Tour agents happy with road force...Party refuses to buy ‘suicide’ - Farewell to Kanu Sanyal

Focus on hill school posts first

TT, Kalimpong, March 24: The Janmukti Secondary Teachers’ Organisation will demand a phase-wise regularisation of jobs rather than insisting on the fulfilment of its entire wish-list when its representatives meet senior officials of the education department in Calcutta tomorrow.

A seven-member team of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated union today left for Calcutta for the talks on the demand for the regularisation of ad hoc teachers and non-teaching staff working in government schools in the hills.

“In the first phase, we want the services of those teachers who are working against existing vacancies to be regularised. Thereafter, we will insist that teachers working against vacancies that are yet to be sanctioned be made permanent. Finally, we want the recognition of teachers who are working in schools that are yet to be upgraded,” said Bhisan Roka, the JSTO spokesperson.

The meeting with additional chief secretary (education), Vikram Sen, is a follow-up to the earlier talks a JSTO team had with education minister Partha Dey on March 16.

The minister had agreed to begin the process of regularising the services of 474 teachers and 78 non-teaching staff members — one of the three main demands of the JSTO, which had declared the boycott of exam duties to pressure the government into action.

The JSTO is expected to take up other demands at the talks table, but will not press for their fulfilment for the moment. The other demands include the recognition of schools, the upgrade of junior schools into high schools and high schools into Higher Secondary schools and appointment of teachers in-charge as headmasters.

The union will also demand the creation of additional posts of teachers in missionary schools and grants to those institutions which have completed hundred years. 

Parishad veto on tea tourism

A worker in a tea garden: Better days ahead?

TT, Siliguri, March 24: Armed with a trade wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad is planning to oppose the setting up of tourist resorts in tea estates in the Terai and the Dooars.

“The number of workers in the tea industry has increased and often there are talks of laying off workers by new managements seeking to take over closed or abandoned gardens. The aim of our trade union will be to ensure that workers do not lose their jobs,” said Tezkumar Toppo, the Parishad’s state general secretary.

He said the Parishad felt that unutilised land in the estates should be used for tea-related purposes. “We will tell the garden managements that we will not allow tourism-related activities on garden land. The planters should expand the estates and plant new bushes so that workers get work.”

According to sources in the Jalpaiguri district administration, at least a dozen proposals for tea tourism in the Dooars have been lying with the state land department in Calcutta. “There are problems regarding conversion of land leased to tea estates to tourism-related activities,” a district official said.

Birsa Tirkey, the state president of the Parishad, said over the phone from Calcutta that getting the labour department to recognise the trade union was a significant achievement for them. “Now, we can work on solving the problems of health, education and living condition of the workers in different tea estates across north Bengal. Our demand for inclusion of the Terai and Dooars in the Sixth Schedule is for the development of the entire tribal population of the region.”

The Parishad members will hold a meeting at Nowera Nuddy Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri on March 28.

“In the meeting, we will once again clear our stand — that we are not going to allow the Terai and the Dooars to be included in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s proposed separate state or a regional authority — to our members in the region,” Tirkey said.

The next day, the Parishad leaders will meet the divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri and the district magistrate and submit memorandums to them in this regard.

“On January 29 last year, we had handed over a memorandum to the chief minister through the divisional commissioner, pointing out several issues for uplift of the tea workers of the region. We will review the progress of our demands in the meeting with the authorities,” Tirkey said.

Highway clear, profit hope soars- Tour agents happy with road force

Foreign tourists take a stroll at MG Marg in Gangtok. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, March 24: Stakeholders in the tourism sector, particularly those based in Sikkim, are hoping for a better summer this time with the Centre and the Bengal government gearing up to keep NH31A, the lifeline to the Himalayan state, free from political blockades.

Tour operators are relieved that three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been posted along NH31A since the last week of February. “We can now guarantee our clients that there will be no disruptions in their travel plans and the highway will be blockade-free,” said a Sikkim-based tour operator.

Also, with the next round of tripartite talks between the Centre, state and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha slated for the middle of May, tour agents are hopeful that the hill party will not take to the path of bandhs and blockades as long as the process of dialogue is on.

Those in Sikkim are more anxious as the state is all set to celebrate 2010 as Tourism Year. The national highway is the only arterial link the state has with the rest of the country. The Supreme Court had ordered, on a petition filed by a Sikkim resident, that the Centre and the Bengal government ensure that NH31A be kept free of blockades all the time. Frequent strikes called in Bengal by those supporting and opposing Gorkhaland had been affecting traffic on the busy highway.

