06 April, 2005; 1 Dead ringers Wednesday, 06 April, 2005 Vol. 3 No. 293 Gangtok Rs. 3 SBINOW! keep ringing at press CREDIT SBI announces Xpress Namchi XCredit.XXX Personal Loans for net monthly incomes of a NOW REPORT Rs. 2,500 onwards; 18-times the salary; at NAMCHI, 05 April: Landline 10.25% interest! phones have been ‘dead’ since contact PT Bhutia 9434357921, yesterday at Namchi after the Chettri 94340 12824 or thunderstorm of 03 April P Darnal 9434151288 evening brought down the Namchi Telephone Exchange service board. The landline serv- ices had been disrupted soon after Namchi witnessed a heavy 13 truckers driven to 15 days Judicial Custody, rainfall on 03 April evening. The PCO owners here say that since all the phones are four released on Conditional Bail “completely dead”, there has Sichey, PB Chettri and Suresh Tamang, a truck driver had announced for today been no business for them SUBASH RAI throughout the day today. Wangchuk Sherpa, both from by profession, who had died on through a press release issued on Though landline phones in GANGTOK, 05 April: Of the Ranipool. 28 March in a Siliguri Nursing 02 April, the SP said that he was most parts of Namchi are dead, in 17 truck drivers arrested after They have been released on Home after being allegedly as- not aware of any such meeting. some houses the “over-active” the lathicharge on 30 March, the condition that they will re- saulted on the evening of Holi. phones have turned out to be a nui- four were released today on port to the Sadar Thana twice a The SP also informed that It is to be recalled here that sance for the BSNL subscribers. conditional bail by the Chief week and take permission from the Police was still on the look- Manoj Kumar Gupta, general According to them, the Judicial Magistrate. The re- the police if they want to go out out for those protesters against secretary, Sikkim State Com- phones ring continuously only maining 13 were sent to judi- of the State. whom arrest warrants have been mittee of CITU, had claimed to go dead when the ‘call’ is re- cial custody for 15 days, in- The SP further informed made out for breaking the law in the said Press release that ceived. Once the receiver is put forms Superintendent of Police that the police today also re- on the day of the lathicharge. CITU would hold a meeting down, it starts ringing again. [East], S. Rao. leased a couple of vehicles, Regarding the meeting be- with the Police officials to de- The Cell One mobile serv- Those who were released which were seized by the Po- tween police officials and mem- cide further steps to be taken ice provided by BSNL is not on bail are: Bishnu Chettri of lice a day after the lathicharge bers of Centre of Indian Trade in maintaining peace and tran- faring any better either, the sub- Adampool, DB Chettri of on the funeral procession of Union [CITU], which the latter quillity in the State. scribers complain. “The line is disturbed and the service er- pic: JOSEPH LEPCHA ratic,” they say. “Mom, get the On the other hand, other mobile phone services are daura-suruwal working well. According to sources, the repair work of the ready, it’s time service board will take some time. “If it is in a very bad con- for school!” dition, the service board will have to be sent to Kolkata for a NOW REPORT repairs, which will take an even NAMCHI, 05 April: School is longer time,” they inform. an institution that imparts not only bookish knowledge but ragtime by PANKAJ THAPA also teaches students to appre- ciate their tradition and culture. It is with this belief that Evershine Academy, an English medium private school situated at Chuba and Ghurpisey, Namchi, has announced plans to make the students wear their tra- ditional costumes to school once or twice a week. “Making the students wear their traditional dresses to Deputy Commandant, 63 Mountain Brigade, U. Daduwal, flags off the JAK Regiment motorcycle rally taken out to commemorate the birth anniversary of Gen. Zoravar Singh. school will not only familiar- turn to pg 5 for detailed report ise them with their traditional attire, it will also encourage them to protect and preserve RAKDONG-TINTEK RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY TEESTA STAGE-V their respective culture and tra- dition,” informed NK Chettri, MARCH TO DC’S OFFICE DEMANDING COMPENSATION head of Evershine Academy. As informed by the DC, the Another of their demands is equal compensation to all the RANJIT SINGH Mr. Chettri further said that large gathering, which had ar- that a survey of the area be con- villagers, the DC [East] says the aim of the school was not GANGTOK, 