जीटीएको बिपक्ष पार्टीहरुद्वारा बिरोध
डी.के वाइबा, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, ७ सितम्बर | गोजमुमोले जीटीएको बिल पारित भएकोमा बिजय उत्सव मनाएको २४ घण्टा बित्न नपाई पहाडका बिपक्षी पार्टीहरुले बिरोध जनाएको छ। आज जीटीएको बिरोध गर्दै गोर्खालीग पार्टी नेता प्रताप खातीले मोर्चाको खोइरो खन्न चुकेनन्। जीटीएको बिरोध गदै लीग नेता प्रताप खातीले यसले भारतभरि छरिएर बसेका गोर्खाहरुको अस्तित्व बोक्न नसक्ने दाबी गरे। मेर्चाले पालन गरेको बिजय उत्सव औचित्य बिहिन रहेको खातीले दाबी गरे। उनले के गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दा बंगाल सरकारलाई बिक्री गरेर बिजय उत्सव पालन गरेको भन्ने प्रश्न गर्दै बिजय उत्सव गोर्खाल्याण्ड गठन भएर मात्र मनाउँदा सार्थक हुने दाबी गरे।
मोर्चाले तराई डुवर्सका जनतालाई धोखा दिएको आरोप लगाउँदै हाई पावर कमिटिको रिपोर्ट नआई चुनाव गराउने कुरा सत्ताको लोभ हो भनि गोर्खालीग नेता खातीले दाबी गरे। मोर्चाले २ सय करोड रुपियाँको लोभमा गोर्खाल्याण्ड मुद्दा बेचेको आरोप लगाउँदै यसको जनताले बिरोध गर्नु पर्ने आह्वान पनि गरे।
अर्कोतिर पिपल्स फोरमका सचिव प्रवीण गुरुङले पनि मोर्चाले जनतालाई धोखा दिएको आरोप लगाए। गोजमुमोले संवैधानिक ग्यारण्टी नभएको जीटीए थापेर जनतालाई लट्टाएको गुरुङले आरोप तिनले लगाए। घिसिङले ल्याउन लागेको संवैधानिक ग्यारेण्टी भएको छैटौँ अनुसूचिको बिरोध गर्ने गोजमुमोले आज किन असंवैधानिक जीटीए थापेर बिजय उत्सव पालन गरेको भन्दै यसको चारैतिर बिरोध हुनपर्ने तिनले बताए।
अर्कोतिर गोरामुमो (सी)का नेता कर्णल डी के प्रधानले पनि जीटीएको बिरोध गरे। उनले मोर्चाले ४४ महिना आन्दोलन गरेर जनतालाई किन धोखा दिएको भनि प्रश्न तेर्साए। प्रधानले गोजमुमो पार्टीले जनताको भविष्य सित खेलवाड गरेको पनि आरोप लगाए। अर्कोतिर अब मोर्चाले जनताले ढाँट्ने काम होइन सत्य कुरा बताउँनु पर्ने माग पनि गरे।
Will troubles compound in Hills?
Romit Bagchi, SNS, SILIGURI, 7 SEPT: As the saying goes, when politicians see light at the end of the tunnel, they go out and, perhaps unknowingly, buy some more tunnels.
This is evident in the state government’s handling of the sensitive issues related to the GJMM clamour for land in the multi-ethnic Terai-Dooars region. As is well-known, the state government has appointed a committee to suggest whether the inclusion of the Gorkha majority areas in the Terai-Dooars area in the GTA is feasible or not. The committee has already had its first meeting last week. The GJMM keeps stressing on identifying such areas on the basis of Census report.
But is the matter so simple? Apart from the possible inter-ethnic ferment, there is a far more serious ramification over the matter. It is related to the question of Indian citizenship involving the settlers from Nepal. Two things would come to the fore once the subject is taken up in earnest. These are the Clauses VI and VII of the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty and the continuing migration from across Nepal taking advantage of these and, more importantly, the Extra Ordinary Gazette Notification issued by the Union home ministry in 1988 just after the DGHC agreement was inked. As per the above mentioned Clauses, the people from Nepal can stay here as treaty beneficiaries sans the political rights a genuine Indian citizen enjoys. And the gazette notification has made it unambiguously clear that those who got settled in India prior to 26 January 1950 and their descendants are Indian citizens. So the question is ~ what is the citizenship status of those who came and got settled within the Indian territory after the cut-off date?
The GJMM wants the 2011 Census report to be the basis for identifying the Gorkha majority "mouzas" in the Terai-Dooars area. The party might also claim that the Gorkha people settled there are Indian citizens as their names figure in the electoral roll.
But can mere inclusion of names in the electoral rolls make them Indian citizens? Mr Subash Ghisingh raised the issue with the former chief election commissioner, Mr TN Seshan, in July 1991. Would the state government consider the treaty beneficiaries as part of the corpus Gorkha community when it comes to identifying Gorkha-majority areas for the GTA territory?
There is no problem if the 1951 Census is made the basis, for all those whose names figured there and their descendants are Indian citizens. But can the treaty beneficiaries be treated at par with the Indian citizens, particularly when ~ and it is a well-known fact ~ the Nepalese migrants from Burma and Bhutan, apart from Meghalaya in the North-east got settled in the Terai-Dooars in large numbers in the wake of ethnic ferment in these areas?
Can the non-citizen migrants decide things when such a serious issue is involved? The question is, should the matter be glossed over for the state government’s eagerness to straighten things out in the Hills?
Lepchas meet chief secretary
TNN,Sep 8, 2011, KOLKATA: Despite chief minister Mamata Banerjee's assurance of forming a Lepcha Development Council (LDC), the Lepchas, who sat on a dharna in Kolkata and in Kalimpong, met chief secretary Samar Ghosh to pursue their demand.
A delegation of the Lepcha Rights Movement, led by convener Bhupinder Lepcha, told the chief secretary that they want an official communication from the state government. They have also demanded that their language be introduced at the primary level.
According to Linguist and scholar Satarupa Dattamajumdar, Lepcha was an official language in the Darjeeling hills and was extensively used in Kalimpong till the end of the 19th century.
"But the language has not been recognized in the curriculum in West Bengal," the scholar says.
