Naga People's Front leader TR Zeliang to replace Neiphiu Rio as new Nagaland CM

Senior Naga People's Front (NPF) leader and Minister T.R. Zeliang will be the next Nagaland chief minister replacing Neiphiu Rio, a party leader said Wednesday      the 14^th May, 2014.

They (NPF legislators) have chosen Zeliang as chief minister after Noke Wangnao (public health engineering minister) withdrew himself from the race (for the post of chief minister).

Wangnao's decision will pave way for a smooth transition and will ensure unity of the party to provide a stable government to work towards economic development and achieving permanent peace.

The swearing-in of Zeliang is likely to take place after the formation of the new government at the Centre.

Zeliang, 62, a confidant of Rio, is currently the planning and co-ordination minister in the Rio-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition, comprising the Nationalist Congress Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the JD-(U) and independent legislators.

In the 60-member Nagaland assembly, the NPF has 38 members, the NCP four, the BJP and the Janata Dal (United) have two members each, while there are eight independent legislators. The opposition Congress has eight legislators.

"I am ready to accept to take the responsibility as chief minister to ensure coherence and unity in the NPF in the interest of the state," Zeliang said.

Exuding confidence that Zeliang will provide good governance to all sections of people, Rio promised the NPF and all legislators of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland of his fullest cooperation.

Wangnao said he opted out from the race in the greater interest of the party, the stability of the government and also in the larger interest of the people of the state.

Tripura- Bangla package tour begins

Taking the advantage of friendly relation with Bangladesh, a private tour operator of Tripura has launched package tour covering ten major destinations of Bangladesh.

The major destination included Cox’s Bazaar, Dhaka, Sunderban, Tungi Para, Chittagong, Sylhet and Jamuna Setu at an affordable cost with most comfortable and reliable stay and travel in Bangladesh.

A private entrepreneur of Tripura jointly with a tour operator of Bangladesh starts the venture and this is the first such initiative for tourism industry in Northeast India.

The left front government in Tripura has been pursuing Ministry of External affairs to strengthen Agartala - Dhaka bus service and extension of direct bus connection up to Kolkata.

Dhaka - Agartala international bus service, operated by Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC), was stalled from November 2013 due to some management problem though average 25 people have been traveling regularly between Agartala and Dhaka through Akhaura.

Newly constructed Rabindra Bhavan to be inaugurated on May 9 by CM

Massive arrangement has been made by the Tripura government to mark the inauguration programme of newly constructed ‘Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan’ on May 9 next on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, two cultural rallies will be organized involving artists, writers and all sections of people of the state.

The first rally will start from City Centre, Agartala and pass through Battala, Fire Service Choumuhani-Bidurkarta and gather at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan. Similarly, second rally will start from Nazrul Kalakshetra and passes through Ganaraj Choumuhani and meet at Rabindra Bhavan simultaneously.

At morning 9.30 the inauguration programme will start in presence of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Anil Sarkar, vice chairman of Tripura state planning commission, Mangsajoi Mog, chairman of TTAADC, Dr Prafullajit Sinha, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), ICA Minister Bhanulal Saha along with all the award winner of ‘Rabindra Puraskar’.

The 14 days long cultural programmes will start from the evening of May 9 at the big auditorium of Rabindra Bhavan. Eminent artists from Bangladesh, Kolkata, Assam, New Delhi and other parts of the country along with artists of Tripura will participate in the several cultural programmes to pay tribute to Rabindra Nath Tagore from May 9 to May 23 next.

It may be recalled here that on April 28, Tripura government received approval letter from Election Commission of India (ECI) for the inauguration of Rabindra Bhavan. Earlier, Tripura government sought ECI intervention and special permission to inaugurate the Bhavan during the period of electoral code of conduct.

The old Rabindra Bahvan was inaugurated on August 15, 1972 by the then Chief Minister Sukhamay Sengupta with seating capacity of 755 persons.

The foundation stone for present new building was laid on May 9 in the year 2010 and the newly Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan has been constructed with a cost of Rs 3215.62 lakh by the NBCC. In the new building there are two auditoriums, the big one has seating capacity of 1310 persons and the small auditorium has 411 seating capacity along with art gallery, VIP room and other state-of-art modern facilities.

