January 2007
Monthly Archive
31 Jan 2007 03:19 am
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VIVEK CHHETRI
Darjeeling, Jan. 30: Plans are afoot to set up 10 mini-hydel projects, each having a capacity to generate 50 KW of electricity, to strengthen the rural electrification process in the hills.
Dawa Narbula, the Congress MP from Darjeeling, has already submitted a proposal to the state government following “positive response and assurance” from Vilas Muttemwar, Union minister of state for non-conventional energy sources.
“Since about 90 percent of the funds will be provided by the Centre (the state government will contribute the rest) and the minister has shown keen interest, we are confident that the mini-hydel projects will be set up in the hills,” said Narbula.
The MP said a similar project has already been completed at Lingsey in Kalimpong subdivision for Rs 72 lakh and added that survey for the next phase is on. An assessment of the Jhepy khola in Bijanbari has also been done. Each project is expected to cost anything between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore. (more…)
31 Jan 2007 03:15 am
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Our Correspondent
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| Illegal supply lines on Rinkingpong Road. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha |
Kalimpong, Jan. 30: Administrative efforts are on to tackle the acute water crisis in town and the axe is about to fall on illegal water users.
At a high-level meeting held here today, it was decided that officials of various departments would inspect the entire route of the Neora water pipelines to stop stealing of water. The meeting, called by the Kalimpong subdivisional officer, Shakil Ahmed, was attended by, among others, Kalimpong Municipality chairman C.K. Kumai, officials of the public health engineering and water works departments and the administrative commandant of the local army station, V.K. Yadav.
“At the meeting, the participants also called for the removal of all illegal water connections in Kalimpong. We will be meeting again later to review the situation,” Ahmed told The Telegraph after the meeting.
Last week, the People’s Democratic Front, the main opposition in the hills, had issued a seven-day ultimatum to the administration demanding an early solution to the problem of water scarcity in Kalimpong. The coalition had threatened to take to the streets if the authorities failed in its task.
In Kalimpong, the DGHC water works department is in charge of water supply.
The water crisis here has been going from bad to worse with each passing year. Even during monsoon last year, the residents had to make do with only about half-an-hour of water supply, that too on alternate days. Under the circumstances, they are forced to buy water of dubious quality from the market. (more…)
24 Jan 2007 08:15 pm
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| A file picture of the NHPC project |
Kalimpong, Jan. 24: Darjeeling district magistrate (DM) Rajesh Pandey today called a meeting with officials of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to discuss the delay in repairing the landslide-affected stretch of NH 31A at 27 Mile.
“At today’s meeting, we reviewed the progress in repair work on the NH 31A and have asked the NHPC and BRO officials to finish work by the end of April. I have also asked the subdivisional officer and the additional superintendent of police in Kalimpong to review the developments every fortnight,” said Pandey after the meeting concluded in Darjeeling in the evening.
The district administration is particularly worried about a new crack that has appeared 60 m from the affected site.
“We have asked the BRO officials to put up glow-signs ahead of the affected area to warn drivers along the route, especially at night,” Pandey added.
The NH 31A, which connects Siliguri to Sikkim, passes through Kalimpong and is a crucial link between the three places. A series of minor landslides, allegedly because of the NHPC project, damaged the road in July last year. By August traffic movement was severely affected.
The repairs on the road are supposed to be executed by the BRO and funded by the NHPC. The power major is engaged in constructing a dam at 27 Mile under Stage III of the Teesta Low Dam Project. According to residents here, the construction of the dam is the reason behind the increase in landslides in the region. (more…)
24 Jan 2007 03:06 pm
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Kalimpong, Jan. 23: Politics and modernisation seem to have conspired to scale down the celebrations of Saraswati Puja in the hills.
As the rest of Bengal worshipped the goddess of learning with traditional fervour, similar gaiety was missing in Kalimpong. Only a handful of pandals (read stalls) have been put up by devotees wary of upsetting their political masters. The younger generation, too, seemed too busy exploring modern entertainment avenues to celebrate Saraswati Puja.
The distinct lack of enthusiasm was apparent from the near-empty pandals. At the centre of the town, where more festivity is expected than any other area, only one pandal could be seen in an obscure corner of Main Road.
