Darjeeling MP SS Alhuwalia Writes to PM Modi against Mamata's repressive and arbitrary order

11:45 AM

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West Bengal

BREAKING: Darjeeling MP SS Alhuwalia Writes to PM Modi;  Seeks immediate intervention to end the "draconian emergency-like measures undertaken by the Mamata Banerjee government"

Taking strong exception to the filing of FIRs against Sahita Academy Award winners and heads of reputed schools in the hills by the police, Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia has written to PM Narendra Modi asking for his "immediate intervention to ensure that people of Darjeeling as well as North Bengal are saved from the draconian emergency-like measures undertaken by the Mamata Banerjee government." 

Here is the text of the letter released to the Press by his office...

"Respected Modi ji,

I am writing this letter to you in great anguish and in great urgency from Oslo, as I feel that your intervention is immediately needed to ensure that people of Darjeeling as well as North Bengal are saved from the draconian emergency-like measures undertaken by the Mamata Banerjee government to stifle the voices of dissent being raised in Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars against her repressive and arbitrary order q.

On 16th of May, 2017 West Bengal Chief Minister Miss Mamata Banerjee announced that Bengal would adopt a three-language policy and that Bengali language will be made compulsory in schools. Miss Mamata Banerjee had posted on her Facebook profile that “If the student chooses Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu, Gurmukhi, Nepali, Alchiki as a first language, he/she may opt for two other languages of their choice. One of the three languages would have to be Bengali. The two other choices are completely dependent on what the student chooses.”

In the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars most students opt for Nepali/Hindi as their first language and English as the second language and those inclined to learn more languages opt for Hindi/Nepali as their third language. Students who want to learn Bengali are allowed to do so with no hindrance whatsoever and every year almost all the schools across the hills have students who complete their education with Bengali as their second language. However, making Bengali compulsory would mean that these students would not have any choice on which language they want to learn and their right to choose - a fundamental right under our constitution - is taken away from them.

Imposition of Bengali language even as a third BUT compulsory language will mean they have to forgo learning either English ( a language necessary for employment opportunities), Hindi (Our National Language, one that binds all people of this Nation together, as well as being a language for opportunities throughout India) or their respective mother tongues ( the language that binds people, especially those from the minorities, with their identity, history and culture, and without which, they are put on the path of losing their link with their heritage) , sacrificing it in favour of the Bengali language.

Following this, the linguistic minority communities within Bengal started to voice in their dissent and questioned the intent of such a move. Among the linguistic minority communities who live in Bengal, the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars is home to one of the most linguistically diverse regions in India. Among three major non-Bengali communities who live in these regions, Nepali, which is one of the recognized National Languages of India under the VIIIth schedule of our Constitution, is the lingua franca of the Gorkha community; Kamtapuri is the mother tongue for Rajbanshi community; and, the Adivasi community in my region speak Hindi, Kurukh, Sadri, Santhali, Nepali, and other languages/dialects.

On the 30th of May, 2016 the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, which is a valued alliance partner of National Democratic Alliance, held a “Samiksha Sabha” to discuss the implications of compulsory imposition of Bengali language. This meeting was attended by eminent personalities from the Nepali academia, including Shahitya Academy Award winners Shri Jiwan Namdung and Shri Prem Pradhan, representatives of top schools in the hills, like St Paul's School, St Joseph's School (North Point), St. Roberts School, Vidhya Vikash Academy, among others, along with Shri Bimal Gurung, President of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Chief of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. The meeting concluded with these eminent personalities opposing the compulsory imposition of Bengali language among the linguistic minority communities, and they agreed to register their protest by calling for a two day voluntary closure of educational institutions (on 1st and 2nd of June) in the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars region.

The bandh, I have been informed has been completely voluntary, peaceful, and thus successful today.

In retaliation, the Darjeeling District Administration at the behest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has, however, filed an FIR against all the eminent people who had attended the meeting on May 30th. The FIR registered by the Inspector-in-Charge of Sadar Police Station, Darjeeling, Shri Saumyajit Roy, alleges these good people of “conspiring against the state.”, and carries the corresponding. relevant sections of the IPC.

My constituents fear that filing FIRs against these eminent personalities is just the beginning of an oppressive, authoritarian, despotic, and tyrannical regime unleashed by the Bengal government through the district administration to stifle the voices of concern and love for one’s mother tongue.

Sir, given all of the above, I humbly request you to kindly intervene and help to ensure that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of our nation, which are guaranteed to people from every part of West Bengal, along with the rest of the nation, are not trampled upon by Mamata Banerjee led government in West Bengal.

I urge you to help my constituents in raising their voice against such draconian and dictatorial measures adopted by the Bengal government by extending your solidarity and support to them.

I look forward to your kind support and earliest intervention.

Thanking You,
With Warm Regards,
SS Ahluwalia"

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Bhaichung Bhutia inaugurates sports development office for north Bengal, push for cricket

11:21 AM

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sports news

Baichung inaugurates sports development office for north Bengal

Writes Prashant Acharya for EOI
SILIGURI 4 Jul 2016 Former footballer Baichung Bhutia today inaugurated the office of the North Bengal Board for Development of Sports and Games (NBBDSG) at the Kanchenjunga Stadium for the all-round development of games and sports in the region.

"The board will work for the development of sports and games in the seven district of north Bengal. Besides promoting football and other games, the board is working hard to bring IPL cricket league to Siliguri. But as the existing size of the stadium is small, we are planning to develop the infrastructure with the support of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). I have already discussed the matter with CAB president Sourav Ganguly. The names of the board members have not been announced yet; hence work and necessary procedures will start after the formation of the board," he informed.

When he contested the state Assembly polls as a candidate from Siliguri, Baichung had said his main focus would be to develop sports and games in the region. He had said, "I will change the entire picture of Siliguri within a year and promote sports and games, especially football, by developing a number of training centres."

