05 February, 2005; NOW! 1 REVENUE COLLECTION DRIVE TO POWER ON ON pg 4 iNSIDE Saturday, 05 Feb, 2005 Vol. 3 No. 246 Gangtok Rs. 3 SBI press CREDIT SBI announces Xpress XCredit.XX Personal Loans for INTO THIN AIR; XXX net monthly incomes of on the humble Rs. 2,500 onwards; 18- potato’s historic times the salary; at journey; ON 10.25% interest! LANGUAGE contact PT Bhutia 94343 57921, Chettri 94340 12824 or ON pgs 7 & 8 P Darnal 9434151288 WB to hold DGHC PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVE vs. PUBLIC PROTECTOR elections despite Ghising’s reservations Panchayat behind bars for assault on PSO BIRENDRA SHANDILYA are her son, Pemba Bhutia, a NOW REPORT Tshering Penjo and ST Bhutia. DARJEELING, 04 Feb: West GANGTOK, 04 Feb: Hari Hari Prasad, recovering from Bengal Home Secretary, Amit Prasad Rai, Personal Security his wounds at the emergency Kiran Deb’s statement today in Officer to Transport Minister, ward of the STNM hospital, says Darjeeling has come as a Menlom Lepcha, was brutally that the incident took place at breather to the uncertainty assaulted last night at Tadong. around 7:30 pm last night as he shrouding the DGHC elections A Panchayat member and three was returning from a paan shop. in the Darjeeling Hills. others have been arrested in “As I was returning, a group “As per the DGHC Act, the connection with the said attack. of boys invited me to join them State Government has to con- Incidentally, Hari Prasad is for a drink. Though I didn’t want duct the elections by 26 March. an SAP personnel and a resi- to, they insisted,” he says. There are no provisions for any dent of Ribdi, West Sikkim. He further informs that they further extension in the Act; if Concern for the law has to then forced him to drink raw any other alternative has to be be rightfully projected here, Rum and even sprayed beer on Hari Prasad Rai, PSO to the Transport Minister at adopted other than elections, insists DIG Range, Akshay him. “When I asked them what the STNM Emergency Ward then the DGHC Act has to be Sachdeva, as one of the alleged they were up to, Sonam Ongmu He says he remembers stag- hospital. He informs that he has amended,” informed Deb. assailants is a Panchayat mem- came from behind and hit me gering back to the Minister’s no idea as to why he was beaten. Incidentally, the tenure of ber of Tadong, Sonam Ongmu with what I think was a beer house and asking to be taken to “I only joined duty on 27 the present DGHC was to ex- Bhutia, better known as Treja. bottle,” he narrates. the hospital. He then lost con- October, 2004,” he reveals. pire on 26 March, 2004. An She along with three other is “They also took out be my sciousness. Hari Prasad was Sources also reveal that earlier Hill Affairs Department currently lodged at the Sadar pistol and hit me on the head bleeding profusely from his head trouble started when the victim turn to pg 5 Thana lock up. The other three with it,” he says. and received 12 stitches at the turn to pg 2 Local architects to design Chamling’s vision tion of local talent as well as a NOW REPORT tourism, he suggested. GANGTOK, 04 Feb: Chief Also discussed was the pro- Minister Pawan Chamling to- posal for creation of retreat fa- day sat in a meeting with gov- cilities for meditation and crea- ernment and private archi- tive pursuits. This, it was agreed, tects of the State at his official would be designed in local style residence, Mintokgang. Dur- in an eco-friendly set up. For the ing the meeting, Mr. promotion of tourism is the pro- Chamling shared his vision on posal for building houses in tra- the environment of the state ditional styles and the creation and how it should be taken of model villages that represent into account before any build- the state’s ethnic groups. ing activity is initiated, in- Not forgetting the physi- forms an official Press release. cally and mentally challenged Several projects were also people, a composite complex discussed at the meeting. These with all related facilities has included the rejuvenation of the been mooted for them. This is White Hall complex for the deemed to be the first of its kind creation of a public habitat cen- in India. tre where exchange of ideas Traffic management and could take place. For arts and planning also came up in the craft activities, the CM sug- course of the meeting. It was gested a multipurpose park be- agreed that this was a priority tween the State Archive Cen- area which needed the creation tre and the State Guest House. of proper international standard This could be designed as a parking facilities, beautified “cultural hub” for the promo- turn to pg 4 2; NOW!; 05 February, 2005 ED-SPACE Is This the End of Ghising and the Gorkhaland Issue? he Gorkha National Lib against the Marxist philosophy of rhetoric whenever obstacles to Absolute Power eration Front [GNLF] is ‘Right to Self Determination’. his continued rule in the Hills Ta relatively new entrant Seeing three new states cropped up. Arguing the The 31 seats that the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front gov- to the Gorkhaland issue, raising [Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Darjeeling was not yet incorpo- ernment has cornered in the 32-member State assembly it with the Aandolan of the Uttranchal] with much younger rated into the Indian Union, he gives its representatives a free hand to chart a course it 1980’s which culminated in the demands get formed, CPRM’s first raised the “No Man’s deems fit for Sikkim. With negligible Opposition, policy setting up of the Darjeeling hopes were high. Land” issue, which was fol- decisions, even the more harsh ones, are now easy to Gorkha Hill Council. The de- However, CPRM could lowed by the “Hague episode”. push through. That is for the leaders. When it comes to mand for Gorkhaland was raised never strike a chord with the Asserting that he had raised the the party youth and lower level functionaries, the all-pow- to secure the identity of the In- Hill people and it limited itself No Man’s Land issue before the erful status is at times perceived in the wrong light. As far dian Gorkhas. This, as men- to contesting the DGHC elec- International Court of Justice, as they are concerned, they reign supreme and should tioned earlier, was not a new tions. But to its credit, CPRM he conveniently resigned from therefore be allowed to have their way, be it in cornering sentiment. The demand a sepa- was the first political party in DGHC for a period of more plum supplies or influencing decisions. The leaders are rate State for the Indian Gorkhas the Hills to challenge the than five years. Only later was undoubtedly feeling the heat on this front as they find it was first raised by the Hillman’s GNLF, the Aandolan having it revealed that he had never more and more difficult to explain why they are not being Association in 1907. Later, the already chased CPI [M] out of even sent a letter to the Hague. able to give in to every whim and fancy of all their sup- then undivided Communist the Hills. Then, GNLF-C was For his political gains, he did porters. With no more constituencies left to convert, the Party of India [CPI] had also energies invariably get directed to the offices of elected also formed in 2002, as a re- not even spare the deities. Dur- passed a resolution in its annual representatives, pursuing requests and recommendations. sult of an internal feud between ing government programmes, he Obviously, when work does not get done, this energy finds conference for Gorkhaland, then the GNLF after the murder of talked about Sai Baba and devi- violent release. called “Gorkhasthan”. At that CK Pradhan. Many GNLF-C deutas. On a deeper look, it be- That is one part of the problem. An equally discon- time, Ratan Lal Brahman, from leaders believed Ghising had a comes obvious that he was not certing trend among the party supporters is to corner Darjeeling tabled the proposal. hand in CK’s murder, mainly just being pious, he was actu- everything for themselves, have a finger in every pie so After this, Pranta Parishad, an- because the latter was a strong ally avoiding discussions on to say. Here again the party’s absolute position in the other political party, also voiced supporter of the demand for core issues afflicting the Hills. State tends to get abused. Influence, coercion, persua- similar demands. He even went to the extent of sion and pressure are often exerted on departments and However, it was the GNLF claiming that the gods resided officials without the party high-command being in the that started the Gorkhaland Agi- VIEWPOINT in him, obviously in an attempt know of things. But even as the party seniors remain tation. GNLF demanded a sepa- ANOOP RAI to put a fear in people so that no unawares of what the lower functionaries are up to, the rate state for the Gorkhas com- one dared to oppose him. people take notice. Given the way politics works in the prising of the Darjeeling District Gorkhaland and was actively It is now clear that Ghising country, no one minds if ruling party supporters are fa- and Dooars, and parts of involved in the agitation. has realised that he is faced by a voured sometimes.