Top News in Himalaya Darpan Today!

India surrenders on the issue of Tibet – George Fernandez

Allegations of fund embezzlement by Kalimpong Municipality

DGHC Administrator should pursue development works neutrally – R. B. Rai

GNLF to initiate Gorkhaland Movement III

and more… 

Power from civic waste

Siliguri, March 30: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) will generate power from organic waste with the help of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency.

The SMC has identified a plot at Putimari, in Rajganj block, 12km from the town, for the proposed project.

“We will donate 13 acres of land and set up infrastructure like boundary wall, housing for employees, drainage, roads, electricity and water,” said Mukul Sengupta, member, mayor-in-council (MIC), conservancy.

According to Sengupta, the SMC collects 300-400 tonne of garbage every day from different wards, 30 per cent of which are used for producing fertiliser. The rest will be segregated by the solid waste management system of the civic body. The organic wastes will then be burnt in a furnace to generate around 5 to 7mw power.

The civic body pays Rs 7-9 lakh per month as electricity bill for streetlights and pumping water. The money will be saved once the project starts, Sengupta said.

“We have agreed to give the technical support to the SMC in generating power,” Shaktipado Gan Choudhury, the special secretary of the Bengal power department and director of the agency said from Calcutta. A similar project, the first in Bengal, was implemented by the Howrah Municipal Corporation.

The Siliguri mayor, Bikash Ghosh, said the civic body got the idea of generating power from waste at a meeting convened by the agency in December for all municipalities of north Bengal. “We decided to accept the proposal in our last mayor-in-council (MIC) meeting on March 24 and the board meeting endorsed it two days later,” he added. [The Telegraph]

Climbers felicitated on trek’s silver jubilee

SILIGURI, March 30: It has been twenty five years since some energetic youths of North Bengal Explorers’ Club of Siliguri first stepped on the summit of Mt. Koktang in Sikkim Himalaya creating a history of sorts. In commemoration of the silver jubilee of the remarkable feat the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation organised a programme today at the Kanchenjunga stadium hall in Siliguri. Mr Amulya Sen, the official advisor, West Bengal Mountaineering and Adventure Sports Foundation under government of West Bengal, Mr Nima Tashi of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Mr Bhanu Banerjee, an eminent mountaineer and Mr Animesh Basu , a prominent member of the successful scalers of the Mt Koktang in 1982 were present at the function.
Apart from the addresses by the eminent personalities a slide on Mt Koktang expedition of 1982 was presented by Mr Animesh Bose.

‘Incarnation’ of Geshe Rinpoche visits Tashi Choleing Monastery in Kurseong

Kurseong March 30: The Third incarnation of Geshe Rinpoche, five-year-old Lozang Jig med Ngag-ghi Wangchuck today visited the Tashi Choleing Monastery, here. During his visit, he received a warm welcome and was felicitated by monks. Thousands of followers of the Lamaism’s Gelugpa sect followers and other devotees assembled there receive the third incarnation of Geshe Rinpoche. Five-year-old Lozang Jig med Ngag-ghi Wangchuck was requested to take over the regime of the Tashi Choleing Monastery which was established by Geshe Rinpoche, himself in the year 1919.

The secretary of the Gelugpa sect followers, Mr Fubu Tshering Lama said that under Geshe Rinpoche, a total of five monasteries were constructed and established in the region of Darjeeling and Sikkim . Among those five monasteries the Tashi Choleing Monastery was established first. Notably, after the death of the second incarnation of Geshe Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Gyalten Jigm Choekyi Wangchuk on 10 September in 2001 in New York, he was born as the third incarnation in New York on 2 June 2003 to a couple who were related to Geshe Rinpoche.  Importantly, Geshe Rinpoche was one of the legendary spiritual masters of Tibet , whose sphere of Dharma activities and fame spread throughout Tibet and Himalayan region from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh since 1920s. He travelled far and wide on pilgrimage through these areas and spread the pure teachings of the Lord Buddha. [The Statesman]

India, Bhutan tell the same story on women’s reservation

SILIGURI, March 30: One is the 60-year old largest democracy of the world, the other a tiny infant democracy, but when it comes to the representations of women in Parliament, both India and Bhutan have the same story to tell. While the Bill for a 33 per cent reservation for women in the Indian Parliament is beating the dust for years now, Bhutan ~ the world’s newest democracy, too, hardly shows off any better picture for the fairer sex. In the just concluded first-ever democratic polls in the secluded Himalayan Kingdom, the two Bhutanese political parties in the fray fielded only 10 women candidates out of the total 94 who contested for the 47-member Bhutan National Assembly. The National Assembly happens to be the powerful Lower House in the two-tier Druk Parliament system.