That, local residents said, was not the case even till about two to three years ago. “As children, we used to look forward to taking part in the festivity,” said Birendra Singh, the proprietor of a computer institute. Others, too, said it used to add colour to the dreary winter of the hills.
The residents were almost unanimous in ascribing the decline in the enthusiasm in idol worship to the machination of political leaders, who are bent on establishing the tribal roots of the Gorkhas. Harka Bahadur Chettri, a resident of the hill town, said: “With Ghisingh declaring that idol worship has nothing to do with the Gorkhas, people naturally stayed away from it.”
However, not everybody seems to be mourning the loss of the experience. For instance, the taxi drivers. “Now, we are saved from the regular harassment by chanda (fund) collectors,” said a driver, Prakash.
24 Jan 2007 03:03 pm
Statesman News Service
SILIGURI, Jan. 22: An acute shortage of water has forced the Kalimpong hospital authorities to purchase 4,000 litre water today and postpone several surgical cases.
Water crisis in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong is a regular feature during the winter season. The situation worsens in April-May and continues till the arrival of the monsoons.
Purchasing water, therefore, to meet the daily requirement is an additional expense the people of the Darjeeling hills have to bear with during the lean period.
Affected by increasing population, the water crisis is growing worse each year and it is particularly bad this year in Kalimpong.
“There is no water in the Deolo Lake, which feeds water to the Kalimpong town. Moreover, a breakdown has occurred in one of the inlets to the lake. We are trying to rectify the situation,” Mr S Lama, water works department official, said.
Incidentally, unlike Darjeeling, Kurseong or any other town where the local municipality or corporation is responsible for water supply to a town, Kalimpong is an exception. Here, the water works department, which is under the DGHC, shoulders the responsibility.
Admitting that the Kalimpong hospital had to purchase water for the patients and other work, the hospital’s acting superintendent Dr Sonam Dhakpa said: “I am not sure how much water was purchased.”
He also admitted that several surgical cases had to be postponed due to lack of water: “Major surgeries cannot be performed without water.” He, however, could not say how many of the surgery cases were postponed today. “Please speak to the superintendent, who is expected in two days’ time,” he added.
According to local information, the hospital had to postpone five surgical cases today because of lack of water.
“We were asked to return at some later date as surgery was not possible today,” said Mrs Poonam Tamang a local whose sister was supposed to undergo an appendix surgery today.
“My cousin, who is from Darjeeling fell ill during his stay with us in Kalimpong. He was to be operated upon today but we were asked to report later,” said Mrs Jina Roy another local resident.
The situation has made the CPI-M’s local unit see red.
“We have given the water works department 48 hours to solve the crisis failing which, we shall launch an offensive against the department,” the party’s senior leader Mr Tara Sundas, threatened.
The Kalimpong SDO is aware of the situation.
“There is no disturbance till Algarah, but the water sources are tapped in the rural areas as a result of which, sufficient amount of water does not reach Kalimpong. I would hold a meeting with the municipality, water works department and PHE authorities on the matter soon,” the Kalimpong SDO Mr Shaqueel Ahmed, said.
12 Jan 2007 06:04 pm
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OUR CORRESPONDENT
Kalimpong, Jan. 12: In an effort to keep the Lepcha language alive, a short duration course on conversation is under way at Bom Busty here. The course, which commenced on January 3, will conclude tomorrow.
Sixty-four students — all of them (barring one) Lepchas and coming from different parts of the Darjeeling hills and even from Shillong, Nepal and Bhutan — are part of the course. It is being conducted by a group of Lepcha language scholars under the guidance of Dawa Adenputso. “Through the course we hope to protect and preserve our language and literature,” said Solon Karthak Lepcha, the coordinator of the course. (more…)
10 Jan 2007 06:36 pm
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RAJEEV RAVIDAS
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| A file picture of basibiyalo participants at the 50th episode |
Kalimpong, Jan. 10: If you are inclined towards art and letters, basibiyalo is for you.
Though over 50 episodes old and held every second Saturday of the month, the unique (at least in the hills) adda session has become a much more lively affair now.
Roughly translated, basibiyalo in Nepali means whiling away time with idle talks. Organised by a group of old and young writers of the town, it is a platform to air views on anything and everything.
