Agitation threat after job deadline ends

TT, Darjeeling, Nov. 18: The contract workers of DGHC have decided not to go in for further talks with the government after it failed to meet the deadline to regularise their jobs. Instead, the casual workers will chalk out a new agitation plan.

B.L. Meena, the DGHC administrator, who had gone to Calcutta on November 16 to talk to the state government, today said: “I could not meet the chief secretary as he had gone to Delhi. I need to take a fresh appointment to meet him and it will be after November 27. Regularisation of workers will be a priority in the next meeting.”

An agitated Janmukti Asthahi Karmachari Sangatan (JAKS), a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated union of contract workers, said they were left with little option but to start a fresh movement.

“We will meet Bimal Gurung (Morcha president) soon and chart our future course of agitation. We will no longer sit for any meeting with the government as it had failed to meet the deadline,” said Machendra Subba, the president of JAKS.

On October 30, Meena had given a written assurance to a Morcha delegation that “the appointment of casual workers against existing sanctioned vacancies (numbering 3472) will be issued from November 17, 2009 onwards, observing all formalities.”

Amar Lama, a central committee member of the Morcha, said: “It is sad that the government failed to honour its agreement. We are not sure whether the DGHC administrator or the state government is trying to politicise the issue, but the outcome of such activities will not be good.”

The Morcha leader further said despite the DGHC being granted power to recruit employees in Group C and D categories, it was surprising that no action could be taken by the council as far as the regularisation was concerned.

‘The state government issues statement that the council is an autonomous set-up with its own powers and that they want to enhance the power of the council further. This incident only underlines our party’s stand that there is no alternative to the creation of a separate state,” said Lama.

GJMM slams state
SNS, KURSEONG, 18 NOV: The workers’ wing of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha today slammed the state government and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council administrator Mr BL Meena for delaying the regularisation process of 3,472 casual workers. The Jan Mukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan spokesperson, Mr Deepak Sharma, alleged that Mr Meena had left Darjeeling on 16 November, which was a day before the scheduled date of issuing appointment letters to the casual staffs. “The state government is depriving us by delaying the process. We would consider a fresh agitation after discussing the matter with the GJMM leadership,” Mr Sharma said. 

GJMM rally
SNS, JALPAIGURI, 18 NOV: Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha today held a victory rally at Kalchini with its newly elected MLA for Kalchini Mr Wilson Champamari. 

ABAVP demands hand over of closed tea estates

SNS, JALPAIGURI, 18 NOV: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad is flexing muscle. Around 5000 ABAVP supporters today congregated at the Jalpaiguri sports complex ground to demonstrate its numerical strength. Later a 10-members delegation met the commissioner, Jalpaiguri division, Mr Amarendra Kumar Sing and submitted its demands. Among other issues, the list of demands includes the formation of a development council comprising the Dooars-Teari region and the handing over of the closed or locked out tea estates to the ABAVP.
The ABAVP has also demanded land title deeds for the Adivasi workers in the tea industry and immediate repair of roads in the Dooars.
The ABAVP state president Mr Birsha Tirkey today claimed that the state government should hand over all the locked tea plantations to the ABAVP for smooth running. “The ABAVP has the ability to run the tea estates. We have already developed an operating management committee at Shikarpur Tea Estate near Belakoba in Jalpaiguri district. We have replanted tea bushes on 27 acres in the tea estate. The workers are earning now and the OMC has around Rs 20 to 25 lakh in hand after years of uncertainty,” Mr Tirkey claimed.
Citing the closure of the Neora Nuddy Tea Estate near Malbazaar and the confusion over the reopening of the Chinchula Tea Estate at Banarhat as examples, the ABAVP leader alleged that such incidents were occurring frequently. “The state government should therefore consider our suggestion seriously,” Mr Tirkey said.
The ABAVP leadership also expressed its frustration with the police today. According to them, the police were fabricating cases against ABAVP supporters. “The police seem to be under political pressure to frame the ABAVP supporters. The cases are false and should be withdrawn immediately. A list of such false case was submitted to the divisional commissioner today,” Mr Tirkey added.

