करोड़ौं लुटेर भाग्यो युनिपेका एजेन्ट - इन्फो सोल्युसनका एजेन्टले आत्मसमर्पण गर्ने.... मोर्चाले इन्टेरिम हिसाबमा व्यवस्था मानेको दाबी - जनता थाकेका छैनन्‌-गुरूङ..... अहिलेलाई लघु उध्योगहरूमा जीलएपीलाई मेन्टेन गरिनेछ-आले... Visarev investors duped..... MLAs to make development plans.... Sikkim varsity’s first UG batch out

करोड़ौं लुटेर भाग्यो युनिपेका एजेन्ट - इन्फो सोल्युसनका एजेन्टले आत्मसमर्पण गर्ने

मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज,  कालेबुङ, 30 जून। कालेबुङ लुटेराहरूको गढ बनेको यस्ता केही कम्पनीहरूले लगालग धनराशि लुटेर सुइँकुच्चा ठोक्नुले स्पष्ट पारेको छ। कालेबुङ सानो क्षेत्र रहेको भए पनि शीघ्र नै पैसा कमाउने लालच देखाएर रुपियॉं लुट्‌ने यस्ता कम्पनीहरू धेरै आयो अनि अझ आइरहेको छ। केही वर्ष अघिसम्म गृहलक्ष्मी नामक यस्तै लुटेरा कम्पनीको चर्चा थियो। यो कम्पनीले कालेबुङवासीको लाखौं रुपियॉं हिनामिना गरिदिएको थियो। लगाइएको रुपियॉं फर्किने आशामा लगानीकर्ताहरू अझ पनि आशामा छन्‌। गृहलक्ष्मी जस्तै पैसा लुट्‌ने र चम्पट कस्ने कम्पनीहरू पहाड़मा धेरैवटा आयो। तर यस्ता कुनै कम्पनी छैन, जो पुलिसको पञ्जामा परेको होस्‌। यस्ता कुनै एजेन्ट छैनन्‌, जसले अहिलेसम्म जेलको हावा खाइरहेको होस्‌। कालेबुङ, पैसा लुट्‌ने कम्पनीहरूको निम्ति धेरै उर्वर क्षेत्र बनेको छ।

प्रकाश सुब्बा

अहिलेसम्म करोड़ौ रुपियॉं यस्ता धुर्त कम्पनीहरूले लुटेर गइसकेको छ। कालेबुङमा पैसाको लालच देखाएर पैसा लुट्‌ने कम्पनीहरू यो वर्षभित्रमात्र चारवटा थियो। जसमा डोकोमो आरपीथ्री ग्रुप्स कम्पनी, रिलायन्स एसएमएस विजिनेश,साइबर जब वेभ इन्फो सोल्युसन एसएमएस अनि युनिपे टु यु कम्पनी प्रमुख रहेको छ। यी मध्ये करोड़ौं लुट्‌ने कम्पनी भने युनिपे नै रहेको छ, जसको एजेन्ट कालेबुङको गुड शेफर्ड होटल म्यानेजमेन्टका निर्देशक एल्विन लामा अनि तिनका श्रीमति अनु लामा हुन्‌।
आज डोकोमो आरपी थ्रीले विद्यार्थी अनि वेरोजगार युवाहरूको पैसा लुटेको भुक्तभोगी एक विद्यार्थी ज्योति तामङले जनाएकी छन्‌। तिनी अनुसार यो कम्पनीले तिनलाई कार्यालयको भाड़ा तिर्न लगानी गर्न लगाएको थियो। कम्पनी डुब्यो, अनि एजेन्टहरूले तिनको पैसा फर्काउने आशा देखाए पनि आजसम्म फर्काएको छैन। एजेन्टहरू सबै लाखौं रुपियॉं कुम्लाएर कालेबुङ छोड़ेर भागेका छन्‌।
अर्को कम्पनी रिलायन्स अनि एसएमएस बिजिनेशले त करोड़ौ लुटेर भागेको छ। यस कम्पनीमा कालेबुङका साधारण नागिरदेखि लिएर ठेकेदार, व्यवसायी,सरकारी कर्मचारीसमेतले लगानी गरेका थिए। कम्पनी नै बन्द भयो, तर लगानीकर्ताहरू चुपचाप बस्न पर्‍यो। उनीहरूको जाने ठाउँ कतै छैन। पैसा लाखौं लगाइएको छ, कम्पनी डुब्यो तरै पनि उनीहरू किन बोल्दैनन्‌? यो पनि निक्कै चाखलाग्दो विषय बनेको छ। अहिले के शंका उठ्‌न थालेको छ भने ती लगानी गरिएका रुपियॉं परिश्रम कै धन थियो कि कालो धन? परिश्रमको पैसा हुनु हो भने पैसा डुब्दा लगानीकर्ताहरू बोल्नुपर्ने, कोही पनि पैसा डुबेको मामिलामा मुख खोल्न तयार छैनन्‌। यसकारण लगानी गरिएको पैसा कालो धन नै थियो कि भन्ने शंका अहिले उठेको छ।
धेरै लगानीकर्ताहरू नबोलेको कारण थोरै लगानी गर्नेहरू तल्लोस्तरका लगानीकर्ताहरूलाई असुविधा भइरहेको एक कम्पनीमा तीस हजार लगाउने भक्तिराज शर्माले जनाएका छन्‌। जमीन बेचेर पैसा लगाएको बताउने भक्तिहरू धेरै छन्‌, जसले खाइ नखाइ कमाएको पैसा कम्पनीमा लगाएका छन्‌। तिनले आफूले पैसा लगानी गरेको कम्पनीका एजेन्ट नेपालमा चियाबारी किनेर मस्त रहेको थाहा पाएको भए पनि तिनको विरुद्धमा केही गर्न नसकेको दुःख पोखाएका छन्‌।
लाखौं लुट्‌ने कम्पनीको कुरा छोड़ौं, कालेबुङमा करोड़ौ पैसा लुट्‌ने एउटा कम्पनी युनिपे अनि भिसारेभका एजेन्टले लगानीकर्ताहरूलाई पैसा फिर्ता गर्ने दुइपल्ट बचन दिए तर तिनको अत्तोपत्तो छैन। 2009 को सितम्बरमा कालेबुङ पसेको यो कम्पनी अहिले बन्द छ। जसमा यति धेरै पैसा लगानी गरिएको छ कि लगानी कर्ताहरू प्राय नै सम्पन्नवर्गको रहेको थाहा लागेका छन्‌। एजेन्ट नै गुडशेफर्ड होटल म्यानेज्मेन्टका मालिक रहेकोले तिनको विश्वासमा लाखौं रुपिया लगानी गर्ने ती सम्पन्नवर्ग अहिले रोउँ न हाशुँ बनेका छन्‌।
लगानीकर्ताहरूले जनाए अनुसार मुख्य एजेन्ट एल्विन लामा अनि अनु लामा हुन्‌। उनीहरूले आफूहरू मलेशियामा रहेको दुइमहिना अघि स्थानीय च्यानललाई जनाउँदै जुन महिनासम्ममा पैसा फर्काउने बाचा गरेका थिए। हजार र लाख रुपियॉं लगानी गर्नुपर्ने कम्पनीको आचारसंहिता नै थियो। जसको कारण धेरैभन्दा धेरै रुपियॉं छोटो समयमा नै कुम्लाउन एजेन्टलाई सजिलो भयो। एक सूत्र अनुसार यो कम्पनीका एजेन्ट एल्विन लामा अनि अनु लामाले मोठ 4 करोड़ 67 लाख 25 हजार 9 सय 74 रुपियॉं लुटेका छन्‌।
यो कम्पनी कालेबुङमा एकवर्ष चल्यो। कम्पनीमा 2 लाख लगानी गर्ने तर नाम प्रकाशमा आएको नचाहने एक लगानीकर्ताले जनाए अनुसार यो कम्पनीमा मोठ 916 जनाले रुपियॉं लगानी गरेका छन्‌। यसरी नै कम्पनीमा 30 लाख लगानी गरेको बताउने मनिता तामङले आफूले सुन बेचेर लगानी गरेको जनाइन्‌। तिनले 2010 मा नै कम्पनी उड़िसकेको थियो तर पनि एजेन्टहरूले जनवरी 2011 सम्मनै लगानी गर्न लगाए। तिनी अनुसार कम्पनी उडेकोले अधिक पैसा लुट्‌न नै यसो गर्न लगाइएको थियो। कम्पनी डुबेपछि ठगार दम्पति  एल्विन लामा अनि अनु लामा कालेबुङबाट हराएका छन्‌। एजेन्टहरूले केही महिना अघि आफूहरू मलेशियामा रहेको अनि पैसा फिर्ता गराउन प्रयासरत्‌ रहेको जनाएका थिए। तर दुइपल्ट बचन दिएर पनि अहिलेसम्म पैसा पर्काएका छैनन्‌। डुबेको पैसा उकास्न एउटा कमिटिसमेत बनाइएको थियो। जसमा कंग्रेस नेता शान्तिकुमार शर्मा अध्यक्ष अनि महेश छेत्री उपाध्यक्ष रहेको थाहा लागेको छ। उनीहरूसित सम्पर्क गर्न चाहे पनि माध्यमको अभावको कारण सम्पर्क हुन सकेन।
यो कम्पनीमा सल्लाहकारहरू कालेबुङका विभिन्न दलका नेताहरू रहेको समेत थाहा लागेको छ। कमिटीसित एजेन्टहरूले 14 जुलाईभित्र पैसा फर्काउने सम्झौता गरेको लगानीकर्ता मनिता तामङले जनाएकी छन्‌। अन्य लगानीकर्ताहरू अनुसार  ठग दम्पति एजेन्टहरूले आफूहरू मलेशियामा रहेको जनाएको भए पनि उनीहरू सिलगढ़ीमा नै लुकेर बसेको थाहा लागेको पनि जनाएका छन्‌। उनीहरूसित पनि सम्पर्क माध्यमको कमीको कारण सम्पर्क हुन सकेन।
ती एजेन्टहरूले 14 महिनासम्ममा सबै पैसा फर्काउनको निम्ति कमिटीलाई एउटा नयॉं प्रोजेक्ट शुरू गरेको बताएको पनि खुलासा भएको छ तर कमिटीले लगानीकर्ताहरूलाई ती कुरा नबताएको पनि लगानीकर्ताहरूको आरोप छ। लगानीकर्ताहरूले कमिटी पनि एजेन्टहरूसित मिलेको हुन सक्ने शंका गरिरहेको पनि जनाएका छन्‌। कमिटी र एजेन्टहरूमाझ भएको सम्झौता अनुसार आज एउटा बैठक हुनुपर्नेथियो तर त्यो बैठक पनि भएन। अहिलेसम्म ठग कम्पनीहरूको विरुद्धमा कसैले पनि प्राथमिकता दर्ता गरेका छैनन्‌। यसको कारण कर विभागले हिर्काउने सिर्कुना रहेको अनुमान सबैले गरिरहेका छन्‌। लाखौं रुपियॉं लगानी गर्नेहरूको पछि कर विभाग लाग्न सक्ने डरले नै चुपचाप बसेको हुनसक्ने अनुमान पनि गरिएको छ।
यता आज नै यो संवाददातालाई वेभ इन्फो सोल्युसनका निर्देशकले एउटा भोइसमेल पठाएर आफू निर्दोष रहेको जनाएका छन्‌। यसै वर्ष यो कम्पनीका कालेबुङे एजेन्टहरूले करोड़ौ लुटेर भागेका थिए। कम्पनीका निर्देशक प्रकाश सुब्बाले भोइसमेलमा जनाए अनुसार आफूलाई अँध्यारोमा राखेर साथीहरूले आफूलाई फँसाएको जनाएका छन्‌। आफू निर्दोश रहेको अनि कालेबुङका लगानी कर्ताहरूलाई पैसा फिर्ता गराउन आफूले लगानीकर्ताहरूमा आत्मसमर्पण गर्न चाहेको तिनले बताएका छन्‌। तिनले जनाए अनुसार तिनी कालेबुङ आउन चहान्छन्‌ अनि लगानीकर्तासित भेटेर उनीहरूको पैसा फर्काउन सहयोग गर्न चहान्छन्‌। जमीन बेचेर होस्‌ वा कुनै उपाय लगाएर होस्‌, म उनीहरूको पैसा फिर्ता गर्न चहान्छु। लगानीकर्ताहरू राजी भए म आत्मसमर्पण गर्न चहान्छु-तिनले भनेका छन्‌।