कानुन महाविद्यालयको विद्यार्थीद्वारा कक्षा बहिष्कार - विभागको हस्तक्षेपमा आन्दोलन फिर्ता
Will troubles compound in Hills?
Romit Bagchi, SNS, SILIGURI, 7 SEPT: As the saying goes, when politicians see light at the end of the tunnel, they go out and, perhaps unknowingly, buy some more tunnels.
This is evident in the state government’s handling of the sensitive issues related to the GJMM clamour for land in the multi-ethnic Terai-Dooars region. As is well-known, the state government has appointed a committee to suggest whether the inclusion of the Gorkha majority areas in the Terai-Dooars area in the GTA is feasible or not. The committee has already had its first meeting last week. The GJMM keeps stressing on identifying such areas on the basis of Census report.
But is the matter so simple? Apart from the possible inter-ethnic ferment, there is a far more serious ramification over the matter. It is related to the question of Indian citizenship involving the settlers from Nepal. Two things would come to the fore once the subject is taken up in earnest. These are the Clauses VI and VII of the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty and the continuing migration from across Nepal taking advantage of these and, more importantly, the Extra Ordinary Gazette Notification issued by the Union home ministry in 1988 just after the DGHC agreement was inked. As per the above mentioned Clauses, the people from Nepal can stay here as treaty beneficiaries sans the political rights a genuine Indian citizen enjoys. And the gazette notification has made it unambiguously clear that those who got settled in India prior to 26 January 1950 and their descendants are Indian citizens. So the question is ~ what is the citizenship status of those who came and got settled within the Indian territory after the cut-off date?
The GJMM wants the 2011 Census report to be the basis for identifying the Gorkha majority "mouzas" in the Terai-Dooars area. The party might also claim that the Gorkha people settled there are Indian citizens as their names figure in the electoral roll.
But can mere inclusion of names in the electoral rolls make them Indian citizens? Mr Subash Ghisingh raised the issue with the former chief election commissioner, Mr TN Seshan, in July 1991. Would the state government consider the treaty beneficiaries as part of the corpus Gorkha community when it comes to identifying Gorkha-majority areas for the GTA territory?
There is no problem if the 1951 Census is made the basis, for all those whose names figured there and their descendants are Indian citizens. But can the treaty beneficiaries be treated at par with the Indian citizens, particularly when ~ and it is a well-known fact ~ the Nepalese migrants from Burma and Bhutan, apart from Meghalaya in the North-east got settled in the Terai-Dooars in large numbers in the wake of ethnic ferment in these areas?
Can the non-citizen migrants decide things when such a serious issue is involved? The question is, should the matter be glossed over for the state government’s eagerness to straighten things out in the Hills?
Lepchas meet chief secretary
TNN,Sep 8, 2011, KOLKATA: Despite chief minister Mamata Banerjee's assurance of forming a Lepcha Development Council (LDC), the Lepchas, who sat on a dharna in Kolkata and in Kalimpong, met chief secretary Samar Ghosh to pursue their demand.
A delegation of the Lepcha Rights Movement, led by convener Bhupinder Lepcha, told the chief secretary that they want an official communication from the state government. They have also demanded that their language be introduced at the primary level.
According to Linguist and scholar Satarupa Dattamajumdar, Lepcha was an official language in the Darjeeling hills and was extensively used in Kalimpong till the end of the 19th century.
"But the language has not been recognized in the curriculum in West Bengal," the scholar says.