Bhaichung Bhutia

The decision to open an office was after an announcement by chief minister Mamata Banerjee during her recent visit in Siliguri. She had announced the names of Baichung as chairman, table tennis player Mantu Ghosh as vice-chairman and GNLF chief Mann Ghisingh as board member. However, Ghosh and Ghisingh were not present at the inaugural function.

On the other news article published on Telegraph, Bhaichung push for cricket - Bhaichung Bhutia, the chairman of North Bengal Board for Development of Sports and Games, today said he would speak to Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, on holding IPL matches at the Kanchenjungha Stadium here.

Bhutia, who inaugurated the sports board's office at the stadium today, also said he would try to bring Indian Super League football matches to the ground.

"I will talk to Sourav Ganguly so that we can get IPL cricket matches at Kanchenjungha stadium. We have a good stadium that can host big cricket and football matches," said Bhutia.

Sources said the former national soccer team captain had already spoken to the president of the CAB in this regard.

"Ganguly has suggested that the existing infrastructure of the stadium be upgraded as the size of the ground is not big enough to host IPL matches," said a source.

However, the All India Football Federation has already marked the stadium as one where only soccer matches could be hosted. 

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Nepali and Darjeeling: The importance of the language in Gorkhaland movement

11:27 AM

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WBCS

Writes Premankur Biswas 

April 23, 2016 Earlier this week, when the State Bank of India included Nepali in the revised list of official languages for its recruitment procedure in West Bengal, the Gorkhaland movement in North Bengal received boost of sorts.

Since 1907, the Gorkhas of north Bengal have demanded a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling, and the Nepali language has played an important role in the scheme of things. Even in this year’s Assembly Election, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the most prominent party of the area, has actively campaigned on this very issue.

In 1917, in a petition of the Hillmen’s Association to Edwin Montague (the then secretary of state for India) it was stated that “Darjeeling’s inclusion in Bengal was comparatively recent and only because the British were rulers common to both places. …Historically, culturally, ethnically, socially, religiously and linguistically there was no affinity whatsoever between Bengal and Darjeeling.”

Nepali was recognized as an official language of West Bengal in 1961, and in 1992 was recognized as one of the Official Languages of India under the VIIIth Scheduled of Indian Constitution

According to Michael Hutt’s seminal book on the Nepali Diaspora— Being Nepali without Nepal: Reflections on a South Asian Diaspora, in the 1951 census the then District Census Officer A. Mitra, (ICS) stated that only 19.96% of the population (numbering a total population 88,958) in Darjeeling district spoke Nepali. He did this by presenting only Kami, Damai, Chettri , Brahmin, and Sarki as Nepali speaking– while the rest of the hill populace Limbu, Gurung, Rai, Mangar, Sherpa, Newar, Lepcha and others whose lingua franca was also Nepali were counted as separate entities on the grounds of having their own dialects. According to Hutt, the total Nepali speaking population in Darjeeling District at that time was 66% (2.90 lakhs). Based on this manipulated data, Nepali was not included as the national languages of India.

Finally in 1961, Nepali was recognized as an official language of West Bengal, and in 1992, Nepali was recognized as one of the Official Languages of India under the VIIIth Scheduled of Indian Constitution.

However, till date Nepali is not offered as an optional subject in the West Bengal Civil Services Examination.

However, in 2011, right after coming to power, CM Mamata Banerjee had included Nepali as one of the six “second official” languages of the state. She also included Nepali as one of the languages for answering question papers in the examinations by the Public Service Commission in February this year. However, The Darjeeling Chronicle, an online civil society forum, which has been actively campaigning for the inclusion of Nepali language as an optional language in the WBCS examination, says that it’s not same thing. “To be able to answer the questions in Nepali is not the same thing as having Nepali as an optional paper,” said Upendra Pradhan, activist from the Darjeeling Chronicle.

Via indianexpress

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Teesta Torsha Exp looted at New Jalpaiguri station, Woman injured

12:24 PM

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Siliguri

Some 25-odd women, travelling in the ladies compartment of New Alipuduar-bound Teesta Torsa Express early this morning, were robbed of money and other valuables by an armed dacoit who wielded a knife at them.

A young woman, who tried to resists the loot, was injured after the miscreant attacked her with the knife. The incident took place between New Jalpaiguri and Belakoba railway stations in Jalpaiguri district around 3.30 am.

The Teesta-Torsa Express, which runs between Sealdah and New Alipurduar stations, had just rolled out from New Jalpaiguri that the dacoit, who was in travelling by the same train in the posing as a passenger, got into the ladies compartment.

Wielding the knife point, he asked them to part with their mobile phones, money and other valuables. Failing this, he would kill them, he thundered.

 Woman injured as armed dacoits loot Teesta Torsha Exp off New Jalpaiguri station

Anita Saha, who was travelling in the compartment, tried to put up a resistance but was attacked by the dacoit with the knife. She sustained injuries on her hand and shoulder. After this, the miscreant looted valuables from the remaining 24-odd women travelling in the compartment.

Several of the victim passengers said that they had shouted out for help but no Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel came to their rescue.

Through with the loot, the dacoit jumped down from the train as it slowed down while approaching Belakoba station.

The robbed women lodged FIR at the New Alipurduar GRP station when the train reached their later in the morning.


Via newsmen

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Things Gorkhas need to know about Narendra Modi's election rally in North Bengal

9:26 AM

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Sikkim

Here are the four things that Gorkhas need to know about P.M.  Narendra Modi's recent election rally in North Bengal for campaigning BJP candidates for Assembly Election 2016 in Bengal.

1.PM Modi Reasserts Commitment Towards Gorkhas - Credits MP SS Ahluwalia For Pushing for It
Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again touted the process of including 11 Gorkha communities into ST as his government's commitment towards the Gorkhas.
Speaking at Siliguri, he said, "for years the demand for inclusion into ST was pending... But Ahluwalia ji continued to push for it and he told me, I have promised our Gorkha friends we have to make it happen... and that is what made this possible... the process has started in earnest...."

