दिल्लीका गोर्खाहरूलाई जीटीएमा फाइदा छ-विश्व
मनोज वोगटी,कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 12 अगस्त। गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलनलाई थन्काएर जीटीए थाप्ने भएपछि पहिलोपल्ट नै दिल्लीका मोर्चा शाखाहरूले त्यसको विरोध गरेको थियो। त्यसबेला भारतभरिका गोर्खाहरूको चिन्हारी जीटीएले नबन्ने अनि छुट्टैराज्य नै हुनुपर्ने उनीहरूको दाबी थियो। दिल्लीका गोर्खाहरूले जीटीएको विरोध गरेपछि राजनैतिक खेमामा निक्कै बहसपूर्ण वातावरण बनाएको थियो। त्यसपछि डुवर्सका मोर्चा नेताहरूले पनि जीटीएको विरोध गरेको थियो भने मोर्चा बाहिर रहेको सङ्गठनहरूले पनि व्यापक विरोध थियो। जे नै भए पनि मोर्चाले जीटीएमा हस्ताक्षर गरेर नै छोड्यो। दिल्लीबाट पार्टी नेताहरूसित भेटघाट गर्न आएका दिल्लीका अशोक विश्वले आज संवाद माध्यमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै भने, त्यसबेला विषयको जानकारी नभएका केही व्यक्तिहरूले विरोध गरेका थिए। तर उनीहरूले पनि कुरा बुझे। जीटीएले पहाड़लाई फाइदा पुग्छ। हामी दिल्लीका गोर्खाहरूलाई पनि जीटीएमा गोर्खाल्याण्ड शब्द जोड़िएकोले फाइदा नै छ।यो वर्ष पनि नबन्ने भयो डम्पिङ - कहॉं फ्यॉंक्दैछ त नगरको मैला?
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 12 अगस्त। पॉंचवर्षदेखि कालेबुङ नगरपालिकाले नगरको मैला व्यवस्थित गर्न डम्पिङ बनाउन सकेको छैन। 2008 को अक्टोबरमा भालूखोपवासीले नगरपालिकालाई भालूखोपमा डम्पिङ गर्न निषेध गरेपछि अहिलेसम्म नै नगरपालिका विचल्नीमा परेको छ। मैला फ्यॉंक्ने ठाउँ नभएकोले टिस्टामा मैला फ्याकिँरहेको छापामा आइरहेको छ।
भालूखोपमा निषेध गरेपछि भालूखोपबाट केही टाडा नेवार गाउँमा नगरपालिकाले जमिन किनेर वैकल्पिक डम्पिङ बनाउन थालेको पॉंचवर्ष बित्यो तर डम्पिङ तयार भएको छैन। डम्पिङ बनाउनमा आएको ढिल्याई सम्बन्धमा एक संस्थाले निक्कै चाप सृष्टि गर्दा अक्टोबरसम्म डम्पिङ बनाइसक्ने आस्वासन पनि नगरपालिकाले नै दिएको थियो तर आज नगरपालिकाबाट निरीक्षणमा गएका अधिकारीहरूले बाटोको खराबीको कारण सामानहरू पुर्याउन नसक्ने भएपछि दिसम्बरदेखि मात्र निर्माण कार्य अघि बढाउने जनाएका छन्।
भालूखोपमा ब्रिटिशकालीन डम्पिङ थियो जहॉं नगरपालिकाले 2008 सम्म मैला फ्यॉंक्यो। मैला मात्र फ्यॉंकेर डम्पिङ व्यवस्थित नगरेकोले थुप्रिएको मैलालाई झरीले बगाउँदा डम्पिङ मुनीका जमीनहरूमा पैह्रो चल्ने अनि मुन्तिर रहेका गाउँलाई हानी पुर्याउने काम चरममा पुगेपछि क्षेत्रवासीले 2008 को गान्धी जयन्तीको दिनदेखि नगरपालिका विरूद्ध आन्दोलन नै गर्यो। मैला फ्यॉंक्न नदिएपछि नगरमा मैला थुप्रिने क्रम जारी रहेपनि अन्तमा नगरपालिका, महकुमा प्रशासन अनि आन्दोलनकारी सङ्गठन कालेबुङ कृषक कल्याण सङ्गठनबीच त्रिपक्षीय सम्झौता भयो। सम्झौता अनुसार नै नेवार गाउँमा वैकल्पिक डम्पिङ बनाउने भएको थियो तर यतिञ्जेलसम्म पनि डम्पिङ बनिएको छैन।
यता नगरपालिका टिस्टामा नगरको मैला फ्यॉंकेर कानून विरोधी काम गर्न समेत चुकेन। सुप्रिम कोर्टले खुल्ला ठाउँमा मैला फ्यॉंक्नेलाई दण्डित गर्न सकने अधिसूचना अघिबाट नै निकाय र नागरिकसमक्ष जारी गरिसकेको छ। आफ्नै भूलको कारण अनेक भूलहरू दोहोर्याउने क्रम नगरपालिकाले अझ पनि तीब्र नै राखेको छ।
