So, must one not say kudos to the State administration -- especially to one man, heading a particular branch of the Assam Police -- for ensuring an almost incident-free Independence week? Run-ups to such a date, after all, have been known for militant subterfuge. And a sense of fear -- even among the hoi polloi -- which accompanies. But August 15, 2000 was different. People sat in front of their TV sets, soporifically aware of the ramparts of Red Fort, almost smug that much of the streets of Guwahati were empty with content and not as few naysayers would proclaim as result of irreverent boycott calls. The Day of Deliverance was spent lazily, in the lap of freedom.

This analyst -- the armchair variety that he perseveres to be -- was contemplating on the oneness of the chaotic universe, as also wondering whether he should not be penning Sitrep in rural Bengali for the convenience of a particularly avid reader. As a matter of fact, what was being planned (for this week's column) was to make some sense of the ULFA's genesis in Bhutan. There was after all the reported Bhutan government decision -- in the early nineties -- to flush out the Ngolops or the Nepalese settlers of Southern Bhutan. And apparently, the Royal Government had conceived the ULFA (and hence a virtual invitation) as a foil to the Ngolop problem. Instead, it is alleged, the Nepalese settlers began to develop cordial relationship with the ULFA and had begun to use them as guides and porters. The scenario changed somewhat thereafter, with the ULFA developing an even more cordial relationship with the Royal Bhutan Army/Police (RBA/P) and everything passing off rather well until 1998. The rest -- an RBA convoy being ambushed, the concerns, the resolutions, the recent clash with RBP et al -- as they say is (recent) history. And recent history was not an attribute one could make do with an event which took place more than fifty years ago on August 15. At any rate, the hope had been one to content oneself of damning data and reports such as ULFA coordinator, Madhab Choudhury remaining (with only a hundred others) in the ULFA GHQ to act as liaison with RBA.

However, the peace which was to accompany the Independence Day afternoon raga was interrupted by a call from a man who many swear is the man of the moment -- Additional Director General of Police (Operations), G.M. Srivastava. Was I interested in meeting Lohit Deuri, the man who returned home from the cold?

Lohit Deuri, whose brief acquaintance I had met on my TV set as he bade farewell to arms, was not a face which launched a thousand ships in me. But meeting him in the ante rooms of the Operations Saheb disabused me of a thing or two. A Captain, a Staff Officer in the ULFA -- in charge of its GHQ -- a man responsible for almost all arms procurement, official liaison and communication, Deuri came through as an honest man, as must be the renditions of the three cassettes written and sung by him (Azaad, Mukti, Din nai, rati nai) -- sung then and now by the ULFA cadres in many a camp all over. Well over 100 songs have been sung by Lohit Deuri the alias with which Sahadeb Das, the strapping lad from Kumarikata foregoed a medical career to join the ULFA.

The conversation was a discussion really -- a three-way communication. GM Srivastava, Lohit Deuri and this analyst.

In GM Srivastava (GMS) I found a committed man -- in control -- seized of the realities of the situation. He spoke with a sense of urgency -- reaching out. He made fervent appeals to both militants and intellectuals, seeking their indulgence. He pleaded a hearing and cooperation. A poet himself, GMS' appeals had a lyrical quality which warned. 'The ULFA has looked outward, roaming the world in pursuit of support, let us look inward, into ourselves to negate that support', GMS said. GMS' heart -- despite all -- seems to be in its right place.

To return to Lohit Deuri. There was candidness and emotion. He held forth on various issues. He spoke of his parting of ways with Raju Barua, of his arms procurement missions, of Operations Lachit and Chilarai, of how he destroyed the infamous brothel at Darranga Mela. He told me about ULFA money laundering, its communication set-up, of his trip of Rawalpindi, training the KLO. Lohit Deuri said all that and more with a kind of easiness which would have put to shame more urbane admissions -- and denials. The mouth voiced what the heart felt, and knew.

An exhaustive account of the interview will not be possible at this juncture. Sitrep will instead provide permissible excerpts of the conversation.

On his parting of ways with Raju Baruah:

"I was on an arms procurement mission in 1996. We had just had our son and I did not want to leave my family alone. So I hired a girl, Jyotsna to stay with them. In my absence, Raju Baruah oversaw some of the duties and used to stay in my house. I used to return every month to look my family up. On one occasion, my wife told me that Raju Baruah was having a relationship with the girl Jyotsna. She was feeling rather uneasy as a result. Although I knew of Raju Baruah's weakness, I did not believe that he would do so at our house. Soon, however, I was myself witness to the relationship. I was surprised. I asked Rajesh Ekka, Bhaskar Choudhury and Manab Barua to meet Jyotsna and look into the matter. The girl confessed to everything -- all on tape. I reported the matter to Paresh Barua -- he, however, told me not to pursue the matter. But I was not willing to do so. We -- including Paresh Barua -- were then in Thimpu at Hotel Jumlahi. Raju Baruah was summoned. Everybody wanted a compromise. But I refused. After all three or four boys had earlier been executed for similar offences. This was in the end of February 1997.

"Paresh Baruah called a meeting and asked me to compromise. He gave me an hour to do so. If I did not do so he warned they would all return to GHQ -- forgetting their missions -- and commit suicide. I knew he was capable it. It was emotional blackmail. At last I relented. I have never spoken to Raju Baruah since except at meetings."

On money laundering and related issues:

"I was in complete charge. I could exchange thousands of US dollars in a week. Money from Assam and elsewhere was brought by various groups. Many Marwaris also brought money.

"ULFA used to give loans to various people in Assam. It has set up a lot of businesses too in Assam under various names."

ULFA until now had no accountant although it deals in so much money."

On the ULFA communications set-up:

"We had three means of communication. One through telephone, fax and e-mail, the other wireless and walkie talkie, the third by messenger."

