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                         Vol.4, No.43 [*] July 17, 1999
                         ------------------------------

             Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.
                               - Gale Sheehy
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  CAPTAIN JINTU GOGOI CREMATED WITH FULL HONOURS        [S:17-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:   The  mortal  remains  of the Kargil hero, Captain Jintu
   Gogoi were consigned to flames at his home village at Khumtai  amid
   full  state  honours  at 11 am on July 16, witnessed by a veritable
   sea of humanity in an emotionally-surcharged atmosphere.    Captain
   Gogoi  was  killed by Pakistan-backed intruders in Kargil on July 1
   at the Indo-Pakistan border.
   
   As Captain Gogoi's father,  Mr  Thogiram  Gogoi  a  retired  Flying
   Officer of the Indian Air Force, lit the pyre of his only son, Army
   buglers  played  the  departing tune, after the gun salutes boomed.
   His fiancee Anju Prashar, mother and sisters were  all  present  by
   the  side of the pyre, constantly wiping out tears from their eyes.
   Thousands of mourners stood in silence while many sobbed loudly  as
   the pyre fire embraced the martyr into its flames.

2  ASSAM GOVT WARNS RELIANCE INDUSTRIES                  [S:17-JUL-99]
   ------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  State Industries  Minister  Gunin  Hazarika  warned  the
   promoter  company  of  the  Assam Gas Cracker Project, the Reliance
   Industries Limited that if  it  failed  to  clinch  the  gas-supply
   agreement  with  Oil India Limited (OIL) soon, the State Government
   will take legal steps to annul the letter of intent issued to it.

3  BLT SUSPENDS OPERATION, ONE ACTIVIST LYNCHED          [S:15-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The  banned  Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) has suspended
   its ongoing `Orgen Operation' with effect from  July  14,  and  has
   appealed to the Government of India to initiate dialogue with them.
   The   BLT   central  committee,  while  admitting  that  Pakistan's
   Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and  other  anti-national  forces
   were   trying  to  take  advantage  of  the  prevailing  situation,
   reiterated its appeal to the Government to solve the vexed issue.
   
   Meanwhile,  angry  villagers  beat  to  death  an  unidentified BLT
   activist near Krishnai  market  under  Dudhnoi  police  station  in
   Goalpara  district,  when  he  had  gone  to the area to collect an
   amount of money demanded from  a  section  of  the  traders.    The
   activist, who sustained severe injuries in the public beating, died
   on his way to the hospital.
   
4  TEA WORKERS DEMAND ATC TO RESCUE KIDNAPPED EMPLOYEES  [S:15-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   KALIABOR:  The workers and employees of Salana Tea Estate  on  July
   14  staged  a  sit-in strike demanding the tea estate management to
   ensure the safe release  of  the  two  employees,  Mr  Lakshmikanta
   Sharma  and  Mr Bhupen Mahanta, who had been kidnapped by suspected
   Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) ultras more than  two  months  ago.
   It  has  been  alleged that the Assam Tea Corporation (ATC) and the
   tea estate management are not initiating any step for  the  release
   of the kidnapped persons.
   
5  OFFICES RUNNING SANS HEADS                            [S:15-JUL-99]
   --------------------------
   JORHAT:  The District Transport Office (DTO) and the Office of  the
   Inspector  of Schools at Jorhat are virtually running without their
   respective executive heads much to the public inconvenience.   Both
   the offices are now looked after by the district administration.
 
   While  the  Inspector of Schools was granted compulsory retirement,
   the DTO, Mr Mohim Neog had  to  be  transferred  as  he  reportedly
   incited  the  Government's  apathy  against  him by legally seizing
   several tractors of a tea garden at Nakachari, and for  imposing  a
   penalty of Rs.146,000 on the tea estate.
   
6  PLAN TO BOOST YIELD OF HIGH-VALUE CROPS               [S:15-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   A  recent  study  on  `Marketing of High Value Crops in
   Assam' by the  Mumbai-based  Agriculture  Finance  Corporation  has
   revealed  that, in spite being considered a high potential area for
   production of horticulture crops, especially fruits and vegetables,
   the State is lagging far behind  in  production,  of  these  crops,
   compared to other states.
   
   The report cited the lack of proper  marketing  facilities  as  the
   main  reason  and  which in turn, resulted in improper distribution
   between the production and consumption zones. The  survey  revealed
   that  there was a large-scale inflow of fruits and vegetables up to
   500 metric tonne per day into the region from  West  Bengal,  Bihar
   and other parts of India.
   
   Against  the  requirement of 3.5 million metric tonne of vegetables
   and 2.2 million metric tonne of fruits, the production is only 2.13
   million metric tonne of vegetables and 1.85 million metric tonne of
   fruits, it said.  The report noted that since most  of  high  value
   crops  are  highly  perishable,  lack of infrastructure causes post
   harvest loss and price fluctuation, thus encouraging the middle men
   to exploit the farmers.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
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