Nepal: A few hard truths

Col. (retd) Anil A Athale is a Fellow at the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research. A former Joint Director (History Division) and infantryman, he has been running an NGO, Peace and Disarmament, based in Pune for the past 10 years. As a military historian he specialises in insurgency and peace process.

It was nearly 40 years ago, in 1968 that I first came in contact with the Gorkhas and Nepal when I joined the 9 Gorkha Rifles, an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.

It was a love at first sight, and even in retirement I remain a Gorkha. It is no wonder that one has followed the unfortunate events in that beautiful land with concern and genuine sympathy. It is hard to find a person who would be able to resist liking the Gorkhas or Nepalis as the Maoists may prefer to be called (to distinguish themselves from the Indian Gorkhas). Fun loving, honest to core, loyal and above all brave, the Gorkhas make the finest soldiers in the world (as my jealous colleagues in the army would grudgingly accept). When recently the British crown Prince went to Afghanistan, he was protected by Gorkha soldiers of the British army. Need one say more?

What follows is therefore an assessment of Indo-Nepal ties by an ‘honorary ’ Nepali or Gorkha.

India and Nepal share a unique relationship, the closest parallel being US-Canada relations. Like them, we have an ‘open border’ that has no fences. People from either country can come and go freely, settle in each other’s country and even acquire government jobs, with no questions asked. The two countries share cultural, linguistic, historical and matrimonial ties that are extensive. Even now, the definition of Indian citizens includes citizens of Nepal and Bhutan. Some years ago, Prem Bhandari, a Nepali, had reached the rank of Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. He tragically died in helicopter crash.

The largest Infantry regiment of the Indian Army is the Gorkha Rifles, which has close to 75 percent Gorkhas of Nepalese origin. In fact, Nepalese have spread all over India, be it the tea gardens of Assam or the southernmost tip of India. Most of them are economic migrants and have blended so well in the areas they have settled that one has never heard of any ‘anti Nepali’ agitation anywhere in India. The ‘insular’ Maoist leadership of Nepal needs to ponder over what the unemployment problem in Nepal would have been without this free emigration to India.

Nepal or the ancient “Kirat’ (mountain people) kingdom finds mention in the Mahabharata. Viratnagar, where the Pandavas spent the last part of their 14 years of banishment, was possibly the capital of King Virat of Mahabharata. The birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumbini, is also located in Nepal. Nepal has been thus very much part of mainstream India, and its language Nepali or Gorkhali is closest to Sanskrit. Successively ruled by various dynasties in the middle ages, Nepal dominated the sub-Himalayan region stretching from present day Nepal to Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. Parts of Uttarakhand including Dehradun and Darjeeling were under their sway. The memory of having ruled over large parts of India is thus an essential part of Nepalese psyche.

Full coverage: Nepal polls and after | Nepal’s tryst with destiny

In the 19th century, Nepal resisted the British and the two wars fought between the British and Nepal were some of the toughest fought battles. The British were so impressed with the Nepalese valour that they offered an honourable treaty, kept the Nepalese independence and recruited Gorkhas in their army in large numbers. The origin of the distinct and independent Nepalese identity and pride lie in the history of the late 19th century.

Lhotshampa, Madhesi, Nepamul

The deprived of Bhutan, Nepal and India

Despite the fact that they have been living in their respective countries for centuries, the Lhotshampa, Nepamul Bharatiya and Madhesis have in common the fact that they are all underdogs.

By : A C Sinha

The thin stretch of land from Dehradun eastwards to Arunachal Pradesh, variously identified as the bhabar, tarai or duar, is today much in the news, particularly in the Nepal context. But just a century and a half ago, this was not known as a densely populated area. Only a few ethnic groups and stray settlers populated this land, infamous for flash floods, wild animals and, especially, malaria. Today, however, these resource-rich plains of Nepal, Bhutan and India have turned into a hotbed of dissent – an area of continued neglect and exploitation, often ignored by decision-makers, and largely circumvented by nation-building efforts. Uncovering various aspects of deprivation inevitably leads to the lost opportunities of three significant communities: the Madhesis, the Lhotshampa and what can be referred to as the nepamul bharatiya, or Indian citizens of Nepali origin.

