01 June, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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GANGTOK, 31 May: Some con-cern has been triggered among theauthorities regarding unsafe con-structions ever since a five storiedbuilding collapsed in 6th Mile,Tadong on 26 May. In a letter to theSecretary, UD&HD, the DC [East],K. Srinivas has reminded him of the“unsafe” nature of two buildings inthe capital and suggested that theybe evacuated. The properties inquestion are – Hotel Himalchuli nearZero Point and Dreamland Hotel onthe Paljor Stadium road.

The DC has also pointed out theprerogative of the UD&HD regard-ing the demolition of such unsafestructures given it by the Sikkim Al-lotment of House Sites and Con-struction of Building [Regulationand Control] Act, 1985. Accordingto the rules stated therein the stategovernment can at any time take

steps to demolish, enclose or repair any structurewhich it feels threatens its occupants or neighbours.

Reportedly, the UD&HD, had in 1998 followinga PIL filed in the High Court, formed a committeewhich had declared the concerned buildings to beunsafe. It has also been learnt that both the hotels havenot been insured. Sources further reveal that theDreamland Hotel management has alleged that the 1degree by which the building has tilted into Hotel Mt.Jopuno on its side was brought on by the constructionof Hotel Mt. Jopuno and the extension of Hotel Tibetwhich, he believes, put additional pressure on the soil.

The DC [East] has made it clear that the struc-tures should be evacuated and that no one should beallowed to stay there. He has further suggested relo-cation or remodeling of the buildings to make themsafe and improve the “load bearing capacity of thesoil texture”. Incidentally, there is also a provision bywhich the state government may forcibly evacuate theendangered premises or even demolish the structure.

It has been a long time since the catastrophiclandslide which hit Gangtok in 1997 and the aware-

DC SUGGESTS EVACUATION OF2 “UNSAFE” BUILDINGS

turn to pg 7

Kpg onwheels

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 31 May: In an-other initiative taken up by the tour-ism department to boost tourism inthe area the DGAHC Tourism De-partment has this time hit on a to-tally new package. The packageconsists of a “Tourism Bus Serv-ice” to the various religious andheritage sites in Kalimpong andalso includes a free lunch at thebeautiful “Gorkha Village” at Relli.

This is the first time that such aservice will be introduced in the town.

The bus service will be cover-ing almost 50 kilometres in its 11point visit - Right from “Deolo”,the highest spot in Kalimpong tothe Jelepla-View point at Durpin.Tourists will be treated to all thereligious, historic and other spec-tacular sites of the town and the 9am to 5 pm drive is assured to be acomfortable one.

A famous religious site in-cluded in the list is “Mangal

turn to pg 7The valley-side view of one the buildings

earmarked for evacuation

extended till 10th June

2; NOW!; 01 June, 2004

C M Y K

Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist withinternational magazines... It’s hard to pin Twan Yangdown. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother, hegrew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW!serializes Twan Yang’s autobiography, Houseboy in India...

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

The elections are over; thegovernment has beenformed both at the state and

the centre and the SDF party inSikkim has rebounded from thepolls with overwhelming force.Perhaps, it is time now to look be-yond Sikkim - and shift attentionto the neighbouring areas and as-sess regional interests.

The north-east has long com-plained of step-motherly treatmentas far as central “affection” is con-cerned. Sikkim too qualifies as anofficial north-eastern state now andhas been included in the NorthEastern Council of States. The chiefminister of Sikkim had, long beforethe elections were over, alreadymade it clear that Sikkim wouldsupport any party which came topower in New Delhi. This an-nouncement was ostensibly madeto smoothen the passage of devel-opmental funds due to the state andmore importantly to have the cen-tral antennas pick up any threaten-ing signal emanating from acrossthe borders.

The question of funds and se-curity is not unique to Sikkim. Thenorth eastern sisters have the samerefrain to make to the central gov-ernment though the question of se-curity assumes a completely differ-ent dimension. While Sikkim isconcerned about security tremors,with their epicenter beyond its bor-ders – national or international –sending ripples across its relativelycalm social plane, the other statesof the north-east are undergoing acritical phase of internal strifecaused by terrorist activities.

It is commonplace to say thatthis region has remained an area ofneglect for more than five decadessince independence. From the point

of view of national political con-sciousness, this is, perhaps, a cor-rect evaluation. In the context ofdevelopmental allocations and awide range of economic and socialindices, however, this is far fromthe truth.

In fact, the region as a wholehas a marked advantage over therest of the country as far as certainsocio-economic indices are con-cerned. Literacy rates in the region

tend to be significantly higher thanthe national average, while popu-lation densities are significantlylower. Morbidity rates in the regionare also well below the nationalaverage, at 94 per thousand, asagainst the national average of 122,for short duration morbidity, and3,076 per hundred thousand asagainst the national average of4,578 for major morbidity. Percapita incomes, at Rs. 5,070 perannum, are higher than the nationalaverage of Rs. 4,485, and the popu-lation below the poverty line, at 33per cent, is less than the nationalfigure of 39 per cent.

Even access to electricity at 44per cent of households, is margin-ally above the national average of43 per cent; as is access to healthfacilities within five kilometres ofthe village, which stands at 47 percent for villages in the Northeast,in comparison to the All India av-erage of 41.2 per cent. [these fig-ures do not include Sikkim, whichshould rank better].

As regards the flow of fundspumped into the lap of the sevensisters and their brother, they

should have no cause to complain.The States of the Northeast are as-cribed a “special category” statusby the Government of India, and theNational Development Council[NDC], the apex body for the ap-proval of Plan funding, earmarks 30per cent of total Plan allocations forspecial category States as central as-sistance for State Plans.

Significantly, these States re-ceive 90 per cent of Plan assistanceas a grant, and just 10 per cent as aloan, as against the norm of 30 percent grant and 70 per cent loan forother States. Favoured treatment isalso given by the Finance Commis-sion with respect to the sharing ofCentral tax revenues [not applica-ble to Sikkim].

Clearly, therefore, these Stateshave not been made to suffer as aresult of their resource endow-ments. The financial flow of fundsto the Northeast, and the persist-ence of ‘underdevelopment’ againsta backdrop of financial supportfrom the Centre, consequently de-mand an examination of the deci-sion making processes and patternsof resource allocation within theseStates.

