Tamang Development board Excluding Community Members - TYA

2:14 PM

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Tamang Youth Association

Hill Tamang Youth Association Accuses Tamang Development board of Excluding Community Members.

A day after accusation of corruption labelled by a senior Tamang Development board member Mr. Kamal Ghising against the Chairman Sanjay Ghising and Chief Advisor Neera Lopchan, yesterday Tamang Youth Association (TYA), Darjeeling sub-division committee has also accused the TD board of not including community members and discriminating against Tamangs from Darjeeling and Kurseong.

Speaking to the Press, TYA Darjeeling President Mr. Anand Lama stated that, "even after a year of formation of the TD board, the Chairman Sanjay Moktan has continued to work in a very shady manner and has been unable to bring together the community members... there is no transparency in the operations and functions of TD board."

Mr. Lama stated, "such is the label of high-handedness that the homes that are supposed to be built for community members are not being done according to the list prepared and approved for in the TDCB meeting... in fact far more houses have been sanctioned for Kalimpong, and not many for Darjeeling and Kurseong."

Speaking further on discrimination, Mr. Lama added, "even in the TD board executive committee which takes all the decisions, there is no board member from Darjeeling... as a result the poor people from Tamang community here are deprived of the facilities they are supposed to get... there is no one in the board to speak for them..."

Accusing Mr. Sanjay Moktan of running the TD board to suit his own personal needs, Mr. Lama said, "TD board was formed to conserve and promote Tamang language, dresses, culture and traditions... but today Sanjay Moktan is running the board like his personal property... with the 1st round of allocation for building homes, instead of giving money, TD board distributed building materials alone... and poor people were forced to build homes with just the given materials... how can anyone build a home without employing people who know how to build homes - masons, carpenters, electrician, plumbers - all require money... where would the poor people get money to pay?"

Stating that Tamang community is hurt, Mr. Lama added, "The way Mr. Sanjay Moktan is running TD board as his personal property, and its hurting all the Tamang community people... see for example we constituted a committee of 5 Engineers to inspect homes built with funds/materials provided by TD board... but till date no one from that committee has come to inspect houses in Darjeeling... instead Mr. Sanjay Moktan has sent those people who are not experts and who are not in this committee to inspect..."

Welcoming the statement and accusations labelled by Mr. Kamal Ghising against Sanjay Moktan and Neera Lopchan, Mr. Lama added, "the Darjeeling committee of TYA support the statement... we cannot allow a welfare organization to be run like someone's business... and if TD board officials do not change the way they run things, we will take up this matter with Sub-division committee, and even Bengal government."

[Inputs and pics via: Himalaya Darpan]
Via TheDC

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Tamang Development Board set to Demand 20 Crores From Mamata

10:08 AM

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TDB

Representatives from the Yuva Magar Association and Tamang Youth Association will welcome Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Rohini today, said Tamang Development and Cultural Board (TDB) Chairman Sanjay Moktan.

Development and Cultural Board (TDB)
Chairman Sanjay Moktan.

Speaking to the press after paying a courtesy visit to Mamata in Siliguri yesterday, TDB Chairman Moktan said that they will officially meet Mamata on the 18th of June and place before her a demand to sanction Rs 20 crores to the board, so that they can build 1000 houses under the Hyangla Dhim (Hamro Ghar) scheme.

He added that in the past year TDB has built around 500 homes, for which 70% work has already been completed, and that they will submit a utilization certificate to Mamata.

Talking about the need to teach Tamang languages in school Mr. Moktan said, “we want Tamang language to be taught in schools, as TDB does not represent only the Tamangs of the GTA region, but all the Tamangs living in West Bengal, we want the language to be taught even in those places which are outside GTA.”

However he added, “may be the way the Lepchas put forth there demand there were some mistakes, and we do not intend to repeat those… we want to work in collaboration with GTA and WB government to implement the teaching of Tamang languages in schools.”

He reportedly told Himalaya Darpan that, “the language issue should not be politicized, as those who would get the job [Lepchas] are from our hills only… they haven’t come from Bihar or Rajasthan… so GTA shouldn’t have stopped their appointment.”

He added that TDB intends to ask for Rs 5 crores for the conservation of Tamang Community Handloom and Handicrafts, and also to build a community conservatory which will work towards Tamang heritage and cultural conservation.

Source; TheDC

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Lack of transparency in Tamang Development and Cultural Board

10:45 AM

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Tamang Youth Association

Darjeeling, Oct. 16: A member of the Tamang Development and Cultural Board’s general council has alleged lack of transparency in the functioning of chairperson Sanjay Moktan, whose appointment was announced by Mamata Banerjee at a public meeting here.

Today, general council member Sanyog Tamang, called a news conference at his house here and said they did not know that a fixed deposit account had been opened in a bank in the name of the board. He alleged that some members of Tamang community were collecting subscriptions in the name of the board.

