 | | Giri at Bagdogra Airport on way to Delhi. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
TT:July 13: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha added another demand to its cart by asking for political-level tripartite talks on Gorkhaland even as the people of the hills made a last-minute rush to stock up larders for the indefinite strike called by the party. However, the fulfilment of the demands does not necessarily mean that the Morcha will withdraw its strike. “The fate of the indefinite strike will entirely depend on what happens in Delhi as we are now working closely with the BJP leadership in raising the statehood issue there. What we want now is a tripartite meeting to be held at the political level,” said Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha in Darjeeling. Two rounds of tripartite talks have been held at the secretary-level between the Centre, the state government and the Morcha. Union home ministry officials said the Centre had suggested August 24 as tentative date for the next round of talks. But the Morcha has been clamouring for talks that will include the political leaders. Four Morcha leaders — Roshan Giri, Harka Bahadur Chhetri, R.P. Waiba and Rohit Sharma — today left for Delhi to coordinate with the BJP leadership. “Rajeev Pratap Rudy, the BJP Rajya Sabha member, is expected to release a document on Gorkhaland in the Upper House on July 18,” said Tamang. For the time being, the Morcha seems to have put its demand for transfer of three police officers on the backburner. It had wanted K.L. Tamta, the inspector-general of police, north Bengal, to be shifted along with the Darjeeling additional superintendent of police and the Kalimpong subdivisional police officer. “That (the transfer) is a state subject and we have already told the state government about it. The Panighata incident prompted us to start immediately the agitation for Gorkhaland. We were planning to start the agitation from July 20, but we brought it forward.” The party has chalked out separate strategies for hills and plains. “If the state and Centre do not respond to our demands, we will start the agitation in the Dooars also, but it will not be an indefinite strike.” Another Morcha demand had been the arrest of GNLF leader Rajen Mukhia. The government has already fulfilled it. After “requests” to schools to empty their hostels, the Morcha softened its stand, announcing that if the institutions asked for help regarding rations, they would get it. Most of the boarders in Darjeeling have not left their hostels. Till noon, there was a rush in the markets. “It was not so crowded even during Dussera,” said a shopkeeper. Shoppers virtually grabbed whatever was in store. “How much can I store as I am just a day worker,” said one shopper when asked if he had stocked enough to last for a week. In a media release issued at Writers’ Buildings today, the state government said it “sees no merit in the Morcha demand for the transfer of police officers”. The government has also requested the Morcha to review its call for an indefinite strike. “A bandh at this stage will adversely affect the tea industry and the schools and reduce the flow of tourists.”
Students leave hills for home | TT, Kalimpong, July 13: Queues of vehicles stood in front of some of the residential schools here as students left for their homes today, the first day of the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills. The Morcha had requested all tourists and students living in hostels to leave the hills by noon today. According to a rough estimate, nearly 300 of the 3,000-odd boarders of the nine residential schools in Kalimpong left town. Most of the students who left were from neighbouring areas like Sikkim, Bhutan and the north Bengal plains. School heads said anxious parents from distant places had been calling them up to enquire about the situation here. “Had they got sufficient time to organise the travel plans, the majority of them would have taken their wards home,” said a principal. The Telegraph saw a small group of Bangladeshi students and parents leave a hotel here. They, however, refused to speak to the correspondent. Tenzing Norphel Bhutia, a Class VI student of Dr Graham’s Homes, was on his way home to Gangtok on a vehicle sent by his father. “My father told me to come home if the school authorities gave us permission to leave. Some of the boys were leaving, and I, too, decided to go,” he said, looking bemused when approached for an interview. Paras Mani Kharel, a resident of Gangtok, took his daughter, a Class V student of St Joseph’s Convent, home from a private hostel where she was staying. “The situation is uncertain and I decided to take my daughter home,” he said. He, however, said the thought of shifting his daughter to a school elsewhere has not occurred as yet. Many associated with education, however, fear that if the Morcha continues to include the sector in the loop of its agitation, parents from outside will think twice before sending their wards to study in the hills. “The damage has already been done, but the situation can still be saved if the Morcha went goes back to its earlier promise to exempt education from the purview of its agitation,” said a teacher. Among the outstation students, a good number of them are from neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Thailand. According to rough estimates, 25 per cent of the 3,000-odd outstation students in the Kalimpong subdivision are foreigners.