कानुन महाविद्यालयको विद्यार्थीद्वारा कक्षा बहिष्कार - विभागको हस्तक्षेपमा आन्दोलन फिर्ता
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,7 सितम्बर। सिक्किम विश्वविद्यालयद्वारा विद्यार्थिहरूलाई नियमित उपस्थित हुनु पर्ने तथा बिरामी भएको खण्डमा चिकित्सकको मेडिकल सर्टिफिकेटको आधारमा उपस्थितमाथि छुट प्रदान गरिने प्रावधानलाई हटाएकोमा प्रतिवाद गर्दै सिक्किम सरकारी कानुन महाविद्यालयका विद्यार्थीहरूले बुधबार कक्षा बहिष्कार गरे। विद्यार्थीहरूले विश्वविद्यालयको उक्त नियम 2007 सालदेखि नै भए पनि गत 30 अगस्तको दिनमात्र महाविद्यालयको सूचनापटमा झुण्ड्याइएको बताउँदै उक्त आदेश पालन गर्न नसकिने र विद्यार्थीहरूको हित विपरित रहेको बताउँदै अनिश्चितकालको निम्ति कक्षा बहिष्कार गर्ने निर्णय लिए पनि मानव संसाधन विकास विभाग राज्य सरकार र महाविद्यालयको प्रशासन पक्ष र विद्यार्थीका प्रतिनिधिहरूबीच लगभग डेढ घण्टासम्म बैठक सम्पन्न भएपछि विद्यार्थीहरूले विरोध फिर्ता लिँदै कक्षामा बस्ने निर्णय गरे।
मानव संसाधन विकास विभागका निर्देशक टीएन काजीले बैठक पछि विद्यार्थीहरूलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै विद्यार्थीहरूको गुनासोबारे विश्वविद्यालय प्रशासनलाई विभागद्वारा विशेष प्रतिवेदन तयार पारेर पठाउने तथा विद्यार्थीहरूको मागबारे सबै विषयमा सरकारबाट पनि पहल गरिने अश्वासन दिए। तिनले भने, विद्यार्थीहरूको मागबारे हामीले विस्तृत चर्चा गरेका छौं र जति पनि नियमहरू रहेको छ त्यो विश्वविद्यालयको कानुन भित्र पर्ने भएकोले त्यसलाई संसोधन गर्ने अथवा छुट प्रदान गर्नेबारे विश्वविद्यालयसित सम्पर्क गर्नेछौं। विद्यार्थीहरूले पॉंचौं सेमिस्टरमा आएर जिरो सेमिस्टर लागु गर्ने, समाजिक मरौ परौ र विहे बटुलमा समेत छुट्टी बस्न नपाउने तथा सबैको ग्रेडमा 25 प्रतिशत गरिएको तथा मेडिकल सर्टिफिटेकलाई अनुपस्थितिको निम्ति स्वीकृति प्रदान नगरिने जस्ता नियमहरूप्रति आपत्ती जनाउँदै पोस्टर लिएर महाविद्यालय परिसरमा उभिएर कक्षा बहिष्कार गरेका थिए।
विद्यार्थीको प्रतिनिधि विनोद छेत्रीले मिडियासित बातगर्दै भने, अहिलेलाई हामीले हाम्रो मागहरू सरकारी विभागको अऩुरोधमा विश्वविद्यालयसमक्ष पेश गरेर समाधान गरिने आश्वासन दिएको हुनाले हामी आन्दोलन केही दिनको निम्ति फिर्ता लिँदै कक्षामा जाने निर्णय लिएका छौ। तर हाम्रो प्रतिक्षा यही रहनेछ, विद्यार्थीहरूको सबै माग पुरा भएको हुनुपर्छ नत्र पुन आन्दोलनमा जानेछौं। यसैगरि महाविद्यालय प्रशासनले भने प्रस्पेक्टस वितरणको क्रममा नै उक्त प्रावधान र आदेशहरूको बुदा दिइएको हुने भए पनि विद्यार्थीहरूले ती कुराहरूलाई अदेखा गरिएको हुनसक्ने बताउँदै सबै नियम विश्वविद्यालयले तय गरेको आधारमा नै कार्यन्वयन गरिने बताए। अहिले कानुन महाविद्यालयमा 1 देखि 4 सेमिस्टरसम्म सिक्किम विश्वविद्यालयका विद्यार्थीहरू अध्ययनरत छन्।
गुणस्तरीय शिक्षालाई लत्याएर हुरहुरे डॉंडामा दिँउसै बियर फुक्दैछन विद्यार्थी
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,7 सितम्बर। सरकारद्वारा वार्षिक बजटको महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा गुणस्तरीय शिक्षाको विकासमा निम्ति खर्च गरेर सरकारी विद्यालयहरूमा पनि पब्लिक स्कूलको जस्तो स्तरीय शिक्षा प्रदान गर्ने विभिन्न कार्यक्रम संचालन गरिरहेको भए पनि विद्यार्थीहरू नै यसको फाइदा उठाउन उदासिन रहेको स्पष्ट हुनथालेको छ। राजधानीको नामनाङमा स्थित विधानसभा भवनदेखि केही टॉंडोमा रहेको चर्चित हुरहुरे डॉंडामा अहिले विद्यार्थीहरूले दिँउसै बियर, गॉंजा, सिगरेट जस्ता लागु पर्दार्थहरू सेवन गर्ने अड्डाको रूपमा प्रयोग गर्न थालेका छन्। राजधानीका अधिकांश सरकारी पाठशालाका विद्यार्थीहरूले खुल्ला रूपमा नामनाङको हुरहुरे डॉंडामा भेला भएर बियर पिउऩे, सिगरेट र गॉंजा खाने गरेको घटनाले दैनिकरूपमा यो बाटो भएर यातायात गर्ने आम मानिसहरू समेत लज्जीत बन्नु पर्ने स्थिति सिर्जना भएको छ। जो कोहीले पनि हुर हुरे डॉंडा भएर यात्रा गर्नुपर्दा विद्यार्थीहरू हातमा सिगरेट, बियरको बोतल च्यापेर मदमस्त अवस्था झुमिरहेको भेट्न सक्छन्। ती मस्त भएका विद्यार्थीहरूलाई उनीहरूको जिम्मेवारी र अनुशासन सिकाउऩेसम्म कसैकोमा हिम्मत हुन साह्रै पर्ने स्थिति छ।
