Local
ठोस दोष देखाउ-डा.छेत्री
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज,10 मई, कालेबुङ।अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको कुरा गरेदेखि मोर्चाले सबै दलहरूबाट आलोचना खप्न परिरहेको छ तर मोर्चाको स्पष्ट बयान के छ भने मोर्चाले केन्द्र सरकारलाई बुझाएको प्रस्तावलाई कुनै दलले अध्ययन नै गरेको छैन। केवल शंका र मनको बाधले खाएको कुरा नै अघि आइरहेको छ। कुनै पनि दोष लगाउन अघि त्यसको पक्का तथ्य अघि राखिनुपर्ने तर कुनै पनि दलले मोर्चालाई लगाइरहेको दोषको कुनै आधारभूमि नै नरहेको मोर्चाले ठानेको छ। मोर्चा प्रवक्ता डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले भने, दोष देखाउने हो भने ठोस् दोष देखाउ, कुटनीति नखेल। मोर्चाले बुझाएको प्रस्ताव पढ, केलाउ र के सही छैन स्पष्टरूपले बताउ। यसो गर्न सक्दैन भने गनगन नगर। तिनले मुख्यगरी क्रामाकपा नेता आर.बी. राईलाई लक्ष्य गर्दै भनिरहेका थिए।
राईले चलिरहेको आन्दोलनलाई सरकारी प्रयोजना रहेको बताउँदै मोर्चा सरकारले फ्यॉंकेको जालमा परेको कारण नै मुल मुद्दाबाट पछि हटेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड मुनीको कुरा गरिरहेको आरोप लगाएका थिए। डा. छेत्रीले भने, मोर्चाले गरेको 11 पल्टको वार्ता चॉंही महत्वपूर्ण छैन ,क्रामाकपाले जन्तरमन्तरमा गरेको धर्ना चॉंही ठूलो? के आधार छ क्रामाकपासित कि यस्तो राजनैतिक असचेत आरोप लगाइरहेको छ। क्रामाकपाले बुझ्नुपर्छ कि मोर्चा गोर्खाल्याण्डको पक्षमा नरहेको भए यतिबेला कुनै व्यवस्था आइसक्ने थियो। मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्डकोे कुरा गरेकै कारण वार्ता 11 पल्ट भयो। गोर्खाल्याण्डदेखि मुनीको व्यवस्थाको कुरा गर्न एउटै वार्ता काफी हुन्छ। तिनले क्रामाकपाले मोर्चालाई आक्रमक आरोप लगाइरहेको बताउँदै भने, भोट नहाल्दा गोर्खाल्याण्ड हुने होइन
भोट बहिष्कारलाई आन्दोलनको इतिहासमा दोषपूर्ण मानिन्छ। मोहन दुखुनलाई बहिष्कार गरेकोले नै विधायक बनाइएको थियो। भोट नहालेर क्रामाकपाले कसलाई पाइदा पुर्याउन खोजेको हो त्यो क्रामाकपाले जानोस् तर मोर्चाले भोट लड़ेर मुद्दालाई कसरी कहॉंनेर हानी पुर्यायो त्यो बताओस्। क्रामाकपाले दिएको उम्मेद्वारलाई नै मोर्चाले समर्थन गर्नुपर्थ्यो कि? क्रामाकपा र आर.बी.राईले बुझ्नुपर्छ मोर्चाले आन्दोलन गरिरहेको छ अनि क्रामाकपाले राजनीति। यही कार्मिक भिन्नताको कारण नै मोर्चा यहॉंसम्म आइपुगेको छ अनि क्रामाकपा जहीको त्यहीँ छ। गर्ने थियो भने क्रामाकपाले किन आन्दोलन गरेन? किन गोरामुमोको जरा उखेल्न सकेन? मोर्चाले आन्दोलन गरेको छ यसकारण जनता मोर्चासित छ। काम नै नगर्ने दलले घरमा बसेर प्रेस विज्ञप्तीको भरमा राजनीति गर्नु हुँदैन। क्रामाकपा यति धेरै सचेत र ज्ञानी हो भने गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति खै के गरिरहेको छ।
जन्तमन्तरमा धर्ना गरेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड हुँदैन। हाम्रो ससाना सङ्गठनहरूले जति धर्ना जन्तरमन्तरमा गरेको छ, संख्याकै हिसाबमा पनि क्रामाकपा डल्लै पार्टीले गरेको छैन। क्रामाकपालाई भाले दल बताउँदै डा.छेत्रीले भने, क्रामाकपा नफल्ने बोट हो। यत्रो वर्ष फलेन। पहिले आन्दोलन गर्नुपर्छ अनि आन्दोलन गर्नेहरूको आलोचना गर्नुपर्छ। अल्छेले परिश्रमीलाई सिकाउनु मिलेन। यति कुरा त क्रामाकपाले बुझ्नुपर्ने हो। तिनले स्पष्ट भने, ठोस दोष देखाइए हामी मान्ने छौं। तर यसरी दोष देखाउने क्षमता कुनै नेतामा छैन। क्रामाकपाका गोविन्द छेत्री र एल.बी.परियारको तुलना हुन सक्दैन। देखाउँछ भने सही र ठोस दोष देखाउनुपर्छ। नत्र बोल्नै भएन। जुन विषयको जानकारी छैन त्यो विषयमा बोल्नु भएन। अर्कोतिर तिनले गोरामुमोलाई लक्ष्य गर्दै गोरामुमो मिडीयाले बँचाएर ल्याइरहेको दल रहेको जनाए। गोरामुमोले मोर्चालाई धम्की दिनु लाजस्पद् रहेको जनाउँदै तिनले भने, जस्तोलाई त्यस्तै जवाब दिन मोर्चा तयार छ। गोरामुमोले धम्की नदियोस्।
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Headline SMS, KalimNews:
KalimNews, a unit of Kalimpong Press Club will start Scrolling marquee to display news, notices, advertisement for the people of Kalimpong. The marquee will be placed in Damber Chowk
Gorkhas of North East met Bimalk Gurung, GJM chief.
Pawan Hans will continue in Sikkim.
GNLF continues to reorgansie village units
Protest lock on education offices - Hill teachers start 3-day shutdown
Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, May 10:The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated primary teachers’ union today started the three-day shutdown of education-related government offices in the hills to demand among others the appointment of 4,000 primary teachers at the earliest.
hirteen primary schools across the Darjeeling hills do not have any permanent teachers at all and are being run by those appointed on an ad hoc basis, while 70 other institutions are expected to face a similar situation by December 2012, the Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation has claimed
Bhushan Thapa, the general secretary of the GPTO, said: “By December 2012, 140 permanent teachers are scheduled to retire. If no fresh appointments are made, almost 70 of the 774 primary schools will have no permanent teachers. As of today, 13 schools are being run entirely by ad hoc teachers .”
According to Thapa, a school without a permanent teacher will not be able to use funds allotted to it by the government, as ad hoc staff are not given financial responsibilities.
The GPTO has claimed that currently 70 schools have only one permanent teacher each. “For example in the Rimbick-Lodhama circle there are 35 schools, out of which about 25 have only one permanent teacher. Primary school teachers have not been appointed in the hills since 1997,” said Thapa.
Sources in the DGHC said recently “an arrangement had been made by which a permanent teacher of the nearest primary school was being asked to look after the school which had no permanent teachers”.
DGHC administrator Anil Verma said the appointment of teachers was a process that involved various government departments and not just the council. “Even though the DGHC is in the picture (because it is in charge of primary education), the district school board looks after the teachers’ transfer and appointment,” said Verma.
The district school board is headed by L.B. Pariyar, who is a member of the Morcha’s study forum. Pariyar admitted that the DSB had the powers to appoint teachers. “We, however, cannot randomly issue appointment letters as the salaries have to come from the state government through the DGHC,” said Pariyar, the chairperson of the DSB.
The GPTO is also demanding that a District Primary School Council, present in other districts, replace the DSB. “The DPSC has more powers and will not need to take a no-objection certificate from the council for appointment of teachers. They can directly liaison with the state government,” said Thapa.