Planters plead for garden relief | TT: Darjeeling, July 13: The Darjeeling tea planters have appealed to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leadership to keep the gardens out of the indefinite strike’s purview. Even though the bandh was enforced from this afternoon, all the tea gardens in Darjeeling, except for Mundakothi near Kurseong, was closed since the morning. It is learnt that a section of workers from Mundakhoti did report for work early in the morning. The industry has 55,000 permanent workers, besides 70,000 temporary and planters maintained that the workforce would be hit hard if the strike is prolonged. “Lack of rainfall had hit the first flush hard. Then, we had to bear the wrath of Cyclone Aila, which caused extensive damage to infrastructure in the tea gardens. Over and above, the industry is going through troubled times because of the global meltdown and we are finding very few overseas buyers. We were into plucking the second flush but this has to stop now because of the strike,” said Sandeep Mukherjee, the secretary of the Darjeeling Tea Association. Following landslides in the tea estates because of the May- 26 cyclone, 283 houses had been completely wrecked and 1,941 were partially damaged. But it is the tea gardens that were the worst sufferers, said the DTA official. “The roads have also crumbled and the Morcha leadership is aware of it. I, on behalf of the planters, would like to make an appeal to the political party and its union that the tea gardens be left out of the purview of the bandh,” said Mukherjee. If not left out of the strike, production is unlikely to reach the annual average target of 9.5 million kg of finished tea. “For the tea industry, the first and the second flushes are most important as the produce of these two plucking seasons fetches the highest prices. We are being hit hard at the wrong time,” said Mukherjee. The first and the second flush together produce about 30 per cent of the total tea yield in the Darjeeling hills. Even though the production is more during the monsoon and autumn flushes, the prices they fetch are far less. “It will definitely be difficult for marginal tea gardens (those who are not financially strong) to continue. This would also affect the statutory benefits that the gardens workers receive,” said Mukherjee. Told about the planter’s appeal, Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha, said: “We have no immediate plans to provide relaxation to the tea gardens. Let us see how things unfold.” GJM HALTS HILLS WITH BUNDH CALLENS:Tuesday , Jul 14, 2009 Kolkata: Normal life was affected in three Darjeeling sub-divisions on the first day of an indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to press its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland.
The GJM, which is spearheading the statehood movement, had organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the Hills last year as also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year. In the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, shops and offices remained closed today, tourist vehicles stayed off the roads, and hundreds of tourists and students were seen moving down to the plains. “We are sympathetic to tourists and students from outside. We will allow them to leave by Tuesday,” senior GJM leader Roshan Giri said. The GJM has also demanded that Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K L Tamta be transferred out of the area, alleging he was instigating people against the outfit. According to sources, all police stations and other government establishments in the Hills have been asked to take precautions to prevent any untoward incident during the shutdown. “We have already sent an assessment report on the situation to the state government. We are keeping a close watch on the political activities of the GJM,” Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastava said. Meanwhile, a delegation of GJM leaders has left for Delhi to place a fresh demands for a separate state. Centre suggests tripartite talks on August 24
Even as a bandh crippled life in Darjeeling, the Centre on Monday suggested holding of tripartite meeting with the West Bengal government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on the demand of creating a separate Gorkha state. The Centre has asked the state government to communicate the proposal to the GJM. “The Centre has suggested to the West Bengal government that the tripartite meeting could be held on August 24,” a senior home ministry official said. A delegation of the GJM, led by BJP MP from Darjeeling Jaswant Singh, had met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on June 15 seeking immediate talks involving the Centre, West Bengal government and GJM representatives to pave way for creation of the new state. The last tripartite meeting between the three stakeholders took place on December 29 last year where it was decided to take forward the talks after the Lok Sabha polls. PTI
Siliguri (West Bengal), July 13 (IANS) A group spearheading the demand for a separate Gorkhaland headed Monday for New Delhi for talks with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Jaswant Singh, who represents Darjeeling in the Lok Sabha, even as an indefinite strike called by the group shut down three hill sub-divisions. “We’re going to New Delhi and will talk with Jaswant Singh over the Gorkhaland issue. We’ve been deprived of all kinds of facilities in West Bengal and we don’t want to be a part of this state. We don’t feel secure here,” Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) general secretary Roshan Giri told reporters before leaving for the national capital. He said: “We’ll only get justice if we are given a separate state of Gorkhaland.” Meanwhile normal life was also affected in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling as an indefinite