Today’s Beacon Online Exclusive Wallpaper

Photo by Barun Roy

Gorkha Girls in their Glittering Best – A Photo Feature

Photo by Barun Roy

Darjeeling Himalayan Trainz

Sunil Chettri – India’s Player of the Year in Action!

Exclusive Photos from AP Photo by GURINDER OSAN

Syria’s Ali Dyeb looks on as India’s Sunil Chettri, right tries to control the ball in the final of the Nehru Cup soccer tournament in New Delhi, India. India defeated Syria 1-0 to win the cup.

India’s Sunil Chettri tries to restrain Syria’s Zeen Alabeden Al Fandi in the final of the Nehru Cup soccer tournament in New Delhi, India. India defeated Syria 1-0 to win the cup.

Sunil Chetri (born August 3, 1984 in Delhi, India) is an Indian professional football player. He plays in the Forward position and is known for his high work rate, ball control and shooting. Chetri has played for Mohun Bagan, JCT FC. He was selected the AIFF Player of the Year 2007 for his excellent performances for his club and country.

India ready to stop Gorkha recruitment, if Nepal wants

New Delhi, May 26: The Special Envoy of the Prime Minister and former Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Shyam Saran, has said that India is ready to stop Gorkha recruitment if the Nepal Government wants it to.

Speaking at a talk programme organised at Indian International Center here, Saran also made it clear that India would suffer no “practical impact” by discontinuing the recruitment of Nepali nationalists in Gorkha regiments.

Saran, however, added that the recruitment has been continued with because of the “special relations” enjoyed by India and Nepal.

Stopping the recruitment of all Nepali nationals in Gorkha regiments in India and U.K features at the top of the priority list of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) party which has emerged as the biggest party after the Constituent Assembly (CA) election.

Some 40,000 Nepalese are currently serving in the Indian Gorkha regiments. [ANI]

Follow-up on the Darjeeling cull

A media release from the government’s Press Information Bureau: Avian influenza in West Bengal: Situational report as on 25-5-2008.

West Bengal

[Kurseong Block of Darjeeling District notified on 09.05.2008 and Bijanbari Block, Darjeeling District on 16.05.2008]

A population of 34,743 in the 0-3 Km area and a population of 9,342 in the 3-10 km area are under active surveillance. A total of 44 (27 in 0-3 km and 17 in 3-10 km area) cases of fever and upper respiratory tract infection have been detected. None of them have contact with sick/ dead poultry.

In the identified health facility 52 cases of fever and upper respiratory tract infection have reported. Two of them are under observation.

196 Cullers / Veterinary staff are under medical observation and continue to be on chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir

Awareness programme on avian influenza is continuing in the affected area through miking, pamphlet distribution and posters jointly by Animal Health and Human Health Departments.

There is adequate stock of oseltamivir and PPE with the District authorities.

There is no suspect case of human avian influenza.

The situation is being monitored.

Hoteliers hooked on Bengal hills

Calcutta, May 25: Hospitality companies are developing the tourism potential of north Bengal by investing both in the established destinations and in lesser known spots. [Inset: Beauty beckons]

Companies such as Sinclairs Hotels and Ambuja Realty are creating tourism circuits through properties in the lesser known spots.

Tourism in the region suffers from poor infrastructure facilities — the roads are not up to the mark, the region’s Bagdogra airport is open for a limited period to civilian flights and there are government restrictions on tea gardens engaged in alternative activities.

“We have acquired 4.5 acre for our Kalimpong property and work will start soon. It is not easy to get contiguous land in hilly areas. Even domestic tourists who come here from other states would want a complete package comprising different destinations. Therefore, we want to build our own tourist circuit in north Bengal with various properties and market packages,” said Navin Suchanti, CEO and managing director of Sinclairs Hotels.

Sinclairs already has properties at Chalsa, Siliguri and Darjeeling. It is scouting for land in Gangtok and at Pelling and Yumthang in Sikkim.

Each of these properties will have about 50 rooms and be equipped with modern amenities, including conference facilities.

“We are also in the process of discussing with gardens for alliances in marketing and tea tourism activities. When tourists come to these places, we will promote the chosen gardens with various activities and also look at other activities in the region, be it wildlife, river rafting or golf,” Suchanti said.

Calcutta-based Sinclairs will invest Rs 200 crore in Bengal in the next five years, of which a significant portion will go into its properties in north Bengal. Each of them will require an investment of Rs 10-15 crore.

