KALIMPONG: BRO push to better links with Sikkim

The National Highway 31A, the only road link to Sikkim. (Chinlop Fudong Lepcha)

BY RAJEEV RAVIDAS , The Telegraph: Kalimpong, June 9: The road connectivity to Sikkim is expected to improve within the next five years as the Border Roads Organisation begins constructing new routes and widening the existing ones in and outside the state.

As a first step, the 764 Task Force of the BRO, which is headquartered here, has started widening and strengthening stretches on NH31A — the main link between Siliguri and Sikkim — that it considers are problem areas. The BRO has identified 77 such areas in an 80-km stretch of the highway between the Coronation Bridge in Sevoke and Ranipul in Sikkim that it maintains.

This is a precursor to the eventual double-laning of the highway. The ministry of shipping, road transport and highways has released Rs 50 crore for the first phase of the project, which includes work on constructing protection walls at vulnerable stretches along the Teesta that runs parallel to NH31A.

The BRO is expecting the financial sanction for the entire two-laning project to come by March. “Once that is done, we will need one year or so for getting forest clearance, since the task will involve cutting of trees at various stretches of the highway. In another two years from then, the project should be complete,” said M.A.N.V. Prasad, the commander of the task force. The double-laning includes construction of bridges at places like Lohapul, Rambi, Chitrey and Rangpo. The plan is to widen the traffic-heavy highway from the present 10m to 12m that includes 7m of black-topped road.

Plans are also afoot to widen the Damdim-Algarah road, which is the other link between Siliguri and Sikkim. However, an alternative road link will be built from Chalsa in the Dooars to Sikkim via Tohdey-Tangta-Rachela-Aritar. “The Chalsa-Tangta stretch already has a road. The remaining part will be a new one. We have started a survey and have received an in-principle sanction,” said Prasad.

The road will be a little more circuitous, with the distance between Siliguri and Gangtok via this route being double that of the existing NH31A, which is about 100km. The new road will branch into two at Kingston in Sikkim: one will reach Gangtok via Rangpo and the other will reach the Sikkim capital via Rolep and Menla.

Prasad allayed fears about the stability of the hills being disturbed during the execution of the projects. Steps would be taken to ensure little damage to the hills, he said.

FIRs against cops

The Telegraph: Alipurduar, June 9: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad today filed FIRs against the officers-in-charge of the Jaigaon police station and the Hasimara outpost for attacking their members, including women. The complaint was filed with the Alipurduar subdivisional police officer here. Hasimara limped back to normality today, 24 hours after the Adivasis had clashed with police during a 12-hour bandh. The police said it had fired 10 rounds in the air and burst tear gas shells as angry mobs set one of their vehicles on fire and damaged several others. John Barla, the president of the Dooars-Terai coordination committee of the Parishad, however, said three of their members had been shot at by the police. They had been referred to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital and their condition is serious. “We demand that the administration compensate those injured in yesterday’s brutal attack. We also want the police to arrest panchayat members Subin Champromary and Atul Subba for trying to shield a rape and murder accused,” Barla said.

Last rites as hope fades The Telegraph:Darjeeling, June 9: A shirt, kush (dried hay), a copper plate and incense sticks symbolised Dilip Pradhan, as his funeral was brought out from his Harisdahatta residence here today, almost a fortnight after the ex-serviceman went missing following a landslide in the neighbourhood. Searches are still on to retrieve Dilip’s body but the family members today decided to conduct his last rites. Sobbing members paid their last respect before the “body” of Dilip. A large number of well-wishers lined up to bid farewell with a few even offeringkhadas. The funeral started at noon with Dilip’s younger son Binay, 18, carrying the “body”. As a priest chanted slokas, a khukuri was carried to lead the procession to the crematorium, 3km away. The body was placed on a pyre. Binay and his brother Bimal, 24, shaved their heads according to Hindu traditions and will be sitting on a khorafor the next 13 days. During the period, the two sons and Dilip’s 28-year-old daughter Bindu will have to wear the bare minimum clothes, cook their food themselves, refrain from physical contacts and pray for Dilip’s soul every morning in a nearest spring. Pratima Pradhan, sister-in-law of Dilip, said: “We decided to conduct the last rites as we have to follow certain traditions. We will carry out all the rituals according to the Hindu traditions.” Village elders maintained that the funeral was one of the rarest. “We had heard about such incidents, but never saw one before. Sad though, we support the decision taken by the family members,” said an elder. He added that in the event of the body being found, obsequies would have to be conducted again not by the family members, but by the villagers. “I still hope we will retrieve the body,” said Babita, a relative. Recounting the May 26 incident, the relative said the 54-year-old Dilip had come home after helping clear their neighbour Pooja Gurung’s house of debris following a landslide. “He had achappatiand went back never to return.” Along with Dilip, who had retired form the army 11 years ago, Binod Pakhrin, a jawan of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, had also gone missing. He, too, is yet to be traced. Dilip and Binod were among the dozen people trying to help the 14-member family when another landslide occurred. Of the six people who were killed, the bodies of four persons were recovered. Rs 345-crore relief request - Search for missing person continues in hills q Aid figure tentative, says DM The Telegraph:Darjeeling, June 9: The Darjeeling district administration has requested the state government to grant Rs 345 crore as compensation for the damage caused by Cyclone Aila in the hills. Surendra Gupta, the district magistrate, said: “The figures are based on the reports gathered from various available sources, but they are tentative and likely to change.” “The plea was submitted to the state home secretary today,” said Pasang Sherpa, the deputy magistrate. While Rs 266 crore is needed for restoration of permanent structures, Rs 79 crore was sought as immediate relief. Incessant rain on the intervening night of May 25 and 26 had completely damaged 4,554 houses in the hills. The number of homes partially destroyed in the storm stands at 12,021. The district administration said it required Rs 15 crore to reconstruct or repair the houses. The cyclone damaged around 523 protection walls and their restoration would entail the spending of Rs 36 crore. The primary schools and Sarva Siksha Kendras also bore the brunt of the torrent — they together numbered around 114 — and Rs 6 crore was needed to restore them to their original shapes. Springs and drains are clogged with debris brought by landslides and the district authorities pegged the cost of their restoration at Rs 121 crore. The district administration demanded Rs 44 crore for restoration of drinking water supply and Rs 84 crore to repair roads. An amount of Rs 7 crore was sought in recompense for the destruction of crops on 542 hectares of land. Irrigation and electricity sectors need Rs 17 crore and Rs 3 crore respectively. The report stated the funds were to be infused into tourism and plantation, two sectors on which the hill economy depended heavily. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had demanded a package of Rs 1,000 crore for the hills. GNLF "C' President demands DGHC chief’s removal Statesman News Service: SILIGURI, June 9: The Gorkha National Liberation Front - C president Mr D K Pradhan has written to chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee demanding prompt removal of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council administrator Mr B L Meena from his post for alleged failure to utilise funds earmarked for saving the hills from natural calamity. “This apart, Mr Meena is indulging in nepotism and malpractice as regard tenders for public works. We demand all documents related to the public fund expenditure and the tender awarding process to be made public under the Right to Information Act, 2005,” Mr Pradhan said. He further said that Mr Meena was unconcerned with the plight of the landslide affected hill people. “He has not cared to visit any of the calamity-ravaged spots, though it is his bounden duty to stand by the people in their predicament as the official DGHC head,” he said. “There are many competent administrative officials from the hills and one of them should replace the incumbent DGHC administrator,” the GNLF-C leader demanded. Cough, not spit, says teacher - Trinamul councillor weaves a tale of choking on stuck betel nut

