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DESIST OR LEAVE: SDF HIGH-COMMAND GIVES GM RAI 1 WEEK’S NOTICE TO END ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITIES HIGH TENSION OVER BAMBOO POLES! KPG CONSUMERS TAKE WBSEB TO TASK The delegation made special KARAN SHAH mention of gross negligence dis- played by the Board at nearby KALIMPONG, 10 MARCH: The Sourini where high tension wires All Bengal Electricity Consumer humming with some 11,000 watts overtly confrontationist stand by Association [ABECA], Kalimpong of electricity are propped up with branch, bolstering its ranks with lo- bamboo poles! Also brought to the a NOW REPORT SDF POLITICAL some. It remains to be seen how Mr. Rai responds to this notice and cal residents took out a rally here fore was the continuing low volt- GANGTOK, 10 March: The what impact it has on the party. today which culminated with the age problem at the Himalayan Chil- five hours that the ruling Sikkim AFFAIRS Another “important” decision submission of a memorandum ad- dren Institute, an orphanage for Democratic Front’s Political Af- taken at today’s meeting was to dressed to the West Bengal State tribal kids, at Tirpai. fairs Committee spent in a closed- COMMITTEE turn down Bharatiya Janata Par- Electricity Board [WBSEB]. Their Individual cases of indiscrimi- door meeting today at the Chief ty’s offer for alliance in Sikkim. agenda - to highlight customer dis- nate and inconsistent billing were Minister and party president, Only a day ahead, central BJP satisfaction with the power situa- also highlighted at the meeting and Pawan Chamling’s official resi- SAYS NO TO leaders Sunil Shastri and Pyarelal tion in this subdivisional town. the case of Deo Datta Chettri and dence, Mintokgang, today re- Khandelwal had called on Mr. Local complaints ranging from Shyamlal Sunwar presented as case solved some pressing issues and ALLIANCE Chamling and suggested an alli- low voltage to high billing and neg- studies. Both are reported to have took some hard decisions. ance at the state level and possi- ligent staff were voiced by ABECA been served inflated bills despite The committee, chaired by ble seat-sharing. Mr. Chamling and supported by the Kalimpong low meter readings and had their Mr. Chamling, is reported to have WITH BJP AT had told them that the matter Consumer Association. power supply snapped before the decided to give one week’s no- could be decided only by his par- Representing local users, matter could be addressed. tice to Gorkha Apex Committee STATE LEVEL ty’s Political Affairs Committee. Kalimpong’s ABECA members led The public representatives at chairperson, GM Rai, and his sup- The Committee has now by their president, Prof. Amrit the meet also pointed out the irony porters within the party to desist support for the 12 seats reserved for “unanimously” decided against an Khaling, alongwith Mr. Roy of the of BPL families receiving high from indulging in “anti-party” ac- the BLs in Sikkim “could be seen alliance at the state-level, but as- Kalimpong Consumer Association electricity bills. tivities or face expulsion. as an example of anti-party activ- sured to continue with its support met the Assistant Engineer High emotions marked the When asked what exactly ity.” Mr. Rai’s statements that he to the BJP at the national level. [WBSEB), SK Gupta, regarding the meeting which ended with an as- constituted these “anti-party” ac- would contest the forthcoming Lok Senior party sources reveal that grievances of local people. surance from the AE that he would tivities, a senior SDF leader in- Sabha elections as an independent the PAC meeting also “took stock” Although dissatisfaction with the take up the matter and the high- formed that Mr. Rai’s continued candidate if he was denied a party of the Tharpu incident which saw Electricity Board’s services are fairly lighted complaints with the zonal and open opposition to SDF’s ticket is also being viewed as an turn to pg 4 common, the Wednesday meeting manager and come up with imme- focused more on some “social cases.” diate solutions.

a NOW REPORT Forest quarter JORETHANG, 10 March: Cops here, led by P.I. Chundi Chopel of Jorethang thana, conducted a surprise raid on lost to freak fire premises suspected of supplying drugs for abuse and FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT came up a cache of contraband that must have left them shocked. A whopping 110 bottles of Phensedyl and 1,400 DARJEELING, March 10, tablets of Spasmoproxyvon were uncovered in posses- 2004: A single-storeyed wooden sion of one Uttam Gupta in a raid conducted on his shop structure was razed to the and residence. ground in a fire at Ghoom, at The raid was conducted at round 3:30 pm today in- 9:30 pm last night. The wooden form sources and the drugs discovered under Uttam structure, which was a Forest Gupta’s bed in his residence on the second floor of the Department Quarter, was situ- building where he also runs a juice shop. Senior police ated on the approach road to 1400 & officials of the district maintain that the shop is just a front Tiger Hill. It was vacant at the THE NUMBER OF to peddle the drugs. time of the fire. The fire also SP TABLETS AND Speaking to NOW! from Namchi, SP, South, MS Tuli, jumped to the neighbouring confirmed news of the raid and the cache seized and de- trees and the undergrowth. By PHENSEDYL scribed the modus operandi followed by PI Chopel to nab the time the Fire Brigade was the “pusher.” A decoy was reportedly sent ahead of the BOTTLES A raiding team to confirm that Uttam dealt in drugs and had informed and reached the spot “SUPPLIER” WAS a stock with him. the wooden structure was com- “When the decoy returned with a bottle of Phensedyl, pletely gutted. However, no loss CAUGHT HOARDING the team from Jorethang thana launched the raid and un- of life has been reported and covered the stockpiles of drugs that the accused had in his cause of the fire has not yet been IN JORETHANG turn to pg 5 ascertained. CMYK110 2; NOW! ; 11 March, 2004 ED-SPACE NOW! Warming Up To Books, Their FIRST WITH THE NEWS Publication And Sale Corrupting The Future the years, the region had seen a tre- pricing of books by some publish- a NOW FEATURE mendous increase in readership. ers and booksellers. Agreed, no one really cares for corruption. It’s there, it makes peo- He, however, asked the organisers “A very popular book, the ple pliable and helps speed things up. But for whom? The creamy he 2nd Spring Book Fair, to invite all the educational institu- Sikkim Saga is priced at Rs. 175, layer keeps skimming more and more on the lame excuse that which concluded here today, tions, business establishments and but the publishers have deliberately corruption has now become “institutionalised” and is thus una- not only delighted book lov- organisations in the State to partici- not printed the price on the book voidable. The poorer and the weaker among us are still stone- T ers but also brought to light some pate in the Fair. cover. The book is sold at places walled by the monolithic babudom that ties every file up in red very pertinent issues concerning the “A greater participation would for as much as Rs. 450. We have to tape till it eventually gets lost and has to be “greased” out. written word and their publication certainly add more value to fairs wake up to such malpractices in the OK, let’s even set that debate aside for later. Let’s accept ground in particular. like