Hon'ble Governor M.K.Narayanan after visiting Darjeeling and Kurseong visited landslide affected areas of Kalimpong.
क्षतिबारे केन्द्रमा कुरा राखिनेछ-राज्यपाल
प्रज्जवल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। दार्जीलिङ अनि खरसाङमा भुइँचालोले पारेको क्षयक्षतिको निरीक्षण गर्दै दिउँसो बङ्गालका राज्यपाल एमके नारायनन कालेबुङ आइपुगे। तिनीसित जिल्लापाल, एसपी, महकुमा अधिकारी पनि साथमा थिए। यसैबीच राज्यपालसित गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले पनि भेटघाट गरे। राज्यपाल नारायननले भुइँचालोले ढल्काइदिएको ट्रेजरी कार्यालय अनि डा.ग्राहम्स होम्सको निरीक्षण गरे। तिनले भने, निरीक्षण गर्दैछु। यसबारे केन्द्रसित कुरा राख्नेछु। भुइँचालोले दार्जीलिङलाई धेरै प्रभाव पारेको छ। यसबाहेक तिनले सरकारले यसको निम्ति गर्नसक्ने पहलबारे केही खुलाएनन् न त तिनले कुनै आश्वासन नै दिए। तिनलाई बारम्बार प्रश्न गर्दा रिपोर्ट केन्द्रमा राखिने मात्र बताए।
डा. ग्राहम्स होम्सका सीईओ फिलिप्स गिब्सन अनि वर्सर डेभिड फोनिङले होम्सका क्षतिग्रस्त 19 वटा छात्रबास भवनको निरीक्षण गराएका थिए। यसरी राज्यपालको निरीक्षणले केही सरकारीरूपको सहयोगको आशा पलाएको कुरा वर्सर डेभिड फोनिङले बताए। तिनले भने, होम्स मात्र होइन धेरै ठाउमॉं धेरै नै क्षयक्षति भएको छ। सबैतिर निरीक्षण गरेर पीडितहरूलाई सही राहत होस्। यता मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले राज्यपाललाई आफूले निरीक्षण गरेको अनि थाहा पाएका प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरूबारे पनि अवगत गराए। तिनले शीघ्र नै पीडितहरूलाई राहत हुनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा पनि कुरा राखे। राज्यले दार्दीलिङलाई अवहेलना गरेको बताउँदै गुरूङले भने, उनीहरू निरीक्षणमा आउन नै पर्छ। किन भने यो राज्यकै एउटा अङ्ग हो। सरकारबाट कुनै ठोस पहल गर्ने आशा गरिएको छ। यता राज्यपालले पहाडको निरीक्षण गरेपनि क्षयक्षतिबारे के गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने कुरा आफ्नो पक्षबाट केही बताउन सकेनन्। मोर्चाले भने राज्यपालको निरीक्षणले कुनै परिणाम ल्याउने आशा गरेको छ।
राज्यलाई दार्जीलिङबारे कुनै चासो छैन-गुरूङ
प्रज्जवल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। राज्यपाल नै आए पनि गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङ राज्यका मुख्यमन्त्री ममता व्यानर्जीको रवैयादेखि खुशी छैनन्। यसबारे तिनले राज्यपालसित त कुरा गरेनन् तर पत्रकारहरूसित कुराकानी गर्दै भने, बङ्गाललाई दार्जीलिङबारे कुनै चासो नै छैन। मुख्यमन्त्रीले खरसाङको एउटा दुङ्गा हेरेर फर्किइन्। कालेबुङ सबैभन्दा प्रभावित क्षेत्र रहेको छ। तर मुख्य मन्त्रीलाई कुनै पर्वाह छैन। किन पहाडलाई जहिल्यै पनि यसरी अन्देखा गरिन्छ?
तिनी होम्स आउन सक्थिन्। होम्स दार्जीलिङको धरोहर हो। यसलाई बँचाउनुपर्छ। यहॉं धेरै ठाउँबाट आएका विद्यार्थीहरू पढ्छन्। उनीहरूलाई भुइँचालोले धेरै क्षति गर्न सक्थ्यो। तिनले अझ भने, शिक्षा दार्जीलिङको आयस्रोत हो। यसलाई बँचाउनु अनिवार्य छ। तर बङ्गाल सरकार र मुख्यमन्त्रीलाई कुनै चासो नै छैन। यस्तै व्यवहार गरिएको कारण गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलन गरौं कि जस्तो लागेको छ। हामीले त्यसै गोर्खाल्याण्ड राज्य मागेका होइनौं।
राज्य भएको भए यस्तो गर्ने थिएन। तिनले राज्य सरकारको रवैया दार्जीलिङको निम्ति अहिले परिवर्तन भइरहेको अनुभव धेरै दिनदेखि गर्दै आइरहेका छन्। तिनले घरिघरि छुट्टैराज्यको आन्दोलन गरेको भए हुनेथिएछ भन्ने जस्तो हतासा पनि व्यक्त गरिरहेका छन्। तिनले जीटीएको गठन ढिलो भइरहेको अनुभव गरिएको पनि बताइरहेको छन्। तर अहिलेसम्म गुरूङले जीटीए छोडेर फेरि छुट्टैराज्यको आन्दोलन गर्ने सम्बन्धमा स्पष्ट केही बताइरहेका छैनन्। ता नगरपालिकाको चुनाउ हुने पनि बताइरहेका छन् भने उता मुख्यमन्त्रीसित दंग्याइपनि रहेका छन्। घरिघरि मुख्यमन्त्रीसित मन दुखेको कुरा गरेर तिनी के भन्न चहान्छन्? घरि घरि गोर्खाल्याण्ड मागेको भए हुनेथिएछ भनेर तिनले के भन्न खोजेका हुन्, स्पष्ट छैन। तर तिनले बारम्बार नै मुख्यमन्त्रीलाई आरोप लगाउने कार्य गरिरहेका छन्।
मोर्चाको निम्तोपछि आइपुगे सांसद -सीबीआईको नोटिश आएकोले दिल्ली गएँको थिएँ-जसवन्त
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। भुइँचालोले तहस नहस पारेको दार्जीलिङ पहाड निरीक्षण गर्न आज लोकसभा सांसद जसवन्त सिंह कालेबुङ आइपुगे। भुँइचालो आएको 10 दिनपछि तिनले आफ्नो सासदीय क्षेत्र दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा पाइला टेकेका हुन्। दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा छाएको आपतकालीन स्थितिमा पनि हेभिवेट सांसद साथ नहुँदा पहाडवासीले निराशा व्यक्त गर्न थालिएको थियो। सांसदको उदासीनताप्रति पनि धेरै प्रश्नहरू उठिरहेको थियो।
आज कालेबुङ आइपुगेका सासंद जसवन्त सिंहले पत्रकारहरूसँगको छोटो भटघाट अवधी तिनीविरूद्ध भइरहेका प्रतिक्रियाहरूको सहजै खण्डन गरिदिए। पत्रकारहरूले सोधेको प्रश्नमा तिनले भने, भुइँचालो आएको दिन म दार्जीलिङमा नै थिएँ। तर टू जी स्पेक्ट्रम काण्डमा सीबीआई छानबीनको निम्ति सुप्रिम कोटर्र्र्को आदेश पाएर म दार्जीलिङबाट फर्कें। अहिले फेरि भुइँचालोले पुर्याएको क्षतिको जायजा लिन आइपुगेको छु। तिनले दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा भुइँचालोले पुर्याएको क्षतिको निरीक्षण गरी केन्द्रलाई विस्तृत रिपोर्ट बुझाउने बताए। बीजेपी नेता जसवन्त सिंहलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति सांसद बनाइएको थियो तर तिनले छुट्टै राज्य गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति खासै काम नगरिदिएकोले अहिले गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दा जीटीएमा आइपुगेको आरोप छ। तिनले संसदमा सांसदहरूलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति सहमति बटुल्न सक्थे तर तिनले एकपल्ट संसदमा बजेट सत्रमा पहाडको समस्या समाधान नगरिएकोले नै त्यहॉं छुट्टै राज्यको आवाज उठेको बताएका थिए। त्यसपछि भने तिनले संसदमा छुट्टैराज्यको निम्ति कुनै पनि कुरा गरेका छैनन्।
तर यता मोर्चा अनि सांसद आफैले भने गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति नै धेरै काम गरिसकेको बारम्बार बताउने गरेका छन्।
आज पनि सांसद जसवन्त सिंहलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको सन्दर्भमा कुनै काम नगरेको आरोप लागिरहेको सम्बन्धमा प्रश्न गर्दा तिनले उल्टै भने, मैले जति गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा कसैले उठाएको छैन। मैले जति गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति काम गरेको छु त्यति पछिल्लो तीसवर्षमा कसैले पनि गरेका थिएनन्। मेरै योजना अनुरूप गोर्खाल्याण्डको माग आज यो स्थितिमा पुगेको छ। तिनको भनाइको आशय अनुसार अहिले गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलनलाई शिथिल गर्दै गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति नै जीटीए थापिएको हो।
सांसदले पनि जीटीए मार्फत नै छुट्टैराज्य पुग्न सक्ने आशय यसरी व्यक्त गरेपनि तिनलाई जीटीएबाट कसरी गोर्खाल्याण्डसम्म पुगिन्छ? भनेर प्रश्न गर्दा तिनले भने, जति कम्ति प्रश्न तपाईँहरू सोध्नु हुन्छ त्यति नै छिटो गोर्खाल्याण्ड पुग्न सम्भव हुन्छ। यसबेला सांसदलाई पत्रकारहरूले व्यापकरूपले प्रश्नहरू तेर्साइरहेका थिए। धेरै प्रश्नहरू सोधिएकोले नै तिनले जीटीएबाट गोर्खाल्याण्ड पत्रकारहरूले थोरै प्रश्न गरे मात्र पुगिन्छ भन्दै कुरा टार्न खोजे। सांसद जसवन्त सिंह हिजो नै सिलगढी आइपुगेका भए पनि आज दिउँसो सॉंढे एक तिर मात्र कालेबुङ आइपुगे।
तिनलाई पहाड आउन कुनै हतारो नदेखिएपनि कालेबुङ आइपुगेपछि तिनले दुइदिन कालेबुङमा नै बसेर भुइँचालो प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरुको निरीक्षण गर्ने बताएका छन्। सधैँ झैं आज पनि गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका प्रतिनिधिहरूले आफ्नो सासंद यत्रोदिन पछि कालेबुङमा आएकोमा खदा लगाएर स्वागत जनाए। यता मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले पनि आजदेखि नै सांसदलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरुको भ्र्रमण गराउने बताउँदै मध्यान्ह आइपुगेका सांसदलाई डा.ग्राहम्स होम्स घुमाउने अनि यहॉं भएका क्षतिहरू बेहोर्न सहयोग पुर्याउन अनुरोध गरिने बताए। सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले धेरैबेर पत्रकारहरूसित कुराकानी नगरेपनि भोलि पत्रकार सम्मेलन गरेर पत्रकारहरुसित कुराकानी गर्ने भएका छन्। सांसद दार्जीलिङमा आएका दिनहरू औंलामा गन्न सकिने भए पनि तिनले पहाडको निम्ति के के गरे त्यो भने गन्न सकिन्न। किन भने तिनले अहिलेसम्म कुनै पनि याद राख्न सकिने विकास कार्यमा आफ्नो कोष खर्च गरेका छैनन्। तिनको कोषहरूबाट जति पनि विकास कार्यको सूची बनाइएको छ सबै सम्पन्नहरूको निम्ति नै धेर खर्च गरिने देखिएकोछ।
सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले पहाडमा घर नै बनाएर दार्जीलिङका जनताको सेवा गर्ने बताएको भए पनि तिनी पाहुना जस्तो गरेर आफ्नो सांसदीय क्षेत्र आउने गरेका छन्। भुइँचालोले व्यापक क्षति पुर्याउँदा पनि सांसद पहाड नआउँदा सबैले सांसदलाई विभिन्न आरोप लगाइरहेका थिए। यता मोर्चालाई अन्तमा हामी सांसदलाई बोलाउँछौं भन्न कर लागेको थियो। मोर्चाको बोलावटपछि आएका सांसद कालेबुङमा दुइदिन बसेर निरीक्षणमा जुट्ने भएका छन्।
