thursday, 06 july, 2006 vol. 5 no. 143 gangtok rs. 3...
TRANSCRIPT
NOW!Thursday, 06 July, 2006 Vol. 5 No. 143 Gangtok � Rs. 3
F i r s t W i t h T h e N e w s
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a NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 5 July: TheIndian Army stationed herehas welcomed the opening ofthe trade route throughNathula as a historically sig-nificant development.
A press release issued bythe Indian Army reiteratesthat the reopening of thetrade route is being seen as apositive step towards thegrowing economic ties be-tween both the countries.
The release further informsthat the responsibility of con-ducting trade, including vari-ous modalities of transporta-tion, customs clearance immi-gration and trading at marts,would rest with the civil ad-ministration as per the agree-ment signed by the countries.
Meanwhile, the ITBP hasbeen incorporated by the ad-ministration to ensure secu-rity of Border Trading Martof Sherathang and the Cus-toms/ Immigration out post atNathula and also to providenecessary guidance and secu-rity for the movement of trad-
Army welcomesreopening
ers, the release adds.The Indian Army will
continue to man the interna-tional boundary includingNathula and the security con-cerns in carrying out as theprimary tasks have been ad-equately addressed in light ofthe trade activity across thepass, the release adds.
The thawing of relationsbetween the two countriesand the armies continues toglow warm with the twice ayear border personnel meet-ings between the two sides.The cordiality continues withissues of concern beingpromptly addressed throughthe telephone hotline orthrough flag meetings be-tween the two military garri-sons, the release adds.
The Army, the releasestates, will provide “all pos-sible assistance” being on thespot at Nathula, as requestedby the administration and thewhole procedure for controland movement of traders hasbeen finalized by the civil ad-ministration in close consul-tation with Army.
REMUNA RAI
GANGTOK, 05 July:Nathula and the trade martbefore it at Serathang will beabuzz with VIP presence andmedia persons from all overthe world on Thursday. A sig-nificant pointer to how thingshave changed since the dayswhen the pass was officiallyopened for bilateral trade backin 1953 - to no media frenzy,no ceremonial inaugurations,just traders on a business trip.
Yes, Nathula, till 1953,was mostly traversed by trad-ers from Tibet on their way toGangtok. Traders based heredid not pay return visits be-cause most of the commerceat that time was concentratedin Kalimpong, the nearest In-dian town to the border passesto Tibet in Sikkim.
Sikkim was an independentkingdom [a protectorate stateof India] at that time and al-though Sikkim and Tibet al-ways had bilateral relations, ithad not been formalized
THE RETURN OF NATHULAwhereas the only trade agree-ment extant at the time wasbetween India and Tibet whichhad allowed for trade overJelepla since it was closer toKalimpong than Nathula.Things have changed nowwith Gangtok becoming theclosest Indian town andSerathang the closest possibletrade mart to a border pass.
Motilal Lakhotia, who fig-ures in just about every cur-tain-raiser to the reopening ofNathula, is the lone survivorof the delegation of Indianbusinessmen who called onthe then Indian Prime Minis-ter, Jawaharlal Nehru, in 1953and urged him to persuade theTibetan Government to allowtraders from Sikkim to useNathula [which is closer toGangtok than Jelepla] fortrading with Tibet. They hadthe option of Jelepla, but theonly possible routes to it wereeither too long or in extremelypoor repair.
The permission camethrough and was much better
than the traders here had bar-gained for. Traders based inSikkim could get a trade passissued from the Political Of-fice maintained by the Govern-ment of India here and this pasallowed them to travel throughYatung in Chumbi Valley upto Gyantse from where the Ti-betan plateau opens up. Trad-ers could also continue up toLhasa on a pilgrimage.
