प्रश्न उठ्न थाल्यो - अन्नाको निम्ति एक हुन सक्छ भने पहाड़को भ्रष्टचारको विरोधमा किन हुन सक्दैन?
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। जनलोकपाल बीलको निम्ति अन्ना हजारेले गरेको पहलले राष्ट्रिय समर्थन प्राप्त गरेको छ। हजारेलाई प्राप्त समर्थनबाट पहाड़ पनि अछुत रहेन तर कसैले पनि बलियोरूपले दागापोप भ्रष्टचारबारे आवाज बुलन्द गरेन। आज कालेबुङमा गोर्खा जनमुक्ति विद्यार्थी मोर्चाले अन्ना हजारेको समर्थनमा जुन जुलूस निकाल्यो यसबाट पहाड़को भ्रष्टचारमाथि पनि विरोध गर्ने उर्जाको विकास गर्नुपर्ने भुतपूर्वसैनिक मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष कर्णल रमेश आलेले बताएका छन्। अन्ना हजारेले भ्रष्टचारको अन्त्य हुनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा राष्ट्रभरिका जनताको ध्यान खिँचे। भ्रष्टचारको विरूद्ध अन्नाको युद्ध देशभरि फैलिरहेको बेला दागोपापको भ्रष्टचारको कुरा उठ्नुपर्ने हो तर अहिलेसम्म नै कुनै पनि सङ्गठनले यसबारे आवाज उठाएको छैन। अन्ना हजारेले पाइरहेको सफलताबाट प्रेरणा लिएर दागोपापमा भएको भ्रष्टचारको निम्ति लड्न पनि जिल्लाका जनता सड़कमा आउन पर्ने सबैले अनुभव गरिरहेका छन् तर कसैसित पनि दागोपाप भ्रष्टचारको हिसाबकिताब छैन। गोरामुमो सीका अध्यक्ष कर्णल डीके प्रधानले बोक्रे विरोध र सतहीरूपले आन्दोलित रहने संस्कारबाट मुक्त बन्न नसकेको कारणले नै पहाड़मा भ्रष्टचारको विरोध हुन नसकेको बताएका छन्। तिनले भने, आइलाको निम्ति आएको 60 करोड कहॉं पुग्यो? घिसिङले छोड़ेको दागोपापको 1 सय 21 करोड कहॉं पुग्यो? यसबारे कसले आवाज उठाइरहेको छ? अन्ना हजारेले भ्रष्टचारको विरोध गर्दा एक हुनसक्छ भने पहाड़को भ्रष्टचारको विरोधको निम्ति किन एक हुन सक्दैन? के पहाड़मा भ्रष्टचार गर्नेहरूलाई स्वतन्त्र छोडिदिनुपर्ने हो त? आँगनमा नै भ्रष्टचार भइरहेको छ। न त पानीको व्यवस्था छ न त बाटोको। न त विजुलीको व्यवस्था राम्रो छ न त शिक्षाको। यसैको निम्ति सरकारले राशि अनुमोदन गरेको छ, ती राशिहरू ठीकसितले प्रयोग भयो कि भएन कसले हेर्ने? तिनले पहाड़ले अन्ना हजारेबाट पनि सही शिक्षा लिन नसक्नु लाजमर्दो कुरा रहेको बताएका छन्।
अन्ना हजारेले भ्रष्टचार विरूद्ध जनलोकपाल बील ल्याइनुपर्ने माग गरेपछि दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाका यस्ता कोही मानिस छैनन् जसले दागोपापको भ्रष्टचारको रहस्यको पर्दाफास होनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा आन्दोलन होस् भनेर नसोंचेको होस्। फेसबुकदेखि एसएमएससम्म, फोनदेखि भेटघाटसम्म अन्नासित नै पहाड़मा भइरहेका भ्रष्टचारहरूको चर्चा चलिरहेको छ। तर अहिलेसम्म दागोपापमा कति राशि आयो र कति सरकारीरूपमा प्रयोग गरियो? यसको हिसाब किताब कहॉं छ? मिड डे मिलदेखि साक्षारता अभियानसम्म, पञ्चायतदेखि नगरपालिकासम्मको भ्रष्टचारको हिसाब किताब कसले खोज्ने हो? फेसबुक वालमा जलढकाका प्रकाश छेत्रीले पनि यस्तै प्रश्न उठाउँदै लेखेका छन्। अन्नाको समर्थनमा फेसबुकको वाल भरिएको भए पनि पहाड़को भ्रष्टचारबारे जिज्ञासा राख्नेहरू भने तर थोरै छन्। माकपादेखि गोरामुमोसम्म, गोरामुमोदेखि गोजमुमोसम्मले दागोपापमा आएका राशिहरूको दुरूपयोग गरेका छन् तर यसको विरूद्ध आवाज उठाउने जनताको निम्ति सही ठाउँ नरहेको केही नेताहरूले भन्ने त गरेका छन् तर उनीहरूसित पनि भ्रष्टचारको सही तथ्याङ्क हातमा छैन। करोड़ौको घोटला चलिरहेको छ, तर घोटालाबाजहरू खुल्लमखुल्ला छाती फुकाएर हिँड़िरहेका छन्। हजारेबाट प्रेरणा लिएर जनता सड़कमा आए मात्र जनताको पैसा दुरुपयोग गर्नेहरूले सही दण्ड पाउन सक्छन-भ्रष्टचारको विरोधमा रहेको तर खुलेर बोल्न नसक्ने एक वरिष्ट नागरिकको कुरा यस्तो छ।
यता कर्णल डीके प्रधानले गोरामुमोले गरेको भ्रष्टचारको पर्दाफास गर्छु भन्ने गोजमुमोले सबै कार्यालयहरूको घोटला सम्बन्धित सरकारी कागज हात पारिसकेपछि चुपचाप बसेको अनि आफुले पनि गोरामुमो कै राग अलापेको कुरा गर्दै के भनेका छन् भने जति नै भ्रष्टचार भए पनि बङ्गाललाई भने कुनै मतलब छैन। घोटला गर्न दिन्छ अनि त्यसैलाई कमजोरी बनाएर छुट्टैराज्यको निम्ति लड़िरहेका आन्दोलनकारीहरूलाई दुर्बल बनाउँछ। यसै पनि पहाड़मा विभिन्न प्रश्नहरू उठिरहेका छन् जस्तैः- गोरामुमोले गरेको भ्रष्टचारको के कुनै खोजतलास हुँदैन? बीएल मिनाले खुलासा गरेको घोटलाबारे कसैले चासो नलिने? चुपचाप बसेर जुन दल आउँछ उसलाई भ्रष्टचार गर्न प्रेरित गर्ने? भ्रष्टचार गर्दै पार्टी चलाउनेहरूको टुप्पी उखेल्न सचेत र शिक्षित समाज अघि आउन पर्छ। यता विमल गुरूङले पनि भनिसकेका छन्, दागोपापमा प्रशस्त भ्रष्टचार भएको छ, यसको खुलासा हुनपर्छ। दोषीहरूले दण्ड पाउनपर्छ। दागोपापमा रहेको भ्रष्टचार मात्र होइन, विभिन्न सरकारी निकायहरूमा चलेको भ्रष्टचारहरूको पनि खुलासा गर्न बुद्धिजीवीहरूले कार्य गर्नुपर्ने कालेबुङका युवावर्ग पनि बताउँछन्। एक युवक दिवाकर छेत्रीले पनि भने, भ्रष्टचार भनेको जनताको अधिकारमा अवरोध ल्याइने अपराध हो। यस्ता अपराधीहरूलाई दण्ड दिलाउनको निम्ति युवाशक्तिको प्रयोग गरिनुपर्छ। माकपा नेता तारा सुन्दासले पनि हजारेबाट पाठ सिकेर पहाड़का भ्रष्टचारी नेतामात्र होइनन्, कन्ट्राक्टर, विभिन्न विभागका अधिकारीलाई दण्ड दिलाउन सबै अघि आउनुपर्ने बताउँदै भने, अन्ना हजारेले जुन भ्रष्टचारबाट स्वाधिन हुनुपर्ने आन्दोलन गरेको छ, त्यो क्षेत्रीयस्तरबाट नै व्यवहारिकरूपले गरिनुपर्छ। यसो गरे मात्र हजारे सपल बन्ने छन्।
