Nathu La border trade gains momentum

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Gangtok, Aug 20 (PTI) Border trade between India and China through Nathu La has gained momentum, with the country’s export turnover in the last month alone indicating a significant growth. According to figures released by the Sikkim Commerce and Industries Department, the turnover of export from India reporting a figure of Rs 7.20 lakh in July.

The export turnover at Nathu La, which reopened on May 19 this year, for the two till June stood at about Rs eight lakh export turnover. The total export turnover up to now stands at Rs 15.67 lakh.

Textile products like shawls, blankets, utensils and copper items were much sought after by Chinese importers in view of the growing demand for them by the people of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Commerce and Industry Department officials said.

Products like vegetable oil, canned food, tea, cigarettes and coffee were also much in demand by Chinese importers, they said.

Expressing satisfaction with the growth of bilateral border trade this year, the officials said that with Beijing Olympics 2008 coming to an end on August 24, the volume of the bilateral border trade was expected to pick up with the larger participation of traders of the two countries.

A music show to spread AIDS awareness in Sikkim

FROM ANI

Sikkim recently played host to Freedom rock tour 2008, a music concert aimed at spreading AIDS awareness.

Gangtok, Aug 23 : Sikkim recently played host to ‘Freedom rock tour 2008′, a music concert aimed at spreading AIDS awareness.

The show jointly organised by 91.9 FM channel and Sikkim State Aids Control Society (SSACS) in the state with an aim to educate the residents about the dreaded disease.

Bobby Gupta, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 91.9 FM said that music cuts across all barriers and is one of the best mediums to spread awareness about a sensitive issue like ‘AIDS’.

“The aim of the concert was to create an image and spread message about the AIDS awareness among the youth and socially conscious people,” Gupta added.

The performers said that music shows draw a large number of people and the message can be sent across easily.

Alpha Thapa, a performer, said: “When we organize such music shows, we get a lot of response and a lot of people come. Through the medium of music, we can spread the message of AIDS awareness.”

Mizoram Gorkha Youth Forum sets up

NEWS SHARED BY YK SHRESTHA

Darjeeling, August 22: The issue of Gorkha identity in India has been a crucial and sentimental for every Indian Gorkha residing in India and abroad. The crisis that Indian Gorkhas are facing today in political, social, economical front, which had long been seen by our leaders, the reason why the demand for separate state had been more than hundred year old, still our voice is unheard in the national level, maybe due to unawareness in our own community. But this time, Indian Gorkhas is being widely integrated from all over India and abroad, thanks to IT and media.

On July 20 in the far North East, the Gorkha Youth Forum of Aizawl, Mizoram has been formed with the following Aims and objectives:

1.    In view of lending wholehearted support to ongoing statehood demand for Gorkhaland spearheaded by the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) under the leadership of Shri Bimal Gurung ,the forum pledged to  undertake measures/steps to spread  general awareness and create mass support amongst  the local Gorkha People in Mizoram; the democratic, non violent struggle under Gandhian Principles being adopted by Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha.

2.    The forum will endeavour to constantly create awareness about our community particularly amongst the local Gorkha youths of Mizoram.

3    To highlight the contributions of our community in all spheres of nation building and endeavour to create awareness amongst our youth about our present Socio-Political, Educational and Economic status.
The Youth Forum also observed the ‘Sahid Diwas’ in July 27 and marked the respect to the 1201 martyrs of Gorkhaland movement. Forum has been now active in awareness program and conducting several activities in and around North East.

The GYF is consisted of following members:

1. President: I.K. Subba (2) Vice president: i) Nabin Thapa (ii) Jivan Kawar (3) Gen. Secy: Basan Sharma 4) Joint Secy: Dipak Gurung (5) Treasurer: Romakant Jaisi (6) Info. & publicity Secy: Mahesh Rai (7) Asst. Info &pub. Secy: Sawan Subba  (8) Org. Secy:Rashila Thapa (9)Asst. org. Secy: Santi,  Committee Members: Basant Jaishi , Santu Thapa, Santosh Rai, Anand Sahi, Basan Jaishi, Anand Thapa, Shiva Gurung, Dhiraj Chhetri, Ramesh Limbu,Anand Gurung, Kamala Lama.

