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MLA
Rahul Roy assaulted
By our Staff Reporter Sentinel Assam GUWAHATI, March 14: At a time when the law-and-order situation in Asom is in a state of turmoil, questions are being raised about the possible threats to the lives of the “rulers” of common people. Algapur MLA Rahul Roy, son of Excise Minister Gautam Roy, after returning from the Assembly session today at around 11.30 am was going through a few official documents at his quarters at the Old MLA Hostel campus in Dispur, when an unidentified youth entered his quarters and allegedly assaulted him. He allegedly threw a chair at the MLA. When Roy screamed for help, the youth made good his escape in his Indica car. The Indica (AS-01-Y-4422) was later found parked outside the house of Congress MLA from Golokganj, Abu Taher Bepari, with an Assembly car pass — No. 613 owned by Anwar Hussain Laskar — stuck on its windshield. Later, Dispur Police arrived on the scene and seized the car, and took the statements of Rahul Roy and his PSO, who was, at that time, having lunch in another part of the house. According to sources, the assault might be a case of some business-related grudge, as the car’s owner, Laskar, is reportedly, a contractor from Barak Valley.
Silchar
civic body to get Rs 1.3 crore fund
By our Staff Reporter Sentinel Assam SILCHAR, March 13: Silchar Municipal Board chairperson Bithika Dev today said the board had placed a Rs 2.12-crore scheme proposal to the Backward Region Fund (BRF). She said that out of Rs 10 crore sanctioned under the fund for seven Barak Valley Assembly constituencies, Silchar being the only urban civic body is expected to get a chunk of about Rs 1.30 crore. The sanctioned fund will be a great help to start some road renovation work in the town, she added.
PLA top
gun held in Assam
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA |
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Silchar, March 13:
Security forces arrested a senior
commander of the People’s Liberation Army
(PLA) along with two of his associates
from a hideout in Sonai block in Cachar
district yesterday.
A senior
official of the Assam Rifles today said
the PLA activists were picked up after the
forces were tipped off about the presence
of Manipuri militants in Cachar.
He said the
jawans launched a search operation and
picked up the militants from a tribal
hamlet, Jekon Basti, 20km southeast of
Silchar.
The arrested
have been identified as Surajit Singh,
Ibasul Haque and L.C.K. Singh. Surajit,
ranked quite high in the PLA hierarchy,
leads a division as its commander in the
Jiribam-Cachar region.
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Hopes dry up with water
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA | ||
March
13: North
Hailakandi’s hopes of getting piped water
regularly have dried up before summer
dries up their existing natural water
sources.
A slew of
water supply schemes that are partially or
fully defunct were to be restored this
year, but it looks unlikely that work will
begin anytime soon.
Official
sources blame the floods in September last
year for most of the public health
engineering (PHE) department’s schemes
going kaput. But the real story, residents
say, is one of bureaucratic apathy.
For instance,
the water supply scheme for Algapur Part-I
has been defunct for the past eight
months, leaving nearly 5,000 villagers
without drinking water.
Villagers said
excise and border areas development
minister Gautam Roy had promised to set
things right, but never did.
Roy made the
assurance during a public meeting some
months ago. The minister assured residents
that he would speak to senior officials of
the PHE department about the need to
repair the water plants and resume supply.
The 3,000-odd
villagers of Barnagad-Kapnarpar have fared
no better. A scheme that was supposed to
be implemented one-and-a-half- years ago
has yet to see the light of day.
The scheme was
launched in 1997-98, when local MLA
Sahidul Alam Choudhury was a minister. The
water plant developed snags about two
years later because of alleged negligence
and has since been defunct.
In Syedbond,
water reaches the villagers but is not fit
for consumption. The 3,000-odd residents
of the area have stopped drinking water
supplied by the PHE for fear of
contracting diseases. “There is filth and
dirt in the water. We know that this water
supply scheme will go the way others have.
What else do you expect with a bunch of
insincere officials being in charge?” a
villager asked.
The
Chiparsangan- Atalipar water supply scheme
in north Hailakandi has been crippled for
want of maintenance staff.
An official of
the PHE department said all defunct
schemes would be revived. “We have sent a
proposal to the headquarters for funds to
start work and it could take some time,”
he said.
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Debojit
in hospital with fever
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| A STAFF REPORTER TELEGRAPH INDIA |
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Guwahati, March 13:
Singer Debojit Saha was
admitted to a Guwahati nursing home today
with suspected urinary tract infection.
He was brought
to the hospital by his brother Debasis at
11.30am after he complained of severe pain
in his abdomen and high fever.
Debojit, who
shot to fame after winning the Voice of
India title in Zee TV’s reality show
SaReGaMaPa Challenge 2005, now
hosts musical shows on television and
performs at concerts.
