H I M A L AYA N M I R R O R DDMA forms new team and Committees Gangtok, Nov 5: A Review programme of Disaster Management Teams and Committees of the Village and Gram Panchayat Level of the East District under capacity building programme for disaster management was held here at Janta Bhawan on Tuesday. The training programme was organized by District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) East with the objective to revive the existing committee and to form new teams and committees at ward and GPU level in east district. Zilla Panchyat Adhakshya, East, Bimal Dabari articulated the roles and responsibilities of panchayats on disaster management. He suggested participants to share the knowledge imparted during the training programme with the public as a part of awareness to bring confidence amongst people against natural disaster. He also instructed panchayats to place the tools and kits of disaster programme at the Gram panchayat centre in order to ensure the availability of benefit for the villagers. District Collector, East, Tshewang Gyachho urged panchyats to sensitize and mobilize community in risk reduction part of disaster and also to make them aware of strengthening man-made structures to mitigate the impact of natural disaster. He urged panchayats to conduct ward sabhas and Gram sabhas on organic mission before November 15, and to submit their report to the concerned authority accordingly. Resource Person, Deputy Secretary-cumState Project Officer, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Prabhakar Rai gave an overview presentation on Disaster Management. He also informed on acts & policies, terminologies, norms and expenditures with regard to Disaster Management. District Programme Officer Sonam Wangyal Lepcha highlighted on theme of the programme capacity building on disaster management. Training Officer Bijeta Kharel spoke on the structure of the six committees to be formed at each ward level, viz. Awareness & Early warning team, Evacuation team, Search & Rescue team, Coordination team, First Aid Team and Livestock Management Team. 32 schools gets training on Disaster Management under NSSP HM Correspondent Darjeeling, Nov 5: Schools from Darjeeling hills will soon be equipped on Disaster Management. Thirty-two schools from Darjeeling on Wednesday participated in a training programme imparted by the National School Safety Programme (NSSP). Darjeeling district in one among some of the districts earmarked by the NSSP along with Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri in West Bengal for which, trainers were sent to the National Capital. Five Master trainers and two teachers have been roped in. Priti Gurung, an expert from the NSSP said in the first phase teachers are being trained. “In the Second phase mock drills, disaster management plans and formation of various teams will be held in schools,” she added. After receiving training the teachers will have to disseminate the same in their respective schools. “The schools will have to form Disaster Management Committees within 15 days. The school committees will be headed by respective head master or head mistress and will comprise of members from the disaster management department and civil defence along with teachers. They will also prepare a disaster management plan” added Gurung. The schools will form various teams including earthquake evacuation team, awareness team and fire safety team. “Under this programme funds will be provided to the schools to conduct mock earthquake drills at regular intervals,” said Gurung. The mock drill will practice safe and speedy evacuation. “A detailed study revealed that schools, hospitals, shopping malls where footfalls are high are the most vulnerable and where casualties could be very high” stated Asha Mukhia Lama, Sub Divisional Disaster Management Officer and Master Trainer. She remarked that there has been a paradigm shift from crisis management to disaster management. “Children spend most hours of the day in schools hence the programme also addresses the structural and non-structural hazards present in the school buildings.” added Lama. Similar training of school teachers will take place in the Sukhia block on November 7; Tukdah block on November 11 and Bijanbari Block on November 14. Medica Cancer Hospital, Rangapani to organize ‘community-based Cancer Screening free camps’ First camp in Darjeeling on Nov 7 HM Report Siliguri, Nov 5: The Medica Cancer Hospital, Rangapani (formerly known as North Bengal Oncology Centre), organized a media interaction meet today at a private hotel in Siliguri. Announcing the centre’s ‘community-based Cancer Screening free camps’ to be held across North Bengal as a part of the unit’s social responsibility initiative, Soma Ghosh, the centre’s General Manager informed that the first camp will be held in Darjeeling on November 7. The hospital will be conducting 8 camps a month at different places across North Bengal and people can walk into the camp where specialist doctors will screen those deemed to be found in need of it. Speaking to reporters, Dr. Pankaj