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A C C U R A T E
CMYK
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C R E D I B L E
VOL 9 No 218 RNI No: SIKENG/2006/18384
GANGTOK, TUESDAY 21 APRIL 2015
BJP dharna against govt Lepcha appointees kicks off dharna
on eve of Amit Shah visit
HM Correspondent
Gangtok, Apr 20: High drama unfolded outside the East
District Collector’s office
here as BJP state unit workers shouted slogans protesting the removal of party flags
and posters by police in and
around the capital ahead of
national president Amit
Shah’s maiden Sikkim visit.
The saffron party members alleged that posters
welcoming Shah’s visit slated for Tuesday were removed despite having verbal permissions from the
Collector and Superintendent of Police (East). Posters welcoming Shah and
another central leader Ram
Madhav were being pasted
in various places across the
BJP ready to petition
poll panel against TMC,
says has evidences
capital since Sunday.
“Though he denied a written authorization, the DC
had given us verbal permission after which we pasted
the posters. But the police
have been pulling them down
since Sunday,” said state unit
functionary Padam Sharma.
Sharma also charged the
SDF led government of conspiring against the central
Chamling rues lack of
strong civil society in state
HM Report
Gangtok, Apr 20: Calling for
greater participation and belongingness among the citizens for taking the state forward, Chief Minister Pawan
Chamling Monday opined
that the government alone is
pushing the state because of
a weak civil society.
“We all are gripped by
third world mentality like ‘me’
sans any ownership. Employees aren’t doing their
duties properly and rather
involved in other part time
business while some are
busy in pity politics. People
have become dependent as
the government manages
everything. Nobody comes
forth with suggestion for the
development and betterment
of the state, nor have I received any appreciation during over two decades of
rule,” remarked Chamling
while addressing the inaugural function of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Tashi
Namgyal Academy (TNA)
here
He also appealed to everyone, particularly the students to support and cooperate with the State Government to make Sikkim
poverty free, illiteracy free
and carbon free. He also
paid tribute to the Chogyal
Sir Tashi Namgyal, the
Chogyal Palden Thondup
Namgyal and the founder
members of this prestigious
institution.
Students studying under
the Chief Minister Merit
Scholarship Bhawani Sharma
and Bed Prasad Giri recited
the poem composed by CM
in his 70s and their own poem
also. Chamling also donated
Rs. 5 lakhs to the school and
visited the Golden Jubilee
Arts and Craft Exhibition
Cum Sale stalls.
ferred subject the recruitment
process should have been
done by the GTA and not the
administration. Lendup Lepcha one of the para teacher
appointed today said despite the government issuing an appointment letter
they are still unemployed.
Siliguri, Apr 20: The Bengal state BJP unit is upfront
to file complaints with the
state election Commission
(SEC) by Tuesday and also
meet the governor on Friday.
Siddharth Nath Singh, the
party’s in charge for Bengal
on the sidelines campaigning
for BJP candidates in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation
(SMC) poll fray Monday said
they have evidences of ruling Trinamool Congress creating widespread violence
during the KMC polls. The
SMC polls are slated for April
25 while the KMC poll was
held last Saturday.
“We suspect that the
pools would also not be fair
in other parts of the state,”
rued Singh speaking to journalists here today. “The
TMC terror in the KMC polls
was evident. So while making full use of our democratic rights we are ready to
lodge complain with the SEC.
On April 24 we will meet the
governor with all the evidences,” added the leader.
Singh said that the TMC
is worried for losing the polls
and their nervousness has
been exposed with the act of
violence they have done.
Singh is one of the top rank
leaders to hit the campaign
for the SMC polls here since
Sunday setting the stage for
high profile campaigners for
the election. Darjeeling Lok
Sabha MP S. S. Ahluwalia
has already been meeting
voters since last week-end for
his party candidates. Senior
BJP leader Sahanaz Hussain
campaigned here on Sunday.
Locket Chatterjee has already campaigned for two
days while the party’s another star campaigner Rupa Ganguly is likely to arrive here
for campaign on Tuesday.
