SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday inaugurated the Lake View Cottages and Orchid Lake Cottages near the scenic Umiam Lake constructed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry of
Guwahati: The death toll in the Assam floods Thursday rose to 100 even as the waters started to recede in most of the 27 affected districts except Dhemaji. However, the rising water level of the Jiadhal river submerged several villages in the morning. The surging waters have also affected parts of National Highway 52 in the district. An estimated population of 22 lakh have been affected in the worst ever flood in recent years causing large-scale devastation in 2809 villages in 27 of the 28 districts of the state.
Agartala: Ahead of the assembly polls, scheduled for February next year, the Left Front government in Tripura has decided to provide land with housing facilities to people living below the poverty line (BPL), a minister said here Thursday. “The Left Front government would provide 0.4 acre of land to rural and 0.2 acre to urban BPL families and construct houses at government cost,” Tripura Finance Minister Badal Choudhury told reporters.
SHILLONG: The State Government has not yet approved the mining lease for several companies which are keen to mine the natural resources in the State. “Altogether, eight companies have applied for mining lease,” Forest and Environment Minister Prestone Tynsong told reporters recently. He also informed that the companies which have applied for mining lease include the cement companies in Jaintia Hills, namely Adhunik and Star Cement which had submitted fresh applications.
Guwahati: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Assam’s erosion problem will be included in the list of the country’s natural disasters, a move that will enable the state government to spend central relief funds (CRF) to tackle the issue. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said Tuesday that the move will also enable the state to receive more central funds to tackle the problem and also extend financial help to people affected by erosion.
Guwahati: The severe floods in Assam have resulted in the killing of a number of animals and inundation of large areas of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, including the world-famous Kaziranga. The animals which lost their lives in the annual scourge include two highly endangered one-horned rhinos, senior Forest Department officials said. In the Kaziranga National Park, wild animals such as elephants, hog deers, swamp deers, buffaloes and wild boars have moved out of the park for shelter and food to the higher reaches of neighbouring hill district of Karbi Anglong.
Guwahati: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday announced an ad-hoc financial assistance of Rs 500 crore to flood-ravaged Assam, where floods and landslides have claimed 81 lives so far. The PM made the announcement here after making an extensive aerial survey of flood induced damages in three districts of Assam – Jorhat, North Lakhimpur and Dhemaji — along with the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
SHILLONG: The State Government has taken exception to the delay by Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Ltd (LUMPL) in handing over the proposed land to allow the Government to start the process of compensatory afforestation. As a penalty for carrying out limestone mining in forest land measuring about 116.589 hectare at Nongtrai Shella in East Khasi Hills district to facilitate supply of limestone to its cement plant located in Bangladesh, the Supreme Court in its ruling on July 6, 2011 had directed LUMPL to pay certain amount to the State Government for compensatory afforestation from April 1, 2007 towards Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
SHILLLONG: AIDS, one of the most dreaded diseases of the immune system has a high rate of occurrence in the world and has claimed the lives of many. The Northeastern part of the country has recorded a staggering increase in the number of AIDS cases over the past few years. As per the available statistics, there are altogether 915 people in the State who have been tested HIV positive between 2002 and March 2012. The total number of people who underwent HIV testing at Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres (ICTCs) was 61,848 between the same period.
Agartala: The Rural Development Ministry has embarked on a ten-year mission to make India open-defecation free country, said Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh. The Union Minister, who held a review meeting with representatives of Northeastern states on Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) at Prajna Bhavan here on Saturday, told reporters said that the Centre had earmarked Rs. 3500 crore during 2012-13 FY under Nirmal Bharat Abhijan (open-defecation free campaign).
Guwahati: Forest officials in most rhino habitats in Assam have been working through the night to save wildlife severely affected after flood waters submerged vast areas of sanctuaries. The flood season is crucial for the animals in protected areas as poachers take advantage of the situation to hunt, particularly the one-horned rhino for its high value in various Southeast Asian markets.
