Contraband worth Rs.7.1 mn seized from Bihar, Assam

FROM INDIA ENEWS

The central paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Monday said it seized narcotics and arms worth Rs.7.1 million in various operations carried out in Bihar and Assam last week.

In a statement here, the force said its personnel apprehended Navin Kumar Jha of Shivpuri village in Bihar and recovered nearly 400 gm of heroin from him.

“In similar operations, our personnel deployed at Sonbarsa seized 15 kg of charas (hashish), and nine kg and 168 kg of ganja (marijuana) at Bhiknathori and Sikta in West Champaran district of Bihar. Sleuths also recovered 4.7 kg of ganja in Madhubani area,” the statement said.

“In Tukrabasti in Assam, SSB personnel seized one country-made gun with 250 gm of gun powder and handed over the same to police. At Panitanki in Darjeeling district (of West Bengal), a patrolling party apprehended Mani Tamang with a gun and magazine,” it added.

The SSB said that in the past six months it had seized narcotics worth Rs.190 million, forest products worth Rs.40.66 million and fake currency amounting to Rs.9.45 million.

Press Club of Sikkim condemn Rateypani MLA’s statements against the local media

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK, July 20: The Press Club of Sikkim has highly objected to the statements made by Aita Singh Baraily, MLA, Rateypani, which was published in a local newspaper where he had mentioned that all journalists from Gangtok took bribes to report news.

Accusing that the local media never highlighted any developmental works carried out in his constituency, Mr Rasaily said that the reporters only wrote about such things only if they were paid money to do so. He had made this statement in a function held at Chewri Botey under Central Pendam constituency on July 18.
In a meeting today held today, the Press Club of Sikkim has strongly condemned the allegations made by the MLA and has sought an explanation from him for his deogratotary remarks which has resulted in tarnishing the image of the journalists.

The meeting also came up with a decision to seek an update of the investigation from the Sikkim Police on the recent attack on the reporters of Hamro Prajasakhti and Himalayan Mirror.

Candle light procession at Kurseong Motor Stand

Photo by Mohan Prasad [Himalaya Darpan]

Shyam Thapa exclusive interview with Soccer India

FROM DEHRADUN FOOTBALL

LINK SHARED BY AARDEE

The legendary Indian international known for his acrobatic goals along with his immaculate scoring skills made him one of the best Dehradun has produced.

Q. What do you attribute the success of Gorkha Brigade at National Level in 60’s and 70’s?

The reason behind Gorkha Brigade’s success was the exceptionally dedicated, disciplined and naturally gifted players. There was no such system as such but the players being mostly from army family backgrounds had a strong drive to work hard for their school /organization. [Inset: Shyam Thapa]

 

 

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Q. What role do you forsee for former footballers, officials and fans to revive Doon football? [Inset : Shyam Thapa with Pele]

Everyone that has been a part of Doon football should get together to urge the govt at the state level to support the Uttaranchal association financially. They should get together and discuss the past present and the future of football in the valley and work together to generate interest amongst the public towards football.

Q. Currently there is no prevelant system for harnessing youth talent. How do you think our football administrators should address the problem?

Former players should motivate youngsters and coach them whenever and however possible. In our time all we thought about was football. From school to district to state level competitions the feel was similar to that of Kolkata football.

A prayer for Gorkhaland

FROM MUMBAI MIRROR

LINK SHARED BY KAMAL PRADHAN

Siliguri: After declaring a one-month recess to an indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas, the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is now stressing on prayers to achieve their goal — a separate Gorkhaland state by 2010. [Inset: GJM Supremo inaugurating the month long multi religion prayer service for Gorkhaland.]

Hill people from all communities are participating in month-long prayers conducted by Khas Bharatiya Hitkari Sammelan (KBHS), an association of Nepali Brahmins and Kshatriyas that would continue till August 7, KBHS president R P Niroulla said.

JGM chief Bimal Gurung gave a call for a ‘dharmyuddha’ while inaugurating the religious programme at Mall in Darjeeling on July 7, Niroulla said.

