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SPGA WELCOMES CABINET DECISION ON LECTURERSa NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 25 July: TheSikkim Post Graduates Associa-tion [SPGA], today welcomedthe Cabinet decision of 20 Julywhich cleared the proposal toregularise the service of lectur-ers who had put in more than10 years in service on adhoc ba-sis and to appoint local candi-dates with NET/ SET as lectur-ers in government colleges.

The welcome comes with a riderthough. SPGA spokesperson,Padam Bahadur Chettri, whilespeaking to NOW! specified that thedecision was welcome if only serv-ices of those lecturers who havecleared NET/ SET were regularised.

National Eligibility Test, inci-dentally is now mandatory quali-fication required of candidateswishing to teach in colleges allover the country. While NETqualifies one to sit in interviewsall over the country, State Eligi-bility Test qualifies a candidateonly for the State in which theexam was taken. The last SET inSikkim was held in 1992. No lo-cals cleared the exam at the time.

It shouldn’t have too manyworries on this front as the onlylecturer at Sikkim GovernmentCollege, Tadong, who meets theconditions is Geeta Niroula, whoapart from having cleared the re-quired exam is also a local.

Mr. Chettri further informs

that there are about 22 locals whohave cleared NET of whom about11 are teaching in colleges here.Ironically, some are even teachingin schools while some others re-main unemployed.

Today, SPGA members alsostressed that they were all in sup-port of quality education whichis why they are insisting on NET/SET clearance from even locallecturers.

“The only relaxation we wantis in the appointment of assistantlecturers. We believe that NET/SET should not be made compul-sory for locals for this post, butthey should be given a time-framewithin which to clear the saidexam to become lecturers,” Mr.

Chettri added.While on quality education,

SPGA has also highlighted the factthat henceforth even the post ofcollege principals be filled after a

proper screening process.“If they can hold interviews

for appointing lecturers, it is onlyexpected that the same be done for

turn to pg 7

RANJIT SINGH

GANGTOK, 25 July: Aspiring medical students in the State are in for aperiod of uncertainty regarding their studies and subsequent acquiring ofmedical degrees. With the reported cancellation of quotas in medical col-leges in the country for medical students from Sikkim, opportunities foraspiring doctors seems to be choking up. And with Sikkim Manipal Insti-tute of Medical Sciences yet to get the central government clearance forcommencement of its new academic session, medical students here wouldbe deprived of pursuing their studies even in the only medical institute inthe State. In the larger context, the present state of affairs would make itvery difficult for anyone from Sikkim to make it as a doctor.

Talking to NOW!, the HRD Minister, GM Gurung, confirmed that themedical quota for students from the state had been consistently dropping.

“Initially, we had a total of 22 seats reserved in the medical collegesin the country; 20 for the MBBS and 2 for BDS courses. Last year, thenumber of reserved seats dropped to 7 and 1 respectively,” Mr. Gurungrevealed. “This year, there are reports of a further decrease,” he said.He, however, added that the reports of total cancellation of medicalquotas for Sikkimese students were yet to be confirmed.

“This is totally in the central government’s hands. However, the de-crease in the number of reserved seats for our students is an injustice asSikkim has been a late starter; we have very little manpower and there is

Aspiring Medical students indilemna; Rhenock College

runs into heavy weather

turn to pg 7

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 25 July: ManinderPal Singh Kohli has been caught.He may be sought after by the Pun-jab, Delhi and Southampton po-lice as well as the Interpol, but theother side of his story involves theclaimants to the Rs. 50 Lakhs forhis arrest announced by his 17-year-old alleged victim, HannahFoster’s parents. There are many

staking claim to this amount andthere is one from Sikkim, too - 2ndOC of Sadar Thana, SK Shreshta.

Mr. Shreshtra came to know ofthe case when he was watching thenews channel Aaj Tak on 13 July.Incidentally, the information con-cerning Kohli was provided to Mr.Shreshtra by a “friend in Gangtok”.

As revealed by the 2nd OC,“Kohli stayed in Hotel Red Rose

I ONLY DIDMY DUTY,SAYS PI SKSHRESTHA,SECOND INLINE FOR THEREWARD ONKOHLI’S HEAD

turn to pg 6

EVERYBODY WANTS KOHLION

pg 4

ANOTHER HUNGER STRIKE AT TITANIC, THIS TIME FOR A JOBONpg

3

2; NOW!; 26 July, 2004

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

lsewhereeIRAQ

write NOW!If you feel strongly about something that has been reported inNOW! or have an opinion on some recent development, then shareit with a wider audience. While the LETTERS section will carryresponses to articles and news carried in NOW!, ACTION MAILis about complaints and grievances. Wherever possible, NOW!shall also search out a response to the Action Mail. If not, then atleast a complaint would have been filed in the public domain.write to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East Sikkim.Or email: sikkimnow@ rediffmail.com

It’s a good thing that the published version of the 9/11Commission’s final report ap-

pears to be flying off the book-shelves. Because the 567-pagedocument explodes some of themore malicious myths surround-ing the terrorist attacks.Myth No. 1: There was no linkbetween al Qaeda and Iraq.

The Weekly Standard’sStephen Hayes noticed a signifi-cant change between the commis-sion’s interim report - which gar-nered banner headlines - and thefinal version.

So he asked Chairman TomKean why the staff draft chargedthere was “no collaborative re-lationship” between al Qaedaand Iraq, while the final versionqualified that to conclude therewas “no collaborative opera-tional relationship with regard tothe attacks.”

