Mech-Kachari demands autonomous council

A severe drinking water crisis has gripped Holongamora village, located along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border under the Sonari Legislative Assembly constituency in Sapekhati Mouza. Villagers say they are struggling daily to secure even a single drop of safe drinking water. Water scarcity has emerged as one of the most pressing concerns in this remote border village. Despite repeated attempts to dig tube wells in areas adjacent to the hilly terrain of Arunachal Pradesh, residents have failed to find sufficient groundwater sources. This year’s significantly low rainfall has further aggravated the crisis. Ponds, wells and natural streams in the area have dried up completely, leaving...

An active and notorious oil theft racket operating in Upper Assam has once again come under the scanner after a fire broke out at an abandoned ONGC oil well in the Nazira area, with authorities suspecting a crude oil theft angle behind the incident. According to sources, miscreants have been targeting abandoned oil wells left behind by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), particularly in remote tea garden areas, to illegally siphon crude oil. Taking advantage of the absence of security personnel at several such oil fields, these groups have reportedly intensified their activities in recent months. On Thursday afternoon, miscreants allegedly set fire to an old ONGC oil well located...

After years of discussion and a long wait, restoration and beautification work has finally begun at the historic British-era cemetery located within the ONGC campus at Nazira. Though regarded as an important heritage site of the region, the colonial-era cemetery had remained neglected for decades. Towards the end of 2024, a concrete initiative was taken to renovate and preserve the cemetery with financial support from the Nazira MLA’s Local Area Development Fund. As part of the process, officials from the Nazira Co-District administration and the State Archaeology Department conducted site inspections and carried out a detailed assessment. During the inspection, officials observed...

Normal functioning at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) Assam Asset headquarters in Nazira came to a complete standstill on December 24 following a massive sit-in protest staged by the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) and the Assam Tea Tribes Women’s Association (ATTWA). The protest was organised in opposition to the eviction of tea garden land for oil and gas exploration and production activities, and against ONGC’s alleged failure to fulfil assurances made to the tea community following such land acquisitions. Protesters stated that the tea industry, which played a crucial role in introducing Assam to the global economy, is now facing systematic destruction...