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           _ m m m  (Guaranteed 100% Pure Local News from Assam) 
          ------------------------------------------------------
                       Vol.1, No.9 * December 11, 1998
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  KHADI BOARD IN POOR STATE AT GOLAGHAT, JORHAT            [S:7-DEC-98]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   JORHAT:  At a time when the unemployed youths are  encouraged  to  go
   for  private  entrepreneurship as a means of their livelihood, 11 out
   of 13 centres of the Khadi Board in Golaghat and Jorhat  have  ceased
   to function.    Assam  Khadi  and Gram Udyog Board is responsible for
   development of  local  cottage  industries  and  marketing  of  their
   products.
   
   Most of the loans worth Rs.1.7 million extended to the people  during
   1988  to  1993, remains outstanding and it is alleged that repayments
   made by the beneficiaries are not duly deposited in the banks.
   
   On the other hand, arrangements are reportedly  underway  to  appoint
   some  personnel  in  the Board's Jorhat district offices, despite the
   fact that  the  Jorhat  office  generally  looks  abandoned  and  the
   employees, except for the chowkidar, rarely attend their duties.  The
   chowkidar   defends   the  absence  of  the  other  employees  citing
   non-payment of salaries as a  factor.
   
   The  Jorhat  office has no officer-in-charge after it was established
   in 1987 and the affairs of  the  district  are  looked  into  by  the
   district officer  posted  at  Sibsagar.    Unpaid  house-rent for the
   Jorhat office and different centres are accumulating day by day.
   
   The Government's total negligence has invited the impending  doom  of
   all  projects  in the district, adversely affecting the entrepreneurs
   and their employees.  Only the weaving  centre  at  Dergaon  and  the
   traditional   mustard   oil  mill  (ghanni)  at  Majuli  are  somehow
   functioning.

2  RAILWAY LINK FACILITATES TIMBER SMUGGLING                [S:5-DEC-98]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   TEZPUR: Sonitpur district  administration  with  the  help  of  Assam
   Police,   Central  Reserve  Police  Force  (CRPF)  and  Assam  Forest
   Protection Force (AFPF) conducted  raids  in  the  Chariduar  reserve
   forest  area  on  December 3 and recovered valuable timber logs worth
   over Rs.50,000 concealed in the area by illegal traders.
   
   Illegal trade in timber in the area has been going on in an organized
   way since the introduction of railway services between Bhalukpong and
   Balipara in Sonitpur district.  Although  AFPF,  on  rare  occasions,
   obstructed movements of such traders, they could not curb the illegal
   activities completely since they are outnumbered and do not pocessess
   enough sophisticated fire-arms compared to the traders.

3  FAKE DRIVING LICENSES SEIZED FROM CRPF JAWAN             [S:8-DEC-98]
   --------------------------------------------
   
   JORHAT:  The District Transport Officer (DTO), Jorhat,  seized  three
   driving  licenses  from  a  CRPF  jawan suspecting the licenses to be
   fake.  On questioning, the jawan confessed  that  he  had  come  from
   Kokrajhar  to  meet  someone whom he named and who happened to be the
   DTO of a neighbouring district.
   
   The jawan further revealed that he  indented  to  visit  the  DTO  to
   obtain  12  more  driving  licenses  and  produced the three licenses
   obtained earlier to testify the purpose of his visit.  He  said  that
   he  was  sent by a friend who told him that driving licences could be
   procured for Rs.250 each.
   
   The  DTO, Jorhat assured the jawan that the matter will be officially
   taken up with the issuing authority in the other district, and seized
   the three defective licenses.

4  PH.D IN HINDI, THESIS IN ENGLISH IN GAUHATI UNIVERSITY   [S:8-DEC-98]
   ------------------------------------------------------
   
   The students of the Hindi department of Gauhati University have faced
   various  problems  including  shortage of accommodation for classess.
   Classess for the final year students is  reduced  to  just  a  single
   class per day due to lack of class-rooms.
   