Sadhan Das,
the doctor who attended to the singer,
said he was advised hospitalisation for
detailed investigation.
“Right now I
can only say that Debojit’s condition has
not deteriorated further and he is under
constant medical observation. All baseline
tests have been conducted on him and
reports are expected by tomorrow morning.
Signs are quite visible that he is
suffering from urinary tract infection,”
said D.D. Purkayastha, another physician
who has been monitoring the singer’s
condition.
Debojit
arrived in Guwahati on March 7 and went to
Nalbari to perform at the silver jubilee
celebration of Tihu College.
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Militants abducted 3 officials working on the North Cachar Hills stretch of the East-West corridor
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Men & project
held to ransom
- Gorlosa group prime suspect in kidnap |
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA | |
Nagaon, March 13:
Militants of a group that
has been repeatedly holding national
projects to ransom were back at it
yesterday, abducting three officials of a
private construction company working on
the North Cachar Hills stretch of the
East-West corridor.
Valecha
Engineering Ltd, one of five companies
contracted by the National Highways
Authority of
India to build the 265-km hilly
stretch between
Silchar and Lumding,
informed police about the abductions after
the three officials failed to return from
their work sites till late in the night.
The trio —
project manager Umesh Suresh Verma, deputy
project manager Juga Prasad Deka and
senior technical engineer Dhruba Jyoti
Choudhury — were abducted along with
driver Babul Bora and Assam Police
constable Tapan Singh Timung.
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Silchar Cops in jail for custody death
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA |
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Silchar,
March 12: A local
court reversed a Gauhati High Court interim
bail order yesterday and sent three junior
police officers to judicial remand for the
custodial death of a farmer.
Sub-inspector
Narayan Tamuli, assistant sub-inspector
Pramode Ranjan Nath and constable Ramjan
Hossain are now lodged in Silchar jail.
The case dates
back to September 21 last year, when Matahar
Ali Talukdar, a peasant living in
Brahmangram village under Kathigorah block
in Cachar district, was picked up by the
police following a group clash.
A wounded
Talukdar was allegedly beaten to death by
policemen when he was being taken to Silchar
Medical College Hospital in a van.
Talukdar’s death
triggered a volley of protests in his
village. A mob set ablaze a police outpost
and the panchayat office in the area.
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Budget received with cynicism in Barak Valley
From our Correspondent Sentinel Assam
SILCHAR, March 11: The Asom Budget for the fiscal 2008-09 as presented by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday in the State Assembly has been received with cynicism in Barak Valley. Quite in tune with the Union Budget, the Chief Minister tried to play to the gallery in view of the forthcoming Parliamentary elections in the State.
It is a welcome step that the Budget proposes to set up an engineering college and a paramedical institution and bring Barak Valley along with the two hill districts of North Cachar Hills and Karbi-Anglong on the tourist circuit. But, the Budget is silent on development.
Expressing her views, Keya Sengupta, professor of Economics and Dean of School of Social Sciences, Assam University, admitted: “The Budget is populist. The setting up of an engineering college and a paramedical institution are long-term schemes”. But, as she pointed out, without infrastructure development, such institutions will be plagued by various problems as are now being faced by Assam University. Basic issues have to be addressed first for their proper implementation. The same is true about the proposed tourist circuit. The Budget also lays thrust on education and rural health. How far will this valley be benefited, there is nothing specific, she pointed out.
Asit Dutta, president, Foodgrains Merchants’ Association, said: “Abolition of VAT on rice, pulses, atta, maida, potato and onions will benefit the consumers as it is expected to neutralize the inflationary trend”. He added that VAT should not have been imposed on essential commodities. At the same time, he favoured imposition of VAT on traders with annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh and not Rs 4 lakh as outlined in the Budget.
Sumanta Sarathi Endow, president, Chamber of Commerce, Silchar, observed, “there is nothing to cheer about. There is no package for the development of agriculture in the valley, nor is there any specific agenda to explore and expand the potential of fish rearing and production. Irrigation continues to be neglected, he pointed out.
Bimonlangshu Roy, BJP leader, said, “Deficit Budget is always bad. Nothing has been said on how to make up the deficit. It will further lead to inflation and mount the suffering of the common people”. Tax exemptions without proper plough–back will push the State into debt-trap, he maintained.
IB Ubadiya, tea planter, was of the view that “the sops in the Budget to increase export of tea and deduction in agricultural income tax for tea are not going to benefit tea production in the valley”. Against the constant demand of the ITA and TAI to withdraw cess on green leaf, the Budget has proposed a cess of 20 paise per kg of green leaf purchased by bought leaf factories. The reduction in the rate of Central tax to 0.25 per cent on tea sold through Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) is no doubt a positive move, he said.
