Leaders of different Naga socio-political groups, participating in a two-day Naga People’s Convention organised by the United Naga Council, Manipur (UNC-M) in Senapati adopted a resolution calling for the immediate integration of Naga-inhabited areas in the North-East under one politico-administrative structure. The convention was attended by leaders of the Naga Hoho, the apex tribal council of the Nagas, representatives of the Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) and other Naga leaders from Manipur and Nagaland.

NEDFi to finance rural

NABARD has identified the North Eastern Development Financial Institution (NEDFi) among various financial institutions for financing housing projects in rural areas. Union Minister of State for Finance B. V. Patil said the guidelines for the refinance scheme specified construction of new as well as renovation of existing houses. The ceiling or cost of a dwelling house for financing has been fixed at Rs. 7.5 lakh, while quantum of bank loan for new houses was fixed as Rs. 5 lakh. 

AAPSU urges AR to relax norms

All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) has urged the Assam Rifles authorities to relax the education and height for tribals of Tirap and Changlang district while recruiting in Assam Rifles. In a letter to the director general, AR, Shillong, Pongsa Saham, the chief advisor of the AAPSU justifying his points said many students of the two districts were forced to leave schools before appearing class ten examination due to economic reasons.

Two tea executives abducted

Two executives of the Binakandi tea estate in Cachar district were kidnapped. The two managers, Sambhu Nath and Ram Avtar Chakravarty of the private tea estate, were kidnapped at gun point from the tea garden premises by militants based in Cachar district. The police suspects that ransom can be the motive behind the crime.

Students’ bodies protest against NSCN-IM’s terror tactics

Four students’ organisations of the North-Eastern region alleged that the terrorists of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) have been harassing the villagers in the border areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and are forcing them to vacate their villages. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, leaders of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU) and Karbi Students’ Association (KSU) stated that ‘the respective State Governments need to step up vigil along the borders with Nagaland to prevent any untoward incident.

Four NLFT terrorists surrender in Tripura

Four National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) terrorists surrendered before security forces. The four terrorists, led by Gangajoy Reang, an ‘area commander’ of the outfit, laid down arms before the commandant of 22nd battalion of Assam Rifles at Dulubari camp in Tripura’s Dhalai district. The terrorists also deposited two country-made pistols, two grenades and 30 rounds of cartridges.

Insurgents hang man to death

Activists of the All-Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) hanged to death a collaborator of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) at Paniramsardarpara in West Tripura district. In a retaliatory action, five family members of an ATTF collaborator were later beaten up at a nearby village by NLFT ultras. The police said six ATTF insurgents, armed with sophisticated weapons, raided the house of rival NLFT collaborator Budhiram Reang at Paniramsardarpara and dragged him out. The ultras dragged Reang 3 km away from his house, beat him up and then hanged him from a tree branch.

Spurious products flooding NE market
The Federation of Industries & Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) has expressed concern over the infusion of non-ISI products, particularly galvanised iron pipes in the North-East market. The Federation has said that the infusion of spurious GI pipes (non-ISI) in the market will have serious consequences as it will pose health hazards to the people and moreover create unhealthy competition for the genuine industries producing BIS-marked products in the region.

2 UNLF ultras killed in Manipur
Two militants of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF), were killed in an ambush carried out by personnel of 7 Assam Rifles in Thoubal district . The incident took place at Salungpham Kairenbikhok.

2 NDFB militants killed in Tura
Two hardcore militants belonging to the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) were killed in a pre-dawn raid by a special force of the Tura police. The police force raided their hideout deep inside Lower Wadanang area in Tura and in the exchange of fire the two ultras were killed. The deceased were part of an NDFB-ANVC group that had entered Tura to kidnap prominent businessmen and traders, and extent money from them. The two militants killed have been identified as Rocky Daimery and Champion Daimery. Both were involved in robberies, kidnappings, extortion, possession of illegal arms, and in killing. They were both involved in the killing of Deepak Burman of Garobadha some time back.

2 gunned down by ultras
Two persons were killed and two others received bullet injuries when three motorcycle-borne United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) militants opened indiscriminate fire in the Dokmoka market under Howraghat police station.

Rajendra Mushahary arrested
Ending all speculations, former minister in the AGP-led coalition government Rajendra Mushahary was arrested by a joint team of Kokrajhar police and city police from his rented residence at Lachitnagar following a positive result in his DNA test at a Hyderabad laboratory recently on charges of rape of a minor girl.

Mithi urged to take steps
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) has urged Chief Minister Mukut Mithi to immediately initiate measures to stop Assam government from including the area under Kangku circle of West Siang district into its territory. Alleging the Assam forest officials were initiating steps to include the areas "inhabited by Arunachal tribals for centuries," AAPSU said the steps of the officials of neighbouring State "to violate the status quo" had led to "an explosive situation in the area. The organisation in a recent memorandum to Chief Minister Mukut Mithi urged the Arunachal government to initiate steps for lasting peace along the border with Assam. Referring to the notification of 1951 in which a total area of 4051 sq km had been transferred from the then NEFA to Assam, the AAPSU memorandum alleged this was done "without taking into confidence the innocent tribals of NEFA."

