Seal deal in Delhi: Morcha
- Local venue may rob agreement of grandeur, say insiders
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, July 14: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha wants the “memorandum of agreement” on the new administrative authority for the hills to be signed in Delhi and not in Darjeeling as suggested earlier by chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Although some Morcha leaders said the reason for wanting to shift the venue was to spare the dignitaries the inconvenience of visiting a landslide-prone zone in monsoon, party insiders were of the opinion that signing the deal in the capital could give the agreement a “grand stature”.
“We want the MOA to be signed in Delhi and not in Darjeeling,” a Morcha source told The Telegraph. Also, the Morcha wants the deal to set up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to be called a “memorandum of agreement” and not “memorandum of settlement”. The party believes that the MOS would look like as if it is a final solution.
The source, however, added that the party had not received any communication either from the state or the Centre on the venue and date of signing the agreement. “It is the Centre’s prerogative to finalise the date and venue but we want it to be signed in Delhi. The date will be finalised on the home ministry convenience.” Earlier, Mamata was expected to visit the hills on July 18, when the tripartite agreement on the new set-up was supposed to be signed. Keeping the date in mind, many anti-Morcha outfits have called strikes during the period. The Trinamul Congress said it would oppose the strike tooth and nail.
Asked about the date of visit to the hills, Mamata said at Writers’ Buildings today: “I will let you know when it is finalised.” Union home ministry sources said a meeting that was supposed to be held in Delhi today on the Darjeeling hills had been put off because of the Mumbai blasts.
The meeting will now be held some time next week, the sources said.
Bengal chief secretary Samar Ghosh said Delhi was very much eager to sign the agreement. “There are a few points that need to be sorted out. We are in touch with the Morcha and they will be ironed out soon,” he said.
Asked whether the chief minister was scheduled to visit Darjeeling next week, Ghosh said: “No date has been fixed yet.”
The Morcha said it had not yet communicated to Delhi its wish to change the proposed venue of the tripartite meeting. “It is the state’s duty to inform the Centre,” a Morcha source said.
The source, however, could not provide any strong reasons for wanting a venue change. “There are lots of factors involved in Darjeeling. Nature’s vagaries cannot be ruled out, there could be disruption because of landslides in these rains. Looking into a lot of factors, we want the agreement to be signed in Delhi,” he added.
But a section of Morcha insiders feels that signing the deal in Darjeeling would rob the agreement of its “grandeur”. “Signing the deal in Delhi would mean it is something serious with a grand stature, an agreement that the Morcha can flaunt in the hills,” said a party member.
Given the Morcha’s latest stand and the Centre’s preoccupation with the situation in Mumbai, it is not clear if Mamata will visit Darjeeling on July 17-18. “Even if she comes, the signing might not take place,” said a party member. On July 7, the chief secretary had said Mamata wanted the agreement to be signed in Darjeeling.
Senior district officials said they had not received any communication on the chief minister’s visit till late this afternoon. “Ideally if the chief minister and the representatives of the Union government were to come, then by now we should have received some communication,” said an official.
When the last set of contentious issues was solved in Calcutta on July 8, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said the agreement would be signed within 7 to 10 days. Morcha president Bimal Gurung while addressing party supporters in Kalimpong the same day said he was having “second thoughts” on who would sign the deal on behalf of the party. “I am having second thoughts. Even our party secretary (Roshan Giri) can sign the agreement,” he had said. Ideally, Gurung as party chief is expected to sign the agreement.
Asked about it today, Giri said: “There is nothing to say in this regard.” He also did not comment on the party’s stand to sign the deal in Delhi.
The Morcha today held a central committee meeting at Patlabas in Darjeeling. The party leaders were, however, tight-lipped about the discussion. “We merely apprised the members of the provisions of the GTA. There is nothing much to say about the meeting,” said Giri. There were talks that the Morcha might circulate the draft today but Giri replied in the negative.
It was also learnt that the Morcha has demanded a complete waiver of outstanding electricity bills of the hill residents. “We have already included it in the list of waivers we have demand from the Centre. Since the people did not pay the electricity bills because of the agitation, it should be waived off completely,” said another Morcha leader. The party had asked the hill people not to pay electricity bills as part of their non-co-operation movement. The outstanding dues in the hills have touched the Rs 70-crore mark.
Centre yet to give date for Hills deal
TNN, Jul 15, DARJEELING/KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee may be in a hurry to barter peace in the Hills with the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and a special development package, but not the other stakeholders namely the Centre and the GJM. The Centre is yet to give a date for the tripartite agreement and wants the state government to sort out "certain issues" with the GJM before the deal is signed.
"The date is yet to be finalised," said chief secretary Samar Ghosh. Asked about the issues that seem to have hit a block, Ghosh said, "The Centre is very keen about signing the agreement. There are two or three minor issues that it has pointed out. Most of these have been agreed upon. We are trying to sort them out with the GJM."