जता सजिलो उतै भीआईपी
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। भुइँचालो गएको ठीक 11 दिनपछि राज्यपाल एमके नारायनन कालेबुङ आइपुगे। तिनी आउन त आए तर शहरवरिपरिका सजिलो क्षेत्रहरूको मात्र निरीक्षण गरेर फर्किए। अहिले भुइँचालो भीआईपीहरूलाई अनुहार देखाउने सजिलो मुद्दा बनेको छ। जो पनि भीआईपी आउँछन् सजिलो छान्दै घुम्छन्। शहर वरिपरि कता भत्किएको छ अनि कता सजिलो छ, त्यतात्यतै कुदेर महकुमा भरिका क्षतिहरुको आलकन गर्दै फर्किने भीआईपीहरूको सूचीमा राज्यपालले पनि आफ्नो नाम थपेका छन्। अझ राज्यपालले त पीडित गरीब र आर्थिक विपन्न क्षेत्रहरूको दौडाहा त पटक्कै गरेनन्।
तिनी आए अनि सोझै होम्स पुगे। होम्समा 19 वटा छात्राबास भुइँचालोले चर्काएको छ। जहॉं विद्यार्थीहरूलाई राख्न सकिएको छैन। कालेबुङका सबैभन्दा ठूलो क्षति भनेको कित त लेप्रोसी डॉंडी कित होम्स बनेको छ किन भने यो शहरदेखि नजिकमा छ। भुइँचालो गयो भनेको सुनेर जिल्ला बाहिरबाट आउने सांसद होस्, कि विधायक, राज्यपाल होस् कि वाम नेताहरू कालेबुङ आइपुगेपछि कता निरीक्षण गर्न जाने भनेर पिरोलिन्छन्, तर उनीहरूलाई बाटो देखाउनेहरूले उनीहरूको स्वस्थ्य अनि असक्षमतालाई ठीक नापतौल गरेर सबैभन्दा नजिकका प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरू नै घुमाउँछन्। जब कि कालेबुङ कृषि क्षेत्र हो, यहॉं कुनै बगानहरू छैनन्। खेती गेरेर खानेहरू शहरमा बस्दैनन् तर भीआईपीहरू शहर मात्र धाउँछन्।
राज्यको मुख्य मन्त्री ममता व्यानर्जीले त भुइँचालोले पहाडलाई नै तहस नहस गर्दा समेत पहाडलाई भनेर केवल पॉंच मिनट समय दिएका थिए। कालेबुङमा भुइँचालोमा परेर चारजनाले ज्यान गुमाएका थिए भने हजारौंको संख्यामा बेेघर बनेका छन्। धेर जस्तो नै कृषकहरूले खेती गर्ने जमीन गुमाएका छन्। जो पनि भीआईपीहरू आउँछन् क्षेत्रीय प्रशासनलाई राम्रो रिपोर्ट बनाउनु भनेर फर्किन्छन्। अहिले क्षेत्रीय अधिकारीहरूको रातको निद्रा हराएको छ। कालेबुङका विधायक डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले त अझ अल्छे पञ्चायतकर्मीहरूलाई थर्कमान नै पारेका छन्। तिनी 24 नम्बर समष्टीको विभिन्न क्षेत्रको दौडाहा गर्दा कोही पनि पञ्चायत कर्मीहरूलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा निरीक्षण गर्न नगएको भेटेपछि तत्कालै खण्ड विकास अधिकारीलाई रिपोर्ट गरेका थिए। तिनले यस्ता अल्छे कर्मीहरूलाई शीघ्र्र नै कार्वाही गर्नुपर्ने माग नै गरेका छन्। यता गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले पनि कालेबुङका विभिन्न क्षेत्रहरूका निरीक्षण गरिरहेका छन्। कालेबुङका विधायक पनि सकेजति जम्मै क्षेत्रहरूको निरीक्षणमा छन् भने अतिथि सासंद जसवन्त सिंहले आज मात्र आफ्ना जनतालाई अनुहार देखाएका छन्। भुइँचालो जॉंदा तिनी पहाडमा नै थिए तर भोलि पल्ट नै तिनले दिल्ली हानिएका थिए।
विमल गुरूङले परेको बेलामा नै जनाताको साथमा नेताहरू हुनुपर्ने भए पनि कोही क्षेत्रीय नेताहरूलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा नभेटेपछि अनिवार्य बैठक बोलाएर झाप्न पर्यो। तिनले कन्ट्राक्टर गर्न अनि पर्सन्टेज खान मात्र नेताहरूको काम नरहेको बुझाउँदै कालेबुङका प्रतिनिधिहरूलाई स्वार्थी रहेको समेत बताएका थिए। जसकोमा दल बाहेक केही पनि छैन उनीहरू भने दुर्गमभन्दा दुर्गमस्थल समेतमा निरीक्षण गरिरहेका छन् तर सरकारको पक्षबाट भने कोही पनि वरिष्ट अधिकारीले प्रभावित क्षेत्रको निरीक्षण गरेका छैनन्। आज- नै राज्यपालसित जिल्लापालले कालेबुङमा अनुहार देखाएका थिए। भीआईपीहरूले पनि केवल शहरनजिक मात्र भुइँचालोको प्रभाव खोज्दै रिपोर्ट संग्रह गरिरहेका छन्। आज आइपुगेका सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले पनि नगरवरिपरि घुमेर यस्ता खाले भीआईपीहरूको सूचीमा आप्नो नाम थप्ने हुन् कि?
भुइँचालो पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल दिनुपर्छ-माकपा
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। माकपाले भुइँचालो पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल बॉंडिनुपर्ने माग गरेको छ। यस सम्बन्धमा कालेबुङ माकपा प्रतिनिधि तारा सुन्दासले जिल्ला खाद्य नियन्त्रण अधिकारीलाई राज्यसभा सांसद सुरज पाठकको नेतृत्वमा ज्ञापन चढाएको जनाएका छन्। सोही ज्ञापनका प्रतिलिपि जारी गर्दै माकपा नेता तारा सुन्दासले भने, भुइँचालोले दुर्गम क्षेत्रका मानिसहरू बढी प्रभावित छन्। धेरैको ज्यानमालको हानी भइसकेको छ। यस्तोमा सरकारीपक्षले विभिन्न ठाउँहरूमा त्राण सामाग्री पनि पुगिरहेको छ। तर यता उनीहरूलाई दिइने राशनबारे कसैले पनि ध्यान लगाइरहेका छैनन्।
भुइँचालोको कारण उनीहरूले राशिन समेत थाप्न पाइरहेका छैनन्। दुुर्गम क्षेत्रमा बिजुली समेत पुगेको छैन। त्यहॉंका मानिसहरू धिप्रीमा भरपर्छन्। यस कारण पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल उपलब्ध गराइनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा भेटघाट गर्दै खाद्य नियन्त्रकलाई ज्ञापन दिइएको छ। यसबारेमा तिनले शीघ्र नै पहल गर्ने आश्वासन दिएका छन्। यता दशै नजिक आइरहेकोले पीडितहरूलाई धेरै चपेट परिरहेको बताउँदै उनीहरूलाई उचितरूपले राशिन वितरण गर्नुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा पनि माकपाले माग गरेको छ। तिनले जनाए अनुसार यसको निम्ति अधिकारीले जिल्ला कार्यालयबाट कुन कुन प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा कुन कुन कुराको आवश्यकता पर्छ त्यसको सूची आए राशिन र मट्टितेल त्राण शिविरसम्म पुर्याउन पहल गर्न सकिने बताएको जानकारी दिएका छन्। तिनले अहिले राशिन वितरण प्रणालीलाई धीमा गरिएको आरोप लगाएका छन्। तिनले भने, दशैं आयो, यस्तो बेला चिनी पॉंच हप्तादेखि वितरण गरिएको छैन। किन यस्तो ढिल्याईँ हुँदैछ? एपीएललाई 29 अनि बीपीएललाई 13 रु.50 पैसामा चिनी बेच्ने बताइएको छ। तर बीपीएलले पाएका छैनन्। दार्जीलिङ र खरसाङमा बीपीएल नै छैनन्।
तिनले 2012 को मार्च महिनासम्मको निम्ति वितरण गरिने राशिनको सरकारी मुल्य समेत निर्धारण गरिसकेको पनि बताउँदै राशिन कार्डको फारम नेपाली भाषामा हुनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा पनि माग गरिएको जनाएका छन्।
Mass protest rally at Lakhimpur by AAGSU against ‘D’ Voters tag on 29th Sept 2011: Memorandum to be submitted to PM
मोर्चाको निम्तोपछि आइपुगे सांसद -सीबीआईको नोटिश आएकोले दिल्ली गएँको थिएँ-जसवन्त
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। भुइँचालोले तहस नहस पारेको दार्जीलिङ पहाड निरीक्षण गर्न आज लोकसभा सांसद जसवन्त सिंह कालेबुङ आइपुगे। भुँइचालो आएको 10 दिनपछि तिनले आफ्नो सासदीय क्षेत्र दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा पाइला टेकेका हुन्। दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा छाएको आपतकालीन स्थितिमा पनि हेभिवेट सांसद साथ नहुँदा पहाडवासीले निराशा व्यक्त गर्न थालिएको थियो। सांसदको उदासीनताप्रति पनि धेरै प्रश्नहरू उठिरहेको थियो।
आज कालेबुङ आइपुगेका सासंद जसवन्त सिंहले पत्रकारहरूसँगको छोटो भटघाट अवधी तिनीविरूद्ध भइरहेका प्रतिक्रियाहरूको सहजै खण्डन गरिदिए। पत्रकारहरूले सोधेको प्रश्नमा तिनले भने, भुइँचालो आएको दिन म दार्जीलिङमा नै थिएँ। तर टू जी स्पेक्ट्रम काण्डमा सीबीआई छानबीनको निम्ति सुप्रिम कोटर्र्र्को आदेश पाएर म दार्जीलिङबाट फर्कें। अहिले फेरि भुइँचालोले पुर्याएको क्षतिको जायजा लिन आइपुगेको छु। तिनले दार्जीलिङ पहाडमा भुइँचालोले पुर्याएको क्षतिको निरीक्षण गरी केन्द्रलाई विस्तृत रिपोर्ट बुझाउने बताए। बीजेपी नेता जसवन्त सिंहलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति सांसद बनाइएको थियो तर तिनले छुट्टै राज्य गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति खासै काम नगरिदिएकोले अहिले गोर्खाल्याण्डको मुद्दा जीटीएमा आइपुगेको आरोप छ। तिनले संसदमा सांसदहरूलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति सहमति बटुल्न सक्थे तर तिनले एकपल्ट संसदमा बजेट सत्रमा पहाडको समस्या समाधान नगरिएकोले नै त्यहॉं छुट्टै राज्यको आवाज उठेको बताएका थिए। त्यसपछि भने तिनले संसदमा छुट्टैराज्यको निम्ति कुनै पनि कुरा गरेका छैनन्।
तर यता मोर्चा अनि सांसद आफैले भने गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति नै धेरै काम गरिसकेको बारम्बार बताउने गरेका छन्।
आज पनि सांसद जसवन्त सिंहलाई गोर्खाल्याण्डको सन्दर्भमा कुनै काम नगरेको आरोप लागिरहेको सम्बन्धमा प्रश्न गर्दा तिनले उल्टै भने, मैले जति गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा कसैले उठाएको छैन। मैले जति गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति काम गरेको छु त्यति पछिल्लो तीसवर्षमा कसैले पनि गरेका थिएनन्। मेरै योजना अनुरूप गोर्खाल्याण्डको माग आज यो स्थितिमा पुगेको छ। तिनको भनाइको आशय अनुसार अहिले गोर्खाल्याण्डको आन्दोलनलाई शिथिल गर्दै गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति नै जीटीए थापिएको हो।
