www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, Nov. 30: Over 350 physically-challenged persons from Algarah and the adjoining rural belt were given identity cards at a composite camp organised at the local primary health centre today.

The event was arranged by the sub-divisional administration and the state health department. The programme was also supported by The Red Cross societies of Kalimpong and Siliguri and the Rotary Club here.

This was the largest-attended identification camp organised in the sub-division. Due to the huge turn out the event has been extended till tomorrow. Unlike previous camps where, only identification was carried out, this time, the entire process from identification to the distribution of cards was done on the spot. (more…)

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, Nov. 28: The Kalimpong Science Centre will organise a sit-and-draw competition for schools in the sub-division on December 6 and 7 as a precursor to the district-level event it plans to conduct some time in March next year.

The contest will be the recently-opened centre’s first outreach programme aimed at spreading awareness on science and environment. The competition will be held in four categories: Sub-junior (Class I to III), Junior (Class IV to VII), Middle (Class VIII to X) and Senior (Class XI and XII).

The first three finishers in each category will represent the sub-division at the district-level competition which the centre plans to organise in March/April next year. (more…)

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, Nov. 26: The Darjeeling district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed the Kalimpong branch of the State Bank of India to pay a compensation of Rs 4,000 to its customer, Bijay Kumar Baraily, in an ATM fraud case.

The president-in-charge of the forum, Ashok Biswakarma and member Sujata Agarwal, in their ruling in Darjeeling yesterday also asked the bank to pay an additional Rs 500 as litigation cost to Baraily. The bank has been given 30 days’ time to make the payment.

Baraily’s namesake had withdrawn a little over Rs 1.02 lakh from his savings account in May this year by using the ATM card that the bank erroneously delivered to him. (more…)

The Telegraph

London, Nov. 25: Maninder Singh Kohli, who was arrested near Kalimpong in 2004 for the rape and murder of schoolgirl Hannah Foster in England, was sentenced to life imprisonment at Winchester Crown Court today.

Condemning Kohli for the “appalling” kidnap, rape and murder of a petrified teenager, Justice Keith said the crime was aggravated by “Hannah’s vulnerability as a young slip of a girl, the terrible and appalling ordeal which Hannah must have gone through before you killed her, the wanton way you disposed of her body and the unimaginable grief to which you have subjected her family”. (more…)

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, Nov. 25: The Kalimpong Municipality today formally set in motion the process of acquiring 8.25 acres of land at Lower Bhalukhop to construct a permanent waste management facility.

The land will be purchased at Rs 2 lakh per acre from the villagers. An adjoining wasteland, spread over 1.75 acres and owned by the state land and land reforms department, will also be acquired for the Rs 2.39-crore dumpyard.

The municipal authorities and villagers inked an agreement on the terms and conditions of the deal in the presence of Kalimpong subdivisional officer P.T. Sherpa.

According to the agreement, garbage collected from the town will be treated in a scientific manner so as to avoid causing any health hazard to the people living in the vicinity. Even the transportation of solid waste will be carried out in a scientific manner.

The agreement also states that the villagers will be given preferences in jobs arising in the facility. “Please understand that we agreed to sell our land in the larger interest of the residents of Kalimpong, but not at the cost of our safety,” said Binod Rai, a villager.

Chairman of the civic body Norden Lama said the sales deed would be signed in the next few days.

From: www.savethehills.blogspot.com

HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LANDSLIDE MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION IN THE HILL AREAS OF DARJEELING AND SIKKIM HIMALAYAS.

- Er. Upendra Mani Pradhan
B.Sc., B.Tech(Hons.), M.Tech(R.P.), A.I.T.P.(India)
Kalimpong.

Landslides may rightly be called the “Tsunami of the Hills”! It is, therefore, very encouraging to note that a Landslide Hazard Workshop is being hosted on 21st. November, 2008 at Darjeeling with the eminent Geographer and Landslide Expert, Prof. Leszek Starkel of Poland attending as the Chief Guest.