GJM president Bimal Gurung is also not in haste. He called the party's central committee meeting on Thursday to scrutinise the draft and respond to the government's bargain without losing the party's stance on the territory question. The GJM is also trying to assess the impact of its signing the deal when some its political rivals in the Hills didn't turn up at Deolo on July 8, despite Gurung's invite to discuss the draft.
The bargain now is mostly over territory. For the last two decades since the first tripartite deal was signed in July 1988, the Gorkha outfits have progressed from Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to the proposed GTA, which is indeed a step towards Gorkhaland state. But the rival outfits see in it nothing more than the name. The pressure is thus on the GJM to make the governments expand the jurisdiction of the GTA by including the Gorkha-dominated areas adjoining the hill subdivision.
This is possibly where the Centre wants to tread with caution. For the demand for inclusion of the mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars may trigger a clash that will have a far reaching impact on the geo-political scene at this strategic location.
The issue is likely to come up when Mamata Banerjee visits Darjeeling on July 18 and 19 for a meeting with the GJM. Her visit is to seal the memorandum of agreement that will be sent to the central government for its approval for the formation of GTA.
Gorkha council hits Centre hurdle
Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay , IE, Jul 15, Kolkata: The signing of the tripartite agreement among the state government, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Union government next week has hit a roadblock as the Central government has raised certain objections, chief among them is the use of the word “Gorkhaland” in the name of the interim council.
The Darjeeling district administration on Thursday called top leaders of the GJM to the district office including Morcha president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri and a few others and discussed the reservations raised by the Central government.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already made a trip to Junglemahal early this week and is keen on going to Darjeeling next week to sign the agreement. However, if the GJM does not approve of the Centre’s objections, the signing of the treaty will be delayed.
On being inquired about her plans to go to Darjeeling in the late evening before the Chief Minister left the Writers’ Building for home, she replied, “How can I go if the date is not fixed.”
Morcha is reportedly not happy with the Centre objecting to the use of the word “Gorkhaland’. “It was former Union Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai who used the phrase Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority. It is ridiculous that now they are objecting to the word’s use,” H B Chettri, Morcha MLA and spokesman, told The Indian Express.
However, the state government hoped the agreement would be signed soon. “There are a few small issues on which the Centre has raised objections. We have got back to the GJM on them. I think these will be sorted out soon,” said Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh.
He further said the Centre is very much keen on signing the agreement at the earliest.
Spate of bandhs from 15-19 July in N Bengal
PTI, Siliguri, 14 JulY: Several organisations, active in the Terai and the Dooars of north Bengal, have called for back-to-back separate bandhs from 15-19 July in protest against proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a tripartite treaty proposed to be signed this week-end. While eight organisations, including Amra Bangali, Terai-Dooars Nagarik Manch called a 24-hour shutdown in the region tomorrow, the Adibasi Vikash Parisad again called a 48-hour bandh in the Terai and Dooars on 16 and 17 July.
To complicate matters, the Bangla-o-Bangla Bhasa Bachaon Committee also pitched in by giving a two-day bandh call on 18-19 July in protest against the proposed GTA. The police and administration were worried over the spate of bandhs as chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee was expected to visit Darjeeling Hills on 18-19 July to sign the GTA treaty though support base of the organisations having called the bandh was confined to same particular pockets. Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) (in-charge), Mr DT Lepcha told reporters that police would take appropriate measures if there was any move to disturb the peace. Former minister and senior CPI(M) leader, Mr Ashok Bhattacharya, said that though Marxists had opposed the bandh call, it would have been better had the decision on GTA been taken after discussion with all parties and communities of Terai-Dooars.
A leader of Adibasi Vikash Parishad, Mr Tej Kumar Toppo, alleged that the nine-member assessment committee formed by the state government to examine the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) demand to include 196 'moujas' of Terai and Dooars did not include even a singe Adivasi member though the community was the majority in the region.
Although some Morcha leaders said the reason for wanting to shift the venue was to spare the dignitaries the inconvenience of visiting a landslide-prone zone in monsoon, party insiders were of the opinion that signing the deal in the capital could give the agreement a “grand stature”.
“We want the MOA to be signed in Delhi and not in Darjeeling,” a Morcha source told The Telegraph. Also, the Morcha wants the deal to set up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to be called a “memorandum of agreement” and not “memorandum of settlement”. The party believes that the MOS would look like as if it is a final solution.
The source, however, added that the party had not received any communication either from the state or the Centre on the venue and date of signing the agreement. “It is the Centre’s prerogative to finalise the date and venue but we want it to be signed in Delhi. The date will be finalised on the home ministry convenience.” Earlier, Mamata was expected to visit the hills on July 18, when the tripartite agreement on the new set-up was supposed to be signed. Keeping the date in mind, many anti-Morcha outfits have called strikes during the period. The Trinamul Congress said it would oppose the strike tooth and nail.
