By Theba ( From Upper Dumaram, Kharsang who is sharply attuned with Darjeeling Hills when slightly removed from it)
I remember the days of Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister with India with Hindu Growth Rate of 3% and at times the Foreign Exchange reserves with the Central Bank coffers so low that “India” the nation barely managed to foot the import bills.
The Union Finance Minister then was Shri Pranab Mukherjee who practically had no answer on the economic issues ailing the country and with the looming Sikh militancy, Tamil Uprising in Sri Lanka and the insurgency in the North East, the state of Economy was least in Nation’s psyche however, Mr Mukherjee with his typical demeanor of a trusted Babu with Indira Gandhi blinkers and continued his prognosis for nation’s economy on the same curve, direction, level and attitude.
While the nation was caught in frenzy of political activities, Pranab Babu continued his growth forecast of .01% in many elements of the economy and with the benefit of the hind sight now, one can assert that he just did not have the vision neither clarity to take the nation’s growth to the next level as done by his current boss Dr Manmohan Singh in the 90s.
Leading with the Pack and Not Lead Pack.
Everybody has a place in the world so does Pranab Da…, while Pranab Mukherjee may not posses visionary leadership quality to lead from the front he is though good at maintaining status quo and managing relationship especially in the spaces where it matters. Read the rest of this entry »
GANGTOK: The Bank of India in collaboration with NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) distributed Kissan Credit Card (KCC) to Farmers Club at Block Administrative Centre, Ranka in East Sikkim.
Altogether 10 farmers groups from Ranka comprising of 113 members got package from the Bank of India which includes Stamp Pad, Kissan Credit Card, key ring, letter pad with the logo of Bank of India. The Kissan Credit Card comprises benefits to the farmers with Rs 5000-10000 credit limit and insurance of Rs 50,000 for every member.
Talking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, Chief Manager, Bank of India, Gangtok RK Verma said the mission behind issuing the KCC was the development through credit, link them with technology transfer and market access, empowerment of woman, awareness and capacity building among farmers.
Meanwhile Assistant General Manager of NABARD Arun Tellure interacted with the farmers regarding their difficulties in choosing various agricultural options. The Director of State Food security and Agriculture Development Department SK Sinha informed the farmers about organisations like ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency), KBK (Kissan Bikash Kendra), which assists farmers in technology and agricultural options. Read the rest of this entry »
GANGTOK: As dozens of tankers loaded petrol and diesel stock rolled into Sikkim yesterday during the 5 day NH 31A window period, the East district administration has lifted the rationing of fuel that had been clamped down from July 14 in view of the indefinite Darjeeling bandh.
After three days of choking Sikkim, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) from yesterday announced the exclusive use of NH 31 A only by Sikkim registered vehicles for five days up to 6 am of July 23.
The DC (East) D Anandan told media that the window period of five days is being utilized to the maximum to beef up the depleted stock of essential commodities.
While informing that the rationing of petrol and diesel has been lifted, the DC said that the rationing may came to force if the NH 31A is closed down after July 23.
Endorsing the East district administration measures to supplement the existing stocks of essential commodities, the State transport department has been ferrying in supplies since the word go from yesterday.
The Sikkim Nationalized Transport (SNT) general manager, LM Pradhan informed that a total of 37 trucks, 19 tankers and 14 buses of the SNT ferried standard passengers and essential commodities between Siliguri and Sikkim.
“As 10 buses already booked on Friday could accommodate passengers with valid air and rail tickets only, 4 buses were added to beat the rush”, said Mr. Pradhan. Read the rest of this entry »
GANGTOK: Shot exclusively in the mesmerizing locales of Sikkim and lavish use of local artistes, ‘Mission Love in Sikkim’ is set for its much awaited premier show on July 21 at Denzong Cinema Hall here in Gangtok.
The premier show of the film will be held at 5 pm which will be attended by State Information and Public Relations minister Neeru Sewa as the chief guest, said Chunni Lal Ghimeray, managing director of Channel Ace Productions in a press meet held at Press Club of Sikkim.