सम्झौता कै बेला डम्पिङ बनाउन पश्चिम बङ्गाल पोल्युसन कन्ट्रोल बोर्डले 2 करोड़ 29 लाख अनुमोदन गरेको तत्कालीन जिल्लापाल अनि महकुमा अधिकारीले मीडियालाई बताइसकेको भए पनि सो राशिबारे अहिलेका महकुमा अधिकारीलाई कुनै जानकारीसमेत नहुनुले एउटा रहस्यलाई संकेत गरेको छ। यताउताबाट तानतुन गरेर खर्चालु डम्पिङ बनिने काम भइरहेको महकुमा अधिकारीले अघिबाट नै बताइसकेका छन्। नगरपालिका क्षेत्रको मुख्य समस्या नै मैला व्यवस्थापन रहेको भए पनि यसको निम्ति कुनै पनि राशि निकाल्न नसकिने अनि अरू योजनाहरूबाट नै तानतुन पारेर डम्पिङ बनाउनु परेको बताउनुले पनि कालेबुङमा नगरपालिकाको औचित्यलाई अब गम्भीर लिनुपर्ने देखिएको छ।
नगरपालिकासित मैला फ्यॉंक्ने ठाउँ पनि छैन अनि डम्पिङ पनि छैन, उसोभए कहॉं जॉंदैछ त नगरको मैला? प्रश्न जटिल देखिएको छ। यता नगरापिलकाका स्वास्थ्य निरिक्षक सञ्जय प्रधानले डम्पिङ पुग्ने बाटोमा पैह्रो गएकोले अहिलेलाई निर्माण कार्यलाई थॉंतीमा नै राखिएको जनाएका छन्।
जोखिममा तारामाया
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 12 अगस्त। जो होंचो उसैको मुखमा घोंचो भनेजस्तो पीडा भोगिरहेकी तारामायाको गुनासोलाई कमसेकम मीडियाले अनदेखा गर्न सकेन। निकाय र तिनले आस्था राखेको एक राजनैतिक दलसित अनेकौं गुहार लगाइसकेकी तर कसैले पनि पत्तो नदिएपछि तिनी पत्रकारलाई नै आफ्नो गुनासो निकाय र दलका ठूलाहरूसम्म पुर्याइदिने अपील गरिरहेकी थिइन्। तोपखानाको सयपत्री गाउँमा एक्लै बस्ने वृद्धा तारामाया छेत्रीको घर चारैतिरबाट चर्किएको छ।
दुःख गरेर केही काठ र बॉंसहरूले बनाएको तिनको एउटै सम्पति भनेको नै घर हो। भुइँमा बेढङ्गले बेलाइती विछ्याएकी थिइन् तर निरन्तर झरी परेकोले परिवरि धस्किन थालेपछि तिनको जोखिम शुरू भयो। घरको भुइँ चिरा परेर बढिरहेको छ। तल्तिरको देवाल पनि भत्किएको छ। वरिपरि नै चर्किएकोले अब कुनै दिन पैह्रोको मुखमा पर्नु मात्र बॉंकी छ जो हुने कल्पनैले पनि थरथर कॉंप्छिन तारा। तिनी भन्छिन्, मेरो त कोही छैन। लोग्ने स्वर्गे भए। एउटा छोरो थियो, मैले पढाउन नसक्ने भएपछि फादरले पढाउन लगे। गाई,बाख्रा पाल्छु र बॉंचिरहेकी छु। बल्लतल्ल सम्पतिको नाममा एउटा घर जोड़ेको, त्यो पनि पैह्रोले लैजाने रहेछ।
वरिपरि चर्किन थालेपछि नै निक्कै बुद्धि खियाउँदै तारा निकायमा पनि पुगेकी भन्छिन्। गाउँले नेताहरूलाई पनि भनेकी नै भन्छिन् तर कसैले पनि पटक्क नै सुनिदिएनन्। तिनी भन्छिन्, गरीबहरूलाई परेको बेला पार्टीले सघाउँछ भन्थे, होइन रहेछ। सरकारले पनि गरीबहरूको निम्ति योजनाहरू बनाएको छ भन्थे, होइन रहेछ। हुन त होला तर ती सबै गरीबको निम्ति होइन होला। कसैले पनि मेरो दुख सुनिदिन्नन्। मीडिया कर्मीहरूले सोधखोज गर्दा तिनी भ्रममा नै परिन् अनि भनिन्, लु है सरहरू कताबाट आइदिनु भयो। मेरो घर पैह्रोले लैजानै लागेको छ। हेरिदिनुपर्यो,राम्रो ठाउँमा घर बनाइदिनु पर्यो। खबरकाजगको मान्छे भनेर बुझाइएपछि मात्र तिनले भनिन्, जे भए पनि मेरो कुरा त उनीहरू(निकाय)सम्म पुर्याइदिनुहोला। तारामायाले जति आस्थाले मीडियासित कुरा राखिन के त्यो पुरा होला त? ताराले आस्था राखेको राजनैतिक दल र बीपीएलको निम्ति योजना कार्यान्वयन गर्ने निकायको इमान्दार सेवाकर्ममा नै जवाब लुकेको छ।
Sikkim bill for public order
TT, Aug. 11: The Sikkim chief minister today tabled a bill in the Assembly for a special law to address “social vices and offences” that might cause disturbances to public order.
