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                    Vol.2, No.53 [*] November 15, 1997
                    ----------------------------------
 
         Our scientific power has outrun our spritual power.
             We have guided missiles and misguided men.
                           - Henry Ford
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  UNION MINISTER, 4 OTHERS KILLED IN 'COPTER CRASH      [PTI:14-NOV-97]
   ------------------------------------------------
   
   Minister of State for Defence N.V.N.Somu and four others, including a
   Major General and two crew  members,  were  killed  when  their  Army
   Helicopter  crashed over the snow-covered mountains apparently in bad
   weather near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on November 14.
   
   Maj Gen R.C.Nagpal, the GOC of Four  Mountain  Division,  was  flying
   along with the 60-year-old minister who was on a two-day visit to the
   Northeast.   The  two  pilots  Majors  were  identified identified as
   P.K.Agarwal  and   P.C.Sharma   hailing   from   Shimla   and   Delhi
   respectively.
   
   The  tragedy  occurred  around  9  am  at a spot one-and-half km from
   Tawang in Lungar sector of Arunachal Pradesh.  Radio contact with the
   'Cheetah' helicopter was lost at 9:10 am.  Five army choppers located
   the wreckage of the helicopter, which was flying  to  Tezpur,  around
   noon at a snowbound area at an altitude of more than 4000 metres.
   

2  TATA CHALLENGES GAUHATI HC ORDER IN SC		  [AT:13-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   The  Tata  Tea  Limited on November 12 filed a special leave petition
   before the Supreme Court of India, challenging the rejection  of  the
   bail  petitions  of  three  of  its top executives including managing
   director, R.K.Krishna Kumar.   Assam  government  has  also  filed  a
   caveat before the SC to give it a hearing in this connection.
   
   Meanwhile, the Tata Tea  senior  welfare  and  community  development
   officer  Dr  Brojen  Gogoi,  who  had  been arrested by the police in
   connection with aiding and abetting militant activities in Assam, was
   released by the Gauhati High Court on conditional bail of  Rs.300,000
   on November 13.
   

3  ULFA IS MORTALLY AFRAID OF CONGRESS:  KESRI	           [S:14-NOV-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   The ULFA is mortally afraid of the Congress and  would  not  dare  to
   call  for  bandhs  or  road-blockades if the party organized rallies.
   The outfit had not called  a  road-blockade  or  bandh  yesterday  to
   frustrate  the  Congress  rally in Guwahati precisely because of this
   reason, AICC president Sitaram Kesri said in Guwahati on November 13.
   
   Addressing  a press conference at the APCC headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan
   prior to  his  departure  for  Delhi,  Mr  Kesri  also  rejected  the
   allegation  that  the  Congress  had  connection  with  the  ULFA and
   countered it by alleging that it was the AGP which had links with the
   ULFA.  Mr Kesri said there was no  law  and  order  under  the  AGP's
   misrule in  the  State.   Asked if that was, how could Congressmen be
   moving freely, he said, the Congress had  lost  800  members  at  the
   hands of the ULFA.
   
   On the allegation of Tata Tea and the Congress having links, Mr Kesri
   denied there  was  any link.  On the contrary, it is the AGP which is
   in league with the Tata Tea, he alleged.
   

4  RESCUED TEA ESTATE STAFF DIES IN HOSPITAL	          [AT:13-NOV-97]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   The head clerk of Bhubandhar Tea Estate of Cachar,  Mr  S.K.Paul  who
   was rescued by the police from his abductors, died in Silchar Medical
   College Hospital on November 11.  The health condition of Mr Paul was
   in  a  precarious  state  when  he  was  rescued  and was immediately
   admitted to the hospital.  The clerk was kidnapped by the  ultras  of
   the Barak Valley Youth Liberation Front on October 5.
   