विश्व फोटोग्रापी दिवसको अवसरमा - कालेबुङका युवा फोटोग्राफरहरूले गरे प्राकृतिक अभिव्यक्तिको प्रदर्शन
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। फोटोग्राफी कलात्मक अभिव्यक्ति हो,प्राकृति सौन्दर्यलाई एक फोटोग्राफरले जुनरूपले पस्किन्छ, पारखीलाई त्यहॉंभित्र फोटोग्राफरले देखाएको कलाले प्रभावित पार्छ। दर्शक प्रभावित भयो भने त्यो फोटोग्राफरको सफलता हुन्छ-एकवर्षदेखि फोटोग्राफीमा मनोयोग दिएर लागिपरेका युवा फोटोग्राफटर लवाङ लेप्चाले हर्षित मुद्रामा पत्रकारहरूलाई भनिरहेका थिए। आज रामकृषण रङ्गमञ्चको अम्बेदकार सभागृहको चारभित्ता मोठ 44 वटा फोटोहरूले सजिएको थियो। आज वर्ल्ड फोटोग्रफी डे-लाई बहाना बनाएर हामी स्थानीय 8 जना फोटोग्राफरहरूले आजदेखि दुइदिने फोटो प्रदर्शनी गरेका हौं-प्रदर्शनीबारे स्थानीय चर्चित फोटोग्राफर सामतेन काबोले भने। केटीभीका निर्देशक नरेन्द्र तामङले प्रदर्शनीको उद्घाटनीमा भने, युवा फोटोग्राफरहरूले आफ्नो प्रयासमा गरेको यो फोटो प्रदर्शनी नयॉंहरूको निम्ति सिँडी हो। कालेबुङकी डिप्युटी म्याजिस्ट्रेट डिछेन ओङ्मुले रिबन काटेर प्रदर्शनीको उद्घाटन गरिदिइन्। आठ-बाह्र साइजको फ्रेममा सजाइएका फोटोहरू हेर्दै कार्यक्रमका अतिथि हेमकुमार राईले सबैलाई सुनाए, कलाका अन्यतम अभिव्यक्तिहरू दिने यी फोटोहरू भोलीका भविष्य हुन्। अन्तराष्ट्रियस्तरका फोटोपत्रिका,अन्तराष्ट्रिय, राष्ट्रिय फोटो प्रतियोगिताहरूमा सहभागी भनेर कालेबुङको फोटोकलालाई उकाल्दै आइरहेका फोटोपत्रकार चिन्लोप फुदोङ, सामतेन काबो, नृपेन घतानीहरूदेखि लिएर व्ल्याक एण्ड वाइट क्यामेरा हुँदैदेखि फोटोग्रापी गर्दै आइरहेका वरिष्ट फोटोग्राफर गणेशमणि प्रधानसम्मका फोटोहरू सजिएको प्रदर्शनीमा नयॉं अनि प्रतिभावान फोटोग्राफरहरू लवाङ लेप्चा, प्रवीण छेत्री, लाडेन लेप्चा अनि विमल दियालीसमेतले मौका पाएका छन्।
वेटर फोटोग्राफी, स्मार्ट फोटोग्राफी अनि टक सिक्किम जस्तो अन्तराष्ट्रिय, राष्ट्रिय पत्रिकाहरूमा फोटो छपाउँदै नाम कमाइरहेका फोटोपत्रकार चिन्लोप फुदोङले भने, नयॉं फोटोग्राफरहरूमा जुन उर्जा र कला देखियो, यसलाई हेर्दा अर्को पुस्ता पनि हामीसित तयार भइरहेको प्रमाणित गरेको छ। नयॉं फोटोग्राफरहरूले कालेबुङमा पहिलोपल्ट प्रदर्शनी गरिरहेका थिए। यी फोटोग्राफरहरूलाई मुख्य गरी इन्टरनेटले नै जोड़ेका हुन्। अनलाईन फोटोपत्रिकाहरू फोटोफ्लक डट कम, आईफेच डट कम, डिभियन आर्ट डट कमहरूमा फोटो प्रकाशित गर्नेहरू अनि आफ्नै रुचीले निरन्तर पोटोग्राफी गर्दै आइरहेकाहरूले सरसल्लाह गरेर यो प्रदर्शनी गरेको सामतेम काबोले बताए। कुनै सङ्गठनले होइन, फोटोग्राफरहरूले नै मिलेर प्रदर्शनी गरेका हौं-तिनी भन्छन्। कालेबुङमा फोटोकला कहिलेदेखि शुरू भयो भन्ने निश्चित इतिहास थाह नभएपनि विशवभरी नै फोटोग्राफीमा क्षेत्र रहेकोले आ-आफ्नै रुचीले यो क्षेत्रमा लागेकाहरू अहिले सङ्गठित भइरहेका छन्। 
दुइदिने फोटो प्रदर्शनीमा राखिएका फोटोहरूको मूल्य 15 सय तोकिएको छ। यस सम्बन्धमा प्रश्न गर्दा नृपेन घतानीले भने, यसै त यो कलात्मक कार्य हो, पारखीहरूले मन पराएर लैजान चाहे, उनीहरूको निम्ति यो मूल्य तोकिएको हो। किन भने फोटोग्राफी व्यवसाय पनि हो। यसैलाई करियर बनाउनको निम्ति फोटोग्राफरहरूलाई व्यवसायिक पनि हुनुपर्छ भन्ने कुरा बुझाउन पनि यो मूल्य तोकिएको हो। कलकत्तामा प्रदर्शनी गरिसकेका अनि कालेबुङमा पहिलोपल्ट प्रदर्शनी गरिरहेका प्रवीण छेत्री र लोवाङ लेप्चाले फोटोग्रापीलाई नै प्रोफेसन बनाउने सोचेका छन्। फेसन, वेडिङ, जर्नलिज्म, वाइल्ड लाइफ यस्ता धेरै क्षेत्रहरू छन् जसबाट फोटोग्राफरहरूले आफ्नो केरियर बनाउन सक्छन्-लोवाङ भन्छन्। हामीलाई कसैले बताइदिएनन् कि फोटोग्राफी पनि करियरको क्षेत्र हो। हामी प्रदर्शनीबाट यही कुरा भन्न चहान्छौं-तिनले भने। प्रवीणले पनि भने, हामी युवा फोटोग्राफरहरू मिलेर फोटो ग्यालेरी बनाउने सोंचमा छौं। कालेबुङका दृश्यहरूलाई लिएर पोष्टकार्ड बनाउने योजना पनि छौं। हामी चहान्छौं पर्यटनलाई बढाउनको निम्ति फोटोग्राफीलाई पनि मुख्य आधारस्रोतकोरूपमा निर्माण गर्न सकौं।युवाजोशले म पनि उचालिएँ-प्रधान
सबैभन्दा पाको फोटोग्राफर गणेशमणि प्रधान,जसले पहिलो फोटो एउटा व्ल्याक एण्ड वाइट 120 फिल्म साइज क्यामेराले खिचेका थिए, तिनी भन्छन्, अहिलेका युवा फोटोग्राफरहरूले कर गरेको कारण नै मैले पहिलो प्रदर्शनी गरिरहेको छु। किनभने उनीहरूको जोशले म उचालिएको छु। यस क्षेत्रमा अहिले प्रतियोगितात्मक परिस्थिति रहेको तिनी मान्छन्। अहिले डिजिटल क्यामेरा सबैसित त छन् तर उनीहरूसित कलात्मकता छैन। यसकारण प्रोफेशनल फोटोग्राफरहरको निम्ति आफ्नो क्षेत्र खुल्ला नै छ-तिनी भन्छन्। बुवा शेषमणि प्रधान, काका पुष्पमणि प्रधानको स्टुडियो भएकोले फोटोमा चासो बढेको बताउने प्रधानको फूल नर्सरी पनि छ। छोरा महेन्द्रलाई जिम्मा दिएर तिनीले त्यसबाट पनि अवकास लिए। अहिले तिनी फोटोग्राफी नै गरिरहेका छन्। अन्तराष्ट्रिय पत्रिका अर्किड रिव्यु, अमेरिकन अर्किड सोसाइटी बुलेटिन, अर्किड डाइजेस्ट(युएसए)मा अर्किडमाथि लेख लेख्दालेक्दै फोटोमा पनि चस्को लागेको प्रधानले 1962 को भारत चीन युद्धअघि कालेबुङमा फोटोग्राफीको अन्तराष्ट्रिय महत्व रहेको बताउँदै त्यसैबेला कालेबुङमा नामी स्टुडियोहरू स्थापित भएको बताउँछन्। अहिले इन्टरनेटले संसारलाई गाउँमा रुपान्तर गरेपछि भने कालेबुङ जस्तो ठाउँबाट पनि युवा फोटोग्राफरहरूले प्रतियोगितामा सहभागी बनिरहेका छन्, यसैबाट फोटोग्रापीको भविष्य छुट्याउन सकिन्छ-तिनी भन्छन्।
