Set-up too powerful to last only a year Extension whiff in interim talks ... More exits on tribal horizon ... Lepcha protest

Jaswant for representation of others in setup

Sheemnews/KalimNews: Jaswant Singh before leaving to Delhi  said today that for the formation of the proposed Gorkha Regional Authority, constitution of an administrative body by nominated members is feasible for its proper functioning. As there would be no complete decision regarding the area and demarcation it will be a nominated authority and it would be better if representation from other parties and organisations are also included in it.  He further said that only after the Assembly election of 2011 talks for future of GRA beyond 2012 and the matter of Dooars and  Terai be taken up afresh, he indicated. 
In a statement state home secretary Samar Ghose said that Legislative powers will be handed over to the new GRA and seats as desired by GJMM  can be increased from 42 to 55 unless it is ready to hold election for GRA formation. In due course of time Nepali dominated areas can be identified for further extension of GRA if necessary but that depends upon the cooperation of GJMM for progress on talks.

Meanwhile GJYM members brought a rally in Kalimpong and staged demonstration and gave deputation to the SDO Kalimpong, IC Kalimpong Thana and AE 66 KVA station demanding the immediate re-arrest of Nicole Tamang, release of Topden Bhutia and cancellation of the proposed order of shifting of Office of 66 KVA station from Kalimpong to Siliguri.
                                             TT, Darjeeling: MP Jaswant Singh on Wednesday said the interim set-up for the Darjeeling hills should be a nominated body, echoing what the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has said. Before leaving for Delhi after a week-long stay in Darjeeling and Siliguri, the BJP leader said: “Considering the ongoing census and the coming Assembly polls, it is not justified to hold another election to form the proposed interim arrangement in the hills. So far as I know, the interim set-up is likely to exist till 2012 and it should be formed with nominated members and not the elected ones.” Singh, however, said representations of different political parties with presence in the hills, women and members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories should be ensured in the set-up. The MP, however, did not feel the need to invite all political parties to the tripartite dialogues. “We feel the state government itself represents all the other parties and don’t feel it necessary that they should be called to the talks, along with the Morcha,” Singh said at the Siliguri Journalists’ Club. On the proposal to carve a separate state out of Bengal, the BJP leader said he was in favour of smaller states. “In my opinion, it is possible to form a state even with the three hill subdivisions and the contiguous areas of the Terai and the Dooars.” (Picture by Kundan Yolmo) 

Vivek Chhetri,TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 8: The Centre wants the interim set-up for the Darjeeling hills to be extended till 2012 and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is not averse to the idea, sources said a day after the official-level tripartite talks in Delhi.

The Bimal Gurung-led Morcha, the sources said, realises that its efforts to make the interim authority powerful will be wasted if it lasts only for a year.

The Centre had proposed the extension of the new arrangement till December 31, 2012, at yesterday’s meeting as it believes that a delay in inking the settlement leaves little time to administer the new body.

“The Centre is of the opinion that it will hardly serve any purpose if the interim set-up is functional till December 31, 2011. It believes that the set-up is turning out to be powerful with the transfer of almost all the subjects, except home and judiciary, and that it should be tried for two years,” a source said.

The Morcha, too, is warming up to the proposal. Sources in the know of things said even though a final decision was likely to be conveyed during the political round, it was merely a matter of time before the party accepts the proposal, unless there is massive opposition in the hills.

“If things go fine, the new set-up is likely to be functional only by the end of December or January. The Morcha realises that all its efforts to make the interim set-up powerful will be a waste if the authority is to be made defunct within a year,” said the source.

Till yesterday, the Centre had proposed the tenure of the interim set-up to be valid till December 31, 2011.

“The Centre was always thinking of a two-year arrangement as it was confident that the set-up would be made functional by the beginning of 2010. But this did not happen,” the source added. The negotiations with the Morcha in the form of tripartite talks had started in 2008.

Although the state wants the set-up to be extended for five years, the Centre is aware that the Morcha will not accept such a long tenure.

Observers believe that the Centre is also aware of the Morcha’s compulsion. An interim settlement with too long a tenure could backfire in the hills and jeopardise the entire talks process.

“The cinchona plantation will be transferred and this is one industry which is in tatters. The biggest public sector undertaking is incurring a loss of Rs 28 crore annually and lot of efforts needs to be put in to revive this industry by the interim set-up if any concrete results are to be seen. With a one-year timeline, the new body will not be able to do anything much,” said an observer.

Dawa Sherpa, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, however, said there was nothing new in the agreement reached yesterday. ”Since nothing has come out of the meeting, we have nothing to comment,” he said.

The CPRM – the party considered to have the second largest base in the hills after the Morcha—maintained that the Centre, state and the Morcha were trying to dilute the real issue of statehood by prolonging the talks. “An attempt is on to delay and then dilute the real issue of Gorkhaland. They are simply trying to tire the hill people and divert their attention. There is much confusion and after every meeting they are reaching a settlement on only one or two points,” said R.B. Rai, general secretary of the CPRM. “Soon the elections will be held in Bengal and the entire issue will then be handed over to a new government and everything will be back to square one.”

Shiva Thapa young Junior Boxer and silver medalist in the recent  Junior Olympics held in Singapore will be felicitated by Sikkim Press Club. Thapa  arrived from his native place Assam and will also meet Chief Minister of Sikkim and will pay a visit to Kalimpong.

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling flagged off 12 mountaineers of Sikkim.
More exits on tribal horizon 

TT, Sept. 8: Some more leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad’s Dooars unit are expected to resign in the next few days to protest the “autocratic functioning” of the organisation.

However, sources in the tribal outfit said the urge to join mainstream politics and contest elections were the real reasons why the leaders might desert the Parishad.

Rajesh Lakra, the secretary of the Dooars-Terai regional unit of the Parishad, already resigned from the outfit yesterday, saying he was tired of the “war of statements” among the top brass.

Today. more than five leaders told The Telegraph that they would follow suit. Till such time they put in their papers, they refused to go public about it.

“There is no democracy in the regional unit and we feel it is better to walk out of the Parishad. Despite the presence of a constitution, nothing is being followed and only a handful is running the show,” one of the dissenting leaders said.

“At least seven leaders of the regional unit have decided to resign in few days.” The resignations, if they really happen, would mean that nearly one-fourth of the Dooars Terai unit — there are 31 members — are moving out of the Parishad.

The formation of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) by a breakway faction of the Parishad has also spurred the leaders to think of resigning.

“In the past two years, the Parishad gained the support of tribals fast by taking up their causes and forming the tea trade union. But soon there was a slackness,” a senior leader said.

“Neither the state nor the Centre are listening to their demands like Sixth Schedule status for the Dooars.”

Not only that, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders, despite correspondences and meetings, do not seem to be interested in carrying out talks with the tribal outfit.

Instead, the Morcha is still insisting that only the Gorkha-dominated areas of the Terai and the Dooars should be included in the hill set-up.

These factors, the leader said, may prompt the Parishad members to step down. “Further, the formation of the PPP, which plans to field candidates in the next Assembly elections, has left some Parishad leaders thoughtful. The unity of the tribals might help them with favourable results especially when established political parties like the CPM, Congress and the RSP are losing their support base in the tea gardens,” a tribal leader said.

