__  
               /  \    _____ _____ ____      _    _      
              /    \  (  __/(  __/(_   \    / \  / \
             /  __  \  \  \  \  \  / __ O N L I N E \
            (__/  \__)/____)/____)(______)(__/    \__) 
                     Vol.2, No.61 [*] December 8, 1997
                     ---------------------------------

                    O, what a tangled web we weave,
                  When first we practice to deceive!
                            - Walter Scott
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  STATE, NE SCHEMES ON SCHEDULE: GUJRAL		    [S:8-DEC-97]
   -------------------------------------
  
   Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral expressed the hope that the various
   initiatives taken  by  the  United  Front  Government  to  bring  the
   insurgency  problem  of  the Northeast to an end through negotiations
   will bear fruit, defining the UF Government's  strategy  of  tackling
   the  fundamental  problems of development with a firm handling of the
   law-and-order situation.  The Prime Minister who  was  on  a  two-day
   visit to Assam, addressed a public rally in Guwahati on December 6.
   
   Addressing a crowded press conference at the Rajbhawan in Guwahati on
   December  7,  Mr Gujral said, the estimated requirements of funds for
   implementation of programmes, under what is termed 'new  initiatives'
   by  the  UF Government for development of the Northeast, was Rs.74.45
   billion, out of which  Rs.60.34  billion  would  be  in  the  Central
   sector,  Rs.10.68  billion  in the State sector and Rs.3.73
   billion under the
   North Eastern Council (NEC) plan.

2  BARPETA LOC CASE: IAS OFFICER, 21 OTHERS BOOKED	    [S:7-DEC-97]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   The  CBI  investigating  into  the Letter of Credit (LoC) scam in the
   Veterinary Department of Assam, has filed  charge  sheet  against  22
   persons  including  former  Veterinary  Secretary Prem Saran (IAS), a
   noted Guwahati-based contractor Anil Goenka and four former directors
   of the department in the Barpeta case on December 7.  The  court  has
   asked all the accused to appear before it on February 6, 1998.
   
   The CBI has charged that, Mr Prem Saran, as the Veterinary Department
   Secretary  in  1990-91,  had released Rs.4.215 million to the Barpeta
   office without obtaining sanctions from the Finance Department.    Mr
   Saran  had accepted a bribe of Rs.620,000 from a contractor U.N.Gogoi
   during that period in the name of his mother.
   
   The charge sheet also accuses former director of the  department,  Dr
   J.A.Ahmed  of  siphoning  off  Rs.10.45  million  through  11 LoCs in
   1990-91.   Similarly,  contractor,  U.N.Gogoi  and   upper   division
   assistant,  P.C.Sarma  had  withdrawn  Rs.6.642 million through three
   forged LoCs which were originally meant for withdrawal of  Rs.241,000
   only, from  the Barpeta treasury.  The charge sheet says, contractors
   Anil Goenka and Jay Prakash Goenka  had  withdrawn  Rs.1.812  million
   through fake bills.
   

3  OC, FOUR ULFA MILITANTS KILLED IN ENCOUNTER		    [S:7-DEC-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   A policemen along with four ultras were killed in a shoot-out between
   security  forces and ULFA militants in the afternoon of December 6 at
   Barhulia under Barbaruah police station  in  Dibrugarh.  Besides  the
   deceased,  Mr Lokeshwar Chetia, officer-in-charge of Barbaruah police
   station, two other cops were seriously injured in the shoot-out.  The
   four  militants killed are yet to be identified. A huge cache of arms
   and ammunition along with a cash of Rs.150,000  were  recovered  from
   the possession of the ultras.
   

4  MAKE BANDH A SUCCESS:  AASU			           [AT:8-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------
  
   The All Assam Students Union (AASU) made an appeal to all sections of
   the  people  to make its proposed 11 hour Assam bandh on December 9 a
   success.  The call for the bandh beginning at 5 am has been given  by
   the  AASU  to  register its protest against the inclusion of names of
   even the 1986 batch of illegal migrants and their offsprings  in  the
   latest  electoral  rolls  of the State to be finally published by the
   Government on that day.  Essential services, however,  were  exempted
   from the purview of the bandh.
   