ती विद्यार्थीहरू नशामात्र सेवन गर्दैनन् तर उनीहरूलाई उपदेश दिने कोही अघि आएको खण्डमा लड्न समेत पछि पर्दैनन्। यसमा प्रशासनको पनि ध्यान पुग्न आवश्यक देखिएको छ। पर्यटकहरूको निम्ति पनि चर्चित रहेको यो इलाकामा आम मानिसहरूसितै पर्यटकहरू पनि प्रसस्त पुग्ने गर्छन् जसले गर्दा सिक्किमकै छवी समेत धमिलो पर्ने स्थिति देखिएको छ। पर्यटकहरू पनि त्यसरी मात्तिएर हल्ला गरिरहेका विद्यार्थीहरूबीच आफूलाई पाउँदा असहज अनुभव गरिरहेका हुन्छन्। विद्यार्थीहरूको यस्तो क्रियाकलाप देखेर पटक पटक मिडियामा सचेत नागरिकहरूले गुनासो पेश गरिरहेको हुनाले बुधबार मिडियाको एक दलले उक्त क्षेत्रको स्थलगत भ्रमण गर्दा सॉंच्चै असजिलो स्थितिमा रहेको भेटियो। उक्त क्षेत्रमा विभिन्न ठॉंउमा अलग अलग हुल बॉंधेर विद्यार्थीहरू हातमा गॉंजा वा सिगरेट तथा बियरको बोतल खोसा खोस गर्दै मस्ती गरिरहेको अवस्थामा भेटियो। ती सबै विद्यार्थीहरू आफ्नो सम्बन्धित पाठशालाका टाइ युक्त युनिफर्म लगाएर स्वर्गीक आनन्द लिन व्यस्त पाइएको छ।
युनिफर्ममा विद्यार्थीहरूको यस्तो क्रियाकलापमाथि कसैले प्रश्न उठाउने घृष्ठता गर्न सक्ने स्थिति नरहेको तथा सबैजसो विद्यार्थी नशामा चुर रहेको पाइयो। तर यो क्षेत्रबाट यात्रा गर्ने सचेत नागरिक तथा पर्यटकहरू भने जतिसक्दो युनिफर्मधारी विद्यार्थीहरूको नजिकैबाट जोगिएर हिँड्न बाध्य भएको पाइयो। उक्त क्षेत्रमा सुरक्षा कर्मी पनि नरहेको तथा कसैले ती उत्पात मच्चाउन उन्मत्त बनेका विद्यार्थीहरूलाई सरकारको सकरात्मक सोच र सुनौलो भविष्यको सपनाको पाठ पढाउन सकिरहेका थिएनन्। अर्कोतिर पर्यटक र स्थानीय नागरिकहरूकै निम्ति पनि समय कटौनीको निम्ति प्रयोग गरिने तथा टहलने राम्रो ठॉंउको रूपमा परिचित हुरहुरे डॉंडा अहिले विद्यार्थीहरूको टुडीखेल बनेको छ। यहॉं गुणस्तरीय शिक्षा सितै विद्यार्थीहरूमा अनुशासन, चरित्र अनि सरकारदवारा सिर्जित अवसरहरूको फाइदा उठाउन सक्ने तथा नैतिक जिम्मेवारी बोध गराउने दिशामा अझै धेरै कार्य हुन बॉंकी रहेको छ् भन्ने देखिएकोछ।
राज्य विकासको निम्ति भावि कर्णधारहरू यसरी नामनाङको हुरहुरे डॉंडामा त्यसै मास्सिने प्रक्रियामा संलिप्त भइरहेको कुरो सॉंच्चै सोचनीय विषय बनेको छ, यसको नियन्त्रण हुन नसकेको खण्डमा सिक्किमको भावी कर्णधारहरूले ठूलै समस्या सिर्जना गर्न सक्छन्। यतिमात्र होइऩ राज्यमा 18 साल भन्दा कम उमेरका ठिटा-ठिटीलाई मदिरा बेच्न नपाइऩे विधान सरकारले बनाएको भए पनि त्यसको सोझै उल्घन पनि भएको देखिएको। उक्त कानुनलाई पनि व्यावहारिक रूपमा पालन गर्नु जरुरी भएको छ।
गोर्खा पार्टीद्वारा राज्यपाललाई ज्ञापन - सिक्किम सब्जेक्टको आधारमा सबैलाई ट्राइबल बनाउनुपर्छः सिगप्रपा
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,7 सितम्बर। सिक्किमे गोर्खाहरूको आवाजलाई लिए कार्यरत सिक्किम गोर्खा प्रजातान्त्रीक पार्टी (सिगोप्रप)-ले लामो अवधीको मौनता तोड्दै राज्यको नेवार, बाहुन, छेत्री, राई, गुरुङ, मंगर, भुजेल, सुनुवार,थामी, गिरी-सन्यासी 10 वटा समुदायलाई पनि अनुसूचित जनजाति बनाउनु पर्ने माग राख्दै राज्यपाल बीपी सिंहलाई बुधबार ज्ञापन पेश गरेको छ। सिक्किम सब्जेक्ट एक्ट 1961 को आधारमा राज्यका मुल रैथाने सिक्किमेहरूलाई जसरी केन्द्रिय आयकरबाट मुक्त राख्ने केन्द्र सरकारले निर्णय गर्यो त्यसरी नै सिक्किमका यी 10 जातिलाई पनि अनुसूचित जनजातिको मान्यता प्रदान गर्नु पर्ने माग राखेको छ। पार्टी अध्यक्ष जीएम राई लगायत 21 जना कार्यकारी सदस्य द्वारा हस्ताक्षर गरिएको उक्त ज्ञापन पत्र पार्टीका सल्लाहकार नरबहादुर खतिवडाको अगुवाईमा 11 सदस्यीय टोलीले राज्यपाललाई सुम्पिएको एक विज्ञप्तिमा जनाइएको छ।
आफ्नो दलिल पेश गर्दै सिगोप्रपाले भनेको छ, सिक्किम सब्जेक्टमा नाउँ दर्ता भएका सिक्किमेहरूलाई एकै रूपमा हेरेर दर सन्तानलाई केन्द्रिय आयकरबाट मुक्त गरिएको छ। त्यसले के प्रमाणीत हुन्छ भने अब उसो सिक्किमका जन समुदायलाई एकै सिङ्गो सिक्किमे जन समुदायको नाउँले चिन्हिते गरिएको छ। पार्टीले सिक्किममा 26 प्रकारकार जात जाति रहेको बताउँदै तिनीहरू मध्ये 10 जातिले अनुसूचित जनजातिको मान्यता पाउनु पर्ने माग गरिएको छ। सिगोप्रपले 26 जातहरूमध्ये भोटिया, छुम्बीपा, डोथप्पा, डुक्पा, कागते , शेर्पा, टिबेटन,, ट्रोमोप्पा, यल्मो, लेप्चा, लिम्बु, तामाङ, कामी, दमाई, सार्की र माझीले अऩुसूचित जनजाति र अनुसूचित जातिको मान्यता साथै सुविधा साहुलियतहरू पाइरहेको भए पनि रहल 10 जातले यो मान्यता नपाएको बताउँदै यी समुदाय पनि एउटै सिक्किमे समुदायको सगोल भएको हुनाले जनजातिको दर्जा दिनु बाहेक अब्बल समाधान केही नरहेको बताएको छ। यसरी सबैलाई जनजातिको दर्जा दिएपछि सिक्किमे जनता एक हो भन्ने 1949 र 1973 को जनआन्दोलन ताकको नारालाई पुनः एकपल्ट कार्यरूपमा चरितार्थ पार्नु पर्ने आह्वान गरेको छ।
सिक्किमको राजनैतिक महाभारतमा नकुल र भीमबीच द्वन्द एसडीएफ नकुलदासको 2014 को चुनौती स्वीकार्छः भीम