The observation was corroborated by the statement of Kiran Kalindi, the PPP president, who said that former Parishad leaders were welcome.

“We will field candidates in a number of seats in the Assembly elections and the entry of ex-Parishad leaders would only strengthen our party,” he said.

Global climatic change

Prakha, Gangtok September 8: A team of German Agency of Technical Cooperation Appraisal Mission on Climate Change Adaptation in the North Eastern region led by Dr. Hans Helmrich (Consultant, Team leader) along with Minister Science & Technology Mr. Bhim Dhungel and the Secretary called on the Chief Minister Mr. Pawan Chamling at his official residence Mintokgang here in the capital. 
During the meeting Dr. Hans expressed his happiness about being in such a beautiful state of Sikkim where the officials as well as the people are very aware about the climate change. He also informed Mr. Chamling that people were also quick to add that they were very aware about the efforts made by the government in this field. He was also all praise for the kind of work the Chief Minister has initiated and conceptualized in the state in the field of protection of environment. Dr Hans also informed that they will be working with 5 North Eastern states and will give technical support to Sikkim and Nagaland.
Mr. Chamling on other hand requested to them to give all the technical and expertise support to the state and also assured them full cooperation from him and his government. He also informed the team about the tranquil and investor friendly environment which exist in Sikkim and about the rich bio diversity, which makes the state a unique one in India. The Chief Minister also hoped to work with the team in the field of climate change and achieve a good result as he is very concerned about the change and global warming, he added.
He was also presented with the copy of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on adaptation to Climate Change in the North Easter Region, Sikkim, signed between the German team and the Chief Secretary of Government of Sikkim.

Trek to Everest via Mount Nepal

Pawan Chamling flags off the expedition in Gangtok on Wednesday. (Prabin Khaling)

TT, Gangtok, Sept. 8: Twelve climbers from the Northeast today set out on an expedition to scale the 7168m Mount Nepal in North Sikkim to acclimatise themselves to high altitude conditions before embarking on a trek to conquer Mount Everest.

The expedition was flagged off by Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling at his official residence, Mintokgang, at 10am.

“We have 12 members in our team along with a support crew. Mountaineers for the Northeast Everest Expedition, scheduled to be held in 2011-12, will be chosen on the basis of their performance during the trek to Mount Nepal,” said team leader L. Surjit.

The 44-year-old Surjit is from Manipur and is assisted by Mohon Puyamcha, 38, from the same state and Kazi Sherpa, 41, a Sikkim resident. The team also includes Mohan Biswakarma, 22, (Sikkim), Maibam Shanta Singh, 27, A. Robert, 35, (both from Manipur), David Zohmangaiha, 36, (Mizoram), Tarun Saika, 34, (Assam) and Nima Lama, 33, (Arunachal Pradesh).

The group has two women too. They are N. Bidyapati Devi, 27, (Manipur), and Anhsu Jamsenpa, 30, (Arunachal Pradesh). The twelfth member of the team is K. Sharatchandra, who is a doctor and a non-climber.

The expedition is being organised by Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association in collaboration with the Sikkim Mountaineering Association. The trek is sponsored by North East Council and it is being conducted under the aegis of Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

Mount Everest: Final destination

The team will reach Zema I near Lachen in North Sikkim, some 125km from Gangtok, this evening. From there, the climbers will trek for four days to reach Green Lake at 17000ft, where a base camp will be set up.

“The final camp will be set up at 21000ft and from there, it will take around eight hours to reach the summit of Mount Nepal,” said Kazi Sherpa, an officer on special duty with the Sikkim tourism department.

Asked why Mount Nepal was chosen for the pre-Everest expedition, team leader Surjit said: “Peaks in Sikkim are challenging and climbers require experienced technical skills to scale them. To reach Mount Nepal, we have to do high altitude trekking for four days and that will help us acclimatise ourselves to such weather conditions.”

Sherpa said the climbers were planning to reach the summit of Mount Nepal between September 24 and 27. “They will be completing the expedition on October 6.”

Pollution directives

Prakha, Gangtok September 7: In view of the ensuing Biswakarma Puja the State Pollution Control Board, Sikkim, Forest, Environment and Wild Life Management Department has appealed to the people of Sikkim which reads as follows:

It is puja time of the year once again and the Biswakarma Puja is one of the most widely celebrated pujas in our state. A large number of idols are worshipped which are painted with various coloured lead paints. This result in a variety of environmental problems at the time of idol immersion. On the other hand various types of cultural programmes are organised by the puja celebrating committee resulting into noise pollution. Considering the environmental scenario in the State, the State Pollution Control Board- Sikkim requests all the puja celebrating committee to avoid using large statues, plastic plates/ cups, plastic decorative items, dhupies and high volume loud speakers after 9.30 p.m.

State Pollution Control Board- solicits kind cooperation from all the puja organising committee in keeping the State of Sikkim clean and pollution free.
Sikkim an organic state

Prakha, Gangtok September 7: Director FIBL Institute of Organic Research Centre of Switzerland Dr Urs Niggli along with Minister for Agriculture, Government of Sikkim, Mr. D.N Takarpa, Secretary Mr. Vishal Chauhan, Principal Director Mr. K.K Singh and the other officials called on the Chief Minister Mr. Pawan Chamling at his official residence Mintokgang here in the capital.
Dr. Niggli in his meeting was all praise for the kind of work that was being done by the Chief Minister in field of making Sikkim an organic state. He also added that though it’s a challenging task but very much possible to achieve with the kind of enthusiasm and sincerity with which Sikkim has been working towards this objective of going organic. The Director who had earlier visited a village in Kitam, South Sikkim was very impressed by the farmers for their commitment towards organic farming. With the ever growing demand for organic products in the market, if Sikkim can manage to go organic then it will not only yield a great deal of profit and recognition worldwide but will also be an example to follow for others, he added.
On the other hand Mr. Chamling hope to get all the possible technical support from Dr. Niggli and his institute to turn the state into fully organic, which will be the first one to achieve this recognition in India. Though the task ahead is challenging we are absolutely committed to go total organic by 2015 the Chief Minister affirmed and also reiterated that Sikkim needed all possible technical know-how, help and support from him and his institute to make the mission of going organic a reality within the next three years.

During the occasion a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed by Dr. Urs Niggli and Secretary, Agriculture, Government of Sikkim Mr. Vishal Chauhan for a long term partnership in which the department will get all the possible technical support from the institute on research and training and other possible knowledge on organic farming.

The occasion was termed as historic by the Chief Minister Mr. Pawan Chamling and hoped that this partnership will have a lasting and positive effect on the target.
Jumbo rage 
TT, Jaigaon: A resident of New Line busti, under Birpara-I gram panchayat, was trampled to death by wild elephants on Tuesday night. Foresters from Dalgaon range said Birbahadur Lama, 68, came in front of three elephants that had raided the village. On Wednesday, members of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s Birpara unit confined the foresters to the range office for two hours from 10am demanding an elephant squad for the area. The foresters were released after they promised to take necessary action.
Lepcha protest

Shiva Sahay Sngh, IE: At a time when there is turmoil in the hills over a separate Gorkhaland state, a group of 50 Lepchas from Darjeeling began an indefinite hungerstrike in Kolkata on Wednesday. Their problem: Though they are the residents of the Darjeeling district, the community certificates awarded to them says that are of Sikkimese orgin.

