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शिक्षक प्रमुखको लापारवाहीको कारण बेहाल अवस्थामा चम्पामाया प्रथमिक पाठशाला

पहाड़को प्रथमिक पाठशालाहरु एका एक बन्द हुनुमा सरकार पक्ष दोषी छ कि शिक्षक-शिक्षिकाहरुको लापारवाही? किन दार्जीलिङ पहाड़को शैक्षिक स्तर दिनोदिन खस्किन्दै गइरहेको छ? प्रथमिक शिक्षा बाल-बालिकाहरुको निम्ति महत्तवपूर्ण हुँदा-हुँदै पनि किन आजसम्म पहाड़को शिक्षा व्यवस्थामा सुधार आउन सकिरहेको छैन?

राजनीति गर्दिनँ भन्नु पनि अर्को राजनीति होः हर्कबहादुर छेत्री

मेरो अधिकारक्षेत्रभित्र पाँच बर्षको लागि जनताको हितको काम गर् भनेर मलाई भोट हालेको हो नि। मलाई थाहा छ यसले जनताको धेरै हित हुन्छ। यसले जनताको हितसँगै पार्टीको पनि हित हुन्छ, आन्दोलनलाई पनि सहयोग पुर्‍याउँछ भनेपछि एकदम निसंकोच भनेर अघि बढ्न सक्छु म। म त्यही काम गर्दैछु।

बघिनी फेरि पुरानै खोरमा

‘समयले मानिसलाई कहाँ कहाँ पुर्‍याउँछ,,,,,,’ कुनै समय रेडियो नेपालबाट बजिरहने यो चर्चित गीतले मान्छेको जीवनमा प्रणयसम्बन्धको आरोह अवरोहले पार्ने प्रभावलाई सुन्दर ढंगले व्याख्या गरेको छ। यो लोकप्रिय गीतको यही एक हरफ कुनै राजनीतिकर्मीको जीवनसँग गाँसेर हेर्दा के उत्तर पाइएला?

साहित्य अनि सर्जकलाई माया गर्ने घिसिङ

80 को दशकमा देशभरिका गोर्खाहरूलाई जातित्वको भावना उत्पन्न गराउने प्रथम नेता सुवास घिसिङको निधनले अहिले घड़ी सम्पूर्ण दार्जीलिङ पहाड़ नै स्तब्ध बनेको छ। गोर्खाहरूका हित अनि अस्तित्वका निम्ति छुट्टै राज्यको बहस लिएर सुवास धिसिङले त्यसताक पहाड़का प्रत्येक गाँऊहरूको भ्रमण गरेका थिए। 22 जुन 1936 सालमा मिरिकको मञ्जु चियाबगानमा जन्म लिएरका सुवास घिसिङले आफ्नो तर्क राख्न एकलै जनसभा गर्थे। घिसिङले सम्पूर्ण गोर्खाहरूलाई एकै शुत्रमा बाँध्न "गोर्खाल्याण्ड" शब्दको जन्म गरेका थिए।

निराश छन् विधायक डा. छेत्री

“बजट सत्रमा के कुराहरू उठान गर्नु पर्ने भन्नेबारे हामीले जीटीएबाट कहिले फिडब्याक पाएका छैनौं” डा छेत्रीले भने। डा हर्कबहादुर छेत्री मोर्चाका प्रवक्ता हुन् अनि कालेबुङका जनप्रतिनिधि। दुइवटा महत्वपूर्ण पदमा बसेका डा छेत्रीलाई अहिलेसम्म जीटीएको बैठकमा निम्ताइएको छैन, पार्टीको राजनैतिक लाइनबारे उनीसँग चर्चा र छलफल नगरिएको त झन कति भयो, उनैलाई हेक्का छैन।

6 Jul 2013

Kalimpong to lose train quota

Kalimpong, July 5: The Northeast Frontier Railways has started withdrawing the manual train ticket quota allotted to Kalimpong citing computerised passenger reservation system at Durpin near here from where tickets for trains running across the country can be booked.
Although the computerised counter at Durpin, 3km from here, has been in existence for many years, the NFR had been running a manual ticketing system here. Kalimpong had been allotted a quota for booking one-way tickets for some trains. “This is a policy decision of the railway board. We will keep manual quota where there is no PRS,” said S. Sengupta, senior commercial manager, NFR. He said the quota would be withdrawn in phases and the process would soon be over. Kalimpong’s manual counter is authorised to sell tickets for 24 trains that originate from or pass through New Jalpaiguri. A quota of seats is fixed for each train. “People can buy tickets of any train in any part of the country through computerised counters. Passengers can also buy return tickets, which they cannot do from manual counters,” Sengupta said. Kalimpong’s quota for Darjeeling Mail that runs between NJP and Sealdah daily is 22 — 16 seats in sleeper class, four in three tier AC and two in two tier AC. Following the decision to phase out the quota, the quota of six AC seats on the train has been withdrawn. The quota of four AC seats in the Rajdhani Mail has also been done away with. The railways have manual ticket counters at Mirik and Bijanbari in Darjeeling and Jorethang in Sikkim and they have been outsourced to private agencies. In Kalimpong, the NFR directly runs the counter. Sengupta said the quota for these places had not been withdrawn since there were no computerised counters in the region. He added that although Kalimpong had a computerised counter at Durpin, the railways could set up a second one depending on

Hill Trinamul to campaign in Dooars

Darjeeling, July 5: The Trinamul Congress has decided to take its leaders from the hills to the Dooars to canvass for the party’s candidates for the panchayat elections in a move to counter Bimal Gurung’s sustained campaign. Trinamul’s decision to deploy the Gorkha leaders of the party on the campaign trail is being seen as an effort to win the support of community members.
The Morcha president has been camping in the plains since June 20 and in the past fortnight, he has criss-crossed almost every nook and corner of the Dooars, which has substantial voters from the Gorkha community. The Gorkhas are the second largest community in the Dooars after the adivasis. Trinamul, which is looking at making major inroads into the Dooars during the rural polls, has drawn up a plan to counter Gurung’s presence in the plains. “The party has decided to send hill leaders to campaign in the Dooars. The list of the hill leaders who will be asked to campaign in the plains will be drawn up after the party holds a public meeting at Gairibas in Jhaldhaka (in Kalimpong subdivision) on Sunday,” said Binny Sharma, the spokesman for Trinamul hill unit. Trinamul has a clear agenda to counter Gurung. “We will tell the Dooars people, especially the Gorkhas, that the GTA Sabha cannot bring about development in the Dooars. The region can grow only through the north Bengal development department and the proposed Dooars Development Authority,” said Sharma. Trinamul leaders want to drive home their point that it makes little sense to support the Morcha since Gurung cannot bring about development. Gurung has been campaigning in the plains assuring his supporters that the hill party has not given up its demand for the inclusion of 391 mouzas of the Dooars and Terai in the GTA. Sharma said: “We are not against the GTA and the state government will provide all support to the hill body. But we want to make it clear to the Dooars people that Gurung’s demand for the inclusion of the plains mouzas is an eye wash and just another election stunt.” Trinamul’s dependence on the leaders from the hills for the campaign in the Dooars betrays the party’s eagerness to garner as many votes as possible. “Although Trinamul has leaders among the Gorkhas in the Dooars, the presence of high-profile people from the community in the party’s hill unit will change the course of the campaign. They can take on Gurung and the Morcha in a better way and make the Gorkhas vote in favour of Trinamul,” said an observer. Gurung has told his supporters in the plains that the party is ready to launch an agitation after the rural polls to demand the inclusion of 391 mouzas in the GTA. A fact verification committee is looking into the recommendation of Justice (retd) Shyamal Sen Committee that only five of the 396 mouzas be brought under the GTA Sabha. The hill party is now demanding that the fact verification committee make a field survey before passing its opinion. The Morcha has tied up with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to contest the rural polls in the plains. The JMM, too, is in favour of including the plains mouzas in the hills, a demand that is unlikely to be fulfilled given the state government’s announcement that a separate development authority would be formed for the Dooars. Of the 13 blocks in Jalpaiguri district, seven are in the Dooars. Around 40 per cent of the 2,346 gram panchayat seats in Jalpaiguri fall in the Dooars. A similar percentage of the 422 panchayat samiti seats are also in the Dooars. The zilla parishad has 37 seats and around 15 of them are in the Dooars.

Sudipta faces jeers

Siliguri, July 5: More than 200 depositors and agents of Saradha Group demonstrated on the premises of the additional chief judicial magistrate’s court here today when Sudipta Sen and Debjani Mukherjee were brought in connection with a case filed at the Siliguri police station.
“The duo were brought to Siliguri from Calcutta today as a case had been registered against the group by a resident of Subhaspally here. The court ordered 14 days’ jail custody for them,” Sudip Roy Basunia, assistant public prosecutor, said. The case was filed by Uma Pal Majumdar who accused the Saradha Group of cheating her after she had invested Rs 1 lakh with the firm. When Sen and Debjani were brought to the court around 10am, few people had gathered there. By 12pm, the crowd swelled to 200 and started abusing the duo. The protesters shouted slogans, blaming Sen and Debjani for their distress. “Today, I am penniless and have a bleak future. My children are living in distress. These two people are responsible for my plight,” said Marjina Begum, an agent of the Saradha Group. She had 30 agents under her and they collected over Rs 1 crore.

Flight skids off taxiway - Air India plane stuck at bagdogra for 7 hrs

Siliguri, July 5: An Air India flight with 110 passengers from New Delhi swerved off the taxiway after it landed at Bagdogra airport this afternoon. The two wheels at the right rear end of the AI 879 flight went off the taxiway when the aircraft was approaching the apron from the runway. Nobody was injured as the plane was moving slowly at the time of the incident. The plane was brought back on the taxiway around 8.45pm, more than seven hours after it had landed at 1.09pm. The return flight, the AI 880, scheduled for 2.05pm, didn’t take off. A total of 163 people had booked for the return flight and the Air India authorities said the plane would take off at 2pm tomorrow. Other flights were not affected by the incident.
“The plane with 110 people on board had landed at 1.09pm. While moving through the taxiway, the right rear wheels of the plane skidded off,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the Bagdogra airport director. He said officials of Air India, Indian Air Force and the Airports Authority of India had rushed to the taxiway immediately after the incident and helped the passengers disembark. “The passengers were taken to the terminal building from where they left for their respective destination. The IAF and Air India authorities are trying to bring the wheels back to the track,” Bhowmik said around 6pm. He added: “Despite the accident, all other flights landed and took off as scheduled.” The airport is under the Indian Air Force. With the return flight to Delhi not taking off even after the scheduled time, the passengers became impatient. Many of them swarmed the Air India counter inquiring about the flight. “There was a total mismanagement at the Air India counter. Although our flight was scheduled to leave at 2.05pm, we were not provided with any information till 5pm. When several passengers shouted near the counter, we were told around 5pm that the flight was being delayed because of technical reasons,” Pooja Oberoi, a Gangtok resident who had come to take the Delhi flight, said over the phone. The passenger said she was supposed to take a connecting flight from Delhi and many had bookings for international flights also. Around 6pm, the passengers, including the elderly, were told that they would be shifted to a hotel in Siliguri. The Air India officials told them that the flight would depart at 2pm tomorrow. Asked about the complaints of mismanagement, an Air India official said on condition of anonymity: “Complaints are common in aviation, particularly when there is cancellation of a flight. We are shifting all the passengers to hotels and would provide them with a flight to Delhi tomorrow.”

2014 को लोकसभा चुनाउमा खडाहुने - प्रो. लामा

कालेबुङ 6 जुलाई आगमी वर्ष 2014मा सम्पन्न हुने लाकसभा चुनाउमा दार्जीलिङ जिल्लालाई प्रतिनिधित्व गर्दै प्रो. महेन्द्र पी लालाले लोकसभा चुनाउको मैदानमा खडा हुने मनाश्य बनाएका छन। दार्जीलिङ जिल्लालाई प्रतिनिधित्व गर्दै साझ-उम्मेद्वरको रुपमा चुनाउ लडने प्रो. लामाले पहाडका विभिन्न पत्र-पत्रिकाहरुलाई आधिकारीकरुपमा जनाएका छन।
सिक्किम विश्वविधालयका संस्थापक उपकूलपतिको पदभार सम्हाली सकेका प्रो. लामा देशको अन्तरिम सुरक्षा परिषदको पमि एकजना सद्सया हुन। हाल उनलाई भारत सरकारले इन्द्रा गान्धी नेशेल ओपन युनिभर्सिटीको सह-उपकूलपतिको पदभार सुम्पेको छ। देशको अर्थनीति अनि सामाजिक विषय-वस्तुहरुमाथि गहणरुपमा चिन्तन गर्ने प्रो. लालाले अब उसो राजनीतिमा प्रवेस गरेर दार्जीलिङको समस्यालाई संसदसम्म पुर्याउने निर्णय लिएका छन।

