Assam Cabinet Clears Defence Park, CBI Flood Probe, ₹2,440 Paddy Rate; Tightens Polygamy Rules

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Cabinet has taken several crucial decisions pertaining to polygamy, defence park, ropeway, Zubeen Kshetra, CBI probe into the recent flashfood in Charaideo and Sivasagar, paddy procurement, etc.

Presided by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, the cabinet on Tuesday decided that departmental proceedings would be initiated against any government official found to have indulged in polygamy with proof, besides dismissing such officials and debarring them from any future government employment. 

Civil Service Conduct Rules regarding the matter too received nod from the cabinet.

In order to enable Assam capture a slice of the growing defence production industry in the country, the cabinet also okayed handing over 6,000 bigha of land near Nellie in Morigaon district to the Industries & Commerce Department. 

The land would be used for setting up a defence park where defence industries could be set up.  

In another crucial move, the cabinet also gave nod to signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by the Government of Assam with the Centre for ropeways.

A dedicated Ropeway Development Authority would be set up, where the Centre would hold 51% stake and the state government 49%.

Further, in addition to the ongoing ropeway project from Kamakhya railway station to Kamakhya temple atop Nilachal Hills, new ropeway projects would be taken up between Gangananagar and Bhubon Pahar in Barak Valley, Agnigarh Pahar and Bharavi Mandir in Sonitpur district, and at Jatinga in Dima Hasao district. 

The cabinet also decided to hand over the probe into the flashfloods in Charaideo and Sivasagar districts earlier this year to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and find the root cause.

Dispur will submit a request to the CBI within the next 10 days to take up the case.

Clearing land-related confusion regarding Zubeen Kshetra, the cabinet has given nod to regularising two bighas of land adjacent to the site after acquisition. The private party owning the land has been given an alternative site. 

Also, as per the cabinet decision, the state government will give approval to Zubeen Kshetra project in the next 10 days. 

Removing hurdles with regard to promotion, the cabinet also okayed simplifying rules governing promotion of state government officials. This will enable the government to give jobs to two lakh youth. 

To monitor government schemes, the cabinet decided to constitute 15 councils. These councils will give suggestions to Dispur regarding their implementations.

The cabinet also resolved to provide incentives to the state's paddy farmers. Accordingly, it was decided that the state government would provide Rs 199 per qunital of paddy to farmers, which is in addition to the Rs 2,241 per quintal given by the Government of India. The farmers would thus receive Rs 2,440 per quintal.

On the other hand, rules of the Satellite City Act too have received cabinet approval, while it was decided that the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in Silchar Municipal Corporation would be reserved on a rotation basis. 

While both the posts would remain open for general category candidates for the initial five years, they would be kept reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates for the next five years, for Scheduled Tribes candidates for the following five years and women for the subsequent five years, before being opened to general category candidates again thereafter. In this way, the seats would keep rotating.

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