Brazilian wishes to establish professional football club in Doon

FROM GARHWAL POST

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

A professional football club with support from a Brazilian football club might become a reality in Dehradun, soon. Mauro Federici, CEO of IndiaBras, is presently here.

He is interested in setting up a professional football club in India and Dehradun is one of the locations. Besides Dehradun, Mauro, who is a Brazilian, is looking at Jharkhand and Orissa as possible locations for the club.

Commenting on this, Mauro Federici, says, ” IndiaBras has tied up with Brazil’s premier Cruzeiro Sports Club for promotion of football in India. We plan to include three Brazilians, twelve local and ten other players from different parts of India, in the club. It will be a professionally managed football club with a big budget.”

The Cruzerio Sports Club was established in 1921. IndiaBras represents this club in India. The company had a sour experience in Delhi regarding their football project. So, they started looking for a city with a passion for football.

Some of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) office bearers suggested that Mauro explore possibilities in Dehradun. He came and was amazed by the passion of the local people for soccer. He witnessed the last match of the Dehradun District League between Uttarakhand Police and CT Young at the Pavilion Ground. The skills of the players impressed the visitor.

Assam Rifles blast away local Heroes (DURAND CUP)

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

The dejected look on the face of Osian New Delhi Heroes’s coach Chima Okerie said it all after his team lost their pre-quarterfinal match to Assam Rifles 2-3 in the ongoing Durand Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium on Friday.

The Delhi champions, with a completely new team, were off colour and never in control. And Chima knew it well. “We’ve got off to a bad start in the tournament. The boys never played quality football and we never seemed to combine as a unit,” he said. The lack of co-ordination between the flanks and strikers was clearly visible among the hosts.

In contrast, Assam Rifles dominated right from the word go, netting their first goal in the 43rd when Thaiba Singh’s free-kick from outside the box was headed in by Abel Sema.

The second half gave ND Heroes a reason to smile as a corner from Marlangki found Manish Khattri unmarked and the striker’s powerful header helped Okerie’s wards equalise. But their happiness was short-lived as Assam Rifles scored in the 63rd and 68th minutes to make the score line 3-1.

First it was skipper Ajit Kumar who lobbed the ball from left to the far post and it was Sema again who headed the ball in. Minutes later, Ajit was again the initiator as his inside the box was well received by Meikengai Kumai to score off his left foot.

Mixed reaction to CPRM call for 12 hour strike on 22nd August

Photo by Himalaya Darpan

China provides $50,000 flood relief to Nepal

FROM PEOPLE’S DAILY CHINA

KATHMANDU – Chinese ambassador to Nepal Zheng Xianglin handed over $50,000 of flood emergency relief to Nepal on Friday.

On behalf of the Red Cross Society of China, Ambassador Zheng Xianglin handed over the amount to the Red Cross Society of Nepal in Kathmandu.

Dev Ratna Dhakwa, Secretary General of the Red Cross Society of Nepal appreciated the aid provided by the Red Cross Society of China, and introduced the situation of the flood occurring in southern Nepal.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” said China giving a hand when Nepal is in need fully reflects the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Prachanda, on behalf of the government, on Thursday called on all the friendly countries and other international community to provide necessary cooperation in flood relief.

In the public appeal, the Prime Minister said the Nepali government was quite aggrieved from the misfortune and the painful situation created by full inundation of three Village Development Committees (VDCs) including Sripur, Haripur and Kusaha and four other VDCs partially submerged in Sunsari district, some 220 km southeast of Kathmandu, after the embankment of Saptakoshi River suddenly broke down, affecting more than 50,000 people while displacing thousands.

Maoists sworn in, ally unhappy

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY J. HEMANTH

Kathmandu, Aug. 22: The first Maoist-led government in Nepal was sworn in today amid controversy with key ally CPN (UML) boycotting the ceremony following differences with the former rebels over ministerial hierarchy.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda administered the oath of office to eight ministers – four from his own party and four from the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).

