DAY-7 OF CHIEF MINISTER’S SIKKIM BHRAMAN

“Speak up, I am here to listen to your appraisals, demands and complaints”
CM INVITES PEOPLE TO CONSIDER NEW TEA ESTATE ON COOPERATIVE MODEL
SAGAR CHHETRI
GANGTOK, 01 June: Speaking with media-persons before moving out on the eighth day of his village-to-village tour, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling shared that he was satisfied with the performance of the South district GPUs he has visited so far. He also reiterated that his tour was more about listening to the people and their demands than addressing them in public meetings. This was the theme which was reinforced today with the CM specifically inviting the people to speak up and record their appraisals of government works, table their demands and air their grievances. He also broached the idea of setting up a new tea estate in Sikkim.
Interacting with the people of Hingdam, Dalep-Kewzing and Biring [all under Barfung constituency], the CM addressed issues related to hydel projects, landslides and provision of land for the landless in the state.
On the way to Hingdam, his first destination, the CM stopped at the “Model Floriculture Centre” situated at few kilometres away from Ravangla Bazaar and interacted with the workers there.

The workers requested that their working hours to be brought down to 8 hours from the present 9 hours. In response, the CM said that work beyond the stipulated 8 hours should be paid overtime.
Interacting with the people gathered at Hingdam Gram Prashashan Kendra, the CM assured that all demands and grievances related to NHPC will be taken up with the hydel developer, and if necessary, even with the Ministry of Power if NHPC fails to address the issues.
The CM further said that all unused land left with the project developer’s will be returned to the people or to the government, a proposal which he will formalise with the Union Ministry of Power.
He further said that from now onwards, land will be leased out to power developers and portions not utilised will revert to the government upon completion of the project.
With regard to landslides in the area, the CM directed the concerned department to investigate the technical aspects and urged the people to come forward with their suggestions for a permanent solution to the problem.
He further said that if the landslide problem persists even after government intervention, then the affected families will be relocated and the government will assist the families in this process.
He directed the District Collector [South] to identify the landless Sikkim Subjects in the district and further directed the DC and MLAs to help acquire land for them.
At his second stop, the CM interacted with the people of Dalep-Kewzing at Dalep JHS playground. He again shared his mission to make Sikkim a Kutcha-house and landless people free State by 2013 and urged the people to support the government in this mission.
He stressed that peace and security were the biggest contributions of his government to the people of Sikkim and that it fell on the people to sustain this environment.
Ending the day at Biring, the Chief Minister announced that the government would extend all help to start a 500-acre tea estate [at any apt location in the State] if the people formed a good cooperative society to see the project through. The government would also provide all other help required including marketing the produce. He highlighted that tea cultivation was a low-cost, high-returns business which would also support the promotion of eco-tourism in the state.
The CM further announced that after completing his state-wide tour, he will increase the upper limit of loans for ward-level cooperative societies from the present Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 1 crore.
He also directed the MLAs and panchayats to ensure that the demands of the people are fulfilled by way of regular follow ups.