2.PM Modi Contrasts Development in Sikkim vs Darjeeling - Chides Bengal Govt
Coming down heavily on Mamata government for not taking care of the Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars region, PM Modi yesterday said, "look at your next door neighbor Sikkim... today they are the 1st Organic State in India... where as look at this region.. its has everything similar... other than the fact that the Govt in Sikkim cares for its people, where as Bengal doesn't."

3.Darjeeling‬ MP SS Ahluwalia Reminds PM Why We Need a Central University
Taking advantage of the presence of PM Narendra Modi in Siliguri, yesterday Darjeeling MP reminded him of some of the main issues confronting our region. Most important among them was the formation of a Central University in Darjeeling Hills.

4.PM Modi All Praises for ‪Darjeeling‬ MP SS Ahluwalia
Speaking at the public rally yesterday, PM Narendra Modi was all praises for Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia. Modi remarked that "your MP works very hard for his constituents and has even woken me up at midnight to address pressing issues concerning Darjeeling region... with such an MP... even I feel delighted to work harder."
PM Modi also credited MP Ahluwalia for pushing forward the issue of ST status for 11 Gorkha communities.

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NBU Exams postponed due to Assembly elections 2016

11:23 AM

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Siliguri

Siliguri, March 11: The North Bengal University (NBU) today postponed Part I, II and III examinations of BA, BSc and BCom honours and general streams from April 4 to May 25 as the previous dates clashed with the Assembly elections.

Sushanta Das, the controller of examinations at the NBU, said Part I, II and III papers of the BA, BSc, BCom (honours) and Part III papers of general courses would start from May 25 and end on June 9.

"After these exams are over, BA, BSc and BCom papers of Part I and Part II general courses will begin from June 13 and end on July 19," he said here.

Das said the decision had been taken after the district administrations of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri had requisitioned colleges under the varsity for election purposes.

"We have received letters from the authorities of Siliguri College and Parimal Mitra College in Malbazar, saying the respective district administrations had requisitioned the colleges for the Assembly elections on different days in March, April and May, that is till the completion of the election process. We have got to know that colleges in other districts, too, may be requisitioned for the purpose. Under these circumstances, we had to postpone the undergraduate examinations of the colleges affiliated to the NBU from April 4 to May 25," Das said.

North Bengal University (NBU)

The controller of examinations said around two lakh students would be appearing for the undergraduate exams under the NBU.

"We will have around two lakh students appearing for the examinations in different colleges under the NBU this year. The new exam schedule will be dispatched to the colleges on Monday so that the authorities can inform their students," Das said.


Telegraph

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Mamata Banerjee please Siliguri journalists ahead of assembly poll

9:07 AM

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Siliguri

Siliguri 21 Jan 2016 Ahead of Bengal assembly poll Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seemed to very kind on the journalists of North Bengal.

During her speech after the opening function of Bengal Safari Park, the CM announced of providing land for Siliguri Journalists Club at Ektiashal near Siliguri and sanctioning Rs 20 lakh for the construction the club building from the MP fund.

She said journalists who are working for the upliftment of the society should have a proper place and good environment to work.

MsBanerjee also announced free health benefits equal to the employees to state government for accredited journalists and asked other journalists to start the process for accreditation by contacting the concern authorities. She also said that she will instruct the concernment department heads to provide all supports for the journalists.

She said, "I have brought a couple of good news for journalists, one is providing land and sanctioning Rs 20 lakh and the other is free health benefits equal to that of the state government employees."

She also informed that the notification will be given and journalists can avail the said benefit from March end. She also brought 200 woolen shawls for the journalists as a winter gift. 

Source EOI

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Siliguri district demand by Brihattar Siliguri Nagarik Mancha

9:10 AM

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West Bengal

Siliguri, Dec. 21: An apolitical body of Siliguri residents today submitted a memorandum addressed to chief minister Mamata Banerjee to the subdivisional officer here, demanding the formation of a separate Siliguri district.

The Brihattar Siliguri Nagarik Mancha said in the memorandum that it had been seeking the separate district since 2011.

"The entire Siliguri subdivision and Bhaktinagar police station area should be included in the proposed district. The state's decision to form a separate Kalimpong district is a welcome step. We believe the state government has taken the decision to provide better administration and judiciary to the people. If this is the case, then Siliguri also needs to be developed as a separate district," said Ratan Banik, the secretary of the Mancha.

"Kalimpong is 52km from Darjeeling, which is the district headquarters. Siliguri is 80km from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri is 50km from Bhaktinagar. So, we hope the state government will consider our demand," he added.

The Mancha also requested the government to bring Bhaktinagar police station, which is under Siliguri Police Commissionerate, under the Darjeeling district judiciary. "People of Bhaktinagar have to go to Jalpaiguri for legal and administrative matters. The police station is under the commissionerate and yet, it has not been brought under Darjeeling district judiciary. So, we demand the establishment of metropolitan courts as is required in a commissionerate. It would help Bhaktinagar residents," Banik said.

Source : Telegraph

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Klimpong District Formation Underlines the Case for ‪‎Gorkhaland‬ Statehood

12:49 PM

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Politics

New Districts Formation Underlines the Case for ‪Gorkhaland‬ Statehood

Writes Upendra

In a welcome move, the Bengal government has, of late, understood the need for forming smaller administrative units to ensure a more equitable and fast-paced development. More often than not, large administrative units, be they a state, a district, or a block inevitably end up leaving the regions further away from the headquarters less developed and less cared for.

Let us take Bengal state as a case in point. If you look closely you will notice that Bengal has a distinct divide, between the North and the South. While southern Bengal has received largess in terms of funds, infrastructure development, education, healthcare and everything else, north Bengal has been completely ignored.

