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           _ m m m  (Guaranteed 100% Pure Local News from Assam) 
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                       Vol.2, No.14 * July 14, 1999
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1  CENTRE SHOULD INVITE ULFA FOR TALKS: AGSP             [S:14-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  The newly-floated Asom Gana Sangram Parishad (AGSP), the
   political party launched  by  the  Asom  Jatiyatabadi  Yuva  Chatra
   Parishad (AJYCP), believes that the Government of India should play
   a  determining role in accepting the three preconditions set by the
   ULFA, and invite the outfit for talks.  It  is  of  the  view  that
   though  the  sovereignty  is  highly contentious, there should be a
   debate on the issue across the table, as something  positive  would
   invariably come out of it.
   
   Chief of the AGSP, Mr Jatindra Nath Bargohain said, `Once the talks
   are  held,  it would diminish the striking tendency of the outlawed
   ULFA, as they would come under the bindings of talks,' adding  that
   it would  mellow  down  the  outfit.    `The  preconditions are not
   important.  What is rather more important  is  to  have  a  sincere
   approach in  resolving the decades-long impasse.  The preconditions
   should not be impediments for negotiations,' he said.
   
   Blasting both the Centre and the banned outfit for dillydallying on
   negotiations,  Mr  Bargohain  called upon the Central Government to
   take the initiative in this regard.  `Once the talks are held,  the
   public would be able to judge the sincerity of both the sides.' The
   ULFA  has  remained  firm on its three preconditions for a dialogue
   that talks be held in a country outside India, the issue of Assam's
   sovereignty and the presence of United Nations representatives.
   
   He also criticized the role of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in tackling
   the vexed issue.  `If they sincerely wished to invite the ULFA  for
   talks,  the  problem  would  have  been  solved  by  now', he said,
   recalling the bond of unity and brotherhood shared by the  AGP  and
   the  ULFA  during  the Assam agitation. He, however, cautioned that
   the ULFA problem would continue even if talks are held, as  in  the
   case of Nagaland, where the NSCN still has a good hold.
   
   `We all need to understand the ground  realities.    History  bears
   enough testimony of the acute economic and political situation, and
   manipulation  of  the  youths  by  all  political parties for their
   self-gains,' Mr Bargohain said, reiterating that a sincere approach
   is needed to resolve the problem.
   
2  RAVA ULTRAS' CAMP BUSTED, RAVA AND BODO BODIES MEET   [S:14-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Goalpara  police  recently  busted  a  camp  of the Rava
   National Security Force at Chanapathar under Dudhnoi police station
   and apprehended  three  activists  of  the  outfit,  including  the
   bodyguard  of  the  outfit's  self-styled  commander-in-chief.  The
   activists were identified as Ranjan Rava,  Dhiraj  Rava  and  Kanak
   Barman. Three others managed to escape.
   
   DUDHNOI:  All Rava Students Union and All Bodo  Students,  Goalpara
   and South  Kamrup have organized a convention at Dudhnoi College on
   July 18 to discuss the demand for a more powerful autonomy  through
   the exclusive  modification  of the Rava Hasong Act 1995.  About 12
   Bodo organizations are expected to participate in the meet.
   
   Mr Thulungga  Bodosa,  chief  convenor  of  the  Bodo  Coordination
   Committee,  in  a  release  stated  that  the `satellite type' Rava
   Hasong Act is nothing, but a supreme deception of Rava  people  and
   the  tribal  people in the name of granting autonomy in the region,
   since the present Act has no consolidated geographical boundary, no
   political and constitutional safeguards are present.    It's  power
   and function is less than a village panchayat, he said.
   
3  FORMER HOTEL BOY MAKES DHEMAJI PROUD WITH HSLC RESULT [A:14-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   DHEMAJI:  Even before he attained the  age  to  go  to  school,  he
   struggled  with his first job as a `hotel boy'. Years later he made
   the people of Dhemaji proud with a first division score  with  star
   marks  in  General  Maths,  Social Studies and Advance Maths in the
   High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examination this year.

   He is Sabur Ali Khan, a student of Dhemaji Higher Secondary School.
   His  father,  Siddik  Ali  Khan, and mother Sakhina Bibi, are daily
   wage labourers, who could not afford  even  primary  education  for
   their  son  had  taken him to a local restaurant for his first job.
   When Sabur saw other children  going  to  school,  he  pleaded  his
   father  to send him to school, this is how his school career began.
   He proved to be a intelligent student and obtained scholarships  in
   the primary and middle school level.
   
   The  people of Dhemaji are proud of this youngster's success in the
   academic field despite his poor economic background.   Many  people
   have volunteered to come forward to help him in his future studies.
   The  Dhemaji  College  has  offered to admit him free of cost for a
   college education.  The local MLA, Mr Dilip Saikia has declared  to
   bear  all  educational expenses to help Sakur continue his studies.
   (Reported in Amar Asom dated 14-Jul-99.)
   
