INAUGURATION OF STATUE OF DAMBERSING GURUNG OF AIGL IN DAMBER CHOWK , KALIMPONG BY

BIMAL GURUNG, President, GJMM

JUBILEE HIGH SCHOOL OF KALIMPONG CELEBRATED ITS PLATINUM JUBILEE in RAMKRISHNA RANGAMANCH

Photos: Samiran Paul

ALL ASSAM GORKHA STUDENTS UNION PEACE RALLY in Guwahati against BHIMAJULI KILLINGS

Pix: Nanda Kirat Dewan Kashmiri students in Darjeeling hills

The students from Jammu and Kashmir in front of the Darjeeling zoological park and (below) the cycling expedition being flagged off TT, Darjeeling, Oct. 13:A group of 38 students and three teachers from Jammu and Kashmir toured Darjeeling and Sikkim from September 28 as part of an educational excursion that was organised by the Black Cat Division of the army. The tour was conducted as part of the Operation Sadbhavana to enhance the awareness of students from the remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir on the culture and heritage of different parts of the country. The excursion was also aimed to showcase the dedication of Indian soldiers to the nation and the conditions under which they operate. It was expected to motivate the students towards joining the armed forces and serving the country. The itinerary of the students in Sikkim from September 30 to October 3 included visit to places of interest in and around Gangtok and a trip to Nathu-la on the India-China border where the youths interacted with the army personnel deployed there. Maj. Gen. R.S. Chopra, the general-officer-commanding of the Black Cat division, addressed the visiting students. From September 28 to 30, the students toured Darjeeling hills under the aegis of the Darjeeling brigade of the 27 Mountain Division. The students enjoyed the picturesque surroundings of Darjeeling with Mount Kanchenjungha as the backdrop. They were taken to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the zoological park, the Japanese Peace Pagoda and the Batasia War Memorial. lA cycling-cum-trekking expedition in the rugged terrains of North Sikkim was conducted by a field artillery regiment to commemorate 182 Gunners’ Day. The expedition traversed the plains of Dongkung and Kerang. The route taken was from Zeema to Cungthang via Dongkyala. Led by an officer, a team of 16 personnel in the expedition successfully negotiated the challenging heights and braved inclement weather of the region to cover a distance of 157 kilometres. The team covered many historic places, including Gurudongmar lake and Dongkyala pass located at 17,600ft. The aim of the expedition was to boost the spirit of adventure among the soldiers and develop mental and physical strength, teamwork, camaraderie and decision-making. Rivals race for Opposition status Gautam Deb (right) hands over the letter, seeking Trinamul’s recognition as the principal Opposition party, to the SMC commissioner in-charge, Subhash Dutta (not in picture), on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo TT, Siliguri, Oct. 13: The Trinamul Congress today staked claim to the post of the leader of the Opposition in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The party has written to the mayor and the chairperson of the municipality seeking recognition as the principal Opposition in the civic body. The Left Front, too, wants to be the principal Opposition in the municipality, despite voting in favour of the Congress for the mayor’s post. Trinamul said it would challenge the Left’s claim. “The Left is part of the treasury bench since they had voted for the Congress,” said Gautam Deb, the Darjeeling district Trinamul president. “So we are the main Opposition, not the Left. We have already written to the mayor and the chairperson to recognise us as the principal Opposition party in the municipality.” However, urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya, who is also the Siliguri MLA and district front convener, said: “We had voted only for the Congress mayoral candidate to avoid confusion. That does not mean that we are supporting the Congress-formed board. Our candidate Nurul Islam will have to be made the leader of the Opposition as the Left forms the biggest block in the Opposition space.” With a debate now raging on who deserves the principal Opposition tag, a lid has been put on the Congress’s expectancy that its ally will cooperate with it to form the civic board. Ever since the Congress bagged the mayor’s chair with the Left support, a move that peeved Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee, the party has been trying to mend bridges with its electoral ally. However, from the very outset, Trinamul has been saying that it will in no way join hands with the Congress in running the civic body. Today, after a meeting with party councillors and Independent councillor Ranjan Sil Sharma, Deb said: “Along with the name of the Opposition leader, we will officially inform the commissioner that Ranjan Sil Sharma is with the Trinamul Congress.” Sil Sharma, a primary teacher in Siliguri and a Trinamul councillor in the previous board, was showcaused by the party for spitting on the face of a district inspector of schools in June. Subsequently, he had contested as an Independent candidate and won. Asked about the expectations of the Congress from Trinamul, its electoral ally, Deb refused comment. “I cannot comment on this matter. I have no idea of Congress expectations and we have not received anything in