After notice, 9 await nemesis TT, Kalimpong, Nov. 18: All nine members of the Gorkha Janmuki Morcha who were showcaused by the party for acts of indiscipline have replied to notices served on them and are now waiting for outfit president Bimal Gurung to decide on their fate. While no leader was willing to go on record, reliable sources in the party identified five names who have been served the notices. They are Bijay Sundas, a central committee member and former vice-chairman of the Kalimpong municipality, Nanita Gautam, a central committee member and former president of the Kalimpong unit of the party’s women’s wing, Nima Tamang of the Youth Morcha, Kalawati Acharya of the women’s wing, and Pravin Tuladhar, a party member. The sources, however, could not confirm the names of the remaining four recipients of the brown envelopes that brought the notices. The sources said the nine had been hauled up for various reasons, including indulging in anti-party activities and corruption. The notices, however, did not explicitly specify the charges. “Most of them have already responded to the notices and have apologised for any action that they might have indulged in and which could have hurt the image of the party,” the sources said. Their fate, however, will now be decided by Gurung. “The central committee of the party has authorised the party president to take whatever action he deems fit against the guilty.” The cleansing process within the party is being carried out at the initiative of Gurung, who had said he would act against those leaders who have been indulging in corruption by taking “pact-money” from contractors. The notices on the nine were served over the past week or so, but the party chose not to go public with the names. It is only after rumour mills started having a field day on the likely recipients of the envelopes, that the names were revealed to The Telegraph. “By delivering on his promise, the Morcha president has salvaged the image of the party which had begun to take a beating, thanks to the activities of corrupt leaders,” said a party member.