KOLKATA-CENTRIC
Education is the hallmark of how just and equitable a state is, and educational stats in Bengal are abysmal. Currently there are 20 districts in West Bengal, out of which 7 are in the north and 13 are in the south. Population wise, it is roughly divided along the lines of 1:2, i.e. for every individual in the north, there are two people in the south. However, out of 25 Universities in West Bengal, only 4 are in the North, while a whooping 21 are in the south, and it includes the only Central University in West Bengal – Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan.

Celebration of the announcement of Kalimpong district in the hill town on Friday.

This shows how lopsided development has been in favour of the places closer to Kolkata than those who are further away. Every political party that came to power in Bengal has been blatantly and unabashedly Kolkata-centric, at the cost of districts that are away from the power center. This has led to a huge socio-economic disparity in the state.

SUFFERING NORTH- BENGAL
In particular the predominantly Gorkha, Adivasi and Kamtapuri communities dominated districts of Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri have faced the most traumatic impact of neglect and apathy by the Bengal government. This is reflected in the fact that thousands of people working in the tea gardens, majority of whom belong to these three communities, have starved to death in the past 20 years, yet the Bengal government has not taken any step to rectify the situation. There have been rampant abuses of human rights of these tea garden workers, yet none of the Bengali intellectuals or media or social workers have spoken out against the atrocities that these workers have to face.

Every year Bengal rakes in thousands of crores in revenue from tea, tourism, hydro-development, trade, cross-border trader and agriculture in North-Bengal, yet only 450 crores were sanctioned for the development of the entire North-Bengal region in the 2015-16 budget. Such is the apathy, that there were no budgets sanctioned for the planned development of Darjeeling district, and it was only after hill representatives pointed out the fact, Bengal government hastily designed a “State Plan” and allocated Rs 178 crores for Darjeeling region under the “Hill Affairs” heading [Details: http://on.fb.me/1OeZkwd].

It is through these instances of apathy, indifference, neglect and discrimination, we come to realize how deprived the people in North-Bengal really are.

Thus the decision to form new districts, for easy implementation of government schemes and better provisioning of government facilities is a welcome move. At least there is a hope that each new district will foster a more even distribution of various development initiatives.

DISTRICT KALIMPONG and CREDIT KHORs
Personally, I welcome the formation of newer districts and in particular the formation of Kalimpong as a new district. The hilly terrain makes it difficult to govern and provide equitable distribution of resources, thus smaller administrative units will ensure that even the remotest corners of a district are not neglected. There are numerous places in Kalimpong that are yet to get connected with basic infrastructural needs, Todey-Tangta for example doesn’t have road, water or electricity connection even 68 years after independence; and if the formation of a Kalimpong district expedites the process of bringing such places to the 21st century, then we should all welcome it.

What I find stupid however, is the fact that our politicians are jostling over one another to take credit for the formation of a new district. Last year Alipurduar was made a new district, did you see any Bengali politicians fighting amongst themselves to claim it was they who made it possible?

Along with Kalimpong, five other new districts have been announced, have you seen CPIM and TMC go hammer and tongs at each other to claim they were the 1st to propose it? Why do our moronic politicians have to be so unashamedly “Credit Khors – someone who likes to claim credit for things that happen naturally?”

KALIMPONG DISTRICT AND GORKHALAND 
While the hill parties are rejoicing the formation of Kalimpong district and Mirik sub-division, I am not sure if they have properly analyzed the repercussions of such a move. If  Kalimpong deserves district status, then next in line to deserve the same is Siliguri sub-division. I wonder how those who celebrating the formation of Kalimpong district today, will react, when eventually and inevitably Siliguri is formed a separate district?

A new district brings with it numerous possibilities, as the state and central government allocations increase significantly for each district, with a complimentary rise on job prospects and investment opportunities. This will definitely benefit the locals and if the new districts function properly, then it will allow for more economic opportunities for the locals, as well as a prospect of a more nuanced socio-political development of the communities.
However, with the new district comes the apprehension of its negative impact on Gorkhaland demand.

As far as I am concerned, I do not see any such negative impacts, as long as the people in Darjeeling, Siliguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar realize that a state of our own will benefit us more than a mere district.

Often one of the primary arguments against Gorkhaland statehood is that, “we cannot form a state out of one district,” well soon we will have two and if Siliguri is made a district too then we will have three districts and if Alipuduar joins the cause then we will have four districts vying for a separate statehood. So I feel more districts will only make our cause and case for Gorkhaland stronger.

However, one of the most worrisome part is the role politicians may choose to play going forward. Mamata has done all she can to divide our community, along the lines of development boards, and those running the boards have directly or indirectly pledged their allegiance to Mamata and thus Bengal. There is genuine fear that these people and also the unpredictable GJM leaders may in-turn sway the general public to support Mamata and not Gorkhaland statehood.

So district or no district, what really matters is the fact that we all need to stick together and remember that our one and only goal is Gorkhaland statehood. As long as we all are clear on that goal, Mamata may create 20 more districts, but all she will be doing is making the case for Gorkhaland stronger.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Just as how the formation of a new district helps in better administration and governance prospects within a state, formation of smaller states does the same nationally. All the new states that were formed in the recent past – Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Chattisgarh are today performing much better than their parent states in each and every sphere, be it the GDP, Male : Female ratio, Literacy rates, Employment opportunities and so on. Moreover, some of the fastest growing states and most roundly developed in India are smaller states like Sikkim, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and so on.

Just as how a news district will ensure a more equitable and holistic growth in a region, a new state will do the same for each and every citizen living there.

Hence here is an appeal to Ms. Mamata Banerjee and everyone who champions a new district – please extend your logic further and you will see that formation of a new state of Gorkhaland is not only desired, but also much needed.