“We are confused about our own identity. We reside in Darjeeling but the community certificate given by the state government says that we are of Sikkimese origin,” said B Lepcha, the convenor of Lepcha Youth Association. The youths claimed that due to this, they do not get jobs in the military and paramilitary forces.

In 2004, after a study conducted by the Anthropoligical Society of India referred to the community as having Sikkimese origin, the state government came out with a notification in this regard.

Prior to their demonstration in Kolkata, the Lepchas have carried put a similar protest in Silliguri in August. “They have given a deputation to me. But I think it is a larger issue and beyond my purview,” said Darjeeling District Magistrate Surendra Gupta. 

According to the 2001 Census, there are 14,731 Lepchas in West Bengal. But the community claims that their population exceeds a lakh. The Lepchas are found predominantly in areas like Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik and Darjeeling.
Total literacy in Sikkim
Prakha, Gangtok 4^th September: A coordination meeting with regard to the total literacy mission was held at BAC Pakyong under the Chairmanship of Block Development Officer, Pakyong Mr. Dhiraj Subedi on 4^th September 2010.The meeting was attended by all the  Panchayats under the administrative jurisdiction of BAC, Pakyong, Panchayat Education Assistants,  Assistant Education Officers, Panchayat Inspector and RDAs of the Block Administrative Centre.

Various issues with regard to the total literacy mission of the state government and visa vis the appointment of Panchayat Education Assistant at the Gram Panchayat Unit and  implementation of literacy mission were discussed during the meeting.

BDO Pakyong, Mr. Subedi during the meeting asked Panchayats to search for an appropriate place for the adult education centers and finalize it by 15^th of September 2010. He informed about the training which would be imparted to the Panchayat Education Assistants by SIRD soon and asked to prepare the target group in close coordination with the Ward Panchayats as soon as possible to begin work.

Assistant Education Officer Mr. D.M Subba highlighted on the Total Literacy Mission and suggested to encourage the age group between 15 – 70 years to benefit from the adult education centers.

Assistant Education Officer Mr. C.K Dahal solicited for the cooperation of the Panchayat Education Assistants for the success of the mission of the government. He also urged  the Panchayats and Panchayat Education Assistant to work in close coordination to make the mission a success.

The meeting was also informed that the Adult Education Center is already functioning at Kadamtam ward, Aho Yangtam GPU, BAC Pakyong.

Tripartite talks ended in a cordial atmosphere ...Beginning of final break-up: MorchaReal debates for political round ... without any consensus... Quit blow to Adivasi body ,,

Beginning of final break-up: Morcha ... Real debates for political round

TT, Sept. 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today claimed “victory”, with the Centre and the state “tentatively” agreeing to hand over excise, the regional transport authority and the management of forests and the cinchona plantation to the proposed interim authority for the Darjeeling hills. All three subjects had so far been outside the purview of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, which the new set-up will replace.

However, contentious issues like the territorial jurisdiction of the new arrangement, its composition and the mode of appointing its members were not part of today’s official-level tripartite talks and have been left to be sorted out at the political round. Another point that remains to be thrashed out is the tenure of the interim set-up. While the Morcha wants it to end by December 31, 2011, the state government has been insisting that it should be stretched to five years.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri, who had led the party’s talks delegation, said: “They have agreed upon most of our demands . It has been a very fruitful visit. We now need to work out the issue of territory, its composition and the mode of selection, which will be taken up during the political round.”

A triumphant Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the Morcha spokesperson, said: “The beginning of the final break-up with Writers’ Buildings has began.”

The next official-level talks are scheduled for September 30. This meeting is expected to prepare the ground for the political round.

Giri said today’s meeting had also decided that the interim body would be able to generate, distribute and transmit electricity and that it will get a share of the 12 per cent free power that the state government is entitled to from major hydel projects. However, there was no confirmation on this from Delhi or the state government.

The Morcha said even colleges would come up under the interim set-up, but officials in Calcutta said the state government’s higher education department would have overall academic control.

The mood at the Centre is to accede to most of the Morcha’s demands, Union home ministry sources said. “We are positively inclined to delegating many of the subjects that the Morcha wants in case there are no constitutional or legal hurdles,” an official said in Delhi.

However, sources said, reserve forests cannot be handed over to the new authority because it is a central subject. It is also unlikely that tauzi, or tea garden land, would be handed over to the new body.

The development functions of the district magistrate — for example handling MLA and MP local area development funds — would, however, be handed over to the new authority. But the district magistrate would continue to oversee magisterial functions, like law and order.

At the same time, funds meant for the Border Area Development Project (BADP) is unlikely to be given over to the new authority as it is directly under the Union home ministry.

The Morcha has demanded that the DGHC workers must be regularised before the new set-up is put in place. “The state government, which was represented by the home secretary has agreed to look into the matter,” said Giri. The council currently has 6,321 casual workers.

The hill party today told the state and the Centre that if peace was to be restored in the region “at least the Gorkha-dominated areas of the Terai and Dooars” must be included in the interim set-up. “Detailed discussion on this would be taken up only at the political level,” said Giri.

Sources in Delhi said it had been agreed that the new body would be called Gorkhaland Regional Authority.

KalimNews: Eighth round of tripartite talks between the Central and State governments and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha ended here in New Delhi with no concrete decisions though the representatives of both the governments listened to the proposals forwarded by GJMM with positive attitude, said Dr Harka Bdr Chhetri Spokesperson of GJMM to News 7 and Kalimpong News. The name of the interim body was resolved as Gorkha Regional Authority.

During the talks the structure and functions of the proposed GRA was discussed . Proposal of inclusion of various departments were also discussed. in the talks. The inclusion of  Reserve forest, Cinchona and Medicinal plantation, Regional Transport Authority, Excise department and Higher and Technical Education in the proposed Interim set up was also welcomed by the government representatives as feasible and possible proposal  with a condition to sort out technical problems rising thereof or if any. In the meeting the Central State government proposed for holding election for the formation of GRA body to which GJMM opposed. They had proposed  for holding direct election of GRA or as an alternative for holding Panchayat election and the representatives of different be parties be nominated  for 6 months as councillors of GRA as in DGHC in accordance to their ratio of numbers (28 councillors) and 14 other nominated , and an election of GRA be held after 6 months.

Finally it decided to meet on 30th September for official level of talks.
In the talks Samar Ghose Home secretary of state, Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi Union joint home secretary represented the state and center.
Differences over Gorkhaland shrink

HT, New Delhi:Raising hopes of setting up an interim authority for Gorkhaland before assembly elections in West Bengal, a tripartite meeting on Tuesday narrowed down difference of opinion between the three sides — Centre, State and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha — to just four issues. "The final break-up with the writers' (Writers' Building that houses the state secretariat) has begun," GJM publicity secretary H B Chhetri declared after the official level meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs, a signal that the talks were in the right direction.

Another official level tripartite meeting has been slated for 30 September, likely to be followed by political level talks to be chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken, in early October.

Sources said the four remaining points identified by GJM leaders were resolvable issues and will not be a hurdle in an early decision.

"The governments concerned do not have an inflexible position," a government official said.