this,” he said. publishing business and the con- realities and see whether something acceptable to all sides can Speaking on behalf of the cerned authorities should take some be worked out. Let’s begin with what Corruption means. Corrup- While it was hosted with the ex- booksellers, Raman Shresta, pro- concrete steps to stop this in the tion, as we know it, is the use of public office for private gain. The press idea of inculcating the read- prietor, Rachna Books and Publi- State,” he said. prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 defines bribery as: a public cations, decided to raise a number The issue of income tax and servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in re- ing habit, especially in students, the spect of an official act; a public servant obtaining a valuable thing, Book Fair, organized by Sikkim of issues, such as book piracy and sales tax deduction from booksell- without consideration from the person concerned in proceeding Akademi, also provided a platform over pricing of books, which de- ers in the State was also taken up or the business transacted by such a public servant; and crimi- of sorts to booksellers and publish- manded the immediate attention of by Mr. Shresta. Book fairs are ex- nal misconduct. Now that we know the legal pegging of corrup- ers in the State to voice their griev- the organisers as well as the State empted from Income tax in the rest tion, let’s understand what powers a bureaucrat holds. Frankly ances. The closing ceremony was administration. of the country making Sikkim, per- speaking, awarding supplies unannounced and fixing tenders for also the time for the organizers and “Book piracy is not only kill- haps the only State where Sales Tax minor works can be accepted as the spoils of power. So long as publishers to indulge in some seri- ing the business but is also hurting is levied on books sold at such ven- a road is repaired, no matter how tackily, the people don’t mind. ous retrospection. readership in a big way. These days, ues. Sikkim Akademi should look It is however this immediate perception and response to corrup- Noted Nepali writer and secre- a pirated copy of an international into this matter in the interest of tion that threatens the future. When people rave and rant about tary, Sikkim Akademi, Sanu Lama, best-seller can be picked up as eas- healthy growth of book trade in the the shoddy work the contractor did of the jhora repairs in their while regretting the lack of trained ily from a footpath stall as in State,” he said. area, they lose sight of the bigger machinisations at work which librarians in the State, expressed the swanky bookstore. When you buy Mr. Shresta also spoke on the impact all our futures more. The people’s representative and the need for more libraries and trained a pirated copy, you only look at its need for a proper forum for book- bureaucrats have a say not just in the award of contracts, but librarians to further the cause of price but don’t realise that you have sellers in the State. also in long-term strategising which will remain with Sikkim long books and reading. deprived the author of his royalties “A common consortium of after the officers are retired and the politicians rejected. We are The Book Fair saw the partici- and the publishers and the booksell- booksellers in the State is the need still haunted by many ghosts released decades back and still pation of big publishing houses like ers of their profits. This should be of the hour, if we are to further the refuse to acknowledge that there are some decisions that should Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Na- discouraged by all means. We have cause of the written word,” he never be slipped through in consideration of private gains. Too tional Book Trust, New Delhi, Ox- to be serious about creating aware- added. much remains at stake than just a plunder of the State treasury. ford University Press, Calcutta, ness on book piracy,” he said. Important observations, no Public representatives have to update themselves better on the Orient Longman, National Library While admitting that books, doubt, but one wonders at the util- functioning of their departments so that they can see through the and other well-known publishers especially foreign publications, are ity of a consortium of booksellers overtly subservient, but subtly dextrous manoeuvering of pro- and booksellers from West Bengal astronomically prices these days, in a State where readership is on posals by their officers to pass on years of Sikkim’s future into and Sikkim like Jainco, Nirman Mr. Shresta informed that special the wane. Or will the Book Fair ini- the hands of those who have culled their favour. Prakashan, Rachna Books and Pub- low-price Indian editions are now tiative succeed in spring-boarding It would be stating the obvious, but people need to understand lications, Good Books, Alphabets available in the market. “All it readership in a region where the that it is not the politician who forces corruption, but the bureau- and Janapaksha Prakashan. needs is a little awareness among television has become the preferred crat who teaches him the ropes who is the culprit here. Look While retrospecting, Arun the readers,” he said. medium for both information and around, how many prospering former politicians do we have in Kunjila, representing the Sahitya Mr. Shresta also had some entertainment? our midst? And how many still affluent retired babus? Akademi, New Delhi, said that over strong reservations over the over-
Chinese New Year & Tibetan Rituals in Kalimpong he new year would bring happiness We could see the Chinese house opposite way we were also rich, for it did not matter rupee wrapped up in red paper. to the hearts of our Chinese and Ti made beautiful with many paper lanterns that we could only decorate our house poorly The Tibetans follow a different custom. Tbetan people. This festival would last hung from the doors and windows; for that if we could decorate our hearts with happi- The boys or girls take a round cane basket three days and nights, and the greetings and house belonged to a rich Chinese trader. We ness. There is no need for nice things in the filled with barley paste on the top of which rejoicing would make any man’s heart burst. two, father and son, were only poor, but in a house, but we need them in the heart. are one or more fruits and burning incense I remember one such time. Next morning, I sticks. So they go from house to house to give On the night before the festival, my fa- Artist, filmmaker, keen woke up at five through their new year’s greetings and to receive ther worked very hard, for he had to prepare photographer, columnist the noise of crackers be- presents. They also carry a pot with chang the cakes and sweets and all the other things, with international maga- ing fired, and I asked my and, when they come to a house, offer to the which would be demanded the next day. He zines... father to allow me also to fire householder a morsel of the barley paste to also prepared our food for the morning so It is hard to pin Twan Yang with one. This he did, but first eat and a few drops of the chang to drink, that we should not have to cook next day, to any one vocation. we knelt down before our and those who accept these gifts put money, make it a real holiday. That same night we Twan Yang came to Sikkim in the great teacher Confucious to mostly copper, in the basket. pasted