INTERNATIONAL: Killer’s India hide-out retraced

FROM BBC NEWS

Days after Maninder Pal Singh Kohli murdered 17-year-old Hannah Foster in Southampton in March 2003, he fled to his homeland of India.

Damon Embling, BBC South home affairs correspondent, went there to re-trace his steps.

Maninder Pal Singh Kohli moved around some of India’s major cities before heading to a far flung corner of the country, an area bordering Nepal in the foothills of the Himalayas.

It appeared to be the perfect hiding place for a killer on the run.

He started living in the famous tea-growing town of Darjeeling, 7,000ft (2,134m) above sea level in an extremely remote area of the country, completely disconnected from the hustle and bustle of urban Indian life.

Monkeys wear a look of bemusement as they sit at the side of the pot-holed roads, watching travellers make their way to and from the hilltop villages.

People also stop and stare at travellers. The locals are both Indian and Nepalese and lead a very simple life.

Kohli left Hotel Red Rose after more than 40 days without paying

Darjeeling itself is a small town, perched on the hillside. The steam train which carves its way down the main street is an impressive sight, as people and cars clear the way.

Here, where the atmosphere is damp and clouds shroud the town, I learned more about the kind of man Kohli portrayed.

He stayed in a modest hotel under the assumed name of Mike Davies and became well known to the staff.

They described him as a handsome man with a big personality. He told them he was a tourist and was keen to see the sights.

A driver revealed he joined organised tours, sitting with tourists in the back of a minibus.

Speaking through an interpreter, Ajay Pradhan, manager of the Red Rose Hotel, said: “He came as a tourist, as all tourists do, and he stayed here for 46 to 47 days.

“He was a very gentle man, the way he used to carry himself off was very gentlemanly.”

But underneath the jolly and relaxed exterior, Kohli was far from settled and kept a rigorous routine every day.

Bharati Dass fell in love and married Kohli, unaware he was a murderer

“He used to wake up in the morning and go to the internet cafe, go on the web, look at the newspapers, then go out for the day and come back at night,” Mr Pradhan added.

Kohli left after a month or so without settling his hotel bill and found work as a volunteer at a hepatitis vaccination camp in Kalimpong, a town a few hours drive away.

It was perhaps a further attempt to blend into the community. Kohli was now calling himself Mike Dennis and his plan really started coming together when he met a fellow volunteer called Bharati Dass.

Bharati fell in love with “Mike” and they got married and started living together.

They rented a small flat tucked away in the bustling back streets of Kalimpong.

NATIONAL: I want to set up academy of highest quality: Bhutia

FROM THE TIMES OF INDIA 

Indian captain Baichung Bhutia during the announcement of the second edition of Soccer Stars in Mumbai on November 25, 2008. (PTI Photo)

MUMBAI: Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday said his dream is to set up a top-class football academy in his home state of Sikkim or in some other north-eastern state once his career as a player is over.

“It’s my dream project to set up a football academy of the highest quality. But for that I would need at least 40 acres of land. Unless I get this I would not set up the academy,” said the ace Mohun Bagan striker at a media conference here to announce the Tata Tea-Arsenal Soccer Stars talent hunt.

The Sikkim government has already said that it will consider Bhutia’s proposal favourably.

“Let Bhaichung come forward with his specific proposal for setting up a football academy in the state… We will favourably consider such a proposal,” Sikkim sports minister PS Tamang said on Monday in Gangtok.

Bhutia said that India’s future is bright with the emergence of young players like Steven Dias, NP Pradeep, Sunil Chettri and Subrata Pal.

“We have been doing well over the last three years. These players are young and have at least 10 years left to play good football. The future is bright,” Bhutia said.

About his association with the talent hunt contest along with Indian teammate and Mahindra United medio Dias, Bhutia said that the Football Players’ Association has decided to support the venture and all such initiatives to develop the game in the country.

SIKKIM: Dr. Mahendra P. Lama appointed as a Member of the National Security Advisory Board

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

THROUGH DIRECT PRESS RELEASE FROM SIKKIM UNIVERSITY BROUGHT TO BEACON ONLINE BY A K RAI

Dr. Mahendra P Lama. Photo source: The Japan Foundation

Gangtok: Prof Mahendra P Lama, Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University has been appointed as a Member of the prestigious National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) by the National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister. NSAB is an important element of the National Security Council system with the main function of advising the Government on security related issues. It is a multi-disciplinary body comprising a Chairman and persons of eminence from outside the Government with expertise in the fields of foreign affairs, defence, economics, science and technology, intelligence, internal security, media and related areas.