Chhetri said the definition of the legislative powers, management of the tea gardens, number of members in the interim Gorkhaland Regional Authority and the selection procedure of the members remained to be sorted out.

The GJM has since its inception been demanding a separate Gorkhaland state that includes the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district in the plains and contiguous areas in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.

IBNS, New Delhi, Sept 7 : The tripartite meeting between the Union Home Ministry, the State Government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM) spearheading the separate statehood movement ended here on Tuesday without a consensus.
The next meeting to discuss the hill issue will take place on Sept 30, media reports said.

The seven-member GJM team at the meeting was headed by its General Secretary Roshan Giri.
“Today's meeting was satisfactory,” said Giri.
“We feel some positive thing will happen,” he added, referring to the next meeting.
The three sides (GJM, the Government of West Bengal and Union Home Ministry) discussed about the form, structure and powers of the Gorkha Regional Authority (GRA) to be created as an interim arrangement.
Earlier, GJM had settled over the decision to create an interim arrangement specially with the State Assembly polls scheduled in West Bengal in 2011.
The GJM has been spearheading the agitation for a separate statehood (Gorkhaland) in the hill districts of Darjeeling for quite some time now.
A renewed demand for Gorkhaland carved out of Darjeeling and some contiguous areas of Jalpaiguri district was reignited in the past few years by new leaders like Bimal Gurung, plunging the hills in fresh turmoil.
The Gorkhaland movement that began in the 1980s had ended with a truce between hill leader Subhash Ghising and New Delhi after he accepted limited autonomy in 1988 with a new Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).
Darjeeling is a geo-politically important region for India as it lies on or close to the borders of China, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. 
Plains body bays for Jaswant blood

Bhasha Banchao Committee members burn an effigy of Jaswant Singh at Hashmi Chowk in Siliguri on Tuesday. (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 7: Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh today refused to be dragged into the controversy over the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s demand to include the Terai and the Dooars in the interim set-up even as an anti-Gorkhaland outfit here demanded the BJP MP’s resignation for being “biased”.

The Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee, which had called a 24-hour bandh here to protest the official-level tripartite talks with the Morcha and which coincided with the Citu-sponsored countrywide strike, burnt the effigy of the BJP leader a few hours ahead of his first visit to town.

“Since his election, Singh has never visited Siliguri or allocated any money from his local area development funds for the plains. So far, he has only visited the hills and has only worked for the interests of the Morcha. He has allotted money for the hills only, although his constituency includes the Siliguri subdivision also,” said Mukunda Majumdar, the president of the Bhasha Committee.

“We demonstrated this morning against his political stand which encourages the partition of Bengal and we want him to resign from his post. A by-election should be held to elect a new MP from the Darjeeling parliamentary constituency who does not have any such biased political stance,” Majumdar said. His outfit is against the Morcha demand for a new state and the inclusion of the Dooars and the Terai in the set-up proposed for the hills.

Around 10.30am, nearly 100 Bhasha Committee members burnt Singh’s effigy at Hashmi Chowk.

Jaswant Singh at a programme in Siliguri on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Later, they took out a rally, wielding black flags and the outfit’s flags and toured the deserted streets of the town. With policemen patrolling in different areas, no untoward incident was reported.

Singh, who came to Darjeeling on Wednesday, arrived at a hotel near Darjeeling More here at 2.30pm.

“I have heard that a tripartite meeting was held at official-level with a delegation of the Morcha but I do not have detail information of the meeting till now. So, I cannot comment,” the MP said.

Singh dodged a question on the Morcha demand for the Dooars and the Terai in the hill set-up. “I would prefer not to comment on this issue,” he said. Tomorrow, the Darjeeling MP is scheduled to attend a meeting of party workers before leaving for Delhi, sources said. 

Quit blow to Adivasi body

TT, Jaigaon, Sept. 7: One of the key leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, Rajesh Lakra, today resigned from the organisation, saying he was tired of the “war of statements” among the top brass.

The Parishad’s state committee secretary Tezkumar Toppo confirmed the resignation of the general- secretary of the Terai-Dooars co-ordination committee.
“We have received his resignation and whether it will be accepted or not will be decided at our state committee meeting at Malbazar on September 11,” said Toppo.
According to Birsa Tirkey, Parishad state committee president, Lakra has said in his resignation letter that he was tired of the “war of statements” between the leaders of the organisation. Tirkey said Lakra had also felt that the feud in the Parishad was harming the interests of Adivasis.

Sources said Lakra had in the letter raised questions on the attempts being made to create a rift within the Adivasi community.Lakra today locked up the Parishad’s office in Nagrakata as it was being used by leaders of the newly formed Progressive People’s Party (PPP), a breakaway faction of the tribal outfit. Parishad insiders said Lakra had been under tremendous pressure from other leaders for not coming forward to protest a meeting of the PPP in Nagrakata on Sunday. Even the president of the Terai-Dooars committee of the Parishad, John Barla, had written to police, saying there might be law and order problems if the meeting took place.Barla admitted that Lakra had locked up the Nagrakata office and handed over the keys to him. “The PPP’s use of our office that was opened just a year ago was sending wrong signals to the community. The PPP was formed on July 25 this year and they have no right to use our office,” said Barla.He added that the Parishad was not in any way connected to the PPP. “We are where the people are, and they are with us. No one can force us to join any political party,” said Barla. The president of the PPP’s central committee, Kiran Kalindi, lashed out at Barla and Birsa Tirkey. “Only they can say what they mean by locking up the office. There is no clause in the Parishad’s constitution that its members cannot join a political party. I do not know why Barla and the others are allergic to people joining the PPP,” said Kalindi. Kalindi said Barla had held secret meetings with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Gorubathan sometime ago and had also written to the hill party’s leadership.
“The meetings were held after the Morcha had proposed that the name of the new state would be changed from Gorkhaland to Gorkha-Adivasi Pradesh. We have held no secret meetings with the Morcha,” said Kalindi.Countering the charges, Barla said he had met the Morcha leadership to discuss peace in the region and had written to them expressing a desire to talk about the common problems being faced by the Adivasis and the Gorkhas in the Terai and the Dooars.
KalimNews:India Bundh a 24 hrs industrial Strike called by CITU and INTUC had no effect in the tea gardens of Dooars, almost all the tea gardens were open even the NUPW a  unit of INTUC defied the bundh. 

China trip for school lessons

A file picture of St Joseph’s School in Darjeeling

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 7: From Darjeeling and getting ready to scale great heights. Only this time, it is not Mount Everest, but the Chinese wall.

Nearly 40 students of St Joseph’s School will be hopping around the quaint Shaanxi province in China during pujas, rubbing shoulders with the life-size terracotta soldiers standing there since before Christ instead of visiting pandals modelled on them.

The authorities of the school, also known as North Point School, the visit will be part of an educational trip. The holidays begin from October 9.

“Forty boys from Class VI to XII would be visiting Beijing, Shanghai and Xian as part of an educational tour. During the last winter vacation, 45 boys had gone to Egypt for a similar tour,” said Father Kinley Tshering, rector, North Point.

“They will visit the Great Wall of China. We will also take them to Xian to see the museum of Qin’s Armies, the terracotta warriors and horses,” he added.