   On  the  other  hand,  those who are doing their research for Ph.D in
   Hindi have to submit their thesis in English instead of Hindi.    The
   Gauhati  University  has made it compulsory for the research scholars
   to submit  their  thesis  in  English.  
   
   The students of the Hindi department have handed a memorandum to  the
   Vice-Chancellor on December 3 and requested him to solve the problems
   as soon as possible.

5  SHIFTING OF TRAINING CENTRE TO HAILAKANDI RESENTED      [AT:7-DEC-98]
   --------------------------------------------------
   
   SIBSAGAR:  Local people of Sibsagar have  resented  the  Government's
   decision  to  shift  the  Extension  Training Centre from Joysagar to
   Hailakandi.  They have urged the Government to  revoke  the  separate
   orders  issued  for shifting of the centre and the posts of principal
   and the instructors immediately.
   
   The Rural Polytechnic School which was established on the bank of the
   historic  Joysagar  tank  in  1948  was upgraded to Village Panchayat
   Secretary Training Centre in 1964  and  then  to  Extension  Training
   Centre in 1990.  
   
   Extension Training Centres have been playing  a  vital  role  in  the
   development  of  the  Panchayati  Raj  (local self-government) in the
   State by training hundreds of panchayat workers since its inception.

6  PROTEST AGAINST TOLL COLLECTION BY PRIVATE OPERATORS     [S:9-DEC-98]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   
   DHEMAJI:  After the recent floods washed away the bridge, a few local
   youths grabbed the opportunity to construct a temporary bamboo bridge
   and  collected  money  from  those who want to cross over the bridge.
   The action was hailed by the people during the floods, but long after
   the floods are over, the youths continue to charge money which people
   feel as undue harassment.
   
   The  local people have to use the privately built Karha bamboo bridge
   as there is no other alternative.  The rate for single person  varies
   from  Rs.3  to  5,  scooters Rs.5 to 10 and light four-wheel vehicles
   Rs.30.  Many office employees,  teachers,  and  daily-wage  labourers
   have  to  come to Dhemaji from the Machkhowa area regularly and it is
   not possible for them to pay this amount daily.
   
   People have reported the matter to the Dhemaji  Deputy  Commissioner,
   and  urged  him to either buy the bridge or requisition the bridge so
   that the public may get relief from  this  undue  harassment.    They
   complained  that  a  private  party  cannot monopolize a business and
   harass the flood-hit people.
   

7  RELIEF TO FLOOD-HIT BY IRELAND NGO                      [S:10-DEC-98]
   ----------------------------------
   
   JORHAT: Oxfam, an NGO of Ireland, distributed relief materials to the
   flood-affected people of Jorhat, Majuli and Dhemaji.  While  the  NGO
   distributed  tin  sheets for houses to the poor people of Kalipara in
   Jorhat, it supplied rations for two months and seeds of `rabi'  crops
   to the flood-hit people of Dhemaji district and Majuli respectively.
   
   Meanwhile, a team from Union Human Resource Development Ministry, has
   been  studying  the  Xatras,  ancient  sculptures, environment etc of
   Majuli.  The team has come in response to the demand raised by Majuli
   Suraksha aru Unnayan Samiti, an organization for the development  and
   preservation  of  Majuli,  to  take the initiative with the UNESCO to
   declare the river island as a World Heritage Site.
   

8  WATER HYACINTH CUTTER DEVELOPED BY AAIDC               [AT:10-DEC-98]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   GUWAHATI:  Mr Dipak Talukdar, Chief Project  Engineer  of  the  Assam
   Agro-Industries  Development (AAIDC), have developed a water hyacinth
   cutter and manufactured it at the central workshop of the AAIDC.  The
   cutter was demonstarted recently at Ghumramari  `beel'  in  Guwahati.
   The  high  potash content water hyacinth is widely used by farmers in
   Assam as organic manure.
   