The bill seeks to ban processions, hunger strikes, squatting, sloganeering and waving black flags or other forms of agitation that might “promote enmity or hatred between sections of the society”on the “grounds of religion, race or caste”. Such actions will be deemed disturbances to public order, the bill states.
The Sikkim Prevention and Control of Disturbance of Public Order Bill has been termed a “black bill” by Opposition parties, which have no representation in the Assembly where all 32 seats are held by Sikkim Democratic Front.
Legal experts described the proposed state law “unconstitutional” and said it would be scrapped if taken to court.
“The state government after due deliberations felt that there is a need to deal with such types of offences affecting public order. This can only be effectively addressed by having an appropriate law/rule in place,” chief minister Pawan Chamling said while introducing the bill in the House. Sources in the government denied that there had been any immediate provocation to put the law in place.
An entire gamut of offences has been listed in the bill that will be put to vote on August 26. From public nuisance, drunken behaviour, drug abuse and resorting to child labour, the proposed law also seeks to ban persons below 18 years from entering bars and discos.
Under the provisions of the bill, a special court will be set up with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court by a notification by the state government. Each of the four districts of the state will have a special court. The bill also provides for punishment for offenders found guilty under the proposed law: a minimum imprisonment of five years with a fine not less than Rs 50,000. All offences under this law shall be considered cognisable and non-bailable.
“The provisions proposed in the bill are in total violation of the democratic values and norms. This is a black law that seeks to suppress the voice of the people and is against fundamental rights,” said Kumga Nima Lepcha, the acting president of the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee.
The state BJP president, Padam Chhetri, said the bill was totally “undemocratic”. “Such laws are not implemented in a democracy. All the opposition parties should be united against this law. Just because there is no Opposition in the Assembly does not mean that such Taliban-like rules are to be passed as a law. By this law any dissenting voice will be crushed,” said Chhetri.
In recent times, the most vociferous protest in the state capital was by the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) against the construction of mega-hydel projects in Lepcha reserve in Dzongu in North Sikkim. “The ban on agitation might be interpreted in any way. ACT activists Dawa Lepcha and Tenzing Gyatso Lepcha, who held hunger strikes for 53 days and 96 days in 2007 and 2008 respectively in Gangtok, had caused some embarrassment to the Chamling government that is into its fourth term now,” a political observer said.
Asked to comment on the bill, a former judge of Calcutta High Court, Bhagabati Prasad Banerjee, said: “Even though a portion of the laws related to public order has been placed on the state list and the state has the power to enact legislation on them, the bill placed by the Sikkim government will not be considered as valid if challenged in court.”
The judge said the state governments could enact laws on minor offences that affect public order like littering and committing nuisance. “But as far as public disorders like promoting enmity or hatred or disaffection among different communities are concerned, there are strong central laws for it. On these issues, a state government cannot enact any law,” Banerjee told The Telegraph in Calcutta.Tea planters threaten garden closure
The subdivisional officer of Darjeeling, Tamal Das, is the chairperson of the board of administration.
The municipality had on June 6 introduced a new system, under which the residents could pay their property taxes at the Union Bank of India, instead of the counters in the civic office. The employees have been on a pen-down strike since August 4 to protest the decision.
“As there has been no end to the municipality impasse, we have decided not to allow the chairperson of the board of administrators to attend his office from Tuesday,” said Allen Chhetri, the president of the Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union.
The union had alleged that the SDO had taken the decision without consulting the employees. It also said 16 employees entrusted with the task of collecting the tax would be rendered jobless under the new system.
The employees also said the tax details did not match always and people had to shuttle between the bank and the municipality office.
Das said the union had not sent him any letter regarding the decision to stop him from entering office.
“We have requested the union leaders to lift the strike so that the matter can be settled at the negotiation table. I am confident that the issue would be solved early and that the union will not resort to such an agitation,” said the SDO.
Tea workers’ union threatens fresh strike
PTI, Aug 12 2011, Jalpaiguri: Two days after calling off their indefinite strike in north Bengal, the Adivasi Vikas Parishad-led Progressive Tea Workers’ Union today called for a fresh two-day strike from August 17 to press for wage hike as talks with the management failed.
“We have given a letter to the management that if the demands are not settled, we will go on a 48-hour strike from August 17. If the situation doesn’t improve, we will observe another 72-hour general strike from August 22 in the tea garden areas,” union president Sukra Munda said.
A total of 2.5 lakh labourers are employed in 191 tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars region stretching between Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling district.
Twenty other organisations, including CITU and INTUC, are already on a three-day strike from yesterday.
The Co-ordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers (CCTPW) and the Defence Committee of Plantations Workers (DCPW) have called for a 12-hour general strike in the north Bengal area tomorrow.
Members of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Association, however, said they would not resume wage negotiations if the strike was not withdrawn.
The management was offering cash wages of 75 against Rs 67 as the per last agreement beside statutory benefits. But the unions were demanding much higher wages.
Bandh for wage hike today
AVIJIT SINHA AND SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE,TT, Siliguri/ Jaigaon, Aug. 11: Tea planters today threatened to shut down gardens in the Dooars and Terai if workers continued with strikes and embargo on the despatch of manufactured tea to markets to demand a hike in daily wages.
The two apex bodies of trade unions, on the other hand, decided to go ahead with a general strike across north Bengal tomorrow to increase the wage from Rs 67 to Rs 130.
