Gorkhaland Slide Show

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A close call – Bear Attack!

Baldev Chettri had a miraculous attack after an attack by a bear. Baldev was grievously injured but survived. He is presently recuperating at Kurseong, sub-division Hospital.

Photo by Himalaya Darpan

GJM to strictly enforce GL vehicle registration

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha cadres blackening WGY/WB vehicle registration plates in Darjeeling

Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Historic Images from Darjeeling

The General View Cantonment, Lebong (Darjeeling) 1910

Lebong owes its name to the Lepcha word ‘Alibong’ that refers to ‘tongue shaped spur’

Lebong is is a valley roughly 1,000 feet below and 8 miles away from Darjeeling town. This place was a great draw for the early British settlers owing to its temperate climate. This place has a small race course called Lebong Race Course (LRC). Known formerly as the “Darjeeling Gymkhana Races,” horse.

Dandy and Bearers – 1910

Darjeeling owes its name to a blend of the Tibetan words namely “Dorje” (thunderbolt) and “ling” (place), that translates to “The land of the thunderbolt”

Dandy and Bearers, Darjeeling. The means of locomotion in the East are many. From the rapid and easy-going railway train to the disagreeable mount on the camel, there are a number of varieties. One of the most pleasant forms of traveling is in the dandy. The bearers are strong and active

Darjeeling – A 1910 Painting (Unknown Painter)

Darjeeling Market Square locally known as Gundree Bazaar, 1910

The famous painting of a Tibetan Shaman (undated)

Batasia Loop, Darjeeling 1910

Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world (after Mount Everest and K2) with an altitude of 28,169 feet. Kangchenjunga is the highest mountain in India and also the second highest peak in Nepal. Kangchenjunga translated means “The Five Treasures of Snows”, as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 metres

Kanchenjunga 1910

Tibetan Traders in Darjeeling (Undated)

A Road Sweeper in Darjeeling (undated)

River Teesta from Bazaar

Cho Lhamu Lakeat an elevation of 17,500 feet above the level of sea is the origin of River Teesta

River Teesta meets the Rangeet River, its chief tributary, at Teesta Suspension Bridge. The Teesta Suspension Bridge plays a key role in connecting Kalimpong and Darjeeling hillstation. After meeting Rangeet River, Teesta takes a southward turn and flows entirely into the state of West Bengal. At Sevoke where the Coronation Bridge is located, the river comes to the plains. Later, the river changes its route first to Jalpaiguri and afterwards to Rangpur District located in Bangladesh, before eventually flowing into the Brahmaputra River

Road Rollers in Darjeeling (1910)

Labor-intensive road rolling helped to create smoother and less permeable roads

The earliest history of road rolling in Europe can be traced back to the 18th century when roads were of significant military importance. Roads of high quality also played an important role in the British colonization of India. As the quality and life of roads increased due to road rolling, the British found it easier to travel to different parts of the country thereby expanding their rule.

AIFF keen to repeat Bob-Bhutia combine in 2011 Asian Cup

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HIV/AIDS awareness for barbers in town

BY JANUKA SHARMA

Gangtok: An awareness programme for barbers on HIV/AIDs, organized by Rotaract Club of Gangtok and sponsored by Sikkim State AIDS Control Society, was held at a hotel here on Tuesday.DIG (Range) Mr. Akshay Sachdeva was chief guest of the programme. In his address, he said barbers are also one of the components of the society. They should also be aware of the deadly disease as they also have an important role in prevention of HIV/AIDS. He told them how to use the blades while shaving customers in their saloons and requested them to be careful in the matter.

The chief guest was of the view that in an important HIV/AIDs awareness programme, absence of girls is a lacuna. As a resource person Dr. Y. Verma said so far no remedy is invented for HIV/AIDS and preventive knowledge is the only safety for the people. He said there are 104 recorded HIV patients in Gangtok area only. Mr. U.P. Sharma, President of the Club, also addressed the gatherings.

