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GUWAHATI, Dec 19— Facing problems like acute shortage of manpower, shortage of vehicles and lack of required equipment, the city traffic police force is finding it tough to regulate traffic flow in Guwahati city. The Superintendent of Police, Guwahati city, Sri Hiren Nath said that the strength of the city traffic police force has not been increased since 1982, while, on the other hand, the number of vehicles on city roads has been increasing considerably every day. According to records available, as many as 16,354 vehicles were registered in Guwahati in the year 2000, while, 18,826 were...

GUWAHATI, Dec 19 — That the much-trumpeted Government slogan of health for all by 2000 remains only in paper is evident from the functioning of the three medical colleges which betrays the sheer apathy of the Government towards the cause of the common people. Plagued by acute shortage of medicine, lack of casualty and emergency services, insufficient manpower, etc, the three medical colleges at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar are a sad commentary on the overall health care system in the State. Laying bare the pathetic state of affairs in the medical colleges, the Federation of Junior Doctors...

NEW DELHI, Dec 19— The first ATR-42 50 seater aircraft arrived from France here today even as the Civil Aviation Ministry today announced the flight schedule for the regional air service in the North East, to be operated under Alliance Air. In all four aircraft would be put into operation connecting State capitals and other towns of the North east with Guwahati and Kolkata. Of the four, one will be based in Guwahati, while the other three will be based in Kolkata, which will be the maintenance base for the aircraft. The flight schedule was unveiled at a meeting of the Parliamentary...

NEW DELHI, Dec 19 — The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) owes a whopping Rs 993.73 crore to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) even as the power company’s outstanding dues have touched an all-time high of Rs 1,474.92 crore. Even as the tussle among the State electricity boards and NEEPCO for payment of dues continues, interest on oustanding has been piling. Assam for instance owes Rs 795.63 crore as on November but its interest component has touched Rs 198.10 crore. The interest on outstanding dues of all the seven States has been estimated at Rs 259.52 crore.

Assam...

NEW DELHI, Dec 19— The Rajya Sabha today unanimously passed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Second amendment) Bill, 2002 without any discussion, paving the way for modification of the ST and SC lists in 20 states involving 140 communities. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha here yesterday after a thorough discussion that saw tribal members from Assam opposing the entry of Koch-Rajbongshi community in the ST list. The case of the Kochi-Rajbongshi community has been strengthened by recommendations of the National Commission for SC and ST and the Parliamentary Standing...