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                           Vol.2, No.8 * May 2, 1997
                           ---------------------------

1  ULFA MILITANTS EXTORTION PLANS UNVEILED IN SONITPUR	[S:1-MAY-97]
   ---------------------------------------------------
   
   The ULFA has initiated a long-term program  for  extortion  of  money
   from   various   categories   of  industries  beginning  from  bigger
   industries  to  petty  shopkeepers  and  also   from   every   family
   periodically in  every  six  months  and  its part thereof.  This was
   revealed in a detailed extortion program documents of ULFA  militants
   now available  with  the  Sonitpur district administration.  This was
   disclosed in public relation meeting, held on  April  30,  of  senior
   citizens,   representatives   of   political   parties   and   social
   organizations of the district  which  was  attended  by  senior  Army
   officers of 77 Rajpur Brigade camping at Phulbari, Tezpur.
   

2  SESHAN WRITES TO ASSAM CM SEEKING SUPPORT		[S:30-APR-97]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   Former  Chief  Election  Commissioner T.N.Seshan in a letter to Chief
   Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has sought his 'wholehearted support'
   to the former's  candidature  in  the  run  up  to  the  Presidential
   elections.   In  a  three-page  letter Mr Seshan said his credentials
   were 'those of absolute integrity, undiluted  patriotism  and  strict
   adherence to the Constitution.'
   
   He said, it was in those 'walls' that he sought to  ensure  tolerance
   among the majorities and minorities of religion, caste, language etc.
   and  to ensure that the rights of minorities were not a concession by
   the majority but an 'ipso facto' matter of life.  He hastened to add,
   however, that the rights of the minorities could not permit  them  to
   ride  on  the  shoulders  of  the  majority  as a burden or to hinder
   national interests and progress.
   

3  SECURITY IN GUWAHATI TIGHTENED			[S:1-MAY-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   Police  has beefed up security arrangements and checkings in Guwahati
   following reports of militants entering the State  and  hiding  in  a
   dense forest  near  Lumding.    All  districts in the State have been
   alerted against possible movements  of  the  ultras.    The  Guwahati
   police  has  detained SULFA men on the suspicion of having links with
   the ultras besides conducting search operations in different parts of
   the city.    Checking  have  also  been  intensified  on  Brahmaputra
   following  reports  that  the  militants  might try to enter the city
   through river.
   

4  NEDFi APPROVES THREE NEW PROJECTS			[AT:2-MAY-97
   ---------------------------------
   
   North  Eastern  Development  Finance  Corporation Limited (NEDFi) has
   approved three projects out of which two are to be set up  in  Assam.
   The decision in this regard was taken in the meeting of the Directors
   of the Corporation on April 30.
   
   It  is  learnt  that  NEDFi has given go-ahead for Pancharatna Cement
   Private Limited to be set  up  at  Titabar  in  Jorhat  district  and
   setting  up  of  a  cardiovascular  unit at Institute of Neorological
   Science in Guwahati.  In addition to these, conditional approval  was
   granted for Clasic Fabrics to be set up in Agartala.
   

5  NERAMAC MD RESIGNS					[AT:1-MAY-97]
   ------------------
  
   Peeved  at  excessive  interference  from  a  section  of   top-level
   officials in Union Food Processing Ministry, the Managing Director of
   North  Eastern  Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC),
   Major P.M.Srivastava has submitted his resignation seeking  immediate
   release.
   
   According  to  an  informed  source  in  NERAMAC,  the  MD  has  been
   disillusioned due to frequent outrageous interference from  a  vested
   circle of Food Processing Ministry, who are bent upon derailing every
   plan of  the Corporation to expand its activities in the region.  The
   way things are in NERAMAC it compels one to realize  with  pain  that
   the  Centre's  decision top set up the Corporation was a mere eyewash
   and nothing else.
   
   After Major Srivastava took over as the  MD  of  the  Corporation  in
   1995,  NERAMAC  made  an all out effort to build a brand image by the
   marketing products under the brand  name  'NERAMAC'  on  experimental
   basis  releasing  that  too many brand names for products marketed by
   the  Corporation  had  been  creating  serious  problem  in   winning
   consumers' confidence.    The  effort have started showing results as
   items of the Corporation including  processed  cashew  and  pineapple
   products seem  to  be  making  inroads in the market.  Unfortunately,
   despite the achievement, the MD  has  opted  to  resign  out  of  the
   disillusionment due to unfriendly attitude of the Ministry officials.
  
 
6  EFFORTS TO PROMOTE ASSAM TOURISM			[S:30-APR-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   In  an  effort to promote Assam as an attractive tourist destination,
   Assam Tourism  Development  Corporation  organized  Rongali  Bihu  in
   collaboration  with Assam Association, Delhi on April 27 on the lawns
   of Constitution  Club,  New  Delhi.    Briefing  the  Press  in  this
   connection,   ATDC   Managing   Director  Santanu  Thakur  and  Assam
   Association president T.P.Khaund said that apart  from  wildlife  and
   nature  tourism, Assam had 17 golf courses, proper marketing of which
   can attract a large number of international tourists most of whom now
   visit only Kaziranga.  The colourful Bihu function which attracted  a
   large  audience included the Bihu dance and the traditional dances of
   Karbi, Bodo, Moran and Missing tribes.
   

7  FOREIGN TOURISTS TO KAZIRANGA INCREASING		[UNI:1-MAY-97]
   ----------------------------------------
     
   Inflow of foreign tourists to world famous Kaziranga National Park is
   steadily  increasing,  according  to  Assam's  Forest  Minister Nagen
   Sarma.  Mr Sarma told UNI that during the current season which  began
   in  November 1995, about 680 foreign travellers, mostly from European
   countries visited the Park so far compared to 510 last  season.    He
   said  the  number  is expected to go up as the season would last upto
   May.
   
   Tourists  traffic  to  Manas  Sanctuary  has also increased which was
   opened for the visitors recently.  The sanctuary was closed  for  the
   tourists  for  a long time because of disturbed situation in Bodoland
   area of the State.  Meanwhile, the census of tiger and  elephants  in
   the State  has  already been done.  Census of rhino population in the
   State would begin soon, the minister said.
   

8  WHITE SQUIRREL DISCOVERED				[AT:2-MAY-97]
   -------------------------
   
   A species of white squirrel has been discovered in the bamboo forests
   of Sibasagar district.  Completely white in color, this  species  may
   be  an  'albino'  variety  of  common  grey squirrel, according to Mr
   Girindra Kalita,  lecturer  of  the  Zoology  Department  of  Gauhati
   University.   A  number of white squirrels were observed by a team of
   the Society for Zoology and Nature of the University during  a  study
   carried out  in  the  area.  The team observed that some of the local
   people of the area kill this rare  animal  for  its  tasty  meat  and
   stressed on immediate conservation efforts.
   

9  NOTED PLAYWRIGHT'S WIFE APPEALS FOR HELP		[AT:1-MAY-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   Noted  playwright,  Mr  Munin  Bhuyan, presently working as Assistant
   Director, All India Radio, Guwahati has been  admitted  to  the  Tata
   Memorial Centre,  Mumbai  for  treatment.   Mr Bhuyan in dire need of
   financial help to meet the expenses for his treatment.   Mrs  Subarna
   Bhuyan,  wife  of  the playwright has appealed to all sections of the
   people to donate generously to help save his life.  Donations may  be
   sent to:   Mrs Subarna Bhuyan, C/O Station Director, All India Radio,
   Guwahati 781003.
   

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________