“Sikkim is gaining prominence as a tourist destination in the national and international circuits. We have a number of events lined up this year to attract as many visitors as we can. The objective is to project Sikkim’s image as a premier tourist destination in the Tourism Year. For the success of the events, it is important that the political situation in the Darjeeling hills is favourable,” said B. Namgyal, the secretary of the Travel Agents’ Association of Sikkim and the proprietor of Sikkim Holidays Tour Trek and Expedition.

“Foreign tourists visit Darjeeling, Sikkim and the Dooars as a circuit. Their first query before visiting is always on the political situation in Darjeeling. This factor influences their decisions a lot. These people are our high-paying clients and they visit in large groups. Last year, we suffered losses of nearly 40 per cent. The tourist season this year has kickstarted well and we hope that the tripartite talks are favourable so that we don’t have to suffer,” Namgyal said without putting a figure on the losses.

Tour operators in Darjeeling, too, have their fingers crossed as NH55 — the national highway connecting it to Siliguri — is the subject of frequent blockades but is out of the ambit of the apex court order.

“In the past 30 months of the Gorkhaland agitation, Darjeeling tourism has suffered a huge setback. But now, the situation seems to be positive and we hope things will work out in the tripartite talks and a settlement will be reached. We are receiving several enquiries from domestic and foreign tourists for the coming season,” a Darjeeling-based tour operator said.

Party refuses to buy ‘suicide’- Naxalbari bids farewell to Kanu Sanyal

People wait with flowers for Kanu Sanyal’s body to arrive at Hatighisa on Wednesday; (above) A CPI (ML) flag at half-mast at Sanyal’s house. Pictures by Kundan Yolmo

Avijit Sinha, TT, Naxalbari, March 24: The body of Kanu Sanyal was cremated on the banks of the Mahananda here at 6pm today even as the state leaders of the CPI (ML) refused to accept the police version that their all-India general secretary had committed suicide.

Sanyal, one of the co-founders of the Naxalite movement in 1967, was found hanging from the wooden beam of his mud hovel in Hatighisa village in Naxalbari, about 20km from Siliguri, yesterday evening. The 78-year-old Sanyal had suffered a stroke in 2008 and had been depressed, neighbours and party colleagues said after his death.

However, Subrata Basu, the state general secretary of the party, who reached here from Calcutta this morning with 18 other party leaders, said: “He was a man of steel and I know him for the past 30 years. The central committee of our party does not endorse that he committed suicide and feels that it is necessary to probe into it. It has been decided that the party will look into the issue.”

“We are not ready to buy the theory that he took his own life but are keeping our assumptions or apprehensions in abeyance. Once we get over with his last rites, the central committee will sit and discuss the matter. Initially, the party will take up the probe and if necessary, we can approach the police as well,” he added.

Basu also denied that Sanyal was suffering from depression. “I met him only a week ago and he was fine. In February, we held the central committee meeting at his home. We were also planning a meeting of the provincial state committee next month at Hatighisa, he was in no way depressed,” Basu said.

At Hatighisa, hundreds of people, tea workers, schoolchildren and leaders of different political parties, assembled in front of the hut where Sanyal had lived. Around 12.30pm his body was brought in a mortuary van, draped in red flag. No sooner had the stretcher been pulled out, hundreds pushed and jostled to touch and see Sanyal.

“He used to keep regular contacts with us as well as other family members,” Prabir, his brother and a resident of Babupara, said. “I had been here early this month and had never imagined that he would depart in such a manner. Our family members are proud of him.”

Upen Santhal, the son of CPI (ML)’s Jangal Santhal who was among those who led the 1967 uprising, reminisced his days with the leader. “I would curiously watch my father and Kanubabu discussing at length on their struggle. As I was too young in those days, I was not allowed to listen or take part in party’s activities,” he said.

The body was brought out of the hutment around 2.30pm. From there, a crowd of more than 400 supporters went till the Naxalbari bus stand. Shops in Hatighisa and some parts of Naxalbari closed as a mark of respect to the leader. From there, it headed for Siliguri where it was kept at Mitra Sammilani for the people to show respect. Finally, around 5pm it was taken to the Kiranchandra crematorium. 

Samiran Paul Photographer of Kalimpong News is a member of this Club and some of his photographs will be exhibited in this Exhibition. We wish him all the best.