Article was first published in The Darjeeling Chronicle as an Editorial

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Bagdogra airport will not be shifted to Bihar

12:56 PM

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Tourism

The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Dr Mahesh Sharma has made it clear that the Bagdogra airport which caters to the need of not only domestic passengers but also that of neighboring China, Nepal and Bhutan will not be shifted to Bihar and on the other hand the Pakyong airport in Sikkim will be developed soon.

Bagdogra airport

Talking to the reporters from the North East, Dr Sharma said that the Government has decided not to shift the airport from Bagdogra to Purnea in Bihar. The Sikkim Lok Sabha MP PD Rai had urged the government to desist from relocating the Bagdogra Airport, as it will affect not only domestic traffic within the region but also international passengers.

Rai mentioned that the airport acts as a ‘hub’ for tourists visiting Sikkim and Eastern Himalayas, including yatris travelling to Kailash Mansarovar through the recently opened Nathu La route. China has allowed a second and shorter route to Mansarovar through Sikkim recently.

Bagdogra is the only airport for Sikkim and North Bengal, that serves as the most important airport for a large area including Bhutan, Lower Assam, Eastern Bihar and Eastern Nepal, Rai said. It has vast economic and cultural importance for the people of Sikkim and North East, he added.
The Union Minister said that work is in full swing to make the Pakyong airport in Sikkim operational. Tourist inflow both foreign and domestic to North East mainly Sikkim has increased recently.

The Pakyong airport spread over 400 hectares of land is an airport under construction near Gangtok. It is the first Greenfieldairport to be constructed in the North Eastern Region of India and the only airport in Sikkim.

Via VOS

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BJP in favour of creating separate North Bengal state - Rabindranarayan Chowdhury

10:52 AM

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West Bengal

 “WE ARE IN FAVOUR OF FORMING SEPARATE STATE COMBINING DARJEELING, JALPAIGURI, COOCH BEHAR, ALIPURDUAR, MALDA”

In a shocking statement, the West Bengal State Secretary Shri Rabindranarayan Chowdhury yesterday said that BJP was in favour of creating a separate North Bengal state.

Rabindranarayan Chowdhury at GDNS in Darjeeling District 

Speaking at a program organized by the Darjeeling District Committee at GDNS, Mr. Chowdhury said that “creating a separate state from one district alone is very difficult, there are multiple demands for separate state in this region, there is demand for Gorkhaland, then there is demand for a separate sate in Cooch Behar and Alipurduar… such demands cannot be fulfilled… however if we can combine Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, right up to Malda then the possibility of forming a separate statehood is vey high… this is what BJP has envisioned…”

He added, “But for forming a separate state which combines these districts, we need support from the people here…. We are in favour of forming smaller states as they promote development”

He urged the people to join BJP and support the party so that they can emerge victorious in upcoming 2016 elections.

Source - TheDC

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Central University in Darjeeling - a Necessity

11:53 AM

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West Bengal

Writes: Bicky Sharma

As the hill youths we quickly realize that we are facing deliberate instances of discrimination and suppression, we also realize that we continue to be victimised and exploited to every single degree. We hold forth in the hopes of a state of our own, a panacea to all our problems, we see statehood as the ultimate solution to every problem. Though I agree that the statehood demand is our ultimate goal and we must throw every bit of effort for it, but what we forget are the different dimensions of our backwardness and the things that we can and we must attempt to change, with or without the statehood.

Student protest rally in Darjeeling, from 2011

If we pen down all those dimensions, Education comes to the top of the list of things that we need to change. The most unfortunate thing that I feel today is that we lack a University for our Hills, without which an educated society is impossible to derive.

Why do we need an “educated society” to begin with? It’s easy to reckon, because once we have an educated generation blooming up, we have a better society and with a better society we can finally meet up to all our needs. As Nelson Mandela had quoted "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

But then things are quite different here. The wings of our youths are clipped off usually after graduations just because we don’t have a university of our own.

I do realise we have excellent students among us and they do secure admissions in good colleges and universities outside Darjeeling, and even Bengal. They obviously are our pride and social backbone. But let us not forget the remaining portion of our youths, those who may not score 1st class 1st in their colleges, in fact majority of the youths are made up of this group of people.

When we first enter college, it is a whole new different world for us and we are on the verge of learning many new things and all this happens with trial and error. We make mistakes, learn, set up our foundation of knowledge for life and we are yet to think about life seriously. By the time we start gaining seriousness; we often have completed our graduations and stand with a degree having good, average and below average marks. And hence begin our quest for admissions. That is true for most of us. We explore different universities for further studies and try to get a spot for ourselves. After A handful get absorbed by these universities, the remaining look upon at NBU as a final ray of hope, the saviour. But then hundreds of colleges under NBU and a limited number of seats. It’s not NBU's fault either, a single river cannot quench thirst above its limit.

Now the ones strained out by NBU stand with gloomy eyes and a sour heart. The passion is there, the hunger is there. But there is no Opportunity.

Think about someone who scored 59% in Physics and did not get admission in M Sc in NBU, but got admission in Kalyani University and yet couldn’t go, as his single mother who works in a tea garden could not afford to pay his fees and study expenses, when she has to look after his two siblings and earns only Rs 95 per day.

That is enough to realise how deprived we are just because we don’t have a University of our own. I know the merits of having a university are profound and what I am listing may be one of the least important ones, however this is something that all of us have had to face – us those who are from the margins.

Many good students from our own hills let go of their opportunity to study as going away to a different place to study goes beyond our financial boundaries. The fire that just started burning dies a slow death. Even those who manage to get enrolled to universities in other places go through many hardships to complete their education outside home.

Students with good marks fail to make space in between and end up losing their hopes and aspirations.

I request all of you to join hands to demand the formation of Darjeeling Central University – which will lay the foundation of a resurgent society. The whole idea is to prevent the pen in the hands to be replaced by drugs and booze. The whole idea is of giving our own youths a space to study. The whole idea is to replace the frustrations by happiness.