High Court cancels 10,323 under graduate, post graduate and graduate teachers

The Tripura High Court on Wednesday issued order on the case relating to recruitment in Under-Graduate, Graduate and Post-Graduate Teachers under the Department of School Education and cancelled the entire recruitment process of 10,323 teachers. The Court said that all candidates inducted in the said posts can continue service till December 31, 2014.

The Court order said that all recruitment made under the Department of School Education in the past three years under the categories of Under Graduate Teachers, Graduate Teachers and Post Graduate Teachers would be held cancelled after December 31, 2014. A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice SC Das ordered the government to start fresh recruitment process soon.

A total of 1100 teachers were recruited in the posts of PGT, 4617 were recruited in the posts of Graduate Teachers (GT), 4606 were recruited in the posts of Under Graduate Teachers (UGT). The Tripura Pradesh Congress and Tripura Progressive Grameen Congress welcomed the decision of the High Court and sought fresh recruitment process.

Virat retains top spot in ICC ODI rankings

Star batsman Virat Kohli has retained his numero - uno spot in the ICC rankings of ODI batsmen while his compatriot Ravindra Jadeja is among the top - five in the rankings for both bowlers and all - rounders.

India remained second in the list of teams with 112 points as Australia maintained their top rank with 115 points.

Kohli, with 881 points, topped the list of the batsmen, followed by South African AB de Villiers with 872 points.

Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was sixth with 783 points while opener Shikhar Dhawan was ranked eighth with 723 points.

In bowling, Jadeja remained at fifth with 676 points while Ravichandran Ashwin was 14th. Among all- rounders, Jadeja is ranked fourth.

AMC turns Corporation, 10 new municipal councils start functioning

The Agartala Municipal Council, northeast India's oldest municipal body, on the day of 42nd Tripura statehood day on January 21 turned into a corporation.

On the 42nd statehood day the up-gradation of Agartala Municipal Council into a municipal corporation took effect while 10 Nagar Panchayats including Dharmanagar, Kailasahar, Ambassa, Khowai, Teliamura, Mohanpur, Bishalgarh, Melaghar, Udaipur and Belonia in the sub-divisional towns were promoted as municipal councils.

Official sources said that on the occasion of the statehood day on Tuesday the 21^st January, 2014, these urban local bodies have been upgraded, including newer areas to give better services to the people of the state.

On the 42nd statehood day, two new Nagar Panchayats Panisagar and Jirania have also started functioning.

With the up gradation of municipal councils, nagar panchayats, now Tripura have 10 municipal councils, nine nagar panchayats and one municipal corporation.

It may be recalled here that the under the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Act, 1971, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya became full-fledged states on Jan 21, 1972.

With a population of around five lakh, the Agartala Municipal Corporation would look after the urban areas of 76 sq km.

Agartala is the second largest city in northeast India after Guwahati in Assam.

The Agartala Municipality was constituted in 1871 during the reign of erstwhile king, Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya (1862-96).

The first British Political Agent, A.W.B. Power was appointed for princely ruled Tripura in 1871 and become the chairman of the Agartala Municipality.

Tripura merged with the Indian Union Oct 15, 1949.

The state’s Urban Development department sources added that Dr Prafullajit Sinha and Samar Chakraborty, the incumbent chairman and vice-chairman of the Agartala Municipal Council (AMC), would be the first Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Agartala Municipal Corporation, respectively.

English club side all out for three

England's cricketers may have suffered the embarrassment of a World Twenty20 defeat by the Netherlands and a 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia but even they were never bowled out for three as happened to one club side on Saturday the 26th April, 2014.

Wirral, from north-west England, were dismissed for just three away to Haslington in a Cheshire League Third Division match - with extras the top-scorer courtesy of two leg-byes.

There were 10 ducks in the Wirral innings, with No. - 11 Connor Hodson, supposedly their worst batsman, the only member of the visitors' side to score a run off the bat.

That Wirral managed three was something of an achievement after they were reduced to none for eight.

Ben Istead took six wickets for one run and Tom Gledhill four for none in an innings that lasted fewer than 10 overs.

Haslington won the match by 105 runs after making only 108 themselves before, the real drama unfolded after the tea interval.

Wirral's ex-England players includes former captain Michael Vaughan and popular television pundit David Lloyd.