Percentage wise, the women candidates accounted for 10.63 per cent, which is no better than the meager 10 per cent women who contested the 2004 general elections in India.
Of the two political parties that wrestled in the 24 March Bhutan National Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had fielded six women candidates and the rest four were nominated by the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT). Interestingly, the DPT, which has registered a landslide victory by winning 45 of the 47 National Assembly seats, also recorded wins for all its four women candidates, while none of the six PDP women could sail through.  Going by the winning figures, the strength of women in the first-ever Parliament (Lower House) in Bhutan stands at 21.27 per cent, which however, is better than the 8.28 percent women representing in the current Lok Sabha in India.
This is when the world’s largest democracy, India, has by now conducted 14 Lok Sabha elections since Independence, while for the century-old Druk Kingdom, this was the first tryst with democratic elections in its transition to a democratic constitutional monarchy from the absolute monarchy.

Now, GJMM women’s wing gets ready for Gorkhaland agitation

DARJEELING, March 30: As the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha prepares to launch its next set of programmes for the democratic agitation of Gorkhaland; its women’s wing is not lagging behind either. At a meeting organised by the Gorkha Jan Nari Morcha (GJNM) today at Gym Khana in Darjeeling, the future course of action was discussed among an assembly of women present from all the wards in Darjeeling. “The role of the women in the past few months is commendable but we will need a more active participation from your side”, stated Ms Urmila Rumba, convener of the GJNM addressing the gathering of more than two thousand women. Earlier, the participation of women in the movement for Gorkhaland was relatively low but in the present scenario they are the ones who are spearheading the movement. In fact it was the GJNM who had first gone forward with the indefinite hunger strike in February, demanding the removal of Mr Subhash Ghisingh from the post of the administrator of DGHC. “The movement will be more intensive now and we have to be stronger and pledge to bring Gorkhaland under the flag of GJMM”, said Mrs Asha Gurung, advisor of the GJNM.

News in Brief

State support

Siliguri: Dawa Pakhrin, Kalimpong branch president of the GNLF, said on Sunday that the Indian National Front for New States, with which it had a meeting in New Delhi recently, has supported the party’s demand for a separate state.

Tibetan rally

Siliguri: The Tibetan Solidarity Committee will organise a peace procession on Monday in Siliguri and the members of the community living in West Bengal and Sikkim will participate in it.

Power project

Gangtok: The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited has commissioned all three units of 510mw Teesta stage-V hydroelectric project at Balutar in East Sikkim. Of the three units, which can generate 170mw each, one has already started functioning, while the rest are expected to start operations shortly.

Rallies & visitor bar to cement base

Darjeeling, March 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to organise a string of rallies across the Darjeeling hills to strengthen the cry for Gorkhaland.

Analysts, on the other hand, believe that the processions to be brought out by several wings of the party are part of a strategy to retain its sway in the hills, especially since there has been no activity of late.

“After the success in stalling the Sixth Schedule bill from being passed in Parliament and forcing Subash Ghisingh to resign from the post of caretaker administrator of the DGHC, there has not been much political activity in recent times,” said an observer.

As part of its base-strengthening move, the Morcha has also put a restriction on visitors to its office in Singmari here, so that its central committee leaders reach out to the masses, especially in the villages.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, while confirming that the rallies would start from April 8, said: “Bimal Gurung, the party president, will also tour different areas to meet our supporters and strengthen our base.”