Where does all this moneygo?

Within their areas of influence,militant groups gradually usurp awide range of governmental func-tions, including the [albeit condi-tional] protection of life and prop-erty, and the provision of ‘justice’to local communities. Militancycan, in fact, fruitfully [though onlypartially] be examined as a conflictto defend or expand monopolisticcontrol over critical functions –economic and administrative –against all ‘intruders’, including the

-67-

Still another author on Tibetwas Mr. David Macdonaldof Kalimpong, who wrote

Twenty years in Tibet, and whom Ihave mentioned in the early part ofmy story. His son, John Macdonald,who had been my master when Iwas a little boy, and who was withone of the Mount Everest expedi-tions, often came down to Calcuttaand usually saw my master. Anothergentleman who came to see mymaster and spoke to hin in Tibetanwas the American Mr. TheosBernard, who had been in Lhasaand knew Tibetan very well indeed.He loved the Tibetans like one ofourselves and wrote a book aboutTibet and the lamas called Pent-house of the Gods. He was verymuch interested in my book as wasanother American gentlemen, theConsul, Mr. Groth.

Toward the end of 1938 PrincePeter of Greece visited my master.I did not know that he was a realprince until my master told me.When I opened the door to him, hegave me his card on which I saw

Playing the harmonica forPrince Peter of Greece

the words “Prince Peter of Greece”.He was strong and tall of bodyand still a young man, with blueeyes and light hair. He spokebeautiful English and talkedto me after conversation withmy master.

“What are you, Chineseor Tibetan?” he asked.

I thought that to answerpeople like that I should say,“Yes, Your Highness.” But Iwondered on the other handwhether it might not bewrong to use these politewords in the wrong manner,and I felt afraid that if I made amistake in speaking he might feeldissatisfied, so I said, “Yes, sir, Iam a Chinese boy.”

In reply he smiled at me and

asked me for a part ofmy book about

which my masterhad spoken to him.

He read a part with interest and saidthat it was not bad at all. Then I wastold to show him how I could playmy harmonica. I played the Frenchnational song, the Marseillasie, and

I know that he liked it because heclapped his hands and cried“Bravo”. But, the visitor who wasmost surprised and pleased to hear

me play the Marseillaise wasthe French Governor ofPondicherry, who also cameto visit my master.

In Calcutta there was agreat man called Sir DavidEzra, one of the richest andmost famous men of the city.For two years he was the presi-dent of the Royal Asiatic So-ciety of Bengal. One day hecame to have with Professor

Levi, who was a professor of highermathematics in the University ofCalcutta, and lived in the samebuilding as my master, on the samefloor on the other side of the land-

ing. My master was also invited tothat tea party, and when the partywas over Sir David and Lady Ezra,with one other lady all came over tomy master’s flat to see his books andto admire the view over the riverfrom the windows. When this partyentered I made a big salaam. Mymaster explained that I was his Chi-nese servant, and one of the mem-sahibs asked my age. Then they be-gan to converse among themselvesand I left the room, but I heard mymaster speaking about me and mybook, and later on he called me toshow the illustrations I had made. Iknew this sahib as I had often seenhim before in the Royal Asiatic So-ciety of Bengal, and so I did my bestto do my duty very politely and bevery clean and not to spoil my mas-ter’s name. I went to sit down in thesmall room next to the larger one andheard them talking about me. Mymaster said, “Do you know that threeand a half years ago this little fel-low Twan Yang didn’t know how toread or write a letter? He has pro-gressed enormously.”

-to be continued

What Next For TheOpposition?

It is easy to keep track of the ruling party since it has its manifestofull of promises to be rated against. Sadly, democracy in the countryhas not matured enough to also require it of political parties to comeon record before the polls of what they are going to do if voted intothe Opposition. Attempts at power turned down by the people hidetoo easily behind the assurance of playing the constructive opposi-tion. But what is a responsible Opposition? Sikkim has not had onefor the past ten years and there have been few instances at theCentre either of leaders playing out this role well. In the absence ofany pre-announced course of action, one can only speculate on whatthe Opposition should do.

The only serious contention to SDF’s return bid to power wasfrom the Bhandari-led Cong [I], so we limit projections on the wayahead to this party alone.

Mr. Bhandari’s suggestions that the EVMs played dirty are toofar-fetched and perhaps even he is aware of the fact. Political exi-gencies must have forced him to take such a stand since he failedto deliver a victory even for himself this time. The anti-incumbencyfactor worked against the Opposition this time which the people lit-erally voted out by handing over 31 seats to the ruling party. Insteadof griping over how the rejections were unfair, or how Pende wasbought out or casting aspersions on the performance of the EVMs,the Congress should focus on why the Sikkimese voters were soaverse to the idea of putting more numbers in the Opposition bench.The party does not have to look very far for the answer, Congress,with or without Bhandari, is also guilty of having let the people down.It never played the role of an Opposition consistently through thepast five years. Even Mr. Bhandari, who was expected to play therole of an effective Opposition leader, let the people down.

If the party accepts this as the main reason for its poll debacle, it willhave to also accept that the future course of action is very clear. Theformer Sangramis might claim that Mr. Bhandari has taken the Cong [I]vote-share up from a dismal 4% in 1999 to a robust 26% this time. Theyprefer to ignore that Mr. Bhandari’s charisma has dropped from a 40+percentage last time to the 30-minus this time. Obviously the peopledon’t want him and kept him out from both constituencies that he con-tested. The Congress owes it to the people to do some spring-clean-ing. It has to find new leaders who will reorganise the party structureimmediately, get back in touch with the people and then approach themin about two years time with their message. It will then have to sustainits contact with the people through the next five years and then perhapsit will have a decent shot at the next polls. The Congress’ preferredoption of coming to power through the backdoor cannot be pulled offany more, it thus has no choice but to win the people’s favour. Beforethat, of course, it has to get more organised.

Imagining a Northeastern StatesAlliance For The Centre

VIEWPOINTRANJIT SINGH

turn to pg 7

01 June, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

� RAJDHANI

a NOW REPORT

TADONG, 31 May: A ValedictoryFunction on Embroidery MakingScheme for SC, ST and OBCwomen candidates was organizedby Scheduled Caste EntrepreneurService Corporative Society at SCWomen’s Hostel here at Gairigaontoday. The work of the trainees wasalso exhibited at the function.