सांसदले पनि जीटीए मार्फत नै छुट्टैराज्य पुग्न सक्ने आशय यसरी व्यक्त गरेपनि तिनलाई जीटीएबाट कसरी गोर्खाल्याण्डसम्म पुगिन्छ? भनेर प्रश्न गर्दा तिनले भने, जति कम्ति प्रश्न तपाईँहरू सोध्नु हुन्छ त्यति नै छिटो गोर्खाल्याण्ड पुग्न सम्भव हुन्छ। यसबेला सांसदलाई पत्रकारहरूले व्यापकरूपले प्रश्नहरू तेर्साइरहेका थिए। धेरै प्रश्नहरू सोधिएकोले नै तिनले जीटीएबाट गोर्खाल्याण्ड पत्रकारहरूले थोरै प्रश्न गरे मात्र पुगिन्छ भन्दै कुरा टार्न खोजे। सांसद जसवन्त सिंह हिजो नै सिलगढी आइपुगेका भए पनि आज दिउँसो सॉंढे एक तिर मात्र कालेबुङ आइपुगे।
तिनलाई पहाड आउन कुनै हतारो नदेखिएपनि कालेबुङ आइपुगेपछि तिनले दुइदिन कालेबुङमा नै बसेर भुइँचालो प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरुको निरीक्षण गर्ने बताएका छन्। सधैँ झैं आज पनि गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका प्रतिनिधिहरूले आफ्नो सासंद यत्रोदिन पछि कालेबुङमा आएकोमा खदा लगाएर स्वागत जनाए। यता मोर्चा अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले पनि आजदेखि नै सांसदलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरुको भ्र्रमण गराउने बताउँदै मध्यान्ह आइपुगेका सांसदलाई डा.ग्राहम्स होम्स घुमाउने अनि यहॉं भएका क्षतिहरू बेहोर्न सहयोग पुर्याउन अनुरोध गरिने बताए। सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले धेरैबेर पत्रकारहरूसित कुराकानी नगरेपनि भोलि पत्रकार सम्मेलन गरेर पत्रकारहरुसित कुराकानी गर्ने भएका छन्। सांसद दार्जीलिङमा आएका दिनहरू औंलामा गन्न सकिने भए पनि तिनले पहाडको निम्ति के के गरे त्यो भने गन्न सकिन्न। किन भने तिनले अहिलेसम्म कुनै पनि याद राख्न सकिने विकास कार्यमा आफ्नो कोष खर्च गरेका छैनन्। तिनको कोषहरूबाट जति पनि विकास कार्यको सूची बनाइएको छ सबै सम्पन्नहरूको निम्ति नै धेर खर्च गरिने देखिएकोछ।
सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले पहाडमा घर नै बनाएर दार्जीलिङका जनताको सेवा गर्ने बताएको भए पनि तिनी पाहुना जस्तो गरेर आफ्नो सांसदीय क्षेत्र आउने गरेका छन्। भुइँचालोले व्यापक क्षति पुर्याउँदा पनि सांसद पहाड नआउँदा सबैले सांसदलाई विभिन्न आरोप लगाइरहेका थिए। यता मोर्चालाई अन्तमा हामी सांसदलाई बोलाउँछौं भन्न कर लागेको थियो। मोर्चाको बोलावटपछि आएका सांसद कालेबुङमा दुइदिन बसेर निरीक्षणमा जुट्ने भएका छन्।
जता सजिलो उतै भीआईपी
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। भुइँचालो गएको ठीक 11 दिनपछि राज्यपाल एमके नारायनन कालेबुङ आइपुगे। तिनी आउन त आए तर शहरवरिपरिका सजिलो क्षेत्रहरूको मात्र निरीक्षण गरेर फर्किए। अहिले भुइँचालो भीआईपीहरूलाई अनुहार देखाउने सजिलो मुद्दा बनेको छ। जो पनि भीआईपी आउँछन् सजिलो छान्दै घुम्छन्। शहर वरिपरि कता भत्किएको छ अनि कता सजिलो छ, त्यतात्यतै कुदेर महकुमा भरिका क्षतिहरुको आलकन गर्दै फर्किने भीआईपीहरूको सूचीमा राज्यपालले पनि आफ्नो नाम थपेका छन्। अझ राज्यपालले त पीडित गरीब र आर्थिक विपन्न क्षेत्रहरूको दौडाहा त पटक्कै गरेनन्।
तिनी आए अनि सोझै होम्स पुगे। होम्समा 19 वटा छात्राबास भुइँचालोले चर्काएको छ। जहॉं विद्यार्थीहरूलाई राख्न सकिएको छैन। कालेबुङका सबैभन्दा ठूलो क्षति भनेको कित त लेप्रोसी डॉंडी कित होम्स बनेको छ किन भने यो शहरदेखि नजिकमा छ। भुइँचालो गयो भनेको सुनेर जिल्ला बाहिरबाट आउने सांसद होस्, कि विधायक, राज्यपाल होस् कि वाम नेताहरू कालेबुङ आइपुगेपछि कता निरीक्षण गर्न जाने भनेर पिरोलिन्छन्, तर उनीहरूलाई बाटो देखाउनेहरूले उनीहरूको स्वस्थ्य अनि असक्षमतालाई ठीक नापतौल गरेर सबैभन्दा नजिकका प्रभावित क्षेत्रहरू नै घुमाउँछन्। जब कि कालेबुङ कृषि क्षेत्र हो, यहॉं कुनै बगानहरू छैनन्। खेती गेरेर खानेहरू शहरमा बस्दैनन् तर भीआईपीहरू शहर मात्र धाउँछन्।
राज्यको मुख्य मन्त्री ममता व्यानर्जीले त भुइँचालोले पहाडलाई नै तहस नहस गर्दा समेत पहाडलाई भनेर केवल पॉंच मिनट समय दिएका थिए। कालेबुङमा भुइँचालोमा परेर चारजनाले ज्यान गुमाएका थिए भने हजारौंको संख्यामा बेेघर बनेका छन्। धेर जस्तो नै कृषकहरूले खेती गर्ने जमीन गुमाएका छन्। जो पनि भीआईपीहरू आउँछन् क्षेत्रीय प्रशासनलाई राम्रो रिपोर्ट बनाउनु भनेर फर्किन्छन्। अहिले क्षेत्रीय अधिकारीहरूको रातको निद्रा हराएको छ। कालेबुङका विधायक डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले त अझ अल्छे पञ्चायतकर्मीहरूलाई थर्कमान नै पारेका छन्। तिनी 24 नम्बर समष्टीको विभिन्न क्षेत्रको दौडाहा गर्दा कोही पनि पञ्चायत कर्मीहरूलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा निरीक्षण गर्न नगएको भेटेपछि तत्कालै खण्ड विकास अधिकारीलाई रिपोर्ट गरेका थिए। तिनले यस्ता अल्छे कर्मीहरूलाई शीघ्र्र नै कार्वाही गर्नुपर्ने माग नै गरेका छन्। यता गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष विमल गुरूङले पनि कालेबुङका विभिन्न क्षेत्रहरूका निरीक्षण गरिरहेका छन्। कालेबुङका विधायक पनि सकेजति जम्मै क्षेत्रहरूको निरीक्षणमा छन् भने अतिथि सासंद जसवन्त सिंहले आज मात्र आफ्ना जनतालाई अनुहार देखाएका छन्। भुइँचालो जॉंदा तिनी पहाडमा नै थिए तर भोलि पल्ट नै तिनले दिल्ली हानिएका थिए।
विमल गुरूङले परेको बेलामा नै जनाताको साथमा नेताहरू हुनुपर्ने भए पनि कोही क्षेत्रीय नेताहरूलाई प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा नभेटेपछि अनिवार्य बैठक बोलाएर झाप्न पर्यो। तिनले कन्ट्राक्टर गर्न अनि पर्सन्टेज खान मात्र नेताहरूको काम नरहेको बुझाउँदै कालेबुङका प्रतिनिधिहरूलाई स्वार्थी रहेको समेत बताएका थिए। जसकोमा दल बाहेक केही पनि छैन उनीहरू भने दुर्गमभन्दा दुर्गमस्थल समेतमा निरीक्षण गरिरहेका छन् तर सरकारको पक्षबाट भने कोही पनि वरिष्ट अधिकारीले प्रभावित क्षेत्रको निरीक्षण गरेका छैनन्। आज- नै राज्यपालसित जिल्लापालले कालेबुङमा अनुहार देखाएका थिए। भीआईपीहरूले पनि केवल शहरनजिक मात्र भुइँचालोको प्रभाव खोज्दै रिपोर्ट संग्रह गरिरहेका छन्। आज आइपुगेका सांसद जसवन्त सिंहले पनि नगरवरिपरि घुमेर यस्ता खाले भीआईपीहरूको सूचीमा आप्नो नाम थप्ने हुन् कि?
भुइँचालो पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल दिनुपर्छ-माकपा
प्रज्ज्वल छेत्री, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27 सितम्बर। माकपाले भुइँचालो पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल बॉंडिनुपर्ने माग गरेको छ। यस सम्बन्धमा कालेबुङ माकपा प्रतिनिधि तारा सुन्दासले जिल्ला खाद्य नियन्त्रण अधिकारीलाई राज्यसभा सांसद सुरज पाठकको नेतृत्वमा ज्ञापन चढाएको जनाएका छन्। सोही ज्ञापनका प्रतिलिपि जारी गर्दै माकपा नेता तारा सुन्दासले भने, भुइँचालोले दुर्गम क्षेत्रका मानिसहरू बढी प्रभावित छन्। धेरैको ज्यानमालको हानी भइसकेको छ। यस्तोमा सरकारीपक्षले विभिन्न ठाउँहरूमा त्राण सामाग्री पनि पुगिरहेको छ। तर यता उनीहरूलाई दिइने राशनबारे कसैले पनि ध्यान लगाइरहेका छैनन्।
भुइँचालोको कारण उनीहरूले राशिन समेत थाप्न पाइरहेका छैनन्। दुुर्गम क्षेत्रमा बिजुली समेत पुगेको छैन। त्यहॉंका मानिसहरू धिप्रीमा भरपर्छन्। यस कारण पीडितहरूलाई निःशुल्क मट्टितेल उपलब्ध गराइनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा भेटघाट गर्दै खाद्य नियन्त्रकलाई ज्ञापन दिइएको छ। यसबारेमा तिनले शीघ्र नै पहल गर्ने आश्वासन दिएका छन्। यता दशै नजिक आइरहेकोले पीडितहरूलाई धेरै चपेट परिरहेको बताउँदै उनीहरूलाई उचितरूपले राशिन वितरण गर्नुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा पनि माकपाले माग गरेको छ। तिनले जनाए अनुसार यसको निम्ति अधिकारीले जिल्ला कार्यालयबाट कुन कुन प्रभावित क्षेत्रमा कुन कुन कुराको आवश्यकता पर्छ त्यसको सूची आए राशिन र मट्टितेल त्राण शिविरसम्म पुर्याउन पहल गर्न सकिने बताएको जानकारी दिएका छन्। तिनले अहिले राशिन वितरण प्रणालीलाई धीमा गरिएको आरोप लगाएका छन्। तिनले भने, दशैं आयो, यस्तो बेला चिनी पॉंच हप्तादेखि वितरण गरिएको छैन। किन यस्तो ढिल्याईँ हुँदैछ? एपीएललाई 29 अनि बीपीएललाई 13 रु.50 पैसामा चिनी बेच्ने बताइएको छ। तर बीपीएलले पाएका छैनन्। दार्जीलिङ र खरसाङमा बीपीएल नै छैनन्।
तिनले 2012 को मार्च महिनासम्मको निम्ति वितरण गरिने राशिनको सरकारी मुल्य समेत निर्धारण गरिसकेको पनि बताउँदै राशिन कार्डको फारम नेपाली भाषामा हुनुपर्ने सम्बन्धमा पनि माग गरिएको जनाएका छन्।
Mass protest rally at Lakhimpur by AAGSU against ‘D’ Voters tag on 29th Sept 2011: Memorandum to be submitted to PM
PR, KalimNews, Guwahati (28th Sept 2011): A genuine Indian citizen, a resident of Tezalpati under Sootea police station in Sonitpur Assam, Indra Bahadur Rai was served with quit India notice branding him as illegal Bangladeshi and such cases and the ‘D’ voters issues are on the rise amongst the Gorkha community in Assam. All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) apex organization of Gorkha students and youths of Assam during a press conference at Tezpur last Saturday provided details of Rai stating that this is a conspiracy to harass and drive away the true Indian Gorkhas from Assam, one by one.
