MARG conducts awareness programme on Human Trafficking in Kalimpong Villages

7:58 PM

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society

26th to 28th July 2014, MARG with the support from Glenn Family Foundation Kalimpong carried four awareness programmes about  Human Trafficking at Chibbo Busti, Pudung Busti, Bom Busti (Deowrali) and Pranami Girls High School Kalimpong.

 MARG conducts awareness programme on Human Trafficking in Kalimpong Villages

In the past MARG had recovered girls from Kalimpong Sub-division who were a victim of Commercial Sexual Exploitation in other states. Many of the girls were also lured into massage palour in Goa and were a victim of this trade. Recent rescue in Goa by ARZ, Goa Crime Branch and MARG speaks about this flourishing trade.

This awareness would not have been successful without the support from Glenn family Foundation as they have been doing mammoth development works in the far of villages of Kalimpong. Together we felt that there was a dire need of these awareness camps. 

In all the four camps students, parents and the local leaders participated with a great zeal to save daughters and sisters of their locality but unfortunately there was no participation from Darjeeling Police as we used to have earlier. This was indeed sad.

The youth and some students came forward to set up Students Against Trafficking Club (SATC) and very soon there will be 4 vibrant clubs with 20 to 25 members who will be trained to combat this menace which has been engulfing our society rapidly.

Source:  MARG

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DAWN ORGANIZES HEALTH CAMP AT RED BANK T.E

8:38 AM

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society

DAWN (Darjeeling and Dooars Tea Workers Relief Organization) organized a health camp at Red Bank tea estate in Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal where workers are suffering from severe malnutrition and even deaths due to starvation have been reported.

The following Report was published by  DAWN  in a social networking site.

Reported deaths of workers due to starvation in the tea gardens of Dooars had been bothering many of us this past winter, and it was the death of Sunita Oroan which made us realize that merely writing out our outrage on Facebook and other social media forms is not going to help. That is when a group of us decided to do something to help the starving workers ourselves, instead of waiting for the government to intervene.

DAWN ORGANIZES HEALTH CAMP AT RED BANK T.E

The formation of the Darjeeling and Dooars Tea Workers Relief Organization – DAWN was necessitated due to government inaction, and we are thankful to all of you for your support, encouragement, enthusiasm, ideas and willingness to step-up and help.

People who are from Darjeeling and Dooars region, and those who are associated with our region gradually started to connect with us from across the world, and offered to stand with us in our mission to provide help and relief to our brothers and sisters in the tea gardens who are in need.

With incredible support from our volunteers, our donors, our supporters, local people, and our collaborators – “We With You” and “Kalimpong Deurali Sangh” we were able to organize a medical camp on the 22nd of June, 2014.

Dr. Sharon Foning and Nurse Asmita Chettri from Kalimpong, and Dr. Chaudhari from Siliguri led the medical camp, with the help of around 20 volunteers.

We were able to provide check up for around 250 people, majority of whom were women and children. The locals are suffering from all kinds of ailments related to starvation and malnutrition. Majority of the women are anemic, and almost all the patients had some or other forms of chest ailment. Children are suffering from malnutrition and are severely deficient in vitamin and minerals.

Thankfully, we had enough of basic medication and we could provide antibiotics, vitamins and basic cough syrups to the patients. However, what we have provided is merely temporary relief and we will be working towards providing a long-term and permanent solution, for which we will need all of your help.

We thank Dr. Sharon Foning, Dr. Chaudhari and Nurse Asmita Chettri whose incredible help, commitment to helping the society and love for our community made this medical camp possible… You all cared and stood up, when many others chose not to. On behalf of DAWN and our members, we thank you guys from the core of our hearts and we hope that you will continue supporting our cause.

Team “We With You” and “Deurali Sangh, Kalimpong” were more than partner organizations, they were the force that drove our mission forward. Thank you guys so much for making the camp a success. Thank you for helping us from collecting medications to distributing them. The success of the camp is all due to you. We look forward to more such collaborative partnerships in the future.

We thank Mr. Shakti Thapa of Red Bank Tea Garden who has been our pillar of support in the area from day one. Mr. Shakti has been of tremendous help to us to liaison with the locals appraised us on their real issues and problems facing their community, and helped in setting up the medical camp. This camp would not have been possible without all of your help.

Ms. Sandhya Pradhan from Gorkha Channel has been of incredible help to us, in documenting the Red Bank issue and also the medical camp. Thank you.

We thank all our volunteers from DAWN, “We With You” and “Deurali Sangh” for your kind help and support.

Last but not the least, we thank all the donors who have helped and supported us, what we are doing would not be possible without your generous support. Thank You!!