Gangtok traders would setout for the journey aroundthree in the morning [muchlike the journalists who havebeen briefed to leave forSerathang by 4AM on Thurs-day] on mules and continuenorthwards for about eighthours, after which the highwinds made it impossible forthem to continue their jour-ney. This meant a halt at anysmall hamlet or settlement onthe way till the next morning,whence they would com-mence the journey. Conse-quently, the traders wouldreach Yatung, the hub of the
turn to pg2
a NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 05 July: It isunderstandable for the Ti-betan community in exile inIndia to view the reopeningof Nathula for trade betweenIndia and China with suspi-cion. They have few reasonsto trust the Chinese govern-ment and anything that itdoes. The Tibetan Govern-ment-in-Exile, however, isresponding to Historic Thurs-
Tibetan Govt-in-Exile welcomesresumption of border trade
“BETTER RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO ASIAN GIANTS WILL HAVEPOSITIVE IMPACT ON THE RESOLUTION OF TIBET ISSUE”
day in a more positive light.“We welcome the opening
of Nathula for trade,” saidThupden Samphel, the offi-cial spokesperson for the Ti-betan Government-in-Exile,while speaking to NOW!over the phone today.
“We believe that this is apositive development be-tween the two most populous
countries in the world and areconvinced that better com-merce will cement better re-lations between the twoAsian Giants, which will, inturn, have a positive impacton the resolution of the Ti-betan issue,” Mr. Samphel,who is also the Secretary, In-ternational Affairs, with theGovernment-in-Exile based
in Dharamsala, explained.His views were also ech-
oed by the incharge, Bureauof His Holiness The DalaiLama in New Delhi, TempaTsering, who said, “We wel-come better relations betweenIndia and China.”
What has also not escapedthe notice of most observers isthe timing of the reopening of
Nathula which coincides withthe 71st birthday of the DalaiLama. While some see it as adeliberate attempt of the Chi-nese government to rub in thefact to Tibetans the world overand in Tibet about who decidesthings for Tibet, some othersare seeing it as an attempt tosidetrack the public sentimentswhich are expected to soar on
A photograph from the 1860’s shows a Sikkimese spinning wool onto a distaff. This
photo probably taken by Sir Benjamin Simpson in the 1860s [and a copyright expired
photo in the Royal Geographical Society collection] highlights well what used to be at
one time the largest export from Chumbi valley in Tibet – wool. Chumbi is renowned the
world over for the quality of the wool it produces, which is incidentally one of the items
allowed for duty-free import from Tibet Autonomous Region over Nathula.
Dalai Lama’s birthday by giv-ing them something big whichcompetes for their interest onthe day.
Ask Mr. Samphel on how theTibetan Government-in-Exileresponds to the picking of thedate, and he says, “This is a bi-lateral issue between China andIndia. If the timing has more sig-nificance than just coincidence,then only the Chinese and In-dian governments will be ableto comment on it, not us.”
SPINNINGHISTORY!
DEEPAK SHARMA
MANGAN, 05 July: A dis-trict level co-ordination com-munity meet was organizedtoday by the District Collec-tor [North], TN Kazi, whichwas coordinated by the SDM,BK Lama, and also attendedby the DDO, N Thapa, SeniorSP, ST Bhutia, CMO, ILSharma and all the officersof different departments.
DC [North] informed thatthe meeting has been calledto discuss various inter-de-partmental problems and tosort out these problems.
It was also directed thatDAC Building roof was leak-ing and that the Building andHousing department shouldmake necessary repairs. Allthe departments were di-rected to maintain their toi-lets and bathrooms properly.
AE, PHE department wasdirected to provide properwater supply and it also sug-gested that PHE water sup-ply bills should be borne byall departments instead ofthe Land Revenue depart-ment alone.
DC [North] holdscoordination meeting,stresses punctuality
The DC also advised thatgovernment land should beproperly identified by all de-partments and regularized atthe earliest.
All the departmental offi-cials should be punctual andinform the DC while pro-ceeding on official tours ofleaving the station for meet-ings. The departments werealso directed to submitmonthly reports to DC.
LEO, Labour Depart-ment, KR Limboo, updatedthe meeting on the LabourDepartment notification ofthe Sikkim Labour ProtectionAct, 2005 to regulate theemployment and conditionsof services and employedworkers or labours and indi-vidual workers and to protectthem from exploitation andalso for statistical purpose, byregistration of individualworkers or labours.
The Act was enforced inthe State on 01 June 2006, soall the labourers should takethe forms from the LabourDepartment, Mangan, andsubmit the same after fillingin the required details.
A young Motilal Lakhotia [third from left], a trader from Sikkim, with his Tibetan counterpartsat a halt along the trade route march from Gangtok to Yatung over Nathula in the 1950’s.