shutdown, in support of a separate state of Gorkhaland, began at noon Monday. Shops and offices remained closed, tourists vehicles stayed off the roads, and hundreds of tourists and students were seen moving down to the plains from Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions. “The indefinite shutdown began at 12 noon Monday. We have spared tourists and students, who came to study in Darjeeling schools from outside, for today (Monday) only and asked them to leave by tomorrow (Tuesday),” GJM press and publicity secretary Benoy Tamang said. State tourism department sources said that tourists had started moving down to plains from Sunday. “As it was not peak season, very few tourists were there in Darjeeling. But this shutdown call will definitely impact the local economy of the district as tourists will not feel secure to visit if such situation continues,” state tourism department (north Bengal) deputy director Gopal Lama said. The GJM has also demanded that Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) K.L. Tamta be transferred out of the area, alleging that he was instigating people against the outfit. According to sources, the district administration has alerted all police stations and other government establishments in the hills, and asked them to take precautions to prevent any untoward incident during the shutdown. “We’ve already sent an assessment report on the situation to the state government. We are keeping a close watch on the political activity of the GJM,” Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastava said. “So far, there has been no blockade on National Highway (NH) numbers-31A, NH-31 and NH-55 by the GJM activists. Police patrolling is also on on these three national highway stretches,” he said. The GJM, spearheading the movement in the hills for a separate Gorkhaland, organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the hills last year as also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year, severely hitting tea and tourism - the bread and butter of the region. Tripartite talks held last year in New Delhi had failed to break the deadlock. GJM's indefinite bandh cripples life in Darjeeling PTI July 13, 2009: Life came to a standstill in all three sub-divisions of Darjeeling district on Monday due to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's indefinite bandh called to press for a separate state and other demands.
The bandh, which was scheduled to begin from 12 noon on Monday, was delayed by an hour to allow last-minute purchase of essentials by people across the hills.
GJM publicity secretary Benoy Tamang said movement of vehicular traffic was relaxed to enable stranded tourists and students to leave the hills.
All shops and business establishments were closed and employees left their offices early, the police said. Tamang said the GJM would continue the bandh till its demands were met as the hill people had a sufficient stock of essentials.
According to government officials, there are not many tourists in the hills at present as most of them have already left.
The authorities of residential schools in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong have decided to keep their hostels open as it is, they feel, difficult for them to send outstation students escorted. |
Strike blow to tour operators’ Puja plans |  | | The Bengal stall at the tourism fair showcases the Kanchenjungha and the Darjeeling toy train to attract tourists who chose to look the other way. (Pradip Sanyal) |
TT: Siliguri, July 13: The indefinite strike call by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha during the ongoing Travel and Tourism Fair in Calcutta has disappointed the tour operators of north Bengal. “The sudden call of indefinite strike, that, too, during the fair where we get around 75 per cent of the total domestic bookings for Darjeeling and Sikkim in the Durga Puja season, has hit us hard,” said Raj Basu of Help Tourism, one of the top tour operators of north Bengal, from Calcutta. “It seems hard to get out of this loss as most tourists and their booking agents who visited the fair instantly changed decisions.” The three-day fair, billed to be the largest in eastern India, concluded this evening. West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation was one of the organisers. “We sat upset in our stalls, helplessly watching people moving to other states and making bookings for the Puja. The ongoing economic recession has reduced the number of international tourists to our region and we were largely banking on domestic tourists. But this unexpected development, a couple of months before the Puja, has left us keeping our fingers crossed,” Basu added. Stakeholders from the tourism sector of north Bengal, who visited the fair at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said the enquiries were good on the first day but abruptly dropped after the strike was called. Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association, said: “The enquiry is steady and people are still interested in visiting Darjeeling and Sikkim. But after the call of indefinite strike, we can neither assure them of a smooth tour nor can we accept their bookings. Even bookings for Sikkim cannot be accepted now,” he said. “As on date, it is clear that we will incur losses during the Pujas.” The disappointed operators, however, have thought of writing to the Morcha. “Once we return from Calcutta, we plan to send an appeal to the Morcha leaders, mentioning in details the negative effects of an indefinite strike on the tourism industry that provides substantial employment,” Sanyal said. But the Morcha leadership is firm on its decision. “There is no question of withdrawing the strike which we have called to achieve our ultimate demand of a separate state,” Roshan Giri, the party general secretary, said at Bagdogra before leaving for Delhi today.