दार्जीलिङ-डुवर्स पिपल्स फोरमको तदर्थ कमिटी गठन - बङ्गालबाट विभाजन नै मूल मुद्दा-गुरूङ
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त।गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलन गरेर गोरामुमो कै सिको गर्दै जीटीए थापेपछि जनतालाई दोस्रोपल्ट पनि महाधोका भएको घोषणा गर्दै 25 मार्चको दिन नै औपचारिकरूपले गठित दार्जीलिङको वैकल्पिक राजनैतिक सङ्गठन दार्जीलिङ-डुवर्स पिपल्स फोरमको तदर्थ कमिटी गठन गरिएको छ। दार्जीलिङको एक होटलमा सम्पन्न बैठकमा तदर्थ कमिटी गठन गरिएको कमिटीका महासचिव प्रवीण गुरूङले जनाएका छन्। तिनले जनाए अनुसार तदर्थ कमिटीमा अध्यक्ष डा. गोकूल सिंहा रहेका छन् भने उपाध्यक्ष एलएम शर्मा, एलएम प्रधान अनि शङ्करहाङ सुब्बा अनि महासचिव प्रवीण गुरूङ रहेका छन्। 17 जनाको तदर्थ कमिटी गठन गरेको बताउँदै गुरुङले भने, राज्य माग्नेले जिल्ला मागेपछि एउटा राजनैतिक सङ्गठनलाई विकल्पकोरूपमा स्थापित गर्न हामी बाध्य बन्यौं किन भने छुट्टैराज्यको नाम गरेर थालेको आन्दोलनले जनतालाई मूल आकांक्षाबाट जहिले पनि बाहिर राखिरहेको छ। तिनले स्पष्टरूपले के भनेका छन् भने फोेरमको उद्देश्य बङ्गालबाट बाहिरिनु हो। तिनले भने, फोरमले बङ्गालबाट मुक्तिको वकालत गर्छ। सवैधानिक ग्यारेन्टी भएको कुनै पनि व्यवस्था हुनुपर्ने कुरामा हाम्रो दवाब हुनेछ। तिनले मोर्चाले जीटीए थापेर जनतालाई बोरामा सुताएको बताउँदै भने, जुन दलका नेताहरूले आइलाबाट अघि नै विकासको नमुना दिइसेका छन्। छुट्टैराज्य माग्नेहरूले विकास मागे। यसले छुट्टैराज्यले विकास गर्दैन भन्ने सन्देश गएको छ। जसले तीनवर्ष जनतालाई अशान्ति गरे, आर्थिक, सामाजिक, शैक्षिक क्षेत्रमा हानी पुर्याए उसैले अहिले शान्ति हुनुपर्छ भने।
राजनैतिक विचलन गोर्खाहरूको सन्दर्भमा विनाशकारी हुन्छ। राजनैतिक विचलन भनेको जनाकांक्षासित सम्झौता हुनु हो। तिनले बङ्गालबाट छुट्टिनु दार्जीलिङका जनताको मूल माग र आकाक्षा रहेको बताउँदै तिनले अझ भने, जीटीएमा संवैधानिक ग्यारेन्टी छैन। यो ग्यारेन्टी नभएको अर्को दागोपाप दिएर आन्दोलनलाई विथोल्न राज्य र केन्द्रको षड़यन्त्र मात्र हो जसमा उनीहरू सफल बनेको छ। हामी के भन्छौं भने राज्य र केन्द्रले अब नेतृत्वबाट जनविश्वास गुमेको भ्र्रम पाल्नु हुँदैन। एउटा विमल गुरूङ अनि रोशन गिरीसित सम्झौता गर्नु सम्पूर्ण जनतासित सम्झौता गर्नु होइन। तिनले परिवार ठूलो भएकोले फोरमले बङ्गाल विभाजनको कुरा उठाएको बताउँदै तिनले भने, छोरालाई छुट्टाउँदा जीटीए जस्तो व्यवस्थामा होइन संवैधानिक आधारमा छोराको चिन्हारीको सुरक्षा हुने किसिमको व्यवस्था दिएर छुट्टाउनुपर्छ, हामी बङ्गालमा बस्न चहान्नौं। बङ्गालले विभाजन चहॉंदैन भने जीटीए जस्तो व्यवस्था दिएर राजनैतिक अनि जातिगत मतभेदको विकास नगरेर मुख्यमन्त्रीले नै सोझै हस्तक्षेप हुने किसिमको व्यवस्था हुनु असल रहने बताउँदै भने, बङ्गालले फेरि अर्को सुबास घिसिङ जन्माउनु पहाड़को जनतामा राज्य सरका विरूद्ध अहिलेदेखि नै विरोधिता रोप्नु हो।
जीटीए होइन दार्जीलिङ डुवर्स डेभलोपमेन्ट काउन्सिल भए आदिवासी, गोर्खा, बङ्गाली अनि अन्य समुदायबीच मैत्रीभाव कामय रहन्छ अनि राजनैतिक र जातिगत मतभेदको पनि अन्त हुनेछ। तिनले मुख्यमन्त्रीलाई सुझाव दिँदै भने, मुख्यमन्त्रीले नै सोझै हस्तक्षेप गर्ने व्यवस्था भए पहाड़को विकास हुनेछ नत्र जीटीएले फेरि अर्को गोरामुमो अनि फेरि अर्को घिसिङहरू जन्माउने छन्।
कालेबुङमा लगातार बिजुली अनियमितता
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। यस्तो अघि कहिल्यै भएको थिएन, कि साता दिनसम्म अँध्यारोमा बस्नुपरोस्, यसैपाली यस्तो भइरहेको छ। अब साता दिनसम्म त के महिनादिनसम्म पनि बिजुली गाउँमा बल्ने हो होइन पत्तो छैन, तिनदिनदेखि कालेबुङ बजारको मुटु ठाकुरबारीमा बिजुली अनियमितता भोगिरहेका एक उपभोक्ताले यसरी गुनासो गरेका छन्। कालेबुङ बजारसित नै जोड़िएको ठाकुरबारीमा तीनदिनदेखि बिजुली नभएकोले इलेक्ट्रोनिक कामकाजनै चौपट बनेको छ। बजारसित नै जोडिएको ठाकुरबारीमा बिजुलीको यस्तो अवस्था छ भने ग्रामीण क्षेत्रमा कस्तो होला-भन्छन् एक उपभोक्ता। यसै पनि अहिले कालेबुङमा बिजुली अनियमित्ताले उपभोक्तालाई हैरान पारिसकेको छ। कालेबुङका विधायक डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले बिजुली बाल्न मात्र कालेबुङको निम्ति मात्र 32 करोडको योजना बनाएको बताए पनि त्यो योजना आकाशको फल आँखा तरि मर भने जस्तो नै बन्ने हो कि भन्ने कुराको प्रशस्त सम्भावना रहेको छ। किन भने अहिले कालेबुङको बिजुलीको निम्ति कार्यनियन्त्रक कार्यालय सिलगढीमा नै छ। कालेबुङ कार्यालयका सहायक अभियन्ता पी. शेर्पाले सिलगढीमा कार्यालय रहेको अनि नष्ट सामाग्रीहरूको माग गरिएको भए पनि अनुमोदन हुन समय लाग्ने बताएका छन्। ठाकुरबारीमा ट्रान्सफर्मर पड्किएकोले बिजुलीको अनियमित्ता भइरहेको तिनको स्पष्टिकरण छ। तिनले एउटा तथ्य के पनि जारी गरेका छन् भने सधैँ एकवर्षमा 25 देखि 35 वटा सम्म ट्रान्सफर्मर नष्ट हुने गर्थ्यो तर अहिले महिनादिनमा नै 15 भन्दा धेर नष्ट हुनेगरेको छ। नष्ट भएपछि त्यसको भरपाई गर्न सिलगढी कार्यालयमा रिपोर्ट बुझाउँदै ट्रान्सफर्मर माग्नुपर्छ। जिल्लाभरि नै ट्रान्सफर्मर नष्ट हुने भएकोले आवेदनहरूको थाक हुने गरेकोले आवेदन गरिएको सामाग्री अनुमोदन भएर कालेबुङ आउन समय लाग्न सक्छ। समय लाग्ने नै भए पनि ठाकुरबारीमा सातदिनसम्ममा बिजुली बल्न सक्ने तिनले आश्वासन दिएका छन्। तर कार्यालीय औपचारिकता र कार्य ढिलाईको कारण ठाकुरबारीमा सातादिनमा बिजुली बल्ने सम्भावना भने थोरै छ।