05 April: About rived at the DC’s office at around ducted. This demand has been that this is not possible. only to provide textbook knowl- a hundred people from the 2 PM today, had two main de- put up to assess the impact the “We will find out the nature edge to the students but also edu- Rakdong-Tintek constituency mands. “Though their demands project could have as well as of the damage as well as its ex- cate them on their respective cus- of East Sikkim trooped into the were not very clear, they have to bring in more houses under tent according to which the com- toms, culture and tradition. Stat- District Administrative Centre sought that all of them be com- the damaged list. It seems the pensation will be computed,” he ing that moral and physical edu- here today. They met the DC pensated for the damage the people feel that the survey con- says. He further informs that it cation should also form a part of [East], R. Telang, to find out project has done to their houses,” ducted earlier was not satisfac- is the NHPC which will be pro- the learning in schools, he said what the district administration said Mr. Telang. In fact, they have tory and had also left out many viding the compensation and not that various sports and cultural was doing regarding their demanded that all be paid equal families whose houses were the district administration. programmes would soon be or- houses which have been dam- compensation irrespective of the damaged subsequent to the re- “We are only trying to me- ganised in the school to pursue aged by the tunneling work at nature or extent of damage suf- port of the survey. diate between the two parties,” this resolve. This, he added, will Teesta Stage V hydel project. fered by their houses. As to the first demand of turn to pg 5 turn to pg 5 2; NOW!; 06 April, 2005 ED-SPACE VAT continues to Vex Marg. But to this Mr. Bhutia of business houses here or at TENZIN DOMA contends that the only increase least on what they have recorded ith the State of will be in the maintaining of with the Government. And as Telecom Backbone Needs Sikkim coming un- VAT invoice. “The other regis- they have recorded a low turno- W der the purview of ters which they are talking ver, the Government can only Straightening VAT since 01 April, the general about should have been main- work with that. disposition among the traders tained by them even under the Apart from this, since most An evening of thunder, lightning and high wind and the here is that of confusion, appre- old system,” he explains. businesses in Sikkim are not as phones at Namchi have gone dead. The monsoons have hension and an amount of fear. However, all are not in a big as those in West Bengal, the not yet arrived and telecommunication has already started acting up. To refresh memories a bit, in a recent accident Confusion because some say the mood to make light-hearted threshold limit has been kept beyond Tsomgo in which some tourists perished, the travel concept is not clearly under- comments. One of the Auto low to bring as many traders agencies assisting in the recuperation of the survivors stood, apprehension as to the dealers here says that though under the purview of VAT so complained that getting in touch with their families had effect it will have on business VAT has already been imple- that they can avail of its ben- proved near impossible. The phone lines, landlines as well and fear of what the traders term mented in the State, people are efits. Mr. Bhutia also says that as mobiles, refused to communicate. That was when the as “incredible increase in the still confused, as no one knows this threshold limit is not final telecom strike was at its peak and everything linked to amount of paperwork” which what Value Added Tax is really and can be raised upto Rs. 20 Cherry House was acting up. What we are trying to high- VAT requires. But as the Spe- all about. lakh depending on the meetings light here is that although telephones have become com- cial Secretary, IT&CT Division, he holds with members of the mon accessories nowadays, they are most required dur- Finance Department, KN Bhutia business community in the ing emergencies. If the phone lines are to go dead with says, all this is natural. coming days. But, he says, only inclement weather, then what use are the crores poured “With the implementation dealers registered under VAT down to raise Sikkim’s teledensity among the highest in of something totally new, there DEEP can engage in interstate trans- the country? What follows thunder and lightning? Land- is bound to be some apprehen- FOCUS actions with similarly regis- slides.