सन्तोष शंसोधनागृहमा
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 8 अगस्त। सरकारी बसमा स्टोभ बम पड्काएको आरोपमा पक्रा परेका सन्तोष सुब्बालाई आज फेरि कालेबुङ कोर्टमा उभ्याइयो। तिनलाई पुलिसले यस मामिलामा केरकार गर्नको निम्ति सात दिनको रिमाण्डमा राखेको थियो। सात दिनको रिमाण्डको मियाद आज समाप्त भयो अनि तिनलाई कोर्टमा उभ्याइयो। 6 दिनको निम्ति सन्तोषलाई कालेबुङ शंसोधानागृहमा राखिएको छ। सन्तोष सुब्बा जीएलओ प्रमुख छत्रे सुब्बाका छोरा हुन्।
छत्रे सुब्बालाई सुबास घिसिङलाई प्राणघातक आक्रमण गरेको आरोपमा 11 वर्ष अघि बङ्गाल पुलिसले पक्राउ गरेको थियो भने तिनी अहिलेसम्म जेलमा नै छन्। 11 वर्षदेखि छत्रे सुब्बा रिहाइ हुन सकिरहेको छैन भने यता तिनको छोरा पनि बम विस्फोट काण्डमा परेर पक्रा परेका छन्।
26 जुलाईको दिन मोटर स्ट्याण्डमा सरकारी बसमुनी विस्फोट भएको थियो। पछि विस्फोटकलाई पुलिसले स्टोभ बमको संज्ञा दिएको थियो। दुइदिनपछि यूएलए नामक कथित संस्थाका चिफ एम. थेगिमले विस्फोटको जिम्मेवार लिएको थियो भने त्यसैको भोलिपल्ट सन्तोष सुब्बालाई पक्राउ गरिएको थियो। जुन फोनद्वारा मीडियालाई एम थेगिमले सम्पर्क गरेका थिए त्यो फोनको सीम सन्तोषबाट उद्दार गरिएको पुलिस सूत्रले जनाए अनुसार एम थेगिम सन्तोष नै रहनेको कुरातिर शंकाको सुई घुमिरहेको छ। आज पनि सन्तोष सुब्बाले भने, म निर्दोष छु। मलाई फँसाएको हो। यसमा राजनैतिक स्वार्थ हुन सक्छ।
रविन्द्र संग्राहलयको संरक्षण आवश्यक छ – मन्त्री देव
मंग्पूमा रविन्द्रनाथको ७२ औं पुण्यतिथि पालन
डी० के० वाइबा, कालिमन्युज, मंग्पू , ८ अगस्त, : “ रविन्द्र संग्राहलयको अवस्था एकदमै सोचनीय रहेको छ | यहाँ भएको अत्यन्तै मुल्यवान बस्तुहरुको संरक्षण आवश्यक रहेको छ | संग्राहलयमा अवस्थित कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ संग जडित सम्पूर्ण बस्तुहरुको संरक्षणको व्यवस्था गर्नेछौ | " उक्त कुरा उतर बंगाल विकाश मन्त्री गौतम देवले मंग्पू रविन्द्र भवनमा आयोजित कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ ठाकुरको ७२ औ पुण्य तिथिको अवसरमा भनेका हुन् | उक्त कार्यक्रममा मन्त्री देव मुख्य अतिथिको रुपमा रहेका थिए | यसका साथै विशिष्ट अतिथिका रुपमा मन्त्री सुनिल तिर्की, विधायक रुद्रनारायण भट्टचार्य , शंकर मालाकार, डा० रोहित शर्मा , दार्जीलिंगका अतिरिक्त जिल्ला शासक गोपाल लामा लगायत अन्य गन्यमान्य व्यक्तिहरुको पनि उपस्थिति रहेको थियो |
कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै मन्त्री देवले रविन्द्र संग्रहालयको बेहाल अवस्थाप्रति दुख प्रकट गर्दै हालसम्म भवनमा बिधुत जडान नभएकोमा खेद प्रकट गरे | उनले आगामी सात दिनभित्र संग्रहालयमा बिधुत जडान गर्नको निम्ति आदेश दिएको पनि जानकारी दिए | मन्त्री देवले संग्राहलय देख रेखको निम्ति तत्काल रात चौकीदार नियुक्तिगर्ने पनि प्रतिश्रुती दिए | नेपाली अकादमी मंग्पू रविन्द्र भवनमा संचालन गर्ने राज्यका मुख्य मन्त्री ममता ब्यनार्जीले गरेको घोषणा चाँडै कार्यरुपमा परिणत हुने पनि मन्त्री देवले बताए | उनले रविन्द्र भवनमा घुम्न आउने साधारण जनताको निम्ति पनि सहि व्यवस्था गर्ने आश्वासन दिदै मंग्पूलाई इको टुरिजमको क्षेत्रमा पनि विकास गर्ने बताए |
अर्कोतिर कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै उपभोक्ता मन्त्री सुनिल तिर्कीले कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ मंग्पूवासीको मायामा आजपर्यन्त ज्युँदो रहेको बताउदै मंग्पूवासीको धुक धुकिमा कवि गुरुको माया र श्रद्धा रहेको बताए | सोही क्रममा कार्यक्रमलाई विधायक रुद्रनारायण भट्टचार्यले सम्बोधन गर्दै रविन्द्र संग्रहालयको विकासको निम्ति सिलगडी जलपाईगडी डेभलोभमेन्ट अथोरिटी तर्फबाट पनि आर्थिक सहयोग दिने बचन दिए | उनले सरकारी पक्षबाट मात्र नभएर मानवताको नातामा पनि सहयोग गर्ने बताए |
कार्यक्रममा गितान्जलिका नेपाली अनुवादक मंग्पू कै एक कवियत्री रेमिका थापालाई मन्त्री गौतम देवको बाहुलीबाट स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरि सम्मान जनाइयो | यस अवसरमा नर्थ बंगाल भिजनको पक्षबाट पनि कवियत्री थापालाई सम्मान जनाउनुको साथै स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरियो | कार्यक्रममा मंग्पू प्रेस क्लबद्वारा मन्त्री गौतम देवलाई क्लबका सचिव केशर मोक्तानको बाहुलीबाट स्मृति पत्र प्रदान गरि सम्मान जनाइयो | दुई चरणमा विभाजित कार्यक्रमको प्रथम चरणमा मन्त्री गौतम देवले रविन्द्र संग्राहलयमा अवस्थित रविन्द्रनाथको सालिगमा माल्यार्पण गरि श्रधान्जली प्रकट गरे| सोही अवसरमा उनले संग्राहलयमा राखिएको सम्पूर्ण मुल्यवान वस्तुहरुको जानकारी लिदै संग्रक्षणको निम्ति तत्काल पहल गर्नु पर्ने अतिरिक्त जिल्ला शासकलाई निर्देश दिए |
कार्यक्रमको दोस्रो चरणमा दार्जीलिंग, सिलिगुडी लगायत विभिन्न ठाउँबाट आएका कलाकारहरुले रविन्द्र संगीत लगायत सांकृतिक कार्यक्रमहरु प्रस्तुत गरे | सूचना एवम सांस्कृतिक विभाग पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार एवम रविन्द्र संरक्षण समितिको संयुक्त आयोजनामा सम्पन्न उक्त कार्यक्रमको अध्यक्षता स्थानीय वयोवृद्ध ब्यक्ति के० बी० योन्जनले गरेका थिए |
Mungpoo home for Nepali Akademy
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Mungpoo, Aug. 8: The state government has decided to set up the Nepali Akademy at Mungpoo, made famous by Rabindranath Tagore’s visits.