Chowdhary, Medical Director and Chief Oncologist said that there is a need to bring down the taboo that is prevalent with Cancer. People immediately associate “pain and death” with cancer which in fact is a wrong notion, he added. “It is the lack of awareness among people about cancer screening. There is no symptom for 1st stage cancer. Screening is a procedure where few simple tests are done on a normal person to figure out if there exists any future threat or possibility of cancer and preventive treatment is initiated accordingly. Common cancers such as those of cervical and breast as well as head and neck cancers are screen-able and curable with early detection,” said Dr. Chowdhary. He further suggested that after crossing the threshold of 40 years of age, every person should make it a practice of undergoing cancer screening once annually and in case of women, those above 35 years should have their mammography done routinely, every year. The cost of getting the mammography and CT scan at the Rangapani centre has been kept very minimal at Rs.200 and 500 respectively-comparatively cheaper to any other test labs in NB. Dr. Chowdhary also made startling revelations about the increase of cancer patients stating that the Rangapani unit registers around 2000 new additional cases of throat and neck cancer annually-all due to the use of tobacco, be that in the form of chewing tobacco, gutkha or smoking. There has been almost 25% increase of such cancer cases in last few years in North Bengal. As far as lung cancer is concerned, the lack of proper implementation of banning smoking in public places in West Bengal and high rate of smokers in Sikkim has made the two border sharing states stand on the threshold of being crowned the leading states in India with maximum number of patients effected with lung cancer, added Dr. Chowdhury. Dr. Salil Dutta, a senior doctor also present at the meet appealed the media to play a pro-active role in making people aware of cancer screening and the existence of the Medical Cancer Hospital in Rangapani so that people don’t waste their time going to other big cities for treatment which he said only adds up to the loss of vital time thus resulting in getting their cancer reach advanced stages. Burdwan blast: NIA gets custody of injured militant Kolkata, Nov 5: Abdul Hakim, a key accused and injured in the Oct 2 Burdwan blast, was Wednesday remanded to 10 days’ NIA custody by a city court, which also extended the judicial remand of three other accused. Hakim was presented before 8 GANGTOK, THURSDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2014 the court after he was discharged from SSKM Hospital where he underwent treatment for splinter injuries, which he sustained during the blast at a house in Khagragarh in which two other militants were killed. “Hakim has been remanded to our custody till Nov 14 while the judicial custody of three other accused - Hasem Mollah, Rajia Bibi and Alima Bibi - has been extended till Nov 20,” a counsel for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. Probing the blast in which militant group Jamaat-ulMujahideen suspected to be involved, the NIA has announced cash awards for information helping in the arrest of 12 absconding accused, including Sajid described as the “Chief of the Burdwan Module”. (IANS) Sikkim Police to participate in BN Malik Football Championship 2014 Gangtok, Nov 5: The Sikkim Police team is all set to take part in the 63rd All India BN Malik Football Championship at Barakpur in Kolkata. A 24 member squad of Sikkim Police has also been selected for the tournament scheduled to be held from November 12 to 21. Informing about the participation, Sikkim Police Sports in-charge Dr. MS Tuli said the team has been doing well in the tournament in its last few outings. “During the 2009 edition of the tournament in Deharadoon, the team had reached the semi final and has made it to the quarter finals since then,” he informed. The DIG claimed Sikkim Police have always taken its duties seriously and with honesty and in the same way the team has fared well in the field of sports as well. The team consists of players from IRB, Sikkim Armed Police (SAP), Sikkim Police and civil police departments, he informed. Thupden Rapgyal Bhutia will be the chief coach of the team, while Singh Bahadur Gurung has been appointed the assistant coach and DSP Tulshi Chettri as the manager. The team will be led by the experienced young striker Bimal Bagdas. ICAR Strengthens Tribal Farmers of North Sikkim Gangtok, Nov 5: To strengthen the tribal community of North Sikkim, ICAR Research Complex, Sikkim Centre organized five days training of progressive farmers with t e c h n o l o g i c a l backstopping and input support system at Singhik, Lachung, Chungthang, Lachen and Naga. The training under ‘National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)’ and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) project was held from October 28, to November 1, which was attended by more than 198 remote located tribal farmers. The farmers were provided