Page 53 - Assam

Assam Police to follow case against Pawan Khera to logical end: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Friday said that the state police will follow the case against senior Congress leader Pawan Khera for allegedly using "uncivilised language" against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to its "logical end". The chief minister who also holds the home portfolio, however, did not elaborate on the next course of action by the Assam police to bring the case to a logical end. ''We hope that keeping sanctity of public spaces, no one will use uncivilised language in political discourse hereafter. @assampolice will follow the matter to its logical end'', the Chief Minister tweeted. A police case was registered against Khera at Haflong police station in Assam's Dima Hasao district of Assam for his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The majesty of law shall always prevail. The accused has tendered an unconditional apology (para 7),'' he further posted on the micro-blogging site quoting the Supreme Court. He also attached the apex court .

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Pawan Khera detained at airport after being deplaned, says Congress

Congress leader Pawan Khera was detained by police on Thursday after being deplaned from a flight to Raipur in connection with his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party said. Khera, against whom a case has been registered in Assam, was asked by the Delhi Police to deplane. Congress leaders sat on dharna at the tarmac in protest and did not allow him to be taken away without an arrest warrant. Senior Delhi Police officials later handed over a document from Assam Police seeking their help in the detention of Khera. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala accompanied Khera to a police station at the airport where there was a huge deployment of CISF. A case has been registered at Haflong police station in Assam against Khera under various sections of the IPC for his alleged remarks against the prime minister. Earlier several party leaders got off the plane after Khera was deboarded and staged a dharna on the tarmac. Khera was on his way to Raipur for the Congress .

Assam cabinet approves guidelines for RoW for speedy rollout of 5G

The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday approved guidelines for granting 'Right of Way' (RoW) to telecommunication infrastructure in the state to facilitate speedy rollout of 5G. The highlights of the guidelines include single window clearance for 5G RoW applications, integration of Assam RoW applications with Central Gatishakti Sanchar Portal for 5G purposes, provision for use of street infrastructure for deployment of small cells and overground cables, Tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said at the media briefing after the meeting. The other guidelines include provision for deployment of poles for installation of small cells or overground telecommunication cables along with structure of fees for various components of RoW and revenue sharing pattern amongst the stakeholders, he said. The cabinet also approved the revival of the Assam Flying Club for the benefit of aspiring commercial pilots of the state and proposal for re-engagement of 17 former employees of the Hindustan Paper ...

Assam cabinet approves Right of Way for speedy rollout of 5G network

The Assam cabinet Wednesday approved the guidelines for granting 'Right of Way' (RoW) to telecommunication infrastructure in the state to facilitate speedy rollout of 5G. The highlights of the guidelines include single window clearance for 5G RoW applications, integration of Assam RoW applications with Central Gatishakti Sanchar Portal for 5G purposes, provision for use of street infrastructure for deployment of small cells and overground cables, state Tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said at the media briefing after the meeting. The other guidelines include provision for deployment of poles for installation of small cells or overground telecommunication cables along with structure of fees for various components of RoW and revenue sharing pattern amongst the stakeholders, he said. The cabinet also approved a host of other programmes like the revival of the Assam Flying Club for the benefit of aspiring commercial pilots, re-engagement of 17 former employees of the Hindustan Pape

Assam government to soon fulfil 100,000 jobs poll promise: CM Sarma

Sarma said that his government is progressing well in fulfilling its commitment of providing one lakh government jobs to the youth of the state

Senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria sworn in as 31st governor of Assam

Gulab Chand Kataria was sworn in as the 31st governor of Assam on Wednesday. Kataria was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Gauhati High Court's Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta at a brief ceremony at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here. Kataria, who was a senior BJP leader, succeeded Jagadish Mukhi who demitted office on Sunday after completing his term. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his cabinet colleagues, senior officials of the state government, and BJP leaders. Kataria arrived with his wife Anita here on Tuesday, and they were accorded a warm welcome by state ministers, government officials and Raj Bhavan officials. Kataria, 78, was the home minister of Rajasthan in the Vasundhara Raje government. He was the leader of the opposition in the Rajasthan assembly prior to his appointment as the governor of Assam.

