PICTURE SPEAKS

UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SHRI SACHIN PILOT BEING WELCOMED BY RAJYA SABHA MP ( SIKKIM ) SHRI O T LEPCHA AT GANGTOK

LOK SABHA MP SHRI P D RAI AND RAJYA SABHA MP ( SIKKIM ) SHRI O T LEPCHA TALKING TO THE PRESS AFTER MEETING UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SHRI SACHIN PILOT

UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SHRI SACHIN PILOT ATTENDING THE REVIEW MEETING WITH BSNL, POSTAL DEPARTMENT AND STATE INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT IN GANGTOK

PHOTOS: PIB,Gangtok

3 G SERVICES TO BE LAUNCHED IN SIKKIM BY 15^TH AUGUST, 2009-SHRI SACHIN PILOT

Gangtok 22 June, 2009: PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU-CUM-IC, Gangtok

Union Minister of State for Communication & Information Technology Shri Sachin Pilot has announced the launching of 3 G services by BSNL in Gangtok by 15^th of August, 2009. The 3 G services would be extended to other three districts within 100 days. The Minister said, services would be improved to Sikkim as BSNL would increase its broadband strength to 30 GB PPS. All the 26 blocks in the State would be covered by broadband services within 100 days. Speaking in Gangtok, after holding a review meeting with BSNL, Postal Department and State I&T, the Minister said, traffic congestion in mobile services in 21 sectors of the State would be removed by 15^th August, 2009 as BSNL will be improving the quality of service. The Minister added that Sikkim is an important state for Government of India hence special effort has been taken to improve the quality of services in North East with specific emphasis to Sikkim, through communication and information technology. It is a difficult terrain and the ministry would support the efforts to improve information and technology in Sikkim, as it would increase opportunities for the talented youth. The Minister arrived in Gangtok on a day long visit and will call on the Chief Minister of Sikkim Dr Pawan Chamling this evening. (PIB)

Gorkha achievers felicitated in Guwahati.

Nanda Kirati Dewan, Guwahati.

Gorkhas has many reasons to cheer and celebrate this summer in Assam. With young promising Indian boxer Shiva Thapa pocketing a bronze medal for the nation at the World Junior Boxing Championship adds another feather to the Gorkha’s history. The Gorkha boxer on earlier occasion at the sub-junior level had bagged the International Gold medal. Sister duo Rashmi Rekha Sharma and Rosy Rani Sharma former Assistant General Secretary of All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) have cleared the Assam Service Public Commission (APSC) examination which is a landmark achievement by Gorkha women in history of Assam. The elder sister stood 3^rd rank while younger sibling Rosy captured 4^thrank for the post of DSP for Assam Police Sevice. Sanjay Kandel a student of Glecier High School, Noonmati made his community men proud by confirming a berth in Top 20 positions of recently declared HSLC examinations. Kandel an engineering aspiring student ranked 17^th through out Assam in the results declared by Board of Secondary Education Assam. Sanjay now is a student of Science at the prestigious Cotton College.

Nepali Mandir Prabandhak Nepali Mandir Prabandhak Samity (established as Gorkha Panchayat in 1932 but renamed as it is today after erection of Radha Krishna temple in Gorkha Thakurbari in 1955 after inflow of Nepali nationals for reciprocal milk business abiding the Indo Nepal Friendship Treaty-1950.) the umbrella oragnisation of Gorkhas of Guwahati felicitated all the Gorkha achievers. The felicitation ceremony was presided by Sr. advocate of Gauhati High Court and President of the Samity Mr. Ram Prasad Sharma. Samity also lended a financial assistance of Rs.10,000 for two years to Sanjay Kandel. As Shiva Thapa is in Uzbekistan now his father Padam Thapa received the felicitation on his behalf.

