Scurry to flee landslides - 40 families desert village every night after cyclone VIVEK CHHETRI, The Telegraph: The house that was almost hit by a landslide in Rai Busty. A tarpaulin sheet covers the hillside that came tumbling down. Picture by Suman Tamang Rai Busty (Darjeeling), June 11: Monsoon has not yet set in but every time the skies darken, Puran Rai scurries with his family of three to a rented house situated 3km away. The 39-year-old Puran is not alone. After Cyclone Aila struck last month, at least 40 families have refused to take chances. Fear of killer landslides has already forced eight families to rent apartments at Alubari and Jorebunglow, considered a safe zone. The story is the same at Sunar Busty across the hill. Nine of the 34 families have already shifted base since May 26, the day the cyclone triggered 40 landslides in the hills, killing 20 people. “No one was killed in our village and only one house was damaged. That was perhaps the reason why little attention has been given to our village. However, the entire village can be wiped off any day if there is a torrential rain. The area is sinking and landslides have been an annual feature since 2000,” said Puran. The villagers come back every morning and on the “dry days” to look after their fields. “There is only one person in our village who works with the government. Others are all farmers while some are drivers and labourers,” said Puran. Rai Busty and Sunar Busty are located on slopes, as a result of which there are no protection walls around the villages. Besides, the soil is also loose. An inspection of the villages revealed that some of the areas had sunk below the normal level of land and houses have developed cracks. “We had even invited the previous Darjeeling MP to visit our village. He has assured us of rehabilitation. Promises had been made by previous leaders running the DGHC too, but nothing happened,” added Puran, who wants to move out of this village. However, Amrita Subba of Sunar Busty said: “If the government builds protection walls and keeps the drains open, we do not have to leave the village. We have so much of land why should we leave this place,” she adds. The area has witnessed landslides since 1950. But problems have been compounded by lack of drainage and protection wall. “I remember the villages told us that our busty with only seven-eight houses was once located a kilometre from here. In 1950, a major landslide had swept the entire busty away. The new village is where we now stand,” said Puran. While only eight families can afford the monthly rent of Rs 250, those like Jashoda Chhetri run to the Buddhist monastery of the Yolmo community at Alubari whenever she feels threatened by the rain. Pemba Tshering Ola, the chairman of Darjeeling Municipality, admitted that the zone was vulnerable. “As soon as we get the funds, we will start work on the protection walls.” Uncertainty in Aila-hit school OUR CORRESPONDENT, The Telegraph School building being repaired. (Vivek Singh) Kurseong, June 11: The 700-odd students of Pankhabari High School that was struck by the Aila do not know when their classes will begin. The school was one of the many buildings in the hills that had been damaged by the cyclone on May 26. The roof of the two-storied building had been swept away and the documents along with 12 computers of the institution had been destroyed. Classes had been suspended following the disaster. “Repair of the building has already started but we do not know when it will finish. We are expecting the work to finish soon so that we can start classes at the earliest,” said H.D. Chettri, the teacher in-charge of the school. The Pankhabari school, located 9km from here, was established in 1964 while the building that was damaged was constructed in 1986. The school authorities have, however, started classes for the 150 students of Classes X and XII. “Since they will sit for the board exams and we have to finish their syllabus in time, we have started their classes in the three rooms of our administrative building,” added Chettri. Other students have to wait till the repair is done, Chettri said. He also could not specify how long the repair would take. “We cannot at this time say how much time the work will take.” Chettri said classes would be extended till December to make up the shortfall. In the hills, the final exams are held in November and the winter vacation starts from December for at least two months Kurseong subdivisional officer Dipyendu Das said the repair, being carried out with the DGHC funds, might take one month. “Efforts are on to finish it soon.” Dress code for students OUR CORRESPONDENT, The Telegraph: Siliguri, June 11: The first-year students of North Bengal University’s law department have been asked to come to class dressed almost like lawyers from the new academic session beginning July 10. “The new set of rules formulated by the Bar Council of India last year makes it compulsory for new entrants to