State Congresshas reservations
over Nathulaa NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 05 July: A pressrelease issued by the SikkimPradesh Congress Committeepresident Nar BahadurBhandari has highlighted theparty’s concerns regarding is-sues related to the opening ofthe border trade through theNathula on 06 July.
The party lists its concernsabout the ‘impending threats’to the country resulting fromthe revival of the Indo-Chinaborder trade route and it feelsthat certain issues have notbeen addressed before initi-ating of the reopening.
One of its concerns per-meates over the venture ofthe State Pollution ControlBoard, whether any, to avoidenvironmental hazards andprotect the rare species offlora and fauna of Sikkim.
The SPCC has also raisedqueries on what steps have beeninitiated to check the influx ofpeople into Sikkim from acrossthe border and a yardstick toprotect the rights of the indig-enous Lepchas, Bhutias andNepalis from the new influx.
Also, it raises the issue ofthe benefits which the
turn to pg3
2; NOW!; 06 July, 2006 OPINION �
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British interest inSikkim started in the1830’s when the East
India Company mediated inthe skirmishes between Nepaland Sikkim. The Companyworked out a solution and tookaway Darjeeling from Sikkimexpressing an interest to set upa sanatorium for convalescingBritish officers. What the Brit-ish were really interested inwas the commanding positionDarjeeling enjoyed over threecountries –Nepal, Sikkim andBhutan, and through the lattertwo, over Tibet which lay be-yond. The East India Companywas, well, a company and itsfirst priority was trade. Eventhough India passed on to theBritish Empire in 1857, thepriorities remained unchangedand after the Indian marketshad been satiated, the oneblank spot on British India’strade map was Tibet. Tradewith Tibet had been monopo-lized by the businessmen onKathmandu and the traders ofLadakh. Even Bhutan hadtrade relations with Tibet, butBritish India continued to bedenied a direct involvement.They were keen to change thisand after some failed attemptsto negotiate directly with Ti-bet, decided to first work outviable access route to the Roofof the World.
In 1873, the British Indiagovernment decided to usethe subtle, yet persuasive ne-gotiating skills of J. WareEdgar, the then Deputy Com-missioner of Darjeeling, tofirst convince the Sikkimdurbar to allow Indian trad-ers free passage throughSikkim and also lobby for itwith Tibet to initiate directtrade. On receipt of the or-ders, Edgar traveled throughSikkim between October toDecember 1873. Unlike theWestern visitors who pre-ceded him to Sikkim, whowere mostly anthropologistsor botanists [like JD Hookerin the 1840’s], Edgar was abureaucrat and his job de-scription was clear – “collectthe state of affairs there[Sikkim] – the condition, ex-tent and prospects of tradewith Thibet; the desirabilityof making a road or roadsthrough Sikhim; the bestroute or routes to be taken…”
His orders could not havebeen more explicit. And the re-port he filed on his return wasequally detailed. Edgar recordeddetails of his visit in a documenttitled “Report On a Visit toSikhim And The Thibetan Fron-tier In October, November andDecember, 1873.”
The document makes forinteresting reading, but wefocus here only on the por-tions that deal with Nathula.
Edgar found himself nearNathula after winding his waythrough Rhenock, Kupup and
TURNING THE CLOCK
ON NATHULAThere is an information overdrive on Nathula atpresent. Most of the news is current, there aresome reminisces and some history. NOW! re-counts here the first reasonably detailed referenceto Nathula by a British officer in a document thatdates back to 1874. What he recorded at the timeis of more than archival interest as it bears outthat Nathula has always been used for trade. Ingoing with the mood of the article which narratesa tour undertaken in 1873, we have used herearchival photographs taken between 1860 to 1890to give readers a sense of who lived in Sikkim atthat time and how….
Gnathang. We join his narra-tive on the morning he madethe final push for Nathula[spelled by him back in 1873as “Gnatui Pass.”]
