04 September, 2004; NOW! 1

Saturday, 04 Sept, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 140 Gangtok � Rs. 3

TRAINING PROGRAMMEOrganised by Institute of Hotel Management, Tadong, Gangtok,

Sikkim under Capacity Building Programmeph: 270557/ 270735

Nomination letter of local boys and girls working as cook/waiters/ receptionists are invited from all local registered ho-tels/ restaurants/ dabhas/ fast food outlets/ small eating jointsfor undergoing 3 days Capacity Building Programme on

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Venue of Programme- Institute of Hotel Management, Tadong

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Joint Secretary (Tourism)-cum-Administrator (IHM)

TravellingAbroad?

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Happy

Teachers

Dayfor all teachers.

fromRaj Shree

M.G. Marg, Gangtok

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:The case concerning ManiKumar Darjee seems to be de-veloping into a major contro-versy with it now emerging thatMengli has no police outpost atall! The owner of YakthungManpower & Security Serviceshad in a press conference yes-terday claimed that his men hadfollowed Mani to Mengli withthe aim of lodging a complaintagainst Mani at the Mengli out-post only to be redirected toRavangla, en route to whichplace they found a woundedMani lying by the roadside.

Incidentally, eight securitypersonnel from the firm hadfollowed Mani to Mengli from

Siliguri on 17 August, a monthafter Mani and a friend of hishad quit their jobs at the secu-rity service in Siliguri. Theeight are under police remandat present while Capt. Limbu,the owner of the security serv-ice is out on bail.

Upon interrogation, the ar-rested eight revealed they hadbeen ordered by Capt. Limbuto get Mani from Mengli, in-form police sources.

The reason they were look-

ing for Mani was that they be-lieved that while quitting hisjob at the firm, Mani had takenwith him Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000from the mess account of thesecurity service.

This revelation is in totaldeviation of the claims of Capt.Limbu at the press conference.He had then stated that his menhad gone to Mengli to file anFIR against him. South Sikkimpolice is convinced that theywere on a vigilante run to arrest

Mani on their own and servehim punishment in Siliguri.

Any way, even if Mani hadstolen the money as is alleged,an FIR should logically havebeen lodged with the police atSiliguri as the crime had takenplace there. In any case, it is thejob of the police to nab a cul-prit. In this particular case, the8 security personnel, inform

police sources, had gone toMengli in their uniforms withthe purpose of abducting Mani.

“There is no case registeredagainst Mani in any police sta-tion here. If there is one inSiliguri, then it should havebeen Siliguri police in coordi-nation with Sikkim Policewhich should have headed forMani’s house on the fateful day.It is not for civilians to abducta person in the name of jus-tice,” says SP South MS Tuli.

As informed by him thegroup of 8 went directly toMani’s house and when he tookflight, chased him until he

THE RAVANGLA CHASED OFF A CLIFF INCIDENTGROWS MORE COMPLICATED

SOUTH SIKKIM COPS SLAMCAPT. LIMBU’S DEFENCE

turn to pg 5

Arrested Security firm personnel confessed thatCapt. Limbu had sent them to “get” Mani

BIRENDRA SHANDILYA

DARJEELING, 03 Septem-ber: Darjeeling too, like therest of the State is under thestrong grip of the electronic lot-tery. Such is the extent of ob-session surrounding it, that po-litical parties have decided topressurize the administration toimmediately stop it.

“The worst affected are thepeople from the low incomebracket, especially the dailywage worker. They are invest-ing their entire wages into theselotteries,” claimed RajeshGurung, town secretary, Demo-cratic Youth Federation of In-

dia [DYFI].Among the electronic lot-

teries “Joker” has emerged asthe most popular. Played witha combination of symbols ap-pearing in playing cards, thegame is played 7 times in a day.By hitting the right combina-tion one wins Rs. 100 by invest-ing Rs. 10.

“The game has resulted ina big increase in gambling andeven students and women canbe seen in long queues outsideJoker kiosks,” added Gurung.

Citing an example he saidthat workers from far-flung teagardens had started hiring ve-hicles to come town in the eve-

nings just to play the Joker. TheJoker is played hourly from 2pm to 8 pm daily.

Shyam Pradhan, StateCommittee member of DYFIadded, “We will make a depu-tation to the district administra-tion and will also launch a mas-sive agitation if nothing is doneto stop this.”

Surprisingly, the shops sell-ing electronic lotteries are ofthe same opinion regardingJoker in particular.

“It is somewhat like gam-bling but it is legalized. We tooare willing to stop it if the restof the state stops it,” said Dilip

Joker not funny feel Darj authorities

turn to pg 8

Singtam raids lead cops to cache of drugs and pornographic materialONpg4

2; NOW!; 04 September, 2004

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

Pang Lhabsol at Gangtokwas celebrated with great

pomp and vigor as usual andthe organizers deserve ourmany many thanks and con-gratulations for the same.

However, we, the public ofKabi-Tingda,would like tobring out afew facts,which were very disturbing tous and may be to some other par-ticipants of the cultural pro-gramme at the Gangtok Celebra-tions. The judges do not seemto take into consideration theauthenticity of the dress and thetheme of the songs and dancesbeing performed.

But the most important areawhere our cultural troop feels

We all know that teachers should get higher respect in so-ciety. But this is not the way it is in reality and we tend toforget the hard work that teachers have to do each day andhow difficult their task is.

Through this poem I hope to show what teachers canmean to us.

HAPPY TEACHER’S DAYTeacher, teacher, 0 my dear teacher!

Thank you for everything.

When I was on a horrible dream

Walking towards a thorny way

Without a presence of mind

You had showed me the true way and helped me to sculpture my

dreams

When I fell down, you told me to get up

When I fell down a second time

You told me to rise up again.

And when I fall a third time

I see my teacher in front of me saying and giving her hand

Stand up and keep on moving

O dear teacher through your courage, support, love and encour-

agement now,

If one day it happens that I cannot get up anymore

Then crawling on the ground, with bloody elbows and knees,

I will drag myself.

