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                   /    \  (  __/(  __/(_   \    / \  / \        300th
                  /  __  \  \  \  \  \  / __ O N L I N E \       Issue
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                         Vol.4, No.44 [*] July 19, 1999
                         ------------------------------

             It is harder to love your neighbour than to cherish
    intangible feelings for Eskimos, baby seals or any far-off cause.
                             - General Morillon
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

 1 KARIMGANJ-CALCUTTA STEAMER SERVICE VIA BANGLA MOOTED  [S:18-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------------------------
   SILCHAR:   The  Government of India plans to have an agreement with
   Bangladesh  on   water   and   roadways,   after   the   successful
   implementation of  the  Calcutta-Dhaka  bus service.  The agreement
   also envisages development of Karimganj-Dhubri waterway  for  goods
   transportation from Northeast to other parts of India.
   
   The agreement between the two countries  will  seek  to  start  bus
   services  linking  the  capitals of the Northeast States with major
   towns in Bangladesh. This includes bus services between Silchar and
   Sylhet, Agartala and Dhaka, and Guwahati and Sylhet via Shillong.
   
   Meanwhile, the  streamer  M.V.Rajagopalachari  with  10,000  metric
   tonne  of  rice  reached  Karimganj  jetty  last week from Calcutta
   through 1,248 km of Bangladesh riverine route.  The Central  Inland
   Water  Transport  Corporation  cargo  service between Karimganj and
   Calcutta was revived, after a gap of two years, recently.

   Besides facilitating movement of essential commodities,  the  cargo
   service  is  likely  to  benefit tea companies, paper mills and oil
   companies.  There are plans for introduction of 600  to  800  tonne
   barges between Pandu and Dhubri.  Pandu will be linked to Dibrugarh
   to transport  processed  goods  out  of  Assam.   Efforts are on to
   introduce  cargo  service  from  Karimganj  to  Haldia,  Patna  and
   Allahabad also.
   
 2 ASTC CENTRALIZES FINANCIAL POWERS                     [S:18-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------
   JORHAT:    In   a   major   decision,  the  Assam  State  Transport
   Corporation, which is already  in  the  red,  has  centralized  all
   financial  powers  in the headquarters at Paltan Bazar in Guwahati,
   and accordingly asked all divisions under it to deposit all revenue
   generated by them to the head office.
   
   An order to this effect was received by the Jorhat division office,
   giving  rise  to  a  great  deal of resentment among the employees.
   Earlier practice of  decentralized  financial  powers  allowed  the
   divisions  to  fend  for  themselves  from the revenue generated by
   them, now the employees feel that  centralization  will  leave  the
   divisions in lurch.

 3 LETTER REVEALS FRUSTRATION AMONG ULFA CADRES          [S:19-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------------------
   SIBSAGAR:   The  cadres  in  the ULFA's various training camps have
   been seemingly seized by disillusionment.  A letter, recovered from
   the possession of an ULFA activist Raktim Borsaikia states that the
   organization is becoming weak day by day due to its inner bickering
   for leadership.  The outfit, according to the letter, is  making  a
   show of idealogy and neglecting the basic political training of the
   cadres.
   
   In  the  letter,  addressed  to the cultural secretary of the Dhing
   regional unit of ULFA, he lamented that only with military training
   the outfit cannot make Assam free.    There  is  nothing  that  the
   cadres can  offer the people when they go to them.  He alleged that
   even after five months of completion of  his  combat  training,  no
   formal classes in the political outlook has been arranged for them.
   Every cadre in the camps are equally frustrated, it revealed.
   
 4 UNIQUE GESTURE BY MAJULI VILLAGERS                    [S:18-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------
   JORHAT:  As daily reports about various institution and individuals
   donating to the Army Welfare Fund are flooding the media, a  unique
   gesture  by  the  humble  villagers  of Jugunidharigaon, an obscure
   village in Majuli should take the cake in Assam.
   
   The poor villagers, who are annually ravaged by  floods,  assembled
   at  a  Namghar  (community  prayer  hall) and decided that they too
   would do something for the Kargil heroes, and  accordingly  donated
   Rs.1000 to  the  welfare fund.  The civil authorities and the local
   people have highly appreciated the laudable gesture.
   
 5 RAINS FLOOD SIBSAGAR - HOME OF FLOOD CONTROL MINISTER [S:19-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   SIBSAGAR:  Sibsagar, which is set to celebrate the tercentenary  of
   the Ahom capital Rongpur, besides being the regional headquarter of
   the  Oil  and  Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the home of Assam
   Flood Control  Minister  Promode  Gogoi,  is  in  the  grip  of  an
   `artificial'  flood following heavy rains during the past few days.

   Roads, markets, schools are in knee-deep water including  the  ONGC
   workshop and  residential  complex.    The  rain  water has made it
   impossible for some office workers to enter their offices.
   
   The  flood  is  attributed to unplanned growth of the town, lack of
   proper drainage system and the failure of the development authority
   in materializing the Rs.170 million plan for drainage.  The ONGC on
   the other hand indicate their helplessness as the roads in the town
   belong to the State PWD and the ONGC has no authority over them.
   
 6 ANANDA MARGA SENDING RELIEF TEAM TO LAKHIMPUR         [S:18-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The  Ananda  Marga  Universal  Relief  Team  (AMRUT) is
   sending a relief team to North Lakhimpur within a  day  or  two  to
   attend to   the   flood   victims   there.      AMRUT's   permanent
   representative at the UNDPI, the public relations wing of  the  UNO
   Acharya  Haratmananda  Avadhoot  informed the media that the relief
   measures  will  be  restricted  to  meals,  clothes  and  medicine.
   
   Acharya Haratmananda is currently in Guwahati as the chief guest in
   a  seminar  on  social  spiritual subjects, organized by the Ananda
   Marga Pracharak Sangha, Guwahati chapter.
   
 7 BIJU PHUKAN TAKES ON POLITICAL STAGE FOR HIS NEXT ACT [S:19-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   DIBRUGARH:  Assamese film and stage artist Biju Phukan has  decided
   to  join  the  political  bandwagon  by announcing his intention to
   contest  the  forthcoming  Lok  Sabha   election   from   Dibrugarh
   constituency as an Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate.
   
   Mr Phukan who had earned a  reputation  as  an  actor  in  Assamese
   cinema  and stage play disclosed to press reporters at Dibrugarh on
   July  13,  that  if  given  the  chance  to   represent   Dibrugarh
   constituency,  his priority would be for overall development of the
   State in general and Dibrugarh district in particular.
   
   Hailing from  Chiring  Chapori  area  of  Dibrugarh  town,  he  had
   travelled a lot from Sadiya to Dhubri and had taken part in several
   meetings, organized by the All Assam Students' Union, as a speaker,
   which  helped him to know the prevailing situation in Assam and the
   woes of the people.  This prompted him  to  join  politics  and  do
   something for the people of Assam, he said.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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