In Nepal, it is usually claimed that those today referred to as Madhesis are the land-hungry migrants from the Indian plains who came to the Tarai after the so-called Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, purportedly with a view to clearing the area’s forests and occupying its fertile agricultural lands. For their part, in India it is similarly maintained that, around the same time, Nepalis were invited by the British to develop Darjeeling and to mine copper and mint coins in Sikkim. Finally, in Bhutan the claim is that the Lhotshampa were recent illegal migrants to the country. Yet there is sufficient historical evidence to show that the ancestors of the Madhesis in the Tarai, the Nepamul in Sikkim and Darjeeling, and the Lhotshampa in Bhutan were already in these areas well before the 1814-15 Anglo-Nepali war. Indeed, not only should these groups not be called ‘migrants’, but some of them have good claim to be considered sons and daughters of the soil.

As a result of the 1815 Treaty of Sugauli, Nepal was forced to surrender the entire Tarai to the British, though much of this was later returned. All of the land east of the Mechi River was ceded to the East India Company, while the rulers of Nepal renounced their claims to the territories west of the Kali River. In addition, Nepal was not to “disturb” the Raja of Sikkim, with the British vested with powers of arbitration in case of differences. Soon, the East India Company carved out the buffer state of Sikkim between Nepal and Bhutan, and, under the 1817 Treaty of Titalia, the British ceded the eastern lands secured from Nepal to this new state, which was in effect a British feudatory.

Soon thereafter, the British began to develop Darjeeling, whereupon the adjoining feudatories became increasingly worried about controlling their serfs and peasants, who were suddenly attracted by the possibilities of working in this thriving hill station. By the 1860s, this turmoil resulted in two additional treaties, between the East India Company and Sikkim, and between the Company and Bhutan – the treaties of Tumlong and Sinchula, respectively. Under these, the thinly populated territory of Darjeeling was finally secured.

Gurkha farm

At this time, the British were also busy laying out tea plantations and railway tracks, for the eventual commercial exploitation of the region from Darjeeling and continuing eastward to Burma. Apart from the inexpensive, willing and industrious Nepali labour that was used to clear the dense, undulating forests of the Indian Northeast for these purposes, the British also invented the myth of the Gurkha ‘martial race’. In the aftermath of the Sepoy Mutiny, the British were determined to ‘prove’ that the Bengalis and high-caste Hindus from the Gangetic plains had ‘effeminate’ traits and were, thus, unsuitable for inclusion in the armed forces. Those groups that had not taken part in the Mutiny – the ‘Gurkhas’, Sikhs, Marathas and others – were elevated to a heralded status as ‘martial races’, supposedly as a reward for their loyalty. Systematic attempts at their induction into the British Army subsequently began.

During a 1932 survey of the southern districts of Bhutan, an Indian Army recruitment officer named C J Morris found the southern Duars thickly settled with Nepali communities. He estimated that from the approximately 60,000 Nepalis, a sufficient number of recruits from the ethnic Rai, Limbu, Magar, Gurung and Tamang (and Chhetri) communities could be found to make up the equivalent of two infantry battalions. While the government of Bhutan was reluctant to permit the induction of Bhutani Nepalis into the Indian armed forces, Morris’s recommendations were nonetheless acted upon, and some recruits were sent to Shillong for training. In fact, it was this batch of India-trained soldiers who later served as the nucleus of the first Palace Guards for the royal household in Thimphu.

As long as the British were in India, they treated Nepal as something of a farm for coolies and soldiers. There was so much stress placed on Gurkha recruitment that even the progeny of the same Gurkha settlers in and around the army cantonments in India were considered unfit, as they were assumed to have been ‘polluted’ by the peoples of the plains. This arrangement continued after Indian Independence, when, according to an agreement between Great Britain, India and Nepal, six Gurkha regiments out of 10 opted to continue serving in India, under Indian officers.