Asked about the date of visit to the hills, Mamata said at Writers’ Buildings today: “I will let you know when it is finalised.” Union home ministry sources said a meeting that was supposed to be held in Delhi today on the Darjeeling hills had been put off because of the Mumbai blasts.
The meeting will now be held some time next week, the sources said.
Bengal chief secretary Samar Ghosh said Delhi was very much eager to sign the agreement. “There are a few points that need to be sorted out. We are in touch with the Morcha and they will be ironed out soon,” he said.
Asked whether the chief minister was scheduled to visit Darjeeling next week, Ghosh said: “No date has been fixed yet.”
The Morcha said it had not yet communicated to Delhi its wish to change the proposed venue of the tripartite meeting. “It is the state’s duty to inform the Centre,” a Morcha source said.
The source, however, could not provide any strong reasons for wanting a venue change. “There are lots of factors involved in Darjeeling. Nature’s vagaries cannot be ruled out, there could be disruption because of landslides in these rains. Looking into a lot of factors, we want the agreement to be signed in Delhi,” he added.
But a section of Morcha insiders feels that signing the deal in Darjeeling would rob the agreement of its “grandeur”. “Signing the deal in Delhi would mean it is something serious with a grand stature, an agreement that the Morcha can flaunt in the hills,” said a party member.
Given the Morcha’s latest stand and the Centre’s preoccupation with the situation in Mumbai, it is not clear if Mamata will visit Darjeeling on July 17-18. “Even if she comes, the signing might not take place,” said a party member. On July 7, the chief secretary had said Mamata wanted the agreement to be signed in Darjeeling.
Senior district officials said they had not received any communication on the chief minister’s visit till late this afternoon. “Ideally if the chief minister and the representatives of the Union government were to come, then by now we should have received some communication,” said an official.
When the last set of contentious issues was solved in Calcutta on July 8, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said the agreement would be signed within 7 to 10 days. Morcha president Bimal Gurung while addressing party supporters in Kalimpong the same day said he was having “second thoughts” on who would sign the deal on behalf of the party. “I am having second thoughts. Even our party secretary (Roshan Giri) can sign the agreement,” he had said. Ideally, Gurung as party chief is expected to sign the agreement.
Asked about it today, Giri said: “There is nothing to say in this regard.” He also did not comment on the party’s stand to sign the deal in Delhi.
The Morcha today held a central committee meeting at Patlabas in Darjeeling. The party leaders were, however, tight-lipped about the discussion. “We merely apprised the members of the provisions of the GTA. There is nothing much to say about the meeting,” said Giri. There were talks that the Morcha might circulate the draft today but Giri replied in the negative.
It was also learnt that the Morcha has demanded a complete waiver of outstanding electricity bills of the hill residents. “We have already included it in the list of waivers we have demand from the Centre. Since the people did not pay the electricity bills because of the agitation, it should be waived off completely,” said another Morcha leader. The party had asked the hill people not to pay electricity bills as part of their non-co-operation movement. The outstanding dues in the hills have touched the Rs 70-crore mark.
Centre yet to give date for Hills deal
TNN, Jul 15, DARJEELING/KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee may be in a hurry to barter peace in the Hills with the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and a special development package, but not the other stakeholders namely the Centre and the GJM. The Centre is yet to give a date for the tripartite agreement and wants the state government to sort out "certain issues" with the GJM before the deal is signed.
"The date is yet to be finalised," said chief secretary Samar Ghosh. Asked about the issues that seem to have hit a block, Ghosh said, "The Centre is very keen about signing the agreement. There are two or three minor issues that it has pointed out. Most of these have been agreed upon. We are trying to sort them out with the GJM."
GJM president Bimal Gurung is also not in haste. He called the party's central committee meeting on Thursday to scrutinise the draft and respond to the government's bargain without losing the party's stance on the territory question. The GJM is also trying to assess the impact of its signing the deal when some its political rivals in the Hills didn't turn up at Deolo on July 8, despite Gurung's invite to discuss the draft.
The bargain now is mostly over territory. For the last two decades since the first tripartite deal was signed in July 1988, the Gorkha outfits have progressed from Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to the proposed GTA, which is indeed a step towards Gorkhaland state. But the rival outfits see in it nothing more than the name. The pressure is thus on the GJM to make the governments expand the jurisdiction of the GTA by including the Gorkha-dominated areas adjoining the hill subdivision.
This is possibly where the Centre wants to tread with caution. For the demand for inclusion of the mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars may trigger a clash that will have a far reaching impact on the geo-political scene at this strategic location.
The issue is likely to come up when Mamata Banerjee visits Darjeeling on July 18 and 19 for a meeting with the GJM. Her visit is to seal the memorandum of agreement that will be sent to the central government for its approval for the formation of GTA.