However, six ministerial candidates belonging to the CPN (UML) stormed out of the venue when the Maoists said their leader, Baburam Bhattarai, would officiate as the head of the government in the absence of Prachanda, who is slated to leave for Beijing tomorrow to attend the Olympics closing ceremony.

The CPN (UML) claimed that the Maoists had agreed to give the deputy Prime Minister’s post to its leader, Bam Dev Gautam.

CPN (UML) deputy parliamentary leader Bishnu Poudel said his party would not join the government if the Maoists stuck to their stand.

He said Gautam deserved to be number two in the new government as he had already served a term as the deputy Prime Minister.

However, Maoist leader Dev Prasad Gurung said the matter of protocol was merely technical. “The issue will be sorted out after the Prime Minister returns, ” he said.

The Maoists deferred the swearing-in for a couple of hours to convene a meeting of the ruling coalition and resolve the issue. However, the meeting, which was attended by senior Maoist, CPN(UML) and MJF leaders, failed to come to an agreement on the hierarchy row even after finalising portfolios of the new ministers.

Despite the walkout by the CPN (UML) team led by Gautam, Prachanda decided to go ahead with the swearing-in.

Eight Nepal Ministers sworn in

FROM THE HINDU

By Prerana Marasini

KATHMANDU: Eight Ministers – belonging to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) – took the oath of office on Friday.

The Maoist Ministers include Baburam Bhattarai (Finance), Ram Bahadur Thapa (Defence), Krishna Bahadur Mahara (Information and Telecommunication) and Dev Prasad Gurung (Law and Order).

Upendra Yadav (Foreign Minister), Bijay Kumar Gachhedar (Physical Planning and Development), Jay Prakash Gupta (Agriculture and Cooperative), and Renu Kumari adav (Education) are from the MJF.

The government would have three Deputy Prime Ministers – one each from the three major parties. Among them, Mr. Bhattarai and Mr. Upendra Yadav were sworn in on Friday. The other nominee is Bam Dev Gautam of the CPN (UML).

CPN(UML) warning

Though the CPN (UML) had finalised the names of its six Ministers, it did not take part in the swearing-in as it could not reach an agreement on ministerial hierarchy.

Nepal PM to meet Chinese President

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

Nepal’s Prime Minister Prachanda will meet Chinese president Hu Jintao and premier Wen Jiabao during his visit to China.

Prachanda is scheduled to leave for Beijing today to take part in the closing ceremony of the Olympics.

The Nepali PM is leading a delegation of 11 members, including his wife Sita Poudel, senior Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara and senior government officials, including chief secretary Bhoj Raj Ghimire.

Prachanda will meet the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday, sources in the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu said.

The Nepali delegation is likely to seek China’s support in bringing about development in Nepal, which has been riddled with insurgency for more than a decade.

For the last few months, the Communist Party of China has been trying to establish stronger relationships with the Maoists in Nepal.

Dialogue with Pranab satisfactory, says GJM

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has said it is satisfied with the positive dialogue its delegation had with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and hoped it will pave the way for early tripartite talks on the Gorkhaland issue.

“We are expecting tripartite talks on the Gorkhaland issue soon as the dialogue with Mukherjee was positive,” GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang said.

He said Mukherjee gave a patient hearing to the nine-member GJM delegation on Thursday in New Delhi  and assured that the Congress in principle was not against the concept of ’smaller states’.

Tamang said that Mukherjee had agreed that the GJM movement was not unconstitutional and anti-national.

The delegation, headed by GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, had submitted a memorandum to Mukherjee demanding separate statehood by including areas in Terai and the foothills of Dooars in Jalpaiguri district.

Mukherjee, Tamang claimed, had also assured the delegation that he would present a clear picture of the and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

BGUF initiates for blood donation camp on 24th august,08

A BHARTIYA GORKHALI UNITED FORUM COMMUNIQUE

Bhartiya Gorkhali United Forum (BGUF) is organizing a blood donation camp to commemorate Major Durga Malla’s martyrdom, who had to face the gallows in the Red Fort on 25^th August 1944.

BGUF have chosen 24th August, Sunday to make the most out of a weekend. The blood donation camp would be held in Indian red cross society blood bank situated in Red Cross road, near Parliament, New Delhi. The programme would begin from 10 am onwards; also famous footballer Ranjit Thapa will mark his presence as stated by president of BGUF, T.L Shrestha.