While the party’s town committees from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong have been asked to organise a rally on April 8, the Morcha’s ex-servicemen supporters will bring out a procession the next day

According to an announcement made earlier, the party will hold a one-day token hunger strike on April 10 in Darjeeling district and the Dooars to counter the public convention being organised by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). The SMC is against the Morcha demand of including the Siliguri subdivision in the proposed Gorkhaland map drawn up by the party.

The student wing of the Morcha will bring out a rally on April 11 followed by another on April 15 by the teachers’ organisation of the party.

“People from the minority communities have been helping us tremendously and they will bring out a rally on April 17,” said Giri.

Climber recalls days with Edmund, hunting for yeti

Siliguri, March 30: Nearly half-a-century ago, Bhanu Banerjee accompanied legendary climber Edmund Hillary to a Himalayan expedition in pursuit of the Abominable Snowman and came back with some incredible memories.

“Every single moment of the expedition is still fresh in my mind. The fact that I was with Sir Edmund Hillary, listening to first-hand tales of the Everest Conquest, was extremely fulfilling,” said Banerjee.

The aim of the 1961-62 expedition, however, was not the highest mountain on earth, but the mythical creature, yeti. World Book Encyclopedia had sponsored the Himalayan Scientific and Mountaineering Expedition.

“We wanted to find out if the yeti existed or not,” Banerjee said. “We went from one remote village to another up to 19,000ft and returned assured that the yeti is just a myth,” Banerjee said.

Monsoon worry for Kalimpong – SOS to PM: save us from landslides

Kalimpong, March 30: Six-hundred-and-forty households in and around Kalimpong have appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to save them from landslides, a threat that looms large in the hills during monsoon.

Writing on behalf of the families, Save The Hills, an NGO, regretted that nothing had been done since the end of the last monsoon, which had caused widespread landslides and deaths in the subdivision, especially in early September. [Inset: A petrol pump that was damaged by landslide at 11th Mile, Kalimpong, in 2007. A file picture ]

“We have written and spoken to numerous government officials, urging them to identify critical landslide-prone areas and commence appropriate prevention measures on a war footing during the dry season. Regrettably, nothing has been done in this regard,” read the letter signed by one member each of the 640 households.

The signatures were collected by the NGO in eleven badly-hit areas like Bhalukhop, Alainchikhop, Pudung, Tirpai Bazar and Dungra Bustee.

The residents in their letter addressed to Singh in his capacity as the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority said they run the risk of losing their lives and properties once the monsoon starts.

The NGO had last week written to B.L. Meena, the caretaker administrator of DGHC, in this regard.

‘GJMM alliance of no consequence’

DARJEELING, March 29: State home secretary Mr Ashok Mohan Chakraborty today said here that the alliance between the GJMM and the pro-Kamtapuri parties was of no concern to the state government as long as they did not engage in anti-national activities. “There is nothing wrong with the alliance but we shall be compelled to take action if they resort to any anti-national activity,” he said. The GCDP and the KPP have forged an alliance with the GJMM to support the other in their respective statehood demands.

‘India can make a difference in Tibet’

Claude Apri was born in Angoulême (France) but made (Auroville) India, his home after graduating in dental surgery from Bordeaux University in 1974. His interest in the subcontinent began more than three decades ago when he journeyed to the Himalayas. Since then he has been an enthusiastic student of the history of Tibet, China and the subcontinent. Writing on Jawarharlal Nehru’s China policy has not been easy for Mr Apri, especially since all documents pertaining to Tibet are still classified, and the Nehru Papers belong to the Nehru family and Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s permission has to be obtained to access them. “The main difficulty was that the Indian archives are still closed to scholars and this despite the fact that the RTI Act was passed by the Indian Parliament in 2005.” However, that did not stop Mr Apri from writing numerous books on the subject such as The Fate of Tibet: When big insects eat small insects, le pays sacrifié, La politique française de Nehru: 1947-1954, and Born in Sin: the Panchsheel Agreement and India and Her Neighbourhood. His sources have mainly been Nehru’s own published works and documents in British and American archives. Apri is also a close friend of the Dalai Lama. In an interview with SANGEETHA NAIR, he speaks of the current situation in Tibet.
Excerpts:

Q: The Dalai Lama has often spoken of following the middle path, of not wanting independence and only seeking a ‘high-degree of autonomy’ for Tibet. Clearly, Beijing will never allow Tibet to practice a different political system. Should the dream of a sovereign Tibet be abandoned?