4  LABOURERS GHERAO FANCY BAZAR POLICE OUTPOST           [S:14-JUL-99]
   -------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  More than 200 daily wage labourers surrounded the  Fancy
   Bazar  police  outpost  on July 13 evening, following the arrest of
   one of  their  colleagues  on  charges  of  critically  injuring  a
   rickshaw puller.    The  rickshaw  puller,  who was admitted to the
   Gauhati Medical College, was attacked by one of the  labourers  for
   not observing a strike called by them in the Fancy Bazar area.
   
   The Labourers Union called the strike demanding enhancement of  the
   daily wages  of the labourers.  Trading activities in market hub of
   Guwahati was severely affected due  to  the  strike.    The  Kamrup
   Chambers of Commerce and the Labourers Union will hold a meeting on
   July 14 to discuss the matter.
   
5  TINSUKIA DC'S BROTHER SHOT DEAD BY MISCREANTS         [S:14-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------------------
   TINSUKIA: Surjit  Sinha,  brother  of  the  newly-appointed  Deputy
   Commissioner of Tinsukia, Mr Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, was shot dead and
   his  13-year-old son kidnapped by unknown miscreants in the morning
   of July 13. Late Sinha was a Canara Bank officer at Bokaro.
   
   JORHAT:  The manager of a petrol pump at Lahdoigarh near Jorhat was
   produced  before  the  Jorhat  Deputy  Commissioner  by the Darrang
   Deputy Commissioner on charges of selling adulterated petrol.   The
   Jorhat DC has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
   
6  MORAN OIL RESERVE TO REDUCE GAP OF CRUDE               [S:7-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   Oil India Limited (OIL), discovered a major oil reserve
   in January this year at Moran in the central part of  Upper  Assam.
   Based  on evidence of one well, the reserve at this find are placed
   at 5 to 6 million metric tonne of mainly oil and some  gas.    With
   additional  drilling  of  the  well,  the  reserves  are  likely to
   increase.  The discovery is expected  to  reduce  the  gap  between
   supply  and requirement of crude oil in Assam, and probably give an
   impetus to the economic development in the region.
   
7  KARIMGANJ-CALCUTTA CARGO OPERATIONS RESUMED            [S:5-JUL-99]
   -------------------------------------------
   KARIMGANJ:   Cargo  operations  between  Karimganj and Calcutta has
   been resumed after the opening  of  the  Karimganj  office  of  the
   Inland Water Transport Corporation on July 2 after two years of its
   lying inoperative.
   
   Reopening the  route  will  relieve  southern  Assam,  Tripura  and
   Mizoram  from  being  entirely  dependent in the road transport via
   Meghalaya and the Lumding Badarpur track of the railways.
   
   The  Karimganj-Calcutta waterway will add to the nation's export of
   coal and  other  merchandise  to  Bangladesh  besides  facilitating
   carriage of cargo from the South Indian cities.
   
8  GINGER PROCESSING UNIT AT UKHRUL IN MANIPUR          [UNI:2-JUL-99]
   -------------------------------------------
   THRIVANANTHAPURAM:  The first industrial unit for the processing of
   fresh  ginger  in being set up in Ukhrul district of Manipur and it
   will commence  production  by  November  this  year,  according  to
   Council  of  Scientific  and  Industrial  Research  (CSIR) director
   general R.A.Mashelkar. 
   
   The unit would have the capacity to process  ten  tonnes  of  fresh
   ginger a day.    The  project  cost  would be Rs.13.6 million.  The
   project will be expanded in phases to process  fresh  turmeric  for
   curcumin,  high  pungency chilli for chilli oleoresin and capsaicin
   during 2000-2001.
   
9  CAPTAIN JINTU GOGOI'S BODY TO ARRIVE TOMORROW
   ---------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:   After  two  weeks  and several unsuccessful attempts at
   retrieving the body of Captain Jintu Gogoi, who was killed  in  the
   Kargil  battle  field  in  the  Indo-Pakistan border, the body will
   finally arrive Golaghat on July 15, according to reports  available
   at the Deputy Commissioner's Office, Golaghat. (See AA of 3-Jul-99)
   
10 JAGANNATH TEMPLE OF ORISSA ON INTERNET              [PTI:13-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------------
   PURI:  Lord Jagannath, presiding deity of the Sri Jagannath temple,
   Puri, was installed in the   Internet  on  July  13.  The  website,
   developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), was inaugurated
   by  the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri, Mr Bibyasingha Deb on the eve of
   the famous `rath yatra'. 
   
   The  website  --  http://ori.nic.in/jagannath  --  would  provide a
   variety of information on the 12th century shrine  and  the  temple
   town which  is  also  a beach resort.  The information will include
   maps,  details  on  festivities,  accommodation,  pictures  of  the
   deities,  descriptions on temples, donation schemes for the shrine,
   and many other information of interest to potential tourists.
                                                                
______________________________[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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