Techno-cultural fest at SMIT

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

BY DB RAI

Gangtok: Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, SMIT’s All Core Computer Engineering Students Society (ACCESS), under the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), is organizing an Inter College Tech Fest VAASTUSASMITAM-’08 (engineering with fun) from 28 to 30th August.

Addressing a press conference held at SMIT conference hall, Dr. Mrinal K. Ghose, Professor & Head of CSE department said the fest is being organized to make the students active beyond their syllabus, to provide a platform to exchange their ideas with each other and thereby foster quality leadership in them.He said 12 institutes from Kolkota, Bhubenesawar, Lucknow and Siliguri have already registered their name and other institutions are also likely to be participate in the programme. The institute has slated two events, one technical and the other cultural, Prof. Ghose informed, adding, visiting participants can participate only in the technical events, namely, programming contest, video making, business plan, gaming, paper presentation, debate, quiz and robotics. Cultural events will comprise of singing and dancing competition, street play, comedy show, shirt painting and others.

Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University, Chief Secretary and Director of Human Resource Development Department, Govt. of Sikkim and Director of Postal Department, Sikkim, will attend the programme, it is informed.

Gram Sabha has power with responsibility, says Minister

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

BY PRAKASH CHETTRI

Namchi: Gram Sabha for 20-Maniram-Singithang Gram Panchayat Unit was held on Monday at Maniram Bhanzyang School premises. Minister RM&DD and Panchayati Raj, KN Rai was present as chief guest of the meeting which was attended by Zilla Adakshya South, Rabi Chandra Gurung, Upadakshya South, Himal Tamang, Chairman Tea Board, Gagan Rai, DDO, South and BDO, Namchi along with the representatives and the officials of various line departments and the local people.

During the meeting panchayats presented demands of people of their respective wards which were earlier passed in ward sabhas. Construction of community hall, library and drinking water supply in the wards were among the genuine GPU demands placed by the panchayats, urging the concerned departments to look into the demands seriously. Destruction in the villages due to landslides was mentioned and remedy sought by the representative panchayats. They also urged the tourism department to develop potential spots for village tourism.

Minister Mr. Rai in his address said that there should be more public participation in such Gram Sabhas in order to promote awareness about various government schemes through different departments. “This Gram Sabha was the result of one of the visions of our Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling to make ‘Janta Raj ma Jantai Raja’ a reality”, he said, adding, “in such sabhas the people can decide on developmental works required in their areas”. Mr. Rai further said, earlier administration was run from Gangtok but now by power decentralization the government has brought administration to the doorstep of the common people. He pointed out power decentralization has not only brought the power in the hand of people but has also given them the related responsibilities.

Nepal’s New Foreign Face

Professionally a hard term lies ahead for the ‘Madhesi Supremo’…

FROM SCOOP INDEPENDENT NEWS

By Kanchan Jha

There are many playmakers in Nepalese politics and Upendra Yadav – the first ‘foreign face’ of republic Nepal, is no exception. The incumbent Minister for Foreign Affairs as well as the madhesi-supremo of the largest party in Terai, Yadav is surely a power to reckon in the newly ‘half-formed’ government. A self-professed socialist, who is also close to political quarters in India, is an adroit politician adept at making accurate political calculations to arrive at a winning formula in the cabinet power play. That over the past two years he has been able to usurp the electoral base in Terai of both the Congress and the UML and has acquired four ‘influential seats’ in the ministerial cabinet, speaks volumes about his political acumen.

In his latest avatar as the Foreign Minister, Yadav will have loads on his plate as his job is to make a paradigm shift in Nepal’s foreign policy, based and guided by the principles of Panchasheel. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for Yadav to prove his worth as a national leader. Political spectators observe that the big challenge he will soon confront and will continue to do so in future is to strike out hard negotiations with India with regards to the Indo-Nepal 1950 treaty and all other ‘unequal treaties’. The receptive issue which he will cautiously inch towards is the settlement of ‘sensitive border-land’ dispute with the South.