Subba & aides end fasting agitation SNS: Mr Chattrey Subba, the Gorkha Liberation Organisation supremo accused of Mr Subash Ghisingh's assassination attempt in 2001, and Mr Subba's five other inmates have withdrawn from their hunger strike program.
Mr Subba along with his other five inmates began a hunger strike at Jalpaiguri central jail on 2 July, demanding a speedy trial and their immediate release from jail. Mr Subba fell ill on 4 July and was admitted to North Bengal Medical College Hospital (NBMCH). The others were transfered to NBMCH two days later. After a prolonged hunger strike lasting 11 days, the activist ultimately withdrew from the program on 11 July. Mr Subba explained that he was withdrawing from the hunger strike because his supreme court lawyer had requested it. Mr Subba said: “When the Jalpaiguri district and session court suddenly transferred our case into an additional first track court just before the judgment, we asked our supreme court lawyer for guidance. On 11 July he informed us that he had already attracted the supreme court's attention to this issue and asked us to withdraw from our hunger strike. Also, the MLA Darjeeling Mr Pranay Rai stood for us in the state assembly on 8 July and the state law minister assured him that the matter would be looked into seriously. Under such circumstances we decided to withdraw our hunger strike program.”
The leader went on to slam the state government regarding the delayed trial of their case: “Both the state government and Mr Subhas Ghisingh have conspired to file a false case against me. Now they are afraid that if we get released from jail, their conspiracy may be revealed to the people. This is why the state government is intentionally delaying our trial.”
The superintendent of Jalpaiguri central jail, Mr Bimalendu Mukherjee, along with some other jail officials also visited the inmates in NBMCH on the evening of 11 July where he requested the withdrawal of their hunger strike.
Bhanu Jayanti Celebrated in Kalimpong
 Sudhir Chhetri receiving the Bhaichand Memorial Award on Poem.
KalimNews, Kalimpong 13 July: 195th Bhanu Jayanti was celebrated today in Kalimpong in a low profile. Though Nepali Sahitya Adhyan Samity the organiser of the celebration had planned a two days programme it was compelled to cut short it due to the ongoing strike called by GJMM. The programme chaired by Dr Saroja Rai had T.B.Thakuri as Chief Guest of the programme in Ramkrishna Rangamanch.. Sudhir Chhetri was awarded 6th Bhaichand Pradhan Puraskar for his poem "Silpa ka pakhetaharu " (Wings of skill). A cash prize of Rupeese 11,101 with a citation and a souvenir was presented by the Chief Guest Thakuri, Mrs. Bhaichand Pradhan and Dr. Saroja Rai to Sudhir a follower of postmodernism. Pempa Tamang from Gangtok presented a talk on Bhasa and Sahitya (Language and Literature). Students were presented with souvenir for their Ramayana slok recitation. It was announced by the organiser that the next phase of the programme of presenting Purna Rai Smriti Puraskar awarded to Gyan Sutar will be held after some time.
