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                         Vol.4, No.34 [*] June 14, 1999
                         ------------------------------

                 Fraud and falsehood only dread examination.
                              Thuth invites it.
                              - Thomas Cooper
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  STATE CID'S PLEA TO DGP ON DEFENCE PENSION FORGERY    [S:14-JUN-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI: The CID, Assam Police, in a letter to the State  Director
   General  of  Police,  has  asked  that  the  entire  case  of  fake
   withdrawal of defence  pension  in  Assam  which  it  is  currently
   investigating be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation
   (CBI)  as  a  countrywide  nexus behind the case is suspected. Such
   cases in Meghalaya and Nagaland have already  been  transferred  to
   the CBI.
   
   The first case in the State was reported from Dhubri district where
   Havildars  Mohan  Singh,  Sohan Singh, Arun Kumar and Ram Singh had
   drawn Rs.33,680 from Dhubri treasury by producing four  fake  bills
   from  July  to  August  1994.  A  case was registered at the Dhubri
   police station in January 1996 before being handed to the CID.
   
   The cases were detected when the Defence Audit Report, 1996  proved
   that the  bills  placed  in  the  treasury  were fake.  CID inquiry
   revealed a wider nexus in the modus operandi.    Mr  Bijoy  Shankar
   Chaurasia  and  Mr  Dinesh  Kumar Sharma who were arrested revealed
   that they used to send fake bills  from  the  Chief  Controller  of
   Defence Account in Allahabad to the district treasury.
   
   The duo were earlier arrested when they floated a fake  non-banking
   company  at  Golaghat  and  duped  investors to the tune of several
   hundred-thousand rupees.  Incidents of fake withdrawals  were  also
   detected at Morigaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur and Golaghat districts, and
   one A.K.Sharma was arrested in this connection.

2  EXTRADITION OF ANUP CHETIA UNDER SCRUTINY           [UNI:13-JUN-99]
   -----------------------------------------
   NEW DELHI: Bangladesh Foreign Secretary  C.M.Shafi  Sami  said  his
   country will  not harbour or train any group indulging in insurgent
   activities  against  India and the arrest of ULFA chief Anup Chetia
   is an indication in this direction. Talking  to  reporters  at  New
   Delhi  on  June  12,  Mr  Sami,  who is relinquishing the charge of
   Bangladesh Ambassador to India, said that the question of  Chetia's
   extradition to India was undergoing legal scrutiny.
   
3  WOMAN, JOURNALIST HELD FOR LINKS WITH ULFA            [S:12-JUN-99]
   ------------------------------------------
   DIBRUGARH:   Barbaruah police arrested Ms Deepali Saikia (30), from
   Natun Bolai village for her alleged link with  ULFA.    The  police
   recovered a few incriminating documents from her possession. 
   
   About 200 women from several villages observed a sit-in protest  in
   front of Dibrugarh police station demanding immediate release of Ms
   Saikia.   The women protesters said that there were no woman police
   at the time of the arrest.
   
   Meanwhile, Golaghat police arrested Mr Amal  Konwar,  correspondent
   of  an  Assamese  daily, based on confessional statement made by an
   ULFA militant who was recently arrested by police.  The  journalist
   was remanded to judicial custody on June 9.
   
4  POLICE ATROCITY ALLEGED BY VILLAGERS                  [S:14-JUN-99]
   ------------------------------------
   ORANG:   A  police  force  led by the Udalguri Subdivisional Police
   Officer, Mr Mahesh Chandra Sharma  raided  several  villages  under
   Majbat  and  Orang police station on June 9 in search of three Bodo
   militants, Kamal Daimari,  Mangal  Basumatari  and  Mohan  Baglary,
   belonging to the NDFB.
   
   Family members of the three ultras and  the  local  people  of  the
   villages  alleged that the police during their search operation let
   loose a reign of terror at Nao Herua, Adarsha Bahadur  and  Bhogdal
   villages. 
   