यस क्षेत्रमा बिजुली नभएकोले त्यहॉंका व्यवसायीहरू, सप्तश्री ज्ञानपीठ विद्यालय, कम्प्युटर सेन्टर र साइबर क्याफेहरूको अहिले हरिबिजोक छ। इलेक्ट्रोनिक काम गर्नेहरूले जुन हानी बेहोर्नु परिरहेको छ, त्यसको भरपाइ कसले गर्ने? स्थानीयहरूले यो प्रश्न अहिले उठाउन थालेका छन्।
अन्ना हजारेको समर्थनमा विद्यार्थीहरू सड्कमा
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। भ्रष्टचारविरूद्ध देशव्यापी आन्दोलन गरिरहेका अन्ना हजारेले अहिले देशको कुना कुनाबाट पनि समर्थन पाइरहेका छन्। समाजसेवी अन्ना हजारे अहिले सिङ्गो व्यक्ति नभएर सम्पूर्ण भ्रष्टचारले पिरोलिएका भारतीयहरूको आवाज भएका छन्। तिनै अन्ना हजारेको समर्थनमा कालेबुङका विद्यार्थीहरूले पनि आज शहरमा जुलूस निलाल्यो। गोर्खा जनमुक्ति विद्यार्थी मोर्चाको पहलमा निकालिएको जुलूसमा कालेबुङका विभिन्न विद्यालयका लगभग दुइहजार भन्दा धेर विद्यार्थीहरूको सहभागिता थियो भने विभिन्न सङ्घ-सङ्गठनका प्रतिनिधिहरू, वरिष्ट नागरिकहरूको पनि सहभागिता थियो। उनीहरूले नगर परिक्रममा गर्दै भ्रष्टचारीहरूविरूद्ध व्यापक नारावाजी गरे।
विद्यार्थीहरूले हात-हातमा तिरङ्गा झण्डा अनि प्लाकार्डहरू बोकेका थिए भने सरकारले जनलोकपाल बील ल्याउनुपर्ने विषयमा व्यापक नाराबाजी गरे। पानी झरीलाई पनि कुनै पर्वाह नगरी विद्यार्थीहरू हजारेले शुरू गरेको भ्रष्टचारविरूद्धको आन्दोलनमा सरिक बनेका थिए। विद्यार्थी मोर्चा सहसचिव दीप थापाले जुलूसका अंशग्रहणकारीहरूलाई आभार प्रकट गर्दै आफ्नो समाजमा भइरहेको भ्रष्टचारको निम्ति पनि सबैले सङ्गठित बनेर आवाज उठाउनुपर्ने बताए। तिनले भने, हामी पहाड़लाई गुट्खामुक्त बनाउने अभियानमा लागिपरेका छौं अब पहाडलाई भ्र्रष्टचारमुक्त बनाउने अभियानमा पनि आजदेखि लागेका छौं।
अर्कोतिर यसै जुलूसमा सहभागी गोर्खा जनमुक्ति भूतपूर्व सैनिक मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष कर्णल रमेश आलेले पनि भने, जीटीए पनि भ्रष्टचारमुक्त हुनुपर्छ। यसको निम्ति अहिलेदेखि नै सबै सचेत हुनुपर्छ। जीटीएलाई भ्रष्टचारमुक्त बनाउनको निम्ति अन्ना हजारेको यो अभियानलाई सबै मिलेर सफल बनाउनु अनिवार्य छ। विद्यार्थी मोर्चाका प्रतिनिधिहरूले महकुमा अधिकारीको कार्यालय पुगेर जनलोकपाल विधेयक ल्याइनुपर्ने मागमा म्याजिस्ट्रेटलाई ज्ञापन पनि चढायो। महकुमा अधिकारीको कार्यालयमा धर्नामा परिणत भएको जुलूसलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै मोर्चा नेता सामुएल गुरूङले अन्ना हजारेको अभियानलाई सफल बनाउनुको अर्थ नै पहाड़लाई पनि भ्रष्टचारमुक्त पार्नु रहेको बताउँदै मोर्चाले यो अभियानलाई सफल बनाउनमा सहयोग गर्ने बताए।
नेपालमा खोले इन्द्रबहादुर राइले आफ्नो लेखनीको राज
मनोज बोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। नेपालको ललितपुरमा भएको एनसेल नेपाल लिटरेचर फेस्टिभलमा दार्जीलिङबाट तेस्रो आयाम र लीला लेखनका प्रणेता इन्द्रबहादुर राईले विशेषरूपले उपस्थिति दिए। तिनले यसै कार्यक्रममा आफ्नो लेखनीको राज पनि खोले। तिनले आफ्नो सम्बोधनमा तेस्रो आयामेली लेखनको विषयमा प्रकाश पार्दै भने, घाम र वायुमण्डलजस्तै चेतना पनि एउटै हुन्छ भन्ने निष्कर्षमा त हामी पुग्यौं। तर, लेख्ने कसरी भन्ने विषयले समस्या पार्यो। बुकवर्मले आयोजना गरेको महोत्सवमा राईले अझ भने, पहिले लेख्ने टेक्निकको तयारीमा लाग्यौं। सम्पूर्णता लेख्न के केले सघाउँला भन्ने धुनमा लाग्दा मिथकबाट लेख्नुपर्ने रहेछ भन्ने कुरा ईश्वरवल्लभ र बैरागी काइँलाले सुझाए।
चित्रकलामा घनवाद चलेको बेला लेखनीलाई पूर्णता दिन त्यही वाद अँगालेको पनि उनले स्वीकारे। क्रोध, आनन्द र हर्ष मनमा जसरी आउँछ त्यसैगरी लेख्नुपर्छ। पढ्नेलाई चिसो र तातोको अनुभूति दिन विवरण बनाएर लेखियो भने झुटो भइन्छ। झट्टै व्यक्त गर्ने जुक्ति चित्रकलाबाट पायौं र तेस्रो आयाम सुरु गर्यो- उनले स्पष्ट पारे। लेखन विधिको सीमा र कुन बाटो लागे कहॉं पुगिन्छ भन्ने थाहा नहुने आफ्नो अनुभव पनि तिनले सुनाए। आफूले पढेका पुस्तकका प्रभावमा लेखेको बताउँदै उनले भने, पढ्दै जॉंदा आँखा खुल्छ, चेतना आउँछ। तर, समय धेरै नै बितिसकेको हुन्छ। राईसँगै आयामेली लेखनमा लागेका नेपाल प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठानका कुलपति बैरागी काइँलाले महोत्सव उद्घाटन गरेका थिए।
महोत्सवको पहिलो दिन नै गोविन्द वर्तमान, महेशविक्रम शाह र कुमार नगरकोटीले 'क्राफ्ट एन्ड कन्टेन्ट'को बारेमा बोलेका थिए। चार दिन चल्ने महोत्सव अन्तर्गत शनिबार 'रिपोर्टिङ साउथ एसिया', उपन्यासमा आधारित फिल्म, लीला लेखन, समाज र साहित्य, सिर्जनात्मक लेखन र नारी, युवा लेखन विषयमा छलफल कार्यक्रम हुने आयोजकपक्षले बताएको छ।
कृषक सङ्गठनहरूको उद्घाटन जारी