Kanu Sanyal’s body found hanging at home ...Furniture burnt, blame on Morcha

The house where Kanu Sanyal lived and his body was found hanging on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Naxalbari movement founder kills self 

Avijit Sinha, TT, Naxalbari, March 23: Kanu Sanyal, one of the founding leaders of the Naxalite movement in the country and the all-India secretary of the CPI(M-L), committed suicide at his house in a Naxalbari village this afternoon.

Sanyal’s body was found hanging from the rafters of his mud hut at Hatighisa village, 20km from Siliguri, by Santi Debnath, the wife of party worker Kesab Debnath who had gone to check on the veteran CPI(M-L) leader around 1.15pm.

Police said Sanyal, 78, a bachelor who was ailing, was suffering from depression.

“My daughter Jaya, who cooks for him, had served him chapatis and vegetables in the morning and rice, dal and egg curry around noon for lunch. He retired after lunch, reading the newspapers and Jaya returned home. I went to check on him later but did not find him on the mattress on the floor. I saw him hanging from the ceiling. I raised the alarm immediately,” Santi said.

She said ever since Sanyal suffered a stroke in 2008, she used to call on him every day and her son-in-law stayed with him at night.

Hearing the news of Sanyal’s death, neighbours and hundreds of people from around the area thronged his Hatighisa home. Leaders of other Naxalite factions and those belonging to the CPM, Congress and the Trinamul Congress also arrived at the spot.

“Of late, he was sounding very depressed. He was frustrated with the current communist movements in the country and used to say that both the Maoists and the CPM had deviated from their ideology. After his stroke, he had become feeble and could not move out to address meetings and rallies,” said Dipu Haldar, a district committee member of the CPI(M-L).

Haldar said though the Naxalite movement of the late sixties had witnessed killings, especially in the urban areas, Sanyal would always say that he was against the “wanton killings of innocent villagers” that the Maoists had been indulging in.

Tea workers grieve for Kanu Sanyal. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Around 3.30pm, Sanyal’s body was taken to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem. Cries of Kanu Sanyal Amar Rahe rent the air and tribal men and women broke down as the ambulance drove off.

Jogen Biswakarma, the Darjeeling district secretary of the CPI(M-L), said Sanyal’s body would be kept at his home tonight as Naxalite leaders from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand were expected here tomorrow to pay their last respects.

Sanyal was born in 1932 in Kurseong and quit the CPM in 1967 to form the CPI(M-L) along with other leaders like Charu Majumdar. He practically led the May 1967 peasant’s insurrection by declaring the “liberation” of Naxalbari village — after which the movement came to be known.

Before that, Sanyal had worked as a revenue clerk at the Kalimpong and Siliguri courts.

Sanyal was arrested in 1970 and spent about seven years in various jails in Bengal and in Andhra Pradesh. Jyoti Basu personally saw to it that Sanyal was released when the Left Front came to power in Bengal in 1977.

Since then Sanyal, though maintaining a relatively low profile, had been campaigning for the rights of farmers and the tea garden workers in north Bengal by denouncing his original ideology of armed struggle.

Sanyal, in recent years, had been vocal in opposing land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram and was also in favour of Gorkhaland.

The CPM has condoled Sanyal’s death. Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said for the past two years Sanyal had become critical of the Maoists.

“His death is very unfortunate. He had been saying that the line adopted by the Maoists did not conform to the revolutionary understanding at the time when he started the Naxalite movement. Sanyal had actively participated in all major agitations of the CPM and other Left parties in Bengal against neo-imperialism,” Yechury said.

Vandals target ABGL office

The furniture of the ABGL office being burnt on Tuesday. (Suman Tamang)

TT, Darjeeling, March 23: The ABGL office here was ransacked and the furniture burnt by a group of people this afternoon.

The office of Madan Tamang’s party at Ladenla Road had been targeted twice before and like in the past, the ABGL accused the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha of today’s vandalism also.

Only two ABGL members, Mohan Sharma and Binod Gurung, were present when a group of people barged into the office and asked them to move out around 2.30pm. The mob smashed the tables and chairs in the office and brought out some furniture on the road and set them on fire.

The office is on the first floor of a three-storied building. Business establishments situated on the ground floor downed shutters when the vandalism took place.

