SHRP demonstrates against the CM in Gangtok... Tea strike called off- Embargo too lifted ... प्रायोगिक पाठशालाको यो उदाहरमीय काम हो-निरिक्षक

SHRP demonstrates against the CM in Gangtok.

KalimNews, Gangtok: Activists of Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad demonstrated at Shisha Golai NH 31A this afternoon. They shouted slogans against the prevention and control of public order bill placed by Pawan Chamling, Sikkim Chief Minister.They burnt effigy of Chamling and shouted slogans. Later police intervened to disperse the SHRP supporters and arrested Areom Prakash Bista, Binod Sharma, L M Subba, Govind Sharma, Gyalpo Tamang, Dhan Bahadur Mangar, M B Rai and Gopal Chhetri.(All Pics: Prabin Khaling)
TT, Gangtok, Aug. 14: For the first time in four years, an opposition party in Sikkim today burnt the effigy of chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling to protest against a bill that seeks to curb strikes and other modes of agitation to preserve public order.
While members of the Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) burnt the effigy and waved black flags, other opposition parties in the state decided to boycott the high tea to be hosted by the governor at Raj Bhavan tomorrow on the occasion of Independence Day.
A group of SHRP supporters gathered on NH31A in front of the Lal Bazaar supermarket at 1.45pm and brought out black flags and posters condemning the Sikkim Prevention and Control of Disturbance of Public Order Bill.
They had also burnt Chamling’s effigy minutes before his convoy passed by on its way to the chief minister’s residence in Mintokgang.
Sadar police arrived at the spot soon and arrested the SHRP members. They were booked under Section 169 of the Sikkim Police Act for creating nuisance at public places. Under this section, an offender is fined Rs 200 and released on bail after he/she is produced in court.
The last time Chamling’s effigy had been burnt was on August 8, 2007. The supporters of the SHRP were then protesting the alleged suppression of opposition parties by the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front.
The bill seeks to curb activities like strikes, dharnas, hunger-strikes, waving of black flags and sloganeering that might affect public order. It even sets curbs on drug abuse, drunken behaviour and visit to discos by persons below the age of 18. The bill is scheduled to be put to the vote in the Assembly on August 26. All 32 members in the Assembly are from the SDF.
The boycott of the governor’s tea party was announced by Sikkim National People’s Party president Biraj Adhikary. “We are jointly going to launch a protest campaign against this black bill and it will start with the boycott of tomorrow’s tea party at Raj Bhavan where all political party leaders have been invited,” said Adhikary.
The usually pro-active publicity wing of the SDF has not issued any statement on the opposition protest at the bill.

सबै विद्यार्थीलाई युनिफर्म वितरण - प्रायोगिक पाठशालाको यो उदाहरणीय काम हो- निरिक्षक

मनोज बोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 14 अगस्त। कालेबुङको सरकारी निम्न वुनियादी प्रायोगिक पाठशालाका विद्यार्थीहरूलाई स्वाधिनता दिवसको पूर्व सन्ध्यामा एक कार्यक्रमबीच निःशुल्क युनिफर्म वितरण गरियो। पाठशाला भारतको पञ्च वर्षीय योजना अन्तर्गत 1950 मा स्थापित सरकारी प्राथमिक शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण संस्थान(पीटीटीआई)सित संलग्न रहेको छ। 

दागोपापको सर्व शिक्षा अभियान अधिनस्त एसएसएम सेलले प्रायोजना गरेको रकमबाट सबै वर्गका विद्यार्थीहरूलाई युनिफर्म प्रदान गरिएको थियो किन भने एसएसएम सेलको नीति अनुसार पहिलो श्रेणीदेखि पॉंचौं श्रेणीसम्मका अनुसूचित जाति र अनुसूचित जनजातिका छात्रहरू अनि सबै जातिका छात्राहरूलाई मात्र यूनिफर्म प्रदान गर्ने राशि आवण्टित गरिएको थियो भने जेनेरल र ओबीसी छात्रहरूको निम्ति राशि आवण्टित गरिएको थिएन तर  एउटै पाठशाला पढ्ने विद्यार्थीहरूलाई छुट्टाएर सम्बन्धित विद्यार्थीहरूलाई मात्र यूनिफर्म प्रदान गर्न असुविधा देखिएकोले पाठशालाले सबैवर्गका विद्यार्थी अनि प्राक प्राथमिक (नर्सरी) सेक्सनका विद्यार्थीहरू समेतलाई यूनिफर्म प्रदान गरेको थियो। 

पाठशालाको यस प्रकारको प्रबन्धप्रति कालेबुङ शहरी क्षेत्रका प्रकल्प कार्यालय अनि सह-निरीक्षक एरिक एण्ड्रु राई अनि पेम्पा शेर्पाले सराहना गरे। उनीहरूले सर्व शिक्षा अभियान अन्तर्गत क्षेत्र प्रकल्प अधिकारी (सीपीओ) कालेबुङ शहरी क्षेत्र अनि प्राथमिक पाठशाला निरीक्षक यस कार्यक्रममा कालेबुङ शहरी क्षेत्रका प्रतिनिधिको रूपमा उपस्थित थिए। सरकारी प्राथमिक शिक्षक प्रशिक्षण संस्थान अथवा बीटी कलेजको प्रेक्षा गृहमा 23 न. वार्ड शिक्षा समितिका अध्यक्ष दीपारानी ठकुरीको अध्यक्षतामा कार्यक्रम सम्पन्न भएको थियो। अभिभावकहरूको उपस्थितिमा नै विद्यार्थीहरूलाई यूनिफर्म प्रदान गरिएको थियो। मुख्य अतिथिका रूपमा एरिक एण्ड्रु राई अनि पेम्पा शेर्पा उपस्थित थिए भने बीटी कलेजका प्राचार्य मणिन्द्र भूजेल, प्राध्यापिका सूचोलना थापा लगायत एमटीए अध्यक्षा रेनुका शाह विशिष्ट अतिथिको रूपमा उपस्थित थिइन्‌। शिक्षक रूद्र छेत्रीले कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै जनाए अनुसार यसै वर्षको 14 जुलाईको दिन पाठशालामा डब्ल्यूईसी, एमटीए, अभिभावक अनि पीटीटीआईका प्राचार्यहरूको उपस्थितिमा भएको सभामा एउटा प्रस्ताव पारित गरिएको थियो। यसै सभामा आवण्टित रकम अनुसार नर्सरीदेखि पॉंचौं श्रेणीसम्मका सम्पूर्ण विद्यार्थीहरूलाई नै यूनिफर्म वितरण गरिने निर्णय गरिएको थियो। 

