Latest news with #Baruah
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Assam govt demolishes IHM campus to clear waterbody in Guwahati
Guwahati, The Institute of Hotel Management was demolished on Monday to free Silsako Beel in Guwahati city, officials said. Assam govt demolishes IHM campus to clear waterbody in Guwahati The administration is eyeing to clear the natural waterbody from various structures, both private and government, to mitigate flood problems in the state capital, said Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah. "This is a difficult yet necessary decision. While IHM has served the city in the education sector, the pressing need to safeguard Guwahati from devastating floods demands urgent action. We are acting for the greater good of the city's future," he told reporters here. The IHM, a central government institute and spread over 15 bighas , is being relocated to a temporary building on GS Road, Baruah said. "We have allotted 30 bighas to IHM in Sonapur area. We will construct their infrastructure and hand it over to the institute," he added. Baruah said that eviction and clearance work at IHM marks an important development in making the 800-bigha reservoir project at Silsakoo, envisioned to address the city's chronic urban flooding. Demolition of the IHM campus started with classroom blocks. Hostel structures and other ancillary facilities will be dismantled in the coming days, he added. "This is the largest single institutional demolition within the reservoir zone. We aim to complete the process within 15 days, carrying out shifting and demolition simultaneously," he said. Earlier, the government had evicted the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development and Institute of Cooperative Management from Silsako Beel. "The remaining two facilities one tennis court and Ginger hotel will also be evicted from the location. We are in discussion with them right now," the minister said. He said the reservoir site, spread across approximately 800 bighas , is expected to be excavated during the upcoming dry season. The government in 2008 had declared Silsako Beel, surrounded by Chachal, Hengerabari, Pathar Quarry and Satgaon areas, a protected waterbody in Guwahati through an Act and prohibited any construction or settlement in around 1,800 bighas of lake area. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Assam govt demolishes IHM campus to clear waterbody in Guwahati
Guwahati, Jul 21 (PTI) The Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) was demolished on Monday to free Silsako Beel (lake) in Guwahati city, officials said. The administration is eyeing to clear the natural waterbody from various structures, both private and government, to mitigate flood problems in the state capital, said Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah. 'This is a difficult yet necessary decision. While IHM has served the city in the education sector, the pressing need to safeguard Guwahati from devastating floods demands urgent action. We are acting for the greater good of the city's future," he told reporters here. The IHM, a central government institute and spread over 15 bighas (almost five acres), is being relocated to a temporary building on GS Road, Baruah said. 'We have allotted 30 bighas (almost 10 acres) to IHM in Sonapur area. We will construct their infrastructure and hand it over to the institute," he added. Baruah said that eviction and clearance work at IHM marks an important development in making the 800-bigha reservoir project at Silsakoo, envisioned to address the city's chronic urban flooding. Demolition of the IHM campus started with classroom blocks. Hostel structures and other ancillary facilities will be dismantled in the coming days, he added. 'This is the largest single institutional demolition within the reservoir zone. We aim to complete the process within 15 days, carrying out shifting and demolition simultaneously," he said. Earlier, the government had evicted the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKDISCD) and Institute of Cooperative Management (ICM) from Silsako Beel. 'The remaining two facilities — one tennis court and Ginger hotel — will also be evicted from the location. We are in discussion with them right now," the minister said. He said the reservoir site, spread across approximately 800 bighas (over 264 acres), is expected to be excavated during the upcoming dry season. The government in 2008 had declared Silsako Beel, surrounded by Chachal, Hengerabari, Pathar Quarry and Satgaon areas, a protected waterbody in Guwahati through an Act and prohibited any construction or settlement in around 1,800 bighas (over 595 acres) of lake area. PTI TR TR MNB view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 19:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
As top ULFA(I) leader joins BJP, what it means for peace talks in Assam
Manoj Rabha — alias Drishti Rajkhowa — who joined the BJP earlier this week was the second-in-command of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) before he surrendered in 2020. Rabha was inducted into the BJP along with a set of other leaders, including the Aam Aadmi Party's former Assam state-in-charge Manoj Dhanowar. Speaking about Rabha's entry into the BJP, Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia said he has 'assimilated into our mainstream society for quite a while now'. 