dear friends,

Promoted by the Northeast Technical Education Society, the college would open in the academic year 2008-2009.

To be spread over a 42-bigha plot of land close to National Highway 37, the college would impart education in several branches including mechanical, electrical and electronics and computer science. It would be manned by faculty with rich experience in the field of technical education.

Chaudhury, while interacting with the promoters of the college expressed his confidence that the new centre of learning would fill a much-needed gap in technical education.

Dr P N Bora, State Programme Manager, NRHM, Assam, Dr Farzana Islam, State Facilitator, NRHM, Assam, Dr K K Khound, Medical Officer, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Ms Anuja Gupta, Management Expert, State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (SIHFW), Assam and Raju Tamang, Consultant, Regional Resource Centre (RRC), NRHM, NE Region will attend the workshop as Resource Persons, informs Anwar Hussain Laskar, District Programme Manager, NRHM, Cachar.

While the Dimpaur-Kohima link of 88 km would cost Rs 850 crore, the 33 km Azara Byrnihat link would cost Rs 200 crore and gauge conversion of Aluabari Siliguri would entail a cost of Rs 170 crore.

The declaration of the Bogibeel bridge and gauge conversion between Rangiya and Murkongselek as national projects has been another shot in the arm for the development of the area.

Stating this at a press conference today, the General Manager (open line) of the NFR AK Sanwalka said that with national project status being gained by the projects, work could be put on a fast track.

While introducing the Bill, Education Minister Ripun Bora said that the two engineering colleges set up in the State were totally inadequate to cater to the growing need of students in the State, and the existing capacity of technical education in the State for degree as well as diploma courses was significantly lower than the national average.

On the last 23rd February, the Asssamese students assembled at the puja venue for performing the puja. Decorative pendals with the odour of incense and flowers could attract the attention of the passers bye. There is a tradition of wearing traditional Assamese dresses in Saraswati Puja and many Assamese students followed the traditions in Delhi exhibiting Assamese culture.

The meeting was presided over by Dr Budhindra Barua, principal, Dhemaji College, in which noted citizens like ex-principal Diram Kumbang, principal, Silapathar Science College, Ranjit Saikia, AASU finance secretary Tolaram Gogoi, retired DC Suchen Pawe, AGP district president, Tolan Konwar and many others opined that as there is no State-level educational institute and any big industry in Dhemaji, the government should establish the proposed engineering college at Dhemaji which will pave way for equal development of the district.

I am originally from the district of Sivasagar and never had been to the north bank of the Brahmaputra until November 2005, when I travelled through Dhemaji to Silapathar as an emissary of the US-based Prabasi Asomiya charitable organization, UAONA, in support of the rural volunteer centre and its constructive efforts on behalf of the extremely deprived people of the region.