The assurance on the Akademy’s revival — the second in a month — came on the bard’s death anniversary.
The Akademy has been defunct since 1985 and on July 13, on the birth anniversary celebrations of Nepali Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya, a Mamata Banerjee aide had promised its reopening. Theatre personality Bibhash Chakrabarty had visited Darjeeling on that day and had conveyed Mamata’s message that the Akademy would be revived.
Today’s announcement was made by north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb at a programme held in Mungpoo, 32km from Darjeeling, to observe the death anniversary of Tagore.
“The chief minister wants to set up the Nepali Akademy here in Mungpoo. I will also propose to her to set up a Rabindranath Tagore International Research Centre at the museum here.”
The Akademy had been established for the promotion of the Nepali language which was recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1979. It used to award the Bhanu Bhakta Puraskar for literature, drama, music and art.
But with the Gorkhaland agitation starting in the 1980s under Subash Ghisingh, the Akademy stopped functioning. Even after the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988, Ghisingh, who was then at the helm of affairs, did not attach much importance to the Bhanu Bhakta Puraskar.
Instead, the DGHC instituted the Agam Singh Giri Puraskar in literature and demands for the revival of the Akademy fell on deaf ears despite several pleas from quarters like the Kurseong Pustakalaya and Nepali Sahitya Sammelan.
The Bhanu Puraskar was revived in 2002, but from then onwards it came to be awarded by the Bangla Akademy.
Indra Bahadur Rai in whose name a college is being set up at Gorubathan in Kalimpong sub-division received the Bhanu Puraskar that year. However, the awards for the other three fields have never been revived.
Even the Bhanu Puraskar for literature was stopped after 2006, this time because of the uncertainties in the hills that preceded the revival of the Gorkhaland agitation the next year.
The details of the new Akedmy are, however, unknown. The earlier Akademy had a 23-member committee with then chief minister Jyoti Basu as the chairperson and then information and cultural affairs minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as its vice-chairperson.
“The district magistrate, who used to be called the district collector was the executive chairman of the Akademy and the secretary used to be of the rank of the assistant director of information,” said a district official. The Akademy also had two other government employees as committee members.
The chairperson of the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority Rudranath Bhattacharya, who was also in Mungpoo today, said: “The people of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri would also be happy to extend financial assistance to the Rabindra museum at Mungpoo, apart from the government’s initiative.”
Since Mamata Banerjee government has taken over, there have been frequent visits by ministers and people’s representatives from the plains to the hills to bridge the gap between the two regions.
Minister Deb said the government had sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the museum recently and the electricity connection would be immediately restored. The museum is currently being looked after by the directorate of cinchona and other medicinal plants even though no separate funds have been allotted by the government for the purpose.
The museum is of much importance as Tagore had visited Mungpoo four times from 1938 to 1940 because of his love for the place and special bond with Maitreyi Devi, the daughter of his friend Surendranath Dasgupta. Memoirs of his stay here were published by Maitreyi Devi in her book Mungpoote Rabindranath (Tagore by Fireside).
'तिनको शव लड़िरहेको थियो। उनी मेरो पिताका साथी हुन्, मेरा पनि। दुवै पुस्तालाई एकैसाथ बॉंधेर राख्न सक्ने प्रिय साहित्यकारको शव अघिल्तिर देख्दा मलाई लाग्यो, उनको निम्ति मैले गर्नुपर्ने केही छैन। मूर्ति जस्तो लड़िरहेको तिनको मुर्ति नै बनाउँछु, त्यसबेला यस्तो सोंच आयो'-अमिर सुन्दास भन्छन्। कालेबुङ महकुमाको सधैँ अवहेलित ठाउँ अनि डुवर्सको राजनैतिक गढ़ भए पनि उभो उक्लन नसकेको बाग्राकोटमा 8 मई 2010 को दिन साहित्यकार बद्रीनारायण प्रधानको देहान्त भएपछि मुख्यगरी त्यहॉंका युवा सर्जक र चिन्तकहरूको साहित्यिक आस्थाको घर नै भत्किएको थियो। केही समयपछि बद्रीको मृत्युलाई स्वीकार्दै बद्रीनारायण स्मृति प्रतिष्ठान गठन गरियो। सोही प्रतिष्ठानले बद्रीको मुर्ति बनाउने निर्णय गर्यो।
