Sontosh Mohan Dev decided to act as a catalyst : Twin projects for Barak Valley

Twin projects for Barak Valley
- Focus on power, cement
OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA
Silchar, July 8: The Union heavy industries ministry has decided to act as a catalyst to set up industries in the Barak Valley districts of south Assam.
The Union minister for heavy industries and public enterprises, Sontosh Mohan Dev, said here today that a high-level inter-ministerial committee comprising senior officials of the Centre has recommended the setting up of a 100-MW thermal power plant and a cement-manufacturin g unit in the valley.
The team was set up by the minister himself to explore the possibility of setting up of new and feasible industrial plants in south Assam.
While Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) would head a consortium of enterprises and investment companies to set up the power plant, another public sector enterprise, the Cement Corporation of India Limited (CCIL), would establish the 100-tonne-a- day output capacity cement plant at Baikanthapur in Cachar district.
Dev, now on a three-day tour to Cachar, said the thermal plant would be set up in Badarpur in Karimganj district at a cost Rs 500 crore — the biggest outlay of any kind so far in the south Assam districts. This proposed power unit would take at least four years to be put on stream, the minister added.
He said the new power plant, which would use coal from Meghalaya, would go a long way in tackling the recurring power crisis in the south Assam districts.
The power demand from this region is 75 MW at present, which would go up to 95 MW in the next five years with new industries coming up.
The CCIL has already taken over 98 bighas for the cement plant on the bank of Surma, the second cement plant in Barak Valley. Around Rs 45 crore would be invested in the cement plant initially, Dev said.

A British oil and gas exploration firm has struck natural gas in Barak Valley
Gas reserve located in south Asom (BARAK VALLEY)
Guwahati, July 8: A British oil and gas exploration firm has struck natural gas in India’s northeastern state of Assam, the second such success in the area in two months.
The London-based Premier Oil, a leading independent oil and gas company with interests in Britain, Indonesia, Pakistan, Africa and Southeast Asia, has found gas at a drilling block at Pechadhar near Silchar in southern Asom.
“We experienced gas pressure while drilling at a depth of 3,998 metres. We are quite confident that this area has a huge reserve of natural gas”, a company official told IANS requesting not to be named. Premier Oil began work in Asom’s Cachar district in January.
“We shall be carrying out several tests now before we begin extracting gas”, the official said. The Cachar block covers 2,570 square km, and lies adjacent to large gas discoveries in eastern Bangladesh.
“Our company has interpreted very large structures on satellite and seismic data, indicating significant gas and oil potential for this area”, the official said. The company would drill two more wells in the adjoining Hailakandi district soon.
India’s premier oil exploration firm, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had already struck gas in the area in May - known to be a high potential zone for oil and gas. Assam has over 1.3 billion tonnes of proven crude oil and 156 billion cubic metres of natural gas reserves of which about an estimated 58 percent of hydrocarbon reserves are yet to be explored. Assam currently produces about five million cubic metres of natural gas annually.
Meanwhile, oil giants ONGC and Oil India Ltd have started importing technology to revive production of crude from aging oilfields in Assam.
“The prime objective of the project is to reverse the trend of declining oil production from the aging fields of Assam”, an ONGC official said. ONGC has earmarked a whopping Rs.40 billion for boosting production from drying wells.
“There are some 2,000 wells in Assam that have stopped producing oil for more than a decade. But experts are of the opinion that these aging wells have the potential to yield oil. Efforts are on to revive such non-functional sites”, Assam Industry Minister Pradyut Bordoloi told IANS.
Assam is home to the world’s oldest operating oil refinery at Digboi, established in 1901. The state occupies an important position in the history of oil industry in India and accounts for nearly 50 percent of the country’s on-shore crude oil production.
“Assam has the highest success ratio in the world with 70 percent of the exploration sites yielding oil and we are sure our new company would be able to exploit the situation to find new oil and gas reserves”, the minister said. (IANS)

GC College principal under scanner for graft
From Our Correspondent
SILCHAR, July 6 – The present principal of GC College, Silchar, one of the prestigious colleges in Assam, is facing severe allegations. Sources said, the present principal Dr BB Das faces allegations regarding new-structured Assam-type building-and related constructions works, irregular appointments, misappropriation of funds without caring for laid-down govt rules and going against college management rules. Even his Ph D degree is creating doubts, sources said.

