Govt drafts GTA election rules
Bappaditya Paul, SNS, KOLKATA, 3 February 2012 : Faced with the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha's (GJMM) threat of a renewed Gorkhaland agitation, the state government, headed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, seems to have expedited the process of forming an autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
As part of the move, the state government has drafted separate election rules for GTA.
The government has extended the term, by six months, of the high-powered committee headed by retired Justice Mr Shyamal Sen entrusted to finalise the GTA territory and also the President's assent is awaited for the GTA Bill.
The draft GTA Election Rules, containing 50-odd pages, has been prepared by the state home department. It has drawn provisions from the Representation of the People Act, 1951; Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 and the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (Election) Rules, 1988.
The draft is expected to be finalised in a week or so by a committee on GTA headed by state home secretary GD Gautama. It will then be sent to the state law department for clearance.
In the final leg, the GTA Election Rules will go to the state Assembly for ratification ~ provided President Pratibha Patil has given her assent to the GTA Bill by then, thus making it an Act.
The GTA Bill was passed in the state Assembly on 2 September 2011 and was sent for the President's approval in December.
According to sources in the state home department, the proposed GTA Election Rules have certain special features that were not part of the DGHC (Election) Rules.
“In the DGHC (Election) Rules there was provision for holding elections on ballot papers only. In the proposed GTA's rules we have added the option of EVMs. Since the GTA will be a more powerful autonomous administrative body, we have incorporated clauses on Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and other measures to curb corrupt practices during elections,” said a senior official.
Once finalised, the GTA Election Rules will govern the direct elections for the 45 proposed constituencies of the GTA Sabha. The Sabha will also have five members nominated by the state government. These 50 members in turn will elect a chairperson from amongst themselves.
It is however, not yet clear if the GTA elections will be conducted by the State Election Commission (SEC) or the government would appoint a special election officer as was the case with the DGHC..
GTF meets Ministers and MPs of Assam:
Bappaditya Paul, SNS, KOLKATA, 3 February 2012 : Faced with the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha's (GJMM) threat of a renewed Gorkhaland agitation, the state government, headed by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, seems to have expedited the process of forming an autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
As part of the move, the state government has drafted separate election rules for GTA.
The government has extended the term, by six months, of the high-powered committee headed by retired Justice Mr Shyamal Sen entrusted to finalise the GTA territory and also the President's assent is awaited for the GTA Bill.
The draft GTA Election Rules, containing 50-odd pages, has been prepared by the state home department. It has drawn provisions from the Representation of the People Act, 1951; Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961 and the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (Election) Rules, 1988.
The draft is expected to be finalised in a week or so by a committee on GTA headed by state home secretary GD Gautama. It will then be sent to the state law department for clearance.
In the final leg, the GTA Election Rules will go to the state Assembly for ratification ~ provided President Pratibha Patil has given her assent to the GTA Bill by then, thus making it an Act.
The GTA Bill was passed in the state Assembly on 2 September 2011 and was sent for the President's approval in December.
According to sources in the state home department, the proposed GTA Election Rules have certain special features that were not part of the DGHC (Election) Rules.
“In the DGHC (Election) Rules there was provision for holding elections on ballot papers only. In the proposed GTA's rules we have added the option of EVMs. Since the GTA will be a more powerful autonomous administrative body, we have incorporated clauses on Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and other measures to curb corrupt practices during elections,” said a senior official.
Once finalised, the GTA Election Rules will govern the direct elections for the 45 proposed constituencies of the GTA Sabha. The Sabha will also have five members nominated by the state government. These 50 members in turn will elect a chairperson from amongst themselves.
It is however, not yet clear if the GTA elections will be conducted by the State Election Commission (SEC) or the government would appoint a special election officer as was the case with the DGHC..
GTF meets Ministers and MPs of Assam:
Sukhman Moktan, General Secretary of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), R Moktan Co-ordinator of Gorkhaland Task Force (GTF), Dawa Pakhrin President Gorkha Rajya Nirman Morcha, Kishor Pradhan Jt. Co-ordinator GTF meet Ramen Deka BJP MP from Nagoan in Guwahati today.
As per the programme to gather support the demand of Gorkhaland GTF team presented memorandum to the MPs.
As per the programme to gather support the demand of Gorkhaland GTF team presented memorandum to the MPs.
The team also met Smt. Bijoya Chakraborty, Member of Parliament from Guwahati at her residence today.They also met Mani Kumar Subba Congress leader and former MP of Assam.
Tamang murder: CBI wants to seize absconders property
ENS, Kolkata, Feb 04 2012: In a major development in the investigation of the Madan Tamang murder case — in which the All India Gorkha League president, Madan Tamang, was killed in broad day light in mid 2010 — the CBI has submitted a plea in Darjeeling court for penalising the absconders under Section 174. Under this section, court might issue the order of attaching the property of the absconders, said a senior CBI official.
Significantly, the CBI was handed the case a year ago by the state government. Since then, this is the first time when the CBI has appealed to the court to penalise the absconders. “We have submitted the plea last month. There are 21 absconders in the case as one of the 22 absconders was murdered in December. However, court is yet to take cognizance of our appeal,” the CBI official informed. Under Section 174, court can issue an order to attach the property of the absconders, the official added .