During a media interaction, information and publicity secretary of AAGSU Nanda Kirati Dewan said, ‘The ‘D’ voters cases amongst the Gorkha community have gone abruptly high over the years and the genuine Indians have been harassed in the subject of proving their nationality time and again which is in bad vibe and is being operated by a organized group of police, small polticians and corrupt officials who can demand cash for removing the ‘D’ from the victim’s name in the voterlist.
We condemn all such incident in the toughest of words and the AAGSU is organizing a mass protest march against the ‘D’ voter issue of the Gorkhas of Assam at Lakhimpur in North Lakhimpur dist. of Assam on Friday (29th Sept 2011) where in a memorandum will be submitted to the prime minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh through the Deputy Commissioner, North Lakhimpur to address this important burning issue which completely illegal and against national interest.’
We condemn all such incident in the toughest of words and the AAGSU is organizing a mass protest march against the ‘D’ voter issue of the Gorkhas of Assam at Lakhimpur in North Lakhimpur dist. of Assam on Friday (29th Sept 2011) where in a memorandum will be submitted to the prime minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh through the Deputy Commissioner, North Lakhimpur to address this important burning issue which completely illegal and against national interest.’
Highly affected North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur districts will participate in the rally along with president and secretaries of all districts of Assam. The central committee president Jagadish Khanal, general secy Keshab Sharma and information & publicity secretary Nanda Kirati Dewan will be present in the protest rally and address the crowd to sensitize on ‘D’ voters issue. The rally also will be seen as solidarity march with all the democratic organization like the AASU, KMSS, AJYCP and others whom the government of Assam have tagged as professional agitators for registering democratic protest against illegal-indo bangla land swapping treaty, mega dams construction, intra-state border dispute, inflation and in support of declaring the floods of Assam as ‘national problem’. All these issues will be included in the memorandum with demands primarily highlighting reddressal of ‘D’ voters issue.
Flak for work to welcome PM
BIJOY GURUNG, TT, Gangtok, Sept. 28: The reception that is being arranged for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he comes here tomorrow has not gone down well with a section of people here.
Usually a visiting VVIP gets to see colourful gates and freshly painted pavement railings. Potholes on the road that the guest is supposed to travel on, too, disappear overnight to ensure a smooth ride.
This time, however, the sight of pavement railings along the 2km Deorali-Gangtok stretch getting a fresh coat of green and the Border Roads Organisation working hard to cover the craters on NH31A have enraged a lot of people.
Some have vented their feelings through a group a social networking site.
“So sad that inspite of all the terror n destruction faced by da people....da gov is still trying to present an image of a happy beautiful place......”, one person wrote on the wall where a picture of two workers painting railings has been uploaded.
A VVIP visiting Gangtok usually lands in the army helipad at Libing and proceeds towards Deorali to take NH31A to reach the state capital.
“hope govt. (whoever is incharge) will not ask students to line up along the road holding tricolor to welcome the PM. Stop impressing at least at this time of moment,” wrote a user.
“how can we ask for 1 lakh crore for damages when PM sees gangtok so shiny and new..wonder who’s bright idea it was..,” posted another member of the group that was created after the recent quake.
To facilitate the repair, Gangtok-bound vehicles have been diverted from Indira bypass to meet NH31A at Hospital Dara. The detour takes 30 minutes extra. Traffic leaving the town has to travel via Nam Nang to meet the national highway at Deorali.
Bhandari on quake
Former chief minister and Pradesh Congress Committee president Nar Bahadur Bhandari has said the magnitude of the damage in Sikkim caused by the earthquake on September 18 has been “contributed” by the Chamling government’s thrust on hydel policy.
“The magnitude of damage has been contributed by the thoughtless, selfish and myopic policy of the present SDF government under the leadership of chief minister Pawan Chamling….Ruthless deforestation in the project areas, extensive use of explosives by the power developers have directly or indirectly contributed to the present disaster..,” Bhandari said in a memorandum faxed to the Prime Minister yesterday.
The remark comes two days after Chamling said the hydel plants in the state could not be blamed for the recent tremors. A faculty member of the geology and geophysics department of IIT Kharagpur had also echoed him. “Hydel projects do not cause earthquakes and the chief minister is correct...,” he had said.
Bhandari has demanded that the Centre should “immediately scrap” all mega power projects “if it wanted Sikkim to exist as a state.
“How could the chief minister declare damage of 1 lakh houses and loss of Rs 1 lakh crore immediately after the disaster struck? He could not have collected information immediately after the calamity particularly when his administration was paralysed for almost 48 hours,” the memorandum reads.
Cave-in on Darjeeling road
BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri, Sept. 28: A fresh landslide has caused a cave-in on NH55 at Tindharia this morning, creating uncertainty over the opening of the highway that connects Darjeeling with Siliguri and has been shut since June 16 last year.
The road along with the toy train tracks has collapsed along a 150-metre stretch, a repetition of what had happened at Paglajhora last year. At Paglajhora, a known sink zone, the road had given away along a stretch of 500 metres.
Since the earthquake on September 18, there have been instances of boulders and slush slipping down the hillside on NH55.
PWD engineers said the restoration would be difficult because though it takes only a few hours to clear debris, the road has altogether disappeared at Tindharia, like it did in Paglajhora.
“This will disrupt road connectivity between Siliguri and Tindharia through NH55,” Nirmal Mondal, the executive engineer of NH-IX division of the state PWD, said today.
“After a similar damage in Paglajhora last year, people from Siliguri could at least reach Tindharia through NH55. After today, this road cannot be used altogether. Unlike other places where debris can be cleared within hours, there is no sign of the road here.”
Paglajhora is about 35km from here and 5km from Tindharia.
The road at both the spots have to be built from below till the highway level, engineers said.
Since last year, all small vehicles have been travelling on the Sukna-Simulbari-Rohini-Kurseong route to reach Darjeeling. Although the route takes a little more than three hours — almost like NH55 — the road is narrow and dotted with potholes.
The problem is greater for heavy vehicles that have to go through the Sevoke-Mungpoo route to Darjeeling, the broadest after NH55 but it is more time and fuel-consuming. It takes at least six hours to reach Darjeeling through this route.
Mondal said if the rain continued, it would be difficult to restore the road by this year.
“We had almost finished working on the stretch at Paglajhora and had planned to allow traffic from September 25, but before that the earthquake struck. Since then, the frequency of debris and stones rolling down the hillside has increased in the area, creating pressure on the sink zone. If the downpour continues, the situation will worsen. It will be difficult for us to work in this weather. We have serious doubts if the highway can be opened by 2011,” Mondal said.
Scared by the fresh landslide at least 10 families with houses along the highway have shifted to “safer” places.
“This morning, around 10am when it was raining heavily, suddenly we heard a noise like something huge tumbling down. We rushed out of our homes and found that the road had gone down,” said Esther Sharma, who lives near the Hill Cart Road in Tindharia.
KalimNews: Upper Paren Youth Club of Jaldhaka felicitated Saraswati Chhetri, teacher of Jaldhaka HS School for receiving Siksha Ratna Puraskar from the government of West Bengal. She was presented a citation by the club and St Joseph's school.Sr. Esther Lepcha was the Chief Guest.
Sister Lepcha stated that Chhetri was presented the award for her dedication towards education and social service especially the women.
It is reminded that Chhetri played a vital role in rescuing a local girl Damu from Mumbai while she was sold and India Tv masterminded the rescue operation for her rehabilitation. Damu is now married and living a happily married life.
Chhetri was also a member of the Syllabus Committee for framing Nepali curriculum of secondary education of the WB Board of Secondary Education.
Global Urban Vision – October 2011
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (jnmanokaran@yahoo.com) on behalf of Glocal Leaders Network)
I India
1. Be ready for emergencies: Every 1.9 minutes someone dies of injury and every 4 minutes of heart attack in India. 3 times more people are affected by daily emergencies than disasters and 12 times as much property is lost on an annual basis. 70% of deaths and injuries occur among men 15-44 years of age. 80% of accident victims do not access medical care within the Golden Hour in India. 30% of emergency patients in India die before they reach a hospital. 4 crore units of blood are needed every day in hospitals in India. 50 minutes wasted in Indian hospitals on average. About 20-30 minutes in the developed world. 35% fatalities every year linked to road accidents in India. 69% of road accident victims suffer acute brain injury. 54% of victims of road accidents are men between 21-40. (Damayanti Dutta, India Today 29 August 2011, p. 56.)
2. One fourth of bidi workers in Madhya Pradesh are kids: Government estimates say one fourth of bidi workers in the state are children below 14, which means of the estimated 14 lakh bidi workers, 3.5 lakh are children. But despite these shocking figures, the government seems to have made little effort to stop it. (Mohuya Chaudhuri, http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/one-fourth-of-bidi-workers-in-madhya-pradesh-are-kids-131011 accessed on 3 September 2011.)
3. Fascination with gold hampering India’s growth story: According to World Gold Council, India's gold imports rose 60% in April-June 2011 from a year ago, as people snapped up the time tested hedge against inflation. India has always been a huge gold consumer, but the yellow metal is now our second-biggest import, behind crude, up from fifth place in 2007-08. But, this fascination with gold could be a reason why growth seems to be flagging. Money locked up in the yellow metal effectively disappears from the economy to become jewellery or sits idle in bank lockers. As money has flowed into gold, India's household savings have moved away from productive financial assets, falling to 9.7% of GDP during 2010-11 compared with 12.1% in the previous year. Gold imports are up nearly half a percentage point of the GDP in the last three years, implying that much more of savings is getting locked up in an unproductive asset. That much of the gold is imported also worsens the current account deficit. The hunger for gold seems to have been triggered by increased risk aversion after the global financial crisis. Surprisingly, the soaring prices of gold, now at three-decade highs haven't driven buyers away. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/fascination-with-gold-hampering-indias-growth-story/articleshow/9864856.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
4. Buy sex toys at retail stores in 'bold' Tamil Nadu: As they shop for toothpaste and sunscreen many people are picking up sex toys from retail outlets as well. For years, people bought vibrators discreetly in the Chennai city's grey market or ordered them online. But lately, many take them off the shelves of retail stores or pharmacies. Though a majority of people are just curious, some who don't have partners and others with medical problems pick them up on medical advice. Many of his clients, both men and women, buy sex toys because they have a sexual dysfunction or they have no partners. Increasingly, people with disabilities are also using them on medical advice. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Buy-sex-toys-at-retail-stores-in-bold-Tamil-Nadu/articleshow/9865164.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
5. Kerala consumes 5,000 tonnes of meat every day: Kerala, which leads the country in several indicators including literacy, is also the highest consumer of meat with a daily requirement of 5,034.96 tonnes, according to the state animal husbandry department. 80 percent of the state's residents are non-vegetarians. The domestic production of meat (beef, mutton and chicken) is just around 264.31 tonnes, the rest comes from nearby states. The survey finds chicken to be the most preferred. In fact, from a mere six percent share in 1990, it now accounts for 45 per cent of the meat consumed in Kerala. With a large number of IT professionals working in key centres, the fast food habit has picked up hugely. Hence meat is the most preferred item. In fiscal 2009-10, Keralites spent a staggering Rs 2,844 crore on chicken, of which Rs 1,752 crore went to poultry farms outside the state. Kottayam, Thrissur and Malappuram lead the state's 14 districts in meat consumption. In fiscal 2009-10, a record 6.1 million cattle came into the state through various check posts; another 1.8 million are estimated to have entered unchecked. Of the 33 million people in Kerala, according to Vijaykumar, Christians and Muslims together constitute around 47 per cent and most of the meat-eaters are from these communities. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kerala-consumes-5000-tonnes-of-meat-every-day/articleshow/9866076.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
6. 35,000 malnourished kids in Nashik alone: Even as 1,700 kids starved to death in last one year, electronic machines supposed to be provided by the state to weigh them are either inaccurate or absent, officials claim.Even as the metropolis is spending enormously to wipeout malaria, typhoid and other diseases from within city limits, villages and tribal areas beyond are ailing with emaciated children.Latest reports from Nashik cite that there are 16,662 severely malnourished children and 18,228 moderately malnourished children between 0-6 years of age.These undernourished children, living in tribal and non-tribal villages, are roughing it out in unhygienic conditions, with little to eat.The scarcity and hard life claimed 1,104 children in tribal areas and 619 in non-tribal areas in the district between August 2010 and August 2011. The State Women and Child Development department sanctioned Rs 1.66 crore for 4,631 electronic weighing machines for Nashik, which fall short of the requirement of the 4,776 anganwadis in the district.Moreover, while the machines have not reached most of the anganwadis yet, claim officials, those that are there give inaccurate measurements, defeating the purpose they were bought for. MiD DAY found that most of the anganwadis in Harsul taluka, which has a large population of malnourished children, did not have these electronic machines. Only the primary health centre in Shirasgaon village had them, but they had precision problems. (Rinkita Gurav, http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/sep/070911-35-000-malnourished-kids-in-Nashik-alone.htm accessed on 7 September 2011.)