"We had two communication centres, Joymoti and Agnitora. I was in charge of Joymoti which was mobile but mostly along the border in places such as Rajabari, Goreswar (Naokata) and Guabari . I used to receive daily reports including after - effect debriefs."

"Agnitora dealt with monetary aspects and operations. It is located at Paikarkuchi and Gobindapur. Raju Baruah was in charge."

On people's support for and hierarchical attitude in the ULFA:

"The people nowadays no longer support the ULFA. The ULFA has to now buy food in the field. If the ULFA has to buy food from its own people what will happen to the revolution?"

"Even recruitment has fallen. In 1999 -- as we were receiving a huge consignment of arms -- we wanted to recruit 1,000 boys. We could recruit 750. Incidentally only five per cent who come down to Assam from Bhutan for various duties return. Ninety-five per cent go back to their villages. This is mainly because of the tyrannical attitude of Raju Baruah and Bening Rabha. Raju Baruah speaks to only about five selected people. The cadres are held in contempt."

On arms procurement:

"I was in charge of arms procurement. Three big consignments -- numbering around 1,400 arms -- were made by me (At this stage, GM, Srivastava interjects and says 50 per cent of that is still underground, the location known only to Lohit Deuri. For all practical purposes they are not with the ULFA.")

On the future:

"I want to start an NGO -- to work for the people. If I fail, I will join a party of the people's choice. I also plan to visit schools and colleges and explain to the youths about the real scenario. My first priority right now is the safety of my family.

"I would also like to tell to the ULFA that Swadhin Asom is an impossibility. There is moreover no feeling of brotherhood, unity or sincerity in the ULFA. Mistrust is rife. Without unity and trust, revolution cannot come. Why can't everyone return and work unitedly for a better Assam?"

GUWAHATI, Aug 17: Late Umesh Rabha of Thomna village of Nalbari district became the first ever civilian from Assam and the only civilian this year to be awarded the Shaurya Chakra by the Government of India for the courage, devotion and sacrifice shown by him in defying the armed militants in a sensitive and remote area where he mobilized the people to resist the militants, an official release stated. He was one of the 139 gallantry awards winners who have made the country proud by their acts of gallantry. The awards which included 1 Maha Vir Chakra, 2 Kirti Chakra, 3 Vir Chakra and 22 Shaurya Chakra were announced on the occasion of the 54th Independence Day.

Late Umesh Rabha, an ex-BSF personnel was living in his village Thomna in Nalbari district of Assam, near the Indo-Bhutan border. Militants living in their camps in Bhutan have been carrying out their nefarious activities in neighbouring areas of Assam. These consist of extortion, kidnapping for ransom, ambushing security forces and detonating explosion.

On December 26, 1998, Umesh Rabha organized a peace meeting at Thomna attended by over 500 people. This meeting resolved to maintain peace and oppose extortion by the militants. It also condemned the militants for their violent activities. On December 31, 1998, he organized a bicycle peace procession of around 2000 people from his village and neighbouring areas, to register protest against extortion and killings. This had widespread effect in mobilizing the people against the militants. He organized Santrash Virodhi Gana Mancha to conduct a people's movement for peace. This encouraged the unarmed people of the region to combat militants. Lately there have been quite a few instances of militants being lynched or apprehended by the villagers. For nearly a year the militants were not able to extort money in Thomna and neighbouring areas.

The militants held out repeated threats to Umesh Rabha. He was not intimated by their threats and he continued his efforts to build up the people's resistance. The militants made two attempts on his life, first in January, 1999 and the second in July, 1999 when he sustained two bullet injuries. He was admitted to a hospital in Guwahati for treatment. After recovering from his wounds, he returned to his village. He did not seek any security cover for himself. In a rare display of cool courage and undeterred by the threat to his life, he relentlessly continued to mobilize the people against the militants. He became the rallying point of people's resistance. He relied on public support for his personal security. On November 13, 1999, some 20 militants in army uniform camouflage raided his house and killed him. His death caused public outrage.

The great contribution made by Umesh Rabha in total disregard of his personal safety, is a shining and unique example of the dedication of a individual to fight militancy. The supreme sacrifice made by Umesh Rabha will prove to be a catalyst in the emerging trend, of the people's rejection of militancy in Assam.

GUWAHATI, Aug 17: "AGP-led government has ruined our families". This was a reaction of a section of teachers who lost their jobs after the Manoharan Committee report. The teachers who had assembled in the District Elementary Education office (DEEO) here today threatened to file a case to get back their jobs.

"After rendering more than six years of service we will not remain silent", the teachers said.

Over 8000 teachers of lower primary (LP), Middle English and High School have become jobless as their appointments were cancelled by the State Government on August 11 last by a notification on the basis of the report.

The state government had constituted an enquiry committee headed by Commissioner Manoharan to find out the anomalies in the appointment of teachers during 1992-1996.

Although the committee had submitted its report two years back, the state Cabinet has approved the report recently.

After the report the education department prepared the list of the teachers which had been sent to the concerned Inspector of Schools (IS) and District Elementary Education officers (DEFo) throughout the state on August 12 last.

According to the report, there are two types of appointments -- irregular and illegal. It is learnt that over 6200 teachers were appointed without any paper interview who are treated as irregular appointments.

The committee also suggested the state government to regularise the posts of 6200 teachers.

Official sources who did not wish to be named told his reporter that about 500 appointments have been cancelled in Kamrup and Sonitpur district respectively so far. Sources further said that the department has taken steps against the illegal appointments in a phased manner.

When asked about the reported anomalies in the list, they parried the question saying the department would initiate action against the teachers on the basis of the report.

But interestingly, the state education minister Thaneswar Boro could not be contacted for his comment even after repeated attempts by this reporter.

APCC opposes: Meanwhile, the Assam Pradesh Congress(I) Committee has strongly opposed the State government's recent decision to terminate the services of over 4000 teachers.