यसै सम्बन्धमा बोल्दै सह-निरीक्षक कार्यालय प्रतिनिधि पेम्पा शेर्पाले आफ्नो सम्बोधनमा भने, स्कूल यूनिफर्म सबै विद्यार्थीहरूलाई आवण्टित नभएकोबारे शिक्षक शिक्षिकाहरूले सबै विद्यार्थीहरूबीच सम्बन्धित विद्यार्थीहरूलाई मात्र कसरी यूनिफर्म प्रदान गर्नु पर्ने सम्बन्धमा सधैं प्रश्न उठाउँछन्‌। शिक्षकहरूको निम्ति कुनै पनि विद्यार्थी एकै हुन्‌। उनीहरूलाई छुट्याएर यूनिफर्म वितरण गर्नु असुविधा उत्पन्न हुन्छ। आज जसरी समस्याको समाधान गर्न राम्रो विकल्प यहॉं देखियो यो स्तुत्य रहेको छ। सरकारी नियमको उल्लङ्घन गरेर कार्यालयले केही गर्न नसक्ने असमर्थता पनि उनले जनाए। प्रायोगिक पाठशालाले व्यवहारिक रूपमा एक्सपेरिमेन्टल स्कूलको नाम सत्य प्रमाणित गरेको तिनले दाबी पनि गरे। प्राचार्य मणिन्द्र भूजेलले सम्बोधन गर्दै व्यवस्थापनबारे जानकारी दिए। प्रधानाध्यापिका नमिता सरकारले पनि सम्बोधन राखेकी थिइन्‌। यसै अवसरमा 65औं स्वाधीनता दिवसको पूर्व सन्ध्यामा विद्यार्थीहरूले देशभक्ति गीत अनि कविता आवृति पनि प्रस्तुत गरेका थिए। 

Tea strike called off- Embargo too lifted

The meeting between minister Deb (left) and the trade union leaders in Siliguri on Sunday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, Aug. 14: The Adivasi trade union today withdrew its proposed two-day tea strike from August 17 after a meeting with north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, two days after Mamata Banerjee spoke of enacting a law to ban shutdowns.
The trade union has also relaxed the embargo on the despatch of tea from the gardens that had been in place since August 5.
The minister told the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union that the government, which had come to power only four months ago, needed time to redress their demands. Later he met Bhaskar Chalia, the secretary of the Terai Branch of the Indian Tea Association, an organisation of planters. “I have requested them to have patience… We have started negotiating with the trade union leaders and with the help of the chief minister and industrial minister Partha Chatterjee, a settlement will be reached,” Deb said.
He has told the Adivasi leaders not to resort to strikes that proved to be counter-productive for both the workers and the industry.
The trade union, the labour arm of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad with considerable clout in the Dooars and the Terai, had been demanding a daily wage of Rs 250 for its workers who now get Rs 67.
On Friday, referring to the recent spate of shutdowns in north Bengal over tea wages, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had said her government might be forced to enact a law to ban strikes.
“Considering the positive response from the state government, we decided to withdraw the proposed 48-hour tea garden strike. Apart from that we have also taken a decision to allow the despatch of tea from different tea gardens from August 17,” Sukra Munda, the chairperson of the PTWU, said. “It is up to the government now to arrive at a justified rate for workers’ payment.”
Asked how long his union would wait or what the “justified rate” would be, Sukra skirted the questions.

The Parishad, however, brushed aside the allegations of other trade unions that its agitation had been hurting the interests of the workers. Currently, the PTWU is not a member of any of the two apex bodies of trade unions.

“We were with the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers and followed its instructions without raising any questions for several years. But even after the 64 years of our Independence, the Adivasis remain deprived. So, we decided to form our own trade union,” said John Barla, a Parishad leader.

Minister Deb also vehemently opposed the allegations raised by Citu and Intuc, trade unions of the CPM and the Congress, that the government was “trying to divide the unity of workers” by entering into a dialogue only with the Parishad.

“There is no question of calling only the Parishad for dialogue. They wanted to talk with us and we had only reciprocated. Earlier, the leaders of a section of tea unions had met the state labour minister in Calcutta without any prior appointment,” Deb said.
Road Death
TT,Siliguri: The driver of a Calcutta-bound NBSTC bus died and 30 others were injured when the vehicle collided with a Siliguri-bound private bus on NH31 near Hashkhawa tea estate on Sunday. Dinesh Barman, 52, a resident of Alipurduar, died on the spot. While eight injured persons were released after first-aid at the Bagdogra primary health centre, 28 others have been referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.