What started as a small group of people wanting to act, instead of react... led to the formation of the Darjeeling and Dooars Tea Workers Relief Organization – DAWN, and we are hopeful that more people will join our cause.

Source: Darjeeling and Dooars Tea Workers Relief Organization - DAWN

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Child Protection NGO condemns Kalimpong murder

11:13 AM

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NGO

Kalimpong-based NGO Child Protection Forum today took out a rally in town condemning the brutal murder of a couple on June 19. Rally participants demanded justice for the victims and the strictest possible punishment for the culprits. They also demanded immediate rehabilitation of the couple’s two daughters, the elder of whom was also severely injured that day. Forum members later met sub-divisional magistrate K Radhika and submitted a deputation containing their demands.

The Child Protection Forum rally in Kalimpong.

Dominic Bhutia and Christina Bhutia of Gidabling near Kalimpong were found in their house in a pool of blood on the morning of June 19. They had been hacked to death with a sharp weapon, while their 12-year old daughter sustained major injuries. The couple’s 7-year-old daughter was lucky enough to escape unhurt. The elder sibling has major injuries on her hand and head, and has also lost one of her eyes. She is currently under treatment at a private hospital in Siliguri.

The Child Protection Forum demanded proper rehabilitation for the two sisters and called for the strongest of punishments for the accused father-son duo, Hangjit Rai and Puran Rai, who are under arrest based on information provided by the children.

Several NGOs including World Vision, Who Care and Catholic Church for Child Protection along with well-wishers and students participated in the rally.

Source: EOI

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Rally against hawkers' market construction at Chowrasta.

9:59 AM

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social

Darjeeling: The proposed construction of a hawkers’ market at Chowrastha has begun blowing out of proportion with town residents  taking to the streets even as the district administration continues to stand firm on its decision of going ahead with the plan.

School children participating at the rally.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone for the market complex in January of this year. The Aastha Hawkers’ Market, estimated to cost Rs1 crore, is expected to house more than 300 hawkers from the market areas of town. It is being constructed by the Rohini Engineering Cooperative Society Limited at CR Das Road, just below Chowrastha.

Strongly opposed to the construction are the Morning Health Club, Federation of Societies for Environment Protection and the Darjeeling municipality as well as most of the townsfolk. They have got a shot in the arm with GJM president and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Bimal Gurung recently demanding a referendum on the construction.

However, the district administration is adamant to start work at the earliest citing the urgent need for a building to house the hawkers who at present have occupied most vantage pavements in town.

MHC members today submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate and also staged a rally to oppose the construction of the hawkers’ market at Chowrastha. School children and NGOs participated in the rally displaying placards.

Rally against the plan to construct a hawkers'
market at Chowrasta.

“We are not against the hawkers who do need a permanent place to trade from.

However, our opposition is against the construction of a concrete structure at Chowrastha, one of the few spots in town that still has some greenery left. A hawkers’ complex can be built in some other place,” said MHC president Tshering Dorjee Bhutia.

Further, he threatened to file a lawsuit if the district administration goes ahead with the building process by ignoring the people’s demand.

"We submitted a memorandum today, but we did not get a cordial response from the district magistrate. We will soon hold a meeting with other organisations and if required, file a PIL as well,” said Bhutia.

Meanwhile, the newly-floated Aastha Hawkers’ Welfare Association, which owes allegiance to the Trinamool Congress, alleged the issue was being unnecessarily politicised by the municipality in cahoots with the GJM. The association, countering the opposition to the construction, also served a deputation to the district magistrate.

“Construction work was supposed to start from June, but some municipality councilors, in connivance with the GJM, are opposing the plan and misleading the people for their vested interests,” alleged AHWA president Bharat Subba.

The association also pointed out that the municipality has chosen to keep silent despite rampant ongoing constructions in and around the Chowrastha and Mall areas.

“There are huge constructions underway on Nehru Road and big resorts have come up in the Mall area. Similarly, flouting municipality norms massive construction works are ongoing in other places of town. Why is the municipality keeping quiet over such cases or is it partners in crime too?” questioned Subba, who leads more than 300 members.

Darjeeling DM Puneet Yadav confirmed receiving memorandums from two separate associations and at the same time asserted a hawkers’ market would be built at Chowrastha as planned. 

"I have tried to assure local health club members and others opposed to the market that construction work will be carried out in accordance with municipality rules and regulations and that the peace and tranquility of Chowrastha would be maintained. The project is important for town residents and will commence as planned,” he said, adding soil testing on the construction spot is in progress while a plan would be submitted to the municipality after test report comes from Jalpaiguri in a few days.

Source: EOI

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54 year old Diwakari Chhetri sets example for NGOs

8:20 AM

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Siliguri

Fifty-four-year old Diwakari Chhetri has set an example for NGOs by working tirelessly for the betterment of society despite being single and without any financial support from the authorities.

