People’s Forum on Earthquake formed

GROUP DEMANDS INSTITUTION OF HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE TO STUDY 18 SEPT EARTHQUAKE, WANTS ALL HYDEL PROJECTS SUSPENDED IN THE INTERIM
GANGTOK, 29 Sept: To introspect on what went wrong in the 18 September earthquake, Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) convened a meeting of concerned citizens and members of civil society at Gangtok today, informs a SIBLAC release.
The meeting was attended by High Court lawyer Hemlal Bhandari, SAFE president Bharat Basnet, ASESE&UA president Naveen Kiran, Nagarik Suraksha Sangathan president Prem Goyal, Human Rights lawyer Dr. Doma T Bhutia, retired civil servant SP Subba, Supreme Court advocate Jangpo Sherpa, ACT general secretary Dawa Lepcha, journalist Pabitra Bhandari, NASSS coordinator Sonam Bhutia, Rongong Youth Club advisor Gayching Bhutia, writer Kamal Chamling “Kamrange’, advocate Jigme W Bhutia, journalist Punya Prasad Koirala and others, the release details.

Disturbed by still extant caste discrimination

A few years ago one of my friends fell in love with a girl and the two got married. They make a very good couple and are getting about their lives very well save for one thing. My friend’s wife is from a different caste, one of the traditionally suppressed ones, and this has made a significant difference in their lives. It’s a shame that his closest relatives and cousins have literally boycotted him and his family from all their social functions and gatherings. It’s all the more a pity when all his relatives are educated, well-off and supposedly respected in society.  But what the educated, well-off and supposedly respected relatives of my friend don’t realize is that any discrimination on the basis of caste is a crime and an abominable offence to society.
So I guess that would make them all not so respectful but criminals, eh?
And all this in a developing state like ours in the 21st century?

Chungthang’s Sacred Paddy Field Deserves Cleaner Environs

Hemmed in by constructions, the sacred paddy field at Chungthang, believed to have been blessed by Guru Padmasambhava, is a cramped space. Unfortunately, it is also surrounded by general apathy and disturbing disrespect, complains TSETEN LEPCHA, in his letter to the Chief Secretary [reproduced below] seeking immediate action to protect the sacred field….

To,
The Chief Secretary
Government of Sikkim
Gangtok,Sikkim                                                                                                       Dated :30/04/2011
SUB: REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT SACRED PADDY FIELD AT CHUNGTHANG FROM FURTHER DEFILEMENT
Sir,
With due respect I, the undersigned, a resident of Chungthang, would like to state these few lines for your kind information and immediate consideration.
That, While the State Government and the Ecclesiastical Department are busy building new places of worship and the secretive underground monastery at Chungthang being the most ambitious, it is unfortunate that the most sacred paddy field near the world famous “Leydo” is completely ruined.

Seeking a foot overbridge across NH-31A at Central Referral Hospital gate

AN OPEN APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF SIKKIM
Kind attention is drawn to the fact that the Central Referral Hospital (CRH) situated at 5th Mile, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim had became an advance centre for healthcare services for the people of Sikkim and other states.  In addition, the first and only colleges for medical and allied education viz Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical College (SMIMS), Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing (CON) and Sikkim Manipal College of Physiotherapy under the aegis of Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) respectively imparting MBBS, BPT and B.Sc Nursing degree courses are also situated together with CRH at this place.
The premises of the CRH, University and all the colleges mentioned are link by an approach road uphill of the 31A National Highway and the ‘Sarawati Mandir’ on downhill of the road are visited by large number of public each day. In particular, the student, parents, employees, patients, patient parties and well wishers reaches the hospital; colleges and University.  In order to reach there, they are required to cross the busy National Highway at different hours of the day and night.  In addition, the residents of adjoining villages above the hospital premises also constitute the category of pedestrians to cross the National Highway.
There are taxi stops on both side of the National Highway at this place to drop and pick the pedestrians, which are required by public to facilitate their movement to and from Gangtok and other places. The only National Highway to Gangtok remains busy with flow of traffic to and from Gangtok, Siliguri, and other places of the state.  Therefore, the pedestrians crossing this National Highway had to wait and watch the vehicle moving from up and down before they get chance to cross the road. Sometime due to high speed vehicle and sometime with vehicular congestion on National Highway, the pedestrians had to wait for more than 20 minutes or half an hour to cross the road.