Where Land Rovers never die

By Alastair Lawson
BBC News

The north-eastern Indian hill area of Darjeeling is renowned throughout the world for the quality of its tea.

But now Darjeeling is being noted for the quality of another of its enduring assets: a collection of Land Rovers driven by locals for the last 50 years.

Many of the vehicles have been used and abused for the last half-century without locals being aware of their value in the West.

Experts say that some used as taxis could be worth in excess of $38,000.

Taxis

“Darjeeling is a Land Rover lover’s dream,” says expert Les Roberts.

“Some of the long-wheel base models being driven around the streets of the town are series one vehicles manufactured in the UK in between 1956 and 1958. [Inset: Right - We did not realise our Land Rovers may well be valuable collectors' items says Darjeeling Land Rover driver Suman Gorkha]

“Only around 100 or so exist in Britain, and only around 500 worldwide. Of these only a few are in working order, which is why they would be worth so much money in the West.”

Yet it seems the owners of the Darjeeling Land Rovers may be unaware just how valuable their vehicles may be.

“We use them as taxis to earn a living,” said driver Suman Gorkha.

“Obviously we keep them well-maintained because they provide us with a living, but it has never occurred to us that outside of Darjeeling they could be worth a lot of money.”

Experts say that the vehicles were exported to Darjeeling throughout the late 1950s.

HIGHER EDUCATION APATHY, UMEMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN GORKHALAND

By Bibek Sharma

Bibek Sharma is present a Research Assistant at Texas Tech University, United States

While reading a recent article on a local vernacular language newspaper I came across a new item about the alarming state of drug addiction among young generation in Darjeeling hills. The next obvious question was Why? As with any social problem there lays a bigger devil somewhere hidden in the dark. It is no news that unemployment among the youths in Darjeeling is at an all time high. Unemployment and associated stress makes these youth vulnerable to the world of drugs and drug addiction. However, since we currently reside in a world of competitive edge the next question which becomes obvious in why are they unemployed? The answer in my personal suggestion is simple. It is because they are ‘undereducated.’ Due to the absence of any kind of educational establishment which provide professional degrees and diplomas in Darjeeling these youths have to settle with basic degrees in science, commerce, or arts streams. These degrees have long past their point of saturation in terms of healthy employment opportunities. Adding fuel to this problem is also the fact that we reside in the state of West Bengal wherein our youths have to face stiff completion from their plains counterpart for the few jobs left in the above stated fields. The present era is and era of information technology and biomedical research. With the increased dependence of world economies on computers, developed as well as developing countries are always in look out for computer programmers, software and hardware professionals. Diagnosis of emerging diseases, manufacture of life saving drugs, gene manipulations for production of disease resistant and high yielding varieties of crops in another line of active research and employment generator. Unfortunately, since Darjeeling does not have any professional university to boast of our youths fail to garner knowledge in these emerging fields. Added to this is the fact that the current school of politicians from Darjeeling as well as state level politicians completely overlook such an important issue facing the youths of Darjeeling. They I believe are more engrossed in their personal ego satisfying fights and care less about the pressing problems of Darjeeling. I personally believe that when we have our dream land Gorkhaland it should be prosperous and the youth of Darjeeling should be in a position to lead. Our youths should be armored with a professional education and this can only be achieved by emphasizing a need for good Higher education institution.

Gangtok prays for China earthquake victims

GANGTOK, May 25: Tibetans living in exile in Gangtok today mourned and offered prayers (photograph on the left ) for those killed in the recent earthquake in China. “We don’t have any personal grudge with Chinese people and we are not against any of them but we are against Chinese government and its policy towards Tibet and Tibetans” said Mr Zimba Pintso, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC). “So for the sake of humanity we have gathered here to mourn and pray for all the Chinese victims” , he added.

“We all have been instructed from the Tibetan government not to organise any kind of protest against Chinese government this month as they are facing big problems” Mr. Pintso said adding that “We will start our protest after this month till the Olympic ends in China” he said.

However, one woman who strongly supported the Tibetan issue said she would not like to offer her condolences to the victims’ families. “I did not agree to any kind of prayers for Chinese people earlier, because we all have seen Chinese atrocities towards our brethrens in Tibet recently which are unpardonable”, said Mrs. Dolma Tshering. About 110 Tibetan monks lit butter lamps and read their Buddhist text and more than 500 Tibetans in exile gathered here for prayers as part of their mourning at Tshukachum Hall and had a daylong prayer in Gangtok today organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress. [The Statesman]

Climate and Tourist Seasons

By Barun Roy

For all practical purposes Darjeeling’s four seasons are Spring, the Rainy Season, Autumn and Winter.