But I will go until I reach my goal

And I know I will find you, beside me, always and forever.Raphael Johnson Rai

1st Year, Sikkim Government College, Tadong

MANORATH DAHAL

Love of the pupils is the firstessential quality of a suc-

cessful teacher. We requirescholars, scientists and techni-cians to fight the battle againstpoverty, unemployment, hunger,disease and human degradation.It is for the universities to fur-nish society with men of learn-ing and science who have therequisite intellectual habits andtechnical skills. This contribu-tion of society can be made onlyif we have a proper outlook.

True education shoulddeepen our insight, widen ourhorizon, create a meaningfuloutlook. Initiation into a life ofspirit has been our ideal for cen-turies. We are asked to realizethat we live in the midst of aspiritual world which domi-nates the material.

The greatest thinkers of thewest had also a similar outlook.Plato holds that the purpose ofeducation was not as it were tofill an empty vessel but to turnthe eye of the soul towards thelight. When our vision is turnedtowards the light, we developan inward restraint of con-science, of love, which is quitedistinct from the outward re-straint of authority. It we ne-glect this essential side of edu-cation; we are likely to becomeirresponsible in our behaviorand expose ourselves to exploi-tation by trouble makers. Ifthere is today a fall in our in-tellectual standards, if we aregenerally unable to competewith the best minds of theworld, it is because of the lackof this inward discipline.

We see all around us signsof self-centeredness, cynicismand indiscipline. We read fre-quently in the newspaper aboutstudents resorting to rowdyismand violence. Whatever thecause may be, such undignified

very let down and humiliatedis when we were time and againbeing disturbed by the frequentannouncements made by theprogramme announcer.

It should be noted that theorigin of Pang Lhabsol and its

history startsfrom Kabi-Tingda. Weat least ex-

pect some respect as our cul-tural troop has been rehearsingand practicing for this occasionfor a long time. Let it be knownthat this is no way a responsefor the winning prizes but isactually to express our vehe-ment displeasure at being givena shabby treatment during theperformance of our items.Public of Kabi-Tingda

protests are unworthy of ourstudents. Differences with theauthorities are no excuse fordiscourtesy and bad manners.They damage the reputation ofour youth and the good nameof the country. They are a ne-gation of democracy where therule of law prevails over therule of force. They disable thestudents from putting in theirbest while at college. To a largeextent, lack of inhibitions is re-sponsible for the decline inthe standards of scientific earn-ing and scholarship.

The function of the teacheris of vital importance. He mustbe a committed man, commit-ted to faith in the future of man,in the future of humanity, in thefuture of this country and theworld. He must work with thisimplicit confidence in the

power of humanity, in the re-cuperative power which it hasand by which it can cleanse andpurify itself. Unless he has faithin that, he will never be able toadvance higher and higher.

Teachers have a very vitalrole to play in the building up ofthe nation. We always set theseplatitudes but we never followedthem up with any kind of action.The profession of the teachersshould not be reduced to a trade.It is a calling a vocation, a mis-sion. It is the duty of teachers tomake pupils good citizens of thenew democracy. They must im-port to the students’ zest of newexperience, love for adventure inknowledge. What the teachersdo, the students follow. So theyset the example.

-The writer is a teacher atLingdok SSS [East]

write NOW!If you feel strongly about something that has been reported in NOW! orhave an opinion on some recent development, then share it with awider audience. While the LETTERS section will carry responses toarticles and news carried in NOW!, ACTION MAIL is about complaintsand grievances. Wherever possible, NOW! shall also search out a re-sponse to the Action Mail. If not, then at least a complaint would havebeen filed in the public domain. Personal attacks on individuals andinflammatory letters will, however, not be entertained. The letters mayalso be edited for length and language. Anonymous letters are discour-aged. The name of the writer will however be withheld on request.

�LETTERS

KABI PERFORMERS SNUBBED AT GANGTOK

Role of Teachers

When the lives of 12 young Nepalis insearch of survival were brutallyended by Iraqi terrorists in rage

against the United States, the response inKathmandu should have been grief and introspec-tion. Also, a search for ways tomake Nepal a better place for itscitizens, one in which desperationwould not lead our youths to seeklivelihoods in far-off places of war. Instead, onWednesday our country descended into a state ofuncontrolled violence as the monster of commu-nalism for the first time stormed Kathmandu Val-ley and towns elsewhere. The abject absence ofgovernmental authority served to compound theextreme confusion and chaos. The violenceagainst manpower agencies was widely coveredby the media. Indeed, the destruction of property

and the records of more than a hundred such agen-cies must in the end affect tens of thousand ofNepalis working overseas as well as those aspir-ants still in queue for visas. The absence of fireservices, the pitiful condition of policemen with-

out support from officers-on-duty,the vandalism carried out whilethe army looked on—all pointedto an absolute vacuum of politi-

cal governance. Nepal has become anarchic, un-governed and ungovernable. Our sisters and broth-ers in the villages doubtless have known this factfor some time, but it took Wednesday’s numbingevents to confirm to city dwellers that chronicpolitical skullduggery and the Maoist insurgencyhas today left us a shell of a government. It’s allhollow inside.

-editorial featured in Nepali Times

Opposite reaction

ELSEWHEREBHUTAN

Against An Ideology,Not A People

What happened to the twelve Nepali hostages in Iraqneeds to be deplored in the strongest of words. Whilecondemnation against the killings has been universal,in many cases, it has also exposed the reason why is-sues like Iraq or extremism in the Middle East refuse todie down. Take Sikkim’s example, a person who heldan important government post in the last term and wasgiven an honorary post this time, has issued a pressrelease condemning the Iraq episode. Nothing wrongwith the intent, it is in the wording of the condemnationthat one can find fault. A clear warning goes out againstIraqis and their families all over the world to desist fromsuch deeds or prepare for similar treatment. The RSSin Sikkim too has condemned the killings and again ex-posed its prejudices. The killings are reduced to mem-bers of one community getting slaughtered by another.It is not. The brutality was not delivered by religious peo-ple, it was the bestiality of fundamentalists that the worldgot to see. By generalising the incident as one carriedout by all Iraqis or Muslims, we continue fanning theflames which keep the communal iron hot. There will ofcourse be those who point out that these reactions arepersonal or obviously prejudiced reactions. They wouldbe correct too, but this is how the majority thinks andbecause we allow such people public exposure, we helpin pulling out the demon of communalism as was dem-onstrated by the residents of Kathmandu in ample meas-ure in reaction to the killings and by the majority popula-tion of Gujarat in reaction to Godhra, the ghosts of whichstill haunt the nation. It is because we fall such easypreys to such blanket generalisations that the minoritycommunities live in apprehension and are susceptibleto the fundamentalist ideologies that fester in such con-ditions. It is our own predilections that we need to con-quer and the ideology of hate. Not the people.

