Double bonanza

If a trekking
adventure is what you’re after to
interact with
ethnic tribes like Subba and
cherish the
treasure trove of
biodiversity, then join the
expedition to be organised by Sikkim Tourism, says Swaati Chaudhury

Here’s one forthcoming trekking event that every adventure lover and trekker can rejoice. The department of tourism, government of Sikkim is all out to organise a month-long “Kanchenjunga International Trekking Programme” in West Sikkim. Targeting to start the trekking trail from 1May 2008, the event will receive the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The tourism department of Sikkim has joined hands with Gangtok-based tour operators- TAAS and SAATO and has impressive offerings for the trekkers.
Each trek is of 10-day and will take off from Soreng, a new destination that lies at a height of 5,600 ft and serves as the base camp. In contemporary times, Sikkim Tourism is rolling out the red carpet for tourists and adventure-lovers and the major event is being hosted as part of promotion of adventure tourism activities in the Himalayan land. The state is dominated by Kanchenjunga that stands tall as the third highest peak in the world. Madan Kumar Pradhan, assistant director, Sikkim Tourism says, “This kind of trekking extravaganza will offer a rare opportunity to professional trekkers to catch a glimpse of unknown adventure destinations in the state and the entire trek is being offered at 90 per cent subsidy. It will also imbibe a sense of national integration among the youths. Each team will comprise 15 trekkers above 18 years of age. Interested ladies also can join the trekking trail. Separate accommodation facilities and a ladies’ guide will also be provided.”

Missing girl’s body found

SILIGURI, April 18: The body of Seema Das, a 13-year-old girl missing since 16 April was found dumped in a sack at Niranjannagar Colony near the Eastern Bypass in ward number 36, Siliguri today. The police suspect that the victim was raped. The victim’s hands and feet were tied with ropes and she had been gagged.  The locals spotted the body in the morning from the stench the partially decomposed body in the sack emitted. The body also carried blisters, similar to that of acid-burns.  “It is certainly a case of murder and the girl seems to have been strangled. We also suspect the teenager was raped before she was murdered, which the postmortem report can confirm,” said Mr Rajen Chhetri, IC, Bhaktinagar police station.
The victim was the daughter of a scrap-dealer Mr Amulya Das and a student of class VI at the Rabindranagar Girls’ High School. Her father had lodged a complaint of her disappearance with the Bhaktinagar police yesterday.  The police have detained a school-van puller in connection with the crime. The detained van puller hails from Baxirhat in Cooch Behar and was reportedly last seen with the murdered girl.The police, however, suspect more than one individual was involved in the crime. [The Statesman]

Watch elephants from tea bungalow

Alipurduar, April 18: As you sit in the bungalow at Bandapani Tea Estate and look east, you can see the hills of Bhutan on the edge of the plantation. To the north flows the Dhumchi and on certain days you can see elephants cross the river from the bungalow.

Bandapani, along with Grassmore Tea Estate, has been opened to tourists by the Mohta Group of Industries. Both gardens are located in a beautiful landscape with forests, rivers and hills. Plus the elephant corridor from the Sankosh to the Mechi runs close to the Bandapani estate. [Inset: A view of the plantation and the Bhutan hills from the bungalow at Bandapani. Picture by Anirban Choudhury]

The gardens are also well connected, said Rupak Deb, the superintendent manager of the Mohta Group. Grassmore is located along NH31C in Banarhat, while Bandapani is only 14km from the highway at Birpara. Tourists there can also easily reach Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary and Gorumara national Park.

Petrol pump siphons card cash

Calcutta, April 18: Fill her up, but make sure your credit card is not sucked dry.

As Dr P.K. Chatterjee now knows, it may not be safe to hand over your credit card to the pump attendant to pay for petrol while you wait in the car.

Two months ago, the doctor from Tala in north Calcutta found he had been billed on his SBI credit card for air tickets worth Rs 43,424 that he had not bought. His card statement showed the tickets were bought online from three different airlines.

Chatterjee complained to police. Investigators from the cyber crime wing have now found the tickets were bought by the owner of a pump where he had paid for petrol by card.

Olympic break for Everest- Off-limit for 10 days

Darjeeling, April 18: Nepal has “requested” tour operators who organise Everest expeditions from Kathmandu not to take their clients beyond Camp 3 between May 1 and 10, but insisted that there was no pressure from China which wants to take the Olympic torch to the peak during that period.

