13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 1

EUROPETOURCALL FOR BOOKING:

TashilaTOURS & TRAVELS

94341-53567Telephone:

229842 / 222978

GANGTOK, WEDNESDAY, 13-19 August, 2003

NOW!SIKKIM MATTERS VOL 2 NO 08 � Rs. 5

JOB PLACEMENT ON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

Near Krishi Bhawan, Tadong

Gangtok. Phone 270876

Below Power Deptt, Kazi Road

Gangtok. Phone: 227917

Nayuma Building, Namchi Bazar

Namchi. Phone: 263919

e-mail: ssi_gtk@yahoo.com

OFFERScertified globally by:

COMPUTERBAZARCESI Building (Behind MitraNursing Home), Hakim Para, Slg.Ph. 2535728, Mob: 98320-54277.Intel P4 (1.9 GHz) @ Rs. 21750/-With ATX Cab, MB, RAM 128MB, HDD 40GB, CD-ROM52X, Lan, col. Mon 15”, Modem, Speaker, KBD & Mouse

Intel P4 (1.8 GHz) @ Rs. 20750/-

AMD Ath XP2000+ @ Rs. 18250/

-

Celeron (1.7 GHz) @ Rs. 17650/-

Cyrix 733 MHz @ Rs. 14550/-With ATX Cab, MB, RAM 128MB, HDD 40GB, CD-ROM52X, Lan, col. Mon 15”, Speaker 1000watt, KBD & Mouse

Exchange Facility Available. Offer Valid Till Stock Last

HP Deskjet @ Rs 2350, UPS 600VA @ Rs 2100

32MB SD @ Rs 400, 64MA SD @ Rs 700

1.6GB HDD @ Rs 1100, 2.1GB @ Rs 1400

LOWEST PRICE THAN

ANY OTHERS IN W.B.

SALE SALE SALE‘Good news for you first time

in Sikkim’

Bombay Saree & Dress Materials

DISCOUNT ON SAREES AND KURTA PYJAMAS50%Pure Chiffon, Dani Chiffon, Apoorva Silk, Georgette, Rasgull Crabe,

Kanjeevaram, Pure Silk, Pure Cotton, Banarasi Saree & Kurta, Italian Silk,

Embroidery Saree, 40 gm silk, Pure Cotton, Devdas Saree & many more

varieties.

OPEN EVERYDAYHotel Bayul, MG Marg

Upto theSikkimeseto decidehow muchthey canbenefit from NEDfi

THEY’RE GONE!THEY’RE GONE!in extrasin extras

EVICTION

DRIVES HOME

HUMANITARIAN

CONCERNS

- ON pg10 -

TURN TO pg11

FOR DETAILS

Everyone appears obsessed with the pesti-cola controversy raging through the country.Sikkim has not remained untouched either.Even as confusion reigns over how accurateand reliable the findings which revealed pes-ticide content in colas, really are, people seemto be arriving at their own conclusions. Somereactions have also been more emotional.While colas have been unofficially banned offthe counters in some places, at others, peo-ple prefer to abstain even as some hagglecola salespersons. But truly, is it accurate tobelieve that Ganda applies to all the colas?

IT’S OBVIOUSNOW, THESIKKIMESE

DIL MAANGEPURE

TURN TO pg 3 FOR DETAILS

Looters make away withRs. 17 lakhs of

JP payroll, cops onstate-wide alert

DACOITY

Bad luck for the JP Industries continues. Barely a monthafter torrential rains caused substantial damage at thedamsite at Dikchu, a JP payroll consignment of Rs. 17 lakhswas looted on Tuesday by unidentified miscreants at LowerTumin, about 3 kms beyond Makha, between Singtam andDickhu.

- TURN TO pg 3 FOR DETAILS -

2; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

42

ED-SPACEGANGTOK 13-19 AUGUST, 2003

NOW!SIKKIM MATTERS

A study of 12 brands of softdrinks marketed by CocaCola and Pepsi has al-

leged that all of them contain pes-ticides at least 30 times higher thaninternational standards. Accordingto the Centre for Science and En-vironment – that had come with asimilar study of bottled water –“each sample [of soft drink] hadenough poison to cause in the longterm cancer, damage to the nerv-ous system and reproductive sys-tems, birth defects and severe dis-ruptions of the immune system.”

The report achieved the un-precedented result of bringing bit-ter rivals Coke and Pepsi togetherat a news conference and mighteven convince them to fight offthe allegations together.

The CSE findings, if con-firmed, are of serious concern.The total content of pesticides inthe 12 brands cited are reportedlymany times higher than that al-lowed by European Union stand-ards. But how serious is it?

The report alleging pesticidecontent in the 12 brands of softdrinks is certainly frightening butthat fear should not obscure thewider issues that are emerging outof the controversy. The backlashwitnessed against the cola giantsin the past few days are not somuch about the bottled drink as

DEEPFOCUS

RANJIT SINGH

against the cola culture that hasboisterously swept the country.Hence, we witness only theBajrang Dal activists and ShivSainiks gleefully smashing bottledcrates of the colas.

To be fair to ourselves, weneed to ask – how much of thefood we consume is safe? A studyby the All India Coordinated Re-search Project – yet to be pub-lished – shows that 63.5 per centof 529 vegetable samples testedhad pesticide residues. AICRP, awing of the Indian Council ofAgricultural Research, also found26 per cent samples had DDT,which causes cancer, mutationsand convulsions.

Studies by research institutesand NGOs have over the past fewyears consistently found that veg-etables are sodden with hazardouschemicals. High levels of lead, zincand cadmium in spinach, cauli-flower and lady finger were found.Some samples collected had higherlevels of lead – which can causenerve and brain damage – than al-

lowed by the Prevention of FoodAdulteration. E. coli, the germpresent in excreta has been discov-ered in most of the confectionaryitems we consume. Eggs, meat…they all lug their share.

Food contamination happensat many levels – overuse and ille-gal use of pesticides for agricul-ture, industrial sludge, air pollu-tion and use of pesticides/ insec-ticides during storage.

But do we need scientific vin-dication of our doubts? It is wellknown that the green revolution– through which we achieved self-sufficiency in food production –was an intervention in the fertil-ity of the soil through fertilizersand protection of the crop througha widespread use of pesticide.This was a formidable achieve-ment the legacy of which has beenthe surplus stock of food-grainsthat the warehouses of the FoodCorporation of India hold. A dif-ferent kind of legacy, and perhapseven more enduring, is now com-ing to light. The extensive use offertilizers and pesticides has in-troduced unhealthy agents into thesoil, the water and maybe even theair we breathe. The pesticidefound in the soft drinks is possi-bly a reflection of this rather thanof some underhand conspiraciesby the companies concerned.

What’s The Frequency?

Ignoring HeroesReports indicate that efforts are underway to band togethera 300-strong motorcade to welcome former Sangrami andnow Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee [I] President, NarBahadur Bhandari, on his return to Sikkim. This handsomeshow of support to celebrate his successful Delhi-yatra. Hisachievement - induction into the Congress [I]. While suchdisplays of political commitment [by the people] are okay, itis sad that such public displays of affection are reserved onlyfor political achievers in Sikkim. We, as a people, just don’tcelebrate our real heroes [and most such icons reside awayfrom politics].

For example, students lined the streets of the capital forhours on end to wave cutout tricolours at the Prime Ministereven though they did not know which car he was travellingin, but not a soul was seen on the streets when local moun-taineer Nadre Sherpa returned from his second successfulascent of Everest. Two Sikkimese [LD Kazi and DannyDenzongpa] received national awards [Padma Vibhushanand Padma Shri respectively], but apart from the State Gov-ernment, no one else seemed to be excited about this rec-ognition. Baichung Bhutia bagged the golden boot award indistant Indonesia where he also powered his club to lift thefirst overseas tourney by an Indian club and even though allof Kolkata and the rest of India broke into celebration, only ahandful of entrepreneurs here made public displays of theirpride. Even the Sikkim Football Association wasted too muchtime trying to articulate its delight. Namchi lad TarundeepRai not only qualified for the individual events at the AthensOlympics 2004, but also contributed to the Indian archeryteam getting a berth in this biggest sporting event. Reactionin Sikkim? Zilch. Local girl, Phulmaya Tamang created his-tory by scaling a virgin peak in Ladakh as part of an all-womenexpedition and Sikkim prefers to remain obsessed with sec-tarian politics. Sometime back, Ugen Chopel was recognisedas the best director by the Nepali film industry, but the enor-mity of the recognition seems to have escaped the Sikkimese.Dr. Ajeya Adhikari is hounded by the British media for a quoteon the latest sportsman patient he is treating and the ex-ploits of this Accuracy Orthopaedic Surgeon known as“Robodoc” in the UK seem to excite little interest here.