“Next morning, I startedfor the Gnatui Pass. For a littleway the route lay along thelevel plain of Kophu [knownnowadays as Kupup] in anortherly direction; but thenwent down a very steep de-scent, for perhaps a thousandfeet, into a fir-clad valley, inwhich was a long lake calledthe Nemitzo [Menmecho]. I donot think that I have seen any-thing in India so beautiful asthis gorge, with its lake sur-rounded by hills covered withfir-wood and partly-frozenstreams falling over precipicesthrough a network of ice trac-ery. There are many similarvalleys between the compara-tively level uplands of this partof Sikhim. They form very sin-gular features in the land-scape, looking from a distancelike huge earthquake-rents inthe grassy plains. From thevalley we had a stiff climb tothe flat on the other side,which was more bthan usuallymarshy, with a large sheet ofwater fringed with sedge in themiddle. My coolies went alongthe west side of this marsh toSharab [Serathang now,where the trade mart on theIndian side has been set up],where I meant to encamp,while I took a path leading ina north-easterly direction tothe Gnatui Pass...
From Gnatui… the viewof Phari is much less exten-sive than that of Jeylep, butit gives one a better idea ofthe villages and cultivationabout Choombi. A ratherconsiderable stream flowsfrom the Gnatui to theMochoo, or Ammochoo, nearRincheingong [the trademart in the Tibet AutonomousRegion for the border tradethat begins 06 July].”
While Edgar was atNathula, he ran into a hus-band-wife team who could beconsidered the first recordedtraders of Nathula. This ishow Edgar describes themeeting, his focus also on theitems of trade:
“While we were at the Pass[Nathula], a man fromGuntuck [Gangtok, the capi-tal of Sikkim], with his wife,came up with murwa [millet]of their own growing to thevalue of about six rupees,which they were taking toChoombi for sale. They saidthat they meant to take the pro-ceeds to Phari, where theywould buy salt, which theywould bring in to Darjeeling,where they might probably layout the proceeds of the sale inan investment for the Thibetmarket, if they found time todo so before next year’s sow-
ing season. I mention this case,as it is a typical one. There wasscarce a day during my stayin East Sikhim that I did notmeet people either comingfrom, or on their way to,Darjeeling with goods, thevalue of which at first sightseemed quite disproportionedto the labour that had to be un-dergone in taking them to themarket; but I have no doubtthey find the traffic pays forthem. These murwa-sellersexpected to get six rupees fortheir murwa at Choombi, andwith this sum to be able to buy
at Phari four maunds of salt,which they could sell inDarjeeling for Rs. 32, whilethe value of their murwa atGuntuck was only Rs. 4-8.”
Locals made sharp tradersmore than a century back,one must add here.
As the extract bears out,Nathula was always being usedfor trade. Only by locals andlimited to trading with ChumbiValley at the time though, buttrade nevertheless. Till 1953,only Tibetan traders wouldcross over from Tibet to
Gangtok and conduct trade andfrom that year on, till 1962, In-dian traders also started cross-ing over from Nathula keepinga busy traffic of trade. Jelepla,ever since it was opened by theYounghusband Mission in1904 continued trading till1962 from the trade hub basedin Kalimpong on the Indianside and Yatung in Tibet.Kalimpong was an obviouschoice in 1904 because at thattime, it was the closest Indianoutpost to the Tibetan border[Sikkim was an independentkingdom] and Jelepla the clos-
est pass to Kalimpong. Today,Gangtok is the closest Indiantown to the border and Nathula,52 kms away, the closest bor-der pass. It becomes the obvi-ous choice for a move whichhas started as a show of goodfaith between the two countriesand will definitely live up to itshistory of commerce and be-come an important trade route.
We end this recap on thatnote and with images thatwere captured in Sikkim ataround the time whenNathula was first reported toBritish India.
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trading activity – a journeythat would take about fivedays - exhausted from thewearisome journey and bat-tered by the merciless cold.
Fast-forward to the presentand Mr. Lakhotia says thatnow of course, there are fastand comfortable SUVs tomake the journey a sheer joy.
Yatung at 9,000 ft. madefor a better choice for thetraders to dwell in and con-duct their transactions, ratherthan Gyantse or Phari whoseweather conditions at 12,000ft. had the Indian traders giv-ing it a wide berth.
Yatung had about 200 ormore shops along with Ti-betan and Chinese settle-ments, warehouses, rentedaccommodations of the trad-ers, Indian offices like theIndian Consulate and Indiantravel agencies, and ofcourse, the People’s Bank ofChina, which housed thebank accounts of the traders.
Mr. Lakhotia has a bankaccount with this bank andalthough he has lost his passbook, he remains convincedthat his money is safe!