Kean’s response: “Well, there isno question in our minds that therewas a relationship between Iraq andal Qaeda... There were conversa-tions that went on over a number ofyears, sometimes successful, some-times unsuccessfully.”

Indeed, he added, “there wasa suspicion in the Clinton admin-istration that when they fired thatbomb at that factory, that if, in fact,there were chemicals there, theymay have come from Iraq. So therewas a relationship.”

Contrast that to the media hys-teria just a month ago when it waswidely trumpeted that the com-mission had found “no link” be-tween Iraq and al Qaeda, thus de-stroying “one of President Bush’s

central justifications of the Iraqwar,” as The New York Times putit - on Page One.

In fact, as Daniel McKivergannotes [on weeklystandard.com]the full report found that “the con-nection between Iraq and al Qaeda[was] more extensive than manycritics of the administration havebeen willing to admit.”

Despite the commission’sstress on the lack of Iraqi involve-ment in 9/11, no one in the Bushadministration ever alleged sucha connection.

But the report cited numerousmeetings into the late ’90s, someinvolving bin Laden himself, with

Iraqi intelligence officials.Surely all this is significant.

For as the CIA’s CounterterrorismCenter declared, “Any indicationof a relationship between thesetwo hostile elements could carrygreat dangers to the UnitedStates.”

Yet President Bush - contraryto the popular myth - never usedthe Iraq-Osama connection as aprimary reason for going to war.What he said was that Iraq’s dem-onstrated ties to anti-Americanterrorist groups, including alQaeda, along with its refusal tocomply with U.N. resolutions onweapons of mass destruction, con-stituted a threat to U.S. security.Myth No. 2: The Bush administra-tion gave special treatment to 140Saudis - including 26 members of

bin Laden’s family - by flying themto safety without any questioningimmediately after 9/11.

This is one of the many bla-tant, but popular, falsehoods inMichael Moore’s cinematic screed“Fahrenheit 9/11” - and the com-mission report exposes it as awholesale lie.

Yes, the Saudis were allowedto leave, at the initial request ofthe Riyadh government. But onlyafter FBI agents conducted face-to-face questioning of 30 peopledeemed to be “of interest” - in-cluding 22 of the 26 bin Ladenrelatives.

The Saudis also were allowedto leave on chartered flightsonly after U.S. airspace wasreopened on the morning ofSept. 13, following the nearlytwo-day shutdown following

the attacks.In short, there was no special

treatment given to the fleeing Sau-dis - and especially not to Osama’sfamily members [who long agodisowned him, anyway].

Sadly, there is still a huge mar-ket of gullible people for outland-ish conspiracy theories; one of themost popular books now availablecontends that the Bush adminis-tration staged the 9/11 attacks andthat no plane hit the Pentagon butrather U.S. missiles.

That such noxious tripe con-tinues to find an audience is dis-maying. That the 9/11 Commis-sion has managed to discreditsome of it is welcome - but the sadfact is that there are many morelies still out there.

courtesy: The New York Post

9/11 MYTH-BUSTERS

Policing MoralsThe stickiest wicket to bat on for people placed in positionswhere they can influence public opinion is in the appropri-ated role of the Moral Police. Since morals are personal is-sues, more often than not, this group ends up forcing theirpersonal likes and dislikes on the society. As a result, theyend up sounding belligerent and bigoted. No one wants that,but very often we are forced to suffer it.

People have a very simple way of handling issues whichthey find offensive - they ignore them. This is a comfortablearrangement, because it does not deny anyone the right tofree expression and at the same time is not dragged aroundin public domain which would make ignoring them difficult.But people with a glorified estimation of self do not allow forsuch easy solutions. They subscribe to a narrow belief struc-ture and have to express it often to continue with their fa-cade of concern. We have seen this group rather active oflate. The protests against the Hindi flick “Girlfriend,” and nowagainst “Julie.” Both movies might have been offensive anddegrading, but there is still no call to brand them such be-cause these are personal opinions and have no place in publicdomain. Those who are disturbed by the content of suchmovies or their publicity stills can either ignore them or takethe matter to Court protesting them on the grounds of ob-scenity. It is highly objectionable when they try to debate theissue in public, where all they manage is to hog the limelightfor themselves and the object of their protest, both of whichthe people want to have no truck with,

GANGTOK, 25 July: In letterto the Union Minister of De-fence, Pranab Mukherjee, thechief minister PawanChamling has raised many se-rious issues facing Sikkimwhich need to be looked intoby the central government.

The first issue concerns theproposed construction of sevenhelipads in different parts of thestate. These helipads are beingconstructed to create better in-frastructure for tourists and alsoto facilitate travel by local pas-sengers.

In his letter, the chief ministerhas stated that although Lachunghelipad is being constructedwithin the area belonging to theAgriculture Department of thestate, the army authorities had ob-jected to the construction of this

helipad on grounds of security.Stating that there is no reason

to believe that this would happen,the CM has requested Mr.Mukherjee to issue instructions tothe army authorities to allow theconstruction of the helipad tocommence.

The second point raised in theletter was that the state govern-ment had provided land to thearmy in North Sikkim on a leasebasis, on payment of lease amountof Rs.5,180,80/- every year. Thestate government has demandedthat the lease amount be increasedaccording to the present marketrate, as is done in all leased landcases.