A: Why should the people of China not decide one day to have a more transparent, democratic system? Democracy has been percolating all over the world. Why not in China? In the 1980s, nobody had predicted that the Soviet Union would collapse so fast. The Dalai Lama recently mentioned the European model, where member-nations decided to surrender part of their sovereignty and share it with other members. While each nation keeps a large autonomy within the Union, more and more topics or subject matters come under the Union’s jurisdiction. It is a model that has brought peace and prosperity to Europe for the past 50 years. Other models can be envisaged more suited to particular circumstances and historical background. One thing is certain; a totalitarian regime has no future in the long run, especially in an era of globalisation. I would like to add that even the Chinese Constitution recognises the autonomy of the different “nationalities” within the People’s Republic of China. The Communist leadership in Beijing should first implement its own Constitution. Were they to do so, it would be a great step forward towards a long-term solution to the Tibetan issue.

Q: Reports appearing in the Western media seem to suggest that Tibet is on the path of a mass uprising against Han Chinese communist rule. As a foreigner, do you consider the West is biased in its reportage of China?

A: One cannot say that the West (or India) is biased in its reportage, because we are living in the Internet yuga (age). A Google search on “Tibetan unrest” throws up thousands of nuggets of information. It is up to people to choose which information is relevant. I think it is interesting to have different points of view on the same topic; however, it is true that the West has double standards, particularly in the economic field. Whether it is Bush or Sarkozy, most Western governments are ready to condemn Beijing, but nobody is ready to go a step further in order to not spoil opportunities of big contracts in China. I will tell you a story showing the double standard of most heads of state.

When I was 7 years old, I lived in Darjeeling, high in the Indian Himalayas . . .

It was a magical place. Snowcapped Kanchenjunga dominated the horizon when the peak shed its clouds. In spring, magnolias and rhododendrons coated the hillsides with color. Monkeys lived right in town. We rode rough little ponies instead of taxis. I went to a school named the New School, but I left India in 1946.

Fifty years later, I went back to Darjeeling with some of my old schoolfellows. Our leader approached the lady behind the desk of the Windamere Hotel and told her we were the New School party. She exclaimed, “But we expected children.” One of our gray-haired number told her, a little sadly, “We were children then.” But after that, Darjeeling took us to its heart as if we had never left. And Kanchenjunga shone on the horizon as if for us alone.

Yoma Ullman, Washington

Doc held for rape bid of Sikkimese Girl

Calcutta, March 29: A gynaecologist who started stripping after asking his patient to undress for a check-up was arrested from his Beleghata chamber yesterday on charges of molestation and attempted rape.

The patient, a 25-year-old fashion designer, had been going to Soumitra Pramanik for treatment for several months.

She did not suspect him when he asked her to remove her clothes in the deserted chamber yesterday afternoon.

“She had visited the chamber several times. When the doctor called her to his chamber, she did not find anything wrong,” said an officer of the Beleghata police station.

Pramanik had called the woman on her cellphone around 4pm and asked her to come over. “She reached the chamber and found no other patient. The doctor’s assistant was also not there,” said the officer.

“He locked the chamber door and asked me to take off my clothes. I hesitated, but he said it was needed for a thorough check-up. Although reluctant, I followed his instructions. He asked me to lie on the table,” the woman said in her complaint.

On the diagnosis table, she found the doctor’s behaviour unusual.

“He was not examining me professionally. Suddenly he went to a corner of the cham-ber and started taking off his clothes. I realised what would happen next. I got up, somehow wrapped myself with my clothes and rushed out. I ran straight to my house and narrated everything to my roommates,” she told the police.

The woman from Sikkim, who completed a fashion-designing course from the National Institute of Fashion Technology here a couple of years ago, stays as a paying guest in the same locality

Culling in West Bengal to be completed Sunday: minister

The culling operations to slaughter 40,000 poultry birds in West Bengal’s bird-flu affected Jalpaiguri district are expected to be completed by Sunday, Animal Resource Development (ARD) Minister Anisur Rahman said here.

