Following Centre’s approval, the second Indian Institute of Management in the Northeast is now coming up in Guwahati. Classes at IIM Guwahati will commence at a temporary campus to be provided by the state government. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said IIM Guwahati would further strenghthen Assam’s place in the country’s education landscape, considering that the state already boasts IIT-Guwahati and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. “This institution will add to a long list of premier institutes in Guwahati and rightly position the city as a hub of quality higher education. With this approval, work on the institute in Palasbari will progress swiftly,” Sarma said.
40 yrs on, Assam Accord awaits implementation
It has been four decades since the historic Assam Accord was signed between the erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), marking the end of the bloody Assam agitation (1979-85). Yet, several clauses of the accord still await implementation. One such section is clause 6, promising constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect Assamese identity. AASU said Assam continues to face threats as successive Union and state governments failed to implement the Accord over the past 40 years. “It is because of their failure that threat to the identity and existence of indigenous people has increased,” it said in a statement.
City traffic cops return to wearing white
After a gap of eight years, traffic police personnel in Guwahati have resumed wearing white uniforms from August 16, switching from the navy-blue trousers and sky-blue shirts. The decision follows a comprehensive review of functional requirements, field conditions, and feedback from personnel, road safety experts, and public, officials said, adding, the move is aimed at reinstating a distinct identity for the city’s traffic personnel. “The white uniform, long associated with traffic management in Guwahati, has historically symbolised approachability, visibility, and a professional image on the roads,” an official statement said.
Prasanta Mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com