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           _ m m m  (Guaranteed 100% Pure Local News from Assam) 
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                       Vol.2, No.8 * March 26, 1999
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1  A HEADMASTER HIMSELF NOT OUT OF SCHOOL                [S:20-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------
   MORIGAON:   Believe it or not, a non-matriculate man is holding the
   charge of the headmaster of a  high  school  in  Morigaon  district
   after  he  was  appointed  by  the  Director of Secondary Education
   (DSE), Government of Assam on May 20, 1998.

   According to reports, after the headmaster  of  the  Borbori  Milan
   High School died in 1996, the most senior teacher of the school, Mr
   Tusta  Mohan Sarkar, BA, BEd, was given the charge of headmaster on
   a temporary basis by the Inspector of Schools (IS) of the district,
   as per rules, provided that Mr Sarkar would appear in an  interview
   for the regular headmastership.
   
   The Director approved the order of the Inspector and  an  interview
   was held  on  April,  1998.  After the interview Mr Sarkar was duly
   appointed as the regular headmaster on May 20, 1998.  However,  the
   Director  cancelled  his order on the same day and appointed one Mr
   Ismail Hussain, whose qualification is only final Madrassa passed.
   
   Mr Hussain possess no certificate of matriculation, graduation, and
   no service book is available in his name.  Although the anomaly was
   reported  at  the  highest  level  of  the education department, no
   action was taken, Mr Sarkar said.
   
2  NO DRINKING WATER FOR ORPHANAGE, CONTRACTOR VANISH    [S:23-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   JORHAT:  The contractor who was entrusted with the construction  of
   a  drinking  water supply scheme for the children of a orphanage at
   Dagaon near Jorhat, has left without  completing  the  work.    The
   contractor  withdrew  the entire allocated amount of Rs.100,000 for
   the project defying orders from the district administration. 
   
   The  money was released in 1998 from the MLA local area development
   fund to meet the drinking water shortage at  the  orphanage.    The
   Jorhat  Deputy  Commissioner  has  ordered a judicial-level inquiry
   into the matter.
   
3  DIC PROPERTIES ATTACHED BY COURT TO PAY CONTRACTOR    [S:24-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   TEZPUR:  The judicial court of civil judge,  Tezpur,  by  an  order
   attached   movable   properties  of  the  office  of  the  District
   Industries Centre (DIC), Sonitpur  to  realize  Rs.198,897  against
   nonpayment of  bills  of  a  contractor.    Mr Sailen Bora, a local
   contractor had completed the construction of  a  boundary  wall  at
   Dolabari  Industrial Estate, against a work order by the Industries
   Department, Assam Government, and submitted a bill of Rs.189,200.
   
   When the bill remained unpaid for a long time, the contractor filed
   filed a petition before the court, the court accordingly  issued  a
   decree  to  realize  a  total  amount  of  Rs.198,479 including the
   interest of the capital amount spent  on  the  expenditures.    The
   order  was  issued in June 6, 1998 and the amount is to be realized
   on or before March 25, 1999.  The  Sonitpur  DIC  general  manager,
   however, expressed his ignorance about the court order.
                   
4  CONSUMER COURT ORDERS ASEB TO PAY COMPENSATION        [S:16-MAR-99]
   ----------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  The Golaghat District Consumer Redressal Forum headed by
   the District and Sessions Judge B.C.Medhi, in a judgement, directed
   Assam State Electricity Board  (ASEB)  to  pay  a  compensation  of
   Rs.120,000 to Ms Lily Saikia of Bongaon, Kacharihat about 2 km east
   of Golaghat town.
   
   The case filed before the Forum said that Durna Saikia, husband  of
   the  petitioner  accidently  came  in  touch with a live wire of an
   electric post while he was working in his paddy  field.    The  man
   succumbed to the electrocution.
   
   The  Forum  held the electricity board guilty of gross carelessness
   and gave the judgement accordingly.  The  judgement  further  added
   that  in  case of failure of payment within two months, an interest
   of six per cent will be levied from the ASEB.
   