be dressed in a lawyer’s attire. The rule is applicable to all law colleges in India,” said Rathin Banerjee, the head of the department, today. However, the students will not wear the band, the gown and the coat to maintain a difference between them and the lawyers. The rule has been notified in the prospectus. While the boys have to wear black pants, white shirts and black ties, girls can either opt for the same outfit or wear a white salwar-kameez with a white duppata or a white saree. “They can wear black sweaters during the winter,” Banerjee said. Currently, the law students attend classes in casuals. Spit Sir told to apologise OUR CORRESPONDENT Siliguri, June 11: State leaders of the Trinamul Congress have asked Ranjan Silsharma to meet the schools inspector and apologise for spitting on his face. Darjeeling district president of Trinamul Gautam Deb said Silsharma had contacted him but police said they were yet to track him. Silsharma, also a Trinamul councillor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, was last seen at Netaji Free Primary School, where he is the teacher-in-charge, on Tuesday morning. District superintendent of police Rahul Srivastava said: “He is absconding. Raids are on to track him. He will be arrested whenever he is spotted.” However, Deb said over the phone from Calcutta today: “Ranjan had contacted us. We made it clear to him that the party did not approve of such acts and he should meet the district inspector and apologise.” Silsharma, the secretary of the Trinamul-backed Bengal Primary School Teachers' Association, had led a team of 20 members to Riazul Islam's office on Monday 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 spitting on his face three times in full view of journalists and TV camera crew. “There are complaints against Islam that he is biased and does not consider the inconveniences of teachers. We also have information that his style of functioning is beyond his official purview,” Deb said. “However, such flaws do not make Silsharma’s action less derogatory.” The District Primary School Council, however, is likely to recommend Silsharma’s suspension to the state education department for having flouted service rules. “We have called a meeting of the council on Tuesday. The complaint filed by the inspector is with us and we are likely to decide on the issue on the day,” said council chairman Biswajit Bhowmik. “If the council finds him guilty of violating the service rules, a recommendation for his suspension may be sent to the school education department.” WORLD NOW IN EARLY DAYS OF 2009 INFLUENZA PANDEMIC Thaindian News: June 12th, 2009 - 3:38 am ICT by admin -By Bobby Ramakant The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on 11 June 2009 that ’swine’ flu (or influenza caused by H1N1 virus) is a pandemic. “On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6″ said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO in a press statement issued on 11 June 2009. “The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic” further said Dr Chan. “We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch. No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning. The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness. We have a head start. This places us in a strong position. But it also creates a demand for advice and reassurance in the midst of limited data and considerable scientific uncertainty” cautioned Dr Chan. The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries. This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place. Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable. “Thanks to close monitoring, thorough investigations, and frank reporting from countries, we have some early snapshots depicting spread of the virus and the range of illness it can cause” said Dr Chan. “We know, too, that this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time. Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity. As we know from experience, severity can vary, depending on many factors, from one country to another” said Dr Chan. On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment. Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. “Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections” said Dr Chan. The H1N1 virus preferentially infects younger people. In nearly all areas with large and sustained outbreaks, the majority of cases have occurred in people under the age of 25 years. In some of these countries, around 2% of cases have developed severe illness, often with very rapid progression to life-threatening pneumonia. Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years. This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people. Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. “Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity” said Dr Chan. At the same time, it is important to note that around one third to half of the severe and fatal infections are occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people. “Without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications. This heightened risk takes on added importance for a virus, like this one, that preferentially infects younger age groups” added Dr Chan. “Finally, and perhaps of greatest concern, we do not know how this virus will behave under conditions typically found in the developing world. To date, the vast majority of cases have been detected and investigated in comparatively well-off countries” cautioned Dr Chan. “Let me underscore two of many reasons for this concern. First, more than 99% of maternal deaths, which are a marker of poor quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, occurs in the developing world. Second, around 85% of the burden of chronic diseases is concentrated in low- and middle-income countries” said Dr Chan. Although the pandemic appears to have moderate severity in comparatively well-off countries, it is prudent to anticipate a bleaker picture as the virus spreads to areas with limited resources, poor health care, and a high prevalence of underlying medical problems. “A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world. In the previous century, this spread has typically taken around 6 to 9 months, even during times when most international travel was by ship or rail” said Dr Chan. Countries should prepare to see cases, or the further spread of cases, in the near future. Countries where outbreaks appear to have peaked should prepare for a second wave of infection, according to Dr Chan’s statement to the press. Guidance on specific protective and precautionary measures has been sent to ministries of health in all countries. Countries with no or only a few cases should remain vigilant. Countries with widespread transmission should focus on the appropriate management of patients. The testing and investigation of patients should be limited, as such measures are resource intensive and can very quickly strain capacities. “WHO has been in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers. I understand that production of vaccines for seasonal influenza will be completed soon, and that full capacity will be available to ensure the largest possible supply of pandemic vaccine in the months to come. Pending the availability of vaccines, several non-pharmaceutical interventions can confer some protection” said Dr Chan. WHO continues to recommend no restrictions on travel and no border closures as per Dr Chan’s statement. Influenza pandemics, whether moderate or severe, are remarkable events because of the almost universal susceptibility of the world’s population to infection. “We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together” said Dr Chan. - Bobby Ramakant (The author is a World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General’s WNTD Awardee (2008), writes extensively on health and development, and can be contacted at: bobbyramakant@yahoo.com) Poster fire in hills The Telegraph: Kalimpong, June 10: Supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today went on the rampage, destroying property belonging to GNLF members at Kafer and triggering tension in the tourist spot. Police said the hotel of former GNLF councillor Tshering Sherpa and the house of Buddha Lama bore the burnt of the attack. Lama’s house, which is a little below Kafer Bazaar, 56km from here, was set on fire. But the police intervention brought the fire under control. An attempt was made to do the same to Sherpa’s hotel, which had also been the target of similar attack last year. A car was also set on fire by a Morcha mob of about 300 people. “In the name of bringing out a procession, around 250 to 300 Morcha supporters had assembled (at Kafer). Suddenly a small portion of the group turned violent,” said Rahul Srivastav, the superintendent of police of Darjeeling. The incident happened a day after another GNLF supporter Sonam Tamang had been assaulted allegedly by Morcha supporters at Nimbong village, which is 10km from Kafer. Tamang, the police chief said, had been admitted to a Siliguri hospital. His shop was also destroyed by the Morcha supporters. Srivastav said the police had got some names of those involved in both the incidents and raids were on to arrest the culprits. “We have set up a picket in the area and round-the-clock patrolling is continuing,” he added. Tension had engulfed the area since Monday after some GNLF posters surfaced. The posters reiterated the party’s stand on granting Scheduled Tribe status to the entire Gorkha community, else the outfit would not take part in any election. The Morcha supporters, felt the appearance of the posters was a “sinister” attempt by its political rival to announce its presence in the area. “There was no need for the GNLF men to plaster these posters, that too, after the conclusion of the parliamentary elections,” said C.M. Gurung, a Morcha leader of the area. No one from the GNLF could be contacted. GNLF leader’s