with improved garden pea, Spinach (Palak), Coriander and Fenugreek. Apart from the seed materials, organic nutrient sources, organic plant nutrient tonic and bio-pesticides (neem-based bio formulations and copper oxy chloride) were also distributed during the programme. In addition, six pig farming units under deep litter system have been established and 18 numbers of piglets were also distributed among Self Help Groups and individual tribal farmers to empower women farmers in the region. The program was attended by Nim Tshering Lepcha, Upadhakshya, North District Zilla Panchayata and Dr. R.K. Avasthe, Joint Director, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Sikkim Centre. Nim Tshering Lepcha motivated the farmers of Tung and Naga GPU for production of large cardamom as leading cash crop in the region. He also emphasized that rural youth should take agriculture and allied sectors as agripreneures to sustain their livelihood. Joint Director, ICAR Sikkim Centre suggested the farmers to opt organic farming based agri-tourism as venture for their livelihood. He also ensured the technological intervention in agriculture and allied sectors to boost their production in the near future. Expressing satisfaction over the overwhelming response of the farmers towards organic cultivation, he encouraged them to place extra effort in cultivation of various cash crops which can fetch Opinion Leaders from Odisha visit Sikkim for skill upgradation HM Report Gangtok, Nov 5: A team of opinion leaders from Odisha are on three day visit to Sikkim to acquire more information on income generation, rural development, Panchayati Raj System and other development works. The tour is being organized by Directorate of Field Publicity, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The team consists of twelve selected female opinion leaders who are working in social sectors, Three arrested with two rare Indian Red Sand Boas Jalpaiguri, Nov 5: Baikunthapur Forest Department officials last night arrested three wildlife smugglers with two rare species of Boa snakes from Phoolbari in Jalpaiguri. Acting on a tipoff, the forest officials conducted an undercover mission posing as potential buyers and arrested the three accused with the snakes. The three were produced at Jalpaiguri District Court today and have been ordered additional remand for questioning. The rare Indian Red Sand Boa is an endangered species and is protected under section 4 of Indian Wildlife Protection Act. The snake has a huge demand in both national and international illegal wildlife markets. In the international markets Indian Red Sand Boas fetch lakhs of rupees. This species has a peculiar physical feature, growing only up to a meter long and are commonly known as two headed snake as its head and tail look alike. Although, it is a non-venous snake, the Indian Red Sand Boas have medical utilities as well and is found in Iran, Pakistan and Western, Southern, and North Eastern parts of India. (HS) ICDS, NRHM, NGO’s and Education department. The main objective of this tour is to facilitate these members in acquiring vital information and new methods which are practiced in different welfare programmes in Sikkim so that they could replicate the same in their area of work and motivate the public in rural Odisha to incorporate the same for the development of the country. During their visit in the state the opinion leaders visited North Eastern Region Rural Marketing Corporation at Rangpo, Sikkim Sparkle, Lamha centre and acquired important information on food processing, methods of food preservation, organic farming, cardamom cultivation and exchanged cultural values. During the next two days the members would visit AIDS control society, ICDS/ health projects, Schools and other important areas in Sikkim. The team would proceed to Darjeeling and New Jalpaiguri tomorrow for acquiring more information after completion of their field visit in Sikkim. The Opinion Leaders are accompanied by M.P Jena, Conducting Officer and B.C. Sahu, Conducting Assistant, Directorate of field Publicity, Government of India, Odisha Region. (PIB) Edited, Published, Printed and Owned by Anjan Upadhyaya from Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok, Printed at Pabi Publication House, Ranipool, Gangtok. Telephone: 98512-22787, Email: [email protected] / [email protected]. them better market price and bring a paradigm shift in agricultural growth of the region. Farmers were trained on Good Agricultural Practices, Production of Quality Vegetable Seedlings, Off-season Vegetable Cultivation under Low Cost Plastic Rain Shelters, Organic Management of Pests and Diseases, Acid Soil Management, Organic Sources of Crop Nutrition for Soil Health and Scientific Management of Livestock by the concerned scientists Dr. H. Kalita, Dr. Ashish Yadav, Dr. Raghavendra Singh, Dr. R. Gopi, S. K. Das, Dr. Brijesh Kumar, B. Lepcha of the institute during the programme. A day long survey programme on Yak and Tibetan Sheep was also conducted by the team of ICAR Sikkim Centre during the tour programme.(PIB)