Gulab Chand Kataria to be sworn in as Assam Governor on Wednesday

Assam Governor-designate Gulab Chand Kataria and his wife Anita Kataria were accorded a warm welcome by several cabinet ministers of the state on his arrival here. Seventy-eight-year-old Kataria will be sworn in as the 31st governor of the state on Wednesday at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra. State ministers Chandra Mohan Patowary, Atul Bora, Ranjit Das, U G Brahma, Bimal Bora, along with Chief Secretary Pawan Kumar Barthakur, Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah and BJP state president Bhabesh Kalita greeted Kataria at the airport. He later drove to Raj Bhavan, where officers and staff made arrangements to welcome the new governor. Kataria, a resident of Udaipur in Rajasthan, succeeded professor Jagdish Mukhi, who demitted office on Sunday after completing his term. Prior to his appointment as the governor, he had served as the home minister of Rajasthan and a leader of opposition in the state assembly there.

Situation changed, this time Meghalaya CM will be from BJP: Himanta Biswa

Exuding confidence in BJP's electoral victory in Meghalaya, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the dynamics have changed and BJP will form the next govt in the northeastern state

Finding Nellie's smoking gun

How a policeman's wireless message that could have saved 3,000 lives, but was ignored and covered up, was uncovered

Massive fire breaks out at market in Assam's Jorhat, 150 shops gutted

A massive fire broke out at a market in Assam's Jorhat district late on Thursday, gutting at least 150 shops, police said. Twenty-five fire tenders were fighting the blaze at Chowk Bazaar in the heart of Jorhat town and it was yet to be brought under control, they said. The fire, suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit at a shop, spread fast in the congested market, they added. There was no report of any casualty as all shops were closed with owners and staff having left for their homes, police said. Those gutted were mostly cloth and grocery shops, they said. Additional fire tenders were brought in to fight the devastating blaze from the nearby towns of Titabor and Mariani, and the Golaghat district, officials said. The fire tenders were finding it difficult to reach the spot due to narrow roads, locals said. The losses, expected to run into crores of rupees, can be ascertained only after the fire was extinguished, police said. This is the second incident

Assam officials start drive to make Burachapori Sanctuary encroachment free

The district administration of Nagaon and Sonitpur has on Tuesday started a drive to free the Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary from illegal encroachments

Earthquake of 3.2 magnitude hits central Assam's Nagaon district

An earthquake of 3.2 magnitude hit central Assam on Monday, an official bulletin said. The quake was recorded at 11.57 am, epicentred at Hojai in Nagaon district on southern bank of Brahmaputra, at a depth of 10 km, the National Center for Seismology said. On Sunday afternoon, an earthquake of 4 magnitude struck the same area in Nagaon district. The precise epicentre of Monday's earthquake is around 180 km east from Guwahati, near Hojai town. People in the neighbouring West Karbi Anglong, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Dima Hasao and Morigaon districts also felt the jolt. Sonitpur on the northern bank of Brahmaputra too felt the tremor. The earthquake could be felt in some areas in south-western part of Nagaland. There was no immediate report of any injury to anyone or damage to any property. The northeastern region is in the high seismic zone, making earthquakes frequently hit the region.

