REGIONAL

AIZAWL : Around 210 kg of suspected manta ray gill plates worth an estimated Rs 2.3 crore were seized in Mizoram’s Champhai district, in one of the state’s biggest wildlife-related hauls, police said on Thursday. A pick-up truck was intercepted by the Special Task Force (STF) of the district police on the night of July 7, and dehydrated manta ray or mobula gill plates concealed in nine bags were recovered, they said. The occupants of the vehicle, Rajiv Hussein Laskar (26) and Jinuk Uddin Laskar (30), both residents of Silchar in Assam, were arrested, they added. The consignment was estimated to be worth around Rs 2.30 crore in the international black market and is believed to be among the largest wildlife contraband seizures ever made in Mizoram, police said in a statement. Gill plates are cartilaginous filtering structures found in the mouths of manta ray fish. Prized in parts of Asia for use in traditional medicine, they have become a lucrative wildlife product, contributing to increased exploitation. As the recovered items belong to species protected under wildlife laws, the seized consignment, vehicle and the two accused have been handed over to the Divisional Forest Officer of Champhai, which shares a border with Myanmar, for scientific examination and legal action, police said. In another major operation, a joint team of the Aizawl District Special Branch (DSB) and the Assam Rifles seized 1.95 kg of methamphetamine valued at Rs 1.60 crore from Lawipu in Aizawl on Monday. One person, identified as Marcus Lalvenpuia (19) — a resident of Luimawi village in Mamit district, was arrested in connection with the seizure, police said. Meanwhile, a team of the Saitual district police intercepted a truck at the Kualmawi check gate on Wednesday after its driver allegedly attempted to flee during routine checking. The driver, identified as Fulchand Ali Mondal (35) of Assam’s Dhubri district, was arrested and 102 grams of heroin worth about Rs 20.4 lakh concealed in nine soap cases inside the vehicle was recovered, the statement said. In separate operations, two Myanmar nationals were arrested with heroin in the state, police said. An SUV heading to Aizawl from Zokhawthar in Champhai district was intercepted on July 7, and 26 grams of heroin concealed inside a pot kept beneath the rear seat was recovered. Lalrinchhana (20), a resident of Khawmawi in Myanmar’s Chin state, was arrested from the vehicle, they said. A day earlier, a maxi-cab was intercepted in Zokhawthar and 48 grams of heroin hidden in a sling bag carried by a Myanmar national, identified as Thuanmawia (42) of Tshambhari village in Falam district, was recovered, they added. In another operation on July 5, personnel at the Champhai Khankawn police check gate intercepted a lorry and seized 2,960 kg of dry areca nuts worth Rs 10.36 lakh, suspected to have been illegally imported from Myanmar. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : The upcoming Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor plant of the Tata Group in Assam will receive a Rs 14,044 crore incentive from the government, the state Assembly was informed on Thursday. In a written reply to a query from Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi on capital subsidies given to the project, Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises Minister Bimal Borah said the Centre will provide Rs 10,255 crore as an incentive to the Tata Electronics facility. “The Assam government has additionally sanctioned Rs 3,789 crore for the project to ensure its long-term success,” he added. Borah said the plant is likely to generate a total employment of more than 27,000, including 15,000 direct jobs. With an investment of Rs 27,000 crore, the upcoming facility of Tata Electronics’ Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) is expected to produce up to 48 million semiconductor chips per day, employing advanced packaging technologies like flip chip and Integrated System in Package (ISIP). Situated at Jagiroad in Morigaon district of central Assam, the modern facility is being set up after the closure of the PSU firm Hindustan Paper Corp’s (HPC) Nagaon Paper Mill. (Source: PTI)        

IMPHAL : Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Wednesday said all communities in the state are citizens of India, stressing the need to ensure peaceful coexistence for development. He made the remarks while interacting with residents at the home of the village chief of Taphou Kuki village in Kangpokpi district after returning from a day-long visit to Senapati district. “Whether it is Kuki, Naga, Meitei or any other community, we are all citizens of India. Secondly, we are all Manipuri. You are Manipuri Kuki, I am Manipuri Meitei, and you are Manipuri Naga,” Singh told the gathering. Referring to his meeting earlier in the day with representatives of the United Naga Council (UNC) in Senapati, Singh thanked the organisation for facilitating the safe release of 14 Kuki youths. The youths had been held captive for nearly a month by armed groups in Senapati district before being released unharmed. The chief minister said the youths were ultimately saved by God’s grace, not by him. “As the Chief Minister of Manipur, it is my duty to find a way for all communities to live together in harmony,” he said, adding that peace was essential for the state’s development. “There can be no development where there is no peace,” Singh said. During his visit, Singh also made a brief stop at the Kangpokpi district headquarters, where he was welcomed by church leaders. Interacting with them, he appealed to all communities to forgive the past and work together to restore peace in the state. He said that, as a Meitei, he had been making efforts to counsel and restrain Meitei youths from violence for the sake of future generations, and expressed hope that church leaders would make similar efforts within their respective communities. Singh urged them to continue confidence-building initiatives and work collectively towards achieving lasting peace in Manipur. The church leaders later submitted a memorandum to Singh. On his return journey to Imphal, the CM also stopped at Namdilong in Imphal West district, where he met women from the Liangmei Naga community and heard their grievances. (Source: PTI)      

GUWAHATI : The Assam government is aiming at completing two lakh houses under the PMAY-Gramin scheme in the next 100 days, a minister said on Wednesday. Replying to a query by Congress MLA Tanzil Hussain, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Atul Bora said a total of 22 lakh houses have been constructed across the state since 2016 under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). “In the next 100 days, our target is to complete two lakh new houses and hand them over to the people,” Bora said. Hussain raised the issue of alleged irregularities in ‘geo-tagging’ of the houses and sought a probe into it. Bora said his department would look into the allegation and said that 20.99 lakh houses have so far been marked with ‘geo-tagging’. “We have done a survey of 34,99,144 houses in 2025-26. Out of those, the list of eligible ones is being prepared as per the PMAY-G framework for implementation,” he added. (Source: PTI)      

