www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph

Calcutta, May 26: Mamata Banerjee today granted second language status to a host of tongues, including Urdu and Hindi, in areas where more than 10 per cent of the population spoke any of them, fulfilling a promise she had made before the elections.

“We have decided that Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Oriya, Santhali and Gurmukhi will be the second language in areas where the population speaking any of these languages is above 10 per cent. These people can carry out their official work in their own language,” the chief minister told reporters at Writers’.

These will be considered second languages in offices and educational institutes. Mamata, however, did not specify how the geographical limits would be worked out.

“Till now, only religious minorities were recognised but linguistic minorities were not given any recognition. Many Hindi-speaking people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh live in Bengal. In some areas, their population is nearly 30 per cent,” she added.

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The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, May 26: Dipan Mallay, a Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha leader, today became the first person to be arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder of ABGL chief Madan Tamang.

The chief judicial magistrate’s court here remanded Mallay in CBI custody for 10 days even as the assistant public prosecutor maintained that the arrested man had “confessed to his guilt”.

The CBI had detained Mallay from his native place Pokhriabong, 25km from here, yesterday evening and registered his arrest after an interrogation today.

“He (Mallay) has confessed to his guilt and has also narrated the entire incident. He has also confessed that he will confess everything (sic),” said Manik Saha, the assistant public prosecutor.

Mallay, however, told reporters while being taken away from the court that “I am innocent”.

Mallay is the ninth person to be arrested in the Madan murder case. The other eight had been arrested by the CID, from whom the CBI took over the case late last year. .

Madan was hacked to death by khukuri-wielding people in broad daylight in Darjeeling on May 21 last year.

Thirty people were named in the chargesheet filed by the CID. They all have been booked under sections 147/148 (rioting/rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 427 (mischief causing damage), 506 (criminal intimidation), 302 (murder) and 120 (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from these sections, Mallay has been charged under Section 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC also.
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The Telegraph

Calcutta, May 26: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung will meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, a decision taken after a party delegation met her this evening in what was described as a “courtesy” call.

The Morcha, which steered clear of Gorkhaland in today’s meeting, repeated what it had said earlier: that it wanted to give the new government time to settle down before it broached the statehood demand.

“Bimal Gurung has spoken to me over the phone. He will come to meet me on Monday,” said Mamata after the meeting with the delegation led by Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri.

Three hill MLAs — Trilok Kumar Dewan, Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Rohit Sharma — were part of the delegation as was the party backed Independent MLA from Kalchini Wilson Chompromary.

“We love Darjeeling and its people. We want a solution to the ongoing problems in the hills and the Jungle Mahal at the earliest. Today’s meeting, however, was a courtesy call,” said the chief minister, adding: “I have asked the chief secretary (Samar Ghosh) to set up a date for talks with the Morcha.” (more…)

The Telegraph

Gangtok, May 26: The East district collectorate today asked all agencies concerned to clean up roadside drains and jhoras and remove trees, which are likely to fall, before the monsoons to reduce chances of landslides and road blocks.

“If we manage to clean all the roadside drains and jhoras before the monsoons there is 50 per cent less chance of natural calamities (striking the areas). Most of the slides in East Sikkim had taken place when garbage blocked the drains and jhoras,” said East district collector D. Anandan during a pre-monsoon meeting here today.

Representatives of various departments including fire, civil defence, urban development, forest, power, PHE, police and the Border Roads Organisation attended the meeting.

Monsoon in Sikkim usually begins in the second week of June and lasts till late September.

The district collector said water overflowing from the drains during the monsoon often gets blocked by garbage creating slush and triggering landslides. If the garbage is cleaned then the water can flow freely reducing chances of a mudslide.

Anandan is also the chairman of the district level relief committee that hands out compensation and sanctions for temporary restoration under the natural calamity funds. Last year the committee had sanctioned 163 projects for the restoration of damaged roads, telephone and power poles in the landslide affected areas of East Sikkim. Each project was of around Rs 50,000.