NEED FOR A HOLISTIC APPROACH :

Over 40 years of experience in Urban and Rural Planning has taught me that a simplistic approach, of building a wall here and a drain there, will not solve the problems of landslides in the hills. Numerous inter-connected factors come into play, requiring a deeper study of cause and effect that will finally lead us to a more Holistic Approach. A few points for interaction during the Workshop are given below :

1. BANNING OF POLYBAGS BY IMPOSING FINES :

This has been tried out by several municipalities from time to time, but the duration of success is barely a couple of months, after which the polybags reappear! The main objection being most of the marketing of goods are done in modern, attractive, polythene packages, which the municipalities cannot control. It is said that polythene and plastic bottles take as many as 400-700 years to just begin to breakdown in a land-fill – and they constitute millions of tons in garbage heaps of urban areas! Why not recycle this environmentally degrading waste material of global nuisance value into long-lasting attractive coloured modular-sized bricks for the ever growing building industry? Are the Tatas, Birlas, Mittals and Ambanis listening?? They can get their raw materials free of cost !

2. “JHORAS” (HILL STREAMS) – WORTH WORSHIPPING! :

It is often believed that ‘Jhoras’ are the main cause for landslides in the hills. This is far from the truth. In fact, ‘Jhoras’ form part of the natural drainage system and are meant to be Nature’s ‘safety valves’ to quickly and safely carry away rainfall runoff from large hilly catchment areas, to the rivers and seas in the plain areas below, without causing any damages along the way. ‘Jhoras’ carry water and so maintain natural vegetation like trees, shrubs, grasses along their sides to prevent toe erosion. But Man, in his infinite wisdom, cuts down such trees and shrubs; indiscriminately throws waste-matter into them; removes stone boulders, cobbles and sand; blocks the ‘jhoras’ and constructs buildings on them, thereby violating all the unwritten environmental laws of Nature! Mother Nature revolts and retaliates through landslides!

Another reason is that our hill areas are bombarded with heavy rainfall during the monsoon (2000mm to 3000mm per annum). In the natural scheme of things, this precipitation partly permeates into the soil through open ground and partly flows as surface runoff and finds its way to the ‘jhoras’. But with intense urbanization in our towns, almost all open ground surfaces have been built upon or paved by roads, courtyards and footpaths, thereby all the rainfall now flows as surface runoff and enters the ‘jhoras’ with great velocity, far exceeding their normal carrying capacity. This results in toe erosion of the ‘jhoras’ which is the precursor to a landslide.

From the above it can be seen that our forefathers were no fools! They set up ‘Devi-Sthans’ (Place of worshipping Goddess) amidst ‘jhoras’for the simple reason that our ‘jhoras’ must be faithfully conserved as they have a vital role to play in our lives. ‘Jhora’ water can also be diverted into farm lands for irrigation purposes. However, in the hills, it is better not to use this water for surface-irrigating paddy crops, because stagnant water kept in the fields over a long stretch of time, may cause landslides. From careful observation, it can also be found that the percolated water through porous soil, normally finds its way back into the ‘jhoras’ at a lower point below – this is naturally filtered water, which is used by village folk for drinking purposes. Our ‘jhoras’ are sacred entities – let us spread awareness and restore them back to their pristene glory, through planned Conservation.

3. URBANIZATION PARADOX IN THE HILLS – NOWHERE TO GO, BUT UPWARDS! :

About a week ago, Newspapers carried bold headlines about the demolition drive taken up by Darjeeling Municipality, to knock down two of the eight storied building constructed illegally within the Municipal area. A photograph of Darjeeling Town also accompanied this news. What pained me most was the depressing photograph of the so called “Queen of Hill Stations” – virtually in Rags, with sub-standard, un-aesthetic, tall buildings piled one-on-top-of-the-other!

The same is true for Kurseong and Kalimpong Towns. In Sikkim, Gangtok, Ramphu, Namchi, Singtam and the other towns are doing no better, Mirik is a relatively new lake-town, but its overall development and upkeep leaves much to be desired. We claim that Tourism is one of our main economic planks – but once they arrive, the tourists experience a sense of deprivation and despair. There is no planning involved in all these towns and there is a great shortage of greenery, parks and playgrounds, public utilities and facilities and other infrastructure necessary to qualify as a Tourist Town. The enthusiastic tourists surely deserve a better deal!