GANGTOK : Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba on Wednesday urged the Centre to expedite a key road project along the India-Nepal border and sought to know the progress on the long-pending reservation of seats for the Limboo and Tamang tribes in the state assembly. During a meeting with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in New Delhi, Subba submitted a detailed representation highlighting issues, according to a statement from his office. The MP stressed the need to prioritise the proposed all-weather road linking Border Outpost (BOP) Nambu with Border Pillar 34/1 and extending to BOP Hanspokhri. He said the project is crucial for improving connectivity, strengthening military logistics and enhancing operational preparedness along the India-Nepal border. Subba, the state’s lone Lok Sabha MP, also raised the long-pending demand for reservation of seats for the Limboo and Tamang Scheduled Tribes in the state assembly. The Limboo and Tamang communities were included in the Scheduled Tribes list in 2003, but reservation of assembly seats for them has remained unresolved for over two decades. While acknowledging that the issue is political and falls beyond the home secretary’s direct mandate, Subba sought an update on the steps being taken by the Centre to move the matter forward, the statement said. The MP also highlighted the challenging conditions faced by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel deployed in the region and sought extension of the Risk and Hardship (R1H1) Allowance to personnel of the 36 and 72 Battalions serving in high-altitude and glacial terrain. (Source: PTI)    

GUWAHATI : Over 60 per cent of 4,800 km embankments in Assam require repair or complete reconstruction as their carrying or flood resistance capacity has waned, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday. In a written reply to a query by BJP MLA Bhupen Roy, Water Resources Minister Susanta Borgohain said his department has so far constructed 4,800 km of embankments across the state. “Out of them, we have strengthened almost 1,800 km. We can say the carrying or flood resistance capacity of the remaining 3,000 km embankments has decreased,” he added. However, the Water Resources Department occasionally carries out maintenance work to keep these embankments in a working condition, Borgohain said. “In the last five years, the Water Resources Department enhanced the height and strengthened almost 863 km of embankment. These works are at the last stages of completion,” he added. “Presently, we are left with repair or reconstruction of the remaining 3,000 km of embankments,” the minister said. He also informed the House that approximately 1,000 km have been handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD) for development of embankment-cum-roads. (Source: PTI)    

KOHIMA : The Nagaland cabinet decided to convene a special session of the assembly to enact a law for the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA), while seeking the Centre’s approval for conferring legislative powers on the body. The cabinet, which held an emergency meeting with members of the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) and senior officials on Monday, also resolved to urge the Centre to enhance the proposed development package for the region from Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 10,000 crore. The decisions were announced in a statement issued by the Home Department amid concern over delays in implementing the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5 among the Centre, the Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) for creation of the FNTA. The decisions were taken as the ENPO announced a public rally and shutdown in the eastern districts on July 10 over the delay in the implementation of the accord. The government said the proposed legislation would incorporate provisions to confer legislative powers on the FNTA over transferred subjects and departments in the districts under its jurisdiction, subject to consultation with and approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and in conformity with the Constitution. It said the state had earlier drafted and introduced the FNTA Bill during the Budget session, but its passage was deferred after the MHA informed the government that constitutional issues relating to granting legislative powers to the authority were still under examination. The cabinet also reiterated that the safeguards under Article 371(A) were “sacred and sacrosanct” and would not be diluted or altered. A delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, along with ENLU members, will visit New Delhi to seek the Centre’s advice, approval and guidance on the matter, the statement said. The government also appealed to the ENPO to reconsider its proposed public rally and shutdown in the eastern districts on July 10 in view of the steps being taken to establish the FNTA. (Source: PTI)  

IMPHAL : Manipur DGP Mukesh Singh on Tuesday directed police officers to step up action against extortion activities and ensure speedy investigation and disposal of pending cases, a police statement said. Singh issued the directions during a visit to the Noney District Police Headquarters, where he reviewed the law and order situation, crime scenario and operational preparedness. “During the review, the DGP emphasised maintaining law and order, strengthening anti-extortion operations, and ensuring prompt investigation and disposal of pending cases through quality investigation. He urged officers to remain proactive in curbing extortion activities,” the statement said. The DGP also visited the CRPF camp at Lamdangmei in the hill district to assess the security situation in fringe areas and chaired a coordination meeting with commanding officers of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) deployed in the district. “Special emphasis was laid on ensuring adequate security for the movement of essential commodities along NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam),” it said. Later, Singh interacted with civil society leaders of Noney, assured full cooperation from the district police and appealed for continued public support in maintaining law and order and fostering lasting peace, the statement added. (Source: PTI)    

IMPHAL : Hundreds of demonstrators on Tuesday staged a protest here demanding that the Manipur government convene a special session of the Assembly to discuss measures for restoring peace and abrogate the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups. The protest was jointly organised by the Naga People’s Union Imphal, Imphal Naga Business Association, Imagi Meira and several other organisations, with participation from members of the Naga and Meitei communities. Addressing the gathering, Kshetrimayum Shanti, a women leader from Khwairamband market, said the joint participation of hill and valley communities in the protest was a positive step towards restoring peace. “The conflict cannot be resolved unless the SoO agreement with Kuki militant groups is withdrawn,” she said. Claiming that several rallies had been held and memorandums submitted to the authorities, Shanti alleged that the government had failed to respond adequately. The demonstrators also urged the state and central governments to take immediate steps to restore lasting peace and fulfil their responsibilities toward the people of the state. (Source: PTI)