DARJEELING: GJM closes state govt. offices in Darjeeling

FROM THE HINDU

Siliguri (PTI): Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, fighting for a separate state of Gorkhaland, on Monday claimed that it had closed all offices of West Bengal government and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC) in Darjeeling hills.

GJM President Bimal Gurung said GJM supporters were picketing outside state government offices, including the office of district magistrate of Darjeeling, which they had shut down.

DM Surendra Gupta, however, said his office was open with only a few senior officials attending but most employees did not report for work.

Only the employees of the election cell which was kept outside the purview of the closure functioned with the electoral roll revision work continuing, he said.

Gupta said government buses were stopped at several locations but no tourist was stranded.

Courts in Darjeeling Hills remained open.

Food and Supplies department offices, insurance office, offices of the health department and fire brigade would remain open on Mondays and Tuesdays, as per GJM’s diktat.

Rural and Co-operative Banks would remain closed indefinitely, they said but other banks will be allowed to function.

Public Health Engineering department, electricity board office, water supply and civic bodies were allowed to remain partially open, GJM leaders said.

The agitators would allow the municipalities of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong to remain open but no development work could be permitted to take place, they said.

KOLKATA TEA MARKET REPORT – SALE 49

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NATIONAL: Good demand for quality teas in Kolkata sale

FROM SIFY.COM

Kolkata: Last week, selected liquoring teas maintaining quality continued to meet with good demand and sold well, particularly dust teas, which often appreciated, according to tea auctioneers. Medium and plainer categories as well as teas showing a decline in quality were irregularly lower.

The major blenders continued to operate actively with some support from other packeteers. There were good inquiries from Western Indian dealers for liquoring sorts while other internal sections were selective. Export buyers operated primarily for larger brokens and liquoring fannings.

Improved Darjeeling whole leaf and brokens grades were firm. Remainder were lower. Fannings were easier. Packeteers operated. Local dealers were active.

In the orthodox sale, whole leaf and brokens eased in value following quality. Liquoring fannings were firm to dearer while the remaining fannings tended lower. West Asian and CIS shippers were the mainstay of the market with active support from HUL on the fannings. There were some inquiries from North India.

Crop

October crop figures for North India is at 102.2 million kg up by 6.67 mkg against last year and South Indian crop is at 23.6 mkg up by 5.84 mkg against last year. Total all India crop up to October crop year to date stands at 832.55 mkg against 802.56 mkg last year. Currently leaf intakes have declined sharply in North India.

BENGAL: Join polls to rule Hills, Buddha tells GJIM

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

SILIGURI: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday urged Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) to join the elections in the Hills and then run the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).

“Some people in the Hills are trying to create trouble and propagating that the state government is ruling the Hills forcibly. I would like to ask the GJM leadership to join elections in the Hills and then run DGHC. Neither the state government nor the ruling party believes in ruling any area forcibly,” said Bhattacharjee.

The CM ruled out acceding to the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state while addressing the condolence meeting arranged by CPM in memory of Bikash Ghosh, the late mayor of Siliguri, at Baghajatin Park in Siliguri.

“The Hills have always been an inseparable part of the state and will remain so. The Hills and the plains will continue to live in peace. In the plains, too, some people are shouting pro-Bengali slogans. But we will never allow any feud between the Hills and the plains,” he said.

The CM asked the GJM leadership to stop calling bandhs in the Hills. “Bandhs will only worsen matters. Development work in the Hills has been stalled due to the bandhs called by the agitating party. Tourism industry has been hit hard and thousands of people are suffering due to it,” he said.

BENGAL: Keep watch on Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Buddha tells Darjeeling officials

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

Kolkata In a meeting with senior officials of Darjeeling district, Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee asked them to stress on security in New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri towns, in the light of the Mumbai attack.

Sources in the district administration said the chief minister termed the towns “crucial places” and asked to stay watchful.

The meeting – attended by the Darjeeling  district magistrate, Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Police (North Bengal) and other senior officers – was held in Siliguri on the second day of Bhattacharjee’s visit to North Bengal.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has ordered an indefinite shutdown of all government offices in Darjeeling  from December 8, as well those of the DGHC, power projects by NTPC and NHPC. District Magistrate Surendra Gupta said the CM’s instructions to counter the situation were on the lines of the policy being followed so far.

“The administration’s approach would be that of non-confrontation – a stance that we’ve maintained throughout the GJM agitation. Even though the GJM has asked the offices to shut down from Monday, we will try to keep as many offices open as possible,” Gupta said.

Officials added that Bhattacharjee also stressed on development of the region, with special focus on Jalpaiguri.

“He also spoke about speeding up the distribution of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe certificates in the district,” sources added.

Prior to the meeting, the chief minister addressed a public meeting in Siliguri, where he reportedly lambasted the “Amra Bangalee” for taking a communal line. He stressed that all communities – Nepali, Bengali and others – should co-exist peacefully, and those taking communally divisive lines should desist immediately.