9  COLD STORAGE TO HELP FARMERS IN GAURIPUR                [AT:7-DEC-98]
   ----------------------------------------
   
   GAURIPUR:   A  cold  storage  was  constructed  and  commissioned  at
   Gauripur to  help  farmers  preserve  their  perishable  agricultural
   produce  and  realize reasonable rates instead of disposing off their
   produce at cheaper rates  whenever  there  is  a  bumper  harvest  of
   vegetables.   Agriculture is the primary occupation of most people in
   Dhubri district.
   
   Concerned  citizens having seen the losses incurred by farmers due to
   lack of a  cold  storage,  took  the  initiative  and  persuaded  the
   government to  take  up the project.  The facility was constructed by
   the Agricultural Department in record time and was handed over to the
   Gauripur Regulated Market Committee for its administration.
   

10 REVIVAL OF LAKHIMI SEEDS FARM DEMANDED                 [AT:10-DEC-98]
   --------------------------------------
   
   The Darrang district committee of the All Bodo Students Union  (ABSU)
   has demanded  to  revive  the  Lakhimi  Seeds  Farm of Lalpool.  In a
   memorandum to the Darrang Deputy  Commissioner  the  students'  union
   demanded immediate revival of the farm.
   
   They  said  that  the farm, situated at Sarvaherua village in Dalgaon
   circle in an area of 1,618 bighas (1 bigha  =  14,400  sq  feet)  was
   producing good quality seeds and had been providing livelihood to the
   local youths and benefitting the local farmers as well.
   
   The  seeds  farm is defunct now and an unfair competition is reported
   to have been initiated by a section of encroachers consisting  mostly
   of  illegal  migrants settled there by vested political interest, the
   ABSU alleged.
   

11 CARCASS UTILIZATION PLANT AT TEPESIA SOON               [AT:8-DEC-98]
   -----------------------------------------
   
   GUWAHATI:  Foundation stone of a carcass utilization plant at Tepesia
   near Sonapur, 25 km east of Guwahati, was laid  by  the  Assam  Chief
   Minister P.K.Mahanta on December 7.  The plant, which is the first of
   its  kind  is  Assam  is  being set up by Assam Livestock and Poultry
   Development Corporation at a cost of Rs.11.37 million.
   
   It will collect  the  animal  carcass  from  Guwahati  city  and  its
   surrounding rural areas and process them to derive useful products of
   economic  value.  Hides  for  leather  industry, bone-meals and other
   animal feeds, organic manure, fats for  cosmetic  industry  and  many
   other   products  for  industrial  use  will  be  produced  from  the
   carcasses.
   
   The  project will help check environmental pollution in Guwahati city
   and provide relief to the city dwellers from  the  stench  of  rotten
   animal carcasses usually found to be lying by the road side for days.
   The  construction  of  the plant is expected to be completed and made
   operational within the next one year.

12 NO AID FOR MINAKSHI TO REPRESENT INDIA IN EGYPT          [S:5-DEC-98]
   -----------------------------------------------
   
   HALEM:   Ms  Minakshi  Barua, who became the national champion in the
   all India arm-wrestling competition held in Kerala recently, and  was
   selected  to  represent India in an international arm-wrestling event
   in the 45 kg category, could not attend it due to non-availability of
   aid to fund the tour.
   
   Her  coach  and  the  secretary of Barangabari Arm-wrestling and Body
   Building Association, Mr  Sanjib  Barthakur  could  not  arrange  for
   the  required  sum  of  Rs.35,000 despite his best efforts. The Assam
   Government could not help because of shortage of time for  processing
   such  an  aid.
   
   Local MLA Ganesh Kutum and Speaker of the  Assam  Assembly,  who  had
   earlier  helped  Minakshi  for the national championship was out on a
   foreign tour at that time,  could  not  be  contacted  for  help,  Mr
   Barthakur said.

______________________________[Mozz-RG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
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