Dream destination

Kurseong Railway Station

If you dislike the severe winters of Darjeeling and want to enjoy a bracing climate, Kurseong is the ideal place, writes Sanjog Dutta

If you want to derive the pleasure of being in alpine surroundings without worrying about higher altitudes and bone chilling weather, then there is no better place than Kurseong. The clean, well-kept town of Kurseong is halfway up at an altitude of 4,860 ft and is 33 kms from Darjeeling. The peace, serenity and healthy climate make it a great tourist destination, and has attracted famous personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Mark Twain. The Toy Train or the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs on level with the street. As the train leaves the town, mists envelope the landscape, then all of a sudden, they are gone and your dazzled eyes get their first view of the mighty monarch, Mt Kanchenjunga. A viewer standing at Eagle’s Craig gets the view of the plains lying below just as if you are God watching down upon your children on earth. White orchids are grown in plenty here and bestow it with the local name ‘Kharsang’ which in Lepcha language means, “Land of the White Orchids”. The nearest airport, Bagdogra is 60 kms away and the nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri about 53 kilometres from Kurseong. Ceded to the British by the King of Sikkim in 1835 as a small village, it gained prominence in 1880 and soon the small hamlet became a tourist destination for the colonial authorities and a place for sanatoriums where the sick would recuperate.

Civic administration

The main civic administration body is the Municipality, which is over 125 years old. It is located at 13, Downhill Dowhill Road. The current Chairman is Mr PC Agarwal Mr. Krishna Subba while Mr Robin Kumar Pradhan was his predecessor. The Municipality is divided into 20 wards and each has a ward commissioner who is in-charge of the individual ward.

Reputed schools

With its temperate climate, Kurseong is the seat of several educational institutions. It has its fair share of renowned schools, which were mainly established during the British rule. The most reputed ones are St Helens Convent, Goethals Memorial School, Dowhill Girls School and Victoria Boys School, Himali Boarding School, Cambridge English Boarding School and many more. The English medium schools are mostly affiliated to the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), while the Nepali Medium Schools are affiliated to the State Education Board i.e. West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), Calcutta. Some of the schools are also affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). On 16 May 2005 Himali Boarding School was appointed as the first Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) centre in north-east of India. The students have the option of sitting for the globally recognised, A and AS (equivalent to year 12 school board examination) level examinations of CIE or the school’s own year 12 school board examination.

Some of the popular Nepali Medium Schools are St Alphonsus School, St Joseph’s Girls School, Pushparani Boys High School, Scottish Mission Girls School, Rama Krishna Girls School.

Higher education

In terms of higher education Kurseong doesn’t lag behind. Kurseong College is affiliated to the University of North Bengal which provides undergraduate courses in Arts, Science as well as Commerce (Honours and General). Darjeeling Polytechnic College offers Diploma in Civil, Electrical, Computer and Mechanical Engineering.
Near Darjeeling, at St Mary’s Hills, Eastern Forest Rangers College provides training courses to the would-be Forest Rangers of India. There is a West Bengal Forest School near Deer Park and Victoria Boys School, Dowhill which also provides training for foresters as well. On the way to Darjeeling at Tung is the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) which offers various vocational course in plumbing, motor mechanics, book binding etc. Holy Cross Institute in St Mary’s Hills offers higher secondary course in Commerce via the vocational stream.

Demographics

According to 2001 census, Kurseong had a population of 40,067. Males constitute 51 per cent of the population and females 49 per cent. Kurseong has an average literacy rate of 84 per cent, higher than the national average of 59.5 per cent: male literacy is 88 per cent, and female literacy is 80 per cent. In Kurseong, 6 per cent of the population is under 6 years of age.