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:After car loan melas and con-sumer products loan melas, it’sthe time for furniture loanmelas. Passion India, the furni-ture store at Deorali and theState Bank of India have cometogether to organize the State’sfirst tie-up for furniture loans.

Starting from 06 September,the loan mela, which is beingheld at the Passion India showroom is only meant for State andCentral government employees.

From customized sofas toBrazilian furniture, modularkitchens to entertainment cen-tres and bars, every thing youhave always wanted and couldnever afford is on display here.

According to TriptiPradhan, proprietor, PassionIndia, the main idea for mak-ing this special offer is to al-low people the opportunity tobuy these objects of desire at arepayment plan of their choice.

And the best part is that youdon’t have to make any downpayment. All that you need tobring along with you are pass-port photos, salary certificatesand the approval of the Ac-counts Officer of the variousdepartments. The minimum eli-gibility is that you must draw anet salary of Rs. 6,000 a month.These documents will have tobe furnished at the State Bankof India and the bank will carryout all the required formalities.

Once the formalities with

the bank are over, the customercan pick up any item depend-ing of their choice from theshowroom.

The customer will be ableto take loan amounts rangingfrom Rs. 24,000 to Rs.2,50,000. A customer will alsobe able to purchase more thanone item; depending on theamount and the duration theywould pay back the loan in. Theduration for returning the loanwill be from 3 to 4 years.

Among the more interest-ing items on display are theimported, state-of-the-artModular Kitchens. Made ofrubber wood, it is said to becheaper and more durablethan normal wood.

“Government employees

will have to spend nothing lessthan Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1,00,000to construct a modern kitchen.It is difficult for a salaried em-ployee to spend that kind ofcash in one go. Constructionwould also require time andcommitment, unlike thesemodular kitchens which are

easy to install,” informs Tripti.Apart from the furniture,

also on sale are carpets, glassshowcases, racks, lamps andlights. The customer can alsoorder for customized sofas ac-cording to their taste andchoice, as Passion India have asmall-scale factory at Sichey.

Loans are now available for these objects of desire too

SBI-Passion India tie up debutsfurniture loans in Gangtok

ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 03 September:Visitors and regulars must havenoticed something new aboutMG Marg of late. No, its notthe piped-in music nor the nolitter or spit message. Evenwhen there’s nothing muchhappening in town, the oneplace you can be sure of find-ing some activity is next to themomo-wallah.

Now what is so unique aboutmomos in Sikkim? Well, thismomo man sells his stuff from amobile stall and that’s definitelysomething new for the Rajdhani.His are the only wheels allowedin town after 5 pm!

And going by the responseof the people no one reallyseems to be minding it. Weasked the UD&HD if this waspart of a new policy and are weto expect MG Marg to be sooncrawling with the meals onwheels men?

“We have given a tempo-rary license to this particular

hawker and we will decidewhether or not to continue withit depending on the responsefrom the people,” says GeetaGurung, Joint Secretary,UD&HD.

Well, news is the depart-ment has already received 10new applications from peopleinterested in starting similarventures. The ten are beinggiven serious consideration but

first they must get the clearancefrom the Health department.

“Any further developmentnow depends solely on the re-sponse of the people,” adds Ms.Gurung.

Reactions of course vary.While some are happy to grab aquick cheap meal, others feel itspoils the whole ambience of thetown and it will be disastrous ifmore of these hawkers are al-lowed to sell their wares likethis. Provided some kind of bal-ance is maintained, it will defi-nitely be a hit with the tourists.

The Chow-roll Thela at MG Marg,the only wheels allowed after 5

RSS CONDEMNS KILLING OF 12NEPALI HOSTAGES IN IRAQ

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,Sikkim has through a press release strongly condemned the bru-tal killing of 12 innocent Nepali Hindus of Nepal in Iraq by Is-lamic Fundamentalists on 31 August 04.

Any work of violence must be strongly condemned states therelease. “Any civilized society cannot not tolerate such an inhu-man work. It is further shocking that the Hindus were killed bythe Muslims coding that killing of Hindus and Buddhists is theholiest work of the Islam,” states the release.

The RSS says that no religious faith permitted anybody toundertake such brutal work as killing of innocents. The work ofMuslim Fundamentalists in Iraq proves how intolerant they areand the Hindus of the world must strongly condemn this odiousact, the RSS says.

eventually fell off the cliff.“This was a very irrespon-

sible act,” Mr. Tuli feels.More irresponsibility was to

follow. The unconscious Mani,with a fractured thigh bone andserious head injuries which keephim unconscious for the seven-teenth day now at the CentralReferral Hospital, was thenloaded onto their vehicle whichthen headed towards Rangpo os-tensibly on its way to Siliguri.

While Capt. Limbu claimsthat the intention of the eightwas to get Mani admitted to ahospital. But the obvious ques-tion that arises is - if this wasreally their intention, whydidn’t they get Mani admittedto the Singtam Hospital or anyother which was closer?

While Mani was being fer-reted away, his elder brother,Chabilal went to Yangyang po-lice outpost to lodge a com-

plaint. It was the police at thisoutpost who informed Singtampolice who further relayed themessage to Rangpo police as aresult of which the 8 abductorswere apprehended near Rangpo.

On the other hand, at thepress conference it was allegedthat Mani’s brother had col-lected a mob which then pro-ceeded to attack the 8 securitypersonnel from Siliguri.