Entry to the premier show will be based on donor cards and affordable tickets which will be available the counter of Somani Audio Visual Productions, Gangtok.
While the movie boasts of healthy local presence including Sikkimese starlet Rusma Rai, the State government also extended its encouragement by exempting the premier show from entertainment tax.
We thank Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for declaring the premier show of ‘Mission Love in Sikkim’ as tax free in the interests of the local artistes and nascent film industry of Sikkim, said Mr. Ghimeray. He highlighted the risks involved for the producers to finance a Nepali film from Sikkim.
Despite the risks involved, we have ventured ahead with this film so as to encourage the local artistes of Sikkim, said Mr. Ghimeray.
The film has been directed by Nepal based filmmaker Sovit Basnet and has already been showcased in Nepal where it has found good response.
During the premier show, the mahurat shot of Mr. Basnet’s latest venture ‘Kanyadaan’ will also be done.
Mr. Basnet explained that he could not shoot to his expectations in Sikkim. “There are so many picturesque locales here but I could shoot in only 10 percent of these locales for the film ‘Mission Love in Sikkim’ due to paucity of time. Hence, I have decided to explore more of the locales of Sikkim during the shooting of ‘Kanyadaan’ for which a plot has already been written”, said he said.
Calcutta: Doctors have given permission to Mohun Bagan’s Habibur Rehman Mondal to start training from the second week of August, a source close to the player revealed Sunday.
However, the defender, who had been admitted in an intensive care unit last month for extreme dehydration, is yet to be contacted by the Bagan officials despite the commencement of training for the coming season, the source added.
The club’s pre-season training camp may be held at Kalyani instead of Kalimpong at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, peeved with the club’s behaviour towards its players recently, former Bagan players may boycott Mohun Bagan Day.
A BATTLEFIELD?: An Army man throws back stones at rioters on the Mahendra Polytechnic ground in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. More than 2,000 candidates had assembled for recruitment to the 39th Battalion of the Gorkha Training Centre. One candidate was killed and some were injured when the Army opened fire on the protesters, who alleged discrepancies in the selection process. Photo from The Hindu
MALDA/DARJEELING: Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee made it clear on Sunday that no state could be divided on the basis of area or population. His views on Gorkhaland were aired on a visit to Raiganj in North Dinajpur.
Speaking on the strike in the Hills, he said, “It is not proper to use force to meet such a demand for a new state. The Centre can discuss only the issue of the Sixth Schedule, but not the demand for a separate state.”
In Darjeeling, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) decided to relax its indefinite strike for 10 hours on Monday. Shops, market, banks and petrol pumps will open and vehicular movement allowed. However, government offices and the DGHC will stay closed. “We have decided on the 10-hour relaxation so that hostel students do not face trouble returning. But, the bandh will resume from Tuesday,” said Amar Lama, GJM central committee leader. “We’ve asked our supporters to take rest for a day. They will be back on the streets on Tuesday.”
On Friday, GJM had announced that educational institutions and tea gardens would be opened from July 20. National Highway 31A have also been given relaxation for five days, starting from July 18. The GJM leadership had, however, made it clear that vehicles bearing WB’ number plates would not be allowed to ply on the highway.
The GJM’s indefinite strike entered its seventh day on Sunday. No untoward incidents were reported from anywhere. Supporters have been asked to take rest during Monday’s relaxation and return to duty when the strike resumes. The Gorkhaland Personnel though, will remain on duty. GJM had announced that schools and tea gardens would open from Monday, but they did not exempt vehicular movement and markets from the strike. It is learnt that school authorities and tea garden management felt without vehicular services, giving them exemption from the strike would serve no purpose. Read the rest of this entry »
This film is about the demand for the formation of a separate state called Gorkhaland, which will not be a part of West Bengal. The documentary tries to understand the reason behind this demand, and the public opinion regarding this movement.
Dehradun: The 6/8 Gorkha Rifles scored a 3-0 win over Little Star in the District Football League here on Saturday. Shivalik managed to pull off a close 2-1 win over Nagar Nigam in the second match.