   Meanwhile,  a  tea  garden  manager,  Mr  Guru  Singh Siddu, has been
   kidnapped by unidentified militants from Umrangshu  in  North  Cachar
   Hills district  on  the  night  of  November  10.    A massive search
   operation was launched to rescue the manager.
   

5  KAMRUP ADC HELD, LET OFF				   [S:14-NOV-97]
   ------------------------
   
   Sleuths of the CID probing  into  alleged  nexus  between  government
   officials  and the ULFA and the NDFB and their frontal organizations,
   on November 13 arrested an Assam Civil Services (ACS) officer holding
   the charge of the additional deputy commissioner of Kamrup  district,
   Mr  Prasanta Bora on charge of having given false verification report
   to MASS secretary general Lachit Bordoloi in  obtaining  passport  to
   travel to  Geneva  to  attend  the  UNPO  conference.    Mr  Bora was
   questioned by the CID for more than three hours, before releasing him
   on bail, as it was a bailable offence. 
   

6  SEVEN ASTC EMPLOYEES IN TEZPUR SUSPENDED		   [S:11-NOV-97]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   Seven employees including the station superintendent, Apurba  Baruah,
   of  Tezpur  division,  Assam  State Transport Corporation (ASTC) have
   been suspended and one of them arrested  by  the  Tezpur  police  for
   misappropriation of  passenger tickets worth Rs.626,431.  Dhurbajyoti
   Mazumdar has been arrested on the charge of disappearance of the  box
   containing tickets  worth  Rs.452,471.    The suspended employees who
   paid back the misappropriated amounts in cash includes Nitya Das, Rs.
   93,000; Ikheswar Deka, Rs.21,255; Thaneswar Medhi Rs.44,852 and Tarun
   Saikia Rs.24,372 to the ASTC.  Siba Saikia was suspended for changing
   the tickets.
   

7  SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KERALA HC RULING ON BANDHS      [PTI:12-NOV-97]
   ------------------------------------------------
   
   In a far-reaching decision, the Supreme Court on November 12 upheld a
   Kerala High Court judgement banning strikes or  bandhs  organized  by
   political  parties and trade unions as 'unconstitutional and illegal'
   and said it completely concurred with the ruling of the court.
   
   The  High  Court  had  banned general strikes or bandhs on the ground
   that there would always be some untoward incident in connection  with
   the  bandh  call  and  that  such  incidents  inevitably  affect  the
   fundamental rights of the citizens.
   
   The challenge to the calling of general strikes  was  brought  before
   the  High  Court  in  an  action  by  a  citizen  in  1994  seeking a
   declaration that bandhs were unconstitutional and illegal.
   

8  US INVESTMENT SUMMIT IN CALCUTTA		           [S:13-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   Over  100 American companies are expected to participate in a two-day
   US Investment Summit, 'The Emerging East', under  the  aegis  of  the
   Indo-US  Joint  Business  Council in Calcutta from December 10, 1997.
   While many companies  are  likely  to  join  from  the  Indian  side,
   Bangladesh  and  Nepal  have promised to bring in around 40 companies
   each.
   
   The speaker invited include the  US  Commerce  Secretary,  the  Prime
   Minister  and  the  Finance  Minister of India, the Prime Minister of
   Nepal, the Commerce and Industries Minister  of  Bangladesh,  India's
   former US Ambassador to India, Mr Frank G.Wisner.  Policy issues like
   energy,  broadcasting,  transportation  and infrastructure, financial
   services, and telecommunications will be discussed at the meeting.
   

9  ASTROLOGERS PREDICT POLITICAL SCENARIO		  [AT:15-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   President of the Bharatiya  Jyotish  Parishad,  Mr  A.K.Dubey,  in  a
   prediction  made  at a conference of astrologers in Guwahati recently
   said that the  Mahanta  government  would  enter  a  bad  phase  from
   November 29 and his government may fall by January 13 and 14, 1998.
   
