Silchar Municipal Board: Taxation
for civic services?
From our Correspondent
SILCHAR, March 27: Quite surprisingly, Congress-run
Silchar Municipal Board hiked house taxes, electricity and
water supply levies. The present Board headed by Bithika
Dev, MLA, would better antagonise citizens than seek their
mandate again one might say. Still amazing, neither the
citizens’ forum nor the consumers’ forum has shown any
sign to stir up till date. The BJP commissioner Bimolendu
Roy and an Independent Sadhan Purkayastha did protest the
hikes but were subdued by the overwhelming Congress
majority in the 28-member Municipal Board.
Sudip Dutta, vice chairman of the Board, justified the
escalated taxes on the grounds that it was recommended by
the revenue augmentation committee in view of the
financial constraints faced by the municipality and the
steep rise in the infrastructure maintenance cost. He
said, “We need more funds for better civic facilities.” It
has become an onerous burden for the Board to pay its 275
permanent employees, keep up water supply and lights,
maintain road and drainage system, besides putting a fleet
of 18 trucks, dodgers and garbage cleaners in motion, he
pointed out. The situation is further compounded by the
legacy of debts of the BJP-controlled Board.
Sudip Dutta revealed Board’s budget for 2007-08 projects
an income of Rs 22 crore from taxes and levies of the
houses under its jurisdiction, to be supplemented by
grants from the Centre and the State he pointed out, “but
his income is insufficient to meet the ever-increasing
expenditure”. The Board therefore has no alternative than
to increase tax on each water connection from Rs 50 to Rs
65 house tax by 7 per cent and electricity charge by 2 per
cent.
BJP on the other hand not convinced by the logic behind
hiked taxes organized protest demonstration before Silchar
Municipal Board on Monday. Sashanka Sekhar Dhar, general
secretary of the Cachar district unit of the party,
refuted the claim of the vice president Sudip Dutta about
the burden of debt left behind by the previous BJP-run
Municipal Board as one of the causes for enhancing taxes.
He said, “This is a travesty of fact and an exercise to
hide their own faults. The hike in taxes will hit the
hard-pressed citizens further.”
Multi-storied municipal building at Silchar
SILCHAR, March 27 Assam Tribune
State Minister Dinesh Prasad Goala, laid the foundation stone of a multi-storied municipal building at Silchar.
In his speech, Goala disclosed that Rs. 5.5 crore has been sanctioned for Karimganj under the Integrated housing Scheme and another Rs 1.30 crore was approved under the same scheme for Badarpur.
Speaking on the occasion, Santosh Mohan Dev said that the project on completion will benefit the people of Silchar town.
Among others, Ajit Singh Karnendu Bhattacharjee, Kutub Ahmed Mazumdar, MLA, Partha Ranjan Chakraborty, chairman Silchar Development Authority and Gautom Ganguly, addressed the audience.
Bethika Deb, MLA and chairman of Silchar Municipal Board presided over the function.
Foundation of 4-Lane RCC bridge laid
SILCHAR, Sentinel Assam, March 25: Sontosh Mohan Dev, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, has laid the foundation stone for 70-metre-long 4 Lane RCC bridge over river Madhura near Silchar on the proposed East-West corridor, a press release stated.
Laying the foundation stone of this Rs 6 crore 5 lakh bridge, the Union Minister said that on completion of this proposed bridge, the people of this remote locality will be benefited. He disclosed that Rs 7 crore has been sanctioned for renovation of road.
The foundation stone laying ceremony was among others addressed by Dinesh Prasad Goala, Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Asom, Ajit Singh, Parliamentary Secretary Finance, Asom and Karnendu Bhattacharjee, MP.
Gautam Ganguly, Deputy Commissioner, Cachar, presided over the function.
Earlier, GK Dutta, project manager, National High Way Authority of India, while giving the welcome address said that this bridge under the Silchar-Balacherra section of the Mahasadak (East-West corridor) will be completed by October 2008. Dutta said for 25 km long Silchar-Balacherra road under the Mahasadak an amount of Rs 115 crore 86 lakh will be spent, the release added.
Call for public awareness to streamline traffic in Silchar
From Dr Partha Sarkar, Assam Tribune
SILCHAR, March 25 – Traffic jams have made the lives of people in Silchar , the main town of Barak Valley miserable. Mismanagement of the traffic prblem is not only hampering the daily life of the people but also creating pollution.