Prof Lama a development economist by profession is the youngest member of the NSAB. He has been invited to be a member of the Board in view of his long experience in dealing with issues which are critical for national security mainly from the economic and financial perspectives.

There are 28 members drawn from various professional backgrounds in the NSAB. They include Shri KS Bajpai, former Foreign Secretary (Chairman), Prof Shankar Acharya, former Chief Economic Advisor to the Govt of India, Ms Sobhana Bharatia, Chairperson, Hindustan Times, Shri Naresh Chandra, former Cabinet Secretary, Shri HK Deka, former Director General of Police, Assam, Dr Nitin Desai, former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Organization; Shri HK Dua, Chief Editor, The Tribune; Dr Prodipto Ghose, former Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests; Prof PS Goel, Indian Space Research Organisation; Vice Admiral KK Nayyar; Shri SC Mehta, former Special Director, Intelligence Bureau; Admiral Arun Prakash, former Chief of Naval Staff; Prof V Ramamurthy, Chairman, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi; Dr P Rama Rao, Member, Atomic Energy Commission, Gen Aditya Singh formerly the GOC of Southern Command; Former Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi and Shri PKH Tharakan former Secretary (R&AW).

DARJEELING HILLS: Start of Election fever with Gorkhaland on Party Manifesto

“WE WANT GORKHALAND TO BE ON THE ELECTION MANIFESTO OF BHARATIYA JANTA PARTY” G S YONZONE

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE] EXCLUSIVE

BY BARUN ROY

Dr. G. S. Yonzone, President, Darjeeling District Committee Bharatiya Janata Party addressing a public meeting at Darjeeling. Photo by Himalaya Darpan

DARJEELING: Darjeeling District Bharatiya Janta Party was full of praise for the ‘work done by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’ as they started their public meeting yesterday at Gitange Dara, Chowk Bazaar, Darjeeling. Incidently after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) diktat barring all ‘other’ political parties from holding political meetings in the hills and Dooars Tera, Bharatiya Janata Party was the first party to be allowed to use Gitange Dara, a popular platform for political meetings in Darjeeling, by GJM. Bharatiya Janta Party’s said meeting was also indicative of the start of the 2009 General Election fever as the party formerly started their election campaign yesterday. 

Addressing a sizeable audience, Dr. G. S. Yonzone, President, Darjeeling District Committee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said, “It is of utmost importance for the sake of the achievement of Gorkhaland that Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power at the Centre. Once the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, the formation of Gorkhaland is hundred percent sure because Bharatiya Janta Party has already committed itself to the issue of Gorkhaland.” 

Referring to the party’s commitment to Gorkhaland, Dr. Yonzone said, “The party is seriously considering including the demand of Gorkhaland in its election manifesto. If this is done, fifty percent of our work is done. The only thing that would remain to be done would be to see to it that Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in the Centre. This time we were able to fend off the Sixth Schedule Bill even by sitting in the opposition bench. BJP has played a great role in protecting the hills from the imposition of Sixth Schedule Status. BJP has done well to serve Darjeeling Hills and Dooars Terai even though not being in power. If the party was in power then surely there would have been no problem in the formation of Gorkhaland. Once the party comes into power many of the sub-castes will be declared as tribes. However, if Sixth Schedule had been imposed in the hills and Dooars Terai, Subash Ghisingh’s rule had been reinstated. The people had to be go through the ordeal of subjugation and discrimination again. We will all have to look at BJP’s programmes, the party has been able to develop the nation in a very short period of time. We will have to work towards reinstating BJP at the helm of Central Governance. During the previous term, the party had created three new states. The Darjeeling District Committee with submit a memorandum to the party Central Committee on Gorkhaland again. When Subash Ghisingh initiated the 80s Gorkhaland Movement, I did not remain idle. I authored an analytical book portraying the economical and political validity of a separate statehood. When Gorkhaland is achieved, this state will be the richest state in India. I am a Scientist. I have great knowledge of the resources of the hills. All the money that were sent for Hill Development were used by the State Government in Kolkata and Delhi. Similarly, Subash Ghisingh hindered the full fledged development of Darjeeling Hills. And this is why the development of Darjeeling Hills has remained stagnated.”