BGUF invites people from all walks of life to join the programme for the noble cause.

For further information, contact:

T.L Shrestha, President of BGUF

Mob-9818495215

Bijay pradhan, General secretary of BGUF

Mob- 9818247352

Bengali body burn copies of Indo-Nepalese treaty

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 20: A Siliguri based pressure group the Bangla O Bangla Bhasa Bachao Committee (BOBBBC) today burnt copies of the ‘Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950′ at Bidhan Road in Siliguri this morning and demanded an immediate abrogation of the bilateral agreement that binds the two countries historically.

According to the BOBBBC, Nepalese nationals were misusing the bilateral treaty by ‘infiltrating’ into India and taking part in the political activities out here. The BOBBBC has identified the Gorkhaland demand as the ‘outcome of the demographic change caused by the Nepalese infiltration into India over the years.’ The Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 has come in the line of fire in the recent times both in Nepal and India.

While the new band of Maoist politicians in Nepal views certain provisions of the treaty as ‘a breach against Nepal’s sovereignty’, within India ~ especially in the northern part of Bengal, some groups blame it for ‘facilitating a free license to the Nepalese to infiltrate and cause a rapid demographic change in this part of India.

In a recent interview to an Indian news channel, Maoist leader Mr Pushpakamal Dahal ~better known as Prachanda ~ said that his first attempt after coming to power would be to undertake a ‘gross revision’ of the Indo-Nepal treaty and remove the ‘unsuitable clauses’ to the benefit of both India and Nepal.

GJMM opposes CPRM bandh in the Hills

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, Aug. 22: The political differences between the GJMM and the CPRM, two of the organisations supporting the separate statehood issue in the Darjeeling hills, came to the fore today over the CPRM convened bandh in the Hills today.

Demanding early trial of Mr Chhatrey Subba and others implicated in the Mr Subash Ghisingh assassination attempt, CPRM frontal organisations had called for a bandh in the Darjeeling Hills today. Much to the anguish of the CPRM leadership, the GJMM actively opposed the bandh.

Darjeeling was closed for a few hours in the morning until GJMM supporters went around the town urging everybody to go about their daily business as usual. “The bandh has not been called by the GJMM so all shops should open and vehicles should ply normally today,” announced GJMM leader Mr Dinesh Gurung at Chowk Bazaar without offering further explanations. Posters signed by the Town Committee with the same directive also came up in the town.

The GJMM had refused to support the strike on the pretext that it would hurt tourism. The CPRM had gone ahead with its programme still, leaving it upto the people to support or oppose the bandh call. Condemning the GJMM act as undemocratic, the CPRM leadership today stated that the GJMM’s attitude showed that the Hills were moving back to the dark age of GNLF era.

Tea on wheels…

FROM THE STATESMAN

KOLKATA, Aug. 22: India’s tea exports may have declined but tea to the English is still picnic outdoors. A nine-member group, comprising four students and the rest technicians travelling from Darjeeling to London, through a documentary, Tracing Tea, intends to reveal the “true nature of Europe, Iran, Central Asia, China and the Indian Sub-Continent to a global audience through original written material, photography and film footage”.

The members travel in autorickshaws and buses (all belonging to them) across countries but a minor glitch comes in the form of clearance problems at the customs. Their itinerary covers Darjeeling, Kolkata, Varanasi, Agra and Delhi before leaving for Pakistan. At present members of the project are in Kolkata to shoot for another programme that looks at food habits along the same route. During the shoot in Chowringhee Square, team members were introduced to different ways of cooking hilsa.

Both the Maximum Exposure projects are looking for material without a political, religious or social agenda, says Duncan McDade, editor of Tracing Tea. “We don’t intend to focus on political or religious aspects, for that would make the eight-part series dated,” adds McDade. Two years back producer-director Max Lovell-Hoare was challenged by a well-wisher that such a documentary is not possible. Hoare, obviously, wanted to prove critics wrong. During their initial stay in Darjeeling, the group didn’t face any political problems, well almost. “We couldn’t leave the hotel for a day but apart from that, it’s been smooth sailing.”
The international collaboration, that takes members on a 15,000-km journey, also celebrates the 350th anniversary of tea’s introduction to Britain. “The expedition traces stories of espionage, and warfare, philosophy and medicine entwined with tea along the ancient trading routes from Darjeeling, India to London.”

