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                         Vol.4, No.45 [*] July 23, 1999
                         ------------------------------

              The condition upon which God hath given liberty
                       to man is eternal vigilance.
                              - John Curran
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  TWO FORMER DEPUTY COMMISSIONERS CONVICTED             [S:23-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------
   KARIMGANJ:  Two former deputy commissioners of Karimganj  district,
   Mr  Naresh  Chanrda Panda and Mr Sumit Jerath were convicted by the
   Chief Judicial Magistrate court on charges of conspiracy against an
   official of Karimganj treasury, Mr Dwijendra Kumar Deb.  The  court
   also ordered the former heads of the district administration to pay
   Rs.136,534 as compensation to the petitioner for undue harassment.
   
   According  to  the case, the two deputy commissioners had suspended
   and harassed the senior accountant of the district treasury on  the
   basis  of  unsubstantiated  charges  levelled  by  Mr Chandra Mohan
   Sarma, Inspector of Schools and an school teacher.  Mr Deb was also
   transferred out of Karimganj, and denied the subsistence  allowance
   during the period of his suspension.

2  HEALTH OFFICIALS SUSPENDED, ONE HELD FOR TAKING BRIBE [S:21-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   NAGAON:   Dr  Narendra Nath Deka, senior Medical and Health Officer
   and Maheswar Talukdar, Subdivisional Medical and Health Officer  of
   Nagaon  Civil  Hospital have been dismissed from service on charges
   of negligence of duty with immediate effect by the Director, Health
   Department.   In  a  recent  inspection  by   the   Nagaon   Deputy
   Commissioner,   they  were  found  examining  patients  at  private
   pharmacies instead of attending to their duties at the hospital.

   TINSUKIA:   Bhupen  Gogoi,  the  chief  assistant  of  the Tinsukia
   District Elementary Education Office  was  arrested  by  police  on
   charges of  taking bribe from a teacher.  Sources said Bhupen Gogoi
   took Rs.27,000 from the teacher in order to transfer her  job  from
   Plan to  Non-Plan.    It  may be mentioned that under Plan, monthly
   budget, retention etc.  are required while in  the  Non-Plan  head,
   such requirements are minimum ensuring regular pay without delay.
   
3  ASOMIYA PARTIDIN SUED FOR DEFAMATION                  [S:21-JUL-99]
   ------------------------------------
   DOOM DOOMA:    Deepak Bhuyan, brother of the State Tourism Minister
   Jagadish Bhuyan, has sued the Asomiya  Pratidin,  a  Guwahati-based
   Assamese  daily,  for  defaming  him  by  publishing  a  news  item
   captioned `Leasing of the  Delhi  Tourist  Lodge  to  relatives  by
   Minister,  Jagadish;  `goonda'  tax  by  the  minister's brother at
   Tinsukia.' A case has been registered  at  the  court  of  the  CJM
   court,  Tinsukia on July 17 against the publisher, printer, editors
   and the reporter of the newspaper.
   
4  BJP CONFIDENT OF VICTORY IN SEVEN SEATS               [S:23-JUL-99]
   ---------------------------------------
   DIBRUGARH:  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is  confident  of  its
   victory  in  at  least five more constituencies in Assam, following
   the turn in the national politics after  the  victorious  Operation
   Vijay at  Kargil.  President of the Dibrugarh district committee of
   BJP Nakul Barua said that over and above the  two  seats  in  Barak
   Valley, his party will invariably win the Tezpur, Kaliabor, Nagaon,
   Jorhat and Dibrugarh seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

5  SUBDIVISION STATUS FOR TITABOR SOON                   [S:20-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------
   JORHAT:   The  State  Government  is  likely  to  declare Titabor a
   subdivision soon.  A detailed report in  this  regard  has  already
   been  submitted  to  the Government through the Commissioner, Upper
   Assam.  It has been stated in the report that Titabor, lying in the
   Assam-Nagaland border, has great importance from the administrative
   point of view.  It said the population of Titabor  is  229,020  and
   has an area of 555.49 square km.
   