The traffic police personnel say that people are not conscious. For example under a ‘No Parking’,signal people invariably park their vehicles. As the main road is narrow it naturally results in a traffic jam and consequently the people suffer.
Traffic Police personnel say that there is no stoppage for commercial vehicles in the town area , but the people keep on boarding the vehicles at the most busy areas . The result is traffic jam. Even Tata Sumo which can take at the most nine passengers carry 12 to 13. Rules say that commercial vehicles should run on time even if they have only one passenger.
On the other hand,there is no entry for trucks from 8am to 8 pm. But inbetween how they enter and cause accidents is really questionable. Moreover, at the main traffic point , ie Premtala Traffic Point, the light is invisible. One cannot properly decipher whether it is red or green.
A few days back Minister for P&RD and Transport Chandan Brahma inaugurated the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in Silchar . But even now it is not functional .
Three hundred new vehicles including two and three-wheelers are being registered every month in the town creating more chaos .
So there are a lot of factors for the roads remaining choc-a-bloc, the chief being narrow roads, huge vehicles, lack of traffic manpower , lack of public awareness, etc. Good planning and implementation thereof is needed to check this congestion. The City In -Charge of Traffic Police Branch said that the department is coming up with new plans.They are going into joint drives with the Enforcement branch and the offenders are charged spot fines. He further said that in front of schools they are hanging up boards creating awareness with help of some sponsors.
Briefing newsmen , Satyen Gogoi , Superintendent of Police, Cachar said that all sections of people must come up to cooperate to lessen the problem. He said that Municipality is taking taxes from the public for parking facility every month, but there are few parking boards available in the town . He also strongly recommended that the proposal of bye-pass road, i.e. Ramnagar to Kashipur should be immediately constructed.
Barak to be dredged
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Telegraph India
Silchar, March 23: The Assam water resources department has drawn up a Rs 78-crore scheme to facilitate navigation in the Barak, the state’s second-longest river system.
A.K. Mitra, secretary of the department and a leading technocrat, said last night that the department would undertake extensive dredging of the river. The project will pinpoint vulnerable sites of the 129-km stretch of the river in the Barak Valley districts.
The Barak has recently been upgraded to a national waterway. The department will also implement a slew of measures to curb the erosion of riverbanks. Rs 8.9 crore will be spent at the preliminary stage to curb the erosion.
He said the state government had also decided to buy a dredger to scoop out the sand and slush which had accumulated in the river. This amphibious dredger will be purchased from Germany at a cost of Rs 3 crore and then assembled in India.
Mitra also said the committee had recommended upgrading the 426 sluice gates on the rivers and streams flowing through the Barak Valley.
He lamented that 26 of the sluice gates had completely deteriorated.
Mitra assured that the latest technological devices would be used while executing the schemes.
A high-level committee will be constituted in the state to identify the latest technology in this regard. Chief
Trader duo kidnapped in transit
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Telegraph India
Hailakandi
March 21: Suspected Bru militants kidnapped two Silchar-based businessmen from near Bairabi, on the Assam-Mizoram border along National Highway 154, last evening.
Mohanlal Daga and Tezkiran Borodia were travelling by car to Bairabi on business when they were waylaid and taken hostage.
A joint team of Hailakandi police and CRPF personnel has since been scouring the jungles in the south of the district to trace the kidnapped duo.
Admitting that the hilly terrain was posing an impediment, a senior police officer said the search operation was intensified this morning.
The Tata Indica in which the kidnapped businessmen were travelling and its driver have not been traced yet.
Police said the two men had been in touch with their families over phone till they entered Bairabi.
They also stopped for tea and snacks at Gharmurra Bazar, which is on the way to Bairabi.
Daga, 52, is the owner of Rajasthan Textiles, based in the Nazirpatty locality of Silchar town. Borodia, 56, owns Munni Enterprise at Premtola, in the same town.
Police sources said the kidnappers had made ransom calls to the homes of both men, but declined to reveal the amounts of money they demanded.
The kidnappings came to light only when the two families contacted Hailakandi deputy superintendent of police D.K. Saha late at night.
Saha immediately contacted the inter-state police outpost at Jamira and ordered a search operation.