The opportunity in the north is China’s excessive willingness to nurture Nepal as part of its ‘superior-security’ agenda in South Asia and to offer itself as Nepal’s counterweight against India that enjoys a special position owing to the 1950 treaty. Beijing is interested in building Nepal as a separate entity that will not safeguard the Hindustani interests and helping the Himalayan nation to emerge as an independent ‘strategic buffer’ between China and India. As regards with the reds coming to power in Nepal, despite some noises about reviewing the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950, it remains vague how Yadav will maintain equidistance between China and India though with improved Sino-Indian relations, Nepal’s leverage to use the China card is fading away in the horizon.

There is a buzz that the Indian quarters are content with Yadav overseeing the Foreign Ministry in Nepal. Apparently, Indian diplomats envision that with Upendra Yadav in the office, one can be certain about the fact that he will not disturb the long-established Indian pre-eminence in Nepal. Above all speculations, will the Foreign Minister continue undaunted on the path of Panchasheel? Or will he crumble under the intense political pressure induced by New Delhi’s South Block?

Editors Announce New Papers in Nepal

FROM UNITED WE BLOG FOR DEMOCRATIC NEPAL

The editors who recently resigned from Kantipur Publications have announced the new publishing company and two new newspapers.

The new company, the Nhu Republic Media, will bring out Nhu Nepal, Nepali daily, and the New Republic, English daily in about three months, said an SMS message sent out by one of the editors of a paper. Nhu is the Newari word that means new.

The editor of the Nepali daily will be Narayan Wagle who resigned from the editorship of Kantipur, Nepal’s largest daily, a few days ago. The editor of the English daily will be Ameet Dhakal who resigned from the Kathmandu Post, Nepal’s prominent English daily, a few days ago.

Prateek Pradhan who resigned from the Kathmandu Post a few days ago will be the Managing Director of the new publishing company, according to Wagle who spoke in a farewell ceremony this evening organized by Kantipur reporting section. Gunaraj Luintel, who was new editor at Kantipur will hold the same post in the new Nepali paper. D K Jaishy, the former new coordinator of the Post who resigned along with the other six, will be the news editor in the new English paper. The sixth person in the breakaway faction is Rajesh KC, popular cartoonist, who will look after the designing aspects of the new papers.

Binod Raj Gyawali who sold his shares at Kantipur Publications- publisher of Kantipur and the Post- last month will have majority of shares in the new company, editors said. Gyawali, who was director at Kantipur, will be the chairman.

The offices of the new publishing company are located on the first and second floor of Churchill Complex, Sundhara.

The editors wished success of Kantipur terming that as “the best newsroom in the country”. They said they wanted a strong and vibrant newspaper in Kantipur so that they could compete with a strong team and paper. They said they will be focusing mainly in the Kathmandu markets in the beginning- at least the first year- and go outside valley depending on how they perform in Kathmandu.

A web site will soon be launched, according an editor. They will start hiring soon but they said they wouldn’t create a mass exodus in Kantipur or the Post. They hinted that they will approach to some reporters who they think are the best.

Nepal’s Manipal college caught in HIV test kit controversy

FROM IANS

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu, Aug 26 : The Manipal College of Medical Sciences, one of the premier teaching institutes in Nepal run by India’s Pai business group, is in the eye of a storm after an infant born there was found to be HIV positive.

The trouble started around two months ago when a woman in labour was brought to the 700-bed hospital run by the college in Pokhara town in central Kaski district.

Maya Gurung gave birth to twins, of whom one died during birth while the other, a boy, survived.

“It was a premature birth and the babies were underweight,” Manipal’s dean B.M. Nagpal told IANS Tuesday. “The surviving boy needed a blood transfusion.”

As per the rule laid down by Nepal’s government, all hospitals have to use blood provided by the patients’ families. Also, the rule says the blood has to be tested for HIV by using medical kits recommended by the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRC).

“We used the NRC kit and the blood tested HIV negative,” Nagpal said.

Consequently, the baby was given the tested blood. However, some time later, when he did not respond to treatment, doctors grew apprehensive and decided to conduct a test on their own.

This time, the blood sample tested in the college’s own microbiology laboratory was found to be HIV positive.