The Progressive Tea Workers’ Union will not take part in tomorrow’s strike, but has chalked out its own agitation plans for the next fortnight. The union, affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, has been stalling the despatch of manufactured tea from the gardens since August 5 to press for the demand.
“The CCPA has met among its constituents and have now resolved that if the path of agitation, that is, strikes and road blockade continues, management would have no other option but to consider suspension of operations to limit collateral damage,” reads the release issued by Monojit Dasgupta, the secretary-general of the CCPA (Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations).
The planters also said rivalry between unions was also contributing to the troubles of the industry.
“The path of agitation has been further complicated by inter-union rivalry…there is clear evidence that decisions of PTWU central leadership are not percolating to or not being observed in grassroots. Confrontation like situation between union groups is also reported in gardens. It is these conditions that may eventually lead the industry to take precipitate action on the lines already stated.”
The CCPA iterated that the strikes and the embargo on the despatch of tea had hit the operations in the gardens and resulted in losses.
“The continuing accumulation of manufactured teas in estates, constrained by limited factory space, is leading to choking of manufacturing operations and consequential delays of dispatching teas to auction centres and other markets is resulting in delayed cash flows, which might cripple a cash-based industry like tea with limited recourse to credit,” said the CCPA.
The trade unions, however, are not ready to budge from their stance. “The attitude of tea planters in the six rounds of talks held to reach an agreement on wages was utterly disappointing,” said Chitta Dey, the convener of the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers.
“That is why we are on strike to mount pressure on the planters in the interest of over two lakh workers and their families.”
The Co-ordination Committee and another body of trade unions, the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers’ Rights, enforced a strike in the gardens in the plains yesterday and today. They have called a general strike across north Bengal tomorrow.
“We have received an overwhelming support from political parties and organisations and expect it to be a complete shutdown tomorrow,” said Dey.
The Parishad union has called a strike in the gardens on August 17 and 18 and a bandh in the plains from August 22 to August 24.
GJMM-backed tea workers’ union extends support to strikers
Manas Ranjan Banerjee, SNS, GULMA (Kurseong), 11 AUG: In a show of empathy for the cause of the tea workers in the Terai-Dooars, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha-backed tea workers’ unions have extended support to tomorrow's 12-hour general strike in north Bengal. The strike was convened by over 32 trade unions affiliated to several political parties, including the Left parties.
The extension of support by the GJMM affiliated trade unions to the agitation that has been continuing since 10 August in support of the wage hike demand involving the tea workers in Terai-Dooars, has assumed significance in view of the fact that the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad- backed tea workers’ union has backed out following a meeting with the state government in Kolkata on 9 August. The Darjeeling district Left Front leaders, though seemingly pleased by the GJMM decision, have chosen not to comment on the development. The GJMM media secretary and the MLA from Kalimpong, Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri, said: “We have decided to support the three-day strike in the interests of the tea workers in the Terai and Dooars. Ours is the party committed to the cause of the working class and we would never deviate from it.”
Referring to the recent hike in the wages in the Darjeeling Hills, the GJMM leader said that the wages in the plains should be hiked accordingly. “There should be parity as far as the wages are concerned. The present situation when a tea worker in the Hills gets Rs 90 per day and his counterpart in the plain gets Rs 67 per day cannot be allowed to continue. We are for equality as regards the workers in terms of remuneration,” he said. A permanent tea worker associated with the CITU-dominated Gulma Tea Estate, Mr Ratna Bahadur Chetrri said: “Except the ABAVP- backed trade union, all the trade unions, including the GJMM -backed one, are involved in the agitation. We would struggle shoulder to shoulder. The interests of the workers are paramount.”
Welcoming the support extended by the GJMM to the continuing agitation, the convener of the coordination committee involving 22 trade unions operating in the plantations, Mr Chitta Dey said: “The GJMM decision would consolidate the tea workers’ unity in the region. The discrepancy involving the wages in the Hills and the plains should be immediately done away with. Otherwise, it would perpetuate schism and destroy workers’ solidarity”
Headline SMS, KalimNews:CPRM staged a Dharna in Delhi demanding creation of Gorkhaland.
Amra Bengali stages protests against GTA.
Auction prices tumble in tumult
AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, Aug. 11: The agitation by various trade unions in the brew belts of the Dooars and the Terai has brought down the prices of tea at auctions.
Small-scale tea planters, who own less than 25 acres of land, are the worst affected with tealeaves sold by them fetching lower prices at the bought-leaf factories.
Sources at the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre said prices of CTC tea, produced in the Dooars and the Terai, had come down by almost Rs 30 per kilogram in the past few weeks.
“The average price was Rs 136.76 in the first week of June. In the last auction held on July 28, the CTC tea brought from the Dooars and the Terai was sold for Rs 109.34 on an average. This means there has been a decline of Rs 27.42,” said an official at the auction centre. The garden owners said the ongoing agitation by trade unions to seek a hike in daily wages was to blame for the low prices.
“The trade unions are organising demonstrations, gate meetings and other forms of agitation, affecting the usual cycle of plucking and production on tea estates. Quality is the first casualty in the disruption of work. Nobody wants to buy inferior quality of tea,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.