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,7 सितम्बर। सत्तारूढ एसडीएफ पार्टीका पूर्व सांसद तथा पार्टीबाट 26 अगस्तको दिन निष्कासित गरिएका नेता नकुलदास राईले एसडीएफ पार्टीलाई आगामी 2014 सालको विधानसभा चुनाउ जित्न साह्रो पार्ने जुन चुनौति दिएका थिए त्यसको प्रतिक्रिया व्यक्त गर्दै एसडीएफका पूर्व सासंद तथा प्रवक्ता भीम दाहालले चुनौति स्वीकार गर्ने दावी गरेका छन्। तिनले यहॉं जारी एक प्रेस विज्ञप्तिमा भनेका छन्, सिक्किम डेमोक्रेटिक फ्रण्ट र यसका नेता पवन चामलिङप्रति भएको जनताको अपार समर्थन, विश्वासमा 2004-सालको लोकसभा चुनाउमा सांसद बन्न पुगेका नकुलदास राईले आफू 2009 देखि पार्टीको जिम्मेवार काममा नियुक्त गरिँदा अप्रेल 2009 पछि एकपल्ट पनि पार्टी मुख्यालयमा दर्शन दिएनन्।
भर्खरै मात्र पार्टी,नेता र जनताको विश्वासलाई आफ्नो स्वार्थको डालोमा हालेर नकुलदासले 2014 को चुनाउमा एसडीएफले जितेर देखाओस भन्ने धम्की दिएका छन् त्यसलाई एसडीएफ पार्टी स्वीकार गर्छ, तिनले भनेका छ। तिनले अझ भनेका छन् नकुलदास राई आफ्नो एउटा विशेष स्वार्थ साधन गर्नका लागि मात्र एसडीएफ पार्टीमा सामेल भएका थिए,दोस्रोपल्ट पार्टीबाट लोकसभा उम्मेद्वारको मनोनयन नपाएपछि उनी विक्षुब्ध, हतास र चुरान्त रूपमा नकारात्मक बनेका छन्। यसैगरि नकुलदासलाई पार्टीबाट निष्कासित गरेर एसडीएफ पार्टीमा मपाईहरूको स्थान नरहेको पुष्टि गरिएको तथा उनी प्रतिगामी, प्रतिक्रियावादी र अभिमानी व्यक्त भएकोले नै पार्टीबाट निस्कासन गरिएको दावी गरेका छन्।
यसैगरि नकुलदासले तीन वर्ष पछि हुने चुनाउको हॉंक-डाक पिटेको बताउँदै प्रवक्ता दाहालले आफ्नो योगदानको सुगाराग रट्ने नकुलदास जुनै पार्टीबाट खडा भए पनि उनले आफ्नो डिपोजिट जोगाउन गाह्रो पर्ने छ भन्दै उनी फोरफिट हुनसक्छन् भन्ने भविष्यवाणी गरेका छन्। तिनले भनेका छन् एसडीएफका विजय यात्रा अझै एक दुई दशक चल्नेछ अऩि पार्टीको नेता र पार्टीलाई आरोप लगाउने अन्य सोच नकुलदाससित छैन्। प्रवक्ता दाहालले नकुलदासमा राजनितिक व्यावहार, बोलीमा सिद्धान्त र सृजनात्मकताको अभाव रहेको दावी गरेका छन्। यसैगरि प्रवक्ता दाहालले नकुलदास राईको अभिव्यक्ति जनताबाट हजारौं माइल टाढा रहेको तथा जनताको सरोकारमा नरहेको ठोकुवा गर्दै एसडीएफ पार्टी तिनको बयान विरक्ति, विभ्रान्ति, हतासा र आक्रोशग्रस्त रहेको बताउँदै जनताको पक्षणा रद्द र खारेज गर्दछ भन्ने हॉंक दिएको छन्।
दाहालले सुतेको बाघलाई नचलाउनु, नत्र परिणाम उजागर हुनेछः नकुल
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,7 सितम्बर। सत्तारुढ एसडीएफ पार्टीका प्रवता भीम दाहालद्वारा लगाइएको आरोपको खण्डन गर्दै पूर्व लोकसभा सांसद नकुलदास राईले लोकसभाको टिकट नपाउँदा दाहालले जनपक्षीय आवाज नउठाएर मुख्यमन्त्री पवन चामलिङमाथि के-कस्ता लाञ्छना लगाएका थिए यो जनताले भुल्न नसने मन्तव्य गरेका छन्।
राईले आज एउटा प्रेस विज्ञप्ति जारी गरेर प्रवता दाहाललाई इंगित गर्दै भनेका छन्,म दाहालजस्तो मलसॉंप्रो भएको छुइनँ र गॉंसको लागि आमा बेचे व्यति पनि होइन। म आफ्नो स्वाभिमानमाथि अहम् गर्छु। दाहालले लोकतन्त्रमा पार्टीमा आसिन व्यतिहरूलाई निस्कासन गर्न केवल पार्टी अध्यक्षको मात्र अधिकार हो भने केन्द्रिय कार्यकारी समितिको गठन गर्नुको उद्देश्य के हो? केवल नाटकीय चालबाजी मात्र हो? होइन भने मैले यस्तो पार्टी फुटाउने कामहरू के गरेको थिएँ? यो कस्तो प्रजातन्त्र हो एसडीएफको? पार्टी अध्यक्ष पक्कै पनि संविधानभन्दा माथि त छैनन् होला।
राईले दाहाललाई स्वार्थमा लिप्त भई व्यतिपूजा गर्ने र जनतालाई दिग्भ्रमित गर्ने लेखहरू नलेख्न सुझाउ दिंदै भनेका छन्, दाहाल सॉंच्चै एसडीएफका कर्मठ कार्यकर्ता हुन् भने सर्वप्रथम उनले आफ्नै सहोदर भाई र छोरालाई के उनको मार्गनिर्देशनमा डोहोर्याउन सछन्? लोकतन्त्रको गलत व्याख्या नगरिदिने म दाहाललाई उपदेश दिन्छु। लोकतन्त्रको हनन् गर्दै सबै विपक्षी पार्टीमा रहेका व्यतिहरूमा जाइलाग्नु भनेको मर्न आँटेको ब्वॉंसोले झम्टिनुसरह हो। राईले यदि सिक्किममा प्रजातन्त्र छ भनेर वर्तमान सिक्किम सरकारले दाबी गर्दछ भने नयुमा टेलिभिजनमा सबै राजनैतिक पार्टीलाई साक्षाकार गर्नसनुपर्ने बताएका छन्। यदि सदैन भने प्रजातन्त्रको वकालती नगर्न सुझाउ दिएका छन्। यस्ता साक्षाकारहरूबाट प्रजातन्त्रका हिमायतीका काला कर्तुतहरू सबै भण्डाफोर हुने उनको दाबी छ। उनले दाहाललाई चेताउनी दिंदै भनेका छन्, दाहालले सुतेको बाघलाई नचलाउनु, नत्र परिणाम उजागर हुन अब कति समय पनि बॉंकि छैन।
150 cases slow Teesta project flow
AVIJIT SINHA,TT, Siliguri, Sept. 7: The Teesta Barrage Project has been delayed because of nearly 150 court cases filed by land losers dissatisfied with the compensation paid to them.