5 Jul 2013

तातोपानीमा पैह्रो, सडक क्षतिग्रस्त

तातोपानी 5 जुलाई: पश्चिम सिक्किमको तातोपानी क्षेत्रमा गइरहेको पौह्रोले जनजीवन प्रभावित पारेको छ। हिज बेलुकी देखि परेको विषण वर्षाले तातोपानी क्षेत्रमा पैह्रो गएको कारण क्षेत्रको सडकमार्गहरु क्षतिग्रस्त भएको जानकारी प्राप्त भएको छ। जोरथाङ देखि गेजिङसम्म पुग्ने उक्त सडक मार्ग क्षतिग्रस्त भएको कारण आजा बिहानैदेखि यातायात सेवा बन्द भएको छ।
पैह्रोले सडक क्षतिग्रस्त गरेको कारण यात्रीवाहक वहान साथै पर्यटक वहानहरु यस समस्याको चपेटमा परिरहेको जानकारी प्राप्त भएको छ। (Lawrence Pradhan)

NH31D back to state - Highway entrusted to PWD, repairs to proceed

Siliguri, July 4: The Union ministry of road transport and highways has decided to “entrust” the potholed NH31D to the state public works department (PWD) until a proposed four-laning project, stalled because of a land acquisition block, takes off. Entrusting the highway to the PWD would mean the road would be a national highway maintained by the state. The highway, which chief minister Mamata Banerjee in 2012 had refused to take because of its bad condition, would see temporary repairs, according to PWD officials. PWD officials said it would not be possible to relay the road in the monsoon, so only the craters would be filled up now. Nirmal Mondal, the executive engineer of PWD (NH-IX division), said today: “A letter has reached the state government, mentioning that they (the Union ministry) are entrusting the highway to the state PWD. Though a formal gazette notification is required for such a step, considering the spirit of the letter we feel such a notification would be done in due time.” Asked about what this would meant for the highway, he said: “We would, according to the directives of the state, initiate basic repair work, particularly in the Fulbari-Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri-Dhupguri stretch, over a distance of around 70km.” All the places are in Jalpaiguri district. Prior to becoming the national highway, the road was was called state highway 12A. In 2009, it was entrusted to the NHAI for four-laning, at which point it was renamed NH31D. The Union ministry mentioned in the letter that the delay in the four-laning was because of “land acquisition”. Vijay Chibber, a secretary in the Union ministry of road transport and highways (north), in the letter dated June 27 wrote that because of “inordinate delay in land acquisition” for four-laning of NH31D, the highway had been “entrusted to the state PWD”. Mondal said: “Following this letter, we have been asked by the state government to start repair work. As the monsoon has set in, we have decided to carry out only basic repairs. When the monsoon is over, we will go ahead with thorough repairs.” While residents of north Bengal would get temporary respite, the four-laning project would remain stuck unless the state is able to acquire and hand over 808 acres to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Since last year, state ministers and the NHAI have held long-winding debates over the repairs. The NHAI wanted to begin four-laning work and did not see the point in carrying out repairs, while the state pressured the highway authority to repair the road first. According to PWD sources, a meeting was held in January between the NHAI chairman and the state chief secretary on the highway issue. The chief secretary mentioned the deplorable condition of the highway after which a cost estimation was sought from the PWD for basic repairs. “We have sent an estimate of Rs 97 crore that is required for repairs. It was forwarded to NHAI officials in Calcutta, who revised it to Rs 78 crore and sent it to Delhi,” Mondal said. In the letter the Union ministry sent to the state, it has been mentioned that the ministry was “processing the proposal with priority”. “It seems that the ministry would sanction the funds. If necessary, funds for the repairs would be allocated from the state,” Mondal said. Private bus and truck operators had held a one-day strike last month to protest the pathetic condition of the highway. In Alipurduar, most private bus owners have taken their vehicles off the highway for the last three months because of wear and tear the buses have suffered. Commuters are equally hassled as the lack of buses mean dependence on smaller private vehicles. Local trains in some parts of north Bengal, such as Dhupguri and Mainaguri in Jalpaiguri district, are few. In Mathabhanga subdivision of Jalpaiguri, there is no rail network, making people here totally dependent on buses. The NHAI, sources said, has selected prospective bidders for four-laning of the highway for which a sum of around Rs 2,200 crore has been sanctioned. The highway authority has sought proposals from the bidders. “A request for proposals has been sought from them. They need to submit it by August 8, after which the agreement for awarding work would be made,” an NHAI official said. The NHAI had earlier given data to the Union ministry of economic affairs that showed that nearly 70 per cent of the land required for four-laning of the NH31D was available, but because of problems over 327 hectares (808 acres), the project could not start. The total land required to make the highway four-lane is 1,072 hectares (2,648 acres). The total length of NH31D is around 155km and it starts from Ghoshpukur near Siliguri and ends at Salsalabari along the Assam border. In other parts of the country work on the east-west corridor from Gujarat to Assam, of which NH31D is a part, is almost complete. The Bengal government’s hands-off land acquisition policy, which has stalled several other projects in south Bengal, has also affected this one.

