Indefinite hunger strike by Satyagrahis crosses 23 days, nasal feeding starts.

The Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) members Dawa, Tenzing and Ongchuk Lepcha, who completed 21 days of the resumed indefinite hunger strike in protest of implementation of hydel projects in Dzongu were put on Ryle’s tube(nasal feed) this morning after doctors attending to them diagnosed their condition as unstable. Dawa Lepcha, the ACT General Secretary, and Tenzing Lepcha had been admitted at STNM hospital on 16th March while 19 year old Ongchuk Lepcha was admitted on 14th March.Doctors here inform that they detected kitons in their urine during the last check, while sugar levels in their blood and urine was found to be higher than normal. They are also said to be suffering from kidney and liver complications and further prolongation of the fast could cause complications which could lead to organ failure. Since they refused to injest food orally, the Ryle’s Tube is the only option.”We are still waiting and will not quit. We shall go till the end and will die if required for Dzongu if we are not heard. The way the government is not paying any heed means that they do not care for us or for the beleifs and sentiments attached to the land. Thus far, no Central or State Government official has come to us with anything. We shall not be deterred by this and will stand for our beleifs until there is life left in us,” stressed Dawa Lepcha while speaking from his hospital bed today.It may also be mentioned here that ACT-led Protests against the hydel projects in Dzongu has completed 369 days of relay hunger strike at BL House today. The protest had gained momentum last June when the indefinite hunger strike was launched and which had led to talks between the protestors and the state government representatives. Subsequently, a Review Committee for the hydel projects had also been formed which however, was boycotted by ACT later on the grounds that they did not have adequate representation in it.

Pay panel: secy committee set up

NEW DELHI, APRIL 11: The Union Government on Friday decided to set up a 13-member empowered committee of secretaries under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar to process the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission and submit its report to the Cabinet.

“It will mainly function as a screening committee for the Pay Panel’s report and submit its final recommendations to the Cabinet for approval,” Union Minister Kapil Sibal said announcing the decision of the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, no deadline has been set for the panel to submit its report.

At the Cabinet meeting, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s intervention in removing the anomalies in the recommendations made by the Pay Commission saying they could lead to unrest amongst lower level government employees. He said the recommendations appeared loaded in favour of senior-level officials ignoring the interests of lower-level employees working in the railways, defence and paramilitary forces. Speaking to the media later, Lalu said the PM had assured him that he would look into the matter and take required action.

Nine ex-servicemen go ‘missing’ following clashes

DARJEELING, April 11: The Bharatiya Gorkha Bhutpurva Sainik Morcha (BGBSM), which brought out a rally backed by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha in Siliguri on Wednesday today alleged that nine of its supporters went missing after the rally turned violent following a clash with the police. The ex-servicemen’s organisation also alleged that the CPI-M might have a hand in the disappearance of the supporters.
“Nine people have gone missing and we doubt that the CPI-M has an involvement in the disappearance,” alleged Capt (Retd) SP Pradhan, spokesperson of the BGBSM. He also said that 27 people were injured in the violence out of which 5 were serious.

The Association has lodged an FIR at the Pradhannagar police station and has also forwarded a memorandum to all authorities concerned including the chief minister, Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Defence Minister requesting them to take stringent action against the perpetrators of the violence.  “The authorities should take immediate action or they will have to bear the consequences of the delay,” said Mr Pradhan. He declared that the ex-servicemen would not hesitate to surrender their medals if the situation demands so.  Labelling Wednesday’s incident as a conspiracy of the CPI-M led West Bengal government; the BGBSM spokesperson said: “The West Bengal government was trying to defame their democratic movement and provoking them to take up arms. We demand a CBI inquiry into the whole incident,” he said adding that the CPI-M had adopted the same strategy in Nandigram. [The Statesman]

SFI to hold district conference today

SILIGURI, April 11: The 24th Darjeeling district conference of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) would be held in Bagdogra on 12 April. The organisation’s state secretary Mr Apurba Chatterjee would preside over the conference. Apart from education-related issues, the present Darjeeling Hill situation would also be discussed at the conference. Around 220 delegates from all the sub-divisions of the district are expected to take part in the conference.

