A citizens’ meeton Thursdayunanimously demanded disbanding of the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, recently formed by the Government of Assam, as in its opinion, the committee is out to legalize all irregularities by those involved in killing and poaching of rhinos and selling their horns.Held at Guwahati Press Club and jointly organized by Nature’s Beckon and the Journalists’ Forum, Assam (JFA), the meeting also demanded of the authorities to make public the total number of horns from the rhinos naturally dead and those recovered after being killed by the poachers. But this number too must be arrived at after putting each and every horn to forensic tests. Presided over by JFAchief Rupam Baruah, and attended by leading intellectuals, journalists and nature-lovers, the meeting strongly advocated a CBI inquiry into all the murky incidents of killing and poaching of the animal and trading of its horns. The CBI probe should also include the dubious role being played by the Rhino Horns Verification Committee, the citizens said.Voicing his concern, renowned litterateur and journalist, Homen Borgohain said the Rhino Horns Verification Committee appears to be in a mission to bestow legal sanction on the irregularities so far indulged in by the captains of illegal rhinotrade. This committee has no moral right to exist, he added.Mrinal Saikia, the ruling party MLA from Khumtai, said numerous incidents of killing and poaching of rhinos had taken place during Mohan Chandra Malakar’s tenure as the principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife. This clearly creates a conflict of interests when he took overas chairman of the verification committee, he said and added that neither he should have been made its chairman nor should he have accepted the post.Soumyadeep Dutta, director, Nature’s Beckon, in his speech, asked how come the Department of Forest, Assam boasted of selling rhino horns till 1979 as the Indian Wildlife Protection Act had already been enacted in 1972, which banned sale and purchase of animals and their meat. It means, Dutta pointed out, the department openly declared its complicity in an illegal act.Anuradha Sharma Pujari, Editor, Sadin, said the verification committee has lost all its credibility in its short span of existence. Asom Bani Editor, Dilip Chandan sought the immediate intervention of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the issue.Ranen Kumar Goswami, senior journalist, also a JFA member, criticized a section of journalists for their audacity in behaving as self-styled spokespersons of the media. These journalists, involved neck-deep in the committee, have done all they could to suppress transparency instead of promoting it, he said. By killing transparency and preventing what happened behind the iron curtain from being disseminated, these journalists appear to have surrendered their professional ethics to the willful wrong-doers in illegal forest trade, he further said.Earlier, JFA secretary Nava Thakuria in his welcome speech, said the recent recovery of five fake rhino horns has proved beyond doubt the unholy alliance between corrupt officials and perpetrators of criminal acts. Others, who spoke on the occasion, included senior journalists Apurba Ballabh Goswami, Pulin Kalita and Chandan Duara, wildlife activists Mubina Akhtar, Jainal Abedin, Indrajit Dutta, Nitul Nath and Padum Barthakur, science writer Jagadindra Raichoudhury and rhino researcher Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya.
30 Jul 2013 - 7:12pm | Nava Thakuria
Guwahati: Electronic Media Forum Assam (EMFA) has appealed to the district authority to relax the prohibitory order on pillion driving for the city based journalists on duty. The television...
28 Dec 2014 - 8:48pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Bloodbath is nothing to do with the age old bonhomie between Bodos and the Adivasis. They are still united to thwart any attempt break the bond in the time of violence where both the Adivasi and...
16 Nov 2015 - 10:14am | AT News
On October 25 2015, Editors of five Nagaland-based media houses were issued a notification by a Colonel of the General Staff for Assam Rifles. Given the gravity of the matters raised in the...
26 Oct 2015 - 7:34pm | Hantigiri Narzary
The Kokrajhar police have arrested two more people for trying to extort money from a contractor of NTPC in Salakati. Two others were held on Sunday night from Basugaon town of Chirang district....
Noted astronomy advocate of NE and secretary of Pragjyotish Amateur Astronomers Association, Guwahati Planetarium Uday Narayan Deka breathed his last in the ICU in International Hospital, Guwahati on Thursday at 12.20 am. He had been suffering from kidney related ailments for last twenty days.He was born on September 8 in 1944.He had been working in RBI in Mumbai for twelve years till his joining in RBI Guwahati branch as a Manager.During his stay in Mumbai,he was elected as the Hony. Treasurer of Bombay Amateur Astronomers Association.In 2002 he was elected as the secretary of the Pragjyotish Amateur Astronomers Association,Guwahati Planetarium.He was responsible for organising...
Noted astronomy activist of NE and secretary of Pragjyotish Amateur Astronomers Association,Guwahati Planetarium Uday Narayan Deka breathed his last in the ICU in International Hospital, Guwahati today at 12.20 am.He had been suffering from kidney related ailments for last twenty days.He was born on September 8 in 1944.He had been working in RBI in Mumbai for twelve years till his joining in RBI Guwahati branch as a Manager.During his stay in Mumbai,he was elected as the Hony. Treasurer of Bombay Amateur Astronomers Association.In 2002 he was elected as the secretary of the Pragjyotish Amateur Astronomers Association,Guwahati Planetarium.He was responsible for organising village...