The complaint lodged byChabilal included the name ofCapt. Limbu who consequentlyhad to be arrested. He was laterreleased on bail while the other8 arrested had been ordered inpolice remand by the CJM,Namchi for a period of 15 days.

Contd from pg 1

South Sikkim cops slamCapt. Limbu’s defence

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MEMBERSGANGTOK, 03 September:A meeting of Buddhist monksfrom all over Sikkim is beingheld on Sunday, 05 September,at BL House.

The meeting is being con-vened by Acharya TsheringLama, Sangha MLA cum Gen-eral Secretary of All SikkimMonasteries Association withblessing from four Rimpoches ofSikkim, informs a press release.

The basic objective of themeeting is to address the issueof the “defilement” ofKhecheopalri Lake and forma-tion of a youth wing of AllSikkim Monasteries Association.

Chamlingreiterates

commitmentto serve all

communitiesa NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:Chief Minister PawanChamling has reiterated thatprotection of Sikkimese peo-ple is the main agenda ofSDF party.

While addressing seniorparty members at Mintokgangthis morning, Mr. Chamlingurged members from all levelsof of his party to dedicate mostof their time for positive anddevelopmental activities, in-forms a press release.

The Chief Minister directedhis party members to collect allthe records since SDF forma-tion in the year 1993. Accord-ing to him all these documentswill be serialized in the formsof various books which help thepeople to know the actual his-tory of the SDF party.

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 03 Septem-ber: The DGAHC todaystrongly retaliated to the Na-tional Hydel Electric PowerCorporation and the projectsundertaken by the corporationwithin this district.

Pointing out the pros andcons of the projects taken up bythe corporation, the 132MVTeesta Low Dam Project, Stage3 at 27th Mile, Kalijhora andthe 160MV TLDP at Geille,29th Mile and the allegationsof non-transparency of projectdetails by the NHPC, the coun-cil now has demanded not onlythe representation of the Envi-ronment Assessment Impactbut also of a revised publichearing in Kalimpong

“What would the futurehold for Kalimpong consider-ing the seismicity and the rateof sedimentation” Mr. Dawa

Sikkim co-opsociety electsnew members

GANGTOK, 03 September:A General Meeting of SikkimService Co-Operative SocietyLimited was held under thechairmanship of BasantLamichaney at its head officein the presence of KesangYanki, Inspector CCI, Co-op-erative Department, Govern-ment of Sikkim.

Sikkim Service Co-Opera-tive Society Limited was reg-istered on 24 August with itsregistered head office atKanchan View complex, UpperDeorali, Gangtok.

The first General Meeting ofthe society resolved to constitutethe board of Directors and unani-mously elected the followingmembers to the posts as under:

President, PK Gurung; VicePresident, BB Singh; GeneralManager; Anand Lama; Mem-bers: Basnat Lamichaney, TBKhati, JB Gurung, YangchenBhutia, D Sundas, PKLamichaney and Gigle Lama

While speaking on the oc-casion the newly elected presi-dent PK Gurung highlightedthe importance of such socie-ties in Sikkim. He said theSikkim Service Co-OperativeSociety Limited or SSCS wasformed with a view to providea multipurpose service to theSikkimese people particularlyto the small and marginal farm-ers, artisans and the labour classliving below poverty line forincreasing employment andgenerate income to grant short,medium and long term loansfor productive purposes.

The meeting also passedseveral resolutions under theguidance of Kesang Yanki.

The meeting ended with avote of thanks by TB Khati tothe chairman, Inspector CCIKesang Yanki and other mem-bers present in the meeting.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:The East District Police hascarried out raids at atleast tenlocations in Singtam and sur-rounding areas and seized691 bottles of Phensedyl fromone Rajen Kumar Pradhan ofLall Bazaar, Singtam. He wasalso found to be in possession

of 671 pornographic VideoCDs and some quantity ofMarijuana.

The accused has been ar-rested and a case U/S 292 IPChas been registered for furtherinvestigation.

Simultaneously, a com-plaint is being lodged beforethe drug inspector in connec-tion with seizure of 91 bottles

of Phensedyl.According to a press release

issued by the East District Po-lice, the raids followed afterinformation was received aboutthe circulation of pornographicVCDs and drugs.

A team led by SDPO[Rangpo], Lawang Bhutia,along with OC, Singtam,Dhiren Lama, assisted by SI

Sonam Wangdhi of Rangpo PSand other staff raided houses ofsuspected persons on theevening of 01 September whichresulted in the recovery.

Investigations are on toidentify the source of supplyand the network of agents in-volved in the circulation of por-nographic material and thebanned substances.

Singtam raids lead cops to cache of drugsand pornographic material

Pakhrin, Executive Councilorsaid. “The project not onlyposes a threat taking into ac-count that the sub-division ofKalimpong falls in a sinkingzone but the condition of bothNH31/31A is deteriorating day-by-day owing to the seismicityof the region”.

According to the meteoro-logical department, the areafalls under seismic zone levelIV and the rate of sedimenta-tion on Teesta River is about17.2 million tonnes annually,which can affect the lifespan ofthe dam.

The council reprimandedthe corporation on the fact thatthe citizens were not actuallymade aware of the hazards thatthe project entailed. “A revisedpublic hearing should be con-ducted in the town ofKalimpong” said the local MLAMr. Gaulan Lepcha. “An opendiscussion should be held” ex-

pressed Mr. Lepcha.Ridiculing the fact the

project site falls under the ju-risdiction of the DGAHC, Mr.Pakhrin queried “Twelve per-cent from the total revenue isto be granted to the state govt.but what for the DGAHCwhich has risked the future ofits hills”.

“For further transparencythe headquarters of this projectshould be shifted toKalimpong” said Mr. Pakhrin.

“In view of these factorsthe compensation and resettle-ment for the many affectedfamilies is in a total mess. Wewant proper clarifications”added Mr. Lepcha.

However the NHPC offi-cials denying the alleged ir-regularities stated that the EIAhas been carried out properly.