NATIONAL: Cantonment tops group

FROM THE HINDU

NEW DELHI: Delhi Cantonment defeated Ajmal Club 1-0 in a group ‘A’ match of the DSA ‘A’ division football league at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Monday.

The victory helped Delhi Cantonment top the group with 17 points from seven matches. Ajmal ended up with 13 points. Moonlight Club had topped the group with 19 points.

In group ‘B’, Rohini Club beat Gorkha Heroes 2-1 to qualify for the Super League. Gorkha Heroes topped the group with 16 points and Rohini qualified second with 14.

Mughals Club and Royal Club had qualified from group ‘C’. The Super League will start on November 26 with the match between Delhi Cantonment and Mughals Club.

State Bank of India will take on Bangadarshan Club on November 27 in a ‘B’ division play-off to decide the relegation.

 

NEPAL: Clock ticking for earthquake preparedness

Source: IRINnews.org

KATHMANDU, 24 November 2008 (IRIN) – Kathmandu, one of the most seismically vulnerable cities in the world, is ill-prepared for the next big earthquake, experts warn.

“The situation is quite scary if you put the realities in front of you. We are already too late,” said disaster expert Amod Dixit, executive director of the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), a local NGO working to raise earthquake awareness and preparedness.

“We’re all deeply concerned about the earthquake risks in the Kathmandu Valley. Unfortunately, the country isn’t at all prepared for this calamity,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative in Nepal Robert Piper told IRIN.

For organisations like NSET, the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS)and the UN, the situation is a source of serious concern.

According to the NRCS’s Earthquake Contingency Plan 2008, an earthquake measuring 7-8 on the Richter scale could kill up to 50,000 people, injure 100,000 and destroy 60 percent of buildings, leaving 900,000 homeless.

“The problems of, and requirements for, preparedness are so huge and intimidating that we don’t know where to start,” said one international expert who requested anonymity.

Big earthquake “inevitable”

Seismic records indicate that earthquakes have hit the Kathmandu area regularly and relatively frequently in recent times. There were earthquakes in the region in 1810, 1833, and 1866. In 1934 an 8.4 magnitude earthquake killed 8,500 people and destroyed a quarter of all homes and several historical sites, according to NSET and Geo Hazards International, an international non-profit organisation promoting earthquake safety measures around the world.

The two groups have warned that another big earthquake is “inevitable” in the city, which has a population of over two million and over 300,000 buildings. Over 6,000 houses or buildings go up every year in Kathmandu, many of them built to poor specifications. Aid agencies are calling on the government to enforce adherence to the building regulations introduced in the 1980s.

NEPAL: Indo-China tug of war over Nepal

FROM FREE REPUBLIC.COM

KATHMANDU: With his arrival in Kathmandu on Monday on a three-day visit to discuss bilateral ties, Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is triggering a potential tug of war with another giant in the subcontinent, China, over wooing Nepal, the tiny “yam” caught between two “huge boulders”.

Soon after Mukherjee’s visit, China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi is scheduled to lead a delegation to Nepal as part of his several nations’ tour. While Mukherjee, accompanied by Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, is the first senior Indian minister to visit Nepal since the Maoists formed the new government in August, China however has an edge, having sent several delegations in quick succession, including a military panel only last week.

There is also growing speculation that Nepal’s first Maoist prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” is readying for a second visit to China. Beijing had been the premier’s first destination abroad in August soon after Prachanda was admitted oath of office. The visit fuelled a controversy and resulted in the Maoist chief visiting India in September to placate its southern neighbour.

This month, Prachanda visited New Delhi once more to attend the BIMSTEC Summit and subsequently, had to inform parliament after he returned what had transpired between him and Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

Mukherjee will meet Prachanda, president Dr Ram Baran Yadav, vice-president Dr Ram Baran Yadav, his Nepal counterpart Upendra Yadav and the leaders of at least two major parties: former PM and opposition leader Girija Prasad Koirala and Jhalanath Khanal, chief of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML).

The schedule unfurled by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu so far, most interestingly, does not make any mention of other political party leaders who were a must-meet in the past by other high-level Indian delegations. They include another ex-premier Surya Bahadur Thapa and the royal house of Gwalior’s son-in-law Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, both of whose parties bombed during the April election.

NEPAL: Open for Business

FROM TIMES ONLINE

Nepal’s civil war is over and Kathmandu is making up for the lost years. Brian Schofield reports from a city refreshed WRITES Brian Schofield

It’s the year 2065 and change is in the air in Kathmandu. A new living goddess, the Kumari Devi, has just taken up residence in her city-centre temple. Aged just three and a half, she faces a decade of worshipful house arrest before being retired in her impure teens.