नेपाली राहदानीमा भारत जाँदा पनि भिसा
Kantipur: निर्मल श्रेष्ठ
हङकङ, हङकङ निवासी नेपाली भारत यात्रा गर्दासमेत अनिवार्य भिसा लिनुपर्ने नियमले मर्कामा छन्् । भारतीय महावाणिज्यदूतावासले यहाँबाट यात्रा गर्ने नेपाली राहदानीवाहकलाई अनिवार्य भिसा लिनुपर्ने प्रावधान बनाएको छ । व्यापार व्यवसाय, भेटघाट र तीर्थयात्राका क्रममा बर्सेनि सयौं नेपाली भारत भ्रमण गर्छन् । भिसाबारे अनभिज्ञ कतिपय गन्तव्यमा पुगेपछि अध्यागमनको झमेला बेहोर्नु परेको पीडितहरू बताउँछन्् । गत जनवरीमा तीर्थयात्रा गर्न भारत भ्रमणमा निस्केका कान्ति राईसहित दस/आठ घन्टा मुम्बई अध्यागमनमा रोकिए । हङकङ फर्काउन तम्तयार अध्यागमनका कर्मचारीलाई हारगुहार गरेपछि छाडिएको कान्तिले बताइन्् । 'नेपालबाट सधैं त्यसै उड््ने गरेकी चाहिँदैन होला भन्ने लाग्यो, उता पुगेपछि निकै तनाव झेल्नुपर्यो ।' उनले दुखेसो सुनाउँदै भनिन्् । व्यवसायका क्रममा पटकैपिच्छे यात्रा गर्ने कृष्णराज पाण्डेसमेत सधैं भिसा लिएरै उड््ने गरेको बताउँछन्् । 'भिसा लिनुनपर्ने थाहा हँुदाहँुदै पनि लिन बाध्य छांै,' उनले भने, 'उतापुगेर किन झमेला मोल्नु ।'हङकङस्थित भारतीय महावाणिज्य दूतावास र भारतस्थित विमानस्थल अध्यागमनको दोधारे नीतिका कारण पनि हङकङेली समस्यामा छन्् । यहाँस्थित भारतीय महावाणिज्य दूतावासले अनिवार्य गरेको भिसा कतिपयबेला भारतका अध्यागमन कर्मचारीले किन लिएको भन्दै केरकारसमेत गर्ने गरेका छन्् । दूतावासको निर्देशनमा भिसा लिएर उडेका माधव श्रेष्ठलाई नचाहिने भिसा लिएको भन्दै दिल्ली अध्यागमनका कर्मचारीले निकैबेर केरकार गरेर छाडेको उनले बताए । 'जसो गरे पनि नहुने कस्तो नियम हो कुन्नि,' उनले गुनासो पोखे । केही महिनाअघिसम्म पर्यटक भिसाबापत तिर्नुपर्ने ३ सय १५ हङकङ डलर हाल नेपाली राहदानीका लागि मिनाहा गरिएको छ । तर भिसा लिनुपर्ने अनिवार्यता भने यथावत् छ । हाल दूतावासले नेपाली राहदानीवाहकका लागि 'ग्रेटिस' भिसा उपलब्ध गराउँछ । भारतीय दूतावासका अधिकारी एचके जैनसँगको जिज्ञासामा उनले हङकङ र चीनमा रहेका नेपाली राहदानीवाहकले भारत भ्रमणमा भिसा लिनैपर्ने बताए । नेपाली राहदानीलाई भिसा नचाहिनुपर्ने होइन र ? प्रश्नमा उनले भने ? 'नेपालबाट होला यहाँबाट चाहिन्छ, नलिँदा मर्कामा परे हामी जिम्मेवार हुँदैनौं ।' यहाँस्थित नेपाली महावाणिज्य दूतावासका वाणिज्यदूत सुशीलकुमार लम्साल आफूसमेत अन्यौलमा रहेको बताउँछन्् । 'सन्् १९५० को इन्डो नेपाल ट्रीटीअनुसार नेपाली भएको प्रमाण पुर्याउनेले जुनसुकै देशबाट बिनाभिसा भारतमा यात्रा गर्न सक्छ,' उनले भने, 'नेपालीका गुनासा सुनिन थालेपछि हामीले यस्तो प्रावधान हटाउन बारम्बार महावाणिज्य दूतावाससमक्ष कुरा राखेका हौं, उनीहरू यात्रुकै सुरक्षा र सुविधाका लागि यसो गरिएको भन्दै पन्छिन्छन् ।'
| दार्जिलिङभरि नेपाली कामदार
Kantipur: दार्जिलिङ, नेपालमा रोजगारको अवसर नपाएपछि श्रम गरेर पैसा कमाउन खाडी मुलुक जाने युवाहरूको संख्या बढिरहेका बेला भारत पश्चिम बंगालको दार्जिलिङमा काम गर्न आउने नेपालीको संख्या पनि दिनपिच्छे बढ्दै छ । खाडी मुलुकमा कामगर्न नेपालका हरेक जिल्लाबाट युवाहरू जानेक्रम रहेको अवस्थामा दार्जिलिङमा चाहिँ दोलखा र रामेछाप आसपास जिल्लाबाट आउनेहरू अत्यधिक छन् । कुवा र धाराबाट खानेपानी ओसार्ने, ग्यास सिलिन्डर बोक्ने, पत्रिका बेच्ने, भारी बोक्नेलगायत काममा दार्जिलिङमा मात्र दुई हजार बढी नेपाली छन् । दशकौंदेखि नेपाली भरियाहरूको हितमा काम गर्दै आएको गोर्खा दुःख निवारक सम्मेलन नामको संस्थाका अनुसार सिक्किम, खरसाङ, कालेम्पोङ, मिरिक, सुकिया, सिलिगुडीलगायत सहरमा पनि दोलखा क्षेत्रबाट आएका नेपाली छ्यापछ्याप्ती छन् ।