The trainees were awarded cer-tificates by chief guest, PrincipalSecretary, Social Welfare Depart-ment, CK Cintury. Other dignitar-ies to attend the function wereDeputy Director, SWD, NirmalDarnal, Deputy Director, SWD,Joint Secretary, Paljor Bhutia, CCI,Cooperative Department,Wangchuk Bhutia and President,SCESCS, Mani Kumar Dutraj.

The six-month long trainingprogramme started on 10 Novem-ber last year and concluded on 10May this year.

Sponsored by the Social Wel-fare Department and implementedby SCESCS, the programme saw atotal of 30 trainees consisting ofdeprived women, widows, schooland college dropouts and educated/uneducated unemployed.

MD Shakeel and Lata Singh,two trainers who had come fromoutside conducted the training.

Mr. Dutraj in his speech said thatthe main aim behind this training pro-gramme was to make the women ofthe state self employed, self sufficientand self-reliant. He informed that

SCESCS had also started implement-ing other programmes sponsored bythe SWD and Cooperative Depart-ment. From 2002 onward the Societyhad conducted training programmeson stuffed toy making, cutting and tai-loring, metal sheet and grill makingapart from holding free winter coach-ing for students appearing for class Xand XII exams. During the course ofthe function, SCESCS put forwardsome proposals on behalf of the train-ees. One of these was to increase theduration of the programme.

He also proposed that the depart-ment provide all the trainees withsewing and embroidery machines tohelp the trainees start their own en-terprises as soon as possible. Theyalso asked for former trainees to beallowed to come back for furthertraining to learn newer skills andalso to participate in the exhibitions.

The chief guest in her speechagreed with the proposals and in-formed that all trainees would re-ceive one embroidery machineeach from the department. Shestated that the department wouldhold exhibitions where the skillfullworks of the trainees would be dis-played and sold. Reiterating thatthe Social Welfare Departmentwas and is regularly holding suchtraining programmes for the allround development of the under-privileged women and children ofthe state, she said that the depart-ment would continue to work forthe benefit of economically andsocially deprived women.

SAGAR CHETTRI

GANGTOK, 31 May: Students from 10schools participated at the Anti-Tobacco rallyheld on Monday, 31 May to mark World NoTobacco Day. Organized by the VoluntaryHealth Association of Sikkim, the rally whichwas flagged off by Secretary, Health, TRGyatso from Vajra Cinema Hall, Baluwakhaniended at Community Hall, Development Area.

The students carried placards and ban-ners with various anti tobacco slogans writ-ten on them [pic on right].

Outside Community Hall cigarettes andother tobacco products was set on fire [seepic left] as a gesture of rejection by chiefguest Dr. Gyatso, Dr. ST Lepcha, Joint Di-rector, State IEC Bureau, Dr. Namgyal T.Sherpa, Medical Specialist, STNM hospital,VHAS staff and students.

This was followed by a street play stress-ing on the harmful effects of tobacco consump-tion and presented by T Subedi and group.

The functions continued inside the Commu-nity Hall with talks on issues related to tobaccodelivered by many participants. After the wel-come and introductory address by ST Lepcha,Joint Director, State IEC Bureau, a speech high-lighting the importance of World No TobaccoDay was given by Dr. BB Rai, Executive Direc-tor, VHAS. This was followed by a talk on how

tobacco endangers life by Dr. Namgyal T. Sherpa,Medical Specialist, STNM Hospital. ManojPradhan of VHAS presented a film and CD clip-pings to highlight the dangers of smoking.

The programme concluded with the prizeand certificate distribution by chief guest,

Norzang Lepcha, newly elected MLA fromRakdong Tintek to the winners of the interschool quiz competition.

Holy Cross School stood first with PenlongSecondary School coming second while WestPoint Senior Secondary School came third.

RALLYING SUPPORT FOR A TOBACCO-FREE SOCIETY

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women complete

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4; NOW!; 01 June, 2004

C M Y K

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Last Date for entries: 2nd June, 2004, Tenzing&Tenzing BuildingDisplay and prize distribution: 5th June, 2004, TNSSS

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Namchi

observes

World No

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dayPURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 31 May: World No To-bacco Day was celebrated today, 31May, here at the Nehru YuvaKendra conference hall, Namchi.The function was organised bySaugat, a local NGO. The functionwas attended by the newly selectednational service volunteers of NYKalong with members of variousclubs and NGOs Namchi. Mr.Suren Mohra, general secretary ofSaugat, stressing on the theme ofthe day said that the present gen-eration had to take the responsibil-ity to protect the future generationsfrom the ill effects of tobacco con-sumption. Roshan Kaushik, presi-dent, Saugat in his address high-lighted the hazards and harmfuleffects of narcotic consumption.

Similar programmes are re-ported to have been organised ob-serving World No Tobacco Dayfrom other places in south district.

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 31 May: All deci-sions, political and non-political,taken by the Sikkim DemocraticFront are “democratic, timelyand people-oriented” claims apress release issued by the rul-ing Front today.

Quoting the party president andChief Minister Pawan Chamling,the release goes on to add that thepeople of the state have voted forthe SDF party because of its cleanimage and keeping in mind the trustthat the people have vested in theparty and its leader, all the decisions

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 31 May: The reportof the Technical Committee formedunder the chairmanship of areaMLA, Bhim Dhungel, to assess thetotal damage caused by the fire thatraged through Rhenock on the nightof 21 May has finally come in.

A total of 18 house owners havelost all or part of their structures tothe fire. Of them the houses of 9have been completely damagedwhile the houses of the others havebeen partially damaged.

As mentioned in the report of thecommittee the total damage amountsto Rs. 99 lakhs. Of this total amount

Rs. 33, 59, 950 is the worth of thehouses damaged in the fire whileabout Rs. 65-odd lakhs worth ofvarious kinds of property have beenassessed to be lost by the 19 tenantswho lived in these houses.

Sources inform that the Stategovernment is contemplating pro-viding compensation for about 25per cent of the total worth of thedamage.

