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                        Vol.2, No.5 [*] April 21, 1997
                        ------------------------------

1  VSNL RELEASES INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN ASSAM
   --------------------------------------------
  
   With  the  release  of  VSNL's  Internet  service  on  April  21 at a
   overcrowded conference hall  of  the  Assam  Telecom  Circle  Office,
   Guwahati  becomes  the  second  centre  in  the  eastern region after
   Calcutta to have Internet facility, with  the  Assam  Telecom  Circle
   providing  the  local  infrastructure  and  the  VSNL  providing  the
   equipments and basic infrastructure.
   
   The  services  will  include GIAS shell accounts for Rs.5,000 for 500
   hours or one year and TCP/IP connections at Rs.15,000 for  500  hours
   or one  year.    Leased  line connection will also be available which
   would cost  around  Rs.600,000.    No   concessions   for   students,
   institutions, NGOs  are  available.  However, software exporters will
   be provided with substantial concessions.  Netscape will be  provided
   for Rs.1,000.    Initially,  there will be 300 subscriber connections
   which will be created within three  days  time  after  receiving  the
   application.  Interested people have to apply to the District Telecom
   Manager,   Guwahati  through  the  Customer  Service  Centre  or  the
   Commercial Manager.

2  COMMERCIALIZATION MARS TRADITIONAL BIHU		[AT:19-APR-97]
   ---------------------------------------
  
   Over commercialization of the Rongali Bihu  celebrations  has  pushed
   the  traditional way of celebrating the Assamese new year festival to
   the backseat and now it seems that the celebrations  totally  revolve
   around money.
   
   Some of the Bihu celebration committees in the State have indulged in
   the race to bring the best of the artists and the common complain  by
   almost  all  the  Bihu  celebration committees is that they failed to
   collect enough money this year.  In some  occasions  the  traditional
   Assamese  Bihu  dance competitions are sponsored by the multinational
   companies.   The  rates  of   the   artists   have   also   increased
   considerably,  which in turn, increases the requirement for money for
   the Bihu celebration committees.
   
   With the  commercialization  of  the  Bihu  celebration,  there  were
   instances  where  artists  prefer to take part in the competitions of
   Bihu dances in the functions where the prize money  is  more,  paying
   scant respect to the honour of the prizes.

3  LANDMINES AROUND ULFA HIDEOUT:  2 ULFA MEN KILLED	[S:21-APR-97]
   -------------------------------------------------
   
   In a major breakthrough against militant activities in the State, the
   Army under unified command structure busted an ULFA  hideout  killing
   two  ultras besides recovering sophisticate weapons and incriminating
   documents in the Balipara reserve forests near Tezpur  on  April  20.
   One  ultra  was  killed  on  the  spot  while another was injured and
   several others  fled  under  cover  of  darkness  in  the  encounter.
   Significantly, the ULFA had planted land-mines all around the hideout
   as a precautionary measure.

4  BTPS HANDED OVER TO MNC ON LEASE			[S:17-APR-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   The State Government is trying to hand over  the  Bongaigaon  Thermal
   Power  Station under Assam State Electricity Board to a multinational
   company from the United  States,  Ogdan  Power  Energy  Incorporated,
   sources revealed.    Following  a  high-level  discussion between the
   State Government and representatives of OPEI, 14-member technical and
   financial experts' team of the company has made a detailed evaluation
   of the plant from April 8 to 11.
  
   On  the  other hand, different employees' unions have expressed grave
   concern over the fact that none  of  them  were  consulted  prior  to
   taking this decision.

5  UNIFIED COMMAND LIKELY TO STAY			[UNI:20-APR-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   The Assam Government is likely to continue anti-insurgency operations
   under the unified command structure as well as keep  its  doors  open
   for  unconditional  talks  with  different insurgent groups to find a
   solution.

6  GOVT TIGHTENS SURVEILLANCE ON WILDLIFE RESEARCH	 [PTI:11-APR-97]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   An abortive attempt by a foreign veterinary researcher to smuggle out
   blood samples, and hair follicles of the  endangered  pigmy  hog  has
   created a sensation leading the government to tighten surveillance of
   wildlife research.   Forest officials said they believed the incident
   was part of an international bio-piracy plan to acquire patent rights
   on wildlife research findings in the developing world.
   
   Suspicions built up when two foreign experts  of  the  Indo-UK  joint
   pigmy  hog  conservation  project  (PHCP), William Oliver and Rolland
   Satyr were  found  collecting  additional  sets  of  samples  at  the
   Basistha  Hog  Park,  Guwahati,  a spokesman of the Forest Department
   said.  When subsequently the additional set of the samples was  found
   missing,  a  former  PHCP official filed a complaint with the State's
   Forest Minister and the  Chief  Conservator  of  Forest.    Frenchman
   Roland  Satyr  was  eventually  tracked down in Meerut and the stolen
   sample was recovered.
   
   They  said  the  entire episode has made the Department alert to stop
   any possible efforts to  smuggle  out  specimens  of  the  endangered
   species fro patenting the research findings emanating from it.

7  ULFA BANDH ENDS PEACEFULLY				[S:20-APR-97]
   --------------------------
   
   The dawn-to-dusk Kamrup and Darrang districts bandh sponsored by  the
   Saraighat  mandal  of  the ULFA on April 19 passed without reports of
   any untoward incident.  The bandh, called to protest the  killing  of
   ULFA's  publicity  committee  member, Girindra Rajbangshi alias Anjan
   Deka, in an  encounter  with  the  Army,  was  followed  by  two-hour
   blackout.

8  RS.260 MILLION FOR MNES PLAN IN NORTHEAST	[PTI:18-APR-97]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   The  Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources has earmarked Rs.260
   million for implementing its programs like setting up bio-gas  plant,
   usages  of improved chulhas, gasifiers, solar photo voltaic and small
   hydro power projects and solar heating system  in  the  north-eastern
   States  under  the Prime Minister's initiative, according to the MNES
   Secretary, Mr Ashok Parthasarathi.

9  BRAHMAPUTRA BOARD GETS GRANT			[PTI:18-APR-97]
   ----------------------------
   
   The Centre has provided  Rs.250  million  as  grant  in  1996-97  and
   Rs.106.8  million grant-in-aid to the Brahmaputra Board under the new
   Central scheme to provide hundred per cent grant for controlling  the
   floods of  river  Brahmaputra.   Official sources at Guwahati said on
   April 18 that  survey  and  investigation  for  construction  of  dam
   projects are going on to Jadukata, Someswari, Umnigot, Debang, Kulsi,
   Na-Dehing, Bharabi  and  Kameng.    Alternative  sites  for Siang and
   Subansiri dam projects were also being looked into.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
              http://www.cyberspace.org/~mozz/aol.html  
  http://piglet.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________