Visarev investors duped
KalimNews: UniPay2U has duped investors of Kalimpong and adjoining areas. KalimNews had published a report on December 28, 2010 regarding an allegation regarding Visarev an internet financial investment chain system. Its subscribers had complained of non deposition of interest of December 2010 in their respective Axis bank accounts in Kalimpong and other places. A news of similar fraudulence was published by Imphal Free Press. A report published by imphal free press details the allegation. It is believed to be a sister concern of Unipay2U but this fact is found to be untrue a source said.
Sources said that local in charge of the Visarev had agreed to deposit the unpaid interest to the subscribers. He even visited the Malaysian headquarters of the company. Later he held a meeting with the subscribers and promised to repay them. A committee was also formed to make arrangements for the repayment by investing a sum to another productive project. But lately it was reported by some of the investors that the incharge Alvin Lama along with his wife Anupama Lama are absconding along with their children. Lama is the owner cum founder director and principal of Good shepherd Institute of Hospitality Management since a decade.
A source said that since the company failed to deposit the money and is not responding to the agents, the agents are helpless and they cannot refund the subscribers their investment which is equivalent to Rs,4,67,25,974. So far no case is registered in the police. It is believed that many have invested their unaccountable money which prohibits them to go the police but still there are who invested their hard earned money .
As per the investigation the following questions were not answered by the company.
1. Complete registration details of the company is not available
2. If company is registered in Ministry of Corporate affairs, the details thereof is required.
3. Is Visarev a sister concern of Unipay2U?, if no why its advertisement was given in Unipay2U site and it is not now in the net.
4. Why there is no India Office shown in “Contacts Us”?.
5. Why there is no Phone Number, fax number or any contact person name except email address supprot@visarev.com ?
6- There are serious complain of fraud and scam about Visarev on Complaintsindia.com, Visarev complaints in google as "Visarev is called- Biggest scam in India”.
7. Why investors do not deal in complains submitted in writing and only in e-communication is accepted?
Centre Awaiting WB's Response on Gorkha Demands
PTI: The Centre today said it was awaiting a response from the West Bengal government on future course of action on Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's demand for creation of a Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority.
New Home Secretary R K Singh said there was a broad agreement between the West Bengal Government and GJM on the demands of the later.
"After that a few additional issues have been raised. GJM wanted the involvement of the Central government in respect to the package. We will get involved only if and after the state government so requests us," he told reporters when asked about the status of the proposed pact.
Singh said the West Bengal government was carrying out internal consultations on the new issues raised by the GJM.
"When they (state government) come to us, we will decide," he said.
Official sources said the GJM has requested the Home Ministry to convene a tripartite meeting to discuss the issues concerning the proposed agreement as it wants a review of certain provisions of it.
The GJM has been insisting inclusion of more areas in the proposed Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority (GAA) than what the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council have i.E. Only three subdivisions in Darjeeling.
The GJM wants that other areas such as Mal, Matiali, Nagrakata, Phansidewa and Birpara in Dooars should also come under the proposed GAA.
The divesting of certain legislative powers to the GAA is another contentious issue. None of the bodies such as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council have such wide-ranging powers which are being proposed by the GJM.
The proposed agreement includes holding direct elections to the proposed GAA and vesting it with certain legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers.
Sources said the Centre was not going to accede any "unconstitutional" demands even though West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in a hurry to resolve the Gorkhaland issue quickly.
Since its inception in 2007, the GJM has been fighting for a separate state that includes Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district in the plains and contiguous areas in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.

मोर्चाले इन्टेरिम हिसाबमा व्यवस्था मानेको दाबी - जनता थाकेका छैनन्‌-गुरूङ
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 30 जून। ममता व्यानर्जीले 7 जुनको दिन पत्रकारहरूको सामु भनेकी थिइन्‌, गोर्खाल्याण्ड समस्याको समाधान स्थायीरुपले भयो। तर यसलाई अहिले मोर्चाले मानिरहेको छैन। मोर्चा अनुसार थापिने व्यवस्था स्थायी होइन, गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति पनि बाटो राखिएको छ। मुख्यमन्त्रीको कुरा पत्याउने कि मोर्चाको? यस्तै अन्योलपरक स्थितिमा आज मोर्चा नेता सामुएल गुरूङले मोर्चाले व्यवस्था इन्टेरिम हिसाबले मात्र ग्रहण गर्ने जनाएका छन्‌। तिनले भने अनुसार मोर्चाको आन्दोलनलाई माकपा सरकारले जातिगत बताएको थियो। बङ्गाली बिरुद्धको आन्दोलन रहेको प्रचार गरेको थियो।
तर मोर्चाले बङ्गाली विरुद्ध आन्दोलन गरेको होइन,संविधान अनुसार सम्पूर्ण भारतका गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारीको निम्ति गरेको हो। यही कुरा बुझाउन अहिले राज्य सरकारसित राम्रो सम्बन्ध बनाइएको हो, ताकी बङ्गाली समुदायलाई मोर्चाको आन्दोलन उनीहरू विरुद्धको होइन भन्ने आभास होस्‌। तिनले मोर्चालाई क्षेत्रीय व्यवस्थासित भारतभरिका गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारीको मुद्दा साटेको भनेर लगाइने आरोपलाई पनि सोझै खण्डन गरेका छन्‌। यसबारेमा तिनले जनतालाई बुझाइसकेको पनि जनाएका छन्‌। अर्कोतिर दार्जीलिङको जिमखानामा मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले अहिले जनता थाकिसकेको अनि गोर्खाल्याण्ड भन्दा पनि हाइ काड्‌न थालिसकेको बताउँदै जनतालाई केही समय विश्राम दिन व्यवस्था ग्रहण गर्ने जनाएका थिए। तर आज सामुएल गुरूङले जनता नथाकेको जनाए।
तिनले भने, गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दा गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारीसित जड़ित मुद्दा हो। यसैलाई अघि राखेर मोर्चाले आन्दोलन र सरकारहरूसित तालमेल मिलाइरहेको छ। जनता थाकेका छैनन्‌ न कि नेता थाकेका छन्‌। जनतालाई त अझ डटेर लक्ष्य प्राप्त नभइजेल मोर्चामा अडिग रहेर आन्दोलन गर्न आह्वान गरिरहेका छौं। जनता थाक्यो भन्नु ठीक सुनिँदैन। तिनले अर्कोतिर नयॉं व्यवस्थामा तराई र डुवर्सको अन्तर्भुक्तिलाई लिएर मोर्चाले कार्य गरिरहेको अनि यसको निम्ति हाइपावर कमिटी बनाइएको जनाए। तिनले भने, मोर्चाले दाबी गरेको 199 मौजा व्यवस्थामा पस्ने छ। आदिवासी विकास परिषदको सहमति नहुँदै पनि यी मौजाहरू पस्ने छन्‌। बरू तराई र डुवर्सका आदिवासी, बोडो,टोटो, राभा, डुक्पा बङ्गाली तथा अरू अल्पसंख्यक समुदायले पनि परिषदमा पस्न हाइपावर कमिटीमा कुरा राख्ने सल्लाह भइरहेको छ।