house ransacked The Statesman News Service: KURSEONG, 10 JUNE: GJMM supporters allegedly ransacked three houses belonging to GNLF supporters and torched two vehicles at Kapher in Kalimpong sub-division today. The GJMM supporters allegedly ransacked GNLF leader, Mr Tshering Sherpa and his brother in-law's house as well as another house in the area today. It is reported that the vehicles belonged to GJMM supporters and were torched by mistake. It is learnt that today's incident was the outcome of anti-GJMM postering in Kalimpong recently. The police have deployed a large force at Kafer to keep the situation under control. The GJMM leadership denied involvement of party supporters in the incident. ;SNS Hill grant for house damage The Telegraph:Kurseong June 10: The Bengal government will immediately grant Rs 50,000 for each house damaged by Cyclone Aila in the four hill municipalities on May 26. The announcement was made by the state urban development and municipal affairs minister, Asok Bhattacharya, here today after a meeting with the heads of the four municipalities and the Darjeeling district magistrate, Surendra Gupta. “According to the assessments submitted by the civic bodies, 225 houses were completely destroyed in all the four municipal areas. We have decided to grant Rs 50,000 for each house immediately. The civic bodies will strictly monitor the utilisation of the funds and the repair works,” Bhattacharya told journalists after the meeting at the Inspection Bungalow. Of the 225 houses, 162 are in Darjeeling and 26 in Kurseong. Mirik and Kalimpong reported the destruction of 20 and 17 homes respectively. It was also decided at the meeting that the municipalities would immediately clear streams and the drains of debris, which had been deposited by the landslides triggered by the storm. The minister said the cleaning would be taken up with a view to avoiding further landslides in the future. “The funds for the purpose will be released depending on the requirement of each municipality,” he said. As the water pipelines and the roads in the municipal areas had also been damaged, Bhattacharya said, minimum repairs would be carried out at the earliest. Besides, walls along the roads will also be strengthened with the help of the Municipal Engineering Directorate. The minister, however, lamented that building rules were being flouted in all the four municipal areas. Parishad gives back cop rifle The Telegraph: Alipurduar, June 10: Leaders of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad today returned to police a rifle that they had left behind after a clash at Old Hasimara on Monday. The clash occurred when the police tried to prevent the supporters of the Parishad from enforcing a bandh. The rifle was handed over to the circle-inspector of Kalchini, Bimal Mondol, at the Hasimara police out-post by Raju Bara, the president of the Parishad’s Hasimara-Jaigaon zonal committee. “Right after the police had attacked our members on Monday afternoon, I saw the rifle lying on the road. I immediately called up the Jaigaon police and asked them to collect it from me. But no one turned up and I called the Hasimara out-post and told them about the rifle,” said Raju. He added that yesterday, he had gone to Siliguri with three Parishad members who had been seriously injured in the clash and the rifle remained with him. “This morning, I called all police officers and told them that I would be returning the rifle to the Hasimara police out-post and went there with our members at 4pm. I told the police that the Parishad was always in favour of a peaceful democratic movement,” Raju said. The additional police superintendent, Alipurduar, S. R. Mishra, said the police had begun an inquiry into the missing rifle. If the constable who was issued the rifle is found wanting in performing his duty, he will be punished.” Freak storm wreaks havoc, kills woman The school building that was damaged; (above) the tree that fell on the Lakra residence. Pictures by Anirban Choudhury ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, The Telegraph: Alipurduar, June 10: A woman was killed today, when a freak storm hit the Kalchini block early this morning, damaging more than 100 houses and a school building. Train services on the Alipurduar Junction-Siliguri section were also disrupted for at least three hours because of a tree that fell on the tracks. Subir Sarkar, the in-charge of the weather station at North Bengal University, said the storm was a result of a very local depression. “It was a freak storm and had nothing to do with the monsoon.” Later in the day, more than 100 people gheraoed the block officer of Kalchini, which had largely remained unscathed when Cyclone Aila struck last month, demanding compensation for the havoc wrecked by the 40-minute storm. The gherao at MES Chowpathi had lasted for more than two hours. The protesters also blocked the Kalchini-Hasimara road for more than seven hours from 5am. In Dima Tea