Significantly, the CBI action comes after Sanjog Tamang, son of Madan Tamang filed a petition in Calcutta High Court in December claiming that CBI is not informing their family about the progress of the case. Sanjog said, “We have filed a petition in Calcutta High Court as the CBI is not informing us about the case’s progress. Th first hearing of the case took place last Wednesday in which the CBI has been ordered to present the case diary in the court on February 8.”
Tamang murder: CBI wants to seize absconders property
ENS, Kolkata, Feb 04 2012: In a major development in the investigation of the Madan Tamang murder case — in which the All India Gorkha League president, Madan Tamang, was killed in broad day light in mid 2010 — the CBI has submitted a plea in Darjeeling court for penalising the absconders under Section 174. Under this section, court might issue the order of attaching the property of the absconders, said a senior CBI official.
Significantly, the CBI was handed the case a year ago by the state government. Since then, this is the first time when the CBI has appealed to the court to penalise the absconders. “We have submitted the plea last month. There are 21 absconders in the case as one of the 22 absconders was murdered in December. However, court is yet to take cognizance of our appeal,” the CBI official informed. Under Section 174, court can issue an order to attach the property of the absconders, the official added .
Significantly, the CBI action comes after Sanjog Tamang, son of Madan Tamang filed a petition in Calcutta High Court in December claiming that CBI is not informing their family about the progress of the case. Sanjog said, “We have filed a petition in Calcutta High Court as the CBI is not informing us about the case’s progress. Th first hearing of the case took place last Wednesday in which the CBI has been ordered to present the case diary in the court on February 8.”
डाक घरहरूले गर्ने आर्थिक लेनदेन क्षमता वृद्धि गर्नुपर्ने माग
डी के वाइबा, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 3 फरवरी। माकपा नेता तारा सुन्दासले डाक घरहरूले गर्ने आर्थिक लेनदेन क्षमता वृद्धि गर्नुपर्ने माग गर्दै दार्जीलिङ मुख्य डाकघरका अधिक्षकलाई पत्र पठाएका छन्। यसै सम्बन्धमा आज सुन्दासले कालेबुङ मुख्य डाकघरका पोष्टमास्टर पारस थापासित भेटघाट गर्दै समस्या निदानको निम्ति ज्ञापन दिए।तिनले मुख्य डाकघरहरूलाई दिइएको सिमित आर्थिक लेनदेन क्षमताको कारण दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाका नागरिकहरूले व्यापक समस्या भोग्नु परिरहेको जनाएका छन्।
मुख्य डाकघरलाई दैनिकरुपले केवल सात लाख रुपियॉं मात्र लेनदेन गर्ने क्षमता दिइएको छ तर समस्यालाई हेर्नु हो भने यतिले नागरिकहरूलाई डाकघरहरूले सही सेवा दिन सक्दैन भन्दै तारा सुन्दासले डाक घरमा हुने लेनदेनको क्षमता बृद्धि गर्नु आवश्यक रहेको बताए ।
हाल बिभिन्न स्थानहरुमा भई रहेको नरेगाको र्यमा डाक घरबाटनै लेनदेन हुने गरेको बताउँदै डाकघरको सिमित लेनदेनको क्षमताले ब्यापक समस्या भईरहेको तिनले बताए। क्षमताको कारण साधारण मानिसहरुले दैनिक समस्या भोग़्न परेकोमा सुन्दासले गुनासो गरे। सिमित लेन्देनका कारण जनताहरुले पाउँने भत्ताहरु समेत समयमा पाउँन नसकिरहेको तिनले बताउँदै यसको यथाशिघ्र निदान गर्नुपर्ने तिनले माग गरे।अन्य जिल्लाहरूको तुलनामा दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाको भौगोलिक स्थिति अलग भएको कारण दार्जीलिङको निम्ति अलग नीति तय गरिनुपर्ने तिनले माग गरे। यता कालेबुङ पोष्ट मास्टरले अहिले डाकघरको क्षमता वृद्धि गरेर 12 लाख पुर्याइएको बताएका छन् तर सुन्दास अनुसार वृद्दि गरे पनि दार्जीलिङदेखि कालेबुङ आउने डाकघरको वाहन नरहेकोले दार्जीलिङबाट कागजपत्र सोझै सिलगढी पुग्ने अनि सिलगढीबाट मात्र कालेबुङ आउने भएकोले समस्या जस्ताको त्यस्तै रहेको आरोप लगाए ।
कृषकहरुका निम्ति सरकारले आवन्टन गरेको पैसा दागोपापले प्रयोग नगरेको खुलासा
