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                        Vol.3, No.73 [*] October 12, 1998
                        ---------------------------------

      It is the fate of the policy-maker to live in a paper world and 
         risk being deceived into thinking that it is the real one.
                             - Alan Cottrell
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------
   
1  ALL-PARTY MEET CALLS FOR UPLIFT OF BARAK VALLEY         [S:12-OCT-98]
   -----------------------------------------------
   In  a  unique gesture of solidarity, all the people's representatives
   of Barak Valley who  included  ministers,  MPs  and  MLAs  met  at  a
   convention  in  the circuit house at Silchar on October 10 to discuss
   burning issues and problems of  this  valley  and  to  evolve  common
   strategy for  their  redressal.    Mr  Bimulangshu  Roy,  BJP MLA who
   initiated the move told newsmen that it was the beginning  of  a  new
   chapter in  the  political  history  of  Barak  Valley.    There  was
   unanimity  among  all  the  people's  representatives  belonging   to
   Congress,  BJP, AGP and UPPA, he said, for a common platform to fight
   and work for development of this valley.
   
   Mr  Sahidul Alam Choudhury, the State Minister of Panchayat and Rural
   Development  disclosed  that  resolutions  were   adopted   demanding
   improvement  and  construction  of network of rural and border roads,
   appointment of local candidates in grade-3 and  4  posts,  industrial
   growth  centres  and  milk-chilling  plants  in Cachar, Karimganj and
   Hailakandi, revitalization of  sick  units,  protection  of  Official
   Language Act 1960, Bengali news telecast from Doordarshan Silchar and
   AIR centre  at  Karimganj.   The convention deprecated the demand for
   separation of Barak Valley from Assam raised by some organizations.
   
2  SCRIBE'S PHONE USED TO DEMAND MONEY FOR ULFA           [AT:11-OCT-98]
   --------------------------------------------
   Sibsagar  Superintendent  of Police (SP) P.K.Lohia disclosed that the
   personal  telephone  of  Mr  Riju  Hussain,  Sibsagar-based   special
   correspondent  of  Amar Asom, a leading Assamese daily, had been used
   on several occasions  to  demand  Rs.3  million  for  ULFA  from  the
   Joysagar branch of a private construction company.
   
   Giving  details  in a press conference at Sibsagar on October 11, the
   SP said that it was in the evening of September 17,  the  manager  of
   Essar  Company, Mr P.B.Chatterjee received a telephone call demanding
   Rs.3 million by the ULFA and the caller identified himself  as  Arpan
   Saikia, an ULFA activist, saying that he made the call from Jorhat.
   
   The manager informed the SP about the call.  Police swung into action
   and got the telephone tapped.  Accordingly, the subsequent telephonic
   conversations  between the caller and the manager on September 19 and
   October 2 have been tapped and the telephone  number  of  the  caller
   detected.
   
3  AASU BLAMES STATE GOVT, VESTED LOBBY FOR DELAY         [AT:10-OCT-98]
   ----------------------------------------------
   The All Assam Students Union (AASU) blamed the Assam  Government  for
   `being  indifferent  about  the  establishment  of  the  gas  cracker
   project.' The AASU president, Sarbananda Sonowal said  the  students,
   who  met officials of the State Government and the Centre at a recent
   tripartite  meeting,  were  surprised  when  the   Assam   Government
   officials expressed  ignorance  about the gas cracker project.  `With
   even the Gauhati High Court  clearing  a  land  dispute  with  a  tea
   company,  the  Assam  Government  is  in  an advantageous position to
   expedite the project, but the latter seems  just  disinterested',  he
   said.
   
   When informed by newsmen about a lobby of bureaucrats and politicians
   of  the  State not being in favour of setting up of the Rs.40 billion
   project at its present site at Wilton Grant in Dibrugarh district, Mr
   Sonowal said he was aware of this tendency and the lobby.  The  lobby
   is  said  to  be  more  inclined  to  see  the project somewhere near
   Guwahati.  He said that as far as AASU is concerned, the gas  cracker
   project has to be located at its present site in Dibrugarh district.
   
