Page 17 - Northeast India

Central ministers to visit Northeast every 15 days, says MoS Som Parkash

Union Minister Som Parkash on Monday said central ministers will visit the northeastern states every 15 days and need to submit reports on various developmental activities in the region to the Prime Minister's Office. Parkash, the union minister of state for commerce and industry, visited Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh during the day and conducted a review meeting of all ongoing central schemes with the heads of offices, an official communiqu said here. The minister expressed his appreciation for the dedicated efforts of officers in achieving the goals of all flagship programmes in the district. He stressed on the importance of initiatives in promoting economic growth and development in the region. Parkash also provided valuable guidance and advice to the officers and encouraged them to keep up the good work. District planning officer Choiki Dondup, through a presentation, gave a comprehensive report on various ongoing flagship programmes in the district, providing a detailed overvie

CBI files chargesheet against six accused in Manipur viral video case

CBI had registered a case on request of Manipur Government and further notification from the Government of India and taken over investigation of Case of NSK Police Station in District Thoubal

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Union govt committed to improving health infra in Northeast: Mandaviya

He said this after inaugurating the new Regional Cancer Centre at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong

Sikkim floods: 1700 evacuated, rescue operations to continue, says IAF

As per the officials, Indian Air Force's Chinook and Mi-17 V5 helicopters continue operations in the flood-affected areas of Sikkim, with the induction of over 200 personnel to boost the relief effort

Special joyrides on Darjeeling toy trains during upcoming festive season

Special joyrides will be organised on Darjeeling toy trains during the festive season beginning with Durga Puja, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Saturday. The joyrides will be organised between Darjeeling and Ghum railway stations of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), NFR spokesperson Sabyasachi De said. He said that four diesel joyride services will operate daily between the two stations from October 13 to January 5 next year, during which heavy tourist inflows to the hill station are witnessed. The first train of the day will depart Darjeeling at 9.20 am and reach Ghum at 10.05 am. The final train of the day will leave Darjeeling at 3.30 am and reach Ghum at 4.15 pm, commencing its return journey at 4.35 pm to reach Darjeeling at 5.05 pm. The toy trains will have three first class chair car coaches, with a total of 89 seats.

Mizoram's ruling MNF forms alliance with HPC(R) ahead of assembly polls

The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram and the Hmar People's Convention (Reformation), a faction of the HPC party, on Saturday formed an alliance ahead of the November 7 assembly polls in the state. An agreement for the alliance was signed by MNF general secretary Lalmuanthanga Fanai and HPC(R) general secretary HT Vunga. According to the agreement, the two parties will work together in the upcoming assembly polls and the HPC(R) will extend full support and make efforts to ensure that MNF candidates in the three Hmar people-dominated constituencies -Tuivawl, Chalfilh and Serlui- in the Sinlung Hills Council area are elected. The MNF, if it retains power, will take steps to implement the 2018 Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) between the then Mizoram government and the erstwhile underground outfit Hmar People's Convention (Democratic), functionaries of both parties said. If the MNF returns to power, the government will "provide rehabilitation and other welfare benefits, includ

Govt launches 12th round of bidding for city gas distribution in NE states

Natural gas is used for cooking by households as piped natural gas (PNG), and as an auto fuel as compressed natural gas (CNG)

IAF chopper makes emergency landing twice in Assam's Dhubri district

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Wednesday made an emergency landing in Assam's Dhubri district and then again in Barpeta after sometime, officials said. According to a defence official, the chopper carrying a few personnel had gone to Dhubri for "some work". "As per our preliminary report, it made a precautionary landing in Dhubri," he said, declining to share further details. An IAF official from Eastern Air Command headquarters in Shillong also declined to comment, stating that she did not have information on the development. According to state government officials, the chopper had around a dozen occupants and some of them disembarked when it made an emergency landing at a field near Chapar in Dhubri. "A little later, it left Dhubri," he added. However, the same helicopter again made an emergency landing at Sidhuni village near Barpeta town in Barpeta district around 4pm, a local official said. "After some time, another chopper came with engineers. After dropping them

Indian Air Force airlifts 149 civilians stranded in flood-hit Skikim

The airlift came after six days of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in South Lhonak Lake, which created havoc across the Teesta basin in Sikkim and North Bengal, said the official statement

MoS Home Mishra visits flood-hit Sikkim, assures of all central assistance

The central government is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim, where a cloudburst and floods led to severe destruction and deaths, and providing all the necessary support and assistance to the state, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said on Saturday. Mishra, who is currently visiting the areas hit by Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloud burst and flash floods, also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are in constant touch with Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang with regard to the extent of damages and rescue and relief work. The government of India under Prime Minister Modi is standing in solidarity with the people of Sikkim and leaving no stone unturned to restore normalcy in the state, according to an official release. Within a day of the incident, Home Minister Shah has deputed Mishra to visit Sikkim. Mishra reached Gangtok on Friday night, and chaired a meeting with the Chief Secretary and head of departments ..