‘We started culling in north Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district Friday. I have told my officials to complete the culling drive there by Sunday,’ Rahman told IANS Saturday.He said according to the All India Livestock Census report the culling target was set at about 40,000 chickens in Jalpaiguri.’Though the culling target is 40,000, the actual figure could vary. We have often seen that the rearing of poultry birds has significantly fallen in the rural farms after bird flu scare,’ Rahman said, adding: ‘The state ARD teams are going door to door to expedite the operation.’Culling operations, which were supposed to begin Friday morning in Jalpaiguri, were delayed due to lack of trained manpower and mandatory personal protective equipment.The fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in Jalpaiguri March 27 after the samples of dead chickens tested positive in the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal.Over 100 chickens died in backyard poultry farms in Boalmari under Jalpaiguri Sadar sub-division, about 700 km from Kolkata.Sources said with the outbreak of bird flu in Jalpaiguri, the ARD department in adjoining Siliguri under Darjeeling district decided to disinfect vehicles entering from the flu-affected district.ARD’s Matigara block wing would launch a drive at all the entry points between Jalpaiguri and Siliguri.

Sidrapong Hydel Power Station – A glorious chapter in our history

November 10, 1897 has been an epoch making day in the history of power sector in our country, century back on this day the first hydel power station and reportedly in Asia too was commissioned at Sidrapong near Darjeeling Town, heralding the Electrical-Energy-Era in the Indian Sub-continent. On February 11, 1896 a meeting of the Municipal Commissioners of Darjeeling was held and presided over by R. T. Greer, I. C. S. the then, Deputy Commissioner of Darjeeling and the Chairman of Darjeeling Municipality. At the meeting they resolved to set up a Hydro Power Station to light up Darjeeling Town by seeking a loan of Rs. 1. Lakhs from Government. A site for the Power Station was selected at the foot of the Arya Tea Estate at Sidrapong. What was then a fine orchard of the Maharajah of Burdwan and considering the importance of the scheme in the public interest, Maharajahdiraja Sir Bijoy Chand Mahatab Bahadur, G.C.I.E.K.C.S.I., I.O.M. was pleased to make it over to the Municipality. The work of installation of power station was started immediately. The Machines and Equipment came from Britain. There being no proper road communication all the Equipment, Machinaries and construction materials had to be transported manually.

The first plant consisted of two 65 KW Crompton-Brunton Single Phase 2300 volts and 83.3 cycles alternators coupled with two Gunther’s Turbines. The country’s first Hydro-Electric Power Station with 2 x 65 KW capacity was commissioned on the 10^th November, 1897 by C. C. Stevens the then Acting Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. It is a noteworthy fact that the first power utility run on commercial basis for use of general public sector under state patronage. The total initial cost of installation of this power station had been only Rs. 1.2 Lakhs. In 1905 one 135 KW set was installed in 1909 in the same power house. The place being too small a new power house was built in 1916 at a higher location, now known as Jubilee Power House. In this way the total capacity of the station grew from 130 KW to 1000 KW. But owing to the limited supply of water the generation could not be increased to match the growing demand of the town and of the neighbouring tea gardens to run their factories with electricity. Various schemes were prepared to install larger power station elsewhere. The present installation, therefore, consist of 3 sets of 200 KW at Sidrapong power house besides one D. C. hydel generating set and 20 KW for auxiliary power.

West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB) inherited Sidrapong hydel power station by taking over the Darjeeling Electric Supply undertaking from Darjeeling Municipality on January 30, 1978. And has since been under WBSEB.

