NEW DELHI:
Vintage telescope seized
A tracker telescope of the East India Company was seized by sleuths of the Customs department from Kahilipara locality of Guwahati. According to official sources, a city resident, who was in possession of the antique telescope, was looking for a prospective buyer in neighbouring Bhutan. It was not known as to how the man got possession of the telescope. Later, the item was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The ASI is examining its genuineness. A case under the Customs Act and the Antiquities and Treasures Act was registered in this regard.
Bridging regional disparity
A two-day regional conference on ‘Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development’ was held in Guwahati recently. Organised by the Union Ministry of Finance in collaboration with other agencies, the conference focused on bridging regional disparity by investing in physical and soft infrastructure, improving national and regional connectivity etc. “The government is putting a lot of focus on infrastructure development in the region…Different initiatives like UDAN, single window clearance for trade, inland waterways must be utilized for the maximum development of the region,” Governor Jagdish Mukhi said, after inaugurating the conference.
‘Chai Break’ forays into Northeast
Restaurant-goers in Guwahati can now chill out at ‘Chai Break’, an all-day casual diners’ chain. The Kolkata-based company has opened its 14th outlet in the country at Guwahati’s Ganeshguri area. Chair Break offers a variety of tea and also Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines. It plans to experiment with popular Assamese food items. Popular delicacies served include pizza, pasta and Indian curries. Chai Break has its presence in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Durgapur. The company’s co-founders Anirudh Poddar and Aditya Ladsaria said they plan to open outlets in Assam, Meghalaya and elsewhere in the Northeast.
Facilities for differently-abled
The facilities for differently-abled devotees to the Kamakhya temple, which is perched on a hilltop, are likely to improve, thanks to intervention of the Gauhati High Court. The HC has constituted a committee that will suggest measures. The court got into the act following the filing of petitions by an organisation and a resident. The petitioners said the temple do not have facilities such as ramps, toilets etc for the differently-abled visitors coming in hundreds.
BJP workers caught smuggling gold
The BJP is embarrassed after four members of its Yuva Morcha were arrested in Guwahati for gold-smuggling. The quartet was produced in a court which sent them to judicial custody. Guwahati has turned out to be the transit route for gold-smuggling. Over the past few months, a number of people were arrested at railway station and airport. Gold is often smuggled from Myanmar and then it finds its way into Manipur and Mizoram. It is then smuggled to various places.