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                     Vol.2, No.59 [*] December 1, 1997
                     ---------------------------------
 
                  Let the man who has and doesn't give 
                   Break his neck, and cease to live!
                    Let him who gives without a care
                       Gather rubies from the air.
                          -- James Stephens 
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------
   

1  COURT STAYS GOVT ORDER ON COLLECTIVE FINES		   [S:30-NOV-97]
   ------------------------------------------
  
   The   Gauhati   High   Court   stayed   the    Bongaigaon    district
   administration's  order  for  imposition of 'collective fines' on the
   people of five villages of Bijni area, where ULFA blew  off  a  crude
   oil  pipeline  of  Oil India Ltd on the night of November 27, even as
   the State Government  resolved  to  review  the  matter  in  view  of
   state-wide protests  from various quarters.  It may be mentioned that
   the Government decided to impose a fine of Rs.1,000  on  each  family
   inhabiting the area surrounding the sites of the blast.
   

2  BLASTS KILLS TWO CRPF JAWANS				   [S:30-NOV-97]
   ----------------------------
   
   A CRFP jawan, Umesh Yadav and a civilian driver, Surendra Paswan were
   killed  and  seven  other jawans were seriously injured in a powerful
   bomb blast about 12:10 on the night of November 28 perpetrated by the
   banned ULFA near Teok police station in Jorhat district.  At the same
   time, the militants fired at the police station from two sides, which
   was returned by the police.  The exchange of  fire  lasted  for  more
   than an hour.  There were no report of casualty on either side.
   

3  GOVERNOR TO VISIT GOLAGHAT TOMORROW
   ------------------------------------
   
   Governor of Assam, Mr S.K.Sinha is arriving Golaghat on December 2 on
   an official  visit.    He will discuss and review matters relating to
   the law and order situation on Assam-Nagaland  border  areas  at  the
   Golaghat circuit  house.  The Governor will also visit the Numaligarh
   Refinery site after the meeting.
   

4  GOVT MAY WITHDRAW HIGHWAY CHECK GATES		  [AT:28-NOV-97]
   -------------------------------------
   
   The  Assam  Government may soon take a decision to withdraw the check
   gates on the national highways including the Srirampur  check  gates,
   highly placed  official  sources said.  The matter was discussed in a
   meeting of the State cabinet held in Guwahati on November  26.    The
   cabinet observed that a substantial portion of money collected in the
   gates  go to the coffers of the militants and corrupt persons leaving
   only a small amount for the State exchequer.
   
   Sources revealed that about Rs.270 million is collected annually from
   the check gates while Sales Tax collection in the state is about Rs.8
   billion a year and  added  that  the  Sales  Tax  collection  can  be
   increased  to  at  least  Rs.10  billion  a  year by intensifying the
   collection drive.  The final decision in this regard is likely to  be
   taken in a meeting of the State cabinet on November 30.
   

5  SPECIAL INCENTIVES TO ASSAM POLICE		         [PTI:27-NOV-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   The  Assam  Government  has decided to grant special increment to the
   State police personnel responsible for apprehension of militants  and
   seizure of  arms  and ammunition.  The increment would be in the form
   of increase in pay, promotion to higher posts  and  revision  of  pay
   scales.
   
   Meanwhile, the Staff Cabinet  decided  to  constitute  immediately  a
   subcommittee  to  go into the report filed by the Empowered Committee
   to  the  State  Government  on  the  issue   of   revision   of   the
   pay-structures of the State Government employees.
   

6  AGCL's SURVEY WORK AT SILCHAR			   [S:27-NOV-97]
   -----------------------------
   
   The Assam Gas Company Limited  (AGCL)  has  started  survey  work  at
   Silchar  to prepare the techno-economic feasibility for supply of gas
   for domestic and commercial use.  A  spokesman  of  the  gas  company
   disclosed this at Silchar and said that the survey is being conducted
   to  study  feasibility  of  supplying  gas to hotels, restaurants and
   small industries besides households.

7  ADJAYA TO US FILM FESTIVAL				   [S:28-NOV-97]
   --------------------------
   
   Dr Santana Bordoloi-directed film Adajya has  been  invited  for  the
   Film  India  festival  at  James Bridge Theatre in Los Angeles in the
   United States from February 12 to 15, 1998.  This is a  major  honour
   for  the  director  as  only  five  Indian  films are invited for the
   festival.
   

8  DR RAMESH DEKA APPOINTED PRESIDENT'S SURGEON	          [AT:27-NOV-97]
   --------------------------------------------
   
   The President has appointed Dr Ramesh Chandra Deka as the President's
   Honorary Surgeon.   Dr Deka, a resident of Zoo-Narengi Road, Guwahati
   is a Professor and Head of the Department of ENT, AIIMS,  New  Delhi.
   This  is  for  the  first  time that a doctor from Assam has got this
   honour.
   

9  ASSAM REGAIN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TITLE		          [AT:30-NOV-97]
   ------------------------------------
   
   Riding  on  a  solitary  goal  by Raju Basumatary, Assam regained the
   National School Games Football title (under-19 years) edging Delhi in
   the final at Mahilpur in Punjab on November 29.  It may be  mentioned
   that Assam played magnificently throughout the tournament and did not
   lose a single match and conceded just one goal.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________