DULIAJAN, Aug 18: Non-repairmen of an important road of this industrial belt as well as lackadaisical attitude of Dibrugarh district authorities have compelled the people of Mahmari-Kathalguri are to take the decision to boycott both the panchayat and Assembly election of Assam.

Kathalguri Unnayan Samity (KUS) a socio-cultural organization of Kathalguri-Mahmari area has threatened to boycott the forthcoming panchayat and Assembly elections if the Government does not pay heed to it's long-standing demand of repairing the Madhapur-Mahmari-Jingsai road, of 10 k.m. road, which is in a pitiable condition.

A delegation of the organization, lead by its president Mr Jogesh Chandra Saikia met the Deputy Commissioner at his office.

During the discussion the DC informed the KUS delegation that State PWD has prepared an estimating of the cost of repairment of the road and would very soon undertake the repairing of work. But he did not specify any time frame.

It may be mentioned that the road connects some parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Namrup, Tezpur, Naharkatia and Duliajan OIL town with district headquarters of Dibrugarh. For the last several years the road is in a bad condition with big pot holes. Government as well as private buses have long abandoned the road resulting in communication bottle neck.

Oil India Limited (OIL), Duliajan has reportedly sanctioned Rs 19 lakh to the district authorities long back for the repair of the road but due to reasons best known to the PWD of the district no repair work has been undertaken.

GUWAHATI, Aug 19: Noted academic and a professor in mathematics, Rhodes Island University, USA, Dr Dilip Dutta regretted yesterday that State's education system was heading to nowhere because of political interference. Similar allegations are made nowa days by the academics of the State also.

To brush off the allegations, our politicians and bureaucrats who are also at the receiving ends in some cases, have lots of excuses. But the reality speaks otherwise.

Let us take the case of Cotton College, the 99-year old premier college of the NE region. Since 1990, the college has been facing an ignominious situation. It has been used by the politicians and bureaucrats allegedly as an inspiration to satiate the desires of their relations, favourites or gratifiers with their postings in the college, in a growing manner since 1990.

There should not be any point for resentment if these postings were done as per the requirement of the college. But, sadly enough, the postings were done on some conditions other than what suits the requirement of the college, go the allegations.

Today, the position is such that in the Botany Department of the college there are about two teachers, posted by the politicians and bureaucrats, who do not conform to the requirement of the Department in matters of their special papers. Similarly, in the Physics Department, about two such teachers and in the Geography Department also a similar number of such teachers are there today, while in Arts departments also, several such teachers are there, sources in the college said.

Several leading citizens like Dr Nirmal Kumar Choudhury an ex-vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University, Dr Amalendu Guha and Prof Ashraf Ali, filed a PIL petition in Gauhati High Court last year challenging all such postings. The case is pending with the High Court.

But, the Education Department has allegedly developed a thick skin and found to be not bothering about the public resentment.

In the Chemistry Department of the College, three teachers from two different institutions were transferred to the Department since November 1999, without paying any heed to the requirement of the Department. And, in the process, due to judicial intervention, the Education Department had to order transfer of a teacher from the College to Diphu College though the teacher, so sought to be transferred, had the specialisation in conformity with the requirement of Cotton College Chemistry Department.

Now, following the transfer order served on him, this particular teacher in a bid to stay in Cotton College is reportedly lobbying in the State capital to upgrade the vacant post of the demonstrator in the Department into that of a lecturer. It is worthmentioning here that the post of the demonstrator has been lying vacant since 1997 and the pleas of the college authorities to upgrade the post into that of a lecturer earlier fell on deaf ears.

Though the Chemistry Department of the College requires 18 teachers with a break up of six teachers for each of the special papers of organic, inorganic and physical, the Department has now eight teachers for organic chemistry.

In Physics Department, due to such transfers, one extra post of teacher, beyond the sanctioned posts, has now been appended to the Department, said the sources.

When contacted, highly placed sources in the Education Department here denied any political and bureaucratic interference and said that over 60 per cent of the Government College teachers in the State were appointed about 20 years back. The Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has not advertised posts for Government College teachers (Assam Education Services) since 1996. The teachers appointed 20 years back were not required to have any special paper against their posts.

In 1996 only 31 posts of the teachers were advertised and tests were also held, but due to some problems the appointments of those selected in the tests were delayed. They were appointed only in the current year. And, during this period, another 25 to 30 posts of college teachers fell vacant, these posts will be advertised as per the requirements of the respective colleges, the sources said.

When asked to be specific about the problem created by political and bureaucratic interference in matters of transfer of college teachers, the sources said that the problem is expected to come to an end after five years, when most of the teachers appointed 20 years back will retire providing a scope to the Education Department to meet the specific requirements of the colleges.

MANGALDOI, Aug 22: A lot of irregularities have been reported in the Mangaldai NT Road Division under the Public Works Department and already Mr Sanjoy Lohiya, Deputy Commissioner, Darrang has ordered for a magistrate-level inquiry regarding this. Ms Debala Devi Das, Extra Assistant Commissioner of Mangaldai has been asked to conduct the inquiry immediately. It may be mentioned here, that as per the written complaint lodged by a Mangaldai based journalist in the interest of the people, the Deputy Commissioner has initiated the inquiry.

In the written complaint it has been alleged that whereas the approval of works are directly under Surface Transport and the Chief Engineer, PWD, Assam, the Executive Engineer cannot issue the work order sunder the fund of PR and FDR. But it has been alleged that the Executive Engineer concerned has allotted several works to the contractors of his choice without the approval as well as without inviting tenders. Further, it has also been alleged that in the issue register book, some gap has been maintained with the intention to issue the tender papers and the allotment of works in the back date.