The next issue concerns theGangtok-Rongyek- Pakyong roadwhich used to be maintained bythe state govt. prior to its hand-ing over to the army. Stating that

the road is in a bad condition andis affecting vehicular traffic, thechief minister has asked for thisroad to be carpeted and main-tained properly as it is the life-line to the villagers living in theareas bordering the land acquiredby the Army.

The state government hasmade repeated requests to the De-fence Ministry for opening aBranch Recruiting Centre atGangtok. Though the State has noobjection to the continuance ofRecruiting Centre at Siliguri,which is in West Bengal, it feelsthat there should be a separatebranch Recruiting Centre for theyouth of Sikkim.

The letter also states that theexisting National Highway 31A,which is being maintained by theSwastik Authorities, is not fit formovement of two way traffic. It

asks for the upgradation of thehighway to a four-lane one, to aidmovement of traffic.

Apart from this, it was pointedout that it would serve the interestof the Defence Ministry to haveanother four lane national high-way from Nathula to facilitate bor-der trade in future.

The chief minister has alsomentioned that the state has nei-ther rail link nor air link. The con-struction of Pakyong Airport isstill pending with the Airport Au-thorities. He has requested in hisletter that concerned Ministries bepressed for early construction andcompletion of the airport atPakyong.

Saying that Sikkim is proud ofmaintaining its ecology apart frombeing tranquil and peaceful, an-other request has been placed inthe letter to issue instructions for

undertaking plantation works bythe Army authorities in the areasacquired and maintained by them.

The State Govt. has been en-couraging Cooperative Societieswith the ultimate objective of in-creasing the purchasing power ofthe people. This has already led toformation of a host of cooperativesocieties of women in this area.

The State Govt. has also allot-ted the supply of uniforms to thePolice personnel to a cooperativesociety run by women. This soci-ety is also supplying uniform toschoolchildren. The chief minis-ter has requested the army authori-ties to consider engaging such co-operative societies of the state forsupply of clothing and stitchingrequirements of the army person-nel located in the state.

-IPR

CENTRE PETITIONED TO UPGRADE NH31A TO 4-LANE HIGHWAY,ANOTHER 4-LANER REQUESTED FOR NATHULA

26 July, 2004; NOW! 3

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 25 July: TitanicPark seems to be the preferredvenue for hunger strikes thesedays. After the State Congress saton a one-day token hunger strikehere recently, it’s the turn forSubhas Baraily, a photographer, touse the spot for his protest againstunfair means of employment.

Mr. Baraily had applied for thepost of photographer-cum-mediacoordinator at the Governor’s of-fice at Raj Bhawan, for which aninterview was conducted on 28May, this year.

A total of three candidates satfor the interview, which was toselect candidates based on theirexperience. Subhas’ contention isthat with 16 years of experience

in photography and 5 years in jour-nalism, he should have been right-fully given the job.

But the job went to someonewho had barely two years of ex-perience, Mr. Baraily alleges.

This according to Mr. Baraily,was against the appointment pro-cedure. He has been registering hisprotest about this procedural lapsefor sometime now. First by going

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 25 July: A one-dayworkshop on Biodiversity Conser-vation was held on 24 July, at Col-lege Auditorium, Tadong. Theworkshop was organized by Re-search Cell, North Eastern HillUniversity, Shillong in collabora-tion with Sikkim GovernmentCollege, Gangtok and was spon-sored by the NEC.

The workshop was attendedby lecturers and students of thecollege, departmental officials andNGO’s. Dr. SK Pradhan, Princi-pal, Sikkim Government Collegewas the chief guest.

Dr. Pradhan opened the work-shop stating that although we nowhave knowledge about many things,we are still unaware about the natu-ral wonder that is all around us.

“All the components ofbiodiversity have to be conservedand protected because all life is

to the media, then by circulating apamphlet threatening to immolatehimself if denied justice. How-ever, his efforts did not evoke anyresponse. Later he tried to contactthe Governor regarding the issuebut was not allowed to meet him.

“I tried several times to meethim but it was in vain when eventhe president of a country can bemet in search of justice,” he states

in a press release issued by him,going on to add, “Now, since nooption is available, I have decidedto go on a hunger strike to seekjustice.”

Mr. Baraily will sit on a 3-dayhunger strike at Titanic Park from26-28 July at Titanic Park. Let ushope this gets him a better hear-ing and answers to the issue he hasraised.

ANOTHER HUNGER STRIKE AT TITANIC, THIS TIME FOR A JOB

interlinked,” he added.In his address, B. Kharbuli,

Convener, NEBRC, appreciated thenatural resources of the state as wellas the hospitality of the people.Thanking the organizers, he in-formed that his team had been work-ing in the field of biodiversity con-

a NOW REPORT

TADONG, 25 July: The AllSikkim Truck Drivers Associationheld its 3rd General Elections on25 July at their Head Office, here,with nearly 700 truck drivers tak-ing part in the voting process. Theelections will be held in threephases, the first one was held inGangtok, while the other two willbe held at Singtam and Jorethang.

The elections are held every threeyears. However, an elected membercan be dropped from his post mid-term in case of incompetence.

“The elections are held look-ing at all the problems and issuesthe truck drivers are facing. Byholding elections we get a chanceto elect a representative who canraise these issues and be ourvoice,” explains Kumar Rai, a lo-cal truck driver.

The elected representative willbe expected to mediate in casesrelating to police, taxi-stands,parking, minimum wages, and

other contentious issues.This year there were a total of

seven candidates, with three stand-ing for president, two for vice-presi-dent and two for general secretary.

