Morcha stops Teesta dam work for road

TT, Kalimpong, Oct. 27: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today stopped all work on the NHPC’s Teesta Low Dam Project Stage III at Reang to protest against the delay in the construction of the alternative road to Takdah and Teesta Valley. Supporters of the Morcha from the Takdah-Teesta Valley constituency drove down to the dam site, 25km from here, in about 10 vehicles around 9am and “requested” the NHPC authorities and the workers to shut down their offices and stop all work. They also asked the workers to leave the area. Norbu G. Lama, the co-ordinator of the Morcha’s Takdah-Teesta Valley unit, said: “It has been two years since the NHPC authorities first assured us that the alternative road would be constructed. However, the fact is that they are yet to get even the no-objection certificate from the forest department to build the road.” The people of Takdah and Teesta Valley demanded the alternative road after a 2km stretch of the existing road connecting their areas to NH31A at 27 Mile had been badly damaged in landslides. The NHPC project site is just below the highway, which, too, has suffered extensive damage in the landslides and sink-ins triggered by the construction of the dam on the Teesta. But the NHPC has never admitted that the damage was caused by the dam. The delay in executing the work on the new road, NHPC officials claimed, is because of a protracted process required in acquiring the forest land. The entire two-km stretch of the proposed route from NH31A to the point where it meets the existing Takdah-Teesta Valley Road falls under the forest department. “We applied to acquire the forest land in September 2008. The state forest department has sent our application to the regional office of the Union ministry of environment and forests in Bhubaneswar. We hope that the clearance will be given in one month,” said a senior NHPC official. Expressing dismay at the forced closure of the site, the official said the NHPC had already earmarked Rs 1.8 crore for the road project. “The disruption of work was wholly unwarranted, especially when we try to do so much for the local population,” said the official. Freak boulder kills 3 in Sikkim TT, Gangtok, Oct. 27: Three tourists were killed and eight others injured in a freak accident this morning when a boulder came crashing down on their vehicle below Yumesamdong and tossed it into a ravine about 200 feet deep. The dead persons have been identified as Debashis Basak and Tapas Roy Basak from Sainthia in Birbhum and Nanda Ghosh, a woman from Baranagar in Calcutta. The accident occurred around 11am while the group was on their way to Yumesamdong, a scenic valley in North Sikkim that has hot springs at an altitude of 15,300 feet, about 170km from here(see map). According to the subdivisional magistrate of Chunthang, Tashi Chopel, the travellers had left Lachung for the valley that is located close to the border with China. “The tourists were on their way up after stopping at Yumthang and according to reports a boulder hit their car. The injured were pulled out from the gorge by locals and the drivers of other tourist vehicles and taken to the army health centre at Sharnock, before being brought to the primary health centre at Chungthang,” he said. One of the survivors, Shyamal Pal, however, said the car fell while was negotiating a bend. The survivors and the bodies were brought to Yumthang, 15km downhill. Police sources said those injured had been referred to the North Sikkim district hospital at Mangan. The sources said the injured had been identified as Ganesh Basak and Suman Das from Jalpaiguri and Shyamal and his wife Mamata Pal, Nanda’s husband Gautam Ghosh and Mithun Manas and Bonosree Manas. All of them are from Baranagar. The driver of the car, Ongden Lachungpa, has been also injured. Police said all of them had suffered fractures and cuts. Gautam Ghosh is a former employee of ABP Private Limited and had taken voluntary retirement from the company in January 2004. Shyamal told the police that Gautam and Nanda were his neighbours at Mondolpara Lane. “He said the two families were very close and the two couples often went vacationing together,” an officer investigating the case said. The officer said the group had arrived in Sikkim on Sunday and was supposed to make the trip to Yumesamdong today and return to Lachung for an overnight stay before leaving for Gangtok. An executive officer of the Travel Agents’ Association of Sikkim said they had contacted their members in North Sikkim and asked them to provide all assistance to the injured. “We are doing our best to help them reach homes safely and are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said. The TAAS official said the injured had reached the North Sikkim district hospital around 6.30pm. Ex-mayor now leader of Opposition Islam: New assignment TT, Siliguri, Oct. 27: Siliguri mayor Gangotri Dutta today accorded the leader of the Opposition status in the municipality to her predecessor Nurul Islam of the CPM, ending speculation that the Left Front might join the civic board. The Congress had bagged the mayor and chairperson’s posts in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) with the Left Front’s support. “Considering the number of councillors supporting Islam in writing, we selected him the leader of Opposition in the SMC,” Dutta told journalists this afternoon. “The Trinamul Congress, too, had written to us demanding the post for Gautam Deb (the party’s district president). But they have the support of 15 councillors, while Islam has 17 with him.” The decision was taken according to Section 15 of the West Bengal Municipal Corporation Act 2006, the mayor said. “There is no question of flouting the rule and we have acted on the basis of relevant sections laid down in the law.” Civic officials, too, justified Dutta’s decision. “Section 15 of the act says there shall be a leader of the Opposition in the municipal corporation who shall be a councillor from a recognised political party having the greatest numerical strength in the Opposition,” an official said. “It is the mayor who will recognise the leader of the Opposition. In case there are two or more political