Moreover, while the department has totally been failed to undertake the minimum repair works of the dilapidated roads in Darrang district on the plea of financial crisis, at the same time, in connivance with some blue-eyed contractors, the department alloted works to supply the retro-reflective sign boards at the cost of more than Rs 12 lakh that, too, without inviting tender. The Chief Engineer PWD (Roads) vide letter No. CE/Commn/3/92/51 and CE/Commn/3/92/52 of April 200, 1999, asked contractors to supply these sign boards amounting to Rs 6,88 lakh and Rs 6,87,325 lakh respectively.

Though those two orders has been issued separately but it was well-known that both the contractors were working jointly. Meanwhile an approximate amount of Rs 10,000 against both the orders have been make to the contractors, but it was alleged that the quality and the quantity of the sign boards already supplied were nt as per the specification.

GUWAHATI, Aug 22: A woman, stabbed by unknown assailants in her house near the Ganesh Mandir in Pub Sarania in the dead of night, died after none of her neighbours responded to her cries for help. In a glaring instance of apathy on the part of fellow residents of the locality, the 50-plus woman, Kamleshwar Kaur, wailed for more than half an hour for help which never arrived. She died with a lone illiterate woman, Sahida Begum, living in a nearby garage with her children, watching helplessly. This when the locality is teeming with people.

"The woman could have been saved if she was taken to hospital," officials in Chandmari police station agreed. "I shouted for help but no one responded," said Sahida, who was also a part-time household help in the victim's residence. The dead woman, who lived here along with her businessman husband, was alone at the time of the incident. The husband, Balwant Singh, was away in Delhi.

The incident happened at about 3 am today when some intruders, probably aware that the woman was alone, forced their way into the house and stabbed Kamleshwar when she tried to resist them. Once they realised what they had done, they fled from the scene leaving the victim groaning in agony. Despite her fatal injury, Kamleshwar succeeded in awaking Sahida and, according to her, even managed to hand over the keys to the gate to enable the woman to enter the residence.

This time the organizers of bandhs in Assam excelled even themselves. Not content with providing the people a three-day weekend by prefixing a bandh to a second or fourth Saturday, they managed a neat exercise of prefixing and suffixing the bandhs to Independence Day which luckily happened to fall on a Tuesday following a longer weekend. They did not have to rely on the well-worn Friday before a second Saturday. All that was needed was for different organizers of bandhs to come to an arrangement whereby the days of worklessness had to be neatly placed to fill the required slots to achieve a five-day weekend.

We have persistently condemned the bandh culture that is eating into the very vitals of our ethos. We have now reached a stage where enjoying the windfall of extra workless days has seeped into our very marrow. We now have a whole lot of people who condemn the bandh culture in drawing room discussions, but are secretly happy to have some organization call a bandh that extends a two-day weekend. They are not even concerned about who has called a bandh or why it has been called. Quite often they do not even know the reason or the organization that has given the call. But the momentum of bandhs has taken us to a stage where people look with anticipation to the next one. According to reports, a three-day bandh is just around the corner, and from experience, one can predict its success on the strength of people's tacit support. As one correspondent rightly said, we have reached a stage where even if the Bangladeshis in Assam were to call a bandh to protest against the plan to repeal the IM(DT) Act, people would give it full support. This is an attitude that not only makes us a laughing stock in the eyes of the world, but speaks volumes of our attitude to work and, much worse, to our callous lack of concern for those who must work every day in order to feed their families. This happens simply because those who are in government service and are not even required to work for their pay-cheques tend to forget that not everyone has the good fortune to be a parasite on the exchequer. There has to be far more responsible behaviour in any civilized society to recognize the right of people to work for a living, since there is no lack of the spirit of laissez-faire about the right of people to protest over anything and everything under the sun.

Going by the condition of the Guwahati streets, the tacit message sent out by our administrative and municipal authorities, our planners and our engineers is that people are not supposed to walk on the streets of Guwahati. Quite apart from the fact that many of the streets of the city are in knee-deep and even waist-deep water, there are other reasons why walking would appear to be a banned activity on Guwahati streets. Most of the pavements (where they exist in some form) have missing slabs, making it easy for pedestrians to fall into the drain below and break a few bones in the process. There have been any number of cases of serious injury due to missing concrete slabs on pavements. In any civilized country, the municipal authorities would have been taken to court repeatedly and been forced to pay hefty compensations for such criminal lapses. But in Guwahati, people are so averse to approaching law courts that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation and the other authorities go scot-free. But waterlogged streets, crater-sized potholes, rubble and piles of building material on pavements apart, the GNB-MRD Road is so full of mud on both sides during the monsoon that one cannot even cross the street without walking up to an intersection or a dry patch on that side to cross and retrace one's steps all the way on the other side of the street. People have slipped and fallen in the mud and many -- especially women -- have found it impossible to board a bus wading through the mud.

AGARTALA, Aug 24 (ANI): Only a few months back, schools in Tripura used to teem with students. But not any more. Roofs have started collapsing and furniture corroding.

It is not that parents do not send their wards to schools. In fact, most of the teachers have fled, vowing never to return. There is a sense of fear. They have seen death very closely.

A sharp rise in the cases of kidnapping, extortions and arson in the remote mountainous state of Tripura over the past one year has forced thousands of them to leave their villages and take shelter in Government camps.

Headmaster Kalparanjan Chakma of Kaishyabari High School is still putting up a brave face, though there are no students in his school. He says insurgents demand huge extortions which is not possible for teachers to pay. He admits he paid money to insurgents. "We have to give extortion money. Every year we have to pay. First time I had to pay Rs 3,000. Last year, I paid Rs 2,500. Every teacher has to pay Rs 1,500 every year," says Chakma.

This is another school at Ranirbazar locality. But instead of students, it is occupied by refugees. They have been putting up here for the last two-and-a-half months and have no desire to go back to their villages fearing backlash from insurgents.

The story is the same in several such schools which have been turned into rehabilitation camps by the State Government. An estimated 30,000 people have been rehabilitated in various schools across the State.

