 |
| A CRPF jawan guards NH31A in Rambhi near Kalimpong in February 2010 when the paramilitary force was deployed to keep traffic normal on the highway that is frequently held hostage by pro and anti-Gorkhaland outfits |
Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Jan. 3: The Darjeeling district administration has requested the state government to deploy four companies of paramilitary forces in the region in the run up to the Srikrishna Committee report being made public on January 6.
Apprehensions are that any recommendations, direct or indirect, in favour of Telangana could set off major political agitation in the hills. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has already announced that its agitation this time would not be limited to rallies only and might extend to bandhs extending over 72 hours.
“We have requested the state government for four companies of paramilitary forces, each of which is to be stationed in the four sub-divisions — Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Siliguri,” Darjeeling police chief D.P. Singh told The Telegraph today. A company usually consists of 135 personnel and is headed by an assistant commandant.
The last time the CRPF, a paramilitary force, was deployed in Darjeeling was after ABGL leader Madan Tamang’s death on May 21. The three companies were withdrawn a month later.
The Union home minister had formed the committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, Justice B.N. Srikrishna, to examine the situation arising out of the demand for Telangana.
According to the terms of reference laid down by the Union government, the committee was set up to “examine the situation in the state of Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh”.
The five members of the committee, named on February 3, 2010, submitted their report to the Union home minister on December 30 and the said recommendations are to be made public on January 6 after a round of consultation with political parties.
The Morcha and others in the hills, including the ABGL and the CPRM, are waiting for the recommendations to be made public before deciding on their future plans.
In fact, the Morcha has already started mobilising its supporters and is holding a series of meeting across the hills till January 5.
“If the recommendations are positive, we will not sit idle. This time the agitation will probably not only be confined to rallies and dharnas but we could also go in for a 78-hour general strike,” said Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha, while addressing a public meeting at Mirik, 40km from here.
Morcha president Bimal Gurung was present at the meeting but did not speak.
A similar public meeting will be held by the Morcha in Darjeeling tomorrow.
Tamang said the Morcha had also called a central committee meeting on January 6, the venue of which has not yet been fixed, to discuss its future strategy keeping in mind the recommendations of the committee.
Student agitation
The Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha has threatened to start an agitation in the hills after January 6 if a solution to frequent power cuts in the region is not found.
“The posts of the divisional engineer and the assistant engineer are lying vacant in Darjeeling for some time now. Load-shedding is taking place without prior information to the public. If the authorities do not take steps to solve these problems in the next two days, we will start an agitation,” said Nima Sherpa, general secretary of the student’s Morcha.
The hills have been experiencing power cuts ranging from four to six hours everyday to almost a year now.GLP camp will be removed but not now
KalimNews: GLP has decided to close down its training camp situated in Upper Fagu Tea Estate of Gorubathan. On the demand of the people of Godam gaon of Uper Fagu TE, GJM intervened and requested GLP Chiefs to shift the training camp elsewhere. But to evade from any rumours and save the reputation of GLPs it decided to do so after 2-3 months.
It is reminded that on the first January after an altercation between the locals and some GLPs local people attacked the GLP camp ransacking the camp and destroying a few camps and a vehicle. During the clash 6 people were injured of which one is a local woman and 4 GLPs. Condition of one GLP with head injury is serious and admitted in a Neuro surgical nursing home of Siliguri.
People of the villages said that GLPs use to challenge the local boys, eve tease and try to molest village girls and create chaos around the villages. And we wont tolerate this and dont want this to be repeated, one of the villager said.
Meanwhile, CPM has demanded the Government to ban GP as a volunteer force and close down all training camps.
Green light for Ghoom revamp
TT, Siliguri, Jan. 3: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has opened an expression of interest for renovating the toy train museum at Ghoom, the country’s highest rail station that will also be revamped.
Meanwhile, CPM has demanded the Government to ban GP as a volunteer force and close down all training camps.
Green light for Ghoom revamp
 |
| ready for facelift |
Railway minister Mamata Banerjee had announced Rs 5 crore for repairing the museum during her visit in Darjeeling in September last year. The DHR authorities said now that the nod has come from the Railway Board, the process of floating tenders has started.
“The proposal for renovation was sent to the Railway Board and we recently opened an EOI after receiving the nod from them. We are now waiting for agencies to apply. Once the agency is selected, we will discuss various concepts and chart out a plan for the modification and additions that need to be made at the Ghoom museum,” said P.P. Roy, the director of the DHR.
The railway minister had announced a host of packages for the hill railway including the renovation of the museum during her last visit to north Bengal. She had also visited the museum and had said it would be named after Nepali poet Bhanu Bhakta. The museum is among the three on the DHR and was inaugurated in November 2000. The other two museums are at Sukna station and Elysia Building, the DHR headquarters at Kurseong.
“The funds will also be utilised to revamp Ghoom station,” said Roy. Ghoom is the highest station of the Indian Railways at 2,257.65 metres. “At the museum, there will be audio-visual displays of DHR history, slide shows and automated kiosks to inform people about the hill train. We intend to discuss more concepts with the agency involved and chart out the final plan.”
The renovation, tour operators say, is likely to increase the flow of visitors to the museum, popular for its exhibits that include ancient artefacts, items donated by former DHR employees and rare photographs of the toy train.
One of the oldest displays at the museum is the Baby Sivok, an engine touted the oldest of the Unesco World Heritage Railway.
“This is a good initiative by the railways and it will increase the popularity of Ghoom station. We expect the tourist inflow to increase once the renovation is complete,” said a Siliguri-based tour operator.
SDF slammed SPCCPrabin Khaling, Gangtok, January 4: While leaving it up to the State government to decide whether consent should be given to CBI or not, the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party today slammed arch rival Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) president Nar Bahadur Bhandari for resorting to a proxy war of litigation politics against Chief Minister Pawan Chamling “There has been a long history of litigation since SDF formed its popular government in 1994.
There have been a large number of cases filed in various courts though most of them have been dismissed in favour of the SDF government and Pawan Chamling personally. Instead of going back to the people of Sikkim seeking their mandate, Bhandari has resorted to fighting a proxy war in the courts. This is the strategy he has taken up to defile the image of the SDF party and its solid work in Sikkim”, said party spokesperson PD Rai in a press meet here at SDF Bhavan.
The SDF spokesperson was commenting on corruption charges leveled by the SPCC president who have claimed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken seriously.
However, Rai dismissed Bhandari’s allegations as ‘completely fabricated’. “It is a set of lies that have been repeatedly perpetuated in New Delhi. The Congress in Sikkim has been thoroughly marginalized and Bhandari could not win even a single seat in the 2009 polls. So his frustration is clear in his methodology. He is trying to gain political capital by targeting one individual but his actions have questioned the wisdom of the people”, he said.
SDF spokesperson Bhim Dahal also recounted how Bhandari had been adopting litigation politics ever since the SDF party came to power in 1994. “Bhandari has been after the SDF government for the past 17 years with politically motivated fabricated allegations and uncountable representations with the Central leaders. He has already gone to the CBI for more than 50 times till now but his allegations have been always dismissed on the grounds of being politically motivated”, he said.