The marvel or the funerary art was discovered in 1974 by a group of peasants, while digging up a well in the area. Archaeologists have confirmed that the terracotta warriors dated back to the era of the First Qin emperor, Shi Huan, who ruled the region between 221 and 206 BC.

The figures are almost 6 feet high and there are hundreds of warriors along with chariots and horses lined up in a war formation in the museum.

The group will leave for Calcutta on October 9.

They will first fly to Kunming in China. From there the boys will be taken to Beijing where they will see the Bird’s Nest — the stadium that had hosted Olympic Games in 2008. They will also visit Tiananmen Square.

The students will spend a day in Xian and from there they will head back to Beijing.

The boys will also be taken to Shanghai before returning to India on October 17.

During the Egypt trip the North Pointers had visited Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan. They had also cruised on the Nile.

“I will be accompanying the boys along with four other teachers. Each student is paying Rs 57,000 for the trip,” said Father Kinley.

During the last trip an Egyptologist had guided the students right till Calcutta, he added.

Swaroop Pradhan, a Class XI student from Darjeeling, said: “I recently got my passport made. I could not visit Egypt last year, but am happy that I am going to China this time.”

His friend Gaurav Raisaily from Gangtok is also ready to embark on his first tour abroad. “When I told my parents about this wonderful opportunity they immediately gave their nod,” he said.

Dajeeling Girl raped  

TNN, Gurgaon/New Delhi: The Gurgaon police has registered a rape case against the driver of Haryana home ministers niece.A maidservant working with the ministers niece,has alleged rape by the driver.The victim also claimed she was thrown out of job at the instance of Priyanka,her employer,when she tried to complain about the incident.
DCP (east Gurgaon) Vikas Arora confirmed that a case of rape has been registered against the driver,Sunil,who is absconding.The incident came to light after the south district of Delhi Police arrested three persons employed as bouncers in Gurgaon for allegedly threatening the 17-year-old maidservant on Sunday,after she complained she was feeling unwell,nine days after the alleged rape.The threat was made allegedly at the instance of the driver.The maidservant,who is from Darjeeling,had allegedly told Delhi Police that she had been raped by Sunil on the night of August 27.
The police has recovered a Hyundai Tucson with a sticker of the home ministry pasted on it from the three accused,Amarjeet,Sanju and Gautam.However,the Delhi cops did not record a zero FIR on the basis of the statement of the victim,claiming that the incident had taken place in Gurgaon.
In a statement from Chandigarh,the home minister Kanda told media that he had nothing to do with the car. I had given the car to my niece about five years back.I dont even know why my name is being dragged into the incident, he told local journalists.
Sources said the victim had approached ministers niece two days after the incident at her Janapratinidhi Apartments in Sector 28 in Gurgaon.

TOI, Gurgaon/New Delhi: The Gurgaon police has registered a rape case against the driver of Haryana home ministers niece.A maidservant working with the ministers niece,has alleged rape by the driver.The victim also claimed she was thrown out of job at the instance of Priyanka,her employer,when she tried to complain about the incident.
DCP (east Gurgaon) Vikas Arora confirmed that a case of rape has been registered against the driver,Sunil,who is absconding.The incident came to light after the south district of Delhi Police arrested three persons employed as bouncers in Gurgaon for allegedly threatening the 17-year-old maidservant on Sunday,after she complained she was feeling unwell,nine days after the alleged rape.The threat was made allegedly at the instance of the driver.The maidservant,who is from Darjeeling,had allegedly told Delhi Police that she had been raped by Sunil on the night of August 27.
The police has recovered a Hyundai Tucson with a sticker of the home ministry pasted on it from the three accused,Amarjeet,Sanju and Gautam.However,the Delhi cops did not record a zero FIR on the basis of the statement of the victim,claiming that the incident had taken place in Gurgaon.
In a statement from Chandigarh,the home minister Kanda told media that he had nothing to do with the car. I had given the car to my niece about five years back.I dont even know why my name is being dragged into the incident, he told local journalists.
Sources said the victim had approached ministers niece two days after the incident at her Janapratinidhi Apartments in Sector 28 in Gurgaon.

Asian Age, Gurgaon: Three persons have been arrested in Munirka here over the weekend for allegedly threatening a teenage rape victim. The criminal assault had allegedly taken place in a flat occupied by the relatives of a senior Haryana minister at Gurgaon last month, sources said.

The arrests were made on Sunday afternoon when the prime accused, Sunil, reached the house where the victim has been staying with her friend with his three friends and allegedly molested her and threatened her not to tell anybody about the assault. “A call was made to the Police Control Room and a police team reached the spot. Three persons were arrested,” said a senior Delhi police officer.
Those arrested were identified as Gautam, Sandeep and Amarjeet. Sunil managed to escape.
The police claim to have seized the car in which the four had come to threaten the victim. The car bears a Haryana registration number and efforts are on to ascertain its ownership. A case has been arrested under Sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage the modesty of a woman) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at the Vasant Vihar police station.
According to the sources, the victim had been working as a maid at a flat occupied by the relatives of the minister in Gurgaon.
While the minister’s relatives were away in August, their driver Sunil brought the girl, who had gone to stay with her friend in Delhi, to the flat on some pretext and allegedly assaulted her.
The girl did not report the matter then.
For their part, Gurgaon police commissioner S.S. Deshwal said: “The girl has been produced before a judicial magistrate and her statement is being recorded. We will take further necessary action after the statement is recorded. No case has been registered as yet in this regard. The medical examination of the victim has already been conducted by the Delhi police.”
The victim is a native of West Bengal.

Crash echoes strike cause- One dies & 11 injured as bus falls into ditch

A stretch of NH31D being repaired in Jalpaiguri on Monday even as the bus owners’ strike to protest bad condition of roads in north Bengal entered the seventh day. Picture by Biplab Basak

TT, Alipurduar, Sept. 7: Bad condition of roads in north Bengal took its toll on passengers’ safety today when a Guwahati-bound bus fell into a ditch, killing one person and injuring 11 others. The accident occurred when the driver tried to avoid a deep pothole on NH31C at Basti Bazar near Jaigaon around 2.30am.

Private bus owners of Siliguri, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar have been on an indefinite strike from August 31 to protest the bad condition of the roads in north Bengal. The bus owners did not withdraw the strike even after state public works minister Kshiti Goswami had assured them during an emergency meeting in Jalpaiguri on September 2 that the roads would be repaired within a fortnight.

Police said the bus had left Siliguri at 8.30pm and it was carrying 34 passengers bound for Meghalaya.

“Most of the passengers were from Balia in Uttar Pradesh. There were a lot of goods on the roof of the bus.The bus driver has been arrested,” said David Lepcha, the subdivisional police officer of Alipurduar.

While Goroknath Gupta, 45, died on the spot, 11 others were taken to the air force hospital in Hashimara by the local people. Later, the injured were shifted to the subdivisional hospital in Alipurduar.

According to the local people, there were three deep potholes filled with rainwater on the highway near the air force station in Hashimara. “The driver could not see the holes in the darkness and he lost control of the bus. The vehicle toppled on the left and fell into the water-filled ditch,” said Mithun Saha, a local trader who was among the rescuers.

The accident spot is 140km from Siliguri.