The 6/8 Gorkha Rifles entered the ground with great confidence. The army team clearly had an edge over the young and inexperienced Little Star side. The 22nd minute of the game saw the army outfit taking a 1-0 lead. Robin found the target to start scoring for the Gorkha Rifles. Eight minutes later, Pradeep extended the lead further to 2-0. The 6/8 Gorkha Rifles was leading 2-0 at half time.
In the second half, poor finishing proved a major hurdle for the army team in boosting their lead. On the other hand, Little Star began to play an improved game and created many half chances. The army defence kept things under control by maintaining vigil. Anand scored the third goal for the Gorkha Rifles (17th minute).
The second match between Shivalik and Nagar Nigam will be more remembered for a goal by veteran striker Sushil Rawat ‘Tony.’ Possibly playing the last season of his football career, Tony continues to prove a utility player for the Shivalik side. The Nagar Nigam surprised Shivalik by going 1-0 up in the game. Sandeep found the net in the 12th minute of the game to give Nagar Nigam the lead. Eight minutes later, experienced striker Sushil Rawat found the equaliser to level the score 1-1. After Tony, it was the turn of another experienced player, Kalam, to prove his mettle. Kalam scored in the 28th minute to make the score 2-1 in favour of Shivalik Club. Read the rest of this entry »
The cost of a cuppa is to rise after problems in major tea-producing countries sent wholesale prices soaring.
Prices in India are rocketing after the country’s driest monsoon season in 80 years devastated crops in the north-eastern state of Assam.
Droughts have already seen the wholesale price of tea from Kenya and Sri Lanka jump by 37 per cent and 50 per cent respectively this year.
And separatist protests in Darjeeling, eastern India, could cut production of the famous tea by up to a quarter.
Now British tea lovers – who drink an estimated 150million cups every day – are facing rises of at least ten per cent in the price of a brew.
A box of 80 Tesco premium tea bags cost 99p a month ago – but was £1.37 yesterday. PG Tips manufacturer Unilever has alr eady put prices up by between ten and 15 per cent.
Manufacturers and supermarkets will not pass on the entire wholesale rise to shoppers – but they cannot absorb the full increase, warned James Ball from The Grocer magazine.
‘We would alr eady be paying a lot more if it hadn’t been for big promotions,’ he said.
The shelf price could rise by ten per cent but may go higher, added Mr Ball, citing last year’s rice supply crisis, which saw prices double.
‘The trouble is, when it’s just one country that has problems, supply elsewhere can smooth it out but now it’s several countries at once,’ he said.
Britain’s favourite hot drink is still good value, insisted William Gorman, chairman of the UK Tea Council. Read the rest of this entry »
July 19 (PTI) Rejecting demands for a separate Gorkhaland state carved out of West Bengal, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the Centre was ready to grant Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling hills and asked the GJM leadership to call off its indefinite bandh.
“There is no question of any division of Bengal,” he told reporters when asked about indefinite bandh by the GJM in the Darjeeling hills which entered seventh day today.
The Centre was ready to grant Sixth Schedule status for Darjeeling or more powers under its provisions, he said.
Meanwhile, GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said they were not ready to accept the Sixth Schedule status.
“It is against the people’s interest. Sixth Schedule is a dead issue. Pranab Mukherjee should not try to reopen it.
People had already opposed it and ousted its proponent GNLF supremo Subhas Ghisingh from Darjeeling.
Kolkata, July 19(ANI): Union Finance Minister and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday ruled out any possibility of further division of West Bengal.
Mukherjee said this while commenting on the indefinite bandh that has been called by Gorkha Janamukti Morcha(GJM) in the Darjeeling Hills, which has been demanding for creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland.
“There is no question of any further division of Bengal,” Pranab Mukherjee said.
Mukherjee further said that no solution could be derived from force and hoped that the GJM would call off its indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling Hills.
“The Centre has called for a tripartite talks with the GJM and the West Bengal government to discuss the demands made by the GJM on August 24,” Mukherjee said.