writing from them. Our decision to not join the CPM-supported Congress board has already been stamped with Mamata Banerjee’s approval so there is no question of a re-think,” Deb said. Congress leaders, however, are still hoping that Trinamul will relent. “We have decided to wait till Diwali. We have not named the deputy mayor or the mayors-in-council. We hope that since they have an electoral understanding with us, something will emerge,” a Congress leader said. Deb, along with Trinamul’s Jalpaiguri district president K.K. Kalyani, left for Calcutta today to attend a party meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Opp demands mayor’s resignation SNS, SILIGURI, 13 OCT: Trinamul Congress has demanded the resignation of the CPI-M backed Congress mayor and chairman of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) as a precondition for joining the new SMC board. The response comes in reaction to Congress overtures requesting the Trinamul councillors to share the SMC treasury bench along with them. “If the Congress is really serious about reconciliation then, they will have to completely dissociate with the CPI-M. The Congress mayor and chairman of the Siliguri Corporation ~ who have swung to power with CPI-M backing ~ will have to resign first and only after that, we can think of some negotiation,” senior Trinamul leader Mr Partha Chattopadhaya told over the phone this evening. In the same breath, the Trinamul leader said that their primary aim was to live upto to the expectations of Siliguri people who have voted them as an-anti CPI-M entity. “We would rather be happy to adorn the SMC Opposition seat but would never ditch the peoples’ aspirations,” Mr Chattopadhaya said. The Pradesh Congress working president Mr Pradeep Bhattacharya on the other hand, has urged the Trinamul leadership to refrain from putting up any precondition to end the Siliguri stalemate. “Whatever happened in Siliguri (Congress forming SMC board with CPI-M support) was a momentary development and that should not stay as the benchmark in Congress-Trinamul relationship. “We are surely more eager to maintain relationship with the Trinamul than with the Marxists, but then the Trinamul would also have to reciprocate and must not put any precondition,” Mr Bhattacharya said. Amid these cross conversations, the 15 Trinamul councillors of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation today held a meeting to discuss the party's strategy vis-à-vis the SMC functioning. Senior district Trinamul leader Mr Pratul Chakroborty was also present in the meeting. “Despite differences and cross arguments over tactical issues, the councillors finally reaffirmed their confidence on party’s SMC leader and district president Mr Gautam Deb”, sources informed. Mr Deb however, said that the meeting was convened to discuss the party's campaign strategy for the upcoming by-poll in the Rajganj Assembly segment near Siliguri. “I would place the report of today's discussion before the Trinamul Core Committee meeting in Kolkata tomorrow,” Mr Deb said, adding that as of now, he was not seeing any possibility of a reconciliation with Congress over the Siliguri Municipal board. ABAVP to support Independent candidate in Kalchini bypolls SNS, JALPAIGURI, 13 OCT: The Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad has decided to support an Independent candidate in the forthcoming Kalchini by-poll. According to the ABAVP Jaigaon-Hasimara zonal committee president Mr Raju Bara, they are yet to decide the candidate. “We boycotted the last Parliamentary poll at Alipurduar Parliamentary constituency and the Adivasi people spontaneously responded to our boycott call. This time we have decided to support an Independent candidate who could press for our demands at the state Assembly,” he said. According to Mr Bara, the Adivasi people have lost faith on the political parties in circulation. “In the past we voted for candidates from our community belonging to one political organization or the other but the elected representatives did not do anything for our development. Hence, the Adivasi people would not back the conventional political parties anymore but select their own candidates who would be educated and have the capacity to speak for our demands at the state level,” the leader added. Adding to the point, the ABAVP Dooars Terai Coordination Committee secretary Mr Rajesh Lakra said that they would not engage in the forthcoming by-poll directly. “Being an NGO, we cannot contest as a body but our supporters can contest as Independent candidates and we do not object to that,” Mr Lakra said. Commenting on the ABAVP's stand, the Kalchni block Congress committee president Mr Mohan Sharma said that the ABAVP could be a factor in the forthcoming by-poll. “But, we would contest seriously as, the people have started understanding the futility of supporting the reactionary forces like the GJMM or the ABAVP. Our high command has not declared the candidate for Kalchini yet but we along with the Trinamool would throw up a good contest,” Mr Sharma claimed. The Congress may still be searching its candidate but the Left Front today declared Mr Binay Karketta of the RSP as their candidate for the Kalchini by-poll. The RSP Opposition leader in the Kalchini panchayat samiti Mr John Philip Xalxo said that they were expecting to win the Kalchini segment, which fell vacant after