Page 6 - Assam

Eviction drive to clear 500 hectares of forest land in Assam: Officials

An eviction drive to clear over 500 hectares of forest land in Assam's Lakhimpur district, affecting nearly 100 families, will be undertaken by the administration on Tuesday, officials said. A mock drill by security forces for the eviction drive was conducted on Sunday, they said. Out of 2,560.25 hectares of Pava reserved forest, only 29 hectares are currently free of any encroachment. In the first phase, 500 hectares in Adhasona and Mohaghuli villages will be cleared in the January 10 exercise, the officials said. The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led dispensation has been carrying out eviction drives in different places in the state since it assumed power in May 2021, with two such exercises undertaken last month. The one in Nagaon's Batadrava on December 19 was billed as one of the largest in the region in terms of the number of people affected, uprooting more than 5,000 alleged encroachers. Among the other major eviction drives was one in Dhalpur area of Darrang district which led to ..

Assam CM accuses Left of distorting history, making it a tale of defeats

Alleging Left historians of distorted' Indian history by making it a tale of defeats and submissions, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday asserted that history should be rewritten to record the nation's victories. He also alleged that the Left ideology followers have been trying to divide the state along linguistic lines for decades and maintained that the people must defeat such attempts by embracing their "religious similarities". Addressing the 28th state convention of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) here, Sarma said, The Leftists have always tried to distort our history as they wanted to project Bharat as a defeated jati' (community). They overlook the kings and heroes who resisted and defeated Mughal attacks successfully and write only about those who were defeated, he claimed. He cited the examples of Guru Gobind Singh, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Durga Das Rathore and Lachit Borphukan who had successfully led campaigns against Mughal armies, and alleged tha

Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi releases Assam chief minister's Diary No.1

Former CJI and member of the Rajya Sabha Ranjan Gogoi released a book 'Chief Minister's Diary No.1' containing the account of first year'S event in Assam office Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma

No aid needed from AIUDF, AAMSU to re-design district boundaries: Assam CM

Many political parties and organizations criticized the Assam government for its decision ahead of the Election Commission of India's delimitation process in the state

Assam CM lays foundation stone for Rs 50-cr Jongal Balahu tourist centre

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a tourist centre, named after Tiwa king Jongal Balahu, at an expenditure of Rs 50 crore in Nagaon district. Addressing a public meeting at Raha, Sarma lauded efforts of the Tiwa community for contributing immensely towards enriching Assam's cultural mosaic. After the foundation stone laying ceremony of the centre at Jongal Balahu Rampart, he said the facility will help throw light on the community's role in building an inclusive society. Earlier, the chief minister visited the historic Jongal Balahu Garh at Raha and offered floral tributes to great Tiwa king Jongal Balahu. "The brave warrior, who valiantly fought to safeguard his land and people, will always remain an inspiration for the people of Assam," Sarma said. In recognition of the contribution of the great warrior and the Tiwa community as a whole, the archaeological site at Raha will be transformed into Jongal Balahu ...

Assam on growth trajectory, people must pressure ULFA(I) chief: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Sunday claimed that the state is on growth trajectory and asked the people of Assam to exert "moral pressure" on proscribed ULFA(I) chief Paresh Barua to give up his sovereignty demand. Sarma interacting with media persons here on New Year's day said criteria other than population should be considered for future delimitation exercises and the state police is keeping a strict eye on the involvement of Islamic clerics in 'jihadi' activities. The chief minister said Assam is on the growth trajectory after achieving considerable financial stability during 2022 and for the first time did not ddepend on the Centre for paying its employees' salaries. This has been possible due to increased oil royalty, excise, transport and GST collections. "There has been an increase in tax collection and this symbolises vibrancy in the economy. This has been possible due to the cooperation by the people and different organisations, leading to a new growth ...

