Dispur hard talk on killings

Guwahati/Dibrugarh, Feb 3 : Dispur has taken strong exception to “repeated misadventures” by the army, the latest being the killing of a physically challenged teenager at Sonari in Sivasagar district on Thursday, even as the district observed a bandh today in protest against the incident. 

The 12-hour bandh was called by the Assam Tea Tribes Students Association and the All Adivasi Students Association of Assam, two influential organisations representing the tea community to which Bishnu Tanti, the 18-year-old who died, belonged.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today said the government would not tolerate such acts of killing of innocents. Dispur has ordered an inquiry, to be conducted by Upper Assam commissioner L.N. Tamuli, into the incident.

“It is a very unfortunate incident and I have taken up the matter with the army. Killing of innocent people will not be tolerated and I made that very clear,” he said. Gogoi took up the matter with GOC 4 Corps, Lt Gen. K.T. Parnaik.

The inquiry by Dispur is in addition to a court of inquiry ordered by the army to ascertain the circumstances of the incident and fix responsibility for the killing. Initially, the army had termed the youth, who had to make an effort even to walk, as an Ulfa militant and had even claimed that a pistol had been recovered from his possession. 

The incident has left the police fuming, too. “Such repeated misadventures by the army leaves us facing the public music. The troops return to the barracks but it is we who have to face public ire and control any untoward situation that may arise,” a senior police official posted in Upper Assam said. 

“Such acts are unnecessary and avoidable and eventually only strengthen the militant hand... you cannot afford to be so trigger happy,” he added.

The police force was out in full strength today to quell any trouble during the bandh in Sivasagar. However, no violence was reported from any part of the district. Very few vehicles plied on the roads and government and other offices recorded thin attendance. The bandh had maximum impact in Charaideo subdivision but work at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited and Gas Authority of India Limited, which have operations in the district, was almost normal.

The Tingalibam tea estate unit of the All Assam Tea Tribes Students Association took out a procession to protest against the killing by the army’s 318 Field Regiment. Tanti was a resident of the garden.

Hundreds of slogan-shouting protesters carrying placards and banners took part in the procession. They demanded strict and exemplary punishment to the guilty army personnel.

Rathod notches up double crown

RVC-A win 60km team event, RVC-B top 80km event

National Endurance

Riders astride their mounts at Dibrugarh on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections Dibrugarh, Feb 2 : Maj. Bharat Singh Rathod of the Army Services Corps, Eastern Command, won the 60km and the 80km endurance ride in the individual category to bag a double crown in the four-day National Endurance Championships here today. The meet was organised by the Equestrian Federation of Assam (EFA) and came to an end at the Ethelwold tea estate today. In the 60km ride, Maj. Rathod riding his horse Badal, completed the ride in two hours 59 minutes and 22 seconds with an average speed of 20.07 km per hour. In the 80km ride, he rode another steed — Tanishq — to complete the ride in four hours, 49 minutes and 54 seconds to complete the ride. In the 60km ride, Maj. Rathod was followed by Sanjay Yadav of the Remount and Veterinary Corps astride his horse Monu and Jitender Singh of EFA astride Shamili. In the 80km ride, Maj. Rathod was followed by Ramesh Kumar of RVC astride his horse Prince Top and Deep Chand of RVC astride New Star. In the team 60km team event, the RVC-A team represented by Mukesh Kumar (He Man), Sanjay Yadav (Monu), Sanjay Singh (Herculesh) and Amit Yadav (Janbaj) bagged the first position. In the 80km team event the top position went to RVC-B team, which was represented by Ramesh Kumar (Prince Top), Deep Chand (New Star), Sanjay Yadav (Vishal) and Rakesh Kumar (Monu).

Bank to recruit 2,000 employees from assam

DIBRUGARH, Jan 26 : Despite the pressure of global recession, the nationalized Allahabad Bank intends to make fresh appointments of around 2,000 people in the region mostly in the clerical and managerial jobs. This was stated by KK Agarwall, executive director of the bank, at a press meet held recently.

Agarwall stated that all the proposed appointees would be hailing from this State only and justified the bank’s position that such a step will result in better coordination and interaction between the bank employees and the people of the areas surrounding the bank branches. As a banker, he stated, it is good banking sense that such interaction will increase the profit of the bank as well as developed the areas.

On being asked about the effects of the global recession on the bank, Agarwall stated that the effects are minimal. Otherwise, he countered, how is it then the Allahabad Bank is to make 2,000 fresh appointments in these regions. However, he admitted that the volume of foreign business has come down little. He sought to alley the fears of the public stating that the Indian banking system is closely monitored by the Reserve Bank of India.
Agarwall also apprised the mediapersons that the Allahabad Bank will also issue ATM cards to its account holders. Such card holders will be able to have their money in any ATM of other banks without paying any levy. He disclosed that as per RBI instruction no levy will be charged from any transaction made through ATM cards when used in other banks and this will come into effect from February 1 this year.

As for the CBS branches often staying in inoperative because of link failure, Agarwall stated these are but minor trouble and are expected to go away as soon as the system stabilizes.

Assistant  general manager Surajit Chowdhury, chief manager KG Tewari and branch manager Abdul Khaleque were present during the press meet.

Dibru-Saikhowa fest inaugurated

 TINSUKIA, Jan 3 – The maiden three-day Dibru-Saikhowa Festival 2009, organised by the Tinsukia district administration and the District Rural Development Agency on the bank of Dibru river at Guijan, a remote area of Dibru Saikhowa National Park, about 11 km from the Tinsukia town, was inaugurated by Raju Sahoo, MLA of Chabua Constituency, on Thursday in presence of MLA Tinsukia, RP Singh, Dr KK Dwivedi, Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia, Sukhen Bora, president, Tinsukia zila parishad, Dwipen Goswami, Satradhikar, Kopahtoli Satra of Kakopathar, and many other dignitaries.

More than 60 stalls of various self-help groups, government departments and NGOs have displayed their productions in the festival. Hundreds of people thronged the festival site from the morning onwards. Art and quiz competitions among the school children, health mela and cultural programmes were held. The festival will conclude tomorrow. A VCD on Dibru-Sai-khowa national park has been released by Dr KK Dwivedi on the occasion.

Aid for schools: Twentyfive high and higher secondary schools of Tinsukia district have been provided with an amount of Rs 5 lakh for the development of infrastructure chiefly the school buildings and an another amount of Rs 1 lakh each for the construction of girls common room by the government of Assam. The cheques have been distributed by MLAs of Tinsukia and Chabua constituency Rajendra Pd Singh and Raju Sahoo on Thursday at a function held at Dibru-Saikhowa festival site. The function was conducted by the inspector of schools, Tinsukia, Ramesh Hazarika and Dr KK Dwivedi, DC Tinsukia, Sukhen Bora, president zila parishad were present among others.

Mekipur water supply project: Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizer, BK Hndique on December 29, laid the foundation stone of Meckipur drinking water project to be built at a cost of Rs 63.02 lakh which is expected to serve the entire residents of the drought prone area after completion in 2010.

The Minister also announced an aid of Rs 4.5 crore for the Mekipur Lakhimijan road in the meeting held for the purpose besides distributing aids to 33 SHGs. BK Handique also inaugurated the modern shopping complex with 24 outlets in the Nazira commercial complex ground floor built at a cost of Rs 33 lakh. The minister termed it as a big achievement for the people of Nazira.