Work on the irrigation project, started 35 years ago with the primary aim of watering the fields of north Bengal, has been progressing at a snail’s pace because of litigation. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee refused to accompany the Prime Minister to Dhaka to protest the proposed 50:50 Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh, which she thinks will go against the people’s interests in north Bengal. Following her protest, the deal was scrapped.
But the project, which was launched in 1976 to irrigate 9.22 lakh hectares, has been able to provide water to only 66,000 hectares. The three barrages needed for the project have been built but construction of the canal network to take the Teesta waters into the interiors of the north Bengal districts is yet to be completed.
According to officials involved in the project, 151 court cases have piled up since the process of land acquisition began in 1976 and around 525 hectares acquired by the government are under litigation. Of the 10,500 hectares acquired for the project, 4,000 have been utilised mainly to construct the four main canals and a few branch (subsidiary) ones.
“The problem with the litigated land is that the plots are spread over a large area in patches. This is affecting the construction of canals,” an engineer with the irrigation department said. “As things stand now, we may be able to construct a few kilometres of a canal only to stop when we hit a litigated plot of land. It is not feasible to carry on construction like this,” he said.
The engineer said the department was considering the option of constructing canals around the litigated plots. “We have discussed the plan with irrigation minister Manas Bhunia. He had recently visited Siliguri and Jalpaiguri to inspect the progress of the project.” But more land will have to be acquired for such a plan.
Explaining the problems in finishing work on the canal network, the engineer said: “The four main canals have primarily been constructed on (vested) government land. So we did not face any problem constructing them. But the strips of land acquired for the branch canals and their branches are cutting into agricultural land in villages. This is what the villagers are objecting to.”
He said that despite the government having acquired land for the branch canals in the villages, construction work had not taken off as the majority of the villagers had moved court and obtained stay orders. “The villagers must realise that they will be the beneficiaries of the project. But now, our hands are tied,” the engineer added.
Many of the land losers alleged that they had been “cheated” by the then Congress and Left governments, which had paid them “peanuts” for the acquired plots. The Sarkar Adhigrihita Jamidata Samannoy Samiti, which was formed in the mid-nineties by the aggrieved land losers, claimed the price paid was much below the prevalent market rates. Shankar Nandi, secretary of the samiti, said: “Several land losers got paid very paltry amounts that were far below the market price. So they moved court.”
Government officials said another 4,500 acres, mainly in South Dinajpur and Malda, needed to be acquired for the project. But given the anti-acquisition policy of the Mamata government, the officials are sceptical whether land will be taken over by the government for the project.
Bhunia blamed the “sluggish” attitude of the previous government towards the project and “corruption” for the tardy progress. “We have decided to form an advisory-cum-monitoring committee to oversee the project. Gautam Deb (north Bengal development affairs minister) will be the co-ordinator of the panel,” Bhunia said. “We have also decided that any tender above Rs 1.25 crore will be issued online to check corruption and malpractice.”
Puja bonus for tea workers at 20% - Same rate for gardens of all grades
TT, Sept. 7: Workers in most of the tea gardens in the hills and the plains will receive Puja bonus at the rate of 20 per cent irrespective of the estates’ grade.
The stakeholders of the tea industry have pointed out that it is for the first time that gardens of all grades are paying bonus at 20 per cent, which is the highest rate permissible under the Plantations Labour Act.
The Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association and all trade unions in the plains reached a settlement at a five-hour long meeting in Calcutta this afternoon.
The pact for the hills was signed between the Darjeeling Tea Association and labour wings of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, CPRM and the Congress in Darjeeling around 10 tonight.
It is believed that the deal for the Dooars and the Terai had a bearing on the bonus rate decided for the workers in the hills. In fact, the DTA had announced earlier that it would not be able to pay the Puja bonus at last year’s rate of 20 per cent.
The labourers of gardens in grades A, B and C in Bengal were paid bonus at 20 per cent last year. The rate was 18 per cent for Grade D gardens in the plains and 17 per cent in the hills in 2010.
The ease with which the planters and the trade unions in the plains sealed the deal is in stark contrast to the delay on their part to clinch an agreement on the revision of workers’ wages.
“Although planters denied us a decent hike in the wages after several rounds of negotiations, they agreed to pay bonus at the rate of 20 per cent. The rate was same in grade A, B and C gardens last year. Although workers in Grade D gardens were paid Puja bonus at the rate of 18 per cent last year, the rate has been increased to 20 per cent for them also,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers Rights.
The gardens are graded based on parameters like financial condition, scale of production and sale of tea.
The practice in the tea industry is that the bonus is calculated in proportion to the total wages a worker is paid in the previous financial year. The workers in the hills as well as the plains were paid Rs 67 a day in last financial year.
“This year’s Puja bonus will be deduced on the basis of the existing wage rate of Rs 67. From next year, the bonus would be paid as per the revised wage, which is yet to be fixed,” said a Dooars industry source.
Of the 208 estates in the plains, around 30 have been kept out of the purview of the deal as they were in financial doldrums and the workers in these gardens will be paid bonus at lower rates.
“Around 30 gardens have been kept out of the purview of the agreement owing to their financial conditions. These gardens will pay bonus, but at lower rates. The margin would vary from four to six per cent depending on the respective estate’s financial capacity,” said Prabir Bhattacharya, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.
Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal adviser to the DTA, said the gardens in the hills had agreed to pay the highest rate of bonus fixed under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, with a hope that “it will encourage a good work culture and keep a check on absenteeism among labourers”.
The DTA has classified 12 gardens as Grade A. The number of gardens in grades B, C and D are 15, 16 and 17 respectively.
The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, an affiliate of the Morcha, said if the workers’ absenteeism was a problem, the managements should sort it out on their own.
“That should not be an excuse to deny the labourers a fair deal. There will always be co-operation on the unions’ part in the running of the gardens,” said P.T. Sherpa, the president of the union.
The Indian Tea Association, a forum of planters in the hills, has six gardens in grades A, five in Grade B, four in Grade C and one in Grade D.
The ITA is also expected to agree to the DTA’s bonus rate as in the past.
The DTA as well as the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association have agreed to pay the bonus on or before September 24.
However, the Darjeeling deal states that gardens can disburse the bonus in two installments if they face any financial constraints.