Asish Rai, Nir Bahadur Chettriand Palden Tamang stood for thepost of president, WangchukSherpa and Rudra Bhadur Giri forVice-Presidents and RakeshGurung and Diley Ram Barailycontested for the post of generalsecretary.

The elections were conductedby the Truck Drivers ElectionCommittee headed by LaxumanRai, Election Supervisor and as-sistants Sunil Gurung and PremKumar Tamang.

Mr. Chettri was elected as presi-dent of the Gangtok Truck Driver’sAssociation with a total of 300 voteswhile Mr. Sherpa was elected vicepresident with a total of 277 votes.Rakesh Gurung was elected as Gen-eral Secretary with a total of 245votes. The former president wasMani Kumar Thapa Chettri.

Truckers vote

Members of the Sikkim TruckDrivers Association line up tocast their votes at their HeadOffice in Tadong on 25 July,

Sunday

servation for the last eight years.“The Himalaya is rich with

flora and fauna, medicinal plantsand all kinds of natural treasuresand it is the responsibility of all toprotect it,” he stressed.

The inaugural session ended witha vote of thanks from Bhupendra Roy.

ONE-DAY WORKSHOP DELIBERATESON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

4; NOW!; 26 July, 2004 NEWSSCAN �

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The undersigned invites the applications on plainpaper with attested copies of testimonials to fillup purely temporary posts of (one each)Lecturers on consolidated emolument of Rs.12,500/- P.M. fixed on ad-hoc basis in the subjectsPolitical Science, Geography, InorganicChemistry, Physical Chemistry and (History forNamchi Government College).Candidates should have atleast 55% marks inMasters Degree, NET, M.Phil/Ph.D. Preferencewill be given to the local candidates with abovequalifications. No TA, DA, will be paid for theinterview which will be held in the chamber ofSpecial Secretary, H.R.D. Department, Govt. ofSikkim, Gangtok at 11 AM on 6.8.04. No call letterwill be issued.Further, applications are also invited for part timeLectureship in the subjects, English, Nepali,Political Science, Education, Geography,History, Sociology and Economics for morningand evening shift Colleges, selection will be doneon merit basis.

PRINCIPALSIKKIM GOVERNMENT COLLEGE, TADONG.

DEEPAK SHARMA

MANGAN, 25 July: A co-ordi-nation cum review meeting washeld at Zilla Bhawan, Mangan on24 July. Chaired by the zillaadhakshya [North] LobsangTenzing, the meeting was attendedby zilla up-adakshya, district col-lector, head of all offices of northdistrict along with gram panchayatlevel field functionaries and ruraldevelopment assistants.

The meeting primarily fo-cused on the formulation of a re-alistic district plan for the year2004-2005.

The status of the works/schemes undertaken by the zillaand the gram panchayats out of theallocated grants of Rs. 10 lakhs forthe gram panchayat and Rs. 50lakhs for the north district zillapanchayat for the financial year2003-2004 was presented bySDDO [Mangan], SDDOChungtang and District PlanningOfficer, NDZP.

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 24 July: ARCEIS In-ter School Football Tournamenthas begun in Namchi. The tour-nament, organised by NamchiPublic School for the students ofclass V and below, is being con-ducted at the NPS ground.

The tournament which kickedoff today will continue till 25 July.A total 9 schools from all over thestate are participating in the tour-nament. The teams have beengrouped into three pools; in poolA there is St. Mary’s School,Geyzing, Namchi Public SchoolA, and St. Patrick’s School,

Gaucharan.Holy Cross, Tadong, Don

Bosco School, Rinchenpong andEvana Memorial School,Mamring are in pool B while inPool C there is St. Joseph’sRhenock, Namchi Public SchoolB and St. Xavier’s Pakyong.

The opening match today wasplayed between Namchi PublicSchool A and St. Mary’s School

Addressing the gathering, theZilla Adakshya stressed on the ne-cessity for the presence of officialsof all the line departments at the timeof holding gram sabhas, to evolve aneed based and effective plan.

District Collector, PS Targainemphasized the role of rural de-velopment assistants and otherfield functionaries in the formu-lation of the District Plan whiledistrict planning officer,Phuchung Bhutia talked about thetype of schemes/ works that werepassed in the previous gramsabhas. He stated that targetschemes should be replaced withmore income generating and sus-tainable schemes.

The second part of the meetingsaw ADC, North, RC Bhutia high-lighting various issues including theimportance of constituting DisasterManagement Committees at bothgram and district levels.

The meeting ended with a voteof thanks by Joint Director [Ac-counts] HP Sharma to the chair.

Geyzing in which the former de-feated SMS by a score of 2 to nil.The other two matches of the dayhad Holy Cross, Tadong playingagainst Don Bosco Rinchenpongand St. Joseph’s School, Rhenockagainst Namchi Public School B.

Each game is of 45 minuteswith the rule of the golden goalincluded in the tournament. Thefinals will be held on 25 July.

Inter school football toruney for Class V and below

North works towards arealistic district plan

KN Rai atPanchayati Raj

meetGANGTOK, 25 July: RuralManagement and Development,Minister, KN Rai attended a two-day round-table conference onPanchayati Raj and Gram Sabhasat Kolkata. The conference whichwas held from July 24-25 waschaired by Union Panchayati RajMinister, Mani Shankar Iyer.