Shankar Dey, general secretary of Silchar Press Club, called the Budget directionless which is nothing but a tale of neglect for Barak Valley. The Budget has nothing to offer for creating job opportunities for the educated unemployed. Nor is there any stress on improving intra-valley communication links.
Nripati Ranjan Das, a State Government employee,
pointed out, “salaried people like us want check
on rising cost of essential commodities”.
Profiteers and black-marketers control the market.
Hardly Essential Commodities Act is applied to
book them. He, however, welcomed 10 per cent hike
of DA in their basic pay.
CM proposed a new Engineering College at Borak Valley
According to the Assam Budget for the financial year 2008-2009,
the State Chief
Minister, Mr. Tarun Gogoi has given following
announcement :
Three (3) para-medical
institutions will be set up at Guwahati, Dibrugarh
and Silchar medical colleges,
One (1) Agriculture
College Dhuburi,
One (1) Engineering
College at Borak Valley (Karimjanj,Cachar,
Hailakandi) ,
One (1) Engineering
College at BTC,
One (1)
University at Kokrajhar (BTC) ,
One (1) Nursing College
at hill districts of Assam(
North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong),
Silchar: The Cachar
District Consumers’ Disputes Redressal Forum has
slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Assam University,
Silchar, as compensation for the legal expenses
incurred by Bishalakshi Palchoudhury. alchoudhury
alleged even after scoring the highest mark in the BSc
botany paper in 2005, the university authorities
rejected her botany results on the ground that she had
failed to clear the chemistry paper. hough after
re-examination she was declared pass, the university
authorities refused to change their stand. Later,
Gauhati High Court restored her degree.
Silchar:
The DoNER ministry has granted
nearly Rs 4.5-crore to install two 25MVA-capacity
modern transformers at the power sub-station in
Panchgram, 25km west of Silchar town.
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Gogoi
applauds li’l champ Anamika Choudhury
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| A STAFF REPORTER TELEGRAPH INDIA |
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Guwahati,
March 9:Assam tonight
toasted its newest singing sensation on the block.
At a massive
well-attended official function at Judges Field,
chief minister Tarun Gogoi felicitated 13-year-old
Anamika Choudhury, who won the Zee TV
SaReGaMaPa Li’l Champs title, with a
traditional Assamese gamocha, japi and
sarai. He also presented a cheque of Rs 1 lakh
and a citation to Anamika.
Gogoi said it was one
his life’s proudest moments that he had the
opportunity to felicitate a girl who made Assam
proud at such a tender age. He said Anamika’s
success was another example that there were
thousands of hidden talents in Assam.
The chief minister
appreciated Anamika’s parents for encouraging her
and creating the right kind of atmosphere for her
to flourish.
“I was also watching
the final round of the SaReGaMaPa Li’l Champs
and I was tense but confident that Anamika would
eventually win,” Gogoi said.
Anamika, who was
accompanied by her parents, said she was
overwhelmed by the love. She attributed her
success to the blessings of the people of the
state.
“Today I would like to
apologise for my decision to leave the competition
midway. I was a bit emotional, as I could not see
my parents cry if I had to make an exit from the
show. For the love that the people bestowed on me,
I have decided to spend a good portion of the
money earned during the show to set up a music
academy at my birth place Mariani in Jorhat
district,” she said.
Later in the evening,
Anamika enthralled a huge audience assembled at
the Judges Field by rendering several Assamese and
Hindi numbers. She started the show by singing
Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwal’s Jeuti jogiya
moor ghar. Later she belted several Bihu
numbers, since she will be away on a world tour
during Rongali Bihu.
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During Gautam Roy’s tenure in Social Welfare Dept, irregularities galore
By our Staff Reporter Sentinel Assam
GUWAHATI, March 8: There were massive irregularities in the Social Welfare Department during the last Congress regime in the State when Gautam Roy was at the helm of affairs as the minister of the department. According to allegations, the department served the interest of contractors at the cost of mother and child health, and there was no system to monitor schemes the targets of which were also not met.
Official sources said that there had been massive anomalies under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP). “Rice and pulses meant for supply to the anganwadi centres were purchased from the market through the Assam State Marketing Board (ASMB), STATFED and the Assam Small Industry Development Corporation (ASIDC) even though the Food Corporation of India (FCI) had surplus PDS rice at that time, and in the process the Social Welfare Department incurred an additional expenditure of Rs 11.69 crore. The department purchased rice from the market at Rs 1,700 per quintal against Rs 1,121 per quintal at the FCI,” official sources said, and added: “The move was aimed at giving maximum benefit to contractors.”
Sources further said that under the SNP, the department had supplied biscuits and milk to the anganwadi centres. “In the name of providing milk and biscuits to a large number of non-existing anganwadi centres under the programme, the department embezzled about Rs 50 lakh. The number of anganwadi centres in Nalbari district is 138 and the amount required for supply of milk and biscuits to the centre was about Rs 61.17 lakh, but the department put the figure at Rs 1.09 crore,” official sources said.