कालिमन्युज, कोलकाता, 3 फरवरी। कालेबुङ कृषक कल्याण सङ्गठनका प्रतिनिधी टोलिले ख्याद्य मंत्री शरद पावर सित भेट गरिसके पछि कोलकतामा हर्टिकल्चर बिभागका मुख्य सचिव सित भेट गरेको छ। संगठनका महासचिव बिष्णु छेत्रीको नेतृत्वमा रहेको दश सदस्यीय टोलिले मुख्य सचिवलाई भेट गरि हर्टिकल्चर बिभागले कृषकहरुको निम्ति आवन्टन गरेको पैसा दागोपापका कृषकहरुले किन पएन भनि प्रश्न तेर्साए। यसै अवधी हर्टिकल्चर विभाग पश्चिम बङ्गाल सरकारका प्रिन्सिपल सेक्रेटेरी सीएम बचावतले पहाडी कृषकहरूको निम्ति दिएको राशिहरूको प्रयोग दागोपापले नगरेको खुलासा गरेका छन्।
तिनले कालेबुङ कृषक कल्याण सङ्गठनका दस सदस्यीय टोली सित कुरा कानी गर्दै उक्त खुलासा गरेका हुन। फुड प्रोसेसिङ इण्डस्ट्री मुख्यालयमा हर्टिकल्चर बिभागका मुख्य सचिवले दर्जीलिंग पहाडका कृषक हरुले सरकारी सहुलियतहरु प्राप्त गर्न नस्क्नुमा दगोपापको दोष रहेको सोझै भने। यसै सन्दर्भमा अर्कोतिर हर्टिकल्चर विभाग कै महानिदेशक पी.के प्रामाणिकले पनि यसै कुरालाई समर्थन गरे।तिनहरुले कुराकानी गर्दै दागोपापले 2006-अनि 2007-को निम्ति पठाएको राशिलाई प्रयोग गरेको प्रयोग प्रमाणपत्र (युटिलाइलेशन सर्टिफिकेट) विभागलाई नदिएको पनि स्पष्ट पारेका छन। जसको कारण नै 2008 देखि 2012 सम्म कै राशि पठाउन नसकिएको पनि चिफ सेक्रेटेरी बचावत अनि महानिदेशक प्रामाणिकले टोलिलाई अवगत गराए।
विभागले नेशनल हर्टिकल्टर मिशन अन्तर्गत 2006-7 को निम्ति दागोपापलाई 1 करोड 85 लाख दिएको थियो। नियम अनुसार दागोपापले यही वर्ष नै मिशन अन्तर्गत प्राप्त राशि विभिन्न खेती प्रोत्साहनको निम्ति कृषकहरुलाई अनुदानस्वरुप प्रदान गर्नु पर्ने थियो। कोलकातामा यसै विषयमाथि छानबिन गर्न कालेबुङ कृषक कल्याण सङ्गठनका दस सदस्यीय टोली पुगेको थियो। संगठनका महासचिव बिष्णु छेत्रीले 2006-7 को निम्ति दिइएको राशि कृषकहरूले एकै कञ्चि पनि प्राप्त गरेका छैनन् भनि आरोप लगाएका छन। दागोपापले प्रयोग प्रामाणपत्र नबुझाएकोले 2012 सम्मकै राशि विभागले आवन्टन गर्न सकिरहेको छैन भनि तिनले बताए। आखिर किन दागोपापले पहाडका कृषकहरूमाथि यसरी अत्यचार गरिरहेको छ भन्ने प्रश्न गर्दै दागोपाप सरकारको एक विकास एजेन्सी हो, यसले सोझै कृषकहरूलाई मिशनबाट प्राप्त राशि प्रदान गर्नुपर्ने हो, तर यसो गरिएको छैन भनि तिनले थप बताए।
यसभित्र कुन शक्ति र कुन मानसिकता हाबी भएको छ, सङ्गठनले छानबिन गर्ने छ भनि छेत्रीले जनाए। कोलकाताको विभागीय मुख्यालयबाट पाइएको जानकारी अनुसार दागोपापलाई दिइएको 1 करोड 85 लाख अन्तर्गत दागोपापले सुन्तला खेती, जैविक खेती, फूल अनि सब्जी खेती प्रोत्साहनको निम्ति अनुदानकोरुपमा कृषकहरूलाई प्रदान गर्नु पर्नेथियो। फर्काउनु नपर्ने अनुदान भएकोले कृषकहरूले राशिलाई पूर्णरुपले आफ्नो खेती योजनाको निम्ति प्रयोग गर्न सक्ने थिए तर दागोपापले प्रारम्भिक चरण कै राशि प्रयोग गरेको प्रमाणपत्र विभागलाई बुझाएन। यता सङ्गठनले दाबी गरेको छ कि यत्रो राशिबाट एकै कञ्चि पनि कृषकहरूले प्राप्त गरेका छैनन्। यसबाट स्पष्ट हुन्छ कि दागोपापले कि त अनुदानको निम्ति आएको राशिमा भ्र्रष्टचार गरेको छ कि त राशिलाई प्रयोग नगरी दागोपापमा नै राखिएको छ।
यता 6वर्ष सम्ममा पनि युटिलाइजेशन सर्टिफिकेट बुझाउन नसकेकोले राशिमाथि भ्रष्टचार नै भएको गन्ध आएको छ। राशि आएपछि दागोपापले अनुदान वितरणको प्रक्रिया भने शुरू गरेको थियो। किन भने दागोपापले 300 रुपियॉं गोटाको अनुदान फारम सार्वजनिक गरेको थियो। यो अनुदान फारम योग्य कृषकहरूले 300 रुपियॉं तिरेरै पनि भरेर दागोपापमा पठाएको थियो तर अहिलेसम्म फारम भरे अनुसारको कुनै पनि राशि ती कृषकहरूले प्राप्त गर्न सकेनन्।
यता दागोपापले प्रयोग गरेको सर्टिफिकेट नभुझाइएकोले 2012 सम्मकै राशि दार्जीलिङ जिल्लामा पठाउन नसकिने बचावतले स्पष्ट पारेका छन्। यद्धपि सङ्गठनले तिनलाई ज्ञापन चढाउँदै दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाका कृषकहरूलाई विभागले किन सहुलियतबाट बञ्चित गर्यो भन्ने प्रश्न राखे। यस सम्बन्धमा बचावत अनि प्रमाणिक दुवैले दार्जीलिङको लोकल प्रशासन रहेको दागोपाप नै दोषी रहेको बताए। सङ्गठनले दुवैलाई ज्ञापनद्वारा दागोपापका संलग्न अधिकारीहरूमाथि शीघ्र नै आधिकारिक कार्वाही हुनुपर्ने माग गर्दै यदि कार्वाही नगरिए सङ्गठन केन्द्र सरकार अनि न्यायलयसमक्ष जाने चेतावनी पनि दिएको छ। यता महानिदेशक प्रामाणिकले यसै राशि अन्तरर्गत केवल सुन्तलाको निम्ति मात्र दागोपापलाई 35 लाख रुपियॉं आवन्टित गरिएको खुलासा पनि गरेका छन्। सङ्गठनका मूल सचिव विष्णु छेत्रीले पहाडको सुन्तला खेती गर्ने कृषकहरूले सुन्तलाको निम्ति पनि कुनै राशि प्राप्त नगरेको खुलाएका छन्।