On a more temporal plane, a new government has taken power. It’s that fresh regime, a tetchy power-sharing agreement between the country’s Maoist revolutionaries and the old elite, which is bringing change.

After 10 years of civil war that caused untold suffering to the Nepali people, and a comparably trivial collapse in tourism, peace is in the air and holidays are on the agenda.

Trekkers, climbers and rafters are particularly ecstatic that Nepal has calmed down, but, for me, the great prospect was coming back to a capital city so divertingly unfamiliar that not only does it run 57 years ahead of us, it’s an inexplicable five and three-quarter hours ahead of GMT.

And it’s a place so comfortable with spiritual cross-dressing that a dainty descendant of Buddha can be pronounced the living incarnation of Shiva’s wife. Lots of hardy sorts never stopped visiting, of course, but, for us more safety-conscious souls, it’s wonderful to find Kathmandu firmly back on the travel map.

The very first taxi tour from the airport revealed how much this city has been changed by Nepal’s difficult decade. Kathmandu doubled in size during the civil war, to 3m inhabitants, as farmers fled the Maoist press gangs in the mountains. Now, in peacetime, most people have chosen to stay, transforming the city into a pocket Delhi, a cacophonous, congested boom town that would probably appal the hippies who used to trail here.

Staring out at the chaos, I sensed fortunes being chased, chances grasped for, educations ravenously acquired (every third shop front is a school). If only anyone could get anywhere on time. Abandoning the cab in a jam, I strolled the last few blocks to Dwarika’s, and a slice of calm and continuity.

Established in the 1970s as an unlikely hybrid of a museum and a hotel, Dwarika’s is now one of those symbolic success stories every resurgent city needs. The towering courtyard complex combines all the swanky services of a top-line hotel, from the pool to the piano bar, but every window frame, doorway, ornament and fitting is a piece of rescued and restored ancient Nepali craftsmanship. Some of the woodcarvings, all miniature gods and mythical beasts, are 600 years old, carefully encased in the modern buildings – which, thanks to returning tourism, are growing apace, with a new wing under construction and a second courtyard being planned.

NEPAL: Colgate-Palmolive after-sale row continues in Nepal

FROM NEW KERALA

Kathmandu, Nov 24 : Four days after oral care giant Colgate-Palmolive (India) announced the handover of its wholly owned Nepal subsidiary to a Nepali company, dispute by workers continued to dog the sale with two other local agencies also jumping into the fray.

Sold to Everest Hygiene Products Pvt Ltd, the former Colgate-Palmolive (India) factory in Hetauda town in central Nepal’s Makwanpur district has remained closed since Thursday when Colgate announced the divestment in Mumbai.

“There was some confusion among the workers due to lack of transparency in the dissemination of information by the general manager of the Nepal subsidiary,” said Kishore Khanal, owner of the buyer company, who had acted as a facilitator for the multinational when it had made its entry in Nepal 12 years ago.

Khanal, who was in Hetauda Thursday when the Nepal arm’s GM Ramesh Singh Rathore broke the news to the nearly five dozen workers, was detained by the enraged staff for two days at the factory premises while Rathore and finance manager Manoj Jha were handed over to police by the youth wing of a ruling political party.

Now, besides the agitating Nepal arm workers, the employees of two other local companies have also joined the protests.

Ace Packaging and Everest Container Private Ltd, two Hetauda-based companies that had been manufacturing tubes and cartons for Colgate-Palmolive (Nepal) are claiming that they are facing closure due to the sale and are demanding compensation.

Talks between the workers and Colgate-Palmolive’s representatives under the mediation of chambers of commerce and industry as well as the chief district officer Sunday failed to break the deadlock.

The Makwanpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry told IANS that the next round of talks has now been scheduled for Thursday.

Khanal said he had no role in the talks and would wait till the seller cleared the “confusion”.

NEPAL: China replaces its Nepal envoy

FROM SAMAY LIVE

Kathmandu, Nov 24: China has replaced its envoy to Nepal Zheng Xianglin, in whose tenure the Himalayan nation saw frequent anti-Beijing protests by Dalai Lama’s supporters.

Zheng, transferred to Japan, has completed only half of his three-year tenure, but, a China analyst who does not want to be named, said his appointment in Osaka is linked with his knowledge of Japanese language.