Darjeeling and Kurseong Towns are now super saturated – all private lands have been built upon and many available public lands have been encroached and also built upon – not sparing ‘jhora’ lands! Both these towns are surrounded by tea gardens and forests, and there is no further scope for horizontal expansion in areas of low gradient. The only possibility is to go upwards, which explains why illegal construction of buildings 5-8 stories (i.e. 60 feet) high are taking place at random. Needless to say that tall concrete buildings exert excessive pressure on the land, heightening the possibility of landslides. Since land has become a very scarce commodity, Illegal constructions are now mushrooming on lands that have a natural gradient of 50 degrees or more. Exceeding the “Angle of Repose” of soil, is a direct invitation to landslides! Foolish but daring people are also building houses on the surface of old landslides, many of which have been washed away during monsoon rains. We don’t seem to learn from our past mistakes! It is distressing to note that all three Towns are sitting on time bombs – Kurseong atop the infamous Ambootia Landslide (supposed to be the biggest in Asia!); Darjeeling atop the Aloobari-Toongsoong and Jail Landslides, and Kalimpong atop the Sindebong, Bhalukhop-Alaichikhop Landslides! A disaster of unimaginable magnitude is waiting to happen anytime!!

Before India’s independence, the British never allowed any construction in the hills to exceed 2 stories, and most of the structures at that time were neat little cottages, made of wood and other light-weight materials. Now, the maximum height of buildings allowed by the Darjeeling Hill Municipal Building Bye-laws is 11.5 meters ( 38 feet) or 4 stories, assuming that room height of 8.5 feet to 9.0 feet will be sufficient for the cold climate of Darjeeling hills. This figure was arrived at during an Expert Committee meeting held at Calcutta (in which I was also a Member). The Darjeeling Municipality has now raised this to 13.5 meters!

Kalimpong and Mirik are better situated, as the Municipal areas are surrounded by large tracts of Khasmahal farm-lands. Sikkim Towns also have restricted space for horizontal expansion, as a result of which heavy RCC high-rise buildings are fast coming up everywhere, giving nightmares to everyone – especially during the rainy season!

The only solution to this problem is to follow Gandhiji’s “Back to the Village” policy and prepare and implement Balanced Regional Growth Plans for the entire hill areas, interspaced with ideally located and well planned Satellite Townships

4. SOIL CONSERVATION POSSIBILITIES – ROADS VERSUS ROPEWAYS :

It has been found that bamboo groves near human settlements in the hills can be dangerous. As bamboo has very shallow roots, the entire grove, having dense interlocked root system, tends to slide down as a solid mass, thereby threatening to cause big landslide damages. Some fast growing native trees with deep root system were also tried out to conserve soil on landsides. However in a few years time, the trees became very tall , big and weighty and finally the trees themselves were responsible for causing fresh landslides. What should perhaps be done is to go in for light shrubs and grasses (e.g. Vitever) with deep root system. An inventory should be made of suitable plants by the Soil Conservation and Forest Departments for immediate testing and application at landslide sites and along both sides of ‘jhoras’. Stunting of suitable deep-rooted trees to reduce their weight may also help. ‘Soil Nailing Techniques’ also sound good – but need to be thoroughly investigated for applicability in the our hills.

It is seen that major road alignments, cutting across our hills, are responsible for triggering the maximum number of landslides during monsoon period. While extensive road connectivity is undoubtedly very important, taking a road upto a certain major focal point in the rural area and then connecting this centre with other secondary villages by ropeways, for movement of both passengers and goods, could be a viable alternative for economic development of the hills, Ropeways need minimum land for putting up their towers and, therefore, cause least damages to the hill sides. While constructing roads, use of blasting technology should be avoided as much as possible, as there is risk of sliding owing to vibrations under the soil. If geological formations permit, we can also think of constructing a series of tunnels (as they have in Pune), which will also reduce travel lengths considerably.

Of late, increase of vehicle population in the hills, is simply maddening! As a result, vehicles are forced to move at crawling speed and searching for suitable space to park the car becomes an impossible and frustrating task! Better to introduce and encourage a system of mass transportation by mini-buses.