अर्कोतिर छेत्रीले बचावत अनि प्रामाणिकलाई औषधी मिशनद्वारा लेकाली क्षेत्रमा हुने औषधी खेती प्रोत्साहनको निम्ति प्रदान गरिने अनुदान पनि प्राप्त नभएको जानकारी दिए। छेत्रीले बताए अनुसार दार्जीलिङ जिल्लाका कृषकहरूले जटामशी, चिरौटा, कुट्की, कुट इत्यादीको खेती गरिरहेका छन्। उनीहरूले पाउनु पर्ने अनुदान नपाउनुमा कहॉं त्रुटी छ, यसको आधिकारिक जॉंच हुनुपर्ने माग पनि टोलीले गरेको छ। यता 2011 को निम्ति यसै मिशनबाट राशि आवन्टिन गरिएको भए पनि कृषकहरूलाई भने अहिलेसम्म प्रदान नगरिएको पनि छेत्रीको भनाइ रहेको छ। तिनले राशि शीघ्र नै कृषकहरूलाई उपलब्ध गराइनुपर्ने माग पनि गरेका छन्। दागोपापमा कृषक सम्बन्धमा सरकारले आवन्टन गरेका राशिहरू सहि प्रकारले प्रयोग नहुनुमा के कारण हुनसक्छ भन्दै यस बिषयमा जाँच हुन पर्ने संगठनले माग गरेको छ।
संगठनका महासचिव बिष्णु छेत्रीले सरकारले कृषकहरुको उन्नतीको निम्ति सरकारले दिने राशीहरुला यदि कसैले भ्रष्टचात गरिरहेको छ भने त्यस्को सही कार्वही हुनपर्ने माग गरेको छ। यदि सरकारले सही प्रकारको जाँच नगरे संगठन न्यायलय जान बाध्य बन्ने छत्रीले बताए। तिनले यो कृषकहरुको पेटमा लात मार्ने काम संगठनले कुनै पनि हालतमा सहन नगर्ने बताउँदै यसको न्यायिक जाँच सरकारले यथाशिघ्र शुरु गर्नुपर्ने माग गरेको छ।
Asok fest queries spark debt debate
TT, Siliguri, Feb. 3: Asok Bhattacharya's posers on how a cash-strapped government could spend crores on fests and beautification drives sparked a verbal duel today, with Partha Chatterjee asking the former minister to dwell on his own “non-performing” role in the Left cabinet.
Bhattacharya, the former municipal affairs and urban development minister, demanded that chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet colleagues explain why a bankrupt government, which was resorting to lay-offs to curtail expenses, was hosting the North Bengal Festival.
“We are not against the festival or the beautification of Siliguri. But how can the state spend so much money on a fest when government transport corporations are retrenching employees? What is the benefit of holding such elaborate programmes for seven days? We demand clarifications from the chief minister herself, who is regularly complaining about paucity of funds,” Bhattacharya said at a news conference here today.
The loss-making North Bengal State Transport Corporation has recently instructed its depots across the region to retrench his casual staff members — some of whom have been working for 15 years — sparking widespread condemnation.
The former Siliguri MLA and CPM strongman said the chief minister and her colleagues were oblivious to the problems plaguing the tea industry and the plight of its jobless workers, many of whom had starved to death in the past few months. “On one hand, the government is spending lakhs on a festival while on the other hand, people are starving to death on tea estates like Dheklapara. This is an utter contradiction. The chief minister must answer to people about the functioning and priorities of her government,” Bhattacharya said.
He said issues like infant deaths and development work for the poor had not been attended to while funds distributed as pensions to widows and the elderly had become irregular. “The government seems to be least bothered about taking up these issues. Instead, it is hosting festivals.”
Chatterjee, who was quick to come to the rescue of his government, said the Left was responsible for the present state of affair as it had left behind debts of Rs 2 lakh crore. “The North Bengal Festival is not only a cultural event but a platform also to make important announcements aimed at improving the region,” said Chatterjee, who had come to North Bengal University where he is doing his PhD.
The chief minister will inaugurate the seven-day event on February 10. She will use the occasion to announce several projects for the region and kick off a campaign to bolster the fortunes of Trinamul in north Bengal.