Bewas Prasad, who suffered injuries on his hand, said most of the passengers had been sleeping when the accident had occurred. “We were dozing off during the ride. We were woken up by a jerk and the bus toppled. Everyone was screaming and shouting; luckily, locals came to our rescue and pulled us out of the bus. The accident took place because of the appaling condition of the road,” he said.

An injured passenger at the Alipurduar Subdivisional Hospital on Tuesday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

The potholed roads have made people like Ratan Roy keep his two buses — plying between Alipurduar and Siliguri — parked at home. “The condition of the roads is so bad that I have not been operating my two buses for the past six weeks,” said Roy, a resident of Alipurduar.

Roy added that he was having to pay more money for repairs than the monthly loan repayments.

“I was spending something like Rs 70,000 a month for repairs. So, I decided not to ply the buses till the road conditions improved rather than risk them turning into wrecks and becoming non-roadworthy,” he said.

The North Bengal Passenger Transport Owners’ Co-ordination Committee met at Mainaguri yesterday and decided to continue with the strike.

Chandi Sarkar, a bus owner in Jalpaiguri, said another meeting would be held in Cooch Behar on September 11 to deliberate on the strike. About 1,500 buses and mini-buses are off the roads because of the strike.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/gurgaon-bouncers-threaten-rape-victim-50125?cp

SMU non-teaching staff hopeful for salary revision

Prakha, GANGTOK, September 7: The non-teaching staff of Sikkim Manipal University have pinned their hopes on an upcoming university governing council meeting for a positive outcome to their long pending salary hike demand.

Locals comprise a major chunk of the 700 odd non-teaching workforce in two educational institutes of SMU-Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences and Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology.

The aggrieved workers told Media that they have been regularly demanding the SMU authorities for an increase in their salaries for the past couple of years. So far, all our efforts have been stonewalled by the SMU authorities, they said.Our salaries have not been enhanced even as the cost of living has increased considerably and we can barely survive in the present salaries, said the workers. The recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission have been done in other institutions but it is yet to be implemented in SMU, they said.

Only a small pay revision is on process, the non-teaching staff members said adding that salaries of teaching staff have been already revised in October 2009.

The dissent among the non-teaching staff has almost reached to a confrontation stage where the workers are determined to go on a mass protest if their demand is not heeded by the SMU. However, this extreme step has been put on a hold till the October 4 meeting of the SMU governing council.

We are hopeful that our demand will be placed and resolved during the meeting, said the workers.

In a recent circular issued by SMU, the head of departments had been directed to inform the non-teaching staff members that their salary revision is already under consideration by the university‘Since the revision of salary involves huge financial implications, the same is required to be approved by the Governing Council’, said the SMU in response to a letter of grievances on salary revision submitted by non-teaching staff on September 3.

50% seat reservation for women

Prakha, Gangtok: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announced that there will be 50% reservations for women in next panchayats elections in order to give them equal opportunity and hoped that they will use this opportunity to empower themselves and will also shoulder equal responsibility and work towards ushering Sikkim into a new horizon.

Sikkim has come a long way to embrace democratic principle and rule of law to march ahead as one of the most happening state in the nation he added.

Remote but ready to grow- Sikkim travel agents adopt eight pockets for tourism

Lingtam in East Sikkim which has been adopted by TAAS. Picture by Prabin Khaling

TT, Gangtok, Sept. 7: New tourist destinations are on the rise in Sikkim with the travel agents’ association adopting eight areas for their remoteness and natural endowment.

The memorandums of understanding for a two-year period were handed over to the respective tourism development committees from the eight unexplored pockets by the Travel Agents’ Association of Sikkim (TAAS) yesterday.

“The committees will analyse the MoU and a formal agreement will be reached within a week,” TAAS president Lukendra Rasaily had said at Janta Bhavan here yesterday.

While Dzongu in North Sikkim has been selected for promotion of tourism based on organic farming and culture of the indigenous Lepcha community, Lachen has been chosen for the trek to Green Lake at 12,000ft.

In South Sikkim, the TAAS has shown an interest in Sumbuk and Kitam villages for wellness, Borong for adventure sports and Yangyang village for natural and cultural tours. Submuk and Kitam are located along the Rangit river and near the Kitam Bird Sanctuary. Melli Aching in West Sikkim, which is the gateway to the newly notified Pangmelung Singalila trekking trail, has been adopted for adventure tourism.

The Rhenock-Rongli-Aritar-Lingtam axis in East Sikkim has also been taken up by the TAAS for promotion of cultural and nature-based tourism. This axis covers the route from Rongli to Nathu-la and is near the Fhabonglo Wildlife Sanctuary.

All these areas are relatively unexplored from the tourism point of view and were adopted after two years of study.

“There has been a lot of talk about village tourism over the years. We discussed with the state government and interacted with the villagers for two years before we concluded that these eight areas should be taken up for quality tourism promotion by TAAS with support from the state government,” said the TAAS president.

The TAAS will promote and market the eight destinations for two years. During the period, the apex body of tour operators will train the villagers on how to protect their ethnicity, culture, environment and the people, including tourists. “Our role will be to bring tourists, facilitate and co-ordinate with government and other support agencies and train the local people (on how to cater to tourists),” said Rasaily. At the end of two years, if the TAAS feels there is more to be done, then the timeframe will be extended.

The villagers at the meeting at Janta Bhavan. Picture by Prabin Khaling

The creation of new destinations will also ensure that tourists are not concentrated in one area during the peak season, he said.

The development of homestays and providing good service to visitors will be the responsibility of the respective tourism committees while the state government will create the required infrastructure.

State tourism secretary S.B.S. Bhaduaria said the government was committed to village tourism. “We have already prepared a detailed project report for village tourism promotion and within a year, work will begin at the ground-level for construction of approach roads and tourism related infrastructure,” he said.

TMC protest in Darjeeling

Protest of Trinamul Congress on Monday

Darjeeling Times, Darjeeling September 6: Supporters of Trinamul Congress from Naxalbari block held a silent protest rally in front of Darjeeling district court on Monday, with their various local problems and complains. The group was headed by Gautam Kritaniya, president of Trinamul Congress, Naxalbari block. List of 18 demands along with memorandum has been submitted to Mr. T W Bhutia, Additional District Magistrate. The administration has assured to reach them by next 15 days. (Source: http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/)

2 killed

TT, Alipurduar, Sept.7: Two persons were killed in separate incidents in a garden near Kalchini last evening.

Johon Kheria, 55, had gone to his friend’s house in Gangutia Tea Estate when his son Poulush came to him and asked for Rs 10 to buy country liquor. When Johon refused, Poulush started beating him up with a stick and dragged him out of the hut. Johon died after half an hour. Poulush tried to escape but the villagers caught him and tied him up to a post. Later they handed him over to police. In another incident, Gunun Naik, 35, was killed when his friend Befy Naik beat him up with sticks after an altercation. Later, Befy surrendered to the Kalchini police.

Body found

TT, Siliguri: Phansidewa police recovered the body of Pratap Sharma, 45, from Mahananda Canal on Tuesday. Police said Sharma, a resident of the New Jalpaiguri area, had been missing since Friday. No external injury marks were found on the body.

