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August 31, 2011 18:01 IST

(Here’s a larger picture.)

Siliguri: A baby elephant fell into a water tank in West Bengal’s Kalimpong area. He was part of a herd of 100 wild elephants who stopped at a reservoir to drink some water on Tuesday. (See Pics)

The elephants surrounded the water tank and trumpeted loudly to attract attention. Then they took off.

The Army was called in but suggested that local forest officials handle the rescue mission.

Range officer Bijon Talkudar was in charge. A special machine drained the reservoir of its water; a crane tried to lift the elephant out; and finally, the walls of the tank were demolished.

The baby elephant was not hurt; he has been released into the forest.
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VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 26: The employees’ union at the Darjeeling municipality has threatened to shut down emergency services like conservancy and water supply if the old system of depositing taxes at the civic body is not revived.

The Darjeeling Municipality Employees’ Union, which claims to be an apolitical body, has been on a pen-down strike since August 4 to protest the new system under which residents have to deposit property tax with the Union Bank of India.

The employees are demanding that the citizens be allowed to pay the tax in the civic office as in the past.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which had maintained silence so long, today said it would try to broker peace between both the sides.

“We have decided to discuss the impasse at the municipality with our party leaders tomorrow. We hope a solution will emerge soon,” said Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri.

Allan Chhetri, the president of the union, said: “We have not heard a word from the district administration and we see no solution in sight. We are now seriously contemplating shutting down emergency services like conservancy and the water-works department as last resort. Our strike is causing inconvenience to the general public but we would like to appeal to them to bear with us as our demand is for the public’s convenience.”

District magistrate Mohan Gandhi held a meeting with the employees two days ago but no solution could be worked out.

“The district magistrate spoke on the lines of the subdivisional officer (who is also the chairperson of the board of administrators of the municipality). We have already rejected that proposal,” said Chhetri.

The union alleged that the decision to shift the payment of property taxes to the bank was taken without consulting employees. “Paying taxes at the bank would cause inconvenience to the general public as they have to scuttle between the bank and the office if there is a mismatch in records,” said Chhetri. “Sixteen employees responsible for collecting the tax are without work in the civic office now.”

The SDO had said he had introduced the new system to keep pace with time. The official believes such a move would slowly help introduce Net-banking in the town to enable the people to pay all bills from home.

Given the staunch stand taken by the unions, observers believe the administration might revert to the old system and let an elected body take further decision.

“After all, elections to the municipality are likely to take place soon now that the political problem has been settled in the hills. The administration will most likely avoid confrontation with the employees on small issues like this and leave the matter to the new elected body to take a call,” said an observer.

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VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 25: Social and religious issues so long overshadowed by the larger cause of statehood has starting resurfacing in the hills, now that a political settlement has been reached on Darjeeling with the signing of the agreement to set up the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Hundreds of Buddhists today took to the streets in Darjeeling to revive some of their longstanding demands, one of them being a paid holiday on the birthday of Lord Buddha. The Lepchas, an indigenous community, also brought out a rally to demand a development council.

The Buddhists made the demands under the banner of the All Buddhist Minority Welfare Association, which consists of various Gorkha communities like the Tamangs, Gurungs and non-Nepali tribes like the Sherpas, Bhutias and Yolmos.

“We had been wanting a holiday on (Buddha Purnima) since 1980 but the Left Front government had not paid heed to our demands. We are hopeful that the present government will fulfil our demand. Even Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung had supported our demand,” said M.S. Bomzon, the president of the association. (more…)

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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, Aug. 24: The newly formed Forum of Deputy Rangers has decided to approach forest minister Hiten Barman with four demands — timely promotion, pay revision, filling up of vacant posts and examinations for promotion.

The forum was formed at a meeting in Kurseong last weekend and claims to have 200 members. In all, there are about 1,200 deputy rangers serving in the forest department.

Phurba Sherpa, the secretary of the forum, said there were more than 200 posts of forest rangers lying vacant at moment.

“We want all the vacant posts to be filled up through promotion to ensure smooth functioning of the range administration.”

The deputy rangers also said their salary was far from satisfactory compared to their counterparts in other states.

The forum regretted that among the cadre posts, it was only the deputy rangers who had not been getting promotion even after serving in the same post for 20 years.

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BIRESWAR BANERJEE

Siliguri, Aug. 23: Seven forest villages are being readied for tourists wanting to visit the hills and the Dooars to unwind during the Pujas close to the wild green world.

Forest dwellers living in small hamlets within reserve forest areas in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts have joined hands to initiate community-based tourism to improve their socio-economic condition.

Buoyed by a proposal from the National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers, many of them have readied infrastructure like accommodation in at least seven locations in Kalimpong and the Dooars.