In his address, Mr. Rai elabo-rated on how the ruling SikkimDemocratic Front government ledby Chief Minister PawanChamling had decentralizedpower to the Panchayats and howsuccessful the programme hadbeen in the state.

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 25 July: A three-member CBI team arrived heretoday to join the Delhi Police andPunjab Police teams already intown to take custody ofManinderpal Singh Kohli, the ac-cused in the rape and murder of17-year-old Hannah Foster inSouthampon, England, last Marchand now also implicated in therape of the Swiss official in New

Delhi last October. He is wantedby the Punjab Police in connec-tion with passport forgery case.Kohli, who carries a British pass-port, passed off as an NRI MikeDavis in Kalimpong.

All the three claimants [CBI,PP and DP] are present inKalimpong for the official proce-dure to be done tomorrow [todaybeing a holiday] for the possibledetention of Kohli.

The Sub-Divisional Judicial

Magistrate, had on 17 July, refusedcustody to Punjab Police whichcould not produce a warrant of ar-rest and had ruled that Kohli behanded over to the Interpol wingof the CBI instead.

It is going to be a complicatedday tomorrow with all three agen-cies keen on bagging Kohli. EvenPunjab Police claims to have anarrest warrant now.

“We have brought the produc-tion warrant this time for his al-leged involvement in the passportforgery case registered in Marchthis year,” claimed the SP[Patiala], Pritpal Singh Virk. TheSP however clarified that PunjabPolice was not in confrontation orcompetition with the CBI.

“We have simply come herefor the custody of Kohli and willsubmit the required papers to theSDJM tomorrow,” he said.

And then there is the Delhi

Police which put Kohli through a5-hour interrogation yesterday onthe Swiss diplomat’s rape case of15 October, 2003. All the requiredforensic tests were also conductedduring the time, it is learnt.

“A cross examination of theinformation received during theinterrogation will be done and thereport will be passed on to thehigher authorities at New Delhi,”said the Delhi Police crime ranchpersonnel presently in Kalimpong.He added that if anything requiredfurther investigation, Kohli willquestioned again.

To add to the drama of the tug-of-war over Kohli are reports thatthe accused, in judicial remand atpresent, has been refusing hismeals since yesterday. Barely acouple of days ago, he had to berushed to the sub-divisional hos-pital here after he complained ofchest and abdominal pains.

EVERYBODY WANTS KOHLICBI arrives, Punjab Police brings the warrant and Delhi Police is here too

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JORETHANG, 25 July: A con-stituency level meeting of the SDFparty which started on 12 July inJorethang constituency reached theDensong Poklok GPU on 22 July.As the area around the GPU hasbeen sinking for the last few years,the meeting focused more on thenatural calamities it is threatenedwith. A number of houses in thearea are already under threat.

Among them the house of oneNima Sherpa is almost on theverge of collapsing with otherhouses also being affected.

The locals had earlier appealedto the panchayats and officials ofthe concerned departments forhelp but no step has yet been takeninform the locals.

CB Rai, president, ConstituencyLevel Committee, Jorethang con-stituency, who was the chief guestfor the 22 July meeting, in his ad-dress, suggested that the people beshifted to a safer place immediately.

He also decided to providehalf an acre land from the Gov-ernment to the families facingsuch problems. He also appealedto the locals to oppose the workdone by the officials without theconsent of the local people.

KB Rai, Zilla Panchayat,while addressing the meeting, saidthat the officers of the concerneddepartment were not doing thework of the poor people but weredeciding various schemes of thevillages just by sitting in their of-fices. The meeting also promisedto save the 10 houses which areunder danger at present.

SL.NO. GRAM PANCHAYAT DATE VENUE TIME

1. Kabi Tingda 02.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.2. Phensang 03.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.3. Men Rongong 04.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.4. Rongong Tumlong 05.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.5. Ramathang Tanek 06.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.6. Namok Sweyam 07.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.7. Tingchim Mangsila 09.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.8. Ringhim Nampatam 02.08.04 Community Hall 10.00.a.m.9. Singhik Sentam 03.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.10. Toong Naga 04.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.11. Chungthang 05.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.12. Shipgyer 06.08.04 Community Centre 10.00a.m.13. LIngthem Lingdem 10.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.14. Tingvong 11.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.15. Sakyong Pentong 11.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.16. Lingdong Berfok 12.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.17. Heegyathang 13.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.18. Lumgor Santok 14.08.04 Phedang Cooperative Centre 10.00a.m.19. Lachen 07.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.20. Lachung 09.08.04 Panchayat Ghar 10.00a.m.

TENTATIVE DATES FOR HOLDING GRAM SABHA OF

NORTH DISTRICT

a NOW REPORT

MANGAN, 26 July: A majorlandslide at Namok Khola [about8kms from Dikchu towardsMangan] has closed the entirestretch of road on the NorthSikkim highway leading fromMangan to Singtam via Dikchusince 28 June, last month.

The total length of this land-slide is estimated to be approxi-mately 250 mts. The highway hasbeen swept away and rubble is stillto be cleared.

According to GREF officers,clearance and repair work is inprogress and they are providing‘sausage walls’ at the area. In a fewdays time they hope to allow lightvehicles to pass. However, it willtake more than a month to make thestretch more stable. At present pas-sengers are crossing the landslide bytransit.

Meanwhile, the landslide atPhensang has badly affected traf-fic from Gangtok to Mangan. Ithas however remained more serv-iceable.