Gorkha council hits Centre hurdle
Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay , IE, Jul 15, Kolkata: The signing of the tripartite agreement among the state government, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Union government next week has hit a roadblock as the Central government has raised certain objections, chief among them is the use of the word “Gorkhaland” in the name of the interim council.
The Darjeeling district administration on Thursday called top leaders of the GJM to the district office including Morcha president Bimal Gurung, general secretary Roshan Giri and a few others and discussed the reservations raised by the Central government.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already made a trip to Junglemahal early this week and is keen on going to Darjeeling next week to sign the agreement. However, if the GJM does not approve of the Centre’s objections, the signing of the treaty will be delayed.
On being inquired about her plans to go to Darjeeling in the late evening before the Chief Minister left the Writers’ Building for home, she replied, “How can I go if the date is not fixed.”
Morcha is reportedly not happy with the Centre objecting to the use of the word “Gorkhaland’. “It was former Union Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai who used the phrase Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority. It is ridiculous that now they are objecting to the word’s use,” H B Chettri, Morcha MLA and spokesman, told The Indian Express.
However, the state government hoped the agreement would be signed soon. “There are a few small issues on which the Centre has raised objections. We have got back to the GJM on them. I think these will be sorted out soon,” said Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh.
He further said the Centre is very much keen on signing the agreement at the earliest.
Spate of bandhs from 15-19 July in N Bengal
PTI, Siliguri, 14 JulY: Several organisations, active in the Terai and the Dooars of north Bengal, have called for back-to-back separate bandhs from 15-19 July in protest against proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), a tripartite treaty proposed to be signed this week-end. While eight organisations, including Amra Bangali, Terai-Dooars Nagarik Manch called a 24-hour shutdown in the region tomorrow, the Adibasi Vikash Parisad again called a 48-hour bandh in the Terai and Dooars on 16 and 17 July.
To complicate matters, the Bangla-o-Bangla Bhasa Bachaon Committee also pitched in by giving a two-day bandh call on 18-19 July in protest against the proposed GTA. The police and administration were worried over the spate of bandhs as chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee was expected to visit Darjeeling Hills on 18-19 July to sign the GTA treaty though support base of the organisations having called the bandh was confined to same particular pockets. Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) (in-charge), Mr DT Lepcha told reporters that police would take appropriate measures if there was any move to disturb the peace. Former minister and senior CPI(M) leader, Mr Ashok Bhattacharya, said that though Marxists had opposed the bandh call, it would have been better had the decision on GTA been taken after discussion with all parties and communities of Terai-Dooars.
A leader of Adibasi Vikash Parishad, Mr Tej Kumar Toppo, alleged that the nine-member assessment committee formed by the state government to examine the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) demand to include 196 'moujas' of Terai and Dooars did not include even a singe Adivasi member though the community was the majority in the region.
Trinamul to hit street to fight strikes - Minister promises normal life
TT, Siliguri, July 14: Trinamul Congress workers will be out on the streets for the next five days starting tomorrow to oppose the shutdowns called by the various outfits in the Dooars and the Terai that are against the hill agreement, minister Gautam Deb said today.
In another protest against strikes, lawyers Moumita Pal and Pritam Ghosh filed a suit in the court of the Siliguri civil judge (junior division) here today, seeking judicial intervention to restrain three organisations and a political party from observing shutdowns on July 15, 18 and 19.
According to the advocates’ lawyer, Sunil Sarkar, Bangla Morcha, Rashtriya Shiv Sena, Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee and Amra Bangali have been named in the suit. Judge Prabir Mahapatra has ordered a hearing tomorrow.
North Bengal development minister Deb, who is also the core committee chairperson of the region for Trinamul, said he would accompany party MLAs and workers to ensure that the bandh was not enforced.
“We will be out on the streets, keeping a strong watch to help people lead normal life. We will inform the administration wherever we find that their intervention is needed,” he said.
In the evening, Deb held a meeting with police and the civil administration. He also met owners and employees of private buses and other means of transport, requesting them to run their vehicles.
“Government buses will be there and police and civil administration will run control rooms that will monitor the situation,” Deb said after the meeting. “I will be at new Jalpaiguri station tomorrow morning to see that tourists and passengers are not inconvenienced. I have assured private transport owners of safety. They in turn have agreed to run their vehicles.
“The presence of our MLAs and municipal councillors would instill confidence in the common people. If the need arises, they can draw the attention of the police and the administration,” he added.
The bandh enforcers are opposed to the formation of a new administrative set-up for the hills, the agreement on which was earlier expected to be signed in Darjeeling on July 18.
Eight forums based in Siliguri and the Terai and the Dooars have jointly called a 24-hour north Bengal strike tomorrow to protest the state’s decision to form the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad has called a 48-hour strike in the Terai and the Dooars from July 16 to protest the formation of a committee by the state to look into the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s demand to bring certain mouzas of the plains under the GTA.