After a short and cold winter, Spring comes gracefully in as a blessing. Gentle mists occasionally mingled with light rain take the place of the heavy winter fog. The sky though never completely clear of clouds is still clear enough to give a succession of cool calm days. It is during these months (April to June) that Darjeeling enjoys the first tourist season. The whole town is ablaze with colour; in every garden small or big, there is a profusion of flowers: Rhododendron, Magnolia, Gladioli, Tiger Lilies, Hydrangeas, Sweet peas, Corn flowers, Roses and Dahlias, all combine to deck Darjeeling out as the real ‘Queen’. The climax of the season is the Annual Flower Show, with entries pouring in from all over the District. This the time of the year, too, when the various mountaineering expeditions set out, on the trail of high adventure.

The rainy season starts from late June and is usually over by the end of August. About a 100 inches, or more, of rain falls during these months, the heaviest rain-fall usually being during July. With the end of the Rainy Season by the end of August, autumn starts gradually creeping in from September. Darjeeling’s second Tourist Season is during these Autumn months of SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER and MID-NOVEMBER. The weather at this time of the year is Darjeeling’s best, cool languid days with hardly a cloud in a sky of clear and uninterrupted blue; near by slopes a luxuriant green with blue hills shimmering across the valley and the mighty Kanchenjunga Range stands as a majestic background towering over every thing. Vistas of unrivalled beauty are presented to the visitors. Skating Carnivals, Dog Shows, Dramatic performances, the Annual Sports days and Fetes of the various schools and of the District, all combine to make these the ‘magic months’ for Darjeeling.

MPs promise Nathu-la aid

Gangtok, May 25: Members of the parliamentary standing committee on commerce today assured the Sikkim government and the business community that they would do whatever necessary to upgrade infrastructure at Nathu-la and expand the list of items for border trade.

“Traders (in Sikkim) need not worry. The country stands by them and the Union commerce and industries ministry will definitely come forward to improve the infrastructure on the border,” said E. Ponnuswamy, the leader of the five-member committee which visited the border pass at 14,400feet and the Sherathang trade mart.

Regarding the demand for the expansion of the present list of items, which are permitted to be traded through the pass, Ponnuswamy said the government had already been told about the matter and the “committee is alive to the demand”.

The standing committee was on a two-day tour of Sikkim to acquire a first hand information on the infrastructure required for the border trade between Sikkim and the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The Nathu-la border was reopened on May 19 for the trade after the winter period.

The MPs, who arrived yesterday, were accompanied by a team of officials of the commerce and industries ministry and the Rajya Sabha secretariat. The customs commissioner for West Bengal and Sikkim was also present during the tour with his deputies.

Funds to boost table tennis

Siliguri, May 25: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation and North Bengal Table Tennis Association have decided to create a fund to help the budding players who face financial constraints in enhancing or displaying their skills.

After successfully organising the National Table Tennis Championship here in December 2007, the SMC and the association had a surplus amount of Rs 5 lakh. According to Bengal minister for urban and municipal affairs Asok Bhattacharya, who was the chief patron of the tournament, Rs 1.20 lakh was earmarked to meet the expenses incurred by those players who fail to get sponsors. A three-member committee, consisting of the minister himself, the mayor, Bikash Ghosh, and paddler Mantu Ghosh, was formed to manage the fund.

Of the surplus money, Rs one lakh each has been given to the Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad and North Bengal Table Tennis Association. The rest of the amount would be spent to buy 12 table tennis boards.

Ghosh, the first Arjuna awardee from the region, said the fund would be of great help to the promising players who found it difficult to arrange money for foreign trips. [The Telegraph]

RBU courses from June- Remembering the poet

Siliguri, May 25: The north Bengal campus of Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) will start functioning from as early as next month. [Inset: Rabindra Bharati University vice-chancellor Karunasindhu Das inaugurates the Rabindra-Nazrul Janma Jayanti in Siliguri on Sunday. Picture by Kundan Yomo]

Karunasindhu Das, vice-chancellor of RBU, said today the campus would operate from the Rahul Sankrityana Bhawan of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education near North Bengal University for the time being.

“To begin with, we will offer courses on Rabindrasangeet and visual arts,” he said. “After we are able to set up a new campus of our own, we will offer courses in dance, drama and music.”

Das was accompanied by Amit Mukherjee, registrar of the RBU, and Aditya Prasad Mitra, dean of the department of visual arts.

