First optical fibre link between India, Myanmar opened

Mandalay (Myanmar), Feb 9 (PTI) India and Myanmar today operationalised their first optical fibre telephone link, a USD seven million state-of-the-art network that will bring the two countries closer and give a boost to bilateral economic cooperation.

Watched by Vice President Hamid Ansari, Myanmar's Communication Minister Brig Gen Thein Zaw made the first call to Indian Telecom Minister A Raja in New Delhi, applauding the quality of the project funded by India and executed by public sector Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).

The high-speed broadband link for voice and data transmission connects Mandalay, Myanmar's second most important commercial hub after Yangon, and the border town of Moreh in Manipur.

The two towns are separated by a distance of 500 km.

TCIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Rakesh K Upadhyay later told PTI that the call rates between India and Myanmar are bound to fall sharply with the installation of the optical fibre link between Mandalay and Moreh.

Myanmar announced it was planning to construct optical fibre network in the entire area along its border with India which could then have another direct link also with China, Laos and Thailand.

Source: PTI

Speed-breakers demanded

DIBRUGARH, Feb 7: The Barbaruah Regional Students’ Union (BRSU) has threatened to launch agitation in Barbarbarua and its adjoining region if the district administration fails to construct speed-breakers on the National Highway-37 at Lepetkata Chariali and in front of Barbaruah primary health centre, Barbarua Development Block within 15 days to avoid further accidents.
Unabated plying of heavy vehicles engaged in the construction work of the BCPL project has enhanced the risk of road accident in the area.
In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner today, the students’ organization appealed to the authority to make it a mandatory for fixing number plates in both fronts and rear portion of the vehicles carrying river silt to the BCPL projects. The BRSU also demanded that all vehicle owners should use polythene cover on silt-load while carrying it to the project site.
To facilitate the students, the BRSU further appealed to the authority to put restriction on the movement of such heavy vehicles from morning 8.30 am to 9.30 am and from 2 pm to 3 pm in the evening on the National Highway 3

Labourers’ strike hits Tinsukia

Labourers’ strike hits Tinsukia

TINSUKIA, Feb 7: The trade activities in Siding Bazaar and Chamber Bazaar have been affected due to labourers’ strike here.
The strike of the labourers of Siding Bazaar–Chamber Road, Tinsukia has also affected the loading-unloading of goods in the trade hub of upper Asom. It may be mentioned that the labourers went on strike after a thela-puller was detained by police for manhandling a trader of Siding Bazaar, Tinsukia.
It may be further mentioned that on Thursday last, Bajrang Agarwalla, a trader, while entering the Siding Bazaar in his car, had an argument with a thela-puller Binoy Rai leading to manhandling.
Later, the trader had filed an FIR against the thela-puller Rai at Tinsukia police station. The police picked up the accused person. The labourers became angry at the alleged misbehaviour towards their fellow-labourer and over his detention by police. To protest it, they went on strike since yesterday demanding arrest of trader Bazrang Agarwalla and three of his accomplices.
On the other hand, due to the intervention of some members of All Assam Bhojpuri Yuba-Chatra Parishad the thela-puller was released.
It is mentioned that with their strike around 500 labourers affected Tinsukia, the commercial hub of upper Asom, where majority of business establishments lies and from where goods are sent to several destinations of upper Asom and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh.

Police arrests double-digit lottery racketeers

DIBRUGARH, Feb 7: The Dibrugarh police has renewed their operation against racketeers of double-digit lotteries in and around the town from last two weeks.
Meanwhile, the police team under the direct supervision of officer-in-charge of Dibrugarh police station Deva Ranjan Sarma arrested 22 persons from various parts of the town running double-digit lotteries.
The police arrested 14 double digits racketeers last week and sent them to jail custody.
As a part of their operation, police conducted raid on some joints in Paltanbazar area and arrested eight persons who were identified as Kishore Shah, Narayan Rai, Rajendra Yadav, Jaipal Sarma, Majibur Rahman, Jagat Moran, Pavan Singh, and Ram Narayan Rout.
All the arrested persons later sent to jail custody