SI’s IN THE MAKING PREPARE08 July, 2004; NOW! 1 COMPLETE LIST ON TO LEAVE FOR TRAINING pg 4 DROPPED CANDIDATES ALLEGE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY CABINET CLEARS Thursday, 08 July, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 93 Gangtok Rs. 3 Travelling REVISED BOUNDARY Abroad? FOR GMC State Bank of India is the only Bank in Gangtok which offers... Amendment of Vishwa Yatra Foreign Travel Card in $, Euro, Pound American Express Travellers service rules to Cheque in $, Euro, Pound Currency Notes in $, Euro, make training Pound For further details, phone mandatory for Tenzing / Tashi 220616/ 222824 (Extn. 26) or promotion 9434012824 approved a NOW REPORT 6 KILLED AS KALIJHORA SLIDE SWEEPS GANGTOK, 07 July: The Cabi- net which met today at the AWAY SIKKIM-BOUND SPACIO Tashiling Secretariat cleared some important proposals. a NOW REPORT The move to bring back local self EDN. DEPTT ASST. DIRECTOR AND government to the capital moved one GANGTOK, 07 July: A raging SON AMONG THE CASUALTIES step further with the Cabinet today thunderstorm which hit the region approving the UD&HD proposal to last night claimed the first road Rescue teams are reported to expand the proposed boundary of the casualties resulting from land- have arrived at the spot shortly af- local body to include Sokaythang [to- slides as a slide at SNT Dhara, ter, but no search and rescue op- wards Sichey] and down up to about 500 mtrs from Coronation erations could be launched till Ranipool. The amendment has pro- Bridge on NH31A swept away a nearly 1:30 AM in the morning posed that the GMC’s area be ex- Sikkim-bound Tata Spacio killing due to the slush and boulders panded to include all areas 100 ft on all the, suspected, six occupants, which tumbled down the moun- either side of the national highway including the driver. tain face unabated. up to Ranipool. Informed sources reveal that The first to arrive at the spot The Cabinet also approved the the vehicle, SK-04-5740, which were the policemen from the proposal to increase the number of had picked up passengers from Sevoke Out-Post and the local municipal wards to 21. The Cabi- New Jalpaiguri railway station youth of Sevoke. Also helping in net has directed the UD&HD Min- earlier the same evening, was the rescue the next day were local ister to propose a suitable amend- caught at the spot by a sudden clubs from Sevoke and youth from ment to the existing Act for the landslip which pushed it some 500 The mangled the Kalijhora area. ft below the road into the Teesta. remains of the ill- Those involved in the rescue same, it is learnt. fated vehicle pulled The accident is reported to have operations told NOW! that In another important approval out of the Teesta pic: DIPTENDU DUTTA granted today, the Cabinet cleared occurred at around 9:45 PM. turn to pg 6 the Personnel and Administrative Reforms & Training Department’s INSURANCE AGENTS REQUIRED proposal seeking to amend the State Service Rules. The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. The amendment makes it man- HONGHONG KONGKONG BAZARBAZARExpo 2004 datory for all “members of the serv- a leading Public Sector General ice” to undergo at least one train- WITHSTOCK NEW JUST LOW RATE!!! ing course successfully every two Insurance Company wishes to years. This training can either be ANY ITEM Rs. 90 - Rs. 150 taken at AATT, Gangtok, or SIRD, recruit 100 Direct Agents on * Chinese Crockery * Chinese windchimes Karfectar, or any training institute * Attractive Home articles * Chinese charging torch Commission Basis from all over outside the State, it is learnt. * Chinese ladies bags * Chinese body spray The requirement to undergo * Chinese toys * Chinese alarm clock Sikkim immediately for its such training for government serv- * Chinese ladies shoes * Chinese dying mat ants will be applicable only up to * Paris & Germany Gangtok office. the age of 50 years, the amend- perfumes & Scents And many more... ment proposes. Interestingly, the turn to pg 6 HOTEL BAYUL, MG MARG, GANGTOK Interested candidates may apply alongwith their biodata to the PANCHWATI RETALIATES; CLAIMS THERE’S Divisional Manager, Divisional Office, NO CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY, ONLY Hill Cart Road, Siliguri - 734401 WORK TO MAKE BUILDING LIGHTER within 15 days. ON pg 3 2; NOW!; 08 July, 2004 ED-SPACE NOW! FIRST WITH THE NEWS Arguing Corruption Corruption is not a dirty word any more. Almost everyone has been at either the receiving end, or the bribing end of this social exchange and this dilutes the disdain one would expect for this permanent feature of “work”. The supporters of corruption as- sume that it is in fact beneficial. This goes with “greasing the squeaky wheel” or simply “grease money” argument. As a 20th century thinker