यता 'कसलाई मूर्ति बनाउनुदिने?' भन्ने कुराको बहस चल्दै गर्दा उता एकैदिनमा अमिर सुन्दासले बद्रीको माटोको मुर्ति बनाइसकेका थिए। चर्चित युवा चित्रकार अमिर सुन्दासलाई त्यही माटोको मुर्ति बनाइसकेपछि ठूलो आत्मसन्तुटि मिलेको थियो। तिनले भनेका थिए त्यसबेला-'बद्री सरले मलाई मूर्तिकार बनाए।' बद्रीको मात्र होइन अमिर सुन्दास सोहीदिनदेखि तिनको र दार्जीलिङको इतिहासमा नै पहिलो युवा मुर्तिकार बने।
>माटोको मूर्ति बनाइसकपछि बाटो हिँड्नेहरू जतिलाई नै अमिरलाई सोधे-'यो कसको मूर्ति हो?' जससम्म सबैको जवाब 'बद्री सर' भन्ने आएन तबसम्म अमिरले काम गरिरहे अनि 10 दिनमा बद्रीको मुर्ति बनियो। 12 वर्ष अघि चार इञ्चको भानुभक्त बनाउने अमिरले पहिलोपल्ट पॉंच फुटको फाइबरको मूर्ति बनाइरहेका थिए। माटोमा बद्रीलाई उस्तै निकालेपछि मात्र अमिरले फाइबरको मूर्ति बनाए।
तिनलाई बिना पैसा नै बनाएको हो?भनेर प्रश्न गर्दा भने, होइन। 50 हजार यसको मूल्य तोकेको छु।मूर्तिमा पनि भविष्य रहेको बताउँदै सुन्दार अझ भन्छन्, मूर्ति बनाउने संस्कार हामीमा छैन। हाम्रो समाजमा यसलाई भविष्यको रूपमा लिनु चुनौति समान हुनेछ। तर म कमर्सियल मुर्तिकार नै हुनेछु। कसैले पनि अर्डर गरे उनीहरूले चाहेजस्तो मुर्ति बनाउन सक्छु भन्ने विश्वास मलाई बद्री सरको मुर्तिले दिएको छ। अब अमिरसित भानुभक्तको मुर्ति बनाउने सपना छ। मुर्तिकारकोरूपमा आफूलाई स्थापित गर्ने संकल्प छ। बद्री गएर बाग्राकोटमा मुर्तिकार आयो। बद्री र बद्रीको सपना अमिरले त्यहॉं लुकाएर राखेको छ, जहॉंबाट कला प्रस्फुटन हुन्छ। प्रतिष्ठानका सदस्य अजय खड्काले भने, मुर्ति बनियो अब बद्री स्मृति ग्रन्थको निम्ति दौडधूप चलिरहेको छ। मुर्ति र ग्रन्थ एकैचोटी स्थापित र विमोचित गर्ने हाम्रो पहिलो लक्ष्य हो।
डी० के० वाइबा, कालिमन्युज, मंग्पू , ८ अगस्त, : “ रविन्द्र संग्राहलयको अवस्था एकदमै सोचनीय रहेको छ | यहाँ भएको अत्यन्तै मुल्यवान बस्तुहरुको संरक्षण आवश्यक रहेको छ | संग्राहलयमा अवस्थित कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ संग जडित सम्पूर्ण बस्तुहरुको संरक्षणको व्यवस्था गर्नेछौ | " उक्त कुरा उतर बंगाल विकाश मन्त्री गौतम देवले मंग्पू रविन्द्र भवनमा आयोजित कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ ठाकुरको ७२ औ पुण्य तिथिको अवसरमा भनेका हुन् | उक्त कार्यक्रममा मन्त्री देव मुख्य अतिथिको रुपमा रहेका थिए | यसका साथै विशिष्ट अतिथिका रुपमा मन्त्री सुनिल तिर्की, विधायक रुद्रनारायण भट्टचार्य , शंकर मालाकार, डा० रोहित शर्मा , दार्जीलिंगका अतिरिक्त जिल्ला शासक गोपाल लामा लगायत अन्य गन्यमान्य व्यक्तिहरुको पनि उपस्थिति रहेको थियो |कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै मन्त्री देवले रविन्द्र संग्रहालयको बेहाल अवस्थाप्रति दुख प्रकट गर्दै हालसम्म भवनमा बिधुत जडान नभएकोमा खेद प्रकट गरे | उनले आगामी सात दिनभित्र संग्रहालयमा बिधुत जडान गर्नको निम्ति आदेश दिएको पनि जानकारी दिए | मन्त्री देवले संग्राहलय देख रेखको निम्ति तत्काल रात चौकीदार नियुक्तिगर्ने पनि प्रतिश्रुती दिए | नेपाली अकादमी मंग्पू रविन्द्र भवनमा संचालन गर्ने राज्यका मुख्य मन्त्री ममता ब्यनार्जीले गरेको घोषणा चाँडै कार्यरुपमा परिणत हुने पनि मन्त्री देवले बताए | उनले रविन्द्र भवनमा घुम्न आउने साधारण जनताको निम्ति पनि सहि व्यवस्था गर्ने आश्वासन दिदै मंग्पूलाई इको टुरिजमको क्षेत्रमा पनि विकास गर्ने बताए |
अर्कोतिर कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै उपभोक्ता मन्त्री सुनिल तिर्कीले कवि गुरु रविन्द्रनाथ मंग्पूवासीको मायामा आजपर्यन्त ज्युँदो रहेको बताउदै मंग्पूवासीको धुक धुकिमा कवि गुरुको माया र श्रद्धा रहेको बताए | सोही क्रममा कार्यक्रमलाई विधायक रुद्रनारायण भट्टचार्यले सम्बोधन गर्दै रविन्द्र संग्रहालयको विकासको निम्ति सिलगडी जलपाईगडी डेभलोभमेन्ट अथोरिटी तर्फबाट पनि आर्थिक सहयोग दिने बचन दिए | उनले सरकारी पक्षबाट मात्र नभएर मानवताको नातामा पनि सहयोग गर्ने बताए |
कार्यक्रममा गितान्जलिका नेपाली अनुवादक मंग्पू कै एक कवियत्री रेमिका थापालाई मन्त्री गौतम देवको बाहुलीबाट स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरि सम्मान जनाइयो | यस अवसरमा नर्थ बंगाल भिजनको पक्षबाट पनि कवियत्री थापालाई सम्मान जनाउनुको साथै स्मृति चिन्ह प्रदान गरियो | कार्यक्रममा मंग्पू प्रेस क्लबद्वारा मन्त्री गौतम देवलाई क्लबका सचिव केशर मोक्तानको बाहुलीबाट स्मृति पत्र प्रदान गरि सम्मान जनाइयो | दुई चरणमा विभाजित कार्यक्रमको प्रथम चरणमा मन्त्री गौतम देवले रविन्द्र संग्राहलयमा अवस्थित रविन्द्रनाथको सालिगमा माल्यार्पण गरि श्रधान्जली प्रकट गरे| सोही अवसरमा उनले संग्राहलयमा राखिएको सम्पूर्ण मुल्यवान वस्तुहरुको जानकारी लिदै संग्रक्षणको निम्ति तत्काल पहल गर्नु पर्ने अतिरिक्त जिल्ला शासकलाई निर्देश दिए |
कार्यक्रमको दोस्रो चरणमा दार्जीलिंग, सिलिगुडी लगायत विभिन्न ठाउँबाट आएका कलाकारहरुले रविन्द्र संगीत लगायत सांकृतिक कार्यक्रमहरु प्रस्तुत गरे | सूचना एवम सांस्कृतिक विभाग पश्चिम बंगाल सरकार एवम रविन्द्र संरक्षण समितिको संयुक्त आयोजनामा सम्पन्न उक्त कार्यक्रमको अध्यक्षता स्थानीय वयोवृद्ध ब्यक्ति के० बी० योन्जनले गरेका थिए |
Mungpoo home for Nepali Akademy
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| The house where Tagore stayed during his visits to Mungpoo. Picture by Suman Tamang |
The assurance on the Akademy’s revival — the second in a month — came on the bard’s death anniversary.