The DC, East, K. Srinivas hasalso asked financial institutions inthe state to provide soft loans tothose affected by the fire.

The voluntary donations col-lected till date is Rs. 37,000 ofwhich Rs. 15,000 was donated by

The list of house-owners whose houses were damaged in theRhenock fire is listed below along with their respective dam-age assessment.1. Chegu Bhutia Rs. 1, 23, 1702. Pawan Kr. Agarwal Rs. 4, 54, 2203. Bishamber Agarwal Rs. 2, 31, 8504. Satya Narayan Agarwal Rs. 2, 31, 8505. RK Pradhan Rs. 2, 53, 9206. Tara Kr. Pradhan Rs. 2, 06, 4107. Dal Bdr. Pradhan and Rajen Pradhan Rs. 3, 18, 7208. Bhakta Bdr. Pradhan Rs. 2, 79, 3009. Dr. Shanti Chettri Rs. 2, 65, 80010. Pushpa Lall Pradhan, Shyam Lall

Pradhan and Dev Lall Pradhan Rs. 3, 82, 74011. Phigu Bhutia Rs. 1, 65, 65012. Moti Lall Prasad Rs. 45, 40013. Hira Lall Prasad Rs. 45, 40014. Biren Kr. Pradhan Rs. 1, 45, 45015. Ganga Pradhan Rs. 77, 92016. Pritam Pradhan Rs. 77, 92017. Amber Singh Thapa (Pan Gumti) Rs. 12, 12018. Indra Kr. Pradhan Rs. 42, 110First nine houses were completely razed while the next ninesuffered partial damage or had to be dismantled to keep thefire from spreading

RS 99 LAKHS - THE DAMAGES WREAKEDBY THE RHENOCK FIRE

Some lost all to the inferno that blazed through Rhenock on 21 May

the area MLA, Mr. Dhungel whilethe rest has been contributed by theReyukai organisation. The dona-tion is being collected in an accountopened for the purpose at the StateBank of Sikkim at Rhenock.

The chief minister had earlierdisbursed Rs. 6, 50,000 as imme-diate relief.

Apart from the area MLA, theTechnical Committee had in itsteam a divisional engineer,

UD&HD, an assistant engineer,Buildings and Housing department,an architect cum town planner,UD&HD, a junior engineer,UD&HD and an assistant engineer,UD&HD.

taken by the party were motivatedto benefit the public at large.

On 30 May, Mr. Chamling metparty members at his official resi-dence at Mintokgang. Asking theelected MLAs to be “intensely in-volved” with people-orientedworks, he said that a special moni-toring committee will be evaluat-ing progress made by MLAs andMinisters.

RB Subba, Minister, Law, Par-liamentary Affairs, Tourism andIndustries and area MLA ofSoreong, said that the people ofWest District welcomed the thirdconsecutive victory of the SDF

party and were happy and celebrat-ing with the party. “The allegationsmade by the Congress-I party thatthere was post poll violence weretotally false and baseless,” headded.

Stating that the SDF party hadbecome stronger after the elections,he affirmed that the party wouldsoon focus on developmental ac-tivities, as this was its first priority.

Meanwhile the party headquar-ters was shifted to Indra Bypass onMonday, 31 May.

All official work relating to theparty will be done from the newSDF Bhawan from now onwards.

People first, reiterates SDF

01 June, 2004; NOW! 5

C M Y K

� FOCUS

ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 31 May: Is the firedepartment equipped to handle ma-jor fires? No, say senior officers ofthe Fire Services. According to themthe fire department is underequipped and in dire need of betterrescue equipment. This was also theopinion voiced by IGP, Fire Serv-ices, Janga Basnett, on the occasionof Fire Safety Week held last month.

“The department is in need ofrescue equipment, concrete cutters,sensors and other equipment re-quired to cope with building col-lapses and other emergencies. Wealso need things like portablepumps, which are handy in extin-guishing forest fires. Our fire extin-guishers are of inferior quality tohandle the challenge of forest fires.A fire station needs water, mobilityand communication and althoughGangtok has ample water sourcesthey are not tapped properly, also thewater tanks and hydrants are notproperly maintained,” he told NOW!in an interview conducted to com-memorate the occasion.

At that time he had no idea thatexactly a month later, on 21 May, a

raging fire would raze nine housesand damage four others, putting thefire services to test.

In the Rhenock incident, fire ten-ders from all neighboring areasrushed to the spot. The first to arrivewere firefighters from Rangpo fol-lowed by Singtam, Kalimpong andGangtok. Nine houses had alreadybeen razed by that time. But the pro-fessional skill of firefighters helpedcontain the fire from spreading.

While the Rhenock blaze was pre-vented from turning into a bigger dis-aster, the question about whether ourfire services are fully equipped andready to fight major fires has becomeall the more relevant.

We must remember that the FireDepartment is also responsible fordisaster management. Senior offic-ers of the department say that if amajor disaster occurs, they will notbe able to handle it.

So why is something not beingdone?

“Modernization is in the offingas part of a central governmentscheme. A sum of Rs. 1 crore hasbeen sanctioned for that,” informsMr. Basnett.

In the offing and being fullyprepared may be the difference be-tween life and death for many incase of a major fire occurring any-where in the state. Let us look atwhat we have. According to infor-mation given by Yap TsheringGensapa, Chief Fire Officer,Sikkim Fire Services, there are atotal of eight fire stations in thestate. Apart from all the districtheadquarters, Rangpo, Singtam,Jorethang and Ravangla each havea fire station. Plans are on foot toconstruct two more - one atPakyong and another at Melli.

All district fire stations aremanned by Fire Station Inspectorswhile other stations are headed by aSub-Fire Officer. They lead a teamconsisting of one leading fireman, fourfiremen and two driving operators. Onan average the manual strength of afire station is about eight people.

There are 14 fire brigades inSikkim. There are two vehicles eachfor the fire stations at Namchi,Gangtok, Rangpo, Mangan and one

each for the remaining four stations.However, many of these vehi-

cles are more than 24 years old.There are also fire hydrants and

static underground water tanks forfire fighting purposes that are con-structed and maintained by the PHEDepartment.