Tamang alleged that the Morcha was behind the attack. “What else can these people (Morcha) do? I have been told that Puran Thami (general secretary of the Morcha’s town committee) and Kismat Chhetri (president of the student wing) assembled the hoodlums near the Darjeeling municipality (before the attack). I was in the office till 40 minutes before the attack. The office was targeted after I had left.”

The ABGL supporters took out a rally here on Sunday and burnt the copies of a document the Morcha had sent to the Centre, mooting an interim autonomous body in the hills. Tamang said at the rally that the Morcha was trying to hoodwink the people by settling for a special status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution on the pretext of an interim set-up.

Tamang did not spare even the state government for the attack. “Buddhadeb Bhattacharya must understand that he cannot force a settlement on the people by purchasing some leaders from the hills. We will continue to oppose any arrangement within Bengal tooth and nail and are ready to sacrifice everything.”

Thami has denied any involvement in the attack. “At the moment, I am at Relling, near Bijanbari (about 50km from Darjeeling) to attend a party meeting. I had no role in the incident and Madan Tamang can verify my presence at Relling by contacting the local police station if he wants to,” said Thami.

Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha who claimed he was with Thami at Relling, said: “Our party had nothing to do with the incident. It is a staged incident as the sole aim of the ABGL is to create a law and order situation and bring in security forces to derail our movement.”

An ABGL supporter had filed an FIR with Darjeeling Sadar police on Sunday, accusing Thami of assaulting him while returning from the procession.

On January 1, 2009, the ABGL office was ransacked and the furniture burnt at Ladenla Road following the death of Subodh Pradhan, a Morcha leader at Rohini.

The office was again attacked on February 15, 2009, two days after Tamang had criticised the Morcha’s strategy in the plains. The Morcha had denied involvement in both the incidents.

Tamang said an FIR would be filed with on today’s incident.

‘Revenge’ death for tribal leader

TT, Alipurduar, March 23: A leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad was lynched this morning to allegedly avenge a murder that had taken place last month.

Alexander Minj, 36, the vice-president of the Parishad’s Banarhat block, was called out of his house reportedly by workers of the Telepara tea estate around 8.30am, tied with ropes to a tree and was beaten to death, police said.

One person has been arrested. After the incident, alleged Parishad members set up a blockade on NH31 around 11am near Telepara, 75km from here. The agitation was withdrawn at 2.30pm following the police intervention.

John Barla, the president of the Parishad’s Dooars-Terai Coordination Committee, said the body of Baburam Oraon had been found along the railway tracks in Binnaguri on February 22. “No one knows who killed Baburam, but his relatives wrongfully blamed Minj for the murder. Today, about 30 people called him out of his house and beat him to death. We have filed an FIR naming the 30.” He said Parishad men were not involved in the blockade. “I have told the police that they (the squatters) were not our supporters.”

The additional superintendent of police of Jalpaiguri, V.S.N. Kumar, said: “We have arrested a woman. The motive of the killing seems to be revenge for a murder in Binnaguri last month.”

Hill kid archers aim high- Paril leads way to the bull’s eye

The students aim at targets at the Gorkha Archery Training Centre in Kalimpong; Paril (second from left in the picture below) gives the students some tips. Pictures by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

TT, Kalimpong, March 23: Twenty-two students from different schools of Kalimpong are learning new skills in archery from Paril Lepcha at a training centre here.

The 17-year-old Paril was the first to put Kalimpong on the archery map of the country by her consistent performances in various age-group competitions both at the state and national-levels over the past five years.

The session at the Gorkha Archery Training Centre is on an extended run primarily because of the overwhelming response of the children. The programme that began on March 2 was originally planned to be a fortnight long, but the centre decided to extend it by another 15 days to enable the students to absorb the finer points of the sport. The archery is fast gaining in popularity among the youngsters in the Kalimpong subdivision.

“The sports and youth affairs department of the DGHC had agreed to sponsor the 15-day programme, but we decided to extend it at our own expense. The kids were very keen on having an extended run at the centre,” said Chujang Lepcha, the co-ordinator of the centre.

Though the trainees are using the traditional bamboo bows, they are being taught about modern rules of the game. “They are being given about two hours of intensive training on week days, and for a much longer duration at the weekends,” said Chujang.

The focus at the camp is more on shooting, though the children are being put through basic physical conditioning also. Paril said she was very impressed with the level of talent some of her trainees had. “These kids are very fast at grasping what we teach them. If they are given proper training with modern equipment, they can really go far,” she said.