The Akademy has been defunct since 1985 and on July 13, on the birth anniversary celebrations of Nepali Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya, a Mamata Banerjee aide had promised its reopening. Theatre personality Bibhash Chakrabarty had visited Darjeeling on that day and had conveyed Mamata’s message that the Akademy would be revived.
Today’s announcement was made by north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb at a programme held in Mungpoo, 32km from Darjeeling, to observe the death anniversary of Tagore.
“The chief minister wants to set up the Nepali Akademy here in Mungpoo. I will also propose to her to set up a Rabindranath Tagore International Research Centre at the museum here.”
The Akademy had been established for the promotion of the Nepali language which was recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1979. It used to award the Bhanu Bhakta Puraskar for literature, drama, music and art.
But with the Gorkhaland agitation starting in the 1980s under Subash Ghisingh, the Akademy stopped functioning. Even after the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in 1988, Ghisingh, who was then at the helm of affairs, did not attach much importance to the Bhanu Bhakta Puraskar.
Instead, the DGHC instituted the Agam Singh Giri Puraskar in literature and demands for the revival of the Akademy fell on deaf ears despite several pleas from quarters like the Kurseong Pustakalaya and Nepali Sahitya Sammelan.
The Bhanu Puraskar was revived in 2002, but from then onwards it came to be awarded by the Bangla Akademy.
Indra Bahadur Rai in whose name a college is being set up at Gorubathan in Kalimpong sub-division received the Bhanu Puraskar that year. However, the awards for the other three fields have never been revived.
Even the Bhanu Puraskar for literature was stopped after 2006, this time because of the uncertainties in the hills that preceded the revival of the Gorkhaland agitation the next year.
The details of the new Akedmy are, however, unknown. The earlier Akademy had a 23-member committee with then chief minister Jyoti Basu as the chairperson and then information and cultural affairs minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as its vice-chairperson.
“The district magistrate, who used to be called the district collector was the executive chairman of the Akademy and the secretary used to be of the rank of the assistant director of information,” said a district official. The Akademy also had two other government employees as committee members.
The chairperson of the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority Rudranath Bhattacharya, who was also in Mungpoo today, said: “The people of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri would also be happy to extend financial assistance to the Rabindra museum at Mungpoo, apart from the government’s initiative.”
Since Mamata Banerjee government has taken over, there have been frequent visits by ministers and people’s representatives from the plains to the hills to bridge the gap between the two regions.
Minister Deb said the government had sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the museum recently and the electricity connection would be immediately restored. The museum is currently being looked after by the directorate of cinchona and other medicinal plants even though no separate funds have been allotted by the government for the purpose.
The museum is of much importance as Tagore had visited Mungpoo four times from 1938 to 1940 because of his love for the place and special bond with Maitreyi Devi, the daughter of his friend Surendranath Dasgupta. Memoirs of his stay here were published by Maitreyi Devi in her book Mungpoote Rabindranath (Tagore by Fireside).
बद्रीको पहिलो मुर्तिकार
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ,8 अगस्त। डुवर्सका साहित्यकार बद्रीनारायण प्रधानलाई थाहा थियो कि थिएन कि अमिरले तिनको मूर्ति बनाउने पहिलो किर्तिमान कायम गर्छ। बद्रीले सधैँ देख्ने केटो, जसको टाउको हातले मुसारिदिएर 'तिमीले आफ्नो कलालाई शीखरमा पुर्याउनु' भन्ने आशिर्वाद दिने तिनै बद्रीको मूर्ति बनाएर अमिरले बद्रीको सपनालाई पुरा गरिदिएका छन्।'तिनको शव लड़िरहेको थियो। उनी मेरो पिताका साथी हुन्, मेरा पनि। दुवै पुस्तालाई एकैसाथ बॉंधेर राख्न सक्ने प्रिय साहित्यकारको शव अघिल्तिर देख्दा मलाई लाग्यो, उनको निम्ति मैले गर्नुपर्ने केही छैन। मूर्ति जस्तो लड़िरहेको तिनको मुर्ति नै बनाउँछु, त्यसबेला यस्तो सोंच आयो'-अमिर सुन्दास भन्छन्। कालेबुङ महकुमाको सधैँ अवहेलित ठाउँ अनि डुवर्सको राजनैतिक गढ़ भए पनि उभो उक्लन नसकेको बाग्राकोटमा 8 मई 2010 को दिन साहित्यकार बद्रीनारायण प्रधानको देहान्त भएपछि मुख्यगरी त्यहॉंका युवा सर्जक र चिन्तकहरूको साहित्यिक आस्थाको घर नै भत्किएको थियो। केही समयपछि बद्रीको मृत्युलाई स्वीकार्दै बद्रीनारायण स्मृति प्रतिष्ठान गठन गरियो। सोही प्रतिष्ठानले बद्रीको मुर्ति बनाउने निर्णय गर्यो।
यता 'कसलाई मूर्ति बनाउनुदिने?' भन्ने कुराको बहस चल्दै गर्दा उता एकैदिनमा अमिर सुन्दासले बद्रीको माटोको मुर्ति बनाइसकेका थिए। चर्चित युवा चित्रकार अमिर सुन्दासलाई त्यही माटोको मुर्ति बनाइसकेपछि ठूलो आत्मसन्तुटि मिलेको थियो। तिनले भनेका थिए त्यसबेला-'बद्री सरले मलाई मूर्तिकार बनाए।' बद्रीको मात्र होइन अमिर सुन्दास सोहीदिनदेखि तिनको र दार्जीलिङको इतिहासमा नै पहिलो युवा मुर्तिकार बने।
>माटोको मूर्ति बनाइसकपछि बाटो हिँड्नेहरू जतिलाई नै अमिरलाई सोधे-'यो कसको मूर्ति हो?' जससम्म सबैको जवाब 'बद्री सर' भन्ने आएन तबसम्म अमिरले काम गरिरहे अनि 10 दिनमा बद्रीको मुर्ति बनियो। 12 वर्ष अघि चार इञ्चको भानुभक्त बनाउने अमिरले पहिलोपल्ट पॉंच फुटको फाइबरको मूर्ति बनाइरहेका थिए। माटोमा बद्रीलाई उस्तै निकालेपछि मात्र अमिरले फाइबरको मूर्ति बनाए।