outside the door, one on each side, 1950s and never left, afraid that give him our greetings. This During the day my father and I went to two long sheets of red paper on which were as a Chinese, he may not be al- day we closed our shop but the Chinese temple near the Tibetan monas- written in Chinese the customary auspicious lowed back in. He was born in we left the door a little open tery. On the road many people could be seen Happy New Year’s words. Then we hung a Kalimpong in 1919 to a Chinese for any guest who might going to the monastery to offer oil to the tem- Chinese lantern over the door and placed an father and a Tibetan mother. come. At seven o’clock my ple lamps or incense or flags to the local god. earthen pot on the ground at the door side in Twan Yang’s four-decade long friend Bersi came to greet my fa- This god lives in front of the monastery. There which we stuck incense sticks which were relationship with Sikkim ther and me. Our custom is that were mostly women and only a few men; kept burning. Inside the house our bedroom came to an end in 1995, when children come to bring many were turning the prayer wheels on the was decorated with pictures of our Lord when he died after a long ill- their greetings they are walls of the monastery. Confucious and Hou Tzu [Master Monkey], ness. But he left behind asso- given a bag of red paper in We went the next day again to the monas- the Indian monkey god. A plate with various ciations and memories, which which there are copper coins. tery, for a Cham was to be held there, the big fruits was placed before the picture of Lord those who knew him find hard to After Bersi’s visit my father and I devil dance which is shown only once a year. Confucious. forget. went to the other houses to give our There were several hundreds of people, men, Our dining room faced east and through NOW! serializes Twan Yang’s auto- greetings. In all the Chinese houses women and children, seated on the ground round open windows a pleasant cool breeze blew. biography, Houseboy in India... where I went I received eight annas or a turn to pg 6 CMYK
NEWSSCAN 11 March, 2004; NOW! 3 last year and have remained in that bending low to look for deceptive state for months. Mud lies piled up holes,” says Saraswati, who works along the sides narrowing the width in a bank. of the road, making it difficult for But pedestrians are not the only ‘ROAD REPAIR’ DISEASE pedestrians to walk. one at the receiving end. Drivers “The roads are so narrow that have a rough time too. Narrow road only one vehicle can pass at a time. space makes driving difficult and When a person faces a vehicle many drivers complain of cars get- SPREADS IN GANGTOK head on, what do you expect us to ting stuck in the slush, forcing them do? Jump off the Road?” asks an to service the vehicles more often. ANAND OBEROI angry Ongela Bhutia, of Develop- The problems are many. But ment Area. why do the exist? Why is it taking GANGTOK: Imported pavers and He has reason to be angry, as the department so long to complete vibratory road rollers laid down do so many others who suffer simi- these under repair roads? NOW! thick bituminous carpet and NH lar indignities from clothes spoke to PS Basnett, Secretary, 31A was never the same again. But splashed with dirty water to walk- Roads & Bridges, and this is what no such magic seems to be in store ing through slush and mud. he had to say: “The work of repair- for all the arterial roads of the “There is no point in dressing ing roads was awarded in Januray. rajdhani. Roads in Gangtok are a up nicely, because you just can’t be The work includes repairing, car- mess and this is one thing that all sure in what condition you’ll reach peting and making of drains of all the residents agree upon. office,” complains Usha, from the eight subdivision stations. The Whether it is Development Arithang, a teacher in a government work in Syari has started and the Area, Syari, school. drains are being made.” Bahai School The Arithang Even if we leave aside the wis- Road or road, like so many dom of giving the entire contract Arithang, each URBAN others still awaits of repairing all Gangtok roads to and every residential area MUSINGS completion. one contractor, why did it take so of the capital suffers from a dis- While the road leading down is bro- long to pass the tender? ease called “road-repair” with no ken in many places and full of pot- According to Mr. Basnett, the cure seemingly available in the holes that become extremely dan- funds to construct roads come from near future. gerous at night, largely because central organizations and they These under-repair roads pose there is no electricity on most mostly fund national highways. So, enormous problems for the area stretches. A large portion of the money was scarce for these arterial residents, who are told to just grin road has also been dug up for some roads. “It is only recently that the and bear it since it’s all for their mysterious reason, which no one state government has forcibly in- own good. explains adequately. cluded the construction of these But for how long? Most of “As if the dozens of stray dogs roads in the state plan,” he informs. these roads were dug up sometime that roam this stretch at night, Whatever may be the official Would you expect this at a frightening you with their barking reasons, as far as the public is con- place that goes by the name and chasing are not enough, we cerned they want the roads repaired Development Area? also have to grope in the dark, and they want it now. Entries invited for Dr. Shova EDUCATION presents Thegim Award 2004 It’s where your future is is presented annually on 4 July, the should have been published be- Level 1 : Diploma in IT foundation a NOW REPORT birth anniversary of late Dr. Shova tween 2000 to 2002. No limit has Level 2 : Hon’s Diploma in Web programming Kanti Thegim [Lepcha]. been set on the number entries a Level 3 : Advanced Diploma in Solutions Architect GANGTOK: A meeting was con- The meeting resolved that only writer can submit for consideration Level 4 : Master’s Diploma in Software Expertise vened by the Dr. Shova Kanti those books falling under the cat- of the award. Near Krishi Bhavan, Tadong, Gangtok. ph: 270876 Thegim [Lepcha] Memorial Trust egories of novels, stories or collec- Below Power Deptt., Kazi Road, Gangtok. ph: 227917 here on 9 March for the purpose tion of short stories, poetry, criti- The Trust has further requested Nayuma Building, Main Bazar, Namchi. ph: 263919 of discussion and necessary action cism and plays written in Nepali all intending writers to submit four Pandey Colony, Geyzing. ph: 251187 to be initiated regarding its Award language will be eligible for the copies of their books on or before email: [email protected] website: www.ssi-education.com for 2004. award. The writers should belong 4 April for necessary assessment JOB PLACEMENT ON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION The meeting was held at the to Sikkim and their presentations and consideration for the Award. Trust’s office on PNGS Road and attended by all the trustees. The Award is in pursuance of the aims and objectives of the Trust to un- give yourself the advantage dertake activities for greater coop- Slim, lightweight and eration, encouragement and promo- Compact Design from Sharp tion and development of Nepali Original Straight Optical RealiseRealiseRealise YourYourYour PowerfulPowerfulPowerful language and literature in the state. It carries a cash award of Rs 7,001, System a Tamra Patra and a certificate and Sealed Optics PresentationsPresentations OnOn TheThe GoGo High Brightness & High WINTER Contrast Advanced Compatability with High End PCs, Workstations SALE and DTV Advanced Intelligent PG-M20X/M20SPG-M20X/M20S % Compression TRUE XGA / SVGA MOBILE DLP PROJECTOR 25 Enhanced Up-Scaling OFF at: SHARP authorised dealers in town: New Progressive Mode RAMESH & BROTHERS Tibet Road, Near Sadar Thana STYLE Video Noise Reduction Gangtok, SIkkim - 737101 HOTEL GOLDEN PAGODA, MG MARG, GANGTOK. Ph: 222190, 221202 & 228327