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 19 अगस्त। दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाको ग्रामीण अनि कृषि उन्नयनको निम्ति राष्ट्रिय ग्रामीण कृषि व्याङ्क अथवा नावार्डसित मिलेर कार्य गरिरहेको कालेबुङ कृषक कल्याण सङ्गठनले अहिले जिल्लाभरि सङ्गठन विस्तार गर्दै क्षेत्रीय कृषक सङ्घहरूको स्थापना गर्ने कार्य जारी राखेको छ। जिल्लाका विभिन्न ठाउँहरूमा अहिले अडाईसय सङ्घहरूको स्थापना भइसकेको छ। सङ्गठनका महासचिव विष्णु छेत्रीले कालेबुङको मूल साक्योङ अनि माथ्लो साक्योङमा पनि यसैक्रममा सङ्घ स्थापना भएको जनाएका छन्। आज सङ्घको उद्घाटन गरिएको थियो। यसको निम्ति नावार्डका डीडीएम वाल्टर कुजुरले विशेष उपस्थिति दिएका थिए भने उनैको बाहुलीबाट दीयो बालेर सङ्घको उद्घाटन गरिएको थियो। यस अवसरमा खण्ड कृषि अधिकारी विनोद शर्मा, साक्योङ ग्रामीण व्याङ्कका प्रबन्धक रिन्जु भोटिया, पञ्चायत सचिव एस भोटिया अनि क्षेत्र व्याङ्क प्रबन्धक तपन घोषको पनि उपस्थिति थियो।
विष्णु छेत्रीले सङ्घ मार्फत स्थानीय आवश्यकता अनुसारको कृषि योजनामा कृषकहरू सलग्न हुने जनाए। अर्कोतिर तिनले तकदाहमा पनि हिजो सङ्घको उद्घाटन गरिएको अनि यसै अवसरमा ग्रामीण व्याङ्कका एलडीएम बी के चौधरीलाई स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरेर विदाई जनाएको पनि जनाएका छन्।
Hill SDO resigns from civic post
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 19: The subdivisional officer of Darjeeling has resigned from his post as chairperson of the civic board after his efforts to modernise the system of paying taxes through banks met with stiff resistance from employees.
The decision comes even as the employees of the Darjeeling municipality decided to resume their pen-down strike from tomorrow, an impasse that will affect tax collection as well as issuing of civic documents like birth and death certificates.
The employees have alleged that the new norm introduced by the chairperson, under which property taxes have to be deposited in banks, has left 15 of them without any work. Besides, the process is also cumbersome, they said.
The Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union, which claims to be non-political, today said it would continue with the pen-down after a series of meeting with SDO Tamal Das failed.
The employees are demanding that the municipality’s move to entrust the Union Bank of India to collect the property taxes be withdrawn and the old system of depositing cash at the municipality office be revived.
Allan Chhetri, the president of the union, said: “We have decided to resume the pen down strike from tomorrow as the chairperson has not yet fulfilled our demand. The district administration has also not been able to find a solution.” The pen down strike had started on August 4 and was withdrawn on August 13 after the chairperson agreed to meet the agitating employees.
“We have heard that the chairperson has resigned. Every time a new chairperson comes to the municipality, they impose their own rules. Even this decision (to resign) had been taken without consulting the employees,” alleged Chhetri.
The SDO is the ex-officio chairperson of the municipality as elections to the civic body have not been held since 2009 because of the opposition of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Since then, three SDOs have been given charge of the three hill municipalities.
Das admitted that he has resigned. “I held a meeting with the employees on Wednesday and told them that we should continue with both the systems. Those wanting to pay property taxes at the banks could continue doing so there and those wanting to pay in cash at the office could also do so. However, the union did not accept this proposal. I have written to the district magistrate stating that I did not wish to continue in this post.”
Darjeeling district magistrate Mohan Gandhi, however, said the chairperson could not resign. “He cannot resign as it is an ex-officio post. We will try and sort out the matter as early as possible,” said Gandhi.
He said an ex-officio chairperson means whoever becomes the SDO will automatically be the municipality caretaker. Das’s resignation has not been accepted.
The employees have, however, refused to budge from their stand and said their demand has to be fulfilled.
“Sixteen employees responsible for collecting the taxes are now without work at the municipality. Making payments at the bank is cumbersome and at times the records do not match. We are aware that our pen down causes inconvenience to the general public but we request them to kindly co-operate with us,” said Chhetri.
Das had earlier said he had introduced the new system in tune with the times. “We need to move forward. After sometime, we can introduce Net banking to make payments even from their homes. I haven’t come across any grievances in the past one-and-a-half months that it has been introduced,” Das had earlier said.
At the moment other taxes like the water, trade licence renewal and mutation fees have not been referred to the banks. But because of the pen-down, these taxes cannot be deposited at the municipality.