तिनलाई बिना पैसा नै बनाएको हो?भनेर प्रश्न गर्दा भने, होइन। 50 हजार यसको मूल्य तोकेको छु।मूर्तिमा पनि भविष्य रहेको बताउँदै सुन्दार अझ भन्छन्, मूर्ति बनाउने संस्कार हामीमा छैन। हाम्रो समाजमा यसलाई भविष्यको रूपमा लिनु चुनौति समान हुनेछ। तर म कमर्सियल मुर्तिकार नै हुनेछु। कसैले पनि अर्डर गरे उनीहरूले चाहेजस्तो मुर्ति बनाउन सक्छु भन्ने विश्वास मलाई बद्री सरको मुर्तिले दिएको छ। अब अमिरसित भानुभक्तको मुर्ति बनाउने सपना छ। मुर्तिकारकोरूपमा आफूलाई स्थापित गर्ने संकल्प छ। बद्री गएर बाग्राकोटमा मुर्तिकार आयो। बद्री र बद्रीको सपना अमिरले त्यहॉं लुकाएर राखेको छ, जहॉंबाट कला प्रस्फुटन हुन्छ। प्रतिष्ठानका सदस्य अजय खड्काले भने, मुर्ति बनियो अब बद्री स्मृति ग्रन्थको निम्ति दौडधूप चलिरहेको छ। मुर्ति र ग्रन्थ एकैचोटी स्थापित र विमोचित गर्ने हाम्रो पहिलो लक्ष्य हो।
Supreme Court disposed case
PR, KalimNews, Gangtok: The Supreme Court of India heard the petition filed by Kunga Nima Lepcha challenging the Notification No. 355 of dated 21stJuly, 2010 issued by the State Government withdrawing the Jurisdiction of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946 in Sikkim. The Supreme Court disposed off the matter giving liberty to the petitioner to file a fresh petition challenging the order of the State Government of Sikkim in response to the request made by the CBI seeking consent of the State Government to formally investigate the allegations made against the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Chamling and 12 others. Detail order of the Supreme Court will be made known ones the same is received.
The Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee appeals to the general public not to get carried away by mala fide and false rumour being circulated by the vested interest in respect of the case. Any misleading publicity pertaining to the case in question shall be brought to the notice of the Supreme Court along with necessary documents.Kunga Nima Lepcha is the member of AICC andVice President as well as media spokesperson of SPCC.
The Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee appeals to the general public not to get carried away by mala fide and false rumour being circulated by the vested interest in respect of the case. Any misleading publicity pertaining to the case in question shall be brought to the notice of the Supreme Court along with necessary documents.Kunga Nima Lepcha is the member of AICC andVice President as well as media spokesperson of SPCC.
Tsechu of Guru Rinpoche observed
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gangtok, 08 August :The statue of Guru Rinpoche, maintained by Dodrupchen Rinpoche at Chorten Lhagang was today carried in the Guru Chyendren procession with the chanting of Vajra Guru mantra to mark Guru Rinpoche’s Trungkar Tsechu.
Led by the monks blowing ritual instruments and followed by devotees and students, the solemn procession followed the route from Deorali, Metro Point, Zero Point, Dukhi Pan Dokan, Sonam Tshering March, Nam Nang, Deorali and back to Chorten Gonpa.
Revered as the patron saint of Sikkim, the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava is observed every year with prayers organized for all sentient beings.
The rally was organized by the Sikkim Buddhist Duechen Organization along with other associations.
Talking with Media a member of Sikkim Duechen Organization said that Maha Guru Padmasambhava popularly known as Guru Rinponche or the precious master is the supreme tantric master and had exhibited mystic feats in sub during evil spirits and demons thereby reforming them to guard the religion and protect the followers of Dharma.
“Guru Rinpoche had performed miraculous feats on the tenth day of every month of the year to defeat the evil forces and negative elements thereby establishing his invincibility. That is why every 10th day of the lunar month is observed as Guru Tsechu, he said.
Meanwhile, a complete reading of the 108 volumes of Kajur texts was also performed from August 8, particularly to generate blessings for harmony, peace and happiness for all sentient beings.
“Tshogs and Choedmes along with prayers were offered at Tsukhakhang Gnyamu Lakhang, Decehen Choeling Gonpa, Sichey, Uygen Choling Gonpa, Burtuk, Guru Kusum Lhakhang, Deorali and Gyaltsen Tshogpa Gonpa, Arithang on the Drukpa Tseshi day,” he added.
Mammoth task to save jumbo, calf -Tusker tilts jeep, driver injured
TT, Alipurduar, Aug. 8: An elephant attacked a forest department vehicle in Patkapara last night when the foresters were trying to send the animal back into wild. A forest employee was injured in the melee.
The tusker, fondly named Akash-Pataal (translated as Sky-Earth because of differences in the size of tusks), raided Patkapara like it did on other days. But this time, it damaged four huts and crops. “We know this tusker. It frequents our field often. But last night, it would not go back and destroyed our homes. We had to call the foresters,” said a villager.
Residents of Patkapara, 12km from Alipurduar town, informed the Nimati range office and the foresters arrived around 10pm. They used searchlights and burst crackers to drive away the animal but it did not budge from the field.
The forest staff then used the light of the jeep. The driver took the vehicle as close as possible to Akash-Patal and focussed the light on it. But suddenly, the tusker charged at the jeep, pushing it with its trunk till it tilted.
The driver of the vehicle, Kanchha Lohar, jumped into a ditch to save himself and was injured. The tusker broke the side view mirrors of the jeep. By then the foresters had lost one search light too. The foresters fired three rounds in the air and the tusker finally went back to Nimati around 3am.
Range officer Dilip Choudhury said the problem arose, as they were short on air horns. “We did not have any horns, essential for driving away elephants. We had already burst our supply of cracker.”
