Teesta residents form NKVGS to pursue block demand

KALIMPONG

20 Nov 2013

Political parties in Teesta town and its surroundings have joined hands demanding the formation of a Block Development Office in town. Residents, along with party workers, have formed a ‘Nav Khand Vikas Gathan Samiti’ to take their demand before the government. The Samiti comprises parties such as the GJM, TMC, GNLF, CPRM and apolitical organisations such as the Biswakarma Samaj, Fulbari Sahitya Samiti, Workers Union, Nav Yuva Sikhar Sangathan, Pragati Samaj, Believer Church, Celan Christian Society, Forest Village Organisation, Mangar Samaj and Janmukti Workers Union. Samiti convener Krishna Budathoki today submitted a deputation to the Kalimpong SDO and BDO.

A team consisting of Budathoki, Dilip Prasad, Fulbari Sahitya Samiti secretary Vishal Rai, CPRM leader Santosh Pradhan and others met SDO Radhika Aiyer in her office and submitted a deputation demanding recognition of Teesta as a Block Development Centre. They have further demanded a merger of the Teesta Gram Panchayat, Takling (1) and (2) Gram Panchayats, Rambi Gram Panchayat and Lamahatta Gram Panchayat. The delegation members argued their area has facilities such as a primary health centre, higher secondary school and police station making it eligible to have a Block Development Centre. They added that as Kalimpong is located near Teesta, the latter’s residents can access it easily during times of emergency.

The SDO has assured to place the demands before higher authorities for necessary action. At the same time, team member Dilip Prasad warned the Samiti will start an agitation if the administration fails to come up with a positive decision.

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3-tier rural body tops Morcha list - Hill party to demand amendments to GTA Act during talks with Centre and state

Nov. 19: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will demand a three-tier panchayat system in the GTA area during talks with the state tomorrow and tripartite discussions on November 21, party general secretary Roshan Giri said today.

The party would also seek 29 amendments to the GTA Act in the meeting with the state government tomorrow so that the autonomous body runs in a proper way.

Giri said the implementation of the three-tier panchayat system in the GTA area would be one of the important issues to feature in the talks.

“We will also raise other issues like the transfer of reserved forests to the GTA and granting of scheduled tribe status to all Gorkhas barring the scheduled caste at both the bipartite and tripartite meetings,” he said.

Giri, Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma and GTA executive member R.B. Bhujel will represent the Morcha in the tripartite talks. Giri and Sharma will attend the bipartite meeting.

The Darjeeling hills had only two tiers of the rural administration system — gram panchayats and panchayat samitis — when the DGHC was in place. The Centre had amended Article 243M of the Constitution in 1992 to put in place the two-tier system.

However, elections were held only to the panchayats in 2000. Former hill affairs minister Asok Bhattacharya said that in 2000 there was a dispute between Subash Ghisingh and the state government on the jurisdiction and functions of the panchayat samitis in the hills.

“Therefore, it was decided that the polls to the panchayat samitis would be held later after the differences were sorted out. But, ultimately, neither the state nor Ghisingh took the initiative to hold the panchayat samiti polls,” said the former minister.

Since 2005, the elections haven’t been held either to the gram panchayats or the panchayat samitis as Ghisingh feared that the GNLF would not win because of his dwindling popularity. That was why he demanded the Sixth Schedule status for the hills so that he could show up something before the electorate.

The GTA area has 112 gram panchayats.

Experts said if the Centre agrees to implement the three-tier system in the GTA area, it would not happen in a hurry because it would require a constitutional amendment.

With regard to the demand for the transfer of the reserved forests to the GTA, the Morcha believes it should not be difficult for the Centre to do so since there is already a precedence of autonomous bodies in other parts of the country being handed over reserved forests.

“Reserved forests have been transferred to the Bodoland Territorial Council and Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council in Assam and similar bodies elsewhere in the north eastern states,” said Giri.

The Morcha leader said the party would seek 29 amendments to the GTA Act to ensure complete autonomy of the hill body and its smooth functioning.

Among the important amendments sought by the Morcha are reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the GTA and quota for both the communities in GTA jobs.

“Our stress is on ensuring full autonomy of the GTA and non-interference by the state in its functioning,” said Giri.

The Morcha will also demand the withdrawal of cases registered against party activists by the state government between 2007 and 2011.

A Morcha source said demands for the regularisation of jobs of more than 6,000 ad hoc workers at the GTA and the formulation of rules of procedure and conduct of business of the hill body would also be taken up at the bipartite meeting.

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Sitaram Yechury to attend CPM prog in Darjeeling next month

Darjeeling

18 Nov 2013

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury will participate in the 100th birth anniversary programme of former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu to be organised in the Darjeeling hills on December 3 by the party’s Darjeeling district committee.

CPM leaders from the district were upbeat about the veteran leader’s visit.

“We have decided to hold a programme on December 3 to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of our former comrade and chief minister. We took the decision at a meeting today in Darjeeling. Politburo member Yechury has also given his consent to attend the programme and speak on the political life of Basu and also about the present political scenario in the hills,” said CPM Darjeeling district committee acting secretary Jibesh Sarkar.

The day’s meeting, held at the CPM Darjeeling party office, was also attended by members of the district’s zonal and local committees of the Kalimpong unit.

“The programme will be held at the Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan hall and we will invite representatives of various political parties barring those of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP,” said Sarkar, stating the CPM’s ideologies with those of the two parties are entirely opposite.

Speaking at a press conference called after the meeting, Sarkar came down heavily on the TMC. “We do not support the dictatorial attitude of the TMC and condemn the use of police pressure on the people here. We believe any problem can be solved through dialogue and that is what they should do,” said the CPM leader, adding his party would raise its voice on the illegal and undemocratic arrests of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration members and rejections of bail pleas.