'He has left guns and bullets and entered the politics of ballots. What we have been saying for a very long time is 'Bye bye to bullet and welcome to ballot'… We, along with the central government, are always telling Paresh Baruah [ULFA(I)'s commander-in-chief] that bullets and talks cannot go together. The Constitution does not permit it. There can be talks… That is what we want, but Assam has to be peaceful,' he said. One of the BJP's biggest talking points in Assam is the numerous peace pacts its governments have signed with various insurgent groups in the state, but ULFA(I) under Baruah's leadership is the only one that has repeatedly refused to enter peace talks. A pro-talks faction of the ULFA had signed a tripartite peace pact with the Union and state government in December 2023, but the ULFA(I) has resisted coming to the table for talks without discussing sovereignty for Assam. Rabha, 55, is from Western Assam's Goalpara district. He was known to be a close confidant of Baruah and was the deputy commander-in-chief of ULFA (I). His surrender in November 2020 had been hailed by the central government as 'a major blow' to the outfit that was 'ushering a new dawn of peace in the region'. He had been an active member of the outfit for three decades, was a well-known Improvised Explosive Device (IED) expert, and headed the outfit's operations in Western Assam. His parents — Dhaneswar Rabha and Sushila Rabha — had been killed in 1999 in the infamous 'secret killings' of Assam. These were extra-judicial killings of close relatives of numerous ULFA leaders by unidentified killers between 1998 and 2001. Rabha's formal induction into the BJP comes amidst criticism over the government's handling of the ULFA(I). It took place days after the ULFA(I) claimed that its camps in Myanmar along the border in India had been bombed in a 'drone attack' by Indian forces in which three of its senior functionaries had been killed. While the Indian Army has denied information on such an operation and the Assam state government has distanced itself from it, the alleged operation has drawn criticism from both civil society groups and opposition parties in Assam as being detrimental to the cause of facilitating talks with the ULFA (I). 'Sudden and unprovoked attacks of this nature could disrupt the peace process, which neither the people of Assam nor AASU desires,' the All Assam Students' Union had said in a statement. Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Asom Jatiya Parishad have also questioned the implications of the incident on future peace talks. Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi claimed that 'precision strikes' could not have taken place without the knowledge of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Sarma. He asked: 'What is the reason that the approach of dialogue and peace has been abandoned in favour of killing youths from Assam in precision attacks?'
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Under 'attack', ULFA(I) seeks new hideouts
With militant outfit , United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) camps along the Indo-Myanmar border under attack by the Indian Army resulting in severe casualties, the outfit is on the look for new hideouts. Sources in the security agencies hinted that the outfit's chief Paresh Baruah is warming up to Bangladesh . ULFA (Independent) had claimed that at least three senior soldiers were killed, and 19 others injured after the Indian Army launched a massive operation along the Indo-Myanmar border. The Army, however, claimed that it had not carried out any such operation. Defence sources said, "no inputs with the Indian Army on such operation." ULFA (Independent), also known as the anti-talk faction of ULFA, in a statement stated, "The Indian Army had launched drone attacks between Longwa in Indo -Myanmar border near Nagaland and Pangsau Pass along the international border near Arunachal Pradesh. The attack took place between 2 am to 4 am on Sunday. The outfit claimed that there was another attack later in the day on Sunday. The mobile camps of the banned outfit and RPF/PLA camps were affected severely as the Indian forces have dropped about 150 bombs in the entire area using drones made in Israel and France". Sources in the Intelligence agencies said, "Myanmar was the prime base of ULFA ever since 2012 when the Bangladesh government flushed out rebels. Even their bases in Bhutan were dismantled by India's security forces, along with the Bhutanese army, in 2003. However, the region where the Northeastern rebels are based in Myanmar is in turmoil owing to internal feud making it difficult for the rebels to stay there." Sources said, "ULFA chief Paresh Baruah is warming up to Bangladesh. Baruah is shuttling between the jungles of Yunnan province in China and Myanmar. Last year, the Bangladesh High Court reduced the death sentence of Paresh Baruah to life imprisonment in the 2004 Chattogram arms smuggling case." Sources in the Assam police said: "There have been feelers following the strike on bases. ULFA might carry out retaliatory strike or sabotage activities in the run-up to Independence Day celebrations in Assam."
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Drone attack on Ulfa a setback to China-Pak's plan to give new life to insurgency in Northeast
New Delhi: Army's drone attack on United Liberation Front of Asom 's eastern headquarters in Myanmar is a setback to China and Pakistan's plan to revive its activities and other insurgent groups in Bangladesh and Myanmar eyeing to resuscitate insurgency in the northeastern states. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka, the Pakistan Army and ISI, with tacit support from China, has been plotting to revive insurgency in NE by reactivating insurgent groups, according to persons familiar with the matter. In March, China allegedly facilitated the movement of self-exiled Ulfa supremo Paresh Baruah from Ruili (close to Arunachal Pradesh-Myanmar border) to Xishuangbanna Dai region of Yunnan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Biegiem do IKEA na wyprzedaż! IKEA Kliknij tutaj Undo ET had recently reported that Baruah is enthusiastic of Beijing's proposed 60,000 MW Hydroelectric Dam Project on Yarlung Tsangpo River that flows as the Brahmaputra in Assam. Xishaungbanna Dai Autonomous Area in Yunnan Province houses a large number of Tai/Dai people who have ethnic connections with Ahoms. There are reports that Baruah could have access to Mong la in Myanmar, which is tightly controlled by China by its proxy group NDAA (a group in Myanmar's Shan region). Live Events It is learnt that northeastern rebels are still based in hideouts in the mountains north of Singkaling Hkamti in Myanmar's Sagaing region.