The whole idea is of having our own Central University at our own home, so that no individual who wants to pursue higher education is left at the mercy of one university [NBU] which caters to seven districts in North Bengal

Source: TheDC

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Rs.3.61 crore for Darjeeling district hospital - Gautam Deb

11:45 AM

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West Bengal

North Bengal Development Department minister Gautam Deb on Monday said that the West Bengal  government had sanctioned Rs.3.61 crore for various development works in the Darjeeling district hospital.

Darjeeling district hospital

“The state government has several projects lined up for the Darjeeling district hospital (also called Eden hospital) and we want to implement it so that the hill people are benefited,”the minister said, on the sidelines of the Rogi Kalyan Samity (RKS) meeting in Darjeeling. “The government has sanctioned Rs.3.61 crore under various heads of which Rs.1.99 crore has already been given to the hospital,” he added.

Elaborating on some of the projects, the minister said primary focus was to set up a separate paediatric and sick new born care units in the premises of the now defunct Victoria hospital. “We will shift the paediatric unit to Victoria hospital and also establish a SNCU and
dialysis department there,” Deb said.

When asked about the Central forces that are presently housed in the Victoria hospital, the minister said, “Our chief minister has already asked the forces to shift to other place which will be done within 10 days”.

Although, the infrastructure of the Victoria hospital is in shambles but some offices of the district hospital are in operation. The district hospital will also get a new digital x-ray and MRI facility. “The state government has already sanctioned Rs.7 crore for setting up a MRI facility in the Eden hospital for which work is already in progress. We will try to implement most of the projects within the Puja season,” Deb said.

Deb said that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and the district magistrate had been asked to ensure that the projects were expedited. The minister also said that the NBDD would sanction funds for internal repairing work in the district hospital and asked the authorities to submit a proposal with estimates, besides he also promised to provide two ambulances.

The state government also has plans to establish an Emergency Observation Ward (EOW) in the district hospital and start the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). “The EOW and the RSBY will greatly benefit the people here, we feel. The district administration will look into this issue,” the minister said.
Another meeting of the RKS of which Deb is the chairman will be held in the third week of September to discuss in details the action taken report.

Earlier in the day, the minister attended a programme organized by the state’s Information and Cultural Affairs department and the Nepali Sahitya Sammelan to mark the 201st birth anniversary of renowned Nepali poet, Adi Kavi Bhanu Bhakta Acharya at Chowrastha. The minister also visited the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) and interacted with Trinamool Congress activists in the party office.

Source - EOI

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Gurung calls for Gorkha-Muslims unity for joint fight in Dooars

10:17 AM

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West Bengal

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung today urged Muslims in the Dooars to join hands with the Gorkhas to redress common grievances.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung 

Addressing a meeting attended by the members of the Dooars-headquartered Bharat Millat-e-Islamia Society at Bhanu Bhawan in Darjeeling, Gurung said both the communities had been at the receiving end of the state government's apathy, and it was imperative for them to join hands for a common cause.

"Let us both hold a big meeting in the Dooars and put out a show of strength. You bring about three lakh Muslims and we will bring equal number of Gorkhas and let us demonstrate our strength. Both the communities face a crisis of identity in our own country. We must work unitedly to address this," he said.

Imtiaz Khan, the secretary of the Islamia society, said the Muslim community was reaching out to Gurung to address their myriad problems of education, unemployment and development.

"The Morcha president has been very sympathetic to our problems, which primarily relate to education, unemployment, health and development. We are here at his invitation. We will reach out to the state government and the Centre to get our problems addressed. We have nothing to say on the Morcha demand for Gorkhaland," he said.

Asked if the Muslims wanted the Dooars to be included in the GTA, he replied in the negative.

Observers said the Morcha was trying to broad-base its appeal in the Dooars by wooing non-Gorkhas like the adivasis and the Muslims.

"Look, the Morcha has managed to woo a section of the adivasis by aligning with John Barla. It hopes to do the same by aligning with the Islamia society. The Muslims have a strong presence in the Dooars. However, we are not certain about the hold of the society in the Muslim community of the Dooars," said an observer.

Source: Telegraph

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Gorkha warriors flock to Sevoke to attend jubilee

11:19 PM

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north bengal

SALUGARA (NORTH BENGAL): Wednesday's start of the bicentenary celebrations of the 1/3 Gorkha Rifles in North Bengal had been planned about eight years in advance. The first battalion of the third Gorkha Rifles had two options — to hold the annual celebrations either in Dehradun or in Salugara. It chose the Sevoke Military Station in Salugara for the celebrations. The reason for choosing Salugara was to facilitate movement of veterans from Nepal.

200 years of glory for Indian Army: 1/3 Gorkha Rifles

"More than 600 retired junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks from Nepal have crossed into India through Kakarvitta. We have vehicles waiting on the border to get them to Sevoke. About 130 retired JCOs and other ranks from India, primarily from Dehradun, are also attending the event. Retired officers and their families account for about 200 guests. Veterans from Nepal may have thought twice before travelling to Dehradun to attend the bicentenary celebrations," said Colonel B S Sawian, commanding officer of 1/3 Gorkha Rifles.

Sawian said that the battalion began preparing for the event about a year and a half ago. A trophy to commemorate the occasion, a war memorial and mementos for guests and serving soldiers were also planned. The battalion also got in touch with Gorkha veterans in Britain, but they are in no position to fly to India.

"Most of them are more than 90 years old. Some of them have sent e-mails with their best wishes. There used to be an association for Gorkhas of the Third Regiment in Britain. This no longer exists," Sawian added.

Officers, some of them former commanding officers, have flocked to the bicentenary celebrations as they shared a unique relationship with the men. All officers, whether of Nepali origin or not, speak fluent Nepali. They are also well accustomed with the customs of the Gorkhas.