As you leave the small town you can find acres of verdant slopes covered with tea bushes, one of the finest varieties of Darjeeling Tea is found in the tea gardens surrounding Kurseong. Visitors there can have a first hand experience of how tea-leaves are processed and prepared for production by visiting the nearby tea factories. Kurseong is well connected by roads. The Toy Train takes about 5 hours from New Jalpaiguri to Kurseong.

Even though Kurseong may not be as glamourous as Darjeeling, there is a tranquillity and peace about it that draws visitors to it time and again.

Coordinator, St Joseph’s School – North Point, Darjeeling

GJM to stage hunger strikes from Today

Siliguri (WB) (PTI): The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha which is fighting for a separate state for Gorkhas in Darjeeling Hills will stage indefinite hunger strikes and asked people not to pay government dues from Thursday to protest against the denial of permission to hold public meetings here.

Announcing this, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said that his organisation had not been allowed by the administration to hold a public meeting at Bagha Jatin Park at Siliguri last Sunday for which it had made an announcement earlier.

He said GJM activists would stage hunger strikes in the three hill sub-divisions of the Darjeeling hills and plains including Siliguri and Dooars.

Giri also said the people have been asked not to pay electric and telephone bill from May one. Asked if electric lines and telephone lines were cut following non-payment of bills, he said in that case they would switch over to candle light and surrender all BSNL land lines en masse. He also threatened to cut off power supply from the hydel power stations to the plains.

Giri said that the GJM was not allowed to stage a fast unto death in front of the SDO’s office at Siliguri earlier, but now “we are ready to accept bullet to carry out our programme.”

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha activists to launch fast

Leaders and activists of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), which is demanding a separate statehood for Darjeeling Hills, decided to go on a fast for an indefinite period from May 1 in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

‘We have taken this stand to protest the state government’s decision not to allow us to hold any political programmes in Siliguri, which is an integral part of Darjeeling district. If other political parties can be allowed to hold rallies and meetings there, why can’t we organise these?’ GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said to IANS by phone from Darjeeling Wednesday.

He said like all other political parties, GJM should be given the freedom of expression.

‘Altogether 86 people from Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Dooars will take part in the fast unto death, starting from May 1 in the hills. Everyday seven more people would also join in the programme,’ he said.

Security enhanced for hunger-strike

SILIGURI, April 30: The Darjeeling district administration has made preparations to tackle any untoward incident that might occur during the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s proposed indefinite hunger strike scheduled to begin simultaneously at Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Siliguri and the Dooars tomorrow.
The GJMM has convened the indefinite fast to protest against the state government’s persistent denial to permit the GJMM hold a public rally in Siliguri in support of the Gorkhaland demand.
According to the GJMM general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, in Siliguri, the fasting venue would be the SDO office campus. “Eleven of our party members from the Sukna unit would stage the fasting agitation at the Siliguri SDO office campus from 10:30 am tomorrow,” Mr Giri said.
The SDO Siliguri, Mrs Smita Pandey, however, informed that the GJMM has not sought any permission to carry out the hunger strike in her office campus and hence, action would be taken if anyone was found violating the norms.
Meanwhile, the senior police officials out here held a series of meetings to discuss ways to tackle any untoward incident in Siliguri tomorrow in view of the GJMM’s proposed fast. According to Mr Rahul Sri-vastava, SP Darjeeling, additional police forces would be deployed at various sensitive locations in the town.

