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                         Vol.4, No.21  [*] April 6, 1999
                         -------------------------------

                        April is the cruellest month...
                          - T S Eliot, The Waste Land
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  ARMY PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN FELLING OF VALUABLE TREES   [S:6-APR-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI: Assam Forest Minister  Nagen Sarma admitted in the  Assam
   Assembly   that  complaints  have  been  received  about  the  Army
   personnel being involved in the illegal felling of  precious  trees
   in the forests of Assam. He also admitted that at least 29 valuable
   teak  trees had been felled by the Army at Naduar forest. The Chief
   Secretary has drawn attention of the Governor and requested him  to
   take up the matter with the authorities concerned.
   
   The  matter  was  raised  by  Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) member Dilip
   Saikia in the Assembly, when he alleged that Army personnel, in the
   name of pursuing militants in the forests, had been  felling  trees
   and  sending  furniture  made out of them to their respective homes
   outside Assam.  He specifically mentioned  large-scale  felling  of
   trees  by  the Army jawans in the Naduar reserve forest in Sonitpur
   district.
   
   Mr Saikia also alleged that the Army jawans  would  intimidate  the
   Forest  staff  of dire consequences if they happened to protest the
   felling of the valuable trees.  He said, the Supreme Court of India
   has imposed a blanket ban on felling of trees in the Northeast  but
   the Army were flouting even the Court ban.
   
2  OGDEN DISMAYED OVER ASSAM GOVT'S SILENCE ON BTPS       [S:4-APR-99]
   ------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  The Ogden Energy Inc, the power generation company based
   in New Jersey, USA, whom the Government of Assam had  committed  to
   give  the  Bongaigaon  Thermal Power Station (BTPS) on lease for an
   initial period of 20 years, has expressed dismay and surprise  over
   the  State Governments abruptly cutting off all communications with
   it without assigning any reason in the past couple of  months  even
   though  the  lease  agreement had been finalized and the Government
   had assured the company that it  would  sign  the  agreement  in  a
   matter of days.
   
   Sources  said,  the  company had come to Assam initially to build a
   gas-based power  project  in  the  State  in  1996  and  the  State
   Government  had  also  shown  its  readiness to help the company in
   this.  But the Government of India refused to provide  any  gas  to
   the company  which  had to shelve the plan.  Thereafter the company
   decided to invest in the BTPS and after  preliminary  studies,  the
   Ogden  signed  a  letter of understanding with the Assam Government
   and the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB).

   In the following  months,  the  Ogden  carried  out  intensive  and
   detailed  studies  on  the  BTPS,  spending  one million US dollar,
   approximately Rs.42 million, without any obligation imposed on  the
   State  Government  or the ASEB to enable them to prepare a concrete
   and attractive proposal for the renovation of the BTPS.
   
3  GAONBURHAS ASKED TO REPORT TO POLICE ABOUT FOREIGNERS  [S:4-APR-99]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   If  any  suspected  foreign national starts living in a
   village in Assam, the village headman or the Gaonburah will have to
   inform the matter immediately to police, otherwise he will be  held
   responsible for  harbouring  foreigners.    This latest decision is
   taken in accordance with the suggestions made by the Government  of
   India in the last tripartite talks on the Assam Accord.
   
   The Centre also suggested that if a village headman  fails  in  his
   duty  to  inform  about  the  presence of foreigners to the police,
   provision should be made to realize a fine from him for the  lapse.
   However,  the  State Government has not accepted the second part of
   the Centre's  proposal  regarding  the  fine  from  erring  village
   headmen.   The  headman  is  generally  the  first  person  to  get
   information about entry of a new family or person in his village.
   