Yatung was this majorcentre of trading activity, wit-nessing traders from Sikkim,Nepal and Tibet and fromIndia, the Bengali, Punjabiand the Marwari traders.Coolies to help with the loadusually came from Nepal,Sikkim and Bhutan.
The centre for trade thistime is Rinchengang.
Mr. Lakhotia recounts thatwhen he traveled this routeas a trader, Richengang wasjust a small settlement withsome houses and cultivatedfields and something theywould just pass by on theirtedious journey. He remem-bers though that this villagehad the largest tract of flatland that he has seen inChumbi valley.
Mr. Lakhotia is one of thesharper businessmen that
Sikkim has seen, and al-though he obviously plans toresume Tibet trade, atpresent, he is more excitedabout the reopening ofNathula. What he can tradein and how, he will work outonce he interacts with trad-ers from the other side in aprocess that begins Thursday.
For now, its reminiscesand memories and comingtrue of a conviction thatNathula made too muchsense to be kept closed fortrade for always.
It is perhaps this convic-tion that made Mr. Lakhotiaretain his company’s name –Sikkim Tibet Company –which, for the past 44 yearsmade very little sense.
“Deep down, I always be-lieved that the route would bereopened some day,” he says.
About the lighter memoriesof the days he spent in Tibet,Mr. Lakhotia remembers thefriendly volleyball matchesthat the Sikkimese traderswould play with their Chineseand Tibetan counterparts.When the Indian trader lost thematch, the Chinese would in-vite them over for tea andsnacks and the Indians wouldaccept grudgingly, angry atthemselves for having lost.
“When the Chinese traderlost, we also invited them fortea, but they never showedup,” Mr. Lakhotia chuckles.
Interestingly, last year theIndian and Chinese army de-ployed at the border pass alsoplayed a friendly match on theIndian side of the border whichthe Chinese side lost. Therehas not been a rematch since…
Mr. Lakhotia recollects thatthough he had many friendsand acquaintances on the Ti-betan side, sadly, after the tradewas brought to a halt in 1962,he has not been in touch withthem since. He is hoping thatwhen he travels toRinchengang on Thursday, hewill find at least some faces herecognizes from the old times.
We hope so too…
Contd from pg1
THE RETURN OF NATHULA...
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:
� A Limboo lady fromEast Sikkim photographed
in 1879-80.� Lepchas in front of the
Residency [now the RajBhawan] in Gangtok [Date
unconfirmed]� Bhutia peasants of East
Sikkim sometime between1860-70.
� Nepali peasants inSikkim in the 1860’s.
� A photograph taken in1909 captioned “Tibetan
Coolies (note the shellornaments on the woman’s
wrist and the Buddhistprayer paper carried by theman) in Sikkim, East India.”
[all photographs from theRoyal Geographical Society
collection on Sikkim andaccessed from a websiteoffering their free use foreducational and informa-
tional purposes]
Today is Also Dalai
Lama’s BirthdayMedia attention will be singularly focused on the events at
Nathula and Serathang today. And even as the resumption of
trade over Nathula gets a warm and high-profile inauguration,
the Tibetans of Gangtok will be gathering at Chandmari to cel-
ebrate the Dalai Lama’s 71st birthday. There is a major devel-
opment underway in the place that is their real home – the Tibet
Autonomous Region now – and none of them were included in
the negotiations that led to his historic moment.
That is unfortunate.
And how does the Dalai Lama-led Tibetan Government-in-
Exile respond to it?
Positively.
They look at the bright side of things. Resumption of trade
between India and China has been officially welcomed by them
because they see better relations between India and China as
leading to a quicker resolution of the Tibetan issue. They are not
very far off the mark. Thus far, India has never really stared China
down on any issue; if commerce becomes a prolific involvement
between the two countries and Nathula became the lifeline for
supplies to TAR [which it could very well become], then India will
be able to negotiate with China with some advantage. Tibet would
definitely gain. If, as the Tibetan officials believe, trade leads to
genuinely better relations between the two countries, then India
will be able to lobby for Tibet with a friendly nation.
This is the positivity with which that Dalai Lama swathes
everything and this makes him more than just the spiritual leader
of Tibetans all over the world.
He is the spiritual king of a displaced people in a foreign land.