Court grants bail to US nationals

SILIGURI, April 30: The American mother-daughter duo arrested from the Bagdogra airport on 14 April for carrying live cartridges in their registered baggage has been released on bail.
Granting them conditional bail this afternoon, the Siliguri Additional Sessions Judge (First Court), Mr Justice Pinaki Ranjan Jha has asked the two women US nationals not to leave India till the case was disposed off and also to appear before the investigating officer (IO) after every 15-days.
The court has further ordered that the American women would not get back their passports and visas till the case was resolved and asked the IO to keep the same in his custody.
The American mother-daughter duo, Mrs Monica Bond (57) and Miss Heather Bond (37), hailing from Santa Barbara in California, were booked under Section 25 (i) (A) and 35 of the Arms Act 1959. [The Statesman]

Inquiry into 9 April clash to resume on 5 May

DARJEELING, April 30: The second phase of inquiry into the 9 April violence at Darjeeling More in which several ex-soldiers were injured in a clash with the police, would commence on 5 May at the Circuit House in Darjeeling.
Citing the three-day hearing arranged by the government from 21-23 April at Circuit House in Siliguri as insufficient, the GJMM had demanded a fifteen-day extension of the deposition period. The government had accepted the proposal and agreed to sit for deposition in the first week of May. However, the actual depo-sition of the witnesses and the victims will begin from 5 May. [The Telegraph]

CM may take steps against GJMM’s threat to boycott taxes

SILIGURI, April 30: The Darjeeling district CPI-M leadership today claimed here that chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has promised stern administrative measures against Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s threat to boycott central and state taxes and disrupt power supply in the Hills and the plains.
It may be mentioned here that the GJMM leader Mr Bimal Gurung announced a government tax boycott and BSNL and electricity bill boycott programme in the Darjeeling Hills and threatened to disrupt power supply from various Hill-based power projects to the plains as a protest against the state’s denial to grant permission to the GJMM to hold a rally in Siliguri.
CPI-M leaders Mr Ananda Pathak and party state committee member Mr Jibesh Sarkar today condemned the “terror tactics” being applied by the GJMM, especially on the CPI-M activists in the Hills. “ The GJMM has let loose a reign of terror in the name of a democratic movement. The Opposition, especially those connected with the CPI-M are being threatened and money is being extorted from the common people,” Mr Ananda Pathak alleged.
Coming down heavily on the GJMM Mr Sarkar said that the threat of disrupting power lines was part of a premeditated conspiracy to provoke a Hill-plain conflagration. “The chief minister has taken serious note of the threat along with the threat of boycotting central and state taxes. He has assured of strict administrative measures to curb such ‘infantile act’ on the part of GJMM,” Mr Sarkar added.

Citizens’ body to protest in Delhi against hydel project

GANGTOK, April 30: Members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), an apolitical body campaigning against the hydel project at Dzongu in North Sikkim district, has taken their campaign to New Delhi to draw the country’s attention to the plight of the affected people.
The ACT has sent a six-member delegation to New Delhi to join a three-day mahadharna being organised by anti-dam activist Ms Medha Patkar’s National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM) from 28-30 April.
The mahadharna is being organised to highlight the adverse effects of dams and hydel power projects across the country including those in Sikkim. ACT has been agitating against Dzongu Hydel Project since 20 June, 2007.
Patkar had promised to articulate ACT’s demands at the national level and invited the protesters to New Delhi to join the NAPM’s dharna and campaign on the environmental issues.

Parties criticise Asok’s request to tourists

DARJEELING, April 30: The state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya request to the tourists not to visit Darjeeling in view of the political situation in the Hills has fetched criticism from the political parties in the Hills.
“I have requested tourists not to visit Darjeeling now as the political situation in the hills is tense,” said Mr Bhattacharya. “Considering, the indefinite strike of state and Central government offices, the tourists will be inconvenienced if power and water supply is cut-off in the hills,” he added.
The statement comes as a follow-up to the GJMM chief Mr Bimal Gurung’s blackout threat against Siliguri by stalling work at the hydro-electric plants in the Hills. “It is highly irresponsible of him to make such comments. It is about time he is removed from his post for such provocative comments,” said Mr Roshan Giri, general secretary, GJMM.
Mr Giri claimed that tourist flow in Darjeeling was uninterrupted after Mr Gurung had assured that his party would not resort to any act that would hamper the tourist season in the Hills. “We assure the tourists not to listen to the minister and to come to Darjeeling,” appealed Mr Giri assuring the GJMM would take responsibility of their safety.
Commenting on the development, the All India Gorkha League president Mr Madan Tamang said: “If the government feels there is unrest in the Hills, it is its duty to control law and order rather than request the tourists against visiting. It is unbecoming of Mr Bhattacharya to make such comments.”
The AIGL leader was also critical of the GJMM’s indefinite strike at government offices. “Their strategy has not achieved anything except causing difficulty to the general public,” he said.