Sikkim seems to have forgotten that it takes more thanpoliticians to make a society and more than political gossipto make a conversation. Every society and every generationneeds heroes, role models and it would be unfair to suggestthat Sikkim has not produced enough. For a population ofbarely over 5 lakhs, the State has done well in exporting tal-ent to just about every field. From historians to IT geeks,from successful entrepreneurs to respected bureaucrats, fromsports-persons to surgeons, from peace-keepers to warri-ors, there is a famous Sikkimese in every field. Ironically, it isonly in Sikkim that they are not celebrated. Although the ad-ministration goes through the usual process of felicitations,the people never get involved. It is a wonder that a societythat gets so emotional over politics, reservation and sites isalso so confoundedly reticent when it comes to recognisingreal achievers, achievements and heroes. This universalapathy towards collective expressions of joy for trueSikkimese landmarks and flag-bearers is perhaps the rea-son why Sikkimese as a society are so disjointed and dis-cordant. Maybe the past generations, weaned on stories ofdeceit and distrust and involved in the mechanisations ofduplicity have no use for role models, but if they are seriousabout their fears of an eroding Sikkimese culture, then theyshould reveal the icons to the present generation. A societywhich does not share common heroes cannot stake claim toa common identity and unless people share a common iden-tity they cannot work towards common goals. History hasborne out that the best uniting factor for a society are com-mon heroes. Why not give it a try?

Everyone’s got complaints and the best thing about a democracyis that these complaints can be voiced. “Action Mail,” is a plat-form where the public mails us their grievances and we get themthe replies from the concerned authorities. If you too have a prob-lem that needs redressal, just mail your complaint to us at NOW!Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok, East Sikkim or email us atsikkimnow@rediffmail.com.

What does the ruling Sikkim Democratic Frontshare in common with

the entire gamut of Oppositionparties, from those which issuepress releases from the comfortof their living rooms to thosewhich spend hours getting theword-processor working in theiroffice PCs?

All political parties in Sikkimseem to have common ground intheir condemnation of the recentincident of postering of commu-nally inflammatory messagesaround Sikkim.

As far as the case is con-cerned, four persons have beenarrested in connection with thepostering blitzkrieg.

What most political outfitsagree upon is that the posters,which purported to be messagesfrom SIBLAC were obvious fakesand aimed at inciting communalpassions. All sides have lauded

In times of confusion, onlypamphleteers benefit

Sikkim Police’s prompt actionleading to the arrests. They areunanimous in their demand thatthe guilty be booked and the prac-tise rooted out.

SIBLAC, which is directlyaffected by the incident, called onthe Governor V Rama Rao andhas called for an “independentjudicial enquiry” into the episode.It has also requested directions formobilising “security forces inthose areas inhabited by minorityBhutia-Lepcha people”.

At the other extreme werethose who demanded that the gov-ernment resign for its failure tocheck such incidents.

The only people who don’tappear much moved by the inci-dent seem to be the averageSikkimese. They have grown too

used to pamphlets and anony-mous posters to take them seri-ously any more.

Sikkim has a history of suchdevelopments each time the politi-cal situation gets fluid. The latestdevelopments in Delhi where theSSP-Congress merger was blessedhas obviously triggered a boom forpamphleteers. In the absence ofreal arguments on ideology, politi-cians have to create issues to lashout against each other and whatbetter weapon than the anonymityof midnight posterings.

If the messages can be com-munally sensitive then all themore reason to foment them, be-cause rhetoric works best whenthrown in a public domain madetoo paranoid to reason.

But since the “Cry Wolf” op-tion has ceased to work, it is alsoperhaps time that those involvedin the trade stopped with the busi-ness of pamphlets and posters.

PASSANG LAMA

V I EWPO INT

THE NOW!ARE YOU READYFOR THE...

The Dept. of Sports & Youth Affairsand managed by:

Midas Touch Inc.

AN EVENT PRESENTED BY

TURN TO pg 11 TO ASSESS YOURSELF

13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 3

53

UP-FRONTUP-FRONT

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH BENGAL

Admission Notice: 3rd Batch: 2003 - 04 Session

B. Sc in Internet Science (3 Years)

B. Sc in Software Systems (3 Years)

� Application are invited from (10+2) passed / appeared candidates in any stream

or Graduate in any stream.

� Regular classes are held in authorised centres (ZED CA) under continous super-

vision of the University.

� Study materials are provided byu the University.

� Scholarship discounts will be given to meritorious students.

� Students appearing for compartmental exams are also eligible.

Prospectus and application forms available at: Zed Career Academy (Gang-

tok & Namchi) on payment of Rs. 200/-

Last Date for submission of forms:31 August 2003.

Course Starts: September 2003

AUTHORISED N.B.U. STUDY CENTRES IN SIKKIM.

GANGTOK:

Paro Building, Opp. Arambagh’s

NH 31 / A, Deorali

Ph: 281039

NAMCHI:

Above Dokham Hotel, Near S.B.I.

Namchi Bazaar, South Sikkim.

Ph: 264686

Diploma in Multimedia (1 Year)

OFFER AVAILABLE ONLY AT:1. Rajeev Electronics, P.S. Road, Gangtok

223779 / 2235902. Rajeev Electronics Pvt. Ltd,

M. G. Marg, GangtokPh: 224879 / 221778

3. Rajeev DistributorsNational Highway, TadongPh: 231992 / 270583

4. Rajeev ElectronicsSingtam, East Sikkim233618 / 235202

Just for Rs. 17,990.00

(FREE CARPET)Samsung 20 CTV +Samsung175 ltrs.Refrigerator +Medal VCD

GANGTOK: The Centre for Sci-ence and Environment’s castigatingreport on pesticides contaminatingColas has taken the fizz out of theaerated soft drinks market. If theCSE report is to be believed, thepesticide content in the sampleschecked by CSE was 30-times inexcess of international norms. Colasales plummeted all over the coun-try and if suppliers in Sikkim are tobelieved, sales here, despite thesearing summer have crashed too.

But truly, is it accurate to be-lieve that Ganda applies to all thecolas?

The authorities in Manganseem convinced that colas are“bad”. Reports suggest that the dayafter the cola-expose on TV, shop-keepers here were “verbally” toldnot to sell the pesticide-loaded co-las any more. Although the policepersonnel in north district denypassing such diktats, colas remainoff the shelf in the district head-quarters. Consignments have beenreturned and all the cola giants can

manage is a “no comment”.Closer home, a cola salesper-

son was “roughed up” by an irateconsumer at Baluwakhani onMonday evening. Although nocharges were pressed, the coladealers agree that the CSE reporthas totally damaged their creden-tials. Advertisements and disclaim-ers don’t seem to hold up in a situ-ation where even the Parliamenthas banned colas from its canteens.

Dealers in Sikkim are playingit safe. They are not lifting ordersfrom the bottling plants eventhough their stocks have depletedand the salespersons are goingeasy on the sales drive. The con-fusion that has gripped the entirenation appears to have infectedSikkim too. There are contradict-ing reports both on consumptionpatterns and the official stand.

What really is the situation?Officials at the Food Health

Authority of the Health & FamilyWelfare Department, which moni-tors adulteration and contamina-tion of foodstuffs and had recentlybanned an ice-cream brand manu-factured in Jorethang for using

potentially carcinogenic sub-stances, inform that as thingsstand, the colas have not beenbanned in Sikkim. They alsorefuse to give them a clean chitoffhand and reveal that repre-sentatives of the two cola gaintshave been asked to furnish theirquality test certificates. Followingthis, the Department plans to liftsamples from the local marketsand send them for testing [notonly for pesticide content, but alsoother possible contamination] tothe FHA laboratory at Guwahati.

All this is official speak. Whatabout the consumers? Wither in-formation?

Ramesh C. Thapa, DeputyMD, Drangchu Beverages, Bhu-tan, in a letter to the Health In-spector, Department of Health,argues that the pesti-scare all overthe country is mis-applied in Sik-kim since pesticides contaminateground water and all of Sikkim’ssupply of Pepsi products are madefrom “mountain spring water” inBhutan which has no pesticidecontent. While reiterating that“stringent” quality norms are

a NOW REPORT

GANDA MATLAB... all the Colas?maintained at the Bhutan bottlingplant, he alleges that the latestclaims of CSE were part of its“private agenda” to “create con-fusion amongst the consumersand government regulation onwater base issues”.

While his attack on CSEmight have been triggered moreout of anger than any substantialevidence, the Asst. Sales Man-ager, Drangtse Soft Drinks, Bhu-tan, KK Mahapatra, while talkingto NOW! pointed out that the na-tionwide alarm was unfoundedbecause the samples in questionwere lifted from markets in Delhi.

“Pepsi for example has 36 bot-tling plants in the country and onein Bhutan [which supplies Sikkim].Even if we suppose for a while thatthe samples in Delhi were indeedcontaminated, it is unfair to attachthe contamination slur to the rest ofthe 36 plants,” he said.

Coca Cola, similarly has bot-tling plants in Jalpaiguri and Bhu-tan which supply consignments toSikkim and their dealers point outmuch the same argument as thePepsi officials.

The whole issue has so dete-riorated into a sledging match atthe national level that it becomes

increasingly difficult for the con-sumers in Sikkim to make the“right” choice. While theBaluwakhani incident might be anaberration, one thing is clear, inSikkim, “Yeh dil maange pure.”

What would perhaps workbest for the dealers and the con-sumers is an independent and sci-entific verification of the contentsof the colas in the local markets.

