Fulfilling MoEF conditions leading to delay in NH31A widening works, BRO tells High Court

BRO SUBMITS STATUS REPORT ON ROAD IMPROVEMENT WORKS

15 OUT OF 37 ROAD PROPOSALS GRANTED ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
GANGTOK, 13 Sept: Out of a total of 37 proposals submitted by the Border Roads Organisation for widening and maintenance of roads in the state of Sikkim, 15 have been accorded final approval while another 14 proposals have received in-principle approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests; another 8 proposals for road widening works are informed to be pending with the State government.
This is the present status of the works being undertaken by the Ministry of Surface Transport through BRO for road widening in Sikkim, especially along the National Highway 31A. This status report had been sought by the High Court of Sikkim.

Mamta wants extra water from Sikkim before okaying Indo-Bangla agreement on Teesta

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: In the final analysis, the outcome of the historic Teesta agreement between India and Bangladesh over the sharing of waters of the Teesta, which originates in Sikkim, could be in the hands of Sikkim and the State government here.
The recent visit of the Prime Minister to Dhaka, Bangladesh was primarily to sign the Teesta water sharing agreement by which India would provide 33,000 cusecs of Teesta water to Bangladesh. The West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamta Banerjee, whose concurrence was vital for the agreement since Teesta enters Bangladesh from West Bengal, backed out at the last moment rendering the visit of the Prime Minister to Dhaka almost a damp squib.

USFC beats Southern Samity 1-0

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: Bhaichung’s United Sikkim Football Club defeated Southern Samity 1-0 in its third qualifying match of Federation Cup played today at Kolkata. Daniel Bidemi scored the winning goal for USFC.
Despite two wins from three matches in its pool, USFC could not make it to the final round of the Federation Cup since the only the pool topper makes it through.
By winning all its three matches, Royal Wahingdoh made to the final round of the Federation Cup to be played in Pune. In its last and third match today, Royal Wahingdoh defeated ONGC 3-1 to qualify for the main phase of the Federation Cup.

Sikkim student killed in scuffle with roommate in Bangalore

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: A 21 year old engineering student from Sikkim was reportedly killed in Bangalore. The deceased reportedly hails from Gangtok as does the accused who was his roommate in Bangalore.
According to reports, the two got into a scuffle on 09 September when the deceased was reportedly stabbed in the chest with a pair of scissors. In the incident, another Sikkim student is also reported to have suffered injuries.
The deceased was rushed to a hospital and succumbed to his injuries there, it is informed. The accused has been arrested by the Bangalore police. In another incident another Sikkimese student, as yet unidentified, is reported to have succumbed to a suspected drug overdose in Delhi.

Think Dialogue, Not Development and Laws to Address Resentments

Editorial:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at the National Integration Council Meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, called for “integrated development” to counter Naxalism and said that a “holistic approach” should be adopted to tackle the problem. “The development has to be meaningful, development has to integrated and it should be for people,” he said. The NIC was meeting after nearly three years and was convened essentially to discuss the Communal Violence Bill [which did not go too well], but since the PM made special mention of Naxal violence and offered his panacea for it, there are some things which need to be discussed more.

JNV Ravangla to host All India Non-Hindi Neo Hindi Writers Workshop

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: In a move towards popularising the use of Hindi in Sikkim was initiated by the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ravangla. For the first time, the Vidyalaya is conducting an All India Non-Hindi Neo Hindi Writers Workshop in collaboration with the Central Hindi Directorate [Ministry of HRD], from 01 to 08 October.
Around 55 participants from all over India, including local writers and other participants, will be attending this workshop.
Chanchal Singh [Hindi Teacher of JNV Ravangla], who is also coordinator of this programme, has taken the initiative to organize it in Sikkim, while Paramjeet Singh [Principal of JNV Ravangla] is the local Workshop Director of the programme.
The workshop will benefit those writers whose mother tongue is other than Hindi. Participants will learn the style and technique of Hindi literature from experts at the workshop.