"There is no security there. That's why we are not going there. We are doing some odd jobs to earn a living. Whatever little savings we made in the past is dwindling," said Leela Choudhary, an old woman.

Shantibrato Chakraborty, an old man, living in the same school campus says the Government has failed to provide security to them. "We don't have the courage to go back to our villages. There is no security. So, why should we go there?" asks Chakraborty.

All Tripura Tribal Front and National Liberation Front of Tripura are the two active insurgent groups fighting for a separate tribal homeland. There have been regular clashes between indigenous tribals and Bengali settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh.

The State Government expresses its helplessness. It says New Delhi should send more paramilitary forces to help crush insurgency and establish peace.

In an interview, Tripura State Education Minister Anil Sarkar said the education system in the remote areas had collapsed completely. "It is very hard to send our teachers there to teach in schools. That is why education in the remote areas particularly in the hills and villages is affected and due to this we cannot run the schools regularly," says Sarkar.

India has deployed 21 battalions of military and paramilitary forces.

Nearly 74 per cent of Tripura's three million population live below poverty line.

AGARTALA, Aug 24: The rubber industry in Tripura was severely hit by the ongoing cease-work agitation by the Rubber Board employees and officers following the abduction of one of their colleague, from Baludham area under Dharmanagar subdivision of North Tripura district on August 4. All the Rubber Board projects remain unattended for last three weeks while disbursement of subsidies for the privately owned plantations also remain suspended.

The worst effected section are the poor labourers who are losing three thousand mandays every day. They has already lost 60,000 mandays during last three week as none of the Board workers visited the projects.

A junior field officer Keshab Chandra Majumder was abducted by the tribal militants, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), when he was supervising a plantation. All attempts to rescue him and negotiations has failed so far. Three other Rubber Board workers were victimized by the militants earlier. One of them was killed while two others were abducted and later released after paying heavy ransom.

The North-East Rubber Board Employees' Association has launched the indefinite cease-work agitation demanding the rescue of Mr Majumder and adequate security for the workers.

A spokesman of the Board said the small growers are also effected due to the agitation as the disbursement of subsidies remained suspended. Subsidies worth Rs 4 lakh remained held up, he said.

GUWAHATI, Aug 24: Assam militants have acquired sophisticated timing devices, which offer underground outfits the luxury of operating on a larger timeframe -- often running into years -- while triggering blasts.

Till now, militants could programme their devices for 12 to 24 hours, but the new timers -- fitted with microchips -- professes to imbue insurgency with cutting-edge precision.

"Usually we sanitise the venue -- say of an Independence Day function -- where the chief minister is scheduled to address a gathering a week or so before the programme so that no time bomb can be planted under the rostrum. But now we have to conduct the exercise everyday to ensure fool-proof security," said a security official summing up the changed scenario.

In analog and digital timers, which are now almost obsolete, explosives had to be programmed for a 12-hour or a 24-hour period.

These timers worked on the basic principles of analog and digital watches, the former completing a full circle within 12 hours and the latter working on a 24-hour cycle.

"The microchip -- the nerve centre of computers -- has upgraded technology. Timers fitted with microchips, which function in the same manner as the RTC (real time clock) chip of a personal computer, can be programmed for longer periods even more than a year," said a senior police official.

"The explosives basically remain the same. Only the new timers pose a threat," he added.

"These are very sophisticated devices known to be used only by the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and a few militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir backed by the ISI," the police official said. The Ulfa, too, is backed by the Pakistani intelligence agency and has links with the LTTE.

Assam police got a wind of the state-of-the-art timing devices on August 14 last year after being tipped off by two arrested ISI agents in the city. They subsequently raided strategic points at Rajsahi in Bangladesh and seized a huge cache of RDX and other explosives including a few timers.

On August 15 last year, chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, in course of his Independence Day speech, "inadvertently" disclosed the seizure from ISI suppliers while lauding a joint team of Assam and West Bengal police for the feat. However, to avoid an inter-state row, West Bengal police declared that the seizure was made under Bhaktinagar police station in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district.

GUWAHATI, Aug 27: Lack of investment-friendly atmosphere and economically viable projects due to the insurgency problem in the State has slowed down the credit flow from different commercial and rural development banks. The credit deposit ratio (CDR) has been showing a downward trend in Assam since 1997.

Sources at the Union Home Ministry told The Sentinel that factors impeding the flow of bank credit in Assam were the dearth of bankable and high-value proposals from entrepreneurs, lack of organized markets, undeveloped transport and communication network, low capital formation, natural calamities like floods, alarming position of bank overdues etc.

While the CDR percentages during the years 1997, 1998 and 1999 were 35.2, 32.9 and 31.5 respectively, credit achievement against credit target in the agricultural sector during the last three years was all-time low.

The State-level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting held recently expressed serious concern over the declining credit ratio in the State and asked all commercial and regional banks to increase the CDR by three per cent within next year. The meeting observed that except the Union Bank of India and the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank no other bank extended impressive credit facilities to the entrepreneurs to launch projects in the State. The SLBC officials also agreed on the fact that financial institutions in the State should chalk out schemes to widen their lending portfolio. The financial institutions should now start crop loan facilities and extend loans to different untouched sectors like large, medium and small scale industries.

Poor loan recovery scenario is making the banks and financial institutions apprehensive about extending loans to the entrepreneurs for various projects. Different commercial and regional banks in the State have so far sanctioned loan of Rs 86.51 crore to 4,875 SULFA youths. But till now not a single paise has been recovered from the SULFA youths, sources said. Although the State Government has appointed officers at the district level to recover the bank loans, the loan recovery is very poor.

Sources said that in case of big tea industry and oil sector in Assam, loans were sanctioned at their corporate offices situated at the metropolitan cities. Although the sanctioned loan amounts are being utilized in the State, the bank authorities prefer to give loans to tea industry and the OIL at their head offices outside the State.

