Local cable Tv News Channel transmission stopped...कालेबुंगका पाँचवटा समाचार च्यानलहरु अनिश्चितकालीनको निम्ति बन्द...Morcha counters Partha claim on wage...SC order to Sikkim on office abuse

Local cable Tv News Channel transmission stopped
KalimNews, Kalimpong, 9 February: 5 local cable Tv news channels of Kalimpong were denied transmission of their news programme by its owner. Sky Scan Cable Tv Networks of Kalimpong was transmitting local programmes and daily news through its cable network since two decades but suddenly the owner Onkar Saini stopped the transmission.

Since some of the five news transmission news channels KTv, Haal Khabar, HPC, Dainandini and Pratidin were reportedly broadcasting anti GJM statements, Bimal Gurung President of GJM warned them to stop the practice. On several occasion Gurung had cautioned the channels and the cable network to refrain from antagonising the party. Lately Gurung challenged the Cable owner that the party may file cases against it as the practice of local cable Tv news is not legal and they are not authorised or licensed to transmit such programmes or news.

Fearing legal complication I have stopped the transmission, said Saini. Dr H.B.Chhetri, MLA Kalimpong said that our President Bimal Gurung had raised the matter of legality of local Tv News channels of Kalimpong but he did not give any such order prohibiting the transmission. News channels of Kalimpong do not have any permission from the concerned department or ministry still they were broadcasting daily news on the effort of local youths, if it is closed down then future of many will be doomed. Future prospect of some of the videographers who are getting themselves trained as stringers or correspondent sources for the national channels will also come to an dead end.

कालेबुंगका पाँचवटा समाचार च्यानलहरु अनिश्चितकालीनको निम्ति बन्द

डी के वाइबा, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुंग 9 फरवरी: अन्तत: कालेबुंगका समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द भयो। आजदेखि पूर्ण रुपले बन्द भएका समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द हुनुको कारणबारे स्थानीय क्याबल मालिक पक्षसित जान्न खोज्दा मालिक पक्षको तर्फबाट ओंकार साईनी(Onkar Shaini)ले समाचार च्यानल कुनै राजनैतिका पार्टीहरुले बन्द गरेको होइन भनि स्पष्टिकरण दिए। तिनले भने मलाई आफ्नो ब्यापार चलाउँनु पर्छ त्यसर्थ केहिदिन देखि समाचार च्यानलहरुलाई मुद्दा हलिदिने कुरा सुनेको कारण क्याबलको मालिक आफु भएको नातामा मैले कुनै समस्या झेल्न नचाहेका हूँ।
यदि समाचार च्यानलहरुलाई मुद्दा लगाए क्याबलको मालिक आफु भएको कारण मुद्दा आफुले झेल्न पर्ने समस्या सृजना हुनेछ त्यसर्थ केहि समय सम्मको निम्ति मैले नै समाचार च्यानल बन्द गर्ने निर्णय लिएको हूँ भनि स्पष्ट पारेका छन। तिनले आफुलाई राजनैतिका पार्टीका नेताहरुले समाचार च्यानल बन्द गर्ने दबाउ नदिएको स्पष्ट पार्दै कुनै समस्या सृजना नहोस भन्ने आफ्नो चाह रहेको बताए। यसबारेमा तिनले सबैसित कुराकानी गरेर समस्याको समाधान सुत्र निकाल्ने बताउँदै समस्याको समाधन ननिस्के सम्म समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द नै राख्ने तिनले अझ बताएका छन।