The Namok Khola landslide on the Dikchu-Mangan route

Namok slide holds up traffic, for a month now

REEBOK SHOWROOMBelow Bank of Baroda

MG Road, Gangtok

readymadesat

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 25 July: TheChief Minister PawanChamling has reiterated thatthe present tour programme ofhis MLAs is to introduce themto how various NGOs of otherstates are implementing hugeprojects and teaching the peo-ple how to become self suffi-cient and self reliant.

Before leaving for HimachalPradesh, Mr. Chamling held ameeting with his team at SikkimHouse in New Delhi on 23 July.

He briefed his MLAs that theirHimachal visit was to research onhow Sikkim could earn revenueand exploit its toruism potential to

earn high revenue. Sikkim andHimachal governments are jointlyorganizing the tour of SikkimeseMLAs, informs a press release is-sued by the SDF party office.

Not a pleasure trip, CM

tells his MLAs in Delhi

6; NOW!; 26 July, 2004

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Kutshe SheguThe 49th day of Kutshe Sheguof Tashi Thendup Bhutia wholeft for his heavenly abode on11 June, 2004 falls on July 29,2004. All friends, relatives andwell wishers are requested tojoin us in offering prayers forthe departed soul at ourresidence at UpperTathangchen, Gangtok, EastSikkim.

We would like to take thisopportunity to thank all thosewho extended their help in ourhour of grief and bereavement.

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a NOW REPORT

DARJEELING, 25 July: TheHimalayan Plantation Workers’Union (HPWU) has called for a 48hour bandh of all Tea Gardens start-

Anteysthi KriyaWe are deeply indebted to all ourfriends, well wishers and rela-tives who shared our sorrowsduring the bereavement and fu-neral of our beloved mother, lateJib Kumari Pradhan (VendorBabuni) who passed awaypeacefully on the 20th July 2004at the age of 83.We would be highly grateful, ifall our well wishers could join usto pray for her departed soul dur-ing the 13th Day Anteysthi atIndira Bye Pass near AmdoGolai (above Motor Vehicle Of-fice) on the 1st August 2004.

Sons & Daughters-in-law: Nawin &

Kiran N.K. (Ranjan) & Chandra S.K.

(Dilip) & Dr. Ima Daughter Geeta &

D.K. Gurung (Son-in-law) & Family

members

Government of SikkimDepartment of Health & Family Welfare

NOTICE INVITING TENDERSealed tenders are invited on behalf of the Government of Sikkimfrom reputed Manufacturers/ Authorised dealers/ Stockists for thesupply of Medical Equipments for the following departments.

Brief description Cost of tender

Sl. of items Quantity documents Earnest

No. for departments [non refundable] Money

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

1 Cardiology 2000 20,000

2 Neonatology 1000 20,000

3 Pathology 500 20,000

4 General Instruments 1000 20,000

1. The specification of the equipments has been given in the ten-der forms which may be obtained from the Office of the under-signed on any working day between 9.00 a.m to 4.00 p.m from25th July to 16th August 2004 by giving an application with aBank Draft payable at Gangtok drawn in favour of Secretary,Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government ofSikkim, State Bank of Sikkim for amount indicated against eachrespective item at column ii) above.

2. The rate quoted should be F.O.R., Central Referral Hospital/Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, 5th Mile Tadong,Gangtok, Sikkim (inclusive of all levies) and supported by pam-phlets, catalogue etc wherever necessary.

3. The tender form should be accompanied by the following:� Earnest Money of amount indicated to column (v) above

against each item from any nationalised bank payable atGangtok, drawn in favour of the Secretary, Department ofHealth and Family Welfare. The Earnest Money (refund-able) in respect of the successful tenders shall be retainedby the undersigned till completion of the transaction for whichno interest shall be payable.

� Valid Tax Clearance Certificates.4. The Sealed Tender in the prescribed form should reach the

office of the undersigned on or before 13.00 hrs on 31st Au-gust 2004 to be opened on the same day at 15.00 hrs in pres-ence of the tenders who may like to represent themselves.

5. The sealed Tender sent by Registered Post shall also be con-sidered, if received on or before the appointed time, but theauthority inviting the tender shall not be responsible for latereceipt due to postal delay.

6. The undersigned reserves the right to accept or reject any orall or part thereof any tender without assigning any reasons.

Member Secretary-cum-DeanSikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences.

5th Mile, TadongGangtok, Sikkim - 737 101

in Darjeeling under the name ofRohan Mehta. He booked in on 08February and stayed in Darjeelingtill 26 March.” During his stay inthe hill station, Kohli went aboutthe villages and town posing as adoctor providing Hepatitis B in-jections. He later left forKalimpong where he marriedBharati Das last month.

Adds Mr. Shreshtra, “I in-formed the Aaj Tak Helpline aboutKohli’s stay in Darjeeling on 13July and as these are border areas,

I also warned them that there wasevery possibility of him escapingover to Nepal and on the basis ofmy information I was given thecode number 04 /P4.”

Interestingly, there are a lot ofclaimants to the reward on Kohli’shead, including one Babloo fromDarjeeling who is a close friendof Mr. Shreshtra. He has been pro-vided the code number 04/ P2 bythe Aaj Tak Helpline. Mr.Shreshtra says that as far as heknows 04/ P1 has not surfaced toclaim the reward and neither have04/P3 or 04/ P5.