Trinamul minister Gautam Deb refused to divulge the amount being spent on the festival. “Several departments are involved besides my department (north Bengal development) — information and culture, floriculture, horticulture and tourism to name a few. So it is difficult to say which department is spending how much,” Deb said.
He had however said earlier that nearly Rs 79 crore would be spent to beatify Siliguri — another grouse of Bhattacharya. The money will be sanctioned in phases, Deb said, adding that the chief minister was committed to the citizens here to make Siliguri the gateway to the Northeast.
“Instead of hurling baseless charges at us, Asok Bhattacharya should think about his failure to perform as one of the key ministers in the earlier government. It was during his tenure that the government incurred such huge debts.”
Chatterjee said the government had a slew of plans for north Bengal in terms of tea, tourism, jute and cottage industries to be announced by the chief minister during her visit.
“We will also hold meetings with the business community of north Bengal to discuss new projects and problems they are facing,” he said.
More cable cars to ride over Darjeeling
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 3: The Queen of the Hills will have one more cable car service for tourists sooner or later with a proposal being mooted for the revival of the ropeway between Darjeeling and Bijanbari.
The 8km-long ropeway, used for the transport of goods, has been defunct for over two decades. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways has planned to revive a 2km stretch of the ropeway and convert it into a passenger conveyance.
RITES, a central government enterprise, has already conducted a feasibility study and given its nod for the revival of the ropeway.
“The survey by the RITES is over and we have sent a proposal to the Railway Board for the revival of the service. The total cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 18 crore,” said Partha Pratim Roy, the director of the DHR.
The nod is considered to be a mere formality as the resumption of the service had been announced by Mamata Banerjee when she was the railway minister.
The 5km ropeway service between Singamari and Vah-Tukvar resumed yesterday after a gap of eight years. The rides had been suspended on October 19, 2003, when four passengers died after three cars jumped the cable and fell 50 feet below.
Sources said the Darjeeling hills could have more cable car services soon. “Initial works have started to launch ropeways between Dello and Relli in Kalimpong and between Kurseong and Rohini,” said a source.
DHR officials said it was likely to take “some time” before the defunct ropeway became operational as procedures like floating of tenders could be completed only after the sanction came from the Railway Board.
The ropeway between Darjeeling and Bijanbari downhill was operated without cable cars as it transported goods. It started at Judge Bazar in Darjeeling and ended at Bijanbari after crossing Happy Valley, Singtom and Chungthung tea gardens.
“I remember that the service was functional till 1986. The ropeway was much sought after by people to ferry goods between Darjeeling and Bijanbari,” said Rabin Rai, a resident of Singtom tea garden.
However, Roy said: “We only plan a truncated passenger service between Singtom and Chungthung tea gardens (about 2.5km downhill).”
The DHR believes there would be no takers for the goods service any more as communication between Darjeeling and Bijanbari has improved. “It would be difficult to revive the entire ropeway as high tension lines have come up along the route,” said Roy. The re-launch of the entire service has become impossible also because of rampant encroachments along the route.
Cash row around Dooars soiree
TT, Alipurduar, Feb. 3: An Ahmedabad-based event manager has allegedly fled with Rs 17 lakh that was advanced to him to pay 15 singers who were to perform at a Dooars soiree.Police interrogated the manager of singer Keka Ghoshal, who had come to perform at the Dooars Utsav last night. Today, the police said Kinjal Bhattacharjee had no links with Joydip Roy, who has allegedly gone missing with the cash.
Ghoshal complained that she was forced to cancel her air tickets as her manager Kinjal had been interrogated this morning for three hours “for no fault of his”. Kinjal and his colleague Chayan Ghosh had been questioned yesterday too.
The Utsav Committee filed an FIR against event manager Roy on January 30, two days after singers Indranil Sen and Shilajit failed to turn up at the fest. The committee then realised that Roy had not paid at least seven of the singers who were to perform at the 10-day fest that ended last night.
Repeated calls to Roy’s cellphone went unanswered. A desperate Dipto Chatterjee, the chairperson of the Utsav Committee, requested Kinjal and Chayan to bring the artists. Both of them had earlier worked for Roy for a commission. This time, too, Roy had told them to contact the singers
“Some artists had been paid by Roy and they had come. But the others did not. We told Kinjal and Chayan to somehow bring the rest. We promised to draw up a fresh agreement,” said Chatterjee, the chairperson of the Alipurduar municipality.
“A new deal was drawn up for Kaushiki Desikan, Abhijit, Babul Supriyo, Anupam, Somalata, Keka Ghoshal and the band, Sahar,” said Chatterjee.
Yesterday, Ghoshal had at first refused to take to the stage to protest alleged police harassment of Kinjal. But she relented after Chatterjee pleaded with her.
"I feel insulted as we are being harassed here unnecessarily. All the artists had come because of Kinjal and Chayan but these two have been victimised,” said Keka. Additional superintendent of police Anup Jaiswal said: “We had interrogated the two men. Other than the fact that they knew Joydip had taken the money, the duo do not have any other connection with him. They can go wherever they want to.”
Threat pays off, garden to reopen
TT, Siliguri, Feb. 3: The owner of Panighata tea estate today agreed to reopen the plantation on February 8 apparently because of a threat from the government that the lease of the garden would be terminated.
The assurance was given at a meeting convened by the joint labour commissioner (JLC) in Siliguri. The management had suspended work in the garden on December 27 because of “lawlessness and frequent demonstrations by workers”.