Dalai Lama appeals Tibetans to stop protest at Rangpo

Tibetan Protests in Lhasa

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Gangtok, Mar 26: The Dalai Lama today appealed all the 400 odd Tibetans at Rangpo on West Bengal-Sikkim border to withdraw their protests and not commit any violence. A senior representative of the government-in-exile at Dharamshala arrived at Rangpo carrying the spiritual guru’s message urging the protestors to withdraw the strike, that entered its second day today.The Tibetans were on strike demanding entry to Sikkim and Nathu La border intending to participate in the protests against the Chinese authorities in Tibet.Meetings are still going on between the envoys from Dharamshala and the Tibetan protesters at Rangpo, sources said.Earlier today, a Tibetan protester tried to immolate himself but was thwarted by volunteers.The protester, who hails from Shillong, was taken to the Teesta Primary health centre where he has been taking rest under watch so that he does not repeat the act.” Some of our members spotted him when he was trying to set himself ablaze, but we managed to foil this attempt at the right time,” said Zimba Pencho, the president of the Tibetan youth club, from Rangpo.The Tibetans, who reached Rangpo on Monday after four days of marching, continued their fast for the third day today. Their entry is still being denied by the Sikkim administration and the police, they alleged.Sikkim police said the situation was under control and their entry was still being denied at the border.However, the embargo for tourists to Nathu La border will be lifted tomorrow. This famous tourist point had been put off limits for the tourists by the state government since March 21 in the backdrop of the Tibetan marchers. [UNI]

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Bhutan elects its first democratic leader in history, however religious freedom is yet to be seen

Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – On March 24, in their first democratic elections ever, the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan elected a new government and Prime Minister: Jigmi Thinley, leader of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPR), the Bhutan United Party, that won a landslide victory, claiming 44 of the 47 seats in the lower house, in a vote which was proposed by Bhutan’s royals to transform the country into a constitutional monarchy. The tiny Himalayan state wedged between India and China is governed by the king, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, who rose to the throne December 14, 2006, at 26 years of age. Bhutan has 2.3 million inhabitants, with a Tibetan culture (and it is the only country in the world that maintains Tibetan as its official language) and the official religion of Buddhism. In fact, it is the only country on the planet where the Buddhism of the Dalai Lama is the official state religion.

This is where observers are focusing their attention: the road to full democracy in Bhutan cannot ignore full religious freedom. There are currently about 20,000 Christians in the country (among which there are about 400 Catholics) and 200,000 citizens who belong to the Hindu religion, all of whom continue living with limited freedom. Consequently, although Christians in Bhutan look with favor on the new democracy, they wait in hope that the principles of freedom of conscience and inalienable rights for each person will be fully promoted among all political and social sectors, beginning with the right to religious freedom that symbolizes the “pulse” in all healthy democracy.

Top Headlines in Himalaya Darpan Today!

- West Bengal Communist Party is scared to accept the demand of Gorkhaland

- Four Students die due to Wall collapse in school

- “CBI has not come to ask anything to me” Indrakala Pradhan

- New Chairman election for Darjeeling Municipality on 2nd of April

More…..

Home secy in Darjeeling, to meet officials today

SILIGURI, March 28: The state home secretary Mr Ashok Mohan Chakroborty arrived in Darjeeling to take stock of the emerging political unrest in the Hills over the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state. Mr Charboborty landed at the Bagdogra airport by an afternoon flight and straightway headed for Darjeeling.  According to the DM Darjeeling Mr Rajesh Pandey, the home secretary has convened a meeting senior administrative and police officials at the district collectorate tomorrow. The meeting is to discuss the latest political situation in the Hills and preparedness of the administration in case of political unrest, vis-à-vis the rejuvenation of statehood movement by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM). The home secretary’s visit is crucial in view of the Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) and the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) joining hands with the GJMM and deciding to launch vigorous movement demanding statehood.
While the GJMM is demanding the formation of Gorkhaland by including the whole of Darjeeling district and the Dooars, the KPP and GCDP have been demanding a separate Kamtapur state to be sliced out of north Bengal. [The Statesman]

ARD to disinfect vehicles to check Flu

SILIGURI, March 28: With the outbreak of Bird Flu in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district, the animal resources development department In Siliguri has decided to disinfect vehicles entering Siliguri from the flu-affected district from tomorrow. As decided, the ARD’s Matigara block wing would launch the disinfection drive at Gopal More in Siliguri and near the Coronation Bridge at Sevoke from tomorrow. Simultaneously, the SDO Siliguri has written to the Jalpaiguri DM to order similar drives at Hati More, Gandar More and Fulbari in the neighboring district. About the existing ban on the import of ‘country’ chickens in Siliguri, the civil administration has asked the police to depute a surveillance team at Muruligoch, Bidhannagar at the North Dinajpur border.