“That would mean that I amsecond in the chain of claimantsto the award money of Rs. 50Lakhs. However, I would like toemphasise here that what I did wasmy duty as a police officer and notin any consideration of any mon-etary gains. The Aaj Tak Helplinedid have many informers, but as apolice officer they took my infor-mation more seriously and moneyor not, the only thing I would liketo see is my name in the list of in-formers however insignificant myinformation may have been,” saysMr. Shreshtra.

Prize money or not, what Mr.Shreshtra would definitely appre-ciate is a nod of appreciation forhis contribution in the arrest of MSKohli, alias Mike Davis, aliasRohan Mehta.

Contd from pg 1

Sikkim too has a claimant for the Rs. 50 lakhs

ing from 4 August. The bandh is inprotest against the apathy shown bythe Management of the Tea Gar-dens and the Government towardsthe workers of the Tea Gardens.

The decision to call for a 48

hour bandh was resolved at aHPWU Central Committee meet-ing today.

A massive public meeting willalso be held in Darjeeling on 01August in which the HPWU will

make public their demands.Among the major demands is oneconcerning the immediate revisionof salary and wages.

“We will not allow this year’sbonus to be calculated on old earn-ings,” said N.K. Kumai, Presidentof the HPWU. Along with imme-diate revision of wages, HPWUhas also demanded that an annualinterim of 15% be given.

“The bonus has to be calculatedon this 15% interim along with thewages,” demanded Kumai. TheGNLF affiliated HPWU has alsocondemned the forceful implemen-tation of VRS and ERS, in a bid bythe management to cut down on thework force.

“The worker strength that wasexistent as on 01-01-69 shouldremain constant if not increase”added Kumai. Regarding closureand lockouts of the Gardens by themanagement, HPWU has de-manded the Government to takestringent action including the can-cellation of land lease and to al-low workers’ cooperatives to runthe gardens in such cases.

The demand list also includesconstruction of new worker quar-ters and repair of existing ones,electrification, medical benefits,proper disbursement of gratuity,and filling up of vacancies.

DARJEELING PLANTATION WORKERS TO GO ON A 48 HR BANDH

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CIC IS THE ONLY SOLUTION FOR HIGHER STUDIES IN SIKKIM

Applications are invited from eligible local candidates for filling up thefollowing post in the State Council of Science and Technology for Sikkim ontemporary basis for a period of 2 years only.

The attested copies of the following testimonials should accompany theapplication:-

1. Domicile Certificate/Certificate of Identification2. Valid Employment Card3. Matriculate Certificate4. Class XII passed certificate5. Degree/Diploma certificate6. Other Educational Certificates and Mark Sheets7. Date of birth certificate.

Interested applicants should submit their applications to the office of theSpecial Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, TNSSS Road,Development Area, Gangtok on working day between 11 am to 3 pm. Thelast date for submission of application is 15.08.04. Applications notaccompanied by certificate and documents shall be summarily rejected. Inservice candidates should apply through their heads of the Departments.

MEMBER SECRETARYSTATE COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

NAME OF CONSOLIDATED NO. OF REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONPOST PAY POST & ELIGIBILITY

Scientific 10,600 pm 01 (a) M.Sc (Botany) withOfficer specialisation in Cytogenetics or

Biotechnologyor(b) M.Tech (Biotechnology)(c) One should have experiencein Tissue Culture and relatedLaboratory techniques(d) Should have soundknowledge of Computer Application(e) Age should be 30 years as on01.08.04 and relaxable as perexisting Govt. norms.

EMPLOYMENT NOTICE

Release Order No. 101/IPR/04-05Date: 22.7.04

principals,” said SPGA PublicitySecretary, Suman Thapa, whilespeaking to NOW!

The confusion over the ap-pointment of lecturers over, theSPGA has now trained its sightson the complete and proper imple-mentation of Sikkim GovernmentService Rules, Rule 4 [4]. ThePadh-Yatra scheduled for the firstweek of August to begin fromNamchi and conclude at Tashilinghere is aimed at raising awarenesson this demand.

“The replacement clause of thesaid rule is not being followedproperly,” believes Mr. Thapa.

The clause in question specifies

that non-locals can be appointed togovernment posts only when thereare no qualified locals available andshould be replaced the momentthere are qualified locals availableto discharge the duties.

“We are not asking for any ex-tra privileges. This is an existingrule, all we want is that they shouldbe implemented fully,” the SPGAspokesperson qualified further.

Another matter which hasSPGA members worried is theholding of dual citizenship bymany Sikkimese. “As many as 20per cent of the people here holddual citizenship with Nepal. Thisis a matter of national importanceand we want it addressed with thesame seriousness,” they add.

Contd from pg 1

SPGA welcomes Cabinetdecision on lecturers

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 24 July: Entry ofnew mobile companies likeAirtel in the State does notbother MK Seth, General Man-ager, BSNL, Sikkim. Refusing toacknowledge the perceivedthreat, he says that none canbeat the services and tariffstructure offered by BSNL.

“We provide the best and thecheapest service,” he claims. Ac-cusing Reliance Telecom, his onlyrival in the state at present of is-suing more numbers than it has ca-pacity for he states, “That is thereason why Reliance users getmessages like line is busy, sub-scriber is out of reach, etc, withsuch frequency.”

At a corporate meet held inhis chamber on Saturday, Mr.Seth held forth on various issuesconcerning telecom in the state,disclosing that there are about25,000 customers in the waitinglist of BSNL pre-paid Mobilecard in the state.

Explaining the reason behindthe huge waiting list, Mr. Seth said

need for us to build the foundationof the youth,” the Minister feels.