The estate representatives had stayed away from two meetings convened by the authorities earlier to reopen the estate. The owner fell in line after the Darjeeling district administration had show-caused him on January 30 asking him to state the reasons for the management’s absence from the two meetings and why no step should be taken to terminate the lease of the garden.
“The meeting has been called to help the management and trade union leaders reach a consensus on the reopening of the estate. The management has agreed to reopen the garden on February 8,” said JLC Md Rizwan.
The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union had threatened to launch an indefinite fast from tomorrow if the management did not attend today’s meeting.
The garden owner, Shankar Saraf, was issued the showcause following the threat from the union.
Panighata Tea Estate to reopen soon
SNS, SILIGURI, 3 February 2012: The Panighata Tea Plantation, which has remained closed since 27 December 2011, will reopen on 8 February. The decision was taken today at a meeting held at the office of the joint labour commissioner (JLC) in Siliguri.
Two tripartite meetings on 9 and 20 January had to be postponed as the tea plantation owners did not turn up. Along with JLC Md. Rizwan, sub-divisional officer ( SDO), Kurseong Ranjan Kumar Jha, workers of the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union ( DTDPLU) and plantation owners attended the meeting. “We are very happy that the plantation will reopen. Around 1,400 workers were affected because it closed down. The workers, staff and sub-staff will get their salaries due within a week of the re-opening of the plantation." said Md. Rizwan. He added that another meeting will be held next month to work on pending arrears, provident funds and gratuities.
Mr Rizwan said electricity and drinking water arrangements in the tea plantation would be restored. Workers would have to be disciplined, work for eight hours and not interfere in the management's work. He added among the four closed tea plantations in Darjeeling and Dooars, three could be re-opened within two months. “The Kanchan View and Ring Tong in Darjeeling, Turturi and Dheklapara tea plantations in Dooars are closed. I am hopeful that all the tea plantations except Dheklapara can be re-opened soon. A case against Dheklapara is still pending."
The owner of the tea plantation, Mr Sankar Saraf, said the ‘suspension of operation’ has been lifted.
Terai Dooars unit president of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM)-backed DTDPLU Harihar Acharya said the party was happy that the plantation would be re-opened. “We had demanded the reopening on 6 February but the owners preferred 8 February," Mr Acharya said. Mr Rizwan called it a matter of pride that two plantations would reopen within 15 days.
Japan offers funds to repair forest assets
TT, Gangtok, Feb. 3: The Sikkim forest department will receive Rs 13.12 crore from a Japanese government agency to rebuild the infrastructure damaged in last year’s earthquake.
The amount has been sanctioned by the Japanese International Co-operation Agency that is funding a project to ensure alternative livelihood for people living on forest fringes in Sikkim.
The release of the amount was announced by JICA representative Vineet Sarin during a review of the Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project (SBFP) here today. The Rs 330.57 crore project is being executed by the forest department.
“The JICA is extremely sad about what happened in Sikkim on September 18. Although the release of Rs 13.12 crore was not in the original project, it is something which the JICA has offered to the forest department. There has been a lot of destruction and the JICA would like to support the department in whatever way possible within the parameters of the project to restore the damaged infrastructure,” said Sarin.
The Sikkim government and the JICA had signed an agreement in March 2010 to implement the project. Scores of people died and properties worth crores of rupees were destroyed when an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rocked the state on September 18 last year.
Senior forest officers said the quake had caused damage to buildings, staff quarters and check posts of the department across the state.
Sarin said it was imperative that infrastructure was in place to boost the institutional capacity of the forest department. “The major aim of the SBFP is to provide economic benefits to people living on the fringes of forests and reduce their dependency on the forest. The forest department should have the infrastructure in place to achieve the goals,” he said.
With the JICA agreeing to fund the restoration of the forest infrastructure, the department has withdrawn a request seeking financial assistance from the Union government for the same.
“When the government was communicated about the JICA’s funds approval on January 12, the forest department informed the Centre that it no longer required money to repair the properties,” said SBFP director and additional principal chief conservator of forests Anil Mainra.
The SBFP was initially conceived for 10 years to start eco-tourism activities for the communities living in forest fringe areas, conserve bio-diversity and strengthen the forest infrastructure.
“We have increased the tenure of the project by two years as more needs to be done for the bio-diversity conservation of Sikkim. The project will be of immense benefit to Sikkim and ensure the scientific management of the forests. The benefits of the eco-tourism will percolate down to the local people,” said Sarin.
Asok fest queries spark debt debate
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| Partha Chatterjee at North Bengal University on Frid |
Bhattacharya, the former municipal affairs and urban development minister, demanded that chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her cabinet colleagues explain why a bankrupt government, which was resorting to lay-offs to curtail expenses, was hosting the North Bengal Festival.
“We are not against the festival or the beautification of Siliguri. But how can the state spend so much money on a fest when government transport corporations are retrenching employees? What is the benefit of holding such elaborate programmes for seven days? We demand clarifications from the chief minister herself, who is regularly complaining about paucity of funds,” Bhattacharya said at a news conference here today.
The loss-making North Bengal State Transport Corporation has recently instructed its depots across the region to retrench his casual staff members — some of whom have been working for 15 years — sparking widespread condemnation.