THE PESTI-COLA CONTROVERSY IN SIKKIM

August 28th,Community Hall,

Gangtok

DACOITY AT MAKHALooters make away with Rs. 17 lakhs,

cops on state-wide alert

GANGTOK: Bad luck for the JPIndustries continues. Barely amonth after torrential rains causedsubstantial damage at their TeestaStageV damsite, a JP payroll con-signment of Rs. 17 lakhs waslooted on 12 August, Tuesday, ataround 11:30 in the morning byunidentified miscreants at LowerTumin, about 3 kms beyondMakha, between Singtam andDickhu.

Informed sources reveal thatthe JP vehicle carrying the pay-roll along with three officials,including one security gaurd,

found their way blocked at thespot by huge boulders. As thevehicle stopped, two persons ap-proached the vehicle withkhukuris and robbed them of theentire amount. None of the JPofficials were injured in thehold-up.

As soon as the dacoity wasreported, cops across the statewere put on high alert and twoplatoons of Sikkim Armed Policepersonnel despatched to the areato seal off all possible exit points.

Sikkim Police has come downin force to Singtam to crack thecase before the trail goes cold.

DIG [Range], SD Negi, in-

a NOW REPORT

forms that the SP [East] has beendirected to monitor the caseclosely and that apart from theOC, Singtam, and SDPO[Rangpo], Additional SP [East]and SDPO [Gangtok] too havebeen deputed to the area to facili-tate with the search.

“We have sealed all possibleexit points and police personnelacross the State are on high-alertto stay on the look-out for suspi-cious persons,” the DIG revealed.

While no breakthroughs werereported till the time of going toPress, residents across the stretchconfirmed that stringent checkingwas going on the area.

4; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

4

FOCUSFOCUSINFORMATION

Gangtok Water SupplyFor the convenience of the Water Supply con-sumers of Gangtok, the Department shall ac-cept the advance payment of Water Tax on ayearly basis.The customer may avail this facility for theirown convenience.

Public Health Engineering Department

Gangtok Water SupplyPublic Health Engineering Department hasacquired the latest technology for disinfectionof water. The recent test of potable waterthrough random sampling by Health & FamilyWelfare Department has shown the test re-sults to be excellent.The Department has also upgraded the watertesting laboratory at Selep with latest high-techinstruments for regularly testing the quality ofwater.All water consumers are requested to removetheir water pipelines from drains and jhoras.They should also clean their water tanks regu-larly for minimising the contamination of wa-ter at consumer ends.The Department will also take up the work ofshifting consumer lines from drains and jhorason payment of requisite amount by the con-sumers for which they can contact the officeof the Assistant Engineer [Gangtok WaterSupply Sub-Division].

Public Health Engineering Department

INFORMATION

Gangtok Water SupplyThe huge landslide during the last week ofJune has disrupted the raw water trunk mainsfrom Gangtok Water Supply System. The situ-ation has further aggravated during the first &second week of July.The Department is working round the lock forearly restoration of the system. The watersupply consumers are requested to use wa-ter judiciously as the supply will not be 100percent till the system is fully restored.All are requested to bear with us during thisperiod of crisis.

Public Health Engineering Department

Gangtok Sewerage SupplyThe Gangtok Sewerage System which wasconstructed about 25 years ago is helping theGangtokians tremendously. Gangtok Sewer-age Treatment Plant at Adampool has beenappreciated by many technical visitors and itis considered to be one of the best maintainedsystem.The users of Sewerage System are requestedto make timely payment of Sewerage bills tohelp the department to maintain the system.

Public Health Engineering Department

Release Order No: 79/ IPR/ 03-04 Dt: 26/7/2003

Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give;Gas smells awful; You might as well live.

-Dorothy Parker

No such optimism for Sikkim. Twenty-onecases of suicides have been reported in Sik-kim in the last three months. Eleven of these

in July alone. Most killed themselves by hanging,including a ten-year-old boy. The lone exception wasShyam Bahadur, who slit his throat and stabbed him-self in the stomach. In the same period last year, 26persons committed suicide. According to mortuarysources, nearly 45 per cent of the bodies there are ofsuicide victims.

Among the grim pieces of statistics that reflecta society, those relating to suicides conceal the sad-dest of human tales. Why do people kill themselves?Experts in the field suggest that a suicidal person isfeeling so much pain that they can see no other op-tion. The suicidal state of mind has been describedas constricted, filled with a sense of self-hatred, re-jection and hopelessness. Something like that musthave been felt by Chetan, 22, who killed himself twodays back, reduced to just another name in the po-lice suicide register.

Even as the list of names grows, it is difficult tofathom the increasing suicide rate in the state. “Mostof the time people who kill themselves are very sickwith depression. Their illness prevents them frombeing able to look forward to anything. They canonly think about now and have lost the ability toimagine into the future,” explains Dr. IL Sharma, Psy-chiatrist, STNM.

Depressive illness and suicides are fatally linked.The number one cause of suicide is untreated de-pression. In Sikkim, increasingly more and morepeople are suffering from this problem. Out of 20OPD patients who come in daily to STNM Psychia-try Department, almost 10 are depression cases. Onan average 100 new cases are reported every month.

“In the 80s we used to get just one or two casesper day. The rise has been drastic,” adds Dr. Sharma.

A person who has depression does not think likea normal person. They are consumed with emotional,

and many times, physical pain that becomes unbear-able. Many times they don’t realize they are suffer-ing from a treatable illness and convince themselvesthat they can’t be helped.

STNM records show four cases of attemptedsuicide in July itself. Most were the end-results ofsevere depression. These are reported cases. Thereare probably as many cases that go unrecorded.Suicide is a topic, that has a long history of beingtaboo - something that should just be forgotten,kind of swept under the rug. That’s why peoplekeep dying.

“Stigma prevents people from getting help, andprevents society from learning more about suicideand depression. If everyone were educated on thesesubjects, many lives could be saved,” says SonamLassopa, Clinical Psychologist, STNM.

Important in the context of suicide preventionis a social system that has adequate support struc-tures. This is one area that could be lacking in Sik-kim. STNM has a Psychiatry Department which isvisited by a large number of people with variousmental ailments. For the last two decades or more,it has been under the sole care of a single trainedpsychiatrist. The work load is so much that oftenmore detailed care and time required by personssuffering from depressive disorders is not available.A fact agreed to by Dr. IL Sharma himself. “We defi-nitely need more manpower. If you ask me we needat least four more psychiatrists,” he offers.

Recently, the department has added the serviceof Sonam Lassopa, a NIMHANS trained Clinicalpsychologist.

“Talking to an available person in a congenialatmosphere is sometimes more helpful than anythingelse. Studies have shown that in many cases of de-pression, talk-therapy, using well-supported psycho-therapies, may considerably alleviate the symptomsof depression,” says Dr. Sharma.

But if a person’s mind is made up, can they stillbe stopped?

“Yes,” says Lassopa, “People who are contem-plating suicide go back and forth, thinking aboutlife and death. The pain can come in waves. Theydon’t want to die, they just want the pain to stop.Once they know they can be helped, that there aretreatments available for their illness, that they arenot alone, it gives them hope.”

For this, awareness has to spread through thesmaller towns and villages in the state. For it is herethat the growing number of suicide cases are com-ing from. Training of panchayat members, teachersand community leaders, to encourage those withdepressive symptoms to visit the nearby PHC’s isimportant. Also important is to set up suicide helplines and suicide crisis intervention centres withOPD facilities. Otherwise Sikkim’s contribution tothe global suicide rate of one million deaths per yearwill not be insignificant.

NO ONE WANTS TO DIEIn the face of growing numbers of

suicides, Sikkim desperately needs a

wider support system that helps

identify suicidal tendencies and

brings the afflicted person medical

succour. Those contemplating suicide

have to be convinced that their

depression is a medical condition.

They have to be convinced that they

can be cured.

by MITA ZULCA

� SUICIDES

MINOR RAPED,ACCUSEDARRESTEDJORETHANG: An eight year oldgirl was raped in Majigaon, nearhere on 6 August. According to theJorethang Police Station incharge,the minor was allegedly raped byone Nima Sherpa, 22, a driver byprofession. He was arrested thesame night and booked under Sec-tion 376 of IPC. The accused hasbeen put under 15-days judicialcustody and sent to Rongney Jail.

GAC welcomes sops for LepchasGANGTOK: The Gorkha Apex Committee (GAC) has welcomed theChief Minister Pawan Chamling’s commitment to “do justice” to thevarious demands of the Lepcha community in the State. The CM, madethe assurance while speaking on the occasion of Tendong Lho RumFaat last week.

A meeting of GAC members headed by its president, GM Rai washeld in Singtam on 9 August, passed a resolution welcoming this moveby Mr. Chamling.

“The Lepcha community, despite being the aboriginals of Sikkim,could never enjoy the benefits enjoyed by the Bhutia community,” Mr.Rai contends in a press release. GAC has appealed to all political par-ties to give priority to the Lepcha and Sherpa communities in the nextAssembly elections.

SO WHY CAN’T WE HELP THEM LIVE?

13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 5

Presidentship for Bhandari was not a condition,it was a practical neccesity, says Biraj

5

POWER PLAYPOWER PLAY

SANGRAMI FACTION TURNS DOWN MERGERa NOW! pic

GANGTOK: Sikkim SangramParishad’s induction into the Con-gress [I] appears troubled by theproverbial tail of the elephant it hadas its mascot since 1984, the yearthe party was formed. A section ofthe party’s Central Working Com-mittee members have refused toendorse the “merger” and maintainthat even if Mr. Bhandari leaves,they will hold on to the red & whiteflag and remain Sangramis.