Giving this information Mr Sudip Roy Chowdhury, vice-president, SFI Darjeeling district, today said that in view of the present grim situation in the Darjeeling Hills the conference would certainly discuss ways and means to tackle the challenge of separatism. “We, the students of the district, in our view, have an immense social responsibility to foil attempts by separatists to create emotional gulf among the people on the hill-plain line,” he said.  Apart from this, the SFI conference would also discuss education-related issues. “We would demand that 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be used for the purpose of education. Besides, education, now being in the concurrent list of the Constitution, should be made a state subject. We would also oppose the commercialisation of higher education as an outcome of the Centre’s education policy,” Mr Roy Chowdhury added. [The Statesman]

CPI-ML demands tripartite meeting over Darjeeling issue

SILIGURI, April 11: The CPI-ML (Liberation) demanded an immediate tripartite negotiation involving the Centre, the state and the Darjeeling Hill based organisations in order to arrive at a negotiated settlement regarding the Darjeeling tangle. At the same time, the party slammed the state government for indiscriminately branding people belonging to a particular ethnic community as separatists.

Mr Abhijit Majumdar, the leader of the CPI-ML (Liberation), today said that it was extremely intriguing that neither the Centre nor the state government were interested in evolving a negotiated settlement to the deepening Darjeeling tangle. “Both the Central and state governments have been biding time while the tangle is deepening. The role of the state is especially reprehensible. It is trying to suppress the people’s voice in the Darjeeling Hills by using the administrative machinery ruthlessly. Besides, a few ministers are issuing irresponsible statements, indiscriminately identifying an entire community with the anti-national separatists. This is a dangerous trend. The situation, fast deteriorating, may spiral out of control if such verbosity continues,” Mr Majumder said.

GJMM blocks NH-31

Siliguri, April 11: Spearheading the renewed movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha is gradually spreading the agitation to the Dooars, which is part of the party’s proposed territory for the demanded state.  As a tactical move to strengthen the claim for the Dooars, the GJMM has asked its followers in the area to carry out agitations in the Darjeeling Hills. Complying with the party resolution, the GJMM activists today blocked the National Highway 31 at Madarihat and Damdim, between 8 am and 1 pm.

The blockade was called to oppose the alleged atrocities on an All Gorkha Ex-Servicemen Morcha (AGESM) rally in Siliguri on Wednesday. The AGESM is an affiliated body of the GJMM.  This is, however, not the first occasion when the Morcha has organised political agitation in the Dooars region. Its followers in the area had in observed a token hunger strike in support of the statehood call demanding inclusion of Dooars in its territory in February.  As a matter of priority, the GJMM central leadership is eyeing to woo the tea planters, who are an overwhelming majority in the Dooars. The Hill party is trying its best to convince the black tribes in tea plantations that their interests and socio-cultural identity would be safeguarded if the region was included in the proposed Gorkhaland state.

Tour to promote tourism – sikkim & ‘rest of india’ rediscover each other

Siliguri, April 11: Introducing a group of youths from Sikkim, a teacher at a girls’ madarsa in Andhra Pradesh said: “They have come here all the way from their country to meet us.”

The teacher and the students were surprised when nine persons on an all India overland cross-country expedition spoke in Hindi and said they were Indians.

“Isn’t Sikkim somewhere near Hong Kong’ a student asked us,” said Manoj Chhettri, a member of the group. [The Sikkim team in Siliguri on Friday.]

It was a journey through myriad experiences for the youths consisting of tour operators, hoteliers and travel agents — all members of the newly-formed Sikkim Tourism Cooperative Society.