“Keeping the State leadership thus engaged in the process of litigation is not mindful of the mandate given by the people of Sikkim. It is wholly disrespectful and it saps creative energy which otherwise could have been used for the development of the State. The SPCC will be punished again by the people in due course, of which we are convinced”, said Rai.
Regarding the notification of the State government published in July 25 which states that CBI must seek permission to conduct any enquiry against a public servant of the State government, the SDF spokesperson said: “It is the decision of the State government and it is up to the State government to give permission or not. We have nothing further to comment on it”, he said.
At the same time, Rai said that ‘mere allegations do not add up to anything especially when it is politically motivated’. He pointed out that the people have given absolute mandate to the SDF due to the good work that it is done by the party. The peace and tranquility of Sikkim will be jeopardized by the foolhardiness of the SPCC led by Bhandari who himself is undergoing CBI inquiry in a number of cases, he said.
“We will go to the court of the people and defeat these anti-people elements that try to scuttle the good work being done by our government and party. This kind of behavior will be punished by the people themselves”, said Rai.
3 of SHRP joined SNPP
Prabin Khaling, Gangtok, 3 January:The Sikkim National People’s Party held a meeting today the 3rd of January, 2011 to welcome some new members into the party. 3 Senior leaders of the SHRP party joined the SNPP from today. They were P. D. Lama, from Gangtok who was earlier Vice-president, SHRPP; Madan Rai, from Linding Busty who was the Secretary (Social Affairs), SHRPP and Tara Subba, from Barphok, Chingthang, W. Sikkim, Constituency Convenor SHRPP. The new members were offered khadas and welcomed into the party by the President, Shri Biraj Adhikari, who explained the main issues raised by the party and how the party is planning to take these issues to the people.
TT, Balurghat/Raiganj, Jan. 3: Pradip Chakraborty, 65, a resident of Powerhouse in Balurghat is suspected to have died of cardiac arrest after he fell from his bicycle on Hilli-Malda Expressway this morning.
After the accident, members of the Balurghat Nagarik Mancha blocked the highway alleging that Chakraborty had fallen from the bicycle because of the bad condition of the road. Protesters demanded immediate completion of the repair which was being undertaken on the stretch. The blockade that started at 11am was lifted around 1pm.
In another accident, Smritish Das, 60, of Sherpur, was killed after a truck knocked him down on State Highway 10 this morning.
Shops burgled
TT, Siliguri: Four shops at Fulbari market were burgled on Sunday night. Police said the robbers had entered the shops by breaking open the front gates. The total loss is estimated to be more than Rs 2 lakh.
Car firing
TT, Islampur: An unidentified person fired at the car of Congress leader and AICC member Golam Rabbani of Goalpokhor on Sunday night. Police said Rabbani was returning home in another vehicle and his own car was following him. As the car reached Pukhuria, a man fired at the vehicle damaging the windscreen.
Jumbo attack
TT, Jaigaon: Daharu Oraon, a worker of Aibheel Tea Estate near Chulsa in the Dooas, was injured after an elephant attacked him on Sunday night. The 55-year-old was working in a field when an elephant herd entered the village from the nearby Chapramari wildlife sanctuary and one animal attacked him. He has been admitted to the NBMCH. The elephants have returned to the forest.
Extra coach
TT, Siliguri: Five trains operated by the Northeast Frontier Railway will have an extra AC three-tier coach each. The trains are 5629/5630 Guwahati-Chennai weekly Express, 5635/5636 Guwahati-Okha weekly Express, 5929/5930 Dibrugarh-Chennai weekly Express, 5903/5904 Dibrugarh-Chandigarh weekly Express and 2523/2524 New Jalpaiguri-New Delhi bi-weekly Express.
Radhika Ramaseshan, TT, New Delhi, Jan. 3: Six months after returning to the BJP following a brief expulsion, Jaswant Singh has been mandated to find new allies for the party.
Anjali Sharma, SNS, 3 January 2011: In a new report, United Nations Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon said the peace process in Nepal was at a crossroads as the UN political mission would wind up. Mr Ban identified as a major challenge the task to integrate 19,000 personnel from the Maoist army which fought in a civil war.
The United Nations is worried that other issues could lead to a fresh conflict and Mr Ban called on all sides to make the necessary compromises, overcome their mistrust of each other and put the country’s needs above their partisan interests.
“Rapid steps are needed to secure the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel in a mutually acceptable manner, which the United Nations would have liked to see prior to the departure of UNMIN in order to avoid any vacuum,” he told the Security Council, referring to the UN Mission in Nepal.
The political mission was set up in 2007 and will end its mandate on 15 January. It was constituted at the request of a seven-party alliance government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to assist in the peace process that ended the war and monitor the management of Maoist arms and armed personnel. “One of the outstanding issues that worries the UN is the promulgation of a new Constitution by 28 May,” Mr Ban said in the report.
“Nepal’s journey towards sustainable peace is not finished, and the prolonged political deadlock that has hampered progress has become a growing concern for people of Nepal and the international community alike as key timelines and deadlines approach in the coming months,” Mr Ban said.
“While the government and the Maoists agreed in September 2010 that the remaining tasks of the peace process would be largely completed by mid-January 2011, this has so far proved elusive,” he wrote. He pointed out that other commitments in the peace accord were yet to be addressed and “hold the seeds of fresh confrontation” if expectations remained unmet.
The polarised relations, and deepening rifts among and within the political parties and associated mistrust which remain at the heart of the stalemate are not insurmountable, he stressed. Though he felt the advances made in Nepal’s unique peace process would not easily be reversed, Mr Ban wrote in the report: “The parties can and must find a way out of this situation. They have in the past made major compromises, and they must soon do the same. None of them can afford to put the entire process and the fruits of their hard work at serious risk. No one side can expect to win at the expense of others.”
Mr Ban noted that while the security situation is relatively calm throughout the country, it remains fragile in the Terai region with continued reports of killings and abductions by criminal and armed groups targeting the business community and sometimes young children, primarily for ransom. On human rights, he reported no substantial progress in ensuring accountability for violations committed during or after the conflict.
Ban worried as Côte d’Ivoire teeters
Head of the peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire, Mr Alain Le Roy warned that blue helmets stationed in the country will “robustly” fulfill their mandate, breaking through roadblocks if needed, to protect civilians and the “legitimate government” after the outgoing President’s refusal to step down in the face of his rival’s internationally recognised electoral victory.” His statement comes as Côte d’Ivoire is swaying at the crossroads of war and peace. The country is facing a political crisis as the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, refuses to step down even after his challenger, Mr Alassane Ouattara, defeated him in polls held on 28 November.
