व्यूटी हुन चहानेहरू होसियार
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 21 जून। अब ब्राण्ड कम्पनीका ब्राण्ड क्रिम दलेर व्यूटी हुन चहाने नारीहरूले होसियारी गर्नुपर्ने समय आएको छ। होसियार भएन भने आफ्नो भएकै सुन्दरता पनि नष्ट गरेर आफूले आफूलाई नै दिनोदिन कुरूप बनाइरहेको पत्तो पाउने छैनन्। राशिन र मट्टितेल मात्र होइन, घर बनाउने रडमा मात्र होइन ठगारहरू नारीहरूको कस्मेटिक्ससम्म नै ठूलो सञ्जाल फैलाएर बर्मा लुट गरिरहेको तारा सुन्दासले पर्दाफास गरेका छन्।
सधैँ विभागीय ठगारहरूको सातोपुत्लो लिँदै आइरहेका तारा सुन्दास आज पत्रकारहरूसमक्ष ब्राण्ड कम्पनीका नारीहरूले घस्ने क्रिम बोकेर आएका थिए। सीधा सोझा जनतालाई ठग्नको निम्ति त सरकारी तन्त्रहरू छ्यापछ्याप्ती नै छन्, गैरसरकारी तन्त्रहरू पनि उस्तै सक्रिय छन्, त्यसैमा नारी सामाग्रीहरूमा पनि ठगारहरूले पनि बर्मालुट गरिरहेका छन्, तिनले भने। तिनले ओले कम्पनीको क्रिमको बट्टा उचालेर सबैलाई देखाउँदै भने, यो क्रिमको दाम यहॉं 699 रुपियॉं छ, यसैको दाम धुलाबारीमा मात्र 90 रुपियॉं छ, अझ बार्गेनिङ भयो भने 75 रुपियॉंमा नै दिन्छ। यही समान हो, तर यहॉं 699 रुपियॉं। हेर्नुहोस्, हाम्रा मान्छेलाई पसलेहरूले कसरी ठग्दैछन्। त्यसै गरी तिनले फेयर एण्ड लव्लीको बट्टा उचालेर भने, यसको दाम यहॉं 111 रुपियॉं। यसको दाम हो 35 रुपियॉं। एउटा आइब्रो पेन्सिल झिक्दै तिनले भने, यसलाई 100 रुपियॉंमा बेचिन्छ तर यसको दाम हो 20 पैसा। तिनले भने, लौ बजारमा यही चिजहरू छन्। आज मैले आफै ठगिएर यही दाममा किनेँ। यही कुरा देखाउन म आफै पनि ठगिएँ। कसैले पनि मलाई यो नक्कली र यो सक्कली भन्छ भने, उसलाई दसवटा क्रिमको बट्टा उपहार। सक्छ कसैले भन्न?
तिनको कुराको आशय के छ भने नक्कली समाग्रीहरूलाई सक्कलीको लेबल र चापलुसी लगाएर नारीहरूलाई भरमार ठग्नेहरूको जमात यति धेरै छन् प्रशासन तरै पनि चुपचाप छ। तिनले अझ भने, केही दिन अघि घर बनाउने रड किन्नेलाई पसलेले लाखौं ठगेको कुराको खुलासा गरेको थिएँ। यसबारेमा थानामा प्राथमिकी पनि दर्ता गरेको थिएँ? खै त पुलिसले कार्वाही गरेको? थलोमा नै लौ यस्तो हुँदैछ है, यसलाई नियन्त्रण गर भन्दा समेत मौन रहने पुलिसले आफै चॉंही के गर्छ? जुन वर्मालुट चलिरहेको छ, यसलाई रोकथाम किन पुलिसले गर्दैन? तिनले प्रशासन समक्ष निक्कै गम्भीर प्रश्न खड़ा गरेका छन्। अहिले विभिन्न कम्पनीहरूका नारी सामग्री नक्कली ल्याएर मूल्यभन्दा तीसगुणा धेर ठग्ने कार्य भइरहेको तिनले जनाउँदै भने, कसैले पनि यसप्रकारको सामग्री किन्दा पसलेसित उत्पादनमा दिइएको नम्बर र कम्पनीले पसलेलाई दिएको नम्बर मिलाएर मात्र किन्नुपर्छ। नगर प्रशासन र पुलिस प्रशासनले गर्नुपर्ने दायित्व पूर्ण नगरेको कारण नै ठगारहरूले बर्मालुट गरिरहेको तिनको आरोप छ।