7. Resting on rails, MTC says no more buses are needed: The ongoing Metro Rail works and the proposed monorail seem to have made Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) think of a temporary freeze on getting new buses. MTC officials say they have no plans to expand their fleet, but for introduction of smaller feeder buses. The roads are already so congested and our buses will just add to the chaos, according to officicals. Experts state that the congestion is caused by private vehicles and measures need to be taken to reduce their numbers. At least 1,000 more buses are required to serve the existing customers comfortably. Each bus occupies the road space equivalent to three cars. So adding 3,000 cars is not a big jump if you consider that there are 4 lakh cars in the city. Official figures show that Chennai has 34 lakh vehicles, of which 26 lakh are two-wheelers and the rest, buses, autos and others. Experts feel that the need of the hour is to reduce the number of private vehicles. Only one bus is required to remove 12 cars from the roads. Chennai and London in terms of land area and population density are similar. London has 8,000 buses and ideally Chennai should also have the same number. (Karthikeyan Hemalatha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Resting-on-rails-MTC-says-no-more-buses-are-needed/articleshow/9903636.cms accessed on 8 September 2011.)Karthikeyan Hemalatha
8. Uniform Shortage: The country is facing a shortage of 6.89 lakh primary teachers and 5.30 lakh police personnel. According to M. Ramchandran, Minister of State, Home Affairs, while the total sanctioned strength of state police forces is 20.56 lakh, the actual strength is only 15.53 lakh. Uttar Pradesh Police is the worst off, with vacancies outnumbering the actual strength. While its total sanctioned strength is 3.68 lakh policemen, the actual number is merely 1,44,200. Most states facing a shortage of police personnel are also Naxalite-hit. Andhra Pradesh has a shortage of 20,340 policemen while Bihar has a shortage of 25,540. In Chhattisgarh, the sanctioned strength is 46,403 but the actual figure is only 32,979, leaving a shortage of 13,502 policemen. Jharkhand, on the other hand, has a shortage of 12,620 policemen. Even Delhi has a shortage of 7,102 policemen. Education also seems to be low on the Government's list of priorities. Though Kendriya Vidyalayas, Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other Indian universities face a shortage of staff across the country, the shortage at the primary level is grave. Schools in India are short of of 6.89 lakh teachers. The Centre had given states permission to hire 18.89 lakh teachers by March 31, 2011 to spread primary education but so far only 12 lakh teachers have been appointed. The record on teacher recruitment is abysmal across states. In Uttar Pradesh, there is a shortage of 1.40 lakh at the primary level while in Bihar it is 2.11 lakh. In Madhya Pradesh, the shortage of teachers stands at 72,980 while West Bengal needs 86,116 more teachers under ssa. Even Jharkhand is 20,745 teachers short while Maharashtra's primary teacher shortfall stands at 26,123. (Shyamlal Yadav, India Today 12 September 2011, p. 67.)
9. Premature deaths by non-communicable disease high in India: WHO: India ranks very high among the nations struck by the rising wave of “premature deaths” caused by non-communicable diseases, mainly heart and blood ailments, the WHO said in its latest report. Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory problems, blood pressure and diabetes are an offshoot of growing affluence of the middle classes as well as worsening health conditions among people below poverty line. “Exposure to the four main behavioural risk factors that contribute to NCDs — tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets, remains high worldwide and is increasing in the majority of low-and middle-income countries,” said Ala Alwan, WHO’s Assistant Director General. India is placed in the “lower middle” income group. Barring Afghanistan, India is worst affected by what are often described as NCDs (non-communicable diseases) in South Asia with around 38 per cent of premature deaths of males and 32.1 per cent of females below 60 years. The total number of NCD deaths are estimated at around 2967.6 (000s) in males and 2273.8 (000s) females. NCDs are estimated to account for 53 per cent of all deaths. Rising incomes and insecurity caused by the stress factors have contributed to 24 per cent cardio-vascular diseases which are primarily centred on stroke and heart attack. The second high death component in the CVDs is due to respiratory diseases, primarily lung and pulmonary diseases, which claimed around 11 per cent of lives. Deaths from other NCDs and diabetes account for 12 per cent. India also ranks among the top 10 countries burdened with highest mortality arising from countries of communicable diseases, especially tuberculosis, as well as high maternal and child mortality. Around 37 per cent of deaths in India are caused due to communicable, maternal, prenatal and nutritional conditions. In sharp contrast, India’s neighbours such as China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among other nations having low proportion of premature deaths due to NCDs. The report said “common, preventable risk factors” are a leading cause of the death and disability burden in nearly all countries regardless of economic development. In India and elsewhere, the leading risk factor for mortality is blood pressure (responsible for 13 per cent of deaths globally), followed by tobacco use (9 per cent), raised blood glucose (6 per cent), physical inactivity (6 per cent), and overweight and obesity (5 per cent). With changing food habits and growing consumption of tobacco among population aged 15 or older, deaths from NCDs are bound to engulf the world, said medical professionals. In addition, rising physical inactivity in which the percentage of the population aged 15 or older engaging in less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week or less than 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times per week, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, overweight, obesity, and raised cholesterol, are transforming India into a NCD country. (http://www.thehindu.com/health/article2452886.ece?homepage=true accessed on 15 September 2011.)
10. 16,000 juvenile cases pending in Bihar: There are 16,000 juvenile cases pending in Bihar courts, the majority of which are in Patna district, according to the state Social Justice Department. Patna accounts for more than 1,500 cases till March 31 last. By and large, the similar situation prevails in other districts with Gaya and Saran having 618 and 676 cases respectively. There were 661 juvenile cases in Begusarai, while Sitamarhi, East Champaran, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Samastipur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Munger, Banka, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, Arwal Katihar have 661, 596, 4498, 474, 442, 409, 403, 366, 347, 321, 305 and 300 respectively. In the other districts the number varies between 297 and 67. The cases are pending for a long time despite section 14 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 mandates disposal of such cases within four months of registration. For juveline delinquents in Bihar, there are 16 Supervision Homes, Special Homes, Remand Home and Protection Homes where around 1,000 of them are lodged at present. It is a matter of concern that all these homes are being run in rented premises the physical condition of which is miserable. Department sources said the state government had sanctioned construction of Child Protection Homes in every district and the necessary funds have been made available to the state Building Construction Department. Out of the proposed buildings for Protection Homes, construction work has been completed for four, while the work is in progress for the other four. Steps are on to make available land for construction of remand homes in other 30 places. The department officials, however, expressed optimism that the trial of juvenile cases would be fastracked in the districts following constitution of the juvenile justice tribunal in all districts. Besides, appointment of the judicial magistrates and allied infrastructure have been put in place to expeditiously dispose of such cases, the sources revealed. To accommodate the offenders, 19 additional remand homes would be built in the state, they said. The state is the first in India to have notified setting up of District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), after the appointment of Assistant Director (Social Security) as the nodal person in all the 38 districts of Bihar.( http://www.indianexpress.com/news/16-000-juvenile-cases-pending-in-bihar/847584/0 accessed on 19 September 2011.)
11. Girls face bias in heart surgery too: A study conducted by doctors at the AIIMS has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure than girls. Even when faced with life-threatening ailments, girls are discriminated against in India. A study conducted by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and published in the medical journal Heart, has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure. Parents of 405 children aged up to 12 years who had been advised to undergo elective pediatric cardiac surgery at AIIMS were interviewed. When their status was reviewed after a year, doctors found 44% (59/134) of the girls had undergone surgery against 70% (189/271) of boys. The study estimates that for every 70 boys who undergo an operation for congenital heart defect, only 22 girls undergo the surgery. The families of 31 out of 134 girls (23.1%) felt the need to conceal the illness of their child from relatives and friends compared with just 4 out of 271 (1.5%) boys' families. A post-operative scar on the chest of the child was perceived as a problem for the parents of 62% of girls (83/134) as compared with only 6% of boys (16/271). Around 65% of parents of girls feared that surgery might dampen the matrimonial prospects of their child, while just 2% of the boys' parents felt so. More than 80% of children in the upper and upper-middle classes had undergone surgery, as compared with less than 60% of patients in the lower-middle and upperlower classes. The percentage of patients undergoing surgery progressively decreased from the upper class (90%) to the upper-lower class (21.3%). Similarly, low educational level of the head of the household was associated with poorer compliance with surgery. Also, younger children in the family had lower probability of having the surgery. In India, around 1.8 lakh children are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year, of whom 60,000-90 ,000 require early intervention. However, the actual number of children undergoing surgery is far lower. (Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Girls-face-bias-in-heart-surgery-too/articleshow/10073196.cms accessed on 22 September 2011.)
12. Pushed into Ganga by husband, woman swims 40km, files dowry FIR: Defying a deadly push off a bridge into the swollen Ganga, angered by a deadlier combination of caste prejudice and greed for dowry that led Amrita Kumari’s husband and in-laws to allegedly push her to what seemed certain death, a young wife swam 40km throughout the dark night and lived to tell. When Amrita, daughter of an Aurangabad jeweller, fell in love with Adarsh Kumar Singh of Chapra and married him in December 2009 in Ludhiana, where Singh worked in a call centre, she didn’t realise her in-laws’ opposition to the intercaste marriage and the absence of dowry would prove so dangerous. She said she was thrown off Patna’s Gandhi Setu by Singh and his uncle on 2 September 2011 evening. Fishermen at Rasalpur Ganga Ghat in Samastipur district, over 40 km away, saw her floating senseless the next morning and rescued her. “My husband, his uncle, my mother-in-law and a family friend of theirs took me to the Ganga bridge in the evening in a car. My husband and his friend grabbed my hands while my husband’s uncle and his friend grabbed my feet to throw me down into the Ganga to die,” Kumari told a magistrate on Saturday. She said Singh’s family was planning to get him remarried to a rich man’s daughter with a dowry of Rs 15 lakh. With an FIR against her in-laws for attempt to murder and dowry harassment, the accused are absconding. DSP Ashok Prasad said raids are being conducted to arrest all those named in the FIR based on Kumari’s statements. (Anand S.T. Das, http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/pushed-ganga-husband-woman-swims-40km-files-dowry-fir-213 accessed on 25 September 2011.)