Asked if the Morcha, the dominant party in the hills, would try to dissuade the agitators, party general secretary Roshan Giri said; “We are yet to find out what is happening: what is the stand of the employees and what the government wants. Then we will try to work out a solution.”
Woman injured by Black bear
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, August 19: A woman sustained injuries after she was attacked by a Himalayan Black Bear in Thangsing under Singtam-Khamdong constituency in East Sikkim. Ironically the incident occurs day after the group of villagers from the same area submitted a written plea to Chief Wild Life Warden requesting to tackle the bear menace here in the Forest Department.
The Bear surfaced all of sudden and attacked the woman identified as 64 years old Mani Tamang today at around 11:30am with sharp claws and teeth to cause injuries to her face and other body parts, the police sources said adding she somehow managed to free herself from the clutches of the wild animal and raised an alarm.
The woman was in the field cutting grass for the cattle.
She has been admitted at STNM hospital for the treatment. However the villagers who are already panic-stricken lambasted on the Forest Department for not taking the complaints seriously. “We had been telling the Forest people to make use of the tranquilizers to control the bear danger but their lackadaisical attitude led in the incident of today” one of the villagers who accompanied the victim told Media.
Foresters shoot dead bear after attack on woman
TT, Gangtok, Aug. 19: An adult Himalayan black bear was shot dead by foresters in East Sikkim after it attacked a 65-year-old woman near a maize field this morning.
The foresters killed the Himalayan black — endangered species that falls under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act — after a three-hour-long operation to tranquillise the animal failed because of the difficult terrain where it was found.
The incident occurred in Tangsing village under the Sumik Linzey gram panchayat, about 50km from Gangtok.
Mani Tamang was admitted to STNM Hospital in Gangtok with serious injuries.
The woman was cutting grass for cattle near a maize field around 11.30am when the female bear, apparently hiding among the stalks, sprang out and attacked her. She suffered deep injuries on the left side of the face and other parts of the body. The woman somehow managed to wrestle free from the bear’s clutches.
As bear and monkeys had been frequently intruding into Tangsing and the nearby villages, 20 forest personnel had already been deployed in the area in search of the animals. They were equipped with tranquilliser guns, a cage and other weapons.
“The guards made all efforts to tranquillise the female bear. As the animal posed an immediate threat to the humans, the foresters decided to kill it under the relevant provision of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” said Gut Lepcha, the conservator of forests (wildlife).
The Himalayan black bear is an endangered species and falls under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act. If the animal is deemed to be highly dangerous to human lives, forest guards can shoot it down with the permission of the state chief wildlife warden.
“I was told by my staff that the bear had become too dangerous and it was extremely difficult to tame it with tranquillisers considering the difficult terrain of the area. I gave the order to shoot it down,” said Sikkim chief wildlife warden N. T. Bhutia over phone from New Delhi.
The bear was killed by the wildlife personnel around 3pm at Samdong Golai near the Tangsing. The carcass was cremated in the village in the presence of local people and the foresters.
Tamang was brought to the hospital by her neighbours around 2.30pm. She has been admitted to the operation theatre in the emergency ward for treatment and doctors said her condition was serious. The forest department released Rs 5,000 as an immediate relief to the woman.
The villagers, who had accompanied Tamang to the hospital, said they had been complaining to the forest department about bears and monkey menace for many months.
“We know the importance of wildlife. But the regular intrusions of bears and monkeys into our villages have been troubling us. Our maize and vegetables are eaten or destroyed by the wild animals. We had taken up the matter with the forest department several times in the past,” said a villager.
The villages where bear transgressions have taken place fall close to Fambonglho wildlife sanctuary. “One bear was shot dead today. But considering the extent of damage to the maize fields, we fear at least three more bears are stalking the area. The bears have developed a fondness for maize and as a result, they are entering straight into the fields. We will spare no effort to tranquillise and put them in cages for release in protected forest areas,” said Lepcha
The residents of Tangsing said everyone in the area was scared because of the bears.
“Children are afraid to go to schools, while adults are not ready to venture out in the fields,” said Sumik Linzey panchayat member T.N. Sapkota.
A 36-year-old farmer in Sumik Linzey had lost one eye in an attack by a bear in August last year. There were several reports of bear transgressions in human habitats last year. But the number of such incidents was less last year compared to 2009.
“At least 70 incidents of bears straying into human habitation were reported between September and December in 2009. Some of these turned into man-animal conflicts and one bear was shot dead,” said a forester.
On November 3, 2009, three senior forest officers, including a joint director, were mauled by a bear while they were trying to dart the animal at Sichey near Gangtok.
RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong, Aug. 19: The directorate of cinchona sold rubber worth Rs 27 lakh in the last financial year and has targeted sales worth Rs 35 lakh this fiscal. The second rubber processing unit and smoking house was inaugurated at Rango today to increase the production of rubber.
“The sales volume has been steadily increasing every year. We have been making crude rubber from latex extracted from trees for the past four-five years. If we get support from the government, rubber can be the alternative cash crop in north Bengal,” said Gyan Chandra Subba, the director of the cinchona directorate.
“Unlike in south India where it takes about eight to nine years for the rubber trees to mature, it takes about 10 to 12 years for the trees to mature in the hills. We only start extracting latex once the girth of a tree reaches 20 inches,” said Basant Tamang, the assistant manager of Rongo cinchona plantation.
The cinchona directorate had introduced rubber plantation in 1993 and the first processing house was built at Rango in 2004. Currently, rubber plantation is spread over an area of little less than 200 acres — 132 acres in Rongo, 40acres in Munsong and 15 acres in Mungpoo. Officials said rubber plantation was introduced to add to the revenue of the cinchona directorate that has been incurring annual losses of over Rs 20 crore for over two decades now.
Subba, who was in Rongo for the inauguration of the processing house, said there is tremendous scope in the rubber business. “The demand for natural rubber has been increasing while the output is decreasing. With proper organisation we can sell rubber worth Rs 1 crore annually within the next five years,” he said.
The two units were inaugurated today by B.N. Pradhan, who was the manager of the cinchona plantation at Rongo when rubber plantation was introduced there.
The cinchona director said rubber plants can grow on land below 1500 feet. “It can also be taken up in tea plantations and villages. The quality of rubber produced in our area is good,” he added.
Experts said the only way of sustaining the 151-year-old cinchona plantation spread over 26,000 acres is diversification. The directorate has already started cultivating fruits and flowers on a commercial basis on the cinchona plantation to add to its revenue.
Around 40,000 people earn their livelihood from the cinchona plantation.
Tea unions see face saver in Rs 91
TT, Siliguri, Aug. 19: Some trade unions have decided to bargain for a wage higher than Rs 91 a day for tea garden workers, even if it is only Rs 2-3 more, to win back those who had switched to the Adivasi Vikas Parishad backed-Progressive Tea Workers’ Union.
The decision comes a day after labour minister Purnendu Bose put out feelers to the planters that the PTWU was ready to settle for Rs 91, a proposed daily wage that planters are not willing to consider.
An apex body of trade unions has also come down heavily on the PTWU for scaling down arbitrarily the demand for wages from Rs 250 to Rs 130 and finally to Rs 91 without consulting other labour organisations.
“The PTWU had initially demanded a daily wage of Rs 250 and during the tripartite talks they had brought it down to Rs 130. The tripartite talks ended inconclusively at the beginning of this month where we stuck to Rs 130. As a follow-up, the PTWU leaders resumed their old demand for Rs 250 but again, at the meetings with state ministers, they said they were ready to accept even Rs 91 as the revised rate,” Samir Roy, convener of the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers Rights, said. “We want the PTWU to clarify its stand as there is no surety that they will not put forward a fresh set of demands.”