parties having equal number of seats, it is mayor’s prerogative to select the leader while considering the status (whether it is regional or national) of each party.” The mayor said she did not need to consider the status of the parties as the front has more seats than Trinamul. The decision, which has reduced Trinamul into second Opposition party in the SMC, has prompted Deb to criticise the Congress. “Our allegation that there is an unholy nexus between the CPM and the Congress has been proved again. There was a tacit understanding that the front would vote for the Congress to elect the mayor and chairperson and in turn the Left party would be accorded the principal Opposition party’s status and given the posts of the leader of the Opposition and chairman of the accounts committee,” Deb said. “We will expose this to the people.” The Trinamul leader said his party was thinking of consulting lawyers on how the LF got the Opposition status even after supporting the Congress for the mayor and the chairperson’s posts. CPM leader Islam, however, said he would meet the mayor tomorrow. “I have received the letter from the mayor who has selected me for the post,” he said. The Congress is still hopeful about Trinamul joining the board. “We have the option of waiting till October 30 if we go by the rule,” said Shankar Malakar, the Darjeeling district president of the party. A top Congress leader has confirmed that Nantu Pal, the party’s councillor of Ward 11, will be the deputy mayor. Arrest for cellphone smut TT, Siliguri, Oct. 27: Naren Choudhury, a Group D employee of Nandaprasad High School at Naxalbari, 35km from here, was arrested for allegedly showing lewd pictures stored in his cellphone to two boys at the laboratory this morning. He was picked up after a Class VII student's father lodged a complaint with Naxalbari police. Choudhury was assaulted by some local people when they came to know about the incident. Paritosh Chakladar, the headmaster of the boys’ school, said he was in Calcutta and had no clue about the incident. College fiasco TT, Darjeeling: The chamber of the officer in-charge of Darjeeling Government College remained shut on Tuesday as no directive on the appointment of a full-fledged principal was issued by the government. The Gorkha Janmukti Vidyarthi Morcha had sealed the office on Friday, demanding the appointment of a principal. On Monday, Lalita Ahmed Rai, the officer in-charge, had written to the Director of Public Instruction to release her from the post. Book fair TT, Siliguri: The 27th North Bengal Book Fair will start on November 27. Members of Greater Siliguri Publishers and Book Sellers’ Association will organise the annual book fair at the Mela Ground of Siliguri Kanchenjungha Stadium. The fair will end on December 6. Space show TT, Siliguri: An exhibition on space exploration will be held at North Bengal Science Centre in Matigara here on Wednesday. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Malay Karanjai, the principal of Siliguri College. Remembering him who led from the front... SNS, SILIGURI, 27 OCT: Tea estate workers residing in Panighatta are gearing up to celebrate the 134th birth anniversary of the Adivasi legend, Birsa Munda on 15 November through a day-long cultural programme. Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste certificates would be distributed among the students on the occasion. Informing this, a senior functionary of an Adivasi welfare organization, Mr Oscar Tirkey said that his community would hold the memory of the Adivasi legend in grateful memory forever. “We keep observing the anniversary every year despite resource crunch to keep the Adivasi tradition aloft at a time when the younger generation seems inclined to give a short shrift to our self-effacing culture,” he said. Birsa Munda (in picture), born in Bamba now in Jharkhand in 1875, carved a niche for himself in the annals of the anti-colonial struggle for his relentless crusade against the exploitative machinery of the imperialistic power as also against the unimpeded land- grabbing by the outsiders in the traditionally Adivasi habitations spread over the huge tracts of Chotonagpur. He was arested in February 1900 and died in mysterious circumstances the same year in the Ranchi jail at the age of 25. Appealing to the administration to come forward in assisting them in observing the day, another Adivasi functionary of the celebration committee, Mrs Krishna Rautia said that such assistance would go a long way in dispelling the common misgivings amongst the community as regard the charge of pushing the Adivasis to the periphery of the mainstream society. “We regard Birsa not in the exclusive ethnic terms but as a freedom fighter who sacrificed himself at the altar of the struggle for freedom,” she added. BJP asks chief secy to lodge FIR against officials PTI, Gangtok, 26 Oct: Claiming Rs 4.95 crore were siphoned off from government funds, the Sikkim BJP today asked state chief secretary Mr TT Dorji to order filing of a criminal case against guilty officials and contractors. “Officials and contractors had colluded to siphon off the money in the name of construction of a multi-span steel bridge over Teesta river at Gour in north Sikkim but the construction did not happen,” party vice-president Mr Padam Chettri told newsmen, adding it was loot of public money. Quoting the reply of the Roads and Bridges Department to an RTI query, he claimed authorities have themselves conceded that 90 per cent of the proposed cost of the bridge was released to the contractors before the commencement of the construction work three years ago. But, barring two concrete pillars on either end of the Teesta river, the bridge never came up and the entire money went into the pockets of corrupt officials and contractors, he alleged. “But for RTI, the blatant case of swindling of public money would have been left hidden in the files,” he said. Mr Chhetri claimed he has documentary evidence of another case of corruption in the construction of a proposed Rs 13-crore bridge at Singtam to connect south and east Sikkim in which one-third of the projected cost has already been released to the contractor without commencement of any work on the ground.