Mr Le Roy decried a campaign of lies, hatred and incitement against the mission, known by its acronym UNOCI, spearheaded by the state broadcasting authority under the control of Mr Laurent Gbagbo, who was defeated in the November poll by Opposition leader Mr Ouattara. Mr Le Roy insisted on the peacekeepers’ right to freedom of movement. “We will ensure firmly, if someone obstructs us, that we cross through roadblocks because it is inadmissible that anybody prevent us from protecting civilians,” he said in a news conference in Abidjan. He attributed attacks on UN personnel and the deaths of 173 civilians in street violence to the campaign of incitement.
Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon expressed his deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Côte d’Ivoire, according to a statement issued by his spokesman’s office in New York. Mr Ban said that he was alarmed to learn about Gbagbo-loyalist Ivorien political leader Mr Charles Blé Goudé’s call to a student body known as Young Patriots to attack the Golf Hotel in Abidjan beginning 1 January, the statement read. The UN-certified winner of the presidential polls, Mr Ouattara, has taken up residence in the hotel in the face of Mr Gbagbo’s refusal to vacate the presidential palace.
The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire has a significant number of military and police personnel deployed to provide security for the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and key political stakeholders, in keeping with its mandate as set out in Security Council resolution 1962 (2010).
He stressed that the UNOCI was authorised to use all necessary means to protect its personnel, as well as government officials and civilians present on the premises of the hotel. Mr Ban warned that any attack on peacekeepers constituted a crime under international law, for which the perpetrators and their instigators would be held accountable, he said in the statement.
He said UNOCI was increasing its patrols day and night in Abidjan and reinforcing its systems of alert and liaison. He noted that defence and security forces chief of staff, General Philippe Mangou, had assured him that there would be no further blocking of the UNOCI’s freedom of movement and that UN vehicles would bow be able to take the road to Golf Hotel.
He noted a reduction in attacks against civilians compared with last week. “So we see some signs of improvement, but the situation is very tense and the improvement of the past few days, nobody can promise that they will sustain it for many days or weeks, but we hope they will,” he said. “We are determined to have our freedom of movement respected.”
Mr Gbagbo demanded the departure of UNOCI, which has been supporting efforts over the past seven years to reunify the country split by civil war in 2002 into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. The election was meant to be a culminating point in the process.
But the Security Council unanimously rebuffed the demand, renewed the 9,000-strong force for six months, foreshadowed a possible increase, threatened sanctions against those imperiling peace and stressed its mandate to protect civilians.
Mr Le Roy underscored the UN’s total impartiality in certifying Mr Ouattara’s victory in accordance with its mandate and noting that the mission is “living through difficult circumstances”, though he noted that Mr Gbagbo had said he wanted to use diplomatic, not military means to achieve UNOCI departure.
“To accuse us of partiality is absurd when we are fulfilling a mandate requested by President Gbagbo himself and the African Union and the Security Council,” he said.
The UNOCI reported that its probe team had been prevented, for the second time, from conducting investigations into suggestions of a mass grave in the village of N’Dotré, near the town of Anyama, north of Abidjan. “On Tuesday, 28 December, members of the security forces in N’Dotré prevented an investigation mission from reaching the site and we were forced to return to Abidjan without being able to complete our mission,” Mr Simon Munzu, the head of UNOCI human rights division, told reporters.
They saw a building, where, according to available information with Mr Munzu, between 60 and 80 bodies had been found. “We continue to protest the denial of access,” he added.