The Dalai Lama was barely 24 when he was thrown into the out-
side world, of which, not only he, but most Tibetans knew little. He
adapted well and even though he has now crossed the age of sev-
enty and still finds himself in exile, heading a government that even
the host nation does not recognize, he manages to not only remain
optimistic, but also keep his flock together in optimism. He knows
time is running out and must be experiencing the worry of an unre-
solved Tibet issue everyday. And yet he manages to remain posi-
tive. An aspect which appears to be in short supply even in Sikkim
which stands to the gain the most from Nathula at present.
His birthday needs to be celebrated with prayers that more
people learn from his compassion and ability to sight a silver
lining in everything.
06 July, 2006; NOW! 3
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� NEWSSCAN
Anthyesti Kriya
The Anthyesthi Kriya of late Maiya Shakya
(1954-2006) who passed away on 28th June,
falls on 10th July 2006.
All relatives, friends, and well wishers are re-
quested to join us in offering prayers for the
departed soul at our residence at Upreti Build-
ing, above SBI Bank, Deorali.Karuna Ratna Shakya (husband)
Pabi Ratna Shakya (son)
Subash Ratna Shakya (son)
Sujata Shakya (daughter-in-law)
Deepankar Ratna Shakya [grandson]
Contact: 03592281016, 9932295811, 9932295812, 9832082416
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Anthyesthi KriyaThe Anthyesthi Kriya of late Capt. ShasiBhusan Singh, who laid down his life fight-ing for the country falls on 9th July 2006[Sunday]. All relatives, friends, and wellwishers are requested to join us in offeringprayers for the departed soul at our resi-dence at Development Area, AboveSangram Bhawan, Gangtok.
Rameshwar Singh [father], Ravi Bhusan Singh [brother]
& all family members
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a NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 05 July: TheState-unit of the BharatiyaJanata Party today termed as‘timid and deceitful,’ theSDF Government’s decisionto pass a resolution in theState Assembly to request theDelimitation Commission to
defer the delimitation ofState Assembly seats until thefinalization of the reservationof seats for Limboo andTamang and submit the samewith the Commission duringthe CM’s recent visit to NewDelhi, when this has alreadybeen achieved by the BJP.
The party informs that the
BJP submitted a writtenstatement to the DelimitationCommission on 12 Septem-ber 2005, saying that if thedelimitation process was notdeferred, the BJP wouldmove the court of law.
This was done through thejoint efforts of all the opposi-tion parties viz. Congress, CPI
(M), SHRP and GPP, when theDelimitation Commission heldpublic hearing in Septemberlast year wherein it had agreedto defer till December. Theparty had also filed a Writ Pe-tition in the Supreme Court ofIndia on the matter, BJP adds.
The release proclaims thatthe BJP is confused as towhether ‘such unwanted andeyewash’ resolution is an out-come of the discussion of thelegislators of the SDF partyor a resolution placed by uni-lateral decision when thecase is already pending in theSupreme Court of India.
The release confirms ofthe BJP assurance to the SDFGovernment that the party iswilling to talk to all the stateunits of national parties andalso regional parties and helpget the reservation of seats inthe State Assembly by issueof Ordinance by making theUPA Government, led byCongress and the main oppo-
BJP sees State Govt’s request for deferreddelimitation as “timid and deceitful”
sition NDA led by BJP atCentre to agree, if the SDFGovernment sends the pro-posal immediately (in re-sponse to the letter from theMinistry of Home, Govern-ment of India on reservationof seats in State Assembly)based on the percentage ofpopulation derived from thevoter list as already agreed byall parties and accepted bythe Government of India.
Alternatively, the SDFGovernment can use popula-tion percentage availablefrom the survey conductedand completed by Depart-ment of Economics, Statisticsand Monitoring in December2005, the release offers.
The release also informsthat the petition filed by BJPfor the disqualification of twoMPs from Sikkim has beenreferred by the President toElection Commission of In-dia and received on 23 June2006 by the latter.
SIRD hosts workshopon Total Sanitation
campaignPURAN TAMANG
JORETHANG, 04 July: A day long workshop on Total sani-tation campaign organized by State Institute of Rural De-velopment [SIRD] was held today at the conference hall ofthe institute. The programme was attended by SI Dorjee,Joint Director, SIRD, Karma Namgyal, Consultant, Infor-mation Education, Communication [IEC] Deputy Director,SIRD, Bishal Rai, DT Bhutia, DDO(S) and Bishal Mukhia,faculty Economics/ Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC).