Sources said that in the political science dept, an unreserved post has been converted to reserved post without proper approval from authority. A candidate with two gold medals, PhD and NET cleared candidates were deprived from the selection. The selection committee approved that it was unreserved post and selected that candidate. But when it was placed in the governing body, the reserved candidate got appointment letter. Sources said that if it was reserved post then unreserved candidate cannot be called for the interview.

Some new Assam-type buildings including some other works have been constructed during the tenure of the present principal. The expenditure amount for this construction was over Rs 1 crore. The principal has not bothered to follow the master plan which has been approved by NAAC. There have been few tender advertisement done for construction works. Rather the work has been given to his own person in false name. The principal didn’t follow the exact procedure in utilising the funds. Even the building has no structural engineering. From which head of account the expenses have been incurred insn’t really known.

Students are presently facing lots of problem regarding water, especially the Science students. As the Science students have to do lot of laboratory work, ironically, there is no water on the college premises, as all the water had been to contractors for the construction of buildings. As per rules, the contractors have to buy water from other source. But they are utilising college compound water with due permission from the principal. As a result the students are facing water scarcity in the college.

On 13th April 2007, Bimalanshu Roy, ex-MLA of Silchar organised a press meet where it was raised that construction done in the college is illegal. In that meet, Roy said that the meeting is not from the party side but from an alumnus. He said that the principal, Dr BB Das has incurred an expenditure of Rs 1.28 crore is the Assam type building. For him, it is totally mis-utilisation of funds. In the present scenario everybody seeks RCC-type buildings but Assam-type building at present stage with huge funds is not viable. It has created curiosity among the masses for such on initiative.

Sources said that all college staff including teaching and non-teaching staffs have become frustrated with behaviour of the principal. He doesn’t know how to talk with a lady teacher. He is close to the contractors rather than the staffs. He smokes continuously on the college premises which is illegal according to the rule of an academic institutions.

Dr BB Das has done PhD from Manipur University in Bio-Chemistry. Biochemistry requires lots of laboratory work. But it is interesting that there has been no leave of application during his research work. So, it is really questionable how he managed his laboratory work without going to Manipur University. It has drawn the attention of Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) to investigate the matter.

Instant money order system introduced in Silchar HPO
From Our Correspondent Assam Tribune
KARIMGANJ, July 6 – Instant Money Order (IMO), the web-based system of money transmission in a flash has been introduced for the first time in Silchar Head Post Office (HPO).

At a simple function held in Silchar HPO recently, the IMO service was inaugurated by Vasumitra, the post-master general (PMG) of Dibrugarh region. He launched the service here by remitting rupees one thousand of the first customer to his particular addressee in Guwahati which the latter received in just 17 minutes. The online money transfer was witnessed by all present on the occasion.

While delivering his speech as the chief guest of the function, the PMG said, the Dept of Posts have introduced this new service to facilitate people for instant, safe and convenient transfer of money upto Rs 50,000 in any place of the country. Keeping pace with demand of the age, the Dept of Posts has been taking measures to modernise and improve the customer services. After initiating the Speed Post system in 1986, the department has introduced e-post, e-payment etc and the IMO is the new innovative measure figured in the list now. After Guwahati, Silchar HPO is the second in the State to have the IMO service, said the PMG.

The instant money order is the instant online money transfer under which money upto Rs 50,000 can be remitted to any place of the country. Its salient features are: (1) first to collect 16 digits number from the IMO post office, (2) then to inform the recipient of the 16 digit IMO number, (3) money will be paid to the receiver at the destination IMO post office on presentations of 16 digit IMO number and proof of photo identity and lastly money can be collected at any IMO centre in India.

The inaugural function was also addressed by BSNL general manager (Silchar SSA) and the Sr Suptd of post offices Cachar division.