Mr Gbagbo’s interior minister has repeatedly denied the existence of the mass grave on national television, said Mr Munzu, who reported a decrease in incidents of human rights abuses during the week from 16 to 23 December. Some six deaths, three disappearances, 20 kidnappings and 11 arrests and injuries had been reported during the period, he said. The figures related to cases that UNOCI has been able to verify and confirm. “That does not mean that during the week, there were only these cases,” Mr Munzu said.
Diwash Rai, KalimNews, JmÝVmoH$, 3 OZdar& {g{¸$‘ ZoeZb nrnëg nmQ>uH$mo AmO EH$ ‘hËdnyU© ~¡R>H$ gånÞ ^¶mo& 2011- VWm nmQ>uH$m Z¶m± gXñ¶hê$bmB© nmQ>uH$mo V’©$~mQ> ñdmJV OZmB¶mo& nmQ>u~mQ> Omar {dk{á‘m C„oI JaoAZwgma, {g{¸$‘ {h‘mbr amÁ¶ n[afX²H$m gr{Z¶a gXñ¶hê$ EgEZnrnr‘m gm‘ob ^EH$m N>Z²&
{g{hamnbmB© ˶mJoa EgEZnrnr‘m gm‘ob hþZohê$‘m {g{hamnH$m nyd© Cnmܶj nr.S>r bm‘m, {bL>{XL> ~ñVr {Zdmgr {g{hamnH$m gm‘m{OH$ ‘m{‘bm g{Md ‘XZ amB©, ~a’$moL> {Zdmgr joÌ g‘Ýd¶H$ Vmam gwã~ ‘w»¶ ê$n‘m gm‘ob ahoH$m N>Z²&
{g{hamnbmB© ˶mJ Jar EgEZnrnr‘m gm‘ob hþZohê$bmB© EgEZnrnrH$m Aܶj {damO A{YH$marbo IXm bJmEa ñdmJV OZmE& H$m¶©H«$‘bmB© gå~moYZ JX£ EgEZnrnr Aܶj {damO A{YH$marbo EgEZnrnrÛmam CR>mBEH$mo ‘wÔm~mao AdJV JamC±X¡ nmQ>uH$mo ^mdr ¶moOZm~mao OmZH$mar JamE&
ñ‘aU ahmog², JV Ho$hr ‘hrZm A{K {g{¸$‘ {h‘mbr amÁ¶ n[afX²H$m XþB© gXñ¶ AmâZmo nmQ>u ˶mJ Jar {g{¸$‘ ZoeZb nrnëg nmQ>u‘m gm‘ob ^EH$m {WE ^Zo ˶g g‘¶ {VZrhê$bo {g{hamn Aܶj S>m. E.S>r gwã~mH$mo ZoV¥Ëd‘m{W Ame§H$m 춺$ JX£ nmQ>u ˶mJ JaoH$mo a EgEZnrnrH$mo ‘wÔmbmB© g‘W©Z JZ} AR>moQ> JaoH$mo OZmEH$m {WE&
¶g àg§J‘m ˶g g‘¶ {g{hamnH$m Aܶj S>m. gwã~mg±J àíZ JXm© {VZbo àOmVÝÌ‘m H$g¡bmB© amoH$ bJmCZ Zg{H$Zo gmW¡ AmâZmo ‘Zbo Oo gmoÀN> ˶mo {ZU©¶‘m{W hñVjon JZ© Zg{H$Zo OZmEH$m {WE&
SDF denies of corruption in the state
Diwash Rai, KalimNews, JmÝVmoH$, 3 OZdar& amÁ¶H$m nyd© ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr Za~hmXþa ^ÊS>marÛmam amÁ¶H$m dV©‘mZ ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr VWm {g{¸$‘ S>o‘moH«o${Q>H$ ’«$ÊQ> (EgS>rE’$)-H$m Aܶj ndZ Mm‘{bL> a {VZH$m nyd© VWm dV©‘mZ Ho$hr ‘ÝÌr, {dYm¶H$hê$ {dê$Õ bJmBEH$mo ^«ï>mMmaH$mo ‘wÔm~mao nyd© ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr ^ÊS>marg‘j H$Q>mj àhma JX£ ‘w»¶‘ÝÌrH$m àog g„mhH$ma ^r‘ Xmhmbbo Cn¶©wº$ Amamon {ZamYma ahoH$mo gmW¡ amÁ¶‘m ^«ï>mMma ^EH$mo N>¡Z ^Þo Xmdr Jao& Xmhmbbo ^ÊS>marH$mo ~¶mZ‘m Hw$Z¡ AmoOZ ZahoH$mo OZmC±X¡ {VZr ñd¶§ A{hbo H${Vn¶ ‘m{‘bmH$mo gÝX^©‘m ~ob‘m YmBahoH$m N>Z² ^Zo ^ÊS>mar gmW¡ {VZH$m gh¶moJrhê$bo gdm}ƒ ݶm¶mb¶‘m noe JaoH$m AmdoXZbmB© gdm}ƒ ݶm¶mb¶bo amOZ¡{VH$ gXñ¶hê$Ûmam J[aEH$mo AmdoXZ a amOZ¡{VH$ {hbmo N>onmB© ahoH$mo Ñ{ï>bo ho[aahoH$mo Xmdr Jao&
nmQ>u ‘w»¶mb¶‘m gånÞ nÌH$ma gå‘obZ Ad{Y nÌH$mahê$g±J Hw$amH$mZr JX£ ‘w»¶‘ÝÌrH$m àog g„mhH$ma ^r‘ Xmhmbbo 1994-‘m {g{¸$‘ S>o‘moH«o${Q>H$ ’«$ÊQ> gaH$ma‘m AmEXo{I àXoe H§$J«og Aܶj Za~hmXþa ^ÊS>marbo 17 df©gå‘ H$moQ>© YmBahoH$m N>Z² ^Zo OZmYma àmá gaH$maÛmam J[aEH$mo OZ{hVH$m H$m¶©hê$H$mo {VZbo A{hbogå‘ {damoY J[aahoH$mo Amamon bJmE& ¶g¡ gÝX^©‘m {VZbo ^ÊS>marbo A{hbogå‘ amÁ¶nmb, àYmZ‘ÝÌr a amï´>n{VbmB© ñ‘aUnÌ nR>mEH$mo gmܶ N>¡Z, Vr g~¡ {VZH¡$ amOZr{Vg±J gå~pÝYV ahoH$mo Hw$am ahoH$mo Xmdr Jao& ^ÊS>marbo amÁ¶H$m ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr gmW¡ {VZH$m gh¶moJrhê$‘m{W ^«ï>mMmaH$mo Amamon bJmC±X¡ ‘wÔm XVm© JZ©w {g{¸$‘o OZVmH$mo Zm‘ {~JmZ} H$m¶© JZ©w hmo ^Þo ‘w»¶‘ÝÌrH$m àog g„mhH$ma ^r‘ Xmhmbbo Amamon bJmE& OZnjr¶ EgS>rE’$ gaH$mabo OZ{hV‘m Omar amIoH$mo AmâZmo H$m¶©md{Y‘m ^ÊS>marbo ¶ñVm {d{^Þ Amamon bJmC±X¡ ‘wÔm XVm© Jaon{N> OZVmH$mo H$m¶© JZ©‘m gaH$mabmB© ^wë¶mBahoH$m N>Z² ^Þo Xmhmbbo Amamon bJmE& Za~hmXþa ^ÊS>marbo OZVmH$mo Hw$am ‘mÝX¡ZZ² ^Þo Xmdr JX£ Xmhmbbo ¶{X ^ÊS>marbo OZVmH$mo Hw$am ‘mÞo ^E Hw$Z¡ n{Z Hw$amH$mo {ZpåV n{hbm OZVm‘m OmZo {WE, Va {VZbo AmâZmoo ñdmW©H¡$ {ZpåV ¶ñVmo H$m¶©hê$ J[aahoH$m N>Z² ^Þo Amamon bJmE&
¶g¡Jar, {g{¸$‘H$m gm§gX nrS>r amB©bo {g{¸$‘ S>o‘moH«o${Q>H$ ’«$ÊQ> gaH$ma‘m AmEn{N> A{hbogå‘ bJmVa àmá hman{N> JV {dYmZg^m MwZmC‘m n{Z ^ÊS>mar Am’¡$ {Zdm©MZ joÌ‘m hmaoH$m hþZ²& ¶gW©, {VZbo haoe Im±X¡ EgS>rE’$ gaH$maH$m ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr VWm {VZH$m gh¶moJrhê$ {dê$Õ {ZamYma ‘wÔmhê$ bJmCZo H$m¶© J[aahoH$m N>Z², OwZ {g{¸$‘o OZVm {damoYr H$m¶© hmo ^Þo Xmdr Jao& {g{¸$‘ S>o‘moH«o${Q>H$ ’«$ÊQ> gaH$ma‘m OZ‘V {bEa AmEn{N> OZVmH¡$ {hV‘m Hw$Z¡ n{Z H$m¶©hê$ bmJy J[aahoH$mo Xmdr JX£ {VZbo hmb¡ erVH$mbrZ gÌ‘m nm[aV bmoH$m¶wº$ {~b OZ{hV‘m ahoH$mo OZmE&