In and around Gangtok there are22 Hydrants and 8 static tanks uptoRanipool. But these numbers are notenough to fight fire effectively. Ac-cording to the department along withthe rapid urbanization and expansionof Gangtok the numbers of Hydrantsand Static tanks should also have in-creased, but this did not happen.

“The fire services need more toperform better, all that is there is justnot sufficient. These brave men areexpected to fight raging fires with-out facilities or latest equipment. Sothey do it with just their guts, instinctand whatever limited out datedequipment they have got. Such arisky job should be given more im-portance and the wrath of fires takenmore seriously,” say senior officers.

In the face of two recent disasterslike the Rhenock fire and the build-ing collapse in Gangtok, and with theprobability of a bigger disaster hap-pening always present, the needs andconcerns of the fire department needto be given utmost priority.

Is the Fire Services Department equipped to handle major fires?NOT QUITE, IT APPEARS

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 31 May: The 29thBi-Annual Conference of the Na-tional Union of Postal Employees(NUPE), of Darjeeling Division wit-nessed large demands being made onthe part of the employees. “The prob-lems, we face in our day to day livesare immense, hence we have put for-ward a draft of our demands to theCentral Head Quarters at New Delhi”said Mr. Rajen Kumar Chettri, Presi-dent of the Darjeeling Division.

Of the many demands placed anddiscussed, the major were the grantof House Rent Allowance (HRA) andimplementation of Hill Compensa-tion Act (HCA) at 15% as per theWest Bengal State Govt Employees.

The other demands made con-cerned the payment of winter al-lowances and the construction ofnew staff quarters in all the sub-di-visions of Kalimpong, Kurseongand Darjeeling.

The NUPE affiliated INTUC(trade wing of Congress), PTTI andFNPO have also demanded the in-clusion of the NUPE, DarjeelingDivision in the North Eastern Zone.

The meeting, held at theRamkrishna Rangamanch, was alsoattended by a large number of postalemployees of all three sub divisions.

Interestingly, according to sta-tistics, the North Eastern andSikkim zone of postal services have

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done excellent in terms of the rev-enue it has generated over the yearseven in this cyber age.

Whereas postal services for therest of the nation have recorded adeficit of Rs. 1600 crores, the Sikkimand north eastern zone has had a busi-ness development of 136 percent inregard to their postal services.

“I have always had a love forthe hills and the people here. Allthe credit for this success goes en-tirely to the staff, hence the possi-ble measures for the developmentof the postal service and the staff,will be properly looked after” an-nounced Mr. John Samuel, PostMaster General of the North Ben-gal and Sikkim Zone.

He also stated that theKalimpong Post Office would befunctioning as the “Mukhiya DhakGhar” in a month’s time.

The first of its kind the “NavloDisha Scheme” would also be setin the Darjeeling Division, addedMr. Samuel.

The Scheme according to Mr.Samuel would cover eight areas ofday-to-day life, the major of thembeing, women’s employment, so-cial development etc.

The newly elected MP, DawaNorbula of Congress (I), who wasthe Chief Guest at the conference,also expressed his contentmentwith the services that the postalservices of the hills have provided.

Demands of postal staff tobe looked into assures Post

Master General

NEW DELHI, 31 May: In a sig-nificant judgment, the SupremeCourt has ruled that if a governmentdecided to make the state languagea compulsory subject in the schoolsyllabi, it cannot be said to beviolative of the fundamental rightof the minority community to es-tablish and administer schools.

This ruling was given by a benchcomprising Chief Justice S RajendraBabu, Justice AR Lakshmanan andJustice GP Mathur while rejecting apetition saying imposition of

Marathi as a subject in syllabi vio-lated the fundamental right of mi-nority community to set up and ad-minister a school of their choice.

Justice Babu, writing for thebench, said it was settled that a statecould impose reasonable regula-tions on institutions established andmanaged by minority communityfor protecting the larger interest ofthe State and the Nation. Rejectingthe stand of the Gujarati school, thecourt said the policy decision of theMaharashtra Government was

taken by keeping the larger interestof the state because the official andcommon business was carried onin the state in Marathi language.

“Hence, the regulation imposedby the state of Maharashtra upon thelinguistic minorities to teach its re-gional language is only a reasonableone,” it said. On the question of fun-damental right of the minority groups,the bench said, “It is difficult to readArticle 29 and 30 in such a way that itcontains a negative right to excludethe learning of regional language.”

Mother tongue mandatory for minority schools: SC

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Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of late

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abode on 14th April 2004 falls on 1st

June 2004. All relatives, friends and

well-wishers are requested to kindly at-

tend the Shegu ceremony at the family

residence at Gangyap Busty, South

Sikkim. We would also like to take this

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by us during our time of bereavement.Ongda Lepcha (son), Pasang

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Black MassA [small] prayer meeting [BlackMass] will be held on 3rd June,2004, at 10AM in the lovingmemory of our beloved mother,Late Julie Mary Philip, who ex-pired on 27-05-2004 at ourresidence at Arithang, Rai Cot-tage Complex. All relatives,firneds and well wishers arerequested to attend to pray forthe departed soul.

Rajiv Philip [Son], Rekha Sharma

[Daughter-in-Law] and family

members

ph: 201078

Don’t pursue

politics of

vendetta:

SPNEW DELHI, 31 May:Samajwadi Party on Mondaywarned the ruling United Progres-sive Alliance that politics of ven-detta against leaders of the erst-while Bharatiya Janata Party-ledgovernment, including GeorgeFernandes, would backfire and ob-liquely criticised the inclusion oftainted ministers in Prime MinisterManmohan Singh’s Cabinet.

The SP, having 37 members inthe Lok Sabha, also made an im-plicit attack on the Congress-ledcoalition saying that though it gavesupport to the government, theyshould also have the ‘mannerswhile accepting’ it.

Despite being a supportingparty, not even draft of the Com-mon Minimum Programme wasshown to it, SP General SecretaryAmar Singh told reporters inLucknow after a meeting of theparty’s Parliamentary Board andalso that of its Parliamentary Party.

In a significant statement aheadof Parliament session, first of the14th Lok Sabha, Singh said that hisparty was ‘not captive’ to anybodyand would praise the Governmentif it did good work and would nothesitate to criticise if it went astray.

Asked as to what was SP’s atti-tude towards the tainted ministers,he said, “Our view is the same asthat of the Left parties.”