परिषदमा जीएलपीको निम्ति पनि प्रावधानको निम्ति रिपोर्ट बनाइने - अहिलेलाई लघु उध्योगहरूमा जीलएपीलाई मेन्टेन गरिनेछ-आले
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ,30 जून। गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाको एक सङ्गठन जीएलपीमा 12 सयले भर्ना लिएको भए पनि अहिले लगभग 7 हजार मात्र रहेको कर्णल रमेश आलेले जनाएका छन्‌। तिनले देशमा बढेको भ्रष्टचारसित नै पहाड़मा भइरहेको भ्रष्टचार रोक्न गाउँबस्तीबाट नै मोर्चा गठन गरेर डटेर अघि बढ्‌नुपर्ने बताए। यसै सन्दर्भमा सोधिएको प्रश्नको जवाब दिँदै तिनले नयॉं व्यवस्थामा जीएलपीलाई व्यवस्थित गर्न काम भइरहेको जनाए। तिनले जनाए अनुसार यसको निम्ति मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङको निर्देशमा एउटा रिपोर्ट बनाउने काम भइरहेको छ। कागज बनाउने काम तीब्र रहेको छ।
नयॉं व्यवस्थाभित्र जीएलपीलाई व्यवस्थित गराउनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा मोर्चा निक्कै गम्भीर छ। तिनले भने, मोर्चाको मूल लक्ष्य गोर्खाल्याण्ड हो। यसैको निम्ति जीएलपी पनि गठन गरिएको हो। यो गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति आन्दोलन जारी छ। अहिले नयॉं व्यवस्थाको कुरा चलिरहेको छ। यो नै चुडान्त होइन। मूल मुद्दालाई मोर्चाले छोड़ेको छैन। यसकारण मूल लक्ष्यप्राप्त नभइञ्जेल जीएलपीलाई विभिन्न लघु उध्योगहरूमा लगाइने छ। तिनले सुङ्गुर पालन, डेयरी फार्मिङ, टी प्लान्टेशन तथा यस्ता अन्य उध्योगहरूमा जीएलपीलाई लगाइनेछ। तिनले भने, जीएलपीलाई समाजिक कार्यमा जुटाउने कार्य भइरहेको छ। असामाजिक कुराहरूको विरुद्ध जीएलपीलाई सक्रिय राखिने छ। मूल लक्ष्य प्राप्त नभइञ्जेल जीएलपीलाई यसरी नै मेन्टेन गरेर राखिने छ।
MLAs to make development plans
KalimNews:In the first meeting of the administrative board of DGHC the meeting resolved to empower the three MLAs to formulate and propose a list of development project. The proposed plans prepared by the Administrator, Anil Verma was rejected by the three MLAs present in the first meeting held in Darjeeling. The plan and projects to be prepared by the MLAs within seven days will be forwarded to the state government for approval.
Focus on hill food supply
VIVEK CHHETRI,TT, Darjeeling, June 30: The state government is looking at revamping the public distribution system in the region, terming it a top priority of the food and supplies department.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the dominant party in the hills with three MLAs, has, however, demanded that the entire population in the hills be brought under BPL category as far as PDS system was concerned.
Yesterday, the government had announced the doubling of the foodgrain allotment for the hills for a year.
The last BPL classification in the hills took place in early 2000 and only people from parts of Kalimpong sub-division were brought under the category. The remaining parts of the hills are given foodgrain under a special hill PDS. In this system, the beneficiaries buy grain at a rate slightly below the price meant for the APL category in the plains and more than the BPL.
State food minister Jyotipriya Mullick, who was in Darjeeling today, said: “The revamp of the PDS in the hills is now our top priority. In the plains, a dealer usually covers around 3,500-4000 card holders in a radius of 10km. In the hills, this radius is a huge area and people have to spend money on transport to reach the dealers. We will, therefore, appoint dealers for every 3km in the hills.”
The department will also write to the Indian Oil Corporation to appoint two kerosene agents for Kalimpong sub-division and one for Kurseong.
“Food supply to the hills have also been doubled (see chart),” said Mullick.
The state government is also looking at reviving monitoring and vigilance committees across the state apart from appointing quality control staff. “The committees will include apolitical people like headmasters at the village level who will regularly monitor the quality of foodgrain distributed. At the district-level, the sabhadipati and district magistrate will be on the committee,” he added.
The minister visited Kanchan View tea garden, 4km from town, and ordered his staff to camp on the estate and issue Antoday Anna Yojana cards to the 180-odd workers within July 15. “The workers need not come to the office, the officers will go to them,” said Mullick.
Morcha president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri met the minister at the Darjeeling circuit house in the afternoon. “We have thanked the government for doubling the foodgrain allotment to the hills. We have, however, requested the minister to double the kerosene and sugar quantities and also give BPL category status to the people of the region as it is a non-producing area,” said Giri after the meeting.
The minister said he would go back to Calcutta and check the amount of kerosene and sugar that could be added to the existing stock.
N.D. Bhutia, the president of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Modified Ration Dealers’ Association, said the government gives only Rs 20 for the transport of a quintal of grain.
“This is insufficient. The government should conduct a survey and find out the cost incurred during transportation,” said Bhutia. The dealers claimed they received a commission of Rs 45 for a quintal of wheat, Rs 21 on flour and Rs 15 for sugar.
“This is too low for us to survive. If the government does not want to increase the commission, then they should give us a monthly salary of Rs 25,000. This will stem corruption,” said Bhutia.
In Siliguri, Mullick said “bar-coded” ration cards would be introduced to counter fake cards. “We will need Rs 200 crore to implement the scheme that has been discussed with Wipro and Webel. A demonstration of the proposal would be made before the chief minister on July 2.”
Deep Gazmer, TNN,DARJEELING: State food minister Jyotipriya Mullick on his maiden visit to Darjeeling today, announced his plans of revamping the existing Public Distribution System (PDS) in the Hills against the backdrop of growing complaints of the irregular functioning of the food and supplies department.
"I have plans to increase the number of PDS dealers in the Hills. Instead of the initial 10 km radius, there will now be a PDS dealer in the radius of every 3-4 km for the convenience of the consumers," he said. Plans are also on the anvil for setting up quality control laboratories in districts and sub-divisions, and a Monitoring Vigilance Committee (MVC). "Our endeavour is to deal with the 34 years of neglect in the Hills," said Mullick, adding, "the chairman of the MVC will be a head without any political affiliation, who will be identified by the local BDO." Around 10,54,632 PDS consumers in Kurseong and Darjeeling, who are not on the BPL list due to non-identification, will be provided with 1.6 kg rice and 1.5 kg flour per head, which is an increase compared to the initial 800 gm and 700 gm respectively, but at the existing rate of Rs.7 per kg . The 95,007 BPL consumers identified in Kalimpong will receive 1.25 kg rice at the rate of Rs.2 and 900 gm wheat at Rs.5.
The state food minister, while taking stock of the dismal situation of PDS in the Hills, also announced that abandoned godowns will be rented out to dealers for storing food grains. "The rent will be collected by the food and supplies department," he said. He also pointed out that citizens of Nepal availing Indian ration cards illegally was resulting in an increase of fake card holders. "There are more than 5.5 lakh fake ration card holders in the district. Apparently, many people from the Pashupatinagar area of Nepal are holding Indian ration cards. We will have to check this," said the minister. On his way back from a meeting, the food minister made a pitstop at the food and supplies department office. Officials were caught unaware and put up ration cards belonging to those already deceased when asked for the fake documents.
The food minister also said that three MR shops, two in Kalimpong and one in Kurseong, will be set up for distributing kerosene oil.
"I have already written to the Indian Oil Corporation. Consumers in the region are currently paying twice the actual price for their kerosene," said Mullick.
Sikkim varsity’s first UG batch out

Sikkim Central University vice-chancellor Mahendra P Lama (centre) announces the under-graduate exam results in Gangtok on Thursday. Picture by Prabin Khaling

TT, Gangtok, June 30: A total of 890 students became the first batch of graduates from Sikkim Central University today.
Sources said 906 students had appeared for the sixth and final semester exams, which were completed on June 10. The results were announced by the vice-chancellor Mahendra P. Lama today.
The university was established by an Act of Parliament in 2007 and under-graduate courses were introduced in nine colleges under it the next year. The colleges in Sikkim had been under North Bengal University till 2008.
“The pass percentage of the first batch stood at 98.34 per cent. We could declare the results within 20 days of completing the exams. The university has been publishing results within three weeks of completing the exams of each semester,” said a university official.
Binita Rai is among the 890 students who became the first graduates from the Sikkim university.
“The semester system is wonderful and made us confident. We had to write exams every six months, submit our fieldwork presentation and go to classes regularly because of compulsory attendance of 75 per cent. There were mid-semester tests also.
The semester system ensured that we studied the whole year compared to other university students, most of whom, usually study only when their annual exams are near,” said Binita, an arts graduate.
Another student said there was also an incentive of five per cent marks for 100 per cent attendance.
“This incentive motivated us to attend classes regularly. We got opportunities not only to learn the history of our region but also other fields. There was a scope for personality development also as we get opportunities to meet and listen to distinguished national and international scholars who are invited by the university,” he said.
The Sikkim university has introduced health insurance for students doing under-graduate and post-graduate courses on its campus.
“Ours is the first university in the country to insure the students against diseases. It is a pilot project and if successful, will be introduced in all colleges affiliated to the university,” said VC Lama.
The insurance certificates will be presented to the students in a month. There are 118 students with the university at present and the number is likely to double when the admission process is over this year.
“The university has tied up with a national insurance company to cover each student under a Rs 1 lakh policy for one year. The students have to pay Rs 300 each as health fee at the time of admission and the university will chip in with Rs 1,000 to pay the premium of Rs. 1300.  
Dutta, Agarwal to retain posts

