Centre sanctions 28 flood management schemes for Assam
Guwahati: Centre has sanctioned 28 flood management schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 583 crore for Assam. The state government had submitted 32 medium and major flood management schemes last year, out of which 30 projects have been approved under the Flood Management Programme, an official release issued here on Thursday said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his reply to a letter of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, informed that 30 projects costing Rs 10 crore and above were eligible for funding under the Flood Management Programme during the XII Plan, the release said. Singh in his letter also assured Gogoi that the remaining two schemes would be considered for approval once the Ministry of Water Resources receives requisite documents from the state government, it added. The Prime Minister hoped the investment in these projects would help in mitigating flood damages and ensuring safety of people in flood prone areas. (PTI)
Two persons held with explosives in Baksa in Assam
Rangiya: Two persons were arrested by security forces on Thursday after explosives were recovered from their possession in Assam’s Baksa district. Acting on a tip-off, troops of Mahar Regiment apprehended the duo from Doulkuchi village of the district and recoveredtwo grenades and few explosives from their possession, Army sources said here. The apprehended duo have been identified as Bimal Boro and Dhiren Boro. Baksa and Kokrajhar districts in Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) had seen violent attacks on May 1 and May 2 in which 46 people lost their lives. (PTI)
NTC condemns killing of Naga youth by Assam Police
Kohima: The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has condemned the killing of a man allegedly by the Assam Police on May 13. Speaking at the funeral service of Ento Nyekha(29) on Wednesday, NTC general secretary Nribemo Ngullie said it was a sad incident and alleged that it was because of the Assam Police that Nagas are unable to settle at the foothills. ‘The Asssam government is treating the Nagas like foreigners and almost like their arch enemies,’ he said. He said there have been incidents when the Assam Police had harassed Nagas for documents at the border area and put them behind bars despite having all necessary papers. General secretary of Naga Council Ntsemo Ngullie said Nagas have suffered enough in the name of nationalism and Naga politics. ‘It seemed the state government has surrendered itself and all its authority to the Assam government with the signing of agreements of 1972 and 1979 relating to the border issues,’ he said. (UNI)