Elephants fished out of army reservoir - Rescue after five-hour operation
TT, Siliguri, Aug. 8: A female elephant and its two-year-old calf were rescued from a water reservoir after a five-hour joint operation by the army and the forest department in the Bengdubi forest today.
The army, which has a number of field ordinance depots in the Bengdubi forest, constructed several water reservoirs to fight accidental fires.
The 15-year-old elephant and its calf were part of a 60-member herd and they fell into one of the reservoirs while they were wandering around the forest.
“Kurseong forest officers informed us around 5.45am that two elephants had slipped into a water reservoir. Within half an hour, our staff reached the spot and the operation to rescue the animals started by 6.30am,” said G.B. Chhetri, the divisional forest officer of wildlife division I.
The foresters suspect that the calf had first fallen into the water tank.
“We think the calf accidentally slipped into one of the water storage facilities when a herd of around 60 elephants was roaming around the forest. The mother might have tried to pull the calf out of water. As the attempt failed, she, too, jumped into the tank,” said a forest officer.
The animals could not come out of water on their own as the concrete tank has no raised portions.
Around 50 staff members of the forest department and almost an equal number of army personnel were engaged in the operation to rescue the elephants. A fire engine of the army, three excavators and a payloader were pressed into service.
“We also dropped tubes in the tanker so that the calf could stay afloat. By 8am, the calf was pulled out of the tank with the help of a special belt,” said the forest officer.
The operation was led by Utpal Nag and Kanchan Banerjee, the additional divisional forest officer and the range officer of wildlife division 1 respectively.
Once the calf was out of water, the foresters’ sole focus was on the adult elephant.
“After retrieving the calf, the fire engine was used to pump water out of the tank. We broke a portion of the reservoir’s concrete wall with the payloader to help the animal turn its side and come out of water,” said the forester.
The guards needed to dump a large number of boulders in the reservoir to raise the surface.
“The elephant could stand on the raised portion and put its forelegs out of the reservoir first. A push was given to the elephant with the excavator from the back and the animal was out of the tank around 11.30am,” said the forester.
The moment the mother came out of the tank, it lunged at the excavator. A forest guard fired a shot in the air to scare the animal. The foresters said the adult elephant was around 15 years old.
All this while, the other members of the herd were keeping a close watch on the operation 300 metres from the spot.
“During the operation, the herd was observing our activities from a distance. The calf, which first came out of water, was also waiting for the mother. The mother and the calf left the spot around 11.45am, along with other members of the herd,” said the forester.
Wildlife NGOs said the army should immediately take necessary measures to avert the recurrence of such incidents.
“A similar incident took place in the same forest in 2008. A mother and calf fell into a water tank. Although the calf was rescued, the mother couldn’t be. Timely intervention of both the forest department and the army helped avert any death today. But the army should take certain steps like the construction of wall around the tanks,” said Animesh Bose, the programme co-ordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation.
The DFO said he would request his superiors to take up the matter with the army.
Highway craters turn death traps
TT, Alipurduar, Aug. 8: The monsoon has revealed the death traps in the form of the numerous craters that dot the national highways in the Dooars.
The patchwork that was done on the roads has been washed away with the rain exposing big potholes that are now filled with rainwater.
Two national highways pass through the Dooars. While NH31C connects eastern Dooars with Assam and Siliguri, NH31 links the Dooars to Guwahati and Barhi in Bihar.
At least six persons have died in accidents on the two highways in the Dooars in the past one month. While truck drivers often refuse to ferry goods through the stretches, ambulances charge extra to travel on these routes.
Several thousand vehicles carrying goods and passengers ply on the two highways everyday.
Sanjoy Debnath, the secretary of the Dooars Mini Bus Owner’s Association, said: “We met Subroto Bakshi (state transport minister) on July 16 in the Writer’s Buildings and told him about the bad condition of the roads but nothing has been done till date. We told him that we paid road tax on time but we did not get any returns. The lives of the drivers and the passengers are at risk on these stretches. The maintenance cost of the vehicles has risen by 200 per cent. A bus needs extra fuel worth Rs 1,000 each day to reach Siliguri and return.”
He added that vehicles often got stuck in huge traffic jams on the roads increasing travel time by around two hours.
Both NH31 and NH31C were constructed during 2000-2001. After that no repairs, except patchwork at particular places, have been done on the highways.
According to Debnath, several commuters are opting for local trains to avoid the roads that are risky and increase their travel time.
“Most passengers are trying to avail themselves of the trains. Nobody knows when the roads will be repaired,” he said.
In 2009, few craters on National Highway 31C had been filled up and last year before the pujas patchwork was done at few spots on NH31.
“Very soon we will start a strong movement to demand the repair of the roads,” said Debnath.
Tapas Majumder, the executive engineer, PWD, (NH division in Alipurduar), said: “The condition of the roads is very poor. From 2009, I have been sending a proposal to repair a 14km-stretch on NH31C between Hasimara and Chhekamari to the ministry of surface transport. But they are not sanctioning funds for the work. The road needs to be repaired immediately.”
North Bengal development minister Goutam Deb, who went to Alipurduar from Siliguri recently through NH31C, said the roads are in a very bad shape.
“No one can imagine that it is a highway. It is not fit for any vehicle. I will talk to the officials concerned in Siliguri and before the pujas, the condition of road will be changed. Work cannot be done now because it is the monsoon season,” he said.
TT, Siliguri: The Progressive Tea Workers’ Union’s decision to go ahead with its indefinite general strike will depend on the outcome of its wage hike meeting with the labour minister on Tuesday, trade union leaders have said. The meeting has been convened by north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb. Labour minister Purnendu Bose will also be present. The trade union’s demand for a daily wage of Rs 130 for garden workers has been rejected by the planters. The strike has been called from Tuesday.
Body found
TT, Naxalbari:A body of a man identified as Basanta Oraon was found on Bijaynagar Tea Estate on Monday. Naxalbari police suspect that the 42-year-old man had committed suicide as traces of a pesticide were found near the body.
Snakebite
TT, Alipurduar: A five-year-old girl died after she was bitten by a snake at Chepani near Shamuktala on Sunday. Police said Priyanka Munda was playing in front of her house when she was bitten by the snake. By the time the girl’s family took her to Alipurduar subdivisional hospital, she had died.
Led by the monks blowing ritual instruments and followed by devotees and students, the solemn procession followed the route from Deorali, Metro Point, Zero Point, Dukhi Pan Dokan, Sonam Tshering March, Nam Nang, Deorali and back to Chorten Gonpa.