Special cell to probe murder of Abhishek

Siliguri, May 25: Police have formed a special investigation team to trace the murderers of Abhishek Chachan, a call centre employee whose body was found here yesterday.

The team comprises officers-in-charge of the Phansidewa and Matigara police stations as well as the inspector-in-charge of Pradhannagar. Pradip Dutta, the deputy superintendent of police in Siliguri, will lead the team, which will submit its preliminary report within two days.

A resident of Deshbandupara here, Abhishek (19) was a student of Siliguri College of Commerce.

He had left his home around 11am on Thursday to get a computer keyboard repaired but did not return. The police recovered his decomposed body at Liucipokhri, 20km from the town, yesterday morning.

Even 36 hours after the body was found, the police are still clueless about why Abhishek was killed and why the ransom calls were made to his parents after he was murdered.

“We are investigating all possible angles. We are also talking to the relatives and friends of the deceased,” said Rahul Srivastav, the Darjeeling district police chief. But the official failed to throw any light on the motive behind the murder. “All we can say is that the motive is not clear to us,” he added.

The students’ organisation, traders and other associations have condemned the youth’s murder and urged the police to immediately arrest the culprits responsible for the killing.

Incentives for investors in ‘green’ power

Siliguri, May 25: The government has formed the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Limited to boost private investments in non-conventional energy sources like wind, biomass, solar and water. [Inset: A file picture of street lights in Calcutta using solar power]

Sunil Mitra, the additional chief secretary of power and non-conventional energy resources, said: “The new enterprise will be promoted by the West Bengal Power Development Corporation, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited and the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency, which will have 45, 30 and 25 per cents shares respectively and work under our department.”

Mitra was here to attend an interactive session with entrepreneurs organised by the north Bengal zonal council of the CII.

“Considering the incentives available for entrepreneurs in this sector like depreciation of assets (created for a non-conventional energy source unit which is to be included in expenditure) for five years, lower rate of income tax and advance withdrawal of carbon credits, we feel this is an emerging sector where private investors can be invited,” he said.

An Indian company can get carbon credit under the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 for each tonne of carbon dioxide that it can cut down on.

‘Bad-year’ fund for small tea

Siliguri, May 25: The Union ministry of commerce and industries has created a fund to compensate small growers of tea, coffee, rubber and tobacco for crop loss and low prices. [Inset: A woman plucks tea in an estate in Kurseong. There are no small growers in the hills, so the workers will not get insurance cover from the Centre. Picture by Vivek Singh]

The Price Stabilisation Fund Trust, formed by the ministry, has also floated accidental insurance cover for the small growers and their workers.

Small growers are those with plantation area of not more than four hectares.

“A corpus of Rs 500 crore has been created by the Centre for this purpose,” Amit Chatterjee, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Trust posted in Delhi, said here. “Small growers will be paid compensation in bad years, when prices are low.”

CM rejection prompts cry for ‘final battle’ – Core panel not consulted

Darjeeling, May 25: The central committee of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was till today unaware of Bimal Gurung’s demand to dissolve the DGHC.

So long, this brand of politics was associated with Subash Ghisingh alone: the GNLF chief was known to take decisions on his own without consulting his party members. “Now, it seems to have trickled into the Morcha as well,” said a political observer.

Soon after the Morcha president made the announcement in Siliguri, a number of central committee leaders, expressed surprise at being left out of the latest development. Most of the leaders denied having any knowledge about the announcement, even after it was made.

Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “The central committee will definitely endorse the resolution. After all, our party president has announced the same thing in the news conference. This council is becoming a hindrance in attaining statehood.”

The demand to dissolve the council would have serious ramifications as about 8,000 employees have been working with the DGHC on a six-month contract for the past 20 years.

Down with DGHC: Morcha – Council: a stumbling block to statehood

Siliguri, May 25: The Gorkha Jammukti Morcha as part of its “final battle” wants the DGHC to be dissolved. Party president Bimal Gurung today threatened to give a call in the hills to disregard the council, as it has become a stumbling block to attaining a separate state.

The decision, if ratified by the Morcha central committee, would lead to the boycott of all DGHC activities, Gurung added.

The threat follows the chief minister’s response to the Morcha demand for Gorkhaland. A four-member Morcha delegation had met Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee last week and presented him with a map of the proposed areas — Darjeeling, Siliguri, the Dooars and the Terai — of the new state. The chief minister rejected the statehood demand and instead asked the Morcha to sit for talks so that DGHC could be strengthened through amendments.