His successor Qiu Guohong, a former deputy-director general at the Asia department of the Chinese foreign affairs ministry, has already been embroiled in a controversy when he called on Nepal Home and Defence ministers, before presenting his credentials to President Ram Baran Yadav on Friday.

Zheng, who assumed office in April 17, 2007, had strongly opposed “anti-China activities” in Nepal which, finally, led the new Maoist-led government take stringent measures against such protests.

The new ambassador’s appointment coincides with the visit of an eight-member delegation of Chinese military here.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is also arriving here on an official goodwill visit starting from December 6, according to Foreign Ministry sources.

NEPAL: ‘Nepal’s inflation imported from India’

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NEWS NET

KATHMANDU: A visiting International Monetary Fund delegation holding a pres-meet in Kathmandu on Sunday, November 23, 2008, has said that the country’s economic condition was susceptible to deeper crisis.
After completing a two-week long study of Nepal’s economy, the IMF delegation led by Brian J Aitken- the team leader and the Deputy Division Chief of Asia and Pacific department of IMF, told the press that “For the time being, Nepal’s macro-economic situation looks good but remains vulnerable to deeper crisis”.

“Its outlook broadly remains stable, but the average inflation could increase to around 11 per cent”, he added.

“Inflation in Nepal is largely catalyzed by the conditions in India,” said Aitken adding “Nepal’s inflation could well be called an imported one”.

The IMF team, as per the reports, also held intensive discussions with the incumbent Maoists’ Minister for Finance Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai and the Nepal Rastra Bank-central bank of Nepal, officials during its two week long stay in Nepal.

“This year’s fiscal budget is very challenging, revenue collection mechanism needs a speedy revamp else keeping the budget stable will be almost impossible”.

Mr. Aitkin making further comments said that Nepal’s financial institutions are over- banked and as the number of such institutions continue to grow in the country, it may be difficult for the Nepal Rastra Bank to monitor them all.

NEPAL: Maoists ignoring partners: Koirala

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NEWS NET

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday blamed the Maoists of breaching the past agreements and acting against the spirit of coalition. Addressing a press meet organised by the district chapter of Nepal Press Union here on Sunday, Koirala said the Maoists were not serious about the implementation of the past agreements. “Since the Maoists are not serious about past agreements, it’s not necessary that the NC alone has to abide by the agreements,” he added. Demanding the dismantling of the Young Communist League, Koirala urged the Maoists to completely detach themselves from killings, abductions and terrorist activities.

Koirala also said the government was yet to formally call the Nepali Congress for its participation in the special panel formed for the People’s Liberation Army integration. “If we get a formal offer, we may consider that,” he added.

“It doesn’t matter whether or not the Maoists will provide compensation to people for the land and property seized by them. I only say that the land and property should be immediately returned to the rightful owners,” he said.

Saying that he would not accept politicisation of the Nepal Army, Koirala said, “I will not let that happen at any cost,” the octogenarian leader said, adding that he will not compromise with anyone in the world on democracy.
“I have never criticised the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN). I only objected to the silence of the UNMIN when the Maoist leaders entered the parliament with UN-tagged weapons,” he said. Koirala added that he wasn’t hatching any conspiracy to topple the government. “A ripe mango falls on its own. I only want to warn them that they may also meet the same fate,” he said.

NEPAL: ‘No Role for Govt in Statute-Drafting’

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NEWS NET

KATHMANDU: Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang on Sunday said the government would have no role in drafting constitution apart from building necessary physical structures in the CA.Speaking at a press conference organised by the Ilam chapter of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) here on Sunday, he said, “I believe the CA sessions will not be disrupted because all CA members are responsible persons.”

Urging political leadership to stop disputing on trivial issues, Nembang said the new constitution would be made public on May 28, 2010, as per the CA schedule. He also asked the leaders of different political parties not to express their views for and against the integration of People’ Liberation Army combatants.

“The PLA integration will be carried out as per the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the interim constitution,” Nembang said, adding, “Instead of discussing the PLA integration issues every where, I suggest political leaders to talk about issues related to drafting a new constitution as per the parameters defined by the CA Regulations.”

He added that there were chances of electing a woman as the vice-chairperson of the CA.