At the Phansidewa AIKS meet, Bhattacharjee ruled out the possibility of having a separate Gorkhaland, and said he would try his best to not allow anyone to divide the state.

SIKKIM: Demand for assembly polls under Prez rule in Sikkim

FROM ZEE NEWS

Gangtok: The Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party (SHRPP) on Sunday charged the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government with harassing opposition party leaders and their supporters and demanded that the assembly polls in the state be held under the President’s rule to ensure fair play.

The SDF government headed by Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has been using the instruments of power to stifle its political opponents by either dolling out carrots or intimidating them with threats for maintaining its stranglehold over the reins of the state, SHRPP President AD Subba told reporters here.

Under the circumstances, the assembly polls in Sikkim be held under the President’s rule, he said, adding that his party will submit memoranda to the Election Commission and the Centre for imposition of the central rule in the state to facilitate free and fair polls.

The opposition leader also demanded resolution of the demand for assembly seat reservation for the scheduled tribe communities – Limboo and Tamang before the assembly polls so that they may also exercise their political rights.

Subba said the entire opposition were united on the issue of seat reservation for Limboo and Tamang, which he said, was the constitutional right of the two communities which were incorporated in the ST list in 2002.

‘Gizmos will not deter terrorists, we need skilled manpower too’

FROM TIMES OF INDIA

THANE: The 26/11 terror strikes seem to have spurred a blind rush to purchase hi-tech gadgets, with government agencies and corporates set to spend crores to enhance security measures.

In Thane, the civic body is understood to have sanctioned Rs 90 lakh to buy 60 CCTV sets, 100 mounted cameras, 14 multi-zone metal detectors, door-frame metal detectors and vehicle-checking machines, among other equipment. The gadgets will be installed at municipal hospitals, auditoriums, ward offices and so on.

The terror attacks have also compelled several commercial establishments, including hotels and cooperative banks, in the city to consider spending on security systems.

Counter-terrorism experts, however, do not think that installing sophisticated surveillance and security systems will reduce the risk. “The terrorist is a mercenary on a mission. His strategy is low-tech with high impact. Hi-tech gadgets will not deter him as he uses infantry tactics to penetrate the defence and cause maximum damage,” said Probal Dasgupta, a former major in the Indian Army who had seen combat in the Northeast and Jammu & Kashmir.

The former member of the Gorkha regiment said there was an urgent need for a military-cum-management approach to security. “Unless we have an integrated security plan, where hi-tech devices are complimented by specially trained and skilled manpower, the crores spent to provide business to security agencies and vendors hawking their products will prove futile,” Dasgupta said.

Driving home the point, he said the terrorists who launched coordinated attacks in Mumbai broke all lines of defence at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. “They got in with ease despite the metal detectors and armed personnel. Their only expenditure was on satellite phones. Equally audacious and low-tech was the 9/11 attack in the US where terrorists armed only with box-cutters used aircraft and rammed them into the twin towers. Their only expenditure was on prior pilot training and purchase of flight tickets,” he said.

“Their strategy is to keep it simple, search for gaps in the security systems and cause mass casualty. The US had the best control over their airspace and the best of hi-tech gizmos. Nonetheless, the gaps were exposed to the hilt and an assault carried out successfully,” Dasgupta said.

KOLKATA: Buddha says no Gorkhaland, GJM calls for stir from today

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

Kolkata: Chief Minister Buddadeb Bhattacharjee on Sunday asked the district administration to lay stress on security in New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri, terming these towns “crucial places”, in the light of the Mumbai Terror attacks. The meeting, attended by the Darjeeling DM, SP, IGP (North Bengal) and other senior officers, was held on day two of Bhattacharjee’s visit to north Bengal. Prior to the meeting, Buddha addressed a public meeting in Siliguri where he reportedly lambasted the Amra Bangalee for taking a communal line and asserted that all communities should co-exist peacefully.

At the Phansidewa AIKS meet, Buddha ruled out a separate Gorkhaland state as demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), saying he would try his best not to allow anyone to divide the state.

The (GJM), however, seemed unfazed by the CM’s statements and will force closure of all state Government offices in the Darjeeling  hills for an indefinite period and a complete halt to development activities from Monday.

NEPAL: Nepal’s first aircraft flies

FROM GULF TIMES

KATHMANDU: The first aircraft built by Nepal’s engineers Saturday successfully completed a test flight in the country’s western Pokhara city, a media report said.

According to eKantipur.com, Russian pilot Alexander Maximov led the test flight of the light aircraft built by the students of the Institute of Engineering in the Nepali capital.

The two-seater aircraft, costing about 1mn Nepali rupees (about $12,500), has a take-off weight of 400 kg. The aircraft flew for about a minute, covering a distance of about 1.5 km.