The secretary foresees a worse scenario in the coming weeks. “As tea could not be despatched from gardens (because of an embargo imposed by the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union), stocks are piling up. When the agitation is ultimately lifted, the market will be glutted with tea and the prices will come down further,” he said. “Added to this is the excess production in Assam and some other tea belts in the current season.”
Bhattacharjee rued that the labourers were on strike at a time the produce did not yield a fair price in the market.
In fact, 25,000 small growers in north Bengal are bearing the brunt of bandhs and embargo in the brew belt. They said they were not getting even Rs 5 for 1kg of tealeaves because of the tumult.
“Around 20 per cent of the tealeaves produced by us are supplied to tea estates. As the agitation by the workers has shut down the estates, we have to depend on bought-leaf factories, which enjoy a monopoly in north Bengal now,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations.
“The price of a kilo of green tealeaves had reached Rs 15 or so in the current season. But after the agitation was launched, the price has come down to Rs 5 per kilo, which is lower than our cost of production.”
Chakraborty said if the Tea Board and the state government did not intervene, the small growers would have no option but to stop plucking.
Terai and Dooars plantation workers’ strike today
SNS, SILIGURI, 11 AUG: More than two lakh tea workers belonging to over 32 trade unions affiliated to the Left Front, Congress and other parties in the Terai and the Dooars called a 12-hour general strike in north Bengal on 12 August demanding fresh wage agreement and variable dearness allowance (VDA).
The three-day strike called by them from 10 August was total in over 200 tea plantations on its second day today. The tea workers led by their trade union leaders today took out processions in different tea plantation areas in support of the 12-hour general strike tomorrow.
The Trinamul Congress on principle decided not to support the strike. The Adivasi Vikas Parishad also decided not to join the strike officially. Mr Chitta Dey, convenor of the coordination committee for tea plantation workers, said: “A total of two lakh tea workers would participate in the general strike tomorrow. Tea workers have observed strike from 10 August in 54 tea plantations in the Terai and 154 tea plantations in the Dooars demanding their rights.”
Mr Datta said that a section of the GJMM and ABAVP-backed tea workers had responded to the movement today though they were not members of the coordination committee.
Left Front leaders today alleged that the ABAVP leaders backed by the Trinamul Congress had tried to break the unity among the agitating tea workers in different plantations. Mr Asok Bhattacharya, former state urban development minister, said that last night the ABAVP leaders had announced the settlement of wage agreement in different tea plantations area to confuse the agitating workers including the Adivasi people engaged in tea plantation.
Mr Asok Bhattacharya and Mr Jibesh sarkar, the CPI-M state committee member, organised the workers at the Citu-dominated Gulma Tea Estate today in support of the 12-hour general strike.
Addressing the meeting at Gulma, Mr Bhattacharya said: “Nothing has been finalised about the wage agreement between the state and the ABAVP leaders after the meeting in Kolkata.”
Urging the workers to observe the strike, the former minister, said: “We have demanded a minimum wage of Rs 160 per day for a permanent tea worker. The state would have to take initiative to introduce the VDA.”
68 cr loss due to bandh: TAI
The Tea Association of India (TAI), north Bengal branch, has estimated loss of Rs 68 crore due to strike called by the trade unions from 9 August in the Terai-Dooars region.
The TAI officials fear that the estimated loss may go up if the strike continues in this region.
Research scholars shut down varsity - Plea for ugc norm
TT, Siliguri, Aug. 11: The agitation by research scholars of North Bengal University that entered its third day held up admissions to post-graduate courses, which was scheduled to begin today.
About 70 research scholars gathered at the three entrances to the varsity campus and the administrative building today and prevented teachers, officials and other staff from entering.
They also prevented the despatch of keys to various departments from the watch and ward department. Earlier, the agitators stopped work at the administrative building only.
The shutdown of the university would continue, the research scholars said, until the authorities incorporated a UGC directive on PhD courses that had been issued in 2009.
The directive says that a course work of six months is a must for research scholars. The university has no such scope for the mandatory course.
“We have allowed the assistant registrar to enter his office, because we have been told by the authorities that the governor’s letter approving the amendment of the PhD ordinance (to incorporate the course work) will be faxed from Raj Bhavan any day. Till the letter comes, we will not lift the strike,” said Rajiv Biswas, the secretary of the NBU Research Scholars Association.
With NBU vice-chancellor Arunava Basumajumdar indisposed and acting registrar S. K. Rakshit on leave, varsity officials have been forced to postpone admissions to MA, MSc and MCom courses.
However, an official said that the amendment was sent to the governor thrice. “Each time it was returned seeking rectification. This time we have heard that the chancellor has signed the document and it will be sent to us any day,” the official said.
“NBU is late by one month in starting post graduate courses. The admission procedure (distribution and submission of forms) to PG courses was to begin from today but we have been unable to do so because of the closure of the varsity by research scholars. We have been compelled to postpone the admission till the research scholars lift their agitation,” a varsity official said.
The varsity published Part III results of BA, BSc and BCom (honours) on August 9, the day the research scholars started their agitation.
“Since they cannot collect the forms from the varsity we appeal to the students to download them from our website. They can fill it up and keep their bank drafts ready and submit them as soon as the agitation is withdrawn,” the official added.