Revered as the patron saint of Sikkim, the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava is observed every year with prayers organized for all sentient beings.
The rally was organized by the Sikkim Buddhist Duechen Organization along with other associations.
Talking with Media a member of Sikkim Duechen Organization said that Maha Guru Padmasambhava popularly known as Guru Rinponche or the precious master is the supreme tantric master and had exhibited mystic feats in sub during evil spirits and demons thereby reforming them to guard the religion and protect the followers of Dharma.
“Guru Rinpoche had performed miraculous feats on the tenth day of every month of the year to defeat the evil forces and negative elements thereby establishing his invincibility. That is why every 10th day of the lunar month is observed as Guru Tsechu, he said.
Meanwhile, a complete reading of the 108 volumes of Kajur texts was also performed from August 8, particularly to generate blessings for harmony, peace and happiness for all sentient beings.
“Tshogs and Choedmes along with prayers were offered at Tsukhakhang Gnyamu Lakhang, Decehen Choeling Gonpa, Sichey, Uygen Choling Gonpa, Burtuk, Guru Kusum Lhakhang, Deorali and Gyaltsen Tshogpa Gonpa, Arithang on the Drukpa Tseshi day,” he added.
Mammoth task to save jumbo, calf -Tusker tilts jeep, driver injured
TT, Alipurduar, Aug. 8: An elephant attacked a forest department vehicle in Patkapara last night when the foresters were trying to send the animal back into wild. A forest employee was injured in the melee.
The tusker, fondly named Akash-Pataal (translated as Sky-Earth because of differences in the size of tusks), raided Patkapara like it did on other days. But this time, it damaged four huts and crops. “We know this tusker. It frequents our field often. But last night, it would not go back and destroyed our homes. We had to call the foresters,” said a villager.
Residents of Patkapara, 12km from Alipurduar town, informed the Nimati range office and the foresters arrived around 10pm. They used searchlights and burst crackers to drive away the animal but it did not budge from the field.
The forest staff then used the light of the jeep. The driver took the vehicle as close as possible to Akash-Patal and focussed the light on it. But suddenly, the tusker charged at the jeep, pushing it with its trunk till it tilted.
The driver of the vehicle, Kanchha Lohar, jumped into a ditch to save himself and was injured. The tusker broke the side view mirrors of the jeep. By then the foresters had lost one search light too. The foresters fired three rounds in the air and the tusker finally went back to Nimati around 3am.
Range officer Dilip Choudhury said the problem arose, as they were short on air horns. “We did not have any horns, essential for driving away elephants. We had already burst our supply of cracker.”
Elephants fished out of army reservoir - Rescue after five-hour operation
 |
| The female elephant lunges at an excavator after the animal was pulled out of water. Picture courtesy: forest department |
The army, which has a number of field ordinance depots in the Bengdubi forest, constructed several water reservoirs to fight accidental fires.
The 15-year-old elephant and its calf were part of a 60-member herd and they fell into one of the reservoirs while they were wandering around the forest.
“Kurseong forest officers informed us around 5.45am that two elephants had slipped into a water reservoir. Within half an hour, our staff reached the spot and the operation to rescue the animals started by 6.30am,” said G.B. Chhetri, the divisional forest officer of wildlife division I.
The foresters suspect that the calf had first fallen into the water tank.
“We think the calf accidentally slipped into one of the water storage facilities when a herd of around 60 elephants was roaming around the forest. The mother might have tried to pull the calf out of water. As the attempt failed, she, too, jumped into the tank,” said a forest officer.
The animals could not come out of water on their own as the concrete tank has no raised portions.
Around 50 staff members of the forest department and almost an equal number of army personnel were engaged in the operation to rescue the elephants. A fire engine of the army, three excavators and a payloader were pressed into service.
“We also dropped tubes in the tanker so that the calf could stay afloat. By 8am, the calf was pulled out of the tank with the help of a special belt,” said the forest officer.
The operation was led by Utpal Nag and Kanchan Banerjee, the additional divisional forest officer and the range officer of wildlife division 1 respectively.
Once the calf was out of water, the foresters’ sole focus was on the adult elephant.
“After retrieving the calf, the fire engine was used to pump water out of the tank. We broke a portion of the reservoir’s concrete wall with the payloader to help the animal turn its side and come out of water,” said the forester.
The guards needed to dump a large number of boulders in the reservoir to raise the surface.
“The elephant could stand on the raised portion and put its forelegs out of the reservoir first. A push was given to the elephant with the excavator from the back and the animal was out of the tank around 11.30am,” said the forester.
The moment the mother came out of the tank, it lunged at the excavator. A forest guard fired a shot in the air to scare the animal. The foresters said the adult elephant was around 15 years old.
All this while, the other members of the herd were keeping a close watch on the operation 300 metres from the spot.
“During the operation, the herd was observing our activities from a distance. The calf, which first came out of water, was also waiting for the mother. The mother and the calf left the spot around 11.45am, along with other members of the herd,” said the forester.
Wildlife NGOs said the army should immediately take necessary measures to avert the recurrence of such incidents.
“A similar incident took place in the same forest in 2008. A mother and calf fell into a water tank. Although the calf was rescued, the mother couldn’t be. Timely intervention of both the forest department and the army helped avert any death today. But the army should take certain steps like the construction of wall around the tanks,” said Animesh Bose, the programme co-ordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation.
The DFO said he would request his superiors to take up the matter with the army.
Highway craters turn death traps
 |
| A trailer that got stuck for a few hours on NH31C at Madarihat on Thursday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury |
The patchwork that was done on the roads has been washed away with the rain exposing big potholes that are now filled with rainwater.
Two national highways pass through the Dooars. While NH31C connects eastern Dooars with Assam and Siliguri, NH31 links the Dooars to Guwahati and Barhi in Bihar.
At least six persons have died in accidents on the two highways in the Dooars in the past one month. While truck drivers often refuse to ferry goods through the stretches, ambulances charge extra to travel on these routes.
Several thousand vehicles carrying goods and passengers ply on the two highways everyday.
Sanjoy Debnath, the secretary of the Dooars Mini Bus Owner’s Association, said: “We met Subroto Bakshi (state transport minister) on July 16 in the Writer’s Buildings and told him about the bad condition of the roads but nothing has been done till date. We told him that we paid road tax on time but we did not get any returns. The lives of the drivers and the passengers are at risk on these stretches. The maintenance cost of the vehicles has risen by 200 per cent. A bus needs extra fuel worth Rs 1,000 each day to reach Siliguri and return.”
