Back issues - July '04
News on 31st July '04
Cong, AGP MLAs have doubts on Games:
Guwahati: Cutting across party lines, Congress and AGP MLAs today expressed grave concern on whether the National Games would be held on schedule in November next year. The doubts, expressed by the members in the State Assembly today, stem from the slow pace of construction
Water rises again, CM seeks more floods funds:
Guwahati: After a respite of three days , the floods situation in Assam turned bad again with water levels of Kopilli,Jiabharali,Dhansiri, and Brahmaputra rising following heavy rains since early today.
Dutta faces oil scam fire:
Guwahati: AGP and Congress members had a slowdown in the house today over the controversial connection between the oil theft scam accused Putul Gogoi and the ASTC's Nandanban resort>AGP members charged that Transport Minister Anjan Datta had shown undue favours towards Putul Gogoi in the agreement on the resort.
Oust -Mayor drive hits GMC meets :
Guwahati: Despite the hue and cry raised by the opposition councilors of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) demanding Mayors, Kushal Kumar Sharma 's resignation the much awaited general meetings of the GMC, convened to discuss the matters, failed to yield any results on July 28.However a spirited opposition has owed to carry on with its " crusade." A united joint forum, headed by independent councilor Jayanta Boro, formed can be seen as a step towards that end .
Assam boats lose out to bridges:
Guwahati: For a State with so many rivers and water bodies the acute shortage of boats is simple : like Bishnu Khargoria's character in Jahnu Barua's Xagoraloi Bahu Dur, Assam's boatmen are fighting a losing battle to new bridges, and rising maintenance costs. They cannot earn a livelihood through their boats.
BJP alleges discrimination in flood relief :
Guwahati: The Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged widespread corruption, discrimination and irregularities in distributing relief material among the flood victims. Mr V Satish , in charge of the North -East of the BJP, said here that corruption, nepotism have taken place in the name ofg giving relief materials to the flood affected areas of the district.
Misappropriation of relief materials alleged :
Goalpara: The water level of the Brahmaputra which has flowing much above the danger levels in past two waves of floods, thereby causing a veritable deluge in Goalpara district , has now started recedings, much to the relief of the people of the district.
The Flood waters affected 3.95 lakh of people directly inn the district. A Total of 43,215 hactares of land have been submerged, destroying standings crops on 25,750 hectares of land,roughly valued at Rs 19.54 crore.
News on 30th July '04
Anjan offers to quit over oil controversy:
Guwahati: Declaring that he had been hurt by continuing allegations about hids involvement in the oil theft scam, State Minister Anjan Dutta today offered his resignation from the cabinet, the State Assembly and the primary membership of the congress. Dutta's emotional declaration in the floor of the House came amid a high-voltage debate among ruling and the opposition members
Dutta also announced that his resignation would hold for next three years, and that he would would not return to politics until he was given a clean chit by the agencies investing the oil theft scam. On the other hand AGP members Zoiinath Sharma, who had been locked in a face-off since yesterday with Dutta over the scam, also gave a statement to the speaker that if it was proved that he had accepted the 25 Lakh donation from the scam Kingpin Putul Gogoi, he also would resign from the house.
Dropped Ministers Keep mum in House as colleagues brave Opp:
Guwahati: Senior ministers who were dropped from the Gogoi cabinet during the recent downsizing exercise appears to be resenting their "demotion " even now, judging by their behaviour in the House.
On July 29, when the House was rocked by allegations and counter-allegations between the ruling and opposition members took the government to task over the scam, none of the seniors ex-ministers present, including Ardhendu Dey, Sarat Barkataky, Devanand Konwa, Pankaj Bora, Mithias Tudu, Nur jamal Sarkar and Etuwa Munda offered a single word or gesture in support of their partymen . This Indicated that the resentment seen earlier when these Congressmen were dropped from the ministry continues to run.