Prez appoints 6 new governors; former SC judge S Nazeer named for Andhra

Four BJP leaders and former Supreme Court judge S Adbul Nazeer, who was part of the Constitution bench that upheld the archaeological report on Ayodhya, were among six new faces appointed as governors on Sunday. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, the resignations of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh R K Mathur have been accepted. BJP leaders Lakshman Prasad Acharya, C P Radhakrishnan, Shiv Pratap Shukla and Gulab Chand Kataria, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan, were nominated as governors in Sikkim, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam respectively. Koshyari was replaced by Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais, while Mathur's place was given to Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Brig B D Mishra (retd). Retired Supreme Court judge Nazeer was appointed governor of Andhra Pradesh and Lt Gen K T Parnaik (retd) governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

Earthquake of 4.0 magnitude strikes Assam's Nagaon, no casualties reported

An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 struck Assam's Nagaon on Sunday evening, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) informed.The earthquake occurred at 4.18 pm today, the NCS said."Earthquake of Magnitude:4.0, Occurred on February 12, 2023, 16:18:17 IST, Lat: 26.10 & Long: 92.72, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Nagaon, Assam, India," it said in a tweet.Further details are awaited.Earlier this month, an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude hit Manipur's Ukhrul, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) informed.The earthquake occurred at 6.14 am on February 4, the NCS said.

Bloodstained road to Nellie

In that awful fortnight, when Indira Gandhi decided to force an election nobody wanted in Assam, you didn't have to go looking for trouble to write about

2,789 people held so far as crackdown on child marriage continues: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 2,789 people have been arrested so far during the ongoing crackdown on child marriage, which completed a week on Friday. The government has also initiated a process to take measures for the rehabilitation of "victims" of child marriage. Now, total arrest 2789. Crackdown continues, Sarma wrote on Twitter. Though protests at various places by families of those arrested have been reported in the last few days, Assam Police spokesperson Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan had on Thursday said that no such incident took place anywhere in the state during the last 24 hours. The Assam Police had launched the crackdown on child marriage on February 3, with over 2,000 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who officiated these weddings, arrested within the first two days. The arrests are being carried out on the basis of 4,135 FIRs registered across the state. The state government has formed a cabinet sub-committee on the rehabilitation of "victim

Assam govt must help child marriage victims: Kailash Satyarthi's foundation

Assam government's decision to eliminate child marriage by penalising the perpetrators was a welcome step but the state must provide financial assistance, legal support and rehabilitation to the victims, the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation said on Wednesday. The government should immediately provide Rs 2,000 per month from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund as financial assistance to every girl whose husband has been arrested and until he gets bail, said the organisation founded by the social reformer who received the Nobel Peace prize in 2014. The state and district legal service authority should be directed to grant interim compensation within a week to all girls where the police have invoked sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) along with sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006, it added. Assistance should also be given to children born out of child marriages, the foundation's Managing Director Rahul Kumar .

Pawan Hans services launched in 4 sectors in Assam, aims to boost tourism

Central PSU Pawan Hans Ltd on Wednesday launched its helicopter services for several sectors connecting four major cities in Assam, with an aim at boosting tourism in the northeastern state, a senior official said. The service will be available on the Dibrugarh-Jorhat-Tezpur-Guwahati-Tezpur-Jorhat-Dibrugarh routes for three days a week, he said. The chopper service provider has entered into an agreement with the Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) to operate in these sectors. "Pleased to sign MoU with Pawan Hans Ltd on behalf of ATDC for its chopper services started from today connecting 4 sectors in Assam under RCS UDAN. Initiative will certainly going to boost tourism sector," ATDC Managing Director Padmapani Borah wrote on Twitter. Pawan Hans has been awarded 86 routes under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) in six states. "Today's launch is part of the first phase of the programme, another official said. Subsequently, the services will be expanded to neighbouring ..

Pawan Hans to launch helicopter services on 6 routes in Assam this week

Pawan Hans will launch helicopter services on six routes in Assam on February 8. These routes will be launched under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN. Pawan Hans has been awarded 86 routes under the scheme in six states. According to an official release on Monday, the company will provide connectivity on "Dibrugarh-Jorhat-Tezpur-Guwahati-Tezpur-Jorhat-Dibrugarh" network in the first phase. "Subsequently, the services will be operationalised in the state of Arunanchal Pradesh," it said.