Roy said the PTWU should have consulted the other trade unions and a joint decision taken for a better bargain. But many trade union leaders said the PTWU’s new rate had given them a face-saver as well as means to win back their supporters.
“We always knew that the planters would never agree to pay Rs 130. But we could not bring down our rates. Now that the PTWU has done it, it will be easier for us. But we will negotiate for rates like Rs 93 or Rs 95 per day. In that case we can tell the workers that we have got for them more than what the PTWU had got,” a senior trade union leader said.
All trade unions under the two apex bodies will discuss the idea at a meeting on August 27.
Tea planters, however, have ruled out paying Rs 91. “Considering several aspects like production cost and tea prices, we had proposed an annual hike of Rs 8 for next three years at the end of which the wage will become Rs 91 after two years,” said Ranjit Dutta, secretary of the north bengal branch of the Tea Association of India. “As of now, it is not possible for us pay Rs 91 as daily wage.”
Other planters said if there was pressure on them to pay even Rs 91, they would be forced to close down gardens. “Many gardens run with marginal working capital and any sudden shortage of money may lead to non-payment of wages and other dues, followed by closure of these units,” a planter said.
Rs 3cr plan for Sikkim forest hamlets
Hill SDO resigns from civic post
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| PEN-DOWN FROM TODAY : Leaders of the employees’ union at the news conference on Friday. Picture by Suman Tamang |
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 19: The subdivisional officer of Darjeeling has resigned from his post as chairperson of the civic board after his efforts to modernise the system of paying taxes through banks met with stiff resistance from employees.
The decision comes even as the employees of the Darjeeling municipality decided to resume their pen-down strike from tomorrow, an impasse that will affect tax collection as well as issuing of civic documents like birth and death certificates.
The employees have alleged that the new norm introduced by the chairperson, under which property taxes have to be deposited in banks, has left 15 of them without any work. Besides, the process is also cumbersome, they said.
The Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union, which claims to be non-political, today said it would continue with the pen-down after a series of meeting with SDO Tamal Das failed.
The employees are demanding that the municipality’s move to entrust the Union Bank of India to collect the property taxes be withdrawn and the old system of depositing cash at the municipality office be revived.
Allan Chhetri, the president of the union, said: “We have decided to resume the pen down strike from tomorrow as the chairperson has not yet fulfilled our demand. The district administration has also not been able to find a solution.” The pen down strike had started on August 4 and was withdrawn on August 13 after the chairperson agreed to meet the agitating employees.
“We have heard that the chairperson has resigned. Every time a new chairperson comes to the municipality, they impose their own rules. Even this decision (to resign) had been taken without consulting the employees,” alleged Chhetri.
The SDO is the ex-officio chairperson of the municipality as elections to the civic body have not been held since 2009 because of the opposition of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Since then, three SDOs have been given charge of the three hill municipalities.
Das admitted that he has resigned. “I held a meeting with the employees on Wednesday and told them that we should continue with both the systems. Those wanting to pay property taxes at the banks could continue doing so there and those wanting to pay in cash at the office could also do so. However, the union did not accept this proposal. I have written to the district magistrate stating that I did not wish to continue in this post.”
Darjeeling district magistrate Mohan Gandhi, however, said the chairperson could not resign. “He cannot resign as it is an ex-officio post. We will try and sort out the matter as early as possible,” said Gandhi.
He said an ex-officio chairperson means whoever becomes the SDO will automatically be the municipality caretaker. Das’s resignation has not been accepted.
The employees have, however, refused to budge from their stand and said their demand has to be fulfilled.
“Sixteen employees responsible for collecting the taxes are now without work at the municipality. Making payments at the bank is cumbersome and at times the records do not match. We are aware that our pen down causes inconvenience to the general public but we request them to kindly co-operate with us,” said Chhetri.
Das had earlier said he had introduced the new system in tune with the times. “We need to move forward. After sometime, we can introduce Net banking to make payments even from their homes. I haven’t come across any grievances in the past one-and-a-half months that it has been introduced,” Das had earlier said.
At the moment other taxes like the water, trade licence renewal and mutation fees have not been referred to the banks. But because of the pen-down, these taxes cannot be deposited at the municipality.
Asked if the Morcha, the dominant party in the hills, would try to dissuade the agitators, party general secretary Roshan Giri said; “We are yet to find out what is happening: what is the stand of the employees and what the government wants. Then we will try to work out a solution.”
Woman injured by Black bear
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, August 19: A woman sustained injuries after she was attacked by a Himalayan Black Bear in Thangsing under Singtam-Khamdong constituency in East Sikkim. Ironically the incident occurs day after the group of villagers from the same area submitted a written plea to Chief Wild Life Warden requesting to tackle the bear menace here in the Forest Department.
The Bear surfaced all of sudden and attacked the woman identified as 64 years old Mani Tamang today at around 11:30am with sharp claws and teeth to cause injuries to her face and other body parts, the police sources said adding she somehow managed to free herself from the clutches of the wild animal and raised an alarm.
The woman was in the field cutting grass for the cattle.
She has been admitted at STNM hospital for the treatment. However the villagers who are already panic-stricken lambasted on the Forest Department for not taking the complaints seriously. “We had been telling the Forest people to make use of the tranquilizers to control the bear danger but their lackadaisical attitude led in the incident of today” one of the villagers who accompanied the victim told Media.
Foresters shoot dead bear after attack on woman
TT, Gangtok, Aug. 19: An adult Himalayan black bear was shot dead by foresters in East Sikkim after it attacked a 65-year-old woman near a maize field this morning.
The foresters killed the Himalayan black — endangered species that falls under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act — after a three-hour-long operation to tranquillise the animal failed because of the difficult terrain where it was found.
The incident occurred in Tangsing village under the Sumik Linzey gram panchayat, about 50km from Gangtok.
Mani Tamang was admitted to STNM Hospital in Gangtok with serious injuries.
The woman was cutting grass for cattle near a maize field around 11.30am when the female bear, apparently hiding among the stalks, sprang out and attacked her. She suffered deep injuries on the left side of the face and other parts of the body. The woman somehow managed to wrestle free from the bear’s clutches.
As bear and monkeys had been frequently intruding into Tangsing and the nearby villages, 20 forest personnel had already been deployed in the area in search of the animals. They were equipped with tranquilliser guns, a cage and other weapons.
“The guards made all efforts to tranquillise the female bear. As the animal posed an immediate threat to the humans, the foresters decided to kill it under the relevant provision of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” said Gut Lepcha, the conservator of forests (wildlife).
The Himalayan black bear is an endangered species and falls under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act. If the animal is deemed to be highly dangerous to human lives, forest guards can shoot it down with the permission of the state chief wildlife warden.
“I was told by my staff that the bear had become too dangerous and it was extremely difficult to tame it with tranquillisers considering the difficult terrain of the area. I gave the order to shoot it down,” said Sikkim chief wildlife warden N. T. Bhutia over phone from New Delhi.
The bear was killed by the wildlife personnel around 3pm at Samdong Golai near the Tangsing. The carcass was cremated in the village in the presence of local people and the foresters.
Tamang was brought to the hospital by her neighbours around 2.30pm. She has been admitted to the operation theatre in the emergency ward for treatment and doctors said her condition was serious. The forest department released Rs 5,000 as an immediate relief to the woman.