‘w»¶‘ÝÌrH$m àog g„mhH$ma ^r‘ Xmhmbbo {g{¸$‘ S>o‘moH«o${Q>H$ ’«$ÊQ> gaH$ma‘m 1994-Xo{I AmEn{N> {g{¸$‘obrhê$bo gm±Mmo àOmVÝÌH$mo Cn^moJ JZ© nmBahoH$m N>Z² ^Zo& ewê$Xo{I Z¡ EgS>rE’$ gaH$maH$mo Zr{V OZnjr¶ ahoH$mo Xmdr JX£ Xmhmbbo A{hbogå‘ n{Z gaH$maH$mo Zr{V OZnjr¶ Z¡ ahoH$mo OZmE& OZnjr¶ Zr{V ahoH¡$ H$maU EgS>rE’$ bJmVa A{hbogå‘ gaH$ma JR>Z JZ© g’$b ~ZoH$mo n{Z {VZbo Xmdr Jao& ‘w»¶‘ÝÌr ndZ Mm‘{bL> {g{¸$‘ohê$H$m ZoVm ‘mÌ Z^Ea {g{¸$‘H$m g§ñWmZ ahoH$mo OZmC±X¡ Xmhmbbo {VZH¡$ ZoV¥Ëd‘m {g{¸$‘H$mo Mm¡V’$s© {dH$mg ^BahoH$mo gmW¡ 2015-‘m {g{¸$‘ AmË‘{Z^©a amÁ¶ ~Þo Xmdr Jao&
AmO gånÞ nÌH$ma gå‘obZ‘m ‘w»¶‘ÝÌrH$m àog g„mhH$ma ^r‘ Xmhmb, bmoH$g^m gm§gX nrS>r amB©, àMma-àgma {d^mJH$m ‘hmg{Md Q>r.EZ e‘m©, g{Md ào‘ H$mH$s©, ^yVnyd© {dYm{¶H$m {Z‘{WV boßMm Am{X ‘w»¶ ê$nbo CnpñWV {WE&
White water rafting
Diwash Rai, KalimNews, JmÝVmoH$, 3 OZdar& 16 Am¢ ~§Jmb ~Q>m{b`Z a XmOu{bL> ZoeZb Š`mS>oS> H$moa, J«wn- hoS>ŠdmQ>aH$mo g§`wŠV VËdmdYmZ_m 28 {Xgå~a 2010 Xo{I Zm¢ {Xdgr` ˆmBQ>> dmQ>a am[âQ>L> Š`mån ewê$ J[aEH$mo N>&
{gL>Vm_ N>oCpñWV ~aXmL>_m Š`mån bJmBEH$mo N> ^Zo AmJm_r 6 OZdarH$m {XZ CŠV H$m`©H«$_ g_má hþZoN>& `g Hw$amH$mo OmZH$mar Š`mån H$_mÊS>oÝQ> H$Z©b EgHo$ {g§hbo \$moZ_m\©$V {XEH$m N>Z²& H$U©b qghbo ’$moZ‘m’©$V² Wn OmZH$ar {XEAZwgma, CŠV Š`mån_m npíM_-~§Jmb^[aH$m Hy$b nm±M g` ZoeZb Š`mS>oS> H$moa (EZgrgr)- H$m Š`mS>oQ>bo ^mJ {bahoH$m N>Z²Ÿ& Og_m 269 d[aîR> N>mÌ Š`mS>oQ> VWm 231 d[aîR> N>mÌm Š`mS>oQ>> gm_ob ahoH$m N>Z²& Š`mS>oS>hê$bmB© am[âQ>L> {df` à{ejU àXmZ JZ© 20 OZm à{ejH$ {Z`wŠV J[aEH$mo N>& EZgrgrbo 6 dQ>m am[âQ>L> n{Z àXmZ JaoH$mo H$U©b qghbo Wn OmZH$mar {XE& {VZbo ~VmEAZwgma, ~rM_m XmOu{bL> EZgrgr, J«wn H$_mÊS>oÝQ> H$Z©b gramO d_m© {ZarjU ^«_UH$m {ZpåV AmEH$m {WE& {VZbo EZgrgrbmB© `g àH$maH$mo gmh{gH$ H$m`©_m g§b½Z JamEH$mo_m Iwer àH$Q> JX£ Am`moOH$ njbmB© ~YmB© {XEH$m N>Z²&
ñ‘aU ahmog², hmb¡ Am‘ubo n{Z {Q>ñQ>m ZXrH$mo Cº$ joÌ‘m VrZ {Xdgr¶ è¶m’${Q>L>H$mo H$m¶©H«$‘ Am¶moOZ JaoH$mo {W¶mo&
Minister joins Cleaning programme
Diwash Rai, KalimNews, aå’y$, 3 OZdar& {g{¸$‘H$mo ‘yb àdoeÛma ‘m{ZZo aå’y$‘m {~VoH$mo EH$ gámhA{K ‘mÌ JR>Z J[aEH$mo g‘mO gwYma g{‘{Vbo aå’y$ ~Oma n[agaH$mo g’$mB© H$m¶© Jè¶mo& ¶mo g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m joÌ {dYm{¶H$m VWm Am~H$mar {d^mJ ‘ÝÌr {Zê$ godmbo n{Z A§eJ«hU JaoH$s {WBZ²&
Cº$ g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m {VZH$mo CnpñW{Vbo g§JR>ZH$m gXñ¶hê$bmB© àmoËgmhZ {‘boH$mo N>& g’$mB© A{^¶mZbmB© g’$b ~ZmCZ ñWmZr¶ ‘m{Zghê$ ^mar ‘mÌm‘m CnpñWV ahoH$m {WE& g‘mOH$mo {hVH$mo {ZpåV ¶gàH$maH$mo H$m¶© A{V gamhZr¶ ‘m{ZEH$mo N>& aå’y$ ~OmaH$m ì¶mnmar g§JR>ZH$m à{V{Z{YJU, {g{¸$‘ {~hmar OmJaU ‘#m, bm¶Ýg ³b~ A’²$ aå’y$ JoQ>do, g§¶wº$ Q>çm³gr MmbH$ g§JR>Z aå’y$ emIm, aå’y$ nw{bg, A{¾e‘Z {d^mJ, {g{¸$‘ n{adhZ {d^mJH$m Cƒ nXñW A{YH$mar, J¡a-gaH$mar g§JR>ZH$m gXñ¶hê$bo n{Z AmO gånÞ g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m A§eJ«hU JaoH$m {WE& Am¶moOH$ g§JR>ZH$m Aܶj Ama.Ho$ gwÝXmgbo nÌH$mahê$g±JH$mo Hw$amH$mZr‘m aå’y$ {g{¸$‘H$mo àdoeÛma ECQ>m ‘hËdnyU© ñWb hmo ^ÝX¡, ¶gbo gånyU© {g{¸$‘bmB© Z¡ àñVwV JX©N,> ^Zo& ¶g¡bo ¶g àH$maH$mo g’$mB© A{^¶mZ ¶mo df© àW‘nëQ> ewê$ J[aEH$mo {VZbo AdJV JamE& g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m A§eJ«hU JaoH$m gånyU© ‘hmZw^dhê$bmB© g§JR>Zbo Am^ma àH$Q> JX£ ¶g àH$maH$mo H$m¶©H«$‘ à˶oH$ ‘hrZm g#mmbZ J[aZo AdJV JamEH$m N>Z²&
‘ÝÌr {Zê$ godmbo n{Z ¶mo Eo{Vhm{gH$$ {XZ ahoH$mo ~VmC±X¡ g{‘{VÛmam ewê$ J[aEH$moo g’$mB© A{^¶mZ àe§gmZr¶ ahoH$mo ~VmBZ²& {VZbo AmâZmo V’©$~mQ> ¶g àH$maH$mo gm‘m{OH$ H$m¶©H$mo {ZpåV Amdí¶H$ gh¶moJ JZ} AmídmgZ n{Z {XBZ²& g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m aå’$y ZJa nÄMm¶VH$m nmf©X nwîn {‘lbo n{Z A§eJ«hU JaoH$s {WBZ²& ñdÀN> VWm ñdmñ϶ g‘mOH$mo {Z‘m©UAÝVJ©V² ¶g àH$maH$mo g’$mB© A{^¶mZ‘m AmJm‘r {XZhê$‘m g~¡bo A§eJ«hU JZ©wnZ} {VZbo Anrb J[aZ²&
Opposition blames State Government
Diwash Rai, KalimNews, JmÝVmoH$, 3 OZdar& Ho$pÝÐ` Om±M ã`yamo (gr~rAmB©)-Ûmam amÁ`H$m _w»`_ÝÌrbJm¶V {VZH$m AÝ` 12 OZm ^yVnyd© VWm dV©_mZ {dYm`H$hê$ {dê$Õ ^«îQ>mMmaH$mo _m{_bm gå~ÝYr H${WV Om±M JZ© AZw_{V _mJoH$mo Hw$ambmB© amÁ`H$m {deof {dnjrhê$bo AmâZmo _wÔm ~ZmCZ WmboH$m NZ²>Ÿ&
amÁ`_m gr~rAmB©bo Om±M JZ© AZw_{V nmCZwnN>© ^Þo Hw$am_m{W Omoa {X>>±X¡ Ho$ÝÐbmB© Mmn {XZ àXoe H§$J«og AÜ`j Za~hmXwa ^ÊS>mar {Xëbr JEH$m N>Z² ^Zo àXoe ^mOnmbo n{Z `g¡ {df`bmB© {bEa {Xëbr OmZo O_H$m} J[aahoH$mo N>&
AmO nÌH$mahê${gV ^EH$mo ECQ>m ^oQ>_m àXoe ^mOnmH$m AÜ`j nX_ N>oÌrbo CŠV Ame`H$mo OmZH$mar {XE& {VZbo AmO amÁ`H$m _w»` g{Md Q>r.Q>r XmoOug±J ^oQ> Jar amÁ`_m gr~rAmB©bmB© ^«îQ>mMmaH$mo Amamon {dê$Õ Om±M JZ} AZw_{V {XBZwnN>© ^Þo ECQ>m kmnZ-nÌ M‹T>mEH$mo OmZH$mar {XE& `g {df`bmB© {bEa Ho$ÝÐH$m ZoVmhê$bmB© ^oQ²Z> AmJm_r 6 OZdarH$m {XZ {Xëbr àñWmZ JZ} {VZbo Wn OmZH$mar {XE& {Xëbr_m gr~rAmB© à_wI a ^maVr` OZVm nmQ>uH$m Ho$pÝÐ` _ÝÌrhê$g±J ^oQ> Jar `g {df`_m MMm© JZ}Nw, {VZbo> ^Zo&