The GPTO wish-list also includes the recognition of primary schools set up by local bodies like village committees and establishment of a district project office for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and a pension cell in Darjeeling. It also wants the medical board for the teachers to be shifted to Darjeeling Sadar hospital from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.
The teachers have also demanded that a finance officer be appointed for the District School Board and a subinspector of schools be posted in all 13 circles in the hills. The agitation also includes the shutdown of primary schools for three days from May 18, a 24-hour general strike across the hills on May 31 followed by an indefinite hunger strike by the teachers from June 1.
GNLF ex-jawan unit
RAJEEV RAVIDAS,TT, Kalimpong, May 10:The Bharatiya Gorkha Bhutpurva Sainik Morcha has said the decision of the GNLF to form a frontal organisation for ex-servicemen in the hills will remain a non-starter as the former jawans can see through its game plan of using them to gain political mileage.
Col. (Retd) Ramesh Allay, the president of the Sainik Morcha , an affiliate of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, told The Telegraph that GNLF president Subash Ghisingh had mobilised ex-servicemen in the name of Gorkhaland during the movement led by his party in the mid-eighties, only to betray their sacrifices by abandoning the demand.
“Many ex-servicemen lost their lives during the agitation. Given that Ghisingh has dropped the statehood demand in favour of the Sixth Schedule status for the hills, how can he now hope to mobilise the ex-servicemen who even today remain committed to the cause of Gorkhaland.”
Allay alleged that the GNLF was being used by the government to divide the ex-servicemen. “We all must not fall in their trap. The GNLF should desist from misusing the former soldiers as shoulders to fire at its political rivals.”
Regional
Teacher did not kill self, say cops
TT, Jalpaiguri, May 10: Police suspect that the primary teacher, who died of burn injuries along with her daughter yesterday, did not commit suicide as the door of the room in which she was found burning was open at that time.
According to additional superintendent of police Santosh Pandey most people who commit suicide usually themselves in. “No one commits suicide with the doors of the room open,” he said.
>Munmun Pal, a teacher of Gossaihat Primary School in Dhupguri, and her 18-month-old daughter were rescued yesterday morning after their screams for help alerted the neighbours who took them to hospital. While the child died soon after she was taken to the district hospital, Munmun succumbed to her injuries some hours later.
Her husband Biltu, who was sleeping in the next room and claimed that he did not hear them scream, was arrested after Munmun’s father filed an FIR against him. Biltu is a clerk with the public works department. Neighbours said the couple would quarrel frequently over trivial matters and Biltu often beat up his wife.
The police are, however, not sure what led to last night’s incident. Biltu, they said, had bought a plot of land near his house recently with the intention of building a house and moving in with his wife and daughter.
The inspector in charge of Kotwali police station, Niranjan Sarkar, said: “Besides torture and abetment of suicide we are also probing if there was any love triangle.” Biltu was produced in the court of the chief judicial magistrate today and has been remanded in judicial custody till May 23.
Dad retracts FIR in melon death case
TT, Malda, May 10: The father of the girl who died after she was beaten up allegedly by a fruit merchant withdrew his complaint late last night after the accused reportedly agreed to pay him a compensation at asalisi.
The two associates of the wholesale merchant Subhas Ram who had been arrested were released on personal bonds after the withdrawal of the FIR. Subhas, the main accused, had fled the village market soon after Kulsum Khatun’s death but attended the kangaroo court a few hours later. Local MLA Tajmul Hossain was also present at the meeting.
The Malda police are under the cosh for letting Subhas’s friends Pancham Ram and Raja Ram go free. The district police chief said he could do little if the complaint was withdrawn.
“The father had submitted a written undertaking at Harishchandrapur police station, saying that his daughter had indeed stolen a melon. He also wrote that his daughter had been caught and slapped, but he cannot say for sure what caused her death and that he was not blaming anyone,” district superintendent of police Bhuban Mondal said today.
The police chief also said: “We have conducted a post-mortem on the girl’s body and if the report proves that the death was caused because of beating, we will start a case.” Witnesses in Tusihatta, 100km from Malda town, had said yesterday that Subhas had tied up Kulsum and her friend Saharbanu Khatun to bamboo stakes and beat them up, even kicking them around and hitting them on the head with watermelons after accusing them of stealing a fruit. Kulsum’s mother had freed the two girls, who had then gone home.
While the woman was having a heated exchange with Subhas, the villagers informed her that Kulsum was dead.
As Subhas fled the spot, the villagers beat up his two associates and kept them confined to the local club till evening when they were arrested.
The police have come under flak for releasing the two arrested persons. The CPM district secretary, Jiban Moitra, said: “I was astounded when I was told that the two persons, both associates of the main accused, were let off so easily by the police. I will have to find out why the police did this. A child was beaten to death. The police should have probed the incident thoroughly.”
District Congress president Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury said he was constantly worried about the Malda police’s activities. “This is outrageous. I do not know what is behind the police’s thinking as they let two arrested persons go free,” the Congress MP said.
An officer at the Harishchandrapur police station claimed that “we were not trying to hush up the matter. The father withdrew his FIR”.
Kulsum’s father Samiul Haque and mother Renu Bibi refused to speak. But the Forward Bloc MLA of Harishchandrapur Tajmul Hossain, said since the victim’s family was very poor, compensation seemed to be a better option.
“The father is a labourer. Based on his complaint, the police would have started a case against the accused and the family would have gained nothing. We sat with the family yesterday and we ensured that the merchant agreed to pay the compensation. After that the FIR was withdrawn,” the MLA said. He, however, did not disclose the amount.
Spurned youth wielded the blade: Police
TT, Siliguri, May 10: The razor attack last night had been carried out by a youth whose marriage proposal had been turned down repeatedly by the victim, police said today.
Subhasish Kar, who is a resident of Shyambazar in Calcutta, is suspected to have been tracking the girl in Siliguri for sometime.
Yesterday evening, he attacked the 25-year-old with a razor or a blade and slashed her face and arms while she was walking down AJC Bose Road here to her paying guest accommodation. The girl’s father has named Subhashish in the FIR. “Subhasish met the girl in Calcutta at a meeting. Both of them worked for the same retail chain. But while Subhashish was in Calcutta, she was posted in Sevoke Road. He had started proposing her since the meeting. But she had been refusing him,” said Jaidip, a cousin of the victim, standing in front of the Siliguri district hospital.
The girl, who is a resident of Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri district, was admitted to the hospital last night.
“In December, she joined a micro finance company in Station Feeder Road here. The youth, however, remained undeterred and went on tracking her,” said the cousin.
The girl’s family has demanded action against Subshashish. “He followed her, attacked and slashed her with a razor-like object and fled the spot on a motorcycle. It seems that he had been observing Sohini’s movements for sometime. Otherwise, how could he manage a motorcycle in Siliguri after coming down all the way from Calcutta?” Jaidip said.
The girl, who spoke to The Telegraph for a few minutes with her face covered, said: “I was attacked from behind. I cannot say anything else now.” The police said their counterparts in Calcutta had been contacted to track down Subahshish.
“We have started a case against the youth on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl’s father today,” Darjeeling police chief D.P. Singh said. “Our counterparts in Calcutta have also been informed and searches are on to find the youth as well as locate his family, relatives and acquaintances.”
The police have charged Subhashish under Section 326 of the IPC (voluntarily causing grievous hurt through dangerous weapons or means). If proved guilty, he can face up 10 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Peace rallies in Dooars
TT, Siliguri, May 10: Residents of the Dooars will organise peace rallies and street corners across the region on Thursday asking people to maintain peace when the Assembly election results are announced on May 13.
A social worker said the rallies would be decorated with banners, flags, posters and festoons carrying social messages on communal harmony, peace and amity. He said at least 15-20 organisations will participate in the initiative. The organisers said the objective of the rallies would be to impart a message of unity and peace. The events are scheduled to start at 4pm and end by 6pm on May 12.
Two arrested
TT, Siliguri: Two persons suspected to be members of a motorcycle lifting gang were arrested from Ratanlal Brahmin Nagar on Monday night. Three motorcycles have been recovered from them.