Dissident Sangramis, led byformer MLA Rajendra Upreti[who was also a party general sec-retary] have decided to stay backin the party and take over its reins,the much-publicised merger not-withstanding.

“Mr. Bhandari amde a per-sonal decision while deciding tojoin the Congress, but the SSPparty is still in existence. And weintend to keep the party flag fly-ing,” Mr. Upreti told a press con-ference here on 6 August, lastWednesday.

Mr. Upreti is supported byKamal Rai, Nedup Lachenpa andDB Basnet, other members of theCentral Working Committee, whohave decided to remain in SSP.

It is further learnt that a meet-ing of the SSP Working Commit-tee held on 5 August agreed toform an ad-hoc committee with

Mr. Upreti as the working presi-dent of the party. The meeting alsopassed a resolution maintainingthat the SSP “had not merged withthe Congress.”

Elaborating on the reasonsthat prompted this group to re-main with the SSP, Mr. Upteri saidthat Mr. Bhandari had goneagainst the party constitutionwhen he agreed to Sangram’s in-duction into the Congress [I].

“Earlier, each member of thecentral working committee wouldbe informed either in writing orverbally and called for a meetingbefore a major decision was to betaken. This time, nothing of thissort happened. Mr. Bhandari didnot call any meeting to decide onthis major issue. He did not evenbother to issue a notice inform-ing the party workers about this

merger,” he said.The dissident group claims

that more than 25 members of theworking committee of the partywere present during their emer-gency meeting of 5 August. Now,they intend to call meetings in thedistricts to “inform” SSP support-ers that the party is still “intact.”

While the SSP-Congressmerger had been in news for thelast three months, the dissidentgroup claims that most of themwere not taken into confidencewhen “closed-door meetingswere called by Mr. Bhandariand no consensus on this issuewas sought by him from partymembers.

“The clause on mergers in theparty constitution is clear. A deci-sion on such issues can be takenonly after calling a special meeting

of all executive members andparty workers after giving them amonth’s notice. Then a voting isto take place, and only when themerger is accepted by two thirdsof the house, can be considered.Mr. Bhandari violated all the rulesof the party,” Mr. Upreti said.

The dissident Sangramisalso questioned the ethics ofmerging with a party which wasreason behind the creation ofSSP. It was when the Congressgovernment toppled Mr.Bhandari from the Chief Minis-ter’s chair that he formed theSSP in 1984, they point out. Thegroup also released copies oftheir newsletter which detailsthe rather unsavoury statementsmade by Mr. Bhandari while re-ferring to the Cong [I] in hispublic speeches in the past.

GANGTOK: The merger whichhas had its share of ups and downssince it was first mooted almostfell through on the final lap. Thereason behind this stumble, in-form sources, was the Sangramiinsistence that the merger an-nouncement be accompanied withthe appointment SSP chief, NarBahadur Bhandari, as the stateunit president. A condition hadsuddenly cropped up in what wasbeing promoted as an uncondi-tional “merger.”

Although it had been obviousever since the induction was seri-ously considered that the state-unit would eventually be headedby Mr. Bhandari, there were thosein the Sikkim Pradesh CongressCommittee [I] who saw the lastminute insistence on immediacyby the Sangramis as an overt signof muscling in. The matter waseventually resolved in Mr.Bhandari’s favour and the highcommand cleared his president-ship while demoting sitting presi-dent, Namkha Gyaltsen to the postof working President.

When asked to comment onthe differing views over Mr.Bhandari’s immediate elevation tothe president’s post, SSP Vice-President, Biraj Adhikari said thatthe president’s post for Mr.Bhandari was not a “condition,”but a “practical necessity.”

“When the Congress high-command decided in favour of themerger they did so with the reali-sation that Mr. Bhandari would bethe crowd-puller. Sangram’smerged into Congress tostrengthen it in Sikkim and with-out Mr. Bhandari at the helm ofaffairs, how could this strength-ening take place,” he said.

Mr. Adhikari also admitted thatthe SSP delegation in Delhi wasalso “insistent” upon the issue.

STATE BANK OF INDIAPersonal Banking Advance Centre

NH 31 A Cintury Bhawan, Gangtok.

Contact: Mr. P. T. Bhutia. Ph No: 221165

ANNOUNCING THE SBI

police

10%

PLUS

Special Schemes for those in

the Police service

special 2.5 % LESS onall personal loans

DOWNPayment on

CAR

LOANS

a NOW REPORT

“See, politics is all about image.We have to go the people with theconfidence when we assure themchange. How can we do this with-out a leader? We convinced theCongress high-command that itwould be difficult to convince thepeople that Congress was strongunless Mr. Bhandari led the party,”the SSP Vice-President revealed.

When asked whether news ofdissidence within the Sangramcamp had dampened the mood inthe party, Mr. Adhikari laughed offthe attempts by a section ofSangramis to scuttle the merger.

While admitting that the dissidentshad a right of opinion, Mr. Adhikaricountered that it was RajendraUpreti, the SSP General Secretarywho leads the breakaway group,who had read the party high com-mand decision authorising the partypresident to enter into negotiationswith national parties at the SangramDiwas celebrations recently.

Even as a section of Sangramisrefuse to let go of the red & whiteflag, Mr. Bhandari is reported tohave called on the Chief Electioncommissioner JM Lyngdoh in Delhiand handed over papers confirm-

ing SSP’s dissolution and its induc-tion into the Congress [I] along withdocuments introducing him as thenew SPCC [I] President. If the dis-sident is serious about its stand oncontinuing as Sangramis, they

should be approaching the ElectionCommission with documents oftheir own supporting their claim thatSangram continues in Sikkim.

The days ahead should be in-teresting.

GANGTOK: With the defactorecognition of Sikkim as a part ofIndia by China, the SikkimNebhola National LiberationFront now wants the internationalboundary between India andChina in Sikkim to start fromChumbi valley. The organisation,in meeting held on 6 August, wel-comed the decision to reopen

Nathula for trade and then passeda resolution demanding thatChumbi valley in Tibet Autono-mous Region of China be revertedto Sikkim and the tricolour flut-tered there. The organisation hasalso allege that the State Govern-ment has failed to maintain lawand order in Sikkim and has evencited the recent arrest of an ISIoperative in Gangtok as an indi-cator of the deteriorating law andorder situation here.

a NOW REPORT

Nebhola wants China to

return Chumbi valley

to Sikkim

LOSTOne 2000 CBSE Exam Pass Certificate

in original bearing roll no: 3121195 (Mod-

ern School) of PURAN TAMANG, s/o

Sanman Tamang. Contact: NOW!

One M.Sc. [Statistics (Provisional &

Marksheet, 1995)] Certificate (Meerut Uni-

versity), One M.Ed [Elementary

Education(Provisional & Marksheet ,

2000) Certificate Utkal University (RIE,

Orissa), AND One B.Ed. [Provisional and

Marksheet, 1997(Manipur University)]

Certificate belonging to RAJKUMARI

SANATOMBI DEVI, Lecturer in Statistics

(Community Medicine Department), Sik-

kim ManipalInstitute of Medical Sciences.

The documents were lost from a taxi along

the highway from Manipal toSiliguri on 4

August 2003.

Finder please contact: 231728 (Girls’

Hostel) OR 232815 (Hostel Warden).

6; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

6

RECAP SIKKIMRECAP SIKKIM

your wait for Zed Scholarships is over!!!

ZED MeritSCHOLARSHIP

�

NOW

AVAIL

UPTO

S C H O L A R S H I P

REGISTERNOW!

SCHOLARSHIP TESTS ON

RUSH TO: Zed CA

Paro Building, Opp. Arambagh’s

NH 31 / A, Deorali Ph: 281039

17.08.03

fresh everyday

ofSLICELIFE

There is no end.

There is no beginning.

There is only

the infinite

passion of life.

Federico Fellini

Inst. of Cerebral Palsymooted for SikkimGANGTOK: The Annual Gen-eral Body Meeting of Spastics So-ciety of Sikkim was held on 3 Au-gust at its office in DevelopmentArea. The highlight of the meet-ing was the decision to initiate aproposal to establish an institute ofCerebral Palsy and Rahabilitation,in Sikkim by the year 2010

The audit report of the societyfor the year 2002-03 was passedand the budget for the year 2003-04 was also approved in the meet-ing. The annual report on the ac-tivities of the society was discussedand it was decided to appoint anaccountant to look after the day today accounts of the society.

Kutse SheguThe 49th day Shegu of ourfather Lt. Jayangla Bhutiawho departed for heavenlyabode on July 5th 2003 fallson August 22nd 2003. Allrelatives, friends and wellwishers are invited to join usfor the prayer ceremony atour residence at Govern-ment Quarters, Old WestPoint School, below Masjid.

We also take this oppor-tunity to thank those whostood by us during our timeof bereavement and griefand regret our inability tothank you personally.

Passang Bhutia, Son, Chung

Chung Bhutia, daughter in law and

other sons and daughter in laws

and grand children.