 

SIKKIM: Sai Baba’s birth anniversary

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

BY SUBASH GURUNG

Celebrating 83rd birth anniversary of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Baluwakhani Sai Mandir

Gangtok: Sri Satya Sai Sarva Dharma organization organized celebration of 83rd birth anniversary of Sri Satya Sai Baba at Baluwakhani Sai Mandir on November 23. One the occasion the organization distributed shawls, blankets, fruits, biscuits and medicine of Rs. 4650/ to needy patients at STNM Hospital.The celebration at Sai Mandir included Hawan performed by devotees for world peace, lightning lamps, chanting mantra, singing bhajan performed and Sahasranamawali Path (reading1008 times the name of Sai Baba).Two books, Ramayana Prasnauttar and Ram Charit Manas Sundar Kanda, translated from Hindi to Nepali language, were released on the occasion. Mr. Subash Deepak translated the books which are published by Sri Satya Sai books and publication trust in coordination with Mr. Pradhun Shrestra.

 

SIKKIM: Sikkim to export orchid

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

BY JANUKA SHARMA

Gangtok: Sikkim Himalayan Cymbidium Orchid Pvt Ltd. of Assam Linzey is one of the largest Cymbidium Orchid cultivating centres of India. Sikkim had earlier sent specimens of the orchid to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Middle East Country, according to a plan to export 45,000 cut Cymbidium Orchid plant at the highest price offered.

The Agriculture Department has already done post harvesting management said R. Telang, Secretary, Agriculture Department in a conference held at Agriculture Department, Krishi Bhawan, on Sunday. Seed of Cymbidium Orchid, produced in Rumtek, is of high value. The mother plants were imported from Holland and New Zealand. Sikkim products will be exported after 2 years, it is informed.

Chief Secretary, Mr. N.D. Chingapa visited Assam Linzey and Rumtek centres on Saturday. He interacted with progressive farmers and self help groups of both the places. He expressed happiness at the work of Agriculture and Horticulture Department. On 27th November he will visit Daramdin centre informs Mr K.K. Singh, Director, Horticulture Department. Ravi Kishan Mela will be held from December 1 to 3 at Saramsa in collaboration with ICAR, he informed, adding, this would be the third biggest mela.

DOOARS TERAI: State home secy urges GJMM not to launch movement in the Hills

FROM THE STATESMAN

JALPAIGURI, Nov. 24: The state home secretary Mr Ashok Mohan Chakraborty today urged the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha leadership against launching an aggressive movement in the Darjeeling hills.

The appeal comes following the GJMM president Mr Bimal Gurung’s threat of launching an aggressive movement soon for the Gorkhaland cause. “The state government is eager to bring out a positive solution to the hill issue. A tripartite meeting has already been held on the subject and another meeting is scheduled this month. We urge all to have patience and maintain peace,” he said.

Mr Chakrabarty, who inspected the Jalpaiguri jail today, said that the state government was concerned with militant activities in north Bengal. “Different groups active in West Bengal still have lot of arms and ammunition. The police are trying to disarm them. Mr Chakraborty also urged the government lawyers for speedy trial of those KLO and Gorkha Liberation Organisation imamates who are in different jails of north Bengal for so many years without trial. “Although legal matters can be time consuming, still I urge the government lawyers to complete the cases as early as possible,” Mr Chakraborty said.

The Home secretary also said that the state government has urged the Centre to provide more CRPF troops in context with the tribal movement in Lalgarh but the ongoing election procedure in different states is restricting the supply of paramilitary forces. He also said that Midnapore district administration might accept the justifiable demands of the Adivasis of Lalgarh, Jhargram, Binpur, Belpahari and other adjoining areas.

“The state government is hopeful about the improvement of the situation in Lalgarh. We are requesting the agitators to get back to normal life, clear the roads, re-open the schools and provide the sate government a healthy atmosphere for discussions,” he added. The home secretary said that an ADM level meeting was held yesterday to resolve the Lalgarh tangle. He also said that more meetings will be held at Midnapore or Jhargram. All concerned were asked to attend the meetings.

SIKKIM: Road accident kills 7 including 6 students

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

Bodies of accident victims being salvaged. Photo by Sikkim Reporter

Gangtok: Seven people died n a road accident early Sunday morning at Tumin (under Rakdong-Tintek constituency), 20 km. north of Singtam, when their vehicle fell in a george over 1000 feet below the road at Rangchang Khola. The casualties include six students of a school in Mangan, North Sikkim.