“When there are conflicting results, the blood has to be tested thrice more,” Nagpal said. “We did that as well as test the blood of the parents to see if the infection could have come from them. While the parents tested negative, the baby’s blood, however, was found to be HIV positive.”

When the doctors, certain that the blood was tainted, tested it yet again using the NRC supplied medical kit, it was found to be HIV negative once again.

“It is a matter of huge concern for us,” Nagpal said. “All over Nepal, hospitals are conducting blood tests using the NRC approved kit. If the kit is faulty, it is a serious issue as there could be other erroneous tests.”

The kit recommended by the NRC is manufactured by Israel’s Orgenics company.

The concerned Manipal authorities wrote to Nepal’s health ministry as well as the NRC authorities and on Tuesday, received a letter from the latter, saying the kits would be investigated.

However, the Indian college and hospital is now paying the price for the faulty kit with the enraged parents of the boy laying siege to the hospital.

UN envoy asks Prachanda government to free child soldiers

FROM IANS

Kathmandu, Aug 26 : A top UN envoy Tuesday asked Nepal’s new Maoist government and the guerrilla army of the party to immediately free the child soldiers who are still confined in cantonments in violation of a peace pact signed by the former insurgents two years ago.

Radika Coomaraswamy, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special representative for children and armed conflict, reminded the government of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and the Maoists’ People’s Liberation Army of the commitment they had made in the peace pact.

She reiterated that the comprehensive peace agreement signed between the Maoists and Nepal’s other major parties in 2006 had pledged the immediate release of all children associated with Maoist forces once they entered the cantonments.

“No progress has been achieved to date in securing their formal discharge, although many have been released informally,” a statement issued by Coomaraswamy’s office in New York said.

The Maoists claim they did not recruit minors in the PLA, which fought a savage war against the state for 10 years until democracy was ushered in and the king toppled.

The UN Mission in Nepal, that was asked to assist in the peace negotiations and supervise the arms and combatants of the Maoists, in 2007 verified the number of guerrillas in the PLA and found that almost 3,000 fighters were recruited while they were under 18. Therefore, according to the peace pact, these were to be discharged immediately.

No one can topple Maoist government: Dr Bhattarai

FROM UNI

Kathmandu, Aug 26 : Senior Maoist leader and Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said no one can topple the Maoist-led government.

”The elements trying to hinder smooth operation of the new government would be wiped out on their own,” The Kathmandu Post today quoted Dr Bhattarai as saying.

”The elements the Nepali people overthrew are again issuing challenges to bring down the Maoist-led government before the first hundred days. However, they will not succeed,” said the Finance Minister, who is also the acting head of the government in Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s absence.

Dr Bhattarai said the Maoists would not move out at any cost.

”If attempts are made to oust us from the government, we will mobilise the people,” he added.

Dr Bhattarai said none of the parties can run the government if the Maoists were thwarted from governing the country.

”We are not afraid at all as we will prove that we can sustain the government by mobilising the people,” he said.

”That is why one should not worry about the sustainability of the Maoist-led government,” Dr Bhattarai said.

The Maoists, which have 227 seats in the 601-strong Constituent Assembly, is leading the government with the support of the UML and the MJF.

Forty-thousand people displaced by Saptakosi floods

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS NET

Kathmandu, Aug 26 : Around 40,000 people have been displaced due to floods in Saptakosi River.

According to Nepal’s Home Ministry, till now, 40,378 people of 7102 families have been displaced.

The Ministry has informed that 5500 hectares of land, 12 km of black-topped road and 13 km of seasonal road have been destroyed.

It has said that people of Haripir, Sripur Jabdi, Laukahi and Western Kusaha VDCs of Sunsari district have been fully displaced while those of Narsingh, Basantapur and Ghuski VDCs of the same district have been badly affected by the inundation.

The infrastructures of these VDCs including roads, schools, irrigation, drinking water system and local factories have been devastated.

The Ministry has said that the government is initiating efforts to repair the damage in Kosi embankments in coordination with Indian technicians.