In connection with the

program Nepali Sahitya Kala Niketan the only functional literature body working for the upliftment of Gorkha culture, history and language in Guwahati and North East at large gave away their annual awards. The “Padma Prasad Dhugana Smirti Puraskar” was given to Prof (Rtrd) Tikaram Upadhyay ‘Nirbhik’ for his life long contribution to Nepali literature. Nirbhik a stalwart and Nepali language linguist was formerly the President of Nepali Sahitya Parishad, Assam. “ Kavi Hari Bhakta Kotwal Smirti Puraskar ” was presented to a Gorkha poetess Indu Prova Devi for her poetry piece “Sapna ko Zora Pailaudei”. Smti. Devi a lecturer of Assamese at B. Baruah College in Guwahati and is wife of Nityananda Upadhyay a advocate at Gauhati High Court. Niketan also felicitated Dr. Shanti Thapa Sr. Gorkha journalist and Joint Editor of “Hamro Dhwani” for bagging the “Gunjan Prativa Puraskar” from Kathmandu for her poetry piece “Avartan”. A souvenir named “Niketan” edited by veteran Gorkha columnist Purna Chetri was released at the function.

The function was attended by scores of people from all section of society in Guwahati. Prominent among them were Bhaskar Dahal; Advisor AAGSU, Birendra Subba VP AAGSU, Pitamber Gurung; President Assam State BGP, Retired Gorkha IAS Dal Bahadur Chetri, Rohit Goutam Deputy Editor Saparivar and Keshav Pandey; Volunteer Chief of Gorkha Volunteer Cell. Office bearers and members of both the organizations were present.

FOUR ARRESTED IN LALGARH

Thaindian News , Lalgarh (West Bengal), June 21 (IANS) Four suspected Maoist guerrillas were arrested Sunday evening when they were allegedly trying to plant a landmine at Khayerpahari in Bankura district of West Bengal.

The men were nabbed from near a canal in the area close to the inter-district border between West Midnapore and Bankura, police sources said. The trouble-torn area of Lalgarh is in Bankura district where security forces have launched an operation to flush out Maoist rebels.

A firearm, detonator, wire and mobile phone were recovered from them.

Among those nabbed, Dipak Mahapatra and Bikash Mandal, are residents of Khayerpahari, while Rajiv Kisku and Manas Murmu are from Onda in Bankuara. They are now being interrogated, the sources said.

LALGARH PEOPLE FLEE, 3 ARRESTED

Thaindian News,Lalgarh (West Bengal), June 21 (IANS):Hundreds of villagers in this West Bengal area fled as security forces Sunday started combing operations and arrested three suspected Maoists. A group of visiting intellectuals demanded an immediate ceasefire to facilitate talks and complained that women and children were being tortured.

On the fourth day of the security operation launched by the state government to flush out Maoists from this troubled zone of West Midnapore district, the forces nabbed the three rebels at Chakadoba village under Belpahari police station after sporadic clashes since Saturday.

“We have found a lot of Maoist literature and other materials from them,” Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told IANS in Kolkata.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel suffered injuries on his hand when he was hit with a sharp weapon during a clash at Chakadoba Sunday before the arrests.

Another trooper was rushed to a hospital in Midnapore after he fell sick due to the oppressive heat and humidity, Kanojia said. One trooper had died of sunstroke Saturday.

Divided into small teams, the security forces have started searching nearby villages for weapons, Maoist rebels, as also leaders of the tribal body People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), which has been the face of the seven-month old agitation that made the area a virtual free zone.

A day after reclaiming this headquarters of the Binpur Community Development block from the Maoists, a second team of central and state security personnel reached this area - 200 km from Kolkata - from Sarenga in Bankura.

A group of intellectuals including filmmakers, theatre personalities and writers opposed to the Left Front government - met PCAPA leader Chhattradhar Mahato and people in some villages during a day’s tour of the affected zone.

“From conversations with the people, we could gather they are afraid. In the interest of the people, we will make a very sincere appeal to both Maoists and the administration to lay down arms,” said filmmaker Aparna Sen.

Pointing out that the administration and the PCAPA are already scheduled to hold the next round of discussions July 14, Sen said: “It is very important to have a ceasefire there until then.” She added people were getting caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and police.

Theatre personality Shaonli Mitra said some villages seemed empty, and in some others there were complaints that children and women were being beaten up.

“We have been told that women are being molested, and water has been contaminated in some villages. People are living without food and water.”

Following instructions from Trinamool Congress chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee, two central ministers from the party, Mukul Roy and Sisir Adhikari, set off for the affected zone with relief but were stopped by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) activists at Salboni.

“There was an obstruction. But we removed it,” said Kanojia.