Excess rainfall, glacial lake outburst likely cause of Sikkim flood: NDMA

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday said the possible cause of the flash flood in Sikkim could be a combination of excess rainfall and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) event at South Lhonak lake in North Sikkim. In a statement, the NDMA also said the Himalayan ranges are host to many glacial lakes, estimated through remote sensing techniques at about 7,500 and of these, Sikkim has around 10 per cent of which nearly 25 are assessed to be at-risk. Giving details of the incident, the NDMA said in the early hours of Wednesday, there was a sudden surge in water flow in the Teesta river, which washed away several bridges, parts of NH-10, the Chungthang Dam and has impacted several small villages, towns and infrastructure projects in the upper reaches of the river valley. The main affected districts are Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi. "While scientists are investigating the exact cause of the flash flood, the primary reason for the sudden surge appears

Cabinet Secy reviews situation in Sikkim, emphasises evacuation of people

Gauba's directions came while chairing the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting

8 dead, 23 army men among 49 missing as flash flood wreaks havoc in Sikkim

At least eight people died and 49 others, including 23 army personnel, went missing on Wednesday after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River basin, officials said. Three of the dead were washed up in north Bengal, they said. The flood in Sikkim that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungthang dam, the officials said. Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region, Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said. Another official said besides the 23 army personnel, 26 civilians were also missing, while 45 people rescued, including 18 injured. A steel bridge at Singtam, known as Indreni bridge, 30 km from the state capital Gangtok has been completely washed away by Teesta river water early Wednesday, the official said. The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity has been declared as a disaster. The release of water from the Chungthang dam led

Rs 50 lakh worth of banned phensedyl syrup seized from truck in Meghalaya

Meghalaya police has seized over 44,000 bottles of banned phensedyl cough syrup worth close to Rs 50 lakh from an abandoned truck in East Jaintia Hills district, police said on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, police detected two trucks coming from the opposite direction at Lumshnong both bearing the same registration numbers. While the truck proceeding from Assam stopped, the other drove rashly instead and when pursued, the driver abandoned it, district SP Jagpal Dhanoa told PTI. When police searched the truck in the presence of independent witnesses, 150 bags containing 44,900 bottles (100 ml) each of banned phensedyl syrup were recovered. The latest seizure comes a few days after the Meghalaya police busted a fake phensedyl factory in nearby West Jaintia Hills district in which 3 persons were arrested. The cost of a 100ml phensedyl bottle is around Rs 100 in India while it fetches nearly 10 times its price in Bangladesh.

Manufacturing disrupted at Sikkim plant due to flash floods: Alembic Pharma

Alembic Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday said flash floods in the Teesta River has led to disruption in operations at its Sikkim-based manufacturing plant. "We would like to inform that due to flash floods in river Teesta because of cloud burst, water entered our manufacturing facility at Namthang, South Sikkim, and hence manufacturing operations stand disrupted with effect from October 4," the drug firm said in a regulatory filing. There is no loss or harm caused to any personnel, it said, adding that the assessment of loss will take a while. All assets of the company are adequately insured and necessary intimations have been given to insurance companies, it added. A sudden cloud burst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim has resulted in flash floods in the Teesta in Lachen valley, which was compounded by the release of water from a dam. Shares of Alembic Pharma were trading 1.31 per cent down at Rs 780.50 apiece on the BSE.

IOC to invest over Rs 2,600 crore to set up greenfield units in northeast

Indian Oil Corporation has firmed up plans to pump in over Rs 2,600 crore in setting up several greenfield units and expanding its facilities across the northeast over the next few years, a senior company official said. The board of IOC has already approved various new projects, while some are in the process of getting the nod, with the leading energy firm in talks with the local governments in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur to finalise land parcels for the greenfield units. "Northeast is one of the most important regions for Indian Oil and much focus is given here by the top management. We have planned to augment our operations by enhancing refining as well as petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) storage capacities," IOC Executive Director (Indian Oil-AOD) Ganesan Ramesh told PTI in an interview. The company is at present carrying out nearly a dozen projects, both greenfield and brownfield, across the region, entailing a total investment of Rs 2,612 crore, he said. "We have a major

Poor water quality in 44 of 46 localities of Shillong, govt to launch probe

More than 95 per cent of drinking water supplied to 46 localities of Shillong is harmful for consumption due to the presence of bacteria, high iron content and low pH value, a report of the State Food Testing Laboratory has stated. Concerned over the quality of drinking water supplied to residents of Shillong, the Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People, a social organisation, collected water samples from the 46 localities of the city and sent those for testing on August 22. The report, which came recently, indicated that water in only two localities -- Demthring and Mawblei was safe. "The water samples showed the presence of Coliform and E. Coli, low pH value (acidic), high turbidity, and iron content above the prescribed limit indicating that the water in these localities was unsafe for drinking," an office-bearer of the organisation told PTI. Acidic water causes corrosion of pipes while high iron content has health implications and the presence of faecal coliforms in water

Earthquake of magnitude 5.2 jolts Meghalaya, nearby states; no loss of life

An Earthquake of Magnitude 5.2 shook Meghalaya and nearby states on Monday evening, the National Centre for Seismology said. There was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property. The tremor occurred at 6.15 pm in North Garo Hills district in the northeastern state at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre is around 3 km from Resubelpara, the district headquarters. The jolt was also felt in nearby states such as Assam and the northern part of West Bengal and Sikkim. "We have not received any report of loss of life or damage to property," said an official of the disaster management authority here. The northeastern states fall in the high seismic zone, and earthquakes frequently hit the region.

Mob tries to attack Manipur CM's ancestral house, army foils attempt

A mob tried to attack Chief Minister N Biren Singh's empty ancestral house on Thursday night, despite a security clampdown and curfew in the Imphal valley. Security forces, however, were successful in foiling the attempt after firing in the air. Singh lives in a separate, well-guarded official residence in the centre of the state's capital. There was an attempt to attack the chief minister's ancestral house at Heingang locality in Imphal. Security forces stopped the mob around 100-150 metres away from the house, a police officer said. Nobody stays in the house now though it too is guarded round the clock, the officer said. The police officer said, Two groups of people came from different directions and approached the CM's ancestral residence but they were stopped. Several rounds of tear gas shells were fired by RAF and state police personnel to disperse the mob. The authorities switched off the electricity connection in the entire area to help reduce the visibility of the protes