228 gm heroin seized, two held in Mizoram
Aizawl: Officials of the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics department seized 228 gm of heroin and arrested two persons for possessing the contraband, department spokesperson Peter Zohmingthanga Tuesday said. The accused were arrested from different places on Monday night, the spokesperson said. Zohmingthanga said, in the first incident, the department officials seized 154 gm of heroin from a person called Nagzakhup and arrested him from the trade centre of Zokhawthar in Champhai district near the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Nagzakhup is a resident of Tahan in Myanmar, the spokesperson said. In the second incident, the department officials seized around 74 gm from a person called Lalchhingpuii and arrested him from southern Mizoram’s Lunglei district. Nangzakhup and Lalchhingpuii were booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, the spokesperson said. The seized contraband is estimated to be around Rs 8 lakh. (PTI)
Centre to launch development project in Nagaland tomorrow
New Delhi: The Centre will launch a project in Nagaland on Wednesday under the Swadesh Darshan scheme to develop the state as a tourist destination, a statement from the Tourism Ministry said Tuesday. The project named ‘Development of Tribal Circuit: Peren-Kohima-Wokha Project’ will be inaugurated by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons, the statement said. “This is the first project to be implemented in the state under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism,” the statement said. The project was sanctioned by the ministry in November 2015 for Rs 97.36 crore. Under the project, the ministry has developed facilities like tribal tourist village, eco log huts, open air theatre, tribal rejuvenation centre, cafeteria, helipad, tourist interpretation centre, wayside amenities, last mile connectivity, public conveniences, multipurpose hall, nature trails, trekking routes. In addition to this project, the ministry has also sanctioned another project in the state – ‘Development of Tribal circuit: Mokokchung–Tuensang-Mon’ worth Rs 99.67 crore. The implementation of the project is in progress. The Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the ministry for developing thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner. It was launched in 2014 -15 and as on date the ministry has sanctioned 73 projects worth Rs 5,873.26 crore to 30 states and Union Territories. (PTI)