Gogoi stresses on strong regional trade ties in Singapore
Guwahati: Ensuring strong and sustainable trade relations among the countries in the region would be an apt initiative towards realising the growth potential of South and South-East Asia, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi opined in Singapore on Saturday, sources here said. During a meeting with K Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gogoi discussed issues related to trade and commerce, skills development and information technology and sought the South-East Asian nation’s co-operation in these areas, said a release from the Chief Minister’s office. The two leaders talked at length about the just-concluded South Asian Diaspora Convention in Singapore with the release quoting Gogoi and Shanmugam as asserting that, “efforts initiated will definitely move in the right direction for achieving the desired goals”. Gogoi, who is in Singapore on a three-day official visit, was also felicitated today by the Assam Association in Singapore at a gathering of 200 Assamese-origin people, the release added. (PTI)
Gang involved in medical college seat scam busted
Itanagar: Police on Saturday claimed to have busted an inter-state gang involved in conning people into paying large sums of money for seats in medical colleges in Madhya Pardesh with the arrest of two persons from Kolkata. Capital Superintendent of Police Seju P Kuruvilla today said the fraudsters had demanded a large amount of money from a person called Sanjay Dolor, promising him a seat for his brother in a medical college in Madhya Pradesh. As per the complaint filed by Dolor, a person identifying himself as assistant professor of R D Gardi Medical College, Ujjain (MP), had contacted him over phone and offered to get his brother admitted to the institute through its chairperson in return for money. The caller had even issued a forged letter of admission which said the last date of admission was October 23. The victim’s younger brother and candidate for the seat, himself went to the Ujjain medical college on the supposed admission day and found out that it was a fraud. Following the complaint, one Srivastava(30), a native of Faffadih Chowk in Raipur (Chattishgarh) was nabbed on November 12 from Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. Another person S Shekhar, a resident of Gandhi Nagar in Nagpur was arrested on November 19 from Park Street area in connection with it, Kuruvilla said. Police also recovered a demand draft of Rs 2.5 lakh given by the complainant from one of the two arrested men and two mobile handsets used by them, the SP added. (PTI)
Drugs worth Rs 1.5 crore seized in Assam
Silchar: Four drug traffickers were arrested and psychotropic tablets worth about Rs 1.5 crore were seized from them by a joint police and CRPF team from Cachar district of Assam, police said on Saturday. The drugs weighing 150 kg were being carried in six big packets towards Mizoram when the security forces seized them at Bhagabazar area yesterday. All the four traffickers were also arrested. Police also seized five mobile sets and some cash from them. (PTI)
Close shave for Pune pilgrims in Kamakhya
Guwahati: A group of pilgrims from Pune to Kamakhya temple here had a miraculous escape on Saturday when their bus collided with a SUV vehicle on the road of Nilachal hill atop where the temple is situated, the police said. The bus, carrying 24 pilgrims, including children, was coming down the hilly road when the mishap occurred. Though both the vehicles were damaged, none in the bus and the SUV were hurt, the sources said. The pilgrims were later taken to the temple in a different bus. (PTI)
Nagaland Guv meets ministers to discuss REB
Kohima: Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar held a meeting with the state’s council of ministers led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on differences of opinions on the Rules of Executive Business (REB) with regard to transfers and postings of some bureaucrats, official sources said on Saturday. The Governor and the Council of Ministers shared their opinions on the issue in the meeting last evening at Raj Bhavan, but no solution emerged, the sources said. The matter would be discussed again in the cabinet. The cabinet had earlier decided not to send files with regard to transfers and postings of the bureaucrats below the rank of Director General of Police and Chief Secretary to the Governor for approval. The state cabinet during its meeting on November 18 last had accepted the invitation of the Governor to have formal discussions with him before arriving at any conclusion on the matter, the sources said. (PTI)