6  HANDING OVER OF SURMA TRUNK ROAD TO BRO DEMANDED      [S:21-JUL-99]
   ------------------------------------------------
   KARIMGANJ:   The  local  people  of  Karimganj  have  demanded  the
   immediate transfer of the Surma Trunk Road linking  Karimganj  town
   with  Sutarkandi  in  Bangladesh  to the Border Roads Organization.
   The Assam Government had agreed to hand over the road to  the  BRO,
   and  an  announcement  was  made  by the Chief Minister in a public
   meeting at Panaraghar on April 22.
   
   However, the delay in  issue  of  necessary  orders  by  the  Assam
   Government  as  per  Article  268-A of the Indian Constitution, for
   entrustment of the road to the BRO, has irked the public,  and  the
   Students  Action Forum of North Karimganj even threatened to resort
   to agitational programme on the matter.
   
   A section of the  local  contractors  are  not  in  favour  of  the
   transfer, and  are  reportedly  trying  to  oppose  the  move.  The
   public, recalling their bitter experience over the  functioning  of
   PWD  in  spending  Rs.6.5 million on the road, had already resisted
   the repair works being attempted by the PWD.
   
   The Government of India had sanctioned Rs.110 million for the 14 km
   long road and out of which Rs.18.5 million was deposited to the BRO
   in March this year.  The road assumes importance due to high export
   potential of goods, especially coal to  Bangladesh.    Goods  worth
   more  than Rs.500 million were exported to Bangladesh in 1997-98 in
   spite of poor road condition.  On completion and upgradation of the
   Surma Trunk Road, exports are expected to increase by  another  500
   million rupees annually.
   
7  STEPS TO SAFEGUARD LOCAL POTATO FARMERS IN MIZORAM  [UNI:22-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------------------------
   AIZAWL:  The Trade and Commerce Department  of  Mizoram  Government
   has  banned  the  import  of  potatoes  from neighbouring States to
   safeguard the interests of the local  producers.    The  department
   also  asked  the  local  producers  to  report the yield to help it
   dispose in the open market.    Mizoram  has  sufficient  stocks  of
   locally produced  potatoes necessitating the ban.  The retail price
   of potatoes is fixed at Rs.12 per kg recently by the department.
   
8  ELECTION COMMISSION CONCERNED ABOUT ENVIRONMENT       [S:20-JUL-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The Election Commission has urged all political parties
   to avoid the use  of  plastic  and  polythene  for  preparation  of
   posters, banners  etc.   for their campaigns during the forthcoming
   elections.  In a  letter  to  all  recognized  national  and  State
   political  parties,  the  Commission has expressed its concern over
   the  issue  of  environmental  hazards   due   to   excessive   and
   non-sensible   use   of  these  materials  by  parties  on  various
   occasions.
   
9  POSTAGE STAMP POPULARITY POLL FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS     [S:23-JUL-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   The Department of Posts is launching a stamp popularity
   poll to select the most popular stamp among the  commemorative  and
   special stamps issued in 1998.  The poll will be open to all school
   students in the age group of 8 to 12 and will be open from August 1
   to 15,  1999.   
   
   Proforma  of entry form will be available in the Philatelic Bureau,
   Guwahati GPO.  100 entries for consolation prizes and three entries
   for special prizes will be selected by draw of lots.  The last date
   for receipt of entries is August 15.

10 ASSAMESE STUDENT DIES IN UKRAINE                      [S:21-JUL-99]
   --------------------------------
   GOLAGHAT:   Mr Madhurjya Bharaly, son of Dr Dhairjya Bharaly and Dr
   Dipali Barua of Golaghat, died at Ukraine on July 17.  Madhurjya, a
   third year student of medical college of Ukraine, was drowned in  a
   river while  swimming  during  a  holiday  trip  there.    He was a
   brilliant student and passed both the matric and  higher  secondary
   examinations with distinction.  He was 21.

11 ONGC DONATES RS.50,000 TO DA-GAON CHILD CENTRE        [S:21-JUL-99]
   ----------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)  has  donated
   Rs.50,000 for  the  Da-Gaon  Child Welfare Centre, Jorhat.  This is
   the  second  time  that  ONGC  has  come  to  help  the   voluntary
   organization established  in  1954.    In 1997-98, the organization
   received Rs.100,000 from the oil  company  which  operates  in  oil
   fields of  Assam.    The welfare centre provides shelter and proper
   care to destitute and orphan children brought from all over  Assam.
   The inmates are also sent to nearby schools for education.

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