Direct intervention to stop all mega hydroelectric power dams construction projects in Dzongu

By Rabden Rongkup

Direct intervention to stop all mega hydroelectric power dams construction projects in Dzongu, in North Sikkim, India (defined as protected and preserved solely for the indigenous primitive Lepcha Scheduled tribe of India). The government is forcibly building 26 dams in Sikkim out of which 7 inside the holy land Dzongu

Expectedly more than 500 lepchas from Darjeeling District , Illam Western Nepal , Southern Bhutan and Sikkim are starting to walk up for pilgrimage to Dzongu, North Sikkim, India  Dzongu region also comprises the restrictive Kanchenjanga National Park, which is in the process of being considered as a ‘World Heritage Park’ within 2009, besides being a Kanchenjanga Biosphere Reserve

Schedules as follows :

• 14/04/2008——- Prayer in Teesta ,Bene at 10am that falls in Darjeeling district and walk up to Ramphu that is Sikkim border by 2pm, and then to Singtam by 6pm that covers roughly 30 Km in the first day
• 15/04/08———– Singtam to Gangtok that is the Capital of Sikkim to meet the people in hunger strike which will reach 300day of hungerstrike on the 15/04/08.
• 16/04/08———– Gangtok to Penlong via Kavi which is a historical place of blood treaty between the Lepchas and the Bhutias .
• 17/04/08 ———– Reach Lower Dzongu and then enter inside the hills and hillocks for the offering of our prayers led by Mun and Bongthing (priest and priestess)

DZONGU, North Sikkim, a protected Reserved Land, where more than 6000 Lepchas live, is sacred and holy land to the Lepchas all over the world. The first Lepcha man, ‘Fudongthing and Nuzongnyoo’, the first Lepcha woman, were created by the “Itbu Debu Rum”, the Creator in Lepcha and settled them down in Dzongu at the base of Kingchoomzaongboo i.e. Mount Kanchenjanga. Their off springs are the present day Lepchas.

DM to return when duty calls

Siliguri, April 11: District magistrate Rajesh Pandey today said he would go back to Darjeeling when he needs to but would probably spend the weekend in the plains.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had yesterday instructed its women’s wing, the Nari Morcha, to prevent Pandey from entering the hills. The instructions came a day after the lathicharge on ex-servicemen in Siliguri.

The district magistrate had denied the organisation permission to hold the rally, which later spiralled out of control forcing police action. The Morcha said the violence could have been avoided if the district magistrate had given permission for the rally.

More offices spared from closure Morcha plea: Go tax-free

Darjeeling, April 11: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has appealed to the people in the Darjeeling hills to stop paying electricity bills and land tax from April onwards as part of its agitation for Gorkhaland.

The Morcha has also made a new list of offices which will be kept out of the indefinite closure programme starting from Monday.

“Apart from banks, ATMs and civic bodies, we have also decided to let post offices remain open for the convenience of the people,” said Binay Tamang, media and publicity secretary of the Morcha. [Women with ‘go back DM’ posters in Siliguri. A Telegraph picture]

The Food Corporation of India offices across the hills will remain open from Monday to Wednesday every week. “We will allow the employees attached with emergency services of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited and the telephone exchanges to go about their jobs,” said Tamang.

The administrative office of NHPC, which is setting up two power plants along the Teesta near Rambi, will remain closed. “But we will allow them to carry on with construction work,” added Tamang.

Force 1000 for Morcha – Social work focus for hill ‘police’ with khukuris

Darjeeling, April 11: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced a recruitment drive for “Gorkhaland Police”, a force that the party says will be trained to do “social work”.

Those who have not exceeded 30 years are eligible to apply. The volunteers, however, will not get any salary.

During the Gorkhaland agitation in the eighties, the GNLF, too, had its own force, the Gorkha Volunteer Cell, commonly known as the GVC, which had been raised to fight the CRPF then deployed in the Darjeeling hills.

Morcha leaders said their “police force”, complete with uniform, the colour of which is yet to be decided, and khukuri did not go against their idea of democratic struggle.

“The khukuri is our community’s identity and should not be misrepresented as a symbol of armed struggle. We still believe in the democratic form of protest and our force will be trained to do social work,” said Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha.

Although the force is being raised for crowd and traffic control during party meetings and rallies, Tamang said, the guidelines for recruitment is stringent. “Only youths below the age of 30 will be taken into Gorkhaland Police and they must be both physically and mentally fit (see chart). The Morcha will form a selection committee which will recruit the force,” added Tamang.