Cash snatched
TT, Islampur: Four persons took away Rs 2.55 lakh from the manager of a small tea plantation at Udrail near Chopra on Tuesday. Police said Debdas Roy was carrying the salary of his employees when four persons stopped him at Udrail, 30km from here, under gunpoint. They snatched the cash and fled on two motorcycles.
Jewellery loot
TT, Cooch Behar: Gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 15 lakh were looted from a jewellery shop in Jalpaiguri’s Falataka by a three-member gang on Tuesday night. The robbers barged into the shop around 7.45pm when its owner was present along with two assistants. While one gang member held a pistol to the owner’s forehead, the other two looted the jewellery and fled on a motorcycle.
Army camp
TT, Siliguri: A pension adalat for ex-servicemen and their dependants was organised by the army at Lebong in Darjeeling on May 6 and 7. Lt. Gen. G.M. Nair, military secretary of the army headquarters, inaugurated the event in which around 3,000 ex-servicemen took part.
National
Dalai Lama justifies his retirement
Dharamsala, May 10: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said that his decision to shed political authority and hand over powers to an elected political leadership stemmed from a commitment to democracy.“The decision to devolve authority to the elected Tibetan leadership is my total dedication to democracy,” the Nobel laureate said Monday at Southern Methodist University’s 10th Hart Global Leaders Forum in Dallas in Texas, according to a post on the official website of the Tibetan government-in-exile Tuesday.
He underlined the need to set up a reforms committee, which he said could not function due to invasion of Tibet by China.
“But taking the opportunity of freedom in exile, I implemented reforms, including instituting a system of elected political leadership,” he said.
The parliament-in-exile based in this Himachal Pradesh town formally accepted his proposal in March to relinquish political authority and decided to hold a special session by May-end to amend its charter to pave the way for his retirement.
During his address, the Dalai Lama also expressed his gratitude to the US government and the US Congress for supporting the Tibetan struggle and praised the efforts made by former president George W. Bush in promoting democracy and religious freedom.
Later, at a question and answer session, he reiterated his position for a solution to the Tibetan issue without seeking separation from the People’s Republic of China.
He said he was optimistic about the changes taking place in China.
“In the past two years, there were over 1,000 articles in Chinese on Tibet that supported this approach and were critical of the Chinese government,” he said.
Nearly six million Tibetans live in Tibet while over 150,000 live in other countries, most of them in India.
Exit poll signals Mamata sweep - Grim forecast for CM and CPM
TT, May 10:Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress looks headed for a landslide, according to the findings of an exit poll conducted by The Nielsen Company for STAR Ananda. 
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज,10 मई, कालेबुङ।अन्तरिम प्राधिकरणको कुरा गरेदेखि मोर्चाले सबै दलहरूबाट आलोचना खप्न परिरहेको छ तर मोर्चाको स्पष्ट बयान के छ भने मोर्चाले केन्द्र सरकारलाई बुझाएको प्रस्तावलाई कुनै दलले अध्ययन नै गरेको छैन। केवल शंका र मनको बाधले खाएको कुरा नै अघि आइरहेको छ। कुनै पनि दोष लगाउन अघि त्यसको पक्का तथ्य अघि राखिनुपर्ने तर कुनै पनि दलले मोर्चालाई लगाइरहेको दोषको कुनै आधारभूमि नै नरहेको मोर्चाले ठानेको छ। मोर्चा प्रवक्ता डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले भने, दोष देखाउने हो भने ठोस् दोष देखाउ, कुटनीति नखेल। मोर्चाले बुझाएको प्रस्ताव पढ, केलाउ र के सही छैन स्पष्टरूपले बताउ। यसो गर्न सक्दैन भने गनगन नगर। तिनले मुख्यगरी क्रामाकपा नेता आर.बी. राईलाई लक्ष्य गर्दै भनिरहेका थिए।
राईले चलिरहेको आन्दोलनलाई सरकारी प्रयोजना रहेको बताउँदै मोर्चा सरकारले फ्यॉंकेको जालमा परेको कारण नै मुल मुद्दाबाट पछि हटेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड मुनीको कुरा गरिरहेको आरोप लगाएका थिए। डा. छेत्रीले भने, मोर्चाले गरेको 11 पल्टको वार्ता चॉंही महत्वपूर्ण छैन ,क्रामाकपाले जन्तरमन्तरमा गरेको धर्ना चॉंही ठूलो? के आधार छ क्रामाकपासित कि यस्तो राजनैतिक असचेत आरोप लगाइरहेको छ। क्रामाकपाले बुझ्नुपर्छ कि मोर्चा गोर्खाल्याण्डको पक्षमा नरहेको भए यतिबेला कुनै व्यवस्था आइसक्ने थियो। मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्डकोे कुरा गरेकै कारण वार्ता 11 पल्ट भयो। गोर्खाल्याण्डदेखि मुनीको व्यवस्थाको कुरा गर्न एउटै वार्ता काफी हुन्छ। तिनले क्रामाकपाले मोर्चालाई आक्रमक आरोप लगाइरहेको बताउँदै भने, भोट नहाल्दा गोर्खाल्याण्ड हुने होइन
भोट बहिष्कारलाई आन्दोलनको इतिहासमा दोषपूर्ण मानिन्छ। मोहन दुखुनलाई बहिष्कार गरेकोले नै विधायक बनाइएको थियो। भोट नहालेर क्रामाकपाले कसलाई पाइदा पुर्याउन खोजेको हो त्यो क्रामाकपाले जानोस् तर मोर्चाले भोट लड़ेर मुद्दालाई कसरी कहॉंनेर हानी पुर्यायो त्यो बताओस्। क्रामाकपाले दिएको उम्मेद्वारलाई नै मोर्चाले समर्थन गर्नुपर्थ्यो कि? क्रामाकपा र आर.बी.राईले बुझ्नुपर्छ मोर्चाले आन्दोलन गरिरहेको छ अनि क्रामाकपाले राजनीति। यही कार्मिक भिन्नताको कारण नै मोर्चा यहॉंसम्म आइपुगेको छ अनि क्रामाकपा जहीको त्यहीँ छ। गर्ने थियो भने क्रामाकपाले किन आन्दोलन गरेन? किन गोरामुमोको जरा उखेल्न सकेन? मोर्चाले आन्दोलन गरेको छ यसकारण जनता मोर्चासित छ। काम नै नगर्ने दलले घरमा बसेर प्रेस विज्ञप्तीको भरमा राजनीति गर्नु हुँदैन। क्रामाकपा यति धेरै सचेत र ज्ञानी हो भने गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति खै के गरिरहेको छ।
जन्तमन्तरमा धर्ना गरेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड हुँदैन। हाम्रो ससाना सङ्गठनहरूले जति धर्ना जन्तरमन्तरमा गरेको छ, संख्याकै हिसाबमा पनि क्रामाकपा डल्लै पार्टीले गरेको छैन। क्रामाकपालाई भाले दल बताउँदै डा.छेत्रीले भने, क्रामाकपा नफल्ने बोट हो। यत्रो वर्ष फलेन। पहिले आन्दोलन गर्नुपर्छ अनि आन्दोलन गर्नेहरूको आलोचना गर्नुपर्छ। अल्छेले परिश्रमीलाई सिकाउनु मिलेन। यति कुरा त क्रामाकपाले बुझ्नुपर्ने हो। तिनले स्पष्ट भने, ठोस दोष देखाइए हामी मान्ने छौं। तर यसरी दोष देखाउने क्षमता कुनै नेतामा छैन। क्रामाकपाका गोविन्द छेत्री र एल.बी.परियारको तुलना हुन सक्दैन। देखाउँछ भने सही र ठोस दोष देखाउनुपर्छ। नत्र बोल्नै भएन। जुन विषयको जानकारी छैन त्यो विषयमा बोल्नु भएन। अर्कोतिर तिनले गोरामुमोलाई लक्ष्य गर्दै गोरामुमो मिडीयाले बँचाएर ल्याइरहेको दल रहेको जनाए। गोरामुमोले मोर्चालाई धम्की दिनु लाजस्पद् रहेको जनाउँदै तिनले भने, जस्तोलाई त्यस्तै जवाब दिन मोर्चा तयार छ। गोरामुमोले धम्की नदियोस्।
Headlines,
Headline SMS, KalimNews:
KalimNews, a unit of Kalimpong Press Club will start Scrolling marquee to display news, notices, advertisement for the people of Kalimpong. The marquee will be placed in Damber Chowk
Gorkhas of North East met Bimalk Gurung, GJM chief.