DGAHC DEMANDS PROJECTDETAILS FROM NHPC

TO CONTACT NOW! DIAL

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04 September, 2004; NOW! 5� NEWSSCAN

Poor ManiRANJIT SINGH

On Independence Eve, India witnessed a rather unwhole-some experience considering the occasion. DhananjoyChatterjee, at pre dawn was fed, bathed and clothed be-

fore he took the long walk to meet the hangman. The last wordshe uttered were “Aami Nirdosh” [I am innocent]. A dying man,they say, never lies.

After spending 14 long years in jail, waiting to be hanged, itis rather inexplicable the hurry of the authorities to do away withDhananjoy. But Dhananjoy was a poor man; hailing from a re-mote district light years from the urban world of high connectiv-ity and middle class sensibilities.

Dhananjoy was a poor man. No high profile lawyers, no…Mani is also a poor man. Mani who was chased off a hillside at

Mengli. Mani who lies unconscious at the ICU at Manipal. Maniwho has been unconscious for 408 hours. Unconscious for 17 daysand none in Sikkim has even fluttered an eyelid. But then, Mani isa poor man. He might wake up yet or he might wake up not at all.

Security personnel of the Yakthung Manpower and SecurityServices allegedly ran him off a hillside. Incidentally, Mani wasemployed with the security service at Siliguri but decided to leavethe job and return home to Mengli. Home with him to Mengli alsocame Bhagat also from the security service. Surely a man has aright to leave his job whenever he wants to and especially after hehas paid a security deposit of Rs. 4,000 to get it in the first place.The owner of the security service alleges that Mani filched somearticles of his company before leaving. Leave they did on 16 Julyand pursue the security personnel did on 17 August.

The month long delay is confusing. And that too for a fewminor articles? Mani’s family however, has vehemently denied this.We had to pay for the reserved vehicle in which they came homefrom Siliguri; so obviously, they deduce, Mani or Bhagat didn’thave any money or valuables either of their own or another’s.

The owner of the security service has walked out of the po-lice’s clutches on bail and the other eight will probably, too. Whatabout Mani? Mani is a poor man whether he survives or not, hewill be a loser.

Surely, there is more to the case than just a few articles filched.Is there anyone interested to know? Is there anyone interested toknow the truth about poor Mani? His family has already spenthalf a lakh rupees on the promise of his survival. How muchmore will they spend before the promise fades? Who will com-pensate them? But Mani is a poor man and there are few takersfor his story.

Each month thousands of young men and women come tothe urban towns from their rural homelands, driven out by pov-erty, hunger and unemployment. They end up as domestic helps,sweepers in hospitals, apprentices in workshops or guards at someindustrial complex.

Most have to work long hours or several shifts a day withoutproper food or accommodation. Yet this labour force remainsunrecognized despite their indispensable role.

Some like the young guards are paid much below the nationalminimum wage and less than what is required to maintain them-selves in a city. Mani was paid a mere Rs. 500 per month. But to thecredit of the security service where he was employed Mani as otherswho worked there were provided with food and lodging. But Manialso wanted to send money home - which he couldn’t. So he quit.

The moot question is why have we failed to provide the unor-ganized migrant labour force a framework within which they cansurvive and work with dignity? The poor and deprived seem tobe unnoticeable or undesirables in world of middle class sensi-tivities. Mani is poor therefore unnoticeable and undesirable;unconscious the past 17 days and none have fluttered an eyelid.

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KALIMPONG, 03 Septem-ber: No one except the volun-tary guards seem to be botheredabout the fact that none of themedical shops in town are openduring night time. Taking upthe problems of the patients,hurrying down the streets at onein the morning, looking for aproper source of medical sup-ply, most are disheartened at theinconvenience caused by theearly closure of medical shops.

A group of night guards,popularly known as VRG [vol-untary guards] have nowvoiced this problem.

“During our duty hoursfrom 10 pm to 5 am, we see

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 03 September:The Relief Commissioner, NDChingappa, today visited theareas affected by the massivelandslide which hit south dis-trict yesterday. The landslide re-sulted in the death of one 6 yearold Kancha Rai with four oth-ers still missing. The missingfour are presumed dead. Thelandslide also swept away acouple of bridges along with aportion of the road connectingNamchi to Wok.

Along with the Relief Com-missioner were DC South,Vishal Chauhan, police person-nel and JE and SE, Roads de-partment. The areas visitedwere Ben, Simkharka,Sinchuthang and Kholaghari.These areas were affected bythe landslide and the damagewreaked is tentatively placed atover Rs. 1 crore.

Mr. Chingappa after assess-ing the situation directed all nec-

essary steps to be taken to re-store the damage wrecked by thelandslide. Immediate monetaryrelief was also disbursed amongthose at Kholaghari whosehouses had been damaged. Forthose whose houses had beencompletely damaged a relief ofRs. 10,000 was given while Rs.5,000 was given to those whosehouses had been partially dam-aged. Affected people atDamthang, Chenche and Pakjar

will be given monetary relieftomorrow.

Incidentally, according toreports another bridge at PabongKhola near Mangley has alsobeen swept away. The resultingfloods have also affected thefamous picnic spot, Sainotar.

The spot where an RCC bridgeconnecting Namchi to Wok atKholaghari, was washed away bythe surging khola. The localsworked through the day to set upa temporary log bridge to restoreconectivity

RELIEF MEASURES CONTINUE ATSLIDE-HIT KHOLAGHARI

many people looking for anopen medicine shop,” saidPawan Chettri, one among themany VRGs.

The 30-year old also relatedthe fact that he along with hisfriends had provided help to theneedy a number of times.

“The Upha medicine shoplocated at RC Mintri roadthough closed at night, openedon our request,” said Chettri.

At present there are a totalof seven pharmaceutical outletsalong the main road and all areclosed hence people are incon-venienced during times ofemergency.

“We will be approachingthe chairman of the municipal-ity and also the ward councilor

for a serious look into this mat-ter,” said Chettri adding “Prob-ably it will be helpful if at leastthe seven shops open alter-nately at nighttime”.

The shortage of medicinalstocks in the sub-divisionalhospital which are providedfrom the district reserve store,for the past one month has fur-ther added to this problem.