Some people claimed to have seen a group of six to seven armed militants taking the traders towards the jungles of Kanchiwala village near Baicherra. Police forces are combing the forest, based on the statements of these villagers.
Two years ago, NRI education consultant-turned- BJP leader Pratul Deb and his assistant were kidnapped from Baicherra and murdered. His skeletal remains were found last year.
Traffic jams over old Katakhal bridge
From Our Correspondent
Assam Tribune
SILCHAR, March 20 – Though the rail line has been
transferred from the old bridge to the newly-constructed
one in Katakhal area, but the problem of traffic jams
persists here on this important lifeline along the
Silchar-Guwahati route in the valley.
Contrary to expectationsthat the transferred rail line
might ease the problem, the commuters are facing the
samesituation owing to jams over the old Katakhal bridge
even today. Due to the dilapidated condition of the bridge
often vehicles get stuck and situations becomes worse as
commuters are facing habitual problems in the area.
The people in order to avoid the jam on the ramshakle Katakhal bridge take to walking one km compulsorily to reach their destinations. The task of policing on the bridge to regulate traffic gets harder generally in the peak hours. Under the circumstances, to avoid congestion, the vehicles often ply helplessly along the flood-control bands in the area, causing damages, and consequently inviting tougher problems in the coming monsoon for the flood-affected part. As a result public resentment is high on the issue.
ONGC discovers more gas wells in Barak Valley
From Our Correspondent, Assam Tribune
KARIMGANJ, March 19 – ONGC has discovered more gas wells in the Barak Valley. Some of these wells may possess vast reserves of natural gas. This was informed by the ONGC officials in the meeting of district-level coordination committee on security-related matters which was held in the DC’s conference room at Silchar.
ONGC officials of Cachar forward-base further informed in the meeting, chaired by the DC Gautam Ganguly, that the public sector company was ready to sell gas found in the tea garden areas on commercial basis. They also made it known that the gas pipeline connection of the DLF powerplant at Banskandi needed thorough testing and it would be done after the present examination season was over. Generation of electricity in the gas-based power plant of DLF Banskandi will remain suspended for one week during testing of the gas pipeline, ONGC informed the meeting.
Silchar,
Dibrugarh airports to have night-landing facilities
From Our Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, March 13 – The Civil Aviation Ministry has
decided to introduce night-landing facilities in
Dibrugarh and Silchar airports, Civil Aviation
Minister
Praful Patel announced here today. In a Rajya Sabha
reply to a question by Silvius Condpan, the Minister said
that at Mohanbari Airport, night landing facilities like
high intensity runway lights, Apron flood lights,
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) and taxiway edge
lights are already available.
At Kumbhirgram Airport in Silchar, PAPI at both ends of
runway is already available. Airport Authority of India
plans to provide runway lights and approach lights at this
airport, Patel said.Courtesy: Assam Tribune
Undertrial escapes
from Karimganj govt hospital
From
Our Correspondent
HAILAKANDI, March 12 – An undertrial inmate has escaped
from the Karimganj government hospital recently, police
sources said.
Dilwar Hussain (27),was sentenced to life imprisonment for
killing his wife after seven months of marriage, by the
District & Sessions Judge of Karimganj on April 5, 2006
last. The Karimganj police superintendent has suspended
constable Jamal Uddin for negligence of duty. Jamal was on
duty in the hospital when Dilwar escaped. Courtesy: Assam
Tribune
HSLC exams end
peacefully at Badarpur (Rly) HS School
From
Our Correspondent
BADARPUR, March 13 – Alongwith the rest of the State, the
HSLC Examination of 2007, conducted by SEBA which began on
February 23, concluded peacefully at Badarpur Railway
Higher Secondary School. This year, 674 students appeared
from this centre. Among them 471 were regular and the rest
private.
In view of the incidents at
adopting unfair means through
SMS (mobiles) and other
ingenious methods in various examination
halls of Barak Valley centres, all sort of strict
arrangements were taken by the School authority as well as
the principal of Badarpur Railway Higher Secondary School
to thwart creating by the students. Invigilators, SEBA’s
supervising officer Ashutosh Shom, principal of Rly (HS)
School, Badarpur U.S. Ram kept keen watch over the
examinees. There were no reports of any adoption of unfair
means at centres, said the principal. Courtesy: Assam
Tribune
Fate
of bus terminus hangs in balance
From our
Correspondent
SILCHAR, March 12: Almost two months are going to elapse
since the inter-state bus and truck terminus build at a
cost of Rs 12 crore was inaugurated at Ramanagar near here
by Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Asom in the presence of
his galaxy of ministers and high officials.
The Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues in
identical tone had spoken about the imperative need of
such terminus in order to keep the choked town of Silchar
free from pollution and traffic congestion. Guwahati is
now a much relieved city, it was pointed out, as the
terminus there takes in much of the heat and dust of buses
and trucks.
Chandan Brahma, Minister of Transport, was elated on the
occasion to say that the terminus was part of
modernisation of transport system and he was confident
ASTC and other public and private vehicles, passenger and
goods, would use it. He revealed Jorhat will also have an
ISBT. Gautom Roy, Minister for Excise etc, said, “All
buses and trucks must come here. The statement of Gautom
Roy did evoke the question “Will the interstate buses and
trucks terminate here?”
The apprehension has come true. The massive terminus lies
vacant. Leave aside private vehicles, ASTC-run and under
its operation buses are evading it. Silchar continues to
be in the grip of ever-burgeoning traffic snarl and air as
well as noise pollution. The initiative of the Deputy
Commissioner of Cachar, Gautom Ganguli to break the
impasse has yielded no fruit. Courtesy: Assam Tribune
NEC for tapping Barak, Brahmaputra
By A
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, March 11 – Union Minister for Department for
Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER)
Mani Shankar Aiyar today said tapping the
Brahmaputra and Barak river systems for transportation
purposes was among the top priorities of the North Eastern
Council (NEC). “The third sectoral meet of the NEC that
concluded today deliberated on inland waterway, flood
control and irrigation. This is among the 16 priorities
identified by the NEC, which are to be addressed in 16
sectoral meetings in as many months,” Aiyar told the
media.
Admitting that there has been little harnessing of the
Brahmaputra’s potential after having declared it as the
national waterway (Sadiya-Dhubri) II in 1988, Aiyar, who
is also the NEC Chairman, said that the Brahmaputra could
play a major role in transportation of heavy machinery.
“It offers the best prospects for cheaper transportation
of heavy machinery required for infrastructural
development. It will also make our dependence on the
narrow Siliguri road corridor less,” he said.Courtesy:
Assam Tribune
Research institute in NE
From Our Spl
Correspondent
NEW DELHI, March 9 – Union Minister for Earth Sciences,
Kapil Sibal today disclosed that a research
institute is proposed to be set up to study seismic
activities. Responding to a question by Sarbananda Sonowal
in a Lok Sabha discussion, Sibal said that the NER was in
Zone V, seismic map of the country. He said his Ministry
has sought funds from the Finance Ministry for setting up
the Institute to survey the seismic activities in the
North-East.
Broadly, Zone- V comprises entire North-East, parts of
Jammu and Kashimir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttrakhand, and parts of North Bihar. The Bureau of Indian
Standards based on various scientific inputs from a number
of agencies has grouped the country into four seismic
zones. Of this Zone – V is the most seismically active
region, while Zone – II is the least. Courtesy: Assam
Tribune
Assam varsity campus at Diphu College
DIPHU, March 6 — The much-awaited and long-cherished desire
of the people of Karbi Anglong for
Assam University campus will be fulfilled from
July 2007 with the commencement of PG course at Diphu
Government College premises, informed Dr Gautam Biswas,
vice-chancellor of
Assam University recently to the media
personal at Diphu.
Dr Biswas further informed that the
Assam University will start its academic
session from July 7 with six departments — Political
Science, Physics, Commerce, English, Life Since and History
— and for which Rs 21 crore have been sanctioned for the
construction of infrastructures of the university campus
which will be constructed by Central Public Works Department
(CPWD), Silchar.Courtesy:
Assam Tribune
Two townships are coming up near Silchar
On the outskirts of
Silchar
town, two townships are going to be constructed by the
eminent architect of
West Bengal Harsha Bardhan Neotiya. At
present, he has chosen two tea-estates, adjoining of Silchar
town. These two tea-estates are ‘Arunabond Tea-Estate’ of
Udarbond area, and the other one ‘Changkoori Garden’.
Between these two places, plans for ‘Arunabond Tea Estate’
have already been finalised, but regarding ‘Changkoori
Garden’ discussions have not yet been completed.
