Guwahati, Nov. 15: The ruling Congress today promised to increase the development allocations for the city by five folds.

The commitment was made in the party’s manifesto for the December 1 Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) election, released by chief minister Tarun Gogoi here this morning in presence of PCC chief Paban Singh Ghatowar.

The chief minister said the government has sought Rs 1,000-crore assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for development work in the city. He said his party is committed to building a “green, clean and planned” Guwahati.

Tripura rebels killed

National Liberation Front of Tripura militants opened fire on a combined force of police and Tripura State Rifles jawans when they were returning from a search operation in Kakracherra area under Teliamura police station this morning. The body of hardcore NLFT militant Viking Debbarma was recovered, reports our special correspondent from Agartala.

His collaborator Matabahadur Malsum died in the crossfire, while a tribal woman, Budhurani Malsum, holed up there, was injured when Debbarma hurled a grenade at the jawans. TSR jawan Dipak Ranjan Bhattacharjee was also injured in the blast. Tiger Force militants kidnapped brick-field manager Milon Sarkar and his assistant Narayan Mazumdar last night from Paharpur brick-field under Khowai police station.

Top ZRO activists held: Aizawl Police arrested five top leaders of the Zo Revolutionary Organisation (ZRO) and three members from the outfit’s armed wing last night at Bethel Veng in Champhai town, the constituency of political heavyweights Zoramth-anga and Lalthanhawla in the November 20 Assembly election, says our Aizawl correspondent.

The ZRO activists were reportedly collecting donations from Myanmarese Mizos, threatening them at gunpoint.

Those arrested include ZRO vice- president Hangsienthang.