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           _ m m m  (Guaranteed 100% Pure Local News from Assam) 
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                       Vol.2, No.6 * March 12, 1999
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  CONTRACTOR RAJ IN LAKHIMPUR PHE DEPARTMENT            [S:10-MAR-99]
   ------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Large scale corruption has reached its peak in the State
   government  Public Health Engineering (PHE) department, responsible
   for providing drinking water in the rural  areas,  allegedly  under
   the direct patronage of the minister concerned, Mr Utpal Dutta.  It
   is alleged that in the minister's home district of Lakhimpur, it is
   a  veritable  raj  of  a  handful  of  his  close  relatives turned
   contractors and officials, handpicked by the minister himself.
   
   Reports said, the department has settled bids for supply of various
   spare parts for its machineries by the coterie  of  contractors  at
   exorbitant rates.    A  five-rupee tap-pit valve is being purchased
   for Rs.85,  nozzle-bolders,  which  cost  about  Rs.110  each,  are
   purchased at  Rs.538.   A cylinder head which normally cost Rs.405,
   is purchased  for  Rs.1,170.    Similarly,  many  more  items   are
   purchased at very high rates.
   
   However,  what  takes  the cake is that the department has accepted
   bids for supply of water pumps which costs Rs.2,750 in the  market,
   at Rs.538  only.    How  this  miracle  has been achieved, only the
   department and its minister know, sources said.
   
   Reports said,  the  corrupt  regime  took  charge  in  1996.    The
   executive  engineer  of  the  Ghilamora  division  in Lakhimpur has
   earned notoriety for purchasing items at 100-150 per cent above the
   actual price.
   
   Almost all the drinking water supply schemes are lying functionless
   and about 502 schemes are progressing at  a  snail's  pace  due  to
   stoppages in the flow of funds.
   
2  ALLEGATION AGAINST DC DHEMAJI BY LOCAL PEOPLE        [AA:11-MAR-99]
   ---------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Serious allegations against the deputy  commissioner  of
   Dhemaji  district  have  been  raised  by  a  section  of the local
   residents.  They alleged that the deputy  commissioner  is  helping
   the various   militant  organization  like  BLT,  BLTF,  etc.    in
   Gogamukh,  Nalbari,  Simensapari  areas  of  Dhemaji  District,  by
   turning a blind eye to their antisocial activities.
   
   In  a  public  complaint addressed to the Assam chief minister, and
   copies  of  which  were  addressed  to  chief  secretary  and  home
   secretary, the local people of Dhemaji have alleged that the deputy
   commissioner  has  miserably  failed to maintain  the law and order
   situation and in the process, allowed the militant outfits to carry
   out extortions, killings and abductions creating havoc in the area.
   
   They  also  alleged that the deputy commissioner spends most of his
   time playing cards and gambling with different officers of  various
   department of Gogamukh and Silapathar, and is found to remain drunk
   at all  times.    The  memorandum  also  alleged  that  the  deputy
   commissioner has committed  large  scale  anomalies  of  funds  for
   developmental works  and  flood  relief.    They  have demanded his
   immediate removal from the district.  (AA=Amar Asom)
   
3  DEMAND FOR UNION TERRITORY FOR TIRAP AND CHANGLANG   [UNI:7-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   ITANAGAR:  The people of Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal
   Pradesh have submitted a  memorandum  to  the  President  of  India
   recently  through  the  district  authorities  demanding  an  Union
   Territory for these two districts.    The  chairman  of  the  Union
   Territory Demand Committee Somlang Tangdong said that the people of
   both the districts have already started mass movement in support of
   their demand.
   
4  NEWLY BUILT DIKHOW BRIDGE SHOWS SIGNS OF DAMAGE        [S:6-MAR-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   SIBSAGAR:  The newly built RCC bridge over the Dikhow  river  at  a
   cost  of  Rs.40  million  is  threatened  to be wiped out by severe
   erosion by the river during  the  next  flood  if  appropriate  and
   timely steps to prevent it is not taken by the authorities.
   
   The  RCC  bridge replaced the old iron bridge when the construction
   was completed over two years ago and opened to traffic in May 1998.
   The bridge is a vital link to upper Assam and connects eastern  and
   western parts of Sibsagar town.
   
   During  the  flood  last  year,  nearly  60  metre wide area on the
   western end of the bridge was eroded, and at this rate, people fear
   that there is every possibility of the bridge caving  in  within  a
   couple of years.
   