   On  the  other  hand, editor and publisher of Prakash Jyotish Panjika
   and a reputed astrologer of Guwahati disputing the prediction of  the
   conference  said  that  Chief  Minister  Mahanta  enjoys a Satursagar
   Rajyog and as per calculations will not affect Mr Mahanta.  He  added
   that, in order to predict the fate of a Government it is important to
   take  into  consideration  its time of birth, influence of associated
   planets, time  of  oath  taking,  besides  the  calculations  of  the
   horoscope of the chief minister.
   
   Another reputed  astrologer  of  Guwahati, Mr Chakravarty B.K.  while
   disputing the prediction  of  the  conference  said  that  the  Chief
   Minister  will enjoy a favourable period from November 29 to December
   18, a partial bad phase from December 18,  and  a  detrimental  phase
   from January 3 to May 26, 1998.
   
   Commenting  on  the  national  political scenario, Mr Chakravary said
   that from February to May 18, 1998, the United Front  Government  may
   face  problems  and  there is possibility of an elections during this
   period.
   

10 LESSONS IN ASSAMESE BY AKASHVANI BHOPAL		   [S:13-NOV-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   Akashvani, Bhopal is planning to produce a 26-part Assamese  language
   lessons for  children from January, 1998.  After these programmes are
   broadcast by Akashvani, Bhopal, they will be circulated among all the
   20 stations in Madhya Pradesh for  rebroadcast.    This  will  create
   curiosity  and  awareness  among  the children of the state about the
   Assamese language and its culture.  This is for the first  time  that
   an  AIR  station  outside the zone had ventured to broadcast Assamese
   language lesson.  Dr Bhupendra Roychoudhury,  Reader,  department  of
   Hindi, Gauhati University will conduct the lessons.
   

11 BIOSPHERE RESERVE RECOMMENDED BY SCIENTISTS	         [PIB:11-NOV-97]
   -------------------------------------------
  
   Indian  and  American  zoologists  have  recommended  creation  of  a
   Biosphere Reserve  Forest  between the river Sankosh and Manas.  This
   would serve as a genetic freeway for large number of animals  in  the
   region,  according  to  a  survey carried out recently in lower Assam
   region by scientist of both the countries.  The wild life  ecologists
   during their survey also spotted some rare species of hornbill.

12 BOAT CRUISE IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK		 [PIB:13-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   Dhansiri Trading Agency, a private enterprise, based in Bokakhat near
   Kaziranga  National  Park  offers  boat  cruise  in  the mighty river
   Brahmaputra.  Their down stream cruises offers visitors sighting rare
   birds, wildlife and river dolphins by the park.  This  travel  agency
   also  arranges  cruises  in  the  evening on prior intimation for the
   interest of local and foreign tourists as well.
   

13 ASSAM BEAT BIHAR BY THREE WICKETS IN RANJI ONE-DAYER  [PTI:13-NOV-97]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   
   A  masterly knock of 57 runs by Iqbal Khan and a swashbuckling 32 off
   20 deliveries by tailender Sukhvinder Singh helped Assam notch  up  a
   three  wicket victory over host Bihar in the rain-curtailed East Zone
   one-day  limited-overs  Ranji  Trophy  match  at  Keenan  Stadium  in
   Jamshedpur on November 13.
    

14 DOUBLE CROWN FOR BAHNIMAN IN BADMINTON		   [S:14-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   Bahniman  Bora  of  Assam defied all the odds in the final day of the
   national mini and sub-junior badminton championships  to  defend  his
   title  in  the  under-13  category  at the Kanaklata and ABITA indoor
   stadium in Guwahati on November 13.
   
   In the singles, Bahniman took just 35 minutes to defeat Nishad Dravid
   of Maharastra 15-9, 15-6 to retain his title.  Then he teamed up with
   another  up-and-coming  Assam  shuttler,  Kaushik  Deka  to claim the
   under-13 doubles title defeating State-mates  V.V.Narayan  and  Javed
   Tanveer 15-4, 15-13.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________