Three of the trainees had participated in the recently held state-level sub-junior archery competition in Calcutta. Of the trio, Chom Tshering Lepcha, a student of Scottish University’s Mission Institution, has been selected to represent Bengal at the national-level competition beginning at Aurangabad in Maharashtra tomorrow. The other young archers said they, too, wanted to participate in the state and national-level competitions.

“Paril is my inspiration. I want to follow in her footsteps. I have learned a lot from the camp,” said Leezong Lepcha, a student of Saptashree Gyanpith who had also taken part in the Calcutta meet.

Like Chom and Leezong, the other 20 trainees are also under the age of 17.
Army to Boost North bengal Infrastructure

Pinak priya Bhattacharya, TNN,JALPAIGURI: In a bid to increase its presence along the Sino-Indian border in the northeast, the Indian Army is looking for land in the area to match the infrastructure developed by the Chinese in their territory. Accordingly, Army officers held a series of meetings with district officials in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri on key issues, beginning with an airbase at Bagrakote.
District officials have been asked to acquire land to strengthen the road network to the border in the entire east and the northeast. The plan will be taken up in a phased manner for the next 20 years.
First comes the widening of NH-31A connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country. The Army had decided to lay the road afresh for better mobility and also to prevent damage by recurrent landslides during rains. There is yet another proposal to construct a new road via Odlabari in the Dooars bypassing NH-31A. The proposed road will touch Gorubathan, Lava, Algara, Pedong, Rishi and Ranipur before it reaches Gangtok. This route is not prone to landslides and is also a shorter one to Sikkim. Besides, another road to Sikkim through Bhutan is under consideration.
"Look at the other side of the Sino-Indian border. China has built four-lane roads along the border on the other side of Nathu La. They have total road connectivity along the Sino-Indian border and this has been a cause of concern for the Indian Army. The Army has thus decided to overhaul the road link. Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts are strategically very important for the Army," said a senior state government official.
Apart from developing the road links, the Army is also planning an air base at Bagrakote in Odlabari, spread over 400 acres. The new air base has been named Shaugaon Air Base. The Army has urged the Jalpaiguri administration to acquire about 300 acres. The remaining 100 acres is lying with the Army.
"We have asked the Army to deposit the money before we start the acquisition. Most of the land is vested and there are only 20-25 families that need to be compensated. The Army has conveyed it would deposit the money shortly. Once that is done, we will start the process of land acquisition," said a senior district administrative official.
In a meeting with the district administration, the Army has also sought for a piece of land to set up a modern armoury that can help them reinstate forces in exigency. 

Kanu Sanyal Dead...For SC interest, Morcha to revise proposal

Breaking News:Veteran Naxalite leader Kanu Sanyal is dead. Kanu Sanyal, a founding member of the Naxalite movement, was found dead at his residence in Seftullajote village, near Hatighisa 25 km from here, today. Sanyal, 78, was found hanging at his home, police said. He was suffering from old age related ailments.The body has been sent for post-mortem, Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K L Tamta said. Sanyal was a founder of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) formed in 1969. The Naxalite movement started from Naxalbari, a small village in North Bengal on May 25, 1967. Born in 1932, Sanyal claimed to abandon the violent means of revolution after the death of his colleague Majumdar. He was arrested in 1970, sparking off violence by the CPI(ML).

Even during the 2006 Singur agitation over land acquisition, Sanyal played a key role. He also took part in protests against the closure of tea gardens in north Bengal. It was led by Charu Majumdar and Sanyal. He was a bachelor. With inputs from PTI and India Today. Read More about Kanu SanyalCLICK HERE

Titbits: KalimNews,23arch 5.00pm:ABGL Office in Darjeeling ransacked allegedly by GJMM supporters
Promise to reserve status

TT, Darjeeling, March 22: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is set to “revise” the “secret proposal” sent to the Centre on the interim arrangement for the hills to safeguard the interests of the Schedule Castes.

A rally taken out by the ABGL, a Morcha rival, in Darjeeling on Sunday. Picture by Suman Tamang

The Morcha, in its proposal to Union home minister P. Chidambaram, had said “all Gorkha communities should be given Schedule Tribe status”.

Today, Morcha president Bimal Gurung while addressing party supporters at Mahanadi in Kurseong said: “We will make some revisions in the proposal largely to safeguard the interest of the Schedule Castes in the hills. The privileges the community is currently receiving should not be diluted. We will write to the Centre soon.” The details of the content of the letter have not been spelt out.

