West tour completed, CM gets busy wrapping up South district visits

NAMCHI, 29 June: Straight after winding up his village-to-village tour of West Sikkim with a review meeting with officers at Gyalshing yesterday, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today toured Phali Dara, Lower Boomtaar, Sallebong Rong, Sumbuk and Compound Majhitar, places left out in the first phase of his South district visit. He completes his South Sikkim tour on Thursday.
At his last stop of the day, Compound Majhitar, he inaugurated a newly constructed Government Lower Primary School.
Addressing the public here, the CM, while responding to the demand seeking regularisation of forest land occupied by the people [65 households] there, directed the Forest Department to take up the matter with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI, in the interest of the people.

The residents of Compound Majhitar under the Sorok-Sampani GPU also complained against the damage caused to the area and their houses and livelihood options due to the hydel project being developed by Dans Energy in the valley below. Cracked houses, sinking land, lost water sources along with livestock being adversely affected were some of the concerns raised. There have also been some cases of miscarriage amongst pregnant women in the area which could be due to the trauma caused by controlled explosions in the vicinity, a requisite for tunnelling work.
The public requested compensation for such losses caused by the construction work.  The CM assured that all their demands will be met.
The CM began his day from Phalidara where he highlighted tourism prospect of the area, stressing that if the people delivered on the demands of the service sector, tourist footfalls in South district alone would be higher than the current arrivals in the entire region.
He encouraged the people to engage in tourism related activities, especially in providing home-stay accommodation, and assured that all possible help will be provided by the government in this regard.
At  his next stop, Boomtar Primary School, the CM said that the public should undertake animal husbandry and horticulture activities for which the land there as well suited.
At Sallyebong JHS, the CM stating that the poverty level in the state has decreased after his party came to power, stressed that the public should not be misled by inaccurate news reports in some papers and not stay as silent spectators but voice their opinions.
He then went on to meet the public of Rong GPU wards at Rong Sec. School. The students presented the CM a sapling of a medicinal plant.
The CM was impressed with the school and congratulated the staff and students on the ‘innovative’ manner in which the school is being run and maintained.
He appreciated the ‘scientific temperament’ being inculcated amongst the students at the school and said that other schools should also learn and follow suit. He announced that the school will be feted with an award in recognition of its achievements in the near future.
The school, in turn, placed a demand for a botanical lab for which the CM directed the concerned authority to take note and ensure that the demand was met. He further added that this lab should be developed on the lines of a ‘model lab’.
At his next stop, Sumbuk BAC, the CM interacted with people of Sumbuk-Kartikey GPU and Lungchok-Kamaray GPU. Here, he urged the public to not stay ‘neutral’ regarding false allegations and rumours being spread about the present government.
He called on the civil society and intellectuals to come forward and raise their voices in the matter.
Addressing the students present, he expressed that education should not be taken just as a means to find a job but as a tool to develop one’s personality as a whole.