“I hope that the GJM would participate in the talks to sort out the problems,” Mukherjee added. (ANI)
Imphal, July 19 2009: At least three suspected cadres of Kangleipak Communist Party (MC) were gunned down today afternoon at about 1.15 pm by a combined force of Bishnupur police commandos and troops of 4/8 Gorkha Rifles at Chini Ingkhol, two km south west of Bishnupur police station along the Ngarian road.
The three were killed in a follow up action to the arrest of one cadre of the KCP (MC) allegedly involved in an attempt on the life of an engineer of the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) on July 15, during which his driver was killed, police said.
Two 9mm pistols along with five live rounds and one Single Barrel Bolt rifle were recovered from the slain cadres.
Police said, the Single Barrel rifle was the gun that was taken away by the UG cadres after attacking the engineer.
Police said, the three cadres were killed in a follow up action to the arrest of Laishram Shyamchandra @ Bishorjit @ Shyam (30), son of L Samungou of Ngaikhong Khunou, finance in-charge of the KCP (MC) Lamyanba Khuman, who was allegedly involved in the killing of the driver of an Executive Engineer of the LDA on July 15 last.
A combined team of district police commandos and troops of Gorkha Rifles who entered to an isolated house located at Chini Ingkhol were fired upon by the militants from inside the house in which the combined force retaliated, resulting in a brief exchange of fire for some minutes.
The three dead bodies with the weapons were recovered when the security forces entered to the house after the exchange of fired ceased.
Empty cartridges were also recovered from the place where dead bodies recovered.
The identities of the slain cadres are yet to establish officially but they might be Korou, Salam Hemanta of Keibul and Ningthoujam Chandra of Keibul Kadong of the group. Read the rest of this entry »
CHANDAULI: Poor preparations of Chandauli district administration and the police while hosting the huge recruitment rally of the Indian Army made trouble inevitable on the concluding day on Sunday.
If locals were to be believed, right from the beginning of the rally, problems like eve-teasing and misbehaviour with traders had started. They claimed that despite sending delegations to the offices of the DM and the SP, no arrangement was made to maintain law and order. Even IG PC Meena and divisional commissioner Suresh Chandra noticed that basic tasks like removal of building material, like bricks dumped outside the Chandauli Polytechnic, the venue where recruitment rally of the Army was held, had not been removed.
Even on the concluding day when over 15,000 candidates from Varanasi and Chandauli districts assembled at the rally venue, SP Laxmi Narain did not find it necessary to enhance security arrangements. He said an inspector, two SOs, several sub-inspectors and 39 constables had been deployed there to regulate the crowd. But the police could also not ensure that candidates, who were declared disqualified after 22 rounds of physical test, had left the venue. The same youth got the opportunity to provoke others when they noticed some Gorkha candidates joining the last lap of 23rd round of race.
When the angry mob of the youth started brick batting and entered the polytechnic campus, the police looked helpless while the Army personnel were compelled to open fire in self defence. Dr Dinesh Singh, who was deployed at the rally site, recalled: “Maximum injuries took place inside the rally venue as the candidates and Army personnel present there were not ready for the attack.” He said the number of injured persons was over 80. Chandan Kumar of Chakia was the first to sustain serious injuries while Col Sunil Wasan and 11 other Army officials and soldiers also sustained injuries. He said the angry mob was compelled to quit the polytechnic campus after the Army personnel opened fire. Read the rest of this entry »
Disappointment may be in store for sky watchers on July 22
FROM THE HINDU
NEW DELHI: Disappointment may be in store for both professional and amateur sky watchers with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting cloudy skies over most areas where the century’s longest total solar eclipse will be seen on July 22 morning.
In a special forecast for the areas to be covered by the total phase of the eclipse, the IMD said that while generally cloudy sky with rain or thundershower are likely at many places in central Madhya Pradesh, northwest Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, partly cloudy sky with rain or thundershower is likely over parts of east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.
The solar eclipse on Wednesday is of special significance since a total solar eclipse occurs at a particular place on the earth only once in about 360 years. These eclipses are notorious for their very narrow tracks of totality and passing over relatively inaccessible regions of the world.