Phone no: 223144

GANGTOK: “Joining HandsFor The Promotion Of Commu-nity Health And Development,”read the theme of the 2nd AnnualGeneral Body Meeting of Volun-tary Health Association of Sikkimheld on 11 and 12 August at Ho-tel Rendezvous.

The Minister Health, DDBhutia, presided over the AGM asthe chief guest. Also present wereBB Rai, Executive DirectorVHAS, PD Rai, member, StatePlanning Commission, Dr. TR

GANGTOK: A state-level gen-eral meeting of Sikkim PostGraduate Association was held on9 August, last Saturday, at SikkimGovernment Employees GuestHouse. The SPGA vehementlycondemned the “baseless allega-tions” launched against it by a lo-cal weekly and also rejected theobservations made in its reportsince it offered only a “partial ver-sion” narrated by ADM, SikkimGovernment College. A series ofdemands were also placed for theconcerned authorities to look into.

The premier demand raised bythe SPGA was the cancellation ofthe recent selection list of the lec-turers which was causing much

controversy.The SGPA suggested that in

case of non-availability of localintellectual resources in any de-partment of the college, then thevacancies should be filled up byemploying non-locals purely onadhoc basis.

The Association also sug-gested that the post of SGC Prin-cipal be filled up through properinterviews in order to make theoffice competent to take authori-tative decisions.

SPGA has also strongly lob-bied with the state authorities tointroduce State Level EligibilityTests for lecturers as were held in1993. Only after SLET was incor-porated should the authoritiesconsider appointment of lecturers.

Gyatso, Secretary, Department ofHealth and Family Welfare and HLepcha, President, VHAS.

Speaking on the occasion, DrGyatso stressed that as people’shealth was in their hands theyhave to let the government knowwhat they want. In this NGO’scould play a major role asfacilitators, he said.

Calling VHAS role modelsfor others in the field, Mr. Rai saidthat the good work done byVHAS should continue. He alsoasked the NGOs present to holdsuch meetings on a regular basisbecause it was very important to

show accountability.The Health Minister in turn

stressed that NGOs should notmisuse the funds given to them fordevelopmental works. He saidthat such practices were prevalentbut it had to stop. “Working forthe needy people has to be themain aim,” he added

VHAS is a not-for-profit or-ganisation with the basic aim ofproviding primary health alongwith community development. Itsmain focus remains on remote and

inaccessible areas where the pub-lic were suffering because of thelack of medical help.

Innovative programmes, ca-pacity building of NGOs, address-ing sustainability issues and com-munity participation are other ar-eas of focus.

Their future plans includebuilding a human resource devel-opment centre in Sikkim, actionresearch on community health anddevelopment and to be an autono-mous institute.

a NOW REPORT

Joining hands to promote communityhealth and development

a NOW REPORT

SPGA holds on toclaims that lecturers

list is faulty

NOW!CAN BE REACHED AT 270949

NOW!sikkimnow@

rediffmail.com

email

@

13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 7

NORTHSIKKIM

15

DATELINE NORTH SIKKIM

MANGAN: The North districtadministration successfully con-ducted an eviction drive inMangan of squatters on govern-ment property and the road re-serves on 31 July, 2003. The drivewas conducted and coordinatedwith the panchayats and the localsof the respective areas.

The drive was reportedly ini-tiated after the district adminis-tration received numerous pub-lic and departmental complaintsalleging illegal encroachmentsand damage to private propertyand forest land by illegal squat-ters. A majority of the illegalsquatters are foreign nationalsfrom Nepal brought here to con-struct and maintain the roads un-der the Border Road Organisa-tion. It is not uncommon for suchlabourers to settle on the road-side and along various aban-doned roads in the area. Since theBRO does not provide them withfuel and also because many keep

livestock, they tend to forage inthe nearby fields of local farm-ers for fuel-wood and fodder.

Following a slew of com-plaints, a survey was conductedof Lower Singhik and Zimchungareas below Mangan to identifyillegal squatters. Subsequently,show-cause notices were issued asearly as in March this year andfollowing the procedures laiddown in the Sikkim PublicPremises Act of 1980, the iden-tified squatters were ordered toevict by 31 July. Of the 56 iden-tified squatters, thirty familiesshifted voluntarily while 26 oth-ers submitted affidavits promis-ing to leave within two months.

When NOW! visited the areaalong with the eviction team, afew of the stragglers were disman-

tling and shifting their makeshifthuts and household chattels [seepic]. Most of the other squattershad already moved away well be-fore the official deadline. Thedrive itself was peaceful and noforce was required to enforce theeviction notices.

The drive progressedsmoothly primarily because of thestrong groundwork done prior tothe deadline. On the day of thedrive itself, there was an impres-sive show of strength with asmany as fourteen official and pri-vate vehicles and around 40 offi-cials being involved in the drive.The eviction team headed bySDM [Mangan] PW Lepcha, wassupported by a team of SikkimPolice personnel and forest andmedical officials. Representativesof the complainant departments,

Eviction is never a pleasant task. It is an emotional exercise forboth, those who enforce it and those who have to vacate and 31July was no different for Mangan. The monsoons made the taskeven more difficult for both sides.

While speaking to NOW!, the evicted labourers complainedthat they had residing at the contested locations for a number ofyears and working as labourers for BRO. They said that theyhave been serving the needs of the area and the country to buildand maintain these important roads, sometimes risking their ownlives. Yet, at their time of crisis, they were let down by their em-ployers at BRO.

While empathising with the evicted labourers, a local land-owner pointed out that the onus of providing houses and fuel tothe labourers should rest with the BRO.

The labourers live in a sort of legal limbo. They are officiallylisted by the BRO as casual labourers employed from amongstthe local population hence no provision is made for labour campsand fuelwood for them. It is reliably learnt that these labourersare actually brought from work-gangs on other stretches of roadsoutside the district and are more or less permanently employedby BRO. Since no camps are provided for these labourers, theytend to settle along roadsides and any other vacant area, includ-ing abandoned roads, which they perceive as belonging to theBRO without realising that land on either side of the roads eitherbelong to the government or are private properties.

from PEMZANG TENZING &

DEEPAK SHARMA

Eviction drives home humanitarian concernsEVICTED SQUATTERS FEEL

LET DOWN BY BRO

panchayats and locals also as-sisted in the drive.

Associated with the problemof squatting on abandoned roads,local farmers also petitioned thedistrict administration to returnownership of these abandonedroads to the original landownerssince these ribbons of governmentland have no practical use to thegovernment. They have even sug-gested that return of these stripsto private ownership be made at anominal sum of money.

The successful drive marksonly the first step in solving a

problem that has reached near un-manageable proportions in thedistrict. Already, more complaintsare being received from other ar-eas of the district about similarproblems. While such evictionsare mandated by law, they alsobring into focus the humanitarianproblems faced by the “illegal”squatters and their dodgy legalstatus. It is obvious that thesepoor, illiterate labourers don’t wil-fully break the laws of the land.Perhaps it is time that the BROand Labour Department take aninitiative on this front.

30 “illegal”squattersleavevoluntarily,26 get 2months time

BRO labourers dismantle their shanties in face of eviction noticesserved to them by the district administration.

pic

: D

EE

PA

K S

HA

RM

A

Slip, slide and tackle at Sankalang startingNext Week!

theNOW!

Quiza weekly contest in the

pages of NOW! open only to its

readers in North SikkimSHARPEN YOUR AWARENESS AND WIN BIG PRIZES EVERY WEEK

MANGAN: The Sankalang roadto Dzongu was never in greatshape, but it is getting worse bythe day. Teesta appears to bescouring away at the base of thisstretch which sinks with consist-ent regularity. Vehicles of allmakes have difficulty negotiatingthe rough and tumble ofSankalang and locals are con-vinced that unless a retaining wallis brought up from the river bankitself, the cosmetic protectiveworks along the roadside willhave little long-term impact on thedriving conditions there. The im-portance of this roadlink cannotbe emphasised enough since it isthe sole link from the districtheadquarters to the Lepcha re-serve of Dzongu.

- from our Correspondent a NOW! pic

send your creative writings to NOW! Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok - Sikkim and see whether it makes it to the litNOW page

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE?why don’t you then throw those short-stories, poems, vignettes, essays in the public domain and see whether they are appreciated or trashed...

THE BEST ENTRY EACH WEEK, APART FROM SPACE iN litNOW! WILL ALSO WIN ACOFFEE-TABLE-BOOK from RACHNA Books & Publications

8; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

A JHAKRI STAYS AWAY FROM TSOMGO, PERFORMSMIRACLES AT KOPCHAY

DESPATCHESDESPATCHES

*Medal VCD/DVD

� Conditions Apply� Scheme at the Sole Discretion

of the Dealer� No cash will be given in lieu of

the Prizes� No Scheme on Mobile Phones

OFFER AVAILABLE ONLY AT:

1. Rajeev Electronics

P.S. Road, Gangtok

223779 / 223590

2. Rajeev Electronics Pvt. Ltd

M. G. Marg, Gangtok

Ph: 224879 / 221778

3. Rajeev Distributors

National Highway, Tadong

Ph: 231992 / 270583

4. Rajeev Electronics

Singtam, East Sikkim

233618 / 235202

FreeVCD Player* with

SAMSUNG 20 CTV

for Rs. 9,990/-

Buy any Samsung Washing Machine and get

2 CARPETS FREE! FREE!! FREE!!!

THOMSON21” FLAT TV

WITH

DVD* PLAYER

JUST FOR

Rs. 16,990/-

Buy any Frostfree Refrigerator and get a

(4’ X 6’) CARPETFREE! FREE!! FREE!!!