Barak cut off: Centre to rush in essential items
From Our Spl Correspondent, Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, July 3 – The Centre has agreed to accord top priority to transportation of essential commodities to Barak Valley pending restoration of the snapped rail link. A review meeting convened by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today reviewed the stock position and supply lines available to stock pile food commodities, fuel and medicine, besides deployment of security forces in the vulnerable areas.

Initials reports by district administration as well as Railways indicated that line may not be restored before three months.

The Action Plan included proposal to operate 200 trucks daily to Barak Valley to pile up the stock of essential items. The Indian Air Force may also be pressed into service to fly essential supplies including medicine. The meeting reviewed the stock position of various items in the Valley, and also in Mizoram and Tripura.

The meeting convened by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, TKA Nair was attended by Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise Minister, Santosh Mohan Dev, State Revenue Minister, Dr Bhumidhar Barman, State Chief Secretary, PC Sarma, top officials of the Home, Railways, Consumer Affairs, Food and Civil Supplies Ministries, besides the Army and BRO, among others.

The Centre also reviewed the deployment of Central Para-military forces and some additional forces are likely to be re-deployed around the site of the accident to secure the area, as a confidence building measure, to ensure expeditious completion of the repair work, sources said.

Yesterday, the Union Heavy Industries Minister had pleaded for installation of a Bailey bridge at the accident site, deployment of additional forces, directions to complete the restoration at lightening speed. He had met the Prime Minister, Home Minister and UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi.

The Centre is going to request Assam Police and Meghalaya Police to provide security cover to convoys of truck carrying essential commodities into the region.

The Railway Ministry has sought three months’ time to repair the bridge. It also urged the State Government to ensure permanent dwelling places to station the troops.

Silchar cricket camp begins
A STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati, July 4: The District Sports Association (DSA) Silchar has kickstarted the first-ever summer coaching camp for various age group probables by any sports association in the state under the tutelage of the Assam Cricket Academy.
Its chief coach Rajesh Bora inaugurated the 21-day summer coaching camp at the Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium in Silchar on Monday. Over 80 under-15, under-17 and under-19 players are participating in the camp. DSA secretary Babul Hore said some more players would join them in a couple of days.

Silchar eyes SAI aid

IMTIAZ AHMED TELEGRAPH INDIA Guwahati, July 3: Equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Silchar District Sports Association has planned to move the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for a Special Area Games Centre in the district to give a thrust to the Olympic Movement in the Barak Valley. “We will seek suggestions on how to go about it from the director in-charge of SAI’s Guwahati regional sub-centre, Subhash Basumatary, who is coming here tomorrow for a DSA function. The vast Barak Valley area has of late produced some outstanding talents in various Olympic disciplines and SAI can provide a concrete boost,” DSA secretary Babul Hore told The Telegraph today. The Barak Valley does not have any SAI unit yet. The nearest one is in Aizawl in Mizoram. “We can offer full-fledged infrastructure and other facilities. What we need is expertise when it comes to coaches and some support with equipment. Given these, we can produce world class sportspersons from our area,” Hore said. The Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium complex in Silchar houses a swimming pool, indoor stadium and gym. “We are building a second gym in the stadium complex,” the DSA secretary added. “I am going to Silchar tomorrow for the first time. I will assess the infrastructure there and if it is up to the mark, I’ll definitely try to help the association enlist SAI’s support,” Basumatary told The Telegraph. “In my personal capacity, I am willing to extend the SAI’s network to the area,” Basumatary said. Assam Olympic Association secretary Mukut Medhi appreciated the efforts put in by the DSA and felt SAI’s assistance “could help to a great extent”.

Promises galore, time to deliver the goods
OUR CORRESPONDENT TELEGRAPH INDIA
Hailakandi
June 27: Lack of adequate drinking water, deplorable roads, an inadequate drainage system, unlit roads… the list of problems faced by residents of Hailakandi town seems to be endless.
The new chairman of Hailakandi Municipal Board, Ranjit Kumar Saha, promises to be the messiah to deliver the denizens of their litany of woes.
Saha has chalked out a plan for development of Hailakandi town.
He has taken the initiative to install streetlights in all major roads and arteries of the town. He added that financial constraint is the main handicap for the civic body to execute developmental projects.

SBI Silchar introduce more ATM's, new ATM at College Road