TT, Siliguri, June 30: Gangotri Dutta and Sabita Devi Agarwal are set to become once again the mayor and chairperson of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation respectively with the Congress rejecting Nantu Pal’s claim to the top post.
The Trinamul Congress has finalised the name of Krishna Pal for the deputy mayor’s office, while the Congress has decided to make Nantu Pal a member-mayor-in-council. Elections to the posts of mayor and the chairperson will be held on July 9.
“Our leaders have almost decided on Gangotri Dutta and Sabita Devi Agarwal for the posts of mayor and the chairperson. There are little chances that new contenders will emerge for these posts,” said a Congress leader.
“Unless there is some last minute change, Gangotri Dutta and Sabita Devi Agarwal are likely to file nominations on July 8 to contest elections the next day.”
Both Dutta and Agarwal had resigned as the mayor and the chairperson on June 27 to pave the way for the formation of the new board with Trinamul. A notification from the state municipal affairs department reached SMC Commissioner P.N Bhutia yesterday, mentioning that the polls to choose the mayor and the chairperson would be held on July 9.
Dutta and Agarwal are likely to win the posts uncontested, as the Opposition Left Front has already decided not to field candidates.
The Congress has been allotted three posts of member-mayor-in-council in the new civic board.
Asked about Pal’s open demand for the mayor’s post, a Congress councillor said: “We are not ignoring Pal’s seniority and experience. But it doesn’t seem that party leaders have any plan to propose his name for the mayor’s post. He is most likely to be offered the post of member mayor-in-council.”
Pal was the deputy mayor in the just dissolved civic board.
Asked who would be the other two members-mayor-in-council from the Congress, a party insider said selections were likely to be made on parameters like performance.
“Right now, names of two former members-mayor-in-council, Sujoy Ghatak and Sanjoy Pathak, are making the rounds. Both had performed well during their last tenure. The conservancy department could implement the ban on plastic carry bags across town successfully with the help of SMC employees and councillors,” said the Congress insider
Ghatak was in charge of conservancy and environment, while Pathak took care of slum development in the previous civic board.
The Congress leaders fear that Ghatak and Pathak would refuse to accept the member-mayor-in-council’s posts if the two are not allotted suitable departments.
“Any attempt to rehabilitate them in other departments is likely to be met with resistance. There is also a chance that they will decline the offer,” said a leader.
Shankar Malakar, the Darjeeling district Congress president, said there would be an end to speculation about the party’s choice for various civic posts in a week.
“The notification for elections has been issued. People will come to know about the names of the new mayor and chairperson when nominations are filed. Once the election process is completed, it will take a few days to form the mayor-in-council.”
Trinamul sources said Krishna Pal was the only party councillor being considered at present for the deputy mayor’s office.
However, when asked about his prospects, Krishna Pal was not forthcoming. “It is a matter of days before you come to know about the Trinamul nominees for various posts in the civic board. Once our party leaders reach a final decision, the names of five Trinamul councillors will be forwarded to the mayor for their elevation as deputy mayor and the members-mayor-in-council,” he said.
Death panel set up for elephants
TT, Jalpaiguri, June 30: The forest department has formed a committee that would decide if the two train-hit elephants can be put down, especially since the animals have hardly shown signs of improvement.
Forest minister Hiten Barman held a meeting with senior forest officials at Gorumara around 7pm today to select the members of the committee.
After the meeting the minister told the reporters that there would be five members in the body.
“We are calling in two veterinarians from Assam, one from the Alipore Zoo, a member of a wildlife NGO and a representative of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Calcutta. They will review the condition of the two elephants and inform us about the next step by Saturday,” Barman said.
The forest minister said he had been monitoring the injured animals on a regular basis.
“There is no facility available to treat the elephant with the broken hip. However, the committee will submit a report and it is up to the chief wildlife warden to pass the order to put them to sleep,” said the minister.
The two elephants were hit by a moving train near Banarhat station on Saturday night.
While one elephant was brought to the Gorumara National Park the next day and is being treated there , the other animal is in Diana forest near the accident spot.
The elephant had limped to the Diana forest after the accident.
“The chief wildlife warden is the only authority who can issue the relevant order in case the committee recommends that the animals should be put out of misery,” said the chief conservator of forests (wildlife) for north Bengal, Rajkumar Mahatolia, who was also present in the meeting.
A veterinary surgeon from the Alipore Zoo in Calcutta, Swapan Ghosh, is in charge of the treatment of the two animals.
Divisional forest officer, Sumita Ghatak said the 15-year-old female elephant at Gorumara has her left hind leg and hip completely broken.
“Today she ate a small quantity of jackfruit and bananas but she is in great pain. The other female elephant in Diana has her left leg broken and she is being given water and banana plant stalks. Their suffering is unbearable. They are being given pain killers and we have been sending medical bulletins every morning and evening to our headquarters in Calcutta,” Ghatak said.
Two years ago an elephant that was injured in a train accident was put to sleep.
“We had to put down an elephant that had been badly injured by a train in Buxa about two years ago after forming a committee and the chief wildlife warden issuing the order,” said Ghatak.
Dey murder: Cops seek help of US experts to improve CCTV footage
IE, Mumbai: In a bid to tighten the screws on the seven men arrested for their alleged role in the June 11 murder of Mid-Day journalist J Dey, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch has approached technical experts in the US to enhance the quality of CCTV footage captured in Powai of the attackers on their bikes in the minutes leading up to the murder.
“We are consulting a US technology firm in an attempt to enhance the quality of the video footage captured. This will further strengthen our case against the accused,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy.
According to Roy, the Mumbai Police has also launched a special drive against underworld elements on their records in order to send out a strong message in the wake of Dey’s murder. The activities of known gangsters are being closely monitored as part of this exercise.
“At a crime conference held today, the Mumbai Police Commissioner has directed all police stations to ensure that their criminal records are updated, and as part of a special drive to check the whereabouts of gangsters and take action against them if they are found to be indulging in anything suspicious.We believe in being aggressive and on the front-foot. There will be a zero tolerance policy for gangsters,” said Roy.
Meanwhile, a Government Resolution was issued on Thursday, and the reward of Rs 10 lakh promised by the state government to the police team that cracked the murder case was handed over to the officers by Home Minister RR Patil and minister of state (home) Satej Patil.
Tale of Two Moral Questions : Orissa Government And US Supreme Court Don't see Eye To Eye
Sadanand Patwardhan, Satark.Blogspot.Com, 30 June, 2011: Let us pretend we have to make a moral judgment. The judgment we have to make is about what is good for our children. We have to decide as responsible parents, would be parents, grand-parents, guardians, or simply as concerned adults. We now have to decide as if we are in the midst of two situations described below.
Scenario One .
Our community is under attack. We are threatened with imminent evictions from our lands where we have stayed for generations and which we have cultivated with love. We are to be forcibly and ruthlessly dispossessed of our lands, which have sustained us for decades or centuries. 
All this is planned against our wishes. It is unjust and unfair even going by the laws of the land. The government we elected to care for us, look after our interests, & protect us from the depredations of rich & powerful, has in fact turned against us. We as a community have decided to fight back through non-violent and democratic methods. We say if you want our vineyards, paddy-fields, or orchards, then you can have them; but not before you have killed us all. Our entire family is in it as one : parents, brothers, sisters, and even children. Yes, Children! Our children want to be with us when we face bullets or truncheons. Is it unnatural that children want to be with us when it is matter of life & death for all of us ? Now the question is :
Should we allow our children to be part of our peaceful protest, which our government most likely will turn into a bloody mayhem?
Scenario Two
Our community is worried & exercised over the perverse effects of violent video games on our children's mind. We worry about the magazines, comic books, and TV serials that depict mindless violence against *enemy combatants* or *alien beings* or some imaginary enemy. We worry more about the new *breed games* that brag to deliver *real life* feel to *gaming experience*. These games give our children multiple choices (in our community we otherwise believe that having choice is fundamental to life) to finish ofF the enemy. Children can use swords, guns, lasers, tanks, aeroplanes, or drones, to wound, maim, behead, riddle with bullets, vapourise, or blast into smithereens, *the enemy*. We see our children imitating these violent *heroes* that they see & hear. Instances have happened in our community when underage child has gone to school and wounded or killed other children with firearms (it is a constitutional right in our community to possess deadly firearms) that they took away from home. Psychologist tell us that by seeing violence passively, & more so by *participating in lifelike violent action* our children are getting insensitive to violence. Now the question is:
Should we prohibit our children from accessing violent & sexually explicit video games?
These two *hypothetical* situations are for real. In the first case the senior most functionary of a provincial (state) government pronounced the moral judgment of the government he represents. In the latter the highest court pronounced its legal (even law somewhere is informed by morality) judgment. Both differed in their judgments.
A] * Use of kids in Posco stir illegal: Orissa government *.
http://tiny.tw/6s5
“ Posco's efforts for speeding up the construction of the 12-million tonne steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa received a jolt on Monday as angry villagers damaged the camp of a contractor and did not allow earth excavators to operate, protesting the government's betrayal over assurance of engaging locals . < the foregoing concerns people who have *agreed* to give up their land for * some compensation* and assurance of further benefits like *employment* in the project. The following concerns people who are vehemently opposing forcible dispossession from their ancestral lands > Meanwhile, the opposition to the project at the borders of Govindpur village continued on Monday even as the Orissa government declared “ use of kids ” in the anti-Posco agitation as illegal . Chief Secretary B K Patnaik said, It is illegal to use children in the agitation ”.
The news report doesn't say if Patnaik gave any reasons in support of his pronouncements or cite any statutes that make children's participation in such an agitation illegal. Probably, Patnaik wanted to say use of kids is *Immoral*.
“ Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai ( an elected representative of people to India's highest law making body ), on the other hand, justified children's participation as "normal and legal ". "No one has forced children to take part. As their parents are agitating, they come on their own," the MP said ”.
“ Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) however, dubbed the state government's move as " undemocratic " and " vulgar display of force ". Our people are democratically protesting at the Govindpur village border protesting the forceful land acquisition for POSCO, PPSS president Abhay Sahu said ” - http://tiny.tw/6s8 .
Children's participation along with their family in a democratic peaceful action is unlawful. But, Indian state finds recruiting children as Special Police Officers (SPOs) in conflict zones for fighting Maoists perfectly *legal* .
“ Chhattisgarh government claims that all children in its ranks have been removed, yet Human Rights Watch found that children who were appointed earlier continue to serve as SPOs , perform paramilitary tasks, and risk their lives. Police estimate that as of February 2008 there were around 3,500-3,800 SPOs in Dantewada and Bijapur districts;84 of these, 10 to 20 percent are female.85 The percentage of children among SPOs is not known - http://tiny.tw/6s8 page 35 of HRW report”. Supreme Court has observed that the practice itself of appointing SPOs is unlawful leave alone using children for the task .
B] * Justices Reject Ban on Violent Video Games for Children *
http://tiny.tw/6s5
“ The Supreme Court on Monday struck down on First Amendment grounds a California law that banned the sale of violent video games to children. The 7-to-2 decision was the latest in a series of rulings protecting free speech , joining ones on funeral protests, videos showing cruelty to animals and political speech by corporations. < Comment : Last one was one of the mightiest innovation of US Justice that held Corporations, defined in most laws as * artificial persons *, to have same rights as * biological persons *. This among other things gave protection of first amendment, Free Speech guarantee, to corporations > ”.
“ Depictions of violence , Justice Scalia added, have never been subject to government regulation . “ Grimm's Fairy Tales , for example, are grim indeed,” he wrote , recounting the gory plots of “ Snow White ,” “ Cinderella ” and “ Hansel and Gretel .” High school reading lists and Saturday morning cartoons, too, he said, are riddled with violence ”.
The California law which justices in their wisdom struck down “ defined violent games as those “in which the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being ” in a way that was “patently offensive,” appealed to minors' “deviant or morbid interests” and lacked “serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value ”.
How did gaming industry react to this judgment? “ Everybody wins on this decision, John Riccitiello, chief executive of Electronic Arts, one of the largest public video game companies, said in a statement. “The court has affirmed the constitutional rights of game developers , adults keep the right to decide what's appropriate in their houses, and store owners can sell games without fear of criminal prosecution. ” Did you get that?, it is a win-win situation for everyone. Riccitiello says * adults keep the right….. * But, we thought that case was about stores not allowed to sell to minors (<18) violent games “ The California law would have imposed $1,000 fines on stores that sold violent video games to anyone under 18 ”. Riccitiello is either deliberately misleading when he says, *Adults keep the right…….*, or he genuinely believes that in matters violent, age is of no consequence . It is now time for each one of us to answer the two questions. 1. Should we allow our children to be part of our peaceful protest, which our government most likely will turn into a bloody mayhem? 2. Should we prohibit our children from accessing violent & sexually explicit video games? Sadanand Patwardhan is a blogger who contributes regularly to Countercurrents.org