CNSS president Diwakari Chhetri.

She has sold off her cows and even landed property to run her organisation for helping deprived women of remote villages. Chenga Nari Sewa Samity (CNSS) was formed in 2002 under the initiative of Chhetri and a handful of women from Chenga village under the Mirik block of the Gorkhaland Territorial administration.

Chhetri says she is working to bring about positive changes in the life of rural folk, especially in terms of women empowerment. She said huge amounts of money have been spent by the government for poverty alleviation and women empowerment, but the situation is still pathetic.

She said, “I used to withdraw money from my husband’s bank account without his knowledge for the organisation’s works. In 2005, I sold my cows to buy furniture and stationery for the CNSS office.”

Chettri have provided vocational training in tailoring, doll making and art and crafts, among many other skills to women of rural areas so as to make them capable of earning for themselves.

CNSS has 63 members at present and most of them are school and college going students. The organisation holds HIV/AIDS awareness camps, blood donation campaigns and works proactively to stop human.

Chettri, who is the CNSS’ president, has approached the police several times for assistance while dealing with rape victims and helped rescue girls and women from the clutches of traffickers.

CNSS assistant secretary Pratima Sharma said the organisation does not have its own office building due to lack of funds. She said the members have a dream to erect a building where women and girls can receive free computer coaching, attend awareness programmes and play indoor games.

Report by: PRASHANT ACHARYASource: EOI

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Disagreement over construction of Hawkers’ Market in Chowrasta

7:42 AM

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NGO

Darjeeling: Disagreement over the construction of a Hawkers’ Market at Chowrastha continues to rage on between the district administration and the Darjeeling municipality including residents.

At the proposed site for the hawkers' market
in the Chowrasta area

The Darjeeling district administration is keen to ensure Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s pet project - a hawkers’ market materialises at the Chowrastha area. However, townsfolk along with NGOs and the civic body are against the construction saying it would destroy the ambience of one of the most iconic promenades of the hills.

The Aastha Hawkers’ Market was envisaged by the chief minister and she had even led the foundation stone for the complex on January 23 of this year. However, on May 22, when workers of the Rohini Engineering Cooperative Society Limited (RECSL), which has been awarded the project, wanted to fell a couple of trees that were obstructing the construction work, they were stopped by members of the Morning Health Club (MHC) and the Federation of Societies for Environment Protection (FOSEP) including locals.

The Darjeeling municipality too is opposed to the construction and claims the district administration has not sought permission. “We have neither been taken into confidence nor has any permission for the construction been taken from us. The law is for everyone to follow including the district administration,” said Sukh Bahadur Biswakarma, the municipality vice chairman.

There was commotion this morning when RECSL workers started digging the designated area on CR Das Road, just below to Chowrastha. Residents including municipality officials tried to convince the workers it was illegal to start work at the spot as permission has not been sought. But the district administration used police assistance to ensure the digging work continued.

“The land belongs to the administration but the area falls under the municipality. There is no layout plan or proposal for construction in the Chowrastha area which makes the construction illegal. More importantly, we are answerable to the people who are opposed to any sort of construction there,” said the vice-chairman.

When reminded the chief minister herself had laid the foundation stone, Biswakarma said, “Yes, that is true, but we were never consulted on the proposed hawkers’ market.”

When asked about the ongoing controversy, Darjeeling district magistrate Puneet Yadav said no construction was being carried out and only samples were being taken for soil testing.

“We were only taking samples for soil testing which is a must before any construction. We will definitely submit a layout plan and a formal proposal after we receive the reports of the test,” he said.

At the same time, the DM asserted the issue is being blown out of proportion. He said, “There are several constructions in and around Chowrastha and we are committed to abide by all the rules and norms for building constructions. But it is sad the issue is being made big for nothing.”

The original motive for the hawkers’ market was to relocate more than 100 hawkers who have been evicted from Nehru Road, the stretch from Keventer’s to Chowrastha, in August of last year by the civic body as part of a beautification plan. These hawkers are presently trading from temporary stalls set up below Chowrastha.

Source: EOI

Darjeeling, June 13: The hill municipality today directed the Darjeeling district magistrate to stop “construction” of a proposed hawkers’ market at Chowrasta where workers were seen digging up soil today. The administration, however, continued the work despite the verbal communication from the civic body.

Residents walk along the project site on Friday. (Suman Tamang)

Many apolitical organisations from the hills had opposed the district administration’s move to set up the hawkers’ market at Chowrasta, a project whose foundation was laid by the chief minister.

“When we were told work had begun, I called up the district magistrate requesting him to stop it as it is illegal to start any construction in the Darjeeling municipality area without a plan sanctioned by the municipality,” said Suk Bahadur Biswakarma, vice-chairman of the civic body.