दैनिक छ सात घन्टासम्म काममा खट्दा भारतीय रुपैयाँ तीन सयसम्म कमाइ हुने भएकाल श्रमका लागि नेपालीहरू दार्जिलिङ आउने गरेका हुन् । 'भारतीय रुपैयाँलाई नेपालमा साट्दा अझ बढी हुने भएकाले दोलखातिरका नेपालीहरू हूलका हूल दार्जिलिङ आउने गरेका हुन्,' सम्मेलनका हर्ताकर्ता विजय राईले बताए ।कामको खोजीमा आउने नेपालीहरू मिश्रति समुदायका छन् । दोलखा सुनखानीबाट दशकौंअघि आएका मेघबहादुर पिठाकोटेका छोरा यतै घरजम गरेर पुर्खाले गरिआएको कामधन्दा सम्हाल्दैछन् ।'स्वदेशमा काम नपाएपछि बुवा यता भौंतारिनुभएको थियो, आफू पनि अब यतै जमियो,' उनले भने 'दिनभरि काम गर्दा छोराछोरी पढाएर पनि राम्रै कमाइ हुन्छ ।' ४२ वषर्ीय कार्कीकी पत्नी तिलकुमारी पनि स्थानीय होटलमा कार्यरत छिन् । कतिपय श्रीमान् श्रीमती एउटै काममा संलग्न छन् ।कामको सिलसिलामा दार्जिलिङ आएका नेपालीमध्ये अनगिन्तीले यतै घरजमसमेत बसाएर भारतीय नागरिकतासमेत लिएका छन् ।जसबाट उनीहरूले रासनकार्ड बनाउने मौका पाएका छन् ।जजबजार, हिलकार्ट रोड, राजवाडी, कागझोडा, सिङमारीलगायत स्थानमा नेपालीहरूले घरै बनाएका छन् । 'हजुरबा नै यतै बसेकाले हामी शाखा सन्तान पनि यतैका भयौं,' स्थानीय हिमाञ्चल होटलका सञ्चालक आरपी शर्माले भने ।सिलिगुडीबाट प्रकाशित 'हिमालय दर्पण', 'सुनाखरी' सहित नेपाली, हिन्दी, बंगाली र अंग्रेजी पत्रिकाका बिक्रेता तथा हकर्स सबै नेपाली नै छन् । 'नेपालीले नै सुरु गरेको पत्रिका ल्याउने र बेच्ने काममा अहिले ४० भन्दा धेरैले रोजगारी पाएका छन्,' बिक्रेता मोतीलाल शर्माले भने । |
SWINE FLUE TALLY 200 Hyderabad, July 13 (IANS) India’s tally of swine flu cases crossed 200 Monday as eight people here were confirmed to be suffering from influenza A (H1N1), officials said. There was a sudden spurt in swine flu cases here as health authorities Monday confirmed eight new cases, taking the city’s tally to 31. Six of the new cases contracted the virus from a software engineer who arrived here from Houston July 5. The eighth confirmed case is a two-and-half-year old boy who came from Dubai. Samples of all the eight were sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi, where they tested positive. According to the state coordinator for swine flu K. Subhakar, all the infected people have been admitted to Andhra Pradesh Chest Hospital, the nodal centre for swine flu here. He said the software engineer did not approach the Chest Hospital till July 9 despite having swine flu symptoms. “Meanwhile, six other people who came in contact with him contracted the virus,” said Subhakar. This is the first time that such a large number of cases in the city have tested positive for swine flu in one day. With this, the number of patients undergoing treatment for the disease at the Chest Hospital rose to 11. Doctors said 20 people were discharged after treatment during the last two months. Meanwhile, three people who reached here from Sharjah and were found to be displaying visible symptoms of swine flu have been kept under observation at the Chest Hospital. Their throat and nasal samples were sent to NICD for tests. With the latest swine flu cases here, the tally of swine flu patients countrywide has crossed 200. According to the health ministry, 133 people have been discharged, while the remaining are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. |
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