The former Siliguri MLA and CPM strongman said the chief minister and her colleagues were oblivious to the problems plaguing the tea industry and the plight of its jobless workers, many of whom had starved to death in the past few months. “On one hand, the government is spending lakhs on a festival while on the other hand, people are starving to death on tea estates like Dheklapara. This is an utter contradiction. The chief minister must answer to people about the functioning and priorities of her government,” Bhattacharya said.
He said issues like infant deaths and development work for the poor had not been attended to while funds distributed as pensions to widows and the elderly had become irregular. “The government seems to be least bothered about taking up these issues. Instead, it is hosting festivals.”
Chatterjee, who was quick to come to the rescue of his government, said the Left was responsible for the present state of affair as it had left behind debts of Rs 2 lakh crore. “The North Bengal Festival is not only a cultural event but a platform also to make important announcements aimed at improving the region,” said Chatterjee, who had come to North Bengal University where he is doing his PhD.
The chief minister will inaugurate the seven-day event on February 10. She will use the occasion to announce several projects for the region and kick off a campaign to bolster the fortunes of Trinamul in north Bengal.
Trinamul minister Gautam Deb refused to divulge the amount being spent on the festival. “Several departments are involved besides my department (north Bengal development) — information and culture, floriculture, horticulture and tourism to name a few. So it is difficult to say which department is spending how much,” Deb said.
He had however said earlier that nearly Rs 79 crore would be spent to beatify Siliguri — another grouse of Bhattacharya. The money will be sanctioned in phases, Deb said, adding that the chief minister was committed to the citizens here to make Siliguri the gateway to the Northeast.
“Instead of hurling baseless charges at us, Asok Bhattacharya should think about his failure to perform as one of the key ministers in the earlier government. It was during his tenure that the government incurred such huge debts.”
Chatterjee said the government had a slew of plans for north Bengal in terms of tea, tourism, jute and cottage industries to be announced by the chief minister during her visit.
“We will also hold meetings with the business community of north Bengal to discuss new projects and problems they are facing,” he said.
More cable cars to ride over Darjeeling
 |
 |
| A station of the defunct ropeway at Judge Bazar in Darjeeling; and Singtom tea garden from where the service is proposed to be relaunched. Pictures by Suman Tamang |
The 8km-long ropeway, used for the transport of goods, has been defunct for over two decades. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways has planned to revive a 2km stretch of the ropeway and convert it into a passenger conveyance.
RITES, a central government enterprise, has already conducted a feasibility study and given its nod for the revival of the ropeway.
“The survey by the RITES is over and we have sent a proposal to the Railway Board for the revival of the service. The total cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 18 crore,” said Partha Pratim Roy, the director of the DHR.
The nod is considered to be a mere formality as the resumption of the service had been announced by Mamata Banerjee when she was the railway minister.
The 5km ropeway service between Singamari and Vah-Tukvar resumed yesterday after a gap of eight years. The rides had been suspended on October 19, 2003, when four passengers died after three cars jumped the cable and fell 50 feet below.
Sources said the Darjeeling hills could have more cable car services soon. “Initial works have started to launch ropeways between Dello and Relli in Kalimpong and between Kurseong and Rohini,” said a source.
DHR officials said it was likely to take “some time” before the defunct ropeway became operational as procedures like floating of tenders could be completed only after the sanction came from the Railway Board.
The ropeway between Darjeeling and Bijanbari downhill was operated without cable cars as it transported goods. It started at Judge Bazar in Darjeeling and ended at Bijanbari after crossing Happy Valley, Singtom and Chungthung tea gardens.
“I remember that the service was functional till 1986. The ropeway was much sought after by people to ferry goods between Darjeeling and Bijanbari,” said Rabin Rai, a resident of Singtom tea garden.
However, Roy said: “We only plan a truncated passenger service between Singtom and Chungthung tea gardens (about 2.5km downhill).”
The DHR believes there would be no takers for the goods service any more as communication between Darjeeling and Bijanbari has improved. “It would be difficult to revive the entire ropeway as high tension lines have come up along the route,” said Roy. The re-launch of the entire service has become impossible also because of rampant encroachments along the route.
Cash row around Dooars soiree
TT, Alipurduar, Feb. 3: An Ahmedabad-based event manager has allegedly fled with Rs 17 lakh that was advanced to him to pay 15 singers who were to perform at a Dooars soiree.Police interrogated the manager of singer Keka Ghoshal, who had come to perform at the Dooars Utsav last night. Today, the police said Kinjal Bhattacharjee had no links with Joydip Roy, who has allegedly gone missing with the cash.
Ghoshal complained that she was forced to cancel her air tickets as her manager Kinjal had been interrogated this morning for three hours “for no fault of his”. Kinjal and his colleague Chayan Ghosh had been questioned yesterday too.
The Utsav Committee filed an FIR against event manager Roy on January 30, two days after singers Indranil Sen and Shilajit failed to turn up at the fest. The committee then realised that Roy had not paid at least seven of the singers who were to perform at the 10-day fest that ended last night.
Repeated calls to Roy’s cellphone went unanswered. A desperate Dipto Chatterjee, the chairperson of the Utsav Committee, requested Kinjal and Chayan to bring the artists. Both of them had earlier worked for Roy for a commission. This time, too, Roy had told them to contact the singers
“Some artists had been paid by Roy and they had come. But the others did not. We told Kinjal and Chayan to somehow bring the rest. We promised to draw up a fresh agreement,” said Chatterjee, the chairperson of the Alipurduar municipality.