When the administration overlooked the verbal request, the municipality wrote a letter to Rohini Engineering Co-operative Society Limited, the agency entrusted with the work. It was sent around 3pm today. Copies of the letter were also sent to the district magistrate, superintendent of police, Darjeeling, executive engineer, PWD (Darjeeling division), and inspector-in-charge, Darjeeling Sadar police station.

The directive signed by Biswakarma read: “It has been reported by the field staff of Darjeeling municipality engineering department that your society has taken up construction of Hawkers’ Market at C.R. Das Road, Chowrasta, Darjeeling without prior sanctioned building plan from Darjeeling municipality. This is a clear case of violation of Section 220 of the West Bengal Municipal Act, 1993. You are, therefore, directed to stop the construction work forthwith.” Section 220 states: “In any case in which the erection of a building or any other work connected therewith has been commenced or is being carried on unlawfully, the Chairman, may by written notice, require the owner or the persons carrying on such erection or unlawful work to discontinue the same forthwith, pending further proceedings as respects such unauthorised construction.”

The section empowers the chairman to take help from police or municipality employees if such directives are not followed.

Biswakarma said: “We learnt that the district magistrate, superintendent of police and other police officers were present at the site when the work started this morning.”

On May 22, senior citizens from the Morning Health Club and Federation of Societies for Environment Protection had protested after workers were seen marking trees to be felled for the proposed hawkers’ market.

Social organisations like Jagriti Sewa Samity, Sahayak Samity and Amar Singh Gram had also written to the municipality to stop the construction.

“We cannot allow work with so many objections,” said Biswakarma.

Sushan Rai, secretary of Rohini Engineering Co-operative Society, said he had been directed by the PWD to start construction with 15 labourers from 8am today. “I received the letter on June 11,” he said.

District magistrate Puneet Yadav said only a survey was being conducted at the site. Asked if digging was needed for a survey, he said: “It is needed as we need to know how deep the hard layer is. We will not fell even one tree. We will also ensure that the building height does not exceed the restriction (11.2m) and no walking space is encroached upon on CR Das Road. If we are conforming to all norms then I do not think anybody can act arbitrarily.”


Biswakarma, however, said today, the workers were removing a retention wall and digging earth at the site.

Source  Telegraph:

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Art adda at Chowrasta Darjeeling organised by NGO Life and Leaf

10:12 AM

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NGO

By Vivek Chhetri
Darjeeling, May 25: Chowrasta, Darjeeling’s promenade that has seen one too many rallies of late, had musicians, artists and poets milling around this weekend.

Pankaj Ghosh paints Mount Kanchenjungha at Chowrasta in Darjeeling on Sunday. Picture by Suman Tamang

A Darjeeling-based NGO, Life and Leaf, organised the adda, or ghamghat in Nepali.

The event, held on Saturday and Sunday, was called Jamghat and attracted local people as well as tourists.

Minket Lepcha, the marketing head of Life and Leaf that promotes local artisans, said the Jamghat was aimed at fusing young minds with old crafts. “We wanted to provide a creative platform to local artistes and musicians and this is how Jamghat happened,” he said.

Chowrasta had been more of a venue for political programmes in recent years. It has been the venue to Bimal Gurung’s and Mamata Banerjee’s meetings.

Of late, the Chowrasta’s green cover seemed threatened when private contractors started marking trees to cut them down and make way for a market complex for displaced hawkers. On May 22, Darjeeling residents stopped contractors from marking trees at Chowrasta.

Today at the Jamghat, poets Manoj Bagota, Nima Sherpa and Pradip Lohagun mesmerised the crowd with their lines in Nepali, Lakit Lepcha and Deoashish Mothey surprised the audience with their performance with pontong palit and esraj. “Pontong palit is a flute like instrument of the Lepcha community and Lakit is the only female playing this instrument now,” said Minket.

Deoashish Mothey, another participant, said: “Esraj is a Persian musical instrument introduced by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan.”

The long forgotten song of the Gurung community, Ghatuseri Geet, was also sung by Amir Gurung from Sikkim.

The event was supported by a group of artisans who had come up with an animation on the Nepali warnamala (alphabets) — a method to teach vowels and consonants to children.

Songs, which are part of the animation, were sung by children at the event.

As the songs were being sung at the main square of Chowrasta, six artists were seen painting in another corner. Pankaj Ghosh and Pravin Gurung were engrossed in painting the Kanchenjungha. Paul Bhutia was drawing the picture of a meditating Buddha. In another corner, 10 organic tea farmers were seen promoting hand-rolled tea. The farmers were from Chottapubung, 35km from here.

Source: Telegraph

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