Wife murder

TT, Jaigaon: Baby Misra, a 26-year-old housewife, was killed when her husband hit her with a shovel on Tuesday morning. D. Lepcha, the subdivisional police officer of Alipurduar, said Hari Misra, a resident of closed Ramjhora Tea Estate near Birpara, was drunk when he hit Baby. She was taken to the Birpara State General Hospital from where she was referred to Jalpaiguri district hospital. She succumbed to injuries on way to Jalpaiguri.

NBU event

TT, Siliguri: The department of lifelong learning and extension of the North Bengal University will organise a programme on Literacy and Women Empowerment on International Literacy Day on Wednesday. Vice-chancellor Arunabha Basumajumdar will inaugurate the event that will be held at the humanities building of the varsity.

Fire

TT, Siliguri: A jewellery shop on Hill Cart Road was damaged in a fire on Tuesday evening. Two engines from the Siliguri fire station doused the flames.

All India strike

TOI, NEW DELHI: Functioning of government establishments was today affected by the countrywide general strike called by eight central trade unions including Congress-affiliated INTUC against price rise, alleged violation of labour laws and disinvestment in PSUs.

Workers from sectors including coal, power, telecom, banks, insurance, defence, port and dock, road transport, petroleum and construction took part in the strike across the country under the banner of INTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS, AIUTUC/ TUCCAICCTU UTUC. Banking operations were partially affected as employees, mainly belonging to pub lic sector, cooperative and regional rural banks, joined the strike opposing in the banking sector and grant of licences to private banks. Major private airliners cancelled over 170 flights from various cities to West Bengal and Kerala in the wake of the strike but national carrier said its operations were not hampered due to the stir.

 
Air operations to and from Kolkata were crippled as private airliners like Indigo cancelled nearly 177 flights mainly to the two Left-ruled states, where normal life was badly hit by the strike which took the shape of a bandh. "It was unprecedented and inconceivable strike all over the country. It is the unity (of the trade unions) that inspired workers to join the stir and its impact was massive," AITUC general secretary and CPI MP Gurudas Dasgupta said.

                                              He claimed that life came to "standstill" at many places. "After many years, the strike hit Maharashtra. Pune was totally closed, according to our information," he added. INTUC president and Congress MP G Sanjeeva Reddy told that he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party presidentSonia Gandhi in the next two days and discuss the issues and demands of the workers. 

What a shame! All it takes to shut down this city is Rs 210 KANKURGACHHI 12.51PM, TUESDAY . A chair and two flags lord it over a locked-down Kankurgachhi on Tuesday. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

Titbits from KalimNews

Tripartite Talks

KalimNews, 7 September: Tripartite talk on the future of Darjeeling hills will start from 1130 AM today in New Delhi. Roshan Giri, General Secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) led 7 member delegation team has already reached national capital. While briefing the media, Giri reiterated that no territorial dispute will be discussed in this official talk as the same is scheduled to be dealt at the political level talk to follow soon. He also categorically refused the state Govt's proposal of an elected form of the executive body to run the proposed set-up and preferred a nominated board of 55 members. 
Giri disclosed that the proposed nomenclature of the set-up may be changed to Gorkha Regional Authority as the present name has so far not been finalised. The GJM team is likely to return to Darjeeling hills immediately after the talk is over mainly to make the people aware of the outcome of the same.

Sports : 
KalimNews, 7 September: Tarun Dip Rai of Sikkim bagged a Gold medal in an international archery competition being held at Sanghai, China. 
Kalimpong Veteran Football Association will select 15 young football players from amongst the 14 to 16 years group to play for the Bajaj Alianz team in future. 
Shiv Thapa, a North-East India based Gorkha boy will be felicitated by Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister, Sikkim tomorrow for his excellence in the field of boxing.

Others : His Holiness the Dalai lama will pay a visit to Gangtok capital town of Sikkim in the month of December this year to inaugurate a Buddhist religious research institution.

Software aid to identify Kuwait body- Passport misleads family

TT, Kalimpong, Sept. 6: The hill town today watched as a drama unfolded over the identification of a body that arrived from Kuwait with family members first refusing to accept it and police using a software on the dead youth’s photograph to help his kin identify him.

The coffin that arrived with the body of Buddha Sherpa this morning had a name tag, which said it was Ganesh Prasad Lamithami. Not only that, the body inside was that of a mystery man, or so the family claimed earlier in the day.

The police first unravelled the mystery of the body by taking a photograph of the face and using a software to remove the moustache and long hair. The family members on seeing the long hair and moustache had outright said the body was not that of 25-year-old Buddha, who had committed suicide in Kuwait on August 25. An investigating officer at the Sadar police station said a photograph of the dead youth was first taken and scanned at a local cyber café.

“We then removed the moustache and cropped the hair and it matched with the photo in the passport that was with the body. We again summoned the family. The father of the youth then made a positive identification as his son had scars on his left wrist and left calf,” the officer said.

Dawa Sherpa, a retired clerk from the subdivisional office here, admitted that he made a positive identification of his son’s body the second time. “I have told that in writing to the police,” Sherpa said before leaving the morgue of the Kalimpong Subdivisional Hospital.

Police sources then confirmed what Buddha’s elder sister Jongmu had told reporters earlier, solving the mystery of the name tag. Buddha had been sent to Kuwait to work in a farm on a Nepalese passport issued in the name of Ganesh Prasad Lamithami. “Our family had got in touch with a woman who promised to find a job for my brother overseas. When we paid her the necessary fees, my brother left home for Delhi on March 22. After waiting for almost two months, my brother was sent to Kuwait in June on a Nepalese passport issued in someone else’s name,” said Jongmu.

Mary Bhutia, the woman responsible for sending Buddha to Kuwait, is a resident of 15 Mile, which is not very far from the Sherpas’ home in Upper Echey, barely 2km from here. She, along with her husband based in Delhi and a daughter who has been staying in Kuwait for the past three years, supplies manpower to the Arab country.

“She has sent many young boys and girls to Kuwait,” said a police source. Buddha, Jongmu said, had wanted to return home because he was not happy with his work that required a lot of physical labour.

“That was the one and only time he had called us from Kuwait. Since then we have been telling the agent (Mary) to arrange for his return, but she always kept procrastinating. However, in the last week of August, we got a call from my brother’s friends in Kuwait, informing us that he had committed suicide,” she said.

When the family confronted the agent with the news, Mary readily agreed to get Sherpa’s body home. “The body was sent via Kathmandu. Mary herself had gone to Kathmandu to receive the body,” said Jongmu.

Another girl from Sherpa’s village, too, was sent to Kuwait on a Nepalese passport. Tripti Chhetri, who has since returned, told reporters that the Nepalese passport given to her was in the name of Bishnu Poudel. Agents like Mary charge anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 from their clients that include passport and visa charges. For the menial jobs they do in Kuwait, Indian labourers are paid about 300 dinars, which is around Rs 48,500, per month. But the salary is given at the end of their contract period which could be year-long or for two years.

Hope for success & next round- Ladakh model for Darjeeling set-up

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri at Bagdogra airport on Monday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Sept. 6: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is confident that most of the administrative issues of the proposed set-up for the Darjeeling hills will be settled in tomorrow’s official-level tripartite talks, its success propelling the political round to be held this month itself.

However, the party refused to divulge the name of the interim arrangement although sources in the government said the nomenclature would be according to the Morcha demand. The interim arrangement would be called the Gorkhaland Regional Authority as demanded by the Morcha, and would be modelled on the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, a source in the government said.