13. India hopes to achieve WHO’s doctor-people ratio by 2028: India will take at least 17 more years before it can reach the World Health Organization's ( WHO) recommended norm of one doctor per 1,000 people. The Planning Commission's high-level expert group (HLEG) on universal health coverage (UHC) - has predicted the availability of one allopathic doctor per 1,000 people by 2028. It has suggested setting up 187 medical colleges in 17 high focus states during the 12th and 13th five-year Plan to achieve the target. HLEG estimates that the number of allopathic doctors registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI) has increased since 1974 to 6.12 lakhs in 2011 - a ratio of one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people. The nation has a density of one medical college per 38.41 lakhs. There are 315 medical colleges that are located in 188 of 642 districts. There is only one medical college for a population of 115 lakhs in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (95 lakhs), Madhya Pradesh (73 lakhs) and Rajasthan (68 lakhs). Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu each have one medical college for a population of 15 lakhs, 16 lakhs and 19 lakhs, respectively. The HLEG has proposed a phased addition of 187 colleges. It expects that by 2015 under phase A, 59 new medical colleges will admit students in 15 states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. By 2017, 13 of these states will have an additional 70 medical colleges, and by 2022, another 58 institutes will be built in two additional phases (2017-2020 and 2020-2022). By 2022, India will have one medical college per 25 lakh population in all states except Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The implementation of HLEG's recommendations will enable the additional availability of 1.2 lakh doctors by 2017, and another 1.9 lakh doctors between 2017 and 2022. The World Health Statistics Report (2011) says, the density of doctors in India is six for a population of 10,000. India is ranked 52 among 57 countries facing human resource crunch in healthcare. Between 2001 and 2005, India had a doctor: population ratio of 0.5 per 1,000 population in comparison to 0.3 in Thailand, Sri Lanka (0.4), China (1.6), the UK (5.4), the US (5.5) and Cuba (5.9). The nation has the largest number of medical colleges in the world, with an annual churning rate of over 30,000 doctors and 18,000 specialists. However, the average annual output is 100 graduates per medical college in comparison to 110 in North America, Central Europe (125), Western Europe (149) and Eastern Europe (220). China, which has 188 colleges, produces 1,75, 000 doctors annually, with an average of 930 graduates per institute. (Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-hopes-to-achieve-WHOs-doctor-people-ratio-by-2028/articleshow/10133240.cms accessed on 27 September 2011.)
14. UP truck driver beaten to death by RTO men: A truck driver was allegedly clubbed to death with canes by Regional Transport Office (RTO) employees at the UP-Bihar border on 26 September and according to the driver's son, his only crime was failing to stop the truck when signalled to do so. The incident at Naubatpur check-post in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh triggered angry protests by truckers who blocked the highway. Police fired on a mob of drivers and villagers who pelted bricks and attacked the cops. Chandauli police chief Shalabh Mathur ordered a passenger tax officer (PTO) and four RTO constables to be booked for homicide.(Rajeev Dikshit, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UP-truck-driver-beaten-to-death-by-RTO-men/articleshow/10133115.cms accessed on 27 September 2011.)Rajeev Dikshit
II Global
1. Half of world's PCs use pirated software: A Business Software Alliance (BSA) survey showed 47 percent of PC users globally believe there is nothing wrong with using unauthorised copies of software programs. This includes buying a single licence for multiple installations or downloading programs from peer-to-peer networks, BSA said. The survey of 15,000 PC users in 32 countries showed Chinese users have the most relaxed attitude to piracy.As many as 86 percent of computer users in the country acquire their software illegally most or all of the time, the survey showed. "The survey makes it clear that the global software piracy epidemic is spreading fastest in China, which is now the worlds biggest market for new PCs," said BSA president and chief executive Robert Holleyman. The Washington-based BSA is an industry group that works for copyright protection and counts among its members some of the world's biggest technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe. Pirated software installations cost the industry nearly $59 billion globally last year, a BSA report said in May.It said in terms of value, China was the world's second-largest culprit behind the US, installing $7.78 billion of stolen programs last year.The commercial value of pirate computer software used in the US was estimated at $9.5 billion. (http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2011/sep/070911-Half-of-worlds-PCs-use-pirated-software.htm accessed on 8 September 2011.)
2. America's 'lost decade': More poor people now than in 1960: Another 2.6 million people slipped into poverty in the United States last year, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday, and the number of Americans living below the official poverty line, 46.2 million people, was the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been publishing figures on it. And in new signs of distress among the middle class, median household incomes fell last year to levels last seen in 1997. The past decade was also marked by a growing gap between the very top and very bottom of the income ladder. Median household income for the bottom tenth of the income spectrum fell by 12 percent from a peak in 1999, while the top 90th percentile dropped by just 1.5 percent. Overall, median household income adjusted for inflation declined by 2.3 percent in 2010 from the previous year, to $49,445. That was 7 percent less than the peak of $53,252 in 1999. Part of the income decline over time is because of the smaller size of the American family. The census report said that the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line last year, 15.1 percent, was the highest level since 1993. (The poverty line in 2010 for a family of four was $22,314.) Minorities were hit hardest. Blacks experienced the highest poverty rate, at 27 percent, up from 25 percent in 2009, and Hispanics rose to 26 percent from 25 percent. For whites, 9.9 percent lived in poverty, up from 9.4 percent in 2009. Asians were unchanged at 12.1 percent. An analysis by the Brookings Institution estimated that at the current rate, the recession will have added nearly 10 million people to the ranks of the poor by the middle of the decade. Joblessness was the main culprit pushing more Americans into poverty, economists said. Last year, about 48 million people ages 18 to 64 did not work even one week out of the year, up from 45 million in 2009, said Trudi Renwick, a Census official. Median income fell across all working-age categories, but was sharpest drop was among the young working Americans, ages 15 to 24, who experienced a decline of 9 percent. Poverty has also swallowed more children, with about 16.4 million in its ranks last year, the highest numbers since 1962, according to William Frey, senior demographer at Brookings. That means 22 percent of children are in poverty, the highest percentage since 1993. The report also said the number of uninsured Americans increased by 900,000 to 49.9 million. (Sabrina Tavernise, http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/americas-lost-decade-more-poor-people-now-than-in-1960-133508?pfrom=home-otherstories accessed on 14 September 2011.)
3. More people obese than hungry: Geneva-based humanitarian group focused on nutrition in its annual World Disasters Report, stressed there were 1.5 billion people suffering obesity worldwide last year, while 925 million were undernourished. 15 percent of humanity are hungry while 20 percent are overweight. Excess nutrition now kills more than hunger. The problem of hunger existed not because there was a lack of food globally, but because of poor distribution, wastage and rising prices that made food unaffordable. Food prices have spiked globally in 2011, raising fears of a re-run of the crisis seen in 2008 which led to riots and political instability in many countries. (http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2011/sep/230911-More-people-obese-than-hungry.htm accessed on 25 September 2011.)
4. Melbourne world's best city to live, Mumbai among worst: Survey: Australian city Melbourne has been named as the world's most liveable city, while India's business capital Mumbai placed at 116th position in an annual survey that assessed living conditions in 140 global cities. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit's new Global Liveability Survey, Melbourne dislodged Vancouver to become the best city in the world to live. The Canadian capital city that topped the survey since 2002, fell this year to third place behind Vienna, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. India's commercial hub Mumbai is ranked 116th, one place up from its previous year's ranking. In 2010, Mumbai was ranked 117th while Delhi was at 113th position. Though Delhi figured in the new survey, its current ranking was not mentioned in the media report. Other Australian cities in the top 10 included Sydney, which is placed at 6th, while Perth and Adelaide ranked eighth and ninth. The top 10 liveable cities included Toronto, which is placed at 4th, followed by Calgary (5th), Helsinki (7th) and Auckland (10th). London was ranked 53, while at 26 position, Honolulu was the top US city. The worst places to live among the 140 locations surveyed by EIU were Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh's Dhaka and Zimbabwe's Harare. Scores in Europe had been pushed slightly down by the eurozone crisis, while the Arab Spring had affected ratings across the Middle East and North Africa. The cities were gauged on five categories -- political and social stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. They were scored out of 100 and the report noted that the top 10 cities were only separated by 1.8 percentage points. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Melbourne-worlds-best-city-to-live-Mumbai-among-worst-Survey/articleshow/9798685.cms accessed on 30 August 2011.)
Flak for work to welcome PM
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| Workers paint railings in Gangtok on Wednesday. Picture by Prabin Khaling |
Usually a visiting VVIP gets to see colourful gates and freshly painted pavement railings. Potholes on the road that the guest is supposed to travel on, too, disappear overnight to ensure a smooth ride.
This time, however, the sight of pavement railings along the 2km Deorali-Gangtok stretch getting a fresh coat of green and the Border Roads Organisation working hard to cover the craters on NH31A have enraged a lot of people.
Some have vented their feelings through a group a social networking site.
“So sad that inspite of all the terror n destruction faced by da people....da gov is still trying to present an image of a happy beautiful place......”, one person wrote on the wall where a picture of two workers painting railings has been uploaded.
A VVIP visiting Gangtok usually lands in the army helipad at Libing and proceeds towards Deorali to take NH31A to reach the state capital.
“hope govt. (whoever is incharge) will not ask students to line up along the road holding tricolor to welcome the PM. Stop impressing at least at this time of moment,” wrote a user.
“how can we ask for 1 lakh crore for damages when PM sees gangtok so shiny and new..wonder who’s bright idea it was..,” posted another member of the group that was created after the recent quake.
To facilitate the repair, Gangtok-bound vehicles have been diverted from Indira bypass to meet NH31A at Hospital Dara. The detour takes 30 minutes extra. Traffic leaving the town has to travel via Nam Nang to meet the national highway at Deorali.
Bhandari on quake
Former chief minister and Pradesh Congress Committee president Nar Bahadur Bhandari has said the magnitude of the damage in Sikkim caused by the earthquake on September 18 has been “contributed” by the Chamling government’s thrust on hydel policy.
“The magnitude of damage has been contributed by the thoughtless, selfish and myopic policy of the present SDF government under the leadership of chief minister Pawan Chamling….Ruthless deforestation in the project areas, extensive use of explosives by the power developers have directly or indirectly contributed to the present disaster..,” Bhandari said in a memorandum faxed to the Prime Minister yesterday.
The remark comes two days after Chamling said the hydel plants in the state could not be blamed for the recent tremors. A faculty member of the geology and geophysics department of IIT Kharagpur had also echoed him. “Hydel projects do not cause earthquakes and the chief minister is correct...,” he had said.
Bhandari has demanded that the Centre should “immediately scrap” all mega power projects “if it wanted Sikkim to exist as a state.
“How could the chief minister declare damage of 1 lakh houses and loss of Rs 1 lakh crore immediately after the disaster struck? He could not have collected information immediately after the calamity particularly when his administration was paralysed for almost 48 hours,” the memorandum reads.
Cave-in on Darjeeling road
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| The portion of NH55 that caved in at Tindharia on Wednesday morning. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
The road along with the toy train tracks has collapsed along a 150-metre stretch, a repetition of what had happened at Paglajhora last year. At Paglajhora, a known sink zone, the road had given away along a stretch of 500 metres.
Since the earthquake on September 18, there have been instances of boulders and slush slipping down the hillside on NH55.
PWD engineers said the restoration would be difficult because though it takes only a few hours to clear debris, the road has altogether disappeared at Tindharia, like it did in Paglajhora.
“This will disrupt road connectivity between Siliguri and Tindharia through NH55,” Nirmal Mondal, the executive engineer of NH-IX division of the state PWD, said today.
“After a similar damage in Paglajhora last year, people from Siliguri could at least reach Tindharia through NH55. After today, this road cannot be used altogether. Unlike other places where debris can be cleared within hours, there is no sign of the road here.”
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| Photo: BNA |
The road at both the spots have to be built from below till the highway level, engineers said.
Since last year, all small vehicles have been travelling on the Sukna-Simulbari-Rohini-Kurseong route to reach Darjeeling. Although the route takes a little more than three hours — almost like NH55 — the road is narrow and dotted with potholes.
The problem is greater for heavy vehicles that have to go through the Sevoke-Mungpoo route to Darjeeling, the broadest after NH55 but it is more time and fuel-consuming. It takes at least six hours to reach Darjeeling through this route.
Mondal said if the rain continued, it would be difficult to restore the road by this year.
“We had almost finished working on the stretch at Paglajhora and had planned to allow traffic from September 25, but before that the earthquake struck. Since then, the frequency of debris and stones rolling down the hillside has increased in the area, creating pressure on the sink zone. If the downpour continues, the situation will worsen. It will be difficult for us to work in this weather. We have serious doubts if the highway can be opened by 2011,” Mondal said.
Scared by the fresh landslide at least 10 families with houses along the highway have shifted to “safer” places.
“This morning, around 10am when it was raining heavily, suddenly we heard a noise like something huge tumbling down. We rushed out of our homes and found that the road had gone down,” said Esther Sharma, who lives near the Hill Cart Road in Tindharia.
Chhetri Felicitated
Sister Lepcha stated that Chhetri was presented the award for her dedication towards education and social service especially the women. It is reminded that Chhetri played a vital role in rescuing a local girl Damu from Mumbai while she was sold and India Tv masterminded the rescue operation for her rehabilitation. Damu is now married and living a happily married life.