Mr Manohar Tirkey was elected MP from the Alipurduar Parliamentary constituency. Dart death for bison, mate kills two MAIN UDDIN CHISTI, Cooch Behar, Oct. 13: A pair of bison wreaked havoc in Ghoksadanga today, killing two women and injuring five persons, including a range officer and a policeman, before one of the animals was darted and it died. Villagers, who spent the entire morning chasing the two animals, said the bison were first spotted around 5am in Mechbil, 8km from the Bengdaki beat of the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary on the border of the Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts. Half-an-hour later, one of the animals, a female, entered Dwarikamari village, 10km from Bengdaki, and gored to death Chhaya Adhikary, 45, and Haridasi Mondol, 65. Chhoton Das, a resident of adjoining Lafamari, said the bison then entered his village, chased by a mob from Dwarikamari. Chhaya’s brother Nikhil Das said the two women were caught unawares. “Hearing a commotion, they had come out of their houses and suddenly they were attacked by the bison whose horns ripped their bellies apart,” Nikhil said. Three others, Durbar Naba Das, Babu Das and Jamuna Sarkar, were injured. They were first admitted to MJN Hospital in Cooch Behar. Later they were taken to the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri. At the time the female bison was wreaking havoc, the male had taken shelter in a primary school in Dwarikamari after injuring a cow and killing its calf and damaging houses on its path. Around 11.30am, the bison suddenly charged and injured Gopal Chakrabarty, a sub-inspector of the Ghoksadanga police station and then badly gored Smarajit Sarkar, the range officer of Mathabhanga. The ranger had come to drive away the animals into the forest. Manindra Biswas, conservator of forests, north Bengal, said two kunki elephants were pressed into service from the Buxa Tiger Reserve, about 25km from the spot where the animals went on the rampage, to drive away the female bison. By 2pm, it had retreated into Jaldapara, where last week suspected poachers from Assam had shot to death a rhino. “The female bison was chased away by the elephant back to Bengdaki. However, the male bison, that had been darted at 5pm near the school, died while being transported in a truck to the forest,” Biswas said. He added that the range officer had been admitted to a private nursing home in Cooch Behar and doctors attending on him have said his condition was serious. Forest minister Ananta Roy, who hails from Cooch Behar district, has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each for the next of kin of the two dead women. “The incident is very unfortunate and we will bear the cost of treatment of the injured and also provide compensation for damage to property,” Roy said. Chamling meets ACT leaders PTI, Gangtok, 13 OCT: Sikkim chief minister Mr Pawan Kumar Chamling today defended his government's decision to tap its hydro-power resources for augmenting revenues for development of the state, even as he assured the apolitical outfit ~ Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) ~ that their genuine concerns and grievances will be addressed. Addressing the ACT leaders and activities for the first time after the apolitical outfit withdrew its 27-month long agitation last month, he said that the state government had gone ahead with tapping its hydro-power resources to generate revenues and ensure all round development in the state. On the ACT's contention that the hydel projects at Dzongu posed a threat to the socio-cultural and religious ethos of the indigenous Lepcha people, Mr Chamling sought to differ with the former saying that the majority there favoured hydel projects and had elected the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) nominee Sonam Gyatso Lepcha as their MLA. However, the ACT was free to exercise its constitutional and democratic rights to take up cudgel against hydel projects and the state government has respect for opposite views, he said and complimented it for calling off its agitation to seek dialogue for resolution of its genuine grievances. The ACT leadership should submit their demands to the high powered committed headed by the Chief Secretary for redressal, Chamling said. Earlier, the ACT President Athup Lepcha justified the outfit's agitation against the hydro power projects in the larger public interest and it was viewed that the projects posed a serious threat to the ecology and environment of the fragile Himalayan State and the country. The ACT Chief Coordinator Tseten Lepcha sought to blame the hardline attitude of the state government in not not seeking to engage in dialogue with the outfit for the long duration of the agitation, which he said, generated interests in the national and international media. The ACT leadership always wanted the state government to hear out their grievances, but it did not not work out properly. The ACT had called off the 27-month agitation against hydro power projects, particularly those proposed at Dzongu in North Sikkim on September 27 last. The ACT leadership had also hailed the state government's decision to engage in dialogue with them for redressal of their grievances arising out of the hydro power projects in North Sikkim. At the same time, the apolitical outfit had said that it was keeping all its options open.