The Bhasha Banchao Committee has called a two-day strike on July 18 and 19 to protest the formation of the GTA.
“A number of organisations that hardly have any presence (in the Dooars and the Terai) are trying to destabilise the region in collaboration with the CPM,” Deb told a news conference at the Siliguri Journalists’ Club earlier in the day.
The Darjeeling district CPM has also opposed the strikes but said the state should place the hill agreement in the Assembly for discussion. “If the government refuses to divulge the details, we would have no option but to file applications under the right to information,” CPM state committee member and former minister Asok Bhattacharya said today.
जनताले नै यो व्यवस्था मागेको हो-युवा कंग्रेसमनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 14 जुलाई। कहिल्यै स्पष्टसित कुरा नराख्ने युवा कंग्रेसले आज गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाको आन्दोलन गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति नै नरहेको स्पष्ट पारेको छ। दार्जीलिङ जिल्ला युवा कंग्रेसका सचिव दिलिप प्रधानले पत्रकारहरूसितको बातचितमा भने, गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाले केन्द्रसित गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति अहिलेसम्म सम्बन्ध नै राखेन। मोर्चाको आन्दोलन राज्य केन्द्रित भयो। जब कि छुट्टैराज्यको निम्ति केन्द्र सरकारसित कुरा राखिन पर्छ। यसै पनि सबैलाई थाहा छ कि कुरा संसदमा राखिनुपर्छ। संसदमा कुरा राख्न मोर्चाले भाजपा नेता जसवन्त सिंहलाई जिताएर त पठायो तर बजट सत्रमा कुरा राख्यो जसको रेकर्ड नै बस्दैन। कुरा उठाएको भ्र्रममात्र फैलाइने काम भयो।
आन्दोलन राज्य केन्द्रित भएकोले समस्याको समाधान पनि राज्यबाट नै भएको हो। यसैकारण नै बङ्गाल अधिनस्त यो व्यवस्था आइरहेको छ। आन्दोलनमा कंग्रेसको भूमिकामाथि प्रश्न गर्दा तिनले अझ भने, कंग्रेसले स्पष्ट भनेको छ, यदि गोर्खाल्याण्ड हुन सक्दैन भने प्राधिकरणहरू होइन, युनियन टेरिटोरी हुनुपर्छ भन्ने माग कंग्रेसले गरेको हो। केन्द्र अनि कंग्रेसको हाइकमाण्डलाई पनि यो कुरा बुझाइसकेका छौं। सोनिया गान्धी स्वयं गोर्खाहरूप्रति संवेदनशील छन्। उनकै परामर्शमा गृह मन्त्री पी. चिदम्बरमसित पनि कुरा राखेका हौं। तिनले युनियन टेरिटोरीको निम्ति मेन्डेट लिएर आउनु भने। यसको निम्ति हामीले यसपल्टको विधानसभा चुनाउ लड़ेका हौं, तर जनताले युनियन टेरिटोरी रुचाएनन्। जनताले प्राधिकरण नै रुचाए।
अहिले जुन व्यवस्था पहाड़मा आइरहेको छ, यो जनताले मागेको कुरा हो। तिनी अनुसार जनता पनि गोर्खाल्याण्ड चहॉंदैनन्। चहाने हो भने गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति वा युनियन टेरिटोरीको निम्ति मेन्डेट दिनेथियो। कंग्रेस सधैँ गोर्खाल्याण्डको पक्षमा रहेको बताउँदै तिनले विमल गुरूङको आन्दोलन राज्यमुखी रहेको अनि गुरूङले गरेको माग ममतामा पुगेकोले नै मुख्यमन्त्रीले मोर्चाले मागे अनुसारको व्यवस्था दिएको बताए। तिनले अहिलेको व्यवस्थाको सन्दर्भमा पनि मोर्चा राज्य केन्द्रित रहेकोले मोर्चा र राज्यमा यदि सहमति भए कुरा मिलाउने पक्षमा केन्द्र रहेको पनि बताए।
जोग चाम्लिङलाई पूर्ण राई स्मृति पुरस्कार प्रदान
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ,14 जुलाई। नेपाली साहित्य अध्ययन समितिले 197 औं भानु जयन्ती दुइ दिन पालन गर्दै आज कथाकार जोग चाम्लिङलाई यसवर्षको पूर्ण राई स्मृति पुरस्कार प्रदान गर्यो। कवयित्री सानुमति राई कार्यक्रमका मुख्य अतिथि थिए भने तिनकै बाहुलीबाट चाम्लिङलाई समितिको मुखपत्र साहित्य संकेतमा प्रकाशित कथा अव्यक्त सन्देशको निम्ति यो पुरस्कार प्रदान गरिएको थियो। कार्यक्रम अनि समितिका अध्यक्ष डा सरोजा राई अनि सूचना एवं सांस्कृतिक विभागका अधिकारी मितेन्द्र छेत्रीको उपस्थितिमा यो पुरस्कार चाम्लिङलाई प्रदान गरियो। पुरस्कारस्वरूप नगद राशि, स्मृति चिन्ह अनि प्रशस्ती पत्र प्रदान गरियो। यसै अवसरमा कविगोष्ठी पनि राखिएको थियो, जसमा कवि शमशेर अली, मनोज वोगटी, टीएन सुवेदी, निर्मला प्रधान, हर्क परियार, अरूणप्रकाश राई, ललिता शर्मा तथा अन्य रहेका थिए। कविहरूलाई पनि समितिले सम्वर्धना गर्दै प्रशस्ती पत्र प्रदान गर्यो। यसैबीच आइसीएसई परीक्षामा नेपाली विषयमा सर्वोत्तम अङ्क ल्याउने दुइ विद्यार्थीलाई पनि समितिले सम्वर्धना जनायो।