11 hurt in attacks by ultras in Karbi Anglong
Eleven people, including four women, were seriously injured in separate attacks by militants belonging to the United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) in Karbi Aglong ahead of a UPDS-sponsored 36-hour bandh in the district beginning today. Militants of the UPDS, which has also called for a boycott of the Independence Day celebrations, hurled two Chinese grenades at a crowded place near the office of Assamese weekly newspaper Chetna in Diphu town seriously injuring five people, including two women. In another incident, suspected NSCN militants opened fire on a roadside hotel near Silonijan, injuring two of its women
owners.

Heroin seized, 2 Myanmarese held in Mizoram
Excise officials recovered 762 grams of heroin, worth Rs. 1 crore and detained two Myanmarese nationals in this connection in Mizoram’s Champhai, near the Myanmar border, about 200 km from Aizawl. The two Myanmarese nationals, Thankhanmarg (42) and Tluangthang (40), were booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, Excise department sources said. The contraband was worth Rs one crore in international market. This was the biggest heroin haul by the State Excise department since 1999, the sources said.

4 militants killed in Manipur
Four militants were killed in an encounter with BSF personnel in the Umathel area in Manipur’s Thoubal districtrecently. Heavily-armed militants attacked the BSF patrol in the Umathel-Waikhong area, about 55 km from Imphal. The BSF men returned the fire killing four militants.

Mahanta quits AGP presidentship
Former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Asom Gana Parishad supremo handed over the reins of party presidentship to seniormost vice-president Biraj Kumar Sharma following bigamy charges against him. AGP sources said that Mr. Mahanta, who stepped down recently from the post, "temporarily’’ handed over charge of party presidentship for two months.

17 militants surrender, deposit arms
Seventeen activists belonging to six different underground outfits operating in Manipur and Nagaland have surrendered with 20 weapons along with ammunition to the security forces recently.

Role of Tripura nationalised banks flayed

Thirteen nationalised banks operating in Tripura have drawn flak from the State Government for poor Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR) in the State. During the recent State Level Banking Committee meeting, government representatives from various departments severely criticised the role of the banks. Though the CDR of the country is around 60 but the figures in Tripura till March 2001 has been registered at a very dismal level of only 27.82.
The government has expressed concern in particular for the steady fall of the CDR in the past few years. The CDR dropped down from 30.87 in December 2000 to 27.82 in March 2001. As far as the nationalised banks are concerned, which have altogether 48 rural branches and 27 urban branches, their credit deposit rate is recorded at only 20.76. In comparison, the regional rural bank, mainly the Tripura Gramin Bank has a CDR more than the nationalised banks recorded at 30.48. The three co-operative banks has a tremendous CDR record of 79.17. The CDR of the nationalised banks in the rural areas stands at a dismal 34.88 compared to the co-operative banks at 97.53.

Govt’s decentralisation move decried
The decision of the ruling Congress (I) Government in Arunachal to decentralise the implementation process of tea cultivation projects in four districts has come in for a sharp criticism. Chief adviser to All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union Pongsa Saham termed the decision of the government as unfortunate, saying that State Government is playing with the Rs. 5 crore sanctioned by the Union Planning Commission for development of tea in Tirap and Changlang districts of the State.

Govt ‘responsive’ to KSU’s demands

Meghalaya Chief Minister E. K. Mawlong has assured the agitating members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) that the Government would meet them soon to discuss their demands. Expressing unhappiness over the KSU taking to the streets in support of its 10-point charter of demands, the Chief Minister said his Government was ‘responsive’ towards the union’s demands and had also initiated measures to fulfill most of them. The Government had already constituted a working group with Finance Minister A. H. Scott Lyngodh in chair.

Demand for new district raised in Garo hills
The long-standing demand for creation of separate district with headquarters preferably at Wadaggiri in the Phulbari Hallidayganj belt, has once again been raised this time under the aegis of the New Bhaitbari Muslim Association. In a memorandum submitted to Meghalaya Minister E. K. Mawling, the association once again raised the demand for creation of a separate district with Tikrikilla, Phulbari, Rajabala and other adjancent Assembly constituencies, among others.

NE MPs meet over NEC Amendment Bill
MPs belonging to the North-East have decided to demand inclusion of one member from each State in the North Eastern Council (NEC) besides seeking replacement of the Governors with the Chief Ministers as members. The members met recently under the aegis of the North East MPs Forum to adopt a common strategy during the discussion on the NEC Amendment Bill.

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