He also informed that he hadsubmitted a written protest to theunion HRD Minister as well as theunion Health Minister during theNorth East Council meet atShillong recently.

“I have received assurancesfrom them,” he said. At the sametime he also hoped that Manipalwould fulfil the conditions as laidby the Medical Council of India.“As it is a new medical college,the central government shouldgive it some time to meet thoseconditions,” he urged.

The Minister also informedthat the scheduled opening of thecollege at Rhenock in August thisyear might not take place after all.

“We have an acute shortage ofstaff and accommodation facilitiesfor lecturers are yet to be arranged.Though the class rooms can beprovided, there is no playground

and proper infrastructure is alsolacking. In view of all this, it mightnot be possible to open the col-lege in the current financial year,”the Minister said.

The students who were to betaken in at the Rhenock Collegewould be accommodated at theTadong College, it is learnt.

“However within our 100 daysprogramme, we will acquire theland for the college at Rhenock aswell as for the college at Geyzing,”assured Mr. Gurung.

The Minister also spoke on thecabinet proposal to introduce feesfor students of class X and above.

“This has not been finalisedand is still in the proposal stage,”he said. Free education to thosestudents in the BPL category wasessential, the Minister said, but atthe same time added that free edu-cation to all was not a good thingand was in fact affecting the qual-ity of education negatively.

“A minimum fee for studentsof class X and above will ensure

seriousness which in turn shouldimprove the quality of education atthat level,” the Minister feels. Healso added that BPL students wouldalso be provided with financial aid.

The Minister also revealed thatthere were some schools in thestate with excess number of teach-ers while there was some otherswith hardly any teaching staff.

“We intend to rectify this situa-tion and for this it is necessary totransfer some teachers to schools inneed of them,” Mr. Gurung said. Headded that transfers on the basis ofvictimisation would not be done but“general transfers, which is veryessential would be effected in De-cember,” which, incidentally, is atthe end of the academic session.

Mr. Gurung further appealed tothe youth of the state to build notonly their careers but also their char-acter through education. “All edu-cated unemployed youth shouldlook forward to engaging them-selves and earning through self em-ployment,” the Minister advised.

Contd from pg 1

Aspiring Medical students in dilemna...

that BSNL is adding more mobileexchanges all over the State. “Allthe customers will be providedwith the card only after we haveensured that we have the infra-structure to support the load,” hesaid. He further informed thatmore pre-paid cards are reachingthe state next month.

According to the GM, atpresent, BSNL has 25 mobile ex-changes all over the State andmore expansion can be expectedin the next few months.

He informed that one ex-change at Majhitar in Rangpowould be functional very soon.

Mr. Seth, addressing themembers of Travel Agent’s Asso-ciation of Sikkim assured thatMobile PCO for taxi driverswould be launched very soon. Hemaintained that various projectsof BSNL had been delayed be-cause of non payment of bills bycustomers.

On the keen interest shown byTAAS members on Direct InternetAccess System, Mr. Seth assuredthat the commissioning of the sys-tem was in the offing.

BSNL UNFAZED BY COMPETITION,STILL THE BEST, CLAIMS SETH

8; NOW!; 26 July, 2004

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

today in

History26th July

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KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 25 July: Even asManinderpal Singh Kohli, aliasMike Davis, finds himself entangledin more cases than he had possiblebargained for, questions are nowalso being asked of Binod Kumar,the person who made his acquaint-ance in Darjeeling [where Kohli in-troduced himself as Rohan Mehta]and brought him to Kalimpong[where Kohli became Mike Davis].

Much as Kohli’s activitieswere suspect, even Binod now

sees the many half truths he for-warded get exposed.

According to information re-ceived from the many attendants ofthe Hepatitis B camps organized bythe Red Cross Society [Kalimpong],Binod presented himself as market-ing officer of Shantha BiotechnicPvt Ltd of Hyderabad.

Originally from Kolkata,Binod first arrived in Darjeelingon 08 February and checked intothe Red Rose Hotel. He introducedhimself as marketing officer ofShantha Biotechnic. Later, he met

Kohli who was also staying in thesame hotel. Playing againstBinod’s claims of being a market-ing officer was Kohli presentinghimself as an industrialist andsoon he started accompanyingBinod to the medical camps inDarjeeling. Eventually, both leftfor Kalimpong exactly afterspending 46 days in Darjeeling.Binod, it appears, had to supplythe vaccine to the Red Cross ofKalimpong. Here of course, Kohlibecame Mike and also passedhimself off as a Doctor.

Now, however, both RedCross [Kalimpong] and ShanthaBiotechnic have denied any directassociation with either of them.

Denying reports that Binodwas a marketing officer with them,Arup Kamarkar, Business Devel-opment Manager, North East ofShantha Biotechnic, says: “He wasjust a layman picked up as a su-pervisor for the vaccination todone at the Hepatitis B camps. Heworked on commission basis.”

Similarly, Brig. [retd] NKGurung, of Red Cross [Kalimpong]said: “Neither Binod nor Kohli hadanything to do with the Red Crossfamily. It was just that the RedCross used to provide them with adoctor and a trained nurse sinceboth were here with medical sup-plies for the Hepatitis B camps”.

“Investigations are still on asBinod is concerned. We are alsoin touch with Shantha Biotechnicto clarify the matter,” informs theASP SK Gazmer.

Binod is still in Kalimpong.

WHAT ABOUT THE MAN WHO BROUGHT KOHLI TO KPG?