The July 22 eclipse’s path of totality would pass over a large number of cities and densely populated regions. The totality would last 6 minutes and 44 seconds maximum along its path, just short of what can ever be possible — a duration of seven and a half minutes. The world may not witness an eclipse as the one on July 22 till 2132.
The eclipse would begin at 5.28 a.m. IST when the shadow of the moon would fall on the earth at a point in the Arabian Sea close to the western coast of the country. At 6.23 a.m. the umbra will touch the earth at the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea, near the southern coast of Gujarat. At that point, the path of totality will be about 200 km wide and the duration of totality at the central line will be about 3 minutes 30 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »
The West Bengal unit of the BJP on Sunday attacked former union minister and Darjeeling BJP MP Jaswant Singh for his open support for Gorkhaland and said that by rooting for Gorkhaland he was just harming the interests of the party in West Bengal.
At the release of the book Why Gorkhaland in New Delhi last week, Singh had said that the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland was quite legitimate. “The demand is for a small state within the country. It is very important to remember that it is the only district in the country which actually adjoins three international borders and is very close to the fourth,” Singh said, adding that the BJP had always favoured small states.
“What Singh said must have been his own comments. In our party manifesto it is clearly written that if voted to power the party would actively consider the legitimate demands of the Gorkhas. Nowhere does it say that the party will back the demand for Gorkhaland. Moreover, we were signatory to the all-party resolution taken last year which ruled out any further division of the state,” BJP state secretary Shamik Bhattacharya told The Indian Express. He added that the party unit would take up the matter with the central leadership and ask for the party’s stand.
In fact, the party unit thinks it would lose a major portion of its support base if such comments are made in favour of Gorkhaland. “At a time when we are fighting with our backs to the wall, Singh is destroying whatever paltry support base we have in south Bengal. It is as if we are getting backstabbed,” said a senior leader requesting anonymity. Read the rest of this entry »
Darjeeling’s tea farmers are on strike – the latest step in a campaign for their own state.
FROM THE INDEPENDENT
BY ANDREW BUNCOMBE
At the Happy Valley estate, where large painted signs boast of providing organic tea to Harrods, it was unnaturally quiet. Usually at this time of year – midway through the second flush, or crop – these steep hillsides of densely planted bushes would be filled with women plucking the leaves and dropping them into woven baskets on their backs.
Instead, they sit inside their small, sheet-metal shacks, idling away the damp afternoon.
Across the Darjeeling hills, life has come to a standstill. An indefinite strike, or “bandh”, called last week by activists demanding a separate state, has closed down schools, roads, businesses, hotels and – crucially – the tea estates. As a result, the day labourers who earn just 53 rupees (66p) a day picking tea to be sold to well-heeled customers in London’s Knightsbridge, are currently getting nothing.
Yet – remarkably, in view of the hardship they are enduring – these workers support the strike and its goals. Most of them are ethnic Gorkhas and believe the creation of Gorkhaland will transform their lives. “Suffering falls on you when you cannot work,” said one tea picker, a 30-year-old woman, bouncing a baby on her knee. “But everything will change if we get Gorkhaland. We will get good jobs, education, everything.”
The demand for a Gorkha state – but one that would remain firmly part of India – is nothing new. Two decades ago these steeply forested valleys, around which the mist can wrap itself for days, were awash with separatist violence and a counter-insurgency operation that killed at least 1,200 people before a ceasefire was brokered. Now, having turned their backs on violence, a Gorkha political party formed two years ago, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), says it is using tactics pioneered by Mahatma Gandhi to try and secure its goals. The GJM’s green, yellow and white flags can be seen flying from homes and buildings across the hills, or else painted onto walls alongside slogans demanding a homeland. Read the rest of this entry »
Darjeeling, Jul 19 : Life remained paralysed in three hill subdivisions under Darjeeling district with the indefinite shutdown called by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) entering the seventh day today.
The streets wore a deserted look with educational institutions, tea gardens, government offices and the market observing a complete shutdown.
”We have kept the NH 31A open till 0600 hours of July 23,” GJM assistant general secretary Benoy Tamang said.