Sources in the controller’s branch said the work to publish the results of Part III general candidates and Part I and Part II results of honours and general candidates have also been hampered.
The protesters said that the future of more than 200 research scholar are at stake following the delay in implementing the new UGC regulation issued on July 11, 2009.
According to them two candidates had lost their fellowships and 10 faced a risk of losing them as the UGC stipulation requires them to get registered for PhD within two years of acquiring fellowships. In the absence of scope of the course work, registration is not possible.
“All the other varsities in the state have implemented the new UGC regulation but NBU authorities have not implemented it even after two years. Two candidates have lost their fellowships and 10 more would lose them if the registrations are not done fast,” Rajiv Biswas, secretary of NBU Research Scholars’ Association, said.
Of the 200 scholars, 70 are registered under the old UGC regulation and are required to do course work within their PhD tenure of five years.
“The research scholars who have registered according to the old regulation have to undergo the course work to fulfil the new norm within the tenure of their PhD. This is necessary because all job advertisements issued in recent times have asked for PhD candidates as per the new UGC regulation. Most such research scholars are about to complete their PhD so the new regulation has to be implemented soon,” Biswas said.
Civic threat for SDO
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Aug. 11: The employees of the Darjeeling municipality have decided to prevent the chairperson of the board of administrators from entering his office from Tuesday unless he restores the task of collecting property tax to the civic staff.The subdivisional officer of Darjeeling, Tamal Das, is the chairperson of the board of administration.
The municipality had on June 6 introduced a new system, under which the residents could pay their property taxes at the Union Bank of India, instead of the counters in the civic office. The employees have been on a pen-down strike since August 4 to protest the decision.
“As there has been no end to the municipality impasse, we have decided not to allow the chairperson of the board of administrators to attend his office from Tuesday,” said Allen Chhetri, the president of the Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union.
The union had alleged that the SDO had taken the decision without consulting the employees. It also said 16 employees entrusted with the task of collecting the tax would be rendered jobless under the new system.
The employees also said the tax details did not match always and people had to shuttle between the bank and the municipality office.
Das said the union had not sent him any letter regarding the decision to stop him from entering office.
“We have requested the union leaders to lift the strike so that the matter can be settled at the negotiation table. I am confident that the issue would be solved early and that the union will not resort to such an agitation,” said the SDO.
Strike lifted
TT, Darjeeling: Residents of Maneybhanjan who had started an indefinite strike to protest the alleged excesses by Sastra Seema Bal personnel withdrew the bandh from 6pm on Thursday. The villagers had said the SSB jawans were not allowing their vegetable laden trucks to ply at night on the excuse that the goods were from adjoining Nepal. Chandan Pradhan, a resident of Maneybhanjan, said: “We had a meeting with the SSB officials today and the issue has been amicably solved. They have also advised us to form a village committee for regular interaction.” The strike had started on August 8.Tea workers’ union threatens fresh strike
PTI, Aug 12 2011, Jalpaiguri: Two days after calling off their indefinite strike in north Bengal, the Adivasi Vikas Parishad-led Progressive Tea Workers’ Union today called for a fresh two-day strike from August 17 to press for wage hike as talks with the management failed.
“We have given a letter to the management that if the demands are not settled, we will go on a 48-hour strike from August 17. If the situation doesn’t improve, we will observe another 72-hour general strike from August 22 in the tea garden areas,” union president Sukra Munda said.
A total of 2.5 lakh labourers are employed in 191 tea gardens in the Terai and Dooars region stretching between Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling district.
Twenty other organisations, including CITU and INTUC, are already on a three-day strike from yesterday.
The Co-ordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers (CCTPW) and the Defence Committee of Plantations Workers (DCPW) have called for a 12-hour general strike in the north Bengal area tomorrow.
Members of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Association, however, said they would not resume wage negotiations if the strike was not withdrawn.
The management was offering cash wages of 75 against Rs 67 as the per last agreement beside statutory benefits. But the unions were demanding much higher wages.
Bandh for wage hike today
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| A woman cycles in a garden closed during a strike called by trade unions on Wednesday. (Biplab Basak) |
The two apex bodies of trade unions, on the other hand, decided to go ahead with a general strike across north Bengal tomorrow to increase the wage from Rs 67 to Rs 130.
The Progressive Tea Workers’ Union will not take part in tomorrow’s strike, but has chalked out its own agitation plans for the next fortnight. The union, affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, has been stalling the despatch of manufactured tea from the gardens since August 5 to press for the demand.
“The CCPA has met among its constituents and have now resolved that if the path of agitation, that is, strikes and road blockade continues, management would have no other option but to consider suspension of operations to limit collateral damage,” reads the release issued by Monojit Dasgupta, the secretary-general of the CCPA (Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations).
The planters also said rivalry between unions was also contributing to the troubles of the industry.
“The path of agitation has been further complicated by inter-union rivalry…there is clear evidence that decisions of PTWU central leadership are not percolating to or not being observed in grassroots. Confrontation like situation between union groups is also reported in gardens. It is these conditions that may eventually lead the industry to take precipitate action on the lines already stated.”
The CCPA iterated that the strikes and the embargo on the despatch of tea had hit the operations in the gardens and resulted in losses.