Chhetri was also a member of the Syllabus Committee for framing Nepali curriculum of secondary education of the WB Board of Secondary Education.
Global Urban Vision – October 2011
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (jnmanokaran@yahoo.com) on behalf of Glocal Leaders Network)
I India
1. Be ready for emergencies: Every 1.9 minutes someone dies of injury and every 4 minutes of heart attack in India. 3 times more people are affected by daily emergencies than disasters and 12 times as much property is lost on an annual basis. 70% of deaths and injuries occur among men 15-44 years of age. 80% of accident victims do not access medical care within the Golden Hour in India. 30% of emergency patients in India die before they reach a hospital. 4 crore units of blood are needed every day in hospitals in India. 50 minutes wasted in Indian hospitals on average. About 20-30 minutes in the developed world. 35% fatalities every year linked to road accidents in India. 69% of road accident victims suffer acute brain injury. 54% of victims of road accidents are men between 21-40. (Damayanti Dutta, India Today 29 August 2011, p. 56.)
2. One fourth of bidi workers in Madhya Pradesh are kids: Government estimates say one fourth of bidi workers in the state are children below 14, which means of the estimated 14 lakh bidi workers, 3.5 lakh are children. But despite these shocking figures, the government seems to have made little effort to stop it. (Mohuya Chaudhuri, http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/one-fourth-of-bidi-workers-in-madhya-pradesh-are-kids-131011 accessed on 3 September 2011.)
3. Fascination with gold hampering India’s growth story: According to World Gold Council, India's gold imports rose 60% in April-June 2011 from a year ago, as people snapped up the time tested hedge against inflation. India has always been a huge gold consumer, but the yellow metal is now our second-biggest import, behind crude, up from fifth place in 2007-08. But, this fascination with gold could be a reason why growth seems to be flagging. Money locked up in the yellow metal effectively disappears from the economy to become jewellery or sits idle in bank lockers. As money has flowed into gold, India's household savings have moved away from productive financial assets, falling to 9.7% of GDP during 2010-11 compared with 12.1% in the previous year. Gold imports are up nearly half a percentage point of the GDP in the last three years, implying that much more of savings is getting locked up in an unproductive asset. That much of the gold is imported also worsens the current account deficit. The hunger for gold seems to have been triggered by increased risk aversion after the global financial crisis. Surprisingly, the soaring prices of gold, now at three-decade highs haven't driven buyers away. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/fascination-with-gold-hampering-indias-growth-story/articleshow/9864856.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
4. Buy sex toys at retail stores in 'bold' Tamil Nadu: As they shop for toothpaste and sunscreen many people are picking up sex toys from retail outlets as well. For years, people bought vibrators discreetly in the Chennai city's grey market or ordered them online. But lately, many take them off the shelves of retail stores or pharmacies. Though a majority of people are just curious, some who don't have partners and others with medical problems pick them up on medical advice. Many of his clients, both men and women, buy sex toys because they have a sexual dysfunction or they have no partners. Increasingly, people with disabilities are also using them on medical advice. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Buy-sex-toys-at-retail-stores-in-bold-Tamil-Nadu/articleshow/9865164.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
5. Kerala consumes 5,000 tonnes of meat every day: Kerala, which leads the country in several indicators including literacy, is also the highest consumer of meat with a daily requirement of 5,034.96 tonnes, according to the state animal husbandry department. 80 percent of the state's residents are non-vegetarians. The domestic production of meat (beef, mutton and chicken) is just around 264.31 tonnes, the rest comes from nearby states. The survey finds chicken to be the most preferred. In fact, from a mere six percent share in 1990, it now accounts for 45 per cent of the meat consumed in Kerala. With a large number of IT professionals working in key centres, the fast food habit has picked up hugely. Hence meat is the most preferred item. In fiscal 2009-10, Keralites spent a staggering Rs 2,844 crore on chicken, of which Rs 1,752 crore went to poultry farms outside the state. Kottayam, Thrissur and Malappuram lead the state's 14 districts in meat consumption. In fiscal 2009-10, a record 6.1 million cattle came into the state through various check posts; another 1.8 million are estimated to have entered unchecked. Of the 33 million people in Kerala, according to Vijaykumar, Christians and Muslims together constitute around 47 per cent and most of the meat-eaters are from these communities. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Kerala-consumes-5000-tonnes-of-meat-every-day/articleshow/9866076.cms accessed on 5 September 2011.)
6. 35,000 malnourished kids in Nashik alone: Even as 1,700 kids starved to death in last one year, electronic machines supposed to be provided by the state to weigh them are either inaccurate or absent, officials claim.Even as the metropolis is spending enormously to wipeout malaria, typhoid and other diseases from within city limits, villages and tribal areas beyond are ailing with emaciated children.Latest reports from Nashik cite that there are 16,662 severely malnourished children and 18,228 moderately malnourished children between 0-6 years of age.These undernourished children, living in tribal and non-tribal villages, are roughing it out in unhygienic conditions, with little to eat.The scarcity and hard life claimed 1,104 children in tribal areas and 619 in non-tribal areas in the district between August 2010 and August 2011. The State Women and Child Development department sanctioned Rs 1.66 crore for 4,631 electronic weighing machines for Nashik, which fall short of the requirement of the 4,776 anganwadis in the district.Moreover, while the machines have not reached most of the anganwadis yet, claim officials, those that are there give inaccurate measurements, defeating the purpose they were bought for. MiD DAY found that most of the anganwadis in Harsul taluka, which has a large population of malnourished children, did not have these electronic machines. Only the primary health centre in Shirasgaon village had them, but they had precision problems. (Rinkita Gurav, http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/sep/070911-35-000-malnourished-kids-in-Nashik-alone.htm accessed on 7 September 2011.)
7. Resting on rails, MTC says no more buses are needed: The ongoing Metro Rail works and the proposed monorail seem to have made Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) think of a temporary freeze on getting new buses. MTC officials say they have no plans to expand their fleet, but for introduction of smaller feeder buses. The roads are already so congested and our buses will just add to the chaos, according to officicals. Experts state that the congestion is caused by private vehicles and measures need to be taken to reduce their numbers. At least 1,000 more buses are required to serve the existing customers comfortably. Each bus occupies the road space equivalent to three cars. So adding 3,000 cars is not a big jump if you consider that there are 4 lakh cars in the city. Official figures show that Chennai has 34 lakh vehicles, of which 26 lakh are two-wheelers and the rest, buses, autos and others. Experts feel that the need of the hour is to reduce the number of private vehicles. Only one bus is required to remove 12 cars from the roads. Chennai and London in terms of land area and population density are similar. London has 8,000 buses and ideally Chennai should also have the same number. (Karthikeyan Hemalatha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Resting-on-rails-MTC-says-no-more-buses-are-needed/articleshow/9903636.cms accessed on 8 September 2011.)Karthikeyan Hemalatha
8. Uniform Shortage: The country is facing a shortage of 6.89 lakh primary teachers and 5.30 lakh police personnel. According to M. Ramchandran, Minister of State, Home Affairs, while the total sanctioned strength of state police forces is 20.56 lakh, the actual strength is only 15.53 lakh. Uttar Pradesh Police is the worst off, with vacancies outnumbering the actual strength. While its total sanctioned strength is 3.68 lakh policemen, the actual number is merely 1,44,200. Most states facing a shortage of police personnel are also Naxalite-hit. Andhra Pradesh has a shortage of 20,340 policemen while Bihar has a shortage of 25,540. In Chhattisgarh, the sanctioned strength is 46,403 but the actual figure is only 32,979, leaving a shortage of 13,502 policemen. Jharkhand, on the other hand, has a shortage of 12,620 policemen. Even Delhi has a shortage of 7,102 policemen. Education also seems to be low on the Government's list of priorities. Though Kendriya Vidyalayas, Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other Indian universities face a shortage of staff across the country, the shortage at the primary level is grave. Schools in India are short of of 6.89 lakh teachers. The Centre had given states permission to hire 18.89 lakh teachers by March 31, 2011 to spread primary education but so far only 12 lakh teachers have been appointed. The record on teacher recruitment is abysmal across states. In Uttar Pradesh, there is a shortage of 1.40 lakh at the primary level while in Bihar it is 2.11 lakh. In Madhya Pradesh, the shortage of teachers stands at 72,980 while West Bengal needs 86,116 more teachers under ssa. Even Jharkhand is 20,745 teachers short while Maharashtra's primary teacher shortfall stands at 26,123. (Shyamlal Yadav, India Today 12 September 2011, p. 67.)
9. Premature deaths by non-communicable disease high in India: WHO: India ranks very high among the nations struck by the rising wave of “premature deaths” caused by non-communicable diseases, mainly heart and blood ailments, the WHO said in its latest report. Cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory problems, blood pressure and diabetes are an offshoot of growing affluence of the middle classes as well as worsening health conditions among people below poverty line. “Exposure to the four main behavioural risk factors that contribute to NCDs — tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diets, remains high worldwide and is increasing in the majority of low-and middle-income countries,” said Ala Alwan, WHO’s Assistant Director General. India is placed in the “lower middle” income group. Barring Afghanistan, India is worst affected by what are often described as NCDs (non-communicable diseases) in South Asia with around 38 per cent of premature deaths of males and 32.1 per cent of females below 60 years. The total number of NCD deaths are estimated at around 2967.6 (000s) in males and 2273.8 (000s) females. NCDs are estimated to account for 53 per cent of all deaths. Rising incomes and insecurity caused by the stress factors have contributed to 24 per cent cardio-vascular diseases which are primarily centred on stroke and heart attack. The second high death component in the CVDs is due to respiratory diseases, primarily lung and pulmonary diseases, which claimed around 11 per cent of lives. Deaths from other NCDs and diabetes account for 12 per cent. India also ranks among the top 10 countries burdened with highest mortality arising from countries of communicable diseases, especially tuberculosis, as well as high maternal and child mortality. Around 37 per cent of deaths in India are caused due to communicable, maternal, prenatal and nutritional conditions. In sharp contrast, India’s neighbours such as China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are among other nations having low proportion of premature deaths due to NCDs. The report said “common, preventable risk factors” are a leading cause of the death and disability burden in nearly all countries regardless of economic development. In India and elsewhere, the leading risk factor for mortality is blood pressure (responsible for 13 per cent of deaths globally), followed by tobacco use (9 per cent), raised blood glucose (6 per cent), physical inactivity (6 per cent), and overweight and obesity (5 per cent). With changing food habits and growing consumption of tobacco among population aged 15 or older, deaths from NCDs are bound to engulf the world, said medical professionals. In addition, rising physical inactivity in which the percentage of the population aged 15 or older engaging in less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week or less than 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times per week, raised blood pressure, raised blood glucose, overweight, obesity, and raised cholesterol, are transforming India into a NCD country. (http://www.thehindu.com/health/article2452886.ece?homepage=true accessed on 15 September 2011.)
10. 16,000 juvenile cases pending in Bihar: There are 16,000 juvenile cases pending in Bihar courts, the majority of which are in Patna district, according to the state Social Justice Department. Patna accounts for more than 1,500 cases till March 31 last. By and large, the similar situation prevails in other districts with Gaya and Saran having 618 and 676 cases respectively. There were 661 juvenile cases in Begusarai, while Sitamarhi, East Champaran, Vaishali, Gopalganj, Samastipur, Rohtas, Aurangabad, Munger, Banka, Darbhanga, Jehanabad, Arwal Katihar have 661, 596, 4498, 474, 442, 409, 403, 366, 347, 321, 305 and 300 respectively. In the other districts the number varies between 297 and 67. The cases are pending for a long time despite section 14 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 mandates disposal of such cases within four months of registration. For juveline delinquents in Bihar, there are 16 Supervision Homes, Special Homes, Remand Home and Protection Homes where around 1,000 of them are lodged at present. It is a matter of concern that all these homes are being run in rented premises the physical condition of which is miserable. Department sources said the state government had sanctioned construction of Child Protection Homes in every district and the necessary funds have been made available to the state Building Construction Department. Out of the proposed buildings for Protection Homes, construction work has been completed for four, while the work is in progress for the other four. Steps are on to make available land for construction of remand homes in other 30 places. The department officials, however, expressed optimism that the trial of juvenile cases would be fastracked in the districts following constitution of the juvenile justice tribunal in all districts. Besides, appointment of the judicial magistrates and allied infrastructure have been put in place to expeditiously dispose of such cases, the sources revealed. To accommodate the offenders, 19 additional remand homes would be built in the state, they said. The state is the first in India to have notified setting up of District Child Protection Units (DCPUs), after the appointment of Assistant Director (Social Security) as the nodal person in all the 38 districts of Bihar.( http://www.indianexpress.com/news/16-000-juvenile-cases-pending-in-bihar/847584/0 accessed on 19 September 2011.)