In a very tragic and barbaric incident, Puspanjali Das (19)wife of Chandan Debnath of Thakuriapara village under Bhergaon sub-division in Udalguri district has been burnt down alive on Saturday noon for non-payment of marriage dowry. The incident has shocked the district. The lady was put in a sac before thrown in a fire lighted in a heap of hay. Puspanjali was married to Chandan just three months bac. Narayan Debnath, father-in-law of Puspanjali has been arrested while trying to flee but all the family members managed to flee before being caught. Pranjal Bora, SDPO, Bhergaon told Assam Times that none involved in the incident would be spared.
Music legend of undivided Darrang (presently Darrang, Udalguri and Sonitpur) Sisir Kumar Suni is now 84 years old being confined to his home only.He is still optimistic about systemic research and practice of traditional folk culture of Assam in their original style.Although forgotten by present day singers and producer directors of Assamese music world,Suni still busy with his never ending musical activities alone in his home at sleepy Bengbari just five KM away from Tangla town.Age could have restricted his bodily movements,but his talent and spirit still busy looking for new ideas.It had been his effort that Bodo folk dance "Kherai" was performed on stage for the first time during 1955."...
Asom Diwas was celebrated at sub-divisional HQ Bhergaon in Udalguri district with gaiety in memory of Chaolung Sukapha on December 2 with day long programme.The programme was organised by Bhergaon sub-divisional administration in association with Udalguri district administration.The celebration started with garlanding of the image of Sukapha at 10 am by DN Hazarika,ADC, Udalguri cum SDO (Civil),Bhergaon followed by an open discussion session on "Role of Sukapha in forming a greater Assam'.Noted teacher Binoy Kumar Medhi,retired vice principal of Tangla College attended the discussion session as the appointed speaker.Speaking on the occasion,Medhi highlighted role of Sukapha in forming...
With the arrival of picnic time,Bhairabkunda,with all her virgin beauty is once again ready to welcome tourists and picnic lovers.Bhairabkunda has been a tourist destination since long back.But the tourist traffic flow had been disrupted during the days Assam and Bodo movements in eighty’s and ninety’s.But with peace returning to BTAD area people have started visiting Bhairabkunda again.Bhairabkunda has been unique always as the triangular meeting point of Assam,Arunachal and Bhutan.Fast flowing Dhansiri river with crystal waters has been additional attraction always.The JFMC man made forest (Gedsimani Forest) with more than 14 lacs well grown tree saplings has been additional bonus...
Ajanta Devi,daughter of a villager of Balipota village near Kalaigaon has secured first class first position in Anthropology from Guwahati university in the recently declared MSc final examination.She has also been awarded Manju Rani Goswami Borkakati Memorial Gold Medal by Guwahati university recently on November 26 in Guwahati.Her achievement has been lauded by the people of Kalaigaon as she is belonged to a family living in a remote village.She is the daughter of Basundhar Nath and Madhabi Nath of Balipota village near Kalaigaon.DN Hazarika,ADC,Udalguri;NC Boro,Inspector of Schools,Udalguri; president of Udalguri District Journalist Union etc have congratulated her and...
At a time when government has been launching various new educational schemes for the benefit of the students and thousands of teachers are also being appointed,the plight of the students of a provincial High School in Udalguri district is telling other story.Situated in a remote village,ten KM away from Tangla town and fifteen KM from Kalaigaon town, Dhopguri High School has been running without even a single science or mathematics teacher for last four years ie since 2012.No science or mathematics classes had been held in class IX and X in the school during the period.The shocking news has come to light recently when students of the high school staged a demonstration in front of visiting...
”The passing of Assamese Language Bill in Assam Legislative Assembly while late Bishnu Ram Medhi was the Chief Minister of Assam,without consulting a few great tribal leaders of Assam who used to speak in Assamese language in Assam Assembly had been one of the causes for which Assamese language lost the faith of non Assamese tribal leaders during sixty’s”,so said Dr.Paramananda Rajbongshi, secretary of Asom Xahitya Xobha at the concluding session of the silver jubilee celebration of Kendukalai Sahitya Samaj,a branch of Asom Xahitya Xobha at Kalaigaon on November 19.Dr.Rajbongshi in his speech as the chief guest of the open session also appealed all the people of Assam to adopt Assamese...
The silver jubilee of Kendukalai Sahitya Samaj of Kalaigaon has been commencing at Kalaigaon with the hoisting of 27 number of Sabha flags on November 18 at 9 am.Twenty five distinguished people of Kalaigaon hoisted all the flags celebrationg completion of glorious twenty years of the branch of Asom Xahitya Xobha.Prominent among them were- Abul Hussain,president and Mahendra Saikia, founder president of the Kendukalai Sahitya Samaj, Kalaigaon; Jagadish Sarkar,EM,BTC;Maheswar Boro,MLA, Kalaigaon; Nabin Chandra Boro,Inspector of Schools, Udalguri etc. Earlier senior journalist Mukut Raj Sarma, secretary of the celebration committee welcomed all the guests with gamocha and spoke about the...
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