Sherpa Cultural Board vice-chairperson suspended

11:02 AM

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West Bengal

Sherpa head & deputy spar

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, July 3: The West Bengal Sherpa Cultural Board has been gripped by a tussle with the chairman and the vice-chairperson accusing each other of high-handedness and financial impropriety.

The vice-chairperson, Nim Doma Sherpa, said she had been suspended by chairman Nima Wangdi Sherpa though he didn't enjoy such powers. She wrote to Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag Srivastava levelling a number of allegations against Nima.

Nim said: "He (Nima) suspended me as vice-chairperson in a high-handed manner and without a prior notice. In fact, he does not have the power to suspend me."

The vice-chairperson sought the chairman's ouster and said there was no financial transparency in the board. "All decisions are taken by the chairman," Nim said.

She further alleged that on June 21, the chairman had written to the owner of a property in Kalimpong, from where the board's office functioned, stating that the premises were not needed from August 1, 2016. "The chairman decided to close down the office because I started questioning his style of functioning."

Sherpa Cultural Board programme in Chowrasta Darjeeling

Referring to Sherwi Khangba, a scheme under which the board builds free houses for financially backward Sherpas, the vice-chairperson said: "Earlier, each beneficiary (of the housing scheme) used to get 2,400 bricks. When I found that only 2,000 bricks were being supplied for the construction of a house, all problems started."

Sources said there were no clear provisions in the board's rulebook on the ways to suspend the vice-chairperson.

Nima said the vice-chairperson had been suspended as there were many charges against her. "We had asked the vice-chairperson to monitor the construction of 100 of 500 houses. However, there were allegations that the materials we had prescribed were not being used. There were also allegations that the vice-chairperson was misbehaving with the beneficiaries and she was working against the interest of the board. That is why the executive body and the general body decided to suspend her. In fact, I had told the chief minister of our decision to suspend the vice-chairperson in Kurseong in March," said the chairman.

Asked about the vice-chairperson's suspension, Srivastava said: "The matter has been forwarded to the tribal development department."

Via Telegraph

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HMI decision to shift the statue of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa hurt the Sherpas

10:55 AM

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Sherpa cultural board

Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Feb. 13: The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute's (HMI) decision to shift the statue of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa from the current location on the campus mainly because cracks have developed in the surrounding areas has "sentiments" who said they were not informed about the move.

Statue of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa

The HMI is shifting the statue from the present location to a site about 20 feet away.

P.T. Shepra, vice-president of United Sherpa Association and also the general secretary of Sherpa Buddhist Association, said: "Tenzing Norgay Sherpa is our community's greatest hero. The sentiments of the entire community are attached to Tenzing Norgay and the HMI's decision to shift the statue without informing the community has hurt our sentiments."

Sherpa added that the HMI should have informed the community about the plan to relocate the statue.

Col. Gulshan Chadha, principal of the HMI, speaking over the phone from Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh, said he would invite the members of the community for a meeting on February 22 to address their grievances. He said the announcement to renovate the area was made during the 100th birth anniversary of Tenzing Norgay in Darjeeling last year.

The HMI principal said the statue was being shifted for a number of reasons. "Near the place where the statue presently stands lies an underground water reservoir. Even though it is not in use, we have found that cracks have developed in the surrounding areas. The HMI museum which was built at a cost of Rs 5 crore and has artefacts worth more than Rs 5,000 crore has tilted 12 degrees to the left. If we do not do anything, the entire HMI premises' safety will be at stake," said Chadha.

"Moreover, we are shifting the statue to such a place that a visitor can see the cemetery, statue and museum at one glance. At the present location of the statue, a person paying obeisance to Tenzing's cemetery will have his rear turned to the statue. According to the present plan, a person paying obeisance to the cemetery will also be facing the statue and the museum," said Chadha.

Source:Telegraph

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Mamata's divide and rule continues announces cultural board for Sherpas

8:10 AM

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Sherpa cultural board

Vivek Chhetri
Mamata Banerjee today announced from the audience of a Darjeeling programme that a Sherpa cultural board would be formed, prompting allegations of divide and rule from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Mamata's divide and rule continues announces board for Sherpas

"The Sherpa community has made a request for development. I was not aware of it. A Sherpa cultural board will be formed for the community. We will also grant an aid of Rs 5 crore to the board," the chief minister announced after interrupting the emcee at a government programme, Morcha and Sherpa leaders seated by her side.

Members of the All Sherpa Association celebrate on the stage after the announcement of the Sherpa Cultural Board; and Mamata Banerjee at the programme in Darjeeling. Pictures by Suman Tamang

Singers Indranil Sen and Soumitra Roy were performing on the dais when some members of the Sherpa community who were sitting near Mamata were seen talking to her.

As soon as Roy's performance ended, Mamata stopped the emcee, took up a cordless microphone that was passed onto her and made the announcement.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri, Lt Col (retd) Ramesh Allay, the GTA deputy chief; and party MLAs Trilok Dewan, Harka Bahadur Chhetri and Rohit Sharma were sitting beside the chief minister when she announced the Sherpa board.

As soon as the programme ended, Giri said: "This is a divide-and-rule policy. If a board is formed for the Sherpas, similar boards must be set up for all hill communities. The (Sherpa) board should be brought under the GTA."

Asked if the Morcha was feeling slighted at the end of Mamata's three-day visit to Daejeeling, during which she made no other announcement, Giri said: "Yes."

The Morcha had protested earlier boards by the Lepchas and Tamangs. Both boards are under the government, much to the chagrin of the Morcha.

The hill party wants the boards to function under the GTA.

As soon as Mamata left the venue of the programme at Chowrasta, members of the Sherpa community climbed onto the stage to celebrate.

Nima Wangdi Sherpa, the president of the All Sherpa Association from Darjeeling and Terai Dooars, said: "This is a historic day for all of us. We must rejoice. This is the outcome of one-and-a-half-year's work. We thank the chief minister for the announcement and I would also like to thank all community members who came to Darjeeling yesterday to attend this programme."

The declaration to form the board came as a surprise to many because the chief minister had not made any announcement during her three-day tour of Darjeeling.

At the government programmes she attended on Wednesday and Thursday, she limited her speeches to less than 10 minutes and had mostly spoke on developmental.

During a 12-minute speech today on the 119th birth anniversary of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Mamata spoke about his contribution to the freedom movement and the "incomplete history" of Netaji.

It was when the dignitaries were being escorted towards the audience from the dais before a cultural programme that Mamata suddenly walked up to the podium and said: "The Sherpa community members felicitated us. I want to ask the Sherpa leaders to provide a list of 10 mountaineering families to us. We will grant a sum of Rs 1 lakh to each family."

The Sherpa community members had felicitated Mamata the chief minister, with a khada (silk scarf) and a basket of oranges on stage.

A gate had also been erected The Sherpa community had also erected a welcome gate near the Darjeeling railway station to welcome the chief minister.

Source: Telegraph

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