Paromita Editor

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has successfully restored the railway tracks damaged by recent floods at Simaluguri and adjoining areas in Sibsagar district under the Tinsukia Division, enabling the resumption of rail connectivity in the affected region. The restoration was completed through sustained efforts by NFR's engineering teams despite adverse weather conditions and the challenging flood situation. Train operations have now resumed in a phased manner with appropriate safety measures in place. Although the railway track has been restored, many local residents, including families with children, along with their belongings and livestock, continue to take shelter on or near the…

The Assam government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure flood relief and rehabilitation efforts are carried out with compassion and accountability so that affected families can rebuild their lives and livelihoods with dignity and resilience.In this regard, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota on Thursday chaired a high-level review meeting of the District Consultative Committee (DCC) through video conference with the District Commissioners of Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo and Golaghat to review the implementation of flood relief measures and steer a coordinated, multi-agency response aimed at expediting relief, rehabilitation and livelihood restoration.The meeting brought together district administrations, banks, insurance companies and line…

Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati) researchers have developed an optical sensing device that can instantly detect a variety of toxicants in water and other biological samples.Aligned with the Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission, this innovation addresses a key challenge of ensuring safe drinking water. While the mission aims to provide tap water to every household, maintaining water quality remains a challenge due to different water sources, which may contain heavy metals and other disease-causing bacteria.To address this challenge of water quality monitoring, the research team has developed a portable point-of-care testing device named E-Eye. Working as an electronic eye,…

Assam Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah on Wednesday visited the erosion affected Jamuguri area under the Bihpuria constituency in Lakhimpur district to assess the condition of the embankment damaged by the Brahmaputra's severe erosion and review the overall flood situation and protective measures. During the visit, the Minister held detailed discussions with officials of the Water Resources Department, the district administration, and other concerned authorities to review the progress of the emergency measures already undertaken and to chart out the course of action for the coming days. It may be mentioned that late Tuesday night, a section of the embankment at…

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai on Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs to assess the prevailing flood situation in Greater Guwahati and the National Highways passing through the city. The meeting was attended by the Commissioner & Secretary and Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Chief Executive Officer of GMDA, Commissioner of GMC, Commissioner and Special Secretary of the Public Works Roads Department (PWRD), officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and other concerned departments. During the meeting, the Minister reviewed…

Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Tuesday launched the State-level programme of the '10 Crore Drug-Free Pledge' mega campaign, a nationwide public awareness movement to be held from August 6 to August 20, organised by the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at its regional centre in Rupnagar, Guwahati. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Acharya lauded the initiative of the Brahma Kumaris to administer a drug-free pledge to 10 crore people across the country and described it as a significant contribution to the ongoing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. He appreciated the organisation's efforts in promoting spiritual awareness, moral values, family…

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda began a three-day visit to the Northeast on August 4 to assess the impact of floods, flash floods and cloudbursts and review relief, rehabilitation and healthcare measures in Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. During his August 4–6 visit, Nadda will inspect flood- and landslide-affected areas, relief camps and damaged infrastructure and interact with residents affected by the disasters. After arriving in Dibrugarh on Tuesday, Nadda is scheduled to visit Sivasagar and Charaideo in Assam on August 5. He will inspect flood-hit villages, relief camps, damaged agricultural land and houses and meet families…

A CRPF personnel allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, resulting in two fatalities and one injury before he took his own life.The incident has prompted an immediate and thorough investigation by local police and CRPF authorities.The incident took place at the CRPF's 34 Battalion camp in Katimari, Nagaon, at around 7 am, when Assistant Sub-Inspector (GD) Ballani Premabaram, who was on duty at the main gate, allegedly opened fire on his colleagues, police said.Premabaram later turned the weapon on himself and died at the spot.Head Constable (GD) Vishnu Prasad Baghel and Sub-Inspector (GD) Ramnawal Singh Yadav were killed in the…

Amid the devastating floods affecting several parts of Assam, Gauhati University has undertaken a timely initiative to safeguard the state’s rich cultural heritage by conserving invaluable Sanchipat manuscripts damaged by floodwaters at the historic Medhijan Shri Shri Gajala Satra in Sivasagar district. A dedicated team of experts from the University, led by Mr. Medini Mohan Gogoi of the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies and Mr. Dhanjit Talukdar of the Manuscript section of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui Library, is working to recover, conserve and protect several rare Sanchipat manuscripts. As part of the restoration process, the team is carefully separating, cleaning…

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) has alleged that the devastating floods in Upper Assam were not entirely the result of natural factors, claiming that illegal coal and stone mining, allegedly backed by political influence, contributed to the disaster. The peasant organisation has demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged nexus. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati KMSS general secretary Bidyut Saikia said the latest flooding could not be attributed only to cloudbursts or water flowing in from neighbouring states. Saikia alleged that extensive illegal open-cast mining in the hill areas bordering Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh had created large…