The Kathmandu-based tour operators plan their expeditions along the southeast ridge, which is approached from Nepal, while the Chinese government will take the torch along the northeast ridge from Tibet. However, China wants to ensure that there is no high-altitude confrontation with Tibetan protesters along the way.

The 10-day break comes right in the middle of the climbing season, which usually begins from mid-April and goes on till May-end. [Inset: Mt Everest seen from just above Base Camp. AP file picture]

“I would not call it a ban, but we have been requested not to go beyond Camp 3,” said Jiwan Ghimire, the managing director of the Kathmandu-based Shangri-La Treks. Ghimire has already sent two expeditions to the Everest Base Camp, at 5,360m, this season and said the permits from Nepal’s tourism ministry contained the “request”.

The Chinese government has not announced the final itinerary for taking the torch to Everest, but it will be done on one of the 10 days. The “request”, which none of the Nepalese tour operators can dismiss, will ensure that there are no protests along the torch’s journey.

The climbing route from Tibet has already been sealed. “I do not think any one will be climbing from the Chinese side at this moment,” said Tendi Sherpa, the managing director of Wind Horse Expeditions, which is also based in Kathmandu.

Everesters here said the “request” would completely mess up the plans of a lot of climbers.

Sunday start to Dooars plan

Darjeeling, April 18: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is ready to start its agitation for Gorkhaland in the Dooars from Sunday.

For Bimal Gurung, the party president, the first public address in the Dooars will be at Bagrakote on April 20.

The Morcha wants both the Siliguri subdivision and the Dooars to be made part of the new state that they are demanding. [Inset: File picture of a blockade set up by DYFI supporters to prevent Morcha marchers from entering Siliguri on Thursday]

“The party president will address our first meeting at Bagrakote on April 20,” said Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha. The next meeting has been scheduled at Samsing on April 22 and at Birpara and Kalchini on the 24th and 25th respectively.

Bullet beau says sorry

April 18: The boyfriend of an American woman arrested in north Bengal for carrying bullets in her baggage has offered his “deepest apology to the people of India” and owned up to the clip of ammunition.

The expression of regret came a few hours after a Siliguri court extended the judicial custody of Heather Bond and her mother Monica by 14 days, dashing the Californians’ hopes for bail. [Inset: Heather after her arrest]

Heather’s boyfriend, Sean McGaughey, said over the phone from Santa Barbara this evening: “I want you to send out my deepest apology to the people of India and particularly those in the region of Siliguri about this incident.”

Sean, who works as an air-conditioner installer, added: “The clip in Heather’s bag was mine and I have an exact duplicate (of the clip) at home. I should have taken out the clip from her bag as soon as we returned from our last trip.”

Earlier in the day, the additional chief judicial magistrate of Siliguri had rejected the bail plea of the Bonds.

“This is really, really unfortunate. They are completely innocent…,” said Monica’s husband, Lawrence. “It is so tragic. Heather was putting together a small effort to run a travel agency and was visiting India to scout out locations.”

Student killed as fest vehicle tumbles down

Gangtok, April 18: A cargo vehicle packed with children headed to a fest skidded 30ft off the road in South Sikkim today, killing a Class XII student and injuring 32.

Narendra Sharma died on the spot near Rabongla. The injured students were taken by local people to Namchi District Hospital and Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok, 55km away. Sonal Chopen Bhutia, one of the injured, was shifted to Siliguri by helicopter. Two others, Sangam Rai and Deepak Prasad, were taken there by road. Their condition is said to be stable.

The driver of the vehicle was also injured and sent to the Namchi hospital. Police said a case of negligent driving has been started against him.

Students of VC Ganju Lama High School at Rabongla have accused the police of “overloading” the vehicle bound for the golden jubilee celebration of Biring High School, 12km away.

Although the cultural programme was cancelled, Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling, who was the chief guest, read through the inaugural speech and announced Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the family of the deceased.

The accident brought back memories of a similar incident in Gujarat two days ago when a state government bus fell into the Narmada canal and killed at least 41 students. Earlier this month a bus in Calcutta had plunged into a canal, killing 20 passengers.

Students and residents of Rabongla in South Sikkim protested in front of the local police station for five hours and blocked all roads leading to Singtam, Gyalshing, Ralong and Yangang.