“The continuing accumulation of manufactured teas in estates, constrained by limited factory space, is leading to choking of manufacturing operations and consequential delays of dispatching teas to auction centres and other markets is resulting in delayed cash flows, which might cripple a cash-based industry like tea with limited recourse to credit,” said the CCPA.
The trade unions, however, are not ready to budge from their stance. “The attitude of tea planters in the six rounds of talks held to reach an agreement on wages was utterly disappointing,” said Chitta Dey, the convener of the Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers.
“That is why we are on strike to mount pressure on the planters in the interest of over two lakh workers and their families.”
The Co-ordination Committee and another body of trade unions, the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers’ Rights, enforced a strike in the gardens in the plains yesterday and today. They have called a general strike across north Bengal tomorrow.
“We have received an overwhelming support from political parties and organisations and expect it to be a complete shutdown tomorrow,” said Dey.
The Parishad union has called a strike in the gardens on August 17 and 18 and a bandh in the plains from August 22 to August 24.
GJMM-backed tea workers’ union extends support to strikers
Manas Ranjan Banerjee, SNS, GULMA (Kurseong), 11 AUG: In a show of empathy for the cause of the tea workers in the Terai-Dooars, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha-backed tea workers’ unions have extended support to tomorrow's 12-hour general strike in north Bengal. The strike was convened by over 32 trade unions affiliated to several political parties, including the Left parties.
The extension of support by the GJMM affiliated trade unions to the agitation that has been continuing since 10 August in support of the wage hike demand involving the tea workers in Terai-Dooars, has assumed significance in view of the fact that the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad- backed tea workers’ union has backed out following a meeting with the state government in Kolkata on 9 August. The Darjeeling district Left Front leaders, though seemingly pleased by the GJMM decision, have chosen not to comment on the development. The GJMM media secretary and the MLA from Kalimpong, Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri, said: “We have decided to support the three-day strike in the interests of the tea workers in the Terai and Dooars. Ours is the party committed to the cause of the working class and we would never deviate from it.”
Referring to the recent hike in the wages in the Darjeeling Hills, the GJMM leader said that the wages in the plains should be hiked accordingly. “There should be parity as far as the wages are concerned. The present situation when a tea worker in the Hills gets Rs 90 per day and his counterpart in the plain gets Rs 67 per day cannot be allowed to continue. We are for equality as regards the workers in terms of remuneration,” he said. A permanent tea worker associated with the CITU-dominated Gulma Tea Estate, Mr Ratna Bahadur Chetrri said: “Except the ABAVP- backed trade union, all the trade unions, including the GJMM -backed one, are involved in the agitation. We would struggle shoulder to shoulder. The interests of the workers are paramount.”
Welcoming the support extended by the GJMM to the continuing agitation, the convener of the coordination committee involving 22 trade unions operating in the plantations, Mr Chitta Dey said: “The GJMM decision would consolidate the tea workers’ unity in the region. The discrepancy involving the wages in the Hills and the plains should be immediately done away with. Otherwise, it would perpetuate schism and destroy workers’ solidarity”
Headline SMS, KalimNews:CPRM staged a Dharna in Delhi demanding creation of Gorkhaland.
Amra Bengali stages protests against GTA.
Auction prices tumble in tumult
AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, Aug. 11: The agitation by various trade unions in the brew belts of the Dooars and the Terai has brought down the prices of tea at auctions.
Small-scale tea planters, who own less than 25 acres of land, are the worst affected with tealeaves sold by them fetching lower prices at the bought-leaf factories.
Sources at the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre said prices of CTC tea, produced in the Dooars and the Terai, had come down by almost Rs 30 per kilogram in the past few weeks.
“The average price was Rs 136.76 in the first week of June. In the last auction held on July 28, the CTC tea brought from the Dooars and the Terai was sold for Rs 109.34 on an average. This means there has been a decline of Rs 27.42,” said an official at the auction centre. The garden owners said the ongoing agitation by trade unions to seek a hike in daily wages was to blame for the low prices.
“The trade unions are organising demonstrations, gate meetings and other forms of agitation, affecting the usual cycle of plucking and production on tea estates. Quality is the first casualty in the disruption of work. Nobody wants to buy inferior quality of tea,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.
The secretary foresees a worse scenario in the coming weeks. “As tea could not be despatched from gardens (because of an embargo imposed by the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union), stocks are piling up. When the agitation is ultimately lifted, the market will be glutted with tea and the prices will come down further,” he said. “Added to this is the excess production in Assam and some other tea belts in the current season.”
Bhattacharjee rued that the labourers were on strike at a time the produce did not yield a fair price in the market.
In fact, 25,000 small growers in north Bengal are bearing the brunt of bandhs and embargo in the brew belt. They said they were not getting even Rs 5 for 1kg of tealeaves because of the tumult.
“Around 20 per cent of the tealeaves produced by us are supplied to tea estates. As the agitation by the workers has shut down the estates, we have to depend on bought-leaf factories, which enjoy a monopoly in north Bengal now,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, the president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations.
“The price of a kilo of green tealeaves had reached Rs 15 or so in the current season. But after the agitation was launched, the price has come down to Rs 5 per kilo, which is lower than our cost of production.”
Chakraborty said if the Tea Board and the state government did not intervene, the small growers would have no option but to stop plucking.