“Gorkhaland is more a social issue than a political one. Throughout the monthlong prayer and puja, the hill people will be taking a vow to get back our territories spread between the rivers Sankash and Mechi,” he said.
Muslims, Christians, Buddhists were also praying everyday, general secretary of All Gorkha Minority Front, Ali Akhtar said.

Late Ramudamu’s body being cremated at the banks of Teesta River

Late Ramudamu’s body being cremated at the banks of Teesta River in the presence of common people and the leaders of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Children request Dawa Narbula to stand up for Gorkhaland

Children at Salugara take out a candle lite procession to convince Dawa Narbula to stand up for Gorkhaland. Photo by Bikram Sashankar [Himalaya Darpan]

NTPP to organise students’ meet

FROM THE HINDU

WARANGAL: The Nava Telangana Praja Party (NTPP) proposes to hold massive students’ meet on July 31 on Kakatiya University campus.

NTPP leader E. Peddi Reddy, who was here on Sunday to oversee the arrangements, said his party was striving to involve youth in the separate Telangana movement.

The party would try to build the people’s movement rather than contemplate on seats, votes or elections.

For the proposed students’ meet, youth from Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Adilabad and the surrounding districts would be invited to take part and associate themselves with the movement. Party leader T. Devender Goud would address the meeting as chief guest.

United fight

Mr. Reddy pointed out that his party strongly felt that all forces fighting for separate Telangana should unite before the ensuing elections to secure the goal.

“Congress has betrayed the people of Telangana and now the TDP is ready to deceive them. It will take some time for TDP leaders to realise and come out. To put a strong fight against the Congress and the TDP, all the parties and people’s organisations working for separate Telangana should join hands,” he said.

Yadav likely to be elected prez

FROM THE SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist today were busy in hectic parleys with fringe parties to muster support for their respective candidates in the re-polling for the presidential election scheduled for tomorrow morning. NC parliamentary party meeting had sought Maoists’ support for the party’s presidential candidate.

NC-UML-MJF backed presidential candidate Dr Ram Baran Yadav is likely to win the election if the pledged votes go in his favour.

The presidential election had to be re-scheduled after NC leader Dr Yadav and Maoist candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh backed by Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party failed to secure a majority vote out of the existing 594 Constituent Assembly members.

Yadav secured 283 votes and Singh 270,which were short for the majority vote of 298. Rastriya Janamorcha leader Chitra Bahadur KC, who boycotted yesterday’s presidential voting, said today that his party would support Dr Yadav as he is against the concept of One Madhes-One Pradesh.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had asked him to back the NC candidate. Ganesh Sah of CPN-United, which has five seats, also publicly announced his party’s decision to back Dr Yadav. He made this announcement at a programme at the Reporters’ Club. RPP president Pashupati Shumshere Rana told this daily that his party was in favour of consensus and his eight CA members would support Yadav.

Lonely life as commoner for Nepal’s former king

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

KATHMANDU: With few friends coming to visit and his son and one-time heir now living in Singapore, the new life of Nepal’s ousted king as a commoner is by all accounts a lonely, meditative one. [Inset: The former King. Photo. blog.np]

Former king Gyanendra spends his time writing poetry, praying, surfing the Internet and taking walks in the forest around the Nagarjun hunting lodge where he lives just outside the capital Kathmandu, guards and his spiritual adviser said. “The former king has been spending most of his time inside the bungalow,” said a military guard at the lodge. “Occasionally I have seen him sitting in front of a computer or reading books. The place is quiet.” Kanchha Shrestha, who runs a small sweet stall opposite the guarded gates of the reserve, has also noticed a lack of activity at the lodge.

“I haven’t seen many people coming to visit except some former royal secretaries,” said Shrestha, adding that the ex-king rarely left the premises. “Sometimes he leaves once a week, sometimes once in 15 days.” Those outings are most likely to involve visits to his elderly step-mother, in her 80s, who continues to live in Narayanhiti Palace in the heart of the city.