Observers say that since the SCs already have safeguards through job reservation and reserved seats during elections, they would gain little through conversion to STs. In fact, they would stand to lose much as they would have to share the reservation with the entire hills if all the communities there were made STs.

In the past, when GNLF president Subash Ghisingh signed an agreement with the Centre and the state for the inclusion of the Darjeeling hills in the Sixth Schedule, the Scheduled Castes had openly opposed the agreement, demanding safeguard of their rights.

The opposition was led by the Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Anushuit Jati Sangh, an organisation fighting for the rights of the SCs. Even though the Sangh was not directly against conferring the Sixth Schedule status on the hills, it wanted a special mention of the SCs, saying otherwise their rights would be diluted.

The demand was made as the new council under the Sixth Schedule — to be called the Gorkha Hill Council Darjeeling — had 10 seats reserved for the STs and three for other unrepresented minorities in the proposed 33-member body.

The SCs wanted a special reservation on the lines of the STs in the GHCD till the process of conversion of the Scheduled Castes to Scheduled Tribes was over. The Scheduled Castes believed that conversion to STs was a long and arduous process, as they had to be first de-notified from the SC list and then included in the ST list after much research.

While Schedule Tribes constitute 34 per cent of the hill community, 9.7 per cent comprise the SCs.

Such was the anger against Ghisingh’s Sixth Schedule proposal that the late K.S. Ramudamu, who was the president of the Sangh, joined the Morcha when it was formed to become the party’s vice-president.
Hill welcome for CM, flak from tour agents

TT, Siliguri, March 22: Bimal Gurung’s party today said the chief minister was welcome to watch the Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling even as tour operators alleged that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s “limitations in visiting the hills” would affect tourist flow to the region.

“Politically, our positions might be different, but in general, he (chief minister) has been always welcome in the hills,” said Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the media and publicity secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“He might have some compulsions and further, he has to stick to a routine (which is why he cannot visit). But from our side, there is no question of stopping him,” he added.

The Morcha assurance comes a day after the chief minister said in Siliguri that he “misses seeing Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling”.

“It is true that when I visit Darjeeling, I hope to catch a glimpse of Kanchenjungha. However, all wishes cannot be fulfilled all the time. There are certain compulsions and whenever I get the opportunity, I will definitely visit Darjeeling,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Chhetri said the chief minister’s missing-the- Kanchenjungha statement “indicates the change in the state government’s mindset”. “Through this comment, he has made it clear that Darjeeling is different from any other place of Bengal,” Chhetri said. “His comments do prove that Darjeeling is not like any other part of the state (and so he has his compulsions visiting the hills).”

While the Morcha welcomes the chief minister — two years back they had threatened to stop him from entering the hills and the Darjeeling district CPM had to shift the venue of their district conference to the plains — tour operators of the region expressed dissatisfaction.

“It is unfortunate that even though Bhattacharjee is the constitutional head of the state, he spoke of limitations in visiting Darjeeling which is very much a part of Bengal,” said Raj Basu, the working president of Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association. “If the chief minister shirks from visiting Darjeeling, it is natural that it would impact negatively the tourist flow.”

“We feel it is imperative that the state government hold dialogues with the political leaders of hills solely on tourism. If the chief minister does not go to Darjeeling, how can he instil confidence in others? It is, like, if I cannot go to my own house, how can I ask my family members?” Basu added.

Rival spews ‘mislead’ fire

ABGL supporters burn copies of the Morcha proposal in Darjeeling on Sunday. Picture by Suman Tamang

TT, Darjeeling, March 22: The ABGL has been accused of “misleading” the people and trying to create a law and order problem in the hills, a day after its supporters burned the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s proposal for an interim set-up.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: “Madan Tamang is misleading the hill people over our demand to grant tribal status to the hill people. Granting tribal status and including the region (under Sixth Schedule) are two different issues which Tamang has not understood.”

“The Nagas are tribals but Sixth Schedule is not applicable there (in Nagaland). The same holds true in Arunachal Pradesh. In fact, the Sixth Schedule is applicable to only four of the eight northeastern states. Tamang is deliberately trying to mislead the people and create a law and order situation so that our proposal for a state within a state is affected,” Giri added.