GMC eases into its groove, seeks public support for civic solutions

ANAND OBEROIGANGTOK, 13 Sept: The Gangtok Municipal Corporation has registered nearly 5,000 trade licenses between July and August, since this responsibility was devolved to it. These licenses include new ones and renewals, both of which are being done through a computerized process for better record-keeping and retrieval, informs the Municipal Commissioner, Anil Raj Rai.
“We were able to carry out this massive drive and complete it in around two months. There were some initial hiccups due to the rates but these were revised and we have issued licenses to all eligible applicants,” Mr. Rai informs.
Alongside the issuance of licenses which is also open to late applicants at a Rs. 5 fine per day, the GMC has also managed to raise Rs.4 lakh through fines levied on civic offenders in the past seven months. The GMC, it may be recalled, had set-up CCTV cameras at various locations in and around Gangtok to keep a watch on garbage disposal at unauthorized sites, especially jhoras.

How a businessman clipped the con before it stung

GANGTOK, 12 Sept: Assisting the Meghalaya and Sikkim police in the speedy arrest of Daniel Hawk from Gangtok yesterday was a local businessman. Ajay Agarwal of Deokaran Brothers, MG Marg, is the aware and alert businessman who facilitated the arrest after he was approached by Daniel and made suspicious by his behaviour.
“He came to me with his two year old daughter with some queries about telecom connectivity here and slowly started to get friendly with me,” informs Mr. Agarwal whose shop is a BSNL franchisee.

Scamster surfaces in Gangtok a year after Shillong con, nabbed

GANGTOK, 13 Sept: Almost a year since he duped 50 people in Meghalaya, Daniel Hawk was finally traced to Gangtok by the police and picked up Sadar Thana personnel here at around 1 p.m. on 11 September. 29-year-old Daniel Hawk, who uses the alias “Sathyan Nair”, was picked up at the nick of time just as he was getting ready to repeat his con game here in Gangtok. Some locals, it is informed, had already shown interest in his proposal of setting up a call centre and medical transcription business here and had even agreed to finance him. In fact he had already found a place at DPH Road for an “office” and a local willing to advance him Rs. 50,000.

Pang Lhabsol underlines Sikkim’s bond with nature: CM

SIKKIM PROPITIATES ITS GUARDIAN DEITYNAMCHI, 12 Sept: Pang Lhabsol, the propitiation of Sikkim’s guardian deities supreme among whom is Dzonga who resides on the summit of Khangchendzonga, was celebrated in a unique blend of tradition and rustic festivity here at Rabongla today with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling as the chief guest. This was the 28th episode of Pang Lhabsol celebrations hosted at the Mane Chokerling complex above Rabong town. The celebration at Ralong Monastery a short distance away and under which the Mane Chokerling falls, however, is of much older antiquity.

Handy-boy killed in truck mishap

NAMCHI, 12 Sept: A handy-boy who had joined work barely three days ago was killed in a truck mishap here at Bharikhola [13th Mile] on the Melli-Jorethang highway this morning. The lad, whose dead body was recovered after an extensive search, remains unidentified thus far. The driver, 22-year-old Ram Rai of Bhaktinagar, Siliguri, has sustained grievous injuries.
A mishap occurred at around 11 a.m., when the truck [WB-73C-0856] ferrying a load of cement bags went off the road at Bharikhola and plunged 150 feet down into the Rangeet.

Timber earmarked for pucca house constructions under CMRHM

GANGTOK, 12 Sept: The state government, through the Forest Department, has marked out as to what kind of timber from different kinds of forests can be made available for beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s Rural Housing Mission (CMRHM) for pucca house constructions. Under this mission, all kutcha houses are to be converted into pucca houses by the year 2014.
The scheme is being implemented under the RMD Department. To cater to the requirement of timber for conversion of kutchha houses to pucca establishments for the beneficiaries, the marking order for trees has been issued which will be available for beneficiaries for three years - from 2011 to 2013.

Sairus, Manish and Akash adjudged most promising players

SIKKIM STATE BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP CONCLUDES
GANGTOK, 11 Sept: The 23rd edition of the Sikkim State Badminton Championship concluded here at the Paljor Stadium indoor badminton gymnasium hall today.
More than 350 players from around the state compete in the five-day long championship, organized the Badminton Association of Sikkim [BAS].
Sairus Chettri, Manish Subba and Akash Rai in Boys’ U-13 and Gaganhang Subba in Boys’ U-16 were picked as the Promising Players of the championship.