“The Centre is in a hurry to solve the Darjeeling problem and if the Delhi meeting (tomorrow) settles most of the administrative hurdles, there is a possibility of holding the political level talks before September 30,” a Morcha source said.

The Morcha is expected to point out the “discrepancies in the minutes” of the August 17 meeting at tomorrow’s talks in New Delhi. It had already sent its comments on the minutes to both the Centre and state on September 3. “These are minor irritants and we are hopeful that they will be thrashed out soon,” said a Morcha leader.

By “minor irritants”, the hill party was referring to some of its demands that have not been as clearly reflected in the minutes as had been agreed upon during the August 17 meeting. The demands include the upgrade of the Darjeeling police into a commissariat, direct funding of the interim authority instead of routing it through the state, and the complete transfer of the tea and cinchona industry to the new set-up.

“Our ultimate target is to achieve the separate state of Gorkhaland. The interim set-up is temporary. Being so, we feel it should be run by a body of nominated members,” said Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri at Bagdogra airport this afternoon. He is leading the seven-member delegation to the talks.

The state and the Centre, however, want an election to the hill set-up, either directly, or by a formula of proportionate representation, depending on the number of seats each political party wins in the panchayat elections.

The Centre has also maintained that the interim authority should be a 20-member body. “There are indications that Delhi might increase the number of representatives and it could also give in to the Morcha’s demand for direct nomination if the state does not object to it much. However, if these issues come in the way of the successful talks tomorrow, it will, in all probability be referred to the political round,” the source added.

Asked what the name of the interim set-up would be, the Morcha general secretary said no final decision had been taken yet. “Tomorrow’s discussion would be held at the official-level. We don’t want to comment on the name of the new set-up as that would be decided only in the political round,” he said.

The next round of political-level talks is expected to be of much importance, as the territorial jurisdiction of the interim set-up will be taken up for discussion then. There are indications that the Centre and state might also broach subject but the Morcha is unlikely to entertain it.

Dooars bungalows brim with puja bookings Defunct car spoils leopard safari

The Jainti rest house in the Buxa Tiger Reserve which is booked till the middle of November; and (below) the defunct leopard safari car in East Khayerbari. Pictures by Anirban Choudhury

ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, Alipurduar, Sept. 6: The pujas will bring with them thousands of visitors to the Dooars, most of whom are unaware that they may miss out on the only leopard safari in the country while touring the forests.

All tourist lodges and bungalows in the region — right from the ones in Gorumara National Park to Buxa Tiger Reserve — are booked for a month from the middle of October. But the car used for the leopard safari in South Khayerbari Eco Park has been lying out of order for the past four months.

To woo tourists in the festive season, the Jaldapara Lodge Owners’ Association, in association with the wildlife division III of the forest department, will start new tourist circuits in Dhumchi forest, a habitat for wild elephants. A herd is always there inside the forest throughout the dry season (from October to March).

Starting October, visitors will be transported to the forest office by car and taken herd watching on a bullock cart which is noiseless and will not disturb the animals.

Arrangements will also be made for the tourists to watch different kinds of birds, wild animals from the spot and enjoy the single source for two rivers — the Mujnai and the Ekti — in the vicinity.

Biswajit Saha, the secretary of the association, said: “The interest in the Dooars forests is on the rise among the tourists. During the travel and tourism fair in the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Calcutta on July 31, we had a stall where a large number of tourists enquired about different spots in the region”.

Conservator of forests of north Bengal Manindra Biswas confirmed that most of the bungalows of the department and the forest development corporation were booked for the pujas. “We expect a 25-30 per cent increase in tourists in this season compared to last year,” he said.

The disturbance in the hills and increase in accommodations in the forests have turned the tourists’ interests towards the Dooars, Biswas said.

Saha said in the coming season, arrangement for picnics on the banks of the Torsha and the Holong would be made. “We will also provide life jackets and rubber tubes for swimming in both the rivers.” The tourists can also enjoy a cycle safari in the Chilapata forest.

However, the leopard safari in South Khayerbari, the only one of its kind in India, is in a dire state for the past four months with the forest department not taking much interest to revive the facility.

In the park, there are four leopards in the enclosure and nine at the rescue centre. A specially-designed car takes tourists inside the enclosure for a half-an-hour safari.

But after entering the park, one can feel the facility is not properly maintained. The leopard enclosure is full of bushes and a wooden culvert in the park is broken forcing the tourists to walk for at least 500 meters.

Tapas Sarkar, a businessman from Calcutta’s Behala, said: “On our way back from Bhutan, we decided to visit Jaldapara and adjacent spots. We had heard about the safari in South Khayerbari. But our experience is not at all good. The road from NH31C to the centre is in poor condition and there is no maintenance of the park. The most frustrating thing is that the car has been out of order for a long time.”

Saha said they were aware of the condition of the centre.

However, Om Prakash, the divisional forest officer of wildlife-III, said the situation would improve shortly. “The car, road and the culvert will be repaired and we will give a new look to this park and tourists will not have any problems at all during the puja season.”

Hill rail society website receives millionth hit

The home page of DHR society’s website, www.dhrs.org. Telegraph picture

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 6: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society’s website has been viewed a million times in a span of five years.

“We are delighted to inform the success of our website www.dhrs.org which recently had its millionth hit. The website has been religiously providing information on the historical background and current details of the Unesco World Heritage Railway for the past five year,” Paul Whittle, the DHRS vice-chairman wrote in an e-mail to The Telegraph.

This comes as another laurel for the society after being given the Best International Achievement Award last year by the Association of Community Rail Partnerships — an association funded by the UK’s department of transport — for its contribution towards the DHR.

Established in 1997 by a small band of toy train lovers, the society currently has over 800 members in 24 countries. The website was launched in May 2005 with an aim to garner support for the hill railway.

Besides the DHR’s official website www.dhr.net.in, www.dhrs.org is the second website dedicated to the hill railway.

Toy train info on fingertipse

However, as the official website has not been updated for the past few months, the society’s website is the only source which is keeping tourists updated on the disruption of DHR services in the NJP-Kurseong section because of landslides on NH55 at Paglajhora.

DHR director P.P. Roy said the official website had not been updated because of technical problems.

“We have revived the website recently but are yet to update it. That measure too shall be taken and the latest information on the DHR will be posted on the site soon,” said Roy.

According to Whittle, page views are over 500 each day, with a third of visitors from India and elsewhere in Asia.

“The DHR’s official site has not been updated for a long time and we are glad that so many people rely on information provided by us,” wrote the vice-chairman of the society.

Managed by Mick Melbourne, the website offers a variety of information on the heritage railway. An archive relates sequentially the history of the DHR from the time the Darjeeling Steam Tramway Company started constructing narrow gauge tracks in 1879.

A photo gallery with old as well as recent snaps of the toy train, news articles on the DHR and information on the charity wing of the society, Darjeeling Railway Community Support group and Education Group, are among the pages listed on the website.

“The success of our website is a tribute to our volunteer webmaster, Mick Melbourne, who updates it between his many other commitments,” said Whittle.

Besides the website, Darjeeling Mail, the quarterly magazine published by the society, is another source of information on the DHR with inputs provided by DHRS members in the hills.