On Monday, Agriculture and Cooperative Minister Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta said that the Nepal government has started diplomatic talks with the India to control the wearing away of the embankments by the Saptakoshi River and to operate the blocked highway.

Responding to the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries regarding the fear of shutdown of over 500 industries in the Sunsari-Morang corridor, Gupta pointed out the need of a Bailey bridge for the operation of the highway.

Earlier President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav said that the government is planning on providing separate settlements to the people displaced by the Saptakoshi River, Nepalnews reported.

Prachanda’s bedside story under public glare

FROM IANS

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu, Aug 26 : After his exploits as the chief of an armed party that fought a 10-year war against the state and his new success in winning elections and becoming the head of government, now Nepal’s first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s bedside story has come under public glare.

The son of a poor farmer who spent 25 years underground, the 54-year-old hit the headlines soon after his election as prime minister over the new Chinese connexion that has been detected at the heart of the prime ministerial mansion, by his very bedside.

Prachanda, who made the politicians of southern neighbour India unhappy by choosing to dispense with tradition and choose China as his first destination abroad after assuming office, has now a second close link with northern neighbour Beijing — his new bed.

The Prime Minister’s Office has bought an opulent king-sized bed, made in China, for the new premier.

While Prachanda’s ailing predecessor Girija Prasad Koirala’s inseparable bedside companion was an oxygen cylinder to ease breathing difficulties, the Maoist PM’s bed comes with a luxurious headrest and side tables.

Furniture Land, Nepal’s premier furniture seller, said the prime minister’s bed had cost over NRS 110,000.

In Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, a double-sized bed and mattress can be bought for NRS 6,000.

The prime ministerial bed far outshines deposed king Gyanendra’s modest double bed at his current Nagarjun mansion and the other ordinary furniture there.

The PMO’s new purchase comes at a time Prachanda and his new allies, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum agreed on a common minimum programme that includes austerity measures.

Soon after he came overground following the ouster of King Gyanendra’s government in 2006, Prachanda has also faced criticism for his designer sunglasses, branded watch and pen and four-wheel-drive car.

The new bed comes under criticism at a time southern Nepal has been ravaged by a flood that left over 75,000 people homeless and destroyed crops worth millions.

People have been forced to sleep on the wet ground wrapped only in a blanket.

Big retail charms small towns, inflation no problem

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

Shopping in a supermarket is no longer just for well-heeled metro citizens. About a year after organised retailers hit the dusty trail to smaller towns, they are finding a broad market base as value-for-money shopping meets youth power courting a new symbol of enhanced lifestyle.

Even big villages may be ready for an expansion paralleling Wal-Mart’s US success, and farmers are among a new tribe of smart shoppers, say industry insiders.

The Future Group’s value store Big Bazaar has been wooing customers in towns such as Sangli and Alwar, and now covers 56 towns and cities across country. These include places like Siliguri, Darjeeling, Meerut, Ambala, Ahmednagar, Bharuch, Anand, Hubli, Udupi and Palakkad – hardly the kind of places you would associate with self-service or credit card shopping.

“Smaller towns and cities in tier II and III category shows tremendous growth prospect for the organised retail industry.

These are the towns where aspirations of the youth are high,” said Rajan Malhotra, Big Bazaar’s chief executive officer.

“The competition will get hotter in the smaller towns and cities in about five years,” he said.

As much as 70 per cent of Big Bazaar stores are in the so-called Tier II and III cities. The retailer plans to add 45 to 60 stores in the current July-June financial year, most of them in specks on the map.

Delhi-headquartered Vishal Retail who already has a presence in 80 cities plans to raise this count to 120 cities by the end of this financial year.

“We are possibly the only retailer who has such a large footprint across the country. In fact it’s not just Tier II cities, but we have a presence in Tier III and Tier IV cities as well,” Manmohan Aggarwal, CEO, Corporate Affairs, Vishal Retail, told Hindustan Times.

Inflation has not affected sales either.