सुन्दासले उठान गरेका सामाग्रीहरू बिक्रि गर्ने केही पसलेहरूलाई यसबारे प्रश्न गर्दा सुन्दासले लगाएको आरोप सही रहेको ठोकुवा गरे। तिनीहरू नाम नबताउने शर्तमा भन्छन्, उनीहरू पनि व्यापारी हुन् अनि हामी पनि तर, व्यापार सधैँभरि गर्नुपर्ने भएकोले सही काम गर्नुपर्छ। तर यहॉं जुन जुन सामाग्री धेर बिक्रि हुन्छ त्यसको नक्कली सामग्रीहरू ती ठगार पसलेहरूकोमा आइपुगि हाल्छ। नक्कली सामग्रीहरूको कालोबजारी व्यापक छ। निक्कै ठूलो सञ्जाल फैलिएको बताउने ती पसलेहरूले वास्तवमा कम्पनीले नै आफ्नो सामग्री ब्रिक्रि गर्न अनि सही सामारी उपभोक्ताकोमा पुर्याउन चुनिएका पसलहरूमा परामर्श युवतीहरू नियुक्त गरिएको छ। जोसित कम्पनीले पठाएका सक्कली सामग्रीहरू हुने गर्छ। कम्पनीहरूले यस्तै नक्कली सामग्रीहरूबाट उपभोक्तालाई जोगाउन नै खर्च गरेर युवतीहरूको नियुक्ति गरेका हुन्। उनीहरू अनुसार पसलेहरूले जे जस्तो बिक्रि गरेपनि उपभोक्ताहरू नै आफूले किन्ने सामग्रीप्रति सचेत हुनुपर्ने देखिएको छ।
सधैँ विभागीय ठगारहरूको सातोपुत्लो लिँदै आइरहेका तारा सुन्दास आज पत्रकारहरूसमक्ष ब्राण्ड कम्पनीका नारीहरूले घस्ने क्रिम बोकेर आएका थिए। सीधा सोझा जनतालाई ठग्नको निम्ति त सरकारी तन्त्रहरू छ्यापछ्याप्ती नै छन्, गैरसरकारी तन्त्रहरू पनि उस्तै सक्रिय छन्, त्यसैमा नारी सामाग्रीहरूमा पनि ठगारहरूले पनि बर्मालुट गरिरहेका छन्, तिनले भने। तिनले ओले कम्पनीको क्रिमको बट्टा उचालेर सबैलाई देखाउँदै भने, यो क्रिमको दाम यहॉं 699 रुपियॉं छ, यसैको दाम धुलाबारीमा मात्र 90 रुपियॉं छ, अझ बार्गेनिङ भयो भने 75 रुपियॉंमा नै दिन्छ। यही समान हो, तर यहॉं 699 रुपियॉं। हेर्नुहोस्, हाम्रा मान्छेलाई पसलेहरूले कसरी ठग्दैछन्। त्यसै गरी तिनले फेयर एण्ड लव्लीको बट्टा उचालेर भने, यसको दाम यहॉं 111 रुपियॉं। यसको दाम हो 35 रुपियॉं। एउटा आइब्रो पेन्सिल झिक्दै तिनले भने, यसलाई 100 रुपियॉंमा बेचिन्छ तर यसको दाम हो 20 पैसा। तिनले भने, लौ बजारमा यही चिजहरू छन्। आज मैले आफै ठगिएर यही दाममा किनेँ। यही कुरा देखाउन म आफै पनि ठगिएँ। कसैले पनि मलाई यो नक्कली र यो सक्कली भन्छ भने, उसलाई दसवटा क्रिमको बट्टा उपहार। सक्छ कसैले भन्न?