“There are 220 forest villages in north Bengal. Of these, we have identified 20 villages and have readied seven locations where tourists can visit right now,” said Saumitra Ghosh, a senior representative of the National Forum, today.

Around six lakh people reside in the 200 or so forest hamlets.

“Considering the idyllic locations of the forest villages, we had selected them for promotion for sites of community-based tourism. Each village will have a committee which will monitor all activities associated with tourism.”

People can come and stay in the homes of the forest dwellers, enjoy the local cuisine and witness their lifestyle and culture at close quarters. Added to these, excursions to forests, mountains and historical ruins like Buxa Fort would be made arranged for them, he added.

In the hills, the selected hamlets include Mungpoo, made famous by Rabindranath Tagore — the bard visited the place four times between 1935 and 1940 — and the orange and the cinchona plantations.

Located near it is Sitong, another hamlet famous for oranges. Chatakpur, close to Kurseong, is also an idyllic location.

“In the Dooars, we have selected villages like Buxa Sadare, Lepchakha, which is also in the Buxa hills and Kathambari and Samsing, both located near Lataguri. People can stay in local homes while enjoying nature and wildlife at Gorumara National Park and the Chapramari wildlife sanctuary nearby. Buxa has attractions like the tiger reserve, Buxa Fort and Rupam Valley. Lepchakha is a Drukpa village where tourists can enjoy traditional sports like archery,” a National Forum representative said. Drukpa is a tribe with origins in Bhutan.

Committees have been formed with local villagers as members. They will apprise the others of the hospitality they are expected to extend to the visitors.

“Since the villages are ready, we have decided to take the help of a local tourist service provider to campaign for our locations and help bring in visitors, make arrangements for transport and book accommodations,” Ghosh said.

He said the charges had not been fixed yet.
A watchtower in Chatakpur. Telegraph pictures

“But a portion of the earnings would be handed over to the agency that will do the campaign as service charge.”

Debashis Chakraborty, who runs Wind Oz Tours and Travels in Siliguri — the enterprise that will act as intermediary between tourists and forest villagers — said the firm had already started working at each location and initiated a planned campaign.

“We are eyeing the ensuing season and hope to bring in tourists to these villages. Community-based tourism is gaining popularity by the day and many tourists, while choosing remote and quiet places to rejuvenate themselves during vacations, prefer homestays to get a taste of nature,” he said.

Forest dwellers like Shyamal Rava of the Dooars and Govind Roka of Kurseong said village tourism would open a new opportunity for them. “There are several educated youths in villages who have not got much employment opportunity,” Roka said.

“This initiative would help them get involved in an economic activity from their homes itself. Absence of jobs and opportunities have prompted many youths, who have worked and conserved the forests and wildlife over generations, to move out of their villages. We feel that through introduction of tourism, economic problems of forest villagers would be mitigated to a considerable extent.”

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VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 23: The Darjeeling Tea Association today said the planters will not be able to pay Puja bonus to workers at last year’s rate of 20 per cent, an announcement that met with protests from the trade union of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The planters said rampant absenteeism among tea labourers who are more keen on the 100 days’ work scheme, hike in workers’ wages and lower export orders because of recession had pushed up the cost of production, and hence, they cannot pay bonus at last year’s rate.

In 2010, the Darjeeling tea industry, which produces the world’s premier brew, paid bonus at the rate of 20 per cent for grades A, B and C gardens and at 17 percent for estates in the Grade D category. The 20 per cent bonus is the highest fixed under the Plantation Labour Act, 1951.

The bonus percentage is calculated on the basis of the total annual earnings of a worker. (more…)

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New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI): Former captain and the face of Indian football for major part of the last two decades, star striker Bhaichung Bhutia today announced his international retirement, drawing curtains on an illustrious 16-year career.

The 34-year-old, known as the ‘Sikkimese Sniper’ for his shooting skills, announced his decision during a press meet at the All India Football Federation headquarters.

”I had fantastic 16 years of international football. I enjoyed every moment to have represented the country, to have contributed to the game,” Bhaichung said.

Speculation had been rife on the imminent retirement of the talismanic striker, who pulled out of India Under-23 side’s tour of England where they will play against Pakistan and England Under-23 next month.

He was struggling with injuries in the past one year and could play for just 15 minutes in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January, the most prestigious event India has ever taken part in the last 27 years. (more…)

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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, Aug. 22: About 100 Lepchas demonstrated in front of Kalimpong police station this afternoon to protest against the arrest of around 70 members of the community in Calcutta earlier in the day for violating prohibitory orders.

The Lepchas have been agitating in Calcutta since August 9, demanding the setting up of a Lepcha development council or board to preserve and promote the community’s culture and language. Around 60 members of the community were rounded up when they were holding a demonstration near the Writers’ Buildings. They were all released later.