“It is actually a forum without quorum and everyone is welcome to attend it,” said Hira Chettri, who along with writers like Harka Bahadur Chettri and Shamsher Ali were instrumental in reviving the session that was started by C.K. Shreshta, a well-known theatre personality of the hills.
In fact, Shreshta had started basibiyalo with few like-minded friends in Gangtok back in the early nineties. After about 42 episodes, the adda sessions there stopped. It was launched here in 1994-95, but was discontinued for some reason after 38 editions before it was revived again in November 2005. (more…)
10 Jan 2007 06:26 pm
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OUR CORRESPONDENT
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| A file picture of the NHPC site at 27th Mile |
Kalimpong, Jan. 10: Finally, some good news for the landslide-hit stretch of NH 31A at 27th Mile here.
After much delay, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) today decided to release Rs 1 crore of the estimated Rs 2.93 crore needed to repair the highway, which caved in following a landslide last monsoon. The power major will pay the first installment on Tuesday and the remaining amount in phases. The subsequent payments will depend on the progress of the work, which is being executed by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
The decision was taken at a meeting between NHPC and BRO officials at the power major’s site office at 27th Mile today. “The meeting was successful and the BRO has already started work at the damaged site,” said S. Khatua, chief engineer, Teesta Low Dam Project, Stage III, NHPC.
Visibly glad about the decision, BRO officials said they would speed up the work by deploying more men and machines as soon as they receive the money. The BRO men have to put in extra effort to complete the project before the monsoon, which sets in around June.
According to a source in the BRO, the officials also decided to work on “stabilising the hills”. While the NHPC will carry out work up to 200 metres from the dam’s base, the BRO will build retention walls from 30 metres below the road. “It is yet to be decided who will carry out the work on the 60-m stretch on the hills in between. The NHPC said they will accept whoever takes up the project,” said a BRO official.
Another matter that has sounded alarm among the officials was the appearance of cracks at a place situated 60 metres from the damaged site. Though the BRO officials said the cracks were new, Khatua told The Telegraph that they have been there for a while now and have become broader as the surface dried up.
The NHPC has also given consent to the BRO request of an early forest clearance before cutting the hillside.
08 Jan 2007 12:32 am
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT |
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Kalimpong, Jan. 7: In a bid to promote floriculture in the hills, the Kalimpong project of the Comprehensive Area Development Corporation is organising a training programme for members of self-help groups (SHGs) here.
Forty-nine participants from Kurseong and Darjeeling have joined the eight-day programme, which began at Disha here yesterday.
Apart from floriculture, they are also being taught how to optimise output of cash crops, like orange, ginger and cardamom. “We have been conducting such programmes since 2003,” said D.N. Pradhan, the field staff and village organiser of the corporation. A unit of the panchayat and rural development department, it started the cut-flower variety of gerbera in the state.
After taking such a training, cultivators have increased their output, said K.B. Mangar, another field staff. His claim was vouched by Mrinal Kanti Gain, a member of the Jyotinagar United SHG of Phansidewa. “Following the training, I sell one stick of gerbera at Rs 13, which earlier used to fetch me Rs 5 only.”
The programme includes both theory and practical lessons. “This batch will attend six days of theory classes and two days of field work,” said Pradhan. “Once they finish the classes, the SHGs can avail of loans to start commercial cultivation.”
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03 Jan 2007 01:16 am
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www.telegraphindia.com
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| OUR CORRESPONDENT |
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Kalimpong, Jan. 2: The Kalimpong unit of the GNLF has decided to launch a renewed campaign in support of its long-standing demand to get a separate forest division to monitor the Neora Valley National Park.
The sanctuary in the hill subdivision is presently looked after by the Jalpaiguri division of the state forest wildlife department. “We will chalk out a plan of action in the next few weeks to realise our long-standing goal. While the park is geographically situated in our part of the woods, it is managed by Jalpaiguri,” Dawa Pakhrin, the Kalimpong unit president of the GNLF, told The Telegraph today. The demand was also raised by Subash Ghisingh some years ago when Jogesh Burman was the forest minister, but to no avail, Pakhrin said.
According to him, unlike the present arrangement, if a division is created with its headquarters in Kalimpong, managing the park would be easier. Now, the distance between the divisional headquarters and the park is an impediment to efficient management.
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