India’s Conservationists Bugged About Growing Insect Poaching

FROM VOICE OF AMERICA

By Steve Herman

Conservationists in South Asia are raising an alarm about a growing illegal trade in insects. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi that some exotic species, bought from unsuspecting village children for a couple of coins, can fetch big money overseas.

Poaching of tigers, lions and rhinos in Asia is a well-publicized problem. But now conservationists are expressing concern about smaller wildlife being caught in a criminal net.

Hindu holy man holds a beetle

Many of the region’s insects are being killed to satisfy a demand for beautiful and rare bugs encased in plastic key chains and paperweights or enclosed in greeting cards. Extracts of some beetles are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia and Latin America. Some of the insect species, dead or alive, can fetch thousands of dollars from wealthy international collectors.

Although only a few criminal cases of insect poaching are filed in India every year, wildlife experts here believe the total illegal trade is quite large. Analysts say smugglers can be in possession of thousands of insects.

“The illegal trade in butterflies or insects is becoming one of the major booming businesses,” explained Khalid Pasha, the India coordinator for the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.

The problem has been highlighted here by the recent arrest of two researchers from the Czech Republic. The scientists say they were unaware they were inside a national park in West Bengal when caught with hundreds of rare butterfly, moth and beetle specimens.

Indian forestry officials say foreigners use research expeditions as a cover for what authorities here refer to as lucrative bio-piracy.

In recent years, Japanese, Russian and French nationals have been nabbed for trapping similar species as far north as Nepal and the Indian state, Sikkim, and south to Kerala.

Collecting such insects without a permit is a serious crime, under Indian law, and those convicted can face prison terms.

Khalid Pasha, speaking from the state of Uttaranchal, says, unlike the organized poaching of large mammals, villagers who are rewarded for collecting the insects on behalf of foreign smugglers are unaware what they are doing is illegal.

Number-plate tussle affects wildlife watch

By Bappaditya Paul

SILIGURI, Aug. 25: It’s a ‘horrible situation’! The ongoing Gorkhaland agitation in Darjeeling has now spilled on to the domain of wildlife species as well. The immediate menace, which has hit the wildlife watch activities in the forests here, is a ban imposed by the agitating Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha on the use of vehicles displaying the West Bengal registration numbers.

Instead, the GJMM has issued a diktat that all vehicles here, including the government vehicles, should change over to ‘GL’ registration numbers ~ indicative of Gorkhaland, in phases. The deadline for government owned vehicles, in this case, expired on 8 August. The government departments operating in the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council areas however, averted the menace by sending their official vehicles to garage and since then they were using private taxis on hire.

But since yesterday, the GJMM has made the ‘GL’ number plates mandatory for all vehicles, including those on hire with the various government departments in the DGHC area. This has triggered a peculiar problem in the hills, as government servants cannoat use a vehicle for duty, which features an illegal registration number ~ ‘GL’ in this case. While almost all the government departments are bearing the brunt, the case with the state forest department is really worse.

“The problem is that our functions directly concern the wildlife species and the forests ~ who cannot speak for themselves and we need to be proactive to save them from dangers like disease, poaching or felling. But in the absence of conveyance, we are not being able to reach out to the most of the forest areas and as obvious, this is adversely affecting the wildlife surveillance,” said the DFO, Mahananda Wildlife -I, Miss Sumita Ghatak.

NBMCH to get a face lift?

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 26: Dr Manas Bhunia, the chairman of the Government Assuarance Committee and a Congress member of the state Legislative Assembly said today that mere sanction of funds from the state health department would not solve the problems being faced by the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. “The most important thing to do regarding the hospital is to properly utilise the existing infrastructure and the services of the doctors,” he said.

“Problems regardind funds is of course there. We repeatedly asked the state government to release enough funds for the ailing hospital. Yet, with the mere sanction of funds the problem remained,” Dr Bhunia said. It may be mentioned here that the state health ministry sanctioned Rs 4 crores for the infrastructural development of the premier health institution of north Bengal. The state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya gave this information at a press conference in Siliguri last Sunday.