5  JOB TO WIFE OF INSURGENCY VICTIM                      [S:22-MAR-99]
   --------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  The Assam Government has issued directives to the Deputy
   Commissioner of Bongaigaon  district  to  appoint  Damayanti  Devi,
   widow of Phanindra Roy, a youth leader of Kokrajhar, in the post of
   lower division assistant, under the special provisions of the Assam
   Public  Service Commission's recruitment rules made for the victims
   of militancy.  The step has been taken on the advise of  the  Chief
   Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
   
   Meanwhile, the quantum of Central Government's  assistance  to  the
   children,  who are victims of ethnic, caste and terrorist violence,
   has been raised.  The monthly assistance to such children has  been
   raised  to  Rs.550  in  A  and  B class cities against the existing
   Rs.425, while in others it is raised to Rs.500 against the existing
   rate of Rs.375.  The children undergoing professional courses would
   get an additional Rs.150 per annum.
   
6  RETIRED OIL WORKERS DEMAND ENHANCED PENSION           [S:16-MAR-99]
   -------------------------------------------
   DIGBOI: The AOC Pensioners Association currently known as  IOC(AOD)
   Pensioners    Association,   expressed   strong   resentment   over
   non-enhancement of their pension  since  the  last  five  years  by
   deliberately  ignoring  the  verdict of the Supreme Court on August
   10, 1993, which directed the oil industries to pay the  pension  at
   an enhanced rate.
   
   The  BPCL  and HPCL already revised the pension, but the Indian Oil
   Corporation (Assam Oil Division) and the Oil  India  Limited  (OIL)
   have  not  taken  any steps regarding the restoration of pension on
   commuted value after 15 years of retirement from  the  services  or
   rationalization  of  pension to the past pensioners or any steps to
   increase the pension with the cost of living index. The  Burma  Oil
   Company in 1950 first introduced the pension for their workers.
   
7  NEW BENGALI BODY FORMED TO MEET COMMUNITY HOPES       [S:17-MAR-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   NAGAON:   In a general meeting held recently in the premises of the
   Haiborgaon  Sishu  Vidyalaya,  Nagaon  a  new  forum   of   Bengali
   community,  Samagra  Assam  Bengali  Gana  Mancha,  was formed with
   headquarters at Uzanbazar, Guwahati.
   
   Mr Ashit Sarkar, advocate, Gauhati high court and Mr Jayanta Sarkar
   of  Nagaon  have  been  nominated  as  the  president and secretary
   respectively.  The body is an outcome of the anguish of  a  section
   of  intelligentsia  over  the  failure  of  the Bengali Yuba Chatra
   Parisad to meet the hopes and aspirations of the Bengali community.

8  CREATOR OF `PHANTOM' LEE FALK DEAD                   [AP:16-MAR-99]
   ----------------------------------
   MANHATTAN:  Leon  `Lee'  Falk,  the  creator  of  the  comic  strip
   `Mandrake  the  Magician' and `The Phantom', has died at the age of
   87.  Falk, who  lived  in  Manhattan,  died  on  March  13  due  to
   congestive heart failure after an illness of several weeks said Ted
   Hannah, a spokesman of King Features Syndicate.

   Falk was a college student when he conceived Mandrake the Magician,
   about a  hypnotist  who  used  his powers to fight crime.  In 1936,
   Falk developed  The  Phantom,  which  follows  the  exploits  of  a
   costumed superhero.    (In  India,  Indrajal Comics popularized the
   heroes among children and young adults.)
   
   Falk was born in St.Louis and  graduated  from  the  University  of
   Illinois.  He  worked in secret intelligence with the office of war
   information during World War II and later enlisted in the US  Army.
   After   the   war,   Falk  turned  to  playwriting  and  theatrical
   production. Falk produced more than 300 plays  and  directed  about
   100  others.  He  is survived by his wife, stage director Elizabeth
   Moxley Falk, three children from a previous marriage and a brother.
   
______________________________[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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