Hills talks may be held next week.... Landslides damage houses, 1 injured... मूल्यवृद्धिप्रति क्रामाकपाको विक्षोभः... सावन राई क्रामाकपाको निम्ति मात्र होइन गोर्खाहरूको निम्ति नै गद्दार हुन्‌-क्रामाकपा.... Truancy warning to tea unions - Absenteeism rap follows wage hike.... Hills get succour.... Bagdogra IAF meet to discuss China threat.... Lady Govt driver joins duty ....

Hills talks may be held next week

TNN , Jun 29, 2011, NEW DELHI: The Centre is likely to call a meeting with GJM and Bengal government to sort out differences on the proposed pact for creating a Gorkhaland autonomous authority. The meeting is likely to take place next week.
Officials said GJM has requested the home ministry to convene a tripartite meeting to discuss the issues concerning the proposed agreement as the outfit wanted to review certain provisions.
The home ministry is awaiting the response of the Bengal government to the GJM's request.
"Once we get the nod of the state government, the meeting will be called. Hopefully, it will take place next week," an official said.
Resolving the Gorkhaland accord with the GJM was the first task that Mamata Banerjee took up after becoming chief minister last month. She, however, was keen to have the tripartite agreement foramlly signed between the three parties - GJM, Bengal government and the Centre - in Darjeeling. This, according to the CM, would have helped by sending out a positive political message to the people of the Darjeeling hills.
While she had communicated this to the Centre, home minister P Chidambaram, it is learnt, was not agreeable with the idea. The home minister reportedly was keen that the tripartite be signed in the Capital, but to resolve the matter, there was a suggestion that the agreement be signed in Kolkata, which would mean the Gorkha leaders would come down to the state capital and the Centre's representative would also travel down for the accord.
The GJM has been insisting on inclusion of more areas in the proposed Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority (GAA) than what the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council has i.e. only three subdivisions in Darjeeling.
The GJM wants that other areas such as Mal, Matiali, Nagrakata, Phansidewa and Birpara in Dooars should also come under the proposed GAA.
The divesting of certain legislative powers to GAA is another contentious issue. None of the bodies such as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council have such wide-ranging powers which are being proposed by GJM.
The proposed agreement includes holding direct elections to the proposed GAA and vesting it with certain legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers.
Sources said the Centre was not going to accede to any "unconstitutional" demands even though Banerjee was in a hurry to resolve the Gorkhaland issue quickly.
Since its inception in 2007, GJM has been fighting for a separate state that includes Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district in the plains and contiguous areas in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.
KalimNews: GJM is not satisfied with the draft MOU sent by state government. This draft is not in accordance to the talks we had in Kolkata with Mamta Banerjee, CM of West bengal, said Binay Tamang. For instance, the matter of  formation of a committee on the verification of Gorkha dominated areas of Dooars is excluded in the draft. We have noted it down and informed the Centre regarding it, Tamang added. In the letter sent to the center GJM has added six more demands. 
Meanwhile, all paramilitary forces deployed in the hills is withdrawn, confirmed D.P.Singh SP of Darjeeling police.
Landslides damage houses, 1 injured
SNS, KURSEONG, 29 JUNE: One person was injured and a house was damaged in a fresh landslide that occurred at Goethals Siding in the Kurseong sub-division, yesterday. Meanwhile, due to continuous rainfall, another landslide occurred at Lower Chaiteypani at 9 a.m., in which a shop and a portion of Mr Sukh Bahadur Diyali's house collapsed and at the same time, the debris further damaged a house below belonging to Mr Dhan Maya Chettri.
According to sources, incessant rainfall last night had triggered the landslide at Goethals Siding damaging the house of Mr Bishnumaya Thapa. A huge boulder from a height of 100ft came rolling down and crashed into Mr Thapa's house, injuring his sister Mrs Anu Thapa (60), who was inside the house. Four other persons were also residing in the house. Mrs Anu Thapa received injuries in her chest and thigh. She was immediately rushed to Kurseong sub-divisional hospital for medical treatment. Today, Kurseong deputy magistrate Mr Jyoti Kr Basu, officials and the GJMM leaders visited the site, and provided relief materials to the affected family members. 
Meanwhile, Mr Basu said that all the affected family members have been shifted to safer places and restoration work is on.
मूल्यवृद्धिप्रति क्रामाकपाको विक्षोभःप्रणव मुखर्जीको पुत्ला दहनः मोर्चालाई दियो धोकेवाजको संज्ञा
सावन राई क्रामाकपाको निम्ति मात्र होइन गोर्खाहरूको निम्ति नै गद्दार हुन्‌-क्रामाकपा