Dr Bhunia said that during his visit to the hospital a few months back he had been dumbfounded seeing the inefficiency on the part of the hospital administration. “Many instruments were found non-functioning and the authority seemed to have any answer for the same. Similarly, what I felt is that the services of the doctors working there were not being rightly utilised. This seemed to be alarming as a huge number of people hailing from the six districts of north Bengal region are dependent on NBMCH for treatment,” Dr Bhunia said.

“I would take up the issue with the state health minister again and urge him to take serious interest in the functioning of the premier health institution of the region,” he said.

Statesman News Service

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 26: The Darjeeling District Chess Association (DDCA), in collaboration with the West Bengal Chess Association, will organise the 1st Independence Cup Prize Money Chess Tournament 2008 in the Sports Authority of India hall at the Kanchenjungha Stadium in Siliguri on 30 and 31 August.

Announcing this at a Press conference here today, Mr Nantu Paul, general secretary, DDCA said: “A large number of chess players from all over North Bengal are expected to take part in the tournament, which will be held in two categories, namely under-18 and senior.”

Besides glittering trophies, the winners and runners up in the senior group will get Rs 1000 and Rs 750 respectively, while the third, fourth, fifth and sixth position holders will have to be content with Rs 500, Rs 300, Rs 200 and Rs 100. In the under-18 section, besides attractive cups, the winner and runners up will be awarded Rs 500 and Rs 300, while the third position holder will get Rs 100. The first ten winners in both the categories will be awarded certificates.

The registration fee has been fixed at Rs 50 and Rs 20 for the seniors and under-18 sections. The registration of players, which began at the DDCA office here this evening, will be open from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. everyday till 29 August 29.

The mayor of Siliguri, Mr Bikash Ghosh will inaugurate the meet, the budget for which has been pegged at Rs 15, 000.

Old tree crashes, one hurt

FROM THE STATESMAN

KURSEONG Aug. 26: One person was injured and a house badly damaged due to the collapse of one of the oldest trees in the area, at Shiva Mandir premises in Mahanadi, under Kurseong sub division today. Due to last night’s rainfall, one of the oldest trees of Shiva Mandir premises of Mahanadi, suddenly collapsed, in which, a two storied wooden house of Mr Chowang Ringzing Bhutia was fully damaged, at around 7:20 a.m. in the morning, today.

In the meantime Mr Gopi Thapa (38), a driver, was injured following the collapse of the tree, when he was preparing to collect drinking water from a public drinking water pipe at the premises of Mr Bhutia’s house. But he was fortunately rescued by his neighbour Mr Pradeep Rai and was instantly rushed to the Kurseong Sub Divisional hospital, from where he was released after being given first aid.

Mr Bhutia informed that a total of five members used to stay in the house including two children. But fortunately just a few minutes before the incident, his children had left for school, and hence were safe. However, he was sitting in his bedroom when he called for his wife who was in the kitchen to fetch his mobile and that momentary action saved the life of his wife for at that very instant the old tree smashed on the kitchen crushing everything beneath.

One resident of Mahanadi also informed that there are plenty of very old trees surrounding the vicinity of the Shiva Temple which can collapse any time.  According to sources, concerned panchayat members also visited the incident site and assured the victims regarding providing of relief material.

Noise pollution is but a child’s play

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Aug. 26: For the children, adolescents and adults, who visit the Galaxy game parlour at Cosmos ~ the biggest shopping arcade in Siliguri ~ at least once a week, the variety of modern electronic interactive games at the parlour are an easy way to lose lots of money. With their incessant noise of the games one can easily go deaf.

Noise pollution is very much a part of playing in the cacophonous Galaxy game parlour. Warriors with latest and fictional weapons fire and bombard vital installations constantly in the virtual battlegrounds and the parlour echoes with the sounds of race cars, dragsters, motorcycles and other auto sounds, as the visitors battle with warriors or race through outlandish terrains in fictional lands and bump against walls, pillars, mounds, hillocks as well as the vehicles of the virtual contenders on the monitors of the game consoles, as they rush to the finishing line.