तिनको कुराको आशय के छ भने नक्कली समाग्रीहरूलाई सक्कलीको लेबल र चापलुसी लगाएर नारीहरूलाई भरमार ठग्नेहरूको जमात यति धेरै छन् प्रशासन तरै पनि चुपचाप छ। तिनले अझ भने, केही दिन अघि घर बनाउने रड किन्नेलाई पसलेले लाखौं ठगेको कुराको खुलासा गरेको थिएँ। यसबारेमा थानामा प्राथमिकी पनि दर्ता गरेको थिएँ? खै त पुलिसले कार्वाही गरेको? थलोमा नै लौ यस्तो हुँदैछ है, यसलाई नियन्त्रण गर भन्दा समेत मौन रहने पुलिसले आफै चॉंही के गर्छ? जुन वर्मालुट चलिरहेको छ, यसलाई रोकथाम किन पुलिसले गर्दैन? तिनले प्रशासन समक्ष निक्कै गम्भीर प्रश्न खड़ा गरेका छन्। अहिले विभिन्न कम्पनीहरूका नारी सामग्री नक्कली ल्याएर मूल्यभन्दा तीसगुणा धेर ठग्ने कार्य भइरहेको तिनले जनाउँदै भने, कसैले पनि यसप्रकारको सामग्री किन्दा पसलेसित उत्पादनमा दिइएको नम्बर र कम्पनीले पसलेलाई दिएको नम्बर मिलाएर मात्र किन्नुपर्छ। नगर प्रशासन र पुलिस प्रशासनले गर्नुपर्ने दायित्व पूर्ण नगरेको कारण नै ठगारहरूले बर्मालुट गरिरहेको तिनको आरोप छ।
सुन्दासले उठान गरेका सामाग्रीहरू बिक्रि गर्ने केही पसलेहरूलाई यसबारे प्रश्न गर्दा सुन्दासले लगाएको आरोप सही रहेको ठोकुवा गरे। तिनीहरू नाम नबताउने शर्तमा भन्छन्, उनीहरू पनि व्यापारी हुन् अनि हामी पनि तर, व्यापार सधैँभरि गर्नुपर्ने भएकोले सही काम गर्नुपर्छ। तर यहॉं जुन जुन सामाग्री धेर बिक्रि हुन्छ त्यसको नक्कली सामग्रीहरू ती ठगार पसलेहरूकोमा आइपुगि हाल्छ। नक्कली सामग्रीहरूको कालोबजारी व्यापक छ। निक्कै ठूलो सञ्जाल फैलिएको बताउने ती पसलेहरूले वास्तवमा कम्पनीले नै आफ्नो सामग्री ब्रिक्रि गर्न अनि सही सामारी उपभोक्ताकोमा पुर्याउन चुनिएका पसलहरूमा परामर्श युवतीहरू नियुक्त गरिएको छ। जोसित कम्पनीले पठाएका सक्कली सामग्रीहरू हुने गर्छ। कम्पनीहरूले यस्तै नक्कली सामग्रीहरूबाट उपभोक्तालाई जोगाउन नै खर्च गरेर युवतीहरूको नियुक्ति गरेका हुन्। उनीहरू अनुसार पसलेहरूले जे जस्तो बिक्रि गरेपनि उपभोक्ताहरू नै आफूले किन्ने सामग्रीप्रति सचेत हुनुपर्ने देखिएको छ।
Will be back with Priyanka: Basu
Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, June 21: The last batch of the Barfee production team today left the Darjeeling hills — advancing their departure by almost a week but with a promise to return with the full cast including Priyanka Chopra and even shoot in Kalimpong.
Ranbir Kapoor, the protagonist of the film, had left yesterday. Hours before leaving the hills today, director Anurag Basu said: “Priyanka’s schedule had been cancelled this time but we will bring her for the shoot in September-end. The entire cast will be present.”
Barfee is the story of a deaf and mute man played by Ranbir and the two women in his life played by Priyanka and southern star Ileana D’ Cruz.