In order to improve the flow of bank credit in the State, the Reserve Bank of India has asked the different commercial and regional banks to explore alternative lending methods including the possibility of substituting mortgage of the land by appropriate guarantees.

The banks have been advised by the Reserve Bank of India to take the help of village development boards (VDBs) and self-help groups (SHGs) for channelizing credit to individuals against suitable guarantors.

GUWAHATI, 27: It is a strange paradox. People in the North-east, a region beset with crushing underdevelopment, are unable to utilise huge sums meant for their development. For once, however, the blame lies largely with the people themselves, some among whom have misutilised the money.

Last year, the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC), a statutory corporation under the Ministry of Agriculture, had set a target of Rs 14 crore for the region for the development of agro-based and allied sector cooperatives. The allied sector includes fisheries, handloom, poultry, spinning mills, et al. But with few proposals being made by the respective State Governments, through which the money is routed, most of the money remained unspent.

According to sources in the NCDC's Regional Directorate here, the basic problem lies with the poor recovery record of money given to the co-operatives. The recovery rate in the region, on the average, is just 5 to 6 per cent (with a maximum of 30 per cent). "Such poor recovery is just not sustainable," the sources say.

For the NCDC to sustain a viable level of operation, the recovery has to be at least 60 to 70 per cent. In the developed States of Northern and Western India NCDC has recorded recovery rates of 90 per cent and more.

Disheartened by the poor recovery, many State Governments in the North East, which actually forward funds to the cooperatives that are reimbursed by the NCDC later, have not forwarded fresh proposals to the Corporation. Assam, for example, has not forwarded any proposal for the last one year. Though the State Government does not owe too big a sum to the NCDC, its bitter experience with the cooperatives has deterred it from burning its fingers again. The sources said that Assam now owes just about Rs 19 lakh to the NCDC.

The experience in Nagaland is even worse. So much so that the State Government has put a ban on any new funding from the NCDC until its recovery problem is solved. It has gone ahead and set up a committee to find out a solution to the recovery problem, the sources informed.

"The people are in no mood or not motivated enough to pay back," the sources complain. The complaints of the State Governments all over the region are the same. The State Governments are bound to pay back the loan portion of the amount given by the NCDC in time otherwise they have to pay penal interests. With the present state of affairs as they are few willing to take further risks. The loan component of NCDC financed projects in the North East, which falls in the least developed States category, is about 60 per cent. There are concessional interest rates and greater subsidy component.

"Even after all these concessions there are few takers. Money left unutilised in the region are utilised in the developed States," says the sources. The people should be made to understand that if they do not pay back the money their own future growth is impeded, they say.

GUWAHATI, Aug 29: The hill section of the NF Railways from Lumding to Badarpur, which serves as the lifeline for the NC Hills district and Barak Valley districts of Assam as well as to the neighbouring States of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, has been severely affected by the activities of the militants and at one point of time as many as seven stations were closed down in the section for long periods.

Railway sources told The Assam Tribune here today that the hill section serves as the lifeline for the movement of essential commodities to four districts of Assam and to three neighbouring States as the road communication is not up to the mark and the Railway Ministry has accorded highest priority to movement of all the essential commodities through this route. Sources said that because of the terrain, the Railway employees posted in the section always have to face tough time in maintaining the line, particularly in the rainy season. On top of all the natural problems, the activities of the militant outfits also pose a serious problem for the Railways in the section.

Sources revealed that from November last upto July this year, seven stations in the section -- Dijaobra, Mupa, Mahur, Migrendisa, Jatinga, Longrangajao and Mailongdisa were closed down for long periods as Railway officials deserted the station. Sources pointed out that whenever a station is closed down, apart from the harassment of the passengers, the train schedules also get affected badly. If a station is closed down, crossing of trains in that station is not possible and as a result of that the capacity of the line gets reduced to a considerable extent.

Giving a detailed account of the major incidents involving the militants in the hill section in the last few years, Railway sources said that on February 25, 1995, 22 persons were killed in a blast on the Tinsukia Mail at Nailalung railway station. In July 1995, two RPF men were killed in the Maibong railway station and their weapons were snatched away. In July, 1998, the Deputy Chief Engineer, Construction was kidnapped from Mariani construction rest house. On April 12 last year, unidentified militants fired at Longcholiet railway station, in which a points man was killed. The Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel fired back and controlled the situation. The extremists also tried to set fire to the station.

Sources said that the militants belonging to the NSCN and the Dima Halong Daogah (DHD) served extortion notices to the Railway staff in a number of stations in the hill section, while, there were instances where the salaries of the Railway staff were snatched away by the militants.

The incidents of attacks by the militants continued this year too, as on April 2 this year, a group of militants attacked a RPSF party at Daotuhaja railway station, in which one RPSF man was killed and three others received bullet injuries. On August 4, a food grain special train was derailed near Longrangajao railway station and some rice bags were looted by miscreants.

To bring the situation under control, two RPSF companies were deployed in Longoholiet railway station to look after five stations in the hill section, while Central Reserve Police force personnel have been posted at Lumding and Maibong railway stations to move frequently in the area to give a boost to the morale of the Railway employees.

GUWAHATI, Aug 29: An elephant washed away by the Brahmaputra from the Umananda Mandir to the Machkhowa Ghat of the river today created terror among the residents of Machkhowa area. The elephant injured a lady and damaged a Maruti car and a rickshaw at Machkhowa before it again jumped into the Brahmaputra to reach the shores at Amingaon.