The concubine of Gyanendra’s grandfather, in her 90s, also continues to reside at the palace, which was turned into a museum after the king’s departure last month. Gyanendra’s new life looks set to become even quieter after his son, former crown prince Paras, left for Singapore earlier this month. The departure was followed by that of Paras’ wife and three children on Thursday.

Maoists may not form govt: Baidhya

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: CPN-Maoist leader Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ today said his party would not be a part of the new government if the Maoist-backed presidential candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh lost the election tomorrow.

Addressing an interaction here today, he said Maoists’ effort for collaboration with the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML could not yield fruit, as both the parties failed to agree with the Maoists on certain issues. “We are fed up with power equation game. We will not be upset if others can forge alliance and form the government,” Baidya said, adding that the power should be taken as an opportunity to serve the people, not to meet personal desires. Baidya said even if the Maoists did not become a part of the government, their commitment to peace process and writing of a new constitution would remain intact.

Nepali Congress spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC said the new alliance between NC, UML and the MJF was only for presidential election and was not aimed at stopping the Maoists from forming the government. He said the Maoists were adopting a policy to use and throw the opponents and therefore a new alliance was necessary to rein in their authoritarian behaviour.

KC said the Maoists were lobbying to integrate all 20,000 Maoist soldiers into the Nepal Army and dreaming of an October Revolution later.

UML leader Bhim Rawal said his party wanted to have an alliance with the Maoists but they could not succeed after the Maoists tried to forge an alliance with non-leftist forces.

Nepal party sees a plot in Aarushi murder case

FROM THE HINDU

LINK SHARED BY AARDEE

Kathmandu: A political party here has alleged that the two Nepal nationals, Krishna Thapa and Raj Kumar, arrested in connection with the Aarushi murder case were falsely implicated. It would raise the issue in the Himalayan nation’s parliament.

Rastriya Jana Morcha (RJM) chairman Chitra Bahadur K.C. alleged that the two were falsely accused by the CBI in the case.

The party’s general secretary and former Parliament member, Dilaram Acharya, said a conspiracy was hatched by the CBI to give Rajesh Talwar, Aarushi’s father and an accused in the case, a clean chit.

“There was a plot to involve innocent Nepalese house workers in the case,” he said. The party would approach the Nepal government and National Human Rights Commission to save the two.

Czech scientists to move court for bail: Lawyer

FROM THE HINDU

Siliguri (PTI): The two arrested Czech scientists would soon move bail petition in the court as the Darjeeling Bar Association might withdraw the ceasework and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) calling off their shut down programme in all government offices and courts in the Darjeeling hills from Monday.

The two Czech scientists – Petr Svacha and his assistant Kucera are in the District Correctional Home since their arrest on June 22 for illegally collecting beetles, moths and butterflies from Singalika National Park in Darjeeling.

They could not move bail petitions following GJM-sponsored shut down in all government offices including the court and also because of cease work called by Darjeeling Bar Association, Advocate Dinesh Chandra Rai, defence lawyer for the duo told PTI on Sunday.

Rai claimed that Darjeeling Bar Association might withdraw the cease work it has been observing since July 6 apprehending that some power Darjeeling District and Session Judge was being shifted to the Additional District and Session Judge, Siliguri.

The GJM has called off their shut down programme in all state and central government offices from Monday.

On July 21 “naturally the two hurdles, ceasework by lawyers and GJM’s shut down programme are expected to be removed, so the bail petitions of the Czech scientists could be moved in the court” Rai said.

Presidential run-off today in Nepal

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

KATHMANDU, July 20: With the Presidential poll run-off set for tomorrow after the two main Indian-origin candidates failed to garner clear majority, Nepal’s major parties were today engaged in cajoling fringe groups to vote for them in the historic ballot for the coveted post.

Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Mr Ram Baran Yadav, an ethnic Madhesi leader who was widely expected to win yesterday’s Presidential poll in the 594-member Constituent Assembly, fell short of 15 votes to attain the magic figure of 298 required to get elected as the head of the state in place of the ousted King Gyanendra.