The shooting at Mirik, however, seems to stand cancelled. “I did not go to Mirik as I was told that it was also a tourist destination and the crowd could be as huge as in Darjeeling. Next time when I come up, I will shoot in Kalimpong, too, apart from Darjeeling,” said Basu.
The director today tried to send a message that the bitterness has mellowed down to a large extent even though “he had felt humiliated” after a spat with the local people during the shoot at Chowrasta on June 16.
“I took the decision to leave the hills in a rage but during the next two days we were wondering whether it had been taken in haste. However, it was too late (to go back on the decision) as we had already done the bookings,” he said. “Despite everything, we would want to tell the people of Darjeeling that we did enjoy our stay here.”
The team had originally planned to leave the hills on June 26 with talks of Priyanka joining the shooting after June 19.
“I am happy with the shoot that I got. Though it was a little less than what we had planned, we got to capture the charms of the monsoon in the hills with the mists and fog. In the other films, till now, only the bright sunny days of Darjeeling with the Kanchenjungha had been captured,” said Basu.
But sunny hills are also expected to feature in Barfee. Those scenes will be shot in September-end. “I think we should be able to release the film early next year. Shooting should be over by October,” said Basu.
Sixty per cent of the film will feature the Darjeeling hills and the rest of the shooting will take place in Calcutta. “The film will be shot mostly in Bengal,” said Basu.
The next time Basu is in Darjeeling he has decided to announce the locations of the shoot well in advance.
“I didn’t know Ranbir was so famous in these parts — I will announce the locations well in advance. We will then take a little help from the locals for better crowd management,” said Basu.
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| Priyanka Chopra: In the hill Entourage the next time |
Barfee is the story of a deaf and mute man played by Ranbir and the two women in his life played by Priyanka and southern star Ileana D’ Cruz.
The shooting at Mirik, however, seems to stand cancelled. “I did not go to Mirik as I was told that it was also a tourist destination and the crowd could be as huge as in Darjeeling. Next time when I come up, I will shoot in Kalimpong, too, apart from Darjeeling,” said Basu.
The director today tried to send a message that the bitterness has mellowed down to a large extent even though “he had felt humiliated” after a spat with the local people during the shoot at Chowrasta on June 16.
“I took the decision to leave the hills in a rage but during the next two days we were wondering whether it had been taken in haste. However, it was too late (to go back on the decision) as we had already done the bookings,” he said. “Despite everything, we would want to tell the people of Darjeeling that we did enjoy our stay here.”
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| Basu in Darjeeling on Tuesday. Picture by Suman Tamang |
“I am happy with the shoot that I got. Though it was a little less than what we had planned, we got to capture the charms of the monsoon in the hills with the mists and fog. In the other films, till now, only the bright sunny days of Darjeeling with the Kanchenjungha had been captured,” said Basu.
But sunny hills are also expected to feature in Barfee. Those scenes will be shot in September-end. “I think we should be able to release the film early next year. Shooting should be over by October,” said Basu.
Sixty per cent of the film will feature the Darjeeling hills and the rest of the shooting will take place in Calcutta. “The film will be shot mostly in Bengal,” said Basu.
The next time Basu is in Darjeeling he has decided to announce the locations of the shoot well in advance.
“I didn’t know Ranbir was so famous in these parts — I will announce the locations well in advance. We will then take a little help from the locals for better crowd management,” said Basu.
Equipment promised to tackle disaster
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| Gautam Deb in Siliguri on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
TT, Siliguri, June 21: North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb today said he would request the chief minister to sanction funds to buy equipment to carry out relief and rescue operations in the Darjeeling hills in a better way after natural disasters.
Deb also talked of a plan to launch a survey in the hills to identify landslide-prone zones and the buildings which had come up in such areas. The landslides had killed four persons of a family in Kurseong and damaged houses and school buildings across the hills in the past four days.
“In the course of our visit, we have found that the hills lack sophisticated equipment like electric cutters and generators necessary during natural disasters like landslides. I am preparing a note and will place it before the chief minister to seek funds to buy these tools. If equipped with these tools, the administration can handle rescue and relief operations in a better way in the hills,” said Deb.