Newlyweds killed in Topakhani road mishap

GANGTOK, 11 Sept: A recently wedded couple was killed in a car accident on 10 September, making this the third fatal accident in the past week which. Niranjan Mazumdar, 35, and his wife, Pinky Mazumdar, were killed in the accident which took place at around 1:20 p.m. near Topakhani under Singtam police jurisdiction on 10 September. With their deaths, four lives have been lost on Sikkim road in the past week. The driver, 19-year-old Md. Hussain from Siliguri sustained injuries.

Bhandari completes prison term; High Command asked to view conviction positively

GANGTOK, 11 Sept: Sikkim Pradesh Congress president Nar Bahadur Bhandari was today officially declared a free man with the completion of his one-month prison term and the two Sikkim Police personnel “guarding” him for the past almost one month were recalled this morning. They left his bedside at the Vedanta Hospital in Gurgaon this morning itself. Confirming this, KN Lepcha, the SPCC acting president, stated that Mr. Bhandari was a free man as of today. He also shared that the SPCC was feeling upbeat and optimistic about the return of their president.

USFC goes down to Royal Wanhindoh 0-1

FEDERATION CUP UPDATEGANGTOK, 11 Sept: United Sikkim Football Club lost to Royal Wahingdoh, Shillong, 0-1, in its second match in Group B Preliminary match of the Federation Club at the Mohun Bagan ground today. 
Karefm Omolaja Nurain scored the match-winner for Wahingdoh in the 10th minute itself, and once they gained the lead, Wahingdoh adopted defensive measures. As per media reports on the match, the result could have read in favour of USFC if its strikers - Sushil Singh, Thoi Singh and Daniel Bademi – not missed a flurry of chances.

Padam Singh ‘Apatan’ remembered with Memorial Lecture

AMEET OBEROI GANGTOK, 11 Sept: The first “Padam Singh Subba Apatan Memorial Lecture,” organised by the Sikkim Akademi, was held at the MLA Hostel conference hall, here today, coinciding with Padam Singh Subba’s 88th birth anniversary. Respected literary figure Mahananda Poudyal was present as the chief guest accompanied by Rudra Poudyal [retd. principal director, HRDD], senior journalist CD Rai and GS Lama [president, Sikkim Akademi], members of Limboo associations from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Bijanbari and Dooars. The memorial lecture was delivered by Mr. CD Rai.

Beetles from Nepal rally into Gangtok on a Friendship Drive

AMEET OBEROIGANGTOK, 09 Sept: “This is the first international rally we have taken with our Beetles,” shared Gopal Sundar Lal Kakshapati, president of the Association of Nepal Beetle Users Group [ANBUG], while speaking to NOW! here in the capital today evening. The Kathmandu-Gangtok rally has been billed as the “Nepal-India Friendship ANBUG Drive 2011”.
“We had wanted to make this trip in 2007, but due to the political unrest in our country at the time, we had to postpone our rally,” he added.

Responsibilities delegated for Socioeconomic and Caste Census 2011

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: With the State government all set to conduct the Socio-Economic and Caste Census later this year, officers have been designated as Principal Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 Officers (PSO), District Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 Officer (DSO) to assist the PSO, and Charge Officer (CO) for the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011.
The District Collectors are designated as Principal Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 Officers (PSO).
The Additional District Collector (Development) is designated as District Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 Officer (DSO) to assist PSO. The Deputy Municipal Commissioner, GMC and Municipal Executive Officer, Namchi Municipal Council have been designated as Charge Officers along with other officials of the UDHD.
The Socio- Economic and Caste Census would be carried out by the respective State Government with financial and technical support of the Government of India.

Performing artists sign up in record numbers for Pang Lhabsol at MG Marg

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: Twenty one clubs [in the open category] and 22 schools will be performing on 12 September, during this year’s Pang Lhabsol celebrations here at MG Marg, informed KN Subedi [culture secretary, Pang Lhabsol Celebration Committee, Gangtok].
“Since there are more participants this year even after the screening process, we will be reducing their time limit by one to one and a half minute, so instead of the regular five minutes, they will be given three to three and a half minutes to perform,” he added.