Mr Yadav, who was backed by the CPN-UML and the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), polled 12 votes more than Maoist candidate Mr Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who was earlier perceived as the front-runner. “As per … the Interim Constitution, none of the candidates bagged a clear majority to win, so I have fixed 8 am Monday for a run-off poll between the two top candidates,” CA chair Mr Kul Bahadur Gurung said at a meeting of the House held immediately after the vote count was completed.

Both Nepali Congress and Maoists were busy wooing smaller parties today to secure the backing for their respective Presidential candidates. Nepali Congress leader Mr Gopal Man Shrestha said that his party and CPN-UML have started discussions with smaller parties to get their support for Mr Yadav.

Majhi community seek economic and social benefits

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

RANGPO, July 18: The Akhil Sikkim Majhi Schedule Caste Association has come forward demanding upliftment of their economic conditions and other rights.

RM Majhi, President, Akhil Sikkim Majhi Schedule Caste Association has requested the State Government, especially the Chief Minister to take into consideration their long pending demands for economic upliftment and other social and political rights as well.

Stating that the Schedule Caste Welfare Board has distributed tailoring machines to the members of the SC community engaged in tailoring profession, the Majhi community too has asked for similar benefits. Since the members of the Majhi community are traditionally fishermen and work and live near the riversides, they have requested the State Government to provide them with equipments like rafts to take up river rafting as a means of livelihood.

Mr. Majhi said that a memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister on May 1 earlier this year with their demands. He has also thanked the SDF government for including him in the district level committee of the party.

Bomb hoax at Bagdogra airport

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

By Bappaditya Paul

SILIGURI, July 20: Famed worldwide for its aroma – the Darjeeling tea can sometimes spill out of its usual domain of a cup and cause some real storm in the outer world! Confused! Well, then ask the authorities at the Bagdogra airport near Siliguri who had to spend two hours and forty-five minutes in utter anxiety today, all for an air passenger’s ‘unattended’ love for the Darjeeling brew.

It was at around 11:45 a.m. that the ground staff at the departure lounge of Bagdogra airport spotted an unattended paper carton. The Deccan flight for Delhi via Guwahati had just left the airport then and there was little crowd at the ground floor departure lounge.  Without touching the paper carton that measured about one feet eight inches, the airport ground staff made an announcement asking for its missing owner. But when even after repeated announcements on the public address system, nobody came forward to claim the unattended carton, fear gripped the staff.

They immediately brought the matter to the notice of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), entrusted for airport security and the bomb detection and disposal squad of CID.  “The fear was that it (the carton) could be a bomb planted to cause damage to the airport and hence, without taking any chance we summoned the bomb disposal squad, said Mr KK Bhowmick, director, Bagdogra airport. The bomb detection and disposal squad arrived at the airport at about 1:30 p.m. along with the necessary apparatus to detect and dispose off explosives. They squad members soon plunged into action and moved out all the airport staff from the departure lounge and its adjacent areas.

Govt mum on use of GL number plates

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, July 20: Indicating an undercurrent of compromise, the administration kept mum when vehicles of GJMM central committee members within the proposed territory of Gorkhaland discarded WB for GL number plates from 7 July. But government representatives seem reluctant to follow suit when it is their turn to do the same.

Entering the second phase of the programme, the All Transport Joint Action Committee, Darjeeling (ATJAC) declared today that all government vehicles would be pressurised to bear GL plates from tomorrow. “Almost 48 vehicles over Darjeeling district are using such plates till date. From 21 July we will press the government vehicles to put on GL plates and notification letters have already been sent to concerned departments informing them of our decision”, said ATJAC president Mr Narbu Lama.

As long as it involved the GJMM supporters, the task of replacing WB with GL plates has been an easy task. Yet their real challenge lies in persuading the protectors of law who have so far only verbally considered the act ‘illegal’. “It is an illegal activity and anything illegal is unacceptable to us. We will not take orders from just about anybody,” countered DM Mr Rajesh Pandey when asked if he would sport a GL number plate.

With the indefinite closure of government offices lifted up from tomorrow, ATJAC is determined to impose the GJMM’s verdict on government vehicles too. “The shutdown of offices had made it impossible to implement our programme but now that it has been lifted we will press government vehicles to put on GL plates from tomorrow,” Mr. Lama said.