CPM twisting facts on Morcha rally issue : RSP

SILIGURI, April 30: The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) today alleged that the Darjeeling district CPI-M was deliberately twisting facts over the issue of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s rally in Siliguri.
“The CPI-M district leadership is confusing people over the issue, giving incorrect information in regard to RSP’s avowed stand regarding the controversy,” the RSP Darjeeling district leadership said.
The CPI-M state committee member from Siliguri Mr Jibesh Sarkar said yesterday that the RSP had thrown its full weight behind the state administration’s decision of not giving permission to the proposed GJMM rally in Siliguri at the district Left Front meeting on 27 April.
Criticising the CPI-M for misrepresentation of facts, Mr Bikash Sen Roy, a district committee member of the RSP, said today that the GJMM Siliguri rally issue had not been discussed at all at the last Darjeeling district Left Front meeting. “The issue was not on the meeting agenda and so the question of the RSP’s supporting the state administration in the matter does not arise,” the RSP leader said.
“I was present at the meeting and the agenda centred around the proposed Left Front programme of Human Chain on May Day. I was astonished to see the statement of Mr Jibesh Sarkar in the newspaper saying that the RSP had supported the state administration in this controversial matter,” Mr Sen Roy added.
Meanwhile, Mr Binay Chakravarty, the state committee member of the RSP said today that the CPI-M was quickly becoming isolated over the issue and is twisting the facts. [The Statesman]

Shun hills, Asok to tourists

April 30: Bengal minister Asok Bhattacharya today advised tourists to give Darjeeling a miss this season because of the turmoil in the hills, for which he blamed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“I earnestly request tourists not to head for Darjeeling this summer. The situation in the hills is too complicated,” Bhattacharya told reporters at the Writers’ Buildings. “Whenever tourists get stuck in the hills because of the Morcha’s demonstrations, police are forced to come to their rescue. It goes to show that the situation is far from normal.”

The Morcha, spearheading the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland, recently shut down all government offices in the hills for 14 days. Tourist facilities were kept outside the strike’s purview, but the toy train rides remained suspended.

Yesterday, no hired vehicles was available in Darjeeling town from 10am-2pm as Morcha-affiliated taxi drivers trooped off to a meeting of their association.

State home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner B L Meena would hold a meeting with Morcha leaders tomorrow to look into their demands. “A clear picture will emerge after the meeting,” Chakrabarti said.

Nathu-la trade put off

Gangtok, April 30: The annual reopening of Nathu-la for cross-border trade between India and China has been postponed following a landslide in the Yadong area of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The pass was to be declared open tomorrow.

The Union commerce ministry, in a last-minute communiqué to the Sikkim government this evening, said trade had been called off till further notice.

Ujwal Gurung, the director of the state commerce and industries department, said the new date for reopening was tentatively set on May 19. He added that the inaugural ceremony planned at Nathu-la tomorrow to welcome traders from TAR was also cancelled.

Officials said the landslide took place in between Renquinngang and the Donquinngang trade marts in the TAR. Traders in Sikkim said the landslide did not affect the movement of people and goods from Donquinngang to Sherathang on this side of the border. “However, TAR traders might find it difficult to arrive at Donquinngang,” they said.

“Business will definitely be affected because of the ongoing crisis in Tibet and there will be heavy security checks on both sides,” a Sikkim trader said. “It is doubtful if any trader on the TAR side will be coming to the Nathu-la pass tomorrow as many of them I spoke to talked about the problems triggered by landslide,” another trader said.