Assam CM flags off 100 CNG buses, inaugurates 1st green fuel station

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday flagged off 100 new CNG-run buses, as part of the Smart City Mission. He also inaugurated the city's first CNG fuel station. The CM said the launch of the CNG-run buses and the inauguration of the fuel station were decisive steps for "gradual but firm mitigation" of the impacts of climate change and global warming. The CNG buses were gifted by Guwahati Smart City Ltd to Assam State Transport Corporation. The passenger vehicles are equipped with air-conditioning, fire-detection, global positioning systems and several other features, and will be operated by ASTC. Noting that excessive use of fossil fuel, such as petrol and diesel, is the prime reason for global warming, the CM said the carbon emission from the use of such energy is creating climatic imbalances in many parts of the globe, including Assam. It is important that "all must unite to mitigate the impacts of climate change and work out a long-term and permanent solution",

2022 saw end of tribal insurgency in Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The year 2022 saw the end of the tribal insurgency in Assam, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday

Protests in Assam against decision to merge 4 districts with existing ones

Protests erupted in Assam after the state cabinet approved the decision to merge four new districts with the existing undivided ones

Assam merges 4 districts with 4 others, changes jurisdiction of villages

The Assam government on Saturday decided to merge four districts with four others and changed the administrative jurisdiction of a few villages, a day before the Election Commission's freeze on redrawing administrative units comes into effect. Announcing this at a press conference here after a meeting of the state cabinet, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the decisions have been taken with a heavy heart keeping in mind the interests of Assam, its society and administrative exigencies. He added it was only "temporary" and did not disclose the reason behind the decision. While Biswanath district will be merged with Sonitpur, Hojai will be merged with Nagaon, Bajali will be merged with Barpeta and Tamulpur will be merged with Baksa, he said. The decisions had to be taken at the cabinet meeting on Saturday as the Election Commission has imposed a ban on creating new administrative units in Assam from January 1, 2023 as the poll panel will undertake the delimitation exercise in th

Assam Police seizes 2000 kg Burmese betel nuts smuggled from Mizoram

Assam Police foiled a smuggling attempt and seized 2000 kg of Burmese Supari (betel nuts) concealed inside of the oil tanker in Cachar district, which was illegally transported from Mizoram, said

Assam Rifles recovers drugs worth Rs 6.66 crore in Mizoram, four held

In a joint operation carried out with the Excise and Narcotics department, Aizwal, Assam Rifles apprehended four persons and recovered 20000 Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs. 6,66,60,000 in Aizawl District's Tuikhurhlu area.As per the officual press release from the Assam Rifles, two vehicles (Hyundai Grand i10 MZ 05A8395 and Maruti Ciaz MZ O1T 5265) were also seized.The operation, led by inspector General Asam Rifles comprised of the Aizawl Battalion of 23 Sector Assam Rifles, was conducted based on specific information on December 29."Approximate cost of the recovered Methamphetamine tablets is Rs 6,66,60,000-(six crores sixty-six lakh sixty thousand only). The seized consignment, vehicle and apprehended individuals were handed over to Excise & Narcotics Department, Aizawl on December 29 for further legal proceedings," stated the release by the Assam Rifles.As per the statement, the ongoing smuggling of illegal drugs is a significant cause of concern for the state of ...

ED attaches Rs 4.09 cr worth of assets of former APSC board member

ED has attached assets worth Rs 4.90 crore of a former board member of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in connection to a money laundering case, officials said on Thursday

Massive hailstorm damages nearly 4,500 houses in 4 districts of Assam

A massive hailstorm swept through several areas of upper Assam, damaging nearly 4,500 houses in four districts, officials said on Tuesday. According to an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report, a total of 4,483 houses were damaged across 132 villages in Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar and Tinsukia districts. Almost 18,000 people have been affected, and the families hit by the hailstorm were supplied with tarpaulin sheets, it said. The severe hailstorm lashed the upper Assam areas late on Monday and early Tuesday, an official of the Dibrugarh district administration told PTI. The ASDMA report said 4,481 houses were partially damaged, while two structures were completely destroyed. A total of 3,009 houses were damaged in Charaideo, followed by Dibrugarh (1,232), Sivasagar (220) and Tinsukia (22), it said. Several schools have also suffered damages along with crops in large areas of agricultural land in the hailstorm, a rare phenomenon in this part of the state du