Pawan Hans will continue in Sikkim.
GNLF continues to reorgansie village units
Protest lock on education offices - Hill teachers start 3-day shutdown
Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, May 10:The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated primary teachers’ union today started the three-day shutdown of education-related government offices in the hills to demand among others the appointment of 4,000 primary teachers at the earliest.
hirteen primary schools across the Darjeeling hills do not have any permanent teachers at all and are being run by those appointed on an ad hoc basis, while 70 other institutions are expected to face a similar situation by December 2012, the Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation has claimed
Bhushan Thapa, the general secretary of the GPTO, said: “By December 2012, 140 permanent teachers are scheduled to retire. If no fresh appointments are made, almost 70 of the 774 primary schools will have no permanent teachers. As of today, 13 schools are being run entirely by ad hoc teachers .”
According to Thapa, a school without a permanent teacher will not be able to use funds allotted to it by the government, as ad hoc staff are not given financial responsibilities.
The GPTO has claimed that currently 70 schools have only one permanent teacher each. “For example in the Rimbick-Lodhama circle there are 35 schools, out of which about 25 have only one permanent teacher. Primary school teachers have not been appointed in the hills since 1997,” said Thapa.
Sources in the DGHC said recently “an arrangement had been made by which a permanent teacher of the nearest primary school was being asked to look after the school which had no permanent teachers”.
DGHC administrator Anil Verma said the appointment of teachers was a process that involved various government departments and not just the council. “Even though the DGHC is in the picture (because it is in charge of primary education), the district school board looks after the teachers’ transfer and appointment,” said Verma.The district school board is headed by L.B. Pariyar, who is a member of the Morcha’s study forum. Pariyar admitted that the DSB had the powers to appoint teachers. “We, however, cannot randomly issue appointment letters as the salaries have to come from the state government through the DGHC,” said Pariyar, the chairperson of the DSB.
The GPTO is also demanding that a District Primary School Council, present in other districts, replace the DSB. “The DPSC has more powers and will not need to take a no-objection certificate from the council for appointment of teachers. They can directly liaison with the state government,” said Thapa.
The GPTO wish-list also includes the recognition of primary schools set up by local bodies like village committees and establishment of a district project office for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and a pension cell in Darjeeling. It also wants the medical board for the teachers to be shifted to Darjeeling Sadar hospital from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.
The teachers have also demanded that a finance officer be appointed for the District School Board and a subinspector of schools be posted in all 13 circles in the hills. The agitation also includes the shutdown of primary schools for three days from May 18, a 24-hour general strike across the hills on May 31 followed by an indefinite hunger strike by the teachers from June 1.
GNLF ex-jawan unit
RAJEEV RAVIDAS,TT, Kalimpong, May 10:The Bharatiya Gorkha Bhutpurva Sainik Morcha has said the decision of the GNLF to form a frontal organisation for ex-servicemen in the hills will remain a non-starter as the former jawans can see through its game plan of using them to gain political mileage.
Col. (Retd) Ramesh Allay, the president of the Sainik Morcha , an affiliate of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, told The Telegraph that GNLF president Subash Ghisingh had mobilised ex-servicemen in the name of Gorkhaland during the movement led by his party in the mid-eighties, only to betray their sacrifices by abandoning the demand.
“Many ex-servicemen lost their lives during the agitation. Given that Ghisingh has dropped the statehood demand in favour of the Sixth Schedule status for the hills, how can he now hope to mobilise the ex-servicemen who even today remain committed to the cause of Gorkhaland.”
Allay alleged that the GNLF was being used by the government to divide the ex-servicemen. “We all must not fall in their trap. The GNLF should desist from misusing the former soldiers as shoulders to fire at its political rivals.”
Regional
Teacher did not kill self, say cops
TT, Jalpaiguri, May 10: Police suspect that the primary teacher, who died of burn injuries along with her daughter yesterday, did not commit suicide as the door of the room in which she was found burning was open at that time.
According to additional superintendent of police Santosh Pandey most people who commit suicide usually themselves in. “No one commits suicide with the doors of the room open,” he said.
>Munmun Pal, a teacher of Gossaihat Primary School in Dhupguri, and her 18-month-old daughter were rescued yesterday morning after their screams for help alerted the neighbours who took them to hospital. While the child died soon after she was taken to the district hospital, Munmun succumbed to her injuries some hours later.
Her husband Biltu, who was sleeping in the next room and claimed that he did not hear them scream, was arrested after Munmun’s father filed an FIR against him. Biltu is a clerk with the public works department. Neighbours said the couple would quarrel frequently over trivial matters and Biltu often beat up his wife.
The police are, however, not sure what led to last night’s incident. Biltu, they said, had bought a plot of land near his house recently with the intention of building a house and moving in with his wife and daughter.
The inspector in charge of Kotwali police station, Niranjan Sarkar, said: “Besides torture and abetment of suicide we are also probing if there was any love triangle.” Biltu was produced in the court of the chief judicial magistrate today and has been remanded in judicial custody till May 23.
Dad retracts FIR in melon death case
TT, Malda, May 10: The father of the girl who died after she was beaten up allegedly by a fruit merchant withdrew his complaint late last night after the accused reportedly agreed to pay him a compensation at asalisi.
The two associates of the wholesale merchant Subhas Ram who had been arrested were released on personal bonds after the withdrawal of the FIR. Subhas, the main accused, had fled the village market soon after Kulsum Khatun’s death but attended the kangaroo court a few hours later. Local MLA Tajmul Hossain was also present at the meeting.
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| Kulsum’s relatives mourn her death on Monday |
“The father had submitted a written undertaking at Harishchandrapur police station, saying that his daughter had indeed stolen a melon. He also wrote that his daughter had been caught and slapped, but he cannot say for sure what caused her death and that he was not blaming anyone,” district superintendent of police Bhuban Mondal said today.
The police chief also said: “We have conducted a post-mortem on the girl’s body and if the report proves that the death was caused because of beating, we will start a case.” Witnesses in Tusihatta, 100km from Malda town, had said yesterday that Subhas had tied up Kulsum and her friend Saharbanu Khatun to bamboo stakes and beat them up, even kicking them around and hitting them on the head with watermelons after accusing them of stealing a fruit. Kulsum’s mother had freed the two girls, who had then gone home.
While the woman was having a heated exchange with Subhas, the villagers informed her that Kulsum was dead.
As Subhas fled the spot, the villagers beat up his two associates and kept them confined to the local club till evening when they were arrested.
The police have come under flak for releasing the two arrested persons. The CPM district secretary, Jiban Moitra, said: “I was astounded when I was told that the two persons, both associates of the main accused, were let off so easily by the police. I will have to find out why the police did this. A child was beaten to death. The police should have probed the incident thoroughly.”
District Congress president Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury said he was constantly worried about the Malda police’s activities. “This is outrageous. I do not know what is behind the police’s thinking as they let two arrested persons go free,” the Congress MP said.
An officer at the Harishchandrapur police station claimed that “we were not trying to hush up the matter. The father withdrew his FIR”.
Kulsum’s father Samiul Haque and mother Renu Bibi refused to speak. But the Forward Bloc MLA of Harishchandrapur Tajmul Hossain, said since the victim’s family was very poor, compensation seemed to be a better option.
“The father is a labourer. Based on his complaint, the police would have started a case against the accused and the family would have gained nothing. We sat with the family yesterday and we ensured that the merchant agreed to pay the compensation. After that the FIR was withdrawn,” the MLA said. He, however, did not disclose the amount.
Spurned youth wielded the blade: Police
TT, Siliguri, May 10: The razor attack last night had been carried out by a youth whose marriage proposal had been turned down repeatedly by the victim, police said today.
