Arunachal PWD minister highlights state govt’s performance
Itanagar: Taking a dig at opposition BJP and dissident MLAs for alleging that Chief Minister Nabam Tuki-led Arunachal Pradesh government did nothing tangible, PWD Minister Gojen Gadi on Tuesday highlighted the achievements with documentary evidences. Gadi told reporters that that the progress of mini secretariat buildings (MSBs) and cement concrete roads (CCRs) are highly satisfactory with the PWD making all possible efforts. While the percent-wise progress of MSB at Namsai (Phase-1) was 95%, Changlang 65%, Sagalee 50% & Khonsa 30%, the tendering process for Daporijo & Ziro MSB was on and for Roing and Tezu, the financial bids opened were under scrutiny, Gadi said. The percent-wise completion of CCRs included Capital Complex (80%), Ziro (30%), Aalo (phase-I) (80%), Yingkiong (phase-I) (80%), Pasighat (phase-I) & Roing (40% each), Longding, Khonsa & Changlang (35% each) and work at Tezu awarded a month back. While the MSBs are built under special plan assistance allocated in 2013-14 and 2014-15, all CCRs are state flagship programmes, he said, adding that work has been taken up in district and ADC HQs to improve road connectivity on need-basis for which the state government had allocated Rs 30 crore in the last Budget. Asked to cite the reasons behind the delay, Gadi attributed it to legal litigation citing the example of Bomdila. Stressing on the cooperation of the people, Gadi said that the reconstruction of 218.5-mt span steel suspension bridge over River Siang at Nubo funded by DoNER has been complete and would be inaugurated soon. (PTI)
Hindi TV actor Mohin Khan feared drowned in Assam river
Tezpur: TV actor Mohin Khan is feared drowned in river Jiabharali at Tipi near Bhalukpung along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, a senior police official said on Tuesday. The Mumbai based actor and producer drowned in the river last evening at around 4.30 pm when he went down to take bath before beginning to swim across to the other side, Sonitpur district Superintendent of Police Sanjukta Parashar said. So far there was no information available here about the whereabouts of Khan even as rescue teams were working downstream to search for him, Parashar said. An NDRF team accompanied with the rafting group of Nameri Eco-Camp was on a search operation to trace out Mohin Khan, she added. Before taking lunch, the actor wanted to have a bath and accordingly went down to the river when he slipped on a mossy boulder and fell into water with high currents, eyewitnesses said. According to information available here, Khan was in the area with a five-member team of a national channel for a documentary film on tourism with the theme ‘Traveler XP’ with the backdrop of North East region. The team was ‘camping’ at Bhalukpung Eco-Camp for filming the documentary, the sources said. Bhalukpung is in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh and about 120 km from Tezpur. (PTI)
Gogoi urges Centre to allow Assam’s tableau on R-Day parade
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday urged Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to give the state an opportunity to display its tableau in the forthcoming Republic Day celebrations. The presence of a tableau from Assam in the Republic Day parade will help enhance the sense of patriotism amongst the people and instil a feeling of nationalism amongst the misguided youth of the state, Gogoi said in a letter to Parrikar today. Gogoi welcomed the decision of the Centre’s Expert Committee for Selection of Tableau for shortlisting the design showcasing Bihu dance and wished that it would be finalised too. The government of Assam had submitted four designs for the state tableau, out of which the design showcasing the Bihu dance was shortlisted by the Expert Committee. (PTI)
Disqualified MLA challenges Speaker’s decision in HC
Guwahati: A disqualified MLA of Assam on Tuesday filed a petition in the Gauhati High Court challenging Legislative Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi’s decision to expel him as a member of the House for joining another party. Justice Hrishikesh Roy, after hearing the petition, issued notice to the respondents and fixed the next day of hearing for the case on February eight, 2016. Pradan Baruah challenged the decision of the Speaker on the ground that once a member is expelled from the party it loses the right to invoke the provisions of anti-defection law against the expelled member. The Speaker had yesterday disqualified nine rebel Congress MLAs, including Baruah, from the membership of the House with immediate effect for joining opposition BJP after being elected from another party. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee had already expelled these MLAs from the primary memberships in November this year. Congress chief whip Nilamani Sen Deka had filed a complaint with the Speaker on December one for disqualification of the members. (PTI)
Govt electrifies 13 Assam villages last week under DDUGJY
New Delhi: Government on Tuesday said 13 villages were electrified in Assam last week under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana. “13 villages electrified in Assam last week under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana,” Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said in a tweet. Out of these electrified villages, three belong to Baksa district, one in Darrang and other nine villages falls in Nagaon district of the state, the minister said. He further tweeted that “LED distribution crosses 4 crore: First crore in 548 days, second in 72 days, third in 36 days and fourth in just 26 days #iLEDtheWay.” Under Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) there is a provision for providing electricity access to unelectrified villages/habitations through micro-grid and off-grid distribution network where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effective. Yesterday in a written reply to Rajya Sabha Goyal had said that electrification works in 3,286 villages out of 18,452 unelectrified villages in the nation have been completed so far. “As on 01.04. 2015, there were 18,452 unelectrified villages in the country. It has been decided to electrify all un-electrified villages by 01.05.2018. Electrification works in 3,286 villages out of those mentioned above has been completed so far,” Goyal had said. In a separate reply he had said, that in Uttar Pradesh, 1,529 villages were still to be electrified as on April 1, 2015. All these un-electrified villages have been sanctioned for electrification under DDUGJY. (PTI)
