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                         Vol.4, No.27 [*]  May 24, 1999
                         ------------------------------
                     Govern a family as you would cook 
                       a small fish  -- very gently.
                            - Chinese proverb
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  AMUL EVADING SALES TAX THROUGH DEALER DISCOUNTS       [S:21-MAY-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   News  report  in  The Sentinel alleged that the Gujarat
   Milk  Marketing  Federation  Limited,  marketing  Amul   brand   of
   products,  has  been  evading Assam sales tax to the tune of Rs.400
   million annually by submitting fictitious bills to  the  sales  tax
   department.
   
   The  modus  operandi adopted by the company is to give discounts to
   its dealers of its products up to 97 per cent,  presumed  to  evade
   sales  tax which is fixed by the Assam Government at eight per cent
   on the total purchase. 
   
   The company having an annual turnover of about Rs.5 billion in  the
   Northeast, prepares two types of bills -- the actual and fictitious
   --  where  the percentage of discount on the total amount varies as
   high as 97 per cent in the fictitious one.
   
   Company  officials  in Guwahati, while denying allegations of sales
   tax evasion, said that discounts were  routine  and  given  to  its
   dealers in  order  to  compensate  the damaged products.
   
   Meanwhile,  the  Additional  Commissioner  of  Taxes,  Mr  H.P.Das,
   expressing  suspicion  of tax evasion by the company, asserted that
   the matter would be looked into.
   
2  STATEFED CHAIRMAN TO CONTEST POLLS FROM MANGALDOI     [S:23-MAY-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   MANGALDOI:   Mr  Durga  Das  Boro,  chairman  of the Statefed and a
   senior leader  of  Asom  Gana  Parishad  (AGP)  has  expressed  his
   willingness  to  fight  the  ensuing  parliamentary  election  from
   Mangaldoi.  Mr Boro said, that  in  the  greater  interest  of  the
   district  he would make his claim for the nomination from the party
   and hoped to get wide response from all cross section of people.
   
   In view of Assam Revenue Minister Dr Zoii Nath Sarmah's decision to
   seek the nomination for the seat, subsequent announcement  made  by
   the  Chief  Minister  that no Assam Assembly members would be given
   nomination for the midterm parliamentary poll, Mr  Birendra  Prasad
   Baishya,  former  Union  Minister  was  sure  to  get  the  party's
   nomination.  But, the announcement  made  by  Mr  Das  Boro,  could
   become a major jolt to Mr Baishya's plans.

3  HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES SOON                   [S:21-MAY-99]
   -----------------------------------
   GUWAHATI: To  monitor  the  government  civil  hospitals  in  Assam
   effectively,  and ensure better management, regular supervision and
   better patient-care facilities, the  Assam  Government  decided  to
   constitute  a  hospital  management  committee  in  each  of the 23
   districts. The Cabinet on  May  20  approved  the  formation  of  a
   committee in each district and subdivisional-level in the State.
   
   The  Government  also decided to entrust the Assam Higher Education
   Council  with  the  responsibility  of  conducting   the   entrance
   examinations  for  admissions  to  the  MBBS and BDS courses in the
   three medical colleges of the State from the  current  year.    The
   examinations  were  conducted  by  the Gauhati University till last
   year.

4  SULFA ORGANIZES SEMINAR ON PEACE                      [S:23-MAY-99]
   --------------------------------
   GUWAHATI: The surrendered ULFA (SULFA)  activists  launched  a  new
   peace process by organizing a day-long seminar on `A day for peace'
   at  the  District  Library  auditorium  in  Guwahati on May 22, and
   sought concrete opinions from all sections of the people  to  bring
   about lasting peace in the region.
   
   In  an  emotional  appeal,  former ULFA central publicity secretary
   Sunil Nath, while admitting of certain mistakes  and  discrepancies
   committed by a section of the SULFA, urged the people not to indict
   the  entire SULFA community. 
   