Subhasish Kar, who is a resident of Shyambazar in Calcutta, is suspected to have been tracking the girl in Siliguri for sometime.
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| The girl with her face covered in the hospital on Tuesday. (Kundan Yolmo) |
The girl, who is a resident of Alipurduar in Jalpaiguri district, was admitted to the hospital last night.
“In December, she joined a micro finance company in Station Feeder Road here. The youth, however, remained undeterred and went on tracking her,” said the cousin.
The girl’s family has demanded action against Subshashish. “He followed her, attacked and slashed her with a razor-like object and fled the spot on a motorcycle. It seems that he had been observing Sohini’s movements for sometime. Otherwise, how could he manage a motorcycle in Siliguri after coming down all the way from Calcutta?” Jaidip said.
The girl, who spoke to The Telegraph for a few minutes with her face covered, said: “I was attacked from behind. I cannot say anything else now.” The police said their counterparts in Calcutta had been contacted to track down Subahshish.
“We have started a case against the youth on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl’s father today,” Darjeeling police chief D.P. Singh said. “Our counterparts in Calcutta have also been informed and searches are on to find the youth as well as locate his family, relatives and acquaintances.”
The police have charged Subhashish under Section 326 of the IPC (voluntarily causing grievous hurt through dangerous weapons or means). If proved guilty, he can face up 10 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Peace rallies in Dooars
TT, Siliguri, May 10: Residents of the Dooars will organise peace rallies and street corners across the region on Thursday asking people to maintain peace when the Assembly election results are announced on May 13.
A social worker said the rallies would be decorated with banners, flags, posters and festoons carrying social messages on communal harmony, peace and amity. He said at least 15-20 organisations will participate in the initiative. The organisers said the objective of the rallies would be to impart a message of unity and peace. The events are scheduled to start at 4pm and end by 6pm on May 12.
Two arrested
TT, Siliguri: Two persons suspected to be members of a motorcycle lifting gang were arrested from Ratanlal Brahmin Nagar on Monday night. Three motorcycles have been recovered from them.
Cash snatched
TT, Islampur: Four persons took away Rs 2.55 lakh from the manager of a small tea plantation at Udrail near Chopra on Tuesday. Police said Debdas Roy was carrying the salary of his employees when four persons stopped him at Udrail, 30km from here, under gunpoint. They snatched the cash and fled on two motorcycles.
Jewellery loot
TT, Cooch Behar: Gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 15 lakh were looted from a jewellery shop in Jalpaiguri’s Falataka by a three-member gang on Tuesday night. The robbers barged into the shop around 7.45pm when its owner was present along with two assistants. While one gang member held a pistol to the owner’s forehead, the other two looted the jewellery and fled on a motorcycle.
Army camp
TT, Siliguri: A pension adalat for ex-servicemen and their dependants was organised by the army at Lebong in Darjeeling on May 6 and 7. Lt. Gen. G.M. Nair, military secretary of the army headquarters, inaugurated the event in which around 3,000 ex-servicemen took part.
National
Dalai Lama justifies his retirement
Dharamsala, May 10: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said that his decision to shed political authority and hand over powers to an elected political leadership stemmed from a commitment to democracy.“The decision to devolve authority to the elected Tibetan leadership is my total dedication to democracy,” the Nobel laureate said Monday at Southern Methodist University’s 10th Hart Global Leaders Forum in Dallas in Texas, according to a post on the official website of the Tibetan government-in-exile Tuesday.
He underlined the need to set up a reforms committee, which he said could not function due to invasion of Tibet by China.
“But taking the opportunity of freedom in exile, I implemented reforms, including instituting a system of elected political leadership,” he said.
The parliament-in-exile based in this Himachal Pradesh town formally accepted his proposal in March to relinquish political authority and decided to hold a special session by May-end to amend its charter to pave the way for his retirement.
During his address, the Dalai Lama also expressed his gratitude to the US government and the US Congress for supporting the Tibetan struggle and praised the efforts made by former president George W. Bush in promoting democracy and religious freedom.
Later, at a question and answer session, he reiterated his position for a solution to the Tibetan issue without seeking separation from the People’s Republic of China.
He said he was optimistic about the changes taking place in China.
“In the past two years, there were over 1,000 articles in Chinese on Tibet that supported this approach and were critical of the Chinese government,” he said.
Nearly six million Tibetans live in Tibet while over 150,000 live in other countries, most of them in India.
Exit poll signals Mamata sweep - Grim forecast for CM and CPM
TT, May 10:Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress looks headed for a landslide, according to the findings of an exit poll conducted by The Nielsen Company for STAR Ananda.
The projections have raised the possibility of such a sweep that even chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and a host of Left stalwarts appear to be losing their seats.
According to the exit poll, the Trinamul Congress alliance is set to win 225 Assembly seats — more than a three-fourths majority in the 294-member Bengal Assembly. (See chart).
If the vote count on Friday bears out the forecast, the Left tally will be restricted to double digits and far below the 100-seat target some CPM veterans had set privately. It will also be an almost identical reversal of 2006 when the Left won 235 seats.
Two post-poll surveys broadcast on CNN-IBN and Headlines Today also forecast figures that reflected a similar trend, putting the Trinamul alliance in the range of 210 to 234.
In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK alliance seemed to have edged ahead of the DMK-Congress alliance, according to the CNN-IBN/The Week-CSDS post-poll survey. The same survey suggested that the Congress was likely to retain power in Assam.
In Kerala, the survey predicted a tight finish with the CPM-led Left Democratic Front marginally ahead of the Congress-headed United Democratic Front. However, another survey on the television channel Asianet, carried out by Cfore, forecast a narrow advantage for the Congress-led front.
An exit poll is carried out by approaching voters when they leave the booths while post-poll surveys wait for a day or so after polling and then interview select voters.
According to the STAR Ananda-The Nielsen Company exit poll, Trinamul alone is slated to bag 180 seats — 32 more than what is required to attain majority and form a government on its own. The Congress has been projected to win 43 seats and the third alliance partner, SUCI, two.
The exit poll has forecast widespread devastation in the Left pantheon. It surveyed 22 constituencies from where ministers are contesting, of whom 14 are set to lose their seats.
Among such ministers are Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Nirupam Sen, Asim Dasgupta, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Kanti Ganguly, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, Biswanath Chowdhury, Srikumar Mukherjee, Anisur Rahman, Abdus Sattar, Ranjit Kundu, Subhas Naskar, Debesh Das and Anadi Sahoo.
The exit poll has forecast widespread devastation in the Left pantheon. It surveyed 22 constituencies from where ministers are contesting, of whom 14 are set to lose their seats.
Among such ministers are Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Nirupam Sen, Asim Dasgupta, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Kanti Ganguly, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, Biswanath Chowdhury, Srikumar Mukherjee, Anisur Rahman, Abdus Sattar, Ranjit Kundu, Subhas Naskar, Debesh Das and Anadi Sahoo.
An exception appears to be Gautam Deb, the housing minister and the star campaigner for the Left. Deb is projected to win from Dum Dum.
The exit poll has predicted three seats for the BJP and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. The Morcha doesn’t have any official alliance with the BJP. Therefore, the three seats projected could eventually go into the Morcha kitty from the hill constituencies of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.< The findings of the exit poll on the vote share of the Opposition alliance and the Left shows a wide gap. In the 2009 Lok Sabha poll debacle, the Left vote share in Bengal was merely 1.45 per cent less than that of the Trinamul alliance. But the exit poll suggests the gap will now widen to 11 per cent.
CPM state secretary Biman Bose rubbished the exit poll findings. “Exit polls are bogus. Some people were misled in the last Lok Sabha polls but have now realised their mistakes. Will they speak the truth during exit poll surveys? We will form the eighth Left Front government… but our seats will be less than 200,’’ Bose said.
Deb echoed Bose but added: “Tabe, number tumber bolte parbo na (I can’t say the numbers).”
Deb echoed Bose but added: “Tabe, number tumber bolte parbo na (I can’t say the numbers).”
Mamata declined to comment on the exit poll projections, preferring to wait till the results are declared. “We have also reached a conclusion on the number of seats but I don’t want to reveal it now. People have given their votes. The expressions on the voters’ faces showed that they want change. We will accept whatever the verdict is,” Mamata said, appealing for peace.