“We have been making lo-cal purchases during the pastone month, however we havenow been allotted an increasein supply of medicines andmany exclusive medicines willalso be available in our stock”said the sub-divisional medicalofficer, SR Pradhan.

VRGs feel medicineshops should remain

open at night

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Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of late Wangchuk Lepcha [Ex-Joint General Manager] SNT Department who expired on18th July, 2004 falls on 4th September, 2004.All relatives, friends and well wishers are requested to joinus in offering prayers and Chudune for the departed soulon the above date at our residence at Chandmari, BhusukRoad, Gangtok.We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all thosewho extended their help in the hour of our bereavement.

Mrs. Nim Puthit Lepcha [Wife]

Mrs. Chunzom Palmo [daughter]

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GHEWA21st Day Ghewa of our belovedmother late Manmaya Tamang,who left for her heavenly abodeon 17th August 2004 falls on 6th

September 2004. All relatives,friends and well wishers are re-quested to join us in offeringprayers for the departed soul atour residence at Moktan Niwas,Manjushree Academy, Namchi.We wish to thank all those whostood by us during the time ofbereavement.

G.S. Moktan (husband),

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PATNA, 03 September: TheCBI on Friday chargesheetedthe three accused in the mur-der of National Highway Au-thority of India [NHAI] projectmanager Satyendra Dubey inGaya, who was gunned downon 27 November.

The chargesheet was filedagainst Mantu Kumar, UdaiKumar and Pinku Ravidas inthe court of the Special Judi-cial Magistrate Sanjay Singhwho issued processes and or-dered production of the ac-cused next week.

The three, who had beenarrested by CBI in early June,were already in judicial custody

SangsingmaThe SANGSINGMA of late PanchalallSubba, who passed away on 1 Au-gust 2004 falls on 19 September2004.All friends, relatives and well wishersare requested to join us for offeringprayers for the departed soul at ourresidence at Singling-Soreng, WestSikkim.We would also like to take this oppor-tunity to thank all who joined us for the funeral and offered ustheir help during our time of grief and bereavement.

Smt. Purnimaya Subba [wife]

B.B., B.R. & A.B. Subba [sons] and all family members.

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Singhi, w/o late Banechand Singhi

who left for her heavenly abode

on 1 September 2004 falls on 12

September 2004.

All friends, relatives and well wishers

are requested to join us for offering

prayers for the departed soul at our residence at Lal Market

Road, Gangtok.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all who

joined us for the funeral and offered us their help during our

time of grief and bereavement.

Jhumarmal Singhi [son]Madan Singhi and Ajay Singhi [grandsons

& Kiran Choraria [daughter]

RSS celebrates 5day long Raksha

Bandhana NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:Rashtriya Swayam SevakSangh, Sikkim, celebrated a 5-day long Raksha BandhanUtsav which started from 29August and lasted till 03 Sep-tember. The celebrations tookplace throughout Sikkim alongwith an awakening programmefor national security, nationalunity and to promote social,cultural assimilation in society.

During this five day pro-gramme Sewaks of the Sangh tiedRaksha sutras to more than onelakh people for universal brother-hood, love and affection and unity.

The Sangha organized thisutsav at 162 places in Sikkim.The celebrations were inaugu-rated with the organizing of afunction at Tiny Pearls School,6th Mile Tadong which waspresided by Prabath Gurung,Panchayat. Former MP, SKRai, was the Chief Guest at theoccasion.

On 30 August a big pro-gramme was organized atRhenock presided over byGarjaman Bhujel, Chairman,Soil Conservation with BhimDhungel, MLA, Rhenock con-stituency as the chief guest.Almost 700 people gathered tocelebrate the utsav.

In his speech, Mr. Dhungelappreciated the work of RSSfor the society, culture and tra-ditions. He also gave emphasison value added education.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 03 September:The inaugural function of thetwo-week Management De-velopment Programme on

in connection with the caseDiscounting any conspiracy

theory behind the murder ofDubey, the chargesheet filed bythe special CBI team from NewDelhi confirmed it was purelya case of murder and robbery.The special CBI team headedby Additional SP Vijay Kumarwas probing the case.

The chargesheet was sub-mitted under sections 302[murder], 394 [robbery] and 34[act done by several persons infurtherance of common inten-tion for committing crime] ofthe Indian Penal Code and sec-tion 27 of the Arms Act.

Dubey’s killing, which took

place after he had alleged cor-ruption in the NHAI in a letterto the prime minister’s office,caused public outrage.

The engineer, who was shotdead while returning to resi-dence in Gaya after alightingfrom a train, was involved inthe prime minister’s dreamproject Golden Quadrilateral.

His belongings, including asuitcase containing papers andother articles were all taken away.

RJD President Lalu Prasadhad demanded a CBI probeinto the incident stating thatthe IIT graduate was done todeath as his letter was leakedby the PMO.

3 chargesheeted in SatyendraDubey murder case

Computer Based AccountingSystem was conducted bySmall Industries Service In-stitute, Ministry of SmallScale Industry, Governmentof India, Gangtok today.

A. Ray, Director, SISI,Tadong presided over the pro-gramme. In his address, he saidcomputer literacy was neces-sary for the new generation.

“Through computer educa-tion, the un-employed youthcan get suitable placements,”he said.

The institute will be organ-ising Computer Based Ac-counting System for the benefit

of un-employed youth. He de-clared that in future more com-puter courses like web design-ing, internet, and computer fun-damentals would be conductedby the Institute.

The chief guest BirendraChhetri, Manager, NIC, Gangtokspoke on the importance of com-puter education for developmentof the State’s economy. He as-sured assistance and support tothe young entrepreneurs.

Course co-ordinator DCSahu, Dy. Director [Elect.] in-formed on the course calendar, hesaid maximum part of accountingsystem had been covered.

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Lachung revivesroots with Pang

Lhabsola NOW REPORT

On 30 August, theLachung PangLhabsol Committee

celebrated Pang Lhabsol in agrand manner. Although thefestival has been celebratedregularly, this was the first timeit highlighted traditional sportsand customs also.