4 Jul 2013

Hill first step on water supply cure

Darjeeling, July 3: The Darjeeling municipality has signed a memorandum of agreement with the state government to revamp the drinking water distribution in the civic area. The Rs 192-crore project will be implemented once the Centre gives its nod for the funds. Amar Singh Rai, the chairman of the Darjeeling municipality, said according to the memorandum of agreement signed with the state urban development department in Calcutta recently, the Centre would be approached to provide 80 per cent of the funds for the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. According to the project report, the municipality would construct 30 water tanks to cover all 32 municipality wards of Darjeeling. “The project also entails setting up of 14 pumping stations, relaying the entire water pipe line network and introducing water meters both for commercial and domestic purposes,” Rai said. “According to the agreement, the state government will give 15 per cent of the grant, while five per cent of the total cost will be borne by the Darjeeling municipality. The state government will approach the Centre for the remaining 80 per cent of the funds,” Rai said. “The ground work has been done and the state government is looking at getting funds under the urban integrated development scheme for small and medium towns. This scheme falls under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The detailed project report has already been finalised,” Rai added. The civic body has decided to streamline the Darjeeling water distribution system as it is currently in a complete mess. The present water supply network was laid in the 1930s and 1940s and has become haphazard over years with the addition of new connections. Moreover, there are no metres for both private and commercial buildings at present. “We are of the opinion that almost 40 per cent of the water lines in the town are illegal. Once the system is revamped, we are confident there will be no illegal connections in the town. A proper system would also ensure that water will flow evenly to all consumers,” Rai said. At the moment, there are complaints that during summer, some houses get water almost all day, while the supply is available to others only once a week. The civic body is taking the initiative to revamp the distribution network at a time the Balasun drinking water project is nearing completion. The Rs 55.86-crore Balasun project was first mooted in the early 1990s to rid Darjeeling of its perennial water scarcity. The foundation of the project was laid on February 19, 2006, and the commissioning was delayed because of several factors. The state’s public health engineering department, which is supervising the scheme, had earlier cited political instability in the hills and the failure to obtain a no-objection certificate from the army to lay pipes in the military areas of Jalapahar and Kattapahar in Darjeeling as reasons for the delay. “The army has already given its permission to lay water pipes in its area. There is a slight modification and pipes will now be laid through the Alubari road, instead of the road leading to the army cantonment at Jalapahar. The work is currently on and the project should be completed within a few months,” said Rai. The Balasun project has been envisaged to supply two million gallons of water a day to Darjeeling from the Balasun river through two pumping stations. The project is supposed to ensure the supply for 16 hours a day. The Balasun water will be first pumped to two lakes at Senchel, from where it will flow to three reservoirs, two in St Paul’s area and one at Rockville. Of the three reservoirs, two are already part of the present distribution system. The third one is being built in St Paul’s area.

Shriniwas Patil has been named the new governor of Sikkim

New Delhi, (PTI) July 3: Shriniwas Patil has been named the new governor of Sikkim. President Pranab Mukherjee appointed 72-year-old Patil today. He will succeed Balmiki Prasad Singh, whose term ends this month. Patil has represented Maharashtra’s Karad in the Lok Sabha and is a former IAS officer.

MLA ready for probe

Siliguri, July 3: Siliguri MLA and former Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority chairman Rudranath Bhattacharya today said he was ready to face any inquiry into the corruption charges levelled against him by the Left Front and the Congress. Bhattacharya, who had been the SJDA chief from July 2011 to March 2013, was accused of corruption after Trinamul minister Gautam Deb exposed a case where SJDA engineers in connivance with private construction firms allegedly siphoned off Rs 50 crore in the name of building electric crematoriums and sewerage treatment plants. Three SJDA engineers and four officials from two firms were arrested. “I am ready to face any inquiry in connection with the corruption reported in the SJDA. Since I assumed office, I tried to maintain transparency. That is why the corruption was exposed so easily,” Bhattacharya said today. The Left Front and the Congress had sought CBI inquiry and Bhattacharya’s arrest. Yesterday, Congress leaders demonstrated at the SJDA with the same demand.

3 Jul 2013

Flight time buffer for travellers - How fliers to and from Bagdogra will benefit from night-landing

Siliguri, July 2: The IAF’s assent to Bagdogra airport to keep the facility running till 10pm would have direct consequences for residents and travellers to Siliguri as well as other parts of north Bengal and Sikkim. Here’s what Metro found out. Travel time Air passengers coming to Bagdogra from Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kishanganj in Bihar would be benefited the most because of the night landing. If a traveller from Gangtok has to board a noon flight, he has to leave Gangtok by 5.30am. After 3.45pm, no flights depart from Bagdogra, so the luxury of taking an evening flight was not available. That will change. Passengers coming down from the hills will be able to opt for late afternoon and evening flights. No need to wake up at 5am at home for a flight that will leave seven hours later. For Siliguri residents, travel time from the town to Bagdogra is 40 minutes. Cancellation grief During monsoon and winter, flights from other places to Bagdogra are often cancelled, not just delayed, if the weather is bad in those cities. Kavita Sharma, a resident of Sikkim, highlighted this. “We have faced inconveniences while travelling from Delhi and Calcutta to Bagdogra. The flights, because of technical reasons or bad weather in these metros, got delayed first and then they would be cancelled as they would not land in Bagdogra in the evening.” Chances of this happening would reduce now. Bagdogra does not have a hangar so a flight here also departs the same day. As the closing time of the airport is 6pm, the last flight generally departs by 3.45pm. As of now, five airlines, including Air India, operate from Bagdogra Airport staff The airport will require more CISF personnel for security, a matter that Alapan Bandopadhyay, the state transport secretary, discussed with airport officials today. Bandopadhyay held a meeting with K.K. Bhowmik, the airport’s director, officials of the CISF who man the entry and exits of the airport along with senior officers of the Darjeeling district administration and representatives of airline companies. “As of now, we have around 140 employees of the AAI and the CISF. I will write to my superiors, seeking adequate manpower to work after the extension of hours. The Union civil aviation ministry would then communicate with the Union home ministry for additional CISF personnel,” Bhowmik said. “It would take a few more weeks before the first flight in the evening lands or take off from Bagdogra.” The state transport secretary, while speaking on the issue, said to expedite the process of providing additional manpower, the state government will also write to the concerned ministries. Sources at the airport said owners of shops and restaurants and transporters who run airport services have also started looking for people. “Everybody, right from a restaurant owner to the transporter needs additional people to work in shifts. This is a good scope for local youths as employment opportunities would be created,” a source said. Flights In course of the meeting with Bandopadhyay, sources said, the airlines said that they had plans to introduce new flights but no decision had been reached. “We have learnt that one of the airlines is planning a flight to Kathmandu from Bagdogra, another is interested to start a flight to Ahmedabad via Calcutta from Bagdogra,” an official who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity. “Also, inquiries have been made by other private airlines that are interested to operate from Bagdogra.” Night-landing The airport does not have the instrument landing system (ILS) — the air force plans to instal it soon. In its absence, the IAF, which provides all navigational aid for landing and take-off, will use the Precision Approach Radar (PAR) system. “Now that the written communication has been made to AAI, it is evident that navigation aid would be provided to them till 10pm,” a highly-placed source in the IAF said today. “Regarding landing at evening hours, the IAF can use its Precision Approach Radar (PAR) technology, which is similar to the ILS.” “The ILS, which is a sophisticated landing system, would be installed by the IAF in Bagdogra in due time,” the source added. What is PAR? Aviation experts said precision approach is a landing process used to operate aircraft where there is no ILS. “The precision approach is a system in which the aircraft is monitored by the air traffic control (ATC) through the radar,” said an official at Calcutta airport. At a particular height in the sky, the aircraft, approaching to land, is first aligned with the centreline of the runway by verbal communication. “Then for every mile the aircraft is descending, the ATC personnel guide the pilot by informing the altitude and angle of flying till it lands,” he said. Officials said this system of landing was not in use for commercial aircraft for several decades. “So commercial pilots need special training,” said an official. Inclement weather Night landing using the PAR would not be possible in inclement weather, an AAI official had said yesterday. For that, installing the ILS would be necessary. In case of bad weather conditions in Bagdogra, flights may continue to get cancelled.