4  ANONYMOUS ANTI-ULFA POSTERS IN TOWNS OF ASSAM         [S:27-MAR-99]
   ---------------------------------------------
   TINSUKIA:   Thousands of anonymous anti-ULFA posters printed in red
   simultaneously filled the walls in many towns of  Assam,  including
   Guwahati on  March  26.   Despite tight security measures, it could
   not be ascertained who pasted the posters,  or  who  sponsored  the
   programme.   The posters in Assamese read, `Isolate Pakistani agent
   ULFA', `Killing of Assamese youth will  not  be  allowed',  `Hatred
   begets hatred'  etc.    Since  no one claimed responsibility, local
   people suspect government patronage behind the poster campaign.

5  NINETY-TWO COUNTRY LIQUOR LICENSES IN FIVE DISTRICTS   [S:6-APR-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI: The Assam Government,  with  a  view  to  stop  trade  of
   illicit  liquor  and  ensure health to those consuming such liquor,
   has decided to grant ninety-two licenses for country  liquor  shops
   in  five  districts.  Replying  to  a query from Congress member of
   Assam  Assembly  Pranati  Phukan,  Chief  Minister  Prafulla  Kumar
   Mahanta said 311 licenses to foreign liquor shops have been granted
   in  1998-99.  This  includes 124 in Kamrup district, 28 in Sibsagar
   and 23 in Tinsukia. 
   
   The Chief Minister said  that  the  State  Government  has  granted
   licenses  to  the  quota fixed by the previous Congress government.
   He added that the Government  had  earned  a  revenue  of  Rs.631.9
   million from foreign liquor and Rs.93.4 million from country liquor
   in 1997-98.    There  are  863 foreign liquor shops and 188 country
   liquor shops in the State, he said.
   
6  THUNDERSTORM LASHES TEOK, KOKRAJHAR, 4 KILLED          [S:6-APR-99]
   ---------------------------------------------
   JORHAT:  A strong gale, which passed through Teok revenue circle on
   the  night of April 4, killed one person and devastated a number of
   houses.  Four barracks of the Teok police station, all the rooms of
   the Teok Higher Secondary School, the office of the circle  officer
   were damaged  during  the thunderstorm.  Uprooted trees blocked the
   national highway.
   
   In lower Assam's Kokrajhar  district,  three  inmates  of  Bishmuri
   Adivasi  relief camp were killed and ten others were injured when a
   severe storm passed over the Bishmuri area on  April  3  at  around
   10:30 pm.  The three were killed when uprooted trees fell on them.
   
7  WORKSHOP ON RIVER DOLPHIN HELD IN GUWAHATI             [S:5-APR-99]
   ------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  sponsored by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation  Society
   of United Kingdom, a three-day workshop was held from April 1 to 3,
   at  the  North  Eastern  Institute  of Bank Management in Guwahati.
   International authorities like Dr Brian  Smith  of  dolphin  Manor,
   Kathmandu,  Nepal  and  Dr R.S.Lalmohan, coordinator, River Dolphin
   Protection Committee conducted the proceedings.  It was attended by
   eminent  scientists  of  the  region,  professors  of  Gauhati  and
   Dibrugarh universities and senior officers of Assam Government.  Dr
   H.Duara represented the Fisheries Department of the State.
   
8  NEW ASSAMESE FILM UNDER PRODUCTION                     [S:2-APR-99]
   ----------------------------------
   DIBRUGARH:   Bhaskar  Kiron,  the  director  of  the first Assamese
   fantasy film, `Ektrish June' (31st June)  which  drew  appreciation
   from  the  viewers,  is  now  busy with his second romantic film --
   `Prem Bandhan'  under  the banner of Taranga Films.  Noted lyricist
   and music composer Hiren Gohain is  the  music  director.    A  new
   romantic pair will be featured in the film.
   
   Meanwhile, six solo and two duet songs of the film had already been
   completed at Jyoti Chitraban studios, Guwahati recently.  The songs
   were rendered  by  Zubin Garg, Vijaylaxmi, Semima and Bharati.  The
   audio cassettes of the film will be available in  the  market  from
   first week of April.

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