   The  AASU,  in  a  press  release  alleged that though the 1985 Assam
   Accord made it mandatory on  the  part  of  the  Government  and  the
   electoral  authorities  to prepare the electoral rolls taking 1971 as
   the cutoff year, the latest electoral rolls of the State have granted
   right to vote  even  to  the  illegal  migrants  of  1986  and  their
   offsprings  and  that  this would empower the aliens to determine the
   fate of the indigenous people of the State.
   

5  BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY TO CONTEST ALL ASSAM SEATS	    [S:6-DEC-97]
   -------------------------------------------------
  
   The BJP State committee has decided to contest all the 14  Lok  Sabha
   seats  for  Assam,  State  party general secretary Jayanta Dutta told
   newsmen at Guwahati on December 5.  He said, the party will certainly
   improve its position in the State.  The district committees had  been
   asked  to gear themselves up for the parliamentary elections, leaving
   aside work for panchayat polls, he said.
   

6  ASSAM OFFERS 10 PROPOSALS FOR INVESTMENT MEET	  [UNI:6-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   Arunachal   Pradesh  has  topped  the  list  among  the  eastern  and
   north-eastern States which has offered a total of 137 projects to  be
   discussed  at  the proposed two-day US investment summit beginning at
   Calcutta from December 10 in presence of  Prime  Minister  I.K.Gujral
   and US Secretary of Commerce, William Daley.
   
   The 35 proposals by Arunachal Pradesh has an estimated value of  more
   than Rs.155  billion.    Assam  has  proposed  ten  projects  with an
   estimated investment  of  Rs.17.4  billion  for  discussions  at  the
   summit.   Meghalaya has 11 at Rs.8.20 billion; Tripura, 5 at Rs.38.27
   billion and Manipur has 8 proposals for an  estimated  investment  of
   Rs.0.20 billion.

7  PEOPLE START CONSTRUCTION OF DYKES AT ROHMORIA	    [S:6-DEC-97]
   ----------------------------------------------
  
   The people of Rohmoria mouza under Chabua revenue circle  have  taken
   up  construction  of dykes on the mighty Brahmaputra to prevent heavy
   erosion.  The public decided to construct dykes on the southern  bank
   of the Brahmaputra near Liting village, 16 km from Chabua.  People of
   the  area  had  spontaneously  donated bamboo, timber posts and other
   construction materials including physical labour for construction  of
   the work at an estimated cost of Rs.1.2 million for the four dykes.
   
   Having failed to evoke any positive  and  fruitful  action  from  the
   Government  over the years, since their first approach in 1957 to the
   then Flood Control Minister Mr Majnul Haque Chowdhury to the  present
   day  minister Promode Gogoi, the people have decided to construct the
   dykes on their own.  A vast area of about 70 per cent of Rohmoria was
   washed away by the Brahmaputra within a period of 45 years.  About 17
   villages, eight  reserve  forests,  one  PWD  road,  some  historical
   monuments of Mayamara Garpara Xatra were washed away in the erosion.
   

8  WORLD ARMSPORT ENDS, ASSAM GIRL AMONG WINNERS	    [S:7-DEC-97]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   The strong Russians lived up to their reputation as they  bagged  the
   overall  champions  title relegating arch-rivals United States to the
   second spot as the three-day 18th World Armsport Championship at  the
   Nehru Stadium  in  Guwahati  came  to a close on December 6.  Georgia
   clinched the third spot. 
   
   Five-time  world champion, Bobby Hopkins, of the US once again proved
   that he had the strongest arm in the universe when  he  clinched  the
   gold  by defeating his Russian counterpart, Enaldier Aslanbek, in the
   above 100-kg group.  The Northeast had its share in  the  medal  hunt
   too  as  Swarnali  Bhuyan  of Namrup clinched the bronze medal in the
   women's 60 kg category and Amravati  from  Manipur  bagged  a  silver
   medal in the women's 45 kg category.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________