Multiple mudslides along NH31A between Gangtok and Rangpo in July last year had damaged the road for almost two weeks.

“Since maintenance of roads in urban areas is the responsibility of the urban development department, the department should clean up road side drains under its jurisdiction. Similarly, those jhoras in the urban areas which have not been cleaned by the civic body shall be cleaned for free flow of storm water,” said Anandan. He has also directed the BRO to clear drains along the area under its jurisdiction.

Project Swastik of the BRO is responsible for the maintenance of NH31A, the North Sikkim highway, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg that connects Gangtok to Nathu-la.

The district collector added that the BRO has been directed to build proper drains and take precautionary measures to limit chances of slides during road widening work.

“We have already told the government that the major hurdle for clearing drains is the cluster of water supply pipes which are running along side the drains,” he said.

The PHE department has been instructed to regulate the pipelines being laid down along the drains. The forest department has been asked to conduct a survey to identify trees, especially along NH31A, that are likely to fall during the monsoon.

“These trees should be removed at the earliest and resistance to remove such trees from private holdings shall be dealt (with) legally,” said Anandan.

The superintendent of police (East district) Mandeep Singh Tuli said a road block on the highway causes congestion in the town. “If there is a block for even 30 minutes on the highway, the traffic jam in Gangtok extends for almost 12km up to Ranipool,” he said.

The district collector said the administration will write to the BSNL authorities. “We will be writing to the BSNL authorities for ensuring good communication network which is very essential for timely rescue and relief measures. The BSNL should ensure that communications are always intact. They should also immediately restore telephone services disrupted because of natural calamities.”

All agencies have been directed to prepare their own line of action for responding to disasters. “In case of a distress call, the departments should be ready with their set of measures to be undertaken instead of coming up with impromptu arrangements,” said Anandan.
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Hindustan Times
Amitava Banerjee,
Darjeeling, May 25, 2011

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made its first arrest in the Madan Tamang murder case on Wednesday. Dipen Maley, Spokesperson of the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (GJVM) – Youth wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was arrested from his residence at Pokhriabong in Darjeeling. Though the CBI preferred to remain tightlipped on this, the arrest has been confirmed by the Police.

“On Monday morning the CBI had requisitioned police personnel. Backed by the Darjeeling police the CBI arrested Maley” confirmed Kunal Agarwal, Additional Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling.

Maley in his late 30′s was driven in from Pokhriabong, around 30km from Darjeeling town to the Darjeeling Sadar police station at around 4pm. He is being lodged at the Sadar police station.

All India Gorkha League (AIGL) leader Madan Tamang was overseeing preparations for a public meeting on May 21, 2010 at the Upper Clubside in Darjeeling when he was hacked to death allegedly by a mob at around 9:20am.

On the direction of the Calcutta High court the CBI on January 20, 2011 had taken up the Madan Tamang murder case and the mysterious disappearance of chief accused Nickol Tamang from CID custody.

Pema Tamang, wife of Nickol Tamang had moved a Habeas Corpus in the Calcutta High Court demanding that the whereabouts of her husband be traced. Nickol had disappeared mysteriously from Pintal Village near Siliguri where he was being held by the CID for interrogation.

After having opened up camp offices in Darjeeling and Siliguri, the CBI begun investigations.

The division bench of Chief Justice J N Patel and Justice A K Ray had directed the CBI to submit a progress report on the investigations on June 23.

1. May 23, 2010: CID takes charge of investigations.

2. August 30, 2010 : CID submits a 519 page charge sheet naming 30 persons and 61 witnesses. 8 persons previously arrested.

3. August 16, 2010: Bimal Gurung’s close confidant and GJM Central Committee member Nickol Tamang arrested based on his cell phone being recovered from the murder spot on day of murder.

4. August 18, 2010: CID pray for remand of Nickol Tamang. 12 days remand granted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Darjeeling.