4  UTILIZATION OF GAS IN NORTHEAST TO BE ENCOURAGED        [S:12-OCT-98]
   ------------------------------------------------
   In order to encourage maximum utilization of natural gas which is one
   of  the  important  resources and found in abundance in oil fields of
   the northeastern states, Government of India have fixed  concessional
   prices of natural gas for the region.  The utilization of natural gas
   was quite low in the Northeast region which resulted in flaring up of
   natural gas   in   huge   quantity.    However  utilization  has  now
   considerably improved and flaring  has  been  minimized  to  a  great
   extent.   The  Lakwa  liquid petroleum gas (LPG) plant in upper Assam
   which is being commissioned in the current year  would  further  help
   elimination of flaring up of natural gas.
   
5  VETY OFFICER, TWO OTHERS HELD FOR DIVERTING FLOOD AID  [AT:10-OCT-98]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   The   Subdivisional   Animal  Husbandry  and  Veterinary  Officer  of
   Biswanath Chariali, Dr Jagannath Subedi was arrested on October 9 for
   trying to sell 245 bags of wheatbran  meant  for  distribution  among
   flood-hit in  Gohpur  area.    Police recovered 184 bags of wheatbran
   from the possession of two persons --  Ghanashyam  Gautom  and  Lakhi
   Gautom in a search operation on a tip-off from an anonymous caller.
   
   The arrested persons  confessed  before  the  police  that  they  had
   managed  to  divert  245  bags  of  cattle-feed  with the help of the
   Veterinary officer from the flood relief  quota  of  Sonitpur  Deputy
   Commissioner. They confessed to have sold 61 bags in the open market.
   
6  MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY ORDERED BY DISTRICT MAGISTRATE      [S:11-OCT-98]
   --------------------------------------------------
   Mr   Longki  Phangcho,  District  Magistrate,  Karimganj,  ordered  a
   magisterial inquiry on October 7 to find out the factual position and
   role of the doctors in the circumstances which led Ms  Achiya  Begum,
   wife  of  Abdul Jalil of West Kanssail in Karimganj district, to give
   birth to a child on the road, the reasons for not  extending  medical
   aid  to  her  by  the doctors of the Civil hospital and the Red Cross
   hospital and the reasons of the death of  her  newborn  baby  on  the
   road.  Mr Rajib Roy, Executive Magistrate, Karimganj will conduct the
   inquiry and submit the report within November 7, 1998.
   
7  HOAX AD AIMED TO COLLECT MONEY DETECTED BY PLP          [S:12-OCT-98]
   ----------------------------------------------
   The  Purbanchalia  Loka  Parishad (PLP) conducted an inquiry into the
   credibility of an advertisement  made  in  The  Assam  Tribune  dated
   October 6, 1998, in the name of National Bridge Building Construction
   Corporation,  promising  alluring  salaries  as high as Rs.22,000 per
   month, and found it a hoax which aimed at  collecting  money  ranging
   from Rs.40  to 50 per application.  The Postal authorities too denied
   the fact of the company's having any regional office at Bamunimaidam.
   A press release by the PLP has cautioned the unemployed youths in the
   State of such bogus  advertisements.    Police  investigation  is  in
   progress.
   
8  SANKARDEV ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS IN UK ON OCT 17     [AT:12-OCT-98]
   --------------------------------------------------
   The Assamese community of the United Kingdom will celebrate the 550th
   birth anniversary of Srimanta Sankardev, the Vaisnava saint of Assam,
   with a day-long programme on October 17 in  London  at  the  Copeland
   Community School and Technology Centre.  Axom Xahitya Xabha president
   Dr Nagen Saikia will join the celebration as chief guest.  Members of
   the  Assamese  community  in  the  UK  are  planning  to  seize  this
   opportunity to make an effort  to  further  the  propagation  of  the
   richness of Assamese language and culture in the UK.
   
9  KAMALA KALITA SELECTED AS MANAGER FOR MINI WORLD CUP    [S:12-OCT-98]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   Dr  Kamala  Kalita,  State  Health  Minister  said  that  he has been
   selected as the Manager of the Indian Cricket that will play the  ICC
   Mini  World  Cup  in Dhaka that is scheduled to start from October 24
   and not as an Administrative Manager, as has been  reported  earlier.
   He  clarified  that the designation of an Administrative Manager does
   
   Dr Kalita said that the Indian team for the Mini World  Cup  will  be
   selected on  October 18.  He also said that though the responsibility
   of a manager is enormous yet he is confident enough  of  tackling  it
   smoothly  and his personal introduction to the players when they were
   back  at  Guwahati  will  help  him  in  good  stead  in  maintaining
   discipline in the team and carrying out his responsibilities.
   
______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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