H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~Ûmam EKmam¢ ñWmnZm {Xdg nmbZ J[aZo

{gZo-g§gma {dYm‘m H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$ma

H$mbo~wL> 27 A³Q>mo~a … {gZo-g§gmaH$mo {dH$mgH$mo {Xem‘m ¶moJXmZ nwè¶mCZo ñWmZr¶ à{V^mbmB© ¶g df© H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$mabo gå‘m{ZV JZ} {ZU©¶ H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~bo {bEH$mo N>& JV Ho$hr {XZA{K ~goH$mo ³b~H$mo H$m¶©H$mar g{‘{VH$mo g^m‘m ¶mo {ZU©¶ {bBEH$mo OmZH$mar ‘ybg{Md E. Ho$. amB©bo {XEH$m N>Z²& amB©AZwgma, AmJm‘r 16 Zmo^oå~aH$m {XZ ñWmZr¶ am‘H¥$îU a“‘#m‘m H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~H$mo EKmam¢ ñWmnZm {XdgH$mo Cnbú¶‘m Am¶moOZm hþZo H$m¶©H«$‘AÝVJ©V Cº$ nwañH$ma àXmZ J[aZoN>& ¶g H$m¶©H$mo bm{J ¶mo½¶ à{V^mH$mo N>Zm¡Q> JZ} CÔoí¶bo H$mbo~wL>H$m VrZOZm {d{eï> ì¶{º$Ëdhê$H$mo ECQ>m ñdVÝÌ g{‘{V JR>Z J[aEH$mo ~VmC±X¡ amB©bo Cº$ g{‘{Vbo AmJm‘r Ho$hr {XZ{^Ì¡ ñWmZr¶ VrZOZm à{V^mhê$H$mo Zm‘ AH$m} VrZ gXñ¶r¶ {ZUm©¶H$ ‘ÊS>brg‘j {g’$m[ae JZ} ~VmE& gmo Zm‘mL²>H$Z àmá Jaon{N> {ZUm©¶H$ ‘ÊS>brbo VrZ‘ܶo EH$OZm à{V^mbmB© H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$maH$mo hH$XmaH$mo ê$n‘m N>Zm¡Q> JZ} amB©bo ~VmEH$m N>Z²& M¶Z à{H«$¶m‘m nmaX{e©Vm A{Z VQ>ñWVm H$m¶‘ am»ZH$m bm{J àog ³b~bo J¡a-gXñ¶ ì¶{º$hê$bmB© {deof ^ma gwpånEH$mo n{Z CZbo ~VmEH$m N>Z²& amB©bo {XEH$mo OmZH$marAZwgma, AmJm‘r ñWmnZm {XdgH¡$ Am¡ga‘m ñWmZr¶ àdrU ZmJ[aH$hê$‘mP g‘mOH$mo OëXmo~ëXmo {df¶dñVw‘m{W ~m¡{ÕH$ ñVaH$mo VH©$ à{V¶mo{JVm n{Z Am¶moOZm J[aZoN>&