Weather report dated 13.10.09

1. Local forecast for next 24 hours (Gangtok & its neighborhood):

Generally cloudy sky (.) Chance of light rain in some areas (.) Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 21°C and 14°C respectively (.)

2. Gangtok city forecast of Max., Min. & Wx. Condition.

Valid for the period	Max in oC	Min in oC	Rainfall in mm	Wx condition
Next 24 hours	21	14	001.0	Light rain in some areas.
Next 48 hours	22	14	000.0	Partly cloudy sky.

III. Met data dated 13.10.2009

Today’s Sun sets at (in IST)	17:06	Tomorrow Sun rises at (in IST)	05:32
Moon rises at (in IST)	01:18	Moon sets at (in IST)	14:25
24 hours rainfall (in mm)	000.2
Max Temp.(in 0C)	20.5	Dep. from normal	- 1.5
Min Temp.(in 0C)	14.7	Dep. from normal	+2.7

Credit society for sex workers

Usha Multipurpose Cooperative Society at Khalpara in Siliguri. Picture by Kundan Yolmo MRINALINI SHARMA, TT,Siliguri, Oct. 13: For the first time the sex workers of Khalpara, a red light area here, will be able to open accounts to save money at a co-operative society that has been set up exclusively for them. The society opened its first branch here on Sunday. Usha Multipurpose Co-operative Society was formed under the West Bengal Co-operative Society Act of 1983. “We got our registration on June 21, 1995 after which we set up societies in Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Calcutta. Now we have procured the permission to set up such societies all over the state,” said Shantanu Chatterjee, the credit in-charge of the co-operative society in Calcutta. The co-operative was started by sex workers under the guidance of Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a forum of 65,000 sex workers, that fights for their rights in the state. “Initially, we were apprehensive about saving our money in a co-operative society as we had never done it before. But the members of Durbar explained the significance of saving for the rainy days,” said a sex worker who has opened an account with the co-operative. “Without a co-operative to rely on, we could not even avail of loans in times of crisis and had to borrow money from moneylenders who charged high rates of interest,” another co-operative member said. The Durbar Mahila Samiti has been conducting a campaign in the area since July. Nine people had opened their accounts on the first day. “Our target is to get over 1,000 sex workers to do the same,” said Kapil Mitra, the programme manager of the Durbar office at Khalpara. One can open a savings account, a fixed deposit or a daily savings account with husband or children as their nominees. In their absence, the Durbar will be the nominee. “The only important criterion to open an