"As a young lieutenant, an officer is not accommodated in the officers' mess. He has to put up with the men for one and a half month to learn the way they live. They have to read three volumes of military history of the Gorkhas and pass a test before they formally get their entry into the officers' mess. We are the infantry and must learn to live and die with our men. We have to learn to lead and motivate them. We have to eat, live and die with them. Unless, we can prove our worth, the men would never listen to us or have confidence," said Sawian, a third generation officer.

Having been associated with the Gorkhas since childhood, he believes that they are the most simple and the most patient people in the world.

"Their tolerance levels are very high. They don't complicate their lives and their loyalty to whom they serve has no parallel. Had this not been the case, arranging for an event of this level may not have even been possible. They have extraordinary physical and mental strength," Sawian said.

Via: TOI

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Gorkha Sanskritik Utsav to be Held from January 7, 2015

10:48 AM

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Siliguri

People of North Bengal and Siliguri in particular are going to enjoy a 'cultural' beginning of 2015, since the Gorkha Saajha Pariwar, Salbari, Siliguri will bring back the Gorkha Sanskritik Utsav from January 7, 2015.

Gorkha Sanskritik Utsav to be Held from January 7, 2015

The 2015 version of the festival will also include the show Chinari-2, which will be its second edition. This time the theme of Chinari will be 'Hami Ek Haun' and it will showcase Gorkha dress and ornaments, jewellery, instruments, handicraft and handloom along with various cultural programmes, food court, fashion show which will reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Gorkhas.

Renowned artist from Darjeeling, Dooars and parts of Nepal, Sikkim and Mumbai, along with local models will walk down the runway with costumes designed by local fashion designers.

Gorkha Sanskritik Utsav will entertain people of North Bengal and also guests, who throng in large numbers from Sikkim and Bhutan from January 7 to 11.

Regional artists like singers Kunti Moktan, Deep Shrestha Ambar Gurung, Prakriti Giri and dancers like Anuska Chhetri and Sagarika Chhetri (Miss India 2013) will be felicitated during the festival.

Gorkha Saajha Pariwar is putting its best effort to ensure success of the programme. The organisers have requested community members from Darjeeling, Dooars, Sikkim and Assam to make donations to make the five-day extravaganza a grand success.

Source: EOI

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Gorkha Students, JNU Delhi speak up against state and the tea industry in West Bengal

12:42 PM

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social

Gorkha Students, JNU writes Under the context of triparty talks for tea garden laborer's wage revision, Sending you the poster (Click Here) which we brought today in JNU campus in solidarity of the ongoing demand of the tea garden workers under the banner of Coordination Committee of Tea Plantation Workers Union (CPTWU). Behind the idyllic hills, the scenic gardens, the “romance of the two leaves and a bud”, and the “smiling faces” of the workers, what remains carefully hidden is the ugly truth of sub-human wages, more than a thousand starvation deaths, and seething anger. The ongoing wage negotiations in the gardens in the hills, dooars & the terai have yet again brought to fore what the West Bengal government and the industry wishes to brush under the carpet. It gives us yet another opportunity to speak up against the lies and cunning of the industry as also the complicity of the state in depriving the workers of their basic minimum level of sustenance.

The ongoing crisis in North Bengal, the historic demand for Gorkhaland and the solution provided thereof is reflective of the sustained colonial exploitation and domination which finds its most blatant reflection in the Tea industry, where “Darjeeling Tea” is romanticised. This region of Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars is mostly featured by tea gardens and the population engaged in it. Approximately, 80% of the people forms the constituency fettered in this gigantic machine of production which is totally based on the exploitation and immiserisation of the working populace of this region since the days of British colonialism. The huge profits extracted from this exploitative tea plantations (according to the Darjeeling Chamber of Commerce, tea industry in the hills generates an average of Rs. 450 crores revenue annually, equal to that of the tourism industry in the region) has been in continuation creating a vicious cycle of poverty and continued appendage of the local work force for generation after generation for this industry.



We stand by the just demand of the workers to increase wages from Rs.90 to Rs.320. We reject the recent offers by the Planters and Government of abysmally low wage hike of just Rs. 21 and Rs.40 in phased manner in three years. We salute and stand in solidarity with the uncompromising struggle of workers for their rightful demand. Any attempt to break the unity of the workers or dilute the demands or betray the struggle must be resisted at all cost. We the Gorkha Students,(Jawaharlal Nehru University) stand in complete solidarity with the ongoing struggle of tea garden workers.

Our Demand to government and planter associations:
Increase the wage of workers from Rs. 90/Rs.95 in Darjeeling, Dooars and Terai tea estates to Rs. 322.

1. Reopen closed and abandoned tea estates immediately.
2. Casual labour should also be brought under the purview of Plantation Labour Act, 1951. 
3. Backlog of unpaid Provident fund and gratuity should be cleared without delay.
4. Declare and implement Minimum Wage for tea Plantation workers. 
5. Grant legal ownership of housing space to workers.

Submitted by : Dawa Sherpa - Gorkha Students, Jawaharlal Nehru University

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Passport seva kendra in Siliguri to come up soon

12:37 PM

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Siliguri

The external affairs ministry has decided to set up a passport seva kendra in Siliguri and asked the Bengal chief secretary to allocate a site for the building.

Passport seva kendra in Siliguri to come up soon

Union foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, in a letter to Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia, has said: “I am happy to inform you that the ministry has decided to establish a new PSK (passport seva kendra) in Siliguri. The ministry is in touch with the chief secretary of the government of West Bengal for allotment of a suitable site for the PSK. We will keep you informed of the progress.”

Swaraj was responding to a letter written by Ahluwalia on August 7, requesting that the Centre set up a passport seva kendra in Siliguri.

