Centre okays funds for bamboo research
The National Steering Committee (NSC) of the National Bamboo Mission (NBM), held under the chairmanship of the Secretary (Agriculture & Cooperation), Govt of India, on January 17, 2008, had approved a
Assam Tribune
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Illegal timber seized at Kokrajhar
KOKRAJHAR
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Total electrification in 1,515 villages
There are 1,515 villages in the State, which are totally covered under the rural electrification programme. The number villages partially covered under the programme is 6,603. This was stated by Power Minister Pradyut Bardoloi in the State Assembly today in reply to a starred question from Independent member Pranab Kalita. He also said that the State Government had adopted schemes to complete the rural electrification programme covering all the villages by 2009. After the approval of the Rural Electrification Corporation, all the villages will be covered, he said apprising the House that altogether 18, 517 revenue villages were covered earlier through various schemes. But natural calamities have severed connections to 4,061 villages. Again, 12,949 villages are covered partially under the programme, the Minister said. However, to implement the programme, an amount of Rs 2,300 crore will be required and this amount is to be obtained from the Central Government. The Central Government has set norms for making the payment for the purpose. It includes installation of at least one transformer in a village, said the Minister. The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Programme has also included the component for providing free electric connection to the BPL families. The programme is being implemented in Golapara, Tinsukia and Cachar districts. Efforts are on to collect the lists of the BPL families from the Deputy Commissioners of these districts for the purpose of providing free electric connection, he said. The Minister also informed the House in reply to a call attention motion moved by Mission Ranjan Das (BJP), that the reports of closure of 22,000 small scale industrial units due to the installation of digital meters were not based on facts. The Assam Small Industries Development Corporation has said in a report that no SSI unit was closed after installation of digital meters. Moreover, the Minister said, only five small-scale industrial units were closed in the State during the past two years due to their inherent problems. Four of these closed units were located in Kamrup district and one in Jorhat district, he said.
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Focus should be on scheme implementation
Urging the people from the cross-sections of the society not to ponder much over what the Northeast region got and what it did not from the recently announced General Budget, Prof Dr Madhurjya Bezbaruah of Gauhati University instead said that the focal point should now be to keep a close eye on the implementation aspect, which would eventually determine the growth of the country as a whole and the Northeast in particular. Calling the General Budget as an election Budget, Dr Bezbaruah stressed on the need for an inclusive growth by bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots, which is one of the biggest challenges before the 11th Five Year Plan. Dr Bezbaruah was speaking during a discussion on the recently announced General and Railway Budgets, which was organised under the aegis of the All Assam Students' Union and the Asom Unnati Sabha. The Northeast, especially Assam, in recent times, has witnessed a phase where a series of development schemes has been initiated, but when it comes to the implementation of the schemes, there has always been a question mark. "A proper implementation monitoring system is what we need at this moment,' he pointed out. He also rued over the fact that unlike some of the other educational institutes of the country, some of the oldest and premier educational institutes of the State like the Cotton College and the Gauhati University had failed to draw the attention of the Union Finance Minister, which is a matter of concern. Dr Bezbaruah also took an exception to the Union Finance Minister's decision to waive off loans of the farmers, stating that it might well destroy the rural loan market. "The Government can help the cause of farmers by encouraging bank and institutional loan system,' he pointed out. RS Joshi, director, FINER, while echoing the concerns of Bezbaruah, further said that political aspirations have overtaken the recently announced General Budget. He, while mentioning that the allocation for the North East in the Budget has remained more and less stagnant, further called for giving stress on the service sector which contributes heavily to the country's economy. "Though the country's overall GDP growth is 8.7 per cent, the north-eastern States' growth rate is however lagging behind,' Joshi stated, adding, "The North East has to be in the scheme of things of the Union Government if the regional imbalances in the country are to be bridged.' S Borborah of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, while stressing the need for expediting infrastructure development, said, "More than allocation, evaluation and monitoring of various projects is what can produce greater dividends.'
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Arunachal to be power-surplus State
Arunachal Pradesh is poised to become a power-surplus State by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan with a capacity addition of 11,000 MW hydro-electric power
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Water-logging in Guwahati city (Letter)
Sir, At a recent seminar in Guwahati, the drainage problem of the city was discussed. It was revealed that when Lachit Nagar, Nabin Nagar etc., areas were under flood waters, there was hardly any water at Bharalu Pump House. It is due to obstruction of water flow due to encroachments, garbage dumping and service lines in the river Bahini/Bharalu. If these rivers are restored to their original width, and excavated to give proper gradient to the river beds and obstructions removed, water will flow and can be pumped out to the Brahmaputra at Bharalu Pump House. Water-logging in Zoo Road area, Nabin Nagar, Lachit Nagar and for that matter the entire catchment area of the rivers will be removed to a great extent. It is heartening to learn that the Water Resource Department is engaged in the job through machineries for increasing the flow of water in Bahini/Bharalu. Widening of the rivers to their original size, concrete lining the sides of the river and the bed, which will increase the flow by four times, grading the river in proper slope to the Bharalu Pumping Station, ban on hill cuttings for prevention of silting of the drains/river are must. This will relieve thousands of citizens from the chronic water-logging problem. The attention of the authorities, particularly that of young, dynamic and capable minister responsible for Guwahati development, health etc. is solicited. It is necessary that clearing of the river by machineries should be a continuous feature. It is also felt that management of the water-logging problem of the city should be brought under one agency for better accountability.
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Elephant census at Batabari, Kumarikata
MUSHALPUR
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NHPC urged to implement decisions
The Dhemaji district unit of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has asked the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) authorities to execute the decisions adopted at the December 8, 2006 tripartite meeting held among the AASU, NHPC and the State Government on the Lower Subansiri Hydel Project within March 13. It has also requested the NHPC authorities to keep in abeyance construction of the main dam of the hydel project till the report of the expert committee engaged to study the impacts of the dams becomes available. Otherwise, it has threatened a democratic agitation to mount pressure on the NHPC authorities to comply with this request. The students' body in a letter to the general manager of the NHPC's Lower Subansiri Hydel Project, said that the NHPC had failed to justify the inordinate delay in executing the tripartite meeting's decisions.