फोटो: मुकेश शर्मा

मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 29 जून। क्रान्तिकारी मार्क्सवादी कम्युनिष्ट पार्टीले आजदेखि कंग्रेस सरकारले गरेको मुल्यवृद्दि, गोजमुमोले दिइरहेको धोकाबारे जनतालाई सचेत गराउन कालेबुङबाट कार्यक्रमको थलनी गर्‍यो। युपिए सरकारले जुन डिजल र ग्यासको मूल्य वृद्धि गर्‍यो त्यसको विरुद्धमा क्रामाकपाले कालेबुङमा विक्षोप प्रदर्शन गर्‍यो। सरकारमा जानेबेलामा गरीबहरूको निम्ति नीति तयार पार्ने अनि उनीहरूलाई सुविधा दिने बताएर सरकारमा आएपछि गरीबको चुल्हा चिसो पार्ने काम गरेको आरोप लगाउँदै वित्त मन्त्री प्रणव मुखर्जीको पुत्ला दहन गर्‍यो। सिमसिम झरी परिरहेको बेला पनि मुल्यवृद्धिका मूल नाइके मानेर क्रामाकपाले मुखर्जीको पुत्ला दहन गरेपछि पथसभालाई सम्बोधन गर्दै क्रामाकपा नेता मोहन पौड्यालले कंग्रेसको सरकार गरीबमारा सरकार रहेको आरोप लगाए। 
तिनले भने, कंग्रेसको सरकारले गरीबहरूको विरुद्धमा मुल्यवृद्धि गरिरहेको छ। यसको देशव्यापी विरोध भइरहेको छ। कंग्रेसको मूल्यवृद्धिले पहाड़का खटिखाने श्रमिक र गरीबीरेखामुनीका मानिसहरूलाई चपेटमा पारेको छ। यसकारण कंग्रेसको गरीबीमारा नीतिको घोर निरोध गर्न सम्पूर्ण पहाड़वासी अघि आउनुपर्छ। यसैक्रममा गक्रायुमो महासचिव अरूण घतानीले पनि मुल्यवृद्धिको निम्ति पहाड़बाट पनि वृहत आन्दोलन गर्नुपर्ने बताए। तिनले भारत सरकारलाई पहाड़वासी पनि जागरूक रहेको प्रमाणित गर्नुपर्ने बताउँदै कंग्रेसको सरकारले भ्रष्टचारीहरूलाई देशमा पश्रय दिइरहेको आरोप पनि लगाए। तिनले भने, अन्ना हजारे र बाबा रामदेवले भ्रष्टचार र कालोधनको विरूद्ध गरेको आन्दोलनलाई दबाएर कंग्रेस सरकारले भ्रष्टचारी सरकार रहेको प्रमाण दिइसकेको छ। 
यसरी नै क्रामाकपा उपाध्यक्ष जे.बी.राईले दिल्लीबाट भ्र्रष्टचारको बीजन पहाड़मा पनि लिएर आइरहेको बताए। तिनले भने, ममता व्यानर्जीले पनि त्यो भ्रष्टचारीहरूलाई पहाड़मा पश्रय दिने काम गरिरहेकी छन्‌। यसलाई रोक्न सबै अघि बढ्‌नपर्छ। क्रामाकपा महासचिव तारामणि राईले पनि भने, दागोपापमा भ्रष्टचार भएको कागजपत्र लानेहरूले कसलाई दण्ड दिलायो? बरू पहाड़का प्रशासक बी.ए.मिनाले केवल 35 प्रतिशत मात्र काम भइरहेको र व्यापक भ्रष्टचार भइरहेको छ भनेर कसलाई इङ्गित गरेका हुन्‌? दागोपापमा भइरहेको भ्रष्टचारमाथि जॉंच नभइ अर्को दागोपाप आउनु भनेको नयॉं बोतलमा पुरानो रक्सि जस्तो दल र नेताहरू, जो दागोपापको निम्ति राजनीति गरिरहेका छन्‌ उनीहरूलाई गोर्खाल्याण्ड आन्दोलनको विरुद्धमा स्थापित गर्नुबाहेक अर्को केही होइन। 
केवल गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति गठित, गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति इमान्दार दल क्रामाकपाबाट निस्किएर गोर्खाल्याण्डको आवाजको घॉंटी निमोठ्‌ने दलमा जान्छ भने हाम्रो कुनै प्रतिक्रिया छैन-यसै पथसभालाई सम्बोधन गर्दै गक्रायुमो नेता अरूण घतानीले क्रामाकपा छोड़ेर गोजमुमोमा सामेल भएका सावन राईलाई इङ्गित गर्दै भने। 
तिनले अझ भने, जब गोजमुमोले पैसा र चौकी ल्याउने भयो तब राल काढ्‌दै पार्टी छोड्छ भने तिनको नियत के हो सबैले बुझ्न पर्छ। सावन राई क्रामाकपाको निम्ति एक गद्दार हुन्‌। जब कि तिनलाई थाहा छ कि क्रामाकपा पैसा र चौकीको निम्ति होइन केवल गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति अघि बढ्‌ने दल हो। जनतामा छर्लङ्ग नै छ कि गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति इमान्दार दल केवल क्रामाकपा मात्र हो। एक इमान्दार दलबाट एक गद्दार नेता अर्को पार्टीमा जान्छ भने त्यो पार्टी कस्तो पार्टी होला सबैले अनुमान गर्न सक्छन्‌। 
क्रामाकपा उपाध्यक्ष जे.बी.राईले पनि भने, सावन राईले क्रामाकपाबाट के चहान्थे, त्यो तिनको कुरा हो। क्रामाकपा त गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति कटिबद्ध पार्टी हो, पहाड़को समस्या समाधान गर्न होइन सम्पूर्ण गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारीको सवाललाई अघि लिएर छुट्टैराज्यले मात्र सम्पूर्ण गोर्खाहरूको समस्याको समाधान हुनुपर्छ भन्ने दल हो। यहॉं तिनको इच्छा पुरा भएन होला। त्यसकारण मोर्चामा आफ्नो इच्छा पूरा गर्न गएका होलान्‌। तिनको इच्छा पुरा होस्‌ हाम्रो कामना छ। यद्दपि सावन राईको निर्णय व्यक्तिगत हुँदाहुँदै पनि नितान्तै अवसरवादी रहेको पनि तिनले जनाए। यसरी नै क्रामाकपाका नेताहरू मोर्चामाथि पनि खनिए।
गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलनलाई बिथोल्न पहिले राज्य सरकारसित मिलेर गोरामुमोको सुवास घिसिङले दागोपाप थापे अनि 20 वर्ष आन्दोलनलाई थन्काए। त्यसले पनि नपुगेपछि फेरि 2007 मा राज्य सरकारसित नै मिलेर छेटौं अनुसूचीमा सम्झौता गरे। जसको उद्देश्य थियो गोर्खाहरूलाई जातजातमा विभाजन ल्याएर आन्दोलनको शक्ति भञ्जन गर्नु। जनताले घिसिङको षड़यन्त्र र राज्य र केन्द्रको चलाकी बुझेपछि देशभरिबाट नै छैटौं अनुसूचीलाई रोक्ने काम गर्‍यो। छैटौं अनुसूचीलाई ढ्वाङमा हालियो। किन भने यसले देशभरिका गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारीको सवाललाई पुरा गर्दैन अनि गोर्खाहरूलाई जातजातमा भक्ताएर छुट्टैराज्यको निम्ति लड्‌ने शक्तिलाई नष्ट गर्दैथियो। 
एउटा गद्दारलाई त जनताले तह लगायो तर फेरि अहिले राज्य सरकारसित नै मिलेर अर्को सम्झौता भइरहेको छ जसको उद्देश्य पनि आन्दोलनलाई धेरैपछिल्तिर धकेल्नु नै रहेको छ-क्रामाकपा उपाध्यक्ष जे.बी.राईले मोर्चाले पनि गोरामुमोले झैं सरकारसित मिलेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड चहाने जनतालाई धोका दिइरहेको जनाउँदै उक्त कुरा भने। तिनले जनतालाई मोर्चाले जनमत गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति मागेर एउटा असंवैधानिक व्यवस्थाको निम्ति प्रयोग गर्नु सम्पूर्ण गोर्खाहरूको आकांक्षामाथि छुरी हान्नु रहेको जनाए। 
अर्कोतिर अरूण धतानीले पनि भने, देशको संघिय प्रणालीभित्र गोर्खाहरूको समस्याको समाधान हुन्छ भने केवल छुट्टैराज्यले मात्र हुन्छ। तर यहॉं आन्दोलनलाई पछिल्तिर धकेलेर आफ्नो स्वार्थ पूर्ति गर्न पैसा र चौकीसित गोर्खाहरूको भविष्य साटिरहेको छ। यसरी नै क्रामाकपाका महासचिव तारामणि राईले पनि भने, वास्तवमा मोर्चाले जुन गुप्ती रिपोर्ट केन्द्रलाई पठायो, त्यो गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति थिएन। मोर्चाले क्रामाकपाले केवल विरोध गर्‍यो भन्दैछ, तर उनीहरूले नै 11 पल्टसम्मको वार्तामा गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा भएको बताएको हो। गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति कुरा भएको हो भने फेरि किन परिषद? यस्तै परिषद, पैसा र पावर देखाएर गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलनलाई पछिल्तिर पार्ने जुक्ति जुन राज्य र केन्द्रले गरिरहेको छ, उसैसित मिलेर जनता थाक्यो अब यो थाप्नुपर्छ, गोर्खाल्याण्ड त छँदैछ, पछि आन्दोलन गर्नुपर्छ भन्छ भने जनता र विपक्षले के बुझ्नु? यसै पनि मोर्चाले पठाएको गुप्ती रिपोर्टमा पॉंचवर्षको निम्ति बजेटको कुरा गरेर अनि सेटअपको मियाद चाहेको खण्डमा बढाउन सक्ने कुरा पनि उल्लेख गरेको छ, यसले नै मोर्चा गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति होइन पैसा र चौकीको निम्ति गठन गरिएको स्पष्ट छ। 
ममता व्यानर्जीले पहाड़को समस्या समाधान भइरहेको बारम्बार गर्दै आइरहेको सम्बन्धमा पनि तिनले भने, ममताले पहाड़को समस्या समाधान गरेको हुन सक्छ, तर हामीले पहाड़को समस्या होइन गोर्खाहरूको समस्याको समाधान हुनुपर्ने माग गरेको हो। मोर्चा र क्रामाकपामा यही भिन्नता रहेको जनाउँदै तिनले भने, मोर्चा पहाड़को समस्या समाधानको निम्ति अघि बढिरहेको छ अनि क्रामाकपा गोर्खाहरूको समस्या समाधान गर्न अघि बढिरहेको छ। तिनले सरकारको पक्षमा लागेर गोर्खाहरूको अस्तिमता र चिन्हारीको कुराको सौदाबाजी रोक्न नै क्रामाकपा अघि बढेको अनि अबका दिनहरूमा क्रामाकपाले डटेर परिषद्, मोर्चाको धोका र राज्य र केन्द्रको षड़यन्त्रको विरुद्ध अघि बढ्‌ने पनि तिनले जनाएका छन्‌।
Truancy warning to tea unions - Absenteeism rap follows wage hike
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, June 29: Hill planters today sent a strong message to the trade unions that low productivity because of workers’ absenteeism and indiscipline would not be tolerated in the tea sector. The warning comes a day after the planters announced an across-the-board 33 per cent pay hike for the sub-staff of the Darjeeling tea industry.
The tea unions from the Darjeeling hills, especially the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated union, have been able to extract three major concessions for their workers and the sub-staff from the garden managements in the past six months.
The managements have been forced to pay an annual bonus to workers at the rate of 20 per cent to Grade A, B and C gardens and 17 per cent for Grade D estates in October 2010. According to the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, 20 per cent is the maximum permissible limit. The Darjeeling tea industry had last paid a 20 per cent bonus in 1991 when production reached an all-time high at 13.9 million kg annually.
In early March this year, the unions had managed to extract a daily wage hike of Rs 23 for the workers, which, too, is the highest hike in the industry’s history. Yesterday, the unions were once again able to bargain for an all-time high increase in the sub-staff salary at 33 per cent.
“We have given everything that was possible. However, everything will not be hunky-dory in the Darjeeling tea industry if core issues related to labour indiscipline is not immediately addressed. Absenteeism is as high as 30 per cent among the work force. Workers don’t even put in 8 hours and indiscipline is rampant,” said Sandip Mukherjee, secretary of the Darjeeling Tea Association.
In fact, the Singtam tea garden in Darjeeling had to withdraw its management in December last year because of high absenteeism among workers.
Mukherjee said tea production figures were plummeting but the cost of production was bound to rise because of the unprecedented hike in salaries and the rise in prices of other commodities. “Given the hike in the wages and in fuel prices we can safely assume that the cost price would now go up by Rs 100 from the present Rs 250 per kg on an average. The average selling price still stands at around Rs 400 per kg,” said Mukherjee.
The selling price of tea in gardens located in lower elevations is not so high. “The quality of tea depends on the elevation,” said Mukherjee. The wage hike has, however, not differentiated between gardens on the basis of their elevations.
“The unions must make an attempt to address and educate the workers. We are ready to provide logistic help to the union leaders like ensuring transport to reach their people in distant gardens and make them understand the need to put in quality hours in a labour intensive sector. Merely being in the field for eight hours does not mean that they are doing the required amount of work,” said Mukherjee.
Given the fact that there are 55,000 permanent workers and 16,000 temporary ones in the 86-odd tea gardens of the hills, the industry will have to bear an additional burden of more than Rs 40 crore per annum for paying the salaries of the workers and sub staff following the increment. With the increase in wages, bonus and provident funds are also expected to increase. “The returns show no signs of improving. If the workers put in proper effort we can expect production to go up by more than one million kg annually,” said Mukherjee. According to the officials, the annual production of made tea was around 8 million kg last year.
“We want the unions’ active involvement as workers listen to them. The management is represented by a manager and three to four assistants in a garden. The situation is such that every one is trying to be a union leader,” said Mukherjee.
Suraj Subba, general secretary of the Morcha-affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, said his trade union had always extended co-operation to the management and would continue to do so.
“However, instead of only blaming the workers the planters should also admit that there is mismanagement in the garden. We have never asked labourers to work only for six or seven hours instead of eight hours and they should manage things well,” Subba said.
On low-productivity, Subba said: “Most of the gardens are converting into organic gardens and production is bound to come down by at least 30 per cent. The management should also start uprooting old tea bushes and start replanting to boost production.
Hills get succour
TT, Jalpaiguri, June 29: The Mamata Banerjee government today announced a special food package for the Darjeeling hills, doubling the amount of rice and wheat for those under the Antoday Anna Yojana and fulfilling the longstanding demand of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
At the Jalpaiguri circuit house today, food minister Jyotipriya Mullick said his department would allocate 30,000 tonnes of rice and wheat exclusively for Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong subdivisions under the AAY. He also announced that by March 31, 2012, eligible hill residents who had not yet come under the AAY, would be covered.
“I am making this announcement under the instructions of chief minister Mamata Banerjee who wanted a special package for the hills,” Mullick said.
“Each person used to get 800gm of rice and 700gm of wheat a week, we are now going to distribute 1.6kg of rice and 1.4kg of wheat to each person,” he said. People covered under the AAY, purchase rice and wheat at Rs 2 per kilo.
At the same time, the food minister expressed his concern at the huge number of fake ration cards in the state. “According to our estimates, there are about 1.4 crore fake ration cards in the state. We are trying to root them out so that the food supply to genuine people can be increased,” he said.
Mullick started for Darjeeling in the evening along with north Bengal development minister, Gautam Deb. “I will sit with my department officers in Darjeeling tomorrow and also tour the tea gardens there,” he said.
Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said an increase in the allocation of foodgrain was a long-standing demand of the hills.
“We had raised this demand with the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government earlier but nothing was done. We had also met Union food minister, Sharad Pawar, during one of our visits to Delhi. We welcome the step taken by the Mamata Banerjee government,” said Giri.
Minister SOS for food camps in shut gardens -Jyotipriya tours Dooars brew belt