The Left has criticised the in-clusion of tainted ministers LalooPrasad Yadav and two other mem-bers of RJD.

WASHINGTON: A handgun thatSaddam Hussein was clutching whenU.S. forces captured him in a hole inIraq last December is now kept byPresident Bush at the White House,a spokesman confirmed on Sunday.

Time magazine, which first dis-closed the gun’s location, said mili-tary officials had it mounted afterit was seized from Saddam near hishometown of Tikrit last year, andsoldiers involved in the capture

gave it to Bush.The magazine quoted a visitor

who had been shown the gun,which is kept in a small study offthe Oval Office where Bush dis-plays memorabilia. It is the sameroom where former President BillClinton had some of his encoun-ters with former intern MonicaLewinsky.

Bush shows Saddam’s gun toselect visitors, telling them it is

unloaded, both now and whenSaddam was captured, Time re-ported.

“He really liked showing it off,”Time quoted a visitor as saying. “Hewas really proud of it.”

White House spokesman JimMorrell said, “The president wasproud of the performance and brav-ery of our armed forces and washonored to receive it on behalf of thetroops involved in the operation.”

BUSH KEEPS SADDAM GUN AT WHITE HOUSE

The 49th Day Kutse Shegu of our beloved mother

late Ana Kunlem Bhutia who left for her heavenly abode

on 24th April 2004 falls on 10th June 2004. All friends,

relatives and well wishers are cordially requested to join

us in offering prayers for the departed soul at our resi-

dence at Lower Chandmari (Gairi Gaon).

We, the family members also take this opportunity

to thank all those who stood by us during our time of

bereavement and regret our our inability to do so indi-

vidually.

Sons, daughter-in-laws, daughters, son-in-

laws, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ph: 205308, 227455

Kutse Shegu

Two dead asrocket barragehits Pak town

Two people were killed and fourothers from the same family

were injured when more than a dozenrockets were fired at a Pakistani townnear the Iranian border before dawnon Monday, officials said.

Unidentified attackers fired therockets on the southwestern townof Mund at about 3:00 am [3:30AM IST], local administration of-ficials said. Authorities were unsureof the motive of the attack.

One of the rockets hit a privatehouse, killing a man and a 14-year-old boy and injuring four othersfrom the same family, it is learnt.

Thuds of rockets jolted thewhole town as unknown people tar-geted the paramilitary FrontierCorps camp, a high school build-ing and other government officesand a private house.

The exact number of rockets wasnot known, but residents believedmore than a dozen rockets landedin Mund.

Police and security officials inMund, 510 kilometres southwest ofBaluchistan province’s capitalQuetta, were combing the area insearch of the attackers.

Provincial home ministerShoaib Nousherwani speculatedthe attack could be connected todevelopment projects.

Baluchistan’s coastal city ofGwadar, the site of a massive Chi-nese-run project to build a megaseaport, was attacked twice in May.

A 04 May car-bomb killedthree Chinese engineers workingon the port and injured nine oth-ers. Rockets were fired into thecity on 21 May but caused no in-juries or damage.

Police have linked the 04 Mayattack to a campaign by local peo-ple angry over the recruitment ofworkers from other provinces forthe port project.

Immediate neighbours to

be UPA’s priorityNEW DELHI, 31 May: TheUnited Progressive Alliance gov-ernment will give the highest pri-ority to bilateral relations and workto increase areas of agreement withimmediate neighbours.

External Affairs Minister KNatwar Singh on Monday held ameeting with top Indian diplomatsfrom SAARC and ASEAN coun-tries to assess future policy options.

It was agreed that building India’sbilateral relations with these countriesassumed the ‘highest priority’.

“With our immediate neigh-bours, we will work to increase ar-eas of agreement and intensify ourcontacts,” the External Affairs Min-istry said in a statement in Delhi.

It said the countries of SouthEast Asia were important to Indiain political, economic and strategicterms. “We will further strengthenbilateral relations with them, aswell as our interaction withASEAN since it constitutes a ma-jor dimension of our foreign

policy.”The meeting, the first of its kind

convened by Singh, was spreadover five hours and will continueon Tuesday.

Among those present were In-dian envoys from Pakistan, SriLanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan,Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia,Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

Meanwhile, at an interactivesession organised by the Confed-eration of Indian Industry with 16heads of Indian missions, RajivSikri, Special Secretary (EconomicRelations) in the MEA emphasisedthat economic relations with neigh-bours were strategically important.

“Good economic integration

will serve broader political objec-tives,” he said.

The diplomats stated that spe-cific business opportunities for theIndian industry would open up withthe MFA in textiles becoming op-erational from January 2005. Theysaid the region is keen on enhancedtrade with India.

On the proposed ASEAN CarRally being jointly planned by theCII and MEA, he said it would go along way in creating awareness be-tween ASEAN countries and India.

He also said that better tradeties with ASEAN and SAARCwould have a positive impact inthe economic progress of India’sNortheast.

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government, with militant groupstaking on the character of a ‘primi-tive state’ in a situation of wide-spread anarchy.

The growth of this undergroundterrorist economy, backed by thedisruptive power of the militants,distorts and inhibits the processesand growth of legitimate economicand developmental activities. Inthis context, it is also important tonote that a wide variety of eco-nomic activities that were integralto the lives of the people of thisregion – including cross bordertrade, the use of a variety of forestproducts, some collective rightsover land use, etc. – have, sinceIndependence, suddenly [and fromthe point of view of the localpopulations, arbitrarily] been‘criminalised’, forcing otherwiselaw abiding citizens into a collu-

sive relationship with militants.The progressive ‘withdrawal’

of civil governance and the networkof collusive arrangements withmilitant factions are compoundedby the emergence of widespreadpatterns of illegal economic activ-ity that become the mainstay andmotive of all insurgencies afterwhat may be called their early‘ideological’ stage. These includea thriving economy of extortion,smuggling, gun-running, narcotics,and an oligopolistic control overgovernment contracts.

Indeed, the various ‘ideologi-cal’ factions and rivalries withinmilitant movements in the States ofthe Northeast are often thinly dis-guised ‘turf wars’ to retain or gaincontrol over lucrative ‘areas of in-fluence’, especially importantroutes of [illegal] cross bordertrade, including the drug trade.