ममताको पहाड़ आगमनमा माकपालाई असुविधा छैन-तारा
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ,14 जुलाई। गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्ड राज्यको कुरालाई छोेड़ेर गोर्खाल्याण्ड टेरिटोरी एड्मिनिष्ट्रेशनमा हस्ताक्षर गर्ने भए पछि ममताले मुख्यमन्त्रीको शपथ लिँदै गरेको घोषणा पुरा हुने देखिएको छ। तिनले तीन महिनामा पहाड़को समस्या समाधान गर्छु भनेकी थिइन्, जो पुरा गरिन्। पहाड़को समस्याकोरूपमा तिनले छुट्टै राज्य गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दालाई नलिएको कुरा मोर्चाले जीटीएमा सहमति दिएकोले छर्लङ्ग छ। जीटीएको विरोध पहाड़मा मात्र होइन तराई र डुवर्समा पनि भइरहेको छ।
तराई र डुवर्सको मोर्चा शाखाहरूले पनि असन्तुष्टी जाहेर गरिनै रहेको छ। यी असन्तुष्टीहरूलाई त अनदेखा गरिएकै छ अर्कोतिर गोर्खाल्याण्ड आन्दोलनको विरोधी शक्तिहरूले ममताको पहाड़ आगमनको विरोधमा बन्द नै डाकेको भए पनि न त मोर्चालाई फरक परेको छ न त राज्य सरकारलाई। अर्कोतिर ममताको विरुद्धमा डाकिएको बन्द माकपा प्रायोजित रहेको आरोप चलिरहेको बेलामा आज माकपाको पक्षबाट तारा सुन्दासले ममताको पहाड़ आगमनसित माकपालाई कुनै आपत्ति नरहेको जनाएका छन्।
बन्दको कुरा माकपासित सरोकृत नरहेको समेत बताउँदै तिनले भने, पहाड़को समस्या समाधान हुनुपर्छ भनेर त माकपाले नै भनेको। माकपाले खनेकै बाटो हिँड़ेर ममता यो व्यवस्थामा आइपुगिन्। तर ममता र माकपाको नीति र दुरदर्शितामा आकाश पतालको फरक छ। किन भने स्वायत्ता शासनकै कुरा गर्नु हो भने आनन्द पाठकले जुन दाबी गरेर प्राइबेट बील ल्याइएको थियो त्यो संवैधानिक थियो, मोर्चाले ममताबाट थापेको चिज संवैधानिक होइन। पहाड़को समस्याको समाधान अस्थायीरूपले गर्नु भनेको आफ्नै खुट्टामा बञ्चरो हान्नु हो। हतारले घर बनिँदैन। यसमा राजनैतिक सोंच दुरदर्शी हुनुपर्छ। तिनले माकपालाई लगाइएका आरोपहरू निराधार नरहेको बताउँदै बन्द गर्ने वा वाधा उत्पन्न गर्ने सङ्गठनहरूसित माकपाको कुनै सरोकार नरहेको स्पष्ट पारे।
Siikim Doctor gets seat in Minneosta university
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, GANGTOK, JULY 14: 28 years old Dr. Anup Raj Pradhan from Sikkim has become the first student from Sikkim to get through in Post Graduate program in the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis, USA after appearing the toughest entrance exam that was held for the period of two years from 2007-09.
University of Minnesota is a highly ranked prestigious University ranked 7th in the US and 20th in the world.
“I am elated and very much content to get an admission in the University which I have always dreamt of” Anup said while talking with Media.
His subject in the University would be Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences majoring in Infectious disease.
To make his wildest dream come true Anup had to pass the United State Licensing Exam.
He had also completed his Clinical Externships from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York Medical College, Columbia University Presbyterian of New York and STNM Hospital.
“Lots of challenges are waiting for me, I have to make the name of Sikkim shine” he says.