Tamang had yesterday organised a rally in Darjeeling where copies of the Morcha’s proposal for an interim arrangement were burned. Tamang accused the Morcha of trying to hoodwink the people by settling for a special status under the Sixth Schedule. “The Morcha’s demand to grant ST status to all Gorkhas and to set up a tribal research institute are a sure give away that its proposal is nothing but the Sixth Schedule status,” he said.

Today, the Morcha leadership iterated that they had little interest in the special status. “Our proposal is far stronger than the Sixth Schedule. Ours is a state within a state for which we have demanded legislative and judiciary powers also,” said Giri.

Describing Tamang as a failure in politics, Giri said: “The people have never accepted him. Moreover, in his long political career he has done nothing but criticism. He has never raised any issue at a proper forum like Delhi but only speaks at the Motor Stands of Kalimpong and Kurseong and in Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling.”

Tamang should also understand that the proposal is not a final settlement, said Giri.

Tap woes to stay till plans turn realities

A jeep carrying water in Kalimpong on Monday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

TT, Kalimpong, March 22: The Kalimpong municipality is facing acute water shortage because of a prolonged dry season and although the civic body has charted contingency plans to tackle the scarcity, most measures seem to be long term and are not expected to be of immediate help.

As there has been no rainfall since October 15, rivers have dried up and the municipality and the water works department of the DGHC are depending on small streams to meet the water demand.

“As much as 60 per cent water has dried up in the Neora Khola, Relli Khola and the Thukchuk Khola because of lack of winter rain,” said Anil Chhetri, the executive engineer of PHE (water works), which supplies water to the municipality area.

The Neora, Relli and the Thukchuk are the three main sources of water in the town. “To solve the scarcity, we have started pumping water from the jhoras. However, the water we draw from the jhoras (streams) is not enough to meet the demand,” said Chhetri.

Seeking the co-operation of the people to tide over the crisis, the executive engineer said it would help if the consumers ensured that there was no leakage of water from faulty pipes. “Many consumers use poor substitutes of galvanised iron pipes, resulting in colossal leakage of water. In our estimate, as much as 70 lakh litres of water are lost a year because of faulty pipelines,” said Chhetri.

The water works department supplies water to 5,000-odd households in the municipality area for about 30 minutes on alternate days. However, nowadays the residents are being provided with water for half an hour once in three days.

“We will be doing a few things to augment the water supply in the town: the second reservoir at Deola will be repaired and new pipelines with a thickness of 10-12 inches will be laid from the Neora to the reservoirs,” said Chhetri.

Till that happens, the residents will have to continue making their own arrangements for water. In fact, even during the best of times, the residents pay Rs 150 to Rs 200 to buy 1,000 litres of water from the market. “I am buying water at Rs 170 per 1,000 litre. Even that is difficult to get because of the increase in demand,” said Nilesh Khadka, a resident of BL Dixit Road.

Amyas Tshering, the subdivisional officer of Kalimpong, said the civic body was working on a contingency plan to tackle the situation. “Like in Darjeeling, we are thinking of supplying water to residents on vehicles. The department concerned has already talked to the DGHC in this regard.”

Allowance hiked in shut gardens

Avijit Sinha, TT, Siliguri, March 22: Workers of shut tea gardens in the Dooars have been promised 50 per cent increase in the monthly financial assistance in this year’s budget.

Finance minister Asim Dasgupta, in his budget speech, said money given to the workers of the closed estates under the Financial Assistance to Workers of Locked Out Industries scheme would be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. The move would benefit 34,527 workers of the industry. He said of the 16 closed gardens in the region, eight were opened through joint initiatives by the state and the Centre. To expedite the reopening of the remaining ones, the state has granted tax and duty relief to both new and existing buyers.

The minister has also announced waiver for education and rural employment cess — charged seven paisa and five paisa respectively on every kilo of tealeaves — in the next financial year (see chart) in the tea estates of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur districts.

Prabhat Mukherjee, the general secretary of the Intuc-affiliated National Union of Plantation Workers, while appreciating the decision to increase the monthly assistance, said it was unfortunate that the finance minister evaded two primary issues. “We had asked for continuation of payment of financial assistance to those who have crossed 58 years during the period of closure as the assistance is not paid when they retire. Secondly, he hardly touched on the proposal to provide land rights to the the tea workers,” he said.

The general secretary of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha-run West Bengal Cha Mazdoor Sabha, Samir Roy, however, apprehended that the waiver and relief might encourage closure of more estates. “A section of unscrupulous tea planters may take the opportunity and close down estates only to get the benefits of reopening,” he said.