The aircraft was built with an Austrian-made engine and locally available material, after nearly two years of research and documentation by eight students of the Fabrication Group of the institute, the report said.-Xinhua

 

DARJEELING: Morcha breather for govt offices

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Darjeeling, Dec. 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has reworked its agitation programme to provide relaxation to certain state government offices for “public convenience”.

Bimal Gurung, the president of the Morcha, had yesterday announced that all Bengal government offices and the DGHC would remain closed from tomorrow (see chart below).

Today, the Morcha provided a list of offices that would be allowed to remain open.

“We will keep the courts open, while the food and supplies department will function on Mondays and Tuesdays. Insurance office, offices of the health department and fire brigade will also remain open,” said Binay Tamang, the Morcha’s media and publicity secretary.

The party has decided to stop the movement of all North Bengal State Transport Corporation buses in the hills and close its offices. “Even the rural and the co-operative banks will remain closed. Other banks will be allowed to function,” said Tamang.

Although, the district magistrate’s office will remain closed, the election cell will be allowed to work. “Since the revision of electoral rolls is going on, we have decided to allow the cell to remain open for the sake of public convenience,” said the Morcha publicity secretary.

Gurung’s party has also decided to keep the public health engineering department, electricity board office and the civic bodies partially open. “While the offices of the PHED will remain shut, we will allow the water supply division to function. The municipalities will remain open but no development work will be allowed to take place,” said Tamang.

The Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha, the women wing of the party, which will organise a number of programmes in the coming months, formed a 27-member central committee today.

“Since we are awaiting the names from the Adivasi community from the Dooars and the Terai, a final committee will be formed on December 20,” said Tamang.

Plantation union

The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, affiliated to the Morcha, organised its first convention at Pintail Village to drum up support for Gorkhaland.

SILIGURI: Buddha blames ‘them’ for growth block – CM warns of falling tourist figure

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at Bagha Jatin Park in Siliguri on Sunday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

Siliguri, Dec. 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s agitation is crippling tourism in the Darjeeling hills, the chief minister said here today. Besides, it is also hampering growth.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee did not mention Bimal Gurung’s party by name while accusing the Morcha of stalling hill development.

“Such frequent strikes affect the people living across the hills. The ill-effects have been already felt as only 30 per cent of tourists turned up in Darjeeling  this year so far, hitting badly the stakeholders, ranging from hoteliers and transporters to owners of small eateries,” said Bhattacharjee.

The chief minister was attending a memorial meeting for the late Siliguri mayor, Bikash Ghosh, at Bagha Jatin Park this morning. “We would urge them (Morcha) to refrain from such strikes and concentrate in resolving the issue through discussions at the tripartite level,” Bhattacharjee said.

During his public meeting at Phansidewa, 25km from here, yesterday, Bhattacharjee had categorically rejected the demand for a separate state and urged the Morcha to help the DGHC hold the elections and run it if the hill party came to power.

Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association, agreed with the chief minister on the decline in the number of tourists to the hills but could not furnish data. “It is not possible to spell out the exact percentage in the drop, but definitely, a substantial decrease has been noticed in the inflow of budget tourists and flying travellers in Darjeeling  this year,” he said. “There was however, not much difference in the movement of high-end tourists and those in the organised sector.”

Gopal Lama, the deputy director of the department of tourism (north Bengal), admitted that there had been a fall in tourists. “But that is only 15-20 per cent. However, we are yet to make the final calculations. In other words, 80- 85 per cent of the estimated number of tourists have visited the hills this time,” he said.

ASSAM: Wiz kid singer’s GANAR PRABAHAT AASTHAJITA released

TEXTS AND IMAGES BY NANDA KIRATI DEWAN

Singer Sudakkhina Sarma, Bollywood Actress Mahima Choudhury, Singer Aasthajita seen during the release of the 2nd Audio-Video Album “ GANAR PRABAHAT AASTHAJITA” of Aasthajita Nanda Bordoloi, a 4-year old Music Sensation of Assam in Guwahati, Assam on 07-12-08. Photo by Nanda Kirati Dewan. Click on the image to enlarge

Bollywood Actress Mahima Choudhury and veteran Singer of yesteryears Sudikshina Sharma and Aasthajita Nanda Bordoloi, a 4-year old Music Sensation of Assam released Aasthajita’s 2nd Audio-Video Album “GANAR PRABAHAT AASTHAJITA” in Guwahati, Assam on Sunday. Aasthajita’s maiden album “TUMAR GANOR KULAT” (lyrics and songs originally sung by music maestro Dr. Bhupen Hazarika) got a overwhelming response when she was 3 years old and went on to make a entry to the list of World’s youngest professional singer. Notably she is India’s youngest singer according to a reliable source a music and cassette company.

Bollywood Actress Mahima Choudhury seen with Aasthajita Nanda Bordoloi, a 4-year old Music Sensation of Assam at the release of her (Aasthajita) 2nd Audio-Video Album “ GANAR PRABAHAT AASTHAJITA” in Guwahati, Assam on 07-12-08. Photo by Nanda Kirati Dewan