   `There are many of us who want to live a decent life as others.  We
   urge you to show us the right path and give advice, and if we  fail
   to  abide by those, then it is for you to decide any action against
   us.  Just give us a chance to live a peaceful life  like  you',  he
   said.
   
   Veteran  journalist  Satish  Chandra Kakoti, editor of The Sentinel
   D.N.Bezbarua, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parisad (AJYCP) general
   secretary Apurba  Kumar  Bhattacharya,  noted  Gandhian  and  Padma
   Bhusan  awardee  Pushpalata  Das,  noted  academician Hiren Gohain,
   Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president  of  Assam,  Narian  Chandra
   Borkotoky  and Mayor of Guwahati Abir Patra were among the speakers
   in the seminar.
   
5  CONSTRUCTIONS NEAR DEEPOR `BEEL' STALLED BY AHRC      [S:23-MAY-99]
   ------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   In  a  significant  judgement,  the  Assam Human Rights
   Commission (AHRC) has stalled the Housefed from  carrying  out  any
   construction  works  of a residential colony in the vicinity of the
   Deepor `beel' unless a proper review of the  plan  and  the  zoning
   regulations  were  carried  out  by  the  State  Government in this
   respect, considering the ecological  impact  of  the  area  if  the
   residential colony comes up.
   
   The AHRC took up a sou moto case following  news  report  that  the
   construction  of  the  residential  colony  would  have deleterious
   impact of the Deepor `beel', declared as one of the major  wetlands
   of  national  importance  by the Government of India in view of its
   rich bio-diversity and its significance as a  natural  storm  water
   detention basin for the entire Guwahati city.

6  THREE ULFA ULTRAS GUNNED DOWN BY `SECRET KILLERS'     [S:24-MAY-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   DHUBRI:  Three ULFA ultras were gunned down by unidentified  gunmen
   in  two  separate  incidents  in  Bilasipara  subdivision of Dhubri
   district on the night of May 22.  In the first  incident  two  ULFA
   militants  --  Diganta  Nath and Prakash Das -- were gunned down on
   the road at Borshi.  After two hours,  the  gunmen  killed  another
   ULFA militant  --  Pachim Roy -- on Noyahat-Sapatgram Road.  People
   suspect the hand of `secret killers' in the killings.
   
7  ARMY JAWAN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS RI FOR RAPE       [S:22-MAY-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Ajit Singh, an army jawan was  sentenced  to  eight-year
   rigorous  imprisonment  and  dismissed  from  service on charges of
   raping a mentally deranged girl at Kokrajhar  on  April  13.    The
   sentence,  awarded by the court martial on May 21 at Kokrajhar, has
   been  forwarded   to   the   competent   military   authority   for
   confirmation.  [See report on AOL dated 24-Apr-99.]
   
8  SEARCH FOR HIDDEN WEALTH OF SLAIN ULFA                [S:23-MAY-99]
   --------------------------------------
   TEZPUR: Unknown miscreants dug out the foundation and the adjoining
   areas of slain ULFA ultra, Rubul Das alias Ranjan Hazarika's  house
   at Tumuki in Tezpur on May 19 following a report that Rs.90 million
   had been kept buried in the premises of the house.
   
   Ms  Senehi  Devi,  mother  of  the  killed  ultra, came to know the
   incident on May 20 and informed the matter to the village  headman,
   who  informed  her  that Army and police personnel were involved in
   the digging. Ms Senehi Devi lodged a complaint to the police  about
   the incident.
   
9  CONDOLENCE WHILE ALIVE FOLLOWING RUMOUR OF MPs DEATH  [S:23-MAY-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   NAZIRA:   Following  a  rumour that MP and eminent educationist, Mr
   Paragdhar Chaliha, who is under treatment in New Delhi, passed away
   there, schools and other offices at Nazira and other  remote  areas
   around the   town   observed   half-holiday   on   May  21.    Some
   organizations even held condolence meetings.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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