A passport centre had been set up in Siliguri on May 12, 2000, and it used to issue passport forms, receive applications and send them to the regional passport office in Calcutta for processing. But the office stopped functioning in 2013. The applicants from north Bengal and Sikkim were requested to submit the application forms either in kendras in Behrampore or Calcutta.

North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, when told about the decision to open a kendra in Siliguri, said it was the chief minister’s initiative.


Source: Telegraph

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Mamata Banerjee and GTA to meet in Sep in Darjeeling

11:14 AM

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north bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to make a three-day trip to Darjeeling from September 1 during which she would have a meeting with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration members and attend a programme of the Lepcha community on September 3, according to Nabanna sources in Kolkata.

Bimal Gurung releases a general knowledge book in
 Indian Gorkhas at Bhanu Bhawan.

During the stay of the Chief Minister, on September 2, the state government has decided to convene a bipartite meeting with the GTA in Kalimpong to discuss issues related with the council’s functions and powers. GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung announced this on Tuesday after an “introductory meeting” between new GTA principal secretary Gautam Ghosh and council executives in Darjeeling.

 Coming in the wake of Gurung’s recent visit to Delhi where he had taken with him a team of GTA officials to discuss developmental projects for the Darjeeling hills, it is to be watched if Mamata will try to woo the GTA leadership with her own set of projects. Whenever the chief minister visits North Bengal including the Darjeeling hills, she announces a lot of development projects for the area.  People in north Bengal, and Darjeeling in particular, are eagerly awaiting to hear what she will have to announce this time, particularly because she has just returned from her Singapore tour.

Significantly, Gurung announced he would leave for Delhi on Wednesday along with GTA members Anit Thapa and Dawa Lepcha and council secretaries for a meeting with Central representatives. On August 28, Gurung will meet spiritual guru Ramdev and lay the foundation stone for a Gorkha Bhawan at Saket, Delhi the following day before heading back home.

Gurung said, however, that the state government had not yet sent any written communication on the bipartite meeting even though it has called for the GTA’s participation.  “We received only a verbal communication from Kolkata telling us about the proposed bipartite meeting slated to be held on September 2,” he said, after a meeting held between 45 elected and five nominated GTA sabhasads and secretaries and executive directors of various departments.

The upcoming bipartite meeting will be the first one after the one-to-one closed door talks between the Chief Minister and Gurung in Darjeeling on June 18. The chief minister was in Darjeeling then to launch a number of projects and also officially announce the formation of the Tamang Development Cultural Board. The chief minister had announced then that a bipartite meeting would be convened within a month which would be followed by a tripartite one to discuss GTA-related issues.

 The GTA has been alleging “unnecessary interference” by the state government in matters under its jurisdiction including its smooth functioning ever since its formation on August 4, 2011. Due to all these and a number of other reasons, relations between the GTA and state government are presently not at their brightest.

Gurung said he has asked the state government to send an “action taken” report regarding the previous five rounds of bipartite meetings.  “We have had five meetings, but the state government is yet to give us reports of what actions have been taken. Such reports are necessary because the GTA sabhasads will have to take stock of things first before they are taken up in the upcoming September meeting with the state government,” the GTA chief executive pointed out, adding the state government has given a verbal assurance of despatching the reports immediately.

Issues such as transfer of departments to the GTA and the recent state government notifications to the Darjeeling municipality are some matters which are expected to be taken up in the bipartite meeting. The bipartite meeting, notably, is scheduled after the appointment of  Ghosh as the GTA principal secretary last month. His predecessor RD Meena, who was also the Jalaiguri divisional commissioner, has retired. The importance of appointment of a senior IAS officer as the principal secretary of GTA has always been emphasized by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders.

Observers say that the silence of GJM leaders on the Gorkhaland issue since the Lok Sabha election and the recent visit of the top leadership of the party to Delhi has made it easier for the Mamata Banerjee government to talk development of the hills with the GTA.  It is to be watched if the GJM leadership can rope in the helps of both Delhi and Kolkata for speedy development of Darjeeling.

Source: EOI

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Heavy rain thundershower for next 48 hours in North Bengal, Darjeeling and Sikkim

10:13 AM

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Sikkim

Aug. 17: North Bengal, Darjeeling and adjoining Sikkim may receive heavy rain or thundershower in the next 48 hours, the Met office said today. The weather condition is because of an active Southwest monsoon and the formation of an upper air cyclonic circulation over the region, sources said.

The forecast came at a time the state irrigation department has sounded a red alert in the unprotected areas along the Fulahar river in Malda.

The river has flooded at least 15 villages in Harishchandrapur and Ratua blocks affecting over 10,000 people.

“A secondary alert has been sounded in some areas on the banks of the Fulahar river,” Sharad Dwivedi, the district magistrate of Malda, said.

In Malda’s Manikchak, water from the Ganga had inundated some villages. The water receded today. Water level has gone down in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar also since yesterday afternoon. The areas had been flooded since Friday evening.

There has been a breach in the embankment in Saldhukri of Tufanganj-I block. “The village is at the confluence of Kaljani, Torsha and Ghorghoria rivers. A portion of the embankment has been breached. Engineers from the district irrigation department have reached the spot,” said an administrative source.

In Alipurduar, a yellow alert has been sounded near the Torsha. In Kumargram block, water from the Sankosh flooded four-five villages yesterday. The water receded today.

In Jalpaiguri, villages in Dhupguri close to Gilandi and Dudua rivers were flooded. “The situation improved because there was no rain. But there is possibility of fresh flood as it started raining this evening,” Gautam Dutta, chief engineer of North Bengal Flood Control Commission, said.

Rain has brought smiles for tea planters and doctors. While the planters are hopeful of a good yield, the doctors are happy as it would flush out accumulated water from the breeding ground of mosquito.

An India Meteorological Department source said: “The rain deficit in north Bengal this time has been met. There is shortage of about 14 per cent in the total rainfall since June 1. That is in normal limit.”

Source: Telegraph

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