EC begins delimitation of assembly, parliamentary constituencies in Assam

The Election Commission on Tuesday said it has initiated delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Assam, and will be using the 2001 census figures for the readjustment of seats. The Commission said a ban has been put in place effective January 1, 2023 on creation of new administrative units in the state till the exercise is complete. Under the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 1972, the last delimitation of constituencies in Assam was effected on the basis of 1971 census figures by the then Delimitation Commission in 1976, the poll panel noted. The move to redrawing the assembly and parliamentary seats of Assam as per Section 8A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 has been initiated following a request from the Union Law Ministry. Delimitation is the process of fixing limits or boundaries of the territorial constituencies in a country or a state with a legislative body. "The Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election ...

Grenades, ammunition recovered from Assam tea garden, says police

A cache of grenades and ammunition were recovered from a tea garden in Assam's Dibrugarh district, a senior police official said on Monday. Two Chinese grenades, two magazines of AK-series rifles, 12 bullets and a pistol silencer were recovered from South Jalan tea estate. The items were spotted by garden workers on Sunday night, Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra. We are trying to ascertain to which militant outfit those explosives and ammunition belong. We have interrogated some people but no arrests have been made so far, Mishra added.

Risk of data tampering in Assam's NRC updation process, says CAG report

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has flagged the risk of data tampering in the NRC for Assam, due to improper software development related to data capture and correction during the updation process of the citizenship document. A highly secure and reliable software was required to be developed for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation exercise, but during the audit, lack of proper planning in this regard came to the fore. The updated final NRC, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was released on August 31, 2019, with total 3,11,21,004 names included out of 3,30,27,661 applicants, though it is yet to be notified. The CAG submitted a report for the year ended in 2020, on the last day of the winter session of the Assam Assembly on Saturday, which pointed out that 215 software utilities were added in a haphazard manner to the core software. It was done without following the due process of either software development or selection of vendor through ..

Assam CM Himanta launches projects worth over Rs 973 cr in Dibrugarh

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday laid the foundation stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs 973.38 crore for Dibrugarh district. The CM, attending the last programme of the first phase of 'Bikakhor Babe Eta Pokhek' (a fortnight for development initiatives) at Tingkhong in the district, urged people to take part in an economic revolution to give a fillip to the state's overall development. Assam had "witnessed many agitations, 'dharnas' and 'hartals' over the years but it is the time to concentrate on rejuvenating the intellectual, cultural and developmental landscape" of the state, he said. Outlining plans for the development of Dibrugarh, the CM announced that strengthening and improvement of the river bank of Buridihing at an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore will be taken up. The government plans to set up a zoo at Tingkhong in the district and the Ahom ritual of offering obeisance to Me-Dam-Me-Phi will be celebrated at historic Tipam, Sarma said. As part of

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh hold border talks; likely to resolve disputes

The third round of regional committee-level border talks between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam succeeded in resolving certain issues along the interstate boundary, ministers of the two states said. Addressing a press meet on Wednesday, Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora and Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said a "threadbare discussion was held in a cordial atmosphere" to find a solution to disputes involving three districts along the boundary. Mein said the committee members had visited the disputed areas in Namsai and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Tinsukia in Assam, and interacted with various stakeholders before attending the meetings. "We have come to the conclusion that there are no longer any issues in these areas," he said. Bora said the committee will submit the report of the meeting to the chief ministers of both the states, and they in turn will hand it over to the Centre. "People of both the states want to live in peace. It is usually some

Expecting big investments, Assam grants industry status to tourism sector

Assam granted industry status to tourism anticipating big investments and further boost to the sector