The victims are identified as: Milan Pradhna(driver)(20) of Khamdong, Kaljen Bhutia(19), Hissey Diki Ongmu(20), and Kunjang Bhutia(20) of Mangshila Tinching North Sikkim, Penkit Lepcha(18) of Pashing Thang,Upper Dzongu, Sagar Gurung(19) of Mangan and Man Bahadur Rai(18) of Lingjey, Upper Dzongu, and Milan Pradhan, driver of the ill-fated vehicle.

According to sources, the students of Mangan Senior Secondary School were going on outing to Kalimpong Dello. They left their home before the daybreak at 3 am in two vehicles. The accident took place at about 5.30 am. Half an hour before the accident, the vehichles filled fuel on the road to Tumin.

Thereafter, one vehicle moved ahead and the other one that followed from behind met with the accident at Tumin Bhir (hill top) when the driver tried to negotiate a turning on the road.

Driver of Maxx SK-04/5585 lost control, presumably due to some mechanical failure, and the vehicle fell into Rangchang Khola. 

All the seven occupants of the vehicle died on the spot, according to eyewitness accounts.

To take stock of the incident, health minister Mr. Hissey Lachungpa, Superintendent of Police,East, Dr. M.S.Tuli and Sub Divisional Magistrate Mr. B.K.Lama visited the spot on the same day.

Given the reason of accident, SP Tuli said as they left their home early in the morning, some drowsy feeling might have caught them that resulted in the accident.

DARJEELING HILLS: ‘GJMM is a frustrated lot’

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Nov. 24: The CPI-M Darjeeling district leadership today said that the GJMM was losing ground in the Darjeeling hills and in a fit of frustration its leadership was indulging in wild ramblings against the CPI-M and the state government.

Reacting to the GJMM chief Mr Bimal Gurung’s allegation in Kuseong yesterday that the state urban development minister and a senior CPI-M leader Mr Asok Bhattacharya had been engineering infiltration from across Bangladesh to bring about a demographic change in the Terai and the Dooars region, Mr Bhattacharya said that the GJMM leadership was stooping low. “The fact is that the agitating outfit has been losing public support due to its prolonged anti-people political and economic programmes. The GJMM leadership is now a frustrated lot,” Mr Bhattacharya said.

It may be mentioned here that Mr Gurung alleged yesterday while addressing a meeting in Kurseong that the state government at the behest of the state urban development minister had been actively engineering infiltration from Bangladesh to transform the prevailing demographic order in the Teari and the Dooars regions in favour of a particular community. “Besides, the state government has been propping up radical Bengali organisations like Aamra Bangali and Jana Chetana Mancha to thwart the people’s movement in the Darjeeling hills,” he charged.

SILIGURI: Book fair to begin on Wednesday

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Nov. 24: The 26th North Bengal Book Fair will start from Wednesday at Kanchenjungha Mela Ground.

The event is being organised by Greater Siliguri Publishers and Book Sellers’ Association, in association with Anandabazar Patrika. Eminent writer Nimai Bhattacharya will inaugurate the fest.

“There will be seminar and interactive sessions on different popular topics,” said Narayan Das, the convener of the association.

Different cultural programmes, blood donation camp and sit-and-draw competitions will also be part of the event which will end on December 5.

“Different publishing houses will be participating along with Sikkim publication department which will take part for the first time,” Das said. The organisers are expecting a footfall of 1 lakh and sale of books worth Rs 1 crore.

 

DOOARS TERAI: Jumbos roam, foresters on toes – Guard attacked while on duty, adult male found injured

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Nov. 24: At least three herds of wild elephants are moving in areas stretching from the India-Nepal border to the western Dooars, keeping foresters on tenterhook.

The forest department fears that the pachyderms will attack humans and get injured themselves when they move from one forest to another.

A forest guard was injured when one of the 50-odd elephants had attacked him in Targhera forests, close to Odlabari, this morning. Shambhu Pradhan suffered injuries when the task of felling trees taken up by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) was going on.

Sailesh Anand, the divisional forest officer of Baikunthapur division, said Pradhan’s condition was critical and he was being treated in the Malbazar Subdivisional Hospital. Anand added that a close watch was being kept on the animals which were in Targhera now.

On the other hand, the herd of 80-odd elephants, which had deviated from the usual route and entered the Mohorgong Gulma Tea Estate, located 8km from Siliguri, last week, left Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and reached the Bagdogra-Naxalbari forest.

“We are relieved that the elephants could be brought back to the sanctuary and driven into their corridor. However, we are monitoring their movement round the clock as there are chances that the elephants might reach the border with Nepal where villagers will attack the animals,” said Kanchan Banerjee, a range officer of the Sukna wildlife squad. “Our job is to retain the pachyderms within Indian territory.”