àXoe ^mOnm AÜ`j nX_ N>oÌrbo AmO _w»` g{Mdg‘j kmnZ-nÌ_m’©$V² _w»` g{MdbmB© Mm±‹S>¡^ÝXm Mm±‹S>¡ gr~rAmB©bmB© amÁ`_m Om±M JZ} AZw_{V {XEa g§d¡Ym{ZH$ àemgZbmB© OZ{hV_m H$m_ JZ© gh`moJ nwè`mCZo AZwamoY JaoH$m N>Z²&
{dk{á_m ^{ZEH$mo N> H$s ECQ>m ampîQ´>` X¡{ZH$ g_mMma-nÌ_m àH$m{eV g_mMmaAZwgma, gr~rAmB©bo amÁ`H$m _w»`_ÝÌr a _ÝÌr_ÊS>bH$m AÝ` 12 OZm gXñ`{dê$Õ ^«îQ>mMmaH$mo Amamon_m Om±M JZ© amÁ` gaH$mabmB© AZw_{V _mJoH$mo N>& gr~rAmB©bo df© 2010-H$mo AŠQ>mo~a _hrZm_m Z¡ nÌ_m\©$V AZw_{VH$mo _mJ JaoH$m {WE& Va A{hbogå_ amÁ` gaH$maH$mo V\©$~mQ> Hw$Z¡ CÎma gr~rAmB©bo nmCZ gHo$H$mo N>¡Z&
`g àH$maH$mo ì`dhmabo amÁ` gaH$ma gr~rAmB© Om±MH$m {ZpåV A{ZÀNw>H$ ahoH$mo à_m{UV ^EH$mo {dk{á‘m Wn C„oI J[aEH$mo N>&
TT, Alipurduar/Balurghat, Jan. 3: Four kunkisstarted for South Dinajpur from Jaldapara to help foresters capture an elephant which has been running around in the border villages since Saturday.
TT, Siliguri, Jan. 3: Air traffic returned to normal at Bagdogra today with all seven flights operating on scheduled time in a fog-free sky.
All eight flights to and from the Bagdogra Airport were cancelled yesterday because of poor visibility caused by thick fog. Hundreds of passengers had to change their itinerary and put up at hotels in Siliguri last night.
“All eight scheduled flights were cancelled yesterday because of poor visibility. But today, each fight landed and took off on time,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the director of the airport.
Yesterday’s complete disruption of services was the first of its kind at Bagdogra in the recent memory.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India said airlines had accommodated some of the passengers who were supposed to board flights for destinations like Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Guwahati yesterday.
“Some passengers cancelled their bookings and chose alternative transports like trains, buses and cars to reach their destinations. Of the rest , a section was accommodated in today’s flights, while more will be provided with seats tomorrow,” said an AAI official. “However, no extra flight was run by any airline today for the passengers who were left stranded since the backlog is likely to be cleared by tomorrow.”
Tour operators, who had to make accommodation for passengers in hotels in Siliguri after the cancellation of the flights or modify itineraries of those who were scheduled to arrive in Bagdogra yesterday, said most of their clients had been provided with seats on today’s flights
“After the cancellation of the flights yesterday, we were keeping our fingers crossed. But thankfully, the weather was clear today and the flights operated as schedled, accommodating a good number of passengers held up because of the bad weather yesterday,” said Samrat Sanyal, the president of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.
Weather experts said the western disturbance which had led to the inclement weather yesterday had crossed the sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim. “However, there are chances of rain in the high altitude areas of Sikkim but not in Bengal. Weather in the region is likely to be cold, accompanied by fog,” said Subir Sarkar, the in-charge of the weather station at North Bengal University.
Two killed in mishapsForest Four off to dart border jumbo- 350km truck journey for elephants
 |
| Sambhu on a truck before it started from Jaldapara on Monday afternoon. Picture by Anirban Choudhury |
The divisional forest officer, Raiganj, Apurba Sen, has been camping in South Dinajpur since the elephant was spotted by BSF jawans at dawn on Saturday on the other side of the fencing at Tapan’s Arjunpur. The area is about 90km from district headquarters Balurghat.
“For the past two days, the elephant has been on the move most of the time and we are keeping a watch on it. However, it crossed the fence into Indian territory yesterday morning and entered the Tilon area of Tapan. It then went north towards Gangarampur and has crossed innumerable rivers and creeks, constantly hounded by villagers. It entered the Kusmandi area this afternoon,” Sen said.
The divisional forest officer said he was more worried about the harm the humans could inflict on the animal. However, till now the elephant has not caused any harm, he said. He said the elephant had possibly from the forests in Jharkhand and had entered the district after crossing over from Malda.