Hishey Lachungpa, Minis-ter for Health, Social Justice &Social Welfare was the chiefguest on the occasion this year.

Present as guests were Com-manding Officer of 13 DograRegiment along with staff mem-bers, DFO, SDPO, BM, StateBank of India, Lachung,Panchayat President ofChungthang, Lhendup Lepchaand other dignitaries fromChungthang and Lachung.

The programme, which washeld at Lachung School Ground,started with the initiation of thePang Lhabsol Puja by LachungRimpoche along with Lamas ofLachung Monastery. This wasfollowed by worship of Mt.Khangchendzonga and other lo-cal deities by the Pao and othervillage heads.

Speaking on the occasionMr. Lachungpa stressed on theimportance of preserving oldlocal customs and traditions.

Some of the traditional van-ishing sports and games wereplayed. Ghyeo-do, a local ver-sion of weight lifting in whicha 154 Kg stone is lifted, Poong-do, the local version of shot put,Do-ko, an ancient Khopi ver-sion in which two flat stonesare thrown on a target, weresome of the sports that regaledthe crowds.

Lachungpa Nyathak, a ver-sion that has no similarity withany other modern games orsports was played. This involvestwo players pulling a rope inopposite directions on theirknees. The highlight of the daywas an exhibition on old localantique items collected from thelocal villagers. Winners as wellas losers received prizes in thecompetitions.

It was decided at the end ofthe day’s programme that more ofthese vanishing games and sportsalong with songs and dances oflocal origins would be revived inthe annual celebrations.

SAGAR CHHETRI

GANGTOK, 03 September:The Tashi Namgyal Academyfootball team is back after lift-ing the IPSC Football Tourna-ment, 2004 held at RIMC,Dehradun. This is no meanachievement considering thatthe tournament was partici-pated by almost all the Publicschools of the country

The tournament had twocategories of Under-17 andUnder-14 and TNA won in boththe categories. The school hasbeen on a prolific winningspree, lifting the Tournamenttrophy four times in a row.

The U-17 category tourna-ment was held from 15-19 Au-gust. In league matches TNAdefeated Modern School, NewDelhi, Mayo College, Ajmer,Army Public School, Dagshaiby 3-1, 7-0 and 5-1 respectivelyto reach the Semi-Final.

The Semi-Final match wasplayed between TNA andBhavan’s Sawan Public School,New Delhi which TNA won con-vincingly defeating BSPS 6-0.

The final match of the U-17 tournament was played be-tween TNA and RIMC,Dehradun with TNA winningthe final match 1 goal to nil.

In U-17 category LodenLepcha was declared as BestPlayer of the tournament whileDup Tshering was the highestscorer with 10 goals in 5 matches.

The U-14 category tourna-ment was held from 23-27 Au-gust. In league matches TNAteam defeated Welham Boy’sSchool, Dehradun and BhartiyaVidya School, Vadodara by 8-0 and 5-1 respectively. TheTNA team got a walk over inthe third match against MayoCollege, Ajmer.

In the semifinals, theyplayed against Army Public

School, Dagshai and won thematch 9 goals to nil.

The final, which wasplayed against Yadvindra Pub-lic School, Mohali, saw TNAwinning the match by a hugemargin of 11 goals to nil.

In the U-14 category DamdiLachungpa was declared BestGoal Keeper of the tournamentwhile Jigmee Singhay was thehighest scorer with 13 goals in4 matches with Paljor Lepchadeclared the Best Player of theTournament.

Both the teams have beenselected for the SubrotoMukherjee Cup to be held atNew Delhi, in September.

The first match in the Under-17 category will be played on 08September while the first matchof the Under-14 will be played on20 September. The U-17 team willbe leaving for the tournament onFriday while the U-14 team willleave on 16 September.

According to DamdiLachungpa, who was declaredthe Best Goal Keeper in the Un-

der-14 category, this was his firstexperience playing outside theState in a tournament which hadmany good teams from all overthe country participating.

Loden Lepcha, the teamcaptain and Best Player of theU-17 category said that he feltgreat because it was his first cap-taincy in such a tournament andthe results were encouraging.

Team coach ManashChakravorty is also very happy

with the team performance inthe IPSC Football Tournamentand is hoping for another winin the upcoming SubrotoMukherjee Cup.

He also expressed gratitudeto the school principal who hesays has always helped and en-couraged them. “In spite ofsuch a tight and hard scheduleof the school he sent us for thetournament and we did not dis-appoint him,” he adds.

TNA sweeps IPSC soccer tourney,corners all awards

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8; NOW!; 04 September, 2004

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Baba Offset Press Works Pvt. Ltd., Gangtok. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 271167 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

THEFINALONE �

ARIES: The day will involve aname you need to make a con-nection with, and it will be easy.If the connection is made, act onit even if it seems silly or risksyou should receive a bonus.TAURUS: If someone asks fora helping hand, help as muchas you can, no matter how un-fair you are being on yourself.You will feel determined to makeamends in some small way.GEMINI: You may find that youare prying into things that do notconcern you. The cost of over-sight may be a lot more than youanticipated. Be cautious whiledriving and with what you eat.CANCER: Your determinationwill take people by surprise.Things are changing in your life.Today, plan on a break. This willbe a good time to add to yourart collection.LEO: The last thing you arelikely to want to do today will beto go to work. If you can, takethe day off day-to-day responsi-bilities. This will give you re-

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476: Romulus Augustulus,last Roman emperor in west,is deposed1553: Cornelia daNomatalcino monk convertedto Judaism, burned at stake1736: Born, Robert RaikesEngland, Sunday schoolpioneer1781: Los Angeles foundedin Bahia de las Fumas by 44settlers, [Valley of Smokes]1825: Dadabhai Naoroji firstIndian in British parliament1870: 3rd French republicproclaimed as they overthrowtheir king1886: Geronimo is captured,ending last major US-Indian war1888: George Eastmanpatents first roll-film camera& registers “Kodak”1917: Born, Henry Ford IIautomaker [Ford]1965: Beatles’ “Help!,” singlegoes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks1972: US swimmer MarkSpitz becomes 1st athlete towin 7 olympic gold medals.