Planters have hailed Dasgupta’s announcement. “It is good to hear that the cess has been waived for another year. This will surely help the tea industry to grow,” said Mohini Das, secretary, Terai Indian Planters’ Association.

But small growers, who account for about 30 per cent of north Bengal’s tea production, were not happy. “We had asked for abolition of the cess in our sector and waited to hear from the government,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the chairman of the United Forum of Small Tea Growers’ Associations. “It is disappointing that nothing as such has been spelt out by the minister today.”

NBU to monitor Sarva Siksha

North Bengal University

TT, Siliguri, March 22: Three experts from North Bengal University will monitor the implementation of the Sarva Siksha Mission in six districts of the region according to a decision taken by the state government.

The government has recently decided to involve four varsities and two research institutes to monitor the implementation of the centrally-sponsored scheme, said an official of the district SSM office at the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad.

Calcutta University, Burdwan University, Vidyasagar University have also been involved in the job that entails providing expert opinion to the government on how to increase enrollment and curb the dropout rates of students at the elementary level (Classes I to VIII) in the state.

The Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) — an autonomous centre of excellence in social sciences — and the Pratichi Trust (a body set up by Amartya Sen for research in health, education and gender inequality) are the two research institutes.

Earlier, Visva-Bharati and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta were the two institutes appointed by the Centre to evaluate the success of SSM schemes in 20 districts of the state.

While Calcutta University will look after Calcutta, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Burdwan University will supervise Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan and East and West Midnapore districts. IDSK and Pratichi Trust will monitor Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia.

“Three representatives have been selected from NBU,” the official said.

A meeting of the district officials with state education secretary Vikram Sen was held at Bikas Bhawan in Calcutta on March 6. “The meeting was convened to prepare the annual work plan. The work will begin from April and will be in co-ordination with the district SSM office,” said a member of the state SSM from NBU.

Sources at NBU said the state government wanted a pool of experts to provide suggestions that would ensure a high literacy rate in the state. “The representatives’ role basically will be to examine problems that prevent children from getting enrolled in schools. If they get admitted, what prevents them from continuing with their studies. The experts will offer suggestions on ways to retain the students in schools,” a source said.

The six north Bengal districts have different socio-economic background and the causes of illiteracy and drop outs in each case would be different. The university representatives would be engaged in finding out the reasons, the source added.

On the current situation of the Siliguri educational district, the SSM official said Kharibari and Phansidewa were the two educationally backward blocks in the district.

“However, the four blocks of the Siliguri subdivision along with the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area registered the highest enrollment of female students in the state in 2009-10,” he said.
Pay hike and more posts for teachers

TT, Calcutta, March 22: From increasing emoluments of part-time school and college teachers to enhancing pay of the permanent employees of schools, colleges and universities, from creating new teaching posts to setting up new institutions, the budget promised every attempt to keep the teaching community happy.

There is a proposal to create 60,000 new teaching posts in primary schools and 1,500 in undergraduate colleges.

The CPM has in the past banked on the support of party-backed teachers’ lobbies such as the All Bengal Teachers’ Association and the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association to win elections. The move to create such a large number of posts is also being seen in the context of the forthcoming elections.

“The announcements will give a boost to the CPM-backed teachers’ lobbies,” said a college principal. “Especially so as CPM supporters hold an edge during any recruitment.”

The government hopes to appease nearly 5,500 part-time teachers working in over 500 state-aided and state-run colleges with the promise of a 35 per cent hike. The part-timers had been up in arms against the government because of the absence of a proper recruitment policy for them.

A 35 per cent hike has also been announced for part-time teachers in government-aided schools.

There is good news for over 12,000 teachers in the 400-odd colleges and 16 universities. After the University Grants Commission had recommended a hike in their salaries, the state had agreed to it in principle but not implemented it.

The finance minister assured the teaching community today that the UGC recommendation would be implemented soon.

The government will set up 20 degree colleges, 1,000 primary schools and 2,900 junior high schools.

“The junior high schools have become a necessity as the dropout rate at the primary level has gone down considerably,” a school education department official said.

In an attempt to offer more opportunities to students in technical education, the government plans to set up 2,000 vocational training centres and 25 industrial training institutes.

“We also welcome the proposal to allow more general degree colleges to run courses in IT and management,” said the principal of a college in North 24-Parganas.