Minister of State for Rural Development Adhikari and Minister of State for Shipping Roy alleged that around 20,000 villagers from various areas in Lalgarh were fleeing their homes due to the atrocities by security forces.

The state government appealed to central and state ministers, NGOs, intellectuals and journalists to stay away from the troubled zone of Lalgarh saying it was not in a position to provide security to them in view of Maoist activities in the area.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the core group formed to monitor the progress of the security operations, Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty appealed to the Maoists to lay down arms and help in restoring normalcy.

“We have decided that the health centres and ration shops will have to be reopened as early as possible,” Chakraborty said after the meeting in which Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was also present.

Lalgarh has been on the boil since last November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Complaining of police atrocities after the blast, angry tribals launched an agitation virtually cutting off the area from the rest of the district.

In recent days, the agitators have torched CPI-M offices, driven away the ruling party’s supporters and forced the police to leave, thereby establishing a virtual free zone.

Maoists are active in three western districts of the state - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. They also backed the Trinamool Congress-sponsored movement against the state government’s bid to establish a chemical hub at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

BBC film on Toy Train & its impact

SILIGURI, 21 JUNE: For long, Darjeeling has been a celebrated holiday destination and with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), making a documentary on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), there is reason enough to cheer especially after the Queen of the Hills was written-off as politically-unsound. The documentary would not just feature several aspects of the world-acclaimed railway but highlight its direct bearing on the socio-economic landscape of the region. The documentary project would be directed and produced exclusively by Indians. Informing this, the director of the docu-project Mr Tarun Bharatiya said they had undertaken three projects in all, dealing with the Nilgiri and Kalka-Simla toy train services apart from DHR. “Work on the DHR started in March and is expected to be complete by the end of June. It would be shown first in the United Kingdom,” he said. Dwelling upon the immense impact of the DHR on the collective life of the inhabitants of the Darjeeling Hills, Mr Bharatiya said these aspects would prominently figure in the film. The documentary would highlight the common people's plight, living as they are under severe drinking water crisis for years end. Visuals of them carrying water to their homes on the toy train rails, would also be shown. Natural calamities like landslides and how it affects the life of the local residents would feature in course of the documentary, Mr Bharatiya said. "The people of the United Kingdom, are really looking forward to the film's release. Hopefully it will go down well with the audience because of people's renewed interest in the small gauge railway,” the renowned film- maker added. ;SNS

Nirash Awarded Khangchendzonga Kalam Purashkar

GANGTOK, June 21: Senior journalist Santosh Nirash has been selected by the Press Club of Sikkim (PCS) as the recipient of this year’s ‘Khangchendzonga Kalam Purashkar 2009’.

The decision to confer the annual award of the PCS according to the Sikkim Press Club press release to Mrs. Nirash was taken during the executive body meeting of PCS chaired by president Parasmani Dangal today at the club premises.

Mrs. Nirash is the editor of weekly Hindi newspaper, ‘Zamana Sadabahar’. She will be receiving a citation, cash award of Rs. 5000, a memento and a shawal which will be presented to her during the upcoming 7^th foundation day celebrations of the PCS scheduled on July 17.

‘Khangchendzonga Kalam Purashkar 2009’ is an annual award constituted by PCS to honour senior journalists who have contributed extensively for the growth of media in Sikkim.

The PCS executive body also decided to confer the ‘Most Promising Journalist 2009’ award to upcoming young journalist Shekhar Khawas. The award will also be given during the foundation day celebrations of PCS.

The PCS executive body has also decided to accord a special felicitation to senior journalist Hemant Giri.

Mr. Giri is the editor cum publisher of the Nepali weekly, ‘Mirmeray Khangchendzonga’. He will be felicitated by PCS to honour his contributions towards development of media in Sikkim and also to acknowledge his special contribution towards ‘Journalist Welfare Fund’.

Meanwhile, the PCS executive body has set up three study committees with an aim for the collective development of the organization and media in Sikkim.

The first committee, ‘Study Committee on PCS constitution’ is headed by PCS general secretary Bhim Rawat and consists of four other members. The committee has been tasked to review the present constitution of PCS and suggest amendments, if any.

The committee will be submitting its report within two months.