SC stays 3-way ‘partition’ of land in Ayodhya
In a courtroom where bright saffron and prayer caps stood shoulder to shoulder to challenge the September 30, 2010 High Court judgment, which they consider largely to be a “leap of faith”, the Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha struck a common chord by questioning the wisdom of the three judges in Lucknow who divided the disputed site without the litigants having ever asked for such “relief”.
The rustic look belies the perfect homestay complete with the daily comforts of life that the residents of the picturesque village near Pelling in Sikkim have put up.
The initiative to develop the village as a tourist destination by using local resources was taken up by Sushil Tamang, the president of the Darap Eco Development Committee, in 2005.
Sushil organised the families and helped develop homestays in the village houses.
He also identified potential destinations for visitors and created an infrastructure to develop the tourist spots.“We are operating more than 20 homestays here and the house owners are registered with us. Each family in the village in Darap-Nambu gram panchayat unit — the population is around 4,000 — are somehow or other reaping the benefit of our initiative,” said Sushil.
“Our USP is the activities which tourists enjoy a lot. They can pick and choose from an array of products ranging from trekking to picnic to meditation and swimming. We also have arrangements for mountain biking and learning the local language and cooking,” he said.
A journalist should be a rebel: Kuldip Nayar
New Delhi, May 10: Bemoaning the falling standards of journalism in the country, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar Tuesday said journalists today were merely writing what the establishment dished out to them as press notes while the real challenge was to "go behind" the news.
Speaking at the convocation of the first batch of students of the International Media Institute of India (IMII) at the India International Centre, Nayar described journalists who do not delve into the issue and were confined only to their offices as "babus".
"Today," he regretted, "they make their reports from press notes."
"It is not the job a journalist to have holy cows, defend the government, see the vested interests flourish but the job of a journalist is to expose and to be a rebel," said Nayar, who at 86 remains one of the most widely read journalists whose columns are syndicated in over 80 newspapers and magazines in 15 languages in the subcontinent and the Gulf.
"A journalist is known for its credibility," said Nayar, who also narrated to the rapt audience how he broke the story about Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan admitting to him in a fit of pique that his country had the nuclear bomb much before they actually tested it in retaliation to India's tests in May 1998.
Nayar, who has also served as press adviser to prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, high commissioner to the United Kingdom and a Member of Parliament, said the romance of journalism lies in finding the truth. "Only then will the people put their faith in you."
He later presented awards and certificates to 27 students of the first batch of IMII, which was launched last year in collaboration with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Washington, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the standard of journalism worldwide for the public good, and the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi.
Four foreign students, including two from Bhutan and two from Liberia, attended the course.
Health
Benefits of Walking Exercise
It is said that every person has two doctors with him… his right leg & his left leg. A vigorous 5 mile walk can do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy man than any medicine or psychology. it is the easiest exercise for most individuals, one that can done without equipment except good shoes, in most terrains & weather & also in very old age. What we are talking about is not just walking but brisk walking. Here are the benefits of the same–
Why walking ?
Walking is the most natural exercise known to man.
Besides this, here are the other benefits of walking
1 ) Walking improves circulation : Calf muscles are man’s second heart. On walking, these muscles pump the blood to the heart with all force. This leads to greater heart exercise, increased oxygen requirement & better blood circulation.
2) Walking is good for the heart : The increased oxygen requirements lead to exercise for the heart. On a long term basis, it leads to a better circulation for the heart. Thus it reduces the chances of a heart attack.
3) Walking cuts fatigue : Once daily brisk walking has become a habit, you start reaping the benefits. Soon there is no need of any laxatives. No more low back ache. No more of that catch while bending. Above all, in shape body is not easily fatigued.
4 ) Walking improves the posture.
5 ) Psychological benefits : Many studies have shown enormous psychological benefits of walking. It has been shown that daily walking habit reduces anxiety, tension & improves mood.
What is “brisk walking”?
It has been shown that what works best is not walking but “brisk walking”. Scientifically, it correlates with the pulse rate that you should achieve for the maximum benefit. However, simply speaking, brisk walking means : a level that’s not just strolling; but not out pf breath either.
How many minutes a day should one walk briskly?
No study has established the exact time for the maximum benefit. However 45minutes to 1 hour is a good guide.
You can even incorporate it in your daily life style. That way you will automatically walk briskly to the office & for that matter anywhere. A short brisk walk is is worth two miles of ambling. That way you will easily get minimal amount of good exercise every day. And, as striding becomes a habit, you will soon get more exercise, willingly.
SC stays 3-way ‘partition’ of land in Ayodhya
Krishnadas Rajagopal, IE, New Delhi, May 10 : The Supreme Court today found it “strange and surprising” that the Allahabad High Court took upon itself to “partition” the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site, leaving a one-third slice for Ram Lalla.
In a courtroom where bright saffron and prayer caps stood shoulder to shoulder to challenge the September 30, 2010 High Court judgment, which they consider largely to be a “leap of faith”, the Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha struck a common chord by questioning the wisdom of the three judges in Lucknow who divided the disputed site without the litigants having ever asked for such “relief”.It went on to stay the operation of the majority verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the 60-year-old Ayodhya dispute and declared status quo on the title of the disputed land.
A Bench of Justices S U Khan, Sudhir Agarwal and D V Sharma (since retired) had ruled in a majority judgment of 2:1 for a three-way division of the “roughly 15,000 square feet site” occupied by the mosque before its demolition on December 6, 1992 — one-third for the Sunni Waqf Board, one-third for the Nirmohi Akhara and one-third to the party for Ram Lalla.
Today’s status quo would mean that a lone pujari can conduct worship in the makeshift temple built at the site — a custom legitimised in the Ayodhya Act of January 7, 1993. The Bench banned any mode of activity in the 67 acres acquired by the government following apex court orders of March 13 and 14, 2002.
The High Court had scheduled partition proceedings for August 31, 2011 after two extensions in January and April, 2011. Today’s order stops all that.
The Supreme Court’s criticism and stay of the judgment is a significant shift from the decision of a Bench led by Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on September 28, which had ordered the High Court to go ahead and pronounce the Ayodhya judgment, rejecting last-minute protests from various quarters that more time should be given for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute.
“The suits have been for declaration (of titles), possession or injunction. None of the parties had prayed for partition. This is surprising. This is a clear case in which an entirely new dimension... an entirely new relief has been given when none wanted it. Obviously this (judgment) has to be stayed,” Justice Lodha said as lawyers from both sides volubly agreed.
Joining in, Justice Alam said: “There is something strange in the way the High Court went ahead on its own”.
“You tell us how a decree of partition be passed in this?” Justice Alam’s query drew a murmur of assent from the lawyers and spectators in the courtroom as he added that “at least there is unanimity on this aspect” .
“This is something which has to be corrected. This cannot go on,” Justice Lodha said.
Justice S U Khan of the High Court in his separate judgment had attempted to justify the “partition”. Quoting a Bombay High Court ruling, he had observed that a court can on its own accord turn a suit for possession of land into one of partition if it comes to the conclusion that the litigant(s) are not entitled to the whole property.
A decree for partition and separate possession can be resorted to as a measure to prevent any further litigation and multiplicity of proceedings in the Ayodhya dispute, Justice Khan had reasoned.
“All the three parties (Muslims, Hindus and the Nirmohi Akhara) are entitled to a declaration of joint title and possession to the extent of one-third each and a preliminary decree to that effect is to be passed,” the high court judge had held in his verdict.
In a litigation which includes mythology as court evidence on Lord Ram’s birthplace, the first hearing saw the court primarily enquiring about the availability of a digitalised version of the 8,000-page judgment in Microsoft Word for easy reading.
Though the litigants seemed to prefer a Supreme Court translator to work the court records, senior advocate Ravi Shanker Prasad, appearing for Ram Lalla, assured the court that the litigants had enjoyed the “finest relationships” at the Allahabad High Court.
“That’s good,” Justice Alam signed off the hearing.