From left: Ministers Jyotipriya Mullick and Gautam Deb talk to a resident of Dekhlapara garden during their visit on Wednesday. Picture by Biplab Basak

TT, Jalpaiguri, June 29: State food minister Jyotipriya Mullick today asked his department to immediately disburse foodgrains under a central scheme in the three closed tea gardens in the Dooars for instant relief of the nearly 3,000 workers.
Mullick has asked Jalpaiguri district food controller Utpal Roy to open camps in Dekhlapara, Kadambini and Red Bank so that rice and wheat under the Antoday Anna Yojana (AAY) could be disbursed. He told his officials that the process should be completed by the middle of next month.
Mullick, along with north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, visited the closed Dekhlapara Tea Estate around noon today amid heavy rain.
The visit follows a cabinet decision endorsed by Mamata Banerjee on Monday that Deb along with Mullick would visit the closed and sick gardens in north Bengal and submit a report to the government.
The two ministers, however, could not visit Kadambari and Redbank because of the torrential rain. Of the 158 gardens in the Dooars, these three are closed estates.
The Dekhlapara Tea Estate in Madarihat, 72km from Jalpaiguri town, shut down on March 11, 2002. Although the management reopened it in 2005, it closed down again after five months. The garden has around 650 permanent workers and their dependants. In Kadambini, there are 900 workers and in Red Bank, 1,200.
Among the workers narrating their problems, the most vociferous was an RSP member of the Madarihat panchayat samiti, Gyane Chhetri.
“The workers are eking out a living by breaking boulders in the riverbed, a backbreaking work. The workers have not been paid under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme since April either. Even the children are forced to break boulders instead of going to school,” Chhetri said.
Chhetri unabashedly blamed his own party that runs the Bandapani gram panchayat for not opening its office on a regular basis. “I had personally taken up the matter with former MLA of our party from Alipurduar, Manohar Tirkey, and the Madarihat MLA, Kumari Kujur, but they did nothing,” he said.
Ten-year-old Mukesh Malpahari showed Deb some pictures of his home that was rampaged by elephants. “In the past five years, elephants have destroyed our home seven times,” he said. Dasarath Tanti, a worker, said till now the panchayat had shown no interest in implementing the Indira Awas Yojana in the village.
Arati Balmiki, a casual worker of Dekhlapara, brought her five-year-old daughter, a thalasaemic patient, to the minister. Another worker, Ranjit Oraon, said there was no operating and management committees to run the gardens at a time they were closed.
“For plucking leaves during the season we get around Rs 32 a day on an average, please try to reopen our garden,” Ranjit pleaded. The workers sell the tealeaves and distribute the sales proceeds among themselves.
Mullick said he was horrified to see the condition of the workers. “Both of us are going to submit a report to chief minister Mamata Banerjee. AAY camps will be opened by the food department. I have instructed the district magistrate and the subdivisional officers to ensure that there is no shortage of food in tea gardens. If there is a problem it has to be solved within 72 hours,” the food minister said.
Bagdogra IAF meet to discuss China threat
Jayanta Gupta, TNN, Jun 29, 2011, KOLKATA: A two-day commanders' conference of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) will begin at Air Force Station Bagdogra from Wednesday. Air chief marshal PV Naik, IAF chief of air staff, and other officers from Delhi Air headquarters will hold meetings with officers from this part of the country at this conference, which is being hosted by Air marshal KK Nohwar, AOC-in-C, EAC.

"Several operational matters will be discussed in the conference, first-of-its-kind at Bagdogra. With China's aggressive moves along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) turning into a major cause for concern, Bagdogra has emerged as the most important air base in the EAC, which is in charge of operations in the North East. Bagdogra is situated at the 'chicken neck', which is a narrow corridor that connects the northeastern states to the rest of the country," an officer said.

Military strategists believe that should China decide to launch a full-fledged attack on India, it would send in troops through Bhutan to try and cut-off the North East. Under such circumstances, the role of Bagdogra will be crucial. No wonder, the base has been fitted with advanced radars and other long-range surveillance equipment. To counter any threat from across the border, air bases in the northeastern states are being upgraded on a priority basis. Su-30 MKI air-superiority fighters have already been stationed at Tezpur and Advanced Landing Grounds are being restored.

"It has been announced by Air headquarters that more assets will be stationed in the east and North East as China has turned into more of a concern than Pakistan in the last few years. The fleet of ageing Mig-21 Bisons - the mainstay of the EAC -are being gradually phased out and will be replaced by the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft that the IAF plans to acquire. But the deal is yet to be inked and it would take several years for the first lot of aircraft to arrive. Another problem is the non-availability of advanced radars to monitor the airspace across the mountainous LAC To keep Indian airspace free from incursions , the IAF has to use mobile radar stations. This has to be done as low-flying aircraft from China would be extremely difficult to detect should they follow the meandering course of the Brahmaputra," an officer said.

China maintains many more airfields, which can be made operational at short notice, close to the LAC than India does. Surveillance has revealed that the airfields across the LAC can be made operational at short notice.

Officials say that aircraft taking off from the Chinese airfields would have to compromise on fuel or armaments to maintain low weight in the rarefied atmosphere, as the bases are high-altitude ones. But this can hardly be considered an advantage with mid-air refuellers available.
Lady driver joins government duty

Rajeshwari Rai at the forest secretariat in Gangtok on Wednesday. Picture by Prabin Khaling, TT

Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, June 29: Another male bastion has crumbled down in Sikkim with 30 years old Rajeshwari Rai clinching the post of a driver in State forests department making her the first woman government driver here.
Her name figured among the list published yesterday of ten drivers selected by the department following written, practical and viva voce. Three posts had been reserved exclusively for women of Most Backward Class (MBC), Other Backward Class and Scheduled Tribe.
Apart from Rajeshwari who belongs to the MBC, one lady had applied for the post reserved for ST woman but she could not clear the first hurdle of written examinations taken in December, it is informed. The two posts were subsequently passed to male candidates from the same communities.
Rajeshwari, a married woman with a two and half years old kid from Sawney village in West Pandam in East Sikkim, arrived today at the Forest Secretariat here at Deorali to sign a memorandum of terms and conditions.
After a period of twenty days within which she has to obtain medical certificate and police verification, Rajeshwari will be handed with a letter of appointment and a government vehicle belonging to the forest department to drive.
“In the written examination, we had to answer questions related with traffic rules and vehicle parts. Those who cleared the written exams had do a practical test where we had to drive a utility and also reserve drive a Mahindra Marshall over a steep incline”, said Rajeshwari to reporters here today.
Rajeshwari’s struggle to get a regular government job and to now become the first lady government driver in Sikkim all started with a ‘desire’ to learn driving way back in 2001. She got her driving license in 2002.
“I was interested in driving and learnt driving from an institute here in Gangtok in 2001. Never I though that one day I will get a government job due to my desire to drive a vehicle. I had appeared for several government posts and I was getting frustrated. This was to be last attempt to get a government job”, said Rajeshwari who daily drives her kid to school from her village to a private school in Singtam in her private vehicle.
Now, she urges all women to follow their desires with courage.
“Some women may not take chances to learn new skills because they feel shy or don’t have courage. They should have courage and do what they want and learn new skills which could prove beneficial in the long run. There will posts for women drivers in government sector in future and they can also drive taxis. The government has given us opportunity and we must make use of such opportunities”, she said.
Her husband, Kamal Gurung is a businessman.
Regarding the difficulties for a women driver, Rajeshwari said: “I had gone to work in Singapore for one year before and suffering immense hardships there, I am more than happy to work in any post here. What type of hardships would be in this job, I will see and adjust daily”.
I can change the tyre, Rajeshwari said.
The other nine male candidates also signed the memorandum of terms and conditions today in the Forest Secretariat. All the new drivers including Rajeshwari will be given the vehicles of the Forest department to drive after formalities are completed.
According to government officials, posts for women as drivers and conductors had been reserved as per rooster system since 2009 but could not be filled due to lack of female candidates.
However, of late, women in Sikkim have been coming forward for these posts and there are already two women conductors in State run city runners in Gangtok since this year.
PCS election held
KalimNews, GANGTOK, June 29: Bhim Rawat was elected unopposed as the new president of Press Club of Sikkim (PCS) during the elections held today here at the club premises.
Similarly Joseph Lepcha was also elected unopposed as the general secretary along with Baboo Tamang as treasurer, Kabita Sharma as assistant treasurer, Arjun Rai as
literary secretary, Sagar Chettri as culture secretary and Nirmal Mangar as publicity secretary.