He held a meeting with Darjeeling district magistrate P.M.K. Gandhi at the circuit house here this afternoon to discuss the progress in repair and relief operations being carried out in the hills after the landslides.
The minister said the government had already handed over a sum to the family, which had lost a man and his three children in the landslide in Kurseong.
“Soon, Rs 8 lakh — Rs 2 lakh per each deceased — will be paid to the family as central and state assistance. The government will also rebuild three houses which had been washed away at St Mary’s in Kurseong.” The government is planing to adopt measures to minimise the risk of landslides and mitigate the impact of the natural disasters.
“As a long term measure, we plan to carry out a survey to identify landslide-prone zones, the areas where deforestation has occurred on a massive scale, leading to loosening of rock and soil, and the buildings which have come up in these spots. On the basis of the findings, appropriate steps will be taken to minimise the risk of landslides in the hills,” said the minister.
The district magistrate said the administration was keeping a close watch over construction activities in the hills. He warned of action if any building had come up in the hills violating the rules.
“We need to review the plans sanctioned by the municipalities to construct buildings before making any comment. We will stop the work if any building is coming up without adhering to rules. The deputy magistrate has already stopped the construction of at least three buildings in Darjeeling,” said Gandhi.
The Chief Minister handed over the Sanction Order of the play ground for Samsing worth Rupees four lakhs to the panchayat and asked them to construct the playground at the village. Speaking to the gathering of students, local people and teachers of the school the Chief Minister said that inspite of various pro poor programmes and policies of the government, the people of this area are still poor. This is because the benefits under the programmes are not reaching the poor people which is nothing but sheer injustice to the people. Unless and until the people raise their voice against injustice meted to them this process will continue and the people will remain poor. The middlemen in the society who are becoming obstacle in the process of development have to be uprooted from the society. The government needs the support of the civil society to uproot such evil from the society, the Chief Minister added.
Speaking on price hike the Chief Minister said that price hike is a universal phenomenon but in Sikkim the state government has taken every possible step to ensure that the poor people are not affected by the price hike. Many programmes are running in the state to subsidise the price of essential commodities like sugar, rice, kerosene oil etc. These programmes are meant for the poor people and if such subsidised commodities do not reach the people for whom it is meant then the people should voice their complain, the Chief Minister added.
Talking about the various activities undertaken by the government on various sectors the Chief Minister said that the for a healthy society the people require peace, security, adequate infrastructural facilities, good governance, equality, rule of law, democracy, employment opportunity which the government has already provided. Now the government will stress on second generation development which will include utilization of these resources for raising the productivity and the economic standard of the people. But for this the people should come forward and work in tandem with the government. Government is a mere facilitator and now it’s the people turn to act, the Chief Minister added. In this regard he directed the heads of the department accompanying him to prepare comprehensive report utilizing these resources available in the state and duly incorporating agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, tourism and allied sectors. This report should be meant to increase the productivity of the people so that the economic standard of the people is raised thereby raising their purchasing capacity, he added. He also directed the departmental heads to follow up with the people who have been provided various professional trainings by the government and provide assistance to them to start up their business in the profession for which they have been trained.
The Chief Minister at Mabong JHS handed over the Sanction Order of Community Hall worth Rs. Twenty five lakhs and play ground worth Rs. Four lakhs to the panchayat of Mabong Sigyang GPU and asked them to start up the work immediately. He also inaugurated the seven room school building of Mabong Junior High School.
Deb also talked of a plan to launch a survey in the hills to identify landslide-prone zones and the buildings which had come up in such areas. The landslides had killed four persons of a family in Kurseong and damaged houses and school buildings across the hills in the past four days.
“In the course of our visit, we have found that the hills lack sophisticated equipment like electric cutters and generators necessary during natural disasters like landslides. I am preparing a note and will place it before the chief minister to seek funds to buy these tools. If equipped with these tools, the administration can handle rescue and relief operations in a better way in the hills,” said Deb.