”We have heard that the third round tripartite meeting has been preponed to August 11. But we have not received any official confirmation in this regard so far. We won’t take any decision on the withdrawal of bandh unless the Gorkhaland issue is given its due importance in the meeting,” GJM central committee member Amar Lama said.
Cars having Sikkim number plates were allowed to ply on the National Highway 31A, the lifeline of Sikkim.
”GJM supporters have opened NH 31A to cater to their own needs and not for the sake of the common people,” said Mukunda Majumdar, president, Bangla Bhasha Bachao Committee.
Meanwhile, four cases were registered in Siliguri police station regarding the July 16 Kalimgpong incident in which the houses of the rival GNLF supporters were allegedly torched by GJM activists. Read the rest of this entry »
By a cruel twist of fate, the road arrived just when yields dwindled
FROM KUENSEL NEWSPAPER
BY SAMTEN YESHI
19 July, 2009: Mangal Singh Rai vividly remembers the knee-jerking journey from Manitar to Pasakha, carrying oranges (citrus mandarin) in the early 1980s. Men and horses, laden with fresh, ripe oranges, walking eight hours through the freshly cut mule track, was a common sight then.
At Pasakha, they would wait for the middlemen in the orange business, bargain for hours and happily return to their villages. The price for orange was not high; it averaged around Nu 50 for a pon (80 pieces). But the orchards were giving maximum yield and farmers were content. “Business was good. We returned home happy, most of the time,” said Mangal Singh.
The 45-year-old farmer said that orange came as an agent of change in the village and many farmers, realising what the fruit could do, started turning whatever land they had into orchards. “By the 1990s, orange dominated everything in the village. It was like apple to the northern Bhutanese farmers,” said Mangal.
According to Mangal, that was 27 years ago, when he was an 18-year-old boy. “The situation has changed now,” he says.
Those same orchards of Manitar are lush with orange trees just starting to bear fruit but farmers have lost interest in the once booming business. Most orchards are overgrown with thickets. “The trees are dying,” says Mangal. Mangal’s neighbours say that the trees started dying in the mid 1990s. “We tried everything but it just got worse,” said a villager.
The yield from the trees has been dwindling every year. “Last year, an orchard with 50 mature trees yielded only 10 pons. Can you believe it?” said another villager, Purna Bhadur, 39. “It’s frustrating after working so hard in the field.” Read the rest of this entry »
19 July, 2009: A Bhutanese family was beaten and robbed by ten BODO militants on the night of July 18.
The militants armed with AK-47 automatic rifles forcibly entered the house of Rajesh Pandal and his wife in Darjaythang, Sarpang Dzongkhag and robbed them off Nu 4,000, and their citizenship and voter identity cards.
The militants demanded the couple open the door of the next house that belongs to Rajesh Pandal’s father, Govinda Prasad Pandal. When they refused to cooperate, the couple was physically assaulted by the militants using their rifle butts.
The militants then fired upon the house of Govinda Prasad Pandal when he refused to open the door.
While leaving the premises, they also fired on a scooter belonging to Ram Chandra Tamang. Read the rest of this entry »
RANGPO/GANGTOK, 19 JULY: The east district administration has lifted the restriction in rationing of auto fuels that was effected during the bandh in the Darjeeling Hills that left National Highway 31A blocked for five days. The five days’ relaxation starting from 18 July to 23 July for vehicles bearing Sikkim registration plates, has brought a sigh of relief for the people of the landlocked state. The highway that traverses through Darjeeling Hills was closed since 13 July due to an indefinite bandh called by the GJMM.
Mr D Anandan, collector, east district, said that the window period is being utilised to maintain the depleted stock of essential commodities. He further informed that the controlled supply of petroleum products would again come into force if the bandh resumed after 23 July. Each vehicle is entitled to 5 litres petrol or 10 litres diesel for a day under the rationing.
According to Mr LM Pradhan, general manager, Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT), a total of 37 trucks, 19 tankers and 14 buses ferried stranded passengers and essential commodities between Siliguri and Sikkim on Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »
Kolkata, July 19(ANI): Union Finance Minister and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday ruled out any possibility of further division of West Bengal.