In a letter addressed to the Darjeeling superintendent of police, the agitators in Kalimpong threatened that the community would hold sit-in protests throughout the hills if the arrested people were not released immediately.

“We demand the immediate release of the arrested persons, failing which we will be forced to go for sit-in protests at Tricone Park (in Kalimpong) and other parts of the hills,” said the letter signed by Tashuthing Lepcha, the assistant secretary of the Lepcha Youth Organisation.

The letter was submitted to the Kalimpong police station.

More than 100 members of the community gathered in front of the police station immediately on hearing about the arrest in Calcutta earlier in the day. They shouted slogans demanding the release of the arrested persons and in favour of the setting up of the council.

“It is unfortunate that our people have been arrested for exercising their democratic rights, which includes the right to protest peacefully. Such unwarranted action by the government could prove counter productive and force every Lepcha to take to the streets,” said Azuk Lepcha, a member of the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association.

The demonstration began at 2pm and the agitators dispersed in an hour.

The Lepchas are acknowledged as the original inhabitants of the Darjeeling hills and believed to constitute 20 per cent of the nine lakh-odd population in the region.

The council or board that they have been demanding is a body without any territorial jurisdiction, but a system to facilitate the development process of the Lepcha community and to promote their language and culture.

The Lepchas regret that although they have been trying their best to preserve their language, literature and tradition, the government doesn’t have any policy to supplement their efforts.

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VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Aug. 22: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung advised the Bengal ministers visiting the Darjeeling hills to start fulfilling their promises, instead of indulging only in lip service.

Gurung made the comment at a programme attended by the state youth affairs minister, Ujjawal Biswas.

“We welcome the ministers visiting the hills. It is something good. But we would also like to request them to translate their promises into reality,” the Morcha chief said at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club.

The programme was organised by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Sports Association.

“One cannot score a goal if the team does not hit the field to play. Let us start playing now. A man has to work so that he is respected by everyone when his coffin is being taken away,” the Morcha chief said to a thunderous applause from a young crowd assembled at the club.

While the only minister to make a beeline for the hills during the term of the previous Left Front government was Asok Bhattacharya, seven members of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet have already visited the region. (more…)

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Aug. 22: The Airports Authority of India has announced that Bagdogra will now be manned by an officer of lower rank, which has put a cloud on the status of the airport and triggered fears that there might be a clamp on funds for expansion projects.

A June 18 notice from the AAI said the airport, which has been so long run by a Grade III director (joint general manager or a deputy general manager), will now be under a Grade IV director (an assistant general manager or senior manager). Sources in Bagdogra, a civil enclave inside an IAF station, said the rank of the director reflected the status of the airport. “For example Grade I airport will always have a Grade I officer as director. Similar is the case for grades II, III, and IV,” said a source.

The Bagdogra authorities fear that a slash in the director’s status would mean that all development projects at the airport that caters for four states and three countries will be stalled, an apprehension that has been brushed aside by the AAI. “The status of the Bagdogra airport has not been downgraded,” an AAI official said over the phone from Delhi.

Explaining the notice, an AAI official from the Northeast said a decision had been taken to replace Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik, a Grade III official, with a Grade IV official because of the under-performance of the incumbent.

“However, Bhowmik had requested that he be allowed to continue till December at Bagdogra airport and it has been granted,” he said. “A decision on his posting will be taken after December.” (more…)

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Siliguri, Aug. 21: The foundation for a water supply plant that will benefit more than 7 lakh people in Siliguri will be laid after the Pujas by the chief minister, PHE minister Subrata Mukherjee today said.

The minister said the government was also hoping to complete the Rs 55-crore Balasun water project for Darjeeling town within the same time frame.

The site of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation project will be at Fulbari where another water purifying plant using the Mahananda as its source already exists. Under the new Rs 300-crore project, water will be drawn from the Teesta in Gajoldoba, 30km from here, and sent to Fulbari for treatment.

The target is to distribute 135 litres of water to each person everyday. At present, the supply is around 70 litre. (more…)

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Siliguri, Aug. 21: Former soccer star Shyam Thapa has expressed hope that he will be able to launch his long-cherished residential football academy at Sukna after Durga Puja.

Thapa has put his academy plans on fast track after receiving positive signals from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung and north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb.

“I met Bimal Gurung in Darjeeling two days ago and he told me to go ahead with my plans. He also assured me that he would also help me with funds for the academy once the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration starts functioning,” said Thapa.

The iconic striker, famed for his bicycle kick, had a year ago put all his plans in the back-burner with the political turmoil in the Darjeeling hills affecting life throughout north Bengal. (more…)