Born to SK Pradhan and Sabitri Pradhan Anup also topped Sikkim in class XII board exam scoring 94%. He was also awarded the national scholarship by CBSE for securing 98% in Biology.
He completed his MBBS from JIPMER, Pondicherry in 2006. His interest stage dramas, debates, elocutions and creative writings.
DOPING CASE - Bhaichung for prior testing of food supplements
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, July 14: As Indian athletes are being subjected to shame and their dreams shattered after being tested positive for banned anabolic steroids, Indian football sensation Bhaichung Bhutia has stepped into the defensive. In the wake of doping scandal shaming Indian sportsmen and accusing fingers against coaches and sports authorities, Bhaichung Bhutia stressed on the need to test supplements before giving them to the sportsmen.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the practice session of his team United Sikkim FC at Paljor Stadium here, Bhutia pointed out that the government only takes action on athletes instead of testing the food supplements in question.
‘Since sportspersons have tested positive after consuming foreign made supplements, the government should at least test those before players consume. In India, we don’t do anything for the athletes, so when there is a supplement from abroad, the government’s duty is to at least test those supplements. It does take action but they need to do much more than just taking action’ said Bhutia.
Expressing sadness on the government action being taken against the athletes, Bhutia underlined the need to test food supplements before the crime is committed. The striker has been voicing the need to have all food supplements tested at different forums of the union government.
The ace footballer’s comments come at a time when the government is mulling over stringent anti-doping law laying action and penalty on the athletes. The athletes in question have protested their innocence blaming contaminated food supplements for the results.
So far eight high profile athletes including 3 members of relay team Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose and Ashwini, have tested positive for banned drugs, thus casting a cloud over the country’s Olympic ambitions.
Sikkim MBBS seats cut to 50- College accuses MCI of last-minute intimation
TT, Gangtok, July 14: The Medical Council of India has cut down to 50 the MBBS seats at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, the only medical college in the Himalayan state.
The decision was conveyed to the SMIMS at a time when first year classes are about to begin and 100 students had been selected for admission. The authorities have now put 50 students on waiting list after the MCI intimation.
Based at Tadong here, the SMIMS comes under Sikkim Manipal University and has been operational since 2000. Although at the time of its inception, the SMIMS had been sanctioned 50 seats, last year the MCI had allowed the admission of 100 students.
“Recognised for 50 seats. (Not permitted for renewal of permission for increase of seats from 50 to 100 for 2011-12),” reads an update on the MCI website. According to SMIMS authorities, the update was posted on the MCI website on July 3 and the intimation sent to the office of the dean of the SMIMS four days later. The letter cutting down its admission strength comes at a time when the SMIMS is aggressively pushing to increase its MBBS seats to 150.
“I was shocked when I first read the information on the MCI website. It was only after we got the letter on July 7 that we could prepare a response requesting the MCI to reconsider its decision to cut down the number of seats to 50. We have written to the board of governors of the MCI to reconsider their decision,” said SMIMS dean Ravinder Nath Salhan.
MCI teams had visited the medical college in March and May this year to inspect the infrastructure and faculty strength of the private college for seat expansion.
“The MCI report had cited deficiencies like lack of accommodation for resident doctors, small size of examination halls and faculty quality. We have presented a comparative statement of the MCI requirements, the observations made by the two assessing teams and actual ground position at the SMIMS as of today. This comparative statement clearly brings out that there is no such deficiency as to not to grant permission to increase seats,” said the dean.
“We have told the MCI that Sikkim is located in a mountainous region and because of its difficult and remote location, it is a cumbersome process to fill in the faculty position. But an effort is always on to fill up the posts,” he added.
The SMIMS had circulated advertisements as early as in February announcing that it had 100 MBBS seats and the number was likely to go up to 150. A total of 982 students sat for the entrance exams conducted by the Sikkim Manipal University in the last week of May. Counselling was conducted on July 11 and 13 for admission to the institute. Classes are scheduled to start in August.
Stunned by the unexpected decision, the SMIMS authorities have, at the moment, kept the next 50 students on the merit list on waiting list till it convinces the mediical council to reconsider its decision. “The SMIMS is the only medical college in this state and is the largest source of producing local doctors by reserving 20 percent of annual intake for students of Sikkim. Increased number of seats will go a long way in serving the people of Sikkim,” said Salhan.
Sikkim Lok Sabha member P.D. Rai said he was aware of the MI decision to cut down on the MBBS seats for SMIMS. “It is a matter of common concern for all of us and we are taking it up with the ministry of health,” he said over the phone from Delhi.
Cop suicide
TT, Alipurduar: A constable of the state armed police hanged himself in his temporary camp on Satali Tea Estate on Wednesday. Police said Rajesh Tamang, 26, was from Dali in Darjeeling district and he was found hanging in the washroom of the camp.