CMYK 4; NOW! ; 11 March, 2004 POWERPLAY
IN BOYCOTT MODE AGAIN? GNLF skips all-party meet on parliamentary elections, Interestingly, there will be no cam- is another boycott call expected? paigning using mikes till the higher liamentary election as well,” said incorporated in the Darjeeling Par- secondary examinations are over. from OUR CORRESPONDENT Madan Tamang, president, Akhil liamentary constituency and Islampur This, in accordance with the recent Bharatiya Gorkha League [ABGL]. and Chopra be separated from it. High Court order mandating the same. DARJEELING: The GNLF ab- The GNLF leaders were not avail- The Tuesday meeting saw the The DM also stated that people staining from the all-party meeting able for comments. DM apprising the parties of all the who had voter’s identity cards but with the District Magistrate, In 1998 the GNLF had boycotted formalities, changes and campaign- whose names did not figure in the Darjeeling, held here on 9 March MP elections stating that Darjeeling ing norms for the forthcoming elec- rolls could enlist themselves by 20 regarding Moral Code of Conduct had not been incorporated in the In- tions. The meeting decided to set March. The district administration What’s for the coming Parliamentary elec- dian mainland formally and that the 16 April as the last date for notifi- will also arrange for videography brewing in tions, has raised many eyebrows. case was pending in the Hague Inter- cation for the candidates. The last of the important election moments, the mind of “This makes it all the more ob- national Court of Justice. In 1999 date for filing nominations has been he added. Similar meetings will be the man at vious that the GNLF, as in the past, again, GNLF boycotted the elections set for 20 April with 24 April set as held at the sub-divisional and block Lal Kothi? is going for a boycott of this Par- demanding that Mal and Matelli be the last date for withdrawals. levels shortly.

ANTYESTI Lobbying against Bhojraj intensifies KRIYA Our beloved mother, Late Informed sources reveal that on that “the party high command may are also reported to have expressed Sarda Chettri, wife of DP Tuesday, 9 March, a meeting of change its mind on Mr. Rai.” their grievances against the MLA. a NOW REPORT Chettri of Daragaon, SDF supporters was convened un- SDF General Secretary, Mohan The public expressions, even Tadong left for heavenly JORETHANG, 10 March: The der the leadership of Binod Rai at Dungmali is also reported to have within party walls are indications that abode on February 29, model-code-of-conduct is in place for the residence of Panchayat mem- convened a meeting, which saw a Jorethang is going to remain one 2004. We are grateful to all the government, but no such code re- ber Dekendra Subba. The 5-hour 500-strong attendance, here at the tricky constituency for the recently- those who stood by us at stricts popular sentiment. In fact, the long meeting was reportedly at- SDF party office today. Also present formed SDF Parliamentary Board to our time of bereavement runup to the elections are times when tended by 100 members of the rul- were ticket aspirants Bina Rai and find a candidate for. Senior party and accompanied us dur- the people and their leaders make ing party from the region. Binod Rai, and Zilla Adyaksha, members insist that the party presi- ing these hours of profound strong statements and lobby hard for Accusing Mr. Rai of indiffer- Rastaman Rai. Addressing the mem- dent has made it amply clear that at grief and sorrow.. The party tickets. While there are other ence towards the constituency, the bers, Mr. Dungmali said that he had present there are no candidates only Antyesthi Kriya will take constituencies where the people are party members said that his per- been sent specifically to take ac- contenders in every constituency. place at our residence at not “happy” with their MLA’s it is in formance has been totally unsatis- count of the situation and was not “Mr. Chamling has also made it clear Daragaon, Tadong on Jorethang that this sentiment is get- factory. “There are no roads, no here “for or against” anyone. that the party is supreme and that SDF March 11, Thursday. ting exploited the most. The anti water supply, no avenues for sports. “If this kind of conflict contin- members should support whichever Bhupendra Chettri (son), Durga Bhojraj Rai [MLA, Jorethang] sen- There has been absolutely no de- ues, the situation will deteriorate candidate is sent to them. Lobbying Upreti (daughter in law), Neetu timent seems to have taken over his velopment in the area,” contended and Jorethang will again see the is only normal during elections and Chettri (Daughter) and Yash Kishore constituency. In a bid to pressure the Binod Rai at the meeting. kind of days it did under the previ- Jorethang is no special case,” a sen- Shrestha (son in law) party high command to deny him a When other speakers hinted at ous regime of Bhandari,” he told ior member commented. Phone no: 231028 ticket this time [Mr. Rai has and con- an exodus from the party if the in- the gathering. tested and won from Jorethang cumbent MLA was awarded the Other speakers spoke on how the WANTED twice], two meetings have been held ticket again, Binod Rai is reported party was teetering on a split in A. Teachers: Graduate/ PG in Relevant Subject over the last two days in Jorethang to have requested them not to opt Jorethang due to the divisions among B. Instructors: Diploma in Relevant Subject asking for a change in candidate. for such drastic measures assuring its ranks. Many Panchayat members C. Accountants: B.Com/M.Com FOR CONDUCTING COURSES: Dairy, Poultry, Beekeeping, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Floriculture , Mushroom Farming, DARJ SAFFRON BRIGADE BROACHES Computer Hardware and Networking, PCO and Internet Café Management, Handicraft, Watch and Clock Repairing, Automobile Repair Technology, Tourism & Adventure Sports Management, Office SEAT-SHARING WITH TRINAMOOL Management, Office Management, Still Photography & Videography, Darjeeling parliamentary constitu- them to come to Delhi for further Beauty Culture & Saloon Management. AMITAVA BANERJEE ency with TC support. discussions in this regard and the Salary negotiable. Submit your Bio-data within 7 days to Project “Though Khandelwal abstained strategies to be adopted in the Hills Coordinator, M/S Sikkim Binding Industries (SIBIN), Daragoan, Tadong, DARJEELING, 10 March: Saf- from making any promises, he as- for the forthcoming MP elections. Gangtok or email to: [email protected]. Or Call 9832071807 fron leaders from the hills, led by sured that he would try his best to immediately. Kishore Chandra Rai, president of negotiate,” informed Mr. Rai. Meanwhile, there was much BJP Darjeeling Hill Committee, The final negotiation result be- talk in the