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                     Vol.2, No.13  [*] May 14, 1997
                     ------------------------------

1  CENTRE'S MOVE TO BAN THE TERM NORTH-EAST OPPOSED       [S:12-MAY-97]
   ------------------------------------------------
   
   The  Asom  Gana  Parishad  (AGP)  on  May 11, strongly reacted to the
   Centre's  move  to  erase  the  phrase  'North-east'  from   official
   communication as  reported  in a section of the Press on May 10.  The
   report  stated  that  the  Home  Ministry  had  recently  banned  the
   'politically  incorrect'  phrase  in  all  Government  communications
   including in all official media like  Doordarshan,  and  had  advised
   that all States in the region would now be referred individually.
   
   While  the Government directive admitted that the Government had been
   guilty of 'lumping together a diverse and large part of the  country'
   and identified this as one of the causes of the widespread alienation
   felt  by  the people of the region, the AGP, in a statement issued to
   the Press in Guwahati on May 11 stated that the word 'North-east' has
   a historical significance as it portrays the  unity  and  cooperation
   among the seven sister States of the region'.
   

2  PDF LEADER NEEL KAMAL NARZARY SHOT DEAD		[AT:12-MAY-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   Suspected  Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) militants shot dead
   Mr Neel Kamal Narzary,  General  Secretary  of  the  Kamrup  District
   Committee  of People's Democratic Front (PDF) on the Goreswar-Rangiya
   Road at 9:30 am (IST) on May 12.    Mr  Narzary,  a  teacher  of  the
   Rainbow  English  School, Goreswar, was on his way to school from his
   village Tengabari when the assailants coming in  bicycles  pumped  14
   bullets into him from point blank range.
   

3  ULFA PLANS MAJOR STRIKE ON AGP GOVT'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY [S:14-MAY-97]
   -------------------------------------------------------
  
   High-ranking police sources  have  disclosed  that  the  banned  ULFA
   currently  engaged in a running battle with the security forces under
   the Unified Command, is planning  to  strike  back  in  a  'befitting
   manner'  to  'mark'  the  first anniversary of the Asom Gana Parishad
   (AGP) government by launching an offensive in Nagaon,  Batadraba  and
   Guwahati.  The AGP coalition government completes a year in office on
   May 15.
   

4  GUWAHATI POLICE FOIL DACOITY BID			   [S:14-MAY-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   In a major breakthrough in their relentless pursuit of the  notorious
   Siben Mondal gang -- which has been carrying out a series of dacoties
   in Guwahati households recently -- the Dispur police foiled a dacoity
   in  the  residence at Kahilipara on the night of May 12, recovering a
   sten gun which had been snatched from  a  personal  security  officer
   recently and arresting three of the gang members.
   

5  AWARDS FOR THE GOOD, PUNISHMENT FOR THE BAD	          [AT:14-MAY-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   Policemen  were  punished and awarded by the Superintendent of Police
   for their actions in the last couple  of  days  in  Guwahati.    Five
   policemen  who  were  caught  red handed while 'extorting' money from
   trucks in Guwahati were suspended while cops responsible for  capture
   of a gang of notorious dacoits on May 12 received cash awards.
   
   In  the last few months, several policemen faced action for extorting
   money from the truck drivers in different parts of the city but these
   actions  against  some  policemen  did  not  prevent some others from
   continuing the same practice. Police sources said that to  stop  this
   practice,  steps  have  been  taken  and  senior police officers have
   started to move around in plain cloths in different busy roads of the
   city.
   
   Meanwhile, the two constables, from whom dacoits snatched away a sten
   gun from the Basistha area of the city, have been  arrested  for  not
   trying to resist the dacoits, police sources said.

6  RS.20 MILLION CENTRAL AID TO MEDICAL COLLEGE	          [AT:14-MAY-97]
   --------------------------------------------
   
   A sum of Rs.20 million has been approved for  release  as  additional
   Central  assistance  to  the  Assam  Government  for establishment of
   emergency care services in the Guwahati Medical College Hospital,  an
   official release said in Guwahati on May 13.
   

7  MINERAL WATER PLANT BY NRI IN GUWAHATI		  [AT:12-MAY-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   The chairman of the  Brahmaputra  Hospitals  Pvt.    Ltd.    (an  NRI
   enterprise)  Mr  Biraj  Bhuyan  has decided to set up a Rs.15 million
   Aqua Mineral Plant at North Guwahati.  The  USA-based  industrialist,
   speaking  to  newsmen in Guwahati on May 11 said that the plant would
   initially produce 10,000 bottles per day and would later be  expanded
   to 20,000  bottles.    Mr  Bhuyan plans to cover the Northeast in the
   beginning and later explore the Bangladesh market.
   

8  TEA AUCTION CENTRE DEMANDED IN DIBRUGARH	           [S:14-MAY-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   The people of Upper Assam comprising Dr.K.K.Gogoi, MLA, Dibrugarh and
   others  submitted a memorandum on May 13 to the chairman of Tea Board
   of India, Mr S.S.Ahuja demanding a tea auction centre at Dibrugarh.
   

9  DR A.K.GOSWAMI IN HIGH-LEVEL ADVISORY GROUP	          [AT:14-MAY-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   Former Cotton College Principal Dr.A.K.Goswami has been included as a
   member  of  the  high-level advisory group on science and Technology,
   Space and Atomic Energy constituted by the Government  of  India  for
   commemoration of  the  50th anniversary of India's independence.  The
   group will formulate and suggest various programmes and activities on
   themes related to science and technology,  space  and  atomic  energy
   that may be implemented for the year long anniversary which begins on
   August 15 this year.
   

10 NEW FLIGHTS FROM MAY 8 BY SKYLINE NEPC		   [S:12-MAY-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   From May 8 Skyline NEPC Ltd. will start operations in the  Northeast.
   The schedule will be Guwahati-Madras via Calcutta, Guwahati-Calcutta,
   Bagdogra-Guwahati on every Wednesday and Sunday. The company plans to
   introduce flights three days a week soon.
   

______________________________[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://www.cs.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________