He held a meeting with Darjeeling district magistrate P.M.K. Gandhi at the circuit house here this afternoon to discuss the progress in repair and relief operations being carried out in the hills after the landslides.
The minister said the government had already handed over a sum to the family, which had lost a man and his three children in the landslide in Kurseong.
“Soon, Rs 8 lakh — Rs 2 lakh per each deceased — will be paid to the family as central and state assistance. The government will also rebuild three houses which had been washed away at St Mary’s in Kurseong.” The government is planing to adopt measures to minimise the risk of landslides and mitigate the impact of the natural disasters.
“As a long term measure, we plan to carry out a survey to identify landslide-prone zones, the areas where deforestation has occurred on a massive scale, leading to loosening of rock and soil, and the buildings which have come up in these spots. On the basis of the findings, appropriate steps will be taken to minimise the risk of landslides in the hills,” said the minister.
The district magistrate said the administration was keeping a close watch over construction activities in the hills. He warned of action if any building had come up in the hills violating the rules.
“We need to review the plans sanctioned by the municipalities to construct buildings before making any comment. We will stop the work if any building is coming up without adhering to rules. The deputy magistrate has already stopped the construction of at least three buildings in Darjeeling,” said Gandhi.
Sikkim CM's visit Day 20
Gangtok,21 June: The 20th day of the village to village tour of the Chief Minister along with the state administration started from Government JHS, Sawali under Gelling Samsing GPU.The Chief Minister handed over the Sanction Order of the play ground for Samsing worth Rupees four lakhs to the panchayat and asked them to construct the playground at the village. Speaking to the gathering of students, local people and teachers of the school the Chief Minister said that inspite of various pro poor programmes and policies of the government, the people of this area are still poor. This is because the benefits under the programmes are not reaching the poor people which is nothing but sheer injustice to the people. Unless and until the people raise their voice against injustice meted to them this process will continue and the people will remain poor. The middlemen in the society who are becoming obstacle in the process of development have to be uprooted from the society. The government needs the support of the civil society to uproot such evil from the society, the Chief Minister added.
Speaking on price hike the Chief Minister said that price hike is a universal phenomenon but in Sikkim the state government has taken every possible step to ensure that the poor people are not affected by the price hike. Many programmes are running in the state to subsidise the price of essential commodities like sugar, rice, kerosene oil etc. These programmes are meant for the poor people and if such subsidised commodities do not reach the people for whom it is meant then the people should voice their complain, the Chief Minister added.
Talking about the various activities undertaken by the government on various sectors the Chief Minister said that the for a healthy society the people require peace, security, adequate infrastructural facilities, good governance, equality, rule of law, democracy, employment opportunity which the government has already provided. Now the government will stress on second generation development which will include utilization of these resources for raising the productivity and the economic standard of the people. But for this the people should come forward and work in tandem with the government. Government is a mere facilitator and now it’s the people turn to act, the Chief Minister added. In this regard he directed the heads of the department accompanying him to prepare comprehensive report utilizing these resources available in the state and duly incorporating agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, tourism and allied sectors. This report should be meant to increase the productivity of the people so that the economic standard of the people is raised thereby raising their purchasing capacity, he added. He also directed the departmental heads to follow up with the people who have been provided various professional trainings by the government and provide assistance to them to start up their business in the profession for which they have been trained.
The Chief Minister at Mabong JHS handed over the Sanction Order of Community Hall worth Rs. Twenty five lakhs and play ground worth Rs. Four lakhs to the panchayat of Mabong Sigyang GPU and asked them to start up the work immediately. He also inaugurated the seven room school building of Mabong Junior High School.
Early landslide worry for experts -Tumbledown threshold upset
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| BRO personnel use earthmovers to clear debris at Birick on Monday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
Rajeev Ravidas, TT, Kalimpong, June 21: The monsoon has just started and experts are worried that landslides have already struck the hills even though the earth is not yet saturated with water. < Subir Sarkar, the head of the geography department in North Bengal University, offered two plausible reasons for the early landslides.