यता गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा (गोजमुमो) पार्टीका प्रवक्ता एंव कालेबुंगका बिधायक डा हर्क बहादुर छेत्रीसित जान्न खोज्दा समाचार च्यानल बन्द गर्न पार्टीले दबाव नदिएको स्पष्टिकरण दिएका छन। तिनले भने मोर्चा प्रमुख बिमल गुरुंगले समाचार च्यानलहरुले सरकारी मान्यता नपाएका कुरा उठाएर च्यानलहरुको वैद्यता माथि प्रश्न उठाएका हुन तर समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द गर्ने निर्देश दिएका छैनन अनि यस बन्द सम्बन्धमा क्याबल मालिक पक्षलाई नै थाह छ भने। तिनले आजसम्म कालेबुंगका स्थानीय समाचार च्यानलहरु वैद्य छैनन भन्दै यदि यसबारेमा कसैले पनि मुद्दा लगाए असुबिधा हुने निश्चित रहेको स्पष्ट पारे।

क़ुनै पनि क्याबलमा समाचार प्रसारण गर्दा कार्यक्रमको वैद्यता हुन आवश्यक छ सायद कार्यक्रम प्रसारणको वैद्यता नभएको कारण नै मालिक पक्षले समाचार च्यानल प्रसारण नगरेको हुनसक्छ भनि छेत्रीले पत्रकारहरुलाई बताए।

ज्ञात रहोस कालेबुंगमा स्काई स्क्यान केबल नेट्वर्क र मदन केबलको सहयोगमा प्रसारण हुने केटीभी, हालखबर, एचपीसी, दैनन्दिनी अनि प्रतिदिन समाचार च्यानलहरुले जथाभावी बिपक्षी राजनैतिक दलका नेताहरुले दिएका नराम्रो बयानहरु प्रसारण गरेको सन्दर्भमा गोर्खा जनमुक्ति मोर्चा (गोजमुमो) प्रमुख बिमल गुरुंगले सोमबार यहाँको टाउँन हल अनि सिब्सुमा च्यानलहरु बिरुद्ध न्यायलयमा मुद्दा हलिदिने बताएका थिए। स्थानीय समाचार च्यानलहरुलाई कुनै सरकारी मान्यता प्राप्त छैन।

सरकारी मान्यता नपाएका समाचार च्यानलहरुले मोर्चा बिरुद्ध दिएका बिपक्षी राजनैतिक दलहरुका बयानहरु प्रसारण गरेको कारण क्षुब्ध बनेका मोर्चा प्रमुख बिमल गुरुंगले च्यानल अनि च्यानल कर्मी क्षेत्रिय पत्रकारहरुलाई मुद्दा लगाउँने कुरा अघि आए पछि आजदेखि यहाँका सम्पूर्ण पाँचवटा समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द भयो। समाचार च्यानल बन्द भए पछि समाचार च्यानलहरुमा काम गरेर जीवन गुजारा गर्ने पत्रकारहरुको भबिष्य आजदेखि अन्योल बनेको छ। उता समाचार च्यानलहरु बन्द भएपछि कालेबुंग शहरमा किन बन्द गरियो भन्दै मानिसहरुले सोधिरहेका छन। क्याबल मालिक पक्षले समाचार च्यानल केहिदिनको निम्ति बन्द गरेको भएता पनि यस्को पुन शुरु हुन्छ के भन्ने बिषयमा सन्देह जागेको छ।

Morcha counters Partha claim on wage - Government still pays Rs 67 to workers in three hill tea gardens, says Kurseong MLA
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 9: Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma today rejected the industries minister’s claim that workers in three government-owned tea gardens in the Darjeeling hills were being paid revised wages since April 1 last year.

The trade union of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had yesterday threatened to launch a fast and halt the dispatch of tea from the three hill estates if the wages were not increased from Rs 67 to Rs 90. Minister Partha Chatterjee expressed surprise over the threat and said the government was paying the increased wages. Chatterjee had also said he had told Sharma about the disbursal of the revised pay.

But the Morcha MLA today stood his ground and said the labourers continued to receive only Rs 67 a day.

“It is true that I had met Partha Chatterjee in Calcutta almost two months ago and handed over to him the details. The state government owes an accumulated amount of over Rs 7 crore to the workers as they are not getting the revised wages, we are certain about that. During our meeting, the minister promised me that he would solve the problem immediately (but he didn’t),” Sharma said over the phone from Calcutta.

