3 ULFA hardcore ultras nabbed in Assam; grenades, pistol recovered

Three hardcore ULFA insurgents were arrested with grenades, pistols and ammunition from Assam's Goalpara and Dibrugarh districts on Saturday.

On a tip off, police nabbed two militants from a bus coming from Arunachal Pradesh in front of the army camp at Lakhipur in Goalpara district.

Five hand grenades, a pistol with 20 ammunition and blank cartridges of AK-47 rifle were recovered from the ultras who are brothers, police sources said.

The two have been identified as Gupesh Hajong, who was trained in an ULFA camp in Bhutan in 1997, and Durlav Hajong, the sources said.

In Dibrugarh district, another ULFA extremist Nitul Das was picked up at Chabua with five grenades, one pistol, ammunition and documents.

Interrogation of the arrested ultras were on, they added.

Vegetable prices in Upper Assam burn holes in customers’ pockets

The flood that swept across the state in September might well be over, but the impact it left behind is still causing pain to the common man, particularly in the two Upper Assam districts of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh where almost 90 per cent of the population suffered directly or indirectly due to the floods.

One major impact which the common man is encountering these days is a massive price rise in the prices of vegetables. As the summer vegetables gradually vanish from the markets, winter vegetables like cauliflower, cabbages, brinjals, beans, etc., have started arriving in the markets. But, as the customers go to the market they are stumped with exorbitant prices of these vegetables.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan enthrals audience

Internationally acclaimed Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan enthralled audiences at the ITA Machkhowa this evening.

Among those who witnessed the show of the legendry musician in the State were Assam Governor JB Patnaik, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar, besides a host of noted personalities.

The Sarod maestro was accompanied by his two sons – Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan.

Titled ‘Peace and Harmony Concert’, the show was organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC). NEZCC chairman Nikhil Kumar, who is also the Governor of Nagaland, was the chief host of the event.

The performance of the Sarod maestro is part of the year-long Silver Jubilee celebrations of the NEZCC – a premier autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The celebrations have been organised in various parts of the Northeast for almost a year now.

Eid-ul-Zuha celebrated in Assam

Eid-ul-Zuha was celebrated across Assam on Saturday with prayers for peace.

In Guwahati, thousands of people offered namaz at the historic Machkhowa Eidgah. Over 5,000 peace and communal harmony at Jalukbari Eidgah Maidan in the city as well. Eid-ul-Zuha prayer was also offered at Burha Jame Maszid and other mosques of Guwahati and on the outskirts.

Eid prayers were also offered in western Assam districts which witnessed bloody ethnic clashes a few months ago. Riot-hit displaced Muslims celebrated Eid in relief camps, where they are awaiting rehabilitation.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi also offered Eid-ul-Zuha prayer at Rajdhani Masjid near the state capital here. Gogoi said love and brotherhood is the main essence of all religions. "Eid-ul-Zuha evokes the feeling of love, compassion and understanding. Let us reaffirm our resolve to further strengthen the spirit of brotherhood, unity and peace," said Gogoi. The chief minister appealed to people to endorse the longstanding tradition of amity, brotherhood and communal harmony in society.

Disaster management training for Guwahati residents

In a bid to harness the strengths and capabilities of people who can respond during an emergency, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will train people in Guwahati Emergency Management Exercise (GEMEx) from Monday.

GEMEx is the third massive emergency management exercise of the highest level in the country after Mumbai and Chennai. The northeast is earthquake prone for being located in Seismic Zone V.

"The kind of training that will be imparted to the participants is for the first time in the north east. As many as 19 international faculties will train the participants during GEMEx. On November 3, a mock drill will be held at the Assam Engineering Institute Playground, where disaster preparedness of all government employees will be tested," said Dhruba Jyoti Das, the CEO of Kamrup (Metro) district disaster management authority.

The emergency management exercise will be conducted in various parts of the city by NDMA experts, in collaboration with the district disaster management authority, Kamrup (Metro) and Assam State Disaster Management Authority.

Erosion victims Majuli turn to Almighty after Govt's apathy

It is not in the power of modern science and technology to fight nature's wrath. At least the residents of Majuli think so, for these victims of erosion have decided to go for the last resort, the Almighty.

Over two thousand people from 23 erosion-affected villages along the Brahmaputra offered prayers to the river on Saturday in order to appease god. They were joined by vaishnavites from three ashrams situated in Majuli. Despite spending crores of rupees on anti-erosion schemes, the government has failed to bring the situation under control.

"We have no other alternative than to offer prayer to the Almighty to save ourselves. The river is washing away the villages one after another and gobbling up hundreds of hectares of culpable land belonging to the farmers here. Government projects bore no fruit. So we decided to come together to offer prayer to the river seeking her kindness to save us," said a villager, who was present at the programme held at Bhogpur Puhardia area.

National Register of Citizens will be linked to AADHAR cards of Assam

Unlike other parts of the country, AADHAR cards for residents of Assam will be linked to National Register of Citizens, which is the data base of citizens, as the state is facing the problem of illegal migrants. The AADHAR number is proof of residence only and not citizenship.

"The AADHAR enrolment exercise here would be government-driven. It is going to be different than other states," a source said.

The unique identification project is an initiative of the Planning Commission to provide identification for each resident across the country. This brand name of this 16-digit number of the unique identification number (UID) is Aadhaar. The objective is to issue every resident a UID linked to the resident's demographic and biometric information, which they can use to identify themselves anywhere in the country and to access a host of benefits and services.

Assam's woman MP likely to get berth

With the Union ministry set for a reshuffle on Sunday, there is a likelihood of lone woman Congress MP from the state, Rani Narah, getting a berth in the council of ministers. The hopes of Congress got a boost after Narah was summoned by the party high command to New Delhi on Saturday.

"We believe Narah will find a berth in the new council of ministry," a source said. Narah is an MP from Lakhimpur constituency. The Union council of ministers, at present, has two faces from the state - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who represents the state in the Rajya Sabha and minister of state with independent charge for development of northeastern region and parliamentary affairs Paban Singh Ghatowar.

Narah's inclusion would also raise the number of representatives from the NE region in the Union council of ministers from three to four after the resignation of water resources and minority affairs minister Vincent H Pala. The other one is minister of state for rural development Agatha Sangma.

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