5. August 21, 2010: Nickol disappears mysteriously from Pintal Village near Siliguri where he was being held by the CID for interrogation. Apparently escapes from the skylight adjacent to the washroom.

6. August 24, 2010: CID announces Rs. 50,000/- award for credible information of Nickol Tamang’s whereabouts.

7. November 4, 2010 : Nickol’s property attached.

8. January 20, 2011: The case is later transferred to the CBI.

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The Times of India
TNN | May 26, 2011, 04.42am IST

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will start working on Thursday on her promise to find a “way out of the Darjeeling impasse in three months”. It will begin with a meeting at Writers’ Buildings with representatives of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Mamata has already made her intentions clear that she wants to take on the problems of North Bengal head on by announcing on the very first day of taking over her decision to set up a mini secretariat for the area. At the meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday, the green signal was given to look for a place in North Bengal to set up a chief minister’s secretariat.

It was also decided that the budget of the North Bengal Development Board would be enhanced more than threefold, to Rs 200 crore from the present Rs 60 crore, so that NBDB could take up worthwhile projects. “Only Rs 60 crore for six districts is nothing,” the chief minister said.

Mamata indicated that her government would wait for a discussion with GJM and also see how the tripartite negotiations on the hill council in Darjeeling proceeded before deciding if the NBDB would have a role to play in the development of the Hills too. Developmental activities in the Hills have been under the jurisdiction of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, and tripartite negotiations are on for granting more powers to DGHC. “Tripartite negotiations are on. Three GJM MLAs and also a leader of GJM are coming to Kolkata tomorrow. They will meet me also,” she said. (more…)

The Times of India
Deep Gazmer, TNN | May 25, 2011, 06.28am IST

DARJEELING: Four Gorkha Janmukti Morcha MLAs will take oath on May 26 after which they hope to work for fulfilling their demand of Gorkhaland state.

Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri stressed the need to have all the ground work done before resuming the talks.

“We will meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee and senior ministers,” he said.

A GJM delegation led by Roshan Giri had met the chief minister on May 20 in Kolkata. Along with the four MLAs , Giri and three central committee leaders will leave for Kolkata on Wednesday.

After their victory, GJM MLAs had made it clear that they would raise the demand for Gorkhaland in the Assembly. Chhetri said: “People voted for us because of the Gorkhaland issue.”

GJM had earlier settled for an interim council for the Hills. The party, however, changed track after three of its supporters were killed in police firing on February 8, 2011 at Shibchu in Jalpaiguri district.

Prior to the interim council arrangement, GJM had participated in 11 rounds of talks with the central and state governments to find an amicable solution to the issue.

“The chief minister has promised to solve the Hills problem within three months. We will see how trustworthy she is,” said the MLA.

The chief minister has said several times that she is against any further division of the state.

Political observers view her promise to set up a mini-secretariat in north Bengal as a sign of her political will to solve problems of that region.
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The Telegraph
RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, May 24: A committee made up of members of a senior citizens’ body and an NGO here submitted a proposal to the subdivisional officer of Kalimpong last week suggesting measures to streamline the traffic in town.

Members of the Senior Citizens of Kalimpong and the Gorkha Dukhi Niwarak Sanmelan under the banner of Kalimpong Sangrakchhan Samiti submitted the list to L. N. Sherpa with a detailed plan to regulate traffic in town.

“The SDO has agreed to study our suggestions and get back to us,” said B.K. Pradhan, a former assistant engineer of the Kalimpong municipality who heads the samiti.

According to the proposal, buses entering the town through Lower Rishi Road should stop at and originate from the new terminus below Novelty Cinema. Smaller passenger vehicles must also halt at the new bus stand but they can start from the Motor Stand.

A vehicle that has to pick up passengers from Motor Stand should reach the place 30 minutes before its scheduled time of departure mentioned in the roster prepared by their respective motor syndicates.

