BJP MLA upset with price rise
Dispur MLA Atul Bora said circumstances vis-à-vis his affiliation to the ruling BJP compelled him to keep quiet on the issue of price rise. He said if he had been in the Opposition, he would have definitely raised his voice on it. He claimed 90 per cent of mustard oil in the market was adulterated and raised his concern over rising fuel prices. “We produce petrol and we have two-three oil refineries. It would have been nice if the people of Assam could buy fuel at cheaper rates. I stay outside the cabinet and as such, I cannot discuss such issues,” the legislator further said.
South Korea keen on investing in Assam
South Korea has evinced a keen interest in investing in Assam’s healthcare, food processing, infrastructure and tourism sectors and bringing Korean companies to the region. A high-level South Korean delegation, led by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, met senior officials of Assam’s Commerce and Industries Department recently to explore the feasibility of investment in multiple sectors. An official statement said the South Korean delegation discussed economic and bilateral cooperation between Korea and the Assam government with the Korean officials expressing keen interest in healthcare, etc as the state has huge potential for health tech, which is largely untapped. The two sides also explored the possibility of collaboration between the Korean companies and the state.
Girl shamed for wearing jeans, father beaten up
A shop owner refused to serve a customer and allegedly misbehaved with her because she was wearing jeans. The man, Nurul Amin, runs his electronics business from his house in northern Assam’s Biswanath district. Her father was allegedly beaten up by Amin and his sons for registering a protest. The girl alleged the shop owner had yelled at her and rebuked her. “When I asked him why he was behaving like that, he told me I should be wearing burqa or hijab and not jeans,” the girl said. Two months ago in neighbouring Sonitpur district, a girl ruffled many a feather when she went to appear for an exam in shorts.
Northeast’s first dog cemetery opened
A first of its kind canine cemetery has come up in the Northeast at Mairakuchi on the outskirts of Guwahati. The cemetery, which covers 28,800 sq ft of land, is the brainchild of an NGO, Just Be Friendly. It is located near a pet hospital and offers scientific burial. The facility is likely to dissuade people from disposing the carcasses of their pets in water bodies or garbage dumps. Since the “memorial park” came up a month ago, about a dozen dogs have been buried. Each scientific burial entails an expenditure of around Rs 3,000 but the NGO is not charging anything.
prasanta mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com