“A new deal was drawn up for Kaushiki Desikan, Abhijit, Babul Supriyo, Anupam, Somalata, Keka Ghoshal and the band, Sahar,” said Chatterjee.
Yesterday, Ghoshal had at first refused to take to the stage to protest alleged police harassment of Kinjal. But she relented after Chatterjee pleaded with her.
"I feel insulted as we are being harassed here unnecessarily. All the artists had come because of Kinjal and Chayan but these two have been victimised,” said Keka. Additional superintendent of police Anup Jaiswal said: “We had interrogated the two men. Other than the fact that they knew Joydip had taken the money, the duo do not have any other connection with him. They can go wherever they want to.”
Threat pays off, garden to reopen
TT, Siliguri, Feb. 3: The owner of Panighata tea estate today agreed to reopen the plantation on February 8 apparently because of a threat from the government that the lease of the garden would be terminated.
The assurance was given at a meeting convened by the joint labour commissioner (JLC) in Siliguri. The management had suspended work in the garden on December 27 because of “lawlessness and frequent demonstrations by workers”.
The estate representatives had stayed away from two meetings convened by the authorities earlier to reopen the estate. The owner fell in line after the Darjeeling district administration had show-caused him on January 30 asking him to state the reasons for the management’s absence from the two meetings and why no step should be taken to terminate the lease of the garden.
“The meeting has been called to help the management and trade union leaders reach a consensus on the reopening of the estate. The management has agreed to reopen the garden on February 8,” said JLC Md Rizwan.
The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union had threatened to launch an indefinite fast from tomorrow if the management did not attend today’s meeting.
The garden owner, Shankar Saraf, was issued the showcause following the threat from the union.
Panighata Tea Estate to reopen soon
SNS, SILIGURI, 3 February 2012: The Panighata Tea Plantation, which has remained closed since 27 December 2011, will reopen on 8 February. The decision was taken today at a meeting held at the office of the joint labour commissioner (JLC) in Siliguri.
Two tripartite meetings on 9 and 20 January had to be postponed as the tea plantation owners did not turn up. Along with JLC Md. Rizwan, sub-divisional officer ( SDO), Kurseong Ranjan Kumar Jha, workers of the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union ( DTDPLU) and plantation owners attended the meeting. “We are very happy that the plantation will reopen. Around 1,400 workers were affected because it closed down. The workers, staff and sub-staff will get their salaries due within a week of the re-opening of the plantation." said Md. Rizwan. He added that another meeting will be held next month to work on pending arrears, provident funds and gratuities.
Mr Rizwan said electricity and drinking water arrangements in the tea plantation would be restored. Workers would have to be disciplined, work for eight hours and not interfere in the management's work. He added among the four closed tea plantations in Darjeeling and Dooars, three could be re-opened within two months. “The Kanchan View and Ring Tong in Darjeeling, Turturi and Dheklapara tea plantations in Dooars are closed. I am hopeful that all the tea plantations except Dheklapara can be re-opened soon. A case against Dheklapara is still pending."
The owner of the tea plantation, Mr Sankar Saraf, said the ‘suspension of operation’ has been lifted.
Terai Dooars unit president of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM)-backed DTDPLU Harihar Acharya said the party was happy that the plantation would be re-opened. “We had demanded the reopening on 6 February but the owners preferred 8 February," Mr Acharya said. Mr Rizwan called it a matter of pride that two plantations would reopen within 15 days.
Japan offers funds to repair forest assets
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| Miho Horikawa, a JICA representative, in Sikkim on Friday. Picture by Prabin Khaling. |
The amount has been sanctioned by the Japanese International Co-operation Agency that is funding a project to ensure alternative livelihood for people living on forest fringes in Sikkim.
The release of the amount was announced by JICA representative Vineet Sarin during a review of the Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project (SBFP) here today. The Rs 330.57 crore project is being executed by the forest department.
“The JICA is extremely sad about what happened in Sikkim on September 18. Although the release of Rs 13.12 crore was not in the original project, it is something which the JICA has offered to the forest department. There has been a lot of destruction and the JICA would like to support the department in whatever way possible within the parameters of the project to restore the damaged infrastructure,” said Sarin.
The Sikkim government and the JICA had signed an agreement in March 2010 to implement the project. Scores of people died and properties worth crores of rupees were destroyed when an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale rocked the state on September 18 last year.
Senior forest officers said the quake had caused damage to buildings, staff quarters and check posts of the department across the state.
Sarin said it was imperative that infrastructure was in place to boost the institutional capacity of the forest department. “The major aim of the SBFP is to provide economic benefits to people living on the fringes of forests and reduce their dependency on the forest. The forest department should have the infrastructure in place to achieve the goals,” he said.
With the JICA agreeing to fund the restoration of the forest infrastructure, the department has withdrawn a request seeking financial assistance from the Union government for the same.
“When the government was communicated about the JICA’s funds approval on January 12, the forest department informed the Centre that it no longer required money to repair the properties,” said SBFP director and additional principal chief conservator of forests Anil Mainra.
The SBFP was initially conceived for 10 years to start eco-tourism activities for the communities living in forest fringe areas, conserve bio-diversity and strengthen the forest infrastructure.
“We have increased the tenure of the project by two years as more needs to be done for the bio-diversity conservation of Sikkim. The project will be of immense benefit to Sikkim and ensure the scientific management of the forests. The benefits of the eco-tourism will percolate down to the local people,” said Sarin.
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