Kalita takes over charge :
Guwahati: New President of Assam Pradesh Committee (APCC), Bhubaneswar Kalita officially took over the reins of the party this on July 29 morning in a simple ceremony attended by office -bearers at Rajiv Bhawan.
Assembly passes Appropriation Bill:
Guwahati: The State Assembly today unanimously passed the Assam Appropriation (No IX) Bill, 2004 . The Object of the Bill is to authorize payment and appropriation of Rs 25544,09,06,000 from and out of the Consolidated Fund of the State services of the financial year ending on March 31,2005.
Govt denies Fraud on PRC GMC bodies seek probe :
Guwahati: The teacher's association of Guwahati Medical College and the hospital fraternity too joined forces with the Guwahati medical College Student's Union (GMCSU) and the Junior Doctors Associations (JDA) today in voicing its concern over alleged irregularities in the ongoing MBBS admission process. They also threw in an ultimatum of 24 Hours to the State independent probe into the matter, at the end of which they threatened to resort "democratic measures to get justice"
Water recede, but diarrhea takes its toll :
Guwahati: Flood related deaths in Assam have slot up to 207 with 15 more people dying of diarrhea, even as the flood situation began improving in the State.
According to reports received from the districts during the past 24 Hours, 12 people died of diarrhea in Barpeta districts while Dhubri, Goalpara and Nalbari districts accounted for one death each from this disease.
Mayoral crisis : PCC to broker deal
Guwahati: Close on the heels of the unprecedented adjournment of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) general body meeting yesterday over the Opposition's vociferous demanded for the Mayor's resignation, the State Congress leadership has decided to mediate between the warnings factions to bring about an amicable settlement to the present impasse.
Crop insurance has no takers:
Guwahati: The lakh of farmers in Assam whose crops were destroyed in the floods would had not faced so much misery if they had been covered by insurance schemes. However, despite the existence of a complete crop insurance set up, the attitude of the State Government and the insurance mechanism itself have prevented the system from being accepted by the farmers across the State.
Officials leave for Delhi meet:
Assam to raise Bhutan dam issue :
Guwahati: Assam government will raise the issue of the devastating floods faced by the State due to burst of a "natural dam" in the upstream of the Kurichu Power Project in a Bhutan at a high technical meeting to be held in New Delhi on August 2.
News on 29th July '04
Assam moves center for NECMs to head NEC:
Guwahati:The State Government has sent a proposal to the center that the chairmanship of the North Eastern Council (NEC), now held by the Governor of the states in the region, should be held by Chief Ministers of the States, on a rotation basis , to help boost the Council's programmes .This was stated by State planning and Development Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma in the State Assembly on July 27.On the other hand ,the State Government has also appealed to the Council to consider Assam's floods as a regional problem in the next meeting of the council.
Advani: B'deshi migrants a serious security threat :
Guwahati: Former Deputy Prime Minister L .K Advani on July 27 warned that the Center and the Assam Government Policy on the issue of illegal immigrants in the State would pose multi-dimensional threats not only to the region ,but to the whole country as well. Referring to the controversy arising out of the statements made by Union Minister for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal in Parliament recently on illegal migrants in Assam , Advani said that the Union Government lacks a clear-cut policy on illegal Bangladeshies in Assam , which has become a "human problem "for the entire country.
Assam floods a national problem, says Advani:
Guwahati: Leader of opposition and Former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani , on July 27 admitted that Assam was the worst flood -affected State in country ,and lent his support to the cause to declare Assam floods as a national problem.
Addressing a press conference at the LGB International Airport this afternoon, after an aerial survey of six flood -hit districts inn the Brahmaputra Valley, Advani stressed on finding out a solution to the perennial problem by using the the expertise of the `Brahmaputra Board, which set up in 1982 for this purpose. After an aerial survey of Kamrup ,Morigoan.Nalbari and Barpeta Districts Advani said that it was the most devastating floods in Assam.