newed energyVIRGO: You could experiencesome doubts about yourself.You could be tempted to spendmoney. Changes that you havestarted to make may now resultin arguments with your partner.LIBRA: Stick to your guns andkeep a firm view on what youhave decided and what youwant. If your partner doesn’tagree with you, perhaps this initself is proof that you are right.SCORPIO: Plans you have ten-tatively made for today will beabandoned as long forgottenfamily commitments come up.You may find yourself helping amember of your family.SAGITTARIUS: You will bepleased to be able to walk awayat the end of the day. You willfeel a satisfying amount of ex-

haustion. The evening could bespent with a partner.CAPRICORN: You run the riskof overdoing things. Be a littlerealistic and you could dosome things today. What youstart today, you will stick withfor a long time.AQUARIUS: You could find thatby offering a shoulder to cry on,you help someone to makelarge improvements in life. Anydisagreements should beworked out today. Be cautiouswhile driving.PISCES: You will find that youare happy. Compromise, if it willallow you to put the bad timesbehind you. This is an excellenttime to start a new project orbusiness. You will be in a happymood today.

1/11Was this spontaneous combustion or planned

conflagration?

All that the terrorists of the Ansa al-Sunnagroup managed to do with the monstrously cold-blooded murders of 12 in-

nocent Nepalis was earn themselves the curse ofcivilised people everywhere.

No injustice, no wrong can justify barbarismof this kind. And it is even more abhorrent whenit is carried out against poor people who justwanted to earn a living, who had overcome tre-mendous odds to be able to go abroad in searchof work. Such is the desperation of Nepalis to-day that they are willing to go to Iraq knowingfull well what could await them there.

If the terrorists thought they hit back at theAmericans for occupying their country by killingNepalis, they are tragically mistaken. The interna-tional media was more obsessed by two French jour-nalists held hostage by another group. It is hard toimagine a motive for such wanton cruelty other thanto say it was perpetrated by psychopaths who craveviolence for violence’s sake.

Back in Nepal, anger started to boil over onTuesday night itself. By morning, there were full-blown riots in Kathmandu and other tarai towns.Some of the rioting could have been spontaneous,but there couldn’t have been simultaneous arsonattacks with similar modus operandi all across theValley without someone directing it. Besides the110 or so recruitment companies, the targets wereNepali Muslims in the capital and tarai towns inthe first serious outbreak of communal violence inthis country. What was remarkable was the restraintand lack of revenge shown by Nepali Muslimsagainst their attackers in the villages of Banke.

We did it again. Instead of expressing our an-ger at murderers in a desert faraway we chose tohurt fellow Nepalis. The culprits were in Iraq, butwe punished Nepalis in Nepal. This is not the firsttime we have done this. The Hrithik Roshan riotsof 2000, which made us the laughing stock of theworld, spring to mind. In venting our rage, the riotsended up damaging the very sector that props upthe national economy and provides jobs for hun-dreds of thousands of fellow Nepalis.

Terrorism has no religion. By unleashing an-ger against a minority at home, we have shownourselves capable of the same irrationality that

Das, owner of Lucky Centre.Another lottery shop owneradded: “We can’t help it if peo-ple come and play as the lot-tery is legal.”

There are around 5 elec-tronic lottery vendors in town.The police had recently calledfor a meeting with the elec-tronic lottery sellers, but foundall documents to be legal. How-ever, the state government hasnow ordered for an assessmentof the whole scenario.

Sonam Bhutia of the Dis-trict Administration said: “Wehave asked for an assessmentof the three hill sub-divisionsof Darjeeling and Siliguri bythe Sub Divisional Officers andthe reports are expected withinthe next 15 days.”

Based on these reports acomprehensive report will beprepared and sent to Kolkata.

“We will also strongly rec-ommend for the ban of suchlotteries,” added Bhutia.

Contd from pg 1

Joker notfunny feel

Darjauthorities

made the Nepalis in Iraq victims. Who was hurtby the destruction of the records at the recruit-ment agencies? The contract workers they sentabroad. Who benefited? The crooked middlemenwho want to hide records of the money they havegouged from poor Nepalis.

All this has happened amidst a virulent Maoistinsurgency. The rebels have just blockaded the Val-ley, forcing major businesses to close, shutting downschools in large parts of the country and killing andthreatening journalists. The Maoist aim is economicdislocation and to create chaos, which is why theyhave gone for the main revenue-earning sectors ofthe economy. The businesses that have been closedfor the past three weeks include one of each segment:tourism, transportation, carpet, garment, manufactur-ing. There was one sector still intact, the one prop-ping up the economy: Nepali migrant workers.

Last year, the estimated 1 million overseasNepalis sent home $1 billion. With the riots of 1/11, Nepal just lost this safety valve. Some of theanger against the recruitment agencies may havebeen spontaneous, but it looked too synchronisedand coordinated to be random. The destruction ofrecruitment offices with their computers andrecords will have far-reaching consequences forthe labour export sector. Besides the revenue loss,there is also the heightened frustration of youngNepalis who now have nowhere to go.

When the situation becomes less volatile therewill have to be a post-mortem of the entire crisis:from the government’s miscalculation of the serious-ness of the situation when news first came that thehostages were taken, the fact that the hostage takersnever articulated their actual demands for their re-lease, the government’s unpreparedness for the back-lash against the killings even though trouble was al-ready brewing on Tuesday night and the appallingabsence of state security on the streets while the van-dals went on the rampage. On Wednesday, it tooktwo hours for the first patrol to reach the Kantipurgroup after mobs ran amok in its premises. There is alesson here for a time if the bodies of the 12 are everfound and brought home for their last rites.

In the end we have to ask ourselves: had the mur-ders not taken place in Iraq but in Nepal at the hands ofother Nepalis would there have been this outrage? Nosect or creed has a monopoly on brutality.

Let us remind each other that we have shownourselves as capable of equally gruesome publicbeheadings, blood-curdling torture and slaughterof innocents right here in our homeland againstour own people.

courtesy:Nepali Times