Ganeshato therescue?Villagers turn tothe deity, to keepmaraudingelephants at bay

by BIJOY SHANKAR

HANDIQUE

GIBBON WILDLIFE SANC-TUARY (JORHAT, ASSAM):Unable to find a way to keep wildelephants away from their housesand crops, residents of the villagesadjacent to the Gibbon WildlifeSanctuary are seeking divine in-tervention, offering daily puja tothe Almighty. And who better topropitiate in such circumstancesthan Ganesh, the elephant-headeddeity, believed to be the most be-nevolent in the Hindu pantheon.

“Elephants damage our cropsand houses every day,” says AnilKarmakar, a resident of theDuklungia Tea Estate near thepark. “We are at our wit’s end.Only Ganesh can save us now.”

There are about 20 villagesand tea estates that lie in the vi-cinity of the 19 sq. km. GibbonWildlife Sanctuary that girdles theAssam-Nagaland border in Jorhatdistrict. Of late, residents havespent sleepless nights worryingabout the fate of their flelds andhomes as elephant herds moveabout in the area, destroying eve-rything in their path. Though therehave been only two casualties inas many years, the elephants havecaused widespread damage in thethe area. The local administration,however, is yet to put a figure tothe damage caused so far.

According to the 1999 census,the sanctuary has an elephantpopulation of 17. But figure keepschanging, depending on the mi-gratory instincts of the herd.

“The population varies fromtime to time because the entireherd does not stay in the sanctu-ary throughout the year,” DFOMN Duwarah informs.

The DFO claimed that his de-partment had done everythingpossible to prevent the herd fromtransgressing into the villages, butwithout much success. High ten-sion electric “seals” failed whenelephants simply uprooted theposts and trundled into habitatedareas. Firecrackers get them moreagressive and even shifting doesnot seem to help.

Pal Munda of Katonibari TeaEstate in the area has rebuilt hishut 20 times in the past couple ofyears. “I have shifted from oneplace to another, but the elephantsjust won’t leave us alone, no mat-ter where we go,” he says.

Like Karmakar and hundredsof other exasperated villagers, Palhopes Lord Ganesh will do whatthe Forest Department couldn’t.

(by arrangement with Newsfile)

RONGLI: Tuesday August 12.Tsomgo. An assortment of Jhakrisdescended here to welcome theGod’s back from their slumberthrough the Nepali month ofSawan. No one knows for surewhen or why the Jhakris startedarriving at Tsomgo. But reachinghere from all over the state, theyproceed to offer prayers at theshore of the lake before launch-ing into a glorious display of su-pernatural skills.

One Jhakri, however decidedto stay away from Tsomgo anddisplay his supernatural powerselsewhere. At Kopchay, near

Rongli, a young man everyoneknew as a cable operator has re-introduced himself as a jhakri oftremendous powers.

All of Rongli is bewitched bythis young man who has report-edly been curing all kinds of ail-ments with just a flick of the wrist.As word spreads about the mira-cle worker, people are throngingin from as far as Tashiding in westSikkim. Rumors abound of somevery important people from theRajdhani heading that way too.

So what does the “CableBaba” exactly do?

Apparently, he takes only an of-fering of some rice, white flowers,throws a black blanket over yourhead, lifts it off and you’re cured.

a NOW REPORT

“A person who couldn’t talkfrom birth is now talking. An in-sane women is now completelynormal,” says a woman excitedly

on phone from Rongli. There isno way of verifying the reportsfiltering in while going to press.We’ll just have to wait to find out.

13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 9

n this happy occasion of the 56th year of Indiagaining freedom from the yoke of foreign rule letus remember and pay out tribute to tens andthousands of Indian stalwarts and patriots,who had sacrificed their lives to free the countryfrom slavery. Just for their sweat, blood andsacrifices we have the privilege of becomingindependent citizens of an independent nation.

On this auspicious occasion let us pledge torededicate ourselves to fulfill the dreams andaspirations of those gallant sons of India whohad kindled in the hearts of millions of Indiansflame of freedom, gallantry and patriotismwhile freeing us from foreign bondage.

O

Issued by

I.P.R. Department

Government of Sikkim

Gangtok.

Release Order No: 71 / IPR / 03-04.Dated: 12.08.2003

17

10; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

18

Space in NOW! Classifieds can bebooked for as cheap as Rs. 50 [forpersonal classified of up to 20 wordsand 50 paise for every extra word]and Rs. 75 [commercial classifiedsof up to 20 words, Rs. 1 per extraword]. Commercials classifieds of a5cmX2 col box can also be placedfor a concessional rate of Rs. 350per insertion.Classifieds advertisments can bebooked at the following collec-tion centres: Porky’s, Deorali;Oberois, Naya Bazaar; Baker’sCafe, MG Marg; Jainco, MetroPoint, Blues, Tibet Road, MotiMahal, Naya Bazar, Rahul’s FastFood, PS Road, Cafe Tibet, Be-low High Court

LEARN Fine Arts, Oil Paints,Glass Painting, Fabric Painting, PotPainting, Artificial FLower Making.Contact: Upper Arithang, Ph -221587. mobile: 98320 33451

TUITIONS For Maths &Physics For classes IX, X, XI & XIIat Deorali. Contact: Ph 281039 /221587 mobile: 98320 33451

SERVICES

MOBILE PHONE REPAIR/EXCHANGE Repair or Ex-

change your Mobile Phoneat Reasonable Cost.Internet Point, Yama House,Gangtok. ph: 222166

TO-LET TO LET A four room flat suit-able for private residence in theheart of the town. Contact: NOW!at 270949.

WANTEDA PRIVATE TUTORwanted to teach students of class5 and 2. Contact S. Thapa at226401.

A VOLUNTEER requiredfor Music classes being conductedby an NGO for children. Contact:224451

classifiedsNOW!the affordable option

call 270949 for details or visit any of the authorised collecting agents listed below

ADMISSION NOTICE - 2003 - 2004For Direct Admission in Management seats, contact Mrs. Soma Dey of

‘Career’s Counselling’, Tibet Road, opp. Election Office, Gangtok, tele -

226510 (R) 9434153355 (M).

MBBS, BDS, BSc (Bio-Tech, Micrp-Bio, Comp. Sc, Genetics) BSc (Nursing), Hotel

Management, BPT, BE (E&C, E&E, Mech., Civil Etc.) MBA, BBA, MCA, BCA.

WE DEAL IN COLLEGES: ACHARYA INST., DAYANAND SAGAR, M.S.

RAMIYA, OXFORD INSTITUTE, AMC, CMR, REVA, PRESIDENCY

COLLEGE (BANGALORE), SRI SIDDHARTHA MEDICAL COLLEGE

(TUMKUR), KDK ENGG. & UMRER ENGG (NAGPUR), SURYA DUTTA

INSTT. FOR MBA & MCA (pune).

SPECIAL OFFER: RESERVE WITHIN 7 DAYS , BSc, (Bio-tech/ Micro-Bio/ Ge-

netics = NO DONATION , BE (NO DONATION), BPT (NO DONATION), BSc (Nurs-

ing)= 50 thousand Donation + FeesN.B: COMPART STUDENTS (ANY SUBJECT) CAN CONTACT TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS

FOR HIGHER STUDIES.FOR WINTER CHEMISTRY CRASH COURSE, REGISTRATION IS

GOING ON. GRADUATE STUDENTS CAN CONTACT FOR P.G. COURSES IN BANGALORE

SPACE AVAILABLE AT DEORALIIdeal space available for Office, Institute, Stor-

age & other multi-purpose use at Deorali Bazaar.

Deorali School Road, near Five Ways on Four floors.

Interested parties may call at Ph: 281908 (R) or at:

Hotel New Castle, Deorali Bazaar

Ph: 281707 / 281742

COMPUTERISED RUBBER STAMPSMADE WITHIN 10 MINUTES WITH ANY LOGO

& Wedding Cards, Visiting Cards, ID Cards, Business Cards,Door Name-Plates, Chest Name-Plates

and all kinds of printing works done at reasonable ratesPlease Contact:

SIM-PAL’S PRESSOpp. Sadar Police Station, Gangtok - Sikkim. ph: 226119/ 220412 [m] 94341 03171

LOSTOne 2000 CBSE Exam Pass Certificate

in original bearing roll no: 3121195 (Mod-

ern School) of PURAN TAMANG, s/o

Sanman Tamang. Contact: NOW!

One M.Sc. [Statistics (Provisional &

Marksheet, 1995)] Certificate (Meerut Uni-

versity), One M.Ed [Elementary

Education(Provisional & Marksheet ,

2000) Certificate Utkal University (RIE,

Orissa), AND One B.Ed. [Provisional and

Marksheet, 1997(Manipur University)]

Certificate belonging to RAJKUMARI

SANATOMBI DEVI, Lecturer in Statistics

(Community Medicine Department), Sik-

kim ManipalInstitute of Medical Sciences.

The documents were lost from a taxi along

the highway from Manipal toSiliguri on 4

August 2003.

