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Kalimpong, April 13: Exactly a year ago they had lost their relatives at the Mela ground when a fire tender killed three and injured three others in a berserk run.

Even today, they are waiting for the compensation promised by politicians and the authorities.

Ganga Baraily (23), Salima Begum and Masima Chhetri (75) were killed by the fire tender that had been called in to spray water to keep the dust down at the Mela ground where a programme was held to celebrate the Nepali New Year. Mohit, who lost his wife in the accident, said he had written to the fire services directorate asking for a job, but to no avail.

The GNLF branch committee secretary, Dawa Pakhrin, said: “The compensation we had claimed has been accepted by the fire services department. It should be through once the elections are over.”
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Kalimpong, April 11: Shanta Bahadur Chettri (35), an accused in the murder of C.K. Pradhan, was arrested from Barbot yesterday by officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A CBI officer said Shanta’s name had been revealed by Sebastin Lepcha and Chandra Kumar, who were arrested earlier. Shanta had reportedly handed over Rs 55,000 to the main accused Nirey Gurung and Daya Rai after the crime and helped them to flee to Punjab. Shanta himself had stayed in Punjab from 1998 to 2000 working as watchman in a school and in a packaging industry unit there, said the officer.

Shanta will be produced in court tomorrow.

www.statesman.net
Soma Mookherjee

KOLKATA, April 10: After Independence, the state government has for the first time roped in private players to set up a green power project in Darjeeling.
The two hydel projects will be set up in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong sub divisions to cater for North Bengal’s demand. A 3 MW hydel project was commissioned on the Neora river in Kalimpong last Monday. The cost is about Rs 15 crore. The project has been set up by the Neora Hydro Electric Ltd ~a subsidiary group of Texmaco Ltd. This project, known as Neora Hydro Electric Projects was to benefit 5,000 families in Kalimpong. (more…)

Some pictures from the 2005 Independence Day Celebrations, Mela Ground, Kalimpong.

Pictures by Romong K Lepcha.

 -Bagpipers from SUMI

- Dr. Graham’s Homes – Flag Bearer
 

- Lepchas in traditional costume

 - Traditional Dancers
 

- Salute
 

 - Patriotic Kurta
 

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April 4: All major education institutions in the Darjeeling hills and Siliguri today remained closed as thousands of students, staff and guardians took to the streets to protest against the government’s decision to make it mandatory for minority schools to recruit teachers through the School Service Commission.

Though only 11 minority schools from the hills, which receive teachers’ salaries from the state government, will be affected by the West Bengal School Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, the entire educational fraternity took part in the protest rally. (more…)