Terai and Dooars plantation workers’ strike today
SNS, SILIGURI, 11 AUG: More than two lakh tea workers belonging to over 32 trade unions affiliated to the Left Front, Congress and other parties in the Terai and the Dooars called a 12-hour general strike in north Bengal on 12 August demanding fresh wage agreement and variable dearness allowance (VDA).
The three-day strike called by them from 10 August was total in over 200 tea plantations on its second day today. The tea workers led by their trade union leaders today took out processions in different tea plantation areas in support of the 12-hour general strike tomorrow.
The Trinamul Congress on principle decided not to support the strike. The Adivasi Vikas Parishad also decided not to join the strike officially. Mr Chitta Dey, convenor of the coordination committee for tea plantation workers, said: “A total of two lakh tea workers would participate in the general strike tomorrow. Tea workers have observed strike from 10 August in 54 tea plantations in the Terai and 154 tea plantations in the Dooars demanding their rights.”
Mr Datta said that a section of the GJMM and ABAVP-backed tea workers had responded to the movement today though they were not members of the coordination committee.
Left Front leaders today alleged that the ABAVP leaders backed by the Trinamul Congress had tried to break the unity among the agitating tea workers in different plantations. Mr Asok Bhattacharya, former state urban development minister, said that last night the ABAVP leaders had announced the settlement of wage agreement in different tea plantations area to confuse the agitating workers including the Adivasi people engaged in tea plantation.
Mr Asok Bhattacharya and Mr Jibesh sarkar, the CPI-M state committee member, organised the workers at the Citu-dominated Gulma Tea Estate today in support of the 12-hour general strike.
Addressing the meeting at Gulma, Mr Bhattacharya said: “Nothing has been finalised about the wage agreement between the state and the ABAVP leaders after the meeting in Kolkata.”
Urging the workers to observe the strike, the former minister, said: “We have demanded a minimum wage of Rs 160 per day for a permanent tea worker. The state would have to take initiative to introduce the VDA.”
68 cr loss due to bandh: TAI
The Tea Association of India (TAI), north Bengal branch, has estimated loss of Rs 68 crore due to strike called by the trade unions from 9 August in the Terai-Dooars region.
The TAI officials fear that the estimated loss may go up if the strike continues in this region.
Research scholars shut down varsity - Plea for ugc norm
 |
| Research scholars demonstrate at the university on Thursday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
About 70 research scholars gathered at the three entrances to the varsity campus and the administrative building today and prevented teachers, officials and other staff from entering.
They also prevented the despatch of keys to various departments from the watch and ward department. Earlier, the agitators stopped work at the administrative building only.
The shutdown of the university would continue, the research scholars said, until the authorities incorporated a UGC directive on PhD courses that had been issued in 2009.
The directive says that a course work of six months is a must for research scholars. The university has no such scope for the mandatory course.
“We have allowed the assistant registrar to enter his office, because we have been told by the authorities that the governor’s letter approving the amendment of the PhD ordinance (to incorporate the course work) will be faxed from Raj Bhavan any day. Till the letter comes, we will not lift the strike,” said Rajiv Biswas, the secretary of the NBU Research Scholars Association.
With NBU vice-chancellor Arunava Basumajumdar indisposed and acting registrar S. K. Rakshit on leave, varsity officials have been forced to postpone admissions to MA, MSc and MCom courses.
However, an official said that the amendment was sent to the governor thrice. “Each time it was returned seeking rectification. This time we have heard that the chancellor has signed the document and it will be sent to us any day,” the official said.
“NBU is late by one month in starting post graduate courses. The admission procedure (distribution and submission of forms) to PG courses was to begin from today but we have been unable to do so because of the closure of the varsity by research scholars. We have been compelled to postpone the admission till the research scholars lift their agitation,” a varsity official said.
The varsity published Part III results of BA, BSc and BCom (honours) on August 9, the day the research scholars started their agitation.
“Since they cannot collect the forms from the varsity we appeal to the students to download them from our website. They can fill it up and keep their bank drafts ready and submit them as soon as the agitation is withdrawn,” the official added.
Sources in the controller’s branch said the work to publish the results of Part III general candidates and Part I and Part II results of honours and general candidates have also been hampered.
The protesters said that the future of more than 200 research scholar are at stake following the delay in implementing the new UGC regulation issued on July 11, 2009.
According to them two candidates had lost their fellowships and 10 faced a risk of losing them as the UGC stipulation requires them to get registered for PhD within two years of acquiring fellowships. In the absence of scope of the course work, registration is not possible.
“All the other varsities in the state have implemented the new UGC regulation but NBU authorities have not implemented it even after two years. Two candidates have lost their fellowships and 10 more would lose them if the registrations are not done fast,” Rajiv Biswas, secretary of NBU Research Scholars’ Association, said.
Of the 200 scholars, 70 are registered under the old UGC regulation and are required to do course work within their PhD tenure of five years.
“The research scholars who have registered according to the old regulation have to undergo the course work to fulfil the new norm within the tenure of their PhD. This is necessary because all job advertisements issued in recent times have asked for PhD candidates as per the new UGC regulation. Most such research scholars are about to complete their PhD so the new regulation has to be implemented soon,” Biswas said.
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