“The noise of racing is completely different from the noise of passing cars or trucks in these consoles. It’s hard to explain,” said Mr Ashoke Sarkar, as he walked out of the parlour with his children, saying he would never again visit the place.

According to Mr Ardhendu Bose, manager, Cosmos, over 10,000 people visit the parlour on the third floor of the mall every day and most of them are children. He admitted that the noise at the parlour was above the permissible limit of 65 decibels and the constant clatter there could cause serious damage to eardrums.

Trial of Czech duo

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Darjeeling, Aug. 26: The chief judicial magistrate’s court here today examined one more witness in the trial of Czech scientist Petr Savcha and his associate Emil Kucera who are accused of illegally collecting insects from inside the Singalila National Park.

Assistant divisional forest officer (wildlife-1) Utpal Kumar Nag deposed before the judge, U.K. Nandi. Nag said he had taken the statements of the Czechs on June 22 followed by another statement of Tshering Sherpa, the owner of the lodge in Srikhola where the duo were staying at the time of their arrest. Srikhola is located around 90km from Darjeeling.

Chhatra Parishad takes over train

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Chhatra Parishad members at the rally on the platform of New Alipurduar station on Tuesday. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Alipurduar, Aug. 26: Nearly 1,500 Chhatra Parishad members travelling without tickets boarded the Sealdah-bound Teesta Torsha Express from different stations in the Jalpaiguri district today, forcing a few passengers to cancel their reservations.

The supporters were on their way to Calcutta to attend the 55th foundation day of the students’ wing of the Congress to be held on August 28.

The 3142 Teesta Torsha Express departs from New Alipurduar station at 11.45am. This morning, 44 passengers with reserved tickets boarded the train from here. Soon, around 1,000 Chhatra Parishad members fought their way into all the compartments, except the two AC coaches, and occupied every available seat. They put up their flags and banners and organised a rally on the platform.

There were nearly 150 people in each compartment instead of the usual 72 and the ones with reserved tickets could be seen seated though it seemed unlikely that they would get their berths at night.

The supporters admitted that they did not have tickets and instead pointed to the badges on their chests. They also pulled the chain twice, delaying the departure by around 10 minutes.

“We are very sorry that the passengers are suffering but we have to go to Calcutta. We will try our best not to disturb them,” said Anup Das, the secretary of the Jalpaiguri district committee of the Chhatra Parishad, in New Alipurduar station.

“I had no idea that such a large number of students from this place would attend the programme, otherwise I would have appealed to the railway authorities for extra coaches. We had announced long ago that a large group of students would travel on the Teesta Torsha today and passengers should have avoided this date,” Das added.

‘Insecure’ Pakhrin leaves

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Kalimpong GNLF branch president Dawa Pakhrin leaves Siliguri on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Siliguri, Aug. 26: GNLF leader Dawa Pakhrin, who fled Kalimpong with his family on July 26 after his house was torched by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters, today said he was feeling insecure in Darjeeling and was leaving the region.

“There is no security for me and my family in the hills as the Morcha leaders are openly threatening me and many other GNLF supporters. So I am leaving today the region, probably Bengal too,” Pakhrin told journalists at a hotel here before leaving Siliguri. “I do not want to disclose my destination, as it is a threat to my security,” he said.

The Morcha, however, has denied having threatened Pakhrin. “If Pakhrin had received any threat from us, he should have informed the district administration instead of going to the media,” said Binay Tamang, the media secretary of the party, from Darjeeling.

Pakhrin alleged that the Morcha supporters occupied his bungalow in Kalimpong on August 22 in the presence of police. “They did not even allow the body of Ghisingh’s wife to enter Darjeeling. The administration remained silent. This is unfortunate,” he said. “The chief minister and the district administration should be held responsible for this.”

The Kalimpong branch president of the GNLF believes that 50 per cent of the hill population still support his party. “Had the administration co-operated with us, we could have shown how many of us are still there in the hills,” he said.

Pakhrin said he is still with the GNLF. “Why should I quit my party? There is 100 per cent possibility that it will bounce back.”