Although the postponement has been attributed to a natural calamity, traders here feel that the current turmoil in the TAR and the Chinese bid to take the Olympic flame to the Everest may also have contributed to the cancellation.

Last month, Tibetans from Darjeeling district and North-eastern states, including Sikkim, had protested at Rabgpo demanding passage to Nathu-la for entering the TAR. They pulled out after the Dalai Lama sent them instructions through his emissary.

Morcha sticks to fast plan

Darjeeling, April 30: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to go ahead with tomorrow’s hunger strike in Siliguri, although the administration is yet to give it permission for the programme.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said a letter was handed over to Darjeeling district magistrate Rajesh Pandey to inform him about the hunger strike in front of the Siliguri subdivisional office.

Pandey, however, said the issue would be looked into by Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner B.L. Meena after consultation with the Bengal government.

But, when contacted, Meena said permission for such programmes was usually given by the subdivisional officer (SDO) of the area concerned.

“We can only advise the SDO who is supposed to grant the actual permission. Anyway, there is time till tomorrow morning,” Meena said.

Tea prices on 6yr high- First flush from Dooars, Terai sells for Rs 90 per kilo

Siliguri, April 30: Consignments of first flush tea from the Dooars and Terai have fetched the best price in six years, thriving on a combination of high demand and low supply.

Figures obtained from the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre (STAC) suggest that this year’s tea is selling at an average price of Rs 91.18 per kilo in Sales 14-17 (see chart). “In the past five years, the average auction price never went over Rs 85 during this period,” said S.K. Saria, chairman, Siliguri Tea Auction Committee.

“The season’s first tea is generally put up for auction from the first week of April (Sale 14, the number corresponding to the week of the year),” Saria said. “A study of Sales 14-20 from 2003 till now shows that this year’s prices have been the best. This time, the average auction price in this period has as been as high as Rs 93.22 (Sale 14). The lowest is Rs 89.43 (Sale 17).”

The prices have been bullish at the Guwahati and Calcutta auction centres as well with this year’s average prices hovering about Rs 10 higher than that of last year. The average price in yesterday’s auction (Sale 18) in Calcutta was Rs 95.14, up from last year’s Rs 79.19, according to figures available with Parcon India Pvt. Ltd.

Bonds get bail with riders

Siliguri, April 30: The two American women caught earlier this month at the Bagdogra airport with bullets in their check-in baggage have been granted bail by a court here, ending their 16-day stay in jail.

Heather K. Bond and her mother Monica from Santa Barbara, California, will have to appear before the investigating officer of the case every fortnight, said their lawyer Abhaypada Chatterjee. Their passports and visas will be with police.

“It was excellent to hear from the lawyer that they have got the bail and would at least be out of jail now,” Heather’s boyfriend Sean McGaughey said over the phone from Santa Barbara.

Sean had earlier confessed that the ammunition belonged to him and had been inadvertently left in Heather’s backpack from an earlier trip the two had taken in the US.

The boyfriend added that he and Heather’s father Lawrence could not travel to India right away because of “certain constraints”. “We will, however, talk to the lawyers, people at the embassy and try to figure out when they (Heather and Monica) can return to the US,” he said.

‘Night eye’ lined up for Bagdogra

Bagdogra, April 30: Take-offs and landings at night and along with it international flights can commence at Bagdogra airport by Pujas this year, a survey by an Airports Authority of India (AAI) team has indicated.

At the conclusion of its two-day visit yesterday, the three-member team of the AAI site selection committee from Delhi felt that the installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) and approach lights “are feasible at Bagdogra airport”. For international airlines to operate from an airport, the availability of Category 1 ILS facilities is a must.

The ILS is a visual aid that helps pilots land and is particularly useful at night and in foggy conditions. “Without such aids, a pilot requires clear visibility of at least 2,400m. But if ILS is installed, this distance comes down to 800m,” said Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik.