Don’t brush past her - Clean your teeth, Karma has free paste

Gangtok, April 5: It would be fair to tell a child in Sikkim, “brush your teeth or Karma auntie will come, with her brush and paste”. Karma Chaden Bhutia, a medical officer and physician at Tokal Bermoik primary health centre in South Sikkim, has started distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste among students of remote government schools across the state to create awareness about oral hygiene, something she thinks kids in her state lack. The initiative, which began last year, has become popular and now around 400 students of 10 schools brush everyday on the school premises before their morning assembly. “This is a personal initiative with help from my staff and friends to provide free brush and toothpaste to students who never brush or who share one brush in the family,” said 37-year-old Bhutia. The medical officer has set up a booth at the health exhibition that began in Paljor Stadium in Gangtok today. During the five day exhibition, Bhutia would request local people to donate a toothbrush and tubes of paste. “The idea is to provide students with free supply of brush and paste for a year or two so that they inculcate the habit of brushing everyday,” Bhutia said. The first time she came across children who had never brushed their teeth was during a camp at Thang Sing Government Junior High school in South Sikkim last year. The programme was under the chief minister’s annual health check-up programme. “I was shocked to see that children were never taught about brushing their teeth by parents who themselves are ignorant about oral diseases. The students had bad oral hygiene. Most of them had tooth decay. I found it necessary to spread awareness about oral hygiene and bought toothpaste and brush for Rs 1,000 and distributed them among children,” Bhutia said. She added that her friends helped her distribute more than hundred toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes in Thang Sing Government Junior High school. Bhutia also encouraged teachers and parents to make students brush everyday. “I held a meeting with the parents and the teachers who promised to support my venture. Later, the programme reached other schools,” she added. Bhutia has also formed a group on a social networking site to garner support for her initiative. “I started a group in Facebook called Brush and Toothpaste,” she added. The group has 256 members. Bhutia said in February, a toothpaste and toothbrush company sent 1,000 toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes to her for distribution among children.“It is not a government-sponsored program. But her effort is being well appreciated,” chief medical officer Bimal Rai said.

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GNLF musters 5000 for foundation day

Simulbari (Kurseong), April 5: The GNLF today managed to gather nearly 5,000 supporters at Simulbari, located at the border of the hills and plains, for a show of strength on its foundation day. The rally at Simulbari, 20km from Siliguri, is not the GNLF’s first in the last three years since its leader Subhash Ghisingh was driven out of the hills but today’s supporter presence was the largest the GNLF managed since 2010. The rally has happened at a time the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the ruling force in the hills, has fallen out with the state government. Of late, a trickle of Morcha activists in the hills and the Dooars has started moving towards the GNLF and the state’s ruling party, Trinamul Congress. Ghisingh, who was banished from the hills in 2010 and has since being living in Jalpaiguri, did not attend today’s meeting. His party today demanded Sixth Schedule status for the Darjeeling hills that allows autonomy to a specific geographic area with constitutional validation. “We observed the foundation day of our party as the Gorkhaland Namkaran Sthapna Diwas to remind people that it was the GNLF and its chief Subash Ghisingh who had raised the demand of statehood on April 5, 1980, that is 33 years back,” said Mahendra Chhetri, president of the Terai regional unit of the GNLF and a central committee leader of the party. “We wanted to make sure that people understand the superiority of the Sixth Schedule, which if conferred would have constitutional validation,” Chhetri said. “The meeting is a part of the exercises taken up at the preparatory phase. Our principal leader (Ghisingh) will soon address people in public and will also go to the hills within next four to six weeks.” The Rohini and Pankhabari roads were supposed to have been shut to traffic from 9am to 3pm today but police did allow vehicles to pass. Police said around 5,000 people came to the rally. Since morning, GNLF supporters assembled from different corners of Terai and Kurseong, where Simulbari is located. Though in the hill subdivision, Simulbari is at the border of the plains, the last point before vehicles enter the hills. Chhetri said the state government and the administration were “maintaining the law and order in a proactive manner” in the hills. “We also appreciate the announcements made by the chief minister to form development boards for Lepchas and Buddhists in the hills,” he said. The Morcha staunchly opposed the formation of the Lepcha board under the state government. “Forming such councils or bodies for conservation and promotion of different tribes and their cultures dwelling in hills has been mentioned in the Sixth Schedule…. We thus appreciate the decision,” Chettri added. Chhetri, Tshering Dahal, a woman GNLF leader from Sukna, and other leaders termed the GTA illegal. Some supporters of the Morcha and the CPM today joined the GNLF, which put their number at 650. The veracity of the GNLF claim could not be confirmed independently. The GNLF also managed to mobilise about 500 supporters for a rally in Mirik. Around 2,000 Morcha supporters, too, brought out a rally in Mirik. The attendance of GNLF supporters in Mirik, observers believe, was significant given the fact that the party has not been able to function freely. In Darjeeling, nine Morcha supporters also joined the GNLF at a party meeting organised at Barbotey, about 15km from Darjeeling town. The meeting was attended by more than 100 GNLF supporters. Morcha meeting In Darjeeling town, the Morcha held a march at almost the same time. Except for one incident of vandalism about 50km from Darjeeling — alleged Morcha supporters threw away household items of a GNLF supporter — there were no reports of violence. According to Morcha sources, 8,000 people attended the march from Darjeeling station to Chowk Bazar. In Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik, too, the Morcha held rallies. The entire town was shut for the duration of the march between 10am to 1pm. In Kalimpong, about 5,000 supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha took out a rally through the streets of the town.

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the big racket of running illegal business of prohibited drugs from Rangpo goshkhan belt

RANGPO-4TH APRIL 13 Rangpo police busted the big racket of running illegal business of prohibited drugs from Rangpo goshkhan belt .according to the news Rangpo police in charge Mr. tshring Sherpa received an information from the reliable source regarding entering the huge quantity of prohibited drugs from Rangpo check post last night by some of the youth of Rangpo goshkhan lane of Rangpo .today the Rangpo police in charge Mr. Sherpa along with huge force of police has interrogated and started search operation at the area found the prohibited drug of more than one lakh rs from the three house of the goshkhan bent and sungurey basti .from thev three house police has seized 366 bottle cough syrup .400 tablet n ten and 1430 capsules of spemoproxivion .in connection with the case police has arrested two lady named urmila Sherpa and doma Sherpa registering the case under Sikkim anti drugs act 2006. .police is searching two youth named Sunil Sherpa and dorjee Sherpa who is suspected as a main mastermind behind running this illegal business. Till the news send police was searching the said youth in all over area but was not arrested. the house where the drugs was seized was fully covered with drugs like in utensils ,boxes ,and roof of the house was used by them to hide the said illegal goods .first time the such type of big illegal prohibited drugs is being seized by the police .the residents of Rangpo ,ngos clubs ,associations has appreciated the police for such type of search operation and seizure of illegal drugs .

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Hill traffic clampdown on rally day - Traffic off Darjeeling town & key roads when GNLF, Morcha hold rallies

Kalimpong, April 4: Several hill traffic shutdowns are expected to inconvenience residents and tourists in Darjeeling tomorrow when the Morcha and the GNLF will hold several meetings. In Darjeeling, the All Transport Joint Action Committee, an affiliate of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided not to run vehicles in the town for two hours from 11am in view of the party’s rally at Chowkbazar, near Chowrastha, tomorrow. The police have also decided to block Pankhabari Road and Rohini Road from 9am-3pm and the road to Darjeeling via Mirik for some time depending on the flow of traffic. Tour operators said visitors would suffer because of the traffic clampdowns. The GNLF will hold foundation day meetings at Simulbari and Barbotey, about 20km from Siliguri, and Mirik, about 5km from Siliguri between 9am and 3pm. The Yuva Morcha would also hold rallies around the same time, but the venues for these have not been announced yet. Although the Yuva Morcha has claimed its meetings have nothing to do with its rival’s programmes, it is known that the Morcha generally organises programmes on April 5 to put a spanner in the GNLF’s plans for its foundation day. Also, GNLF supporters may find it tough to reach the party’s public meetings at Simulbari, which is close to Rohini Road, and Barbotey, close to Darjeeling town. The Mirik meeting turnout could also be affected if the police block traffic on that route. Kunal Agarwal, the superintendent of police of Darjeeling district, said vehicles plying between Darjeeling and Siliguri will have to take the Mungpoo and Teesta routes. “The Mirik route will be closed for some time. Depending on the flow of traffic, we will regulate movement on the route,” he said. The Mungpoo and Teesta routes increase the travel time between Siliguri and Darjeeling by about an hour and a half. Usually, it takes around three-and-a-half hours to travel between Siliguri and Darjeeling. Contingents of the CRPF and the Indian Reserve Battalion would be deployed at the GNLF meeting venues, the police said. “We will deploy the IRB (Indian Reserve Battalion) and CRPF personnel in possible trouble spots. The CRPF personnel will be deployed in Simulbari, Mirik and Barbotey where the GNLF have got permission to hold meetings,” Agarwal said. Police sources said they apprehend that Morcha and GNLF activists may try to create trouble at each other’s rallies. “The disruption of vehicular movement will affect the tourists the most, especially those who are returning home and have to catch flights and trains (from Bagdogra and New Jalpaiguri),” said a tour operator who did not wish to be named. Pankhabari Road is the a road tourists take to go down to Siliguri. Industry sources said around 7,000-8,000 tourists are in the hills now. Apart from three public meetings, the GNLF supporters will put party flags atop their houses to mark the foundation day. “The party flags will be hoisted at different places throughout the hills tomorrow. We have only scheduled three public meetings at Simulbari, Mirik and Barbotey. Simulbari will probably witness the largest turnout of about 10,000 people,” said Arjun Rai, the convenor of the GNLF’s Mirik unit. The Morcha will also hold a rally in Kalimpong tomorrow.

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United Sikkim bags Ranbir as mascot - Bollywood leading man & Barcelona’s Indian face signs up with Bhaichung

Gangtok, April 3: He is the Indian face of FC Barcelona and now Ranbir Kapoor has become the brand ambassador for Bhaichung’s United Sikkim football club. The Bollywood leading man who unusually promoted soccer, not cricket, in a Pepsi ad last year — the “Change the Game” campaign — wore a United Sikkim jersey at a charity football match at JN Stadium in New Delhi between cricketers and actors on Sunday. United Sikkim co-owner Bhaichung Bhutia said: “Ranbir has agreed to become the brand ambassador for United Sikkim. We are friends and Ranbir has been showing interest in the club since its inception. When I asked him to become the brand ambassador for USFC on Sunday, he agreed and I presented him with the club’s jersey.” Bhaichung added that the star, “would now be supporting and helping the club. Ranbir is a passionate footballer and a heartthrob. He has a huge fan following. We hope his fans would follow our club too.” Ranbir, dressed in the United Sikkim jersey gave a mobile video message for the United Sikkim players on Sunday. “To all the players in United Sikkim, all the best. You guys have a great leader in Bhaichung and I hope you guys take it up.” The club manager Arjun Rai said the video went viral on the official USFC page on Facebook after it was uploaded. Ranbir is not the only celebrity to have shown his support for the Sikkim club. There’s also the Dalai Lama. “Last week, the Dalai Lama also met Bhaichung and signed the club’s jersey. It is a blessing in the true sense,” Rai said. Bhutia said: “We will try to get him for our matches either in Mumbai, Goa or Sikkim. If things work out, Ranbir could be watching our game in Gangtok.” The match in Gangtok is part of the I-League and is scheduled for next month. Ranbir is a football enthusiast and is the Indian ambassador for FC Barcelona, the Spanish football club for which Lionel Messi plays.

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Gurung tone switch as rivals step in

April 3:Gurung at the Mungpoo garden on Wednesday. Picture by Suman Tamang “It is in my hand to further deteriorate the situation. But I do not want to deteriorate it further. We have come to develop the hills and already started working on issues related to health, education and tourism,” Gurung said after opening a flower garden at Mungpoo, 35km from Darjeeling. Observers said the pressure on Gurung, who is the GTA Sabha chief executive, to deliver through the autonomous hill set-up had probably prompted him to soften his stance. “Soon after the relation between Gurung and Mamata Banerjee got strained, the GNLF increased its (political) activity here. The GNLF, despite being rudderless, still commands more support than other political parties in the hills (other than the Morcha). Trinamul is also making inroads in the Dooars and this seems to have put pressure on Gurung to deliver through the GTA,” said a Morcha leader. Gurung, asked today about his strained ties with the Trinamul-led state government, said such things keep happening in politics. “In politics, relations deteriorate at times and the very next time, it can get better. These things happen in politics.” Sources in the party said several Morcha leaders had advised Gurung on the need to iron out the Morcha’s differences with the state government. “We had been impressing upon Gurung on the need to improve our ties with the state government. Till recently, we were getting an impression that he was hurt and it would take time to smoothen the ruffled feathers. His statement today has come as a surprise,” said a Morcha leader who did not wish to be named. In recent weeks, a few hundred Morcha supporters, mostly from the Dooars and Terai, have joined either the GNLF or Trinamul. Although, the Dooars and Terai are not in the GTA’s area of control, they are part of the Morcha’s larger Gorkhaland map. Observers said Gurung may have also kept in mind that the principal secretary to the GTA, who is the drawing and disbursing officer of the hill council, is a state government appointee and straining relations with the state could also hamper development work. In February, Gurung had threatened to resign from the GTA Sabha, but weeks ago he changed his mind. The Morcha, which had announced a series of shutdowns in March, ultimately did not go ahead with the protests after central ministers advised the party leadership to work for the GTA and not disrupt life in the hills. Relations between the Morcha and the state government began a downward slide after January 29 when chief minister Mamata Banerjee said “Darjeeling is a part of us”, triggering statehood slogans at Chowrastha. After Gurung’s statement today, which signals a rapprochement with the state government, Morcha leaders said that they would expect it to reciprocate the gesture so that the GTA and the state administration can function smoothly in the future. Today, the Morcha’s Kalimpong subdivisional committee announced a series of programmes from April 5-11. April 5 is the GNLF’s foundation day and the Morcha is known to announce programmes on that day every year to throw a spanner in the GNLF’s plans. While the GNLF has a flag-raising ceremony on April 5 in Kalimpong, Trinamul is scheduled to hold meetings in the hills on April 7 or 8. Today, when Kumar Chamling, the secretary of the Morcha’s Kalimpong unit, was asked about the timing of the party’s meetings, he said: “We had planned these programmes last month itself but did not go public because we had not received permission from the administration. We don’t plan our programmes on the basis of what other parties are doing or not doing.” The Yuva Morcha, the party’s youth wing, is also supposed to hold a series of public meetings across the hills on April 5. That not all Morcha leaders were happy with the party’s work in the hills was clear today from the resignation of Leo Rai, a working member of the Morcha’s Kalimpong branch. “It is very clear that after the formation of the GTA, the party does not need people who wholeheartedly participated in the agitation. Sabhasads (GTA executive members) are enough do all the work of the party,” he said. Chamling refused to confirm the resignation of another leader, senior Nari Morcha member from Kalimpong Namita Gautam. “I have no information on the subject,” he said. Gautam couldn’t be contacted. At Mungpoo today, Gurung spoke about tourism prospects. “Recently, I visited a place at Nok Dhara in Kalimpong and that place must be developed into a tourist spot as one gets a 360-degree view of the surrounding hills. Even this place (Mungpoo) is very beautiful. I am also scouting for places to set up 25 high schools. We are also focusing on improving healthcare,” he said.

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