Reliable sources said, that these townships will be
constructed by Harsha Bardhan Neotiya jointly with the
Arunabond Tea Estate manager Dipankar Chattarjee.
Both these two noted persons have already reached Silchar
for personally estimating these two-gardens. Due to some
complexity of Changkoori project, final decision has not yet
been taken. But still now the discussions are going on to
build the township in Changkoori Garden. All sorts of modern
facilities like– schools, colleges, hospitals, shopping
complex, parks, clubs etc will be there.Courtesy:
Assam Tribune
Conservation of Hoolock Gibbon stressed
SILCHAR, March 5: A unique workshop and orientation talks
were held in
Cachar College here recently organized by the
Science Society of the college in collaboration with the
Wildlife Areas Development and Welfare Trust and Centre for
Environment Education, North East, which was sponsored by
the Great Ape conservation Fund of the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service,
Washington.
The programme was attended by students, teachers and others
interested in wildlife and its conservation. Participants
included nature lovers not only of the
North-east but also
of
Bangladesh.Courtesy:
Assam Tribune
Introduction of Asomiya in
Assam University curriculum demanded
DIPHU, March 5: The Diphu Xahity Xabha (DXX) submitted a
memorandum to the vice-chancellor of
Assam University, Silchar at the Diphu Circuit
House March 2 demanding introduction of the
Asomiya language
in the university curriculum as a subject from the next
session.
They mentioned in the memorandum that the Asom Xahitya Xabha
with the inspiration of Diphu Xahitya Xabha had appealed to
the higher authority of the university long time back,
demanding the same but till today no action has been taken
in this regard. The vice-chancellor said to the Xabha
delegation that he was quite ignorant of the fact and will
try to consider the matter. It is great surprising that the
Assam University which is situated in Asom is
not introducing the Asomiya language as a subject in the
university syllabus which create great resentment among the
Asomiya-speaking people.
Courtesy: Assam Tribune
Silver jubilee of Cachar College ends
KARIMGANJ, March 5 – The three-day silver jubilee
celebrations of Cachar College (Science stream) concluded
recently. Eminent scientists and experts in science and
technology and other dignitaries attended the memorable
event.
Among the luminaries were Dr Anuj Sinha, a scientist
attached to the Deptt of Science and Technology, Govt of
India, Prof Kamalendu Deb Dron, former principal of Cotton
College, Prof Rafiqul Islam, of the Dept of Chemistry,
Assam University and Dr Sudip Dey, scientist,
RCIP, NEHU, Shillong.
Silchar make safe start on batting beauty
Nuruddin trophy
Guwahati, March 5: Silchar rode a half-century by opener
Musarraf Hussain Laskar to reach a comfortable 205 for five
off 96 overs in the first innings of the Nuruddin Ahmed
Trophy semifinal against last year’s runners-up NF Railway.
Asked to bat first, the Barak Valley side faced no problems
on the benign NF Railway Stadium pitch. Laskar cashed in on
the batsman-friendly conditions to score a stroke-filled 75.
The eight hits to the ropes were evidence of his form.
Apart from Laskar, Reihan Mazumdar battled well to finish
the day on an unbeaten 41. The highlight of his innings was
the manner in which he tackled the spinners. At the draw of
stumps, Dipankar Aditya was unbeaten on 17.
Courtesy: Telegraph
Pension of college
teachers in bureaucratic logjam
From our
Correspondent
SILCHAR, March 7: The retired college teachers and employees
of 190 provincialized colleges of the State are a worried
lot, as they are not sure when they will receive their
pension.
Courtesy: Assam Tribune
Barak Anti-Terrorism Council for Army post at Kumacherra
KARIMGANJ, March 7 – Barak Upatyaka Anti-Terrorism Council
has demanded a permanent army patrol post at Kumacherra and
upgrading the Joypur police outpost into a fullfledged
police station in the wake of frequent militancy-related
activities in the area bodering
NC Hills district.
The Council, in a memorandum, submitted to the Chief
Minister expressed deep anguish over the abduction of Naba
Ranjan Barman, a well-known trader of Kumacherra by the
militants late last week and urged the authority to take
immediate action for his unconditional release. The
memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister through SDO
of Lakhipur by Pradip Dey and others of the Council.
Courtesy: Assam Tribune
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