Sources further revealed that in February 2002, the Social Welfare Department had signed an agreement with a New Delhi-based company for the supply of Maa Care, a ready to eat (RTE) food brand, under the SNP at the rate of Rs 37 a kg, but the contractor himself rejected the agreement forcing the department to float a new tender. In the new tender, the lowest rate at Rs 23.90 a kg was accepted, but the company concerned too withdrew the agreement forcing the department to select the second lowest rate of Rs 33 a kg submitted by M/s Indo-Paul Flour Mill. But in July 2002, the company of Maa Care brand again came and expressed its willingness to revive the breached agreement for supply of the RTE food at the rate of Rs 37 a kg, and the department clinched the deal for three years. This, despite the fact that a party — M/s Indo-Paul Flour Mill — was already prepared to supply the item at lower rate of Rs 33 a kg. In the process, the department incurred an extra expenditure of Rs 2.85 crore.
The validity of any RTE is for six months and the best use is during the first 90 days. According to official sources, expiry of the validity period of Maa Care supplied to the anganwadi centres could not be ascertained as the brand had not mentioned its date of manufacture, a lapse that might lead to serious health complications for children. Official sources further said that in 2003-04, about 14 Child Project Development Officers (CPDOs) had refused to accept 3,624 RTE packets on the ground that the item was supplied at a time against the standing rules.
However, according to official sources, at the verbal directive of minister Gautam Roy, the RTE packets were given to seven other CPDOs.
This apart, there are allegations that Roy had centralized all purchases at Dispur, but the present Social Welfare Minister has decentralized all purchases under her department at the district level under the supervision of deputy commissioners.
Shija's second Silchar stint from March 13
Source: The Sangai Express
Kohima, March 08: Close on
the heels of the successful stint at silchar in its maiden
venture recently the Smile Train Cleft Project of Shija
Hospitals and Research Institute (SHRI) is all set to
re-enter the Cachar district of Assam along with Rotary
Club International on March 13 and 14. Informing that its
second phase endeavour would be held at the Rotary Bhavan,
Silchar president of Rotary Club Imphal Dr L Surchandra
highlighted that out of 10 cases of lips and palate
deformities eight successful surgeries had been carried
out while operations on the remaining two would be done
soon.
Conveying that fooding and lodging expenditures are being borne by the Club under the joint initiative, Dr Surchandra explained that involvement of Rotary Club is to spread awareness of the noble project to interior and rural areas.
Joining in the media briefing, managing Director of SHRI Dr Kh Palin asserted that complete eradication of cleft lips and rectifying palate deformities is the main objective of the Smile Train Project and applauded involvement of Rotarians in the recent Barak Mission.
He added that along with Rotarians efforts are on to take the Project to Dimapur in the near future in addition to more expansive Barak Mission in the second phase.
Dr Palin, who is also the president designate of Rotary Club Imphal, disclosed that SHRI's endeavour to expand its reach would be immensely boosted with the arrival of a 'campaign van' in April.
Moreover, SHRI had proposed for a 16-wheeler truck to expand coverage of the Smile Train Project inclusive of operation theatre and post operation ward with the only impediment delaying the arrival being poor surface communication system of Manipur, he added.
Highlighting that SHRI initially faced certain complications, financially, in bearing transportation charges of patients, Dr Palin claimed that with the Rotary Club joining hands in the noble project financial aspect of the programme could be overcome to a large extent.
Conveying that fooding and lodging expenditures are being borne by the Club under the joint initiative, Dr Surchandra explained that involvement of Rotary Club is to spread awareness of the noble project to interior and rural areas.
Joining in the media briefing, managing Director of SHRI Dr Kh Palin asserted that complete eradication of cleft lips and rectifying palate deformities is the main objective of the Smile Train Project and applauded involvement of Rotarians in the recent Barak Mission.
He added that along with Rotarians efforts are on to take the Project to Dimapur in the near future in addition to more expansive Barak Mission in the second phase.
Dr Palin, who is also the president designate of Rotary Club Imphal, disclosed that SHRI's endeavour to expand its reach would be immensely boosted with the arrival of a 'campaign van' in April.
Moreover, SHRI had proposed for a 16-wheeler truck to expand coverage of the Smile Train Project inclusive of operation theatre and post operation ward with the only impediment delaying the arrival being poor surface communication system of Manipur, he added.
Highlighting that SHRI initially faced certain complications, financially, in bearing transportation charges of patients, Dr Palin claimed that with the Rotary Club joining hands in the noble project financial aspect of the programme could be overcome to a large extent.
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Voice of India Debojit Saha gushes about his experience at a patriotic meet
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