“Since the formation of the board, the chairperson, Sanjay Moktan is working in a non-transparent manner. Not a single meeting of the general council of the TDCB has been called till date. The general council members do not know who proposed and decided to open a bank account for the board,” said Sanyog , the son of ABGL leader Madan Tamang who was murdered here in 2010. “I have heard from reliable sources that the board has made a fixed deposit of Rs 5 crore for a period of three months. The general council has not been informed about the decision,” Sanyog said.

Mamata Banerjee had announced the Tamang Development and Cultural Board earlier this year at a public meeting and she had said Moktan would be its chairperson.

The board was formed on July 16, 2014 and it has been granted Rs 5 crore to build houses for community members.

“We have heard that the board has already started distributing houses but the general council is not aware of the development. We have also heard that the board has employed 10 staff members but we are not aware where the office is located,” Sanyog said.

He also alleged that Rs 200 was being collected by a section of people from the community from each person to avail himself of the facilities. “The board is for all the members of the Tamang community. Why should anyone pay subscription for its facilities?”

Sanyog added that Moktan was using a car with a nameplate of the Tamang board for personal use. “He is moving around in a vehicle carrying a nameplate of the board. It is being used for school duty (for family members) and shopping,” said the member.

The general council of the board has 14 members (apart from three ex-officio members) and Sanyog said at least seven of them were not happy with chairperson Moktan. “In the coming days, we will decide our course of action.”

The board also has a 10-member executive committee of which Sanyog is not a member.

Moktan refuted all allegations. “The decision to open a bank account and start the process of identifying houses to be built were taken by the executive council which held a meeting on September 26.”

Asked about the Rs 5 crore fixed deposit in the name of the board, Moktan said: “We cannot disclose certain decisions taken by the executive council. The onus to prove the allegations lies with the person who raised the allegation.”

Moktan said the government had not yet given him an official vehicle. “We do not have an office at the moment and we have written to the government for staff members. We are operating from an office of the Tamang Youth Association (a community-based social organisation). The board was registered a month ago and we are in the initial stage.”

Moktan also denied the allegation of people collecting subscription and said the board has decided to call a meeting on October 22. Sanyog said the meeting was being called as Moktan had got to know that others were dissatisfied.

Source: Telegraph

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Tamang Youth Association voices for development board

8:57 AM

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tribal news

The Tamang Youth Association (TYA) today said the government had asked its members to visit Nabanna this month to discuss the formation of a proposed development board for the community.

Tamang Youth Association

This would be the second development board in the hills for a particular section or community — one has been formed for the Lepchas.

“The chief minister had announced the formation of the Tamang Development and Cultural Board on January…. However, after the Lok Sabha elections, no process was started,” Sanjay Tamang, general secretary of the association, said today. The Tamang team went to meet Mamata in Mongpong, where she held a meeting with government officials and police officers of Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling.

Tamang said the chief minister did not meet them but minister Gautam Deb brought to them her message “to meet the principal secretary of the tribal welfare department on June 8”.

Source: Telegraph

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SELLOUTS' DON'T REPRESENT TAMANG YOUTHS

8:58 PM

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Tamang Youth Association

These are reactions to the news that Tamang Youth Association has decided to support TMC for 2014 elections.

TYA members seen with Gautam Dev and Mamata Banerjee in Mirik

SANKALP LAMA
I'd would like to first ask. On what basis does TYC claim to represent all the Tamang youths? Have they made any effort to induct college/school students or young professionals from the Tamang community? Going by the definition of a youth association, are they affiliated to any Tamang political or social body? If so, where are the comments of the parent body? If not, what gives a handful of sellouts to claim that they represent an entire community?

A group of sellouts cannot in any way speak over the voice of a majority of determined youths who seek to unite as Gorkhas before Tamangs. It maybe a case of being disappointed by the leaders but more important than that it is a case that needs conscious awakening. Conscious will tell you that the sacrifices made by the people & the cause started by the Gorkhas should not and will not end in petty divisional boards. 

It is not hard to see, the policy adopted by Bengal Govt., if this goes on we will witness a full fledged TMC rule for the next 10-15 years thus effectively wiping out any political leverage that we possess. They will have Gorkhas disseminated & dispersed like puppets in their pockets. Sadly, a few group of people are willing to be lured into it. These are the same people that refuse to wear traditional dress for festivals but wear their gowns to welcome a politician who's willing to throw a few pennies.

What is also very unfortunate is the silence of the public figures and activists. It seems we have successfully evolved into a diaspora that would refrain from speaking against anything wrong as long as it doesn't affect us. "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it"

BISHAL LAMA
TYA does not represent the entire Tamang community and to project their political inclinations to that of the community's is downright wrong. Govt and media must take note that patronising them and spreading incomplete, half baked news will result in disturbance of communal harmony in the hills.


Write: Sankalp Lama and Bishal Lama

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