WHAT IS STOPPED
* In September, 2010, Allahabad HC ruled for a three-way division of the “roughly 15,000 square feet” where Babri Masjid once stood: one-third for Sunni Waqf Board, one-third for Nirmohi Akhara and one-third to the party for Ram Lalla.
* HC scheduled “partition” proceedings for August 31, 2011. SC orders stops all that.
* A lone pujari can conduct worship in the makeshift temple built at the site.
* SC banned any activity in the 67 acres acquired by the government.
Regional
Chamling visit entire state
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, 10 May : Coordination meeting of all the departments of the State Government was held here at the conference hall of the Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok today. The meeting Chaired by the Chief Minister was attended by the Cabinet Ministers and head of the state government departments. The meeting was a follow up of the coordination meeting held on 27th August 2011 and in line with the 100 days programme of the government.
At the outset the Chief Minister urged the head of the departments to be very serious about the outcome of the meeting as we as public representatives and government servants are answerable and responsible to the people on whose mandate we are here, he said. The Chief Minister also announced his tour programme of visiting village to village for thirty six days which he hinted can even be extended on the demands of the people. It may be mentioned here that the Chief Minister is scheduled to tour the entire state from 17th May to 21st June 2011. This tour, which he directed all the heads of the departments to accompany him, will be to assess and review the works undertaken by the government in all these years of governance. We will see where our weakness lies and even take decisions on the spot, he said. Such an activity will be a new experiment not only for the state but even for the entire country, he added.
The Chief Minister during the meeting took a review of most of the schemes of the government under each and every department. While taking review of the development of new township at Pakyong the Chief Minister said that though the government has already acquired land at Pakyong and investors are approaching the government with their proposals but we are not able to deliver their requirement in time. Big investors do not move at the pace in which we are moving and it is high time that we increase out speed in our delivery system. Immediate steps should be taken to utilize the land, he directed the concerned department. But at the same time he added that the MOU’s to be signed by the investors with the government should be full proof with no any loophole in it.
The Chief Minister asked the Forest department to expedite the process of forest clearance for the ambitious Sky Walk Project at Bhaley Dhunga.
Directing the meetings attention towards Health department the Chief Minister directed the department to strengthen the CATCH programme of the state government. The programme is not going on as per the expectation of the government he said and added that capacity building of the existing men power is a must. He also asked the department to check the problem faced by the PHC’s and PHSC’s with regard to the supply of medicines. Furthermore, the Chief Minister asked the department to improve the quality of service of the health staff and see it from humane angle. When the government is giving the best facility to the government servant why not the government servants give best service to the people, he asked. He also asked the Secretary to prepare plan for the construction of helipad at the upcoming Sichey Hospital.
Talking about the resentment of the recent hike on trade license fee from the public the Chief Minister instructed the UD & HD to put up the proposal to review the hike in the interest of the people.
Talking about the various schemes undertaken the Rural Management and Development Department the Chief Minister said that coordination of officials of RMDD and Forest department is very much necessary for providing timber and other forest products for the houses to be built under Kutcha House Free State Mission of the government. Convergence of the scheme with MGNREGA for ground leveling of the houses should also be done, he added. He also highlighted about the problem of water crises faced all round the state and asked the department to give priority to roof water harvesting. The source of perennial water should also be ascertained before working out for estimate of water supply scheme. He also asked the officials to systematize the distribution system of the water supply from the source to the house hold.
Talking about the road ways the Chief Minister asked the department to give the road to Chewabhanjyang a priority and improve the conditions of the road.
With regard to the list of BPL the Chief Minister directed to the officials of the DESME, RMDD and Food & Civil Supplies to coordinate with each other and take out a solution for it. There should be no any confusion in the BPL list, he said and added that the benefits of the government should be given to the actual BPL beneficiary.
On e-governance the Chief Minister asked the Information Technology department to bring up a proposal as to how e-governance can be implemented successfully in the state.
On tourism sector the Chief Minister said that tourism should be made a new profession of the people of the state and the government should encourage and work out for village tourism, home stay tourism, eco-tourism etc. Besides this it is very much necessary that a responsible and disciplined tourism is promoted in the state, he said. The tourism department has not been able to work as per the expectation of the government, the Chief Minister said. The proposal of construction of way side amenities with public facilities has not been materialized yet. Mechanism has to be prepared by the tourism department to make use of the various infrastructure created by the government for the development of tourism in the state. He also asked the department to devise mechanism and put up a proposal to levy environmental cess form the tourist.
On Power department the Chief Minister asked the department to see that the quality of the works undertaken by the power developers in the state.
Talking about the capacity building the Chief Minister said that the Labour department will now look after the capacity building and asked the department to ensure that the livelihood schools should be operational in 100 days in all the constituencies of the state. The training so given in the schools should be job oriented, said.
The Chief Minister asked the Human Resource Development Department to ensure that best education is imparted amongst the students in the schools and proper discipline is maintained amongst the government employees. He asked the officers to take strict action to the errant teachers.
Talking about corruption issue the Chief Minister sounded very strict and asked the officers to be very strict and leave no stone unturned to curb the menace of corruption from the entire administrative machinery of the state. The Chief Minister also asked the officers to search ways and means to take strict action to those government servants who resort to unfair activities. The administrators should be able to utilize their power and maintain administrative discipline in the system, he added. The Chief Minister directed the heads of department to full fill the shortage of manpower in their departments immediately. Training of the officers should be given continuity, he added and further said that the Department of Personnel should ensure that the officers are given timely promotions so that they feel justified and work for the welfare of the people. The employees working under Muster Roll and work charge basis should be regularized as per the government norms immediately. The state government has many ambitious projects and shortage of manpower has become a great hurdle for the successful implementation of these projects, he said. The state government has its target which has to be achieved in the scheduled time frame has deployment of men power has become very much essential, he said.
Regional
Chamling visit entire state
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, 10 May : Coordination meeting of all the departments of the State Government was held here at the conference hall of the Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok today. The meeting Chaired by the Chief Minister was attended by the Cabinet Ministers and head of the state government departments. The meeting was a follow up of the coordination meeting held on 27th August 2011 and in line with the 100 days programme of the government.
At the outset the Chief Minister urged the head of the departments to be very serious about the outcome of the meeting as we as public representatives and government servants are answerable and responsible to the people on whose mandate we are here, he said. The Chief Minister also announced his tour programme of visiting village to village for thirty six days which he hinted can even be extended on the demands of the people. It may be mentioned here that the Chief Minister is scheduled to tour the entire state from 17th May to 21st June 2011. This tour, which he directed all the heads of the departments to accompany him, will be to assess and review the works undertaken by the government in all these years of governance. We will see where our weakness lies and even take decisions on the spot, he said. Such an activity will be a new experiment not only for the state but even for the entire country, he added.
The Chief Minister during the meeting took a review of most of the schemes of the government under each and every department. While taking review of the development of new township at Pakyong the Chief Minister said that though the government has already acquired land at Pakyong and investors are approaching the government with their proposals but we are not able to deliver their requirement in time. Big investors do not move at the pace in which we are moving and it is high time that we increase out speed in our delivery system. Immediate steps should be taken to utilize the land, he directed the concerned department. But at the same time he added that the MOU’s to be signed by the investors with the government should be full proof with no any loophole in it.
The Chief Minister asked the Forest department to expedite the process of forest clearance for the ambitious Sky Walk Project at Bhaley Dhunga.
Directing the meetings attention towards Health department the Chief Minister directed the department to strengthen the CATCH programme of the state government. The programme is not going on as per the expectation of the government he said and added that capacity building of the existing men power is a must. He also asked the department to check the problem faced by the PHC’s and PHSC’s with regard to the supply of medicines. Furthermore, the Chief Minister asked the department to improve the quality of service of the health staff and see it from humane angle. When the government is giving the best facility to the government servant why not the government servants give best service to the people, he asked. He also asked the Secretary to prepare plan for the construction of helipad at the upcoming Sichey Hospital.
Talking about the resentment of the recent hike on trade license fee from the public the Chief Minister instructed the UD & HD to put up the proposal to review the hike in the interest of the people.