Hmar -Dimasa clashes: inquiry term extended
Guwahati: The State Government , through a notification , has extended the term inquiry of the Justice PC Phukan (retd) Commission of Inquiry into ethnic clashes between Hmars and Dimasas in North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong and Cachar districts for a further period of two months upto August 31.
Fake PRCs for MBBS seats in Assam?
Guwahati: The admission process to the undergraduate courses of the three medical colleges in Assam currently on at the Guwahati Medical College was on July 27 rocked by allegations of producing fake Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) by candidates of doubtful origin.
Brindaban heads AGP PAC, Mahanta not in team:
Guwahati: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on July 27 demanded adjournment of the budget session of the Assembly after the Budget is passed on July 29because of the grim flood situation in the State. The party has also formed a political affairs committee with Brindaban Goswami as president. However, Former party president and two time Chief Minister , Prafulla Kumar Mahanta has not been included in the committee .
State gears up to battle disease, flood scene improves:
Guwahati: With recession of water levels in Brahmaputra and all other major tributataries in the State, the overall flood situation in all districts of Assam except Cachar is improving.
IAS officers donate to CM's relief fund :
Guwahati: Twenty -Five IAS and non IAS Secretary ranks officers of the State have donated a day's salary to the Chief Minister's relief fund. Chief Secretary JP Rajkhowa had appealed to al officers to donate the money for the flood -affected people.
Rs 10per flood -hit baby for food :
Guwahati: The State Government seems to have finally opened its eyes to the acute scarcity of baby food among the flood victims. At a high levels meetings on July 27, State Chief Secretary J.P Rajkhowa decided that Rs 10 would be allocated for each infant among the flood victims per day.
Tea tribes quota for MBBS course: Gogoi orders probe
Guwahati: Bowing to the concern expressed by the Assam Tea Tribes Students 'Association (ATTSA) and the Tea Cell of the Pradesh Committee over alleged irregularities in the reserved quota for the tea tribes students at the three medical college in the State, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has called for a departmental inquiry into the matter .It has been alleged for , out seven reserved quota seats -six for MBBS and one for BDS- in the three medical colleges, at least four students from the nio-tea tribes community have managed to get admission in the current session.
Reach out, help Assam 's flood -hit:Sister
Guwahati: The Missionaries of Charity, which come to symbolize compassion and care for the destitute and the dying under Mother Teresa ,have appealed to people of the state and the region to "remember" their flood -affected brothers, and to reach out and share with them. "The Sisters of the orders themselves have been working for flood relief and caring for victims in parts of the state
News on 28th July '04
Assam seeks global aid for infants:
Guwahati: Admitting the Government's failure to provide adequate supply of baby food in the flood-affected areas in the State, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bhumidhar Barman on July 26th appealed to the international organisations and NGOs to extend their help in meeting up to the required diet for the flood-affected infants.
Dr Bhumidhar Barman said that over 3 lakh infants have been affected by this year's unprecedented floods. He said that although the Health department has instructed all the DCs to provide barley and sabudana in the relief camps, they are not too sure if the ration is adequate enough to meet with the huge number of infants in such shelters.
The services of 150 doctors from the three Medical colleges of the State and 23,00 Government doctors have been engaged in the 1869 relief camps set up across the State to meet any exigency.
Flood waters recede, boat capsize toll rises to 19:
Guwahati: The overall flood situation in Assam on July 26th further improved with all the major rivers, including Brahmaputra and its tributaries, showing signs of receding in all the flood affected areas.
Officials said on July 26th that the death toll in the current wave of floods has risen to 169.
Army and police personnel are continuing with the search as some members of HPC relief team are reported to be still missing.
Breach of privilege against CM:
Guwahati:A breach of privilege motion against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was introduced in the House on July 26th by Independent member Prabin Deka. Supported by the AGP and BJP, the motion questioned how the Finance Department, which is under the Chief Minister, could pass a notification to execute changes in tax structure as proposed in the State Budget, before the Budget had even been passed .