5  DIGEN BORA'S HEALTH IMPROVES, DENIES VISIT TO LONDON  [S:11-MAR-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The  Assam Food and Civil Supplies Minister Digen Bora,
   who had gone to New Delhi for treatment at the  Singania  Hospital,
   is cured  of  and,  has  been  released  from  the hospital.  He is
   expected to return to Guwahati in a  day  or  two.    The  minister
   denied  the  report that appeared in a section of the press that he
   had gone to London for treatment.

6  HOSPITAL UNDER CONSTANT VIGIL OF DISTRICT AUTHORITY    [S:9-MAR-99]
   ---------------------------------------------------
   TINSUKIA:  The Gopinath Bordoloi Civil Hospital at Bordoloinagar in
   Tinsukia has been placed under constant vigilance of  the  district
   authorities  following  administrative  collapse  of  the hospital.
   Neither the thirty-four doctors on roll attend the hospital nor any
   medicine etc. are  available.  This  has  come  to  light  when  an
   accident  victim was admitted into the hospital on March 5. 
   
   The AASU activists and the  district  authorities  had  to  procure
   saline and other medicines from the market, and only one out of the
   34  doctors  was seen on duty from morning till 2 in the afternoon.
   The district administration has ordered regular inspection  of  the
   functioning  of  the hospital everyday at 8 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 5
   pm by a specially empowered magistrate.
   
7  MOVE TO CLOSE DOWN DEFENCE MINISTRY OFFICE OPPOSED    [S:11-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   JORHAT:   MES Employees Association alleged that the Union Ministry
   of Defence is planning to close down  the  CWE  office  at  Jorhat.
   Terming the Defence Ministry's move to close down the office, which
   was  established  in 1962, a clear example of Centre's ignorance to
   the Northeast, the association said that the closure will  make  at
   least 1,500 people jobless.  The Jorhat unit of the association has
   called a meeting on March 13 to plan its future course of action.
   
8  PIPED GAS PILFERED INTO LPG CYLINDERS                 [S:11-MAR-99]
   -------------------------------------
   SIBSAGAR:   Sibsagar police detected an interesting case of cooking
   gas pilferage from the domestic gas  pipelines  of  the  Assam  Gas
   Company.   Acting  on a complaint by local people, police found one
   Ritu Hussain filling LPG cylinders by connecting pipes with the LPG
   pipelines and seized 22 small cylinders.  Ritu, however, managed to
   escape and is absconding.  It is alleged that he was  running  this
   illegal business since a long time.
   
   Consumers of piped gas suspected some malpractices because of  very
   low  flow of gas in their cooking stoves and reported the matter to
   the gas company on earlier occasions.  However, the gas authorities
   inaction to take steps to stop the malpractice had made  the  local
   people  to  believe the involvement of company staff in the illegal
   business.  LPG or liquid petroleum gas used for cooking is supplied
   through pipelines to  the  residents  of  Sibsagar.    It  is  also
   available in portable steel cylinders.
   
9  RANGPUR JAYANTI TO BE CELEBRATED IN AHOM CAPITAL      [S:11-MAR-99]
   ------------------------------------------------
   SIBSAGAR:   The  third  centenary year of the establishment of Ahom
   capital at Rangpur will be celebrated as `Rangpur  Jayanti'  within
   this year  in  the  Talatal Ghar premises ground in Sibsagar.  This
   was stated by the Assam Flood Control Minister Promode Gogoi  in  a
   press meet at Sibsagar on March 9.
   
   The minister further said that the State Government had  sanctioned
   Rs.3  million  for the newly constructed district library building.
   He expressed serious concern over the mushroom growth of India made
   foreign liquor (IMFL) shops in the district.
   
10 AIR GUWAHATI PHONE-IN MUSIC ON REQUEST   
   --------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  All India  Radio  (AIR),  Guwahati  has  started  a  new
   phone-in request  programme  recently.  Listeners can request their
   favourite songs over phone, and listen to their own voices  in  the
   radio.  The 60-minute programme is broadcast at 9:30 pm every first
   and third  Sunday  of the month.  It can be heard on 411.5 metre in
   the medium wave and 60.73 metre in  the  short  wave.    The  phone
   numbers are:  +91-361-541876 and 541877.

______________________________[Mozz-RG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
           Comments and Feedback to: mozz@cyberspace.org
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