Finder please contact: 231728 (Girls’

Hostel) OR 232815 (Hostel Warden).

WANTED A three-bedroomflat in and around main town area.Contact: 98320 14332.

GANGTOK: Close on the heelsof his visit to Nathula and later toSiliguri for spot assessment ofSikkim’s preparedness for re-sumption of border trade withChina, Chief Minister PawanChamling held talks with mem-bers of the local business commu-nity and those involved in thetravel trade. The meet, organisedby the State Government, washeld on 10 August, Sunday, at Ho-tel Tashi Delek and saw the ChiefMinister seek inputs from localtraders on how best to work outthe modalities for a master planbeng prepared by the State Gov-ernment in regard to Nathula.

Elaborating on the need for sucha meeting, Mr. Chamling said thatthe State government needed theviews and opinions of all sectionsof the Sikkimese society so that thefinal master-plan was fool-proof.

Mr. Chamling called on thelocal entrepreneurs to play a more“pro-active” role in Sikkim andprepare for “positive changes.”

“I appeal to you to give con-structive suggestions on how tobest lay the groundwork for trade

through Nathula,” he said.Speaking on behalf of the Sik-

kim Chamber of Commerce,Surendra Kumar Sarda urged theState government to consider re-ligious tours to Lhasa and LakeMansorovar through Nathula.

The Travel Agents Associa-tion of Sikkim took the opportu-nity to felicitate the CM for theefforts taken by him to put “Sik-kim on the international map.”

Octogenarian KhyaliramSinghi also spoke on the occasionand shared his views on the open-ing of Nathula. He said that it wasindeed a very happy occasion forthe business community of theState which had waited 40 yearsfor resumption of trade.

Mrs. SM Gurung, president,Sikkim Hotels and Restaurants As-sociation, in her address, urged theState government to ensure that theyouth of the State benefit most fromthe increased economic activities inthe State once trading begins.

Updating the gathered busi-nessmen on his Government’scontribution to economic devel-opment in the State, the CM said:“As far as the State governmentis concerned, we have alreadystarted second-generation eco-

nomic reforms and are taking se-rious steps to make Sikkim inves-tor-friendly. We are in the proc-ess of carrying out disinvestmentsand privatization in order to makethe economy more competitive.All social and economic indica-tors for the State show that we areon the right track.”

Mr. Chamling also askedthose in the hospitality businessto conduct a survey of the require-ments of the sector and submittheir findings to the State govern-ment at the earliest.

Earlier, the Principal Secre-tary, Sikkim Tourism, KarmaGyatso, in his address said that thetourism sector is eagerly waitingan “eco-friendly and sustainabletrade” through Nathula andlauded the efforts of the State gov-ernment in getting this long-pend-ing demand fulfilled. Chairman,SIDICO and SABCO, PD Rai,while commending the efforts ofthe State government, said that theState was now poised as a pro-active, image-driven State andsaid that it needed to take meas-ured steps in areas of investment,which should be in accordancewith the positive changes takingplace in the State.

GANGTOK: To combat thegrowing intimidation of leadingpay-channels resorting to frequenthikes in subscription charges andthe proposal for implementationof Conditional Access System(CAS), the Sikkim Cable Opera-tors joined hands with the NorthBengal Cable Operator’s Associa-tion, in a meeting held on August10, at HMA Hall, Siliguri.

Cable operator’s from all over

a NOW REPORT

Nathula in the horizon, Chamlingurges local entrepreneurs

to get proactive

the state feel that pay channel dis-tributors and broadcasters have beenexploiting the smaller operators withtheir arbitrary fixation of fees andthat it had become “very necessary”to align with an association whichwould have a strong enough voiceget their concerns heard.

Speaking at the meet, BasudevPradhan, General Secretary, SCO,said, “With the formation of thisassociation, the cable operators cannow take a deep sigh of relief. Iappeal to the public to study theadvantages and disadvantages of

CAS before they endorse it.”CAS allows the consumer to

pay only for those channels,which he wants to subscribe to.As per the recommendations thegovernment would prescribe theprice charged by cable operatorsfor the basic tier of the bouquetof free to air channels.

The Sikkim Cable Operator’shave also demanded industrialstatus, since they claim that theyare the “biggest growing industryin terms of revenue generationand employment” in the State.

a NOW REPORT

Sikkim’s cable operators opt for strength innumbers, join North Bengal association

GANGTOK: Two CD ROM’s,one on AIDS and the other onTuberculosis, were released byDr. TR Gyatso, Secretary, Health& Family Welfare, at the valedic-tory function of Computer Coursein Multimedia at the IT Depart-ment here on 12 August, Tuesday.

The CD ROM’s were pre-pared by Rajani Sharma, RoshanBanu and Ashish Pradhan, facultymembers of the Centre for Re-search and Training Informatics[CRTI]. GK Subba, DevelopmentCommissioner, the Chief Guest atthis function presented certificatesto the Multimedia students.

According to Rajesh Verma,

Additional Director, IT, theCD-ROMs will be available atall the 40 CIC centres through-out Sikkim.

The Secretary, IT, MG Kiranalso announced that that the man-agement of CIC centres will soonbe handed to the panchayats in therural areas. He also informed thegathering that the department hasalready trained around 80 govern-ment employees and providedcomputer training to the MLAs.A Software Technology Park willbe set up by January 2004 in Sik-kim, he added.

AIDS AND TB IN A CDa NOW REPORT

Secretary Health, Dr. TRGyatso, releases the CD-ROMs

on AIDS and TB prepared bythe State IT Department

13-19 August, 2003; NOW! 11

19

BUSINESSBUSINESS

“Upto theSikkimese todecide how muchthey can benefitfrom NEDfi”NEDfi disburses Rs. 51 crores in loansannually to projects contributing to theeconomic development of the northeast. ItsSikkim unit Manager, Ugen Tashi, maintainsthat NEDfi is now committed to the samegoals in Sikkim and the only factor limitingits role here will be the imagination andentrepreneurial ambition of the locals.As far as NEDfi is concerned, it is opento experiment, he says.Excerpts of a NOW! interview:

NOW: With Sikkim becoming apart of the North East Council,it is obvious why NEDfi is open-ing an office here. Could you tellus how committed it really is tosponsoring economic develop-ment here?UGEN TASHI: NEDfi is defi-nitely not here just as a tokenpresence. Every service availablein any other northeastern Statewill be available in Sikkim too.As a financial institution, it isonly expected of us to finance in-dustrialisation and economicgrowth, but we also see ourselvesas Venture Capitalists and thiswidens the scope of our opera-tions in Sikkim. Everything, frommega-projects to small agro loansexcite us. We also do not limitourselves to just financing. Weget involved in the entire proc-ess, sometimes through equityparticipation, at others with mar-ket and entrepreneur develop-ment and also help entrepreneurswith the central subsidies that aredue to them. We also carry outtechno economic feasibility stud-ies. In a nutshell, we hand-holdentrepreneurs through the proc-ess of implementation, trainingand marketing. So you see, weare not here just to disburse loansbut to genuinely nurture true eco-nomic development.

What kind of sectors has NEDfiidentified as thrust sectors for itsactivities in Sikkim?As you must already be aware,NEDfi has already commissionedPrice Waterhouse Coopers for anindustrial potential survey for Sik-kim. Spectrum Planning of NewDelhi has done a Tourism poten-tial survey for Sikkim for NEDfi.So you see we are not coming into

a N

OW

! pi

c

does NEDfi plan to tackle thisproblem?I don’t think such generalisationholds true any more. While poorpay-back culture might have beentrue at one time, things seem tohave changed now. Look atSIDICO’s books and you see amarked improvement in loan re-covery. Also, we have operated inthe rest of the northeast which didnot have a great loan recoveryrecord either, but today, NEDfihas a 70 per cent recovery ratewhich is at par with the industrystandard. We do well on recoverybecause we get involved with theprojects we finance. Like I saidearlier, NEDfi does not just fi-nance, it also helps develop mar-kets, promotes entrepreneurs,trains them and brings them sub-sidies. We try our best to makeevery project a success. Once this

is achieved, recovery really is noproblem. NEDfi is not just abouttraditional lending, we never losefocus that we are here to triggeran economic boom and when anentrepreneur does well, it reflectsin our books too.

Your interest rates are higherthan banks. How do you supportthat and why should entrepre-neurs come to you rather thango to them or say to SIDICO?Banks are not really financing in-dustries in Sikkim. They are moreinto car and housing loans. NEDfiis not playing in that sector.SIDICO’s limitation is its scale ofoperation. Like its Chairman, Mr.PD Rai, himself said, SIDICO isoperating on a smaller scale.NEDfi on the other hand routinelyprovides loans of up to Rs. 25lakhs and more for bigger

projects. Add to this our role asthe facilitator in making invest-ments feasible and profitable andwe become an automatic choice.

How complicated is it to securea loan from NEDfi?As you must have already noticed,we are an ISO 9000 certified in-stitution and this requires us tomaintain certain standards. Forour scale of operations, we haveperhaps the fastest loan process-ing record and maintain very highstandards of service. Look at ourtrack-record. Since 1995 whenNEDfi was set up, we have al-ready sanctioned about Rs. 300crores and disbursed Rs. 200crores in loans. We have continu-ously met and exceeded the tar-get set by the Prime Minister in2000 NEDfi should “disburse” aminimum of Rs. 50 crores everyyear. We could not have deliveredon these counts if we were toocomplicated or slow.