put it: “Had corruption not been beneficial it would never have been so common.” On a more serious note though, the problem with the “ben- LACHENLACHEN SEEKSSEEKS DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT eficial” argument of corruption is that the benefit is limited to a few. Worse still, at the cost of the larger community. Moreover, corruption aggravates the issue of haves and have-nots and ASAS TOURISTTOURIST DESTINATIONDESTINATION hurts the poorest of the poor. A recent study by the World Bank has revealed that “grease money” does not speed up the bu- fter a long drive for about to Gurudongmar there are many reaucratic delays [to iron which out most people offer bribes]; 5 to 6 hours and approxi- VIEWPOINT small lakes. You can also get a instead it creates more hurdles on the way. The firms that pay Amately 123 kms from breathtaking view of the Tibetan more bribes are not necessarily efficient, rather they are more Gangtok you reach a small village by RUPTSHERING LACHENPA plateau, Gyamtsona Lake and many likely to spend more, not less, management time with bureau- surrounded by hills. The original more on the other side of Thangu. crats negotiating regulations, and face higher, not lower, cost of name of the village is Lamten but pared to our neighbour. Apart from There are many tourist destinations capital, the World Bank report details. The reason behind this is it is better known as Lachen. Many poor education of the inhabitants, their like Bhamzay, Dhombache, Lashar, simple to understand. Bribes are designed by the bureaucrats of you may have visited this lovely financial status, too, can be said to be the valley nomads and Jhachu, the to extract rents [for the rules they sit on]; therefore, more bribes locale and some might just be poor. There is hardly any means for valley of rivers. call for more regulations to extract more rents. This is also the hearing of it for the first time. generating any income. Despite the vast range of natural reason why we say corruption breeds corruption. The word ‘Lachen’ means Tourism is touted as a big beauty there are no roads by which No matter how much we play around with words, fact re- mains that corruption has an element of perverse incentive. “Big Mountain” – ‘La’ mean money earner and Lachen is gen- one can go up there. The only way It not only rewards the cheater but also penalises the honest mountain and ‘chen’ means big. erally portrayed as a tourist spot; up is on foot. This is largely because thereby decaying the whole system. While there are those The village has a unique system - but the government has not taken the government has not taken any who might still argue that the problems of corruption are “too the Pipon system. A Pipon is any initiative for developing the steps to promote the region. big” or “too pervasive” to be solved by the effort of an indi- elected by the people of the vil- village into a top-grade tourist des- If proper roads are constructed vidual or an individual agency, the society has tackled many lage and is the final authority re- tination. The roads are rough and and maintained along with the open- bigger problems to let this one continue without a fight. It is garding the laws of the village. His not properly maintained which in- ing up of the higher reaches of the time the people started priming themselves to deliver this is the final decision which no other hibits tourists from visiting the vil- region to tourists the locals of malaise the knock-out punch. person can overrule. If any person lage. Most of the inhabitants man- Lachen could benefit hugely and is found guilty of violating the vil- age a meagre living through small can earn through tourist lodges, ho- write NOW! lage rules he is made to pay a fine shops, as labourers and small tels, transportation and other tourist If you feel strongly about something that has been reported in NOW! of a certain amount which is used farmers. The farmers, too, can only related activities. But this is possi- or have an opinion on some recent development, then share it with for various purposes in the village. cultivate their land in the summer ble only if the government takes an a wider audience. While the LETTERS section will carry responses The people of this village are months as the high snows take interest in the development of tour- to articles and news carried in NOW!, ACTION MAIL is about com- called Lachenpas who speak their over during the winter months. ism in Lachen. The Lachenpas have plaints and grievances. Wherever possible, NOW! shall also search own language. Most of the inhabit- There are many tourists attrac- a great hope that this will material- out a response to the Action Mail. If not, then at least a complaint would have been filed in the public domain.