Guwahati: With the law and order situation showing little signs of improving due to increased militant activities in the North Cachar Hills district, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is visiting the district on Friday to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
Gogoi had only last Monday reviewed the situation in the district and directed the Army and police to launch a joint operation against the militants. Gogoi’s directive, incidentally, was preceded by a threat issued by three major construction companies to withdraw from construction of the 120-km stretch of the East-West Corridor passing through the district.
In addition to a series of violent incidents that has claimed over 50 lives over six weeks, the district is also reeling from an ethnic strife between the Dimasa and Naga tribes. At least 15 persons have been killed and over 700 rendered homeless in attacks and counter-attacks on different villages of the two tribes since April.
The Railways is struggling to run trains on the Lumding-Silchar hill section that passes through the district due to repeated militant attacks. While passenger train operations through the district have remained suspended for more than a month, movement of goods trains too has been severely affected. Suspension of foodgrain trains has led to a foodgrain shortage in southern Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and southern Manipur.
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