He added that vehicles often got stuck in huge traffic jams on the roads increasing travel time by around two hours.
Both NH31 and NH31C were constructed during 2000-2001. After that no repairs, except patchwork at particular places, have been done on the highways.
According to Debnath, several commuters are opting for local trains to avoid the roads that are risky and increase their travel time.
“Most passengers are trying to avail themselves of the trains. Nobody knows when the roads will be repaired,” he said.
In 2009, few craters on National Highway 31C had been filled up and last year before the pujas patchwork was done at few spots on NH31.
“Very soon we will start a strong movement to demand the repair of the roads,” said Debnath.
Tapas Majumder, the executive engineer, PWD, (NH division in Alipurduar), said: “The condition of the roads is very poor. From 2009, I have been sending a proposal to repair a 14km-stretch on NH31C between Hasimara and Chhekamari to the ministry of surface transport. But they are not sanctioning funds for the work. The road needs to be repaired immediately.”
North Bengal development minister Goutam Deb, who went to Alipurduar from Siliguri recently through NH31C, said the roads are in a very bad shape.
“No one can imagine that it is a highway. It is not fit for any vehicle. I will talk to the officials concerned in Siliguri and before the pujas, the condition of road will be changed. Work cannot be done now because it is the monsoon season,” he said.
ABAVP calls indefinite strike in tea gardens
Pinak Priya Bhattacharya, TNN | Aug 9, 2011,TNN, JALPAIGURI: Demanding a hike in the wage of the tea labourers, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) has called for an indefinite bandh in the tea belt of the Dooars and Terai starting from Tuesday. The decision was taken in a meeting held at Malbazar on Sunday. The decision of the ABAVP could already be sensed as the tribal body had threatened to do likewise after the tripartite meeting held in Kolkata on 5 August on the revision of wage had failed to yield any result. The Coordination Committee for tea Plantation Workers and Defence Committee for Tea Workers' Rights, the bodies comprising 18 labour unions each, have also called for a general strike on 12 August besides calling for a bandh in the tea gardens on 10 and 11 August. They also demand for a hike in the wage of the tea workers.
"We had decided to observe a bandh on 28 July, which we called off later after we were given assurance on the wage revision. But now it seems that nobody's really interested to look into the interest of the tea workers. So, we have decided to bring the tea industry into a stalemate unless our demands are met," said John Barla, president of ABAVP's Dooars Terai Regional Unit.
The labour wing of the tribal body - Progressive Tea Workers' Union (PTWU) - has already enforced an embargo over dispatch of processed tea in the tea gardens of the Dooars and Terai, which is said to have affected the industry badly. It is for sure that if the bandh is enforced, the industry will suffer further. Moreover, the ABAVP has made it clear that transportation along the roads and rail movements in the Dooars and Terai will also come under the purview of the bandh.
"After much effort, the tea industry has been able to overcome the hard time that it went through from the late Nineties. Such bandhs are definitely going to spell disaster for the industry. The problem has to be settled through dialogues. For the sake of the industry we would like to request the tribal body and the labour unions to call of their movement," a tea official said.
There are more than three lakh workers in the tea gardens of the Dooars and Terai who earn Rs.67 a day against their daily labour. The labour unions have demanded this daily wage to be increased to Rs.130. But the garden managements want to give the labourers a hike of Rs.24 in three phases which the labour unions are not ready to accept.
There are 153 tea gardens in the Dooars and 42 gardens in the Terai which respectively produce 180 million kg and 50 million kg of tea annually. The present market rate of processed tea is between Rs.120 and Rs.130. Being highly perishable in nature, if detained for long, the processed tea in the garden factories will lose its quality following which it will be difficult to get buyer for that. In addition to that an indefinite bandh would mean no more production, which will again hit the industry.
Tea meet"We had decided to observe a bandh on 28 July, which we called off later after we were given assurance on the wage revision. But now it seems that nobody's really interested to look into the interest of the tea workers. So, we have decided to bring the tea industry into a stalemate unless our demands are met," said John Barla, president of ABAVP's Dooars Terai Regional Unit.
The labour wing of the tribal body - Progressive Tea Workers' Union (PTWU) - has already enforced an embargo over dispatch of processed tea in the tea gardens of the Dooars and Terai, which is said to have affected the industry badly. It is for sure that if the bandh is enforced, the industry will suffer further. Moreover, the ABAVP has made it clear that transportation along the roads and rail movements in the Dooars and Terai will also come under the purview of the bandh.
"After much effort, the tea industry has been able to overcome the hard time that it went through from the late Nineties. Such bandhs are definitely going to spell disaster for the industry. The problem has to be settled through dialogues. For the sake of the industry we would like to request the tribal body and the labour unions to call of their movement," a tea official said.
There are more than three lakh workers in the tea gardens of the Dooars and Terai who earn Rs.67 a day against their daily labour. The labour unions have demanded this daily wage to be increased to Rs.130. But the garden managements want to give the labourers a hike of Rs.24 in three phases which the labour unions are not ready to accept.
There are 153 tea gardens in the Dooars and 42 gardens in the Terai which respectively produce 180 million kg and 50 million kg of tea annually. The present market rate of processed tea is between Rs.120 and Rs.130. Being highly perishable in nature, if detained for long, the processed tea in the garden factories will lose its quality following which it will be difficult to get buyer for that. In addition to that an indefinite bandh would mean no more production, which will again hit the industry.
TT, Siliguri: The Progressive Tea Workers’ Union’s decision to go ahead with its indefinite general strike will depend on the outcome of its wage hike meeting with the labour minister on Tuesday, trade union leaders have said. The meeting has been convened by north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb. Labour minister Purnendu Bose will also be present. The trade union’s demand for a daily wage of Rs 130 for garden workers has been rejected by the planters. The strike has been called from Tuesday.
Body found
TT, Naxalbari:A body of a man identified as Basanta Oraon was found on Bijaynagar Tea Estate on Monday. Naxalbari police suspect that the 42-year-old man had committed suicide as traces of a pesticide were found near the body.
Snakebite
TT, Alipurduar: A five-year-old girl died after she was bitten by a snake at Chepani near Shamuktala on Sunday. Police said Priyanka Munda was playing in front of her house when she was bitten by the snake. By the time the girl’s family took her to Alipurduar subdivisional hospital, she had died.
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