Over the past few years, many elephants had died when the people living along the border erected electrified fences or fired bullets or arrows, prompting the forest department to take measures to stop the animals from crossing the Mechi river.

The third herd which, sources said, comprised around 70 elephants, is in the Bhuttabari forest near Malbazar.

SILIGURI: Trim-duty plea to jail boss

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Sharma comes out of the special jail in Siliguri. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, Nov. 24: Guards at Siliguri Special Jail today submitted a memorandum to the inspector-general of prisons, demanding that their duties be streamlined.

The memorandum was handed over by members of the Paschimbanga Kara Raskshi Samity’s Siliguri branch when the inspector general B.D. Sharma visited the jail here this morning.

Sharma, however, said he would discuss the issue with Asok Mohan Chakraborti, the state home secretary, tomorrow. But he said a medical ward would come up soon in the jail and the renovation of the female ward would take place shortly.

“Whenever the inmates of the other jails in the region need to be treated in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, they are brought to the special jail here. During the transportation from the jail to the hospital, we accompany them, but are not provided with any arms,” said Indra Tamang, the secretary of the Samity’s Siliguri branch.

“The medical college comes under the jurisdiction of Matigara police, which is part of the district force. They are supposed to guard the under-treatment prisoners. But that, too, never happens and we have to stand in for the district police. In this condition, when a prisoner escapes, we are showcaused,” he added.

DARJEELING HILLS: BJP seeks slice of statehood pie

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Yonzone at Chowk Bazar. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Nov. 24: The BJP today sought to jump on the Gorkhaland bandwagon with an eye on the coming general elections.

Addressing a public meeting at Chowk Bazar here today, the party’s Darjeeling unit president G.S. Yonzone said efforts were on to include the demand for a new state in the election manifesto of the BJP. “We have already taken up the matter with our central leaders. Once the Gorkhaland demand figures in the election manifesto, our job will be half done.”

Reminding the people that it was under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance that the three new states of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were created, Yonzone said the ultimate aim of the party was to have 50 states in the country. “People must look at our track record, and don’t make the mistake of taking us lightly,” he added.

Yonzone also sought to take credit – on behalf of his party – for giving tribal status to the Tamangs and Limbus, and said it was only the BJP that would be able to grant similar status to the Rais, Gurungs and Mangars. “The BJP also played an instrumental role in stalling the Sixth Schedule bill,” he claimed.

Yonzone’s speech was aimed at wooing the masses and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha with an eye on the Darjeeling parliamentary seat, currently being held by the Congress. During the last Lok Sabha election, the Congress’s Dawa Narbula had defeated the CPM’s Mani Thapa by over a lakh of votes. In fact, Yonzone himself had come a creditable third by polling over 1.10 lakh votes.

SIKKIM: Sikkim red carpet for Buddha relics

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

A monk carrying the relics at the Bagdogra airport on Monday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Rabong (South Sikkim), Nov. 24: The relics of Lord Buddha, collected from across eight Southeast Asian countries, arrived here today for the Sakyamuni project.

A team of 33 Thai monks, led by Jamnian Chonsakhorn, reached Bagdogra airport from Calcutta this morning with the ringsel (the Buddhist nomenclature for relics). Monks and devotees from various parts of the state had reached the airport to receive the team.

The relics had been offered by Somdet Phra Nyanasaamvara, the 19th Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhist order in Thailand.

A team led by Tashi Densapa, the director of the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology who also heads the religious committee of the Sakyamuni project, had visited Thailand in March to meet the Supreme Patriarch and requested him to give the relics.

Following the plea, a high priest, Phra Kristada of Bangkok, had agreed to be the representative of the Sakyamuni project for securing the relics from all neighbouring Buddhist countries. Besides Thailand, relics have been offered by Myanmar, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The team with the relics was given sherbang (a traditional reception of the highest order of monks) by Enchey, Phodong and Ralong monasteries at Rangpo. Dignitaries led by Sikkim urban development minister and the patron of the project, D.D. Bhutia, were also there to receive the team.

The relics were taken by road to Rabong in the evening with people lining up along the route at various places to welcome the team. The relics would be handed over to the Sakyamuni project at the Mane Chokerling Complex in Rabong tomorrow. They will be kept under tight security at the newly built Karma Thekchenling Monastery till the completion of the project early next year.