Trade union strike hits normal life in different parts of the state

The two-day nationwide strike called by different trade unions against the Centre’s economic and labour policies hit normal life in the State. Our correspondents add:

Nagaon: The trade union strike paralysed normal life in Nagaon. Post office, banks, LIC office, BSNL offices remained closed. Medicine wholesale dealers closed their shutters.

Most of the business establishment also remained closed. Vehicles remained off the roads exept private cars. Non-availability of buses caused problems for examinees of the ongoing HS and HSLC examinations.

Govt to dredge Bharalu river

PWD Minister Ajanta Neog today said that the Government was going to dredge the Bharalu and free it from encroachment in order to find a lasting solution to the perennial problem of artificial flood and waterlogging in the city.

“The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) has been asked to clear the Bharalu and its banks from encroachment. Next we plan to dredge the river and fence its banks for preventing encroachment,” Neog said at a press conference.

To a query on the raising of the city’s road level every time a road is repaired, Neog said that the Government had recently fixed a road level for the city’s roads and henceforth that would be maintained.

Govt to dissolve ASEB

The State Cabinet today decided to formally dissolve the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) and from now on, three different companies will function for power transmission, generation and distribution.

Official sources said that the State Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi this evening, also discussed the report of the Group of Ministers on the Lower Subansiri project and accepted the recommendations of the group. However, the report of the GOM is yet to be made public.

The Cabinet also cleared several proposals of the Health, Education and Public Works Departments.

HR award for NRL MD

Dipak Chakravarty, managing director of Numaligarh Refinery Limited, has been conferred the ‘CEO with HR orientation Award’ at the recently concluded Global HR Excellence Awards, organised by Institute of Public Enterprises (IPE), stated a press release.

Chakravarty received the award at a glittering ceremony held in Mumbai on February 17 in the presence of a host of luminaries comprising CEOs and HR heads of various organisations from across the globe. The award, which comprises a citation and trophy, aims at benchmarking talent and HR practices and is conferred on individuals who have surpassed several levels of excellence and have set an example by being a role model and an exemplary leader through organisation development, leadership, innovation and change management.

Mixed response to trade unions’ strike in State

The first day of the nation wide strike, call for which was given by 11 trade unions of the country against the Centre’s economic policies, including the failure of the Government to check price rise, evoked mixed response in Assam and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the State.

Most of the educational institutions remained closed, while banks and financial institutions also did not function throughout the day. Attendance in Government offices was very thin as the people had problems in reaching their offices.

Though a majority of shops remained closed in the morning hours, they started opening as the day progressed. The city buses and trekkers stayed off the roads for most part of the day and only a handful of such vehicles appeared on the roads towards the evening. Though the auto rickshaws plied as usual, they could not take the load of the heavy rush.