   The police also  ransacked  their  homes,  damaging  several  other
   houses,  destroying  radio,  TV  sets, utensils in kitchen, felling
   about 20 betel nut trees besides taking away  Rs.8,000  and  Rs.700
   from two  separate  houses.   Several neighbours were assaulted and
   taken away by the police.
   
5  ASSAM TOPS IN WASTAGE RATE OF TECHNICAL GRADUATES     [S:13-JUN-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   According to a survey conducted by the Indian Institute
   of Applied Man Power Research, New Delhi,  Assam  has  the  highest
   wastage  rate  of  43.4 per cent of technical graduates, as against
   the wastage rate of 12.06 per cent in  Andhra  Pradesh,  12.07  per
   cent in Maharashtra and 12.63 per cent in Chandigarh.
   
   The  institute  cautioned that the wastage rate, which continues to
   be increasing alarmingly, would reach  a  very  critical  stage  if
   effective measures  are  not  taken at the earliest.  Admitting the
   fact, the Director of Technical Education, Assam,  Dr  Madan  Mohan
   Das  attributed  the  present  state-of-affairs  mainly due to pale
   industrial scenario in the entire Northeast.

6  THOUSANDS OF WHITE CRANES DRIVEN HOMELESS             [S:12-JUN-99]
   -----------------------------------------
   AMGURI:  Thousands of white cranes sheltered in a bamboo bush  were
   made  homeless  after  the  bush  was cut down from his backyard by
   Badal Malakar at Amguri on June 8, in a apparent bid to get rid  of
   the huge  flock of birds.  The desperate action was taken following
   complaints from neighbours about the stench emanating from the bird
   droppings and the cacophony created by the cranes.
   
   Several thousands of white cranes used to take shelter  every  year
   during the  breeding season at the bamboo bush.  After the bush was
   cut down, about 2,000 baby cranes fell helplessly  on  the  ground,
   and  many  more eggs cracked, while the adult birds flew helplessly
   in search of a new shelter.  Many nature lovers were  in  tears  at
   the cruelty unleased on the white cranes.
   
7  RAILWAY STATION YET TO ENFORCE BAN ON CIGARETTE SALE  [S:12-JUN-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   In  violation  of the ban on the sale of cigarettes and
   `bidi' in all railway stations of the country with effect from June
   5, the occasion of World  Environment  Day,  the  Guwahati  Railway
   Station  is yet to respond to the wake up call, and enforce the ban
   on the sale of cigarettes.
   
8  POOR GARBAGE MANAGEMENT IN GUWAHATI CITY              [S:13-JUN-99]
   ----------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Guwahati produces garbage to  the  tune  of  200  metric
   tonne  a  day  and  the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) spends
   about Rs.750,000 per month to clear the garbage, yet one can always
   see heaps of such garbage on the city's streets.
   
   While several states in the country initiated steps to  manage  the
   garbage scientifically, Assam remains unaware of the adverse effect
   of  garbage,  especially  medical  garbage  that contain pathogenic
   bacteria which needs to be burnt scientifically at a temperature of
   400 degrees Celsius before disposal.

9  PEOPLES' PROJECT TO BE INAUGURATED BY CHIEF MINISTER  [S:14-JUN-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:  Hectic preparations are on for the inauguration  of  the
   Peoples'  Project  Golaghat-2000  on  June  15  by  the Assam Chief
   Minister.  Hundreds of posters urging the public to participate  in
   the project has been put up in prominent places of the town.
   
   The project, prepared  under  the  leadership  of  Golaghat  Deputy
   Commissioner, Dr Ravi Kota envisages to give a new look to the town
   within a  time  frame  of 200 days.  Seventeen schemes were chalked
   out for improvement of civic amenities.  
   
   The people of Golaghat are extending all cooperation for successful
   implementation of   the   project.    In  addition,  to  facilitate
   participation of people from abroad, a webpage is set up describing
   the project at:  http://www.cyberspace.org/~mozz/pp2000.html.

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