Another committee has been constituted for the Journalist Welfare Fund of PCS. The three member committee is headed by PCS working president Amit Patro.

The committee has been tasked to formulate guidelines for the operation of Journalist Welfare Fund which has been set up for extending financial support to members of PCS for their medical treatments. The committee will be submitting its report within one week.

Finally, a ‘Special Study Committee on Media in Sikkim’ has been constituted. The seven member committee is chaired by PCS president Parasmani Dangal. The committee has been tasked to conduct an in-depth study of the present scenario and health of the media in Sikkim and suggest measures for the collective development of the media especially in the economic and quality front. The committee will try to establish sufficient grounds for impressing the State government to grant ‘industry’ status to media in Sikkim. The committee will be submitting its report in the next six months.

Sikkim protest against hydropower project continues

Statesman News Service GANGTOK, 21 JUNE: The relay hunger strike launched by apolitical outfit Affected Citizens of Teetsa (ACT) against the proposed establishment of hydropower projects has stepped into its third year today. The ACT had launched its relay hunger strike programme as a part of its movement against the proposed hydropower projects in Dzongu in North Sikkim, an area reserved for the Lepcha Community as per the state law, on 20 June, 2007. Two years ago, extending the reach of the popular movement~ hitherto confined within the Dzongu region, to the state capital, Mr Dawa Lepcha, general secretary, ACT along with two others launched the indefinite hunger strike on the premises of BL House in Gangtok. Earlier in June 2008, ACT had called off fasting in the wake of the state government's notification to the effect of scrapping four of the proposed plants regarded as a climb down in the face of stiff popular resistance. The deadlock between the ACT and the state government, however, resumed with the launching of a relay hunger strike programme to put pressure on the state to scarp the proposed 300 MW Panan hydel project in deference to the local people's sentiments for protection of the rich bio-diversity of the Dzongu region. "We would continue keeping up moral pressure on the state government till it categorically declares annulment of the proposed mega project,” said Mr Dawa Lepcha, adding that they were thinking in terms of taking the emotive issue to the legal arena. “We have succeeded in mobilizing public opinion behind the ecological cause and now we are preparing ourselves to fight it out on the legal front,” he said. . “Our principal aim is to protect our land and ecology. We would remain apolitical in the face of all provocations from the quarters of politics,” he added.

Spit apology? Yet to decide

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, The Telegraph:

Siliguri, June 21: Ranjan Silsharma is not yet ready to apologise for spitting on the face of a schools inspector. The primary school teacher and Trinamul councillor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, who arrived here yesterday from Calcutta, said: “All decisions will be taken after discussions with district president Gautam Deb and Krishna Pal, the leader of the Opposition in the SMC. I am yet to decide whether I will apologise or not.” Silsharma’s confidence seemed to stem from the fact that more than 100 Trinamul members had been at New Jalpaiguri station to receive him yesterday. The Siliguri inspector of schools, Riazul Islam, had filed an FIR against Silsharma, also the general secretary of West Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association, for squirting betel nut juice on him after he refused to put his initials on a list of demands related to transfers. The teacher, who spat thrice in full view of journalists and TV camera crew, had gone missing from the afternoon of June 9. Since then, police had been searching for him. Silsharma got an anticipatory bail from Calcutta High Court against arrest on Friday. Deb and the state Trinamul leadership had distanced themselves from Silsharma after the incident and announced that the party did not support the spitting. “There is no question of changing the party stand,” said Deb today. “We are waiting for his reply to our showcause. We are confident that he would abide by the party’s instruction and apologise to the inspector. We, however, feel the other two teachers have been made political victims and oppose their suspension.” The Discipline Committee of Siliguri District Primary School Council had on Wednesday suspended Silsharma and two of his colleagues Sikha Chatterjee and Anukul Dutta — both Trinamul leaders who had accompanied him to the meeting with Islam. The council has also set up a one-member committee to investigate the case and will submit a report for further departmental action. Members of the Trinamul-backed West Bengal Primary School Teachers’ Association have submitted a memorandum to the subdivisional officer of Siliguri, demanding the withdrawal of the suspension orders issued by the council. “The inspector had misbehaved with us,” said Asok Bhagat, the assistant general secretary of the association. “We had filed a complaint with Siliguri police station, but till date, no action has been taken against him.”