2 Jul 2013

Rivals set same venue for Martyrs’ Day

Darjeeling, July 1: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the GNLF have both decided to observe Martyrs’ Day at the same venue in Mirik on July 27. Neither of the parties has sought permission from the Darjeeling district administration yet to hold the memorial service at the martyr’s column in Mirik. There are obvious law-an-order issues that the administration would have in mind, given a recent skirmish between the Morcha and the GNLF. “Let us wait and watch as no party has sought permission,” said a district official. The women’s wing of the GNLF will organise the event in Mirik, said party sources. The Morcha has been conducting the memorial event at the same place since 2008 and the party has said there won’t be any change of plan this year. Since 1988, when the DGHC was formed, the GNLF has been marking July 27 as Martyrs’ Day to pay obeisance to hill people who had died in the violent movement for Gorkhaland led by Subash Ghisingh from 1986 to 1988. The GNLF claims that 1,200 people had died in the 28-month agitation. However, after the emergence of the Morcha in October 2007, the GNLF was unable to observe the Martyrs’ Day as its leaders were almost hounded out of the hills. The Morcha has been marking the day across the hills since 2008 and in Mirik, the martyr’s column is where the hill party did their memorial meeting. For the first time since 2007, the GNLF has decided to mark the day across the hills this year. The GNLF has been trying to rebuild its base in Mirik and Kurseong, a matter that has not gone unnoticed by the Morcha. Yesterday, a group of GNLF activists alleged that Morcha supporters chased their vehicle in Kurseong and assaulted them after they tried to organise a meeting in the subdivision. Three Morcha supporters and a GNLF activist were arrested today in connection with the violence. Laadup Ghisingh, a GNLF spokesman, said: “We have already carried out a campaign to clean the martyr’s column, situated at Krishna Nagar in Mirik. The Gorkha National Women Organisation has decided to organise the Martyrs’ Day at the venue on July 27 from 10am onwards and representatives of the party’s other frontal organisations will also be present.” Laadup said the party had not organised the event all these years as the Morcha was claiming to be the champion of Gorkhaland. “They (Morcha) said they would get Gorkhaland but now they have settled for the GTA Sabha and have forgotten the statehood issue. We are trying to get Gorkhaland through the Sixth Schedule status. We are committed to the statehood demand and that is why we have decided to mark Martyrs’ Day,” said Laadup. The Morcha also vowed to hold the memorial event in front of the same martyr’s column.“Since we have been holding a event near the martyr’s column since the formation of the party, we have no plan to make a change in our programme this year,” said Phoebe Rai, a Morcha leader from Mirik and GTA Sabha member from the area. Laadup said the GNLF would seek permission to hold the event soon. “We have already adopted a resolution to organise the event. We will also mobilise our supporters who have enlisted in the village protection cell,” said Laadup. Village protection cells are voluntary wings of the GNLF in which youths are enlisted to ensure the protection of their cadres during the party’s public meetings

Bail for Gurung in Dooars case

July 1: Bimal Gurung and four leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today got interim bail from the Jalpaiguri district and sessions court in a case of violence in the Dooars. Somnath Pal, the public prosecutor, said on January 16, 2009, the case was registered against Gurung, who is the Morcha chief, party general secretary Roshan Giri, Gurung’s wife and Nari Morcha leader Asha, as well as Ramesh Alley and Binay Tamang. Charges under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 307 (attempt to murder) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty) of IPC and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, were brought against them and 3,000 supporters of the Morcha, the public prosecutor said. According to a police source, on January 16, 2009, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad had called a strike in the Dooars to prevent Morcha supporters from entering the region. To prevent any clash, the Jalpaiguri district administration had imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC. “Thousands of Morcha supporters, however, violated the order and entered the Dooars from Gorubathan in Kalimpong. This led to a clash between the Morcha workers, Parishad activists and the police. Police vehicles were ransacked, policemen got injured in the clash,” the source said. “Police had to resort to lathicharge, fire two rounds of rubber bullets and use tear gas. It was in this case that names of the five Morcha leaders were included along with party supporters,” the source added. None of the five was arrested, though.