The West Bengal Tea Development Corporation, (WBTDC), a state government undertaking, runs Pandam, Rangaroon and Rangmuk-Cedar tea gardens in the hills. The three estates have a combined workforce of around 2,300. The threat to launch the fast and halt the tea dispatch was issued by the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Union, an affiliate of the Morcha.

The government had played an active role in increasing the wage from Rs 67 to Rs 90 in the Darjeeling tea industry with effect from April 1 last year. The Morcha union said yesterday that although the wage deal had been brokered by the government, workers of the three plantations run by the WBTDC were still paid Rs 67.

The agreements with the workers had been signed separately by the Darjeeling Tea Association and the Indian Tea Association on behalf of the garden owners. Most of the tea gardens in the hills are affiliated to either of the associations. Although the government plantations are not members of the DTA or the ITA, they generally implement the pacts inked by the two associations.

When told about the Morcha union’s agitation threat, Chatterjee had expressed surprise yesterday.

“Who said we are not giving them the revised wages? We are giving them the revised wages. I have conveyed this to Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma. This kind of threat is not acceptable,” said the minister.

The MLA was today doubtful if the government could clear the dues as the WBTDC was not in good financial condition. But he saw a ray of hope for the workers as Chatterjee had promised to come to the hills and sort out the problem.

“I had a conversation with the minister in Calcutta a few days back. He said he would be in Kalimpong on February 11 and asked me to meet him there and sort out the matter. I won’t be able to meet him as I will be travelling to Hyderabad. I have told our party’s trade union leaders to meet the minister in Kalimpong. I think that there is a possibility of a solution being reached in Kalimpong. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Sharma.
SC order to Sikkim on office abuse
BIJOY GURUNG, TT, Gangtok, Feb. 9: The Supreme Court has directed the Sikkim government to give comprehensive publicity to measures taken by the state to implement guidelines framed by the court to tackle sexual harassment of women at workplaces.
Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhyay asked the Sikkim government to comply with the norms laid down by the Supreme Court in the 1997 Vishakha and in the 1999 Medha Kotwal Lele cases.
The court in its February 3 order said the government would have to publish the measures taken in Sikkim dailies with maximum circulation within two months. It said wide publicity should also be given through Doordarshan. The social welfare department and the legal service authority of Sikkim were also directed to give publicity to notifications and orders issued by the state not only for government departments but also for private companies.
The court was responding to a petition filed by a resident of Sikkim.
The lady — a victim of sexual harassment at her workplace (a public sector bank in Gangtok) — had filed a case in the chief judicial magistrate’s court here on March 1, 2008. But with the police investigation not helping much, she moved Sikkim High Court on April 27, 2010.
The woman’s counsel, Doma T. Bhutia, said a petition was moved in the apex court after the high court dismissed the case on September 29, 2010, when the government submitted that it would bring in an “appropriate legislation” to comply with the apex court order on the Vishakha case.
“Sexual harassment at workplaces is one of the biggest concerns for working women in Sikkim where a lot of private sector enterprises like pharmaceutical factories, hotels with casinos and power projects have come up. There is low awareness among women of the legal remedies for sexual harassment,” Bhutia said.
The guidelines issued by the apex court in the Vishakha case had directed that complaint committees headed by women with involvement of a third party be formed in both private and public sector undertakings. The third party can either be an NGO or any other body familiar with the issue.
The committees were to submit annual reports to the government and action taken by the department concerned.
On January 2, the Supreme Court directed Sikkim chief secretary Karma Gyasto to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken by the government to implement the Vishakha case guidelines.
The affidavit was submitted on January 30 with the government listing a comprehensive list of complaint committees. “There were no committees before that,” said Bhutia.
A senior government official refused comment on the order and said the state was yet to receive a copy of it.