Party sources said Lok Sabha MP, Babul Supriyo is also
likely to campaign at the last
leg of the campaign.
The TMC despite facing
allegations interestingly is
not leaving any stone unthrown for campaigning.
While Bhaichung Bhutia hit
the campaign fray on Monday, Bollywood beauties
Zeenat Aman and Mahima
Choudhury is expected to
campaign in the next few
days for TMC. Deb the
TMC’s Lok Sabha MP and
Bengali film actor is among
the star campaigners that
also include Soveb Deb
Chatterjee and Partha Chatterjee.
New Delhi, Apr 20: A combative Rahul Gandhi here on
Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of
"weakening farmers" to the
benefit of industrialists with
the land bill ordinance,
mounting his second successive attack since returning from 56-day leave of absence.
Parliamentary Affairs
Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu,
however, rubbished the Congress vice-president's allegations, reminding him that it
was due to the difference in
its "words and deeds" in the
past that his party was today sitting in the opposition.
Attacking the Modi government on issues concerning farmers in the Lok Sabha
during the discussion on
agrarian situation in the
country, Rahul Gandhi ad-
vised Modi to visit them to
empathise with them in their
distress caused by loss of
crops due to unseasonal
rains.
Earlier in the day, the government tabled the re-promulgated land ordinance in
the house amid protests. The
Congress and Trinamool
Congress staged a walkout
over the issue.
Congress president Sonia
Gandhi met farmers at her residence to listen to their concerns about the new land bill
later in the day. Sonia Gandhi, who was not present in
the Lok Sabha when Rahul
Gandhi spoke, later expressed satisfaction at his
speech.
Rahul Gandhi made repeated attacks on the government, saying it was "hurt-
ing" about 60
percent of the
people who
were dependent
on agriculture.
"One thing is
clear, your government is ignoring problems of farmers,
not listening to
labourers. It is
government of
industrialists. We know
this, you also know it...
Your government is of big
people. It is government of
suited-booted people," he
said.
Rahul Gandhi, who repeatedly referred to Modi as
"your prime minister",
sought to give the
Bharatiya Janata Party leader some suggestions. "Sixty percent people are farmers and labourers. He
(Modi) will gain politically if
he changes his side."
"You are hurting the farmers and in the coming times
they will hurt you. The biggest strength is in the hands
of farmers and labourers,"
he said.
Referring to Congressled United Progressive Alliance government's steps to
benefit farmers, including
appointees here. It is a matter of 46 families. Now where
do we go for justice,” questioned a frustrated Pemba
Lepcha, a resident of Kashyong area here. The appointees have made it clear that
their agitation would be intensified in the coming days.
Two Bhutanese arrested
with leopard skin, bones
Jalpaiguri, Apr 20: Two
Bhutanese nationals were
arrested by officials of
Baikunthapur forest department late Sunday night on
charges of smuggling wildlife. An 8ft long leopard skin
and 150 bones of the endangered species along with a
skull of an unidentified animal was confiscated from
their vehicle.
The duo have been identified as Teja Wangchuk and
Sijoy Norbu, both Bhutan
residents. The forest officials
after a long chase last night
intercepted the vehicle (bearing Bhutanese registration
number, BP 2A 1668) near
Udlabari railgate area. The
subsequent search of the
vehicle led the officials to
confiscate the leopard skin
and bones hidden inside a
sack full of ginger.
Sanjay Dutta, Ranger, Belakoba range informed that
the items were supposed to
be smuggled to Nepal via Siliguri. "We are probing to ascertain any Indian link with
the racket," Dutta said. The
arrested duo was produced
to the Jalpaiguri court today.
(HS)
1330 pilgrims selected
for Mansarovar Yatra
New Delhi, Apr 20: With
the addition of a new route
through Nathula in Sikkim
and a total of 1,330 pilgrims, the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is
Rahul attacks Modi on land
ordinance, farmers' problems
HM Correspondent
“We have already appealed
to the concerned authorities
to solve the matter soon but
our plea has not been given
heed so far. Finally we had to
hit the streets today and start
an agitation with a dharna,”
he added.
“It is just a matter of 46
increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) and agricultural credit, Rahul Gandhi
said "acche-din government
has failed the country".
As Agriculture Minister
Radha Mohan Singh countered him by stating that the
figures were based on information from states, Rahul
Gandhi said he had a suggestion for the prime minister.
Meanwhile, the government rubbished Rahul Gandhi's allegations, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister and
senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said the Modi government was committed to
the welfare of the poor and
the farmers. (IANS)
set to be the biggest ever,
the selection draw for
which was held today.
Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (ER&DPA)
Sujata Mehta presided
over the computerised
draw of lots for the yatra
for which around 2,500
applications were received.
Largest number of yatris would undertake the
pilgrimage this year. The
preparations have been
very meticulous and innovative. It has been done
through a complete online
system with dedicated response for fairness and
transparency, she told reporters.
Immediate SMS and
emails were sent out to the
ones whose names were
generated following the
completion of the draw.
Kailash Mansarovar
Yatra through the new
route via Nathula Pass in
Sikkim will begin from June
18 for which India and China had signed a bilateral
agreement during Chinese
President Xi Jinping's vis-
it here in September last
year.
The agreement provides for conducting the
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra
through Nathula in addition to the existing Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand.
However, the Lipulekh
route will open earlier on
June 8 through which a total of 18 batches with 60
members each will be sent.
Five batches of 50 members each will be sent via
the Nathula route.
According to officials,
an Integrated Voice Response System (IVRS)
which was set up earlier
this year has received
more than 3,000 queries.
"The IVRS had an innovative call back feature.
Over 500 call backs were
made. All the applicants
received unique registration number both by SMS
and e-mail. After the draw
of lots successful applicants as well as wait listed applicants were informed both by SMS and
e-mail," a statement
said.(Agencies)
Leopar
d & wild cat death in Dooar
Leopard
Dooarss
Jalpaiguri, Apr 20: A
female leopard cat was
mowed down by a vehicle
late Sunday night on
National Highway-31 near
Chapramari forest in
Dooars making it the
second case of leopard cat
death in Dooars within last
four months, informed
forest department sources.
A leopard cat is about the
size of a domestic cat, but
more slender, with longer
legs and well-defined webs
between its toes with
stripes similar to leopard. It
has been listed as 'Least
Concern' by International
Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) as the
animal is widely distributed
but threatened by habitat
loss and hunting in parts of
its range.
The dead animal's body
has been sent for post
mortem. Meanwhile, a full
grown male leopard was
found dead last night
beside Birpara-Falakata
National Highway
adjacent to Tasati tea
garden in the region. The
corpse has been sent for
post-mortem. Forest
officials suspect the wild
cat was also hit by a
speeding vehicle.
CMYK
HM Correspondent
leader’s visit by directing the
District Administration to
pull down posters despite
the party having the permission.
“The action by the administration is totally uncalled for. They had granted us the permission in the
beginning but now they
say the postering was illegal. They are surely working under the pressure of
the government who wants
to spoil our programme,”
Sharma added.
Asked on the issue, DC,
Prabhakar Verma denied
having given the permission
and said the posters have
been taken down as they
were put on public property
which was illegal. He further
cited the Public Property
Defacement rule banning all
forms of postering in public
property saying there was no
government intervention.
Saha is slated to reach Sikkim Tuesday to address a
party function at Chintan
Bhawan here.
Kalimpong, Apr 20: Frustrated over not being able
to join as para teachers, the
Lepcha candidates who had
received appointment letters on April 1 started an indefinite dharna in front of the
SI office since today giving
a fresh headache to the administration. The administration giving heed to Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM)
protest on the recruitment
had gone with the interview
process in March and appointed 46 para teacher from
the Lepcha community.
The 46 appointees are to
be entrusted with teaching
Lepcha language in various
primary schools of the hills.
However when these appointees after receiving the
appointment letters headed
for their respective schools
to join the district school
board turned them away citing reason that the matter
was sub-judice in the Calcutta High Court.
The GJM led GTA has
filed a case in the high court
stating that since the education department is a trans-