, Tani Loffa, the BJYM unit president said in a statement.

The culprits, he said, had since been arrested by the police and they were now in police custody...

GUWAHATI, Jan 19 ? The 2,000-MW Subansiri Lower Hydel Power Project has been given the ?Techno-Economic Clearance? by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The 256th meeting of the CEA held on January 13 gave its recommendations on technical and economic viability for construction of the Subansiri Lower project at a total cost of Rs 6418.37 crore and US $ 39.648 million (December 2002 price level). The members of the committee which studied the techno-economic aspects of the project included, apart from the CEA, Department of Power, Government of Assam, PWD and Power Department, Government...

SHILLONG, Jan 19 ? The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), J M Lyngdoh Saturday said that he was satisfied with the poll preparations in Meghalaya going to the Assembly elections on February 26. Addressing a press conference here, Lyngdoh said the preparation was much better than that of the last elections in 1998. The CEC said that he was hopeful that the election in the State would be smooth as the State was more peaceful than Tripura and Nagaland.

Lyngdoh praised the State election authorities for covering 80 per cent of the total 12,79,740 voters under photo Identity Cards, and said that...