It is also a truth that the cen-

tral policy towards terrorism in thenorth east has not been cohesiveor comprehensive. The reactionsof the centre to terrorist acts in theregion has been knee jerk and sub-sequent actions ad hoc in nature.As most of the north eastern stateshave only 1 or at the most 2 repre-sentatives in the Lok Sabha – withthe exception of Assam which has14 – perhaps the centre does notfeel too obliged to delve deep andsincere into the socio-economicstrife which has plagued the regionfor years.

Perhaps the only way to makean impact on the central policy onthe social conditions prevailing inthe north eastern region is for allthe eight states to come togetherand present a united front. The en-tire region has a total of 25 MPs atthe Lok Sabha, so, while individualstates may not be able to make animpression with the government the

It is not one of those anniversa-ries that a country looks forward to. Tuesday, it will be

three years since the massacre ofalmost the entire Nepali royal fam-ily on the night of 1 June 2001.Slaughter of a ruling clan on thatscale was unprecedented in worldhistory. Even by the standards ofgory palace purges in our own past,this was such unimaginable carnagethat there was no precedence in therules of royal succession.

Yet, initially the countryseemed to recover from the night-mare surprisingly unscathed. Therewas an orderly (given the circum-stances) transition to a new king,the institutions of democracy tot-tered, but stayed intact. The Nepalipeople, used to suffering miseryand shock, moved on. They blamedit all on a bad national karma andtried to put the past behind themwhile struggling with day-to-daysurvival. Making a distinction be-tween a king and the continuity ofthe institution of monarchy, welooked to the future and hoped forthe best.

Three years later, it is clear theNepali people never really came toterms with that tragedy. By tryingto forget it, many of our questionsremained unanswered and the royalfamily remained reclusive and se-cretive. It was an opportunity tomake a clean break with the past,adopt a new transparent royalty,reinvent a modern monarchy per-haps with a new mission for na-tional well-being funded by a trustin the name of late King Birendra.It was a chance to project a king-ship that finally took off its darkshades and made eye-contact withthe Nepali people, providing be-nign guidance and being a unify-ing force.

This was necessary not just so

ness of the general public and theconcerned authorities regarding un-safe structures is low, feels Mr.Srinivas.

Lack of appropriate and stronglegislations are other factors whichprotect unsafe structures from evacu-ation and demolition, feel officials.Other hilly areas like HimachalPradesh and Nainital now have Su-preme Court rulings which deny evenextension works in existing buildingswithout clearance from experts. InSikkim, unsafe structures, like theone which collpased last week, con-tinue to not only stand, but also hireout premises on rent because the lawsare not strong enough to guaranteeotherwise.

In most cases it is the casualinterpretation of prescribed ruleswhich work to the benefit of thoseunwilling to make their establish-ments safer. For such officials theSupreme Court’s decision to chargeengineers involved in the construc-tion of unsafe structures in Laturshould come as a wake up call. TheSC has decided to charge these en-gineers under section 302 and 304[murder and attempt to murder] fortheir failure as professionals.Should a serious calamity strikeGangtok too similar stricturesshould be demanded if the publiccontinues to be put at risk becausethe concerned officials prefer tolook the other way.

Dham”. Considered as one of themost splendid temples in NorthernIndia it is a fabulous piece of artwith the walls all painted withbeautiful pictures of Lord Krishna.

Other religious sites included inthe list is Kali Mandir, situated at 8thmile approximately 2 kms from townand the newly built Hanuman Parkat Deorali which has a massive statueof Lord Hanuman – all of 31 ft . Itcan also be viewed from Sikkim.

Among the cultural sites in-cluded in the list are the “MorganHouse” or “Sing Mari TouristLodge, Gauripore house etc. Whilethe Tourist Lodge is among the old-est Colonial bungalows with a beau-tiful history, the Gauripore House isthe “bard bungalow” as it was fromthis bungalow that the renownedpoet, Rabindra Nath Tagore wrotehis famous poem titled “Janmadhin”for the Akashwani.

The drive will also give thetourists a treat of the internation-ally acclaimed flora and fauna ofKalimpong.

“The package has been func-tioning more or less daily, but theavailability of the tourists is also animportant factor. We might fix thedrives at alternate days,” said Mr.Gajmer –Area Manager (TourismDepartment, DGAHC).

The package, rated at Rs 200 perperson, also includes a free lunch atthe DGAHC constructed “Tradi-tional Gorkha Village” at Relli, aplace, approximately 14 kms fromtown. The swift and lovely Rellistream can be seen from here beforeit joins the river Teesta, about 7 kmsfrom Teesta bazaar.

region as a whole, if united andfunctioning as a lobby, can certainlymake the powers-that-be wake upto the cries of the hills. The Peo-ples’ Democratic Front [PDF]which is a coalition of five politi-cal parties in the Darjeeling districtis an example. In this age of coali-tion politics 25 is a very big numberand if brought under one bannercan wield immense influence at thecentre. Laloo’s RJD has only 25MPs in the Parliament and lookhow it is pampered. The politicalparties need not agree on everythingat the regional level, but can workout a common minimum pro-gramme vis a vis its approach at theCentre. But before any step can betaken towards the formation of sucha ‘lobby,’ the perception that thenorth-east is a homogeneous entity[as in sharing a common ethos] hasto pervade among its members.

Contd from pg 2

Imagining a Northeastern States Alliance For The Centre

Contd from pg 1

DC SUGGESTSEVACUATION OF

2 “UNSAFE”BUILDINGS

Contd from pg 1

Kpg onwheels

the monarchy could regain its in-fluence and respect, but also for thelongterm survival of the institution.But there was little effort at dam-age control. The increasingly shrillrepublican slogans in the jungles,and lately on the streets, are a de-layed reaction to June First. As thecountry descends into instabilityand violence, the people want amonarchy that stays above the frayas a respected symbol of unity andneutrality, not as another politicalpower-player.

Today, even those who wereearlier willing to give the new kinga chance have been disappointed bywhat they see as his incrementallytighter squeeze on the democraticprocess. Even those who had nolove lost for the corrupt and dys-functional political leadership thatsquandered democracy are impa-tient with this unnecessary wait.