11. Girls face bias in heart surgery too: A study conducted by doctors at the AIIMS has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure than girls. Even when faced with life-threatening ailments, girls are discriminated against in India. A study conducted by doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and published in the medical journal Heart, has found that among children who require heart surgery, boys have a much better chance of undergoing the procedure. Parents of 405 children aged up to 12 years who had been advised to undergo elective pediatric cardiac surgery at AIIMS were interviewed. When their status was reviewed after a year, doctors found 44% (59/134) of the girls had undergone surgery against 70% (189/271) of boys. The study estimates that for every 70 boys who undergo an operation for congenital heart defect, only 22 girls undergo the surgery. The families of 31 out of 134 girls (23.1%) felt the need to conceal the illness of their child from relatives and friends compared with just 4 out of 271 (1.5%) boys' families. A post-operative scar on the chest of the child was perceived as a problem for the parents of 62% of girls (83/134) as compared with only 6% of boys (16/271). Around 65% of parents of girls feared that surgery might dampen the matrimonial prospects of their child, while just 2% of the boys' parents felt so. More than 80% of children in the upper and upper-middle classes had undergone surgery, as compared with less than 60% of patients in the lower-middle and upperlower classes. The percentage of patients undergoing surgery progressively decreased from the upper class (90%) to the upper-lower class (21.3%). Similarly, low educational level of the head of the household was associated with poorer compliance with surgery. Also, younger children in the family had lower probability of having the surgery. In India, around 1.8 lakh children are born with congenital heart disease (CHD) each year, of whom 60,000-90 ,000 require early intervention. However, the actual number of children undergoing surgery is far lower. (Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Girls-face-bias-in-heart-surgery-too/articleshow/10073196.cms accessed on 22 September 2011.)
12. Pushed into Ganga by husband, woman swims 40km, files dowry FIR: Defying a deadly push off a bridge into the swollen Ganga, angered by a deadlier combination of caste prejudice and greed for dowry that led Amrita Kumari’s husband and in-laws to allegedly push her to what seemed certain death, a young wife swam 40km throughout the dark night and lived to tell. When Amrita, daughter of an Aurangabad jeweller, fell in love with Adarsh Kumar Singh of Chapra and married him in December 2009 in Ludhiana, where Singh worked in a call centre, she didn’t realise her in-laws’ opposition to the intercaste marriage and the absence of dowry would prove so dangerous. She said she was thrown off Patna’s Gandhi Setu by Singh and his uncle on 2 September 2011 evening. Fishermen at Rasalpur Ganga Ghat in Samastipur district, over 40 km away, saw her floating senseless the next morning and rescued her. “My husband, his uncle, my mother-in-law and a family friend of theirs took me to the Ganga bridge in the evening in a car. My husband and his friend grabbed my hands while my husband’s uncle and his friend grabbed my feet to throw me down into the Ganga to die,” Kumari told a magistrate on Saturday. She said Singh’s family was planning to get him remarried to a rich man’s daughter with a dowry of Rs 15 lakh. With an FIR against her in-laws for attempt to murder and dowry harassment, the accused are absconding. DSP Ashok Prasad said raids are being conducted to arrest all those named in the FIR based on Kumari’s statements. (Anand S.T. Das, http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/pushed-ganga-husband-woman-swims-40km-files-dowry-fir-213 accessed on 25 September 2011.)
13. India hopes to achieve WHO’s doctor-people ratio by 2028: India will take at least 17 more years before it can reach the World Health Organization's ( WHO) recommended norm of one doctor per 1,000 people. The Planning Commission's high-level expert group (HLEG) on universal health coverage (UHC) - has predicted the availability of one allopathic doctor per 1,000 people by 2028. It has suggested setting up 187 medical colleges in 17 high focus states during the 12th and 13th five-year Plan to achieve the target. HLEG estimates that the number of allopathic doctors registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI) has increased since 1974 to 6.12 lakhs in 2011 - a ratio of one doctor for 1,953 people or a density of 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people. The nation has a density of one medical college per 38.41 lakhs. There are 315 medical colleges that are located in 188 of 642 districts. There is only one medical college for a population of 115 lakhs in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (95 lakhs), Madhya Pradesh (73 lakhs) and Rajasthan (68 lakhs). Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu each have one medical college for a population of 15 lakhs, 16 lakhs and 19 lakhs, respectively. The HLEG has proposed a phased addition of 187 colleges. It expects that by 2015 under phase A, 59 new medical colleges will admit students in 15 states like Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. By 2017, 13 of these states will have an additional 70 medical colleges, and by 2022, another 58 institutes will be built in two additional phases (2017-2020 and 2020-2022). By 2022, India will have one medical college per 25 lakh population in all states except Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The implementation of HLEG's recommendations will enable the additional availability of 1.2 lakh doctors by 2017, and another 1.9 lakh doctors between 2017 and 2022. The World Health Statistics Report (2011) says, the density of doctors in India is six for a population of 10,000. India is ranked 52 among 57 countries facing human resource crunch in healthcare. Between 2001 and 2005, India had a doctor: population ratio of 0.5 per 1,000 population in comparison to 0.3 in Thailand, Sri Lanka (0.4), China (1.6), the UK (5.4), the US (5.5) and Cuba (5.9). The nation has the largest number of medical colleges in the world, with an annual churning rate of over 30,000 doctors and 18,000 specialists. However, the average annual output is 100 graduates per medical college in comparison to 110 in North America, Central Europe (125), Western Europe (149) and Eastern Europe (220). China, which has 188 colleges, produces 1,75, 000 doctors annually, with an average of 930 graduates per institute. (Kounteya SinhaKounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-hopes-to-achieve-WHOs-doctor-people-ratio-by-2028/articleshow/10133240.cms accessed on 27 September 2011.)
14. UP truck driver beaten to death by RTO men: A truck driver was allegedly clubbed to death with canes by Regional Transport Office (RTO) employees at the UP-Bihar border on 26 September and according to the driver's son, his only crime was failing to stop the truck when signalled to do so. The incident at Naubatpur check-post in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh triggered angry protests by truckers who blocked the highway. Police fired on a mob of drivers and villagers who pelted bricks and attacked the cops. Chandauli police chief Shalabh Mathur ordered a passenger tax officer (PTO) and four RTO constables to be booked for homicide.(Rajeev Dikshit, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UP-truck-driver-beaten-to-death-by-RTO-men/articleshow/10133115.cms accessed on 27 September 2011.)Rajeev Dikshit
II Global
1. Half of world's PCs use pirated software: A Business Software Alliance (BSA) survey showed 47 percent of PC users globally believe there is nothing wrong with using unauthorised copies of software programs. This includes buying a single licence for multiple installations or downloading programs from peer-to-peer networks, BSA said. The survey of 15,000 PC users in 32 countries showed Chinese users have the most relaxed attitude to piracy.As many as 86 percent of computer users in the country acquire their software illegally most or all of the time, the survey showed. "The survey makes it clear that the global software piracy epidemic is spreading fastest in China, which is now the worlds biggest market for new PCs," said BSA president and chief executive Robert Holleyman. The Washington-based BSA is an industry group that works for copyright protection and counts among its members some of the world's biggest technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Symantec and Adobe. Pirated software installations cost the industry nearly $59 billion globally last year, a BSA report said in May.It said in terms of value, China was the world's second-largest culprit behind the US, installing $7.78 billion of stolen programs last year.The commercial value of pirate computer software used in the US was estimated at $9.5 billion. (http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2011/sep/070911-Half-of-worlds-PCs-use-pirated-software.htm accessed on 8 September 2011.)
2. America's 'lost decade': More poor people now than in 1960: Another 2.6 million people slipped into poverty in the United States last year, the Census Bureau reported on Tuesday, and the number of Americans living below the official poverty line, 46.2 million people, was the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been publishing figures on it. And in new signs of distress among the middle class, median household incomes fell last year to levels last seen in 1997. The past decade was also marked by a growing gap between the very top and very bottom of the income ladder. Median household income for the bottom tenth of the income spectrum fell by 12 percent from a peak in 1999, while the top 90th percentile dropped by just 1.5 percent. Overall, median household income adjusted for inflation declined by 2.3 percent in 2010 from the previous year, to $49,445. That was 7 percent less than the peak of $53,252 in 1999. Part of the income decline over time is because of the smaller size of the American family. The census report said that the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line last year, 15.1 percent, was the highest level since 1993. (The poverty line in 2010 for a family of four was $22,314.) Minorities were hit hardest. Blacks experienced the highest poverty rate, at 27 percent, up from 25 percent in 2009, and Hispanics rose to 26 percent from 25 percent. For whites, 9.9 percent lived in poverty, up from 9.4 percent in 2009. Asians were unchanged at 12.1 percent. An analysis by the Brookings Institution estimated that at the current rate, the recession will have added nearly 10 million people to the ranks of the poor by the middle of the decade. Joblessness was the main culprit pushing more Americans into poverty, economists said. Last year, about 48 million people ages 18 to 64 did not work even one week out of the year, up from 45 million in 2009, said Trudi Renwick, a Census official. Median income fell across all working-age categories, but was sharpest drop was among the young working Americans, ages 15 to 24, who experienced a decline of 9 percent. Poverty has also swallowed more children, with about 16.4 million in its ranks last year, the highest numbers since 1962, according to William Frey, senior demographer at Brookings. That means 22 percent of children are in poverty, the highest percentage since 1993. The report also said the number of uninsured Americans increased by 900,000 to 49.9 million. (Sabrina Tavernise, http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/americas-lost-decade-more-poor-people-now-than-in-1960-133508?pfrom=home-otherstories accessed on 14 September 2011.)
3. More people obese than hungry: Geneva-based humanitarian group focused on nutrition in its annual World Disasters Report, stressed there were 1.5 billion people suffering obesity worldwide last year, while 925 million were undernourished. 15 percent of humanity are hungry while 20 percent are overweight. Excess nutrition now kills more than hunger. The problem of hunger existed not because there was a lack of food globally, but because of poor distribution, wastage and rising prices that made food unaffordable. Food prices have spiked globally in 2011, raising fears of a re-run of the crisis seen in 2008 which led to riots and political instability in many countries. (http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2011/sep/230911-More-people-obese-than-hungry.htm accessed on 25 September 2011.)
4. Melbourne world's best city to live, Mumbai among worst: Survey: Australian city Melbourne has been named as the world's most liveable city, while India's business capital Mumbai placed at 116th position in an annual survey that assessed living conditions in 140 global cities. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit's new Global Liveability Survey, Melbourne dislodged Vancouver to become the best city in the world to live. The Canadian capital city that topped the survey since 2002, fell this year to third place behind Vienna, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. India's commercial hub Mumbai is ranked 116th, one place up from its previous year's ranking. In 2010, Mumbai was ranked 117th while Delhi was at 113th position. Though Delhi figured in the new survey, its current ranking was not mentioned in the media report. Other Australian cities in the top 10 included Sydney, which is placed at 6th, while Perth and Adelaide ranked eighth and ninth. The top 10 liveable cities included Toronto, which is placed at 4th, followed by Calgary (5th), Helsinki (7th) and Auckland (10th). London was ranked 53, while at 26 position, Honolulu was the top US city. The worst places to live among the 140 locations surveyed by EIU were Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh's Dhaka and Zimbabwe's Harare. Scores in Europe had been pushed slightly down by the eurozone crisis, while the Arab Spring had affected ratings across the Middle East and North Africa. The cities were gauged on five categories -- political and social stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. They were scored out of 100 and the report noted that the top 10 cities were only separated by 1.8 percentage points. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Melbourne-worlds-best-city-to-live-Mumbai-among-worst-Survey/articleshow/9798685.cms accessed on 30 August 2011.)
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