Currently passenger vehicles stop at the Motor Stand and are also parked there indefinitely making the place congested. The samiti has suggested that vehicles entering the town through the Lower Rishi Road should take the Thanadara and the Main Road to reach the Motor Stand through the stretch near the old Prem Store.

Cars leaving Motor Stand should ply through the Ongden road-Upper Cart Road and meet the Lower Rishi Road either via the approach route to the Government High School, Justice Biswas Road or Atisha Road, the proposal says.

Vehicles plying through D.S. Gurung Road should exit from the stretch near old Prem Store and the entry of trucks to the town should be barred between 7am and 5pm.

The members have said the footpaths should be freed of encroachers to ensure free movement for pedestrians.

SDO Sherpa said he would soon call a meeting of all stakeholders like the political parties, the associations of motor vehicle owners and drivers and the traffic police to discuss the samiti’s suggestions.

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The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, May 23: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said that from the discovery of the Insas rifle near a CPM office in West Midnapore yesterday “it looked like the Left party was behind the attack on the Shilda camp” just like it had a role in the Sibchu firing.

By levelling this allegation, the Morcha tried to justify its demand for a CBI inquiry into the police firing in Sibchu on the Dooars border that had killed three of its supporters earlier this year.

The members of the Morcha affiliated ex-servicemen’s association and the party’s voluntary squad of lathi-wielding youths, the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP), too, brought out a rally today with a demand for CBI inquiry into the Sibchu firing.

An Insas rifle snatched from the Shilda camp during the Maoist attack has been dug out by villagers around 500 metres from a deserted CPM office in West Midnapore’s Enayetpur.

Police are probing if the erstwhile ruling party has had any links with the rebels. As many as 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans were killed in the Maoist attack on the Shilda camp on February 15, 2010. (more…)

The Telegraph
JAYESH THAKER

Jamshedpur, May 20: A child is, well, the mother of woman. Premlata Agarwal was born in a large happy Marwari family in Darjeeling, and mountains were her first love.

Among the 12 children of the Garg family originally based in Darjeeling, Premlata, the second eldest of seven daughters was passionate about trekking since childhood, recalled her father, businessman Ramawtar Garg (76) on phone from Siliguri, Bengal, where he now lives with wife Sarda Devi (70).

“I very well remember Premlata would often pack her bags for a short stint in the hills during our stay in the Sukia Pokhri district of Darjeeling. She has been to Tiger Hill for trekking on more than one occasion. She always made regular forays to the mountains,” Garg said.

After marriage, Premlata settled on the plains of Jamshedpur, but habits, as they say, are as old as hills. “My daughter was very sporty,” recalled mother Sarda. “She was also very plucky since childhood. Woh abhi bhi bahut bahadur hai. Hum logon ko uss pe naaz hai (Even now, she is very courageous. We are all very proud of her),” she said.

For its time, the Garg family was quite progressive. “All my 12 children, both sons and daughters, were interested in sports and we encouraged them. Table tennis, football, cricket, badminton, you name it, and they played it,” said the proud father. “The family courtyard would always be bustling with their games,” he said.

But for Premlata, the hills had a special fascination. And her father said some of his teachings helped her in her arduous climb to the tallest peak in the world. “I told my kids to stick to a decision. Don’t reverse it, don’t go back on something you’re committed to,” he said.

So when bad weather last week forced Premlata back to the base camp, she must have recalled her dad’s words, shrugged off the disappointment and prepared to ascend again.

“I am ecstatic that my daughter has dome something out of the ordinary. Meri beti ne Everest ko fateh kar liya. Main hamesha apne bacchon se kahta tha apne pairon par khada ho (My daughter has conquered the Everest. I told my children to carve their identity),” said the father.

Premlata’s elder brother Brij Mohan Garg, who owns a multiplex in Darjeeling, also couldn’t control his excitement over the phone. “I’ve been trying to keep track of her expedition from the wee hours today. I went mad with joy after getting the news (that Premlata scaled the peak). It’s a huge achievement, especially for a woman with two grown-up daughters. I don’t have words to describe my feelings,” he said from Darjeeling.