Hill town of the two BJP Excellent Franchise Opportunity TO MAKE MONEY & HELP OTHERS GROW met Pyarelal Khandelwal, Vice- tween Trinamool and BJP regard- leaders arriving at Darjeeling to- For those interested in helping people for Overseas Educa- President, BJP Central Committee ing seat-sharing is expected to be morrow to meet Subash Ghising, tion, Overseas Employment, UK’s Cambridge O & A Levels and Sunil Shashtri, observer for declared on 14 or 15 March. GNLF Supremo in order to seek his & other Educational Training Programmes LINKED with Sikkim, in Siliguri yesterday and re- “We also apprised the leaders support. Geeta Chatterjee, member SINGAPORE & UK - like Computers, Secretarial, Marketing quested them to use their good of- of the present political situation of the State Secretariat, waived this & Super Management Techniques etc... “To empower the Youth of Today for a Better Tomorrow”... then here is an fices to negotiate the Darjeeling prevailing in the Darjeeling Hills,” off as a rumour and stated that opportunity of a lifetime seat with the Trinamool Congress informed Mr. Rai. Khandelwal and Shashtri had al- IF you are really serious, hardworking, so that BJP could contest from the He added that Shashtri asked ready left for Delhi. professional and are willing to invest Rs. 5 lakhs then we can help you make a “Expanding your business? minimum of Rs. 50 lakhs a year - and Consider: A new we have a proven track record to show franchise business opens GAC faces the Sack this. We will help you set up your office, somewhere in the U.S. lence “even under provocation.” The Board to be headed by the Chief train your staff, give you our connections Contd from pg 1 every 8 minutes.” Committee has decided to reach the Minister to short-list its candidates in Singapore & worldwide and get you a violent clash between ruling party message to all its supporters through for the upcoming Lok Sabha and started and support you all the way. supporters and Congress [I] party its network of frontal organisations Assembly polls. Mr. Chamling is workers. While staying away from and reiterated its commitment to help expected to nominate members to Your Success is our Mission! fixing blame in the incident, the conduct “free and fair” polls in this committee shortly and come up Committee came to a consensus that Sikkim this year. with the final list within a week’s For further details please contact: S.C. Cintury, Defence Auditorium Rd. Deorali, Gangtok - Sikkim SDF and its supporters should set the The party seniors today also time. SDF’s poll campaign is ex- ph: 03592-281489, email: franchise [email protected] right example by “shunning” vio- resolved to set up a Parliamentary pected to restart in mid-March. CMYK
NEWSSCAN 11 March, 2004; NOW! 5 Classes resume at SMIT, but Students still Unhappy under the pretext of the “Holi break”. tion when about 1,000 students The management has given in them who spoke up for their rights a NOW REPORT The move seems to have paid off as stayed awake for almost 3 days pro- partly to the student demand to set will be victimized. far as controlling flaring tempers is testing the manhandling of a stu- up an enquiry committee under the “Everything will be just as it MAZITAR, RANGPO, 10 March: concerned. The management claims dent in front of the faculty quarters Sikkim Manipal University of was,” they maintain. When this re- Normalcy seems to be returning at that about 70 per cent of the students here. The boy in question had pur- Health and Medical Sciences and porter asked the management if he the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Tech- have returned and normal classes portedly abused a faculty member Technological Sciences to investi- could speak to some of the students, nology here after the stiff standoff be- were being held. when in an inebriated state. The ad- gate into the incident. he was not allowed to. If the man- tween the students and the manage- When NOW! reached the col- ministration had then, on 26 Feb- But the students are far from agement says that the committee ment that started when a student was lege campus on 10 March, the day ruary, asked the students to leave happy. They feel that justice is be- will be transparent and that it will allegedly beaten up mercilessly by of the reopening of the college, the the campus by 4:00 pm the same ing denied to them. According to get to the truth, then one wonders teachers. As a result of the fracas the situation seemed under control. day and announced the closure of the students the matter will “never at their qualms on letting the stu- management had closed the campus This is a big change from the situa- the campus till 9 March. be solved”. They feel that those of dents speak to the Press. Fire in the Hills: JORETHANG The fashion Tibetan Uprising Day observed show for the DRUG-BUST Contd from pg 1 region possession,” the SP disclosed. from OUR CORRESPONDENT Phensedyl and SP are perhaps the most commonly abused sub- KALIMPONG: Winter’s past and scription drugs in Sikkim and hor- the days are just about beginning ror stories abound about the ef- to warm up. And if that’s not hap- fect these drugs have had on the pening fast enough then the next youth here. The latest haul is a best way to get the temperatures shocking reminder that these sub- soaring is to attend a fashion show. stances of abuse are still being As simple as that. And as simple as used and more importantly, avail- giving Kalimpong a call. able with relative ease. Things are expected to hot up Incidentally, Phensedyl and in this one-off stop the coming Spasmoproxyvon are Schedule-H week when aspiring ramp- drugs and can only be sold by a reg- wannabes strut their golden stuff on istered chemist on the prescription the catwalk. The event, to be held of a doctor. Although they have on 16 March, is being organised by wreaked much havoc in Sikkim, the Pragati Youth Club of they still remain outside the pur- Kalimpong along with Ramp and view of Narcotic Drugs and Psy- Rack, a Kolkata based event-man- chotropic Substances Act which agement firm. sloganeering either. would have made illegal trading in This is going to be a sort of de- a NOW REPORT The message of the Dalai Lama was read out by them a non-bailable offence. Al- but for the region into the national Nawang Norbu, Tibetan Welfare Officer, Gangtok. though Sikkim Police is lobbying fashion arena. A total of fourteen GANGTOK, 10 March: About 1,000 Tibetans gath- In his message, the Dalai Lama paid tributes to the hard to get the two drugs listed un- models are expected to take part in ered here at Chandmari today to commemorate the many brave Tibetan men and women who had sacri- der the NDPS Act, it has failed to this event. Some of them like Alomy 45th anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day. ficed their lives for the cause of Tibetan freedom. He make any headway thus far. Till that and Maria have done the “walk” Senior citizens of the community and students of also expressed hope to see a “significant breakthrough” happens, Uttam and others in his before and even collected laurels Thumi Sambhota School attended the Memorial Day this year in the relations between his Government in trade will walk away with barely a along the way. Alomy was crowned functions which saw Tibetans carrying their national Exile and the Chinese Government. The message fur- rap on their knuckles even though Miss Nagaland - 2003, while