Lepcha march TT, Gangtok, Nov. 18: The Kalimpong-based Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association will begin its second march to Dzongu in North Sikkim tomorrow after last year’s foiled attempt. The ILTA is determined to reach the destination to offer prayers at the holy site. In April 2008, the ILTA had to return from Dikchu, the entry point to Dzongu, in the face of hostilities. The 500-odd marchers were escorted back by Sikkim armed police after a huge crowd of local people had set up a blockade in Dikchu. This time, the ILTA claims to have secured the permission of the Union home and tribal affairs ministries for the pakram takram or pilgrimage to Dzongu. “We have submitted our requests to the Sikkim chief secretary, home secretary, North district administration. We plan to complete the pilgrimage between November 19 and 21,” said Paval Shimik, the ILTA president. “Dzongu is like Varanasi and Jerusalem to us. We will return after offering prayers to our guardian deities there.” During last year’s stand-off, the Sikkim police managed to convince the Lepchas to call off the last leg of the march, fearing violence. The marchers were driven back to the Rangpo border. This time, too, the people of North Sikkim have opposed the march. Dzongu MLA Sonam Gyatso Lepcha described the march as an “outside interference” in local affairs. “The pilgrimage is a ploy and is politically motivated,” he said. Villagers lock up forest offices TT, , Nov. 18: Five offices of Buxa Tiger Reserve (west) Division were locked up by a group of people demanding the arrest of foresters who “murdered a villager” on Friday. The protesters, who numbered around 100, were led by the office-bearers of a Siliguri-based NGO, Rashtriya Ban Sramojibi Manch, and threatened to shut down more offices. The foresters said Surot Rava, the 25-year-old resident of Uttar Poro village, had been killed in an encounter between the guards and a gang of timber smugglers. The villagers, however, alleged that the youth had been beaten to death by the foresters. “A bullet had struck Rava below the knee. But his death was actually caused by the assault by the guards. Our demand is that the murderers be arrested soon and adequate compensation be given to the deceased’s family,” said Lal Singh Bhujel, the assistant convener of the north Bengal regional committee of the Manch. The mob first went to Rajabhatkhawa and Nimati range offices and asked all employees to come out. They locked the gates of the offices and then proceeded to Poro and Gadadhar to disrupt work there. Poro has a beat office, while Gadadhar has both beat and range offices. Denying all the charges, R. Jakhar, the deputy field director of the reserve, said: “Rava was with a gang of timber smugglers who were felling trees in the Poro-1 compartment of the reserve. When we tried to stop them, they started firing at us. Our guards, too, fired and Rava was injured in the encounter. He was taken to the Alipurduar hospital, where he died later at night.” Patient ‘freed’ after 3-month ‘treatment’ - Nursing home waives bill of Rs 95000 for labourer TT, Alipurduar/Siliguri, Nov. 18: A day labourer was today discharged from a Siliguri nursing home which had refused to release him till he cleared his medical bills of Rs 1.2 lakh while his wife was spotted selling their three-month-old son to raise money to clear the dues. Govinda Roy, a construction worker, had broken his left knee while working at a site in Samdrupdzonkha in Bhutan on August 7. “The contractor I was working under, took me to a local hospital for first aid. The next day, I was brought to Siliguri and admitted to the nursing home at Khalpara,” said the 30-year-old resident of South Khairbari in Madarihat. On August 8 itself, Anima, Govinda’s wife, gave birth to her second son at a South Khairbari primary health centre. “Initially, the nursing home had told us that the expenses would be around Rs 30,000. The contractor had paid Rs 25,000 at the time of admission and left. He had never returned since then,” Anima said. Govinda’s relatives and friends managed to collect another Rs 5,000. “I had also got Rs 10,000 by mortgaging our house. Eighteen days later, our neighbours went to Siliguri to pay the dues and bring him back,” Anima said. “The nursing home authorities then said the bill had shot up to Rs 1.20 lakh and refused to discharge him unless the dues were cleared.” Govinda’s friends then deposited Rs 5,000 with the nursing home and returned home with Rs 10,000, Anima said. With the passage of time, Govinda recuperated. Anima continued her efforts to raise money for her husband’s release. “I have been staying at the nursing home for the past three months and nine days. Gradually, I could start walking. But since none of my family members were visiting me, it became clear to me that they could not collect the money. I asked the nursing home owner to give me a job so that I could clear the dues from my salary. He, however, refused and told me that I could go home but have to clear my dues first,” Govinda said. Anima ran from pillar to post for money but only to be frustrated. “Finding no other alternative, I thought of selling my second child and priced him Rs 80,000. I had come to know that more than Rs 60,000 is still due in the nursing home and so thought of bringing my husband back home with the sale proceeds,” the 28-year-old woman said. This morning, Anima went to the South Khairbai market and reportedly got some buyers for her son. She was, however, prevented by journalists in Madarihat and some of her neighbours from selling the child. “We do not blame her for her attempt to sell her child. There was hardly any other option left for the woman to bring back her husband,” said Nazma Begum, a member of South Khairbari gram panchayat. As the news spread in Siliguri, journalists reached the nursing home to crosscheck the wife’s claim. “I was not kept under confinement at the nursing home and provided with food, bed and other amenities. But it was plain that unless I cleared the dues, they would not allow me to leave. My movement was constantly monitored by the employees,” Govinda said. The nursing home authorities told journalists that nobody from Govinda’s family had visited or asked for his release till date. “None of his family members turned up and so far our information goes only Rs 25,000 of the total bill of Rs 1.2 lakh was deposited with us,” said A.K. Khandelwal, the medical superintendent of the nursing home. “Govinda was staying in a bed, having food and a good time. When we came to know of his wife and his financial condition from the mediapersons, we discharged him,” he added. After his release from the nursing home, Govinda, who has not seen his second son so far, was sent home in an ambulance around 6.15 in the evening. The reunion with his family took place three-and-a-half-hours later at Rangalibajna near Birapara. Anima and their two sons were waiting there, braving the November chill.