Three weeks have passed withouta government, the Maoists aremassing for another blow, block-ades have brought the country to itsknees, the entire education systemis on the verge of collapse.

However, there are indicationsKing Gyanendra senses the nationalmood. Back channels are active,and there is talk of a deal with theMaoists to be announced simulta-neously with the formation of a newgovernment to hold electionswithin a year. If that is true, thisdelay in setting up a new govern-ment will be understandable.

The ghosts of the ten royalswho perished on 1 June 2001 atNarayanhiti will not rest in peaceuntil the kingdom itself is atpeace again.

[editorial featured inKathmandu-based English

weekly, Nepali Times]

JUNE FIRSTMonica Bedi

challenges

Portugal order

rejecting asylum

Underworld don Abu Salem’sgirlfriend Monica Bedi has ap-

proached the Supreme Administra-tive Tribunal of Portugal challeng-ing the order of the Supreme Courtof that country rejecting her appli-cation seeking political asylum.

The Portugal Supreme Courthad rejected Bedi’s application forasylum in that country to save her-self from being extradited to Indiato face charges of obtaining faketravel documents in the name ofSanha Kamal Mallick fromHyderabad and fleeing the countryusing the same papers, CBI sourcessaid in Delhi on Monday.

The former actress had sought asy-lum in Portugal claiming she wouldface ‘discrimination’ by the Indian gov-ernment as she belonged to a minoritycommunity. She had taken the sameplea in her review petition filed beforethe Supreme Administrative Tribunal,the body that reviews application ofasylum seekers.

Tharo Line,Lal MarketRoad. Ph: 201062,Mobile: 9832062684SALES & SERVICES

amolaRC E L L U L A RC E L L U L A R

8; NOW!; 01 June, 2004

C M Y K

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

THE FUTURE, NOW!

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LOS ANGELES: Shrek 2 overpow-ered the new disaster picture TheDay After Tomorrow to retain thecrown at the North American boxoffice during the first three days ofthe Memorial Day holiday weekend.

According to studio estimatesissued on Sunday, the cartoon se-quel sold about $73.1 million worthof tickets, while The Day After To-

morrow opened with $70 million.Far off in the distance, Troy

slipped one place to No. 3 with$11.5 million, while the Kate Hud-son domestic comedy Raising Helenopened with a modest $11.2 million.The urban comedy SoulPlane,starring Snoop Dogg, crashedon take-off, selling just $5.7 millionworth of tickets in its first weekend.

After Janet Jackson, it’s now theturn of Avril Lavigne to cre-

ate a controversy. Her performancewas cancelled after the singer an-gered the media with a lewd gesture

Avril Lavigne recently stuck hermiddle finger up at the camerawhilst reacting to a question about

After 12 days, DreamWorks’Shrek 2has grossed $237.8 million,having raced past the $200 millionmark on Friday, its 10th day. OnlySpider-Man did it faster, takingnine days in 2002. ButDreamWorks said Shrek 2 brokeSpider-Man’s old record for a sec-ond-weekend haul, which was$71.4 million.

‘SHREK 2’ SPEEDS PAST $200 MILLION AT BOX OFFICE

the way she thought she was por-trayed in media.

The channel immediatelyscrapped plans for the singer toperform another song on the showTotal Request Live . Lavigne’sspokeswoman defended her actionsby saying, “it wasn’t a gesture ofdefiance. She was laughing.”

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Commencement of class : 16.08.2004.

NEW YORK: Remarks Bill Cosbymade earlier this month upbraidingcertain segments of the black com-munity on issues from their gram-mar to complaints about police bru-tality have been attacked by someas a classist, elitist attack on the poor.

Others say the entertainer re-vealed unpleasant truths that needto be dealt with.

Speaking at a commemoration ofthe anniversary of the Brown v. Boardof Education desegregation decision,Cosby, a longtime education advocate,cited elevated school dropout rates forinner-city black students and criticizedlow-income blacks for not using theopportunities the civil rights move-ment won for them.

“These people marched andwere hit in the face with rocks toget an education and now we’ve got

COSBY REMARKS ON BLACKSDRAW FIRE, SUPPORT

these knuckleheads walkingaround,” Cosby said at the NAACPLegal Defense Fund observance.

“I can’t even talk the way thesepeople talk, ‘Why you ain’t,’‘Where you is’ ... and I blamed thekid until I heard the mother talk,”Cosby said, according to publishedreports. “And then I heard the fa-ther talk ... Everybody knows it’simportant to speak English exceptthese knuckleheads. You can’t be adoctor with that kind of crap com-ing out of your mouth.”

He also turned his attention tothe population of black prison in-mates, saying “These people arenot political prisoners. ... Peoplegetting shot in the head over apiece of poundcake. ... We’re out-raged (saying) ‘The copsshouldn’t have shot him.’ Whatthe hell was he doing with thepoundcake in his hand?”

Among blacks, reaction hasbeen a mixed bag of praise andcriticism for the entertainer.

“I think he could have said a lotof the same things in a construc-tive manner instead of comingdown hard on people who don’thave the same podium to defendthemselves,” said Jimi Izrael, ofCleveland Heights, Ohio, a col-umnist for Africana.com.

IS JULIA ROBERTS

PREGNANT?Rumors are abuzz that Hollywoodactress Julia Roberts is pregnant.The star had been trying to conceivefor some time.

The star had been trying to con-ceive for some time—it seems herprayers have finally been answered,as she was recently spotted glow-ing with health on a beach in Italywith husband Danny Moder.

The couple is in Italy whereRoberts is shooting for OceansTwelve

IDOL FANTASIA JUST WANTS SOME SLEEP

Fantasia Barrino’s goal right now: a good snooze. Barrino said her greatest desire right now is to get a good night’s sleep. Barrino has been

running non-stop since shewon “American Idol.” Notonly that, but she still has whatshe calls “mommy duty.”

Barrino has a 2-year-olddaughter, Zion, and she saidshe’s been watching“Shrek” with her daughter.She said she doesn’t talk toZion’s father and he doesn’ttalk much to her.

Barrino plans to hit thestudio to record her first sin-gle, “I Believe,” and start work on her debut album. She said she alwayssaid she has a story to tell, and now she can do it through her music.