2 girls dead
TT, Jaigaon/Islampur: The body of a teenaged girl was found beside railway tracks at Kalchini on Thursday and a four-year-old girl was killed in an accident in Kishenganj on Wednesday. The body found in Kalchini was that of 17-year-old Sumitra Oraon, a resident of Dima Tea Estate. In another incident, Soma Kisku died when she was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle at Tipijhari near Putia in Kishenganj on Wednesday night. The girl from Putia was crossing the road when the vehicle hit her.
Timber seized
TT, Siliguri: Foresters of Baikunthapur division intercepted a pick-up van at Collegepara near here on Thursday and recovered saal and teak woods worth around Rs 3lakh from the vehicle. The driver of the pick-up van and another person with him have been arrested. The vehicle has been seized.
Wage talks
TT,Siliguri: Representatives of tea planters and trade union leaders could not reach a consensus on a revision in the wages of the garden workers in the Dooars and the Terai even after a four-hour meeting in Calcutta on Thursday. Amal Roy Choudhury, the state labour commissioner, said another meeting would be held on Friday to discuss the issues.
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| SMIMS in Tadong |
Based at Tadong here, the SMIMS comes under Sikkim Manipal University and has been operational since 2000. Although at the time of its inception, the SMIMS had been sanctioned 50 seats, last year the MCI had allowed the admission of 100 students.
“Recognised for 50 seats. (Not permitted for renewal of permission for increase of seats from 50 to 100 for 2011-12),” reads an update on the MCI website. According to SMIMS authorities, the update was posted on the MCI website on July 3 and the intimation sent to the office of the dean of the SMIMS four days later. The letter cutting down its admission strength comes at a time when the SMIMS is aggressively pushing to increase its MBBS seats to 150.
“I was shocked when I first read the information on the MCI website. It was only after we got the letter on July 7 that we could prepare a response requesting the MCI to reconsider its decision to cut down the number of seats to 50. We have written to the board of governors of the MCI to reconsider their decision,” said SMIMS dean Ravinder Nath Salhan.
MCI teams had visited the medical college in March and May this year to inspect the infrastructure and faculty strength of the private college for seat expansion.
“The MCI report had cited deficiencies like lack of accommodation for resident doctors, small size of examination halls and faculty quality. We have presented a comparative statement of the MCI requirements, the observations made by the two assessing teams and actual ground position at the SMIMS as of today. This comparative statement clearly brings out that there is no such deficiency as to not to grant permission to increase seats,” said the dean.
“We have told the MCI that Sikkim is located in a mountainous region and because of its difficult and remote location, it is a cumbersome process to fill in the faculty position. But an effort is always on to fill up the posts,” he added.
The SMIMS had circulated advertisements as early as in February announcing that it had 100 MBBS seats and the number was likely to go up to 150. A total of 982 students sat for the entrance exams conducted by the Sikkim Manipal University in the last week of May. Counselling was conducted on July 11 and 13 for admission to the institute. Classes are scheduled to start in August.
Stunned by the unexpected decision, the SMIMS authorities have, at the moment, kept the next 50 students on the merit list on waiting list till it convinces the mediical council to reconsider its decision. “The SMIMS is the only medical college in this state and is the largest source of producing local doctors by reserving 20 percent of annual intake for students of Sikkim. Increased number of seats will go a long way in serving the people of Sikkim,” said Salhan.
Sikkim Lok Sabha member P.D. Rai said he was aware of the MI decision to cut down on the MBBS seats for SMIMS. “It is a matter of common concern for all of us and we are taking it up with the ministry of health,” he said over the phone from Delhi.
Cop suicide
TT, Alipurduar: A constable of the state armed police hanged himself in his temporary camp on Satali Tea Estate on Wednesday. Police said Rajesh Tamang, 26, was from Dali in Darjeeling district and he was found hanging in the washroom of the camp.
2 girls dead
TT, Jaigaon/Islampur: The body of a teenaged girl was found beside railway tracks at Kalchini on Thursday and a four-year-old girl was killed in an accident in Kishenganj on Wednesday. The body found in Kalchini was that of 17-year-old Sumitra Oraon, a resident of Dima Tea Estate. In another incident, Soma Kisku died when she was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle at Tipijhari near Putia in Kishenganj on Wednesday night. The girl from Putia was crossing the road when the vehicle hit her.
Timber seized
TT, Siliguri: Foresters of Baikunthapur division intercepted a pick-up van at Collegepara near here on Thursday and recovered saal and teak woods worth around Rs 3lakh from the vehicle. The driver of the pick-up van and another person with him have been arrested. The vehicle has been seized.
Wage talks
TT,Siliguri: Representatives of tea planters and trade union leaders could not reach a consensus on a revision in the wages of the garden workers in the Dooars and the Terai even after a four-hour meeting in Calcutta on Thursday. Amal Roy Choudhury, the state labour commissioner, said another meeting would be held on Friday to discuss the issues.
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