Maria, flag with pride. There were, however, no protests or ther reiterated that no stone will be left unturned for they deal in substances threatening in 1995, had been adjudged Miss rallies by those attending the occasion. There was no seeking a “mutually beneficial solution.” to lay an entire generation to waste Aizwal. Some sugar is also expected in Sikkim. to be imported from Kolkata in Kimberline and Sudipta. Sagar Rai, the chief coordinator behind the show, while speaking to NOW! said that one of the chief rea- sons for organising the fashion show was to change the conservative attitude of the hills and more importantly to boost fashion careers from the region. So, it should not be a surprise to know that models from Siliguri as well as from Gangtok are also taking part. Designer Arnab Sengupta who is an expert in eth- nic Indian dresses is also taking part in the event. His clothes will be on display and sale as well. At 2 pm on 16 March Mela Ground is going to be fashion ter- ritory and then a music world with the clothes-horses to be followed by a DJ Nite and then the all per- vading hill-mantra – a rock act in- volving Mantra, a Darjeeling band. A similar fashion show is scheduled to he held at Gangtok sometime in May and in Siliguri towards the year-end. CMYK 6; NOW! ; 11 March, 2004 DEVELOPMENT
AIDS MAPPING OFFERS NOTHING NEW even cut much ice with the State’s and not actually representative of cipitate much activity as far as the have the provision for giving anti- a NOW REPORT Aids Society which commissioned it. the anti-AIDS campaign. anti-AIDS drive is concerned. retroviral treatment to only HIV The report identifies those in- The survey claims that forty While still on AIDS, it might positive pregnant women who GANGTOK: The attempt to map dulging in unprotected sex and sites in east Sikkim, four in the be mentioned here that the first might pass on the infection to the the contours of the state’s demo- those in the habit of abusing and west, and seven each in south and phase of the Central Government’s unborn child. However, since the graphic distribution of pockets sharing intravenous drugs as being north Sikkim were mapped, but in- free AIDS drugs distribution pro- prevalence of AIDS is not so com- more in danger of contracting HIV at a higher risk - a fact that does side information suggests that in ac- gramme starts April 1, 2004. Those mon here, it would be a good idea seems to be a non-starter. not require a study to establish. The tuality the four districts were only with HIV/AIDS will be provided a to subsidize treatment for all AIDS Late last year, the State AIDS report, however, does not identify lightly touched upon along with cocktail of three drugs – patients since it is very expensive.” Control Society commissioned high-risk areas or cite any statistics. some pockets. Lamivudine and Nevirapin with AIDS may not have hit Sikkim ORG-MARG to “map” the entire According to an official in the It seems obvious from the either Stavudine, Zidovudine or as hard as other places but statis- state for HIV/AIDS. The idea was to Society, the surveyors did not even above that the survey report can- Efavirenz. The medicine, to be tics show that unless care and time identify the high-risk areas and conduct an in-depth analysis of the not be taken as a comprehensive taken twice will be provided to pa- is spent on raising awareness, the groups in the state. Although the re- prevailing STD situation in the evaluation of the state’s AIDS situ- tients for life. Although at first only disease could spiral out of control. port has been handed over to SACS, State, nor, did they visit the core ar- ation. The State’s Aids Society few states are to be included in the Let us not forget that five lives have the survey, conducted by the much- eas known to be affected by the dis- which is already conducting inten- programme, it is hoped that free already been lost to the disease just reputed ORG-MARG – an organisa- ease or identify those areas, which sive AIDS awareness campaigns in anti-retrovirals [AVRS] will be pro- over the past one year, while three tion that specializes in conducting are in threat of it. Moreover, the various towns of the districts and vided to all AIDS patients for free. others are living with full-blown surveys – doesn’t seem to have any- NGOs contacted to help with the among different target populations, According to Dr. RL Sharma, AIDS. Another 23 persons have thing new to say. In fact, it doesn’t survey were, reportedly, “vague” does not think the report will pre- Director, SACS, “In Sikkim we been diagnosed as HIV positive. SNT gets FROM DISASTER MANAGEMENT TO Smart SANITATION, PROMOTERS OF SCIENCE SAGAR CHETTRI GANGTOK: On the road and out IDENTIFY FOCAL AREAS FOR THE NE of fuel? If you’re a government em- ployee, the days of shuffling into gramme, Eastern Himalayan up as focal areas that needed con- awareness as ignoring this “mod- your pockets looking for those pa- a NOW REPORT Vigyan Chetna Jatha, to initiate the sideration as far as the north-east ern need” could result in the peo- per coupons given by the depart- Year of Scientific Awareness. was concerned. These are: Disas- ple getting further marginalised. ment are soon going to be over. GANGTOK, 10 March: The Year The year long awareness pro- ter Mitigation and Management, He also expressed concern over SNT has decided to go Smart of Scientific Awareness was offi- gramme, which is exclusively for Bio-diversity and Water & Sanita- the ecologically fragile eastern with its new Petro Smart Card. The cially launched today at the annexe the northeastern region of the coun- tion. Himalayan region. He said that the existing paper fuel coupons will be building of the Forest Department. try, will chalk out a route beginning The Chief Secretary said in his deterioration of the region’s envi- replaced by these electronic smart The symbolic act of the unfurling in north Bengal and traverse address that he was “pleased” that ronment could be arrested and rec- cards. of the national logo was done by through the entire north-east culmi- Sikkim was chosen as the venue of tified through proper application of According to Karma Zimba, in- the day’s chief guest, the Chief Sec- nating in the home of one of the choice for the launch of the initia- science. He also expressed full sup- charge of Smart Card unit, the first retary, SW Tenzing. It was also the “six sisters.” tive. He also noted that this was the port on behalf of the state govern- cards will be issued for those work- concluding day of the two-day pro- Three main aspects were drawn “right time” to arouse scientific ment in this regard. ing at SNT. “Our plan is to first give these Chinese New Year... cards to government employees and then make them available for the Contd from pg 2 Telecom employees on “cease private sector too. By April, all pa- the field in front of the monastery, and per coupons will become invalid.” some were standing. As the devil work” call Citizens Charter to lobby The Petro card has been intro- dance began, several boys came out duced to do away with all the pa- of the monastery door, wearing devil perwork that issuing such coupons masks, big and small, of all kinds. Some public support for their demands entailed. According to SNT offic- were made to resemble corpses and ers, these coupons were often mis- looked terrible; you could only see the Today was the third day of the are not satisfied with