But how well does NEDfi under-stand Sikkim? Banks, whichhave to get bigger loans sanc-tioned from Kolkata, are notknown to understand the uniqueconditions of Sikkim too well.Believe me, NEDfi understandsSikkim. Apart from havingworked under similar conditionsin the northeast, it has studied thearea well. It knows Sikkim’sstrengths and limitations. Plus, wewill be working in close coordi-nation with the State Departments.Also, I am from Sikkim and thatshould also help.

See, Sikkim’s geographicallimitations will be taken care ofwith transport subsidies. Now itis for local entrepreneurs to comeup to speed and benefit from whatNEDfi has to offer.

Sikkim unprepared. We are alsonot going to limit ourselves onlyto the suggestions made in thesestudies. We are open to ideas. Withthe Chief Minister’s focus on greenindustries, floriculture, horticultureand its allied industries are alsoautomatic choices. Financing tour-ism infrastructure also ranks highin our list of priorities. But let mesay this here - NEDfi is in Sikkimto genuinely catalyse economicgrowth. We put no limits on howfar we will go in achieving this goaland it is completely up to theSikkimese to decide how muchthey want to benefit from this or-ganisation and its services.

All this sounds good, but talk toany financial institution whichhas worked in Sikkim and theyall complain of the poor pay-back track record here. How

THE NOW!

Q1: Royal Society of Chemistry in London recently honouredwhom with a coveted honorary fellowship 2002-2003for lifetime achievement in popularising Chemistry?

Q2: Who is the current doubles partner of Leander Paesin the ATP circuit?

Q3: Kevin Warwick toured India within the last few months.He’s world’s first what?

Q4: In coporate parlance how do we know surnames ofHenning Holch and late Soren K better as?

Q5: Which football position is also the name of a Yamahabike?

Q6: According to Bible who killed one-fourth of the world’spopulation?

Q7: What is the Italian for “Bar Tender” called?

CHECK WHETHER YOU ARE READY FOR

The Dept. of Sports & Youth Affairs

and managed by: Midas Touch Inc.

ANSWERS: 1. Sherlock Holmes 2. David Rikl 3. World’s first cyborg 4. Mendel’slaw 5. Libero 6. Cain. Because there were only four people born then Adam, Eve,Cain and Abel. 7. Barrista

AN EVENT PRESENTED BY

GANGTOK: In order to facili-tate and reach out to its custom-ers, State Bank of India launchedTele-Banking and Internet Bank-ing Services at SBI Annexe Build-ing, Gangtok on 9 August.

The service enables membersto access their account through aninternet enabled PC for transact-ing business and obtaining infor-mation. You can check your ac-count balance, request for cheque-books and drafts and issue stand-ing instructions over the net now.All you need is internet connec-tivity and once you have signed

up for registration, banking comesat the click of the mouse. Andmost importantly, all transactionsare secure.

“Paying of telephone, electric-ity, mobile bills etc, will becomeeasier now through this option,”says Gopal Chettri, AGM, Gang-tok Branch.

Tele Banking offers you thefacility to make enquiries onphone as well as give instructionson issuing of cheques and drafts.

SBI also launched the SBI LifeInsurance scheme on the day. Manyoptions are given through thisscheme which are quite differentfrom what LIC is offering. To be-gin with, housing, car and personal

loans will be insured for death.“This means that even if the

person who has taken the loanpasses away, his family will nothave to pay it back after his death,as is the norm now,” explains Mr.Chettri.

SBI Life has introduced sev-eral group insurance schemes in-cluding coverage for housing loanborrowers and deposit accountholders. With the required ap-provals falling in place enablingSBI branches to handle insurancebusiness, SBI Life Insuranceproducts are expected to get a bigboost and also bring substantialnon- interest income to the bank’sbranches.

a NOW REPORT

BANK AS YOU BROWSESBI unveils internet banking service,

life insurance scheme

sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

12; NOW! 13-19 August, 2003

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Choice International, Daragaon. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

SPORTSSPORTS

20

WOODEN PARQUET

FLOORING, HERITAGE

SURFACE TEXTURES,

VISTA FLOOR FASHIONS,

MARBLEX SUPER VINYL

FLOORING, WALL PAPERS,

SPRAY POLISH, PVC VINYL

FLOOR TILES & WOOD

PLANK TILES

For Best Flooring

CONTACT:TIKA ENTERPRISES, Near Krishi Bhawan Gate,31 A National Highway, UMA Cottage, Tadong. 737102

Ph: 231394 & 9832096499

For Best Flooring

RANGPO: The cricket pitchhere at Mining ground is beingtotally overhauled. The ground issoon to have a better pitch with anew grassy look. The renovationsbegan on 6 August, under the su-pervision of the grounds-man de-puted by the Sikkim Cricket As-sociation.

Speaking to NOW! thegrounds-man elaborated on theprocess - first the old pitch willbe dug up, then a certain kind ofmud would be used to fill it up.

The pitch will be rolled and finallygrass would be added on the pitchand trimmed to a certain level.The whole process will take a lit-tle over a month to complete.

According to SCA officials,the pitch was in a very bad shapeand something had to be donesince the selection trials for theUnder 15, 17 and 19 categorieswere currently going on and tri-als for the East district are sched-uled for August 23 and 24. Henceit was necessary to begin con-struction of the pitch for properperformance of both disciplines,bowling and batting.

RAMESH & BROTHERSTibet Road, Near Sadar Thana

Gangtok, Sikkim - 737101

Ph: 222190, 221202 & 228327

there’s one for

Everybody!

REGD. GOVERNMENT ORDER SUPPLIERS

BUPC -

authorised dealer:

PHONE:

225082

228840

... STAYS TOGETHER!

CAPTURE YOUR FAMILY’S CLOSENESS FOR POSTERITY IN A PRO-

FESSIONALLY COMMISIONED AT‘FAMILY PORTFOLIO’

our fully DIGITAL studio also prepares individual

portfolios, undertakes product shoots etc.

A FAMILY THAT

‘POSES’ TOGETHER...

GRAND CLEARANCE SALEStrawberry

30 - 50% OFFPRICES CUT DOWN TO LOWEST ON ALL GARMENTS, SHOES FOR

LADIES, GENTS & CHILDREN, AND ALSO ON HOUSEHOLD GOODS.

FROM 1 AUG TO 30 AUG. NAMNANG, CONTACT: 226982

HURRY! LIMITED STOCKS

Volleyballby thebanks onTeestaSINGTAM: The Late NandaMaya Pradhan Memorial GoldCup Volleyball Tournament 2003,kicked off here on the banks ofthe Teesta on 5 August, withSingtam Six taking on Youth Clubof Chhalamthang. Singtam Sixwon the match to proceed to thesecond round of the tournament.

A total of sixteen teams fromall over Sikkim are participatingin the on-going tournament tobattle for the prestigious memo-rial trophy, which is inscribed ingold and comes along with a cashaward of Rs 10,000. The tourna-ment is organised by GM Rai, theSDF vice-president who is alsothe President of the organisingcommittee.

The finals will be held on 15August, to mark the IndependenceDay celebrations here.

GANGTOK: Kunzang Namgyal,a student of Tashi Namgyal Acad-emy was awarded the youngestand most promising player of the15th State Badminton Champion-ship which ended here on 10 Au-gust. Basudev Khannul wasawarded the most spirited playerof the tournament.

The tournament which startedon 7 August, saw the participationof more than 200 “racketeers” allover the State.This year the cham-pionship was held earlier thanscheduled since the North EastZonal Tournament is being heldhere from September 24-28.

Other winners and runners-up

of the tournament in their re-spected categories are:

Bimal Pradhan who beatKiran Rai in the Under-13 boyscategory; Ravi Rai, who beatBinod Pradhan in the Under-16boys and later lost to Binod Prad-han in the Under-19 finals. RaviShekar along with Nawang Lamabeat Ravi Rai and Binod Pradhanin the boys doubles.

In the girls finals, DechenZangmu beat Yongkit Lepcha inthe Under-13 category, whileSuraksha Rai beat DechenZangmu in the Under-16 girls,Dechen Zangmu beat RanjanaTamang in the Under-19 girls andin the Ladies Singles, RanjanaTamang lifted the winner’s trophyafter out-shuttling Suraksha Rai.

The men’s singles final sawThendup Tseten beating AjitLama, and in the men’s doublesDiwakar Rai and Pradeep Rai beatAjit Lama and Thendup Tseten.The mixed doubles saw DiwakarRai and Choden Lhamu beatingPradeep Rai and Pema Chonza.

The Veterans singles cat-egory saw Ajit Lama beatingKhituk Sherpa, and in the Veter-ans doubles Jasbir Singh alongwith Ajit Lama beat P. Rapden andRobin Rai in the final event of thestate badminton tournament.

The umpires for the tourna-ment were Renuka Chakravortyand KB Cashmore, both nationallevel umpires, along with fourother state umpires.

a NOW REPORT

Badminton tourney reveals Sikkim’sweakness for the shuttle game

Making the right pitch

a NOW REPORT