150 cases slow Teesta project flow
AVIJIT SINHA,TT, Siliguri, Sept. 7: The Teesta Barrage Project has been delayed because of nearly 150 court cases filed by land losers dissatisfied with the compensation paid to them.
Work on the irrigation project, started 35 years ago with the primary aim of watering the fields of north Bengal, has been progressing at a snail’s pace because of litigation. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee refused to accompany the Prime Minister to Dhaka to protest the proposed 50:50 Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh, which she thinks will go against the people’s interests in north Bengal. Following her protest, the deal was scrapped.
But the project, which was launched in 1976 to irrigate 9.22 lakh hectares, has been able to provide water to only 66,000 hectares. The three barrages needed for the project have been built but construction of the canal network to take the Teesta waters into the interiors of the north Bengal districts is yet to be completed.
According to officials involved in the project, 151 court cases have piled up since the process of land acquisition began in 1976 and around 525 hectares acquired by the government are under litigation. Of the 10,500 hectares acquired for the project, 4,000 have been utilised mainly to construct the four main canals and a few branch (subsidiary) ones.
“The problem with the litigated land is that the plots are spread over a large area in patches. This is affecting the construction of canals,” an engineer with the irrigation department said. “As things stand now, we may be able to construct a few kilometres of a canal only to stop when we hit a litigated plot of land. It is not feasible to carry on construction like this,” he said.
The engineer said the department was considering the option of constructing canals around the litigated plots. “We have discussed the plan with irrigation minister Manas Bhunia. He had recently visited Siliguri and Jalpaiguri to inspect the progress of the project.” But more land will have to be acquired for such a plan.
Explaining the problems in finishing work on the canal network, the engineer said: “The four main canals have primarily been constructed on (vested) government land. So we did not face any problem constructing them. But the strips of land acquired for the branch canals and their branches are cutting into agricultural land in villages. This is what the villagers are objecting to.”
He said that despite the government having acquired land for the branch canals in the villages, construction work had not taken off as the majority of the villagers had moved court and obtained stay orders. “The villagers must realise that they will be the beneficiaries of the project. But now, our hands are tied,” the engineer added.
Many of the land losers alleged that they had been “cheated” by the then Congress and Left governments, which had paid them “peanuts” for the acquired plots. The Sarkar Adhigrihita Jamidata Samannoy Samiti, which was formed in the mid-nineties by the aggrieved land losers, claimed the price paid was much below the prevalent market rates. Shankar Nandi, secretary of the samiti, said: “Several land losers got paid very paltry amounts that were far below the market price. So they moved court.”
Government officials said another 4,500 acres, mainly in South Dinajpur and Malda, needed to be acquired for the project. But given the anti-acquisition policy of the Mamata government, the officials are sceptical whether land will be taken over by the government for the project.
Bhunia blamed the “sluggish” attitude of the previous government towards the project and “corruption” for the tardy progress. “We have decided to form an advisory-cum-monitoring committee to oversee the project. Gautam Deb (north Bengal development affairs minister) will be the co-ordinator of the panel,” Bhunia said. “We have also decided that any tender above Rs 1.25 crore will be issued online to check corruption and malpractice.”
Puja bonus for tea workers at 20% - Same rate for gardens of all grades
TT, Sept. 7: Workers in most of the tea gardens in the hills and the plains will receive Puja bonus at the rate of 20 per cent irrespective of the estates’ grade.
The stakeholders of the tea industry have pointed out that it is for the first time that gardens of all grades are paying bonus at 20 per cent, which is the highest rate permissible under the Plantations Labour Act.
The Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association and all trade unions in the plains reached a settlement at a five-hour long meeting in Calcutta this afternoon.
The pact for the hills was signed between the Darjeeling Tea Association and labour wings of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, CPRM and the Congress in Darjeeling around 10 tonight.
It is believed that the deal for the Dooars and the Terai had a bearing on the bonus rate decided for the workers in the hills. In fact, the DTA had announced earlier that it would not be able to pay the Puja bonus at last year’s rate of 20 per cent.
The labourers of gardens in grades A, B and C in Bengal were paid bonus at 20 per cent last year. The rate was 18 per cent for Grade D gardens in the plains and 17 per cent in the hills in 2010.
The ease with which the planters and the trade unions in the plains sealed the deal is in stark contrast to the delay on their part to clinch an agreement on the revision of workers’ wages.
“Although planters denied us a decent hike in the wages after several rounds of negotiations, they agreed to pay bonus at the rate of 20 per cent. The rate was same in grade A, B and C gardens last year. Although workers in Grade D gardens were paid Puja bonus at the rate of 18 per cent last year, the rate has been increased to 20 per cent for them also,” said Samir Roy, the convener of the Defence Committee for Plantation Workers Rights.
The gardens are graded based on parameters like financial condition, scale of production and sale of tea.
The practice in the tea industry is that the bonus is calculated in proportion to the total wages a worker is paid in the previous financial year. The workers in the hills as well as the plains were paid Rs 67 a day in last financial year.
“This year’s Puja bonus will be deduced on the basis of the existing wage rate of Rs 67. From next year, the bonus would be paid as per the revised wage, which is yet to be fixed,” said a Dooars industry source.
Of the 208 estates in the plains, around 30 have been kept out of the purview of the deal as they were in financial doldrums and the workers in these gardens will be paid bonus at lower rates.
“Around 30 gardens have been kept out of the purview of the agreement owing to their financial conditions. These gardens will pay bonus, but at lower rates. The margin would vary from four to six per cent depending on the respective estate’s financial capacity,” said Prabir Bhattacharya, the secretary of the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association.
Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal adviser to the DTA, said the gardens in the hills had agreed to pay the highest rate of bonus fixed under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951, with a hope that “it will encourage a good work culture and keep a check on absenteeism among labourers”.
The DTA has classified 12 gardens as Grade A. The number of gardens in grades B, C and D are 15, 16 and 17 respectively.
The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, an affiliate of the Morcha, said if the workers’ absenteeism was a problem, the managements should sort it out on their own.
“That should not be an excuse to deny the labourers a fair deal. There will always be co-operation on the unions’ part in the running of the gardens,” said P.T. Sherpa, the president of the union.