Brij Mohan, who used to be a fine shuttler in his heydays, recalled that Premlata was a born climber. “She would lug heavy bags and nimbly trek up and down the hills of Darjeeling. Mountains and adventure always attracted her,” he said.

The Garg family can’t wait to speak to Premlata once she returns to the base camp. “It’s been a while since we heard her voice,” said the doting dad.
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The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, May 22: The Gorkha Primary Teachers’ Organisation has called for the closure of all educational institutions, including ICSE schools, across the hills tomorrow to press for the fulfilment of a number of demands, foremost of which is the appointment of 4,000 teachers.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated organisation had earlier called for a two-day strike at educational institutions on May 23 and 24. But the GPTO decided to make it a one-day shutdown following a meeting between Morcha and association leaders.

The GPTO has kept colleges outside the purview of the strike.

“We have decided to call a strike at educational institutions, including higher secondary and private institutions. However, the strike has been called only for a day. The decision has been taken after consulting the leaders of the Morcha,” said Benedict Gurung, the president of the GPTO.

Apart from the 11-point charter of demands, the GPTO also wants the transfer of P.T. Sherpa, the educational secretary of the DGHC. The association says “nothing (with regard to their demands) is going to move forward” as long as Sherpa remains as the education secretary.

“We waited till May 20 but we have received no assurances from the council till date on our demands,” said Gurung.

The GPTO had called a three-day strike at primary schools starting from May 17 to press for the fulfilment of demands. Besides the appointment of 4,000 primary school teachers across the hills, the GPTO has placed 10 other demands also. The formation of a District Primary School Council in place of District School Board as in other districts and establishment of a district project office for the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan are some of the demands

It is learnt that the Morcha leadership has impressed upon the primary school teachers that they should restrict the educational strike to only a day.

“The Morcha leaders will meet the DGHC administrator tomorrow. Depending on the outcome of the meeting tomorrow, we will decide on the fate of our pre-announced agitation,” said Gurung.

The GPTO had earlier announced the closure of all government offices and educational institutions, including colleges, on May 26 followed by a rally and public meeting on May 30. The teachers have also threatened to call a 24 hour-general strike on May 31 and an indefinite hunger strike from June 1.
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The Telegraph
RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, May 22: The supporters of Chattrey Subba and five other accused in the case relating to the abortive attempt on the life of GNLF president are hoping Mamata Banerjee’s decision to form a committee to review the release of political prisoners would eventually ensure their freedom after spending more than 10 years in jail.

The CPRM, which has been campaigning for the release of all the accused, said it welcomed the chief minister’s decision to set up the review committee and hoped that they would be set free at the earliest.

“The new government should release them without wasting a day. Chattrey and the others are victims of political conspiracy of the erstwhile Left Front government and the GNLF,” said Gobind Chhetri, the CPRM spokesperson.

The 62-year-old Subba has been languishing in prison since April 20, 2001 after he was arrested from Nepal for allegedly masterminding the attack on GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh near Kurseong on February 10 the same year. Although Ghisingh had escaped with injuries, a policeman had died in the incident when the GNLF chief’s convoy was ambushed by gunmen on Pankhabari Road, a few kilometres from Kurseong.

The other accused still languishing in jail are Saran Dewan, Kumar Chettri, Shyam Bahadur Karki, Bijay Chettri and Gunjay Lama.

The names of all the six will figure in the list of political prisoners being prepared by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR). “Even after 10 years, Subba’s trial remains incomplete. He being denied a bail in all these years goes against the principle of natural rights,” said an APDR source.

Subba was the chief of the Gorkha Volunteers’ Cell, the militant wing of the GNLF, during the Gorkhaland agitation of the 1980s. He formed the Gorkha Liberation Organisation after quitting the GNLF. He fell out with Ghisingh over the GNLF’s decision to accept the DGHC, instead of Gorkhaland.
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