Mystery of the missing patient!

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 22: Mystery shrouds the disappearance of a missing patient from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.

According to his friends and relatives, missing patient Mr Mani Biswakarma’s was admitted with jaundice at the NBMCH (Ward no MM2, Bed no1) on 17 August. He has been missing from the hospital since 19 August. “The NBMCH authority has taken no worthwhile initiative to trace him since his disappearance except filing a missing diary with the Matigara police station,” alleged the relatives.

“We are literally scratching our heads wondering how a jaundice affected patient in a fairly serious condition could have left the hospital unaided. We talked to him the morning he went missing and his condition was not good. Oxygen and drip were being administered simultaneously. Hospital nurses were present in the ward. Yet he disappeared and is yet to be traced after three full days,” Mrs Krishnamaya Biswakarma, the missing patient’s wife alleged.

“The apparent unconcern on the part of the hospital authority has further confounded the mystery. Is filing a missing diary with the police the end of responsibility for the authority? Can we not expect a modicum of sympathy from them?” asked Mr Pradip Biswakarma, a relative of the missing person. Levelling charge of ‘inhumane callousness’ against the NBMCH authority Dr Sanjay Kumar Das, the secretary of a welfare organisation, said that the lack of responsibility shown by the NBMCH authority was a serious matter. When contacted, Mr Debasis Basu, the officer-in-charge of Matigara police station, said that an investigation was going on. “We have achieved no breakthrough yet,” he said.

Sena bandh evokes mixed response

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 20: The Shiv Sena sponsored 12-hour bandh denouncing the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state today evoked a partial response in Siliguri, while the neighbouring Jalpaiguri town remained unaffected.

The Sena ~ with a negligible political base out here, had called a bandh both in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri towns. Business establishments, markets and a sizeable number of educational institutions in Siliguri remained shut for the day. Government offices and banks however, functioned as usual and the traffic movements were also normal like any other day. In Jalpaiguri, the bandh failed to evoke any response at all.

The Aamra Bangali on the other hand brought out a large rally in Siliguri towards afternoon demanding immediate repeal of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Agreement of 1988

‘Pranab’s response to Gorkhaland a political gimmick’

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, Aug. 22: The AIGL leadership today alleged that the external affairs minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s “positive assurance to the Gorkhaland demand,” as claimed by the GJMM, is just a “pre-election exercise” of the Congress to gain support in the Hills for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“As the elections are due in a few months time, Mr Pranab Mukherjee is expressing false sympathy towards the Gorkhaland demand. The hidden agenda is simply to appease the gullible Hill people and create a vote bank in the Hills,” AIGL president Mr Madan Tamang asserted. Meanwhile in Siliguri today, the Darjeeling district CPI-M secretary and party secretariat member Mr Jibesh Sarkar said that Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s version in New Delhi yesterday has created confusion. “The Congress seems to have two lines on the Gorkhaland issue, one pursued by Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and the other by the Darjeeling Congress MP Mr Dawa Narbula. Mr Mukherjee has added to the confusion. The Congress should make its stand clear on the issue,” they claimed. The AIGL President cautioned the people reiterating that the threat of Sixth Schedule still loomed large on the Hills.

Loyalty switch boost to Congress

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Shankar Malakar (right) hands over the Congress flag to Partha Sengupta (second from left) on Friday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Siliguri, Aug. 22: A former district secretary of the SFI today claimed that he, along with more than 300 CPM members, switched allegiance to the Congress.

Partha Sengupta said the CPM members in Matigara near here quit the party to protest against the “highhandedness” meted out to them by the Darjeeling district committee and non-fulfillment of promises made by the leaders.

Those who left the CPM included a number of local committee members, panchayat members and secretaries of three branch committees. They joined the Congress by receiving the party flag from its Darjeeling district president Shankar Malakar at the Matigara block office.