“We had called in a wildlife squad from Sukna that arrived this morning and they are helping us monitor the movement of the elephant. But now, we have called in kunkis from north Bengal so that the animal can be tranquillised and captured,” Sen said. Kunkis are pet elephants of the forest department.
Back in Jaldapara, Dhupjhora and Gorumara, the patawalas or assistant mahouts painted patters on the foreheads of the four kunkis with coloured chalk before they were loaded onto the trucks for the 350-kilometre night-long journey to Kusmandi. Mahouts believe a decorated animal augurs well for any operation undertaken by them.
The four elephants which are to be pressed into service tomorrow are Sambhu and Laxmi from the pilkhana (where pet elephants are kept) in Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary, Surjya from Dhupjhora and Shilabati from Gorumara National Park. All four forests are in Jalpaiguri district.
According to forest sources in Jaldapara, both Sambhu and Laxmi were well experienced in the task and had already been successful in capturing wild elephants in West Midnapore and Cooch Behar.
The divisional forest officer of wildlife III, Om Prakash, said the four kunkiswould reach Kusmandi by tomorrow morning. “We will have to assess the situation and decide what to do tomorrow, if necessary we will have to tranquillise the animal and try and release it in the forest,” he said.
Sen said all throughout Saturday and yesterday there was an apprehension that the elephant might cross over to Bangladeshi territory. “The BSF has been in constant touch with the Bangladesh Rifle to try and keep the animal within our territory. So far, they have been successful,” he said.
Sen said it would have been impossible to dart the elephant on Bangladeshi territory as there was no way that a truck could be taken to the other side to load the animal since there were no inter-border roads available.
Visibility back, flights normalTT, Siliguri, Jan. 3: Air traffic returned to normal at Bagdogra today with all seven flights operating on scheduled time in a fog-free sky.
All eight flights to and from the Bagdogra Airport were cancelled yesterday because of poor visibility caused by thick fog. Hundreds of passengers had to change their itinerary and put up at hotels in Siliguri last night.
“All eight scheduled flights were cancelled yesterday because of poor visibility. But today, each fight landed and took off on time,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the director of the airport.
Yesterday’s complete disruption of services was the first of its kind at Bagdogra in the recent memory.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India said airlines had accommodated some of the passengers who were supposed to board flights for destinations like Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Guwahati yesterday.
“Some passengers cancelled their bookings and chose alternative transports like trains, buses and cars to reach their destinations. Of the rest , a section was accommodated in today’s flights, while more will be provided with seats tomorrow,” said an AAI official. “However, no extra flight was run by any airline today for the passengers who were left stranded since the backlog is likely to be cleared by tomorrow.”
Tour operators, who had to make accommodation for passengers in hotels in Siliguri after the cancellation of the flights or modify itineraries of those who were scheduled to arrive in Bagdogra yesterday, said most of their clients had been provided with seats on today’s flights
“After the cancellation of the flights yesterday, we were keeping our fingers crossed. But thankfully, the weather was clear today and the flights operated as schedled, accommodating a good number of passengers held up because of the bad weather yesterday,” said Samrat Sanyal, the president of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.
Weather experts said the western disturbance which had led to the inclement weather yesterday had crossed the sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim. “However, there are chances of rain in the high altitude areas of Sikkim but not in Bengal. Weather in the region is likely to be cold, accompanied by fog,” said Subir Sarkar, the in-charge of the weather station at North Bengal University.
TT, Balurghat/Raiganj, Jan. 3: Pradip Chakraborty, 65, a resident of Powerhouse in Balurghat is suspected to have died of cardiac arrest after he fell from his bicycle on Hilli-Malda Expressway this morning.
After the accident, members of the Balurghat Nagarik Mancha blocked the highway alleging that Chakraborty had fallen from the bicycle because of the bad condition of the road. Protesters demanded immediate completion of the repair which was being undertaken on the stretch. The blockade that started at 11am was lifted around 1pm.
In another accident, Smritish Das, 60, of Sherpur, was killed after a truck knocked him down on State Highway 10 this morning.
Shops burgled
TT, Siliguri: Four shops at Fulbari market were burgled on Sunday night. Police said the robbers had entered the shops by breaking open the front gates. The total loss is estimated to be more than Rs 2 lakh.
Car firing
TT, Islampur: An unidentified person fired at the car of Congress leader and AICC member Golam Rabbani of Goalpokhor on Sunday night. Police said Rabbani was returning home in another vehicle and his own car was following him. As the car reached Pukhuria, a man fired at the vehicle damaging the windscreen.
Jumbo attack
TT, Jaigaon: Daharu Oraon, a worker of Aibheel Tea Estate near Chulsa in the Dooas, was injured after an elephant attacked him on Sunday night. The 55-year-old was working in a field when an elephant herd entered the village from the nearby Chapramari wildlife sanctuary and one animal attacked him. He has been admitted to the NBMCH. The elephants have returned to the forest.
Extra coach
TT, Siliguri: Five trains operated by the Northeast Frontier Railway will have an extra AC three-tier coach each. The trains are 5629/5630 Guwahati-Chennai weekly Express, 5635/5636 Guwahati-Okha weekly Express, 5929/5930 Dibrugarh-Chennai weekly Express, 5903/5904 Dibrugarh-Chandigarh weekly Express and 2523/2524 New Jalpaiguri-New Delhi bi-weekly Express.
‘Soft’ Jaswant gets liaison job
 |
| Jaswant Singh |
BJP president Nitin Gadkari said in a statement today that he had entrusted Jaswant with the “task of maintaining continuous contact and relations with all political parties”.
Asked why Jaswant had been chosen for the assignment, a source close to Gadkari said: “We felt someone as senior, experienced and respected as him should be given a big responsibility.”
It is learnt that L.K. Advani, acting chairperson of the NDA, had pushed for a larger role for the Darjeeling MP.
Advani was responsible for bringing Jaswant back after he was expelled in August 2009 for his book on Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The book takes a rounded view of Jinnah, who has been demonised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
In the political churning set off by the instability in Andhra Pradesh and the slew of corruption scandals that have stung the Congress, Advani seems to have spotted an opportunity to pull the BJP out of the limbo into which it had fallen after the 2009 poll debacle.
But the BJP figures it cannot take a shot at power at the Centre with the help of just its four NDA allies. “Our first priority is to make new friends and enlarge the NDA,” a central official said.
NDA convener and Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav stepped in to do the job last year when he coalesced the first major opposition to the UPA government on food inflation in and outside Parliament.
Buoyed by the success, the BJP pinned its hopes on Sharad to deliver an Opposition encore over corruption and the spectrum scandal.
But Sharad had no luck because parties such as the Asom Gana Parishad and the Biju Janata Dal did not fancy doing business with the “anti-minority” BJP.
BJP sources claimed they were “sceptical” of Sharad’s intentions, especially after he dashed to Hyderabad to offer a shoulder to Telugu Desam leader N. Chandrababu Naidu when he was fasting on behalf of distressed farmers.