only an AO used, while the Petro cards offer no bones and skull and nothing else. After AMITAVA BANERJEE cease-work and relay hunger strike joining, we want to know whether scope for duplication. the dance was over all the richer Tibet- by the employees, with 10 employ- he has got drawing and disbursing The cards, which were inaugu- ans went inside the monastery to place DARJEELING, 10 March: The ees including 5 women, going on a powers, which is an immediate ne- rated along with the new petrol scarves around the necks of the gods. National Federation of Telecom hunger strike. cessity for the smooth functioning pump of SNT last month by Minis- This new year’s festival lasted Employees [NFTE], Darjeeling Due to the absence of an AO of the office and for the benefit of ter Transport, SB Subedi, will func- three days and when these happy Chapter, in an effort to muster with “drawing and disbursing” the subscribers,” contests Lama. tion in the same way as the ATM days were gone, my father said, “Be- cards. Apart from the SNT pumps, stronger support for its demand for powers for the past one and a half Incidentally a meeting is being private petrol pumps will also be lieve in God, my son. In all things posting an Accounts Officer [AO] years, even a small discrepancy in held between the GM [Telecom] fitted with Petro Smart card ma- we depend on God,” and he added with “drawing and disbursing” telephone bills forces a subscriber Siliguri Division and the District chines making it easy for both the “We shall soon be very happy on the powers at the Darjeeling BSNL of- to rush to Siliguri. This puts the Secretary, NFTE in Siliguri today consumer and the supplier. feast of the fifth day of the fifth fice is all set to organize a Citizen’s subscribers in a very tight spot and regarding the powers of the AO. Another step towards E- moon, which is your birthday.” Convention on 13 March. The tar- is specially a very big drawback for However nothing concrete has been governence. To be continued get audience is obvious - the pub- subscribers from the more remote communicated to the Darjeeling lic and the political leaders. areas. NFTE had started agitating counterparts. Invitation letters were distributed from 19 February when 85 of the “We will continue with our agi- today to various political parties and staff went on mass casual leave fol- tation until an AO with Drawing social organizations in this regard. lowed by a dharna at the SDO and Disbursing powers is ap- “This has been our long stand- [telephone]’s office on 26 Febru- pointed,” maintains Lama. Sikkim House ing demand and since nothing con- ary and the employees boycotting The cease work has put the sub- crete has happened in this regard, their salary on 27 February. scribers in a tight spot, especially those we decided that it was high time K.N. Karjee, Divisional Engineer whose telephones are out of order. (The Ethnic Cuisine Restaurant) we roped in all the political parties revealed that one MK Biswas was “This is a temporary suffering Hotel New Castle and the citizens because an AO deputed today for 3 days as a tempo- and once our demand is met, it will at , Deorali posted in Darjeeling will benefit all rary AO till Rabindranath Mondal be the subscribers who will benefit Phone : 281707 / 281742 the telecom subscribers of the re- who will be joining as the AO for 3 the most and the problem will be gion,” said Thilen Lama, branch months arrives on 15 March. solved once and for all” was La- secretary, NFTE. “The main problem is that we ma’s comment.

CMYK
SPECIALS 11 March, 2004; NOW! 7 WHO and World Food Prog. officials conduct A spring for an affair with books joint project on Food Formulation Mission SARIKAH ATREYA GANGTOK: A two-member team GANGTOK, 10 March: Three comprising of Senior Programme days of intense cerebral stimula- officer, World Food Programme, JV tion. Three days of putting aside the Emanvel and National Professional latest saas-bahu squabbles on the Officer, WHO, Dr. Bipin Verma idiot box and the neighbourhood visited Gangtok and other districts gossip to spend the afternoons in between 1 to 6 March, 2004 on a the company of the written word. Joint Project Formulation Mission. It was also the time for the young The team visited the govern- to be initiated into the world of ment food godown and FCI books and inculcate in them the godown at Rangpo and were love for books and discover the joys briefed on the functioning of the of reading. And for the already ini- Food & Civil Supplies Department, tiated, a perfect time to rekindle that the set-up in the districts and the passion for reading again. interaction with FCI offices at The 2nd Spring Book Fair, Siliguri and Kolkata. which concluded here today, They were also given informa- brought with it a fresh whiff of hope tion on the administrative set-up of for books and book lovers. The the State Government and the “im- Book Fair saw an enthusiastic re- mense” importance being attached sponse from the public and busi- to the panchayats. ness was brisk and some stalls even At different places they had witnessed feverish buying. There useful interaction with the members were also many encouraging en- of Panchayats on BPL beneficiar- quiries for new and old titles. ies and problems associated with Even as theories on post-mod- foodgrain and nutrition. They also ernism and pulp fiction jostled for interacted with the BPL families. elbow room with Kafka and CATCHING ’EM YOUNG: A young recruit into the dwindling forces of book readers at the 2nd The members also called on the Chomski, and Enid Blyton desper- Spring Book Fair which concluded here on 10 March. Chief Secretary, Government of ately tried to grab a seven-year- don’t mind spending all my pocket Sikkim, Secretaries of Various De- old’s attention swerving towards a money on books,” chipped in his while I read out the stories to him. MOBILE PHONES partments and the Nodal Officers. Panchatantra comic, ardent book friend Souvik. Both of them, of I’d rather he spent time with books The members also visited ICDS lovers were seen spending hours course, are big time into popular than watching cartoons on the TV,” Centers in some places, Schools to looking for that one great book to science and philosophy and “stay she said. see the implementation of Mid Day take home. All this, despite the fact clear” of fiction. The basic objective of Sikkim Meal Scheme, Primary Health that most books were too expensive However, students were not too Akademi, the organisers of the Fair Centers and Self Help Groups. and beyond the reach of most of the happy with the timings of the Fair. was to try and revive book reading The mission members ex- students who crowded the fair. “Book Fairs like this should not be in a big way. pressed full satisfaction with their Those who could not afford the held during our Board examina- “This is really a small effort. We visit and appreciated the interest high-priced books had to make do tions,” felt Tashi, appearing for his intend to make this Fair an annual shown by the representatives of the with leisurely browsing. Class X exams. event and hope more enthusiastic various departments. Their initial So, did the Book Fair manage That parents these days do participation by both the publishers observations are expected by the to “inculcate” the reading habit? not really encourage their kids to and book sellers as well as the book third week of April 2004. As in- “It was