“A triggering mechanism, like the raion, is needed for a landslide to occur. But this time, the rainfall was neither heavy nor of greater intensity, which suggests the threshold level (for the landslides to occur) has been disturbed. The other reason could be that the (landslide) preventive measures were not put in place before the onset of monsoon,” Sarkar said over the phone from Siliguri.
The preventive measures Sarkar refers to include jhora-training to reduce the velocity of water, cleaning of drains to ensure smooth flow of water downstream and construction of channels to guide torrents away from vulnerable areas. Experts agree that the man-made causes for landslides include grading, terrain cutting and excessive development. About the new locations of landslides like Birick, which did not have any past history till last week, experts were not willing to comment without visiting the spots.
Praful Rao, the president of Save The Hills, said the concern was that the mudslips have occurred after a long dry spell, and not at the end of the monsoon when the earth is saturated with water and the hills are vulnerable.
“This is why most major landslides in the past had occurred in September which is the fag end of the monsoon,” Rao, whose NGO works on landslides, said. It is an accepted fact among most experts that landslides occur in areas where the terrain has been altered for the construction of roads, houses and other utilities.
“The frequent landslides at 27th Mile is because of the construction of the hydel project on the river Teesta in the area,” Admittedly, the scale of the recent landslides in most of the places is not big barring the one at Birik, 45km from Siliguri, on NH31A on Friday.
The Birik landslides (there was one on Sunday night as well), most agree, may have occurred because of a combination of human and natural factors: cutting of the hillside and the rains. The BRO, which is widening the road at Birik as part of its project to double-lane NH31A that connects Sikkim to the rest of the country, said once the work is completed, retention walls would be constructed along the hillside as a protective measure against landslides.
“The area is among the 28 identified troubled spots between Sevoke and Teesta. However, we are confident that once we complete our work, landslides will not pose much of a problem in the area,” said a BRO source. Even this evening, traffic was moving in a single file at Birick with the debris yet to be cleared.
Rest while on tour - Wayside tourism along highways
TT, Jalpaiguri, June 21: The Jalpaiguri district administration has urged private entrepreneurs to build restaurants and restrooms along the highways that lead to tourist spots, which will allow visitors to stop over and relax before reaching their destinations.
District magistrate Vandana Yadav said “wayside tourism” would be developed along NH31 and NH31C that lead to forest destinations like Gorumara, Champramari and Jaldapara and the constructions would begin soon after the monsoon.
“More than one such wayside facility will come up along a 15-20km stretch that leads to the Gorumara National Park. We will ensure that these resorts have facilities that will be useful to tourists and their families. But we are making sure that these places do not get the licence to serve liquor,” Yadav said.
She added that spots would be developed along NH31C in Chulsa and Nagrakata on the way to the Gorumara National Park. Constructions will also take place on Birpara, Banarhat, Ethelbari and Madarihat on NH31 on the way to Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary.
“There are no facilities that offer good food and comfortable stay in these areas for tourists coming from outside. We have been receiving feedback from the tourism sector about this shortfall and since the government is not in a position to take up the work, we had approached private investors,” Yadav said.
The district magistrate said final discussions were on with 11 private entrepreneurs who had agreed to invest between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore on wayside tourism.
“I am not disclosing the names of these investors but they are from north Bengal as well as from Calcutta,” she said.
Yadav added that larger projects would come up on government land that would be given out on lease. For the smaller projects, the entrepreneurs would have to buy the land from the government.
“We have made it clear that each of the places besides having facilities for the guests should have pay-and-use restrooms for travelling holidaymakers. Some of the investors have plans to provide guests with facilities like a mini golf course, tennis courts and swimming pools. We have also suggested that they create playgrounds with accessories for the children,” she said.
General secretary of Focin, Samarendranath Biswas, said the initiative was laudable but added that care should be taken to ensure that the natural environment of the area was preserved. “This is a forested area and these new constructions should be made in an environment friendly manner,” Biswas said.
Kamal Bhowmick, the secretary of the Lataguri Resort Owners’ Association, said: “We welcome any plan that will be good for the local economy and employment.”