Talking about the various schemes undertaken the Rural Management and Development Department the Chief Minister said that coordination of officials of RMDD and Forest department is very much necessary for providing timber and other forest products for the houses to be built under Kutcha House Free State Mission of the government. Convergence of the scheme with MGNREGA for ground leveling of the houses should also be done, he added. He also highlighted about the problem of water crises faced all round the state and asked the department to give priority to roof water harvesting. The source of perennial water should also be ascertained before working out for estimate of water supply scheme. He also asked the officials to systematize the distribution system of the water supply from the source to the house hold.
Talking about the road ways the Chief Minister asked the department to give the road to Chewabhanjyang a priority and improve the conditions of the road.
With regard to the list of BPL the Chief Minister directed to the officials of the DESME, RMDD and Food & Civil Supplies to coordinate with each other and take out a solution for it. There should be no any confusion in the BPL list, he said and added that the benefits of the government should be given to the actual BPL beneficiary.
On e-governance the Chief Minister asked the Information Technology department to bring up a proposal as to how e-governance can be implemented successfully in the state.
On tourism sector the Chief Minister said that tourism should be made a new profession of the people of the state and the government should encourage and work out for village tourism, home stay tourism, eco-tourism etc. Besides this it is very much necessary that a responsible and disciplined tourism is promoted in the state, he said. The tourism department has not been able to work as per the expectation of the government, the Chief Minister said. The proposal of construction of way side amenities with public facilities has not been materialized yet. Mechanism has to be prepared by the tourism department to make use of the various infrastructure created by the government for the development of tourism in the state. He also asked the department to devise mechanism and put up a proposal to levy environmental cess form the tourist.
On Power department the Chief Minister asked the department to see that the quality of the works undertaken by the power developers in the state.
Talking about the capacity building the Chief Minister said that the Labour department will now look after the capacity building and asked the department to ensure that the livelihood schools should be operational in 100 days in all the constituencies of the state. The training so given in the schools should be job oriented, said.
The Chief Minister asked the Human Resource Development Department to ensure that best education is imparted amongst the students in the schools and proper discipline is maintained amongst the government employees. He asked the officers to take strict action to the errant teachers.
Talking about corruption issue the Chief Minister sounded very strict and asked the officers to be very strict and leave no stone unturned to curb the menace of corruption from the entire administrative machinery of the state. The Chief Minister also asked the officers to search ways and means to take strict action to those government servants who resort to unfair activities. The administrators should be able to utilize their power and maintain administrative discipline in the system, he added. The Chief Minister directed the heads of department to full fill the shortage of manpower in their departments immediately. Training of the officers should be given continuity, he added and further said that the Department of Personnel should ensure that the officers are given timely promotions so that they feel justified and work for the welfare of the people. The employees working under Muster Roll and work charge basis should be regularized as per the government norms immediately. The state government has many ambitious projects and shortage of manpower has become a great hurdle for the successful implementation of these projects, he said. The state government has its target which has to be achieved in the scheduled time frame has deployment of men power has become very much essential, he said.
Discovering Darap - Homestays tucked away in a Sikkim nook
Abhijit Sinha, TT, Siliguri, May 10: It’s one of the few places waiting to be discovered and that is why Darap is idyllic.
 |
| A homestay in Darap. Telegraph picture |
The initiative to develop the village as a tourist destination by using local resources was taken up by Sushil Tamang, the president of the Darap Eco Development Committee, in 2005.
Sushil organised the families and helped develop homestays in the village houses.
He also identified potential destinations for visitors and created an infrastructure to develop the tourist spots.“We are operating more than 20 homestays here and the house owners are registered with us. Each family in the village in Darap-Nambu gram panchayat unit — the population is around 4,000 — are somehow or other reaping the benefit of our initiative,” said Sushil.
He said the activities were slow in 2005 put picked up gradually when more people joined in to develop the concept. “But today we have come with several offbeat and new attractions and have managed to pull more than 5,000 visitors including a few hundred foreigners, so far,” he said.
He added that each family has two-three single or double bed rooms to accommodate the tourists.
“Our USP is the activities which tourists enjoy a lot. They can pick and choose from an array of products ranging from trekking to picnic to meditation and swimming. We also have arrangements for mountain biking and learning the local language and cooking,” he said.The development of the place, around 155km from Siliguri, as a destination for tourists willing to pay more than the usual hotels in Pelling has changed the lifestyle of the local people, said Karma Wangchuk Lama who has a homestay.
“Unlike yesteryears we have a regular flow of earning now. We had never thought that our houses, with little renovations done, can help us generate additional incomes for our families,” he said.
The initiative has also been appreciated by the Sikkim government with chief minister Pawan Chamling handing over the award for the “best tourism development committee” to Sushil in Gangtok last year.
“We have also been informed by our local MLA that the Union ministry of tourism will give us Rs 70 lakh for the development of infrastructure and capacity building of service providers within this year,” Sushil said.
ArticleA journalist should be a rebel: Kuldip Nayar
New Delhi, May 10: Bemoaning the falling standards of journalism in the country, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar Tuesday said journalists today were merely writing what the establishment dished out to them as press notes while the real challenge was to "go behind" the news.
Speaking at the convocation of the first batch of students of the International Media Institute of India (IMII) at the India International Centre, Nayar described journalists who do not delve into the issue and were confined only to their offices as "babus".
"Today," he regretted, "they make their reports from press notes."
"It is not the job a journalist to have holy cows, defend the government, see the vested interests flourish but the job of a journalist is to expose and to be a rebel," said Nayar, who at 86 remains one of the most widely read journalists whose columns are syndicated in over 80 newspapers and magazines in 15 languages in the subcontinent and the Gulf.
"A journalist is known for its credibility," said Nayar, who also narrated to the rapt audience how he broke the story about Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan admitting to him in a fit of pique that his country had the nuclear bomb much before they actually tested it in retaliation to India's tests in May 1998.
Nayar, who has also served as press adviser to prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, high commissioner to the United Kingdom and a Member of Parliament, said the romance of journalism lies in finding the truth. "Only then will the people put their faith in you."
He later presented awards and certificates to 27 students of the first batch of IMII, which was launched last year in collaboration with the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Washington, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the standard of journalism worldwide for the public good, and the Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi.
Four foreign students, including two from Bhutan and two from Liberia, attended the course.
Health
Benefits of Walking Exercise
It is said that every person has two doctors with him… his right leg & his left leg. A vigorous 5 mile walk can do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy man than any medicine or psychology. it is the easiest exercise for most individuals, one that can done without equipment except good shoes, in most terrains & weather & also in very old age. What we are talking about is not just walking but brisk walking. Here are the benefits of the same–
Why walking ?
Walking is the most natural exercise known to man.
Besides this, here are the other benefits of walking
1 ) Walking improves circulation : Calf muscles are man’s second heart. On walking, these muscles pump the blood to the heart with all force. This leads to greater heart exercise, increased oxygen requirement & better blood circulation.
2) Walking is good for the heart : The increased oxygen requirements lead to exercise for the heart. On a long term basis, it leads to a better circulation for the heart. Thus it reduces the chances of a heart attack.
3) Walking cuts fatigue : Once daily brisk walking has become a habit, you start reaping the benefits. Soon there is no need of any laxatives. No more low back ache. No more of that catch while bending. Above all, in shape body is not easily fatigued.
4 ) Walking improves the posture.
5 ) Psychological benefits : Many studies have shown enormous psychological benefits of walking. It has been shown that daily walking habit reduces anxiety, tension & improves mood.
What is “brisk walking”?
It has been shown that what works best is not walking but “brisk walking”. Scientifically, it correlates with the pulse rate that you should achieve for the maximum benefit. However, simply speaking, brisk walking means : a level that’s not just strolling; but not out pf breath either.
How many minutes a day should one walk briskly?
No study has established the exact time for the maximum benefit. However 45minutes to 1 hour is a good guide.
You can even incorporate it in your daily life style. That way you will automatically walk briskly to the office & for that matter anywhere. A short brisk walk is is worth two miles of ambling. That way you will easily get minimal amount of good exercise every day. And, as striding becomes a habit, you will soon get more exercise, willingly.
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