account with this society is that a person has to be a sex worker by profession. We have a board that will verify the details as to whether the applicants are the residents of the area or not,” said Chatterjee. भागोपको अधिवेशन सम्पन्न,नयाँ कार्यकारी गठन दिलकुमारी भण्डारी पुनः भागोप अध्यक्षा Source: himgirinepali.com/ - Gangtok , Sikkiim गान्तोक, 11 अक्टोबरः(निस) भारतीय गोर्खा परिसङ्घ (भागोप)-को दोस्रो त्रैवार्षिक चार दिवसीय राष्ट्रिय महाधिवेशन नयॉं कार्यकारिणीको गठनको साथ सम्पन्न भयो, जसमा पॉंचवटा विभिन्न प्रस्तावहरू पनि पारित गरिएकोछ।सिलगढ़ीको मंगल माइती भवनमा सम्पन्न समारोह पछि संवाददाता सम्मेलनमा महासचिव सुखमन मोक्तानले बताए हिजो चुनाउ अधिकारी टङ्क शर्मा तथा चुनाउ सचिव अभय खालिङको निगरानीमा भागोपको नयॉं कार्यकारिणीको गठन भयो जसमा धेरै जसो पुरानै अनुहार नै रहेका छन्। फोटोः श्रीमती डी.के. भण्डारी र प्रा. मुनिष तामाङ पत्रकार सम्मेलनमा फोटोः सिलगढ़ीमा भागोपको तेस्रो वार्षिक सम्मेलनमा भेला भएका अतिथिगण नवगठित कार्यकारिणीमा दिल कुमारी भण्डारीलाई फेरि अध्यक्षा चुनिएको छ भने राष्ट्रिय कार्यकारी अध्यक्षको पदमा चन्द्रकिशोर श्रेष्ठ, राष्ट्रिय उपाध्यक्ष डा. एनोसदास प्रधान, राष्ट्रिय उपाध्यक्ष अवकाशप्राप्त बिगेडियर एनबी विष्टको चयन गरिएको छ। उपाध्यक्ष पदमा विभिन्न जोनको निम्ति पिताम्बर गुरुङ,प्रभाकर देवान, अवकाश प्राप्त कर्नल बीएस राणालाई चयन गरिएको छ। भागोपको महासचिवको रूपमा फेरी सुखमन मोक्तानको चयन गरिएको छ भने मूल सचिव (संगठन) भूपेन्द्र अधिकारी, मूल सचिव (संचालन-दिल्ली) प्रो. मुनीष तामाङ, मूल सचिव (प्रशासन-कार्यालय) लतिका जोशी,वित्त सचिव अवकाशप्राप्त कर्नल एसके मुखिया, राष्ट्रिय कोषाध्यक्ष आरके अधिकारी, सह कोषाध्यक्ष विमल प्रधानको चयन गरियो। यसरी नै विभिन्न जोनको निम्ति सचिवको रूपमा जेम्स प्रधान, सोमनाथ पाण्डे,प्रतापसिंह गुरुङ एवं समन्वयकको रूपमा बीबी छेत्रीको चयन भयो। सल्लाहकारको रूपमा अवकाशप्राप्त बिगेडियर हेमन्त कुमार शर्मा, एलबी राई, बीएस प्रधान, डा. राजसिंह लिम्बू, केके कटुवाल, सीबी थापा, नकुलदास राई, डीबी छेत्री, टङ्क शर्मा, एसएन प्रधान, बीएम योञ्जन तथा गोविन्द राणा चयनित भएका छन्। महाधिवेशनमा विभिन्न प्रस्तावहरू पनि पारित गरियो जसमा पहिलो प्रस्तावमा भागोपले लिएको सातवटा मुद्दाहरूलाई अघि बढ़ाउनको निम्ति टास्क फोर्सको गठन गर्ने सम्बन्धि प्रस्ताव ग्रहण गरियो। दोस्रो प्रस्तावमा पूर्वोत्तर राज्यहरूमा गोर्खाहरूमाथि भइरहेको अत्याचारबारे केन्द्र तथा राज्य सरकार समक्ष आन्तरिक सुरक्षा अझ दह्रो गर्ने तथा यस समस्याको स्थायी समाधान खोज्नेबारे प्रभाकारी कदम चाल्ने प्रस्ताव लिइयो। भागोपलाई अझ विस्तार दिनको निम्ति विभिन्न कार्यक्रमहरूको आयोजन तथा परिसङ्घको कोषलाई मजबूत बनाउन राष्ट्रिय स्तरको समिति गठन गरेर तीन महिनामा यसबारे प्रतिवेदन केन्द्रीय समितिलाई सुम्पिने प्रस्ताव पारित गरियो। सो चारदिवसीय महाधिवेशनमा भारतभरीका विभिन्न 22 वटा राज्यबाट प्रतिनिधिहरू आएका थिए। यसको साथै तेस्रो त्रैवार्षिक महाधिवेशनको आयोजन 2012 सालमा सिक्किममा आयोजन गर्ने निर्णय यस महाधिवेशनमा लिइयो।