Agartala to be fully lit with LED lights by March
Agartala: The city is likely to be fully lit with LED lights by the end of this year saving power consumption by 50 per cent, its Mayor Prafullajjit Sinha said on Friday. “The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) has signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) to replace the sodium vapour and other lamps by LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights in the whole city. The work is likely to be completed by this financial year,” he said. Sinha said the first phase of the project covering about 20 km areas had already been completed by EESL, a PSU of the union power ministry, and the last two phases would be completed by March next. The project cost stands at Rs 20 crore to light up 35,000 LED lights and the entire cost would be borne by EESL, the Mayor said adding the cost of the saved energy would be taken away by the PSU for the next seven years as project cost. (PTI)
48-hour bandh paralyses life in Dima Hasao
Haflong: Normal life was paralysed in Assam’s Dima Hasao district in the wake of a 48-hour bandh beginning on Friday. The bandh, called by the Halali Progressive Welfare Society (HPWS), an NGO formed by the ex-cadre of the disbanded militant outfit Dima Halam Daoga (DHD), began at 5 AM on Friday and would end at 5 AM on January 18. All schools, colleges, commercial establishments, markets, offices, banks, post office, transport remained closed in the district but no untoward incident has been reported so far, a district police officer said. The bandh has been called to protest against the killing of its member and DHD’s former General Secretary Rajesh Naiding. We are demanding immediate arrest of the killers, a CBI investigation into the incident, besides condemning kidnapping, killing and extortion by extremist outfits in the district, a statement by HPWS said. Forty-year-old Naiding was killed on January 9 last by unidentified gunmen near Rajbari in Diyungmukh area of the district. (PTI)
Two jawans injured in militant attack in Manipur
Imphal: Two Assam Rifles jawans were injured, one of them seriously, when militants attacked their post in Manipur’s interior Chandel district bordering Myanmar. A top police officer said heavily-armed militants fired at the post of 20th Assam Rifles at Machi in the district on Thursday injuring Subedar Bahadur Sunar and jawan T Chenetiya. The condition of Sunar was stated to be serious while Chenetiya was out of danger, he said, adding that they were still at army hospital at Leimakhong, about 25 Km north of here. The militants escaped to nearby thick hilly jungles, he said adding more forces have been rushed to the spot for tracking down the militants. (PTI)
Mizoram lifts 17-year-old ban on sale of liquor
Aizawl: Mizoram on Thursday lifted the 17-year-old ban on consumption of liquor in the state nevertheless with strict punishment for drunken driving amd brawls in public places. The state government enacted Mizoram Liquor Prohibition and Control Act (MLPC), 2014 coming into force Thursday replacing the stringent Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1995, Commissioner of Excise and Narcotics L Hmunsanga said. The new legislation legalises consumption of liquor for the first time since last 17 years in the state. The law however, would be extremely strict on drunken driving and drunken brawls in public places and would invite imprisonment for several months. Though the MLPC Act was now in force, wine shops would be able to sell liquor only from March as preparations were in full swing for the implementation of the new law. State Excise and Narcotics Minister R Lalzirliana had earlier hinted that retail wine shops would be run by PSUs like Mizoram Food and Allied Industries Ltd . (PTI)