“A triggering mechanism, like the raion, is needed for a landslide to occur. But this time, the rainfall was neither heavy nor of greater intensity, which suggests the threshold level (for the landslides to occur) has been disturbed. The other reason could be that the (landslide) preventive measures were not put in place before the onset of monsoon,” Sarkar said over the phone from Siliguri.
The preventive measures Sarkar refers to include jhora-training to reduce the velocity of water, cleaning of drains to ensure smooth flow of water downstream and construction of channels to guide torrents away from vulnerable areas. Experts agree that the man-made causes for landslides include grading, terrain cutting and excessive development. About the new locations of landslides like Birick, which did not have any past history till last week, experts were not willing to comment without visiting the spots.
Praful Rao, the president of Save The Hills, said the concern was that the mudslips have occurred after a long dry spell, and not at the end of the monsoon when the earth is saturated with water and the hills are vulnerable.
“This is why most major landslides in the past had occurred in September which is the fag end of the monsoon,” Rao, whose NGO works on landslides, said. It is an accepted fact among most experts that landslides occur in areas where the terrain has been altered for the construction of roads, houses and other utilities.
“The frequent landslides at 27th Mile is because of the construction of the hydel project on the river Teesta in the area,” Admittedly, the scale of the recent landslides in most of the places is not big barring the one at Birik, 45km from Siliguri, on NH31A on Friday.
The Birik landslides (there was one on Sunday night as well), most agree, may have occurred because of a combination of human and natural factors: cutting of the hillside and the rains. The BRO, which is widening the road at Birik as part of its project to double-lane NH31A that connects Sikkim to the rest of the country, said once the work is completed, retention walls would be constructed along the hillside as a protective measure against landslides.
“The area is among the 28 identified troubled spots between Sevoke and Teesta. However, we are confident that once we complete our work, landslides will not pose much of a problem in the area,” said a BRO source. Even this evening, traffic was moving in a single file at Birick with the debris yet to be cleared.
Rest while on tour - Wayside tourism along highways
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| A restaurant along NH31 near Lataguri in Jalpaiguri. Picture by Biplab Basak |
District magistrate Vandana Yadav said “wayside tourism” would be developed along NH31 and NH31C that lead to forest destinations like Gorumara, Champramari and Jaldapara and the constructions would begin soon after the monsoon.
“More than one such wayside facility will come up along a 15-20km stretch that leads to the Gorumara National Park. We will ensure that these resorts have facilities that will be useful to tourists and their families. But we are making sure that these places do not get the licence to serve liquor,” Yadav said.
She added that spots would be developed along NH31C in Chulsa and Nagrakata on the way to the Gorumara National Park. Constructions will also take place on Birpara, Banarhat, Ethelbari and Madarihat on NH31 on the way to Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary.
“There are no facilities that offer good food and comfortable stay in these areas for tourists coming from outside. We have been receiving feedback from the tourism sector about this shortfall and since the government is not in a position to take up the work, we had approached private investors,” Yadav said.
The district magistrate said final discussions were on with 11 private entrepreneurs who had agreed to invest between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore on wayside tourism.
“I am not disclosing the names of these investors but they are from north Bengal as well as from Calcutta,” she said.
Yadav added that larger projects would come up on government land that would be given out on lease. For the smaller projects, the entrepreneurs would have to buy the land from the government.
“We have made it clear that each of the places besides having facilities for the guests should have pay-and-use restrooms for travelling holidaymakers. Some of the investors have plans to provide guests with facilities like a mini golf course, tennis courts and swimming pools. We have also suggested that they create playgrounds with accessories for the children,” she said.
General secretary of Focin, Samarendranath Biswas, said the initiative was laudable but added that care should be taken to ensure that the natural environment of the area was preserved. “This is a forested area and these new constructions should be made in an environment friendly manner,” Biswas said.
Kamal Bhowmick, the secretary of the Lataguri Resort Owners’ Association, said: “We welcome any plan that will be good for the local economy and employment.”
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