According to eye witnesses, the elephant was first seen at the Umananda Mandir site. When the people made a hue and cry, the elephant jumped into the Brahmaputra. The River Police, as well as the Inland Water Transport (IWT) authorities could not retrieve the elephant from the waters of the Brahmaputra. After an hour of swimming on the river the elephant walked up the banks at Machkhowa and took shelter at the Machkhowa Iddgah Maidan. The people around created a hue and cry and the hapless animal again jumped into the Brahmaputra, but not before damaging a maruti car and injuring a woman. As soon as the elephant reached near the Army camp at Amingaon, it broke down a wall of the Army camp and rushed towards a paddy field. Two expert phandis meanwhile, arrived in the area to capture the roaming elephant. But till filing of the-report this evening, neither the phandis nor the Forest Department personnel have been able to capture the elephant.

Seeing the size of the elephant, the veterinary doctors of the Forest Department have decided not to use tranquillizer. The forest guards, elephant experts and veterinary doctors camping at Amingaon are waiting for the night to capture the elephant.

IMPHAL Aug 29: The Manipur Government is reported to have initiated some feeble official actions against some police and forest officials for the failure to round up a tribal poacher who had sold the meat of three bears practically under their nose. A photograph and press release issued by People For Animals (Manipur chapter) establish beyond all reasonable doubts the criminal act of this poacher.

He had apparently shot dead the bears in the jungle of Senapati District and brought the carcasses to the district head-quarters. He squatted at a spot just 30m from the police station in the district headquarters and sold the meat at Rs sixty per kg. As the tribals thronged to purchase the meat considered to be delicious, the same was sold off within minutes.

There had been scathing reports on the criminal unconcern shown by the police and forest officials. Recently, a newspaper had published a photograph of a tribal woman selling a mountain goat in this district. In Churachandpur district, dead deer are sold regularly. Since all mountains are bereft of granaries there is virtually no wild animal. It is suspected in many circles that professional poachers have been slaughtesring rare and endangered brow antlered deer from its natural habitat the Keibul Lamjao National Park. Besides, other animals like monkeys, a number of exotic birds and bear are on open sale. Some tribal women also sell dried monkey meat.

GUWAHATI, Aug 29: Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is one the richest wildlife sanctuaries in Assam as well as India, stated a press release. It is the only wildlife sanctuary of the undivided Goalpara district, but now located in the Dhubri district. The erstwhile Goalpara district was amazingly rich in forests and wildlife. Unfortunately, all the big forests of this region have been recklessly destroyed due to the extraction of timbers and other forest resources. What has remained now is denuded forest with growth of shrubs and some of the forests have been completely wiped out and encroached by human habitation. But due to the initiative taken by a NGO, Chakrashila was declared as Wildlife sanctuary and had maintained its pristine glory. Chakrashila forest was declared a wildlife sanctuary by an order of the Governor of Assam notified in the Assam Gazette of July 14, 1994.

When a forest is declared as a wildlife sanctuary, the entire responsibility of protecting the law and order inside the sanctuary by proper administration comes under the forest department. But in the case of Chakrashila WLS forest department has taken little measures to protect the sanctuary and to maintain the laws of protected areas inside the sanctuary.

After the lapse of seven years from the date of declaring chakrashila a wildlife sanctuary, nothing has been done to develop the administrative infrastructure for protecting this wildlife sanctuary and no master-plan has been prepared for it. On the contrary, all sorts of illegal sanctuary in the form of exploiting forest resources is going on unabated. As a result, Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary is deteriorating day by day.

Nature's Beckon, an environmental activist group in North-east India has written twenty one letters to the officials of the forest department starting from the divisional forest officer upto the level of chief conservators of forest informing them about the urgent need for the development of the administrative infrastructure for the protection of Chakrashila and about felling of trees and encroachment of forest land inside the sanctuary, but no tangible improvement has taken place in the administration of chakrashila WLS so far, the release added.

Chakrashila WLS is the only viable habitats of golden langur exclusively in Indian territory, apart from being a biodiversity hotspot zone having many endangered animals and plants. As per the survey of Nature's Beckon, the present population of golden langur at Chakrashila is little more than 620. Nature's Beckon has published scientific checklist of the biodiversity of Chakrashila which reveals that there are 107 species of trees, 32 species of ferns, 34 species of mammals, 272 species of birds, 26 species of reptile and amphibians, 43 species of butterfly and 60 species of fishes in Chakrashila WLS. Incidentally, this is the only published checklist of the biodiversity of a sanctuary namely Chakrashila WLS. No such checklists are available for other wildlife sanctuaries of Assam.

Nature's Beckon is still actively working to save Chakrashila. The organization regularly arrange health camps for the peripheral villagers, give the youths motivational training and undertake various village development programmes, the release added.

Director of Nature's Beckon, Soumyadeep Datta who is also the honorary wildlife warden of Dhubri district, says that Nature's Beckon is always eager to extend co-operation to the forest department for protecting the forests and conservation of wildlife. But it becomes unproductive if sincere desire for saving the forests does not come from the divisional forest officers.

On August 10, director of Nature's Beckon had a detail discussion with the DFO Dhubri about the problems of Chakrashila and its protection. The DFO assured that immediate steps will be taken to give protection to Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary.

DIBRUGARH, Aug 30: The encroachment of Government land by the tea estates continues unabated in the State. The Sentinel, which had highlighted the menace in a serial publication comprising as many as 17 parts way back in 1998, had interviews with Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Tarun Gogoi on the issue recently. Both Mr Mahanta and Mr Gogoi were in favour of regularization of the Government land encroached by planters by levying a higher premium. In this context Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha general secretary (ACMS) Madhusudan Khandait, in an interview with this correspondent, admitted that tea planters did encroach Government land. While blaming the concerned officials in the State Government for their failure to detect the encroachment of land by tea planters Mr Khandait said that the practice (encroachment of Government land by tea planters) would generate more employment opportunities in the State. On the legal problems relating to the encroachment of Government land, Mr Khandait said that the problems should be sorted out by the planters with the State Government.