5. FOREST LANDS AND WASTE LANDS :

In the beginning of British Rule around 1836 – it is said that the entire hill areas of Darjeeling and Sikkim were dense forests, with no sign of urbanization as we know it today. Forests were clear-felled in a big way in and around Darjeeling. Huge migration of labour took place from Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim and tea plantations were laid by the British. Human settlements, therefore, took place in Forest lands. In 1975, it is learnt that the total forest area in the hill region was 1141 sq. km. distributed over the 3 forest divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. Reserved Forests covered 1113 sq.km, Protected forests 9 sq.km and unclassified State forests 29 sq.km. Out o the total 1141 sq.km., only 466 sq.km. were available for economic exploitation by the State of West Bengal. It is a known fact that the Forest Department zealously guards its property and quite rightly so, otherwise by now everything would have been reduced to barren hills. Transfer of forest lands is normally not allowed except in very rare cases when equivalent land must be handed back to the forest department by the transferee, together with cost of re-plantation. This is a wonderful system to preserve our ecology and bio-diversity.

Not much is known about “Waste lands”, but one can presume that they belong to a category of land, which has not been put to any use so far! It is high time that thorough geological studies and mapping of Waste lands are carried out immediately and appropriate steps taken to put them to good use. First and foremost, we need to identify a number of large (say 5 sq.km. – 15 sq.kms. each ) suitable, physio-geographically stable areas for setting up Planned Satellite / New Townships in the region. Do we have a local qualified Hill Geologist amongst us?

6. LAND RECLAMATION IN THE HILLS – FOR OUR LANDSLIDE-FREE, FUTURE TOWNS AND CITIES :

For centuries in Human history, valuable lands in the plains have been reclaimed from the sea or marshes, on which planned cities and other infrastructure have been developed (e.g. Holland where 40% of land is below the sea level ; Salt Lake City in USA; Salt Lake in Kolkata; Queen’s Necklace in Mumbai). I feel that huge tracts of stable, valuable lands can also be reclaimed in the hill areas for setting up our future towns and cities.

It is observed that the most stable lands in the hills are found on hill tops and spurs. The Main Road strip of Kalimpong is located on a spur, where landslides are not known to have occurred at all. This is because drainage ‘jhoras’ are situated at quite a distance away. The catchment area on top being small, flow of water in these ‘jhoras’ is also minimal and therefore their erosion capacity is practically nil. Suppose we find a number of hillocks (preferably waste lands), adjacent to each other and having natural slopes of low gradient – then we will discover that they are separated from each other by shallow valleys at a formative stage. If we draw a cross section of the hillocks, we will see cross sectional lines having low gradient and representing less stable top soils of varying thicknesses and characteristics, below which there will be more stable soils and rocks. The thickness of the top soil can be anything between 3 feet to 10 feet or more. The idea is to bulldoze the entire topsoil and create large terraced surfaces made up of stabilized rocks. The excavated topsoil/rocks can be used to fill up the shallow valleys and fully compacted. This way we will be able to create extensive stable ground surfaces on rocky, freshly created terraced ground levels, on which we can plan out our NEW TOWNS AND CITIES! Of course, all infrastructure like roads, footpaths, multi-storied car parking, water supply, drainage, sewerage, telecommunication, public facilities and utilities etc. must be in place. Water harvesting from roof-tops, Solar Energy for heating and lighting etc. must also be part and parcel of the Project. All this may sound utopian, but this is not beyond the realm of possibility! The most attractive part of this Project is that it will be LANDSLIDE-FREE, as the unstable layers of soil on top will have been removed!! TO ACHIEVE THIS DREAM, WE WILL HAVE TO THINK BOLDLY AND DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY!! This is only a theoretical concept. WHERE IS OUR GEOLOGIST ?

OUR TOWNS ARE FAST TURNING INTO UNMANAGEABLE, UNHEALTHY SLUMS, AND IF WE DON’T TAKE PROMPT POSITIVE ACTION NOW, THEN WE HUMAN BEINGS OURSELVES WILL HAVE TO FACE THE REAL DANGER OF BEING ENLISTED UNDER THE “ENDANGERED SPECIES”!

www.telegraphindia.com

Darjeeling, Nov. 21: In 1968, a torrential rainfall had unleashed about 20,000 landslides, killing thousands and breaching the Darjeeling-Sikkim road at more than 90 places. Forty years down the lane, the chances of a similar calamity loom large.