“We have been tolerating the highhandedness of the CPM’s district committee for the past seven years or so,” said Sengupta. “The district leaders were ignoring the opinions of the local leaders and often thrust their personal wishes on us in the name of the party.”

The renegades also alleged that the CPM had even sought to malign them by implicating them in some land dealings. “The charges were nothing but a fallout of our protests against some decisions made by the district committee,” said Sengupta.

“The CPM had promised permanent jobs to 500-1000 youths in Matigara at the Uttarayon Township and to another 450 at the Videocon unit opened at the sick-Kanchan factory,” said Biswas, another supporter who joined the Congress today. “Till date, not a single person has got a job in any of these projects.”

Reacting to the exodus of a section of CPM supporters, a district leader of the party said Sengupta and his cohorts had been grabbing land in and around Matigara over the past few years to build a real estate empire. “Our leader and Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya opposed this move and even secured the nod of the chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, for action against the party members. Finding no other options, they are now levelling false allegations against the party and have joined the Congress,” he said.

Govt to scour for fake licences

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A cramped Gangtok road. A file picture

Gangtok, Aug. 22: The Sikkim government convened a meeting yesterday to discuss the steps to be taken for cracking down on rash driving and the use of fake licences by minors.

The meeting, presided over by the chief secretary, N.D. Chingapa, reviewed the complaints received by the government on ruthless driving and fake documents.

Chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling himself had showed interest in convening the meeting. His principal secretary R.S. Basnett and additional secretary D.R. Nepal attended the meeting in which transport secretary K.N. Bhutia and other senior officials of the transport department were also present.

Sources close to the chief minister said the meeting was necessitated because of frequent accidents taking place on highways. “We have asked police to compile the number of accidents in the past one year so that we can have an idea of the frequency and the fatalities,” an official said.

“The motor vehicles department should keep in mind that it is their responsibility to root out fake driving lice-nces and under-age drivers in order to avert accidents. Its officials should make sure that each and every applicant for licence has proper driving skills,” said Chingapa.

Negligence cry after delivery death

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Patients at the Siliguri District Hospital. A file picture

Siliguri, Aug. 22: The Siliguri District Hospital was accused of negligence after a woman died within three hours of delivering a baby this morning. The woman’s husband has lodged a complaint with the acting superintendent of the hospital, alleging that negligence by a doctor, under whom she was treated, caused her death.

Asish Baraily of Sukna said his 22-year-old wife Geeta had been admitted to the hospital’s maternity ward around 8pm yesterday. At 6am today, she had a normal delivery and a baby boy was born. “I was told that the mother and the son were fine,” he said.

“At 8am, the hospital staff told me that Geeta needed blood. When I, along with my friends and relatives, went to the blood bank, we found that it was locked from outside. Fifteen minutes later, the hospital staff told me that my wife had died,” said Asish.

Ganga Biswakarma, the brother of the deceased, accused the doctor and the hospital staff of failing to arrange for the blood for their patient.

Tapas Bhattacharya, the doctor who was on duty when Geeta delivered the baby, declined comment. “I have given a report to the acting hospital superintendent, Anup Ghosh and I am not going to tell you (journalists) anything further in this regard.”

Camp to ward off jumbos

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Alipurduar, Aug. 22: The forest department has set up a camp after a series of elephant attacks were reported from the Chuniajhora area of Buxa Tiger Reserve (East).

Four persons were trampled to death in a week last month by the roaming pachyderms. Foresters said besides the herds, there were also a few lone tuskers in the area. The camp will have at least 10 employees to patrol the stretch between Chuniajhora and Kartick beat every night.

Last night, too, a herd had entered Chuniajhora 4th Mile, 40km from here, and damaged a hut before it was driven away by the forest staff. The camp is part of the Chuniajhora beat office and will be there till the herds move somewhere else.

On August 15, after an elephant injured Suroj Lakra of Chiru line, the people went on the rampage at Kartick beat office. A scuffle followed and it took the range officer of North Rydak and CRPF jawans to bring the situation under control. The forest department had then lodged an FIR against seven persons with the local Samuktala police station.