Their feeling was that the Dal (United) might be tempted to become part of a non-BJP, non-Congress front at the Centre while keeping a government afloat in Bihar with the BJP’s help.
The BJP felt it was time to “rectify” its image if it had to return to its “liberal” phase, associated with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s rule, and become more acceptable again.
Jaswant, a source said, has always been identified with the former Prime Minister and by implication, represents the BJP’s “soft” face.
“When the NDA was in power, he was the principal trouble-shooter with tough allies like the AIADMK,” the source said.
Singh was away in the interiors of Rajasthan. Asked what he thought of the BJP’s move, Sharad said: “There must be some thinking.... It makes no difference to us because nobody yet wants to touch the BJP.”
Nepal peace process at crossroads“Rapid steps are needed to secure the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist army personnel in a mutually acceptable manner, which the United Nations would have liked to see prior to the departure of UNMIN in order to avoid any vacuum,” he told the Security Council, referring to the UN Mission in Nepal.
The political mission was set up in 2007 and will end its mandate on 15 January. It was constituted at the request of a seven-party alliance government and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to assist in the peace process that ended the war and monitor the management of Maoist arms and armed personnel. “One of the outstanding issues that worries the UN is the promulgation of a new Constitution by 28 May,” Mr Ban said in the report.
“Nepal’s journey towards sustainable peace is not finished, and the prolonged political deadlock that has hampered progress has become a growing concern for people of Nepal and the international community alike as key timelines and deadlines approach in the coming months,” Mr Ban said.
“While the government and the Maoists agreed in September 2010 that the remaining tasks of the peace process would be largely completed by mid-January 2011, this has so far proved elusive,” he wrote. He pointed out that other commitments in the peace accord were yet to be addressed and “hold the seeds of fresh confrontation” if expectations remained unmet.
The polarised relations, and deepening rifts among and within the political parties and associated mistrust which remain at the heart of the stalemate are not insurmountable, he stressed. Though he felt the advances made in Nepal’s unique peace process would not easily be reversed, Mr Ban wrote in the report: “The parties can and must find a way out of this situation. They have in the past made major compromises, and they must soon do the same. None of them can afford to put the entire process and the fruits of their hard work at serious risk. No one side can expect to win at the expense of others.”
Mr Ban noted that while the security situation is relatively calm throughout the country, it remains fragile in the Terai region with continued reports of killings and abductions by criminal and armed groups targeting the business community and sometimes young children, primarily for ransom. On human rights, he reported no substantial progress in ensuring accountability for violations committed during or after the conflict.
Ban worried as Côte d’Ivoire teeters
Head of the peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire, Mr Alain Le Roy warned that blue helmets stationed in the country will “robustly” fulfill their mandate, breaking through roadblocks if needed, to protect civilians and the “legitimate government” after the outgoing President’s refusal to step down in the face of his rival’s internationally recognised electoral victory.” His statement comes as Côte d’Ivoire is swaying at the crossroads of war and peace. The country is facing a political crisis as the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, refuses to step down even after his challenger, Mr Alassane Ouattara, defeated him in polls held on 28 November.
Mr Le Roy decried a campaign of lies, hatred and incitement against the mission, known by its acronym UNOCI, spearheaded by the state broadcasting authority under the control of Mr Laurent Gbagbo, who was defeated in the November poll by Opposition leader Mr Ouattara. Mr Le Roy insisted on the peacekeepers’ right to freedom of movement. “We will ensure firmly, if someone obstructs us, that we cross through roadblocks because it is inadmissible that anybody prevent us from protecting civilians,” he said in a news conference in Abidjan. He attributed attacks on UN personnel and the deaths of 173 civilians in street violence to the campaign of incitement.
Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon expressed his deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Côte d’Ivoire, according to a statement issued by his spokesman’s office in New York. Mr Ban said that he was alarmed to learn about Gbagbo-loyalist Ivorien political leader Mr Charles Blé Goudé’s call to a student body known as Young Patriots to attack the Golf Hotel in Abidjan beginning 1 January, the statement read. The UN-certified winner of the presidential polls, Mr Ouattara, has taken up residence in the hotel in the face of Mr Gbagbo’s refusal to vacate the presidential palace.
The UN Operation in Côte d’Ivoire has a significant number of military and police personnel deployed to provide security for the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and key political stakeholders, in keeping with its mandate as set out in Security Council resolution 1962 (2010).
He stressed that the UNOCI was authorised to use all necessary means to protect its personnel, as well as government officials and civilians present on the premises of the hotel. Mr Ban warned that any attack on peacekeepers constituted a crime under international law, for which the perpetrators and their instigators would be held accountable, he said in the statement.
He said UNOCI was increasing its patrols day and night in Abidjan and reinforcing its systems of alert and liaison. He noted that defence and security forces chief of staff, General Philippe Mangou, had assured him that there would be no further blocking of the UNOCI’s freedom of movement and that UN vehicles would bow be able to take the road to Golf Hotel.
He noted a reduction in attacks against civilians compared with last week. “So we see some signs of improvement, but the situation is very tense and the improvement of the past few days, nobody can promise that they will sustain it for many days or weeks, but we hope they will,” he said. “We are determined to have our freedom of movement respected.”
Mr Gbagbo demanded the departure of UNOCI, which has been supporting efforts over the past seven years to reunify the country split by civil war in 2002 into a government-controlled south and a rebel-held north. The election was meant to be a culminating point in the process.
But the Security Council unanimously rebuffed the demand, renewed the 9,000-strong force for six months, foreshadowed a possible increase, threatened sanctions against those imperiling peace and stressed its mandate to protect civilians.
Mr Le Roy underscored the UN’s total impartiality in certifying Mr Ouattara’s victory in accordance with its mandate and noting that the mission is “living through difficult circumstances”, though he noted that Mr Gbagbo had said he wanted to use diplomatic, not military means to achieve UNOCI departure.
“To accuse us of partiality is absurd when we are fulfilling a mandate requested by President Gbagbo himself and the African Union and the Security Council,” he said.
The UNOCI reported that its probe team had been prevented, for the second time, from conducting investigations into suggestions of a mass grave in the village of N’Dotré, near the town of Anyama, north of Abidjan. “On Tuesday, 28 December, members of the security forces in N’Dotré prevented an investigation mission from reaching the site and we were forced to return to Abidjan without being able to complete our mission,” Mr Simon Munzu, the head of UNOCI human rights division, told reporters.
They saw a building, where, according to available information with Mr Munzu, between 60 and 80 bodies had been found. “We continue to protest the denial of access,” he added.
Mr Gbagbo’s interior minister has repeatedly denied the existence of the mass grave on national television, said Mr Munzu, who reported a decrease in incidents of human rights abuses during the week from 16 to 23 December. Some six deaths, three disappearances, 20 kidnappings and 11 arrests and injuries had been reported during the period, he said. The figures related to cases that UNOCI has been able to verify and confirm. “That does not mean that during the week, there were only these cases,” Mr Munzu said.
No comments:
Post a Comment