C„oIZr¶ N>, H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~bo JV df©Xo{I AmâZmo ñWmnZmH$mo Xg gmb nyU© Jaon{N> EH$ df©H$m bm{J {d{^Þ H$m¶©H«$‘hê$H$mo Am¶moOZm JZ} {ZYmo JaoH$mo {W¶mo& ¶g¡ EH$ dfu¶ H$m¶©H«$‘H$mo g‘mnZH$mo ê$n‘m AmJm‘r ñWmnZm {Xdg nmbZ J[aZo ~VmC±X¡ amB©bo ³b~bo JV EH$ df©‘m Am¶moOZm JaoH$m H$m¶©H«$‘hê$‘m d[að> ZmJ[aH$hê$‘mP hm{Oar Odm~ à{V¶mo{JVm, Iwbm Mog Iob à{V¶mo{JVm, ‘mZd VñH$ar‘m{W g“moð>r, nÌH$m[aVm‘m{W VrZ {Xdgr¶ H$‘©embm, ’$moQ>mo àXe©Z Am{X à‘wI ahoH$mo OZmEH$m N>Z²& ¶r H$m¶©H«$‘bmB© g’$bVmnyd©H$ Am¶moOZm JZ©‘m H$mbo~wL>H$m gMoV ì¶{º$ VWm gm‘m{OH$-e¡{jH$ g§ñWmZhê$bo ¶Wmg³¶ gh¶moJ nwè¶mEH$mo n{Z ~VmC±X¡ CZbo A~Cgmo H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$ma à{Vdf© ³b~H$mo ñWmnZm {XdgH$mo Cnbú¶‘m àXmZ J[aZo A{Z Iwbm Mog Iob à{V¶mo{JVm n{Z haoH$ gmb gånÞ J[aZo OmZH$mar {XEH$m N>Z²& ¶g~mao AP OmZH$mar {X±X¡ MogIob à{V¶mo{JVmH$mo Q´>’$s ñd0 XmoOu {N>[aL> boßMmH$mo nwʶñ‘¥{V‘m CZH$mo n[admaH$m gXñ¶hê$bo àm¶moOZm JZ} V¶ ^BgHo$H$mo amB©bo ~VmEH$m N>Z² ^Zo H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$mabmB© àm¶moOZm JZ} BÀNw>H$ ì¶{º$bo ³b~{gV gånH©$ am»Zg³Zo n{Z CZbo OZmEH$m N>Z²&