Political bigwigs meet for an alternative highway in Sikkim

FROM THE STATESMAN

GANGTOK, July 20: Sikkim wants an alternative highway through Nepal or Bhutan as a solution for the present political disturbances in West Bengal that has frequently blocked the present NH, 31A linked to Sikkim.

Regarding the present situation, the state CM Mr. Pawan Chamling met Mr. Brahm Dutt, union secretary for ministry of surface transport at his residence in Gangtok yesterday. The CM stressed that, Sikkim being a landlocked state faces lot of problem during political upheavels in the neighbouring state and also frequent landslides during monsoons block the NH 31A causing huge inconvenience to the people of Sikkim. “Road connectivity is essential for promoting tourism in the state as Sikkim does not have an Airfield as of now and hence supply of essential commodities gets affected due to its frequent closure” said Mr. Chamling. “Sikkim is a progressive state and the need for an independent alternative highway is a necessity for us,” he added.

Mr. Chamling also suggested for a possibility of an alternative highway through either Nepal or Bhutan. Meanwhile Mr Dutt said, our team of officials will definitely find a solution to the highway problem and will soon look into the proposal. He also suggested a team to be set up comprising of officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) and Border Road Organisation (BRO) and officials from the ministry of surface transport, to work out the modalities for the new alignment of an alternative highway from eastern Sikkim via Bhutan.

Sikkim to have its own university

FROM THE STATESMAN

GANGTOK, July 20: There is good news for the students of Sikkim now for one doesn’t need to go outside the state for higher studies as the state is building its own world class university. The Sikkim University, as it is called has already started its academic session by introducing some courses from this month and the varsity is changing the entire syllabus to foster the students with more capability.

“This will be a world class university as we have brought university experts from over the world to design the best syllabus,” claimed Mr Mahindra P Lama vice chancellor of the University. “The university will be interdisciplinary as any students can attend any other class beyond his subjects. For example, physics students can attend commerce classes and vice-versa and it will be called non-credit course” he added.

The academic processes will be divided into three different multidisciplinary learning courses including traditional, non-traditional and policy studies. “Traditional goes with regular streams like science, commerce and humanities; non-traditional is the studies of global warming, military science, air space etc and policy studies includes reports of Nathu La, glacier melting, policy analysis and many other current issues,” said Mr Lama. “This will not only give degree certificate but the students will have degree plus certificate after they pass out from the university” he added.

The university is inviting all the big colleges and universities from over the world including engineering, MBBS and management universities. There will be different study centres in the university like centre for globalisation studies, centre for neighbour studies and centre for international relation studies.

New traffic units for smooth flow

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A traffic constable on duty at Darjeeling More in Siliguri. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, July 20: In a bid to control the movement of vehicles more smoothly, Siliguri Traffic Police has introduced traffic guard posts (TGP) at five different spots in and around the town. The new units have been set up at Venus More, Panitanki More, Jalpai More, Darjeeling More and Bagdogra’s Bihar More.

“The main objective of the initiative is to decentralise the traffic system and to ensure that vehicle flow is controlled more easily and with perfection,” said Prasanta Chando, the Siliguri deputy superintendent of police (traffic).

The posts began functioning recently and this is the first time in north Bengal and fourth in the state that such traffic controlling system has been introduced.

“The system was first launched in Calcutta. Later, it was introduced in Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, mainly because of the traffic congestion in the suburbs of the state capital,” said Chando.

Each TGP has a strength of 15 traffic police personnel, of whom one is a sub-inspector and two are assistant sub-inspectors, while the rest are constables. The TGPs are currently equipped with a walkie-talkie and three bikes. All posts are monitored through the traffic control room near Siliguri Air View More and the DSP (traffic) is the overall in-charge.

“We have included the Bagdogra and North Bengal University area under the jurisdiction of Siliguri Traffic. So, the Bagdogra-based TGP is now controlling the traffic in the Bagdogra Airport, Shivmandir, NBU and Matigara areas,” said Chando.