AVIJIT SINHA, The Telegraph: Siliguri, June 9: The spitting was “unintentional”, although Ranjan Silsharma was caught on camera — not once but thrice — squirting out betel juice on the face of a schools inspector.

In a press release issued by Silsharma today, the teacher-cum-Trinamul Congress councillor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation said he had “choked” on betel leaves he was chewing and when he coughed to get rid of them, “small and tiny” bits of betel hit district inspector of schools Riazul Islam.

Yesterday, even after he had been clicked and caught red-handed in the act, possibly why Trinamul showcaused him today, Silsharma denied the spitting. “We do not support such acts. Our state leadership is aware of the events and I will submit a report to them,” said district Trinamul president Gautam Deb over the phone from Calcutta.

Silsharma, the secretary of the Trinamul-backed Bengal Primary School Teachers’ Association, had led a team of 20 members to Islam’s office yesterday with a list of demands. When Islam refused to put his initials on the list, an angry exchange broke out and it ended with Silsharma’s spitting act.

Back at Netaji Free Primary School, a list of “good habits”, which includes “don’t spit on the road”, dangles just behind the chair in the headmaster’s office where Silsharma sits. The “headmaster” had followed the message to a T: he had spared the road and aimed at the school inspector’s face instead.

At the District Primary School Council office, there were no surprises. “It was an obnoxious act but as far as Silsharma is concerned, such activities are not new to him,” said Biswajit Bhowmik, the chairman of the council.

On August 18, 1998, Silsharma had locked the council office here after he did not find then chairman Nikhil Guha in his chamber. “He brought a goat, placed it on a chair in front of the office, garlanded it and behaved as if he was submitting a memorandum to the chairman in what was a very insulting act. A criminal case was filed with Siliguri police (number 907/99) and is still pending in court,” recounted an office staff member present on the occasion.

In 1994, Silsharma had ransacked the furniture in the same office and in the past seven-eight years he had hurled office items — a flower vase and a paperweight — at Islam on two different occasions.

Being in the profession since August 8, 1985, Silsharma is known to have become bolder after he was transferred to Netaji Free Primary School at Subhaspally on May 22, 1998. In November 2007, he became the teacher-in-charge of the school.

“It is true that no action has been taken so far but this time, we want police to arrest him,” the council chairman said. “A departmental inquiry will be conducted and we expect to get the report by 10 days.” According to service rules, Silsharma can be suspended, penalised or even dismissed, he added.

Employees at the inspector’s and the council offices today launched an indefinite cease work, demanding the teacher’s arrest.

With the wind against his favour, Silsharma, desperate to evade arrest, abstained from meeting reporters and only handed out a press release through his henchmen.

Charges under Sections 34 (act done by several persons in common intention), 290 (public nuisance), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter or prevent a public servant from discharge of duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC have been brought against Silsharma. “We will arrest him as soon as we find him,” Siliguri deputy superintendent of police Sitaram Sinha said.

Governor welcomes plastic ban in West Bengal hills Thaindian News: Kolkata, June 10 (IANS) West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has welcomed the imposition of restrictions on the use of plastic in the Darjeeling hills to check pollution caused by non bio-degradable products. Gandhi Tuesday congratulated the Darjeeling municipality on this far-sighted move and suggested that other hilly regions emulate the step. “The connection between plastic litter and landslides is all too clear. A restriction on the offending objects is not just a matter of aesthetics but of safety and human well-being,” the governor said in a press communique released by the Raj Bhavan here. “I hope the order will be implemented firmly and am confident that the residents, public as well as tourists will cooperate with the authorities in the matter,” Gandhi said. The Darjeeling district, comprising the three hill sub-divisions of Kalimpong, Kurseong and Darjeeling, is located on the foothills of the Himalayas.