फोटो : प्रविण खालिंग्

Among the posts for which votes were cast today by the PCS members, Vishnu Neopany was elected as the working president, Yuvraj Dahal, Arjun Piyush and Ballika
Chettri as vice presidents and Nandu Dutraj as sports secretary.
The election committee chairperson, Mala Rana Patro presented the certificates to the new executive members of the PCS. The polls were conducted by her along with election committee members Suman Gazmer and Vinay Raj Tiwari.
IPR joint director Gyaltsen T Lama was the election observer.
Thए outgoing PCS president Paras Mani Dangal and new president Bhim Rawat thanked the election committee and observer for conducting the election in a smooth and impartial manner.
Handing and taking over charges will take place on July 5 at the club office.
Who Is Making Them Cry?
Gladson Dungdung, 28 June, 2011,Countercurrents.org 
On June 24th, 2011, there was no ‘good’ in the ‘morning’ for me. As soon as I opened the Newspaper, a photograph of two old men appeared in front of me, which seems that they were crying endlessly. I was shocked to see their ugly faces. They are resident of Dhinkiya village situated in Jagadshingpur district of Odisha. Perhaps, they have been living in the vicinity before existence of the Indian state. Indeed, both of them had witnessed the formation of Indian State, which had promised them for the land reforms, elimination of poverty, illiteracy and inequality. Apart from that there was a promise to address the issues of food, clothing and shelter.

However, the tide turned; the 64 years of Indian independence has added more pains, sufferings and sorrows in the lives of majority of its people. The Indian state instead of healing the pains, sufferings and sorrows of the old-men, it turned their lives into a hell. Their cultivable lands were taken away from them by the ‘mighty state’ with the barrel of guns in the name of growth and development. The state claims that they were given compensation for their lands and betel vines. However, in these circumstances, the compensation is not an issue for them at all, but what matters is; they have lost the only heritage they had. They have lost their livelihood resources, which would have sustained their generations and cannot be exchanged with the money as they are not much habituated to work with the market economy. They cry because their lands were taken away forcefully from them and handed over to a Korean company POSCO. However, the Odisha government claims that it has acquired the land without use of force, which is entirely false.

I recall that when I was studying, we were taught in the schools that ‘India is a country of villages’, ‘agriculture is backbone of the country’ and ‘the soul of India lives in the villages’. The Indian state has been going against those beautiful phrases. In the case of Odisha, the farmers of POSCO project area rely on betel, fish and paddy for their food security and social security. However, the state government deployed the police and paramilitary forces for destroying the betel vines. According to the Odisha government, there were about 1800 betel vines and about 650 betel vines were already destroyed by the forces and villages are about to be vacated. “We plan to remove the rest in the coming weeks,” claims Paradeep’s additional district magistrate Sarojkanta Chaoudhury. The billion dollar question is can any country destroy its backbone, heritage and abode of its soul?

Needless to say that the Odisha government has been attempting to acquire 3719 acres of land for the Korean company POSCO, which had signed a MoU with the Odisha government for establishing 12 Mt steel plant near Paradeep in Jagadsinghpur district. It is the biggest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country with the proposed investment of Rs. 51,000 crore. Therefore, one can understand about the madness of the Odisha government for the project, who did not even hesitate to declare the Adivasis and other forest dwellers as none existing in the project area though these people have been living in the vicinity for generations. The most interesting thing is the MoU of the POSCO has expired a year back and the government didn’t renewal it yet but the land acquisition process has been in rampant. The Orissa government is ready to go to any extend for the POSCO project. It has already acquired 1800 acres of land of the total requirement of 3719 acres. The work for rehabilitation colony has already started and the government is confident of acquiring the required land without use of force.

The villagers have been protesting against the land acquisition for the POSCO since 2005. However, the resistance intensified recently, when the whole state machinery was engaged in land acquisition process. There is some unique in the mass movement. These villagers are not only protesting but also building up some betel vine, which were destroyed by the police forces. “We have started rebuilding betel Vines that the administration pulled down,” says Abhay Sahu of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS). The men, women and children are protesting endlessly against the land acquisition against the mighty state and corporate house.

Consequently, the prohibitory order under IPC section 144 was also imposed in the project area so that the agitators can be stopped to enter into the vicinity and land acquisition process can be done after destroying the betel vines. Another interesting factor is when the rights are to be recognized under the Forest Rights Act 2006, the Adivasis and local settlers were made non-existence and some of them were also brought under the purview of ‘encroachers’. However, when the lands and forest have to be given to the corporate shark POSCO, neither the environment nor the livelihood and social security makes sense for the state. What a lovely democratic system of governance we have in our country.

Interestingly, when the government failed to acquire land even after use of the police and paramilitary forces, it started threatening to the activists and villagers, using the tool of child rights. Since, more than 600 children from different villages had taken part in the agitation; the Odisha government suddenly woke up to see the violation of child rights in the protest. The Women and Child Development Minister, Anjali Behera sought a report from the district social welfare officer about the children. She said, “The DSWO will verify whether the children came to the agitation on their own or were forced into it”. “We will take action against the persons responsible for misusing children. Civil society will never tolerate use of children below 18 years of age in any agitation,” she added.

Ironically, the same government does not see any violation of the child rights by the corporate sharks or the state law enforcement agencies, who are constantly attempting to snatch away the land and livelihood resources of the villagers, which will have direct impact on children. When the parents lose their land and livelihood resources, how can children be sent to schools? Why should not the Odisha government respond it and so the centre? What kind of civil society is this?

The agitation got political support from the CPI, CPM, Samajwadi Party and Forward Block. However, the most stunning factor is the support of the BJP and the Congress Party to the agitation. The BJP is a party of the business men and its track record in the BJP rule states is obvious and the Congress is playing a double standards. The Union minister gives environment clearance on the one hand and also opposes the project on the other? The Environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, who gave the environment clearance to POSCO in January this year said, "However, I hope that the state government will not use this clearance as a license for forcible acquisition of land." What does it mean? And of course, one should ask that why the soldier of Adivasis, Rahul Gandhi is silent on the issue of POSCO?

In fact, both the center and state governments want the land for POSCO at any cost therefore one should not be overwhelmed after seeing halt to land acquisition for the time being. The Chief Secretary of Orissa BK Patnaik said, “Temporary suspension of land acquisition for POSCO project in the proposed plant site area near Paradip should not be considered as a ‘deadlock over the POSCO Project.” Obviously, the whole state machinery is working in the support of the POSCO Company. Has the POSCO bought the Odisha government?

The state of Odisha has established itself as an emerging industrialized state and it has signed 90 MoUs with the corporate houses including POSCO, Vedanta and Tata Steel. The most important question is whether the industrialization process is addressing the issues of malnutrition, poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and inequality of Odisha as the father of the modern India Nehru had envisages the outcome of industrialization? If the answer is “no” then we must stop the industrialization process immediately because we cannot allow the state to grab the land and livelihood resources of the villagers and hand over those to the corporate sharks in the name of growth and development.

Of course, today, it’s not the issue whether the land owners were given compensation in local or the market rate of their land but the issue is the corporate development model is converting the landowners into the landless in the country which had promised to give land to the tillers and landless. If it continues, the Adivasis and local land owners will become landless and the corporate will become the landlords. We should not allow the state to handover the ‘land to the corporate’ against the promise of ‘land to the tillers’. Do we want to make India as a corporate state?

Then the questions come into one’s mind are what should we do with the mineral resources? Should we let it lie beneath the land and also leave those in the mountains? If we want to address the issues of conflict on the issues of land, territory and resource, we must rethink on the present model of development. Our model of development should not be based on minerals only but it should be based on agro-forest, supported by horticulture and animal husbandry. And wherever there is a requirement of minerals, the community mining should be encouraged. Have you seen any farmer in the country who sells the orchards instead of mangos, guavas and Litchis? If the farmers sell the fruits not the trees then why the Adivasis and other land owners are asked to sell their lands to the mining companies instead of minerals? Why don’t we ask them to sell the minerals to the companies and let the land be with them forever? The tears of two old-men of Odisha is enough to remind the Indian state about its broken promises and alarms it against the forcefully acquisition of the resources from the tillers and handing over to the corporate sharks. If it continues, the inequality, discontent and extremism will grow. And of course, there would be results as a ‘civil war’ and one should only blame for it to the Indian state that made its people cry.

Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist, Writer and a member of “Assessment and Monitoring Authority under the Planning Commission of India. He can be reached atgladsonhractivist@gmail.com.