Fresh wave of floods this year is creating havoc in many parts of upper Asom, particularly in Jorhat, Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh districts. The Central Water Commission said the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger level at Nimati Ghat in Jorhat. CWC sources said water levels of the Brahmaputra will cross the danger mark if rainfall continues at Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh. "In eventuality of waters of the Brahmaputra rising in the next few days, the famed Majuli island would be the first to be inundated,' CWC sources said.
A Dibrugarh based social organisation called Devoted Ethical Society Towards Integrating National Youths (DESTINY) organised an AIDS awareness programme at Sri Durga Mandir High School, Paltan Bazaar, Dibrugarh on June 7. Dr Kharga Nanda Handique and Md Abidur Rahman, counselor, Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh attended the programme as resource persons. More than hundred people participated in the awareness programme, a press release stated.
Normal life was crippled in Assam during the 12-hour bandh called by the AGP, BJP and supported by Left parties in protest against the unprecedented price rise of essential commodities, including the soaring cost of petroleum products. No major incidents were reported during the period. The bandh that started at five in the morning resulted in near-nil attendance in important government offices, while business and educational institutions remained closed, and the major highways saw a sharp fall in vehicular traffic.
The state unit of All India Youth Federation (AIYF) has alleged widespread irregularities in the various projects of the forest department. The Joint Secretary of the AIYF state unit, Subhash Dutta, said that there were numerous instances of misappropriation of funds by the department. He made the claim after receiving the details applied for under the Right to Information Act 2005.
The State Government today declared the endangered Gangetic river dolphin as the State Aquatic Animal. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced this during a World Environment Day celebration here today. The decision would add teeth to the conservation measures initiated by the State Government to save this endangered species, which was a longstanding demand of the various environmentalist groups across the world.
The Eastern Assam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EACCI) has said that the ban of plastics by the district administration goes against the government policy. The body mentioned this while objecting to the prohibitory order on the manufacture, sale and use of plastic carry bags within the district. While recognizing the menace caused by the disposal of these bags, it laid the blame on the inefficiency of the municipality and lack of civic sense among the people.
The district administration has chalked out an elaborate programme in the town for the World Environment Day. However, the town suffers from the fact that there is no scientific garbage disposal system in place.
After a brief lull, the recalcitrant herd of wild elephants, which has been wreaking havoc in the riverine areas of the district since the last one decade, is back to its marauding ways. The jumbos have been seen in Neamati area and Mithaichapori in the vicinity.
