Elephant calf mowed by train
Guwahati: An elephant calf was mowed down by a speeding goods train in Deepor Beel area in the western part of the city on Friday, forest officials said. The calf, along with a herd, was crossing the railway tracks this morning and was left behind. The goods train knocked the calf down while it was on the tracks killing it on spot. The calf was later buried near the accident site by forest department employees and the local people. (PTI)
Two workers kidnapped by militants in Manipur
Imphal: Suspected Kuki militants have allegedly kidnapped two labourers for not getting money from their contractor from Saikul area in interior Senapati district of Manipur, police said on Friday. Road construction workers identified as Sanasam Tomba (44) and Amom Doren (37) were abducted on December 10 last but an FIR was lodged with the Saikul police station Thursday evening. Various social organisations including Kuki Students Organisation have appealed to the abductors to release the two safely. Police said efforts were on to trace the two workers. (PTI)
Army team successfully completes trekking expedition
Itanagar: The trekking expedition that took off on December 5 by a team of the Army from Miao to Vijaynagar in Changlang district of the state was completed successfully on Friday. The expedition team led by Capt Shyamal Khare covered a stretch of 330 kilometers in inhospitable terrain of treacherous mountains, a defence communiqué said. The expedients interacted with the inhabitants and ethnic tribal people enroute their track and analysed the socio-cultural and environmental existents of the Namdapha Biosphere, it said. The team was welcomed by Brigadier Akhelesh Bhargava, Commander of Air Defence Brigade. He complemented the team for successful completion of the expedition and appreciated the spirit and efforts of the team, the communiqué added. (PTI)
RNRL contract terminated for Mizoram
Aizawl: The contract with the Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL) for exploration of hydrocarbon deposits in southern parts of Mizoram has been terminated, Director of the state Geology and Mineral Resources H Lallenmawia on Friday said. The Director General of Hydro and Carbon, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, terminated the contractual agreement with the RNRL due to a number of reasons, Lallenmawia said. The main reason being failure to initiate any work by the NAFTGAZ (Ukraine), one of the three partners of the RNRL, assigned to explore south Mizoram for hydrocarbon deposits, he said. “The company, which was awarded the contract in 2007, was yet to begin drilling and prepare estimates,” sources in the Geology and Mineral Resources said, adding that the work would soon be globally re-tendered. Mizoram is estimated to have 100 billion cubic deposits of gas. Other firms like the ONGC and the OIL have taken up the exploration in earnest in different parts of the state, the sources said. The OIL had done drilling in Keifang and Maubuang in Aizawl district and Thenzawl in Serchhip district while the ONGC had already discovered gas in Mizoram-Assam border Kolasib district’s Meidum area, the sources added. (PTI