Estate, Parboti Lakra was asleep when a large shirish tree uprooted by the storm fell on the bedroom of her house in the workers’ line. Neighbours rescued her two sons, Marshel (10) and Ruyel (3), from under the tree and sent them to Latabari Health Centre. Parboti was found dead. From the hospital bed Marshel said: “We woke up when the tree fell on the room and was immediately buried under the branches and leaves. My brother was crying and I repeatedly pushed my mother, but she did not respond. We could hear our neighbours, but could not see them. I shouted out but they did not hear us for sometime. Finally, it was our uncle Bijoy who heard us.” The children’s father Charan Lakra was in Siliguri when the mishap occurred. Bijoy Baraik said he lived in the house opposite the Lakras and had seen the tree falling around 4.15pm. “We had to wait for at least 10 minutes because of the storm before we could go out and start the rescue work. I was the first one to hear Marshel’s voice.” In the Chowpathi, the building of Sunshine Model School has been completely damaged apart from nearly 60 houses. The roofs of most houses were blown off while the walls of a few collapsed. Electric poles too have been uprooted. In Mendabari and Garopara gram panchayat areas, 40 odd houses have been damaged partially by the storm. Bhushan Roy, the principal of the school that has classes till Class VIII, said: “We are possibly the worst sufferers as the classrooms are completely damaged, including the benches. There are 200 students in the school and now it will have to remain closed for at least one month.” Ratan Bhattacharjee, a resident of the area, said the people were yet to be compensated for the damage caused by a storm last year. “The BDO came late to the spot today. Annoyed, the people blocked the road demanding relief and compensation. The storm continued for only 40 minutes but within that period, it had caused havoc.” The protesters had even blocked the oil tankers of Hasimara Air Force. Block officer S. Sun Das said the Lakras would be given Rs 50,000 as compensation and their would also be reconstructed. “I have already sent 40 tarpaulins to be distributed from the Chowpathi and I am sending officials to assess the loss. I can send the relief only after the report arrives.” Comrades join Cong band Deepa Das Munshi hands over party flags to the new Congress members. Picture by Kundan Yolmo The Telegraph: Siliguri, June 10: More than 600 CPM supporters and members led by their leaders today enrolled with the Congress to protest against the infighting in the Left party and the alleged negligence meted out by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation to the ward they reside in. The 647 residents of Ward 44 of the Pareshnagar area of SMC climbed on to the stage at Vidyachakra Colony and accepted Congress flags from Raiganj MP Deepa Das Munshi. They vowed to work for the Congress, deserting the red brigade three months before the SMC elections. “Over the years, a section of party leaders (in Siliguri) has become huge property owners and their close associates enjoy undue advantages,” said Amal Bhadra, a former branch secretary of the CPM, who joined the Congress today. “Whenever we protested, we were either sidelined or accused of indulging in anti-party activities.” Lack of development is another reason why the 11,000 voters of the ward are annoyed with the CPM, he said. The residents always felt that one reason why they were deprived of development projects was that the ward is in the Jalpaiguri district whereas Siliguri is always the priority of the CPM. “We have a CPM councillor who won by around 3,000 votes in the last municipal elections. But she has failed to develop our ward and whenever we reminded our party leaders of the need to deliver, we were humiliated,” said Bhadra. “Considering all these factors, I, along with my fellow supporters, decided to snap our ties with the CPM. There was an undercurrent of discontent and the recent election results spurred us on,” said Biswajit Dey, the former district joint secretary of the Citu-affiliated Bus Workers’ Union. The CPM, however, dismissed the switch in loyalty as nothing of much significance. “Bhadra had left the CPM more than four years ago. Save for him and a handful of others, the rest were always Congress supporters,” said Dilip Singh, the Dabgram zonal committee secretary of the CPM. “The Congress leaders, to draw attention to their party, created a gimmick by bringing their supporters on stage and presenting them as our workers,” said Singh. Handing over flags to the new entrants into the Congress fold, a beaming Deepa said: “It is good to see that such huge number of supporters of the CPM joined the Congress today.” Shankar Malakar, the Darjeeling district president of Congress, said: “Such an event will boost the moral of our party supporters, particularly before the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and the corporation elections.”