ULFA chief’s friend goes missing
There is no trace of missing businessman Rebati Phukan, the childhood friend of ULFA military chief Paresh Baruah. A renowned footballer of yesteryears, Phukan is missing since Sunday morning after he went out for a walk. The ULFA leader suspected that Phukan might have been kidnapped by elements which stand opposed to peace talks between Baruah’s faction of the ULFA and the Centre. Phukan was a member of People’s Consultative Group that represented the ULFA in the peace negotiations with the Centre a few years ago. It was learnt that he was not keeping well for the past few months.
Sharp fall in deer population at zoo
A Guwahati-based organisation has sniffed foul play in the fast declining population of deer at the Assam State Zoo. Expressing serious concern over the drastic fall of the deer population from 1,200 to 400, the Chiriakhana Suraksha Mancha expressed the suspicion that zoo officials were in the habit of killing the herbivores and consuming its meat. There are also allegations that deer, which occasionally die after being hit by vehicles inside the zoo, are taken away by zoo officials for their meat. Senior forest officials said the charges would be probed.
Ropeway for devotees to Kamakhya
Guwahati, the gateway to the Northeast, is set to get a second ropeway project. Work on the first ropeway project connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati is on. The second ropeway project will connect the historic Kamakhya temple with the foothills of Nilachal Hill on which the temple is perched. The estimated initial budget of the project is I25 crore. “As regards the Kamakhya ropeway project, the tenders will begin in a month or two,” minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. He also said that the trial run of the Guwahati-North Guwahati ropeway project would be held by December.
Denied Cabinet berth, MLA to reveal ‘story’
Miffed on not being inducted into the Sarbananda Sonowal ministry, Dispur MLA Atul Bora said there was a story behind the BJP leadership’s decision to pick junior MLAs. “There is story behind the decision. I will reveal it soon,” a miffed Bora said. Supporters of another MLA, Ramakanta Deuri, called a bandh in his constituency Morigaon. Of the seven MLAs inducted, at least three were younger than Bora and Deuri. Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said some senior MLAs could not be inducted to fulfil regional aspirations.