Mr Mukut Gogoi, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), in-charge of Revenue, with whom also this correspondent had an interview, said that there were 45 confirmed cases of land encroachment by various tea estates in Dibrugarh district. In six of the 45 cases the Revenue Department had already carried out eviction drives and in ten other cases the encroachers managed to get stay orders from the court, the ADC said, adding that as per Government instruction, any party willing to regularize the encroached land could do so by applying to the Government. "Once an application is accepted, the Department of Land Revenue levies 200 per cent of the premium along with Rs 3 per tea bush on encroached land," the ADC said, adding that the Government levied 150 per cent for unencroached land and 33.3 per cent for land encroached by unemployed youths.

Of late, an unholy nexus between some tea planters and some officials in the Land and Revenue Department came to light when a case of tampering records of 70 bighas of Government land in favour of three tea planters -- Shyam Beria, Deuki Beria and Kailash Beria -- had been detected recently, which led to the suspension of five employees -- LDA Jogen Gogoi, latmandal Jatin Borsaikia, Tingkhong revenue circle kanungo Lokeswar Sonowal, UDA Pitambar Borgohain, and peon Prabhat Dutta. It was detected that the tea planters, in connivance with the suspended officials and Tingkhong Revenue Circle Officer, doctored land records and other documents to legalize the encroached land.

The Circle Officer of Tingkhong Revenue Circle, Mr Dipak Kumar Baruah recorded eight land conversion cases vide case Nos. 24/94; 25/94; dated March 16,' 94, 30/94; 33/94; 34/94 dated March 20 and March 26 respectively, 42/94; dated April 9,'94; 45/94; dated April 24,'94 and 48/94; dated April 21,'94. These fraudulent cases could be detected from the money receipts which had been issued between July 21, 2000 and August 9, 2000. This proves that the circle officer conducted the land conversion in 2000 but doctored the records showing that it had been done in 1994.

IMPHAL, Aug 30: The Central Agricultural University (CAU) at Ironishemba near Imphal has always been in the news since its inception. There had been allegations galore of misappropriation of university fund by some corrupt elements. Besides it was alleged that books worth several millions of rupees had been purchased in paper only. One or two vice chancellors had to leave the CAU when the students launched an ouster campaign.

In the last part of May this year, the students had boycotted the classes in protest against the refusal by the CAU authority to allow them to form a students' union. It sounded somewhat incomprehensible that such a restriction should have been put on the students of the CAU. Later, students won the battle. In the backdrop of these unsavoury events nearly 100 CAU students from most of the NE States had tried to flee Manipur on August 2. They had walked out of the CAU hostels with bag and baggage. The CAU officials alerted the police who had intercepted them a little distance from the bus stands. When the police told them to go back to their hostels, they had refused. There was mild caning after which all of them brought to the CAU campus.

Despite repeated coaxing, the students from other NE States declined to explain why they were trying to flee. They enigmatically said that they had come to the CAU to study. But then they are not going to say in detail since they are more concerned about their own lives. One student was quoted as saying that in name of ragging many of them had been beaten up. But student leaders denied it saying that in Manipur the ragging system is unknown. At the most, names and addresses of the new students were asked. Mr A.I. Singh, Dean of College of Agriculture said that he was not aware of anything unusual. He said that there has been no verbal or written complaint from any of the students. Mr W Jotn, president of the students' union also said that he was surprised by the development. He himself does not know why these outside students should decide to leave Manipur. The students from the neighbouring States said that they did not have any strained relations with the university and college authorities. However, they hinted that they were not in good terms with the local students.

The Vice Chancellor of the CAU, Dr S.S. Bhagel said that he had received no complaint from any of the students. In the meantime, some sections feel that the attempt to flee by these outside students may be a part of the deep-rooted conspiracy to have the CAU shifted to Barapani in Meghalaya. The report further says that some students of Mizoram took the leading part in the attempt to flee the hostel.

NESU has taken a serious view of the report. A spokesman of the NESU had rung up the office of the All Manipur Student's Union in Imphal to know what is actually going on here. He also sought a detailed report on the incident.

Agartala, Aug 31: Having virtually rid the entire Takarjala police station area of Bengalis, the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura militants have now trained their guns on the minuscule Manipuri community in Tripura.

On Tuesday, more than 50 Manipuri families, who had contributed immensely along with the Hindu and Muslim Bengalis to converting the barren tilla lands into lush green croplands, were forced to leave their ancestral homes at Telarbon village under Takarjala police station. They have taken shelter in Chhonkhola village under Bishalgarh police station.

Confirming the exodus, police sources in Bishalgarh said on August 25, the Manipuri peasants in Telarbon village had gone to work on their paddy fields in the morning. A group of unruly tribals, backed by militants, beat them up severely and injured three of them. The tribals also directed them to quit the village.

The Manipuris waited for a while after Tripura State Rifles and CRPF jawans asked them to stay put. Since no security post was set up, they left the village on Tuesday and took shelter in the mandap of Chamdung Singh of Chhonkhola village.

The forced displacement of Manipuris triggered strong reaction as leaders toured the deserted village. Rajkumar Kamaljit Singh, chief of Manipuri Apunba Committee, said, "It is really shocking because Manipuris were brought here by Tripura kings at least two centuries ago."

Singh said former Tripura King Rajdhar Manikya married Hariseswari, daughter of erstwhile Manipuri monarch Bhagyachandra in the late 18th century and made her his chief queen. Since then, matrimonial relations between the royal houses of Manipur and Tripura continued till early last century when King Radhakishore Manikya married Manipuri princess Tulsibati. A girls' school, set up by Radhakishore Manikya, is still named "Maharani Tulsibati Balika Vidyalaya".

Asserting that Tripura had a Manipuri population of only 40,000, Rajkumar Singh strongly condemned the attacks on the peace-loving community, saying, "I am shocked by what has been happening in Tripura over the past seven years. It is unfortunate that the small Manipuri community which made great contribution to Tripura like the Bengalis is being targeted and displaced."