Culling delayed

Lack of trained personnel and mandatory personal protection equipments delayed the scheduled culling operations in Jalpaiguri district today. The exercise, which was to begin in the morning, could not take off till 6 pm. The DM Jalpaiguri, Mr R Ranjit, however, stated that the culling teams have reached the affected villages and the drive would be initiated today under any circumstances. In addition to the delay in initiating the culling drive, other incidents indicate an indifferent attitude of the Jalpaiguri administration in addressing the problem. Despite the suspicion of Bird Flu, samples of dead chickens from Mondalghat gram panchayat in Jalpaiguri sadar block were sent for tests to the Regional Disease Diagnosis Laboratory, Kolkata on 11 March and to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal on 23 March.

GJMM, GCDP & KPP alliance termed as inconsequential

SILIGURI, March 28: The state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya today dismissed the alliance between the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha; Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party and the Kamtapur Progressive Party as politically inconsequential.
The GJMM, with its Gorkhaland demand struck an alliance yesterday with the GCDP and the Progressive, who too have the statehood demands of Greater Cooch Behar and Kamtapur respectively. “The alliance could hurt the social fabric of north Bengal and create law and order problems but it has no political substance,” the minister, said today.
“They are secessionists forces in essence with the single objective of weakening the social harmony that exists in the region. The state government would tolerate any attempt by these separatist forces to foment trouble especially at a time when development projects are knocking at the door in north Bengal,” the minister added.

Expressing apprehension that such alliances between separatist forces could turn the situation volatile in the region Mr Bhattacharya said that the state government is watchful and would not allow an Assam-like anarchy in West Bengal. “The grim prospect of all the separatists in the region coming together reminds one of the havoc ULFA and its associates wrecked in Assam affecting the state’s economy and loss of innumerable lives. All development works got held up. We have to ask ourselves whether we want a a similar situation in this part of West Bengal or not,” he said.

Civic body to begin development work

DARJEELING, March 28: While the election of the chairman of the Darjeeling Municipality is still due, the civic authorities have decided to take up development works in the town. To start with, the municipality has undertaken repair of the roads that involve patching of pits. “These are minor works but important,” claimed the chief executive officer of Darjeeling Municipality Mr R Thatal.

Reopening after a month’s closure on 24 March, the Darjeeling Municipality is all set to plunge itself into developmental activities. According to Mr Thatal, major schemes and development plans involving drainage, sewage, drinking water and road repairs are on way. “All these plans are tentative in nature but we are hopeful that those would be finalised soon,” he stated.

Focus on support base before statehood fight

Darjeeling, March 28: The joint movement to carve separate states out of Bengal must wait while the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the Atul Roy faction of the Kamptapuri People’s Party (KPP) and the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCBDP) tackle the task of consolidating their support base in the region.

Leaders of the three parties met in Singmari on Wednesday and decided to support each other’s demands, principal among which are separate states of Gorkhaland and Greater Cooch Behar.

While the Morcha holds sway on the Darjeeling hills, it is yet to penetrate into the Siliguri subdivision and the Dooars, which are part of its proposal for Gorkhaland.

Boys on rampage for right to copy

Kalimpong, March 28: A section of HS candidates vandalised the exam centre here today. Their grouse against Scottish Universities’ Mission Institution (SUMI), one of the three centres for boys in the subdivision, was that the invigilators would not let them engage in malpractice in the exam hall.

According to the invigilators, soon after the exam was over, some boys went to the back of the school and started hurling stones at the building. Windowpanes of classrooms and the prayer hall were broken. The teachers alleged that a handful of policemen on duty remained mute spectators as the students went on the rampage. “The students also hurled filthy words at us,” said Bipin Syangden, a teacher of SUMI.

Even after the incident, the students allegedly approached the principal, Nava Ratna Pradhan, and urged him to let them copy at least in the last one hour of the remaining exams.