“They (sabhasads) are individuals elected with the consent of the state and central governments. The arrests show the TMC-led state government is only worried about its political gain and not the common people. If GTA members can be arrested at will and without valid reasons, what will happen to the common public?” questioned Sarkar.

Speaking about the Darjeeling hills, the CPI (M) district committee acting secretary said, “Our party has always wanted maximum regional autonomy for this place. Our leaders, including Yechury, have raised the issue in Parliament and also demanded the inclusion of Darjeeling into the North East Council (NEC) besides declaring the region a tax free zone. Our former chief minister had always worked for the development of the hills.”

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भारतमा पनि नेपाली कविता संग्रहको दोस्रो संस्करण, ‘घाउका रङहरू’ पुन शहरमा

Pradip Lohagun 

कालेबुङ, 18 नोभेम्बर (प्रदीप)ः लगभग छःबर्षपछि लामो कविताकृति ‘घाउका रङहरू’-को दोस्रो संस्करण निकाल्न सकेको सुखद घटनाले यतिबेला यसका सर्जक मनोज बोगटी अनि प्रकाशक उपेश उपमा दुवै दंग छन।

असीमित सपनाहरू लिएर झण्डै एक दशक अघि सिन्कोना कमानबाट कालेबुङ छिरेका यी दुइ युवकहरूको पहिलो कृति थियो घाउका रङहरू। त्योबेला युवाकविका रुपमा भर्खरै चर्चामा आउन थालेका मनोज बोगटीको पहिलो पुस्तकाकार कृति थियो यो अनि प्रकाशकका रुपमा पनि उपमा प्रकाशनका संस्थापक उमेश थापाको पहिलो भेँट यही थियो। आज आफ्ना सीमित शुभचिन्तक र पत्रकार साथीहरूलाई भेला पारेर अति सामान्य तरिकाले यो कृतिको लोकार्पण गरिरहँदा कवि र प्रकाशक दुवैको अनुहारमा छः बर्ष अघिको त्यही पुरानो खुशी दोहोरिरहेको थियो।छोटोछरितो अनौपचारिक किसिमको कार्यक्रममा कथाकार सञ्जय विष्टसहितका शुभचिन्तकहरूले यसको लोकार्पण गरेका थिए। छरितो आकार र आकर्षक कलेवरमा निकालिएको यो कृतिको दोस्रो संस्करण प्रकाशमा आएको कुरालाई कथाकार सञ्जय विष्टले ठूलै घटना माने। “भारतमा नेपाली कविताकृतिको दोस्रो संस्करण निस्किनु भनेको ठूलो कुरा हो। सर्जक र प्रकाशक दुवैलाई मेरो बधाई” लोकर्पणको औपचारिकता निर्वाह गर्दै कथाकार विष्टले भने। पहिलो चोटी 2008 मा प्रकाशित यो कविताकृतिले 2012को युवा अकादमी पुरस्कार जितेपछि यसको चर्चा र माग झनै बढेको छ। पहिलो संस्करण ठामठिम भएपछि किताबको माग गर्ने आफ्ना पाठक र शुभचिन्तकहरूसँग पन्सिँदै हिँडिरहेका थिए कवि मनोज बोगटी। “यसले पुरस्कार पाएपछि किताब सोध्नेहरूले मलाई हैरान पारेका थिए। किताब थिएन, यसकारण उनीहरूलाई सन्तोष गर्ने उत्तर थिएन। दोस्रो संस्करण ती पाठकहरूको निम्ति उत्तर हो मेरो” कवि बोगटीले दोस्रो संस्करण निकाल्ने अभिप्राय खुलाउँदै भने। पत्रकारितालाई पेशा बनाएर कालेबुङमा जीवन धानिरहेका यी युवाकविले लोकार्पणको कार्यक्रमलाई अवसर पारेर आफ्नो पुरानो दिनहरूको सम्झना पनि साझा गरेका थिए। “शुरुमा गाउँबाट कालेबुङ आउँदा मलाई व्यवस्थित पार्ने उमेश उपमा नै थिए। हामी दुवै सिन्कोनाबारीबाट आएका थियो। त्योबेला उनी जानकारी डटकम भन्ने पत्रिका चलाउथे। पछि उनी प्रकाशन संस्थानतिर लागे, म पत्रकारिता र कवितालेखनतिर। 2008-मा घाउक रंगहरू उमेशले नै छापे। यही कृतिले युवा अकादमी पुरस्कार पाउँदा मभन्दा धेर खुशी हुने उमेश नै थिए” बोगटीले भने। कार्यक्रममा पत्रकार अनिल तेलैजा, प्रदीप लोहागुण, मणि तामाङ, छेवाङ योञ्जन, ताइक्वाण्डो खेलाडी सुसन थापा आदि सहभागी थिए। कवि बोगटीले आफ्ना अन्य कृतिहरूमध्ये यसैले पुरस्कार पाउएको घटनालाई संयोग मात्र बताएका छन। आफ्नो मान्यता खुलाउँदै तिनले भने, ‘यो किताब विचार र जीवनलाई जोड्ने क्रममा स्वतस्फूर्त लेखिएको थियो। जुन केन्द्रिय मुद्दालाई कविताका हरफहरूले सम्बोधन गरेका छन्, यसले मान्यताप्राप्त साहित्यिक मठ साहित्य अकादमीसित संवाद गर्नु नै यस कृतिको सफलता हो। घाउका रङहरूबाहेक तिनको बिम्बगोष्टी, गीतको रिस, पसिनाको छाला अनि आँखा बाहिर कविताकृतिहरू प्रकाशमा आइसकेका छन।

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