Hill town mourns Ramudamu death

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Mourners at the Motor Stand on Sunday. (Suman Tamang)

Darjeeling, July 20: Hundreds of people lined up and traders downed their shutters here for the funeral of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha vice-president K.S. Ramudamu today. The 78-year-old passed away in Calcutta on July 17.

Pathpasala Sangh, a traders’ organisation in the hill town, had decided to keep the shops closed only till 12 noon. “We have decided to down our shutters till the body leaves Darjeeling,” Dinesh Gurung, the adviser to the Sangh said.

However, even after the body was taken to the banks of the Teesta around 11.30am for the cremation, residents preferred to keep the town shut for the day with traders maintaining that there was no point opening the shops as these had remained closed for the entire morning. “It is also out of respect for the leader,” said Ajay Singh, a businessman.

The town wore a deserted look throughout the day although vehicles plied. However the traffic was less than normal today.

The mourners lined up at Motor Stand after the body was brought from Ramudamu’s residence on Guddi Road about 8am. The body was flown to Darjeeling on Saturday. The leader is survived by two daughters and a son.

All the Morcha leaders, including president Bimal Gurung, took part in the funeral procession.

Considered as a heavyweight leader of the Scheduled Caste, Ramudamu had earned the sobriquet “Gorkha Ambedkar” in Darjeeling because of his “tireless work” for the community. He was the president of the All India Nepali Schedule Caste Association and also the chief of the Darjeeling and Dooars Schedule Caste and Tribe Welfare Forum.

Push to border road

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, July 20: Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya today laid the foundation stone for the upgrade of the Fulbari Bazar-Fulbari road into three lanes, which will pave the easy flow of goods from here to Bangladesh.

“The Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) will spend Rs 2.67 crore on the construction of the 2km road which will be completed within one year,” said Bhattacharya, who is also the chairman of the body.

The three-lane will link State Highway-12A — connecting Siliguri to Jalpaiguri — to Fulbari Land Customs Station, which is 8km from Siliguri and on the border with Bangladesh.

The minister said after the construction of the road, one more truck terminal would be set up at the customs station. He added that go-downs would also be set up there.

Currently, the route is used only by traders from Nepal and Fulbari customs officials monitor the movement of the goods transported by them. The traders in and around Siliguri export goods to Bangladesh through Changrabandha border, which is located about 80km from here.

The other two nearest border points through which goods could be sent to Bangladesh are Hilli and Mehdipur, located about 300km and 250km away respectively.

Tourist spot to take on Kalimpong dumpyard

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, July 20: If everything goes according to plan, the Bhalukhop dumpyard along Melli Road here could metamorphose into a tourist hotspot complete with a viewpoint, a coffee house and an art and craft centre.

Dumping Ground Development Committee (DGDC) comprising residents of Bhalukhop and neighbouring areas has submitted a proposal to this effect to the Union ministry of micro, mini and small-scale industry.

“We are seeking funds under the rural infrastructure development programme of the ministry. The Bhalukhop gram panchayat has approved the plan and the DGDC will execute the project, the estimated cost of which is Rs 22 lakh,” said Bishnu Chhteri, a member of the committee.

The viewpoint will be constructed on the main heap of the dumpyard, while the coffee house and arts and crafts centre will come up 200 metres away.

“The plan is to use bamboo for all construction purposes. The coffee house and art and crafts centre will be in a two-storied structure,” said Chhetri.

The committee has already started constructing boundary wall around the site, with the local residents contributing to the cost. “Since it could take some time before the project is approved, we decided to go ahead with the construction of the boundary wall with our own money,” said Yogendra Ghattani, another committee member.

Chhetri said they had already sounded the Guwahati-based Cane and Bamboo Technology Centre for lending its expertise on bamboo construction.

“An official of the centre was here a few days back, and gave us a very positive response,” said Chhetri.

The benefits of using bamboo as the main construction material, Chhetri said, were twofold: one, it is environment-friendly and cost effective; and two, since bamboo is available in plenty in Kalimpong, local people will stand to benefit economically if the material is sourced from them.