The villagers, who had accompanied Tamang to the hospital, said they had been complaining to the forest department about bears and monkey menace for many months.
“We know the importance of wildlife. But the regular intrusions of bears and monkeys into our villages have been troubling us. Our maize and vegetables are eaten or destroyed by the wild animals. We had taken up the matter with the forest department several times in the past,” said a villager.
The villages where bear transgressions have taken place fall close to Fambonglho wildlife sanctuary. “One bear was shot dead today. But considering the extent of damage to the maize fields, we fear at least three more bears are stalking the area. The bears have developed a fondness for maize and as a result, they are entering straight into the fields. We will spare no effort to tranquillise and put them in cages for release in protected forest areas,” said Lepcha
The residents of Tangsing said everyone in the area was scared because of the bears.
“Children are afraid to go to schools, while adults are not ready to venture out in the fields,” said Sumik Linzey panchayat member T.N. Sapkota.
A 36-year-old farmer in Sumik Linzey had lost one eye in an attack by a bear in August last year. There were several reports of bear transgressions in human habitats last year. But the number of such incidents was less last year compared to 2009.
“At least 70 incidents of bears straying into human habitation were reported between September and December in 2009. Some of these turned into man-animal conflicts and one bear was shot dead,” said a forester.
On November 3, 2009, three senior forest officers, including a joint director, were mauled by a bear while they were trying to dart the animal at Sichey near Gangtok.
Cinchona hub aims at rubber profits
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| A worker taps a rubber tree. Telegraph picture |
“The sales volume has been steadily increasing every year. We have been making crude rubber from latex extracted from trees for the past four-five years. If we get support from the government, rubber can be the alternative cash crop in north Bengal,” said Gyan Chandra Subba, the director of the cinchona directorate.
“Unlike in south India where it takes about eight to nine years for the rubber trees to mature, it takes about 10 to 12 years for the trees to mature in the hills. We only start extracting latex once the girth of a tree reaches 20 inches,” said Basant Tamang, the assistant manager of Rongo cinchona plantation.
The cinchona directorate had introduced rubber plantation in 1993 and the first processing house was built at Rango in 2004. Currently, rubber plantation is spread over an area of little less than 200 acres — 132 acres in Rongo, 40acres in Munsong and 15 acres in Mungpoo. Officials said rubber plantation was introduced to add to the revenue of the cinchona directorate that has been incurring annual losses of over Rs 20 crore for over two decades now.
Subba, who was in Rongo for the inauguration of the processing house, said there is tremendous scope in the rubber business. “The demand for natural rubber has been increasing while the output is decreasing. With proper organisation we can sell rubber worth Rs 1 crore annually within the next five years,” he said.
The two units were inaugurated today by B.N. Pradhan, who was the manager of the cinchona plantation at Rongo when rubber plantation was introduced there.
The cinchona director said rubber plants can grow on land below 1500 feet. “It can also be taken up in tea plantations and villages. The quality of rubber produced in our area is good,” he added.
Experts said the only way of sustaining the 151-year-old cinchona plantation spread over 26,000 acres is diversification. The directorate has already started cultivating fruits and flowers on a commercial basis on the cinchona plantation to add to its revenue.
Around 40,000 people earn their livelihood from the cinchona plantation.
Tea unions see face saver in Rs 91
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| A raise, but when? |
The decision comes a day after labour minister Purnendu Bose put out feelers to the planters that the PTWU was ready to settle for Rs 91, a proposed daily wage that planters are not willing to consider.
An apex body of trade unions has also come down heavily on the PTWU for scaling down arbitrarily the demand for wages from Rs 250 to Rs 130 and finally to Rs 91 without consulting other labour organisations.
“The PTWU had initially demanded a daily wage of Rs 250 and during the tripartite talks they had brought it down to Rs 130. The tripartite talks ended inconclusively at the beginning of this month where we stuck to Rs 130. As a follow-up, the PTWU leaders resumed their old demand for Rs 250 but again, at the meetings with state ministers, they said they were ready to accept even Rs 91 as the revised rate,” Samir Roy, convener of the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers Rights, said. “We want the PTWU to clarify its stand as there is no surety that they will not put forward a fresh set of demands.”
Roy said the PTWU should have consulted the other trade unions and a joint decision taken for a better bargain. But many trade union leaders said the PTWU’s new rate had given them a face-saver as well as means to win back their supporters.
“We always knew that the planters would never agree to pay Rs 130. But we could not bring down our rates. Now that the PTWU has done it, it will be easier for us. But we will negotiate for rates like Rs 93 or Rs 95 per day. In that case we can tell the workers that we have got for them more than what the PTWU had got,” a senior trade union leader said.
All trade unions under the two apex bodies will discuss the idea at a meeting on August 27.
Tea planters, however, have ruled out paying Rs 91. “Considering several aspects like production cost and tea prices, we had proposed an annual hike of Rs 8 for next three years at the end of which the wage will become Rs 91 after two years,” said Ranjit Dutta, secretary of the north bengal branch of the Tea Association of India. “As of now, it is not possible for us pay Rs 91 as daily wage.”
Other planters said if there was pressure on them to pay even Rs 91, they would be forced to close down gardens. “Many gardens run with marginal working capital and any sudden shortage of money may lead to non-payment of wages and other dues, followed by closure of these units,” a planter said.
Rs 3cr plan for Sikkim forest hamlets
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| The Kanchenjungha biosphere reserve. File picture |
BIJOY GURUNG, TT, Gangtok, Aug. 19: The Sikkim forest department today approved a Rs 2.95-crore plan for the overall development of villages surrounding the Kanchenjungha biosphere reserve to reduce the people’s dependency on forest resources.
The state government will send the plan to the Union ministry of environment and forests with a plea to release Rs 2.95 crore.
The plan envisages the introduction of alternative energy sources, immunisation of livestock and the cultivation of cardamom among others in the forest villages.
The annual plan for 2011-12 was finalised at a meeting attended by the members of the forest department’s committee on the Kanchenjungha reserve and representatives of eco-development committees and NGOs.
“There are 44 villages on the fringes of the 2,931sqkm reserve. The plan has been finalised and it will be sent to the Union ministry of environment and forests in a week,” said Sangay Gyatso Bhutia, the divisional forest officer of the Kanchenjungha reserve.
The reserve spans the South, West and North districts of Sikkim and is one of the high-altitude ecosystems in the world. The reserve includes the 28,000-feet Mt Kanchenjungha also.
The highlight of the plan is the introduction of alternative energy sources to reduce the people’s dependency on forest wood.“To start with, we will give LPG connections and electric rice cookers to 90 families in Chungthang and Dxongu ranges in North Sikkim and the Yuksom range in West Sikkim,” said Bhutia.
During the finalisation of the plan, some suggested that solar energy be introduced in the hamlets where power supply was erratic.
“There has been a suggestion for solar power and we have incorporated it in the final draft. All other feasible suggestions will also be included in the report,” said additional principal chief conservator of forests Manjeet Singh.
Apart from addressing the energy problems, the government wants to improve the lot of the forest villagers in other ways also.
“The plan aims at the immunisation of livestock that the villagers rear so that diseases like anthrax are not a threat to the wild animals. Regular health camps will also be organised for the people. In order to boost the economic condition of the villagers, we plan to distribute cardamom saplings as well as piglets,” said the DFO.
Bhutia said bamboo and fruit trees would be planted all around the reserve. “We will also look after the 72 streams and rivers and six high-altitude lakes that the reserve has.”
He said the forest department was awaiting a nod from the Unesco for the inclusion of the Kanchenjungha reserve in its world network of biosphere reserves.
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