certainly a good change read was perhaps the most widely lovers in the coming years,” Sanu formed by the Commissioner-cum- to be able to spend three days discussed issue making rounds of Lama, secretary, Sikkim Akademi, amola Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies browsing through so many books the Fair. said at the closing ceremony. RCELLULAR and Consumer Affairs Department, rather than spending my time sit- Dawa, a young mother of a two- SALES & SERVICES once the assessment and analysis of ting at home watching TV or hang- year old son begged to differ. “I am The Book Fair promises to re- the study is known, it would be ing out with my friends,” said looking for story books for my son. turn next year - bigger and better. Tharo Line,Lal Market Road. possible to identify areas for capac- Swati, a student. He loves books with big pictures Until then, happy reading! Ph: 221004, Mobile: 9832062684 ity building, technical training and “I bought three books - all fic- better monitoring and evaluation of tion, all Agatha Christie and it re- SVPL SIKKIM the on-going food related pro- ally feels good,” she added. Software grammes. 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CMYK 8; NOW! ; 11 March, 2004 THEFINALONE
SONGS ARE SOULLESS THESE DAYS, RUES RANJIT GAZMER The Man movie. Gazmer had found his bear- in Darjeeling, I had the opportunity who gave SARIKAH ATREYA ings in the Hindi film industry. To- to accompany Shanti didi in one of day, after spending more then three her shows at the GDNS Hall there GANGTOK, March 10: It was the decades in the industry and being in the early sixties. She was sing- us “Kusume year 1969. A young musician from closely associated with RD Burman, ing one of the compositions of my Darjeeling arrived in Bombay with Ranjit Gazmer is one of the most guru Dalsingh Ghataraj at that Rumaal” his wife and two small children respected Nepali music directors in time,” Gazmer told the gathering. hoping for a break in the Hindi film the entire Nepali diaspora. Despite contributing so much to still sees music industry. His only contact It so happened that the sitting the Hindi film industry and accom- and reference was Mahohari Singh, where the young Gazmer was taken plishing considerable success there, a highly-respected music arranger to was for the super hit Dev Anand Gazmer’s association with Nepali hope for in the film industry at that time. film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, music never ceased. Growing up in Armed with nothing but a shot extensively in Nepal. The Darjeeling in a family of talented Nepali Maadal and determination, this unique sounds and rhythms of this musicians, it was only natural for young man, soon after setting foot film’s music gave birth to the dis- him to take up music as his career. music in the Mayanagari, was taken by tinct sound of RD Burman music, His early influences were eminent Singh to a house where a music sit- that contained the subtle notes of Nepali musicians from Darjeeling - ting was going on. Gathered there Nepali folk music, especially those Manveer Singh, George Banks [fa- were the stalwarts of Hindi cinema of the Maadal. Today, one can say ther of Louis Banks], Saran Pradhan, - music directors SD Burman and that the credit for introducing the Amber Gurung, Shanti Thatal, like Samjhana and Kusume Rumaal, added later. The technology avail- his son RD Burman, songwriter beats of the Maadal and Nepali folk Gopal Yonzon, Karma Yonzon and big musical hits of their times. To- able nowadays has made that hap- Anand Bakshi and the evergreen tunes to the Hindi film industry Jiten Bardewa, to name a few. day, he is a household name in the pen. But in the process, the songs hero, Dev Anand. The young man undoubtedly goes to Gazmer, who “I was trained in the Tabla and Nepali community. loose their soul,” he reflected. was introduced to the bigwigs as worked with RD until his demise. had the opportunity to interact and For someone who has spent his Music is something that is in- Ranjit Gazmer, a young and very “The sounds of the Maadal be- learn so much about music from entire life dedicated to music, how born, and anyone who wants to talented musician from the Hills. came the signature of Panchamda’s these great musicians,” he said. does he respond to the present mu- make a mark as a singer or a mu- Almost immediately, the junior music,” Gazmer told a small gath- His foray into Nepali film music sic scenario? sician has to have at least the ba- Burman asked Gazmer if he could ering of local musicians and sing- industry gave his career another turn. “Music has certainly undergone sic knowledge of Sur and Taal. play the Nepali instrument he was ers here today. Ranjit Gazmer’s first Nepali film as great changes. Even the way songs Riyaaz is extremely important, carrying with him. Gazmer com- The trip down memory lane got the music director was Bainsuri, are created and recorded today are was his advice, especially to the plied with a small piece of an origi- more nostalgic for Gazmer with the which is considered a landmark in completely different from how they young talents. nal Nepali composition. Dev Anand presence of noted singer and musi- Nepali film world. Gazmer not only used to be done a decade ago. Ranjit Gazmer still sees hope in was delighted. This was the exact cian Shanti Thatal in the audience. introduced Udit Narayan Jha and his Songs today are recorded in bits and Nepali music and art and in the sound he was looking for his latest “When I was just starting out wife Deepa Jha [nee Ghataraj] to the pieces and not how we used to do younger generation’s ability to carry Nepali music lovers, but also created it earlier - in a single sitting with forward the legacy convincingly. history of sorts by making Asha the entire live orchestra playing si- “I am always ready to support Make sure all get to see Bhonsle sing in Nepali! The success multaneously. These days, one line and promote young talents of this Indo-Pak cricket: Govt of Bainsuri was followed by films is recorded on one day and the rest region,” he said. n a veiled warning, the government on Wednesday asked all concerned Ito ‘rise above narrow commercial interests’ to ensure that Indian view- ers get to watch the upcoming Indo-Pak cricket series, the telecast of which is caught in the blame game between Ten Sports and cable operators. Informa- tion and Broadcasting Secretary Pawan Chopra told reporters that those in- volved “would not be able to go very far if they failed to satisfy the public.” “This match is very important for the public. Everyone should rise above narrow commercial interest and ensure that there was no inconven- ience to the people,” Chopra said. Noting that some countries have laws under which it was mandatory for giving rights to the public broadcaster of sports of national importance, he said that everyone including those in the private sector should consider the long term interests. The comments of the I&B secretary came amid reports that not many Indian viewers may get to watch the cricket series since both, Ten Sports and cable operators, are playing a blame game and blacking out transmis- sion of this channel, which holds exclusive telecast rights for these matches.

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Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita Zulca Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: [email protected] CMYK