¶gar Z¡ AmJm‘r df© ³b~H$mo ñ‘m[aH$m àH$m{eV hþZo OmZH$mar {X±X¡ ¶g H$m¶©H$m bm{J ‘w»¶ g§¶moOH$ Ho$. nr. Jm¡V‘H$mo AJwdmB‘m V¶mar H$m¶© A{K ~{‹T>ahoH$mo n{Z CZbo OZmEH$m N>Z²& Cº$ ñ‘m[aH$m‘m AmâZm aMZm{X àH$me‘m ë¶mCZ MmhZo boIH$hê$bo ¶WmerK« AmâZm H¥${Vhê$ H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~bmB© CnbãY JamB{XZo AZwamoY n{Z CZbo JaoH$m N>Z²&

kmVì¶, JV df© H$mbo~wL>aËZ nwañH$mabo ñWmZr¶ VrZOZm à{V^mhê$bmB© CZrhê$bo {d{^Þ joÌ‘m nwè¶mEH$mo ¶moJXmZH$mo H$Xa JX£ H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~bo gå‘m{ZV JaoH$mo {W¶mo Og‘m IobH$mo joÌ‘m am{ï´>¶ hH$s Iobm‹S>r ^aV N>oÌr, ~mJdmZr {dH$mgH$mo joÌ‘m {‘¸w$ ’${ZL> A{Z gmh{gH$ IobH$mo joÌ‘m nd©Vmamohr ‘ZmoO XmhmbbmB© Cº$ nwañH$ma àXmZ J[aEH$mo {W¶mo& 1998-‘m ñWmnZm ^EXo{I H$mbo~wL> àog ³b~bo Am’y$bmB© g‘mO‘wIr ~ZmEa {d{^Þ Cn¶moJr H$m¶©H«$‘hê$H$mo Am¶moOZm JX£ AmBahoH$mo N>& (H$m{b‘ݶyO)

An Exiled Journo Writes to UNHCR Official

(Oct 26) In a bid to drag the attention of the UNHCR towards some of the grave issues of the Bhutanese refugees, an exiled Bhutanese journalist has written a letter in his blog yesterday addressing to a Chief UNCHR official in Nepal. Mr. T.P Mishra,a resettled Bhutanese in New York, who edits his blog tpmishra.com, has published the open letter.

Addressed to the UNHCR’s Nepal representative, Daisy Dale, the letter has charged UNHCR for turning its deaf ear towards the problems that developed recently and are prevalent in the refugee camps. Bringing forth some of the burning problems such as the registration of non Bhutanese in the camp, family split and feuds as a result of their resettlement and the recent announcement of the UN to cut down the food aid to the Bhutanese refugees, the journo, through this piece of note, has exhorted the concerned to address them before it is too late.

‘Infiltrations’ as he chose to say in his letter, has aggravated the situation. Genuine refugees have been replaced and thus displaced by other non-refugees who are taking advantages of the feeble sagacity and shrewdness in the management of the affairs as it is seen today. He acknowledged the success of the agency in resettling refugees while at the same time he looks critical of the agency for not being able to address those burning issues of refugee camps in time.

In his letter he looks serious in reminding the agency stating that there is still time to contemplate on these matters towards finding lasting solution. Refugees, on the other hand are scared as they are bound to live their lives in the parsimonious ration-distribution plan formulated by the UN recently. Children with their uncertain futures and having nowhere to go, adults desperately longing to get repatriated, youths fleeing camps to escape their dire financial necessities, outsiders invading and exploiting refugees-there is already devastating fire spread among refugees and the move to reduce food stuff, no doubts, adds insult to injuries. Mentioning all these problems, Mr. Mishra has urged the humanitarian agency(who in the current situation seems a mere spectator) to pay heed towards their seriousness.

In the words of this journo, cutting down ration is not the solution for UNHCR to end this protracted crisis that has been a burden for years now. Instead, he says, prudent decision will be to workout the solution.

Mr. Mishra is the president of the Bhutan chapter of the Third World Media and a reporter of BNS, a exiled Bhutanese news agencyf the Third World Media and a reporter of BNS, a exiled Bhutanese news agency. Source: Bhutan usa.com