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LF chooses day to rally through streets SNS, SILIGURI, 30 OCT: Protesting against price rise and violence throughout the state unleashed allegedly by the Trinamul and the Maoists, the Darjeeling district Left Front today organised a mass rally in Siliguri along with several other demands. The state urban development minister and Darjeeling district Left Front convener, Mr Asok Bhattacharya led the rally, which started at around 4 p.m. from Baghajatin Park. Thousands of Left Front supporters rallied through Kutcherry Road and Hill Cart Road up to Darjeeling More, causing a major traffic snarl in the city. The Left Front leadership condemned the UPA government for failing to control the hike in the price of essential commodities. The Left Front leadership slammed the Trinamool for spreading violence in the state. The Trinamool is maintaining a tacit understanding with the Maoists with an eye to come to power in the state in the 2011 Assembly elections,” Mr Asok Bhattacharya alleged. Branding Trinamool chief Miss Mamata Banerjee as a “sibling of Maoist leader Kishenji,” Mr Bhattacharya added: “The Trinamool is joining hands with all separatist groups in the state in an attempt to oust the Left Front from the state.” The Left Front leadership also demanded better facilities and security to railway passengers. “The railway minister is busy flagging off many trains, but passenger security is not being adhered to,” Mr Bhattacharya alleged. Mentioning the railway minister's visit to Siliguri today for inaugurating the Railway Recruitment Board office here, Mr Bhattacharya said: “ People's aspirations cannot be fulfilled just by opening offices. Recruitment is needed too.” Meanwhile, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (C) and the CPI-M Kalimpong unit today jointly served a memorandum to the railway minister demanding rehabilitation for those who would be displaced by the Sevoke-Rangpo project. The GNLF (C) leader Mr DK Pradhan and CPI-M leader from Kalimpong Mr tara Sundas also demanded upgrading the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway workshop at Tindharia, announcement of train schedules in Nepali/ Gorkhali at New Jalpaiguri Station, a computerized reservation centre at Teesta and engagement of locals in the construction work of the Sevoke-Rangpo project.. Indian national held in Nepal Xinhua, October 27: Nepali police have arrested an Indian national in connection with mysterious disappearance of 11 kids from Nepal Sewashram Association in Birgunj in central Nepal. According to Tuesday's eKantipur.com report, the arrested Indian national has been identified as Shanti Kumar Das, 50. Das is a permanent resident of Indian state of West Bengal and was running the orphanage. The police held Das from the orphanage at Ashokbatika in Birjugunj, some 90 km south of Kathmandu, Monday evening. He was arrested after 11 orphans disappeared "mysteriously" from the orphanage. "As per the preliminary investigation, we have come to know that Das used to physically torture and assault the orphans," the police said. Das has claimed that he has handed over the orphans to their respective parents. Das added that he has been wrongly convicted and that the allegations charged against him are not true. The police, however, said that the "disappeared" orphans are not in contact with their parents. Parents issue strike threat | ||||||||||||||||
TT, Siliguri, Oct. 30: The Guardians Forum of North Bengal today threatened to close down indefinitely seven English-medium schools in and around Siliguri if they did not revert to the old fees by November 8. The ultimatum was issued as the institutions did not respond to the parents’ demand of fee rollback even after a strike was enforced by the forum at all English-medium schools here today and yesterday. Members of the forum organised pickets and none of the schools remained open on the two days of the strike. “The two-day strike of the English-medium schools was very successful because of the co-operation of the parents and the different associations of Siliguri. But our demand to the schools to charge the old fees as on 31.03.09 (the last working day of previous academic session) has still not been met with by the schools. We are still giving nine days’ time to the schools to comply with, failing which we will go on an indefinite strike at the seven schools that have hiked their fees from November 9,” said Sandeepan Bhattacharjee, the forum president. The seven institutions are Don Bosco School, St Joseph’s Convent, Auxilium Convent, Nirmala Convent, Jermel’s Academy, New St John’s and St Michaels. “The other schools have not been included this time as they should not suffer unduly because of these seven institutions,” Bhattacharjee added. The forum president said Nantu Pal, the new deputy mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, had offered to help. “The forum will sit for a meeting with Nantu Pal. He has promised to end the stalemate between the schools and the guardians. But if no solution comes within the next nine days, we will be compelled to go on the strike. We may even call a general strike in Siliguri and the adjoining areas if the situation demands so,” said Bhattacharjee. Father M.A Joseph, the principal of Don Bosco School, said he would not comment on the strike threat as the matter was sub judice.
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