Retired employees clean up Ravangla PHC

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: Sikkim Government Retired Employees’ Welfare Association, Ravangla Sub Division unit, carried out a cleanliness drive at the Ravangla PHC complex yesterday. The drive was a contribution of the retired government servants towards the vision of making Sikkim a plastic-free and environmentally healthy state, informs a release
A heap of garbage at the back of the PHC demanded back-breaking work, to clear out, the release adds.   
The initiative was joined by the chief advisor, Samten D Bhutia, chief secretary, CB Gurung, convener, DB Gurung, vice-convener, Tshering Bhutia and other members.

Scholars from India and Bangladesh begin SU course to synergise better neighbourly ties

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: A total of 20 participants, 10 each from India and Bangladesh, are taking a special short-term course on ‘India-Bangladesh Studies’, which started here today. The course is being organized by Sikkim University in collaboration with Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and Dhaka University, Bangladesh.
The course has MPhil and PhD students from public and private universities, faculty members, media personnel, professionals from NGOs and corporate organizations, government officials and security experts from both countries. The course has 15 experts from India and Bangladesh as resource persons.

Martam youth seek assistance for 6 year old’s treatment at AIIMS

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: Martam Charitable Youths Association, East Sikkim has appealed the people of Sikkim to extend financial assistance to six-year-old Ugen Bhutia, who has been diagnosed with a kidney complication and is currently undergoing treatment at STNM Hospital.
Ugen, the son of a Martam-resident, Passang Bhutia, has been advised to seek treatment at AIIMS. The father, however, earns his living doing odd-jobs offering manual labour and cannot afford to take his son for treatment to Delhi.

Blindsiding Road Safety

Editorial:
The road mishap at Burtuk above Gangtok was an accident waiting to happen. This section has returned often to the theme of road safety and does so once again, accepting the fact that recklessness has ruled the roads for far too long for mentions like these to have any effect. But somethings cannot be left ignored and need to be hammered away at constantly until they take an acceptable shape – road safety is one such issue. For a state serviced on most sections by unreliable and unsafe roads, Sikkim’s disregard for safety on the roads is perplexing. Maybe not so perplexing actually, because for a State which is racing fast towards becoming a population pocket with the most number of vehicles in ratio to its people, even basic driving etiquette is missing here.

USFC begins Federation Cup effort with win against ONGC

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: United Sikkim Football Club started its Federation Cup campaign on a winning note, outplaying ONGC [Mumbai] 3-2. The victory was sweeter by the fact that Bhaichung’s USFC downed ONGC on an away match played in Mohun Bagan’s ground in Kolkata today.
USFC took the lead early in the first half when Daniel scored the first goal of the match, but this was equalized soon by ONGC. Before the first-half ended, however, Baba Tundey, won another lead for USFC.

Covered walkway sanctioned for Namnang

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: The Urban Development & Housing Department is preparing to make covered walkways and allied facilities along Namnang, Gangtok. Gangtokians might remember that this was one of the projects showcased at the exhibition of facilities being planned for Gangtok held earlier this year by Architects of Sikkim.
For the Namnang project, the State government has approved the sanction of higher tender rate quoted 29.25% above, which includes the difference of cost of stock materials to be borne by the contractor. To facilitate progress and avoid delays, supply of materials will be through self procurement by the contractor as this is informed to be a time bound project and has to be completed during the dry working season of the winter months.

Namchi Municipal Council goes online

NAMCHI, 09 Sept: Namchi Municipal Council’s official website – http://www.namchimunicipalcouncil.org/ was launched today by the NMC Chairman, Buddha Tamang, in the presence of Executive Councillors, Deputy Municipal Officer and NMC staff, informs a press release issued by Deputy Municipal Officer, Dushyant Pariyar.
The website aims to provide general information about NMC and license holders can also check their license status on the site.
Santosh Subba and Charles Rai from AISECT Computer Education gave a demonstration on the website at its launch today. The website has been developed by AISECT Computer Education, Namchi, which has also developed similar websites for the Gangtok Municipal Coroporation, Mangan Nagar Panchayat, Rangpo Nagar Panchayat and Singtam Nagar Panchayat, the release further mentions.

STA condemns attack doctor

GANGTOK, 09 Sept: Sikkim Teachers’ Association has condemned the attack on Dr. Subhash Tamang at Dentam PHC on 05 Sept.
A meeting of STA’s executive members convened today, the members expressed concern over such events and contended that such attacks were “detrimental to the harmony and peace of the society”.
The members also demanded strict action against the guilty and wished for a speedy recovery of the victim.