Experts today warned that this time the devastation would be swifter and more fatal if long term preparedness continued to be ignored.

Leszek Starkel, a professor of Polish Academy of Sciences who has been studying landslides in this part of the country for the past 40 years, said: “I had first come to Darjeeling to study the evolution of mountains in 1968. I was amazed with the destruction. The region had received 1000mm of rainfall in 52 hours, which is equivalent to two years of rainfall in Poland.”

Speaking on the sidelines of Landslide Hazard Workshop, organised by a group of residents under the banner of Save the Hills, Starkel said there was a possibility of a rerun of such an incident because of the current building boom.

“In the past century, the region had witnessed three extreme periods. There is every chance of they being repeated and this time the devastation would be fatal and would largely be concentrated in the urban areas. There would be chaos if these slides are triggered by earthquakes during rainy seasons.” Urging the government to take immediate steps, Starkel said the state should focus on preparing for such calamities.

“Coal quarries in areas like Tindharia must be stopped immediately. Afforestation must be taken up on a war footing and construction (of buildings) on steep slopes must stop,” he said.

Praful Rao, the president of Save the Hills, alleged that the government was indifferent. “We only talk but nothing comes from the government. I have attended two seminars of the National Disaster Management Authority at Shillong and Calcutta but nothing concrete had taken place. We will now act as a pressure group to save the hills,” said Rao.

He has filed an RTI to seek information on government initiatives taken in the past five years to prevent landslides in the region.

Varun Joshi, the head of the disaster management faculty of GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development (Sikkim unit), talked about the measures taken in the hill state.

“By planting vegetation in the landslide-prone area, a first line of defence has been created. Social measures includes the banning of cattle grazing in these spots,” he said. Joshi suggested rock bolting (holding rocks with bolts) techniques to stop landslides in mountainous region and construction of “riprap drains” (cut into steps) to control the flow of gushing water.

“Even broom plant and cardamom cultivation should be encouraged as these plants have deep roots,” said Joshi.

However, previous studies conducted by the Netaji Institute of Asian Studies in 2001 had cited that excessive cultivation of crops with deep roots like broom and cardamom should be discouraged as it increases erosion in the hills where there is not much soil deposition.

Conflicting opinions among experts only underlined the need to have a proper and thorough survey on landslides in the region.

Statesman News Service

DARJEELING, Nov. 21: “The increasing number of highrises has made urban Hill areas like Darjeeling and Kurseong prone to disastrous landslides,” said Polish scientist Prof. Leszek Starkel here today.

“There was more than 1,000 mm of rain in two days in Darjeeling when I visited the place for the first time in October, 1968. I had never witnessed such catastrophic effects of landslides. Even if it do not rain the way it used to earlier, statistical records show looming threat on urban areas. The disaster will be much larger since the soil has sunk due to random construction of highrises on the tip of slopes. Add to that the tectonics movements to which the region is prone to and it is a worrisome situation,” he said at a landslide hazard workshop.

Mr Starkel of Polish Academy of Sciences has been involved in Polish-Indian studies on landslides for the past 40 years in collaboration with the Indian National Science Academy. Deforestation, undermining of slopes, coal mining in certain areas due to lack of awareness among the locals are other reasons to trigger such natural calamities, he added. “Ambootia and the Mahananda landslide that swept away two tea estates are the biggest disasters,” Mr Starkel pointed out. Mr Prafulla Rao, president of the organisation, who arranged the workshop held government inaction and the laidback attitude of locals for having achieved no substantial results on disaster management. “Conventions and conferences like these are of no avail unless the government is pro-active and community involvement is ensured. I filed an RTI with the government on its role in landslide in the past five years but to no avail,” he said.
Holistic approach involving short-term measure like building dams, channels, walls, jhora training and long-term measures like public awareness and afforestation are important, he said.

Statesmen News Service

DARJEELING, Nov. 20: An Organic Training Institute will soon be established at Siche in Kalimpong to educate the people on organic production and farming rather than depending on tourism which is considered the backbone of the Darjeeling Hill economy.

