SAKP to launch a pen-down strike

From our Staff Reporter
SILCHAR, Aug 23: Keeping abreast with the rest of the State, the Barak Valley chapter of Soduo Asom Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) has decided to hold a pen-down strike on September 2-3 in protest against the State Government’s failure to table the report of the 5th Pay Commission headed by former bureaucrat Bhaskar Baruah. This was stated by SAKP’s central committee organizing secretary for Barak Valley Sudip Bhattacharjee.
He said, ‘‘More than 20 thousand State Government employees in the valley would not attend their duties on the said dates to mark their protest against the delay in publication of the commission report’’. In a protest rally held on August 14 in Barpeta, the SAKP decided to launch an agitation if the commission failed to table the report by August 31.

One arrested, fake currency seized
From our Staff Reporter
SILCHAR, Aug 23: The BSF arrested a person possessing fake currency amounting to Rs 92,000 in Aizwal recently. The arrested person identified as Jonan Sanga (30) was arrested by the BSF in coordination with the Mizoram Police. Jonan Sanga was waiting for his companion at the Treasury Square in Aizwal when he was arrested by the BSF jawans. On being searched, fake currency notes were recovered from his possession. The arrested has been handed over to the police.

20 families rendered homeless in Panchgram
From our Staff Reporter
SILCHAR, Aug 23: At least four villages near Panchgram were under serious threat as incessant rainfall for the last few days had accelerated erosion of the Barak river. According to sources, altogether 20 families were rendered homeless. Of late, erosion stretched to a range of 5 km, touching villages like Kalarpar, Das Colony, Katakhal and Tukargram. Satyendra Singha, Biswas Singha and Birendra Singha of Kalarpur, discovered cracks in their RCC building as erosion hit the entire area. The local residents said the problem of erosion has continued for the last one decade. The river banks are prone to erosion because of the meandering of the Barak river flowing through the alluvial plains. Already, 500 families were rendered homeless and relocated to other places. Further, if anti-erosion steps are not taken at the earliest, NH 53 connecting Cachar district would soon be washed away, sources said. Chief Engineer of State Water Resources Department NC Das and MLA Rahul Roy inspected the sites of erosion yesterday. They later informed that a project costing Rs 7.5 crore had already been sanctioned by the Central Water Commission for the construction of dykes to resist erosion. Roy confirmed that the work will commence from January 2010. Meanwhile, prior to the last general election, the Government officials claimed an amount of Rs 7 crore had been sanctioned for embankment work at Tukargram. However, no work have been done so far in this regard. THE SENTINEL