Life normal, bandh exposes rift

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Life as usual in Darjeeling’s Chowkbazar on Friday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Aug. 22: The 12-hour bandh called by the CPRM had little impact on the hills as the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which has promised to keep the region free of shutdowns before Pujas, refused to extend support to the strike.

In the morning, there was a sense of uncertainty in Darjeeling town with fewer than usual vehicles plying on the roads. After 10am, transport became normal although vehicles from fringe areas of the town did not come.

At Kalijhora, 60km from here, CPRM supporters succeeded in blocking NH-31A, the lifeline of Sikkim, till late afternoon. In the plains, the CPRM bandh coincided with the shutdown called by Shiv Sena against the demand for Gorkhaland and there was little effect.

The CPRM said that its decision not to go in for a confrontation by posting picketers on roads in the hills did not mean that the party had no support base.

“We had left the decision-making to the people, who supported us. Those who kept their shops open were had been terrorised into doing it and this is similar to the terror that was seen in the hills during the 1986 Gorkhaland agitation,” said Govind Chhetri, the chief of the CPRM’s youth wing.

Tea gardens and cinchona plantations had been kept out of the strike’s purview.

The Morcha refusal to support the CPRM, however, has exposed the rift between the two largest outfits in the hills with the former trying to smoothen ruffled feathers by harping on “unity”.

“There is no misunderstanding between the Morcha and the CPRM over the bandh…Both the CPRM and the Morcha want Gorkhaland and there is no reason for us to differ,” said Binay Tamang, the media and publicity secretary of the Morcha. He added that his party, too, was working for the release of Chattrey Subba by engaging lawyers.

CPM protests Congress ‘flip-flop’

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Aug. 22: Darjeeling district CPM leaders have come down heavily on the Congress leadership, accusing it of double standards on Gorkhaland.

The district CPM was referring to the meeting that the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha delegation had with Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi yesterday. The Congress MP from Darjeeling had said that Mukherjee told the delegation that the party was not averse to the idea of small states. The Congress’s reported stand had fuelled Morcha hopes and it had claimed that the external affairs minister’s assertion was a step towards including Gorkhaland in the proposed tripartite talks.

Earlier, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had repeatedly shot down discussions on Gorkhaland and had instead said the talks would centre around the situation in the hills.

“We are surprised to see the double standard of the Congress,” said Jibitesh Sarkar, a state committee member of the CPM, at a news conference at Anil Biswas Bhawan today.

“On one hand, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is saying his party is against further division of the state, while on the other, the MP from Darjeeling is quoting Pranab Mukherjee who said the Congress is not averse to forming smaller states and was toying with the idea of setting up the second State Reorganisation Commission.”

Morcha in occupy-bungalow operation – Dawa Pakhrin’s house taken over

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

The Morcha supporters after occupying Pakhrin’s house on Friday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Aug. 22: Supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today let themselves in through the rear side and occupied the sprawling bungalow of GNLF leader Dawa Pakhrin, planting flags atop the building and its main gate.

About 50 supporters from the Morcha’s five units in the area entered the compound at Hilltop, 1.5km from here, through a broken boundary wall after the lone policeman appointed by the administration to guard the property refused to open the main gate.

Today’s raid was in response to Morcha president Bimal Gurung’s call to convert all houses of GNLF leaders, who have left the hills, into public properties.

Besides the bungalow, the complex has another under-construction building, both of which were damaged after the Morcha supporters torched them on July 26.

“The two buildings will house the unit’s party office and will also be used as a shelter for people displaced by landslides,” said Goma Rumba, an executive member of the Morcha’s 21 Samasti (constituency) unit. “Later on, the place could also be used by the public to host marriage receptions and conduct funreral ceremonies,” she added.

In Darjeeling, too, attempts are being made to convert the CPM office into a shelter of the Disaster Management and Relief Centre, an NGO, for victims of natural calamities. Earlier this month, Dinesh Gurung, a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader and president of the NGO, had said since the CPM members hardly attended office, he would write to the district magistrate and the superintendent of police for permission to take possession of the building owned by the industry department. The Morcha leader had claimed that his NGO was formed on July 28 and the shelter would be used to house victims of natural calamities and store relief material like tarpaulin.