The Government of India (Agricultural Department) has sanctioned a fund of approximately Rs 6 lakh for the purpose. “Land has been acquired for the project and work will soon begin under the supervision of the NHPC,” said Darjeeling MP, Mr Dawa Narbula claiming he had taken the initiative to get the project sanctioned.

The MP was speaking at the release of a book, Growth Prospects in Darjeeling: Constraints and Antidotes- a compilation of articles by district administrators which stresses on the need of alternative forms of livelihood in the Hills. “Darjeeling is a mine of wealth if we can make use of the natural resources at our disposal. Organic farming is one such alternative but the knowledge and expertise in the field is lacking,” said ADM (Dev) Mr P K Chettri, Editor of the book. A factory of handmade paper would also be set up in Lava, Mr Narbula further informed. Both the projects would be funded and overseen by the Centre.

Speaking on the Balasun Water Project, Mr Narbula alleged the Left-Front government was intentionally delaying the completion of the project. “The project was mooted in December 2005 and should have been completed by December this year but as the state government released the execution order more than a year later, the completion would be April 2010,” he alleged.

The Rs 48.16 crore project was enhanced to Rs 55 crore and a high level advisory committee was formed in May this year to oversee it.

The Telegraph

Kalimpong, Nov. 19: The Kalimpong Horticulture Society (KHS) is looking at collaborating with the Agri-Horticultural Society of India to market plants produced by its members in eastern India.

The two parties have already held the first round of talks in this regard. If the deal comes through, the Calcutta-based Agri-Horticultural Society of India (AHSI) will allow the KHS to use its huge green house at Alipore. The AHSI, in turn, will have a steady stock of saleable plants throughout the year.

KHS president Miku Fonning said the details of the deal would have to be worked out before putting the final seal on it.

“Once the deal comes through, it will be a win-win situation for both the parties,” he added.

Kalimpong does business worth over Rs 2 crore every year in floriculture that includes domestic sales and exports. Fonning said plants like cactus and orchids, bulbous plants like gladiolus, amaryllis, and indoor houseplants like bromeliads, philodendron species, palms, and ferns that grow in Kalimpong could be marketed from the AHSI facility in Alipore.

“There is a great demand for cactus and orchids in Calcutta, which can easily be met by us,” he added.

A KHS team had participated in the AHSI-organised Indoor houseplant expo, 2008 held in Calcutta from November 13 to 16. Apart from selling some plants, the KHS used the opportunity to highlight the problems and prospects of the floriculture industry in Kalimpong.

Fonning said the major problem is the lack of adequate infrastructure. “In order to maximise the potential of Kalimpong in floriculture, we need to have cold storages and grading facilities. Otherwise, we will continue to be stagnant,” he added.

The KHS president said apart from providing transport subsidy, there was a need to enlarge the plantation area by providing quality-planting material at subsidised rates to interested farmers. The KHS is also looking to set up a floriculture park and an orchid sanctuary in Kalimpong to give boost up the industry.

“The potential Kalimpong has in floriculture is best explained by the fact that high-altitude plants and desert plants grow together here,” he said.

www.telegraphindia.com

Kalimpong, Nov. 18: Pratap Khati, the president of the ABGL’s youth wing, was today granted an interim bail by the assistant chief judicial magistrate’s court where he was produced a day after a Delhi police team arrested him in connection with a fraud case.

Granting him bail, the judge, S. Mondal, directed Khati to appear before the Delhi court, which had issued an arrest warrant against him, before November 25. (more…)

Google has just announced that it will make available a large archive of never-before-seen images from the LIFE photo archive. About 20% of the collection is online today.

Out of curiosity I did a search for “Kalimpong” in this archive and received a wealth of old pictures!!
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Like this one, a masked charater on Main Road…

and, these portraits

and, these at the Himalayan Hotel

and these, looks like the mule train from the old Tibet trade routes.

Here’s the link to the search result page for “Kalimpong” on the LIFE archive.

http://images.google.com/images?q=kalimpong&q=source%3Alife

Enjoy…

And if anyone knows who the personalities in the photographs are, please do share your knowledge.