The Indian Tea Association, a forum of planters in the hills, has six gardens in grades A, five in Grade B, four in Grade C and one in Grade D.
The ITA is also expected to agree to the DTA’s bonus rate as in the past.
The DTA as well as the Dooars Branch of the Indian Tea Association have agreed to pay the bonus on or before September 24.
However, the Darjeeling deal states that gardens can disburse the bonus in two installments if they face any financial constraints.
Garden leave
Siliguri: Tea workers across the Terai and the Dooars will get a day’s leave on Thursday for Karam Puja, a tribal festival, north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said on Wednesday.
RTI query sheds light on clogs in Balasun scheme - Political unrest, late grant of permissions from railways and army cited for project’s delay
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 7: The Balasun drinking water scheme continues to miss deadlines even five years after its foundation stone was laid and is likely to be commissioned only in 2012.
An RTI query has shown that political unrest and delay in getting permissions from the forest department, railways and the army had prolonged the completion of the scheme.
The project, which is being touted as a panacea for shortage of drinking water in Darjeeling, was supposed to be completed in 2009. The public health engineering department is the executing agency for the project.
Replying to an RTI query of Ramesh Khadaria of Pulbazar, the PHE department said: “The time for completion allotted for the work is three years from the date of sanction and placement of funds, i.e. March 2009. The reasons for the delay is due to political unrest and frequent strike call in the region, spanning several days and several weeks and also in the initial stage due to delay in getting permission from different authorities like forest department, railway and military authorities and land disputes.”
The foundation of the Darjeeling Water Supply Pumping Scheme, as the project is officially called, had been laid on February 19, 2006 by then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The work was awarded to the Hyderabad-based Ramky Infrastructure Limited. While starting the work in 2007, the firm had stated that the scheme would be completed in 24 months.
The PHE, however, insists that the funds for the project — Rs 55.86 crore — were released only in 2009. “Out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 55.86 crore, the expenditure incurred as on July 15, 2011 is to the tune of Rs 46.72 core and the rest of the amount standing for the project is Rs 9.14 crore,” reads the RTI reply.
As the work was progressing at snail’s pace, Rajya Sabha member Saman Pathak had asked Ramky to complete the project by February 2011.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha MLA from Kurseong, Rohit Sharma, has also set a deadline for the firm to complete the project by December 2011. “I had a meeting with the authorities of the municipal engineering department and the PHED officials. There seems to be lack of co-ordination between the two departments and during the meeting, it was agreed that there would be better co-ordination. I am hopeful that the project will be completed by December 2011,” Sharma said today.
The residents of Darjeeling have placed much hope on the project as the town is gripped by water scarcity. At the moment, Darjeeling requires about 15-18 lakh gallons of water everyday but the municipality is in a position to supply only 7-8 lakh gallons.
Under the Rs 55.86 crore scheme, water is expected to be pumped from the Balasun river, about 30km from Darjeeling. The project entails the laying of pipes over a distance of 12km in two phases and the construction of a lake at Tiger Hill for distribution of water.
Sceptics have in the past also raised questions on the feasibility of the project claiming that it would be impossible to pump water for 16hours a day to supply 2 million gallons of water to Darjeeling.
The project has involved acquiring about 9.665 acres of land to set up a tank on Rangook-Cedar tea estate, 5.44 acres for a pumping station in Kalaj Valley tea garden and 0.99 hectares of forest land to lay down the pipes.
Hill Cart Road to open on September 25
RTI query sheds light on clogs in Balasun scheme - Political unrest, late grant of permissions from railways and army cited for project’s delay
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 7: The Balasun drinking water scheme continues to miss deadlines even five years after its foundation stone was laid and is likely to be commissioned only in 2012.An RTI query has shown that political unrest and delay in getting permissions from the forest department, railways and the army had prolonged the completion of the scheme.
The project, which is being touted as a panacea for shortage of drinking water in Darjeeling, was supposed to be completed in 2009. The public health engineering department is the executing agency for the project.
Replying to an RTI query of Ramesh Khadaria of Pulbazar, the PHE department said: “The time for completion allotted for the work is three years from the date of sanction and placement of funds, i.e. March 2009. The reasons for the delay is due to political unrest and frequent strike call in the region, spanning several days and several weeks and also in the initial stage due to delay in getting permission from different authorities like forest department, railway and military authorities and land disputes.”
The foundation of the Darjeeling Water Supply Pumping Scheme, as the project is officially called, had been laid on February 19, 2006 by then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The work was awarded to the Hyderabad-based Ramky Infrastructure Limited. While starting the work in 2007, the firm had stated that the scheme would be completed in 24 months.
The PHE, however, insists that the funds for the project — Rs 55.86 crore — were released only in 2009. “Out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 55.86 crore, the expenditure incurred as on July 15, 2011 is to the tune of Rs 46.72 core and the rest of the amount standing for the project is Rs 9.14 crore,” reads the RTI reply.
As the work was progressing at snail’s pace, Rajya Sabha member Saman Pathak had asked Ramky to complete the project by February 2011.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha MLA from Kurseong, Rohit Sharma, has also set a deadline for the firm to complete the project by December 2011. “I had a meeting with the authorities of the municipal engineering department and the PHED officials. There seems to be lack of co-ordination between the two departments and during the meeting, it was agreed that there would be better co-ordination. I am hopeful that the project will be completed by December 2011,” Sharma said today.
The residents of Darjeeling have placed much hope on the project as the town is gripped by water scarcity. At the moment, Darjeeling requires about 15-18 lakh gallons of water everyday but the municipality is in a position to supply only 7-8 lakh gallons.
Under the Rs 55.86 crore scheme, water is expected to be pumped from the Balasun river, about 30km from Darjeeling. The project entails the laying of pipes over a distance of 12km in two phases and the construction of a lake at Tiger Hill for distribution of water.
Sceptics have in the past also raised questions on the feasibility of the project claiming that it would be impossible to pump water for 16hours a day to supply 2 million gallons of water to Darjeeling.
The project has involved acquiring about 9.665 acres of land to set up a tank on Rangook-Cedar tea estate, 5.44 acres for a pumping station in Kalaj Valley tea garden and 0.99 hectares of forest land to lay down the pipes.
Hill Cart Road to open on September 25
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