Commenting on the current scenario of TSC in Sikkim,DDO (S) stated that the aim of the Government was to makethe people habituated to use proper toilets.
Stressing upon the role of the Panchayats in the total Sanita-tion Campaign, he said that, they should make the people awareabout the necessity of well constructed toilets. He also informedthat the Panchayats could also manage a garbage bin in theirrespective wards for proper collection of wastage.
He further informed that toilets in the schools should bebetter with two separate rooms for girls and boys and watershould also be maintained properly.
According to him, it was the duty of the Ward Panchayatto maintain the drainage systems properly and the fund al-lotted through SGRY could be utilized for it.
He further stated that for the toilets in private homes, theGovernment has fixed the expenditure at Rs. 2960 of whichthe State Government provides Rs. 1125 and the Centre Rs.375 and the rest was to be borne by the beneficiaries.
Similarly for institutional toilets, a sum of Rs. 20, 000has been fixed with a state-share of Rs. 4000, Center Rs.12,000 and the rest, Rs. 4000 to be paid by the beneficiary.
Aganwadi toilets should be constructed at a cost of Rs. 10, 000with the Centre providing Rs. 6000, Rs. 3000 from the State andRs. 1000 to be borne by the beneficiary. At public places like playgrounds, the budget was Rs. 2 lakhs, of which the Centre wouldassist with Rs. 1.2 lakhs, the State with Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 40,000to be contributed by the community. These facilities should bemaintained by the people through pay and use revenue.
The campaign which was started in 2005 needs to be com-pleted by the year 2009, he added. As per the baseline survey,a total of 8,970 toilets for households, 438 for schools, 82 forICDS, 155 for institutional and 100 (approx) for communitySanitary Complex need to be constructed under total Sanita-tion Campaign implemented at Jorethang Constituency, whichincludes 137 wards of 13 GPUs of these two constituencies.
DDO (S) also sought help from NGOs to make TSC asuccessful venture. The topic on social mobilization wastaken by Deputy Director SIRD, Bishal Rai, while Consult-ant IEC Karma Namgyal gave a brief speech on TSC.
The subject of WAT-SAN a general overview and For-mation of core Group and Action plan was undertaken dur-ing the workshop by Bishal Mukhia. The training underCapacity and Communication Development Unit (CCDU)was attended by around 50 participants including teachersand panchayats of Damthang and Jorethang Constituencies.
The programme also witnessed an open discussion dur-ing which the participants put forth several queries whichwere fielded by the resource person.
Sikkimese people can derivefrom the border trade and thegoods which are to be ex-ported to China, which arenot “worthy of mention,” theparty contests. It hopes thatthe Sikkimese people will notbe mute spectators to therumbling trucks plying be-tween Rangpo and Nathula.
The SPCC also believesthat the opening of the traderoute, being an internationalhigh profile event, shouldhave been inaugurated by aUnion Minister or any of theleaders from the Centre.
The party has also ex-pressed concern over the pro-vision of adequate basicamenities, including medicalfacilities to cater to the needsof the large number of thevisitors to Sikkim fromacross the border.
The release further claimsthat bilateral relations and thegrowth of the economy cannotbe achieved at the cost of thenation’s security. Prime Minis-ter, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru hadestablished friendly relationswith China on the basis of theprinciples Panchasheel but itwas breached within a shortwhile in 1962, the release states.The party expressed its appre-hensions about a similar situa-tion arising in the future, whichmight place Sikkim along thelines of Arunachal Pradesh.
Contd from pg1
State Congress hasreservations over
Nathula...
4; NOW!; 06 July, 2006
Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Baba Offset Press Works Pvt. Ltd., Tadong. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 271167 email: [email protected]; [email protected]
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[Affiliated in National Council for Hotel Management & CateringTechnology, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, New Delhi]
ADMISSION NOTICEApplications are invited for admission to the following courses in Hotel Management for the
academic session 2006-07.
1. DIPLOMA IN FOOD PRODUCTION -1 ½ years
2. DIPLOMA IN FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE -1 ½ years
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sd/-
ADMINISTRATOR
Tibetan Welfare Office
Gangtok, Sikkim
On the auspicious occasion of
the 7171717171ststststst Birthday Birthday Birthday Birthday Birthday celebration of
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
which falls on 6th July6th July6th July6th July6th July, 2006, 2006, 2006, 2006, 2006
The Tibetan Welfare Office,
Gangtok, Sikkim on behalf of
all the Tibetan Community
of Sikkim would like to pay
its deep respect by offering
our warm greetings and
pray that His Holiness
remain as the core
of the well-being
of all sentient beings
for aeons to come.
We also request
His Holiness to
continue to bless
us with your
protection.
H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama Thekchen Choeling Temple in Dharamshala [H.P.]
I N V I T A T I O NSikkim Amateur Mountaineering Association isproudly announce its 1st Workshop-cum-Expan-sion of Membership on the completion of its 2ndsuccessful years on 13th July 2006 at Traveller’sLodge, Opp. Panorama Color Lab, Tibet Road,Gangtok at 2 PM. All the interested individuals arecordially invited to attend the same. Preferencewill be given to BMC and AMC certificate holders.Willing individuals will be registered on the spot.
Publicity Secretary,Ph: 98323391716
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Cricketselectionin July-
enda NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 05 July:Sikkim Cricket Associationwill hold preliminary trials forselection of players for the allIndia Junior Nationals i.e.Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-22 Cricket teamto represent Sikkim on 29 and30 July 2006.
The trials will be held inall districts and players arerequired to get in touch withthe relevant contact personsin their respective districts.
The venues earmarked forthe East district are Gangtok,Rangpo, Pakyong andRhenock/ Rongli whileGayzing and Chakyong willbe the hosting the trials in theWest. Similarly, Namchi andJorethang in the South andMangan in the North District.The players are expected tobring their own kits and comein proper whites or in tracksuits by 8.30 am at the rel-evant venues on the ap-pointed days.
a NOW REPORT
GANGTOK, 5 June: Abouta hundred farmers from allover the State today partici-pated in a day-long trainingon Raising Sucker Nurseryand Disease Management ofLarge Cardamom here at theSoil testing Lab oppositeICAR complex here.
The Spices Board, in asso-ciation with Sikkim State Hor-ticulture department con-ducted the trainingprogramme. Gangtok was thefirst venue for holding thetraining amongst the two othervenues at Karfectar, RDDConference Hall at Jorethangon 7 July and Panchayat Ghar,Passingdong, Upper Dzonguon 11 July.
Present as the chief guesttoday was the Director, Hor-ticulture, KK Singh, otherspresent were Dr. J Thomas,Director (Research) IndianCardamom Research Insti-tute, Spices Board,Myladumpara, Idukki, DistKerela amongst scientists,
senior officers from theSpices Board and Horticul-ture department.
The main objective of thetraining programme is toidentify the problems facedby the farmers during culti-vation and find solutions forfuture strategies.
“Last year the export oflarge cardamom increased,this is a good sign whichmeans that there is a risingdemand of our cardamomabroad and that the produc-tion had grown”, said Dr.Thomas. He further said thatthe farmers should not onlyconcentrate on quantitativeproduction alone but alongwith doing so give morestress on quality. He alsomentioned that the Spices
Board had started sendingfield officers to the rural ar-eas to work at the grass rootlevel and that they wereworking with the farmers,carrying out surveys and thecauses of the diseases.
He further assured thefarmers that all the latesttechnology being used in car-rying out cardamom farmingshall be brought to the ruralareas enhancing productivity.
Mr. KK Singh while stat-ing that cardamom plantationwas the ‘life capsule’ formany farmers in the rural ar-eas mentioned that it wassince the past few years thatrelated diseases had broughtdown production of the spicein the state and affected thefarmers, but the work being
carried out at present by allconcerned was now changingthe situation. “The depart-ment is really concernedabout the issue. What weneed here is a research insti-tute and a university here forwhich we have requested thecentre. This shall greatly ben-efit the state and the farmerscan learn and implement dis-ease management effec-tively”, he stated.
He also asked for the fullsupport of the Spices Boardand the Indian Council forAgricultural Research formaking possible a disease freefarming sector in the state.
The day long programmealso saw discussions and inter-actions which was actively par-ticipated by the participants.
Workshop series on large cardamomdisease management begins
SNOD Complex, DeoraliABACUS
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