Nagaon, April 18: Dispur plans to shift the soil conservation department’s training centre at Mahur in North Cachar Hills to a “comfortable” place, considering the volatile security situation and the staff’s reluctance to work in the district.
A soil conservation department source said decisions regarding “shifting” were in the “finishing stage” and the new venue would be finalised during a round of discussion with the North Cachar Hills district autonomous council.
“Kohora in eastern Karbi Anglong or Guwahati are the two options. The centre would be shifted to one of the two,” the source said.
The training institution — Mahur Soil Conservation Training Centre — in the heart of Mahur town, was established in July 1983 with a superintendent and two deputies, three technicians, 10 field workers, five clerks and seven grade IV staff.
It is the only centre of the department where newly recruited staff were trained and routine departmental training was carried out from time to time.
The institution was closed in 2004 soon after the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) launched a series of attacks in the district.
Later, the centre was used to accommodate the Territorial Army’s Assam regiment, which was deployed for anti-insurgency operations in the troubled hill district.
“Right now, we have no technical staff at the institution. Five clerks, seven grade-IV staff are engaged. A Guwahati-based engineering-level district officer has been given the additional charge of superintendent,” said soil conservator director R.K. Doley over telephone.
Doley said two types of training are being imparted by the institution, which include a six month-long training for the departmental field workers and a 11-month training for the technical staff (junior).
“For the last couple of years, we were continuing the training in neighbouring Meghalaya. We hope that shifting of the institution might streamline the training system,” he said.
Soil conservation training institution is one of the three state-run institutions in the northern part of North Cachar Hills.
“As far as the climatic condition is concerned, North Cachar Hills is the best place for the training centre as it has enough resources to impart both theoretical and practical classes to the trainees. But the remoteness and law and order situation are forcing us to retreat,” said a departmental source.