IAF nod for Bagdogra night landing - Flights allowed to land & take off till 10pm, says airport director

Siliguri, July 1: The Indian Air Force today informed the airport director of Bagdogra that it would allow the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to use the runway of the airport for night landing till 10pm, an extension of four hours. “We have received a communication from the Indian Air Force authorities today, mentioning that they are ready to let us use the runway till 10pm. It is good news for all of us as we have been trying over the years for introduction of night landing facilities at the airport,” said K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director of Bagdogra. “Tomorrow, we will communicate this development to all commercial airlines as well as to our superiors at AAI offices,” he said. The Bagdogra airport, which caters to air passengers across north Bengal, neighbouring Sikkim and parts of Bihar, is open till 6pm. There have been night landings and take-offs, but those have been limited to VIPs or in cases of emergencies. The runway of Bagdogra airport is maintained by the IAF but its buildings are in the charge of the AAI. Before passenger planes began landing here, the facility was an air force station and a part of it continues to be so. Several defence jets take off from Bagdogra every day. “The assent from the IAF is a major development, considering the growing importance of Bagdogra as a hub for tourist movement. We are hopeful that once the communiqué is passed to airlines, they would soon announce night flights. It would largely benefit the tourism and other sectors across north Bengal,” Bhowmik said. The demand to introduce night landing facilities in Bagdogra is a longstanding one. “The erstwhile Left government did not do anything to address the demand. However, as our government was formed in the state, the chief minister herself took up the issue with the Centre and discussed regularly with officials of the Union civil aviation ministry as well as with the ministers,” said north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb. “We put in our best efforts to obtain the assent of the IAF and finally, the permission had reached the AAI,” said Deb. As of now, 160-165 flights operate every week from Bagdogra. In the last fiscal ending in March 2013, around 8 lakh passengers have travelled via Bagdogra, AAI sources said. Last year, IAF sources had said that as a part of its modernisation of airfield infrastructure, it would install an instrument landing system (ILS) in Bagdogra. The project is likely to be completed in the current year. Airport director Bhowmik said: “There is necessary infrastructure and we are in a position to cater to flights operating after dark. The ILS, once implemented, would surely be an added advantage, particularly during inclement weather.” Representatives of the tourism industry in north Bengal have welcomed the step. “It is indeed good news for us. We thank both the state and Centre and agencies concerned for making this facility possible in Bagdogra,” said Tapas Roy, the general secretary of Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.

30 Jun 2013

Ready-in-May reply to delay charge Vindicated, says Mira

Calcutta, June 29: State election commissioner Mira Pande today said the poll panel had been prepared to hold the panchayat elections in April or May this year, making it clear it would not take the blame for the delay. “We were ready to conduct the elections in April or May,” Pande told a news conference. Asked whether the commission felt vindicated by yesterday’s apex court order that accepted most of its key demands, she said: “To an extent, yes. We had taken a stand — what we believed in — and it was upheld by the apex court.” The court has rescheduled the polls to five phases, to be conducted in the presence of central forces between July 11 and 25. The date of counting, not fixed by the court, is yet to be decided but Pande indicated it would be July 28 or 29. The ruling Trinamul is concerned that the new dates fall in the month of Ramazan and has said the Supreme Court could be approached to reschedule the polls before or after the Muslim holy month. “The Supreme Court verdict is very clear and we are all bound to abide by it,” Pande said. “The point about Ramadan was raised in court yesterday. The apex court did not give any direction in this regard. We have to go by the order.” Asked if it was possible to conduct the polls during Ramazan as a sizeable number of voters, candidates and polling personnel are Muslim and would be fasting, Pande pointed out that offices stay open during the holy month. “The process has not coincided with a particular festival day. Offices remain open during Ramazan,” she said. Pande today conducted a string of meetings with her own officials and co-ordinated with district administrations on the matter of poll preparedness. She is scheduled to hold an all-party meeting on Tuesday. Asked whether she was scared or concerned at the death threats reaching her office, Pande said: “No. Very clear answer.” The state home department has launched a probe into the threat messages. “I have not asked for anything to be done about it. I have not sought extra security cover,” Pande said. However, under instructions from state home secretary Basudeb Banerjee, the special branch of Calcutta police has been asked to draw up a security plan for Pande.