Missing mentally ill Bangladeshi woman finally reunites with family

Guwahati, July 1: A mentally ill Bangladeshi woman who went missing five years ago finally reunited with her family members.

46-year-old Purabi Mahaldar who went missing from her home five years ago in Jessore district of Bangladesh was traced in Assam’s Cachar district and the Indian authority on Tuesday sent back her to Bangladesh through Sutarkandi International Border Point in Karimganj district along Ind-Bangladesh border.

The woman was traced by some locals in Cachar district a week before and handed over her to local police.

The woman was living a nomadic life in Cachar district by begging from people to survive and sleeping at roadside areas on the night.

The Cachar district administration informed Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner at Guwahati and the Bangladesh government officials admitted that the woman was missing five years ago.

After completing all legal formalities, the Cachar and Karimganj district administration on Tuesday sent back the woman to Bangladesh through Sutarkandi International Border point.

A police official of Karimganj district said that, after completing legal procedures she was sent back to Bangladesh.

“The mentally ill woman was traced in Cachar district by some locals while she was roaming. The Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner at Guwahati had also issued a travel pass for the woman,” the police official said.

Recently, Indian government sent back over 100 Bangladeshi nationals who stuck in Assam and other parts of North Eastern region due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic Assam government changes state academic session

Guwahati, June 29: In view of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Assam government on Monday decided to extend the current academic session up to March 31, 2021.

During a meeting of Assam cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal decided that the new academic session in the state will start from April next year.

Assam government spokesperson and state Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the academic session in Assam starts from January to December, but due to COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the Assam cabinet decided to extend it up to March 2021.

“The new academic session will be started from April, 2021. With disruptions due to COVID19, the CoM has decided to change the academic year of schools from January and ends in December to April-March,” Chandra Mohan Patowary said.

The Assam minister also said that, in a major decision to boost Aatma Nirbhar Assam, the state cabinet has passed the MSME Ordinance which puts an end to the process of taking multiple permissions for setting up MSMEs in the state for next 3 years.

“Paving the way for new investments, employment and trade, the state cabinet has allocated 200 bighas of Ashok Paper Mill at Jogighopa for India’s first International Multi-Modal Logistic Hub. The state cabinet has approved a loan of Rs 338.28 crore from NABARD for development works in various sectors. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the state cabinet has also passed an ordinance for extension of dates of GST return. The cabinet has also approved 15th Finance Commission Grant ratio as 70 per cent for Gaon Panchayat, 15 per cent for Anchalik Panchayat and 15 per cent for Zila Parishad,” Patowary said.

He further said that the other decisions taken by the state cabinet are – reduction in Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) for mines auction to 0.5% for general category and 0.25% for SCs/STs, from now onwards, employees of Assam Bhawans will be transferable.

The Assam cabinet also amended the Assam College Employees Provincialisation Act 2005 to enable retired employees to receive a pension in return of their CPF and the Bengal-Agra-Assam Civil Court Act 1887 by which financial limit of cases has been increased in lower courts from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh.

Floodwaters submerged 65 per cent areas in Kaziranga National Park, five animals including two rhinos died

Guwahati, June 29: The flood situation in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park – the global stronghold of one-horned rhinoceros worsened on Monday after floodwaters inundated more than 65 per cent areas of the world heritage site.

Five animals including two one-horned rhinos have died in Kaziranga National Park during the current flood.

The forest personnel deployed in the national park have recovered two carcasses of one honed rhinos inside the park area so far.

Three hog deer have died after being hit by vehicles.

According to the park authorities, floodwaters have submerged 146 camps out of total 223 camps in the park.

Three camps of the park have been vacated due to the current flood situation.

On the other hand, many wild animals including one-horned rhino, deer, elephant have taken shelter at highlands constructed inside the park and many animals come outside the park and moved towards the nearby Karbi Anglong hills area after the deluge hit most of the areas of the park.

Many animals including herds of wild elephant, hog deer, swamp deer have moved to the nearby Karbi hills areas by crossing the National Highway 37 which is passing through the national park.

The park authorities and district administration have restricted speed limit of all vehicles on National Highway 37 and introduced time cards to vehicles coming from both sides of the national park to provide security to the wild animals.

On the other hand, over 9.67 lakh people of 22 districts of Assam have been affected in the second wave of flood.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reports, the floodwaters have submerged 72,246 hectares of croplands and affected 9.67 lakh people 2086 villages in 22 districts – Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Morigaon, Hojai, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, West Karbi Anglong.

Nearly 29,000 people have taken shelter at 144 relief camps set up by the administration in the flood-hit districts.

BSF apprehends 8 cattle smugglers with nine cattle heads along Indo-Bangladesh border

Guwahati, June 29: The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel had apprehended eight cattle smugglers along with nine cattle heads in Assam South Salmara Mankachar district along Indo-Bangladesh border.

According to the reports, based on specific information, the BSF personnel deployed at Sishumara and Boreralga border outpost had launched operation along riverine areas along Indo-Bangladesh border on Sunday night and caught six cattle smugglers.

A top BSF official said that the Border Security Force personnel recovered six cattle heads while the apprehended persons were trying to smuggle the cattle to Bangladesh.

The apprehended cattle smugglers were identified as Meher Saiful Haque, Rafiqul Islam, Rafiqul Islam, Safidur Islam, Md After Ali and Nuruddin and they are hailing from South Salmara Mankachar District.

In a separate operation, the BSF personnel had apprehended two more cattle smugglers along with three cattle heads near Brahmaputra riverine areas of Sishumara while they were trying to smuggle the cattle to Bangladesh.

The apprehended persons were identified as  Ziarul Sheikh and Ashadul Islam.

According to the reports, the Border security force personnel had seized over 15,000 cattle at the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam and Meghalaya in last year.