Silchar, Aug. 31 :     The Army has intensified its counter-insurgency drive in Lakhipur sub-division in Cachar district under 'Operation Khoj'. There are reports that fresh batches of rebels have sneaked into the hill areas of the sub-division recently to step up extortions and abductions. Official sources said a suspected National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) rebel was shot dead by the Army at Hmarkhawlien village dominated by Hmar tribals in Lakhipur, about 25 km east of here yesterday. Sources said the Army closed in on Hmarkhawlien village yesterday following a tip that 10 NSCN(I-M) commandos were trying to set up base and procure ration by intimidating the people. The Naga rebels suddenly opened fire. The jawans of the 17 Para Field regiment fired back and killed an extremist. The others, however, managed to escape. Additional reinforcements of the Army were rushed to the Cachar-Manipur border last evening from Masimpur cantonment near here to hunt for the rebels. The body of the slain rebel was sent last night to Silchar Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. Later, the Army recovered a few rounds of bullets of 9 mm pistol and AK 56 rifles from the village. Runway extended:After a lot of wrangling, the Coombergram tea estate finally released 72 bighas of prime land to the Cachar district administration to be used for extending the runway of the Kumbhirgram airport here last week, after a tussle for past several years. The tea estate belongs to the Goodricke group. The Calcutta-based tea major, which has 36 gardens, will get a compensation package of Rs 47 lakh from the Centre for this transfer of land. The Airports Authority of India is likely to start the construction to extend the 5,857-feet runway by another 1,393 feet to facilitate take-off and landing by wide-bodied Airbus of the Indian Airlines. The Rs 20-crore project for extension of the runway and the airport's apron area are part of the Rs 58-crore elaborate scheme jointly undertaken by the North Eastern Council and the civil aviation ministry to update navigational and visual aids at the airport. An extended and renovated passenger terminal lounge at the cost of Rs 3.87 crore had already been commissioned. A state-of-the-art distance measuring equipment has been set up for precision navigation. The traffic density of Kumbhirgram airport is ranked fourth in the Northeast after Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal.