Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Shri Sathya Sai Seva organization Sikkim observed grand Saga Dawa Shri Sathya Sai Seva organization Sikkim observed grand Saga Dawa in a public programme at Gangtok old Children Park highlighting the message and teaching of Lord Buddha. In the morning, a rally called Dhamma Yatra was taken out in the street of Gangtok, Zero point, Tibet Road and back. The life and teachings of Buddhas were display in the banner and placard. Dr. Sonam Gyamtso Bhutia, Shri Passang Sherpa and others led the march. In the day programme, Dr. Milan Sakya, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Aesthetics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal delivered the keynote on the life and teaching of Buddha.

GANGTOK, NAMCHI, May 30: Sikkim Police, together with personnel from Food Department are continuing with their crackdown on illegal use of domestic cylinders and unhygienic kitchens throughout the State. There has been continual seizure of domestic cylinders from hotels and restaurants followed by arrest of its proprietors in the last few days, along with cases registered against several hotels under Section 269/ 273 of Indian Penal Code for unhygienic conditions at its food processing counters. On May 29, the Gyalshing Police raided Hotel Newa in Lower Pelling and found domestic cylinders in use in the Hotel and also found its kitchen in unhygienic conditions. The Police thereafter seized two domestic cylinders from the Hotel and arrested A Chakraborty, the in-charge of the Hotel under Section 269 of the IPC. The Gyalshing Police also detained the proprietor of Kanchendzonga Hotel in Pelling for using three domestic cylinders. Likewise, two domestic cylinders were seized fro...

Sikkim is rapidly on the road to development and this is evident from the fact that there have been many positive changes in the State. The towns and villages have witnessed much infrastructural development, which is a necessity in any developing State. However, we seem to have confused development with just building huge concrete structures and buying more vehicles. The race to construct buildings is so fierce that we have forgotten that we do need open spaces and wide roads to walk and breathe. It is rightly said that civic centres and public places like parks and gardens are the lifeline of any town or city. It gives the residents a place to get away from the humdrum of urban existence and relax with family and friends. Singtam is one such town that lacks any form of public parks or civil centres. This town may have been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately but we must not forget that it is an important and rapidly growing town that connects the Capital with ...

SIKKIM EXPRESS NEWS GANGTOK, May 30: Finally, MG Marg gets the much-needed face lift. After years of neglect and little attention by the concerned authorities, this commercial hub of the Capital is currently under extensive repairs and alterations. The State Government has drawn up impressive plans to spruce up Gangtok’s main thoroughfare, keeping up with the vision of the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling to convert the State into another Singapore. To begin with, the MG Marg is being widened to make more space for parking. Accordingly, the green divider running across the length of the Marg is being cut to size to make the roads on its both sides wider. The existing 7 metre width of the divider will now be reduced to just 1 ½ metre obviously to accommodate more vehicles. The first phase of the project has begun from the Tourism Information Centre upto Star Hall point. The total area covered will be 10,000 square meter and the fund allocated for the first phase is Rs 53 ...

Saga Dawa (Tibetan) or Vesak (Pali) is one of the most significant Dharma events observed worldwide by the entire Buddhist community. Three of the most important events in Buddha’s life took place on the full moon day of that month. As it is generally known Buddha performed three important deeds on that day, namely his birth, enlightenment and passing into Parinirvana. To be more precise, there exist slightly different view points concerning the dates. However, according to the scriptures it is not the day of Buddha’s conventional birth or delivery but his entering the womb of the mother – in other words the day of his conception. According to Buddhism the first coming into contact of the consciousness of a being with the cells of the parents in the womb of the mother is considered to be the actual birth, the very starting point of this life or rebirth. In the same way Buddha’s entering the womb of Queen Mahamaya of the Shakya Royal Family on the full moon day of the Vesak month is reg...

SHINDE EXTENDED HIS ASSURANCE FOR FUTURE POWER VENTURES IN SIKKIM Namchi(SKM)/Siliguri(WB), May 31 : The Union Minister for Power, Government of India, Sushil Kumar Shinde was received at the Namchi Helipad by the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling. The Union Minister had come to inspect the Nation Power Grid Corporation's new 400/220 kv power sub-station, about 12 km from Siliguri and the construction of '400 KV Teesta Stage-V HEP-New Siliguri Double Circuit Transmission Line' at Phongla, a village situated 20 kms away from Namchi in South Sikkim. He expressed confidence that all villages in the country would be electrified by the end of 2009 as per the programme of the UPA government. Shinde along with Chamling visited the site and the Deputy General Manager, of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, P.G. Singh, presented a brief report on the Transmission Line Construction. Thereafter, they inspected the site of Transmission Line site whereby officials of the Power Grid Corpor...

WIDENING ROAD: PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES FOR TSHONGU LAKE Gangtok, May 31: Keeping in view the apprehension expressed by the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling a few day back, regarding the disposal of excavated soil during the widening of the Gangtok Nathula Road which is likely to damage the Tshongu Lake. Tshongu being a sacred lake is very important not only from the "sentiment" point of view but it is also a hot spot tourist destination which needs to be conserved and protected by all means. Therefore, to access on the spot assessment and initiate precautionary measures, a team of officials led by Minister Commerce & Industries, R.B. Subba, Minister Roads & Bridges, D.T. Lepcha, Secretary Commerce & Industries, Roads & Bridges and other Senior Govt. Officials visited Tshongu Lake today i.e. on 30th May, 2007. During the inspection, officials from B.R.O. & ITBP were also present. Commanding Officer 87 RCC apprised the team about the expansion and widening of t...

Ravangla, May 31: District Collector, D. Anandan convened an emergency meeting regarding Disaster Management especially earthquake at Community Hall, Ravangla on 28th, May, 2007. The main aim of this meeting was to generate preparedness at every level among the people to combat future disaster. It has been noted here that the people of some part of the state faced seismic tremor since 18th, May to 26th May continuously. According to seismographic cal report 4.5 Richter scale on May 18th, 5 Richter scale on 20th, 3.5 on 23rd and 3.3 Richter scale on 26th May have been measured. Pempa Norbu Bhutia DPO, UNDP highlighted on Do's and Dont's during earthquake. While talking about the role and responsibilities of line department, panchayats, and local NGOs the District Collector, South urged them to be serious and prepare themselves to face the disaster .He further informed them that our state lies in earthquake zone V and there is high risk of experiencing such tremors frequently .He...

All villages to have power by 2009 Search for More News Siliguri (WB), May 30: Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today expressed confidence that all villages in the country would be electrified by the end of 2009 as per the programme of the UPA government. Dedicating to the nation Power Grid Corporation's new 400/220 kv power sub-station, about 12 km from here, Shinde said his ministry was giving adequate stress on controlling power theft and conservation while trying to bring every household within the power supply network. He said there was scope for production of more nuclear power in the country which at present was only three per cent of the total power generation. Shinde also paid a brief visit to Pongla near Namchi in South Sikkim to assess the progress of work on the 400 kva transmission tower being put up there by PGCIL. The powerful transmission tower, a first of its kind for the state, will be linked up with the NHPC's ambitious Teesta Stage-V hydel power project ne...

Fly by night to Northeast JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, May 30: Fliers to the Northeast need no longer worry about delayed flights getting inevitably cancelled after sundown because there are no night landing facilities in all but two airports of the region. Delhi is planning to upgrade all airports in the region and make night landing possible in most of them. The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati, whose “international” status came minus the facilities, will finally undergo a makeover to match “international standards”. Three greenfield airports will be set up in Sikkim, Itanagar and Kohima. The government is also considering a proposal to relax norms to allow airlines operating in the Northeast to connect Guwahati to international destinations. A senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the main problem for airlines and passengers travelling to the region was the short window period for flight operations. Apart from Guwahati and Agartala, no airp...

Heartburn over debacle in CBSE Class X exam A STAFF REPORTER Guwahati, May 30: When students in Delhi were flashing their 90 per cents and doing their high-fives, the Central Board of Secondary Education was looking for reasons for the below-par performance of students in the Guwahati region, comprising the seven states of the Northeast and Sikkim. Among the six regions where the board conducts Standard X examinations, Guwahati region has the lowest pass percentage — a mere 56 per cent. Ajmer region registered a staggering 93.87 pass per cent, the highest. A post-result analysis by the board revealed that poor performance by government schools in two states, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, pushed Guwahati to the bottom in the list. K.K. Choudhury, the regional officer of CBSE (Guwahati), said the two states pulled down the pass percentage of the entire region. “We have four categories of schools — government schools, independent (private) schools, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Kendriya...

-Sintam Police arrested two persons Padam Pradhan, 30 and Saran Tamang, 36 in connection with drug trafficking. Police recovered 306 capsules of Spasmo pro. and 36 nos. of bottle containing corex. -A business man and BJP leader denied the allegation of having made any derogatory remark against any community. A local daily had published his statement and former Minister T. Lachungpa condemned the remark in a press conference. -Police raided a local shops quick bite Fast food at Gangtok town and sealed following the unhygienic condition and use of domestic LPG cylinders. -Two workers died due to earth quake at Ravangla, South Sikkim. -Road disrupted due to landslide after incessant rainfall at Rakdong-Tintek. -Second Green Mission started from Righ constituency. -Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari convicted in corruption charged by lower court, Gangtok, sentence of punishment on Monday. -Assam blast, 7 died and 30 injured. -A new born baby was thrown into toilet pipe at Tadong, E...

GANGTOK, May 29: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the Class X results for Delhi, Guwahati, Panchkula and Allahabad regions at 0800 hrs (IST) today. Unlike earlier when students had to go to their respective schools to check their results, the process of retrieving results has now become a one-step process. They are now available through the Internet, mobile phones, land line and an interactive voice response system. With the CBSE introducing exclusive websites such as: www.results.nic.in, www.cbseresults.nic.in, www.cbse.nic.in, http://mtnldelhi.in, http://bol.net.in, http://delhi.mtnl.net.in, to check results, the scores are merely a click away. With the Class X student from Bangalore, Aparna Murlidhar scoring a whopping aggregate of 99 per cent, students from Delhi, Guwahati, Panchkula and Allahabad are in for tough competition. Over seven lakh students across the country and abroad had appeared for the Board exams conducted in March this year. In the ...

GANGTOK, May 29: Meet Rahul Kumar Burman. A realistic intellectual at 15, Rahul has scored 92.4 percent (in aggregate) in the Class X CBSE examinations, results of which was announced through the Internet this morning across in the country. A boy with optimal humility, Rahul a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya here, is the State topper with a score that looks very difficult to challenge. He has scored the highest 96 percent marks in Mathematics, 95 percent in Social Studies, 93 percent in Hindi, 92 percent in Science and 84 percent in the English. Yet, this topper is not too happy with these marks! He believes that he could have scored much higher than this and even bettered his won record. “I made some silly mistakes,” he says. For someone who studies 3-4 hours on a daily basis as a habit, aiming for the highest comes naturally. And with a solid support and motivation provided by his doting parents, good guidance from his teachers, it is not a surprise that he has topped his State. Rahul ...

GANGTOK, RANGPO, May 29 : Sikkim Police has begun its crackdown on illegal use of domestic cylinders in commercial establishments. Following the recent detention of Quick Bite fast food outlet’s proprietors from Gangtok, the Police with officials from the Food Department have started conducting similar raids in all four Districts. Five more cases were registered with the Sadar Police on May 28 against proprietors of five hotels here in Gangtok. A case against the proprietor of Wangla Restaurant and Bar, Deorali has been registered following a written complaint from GB Subedi, Senior DCSO, East, Food Department. With the confiscation of two domestic cylinders from Wangla Restaurant and Bar, the proprietor Man Bir Limboo (48), resident of Selep Tanki, Gangtok was arrested from his residence. On the same day, two domestic cylinders were seized from Bishal Hotel at Deorali, three each from Hotel Regent at Pani House and Hotel Central on national highway 31A and another three fro...

Gangtok, May 30: A battle of political one-upmanship is going on between the ruling SDF and a combined opposition in Sikkim with the state government extolling its achievements from every possible forum and the Opposition hurling charges of corruption at it in a bid to undo the hype. Be it Ambedkar Jayanti or the state day or any other similar occasion, the Chief Minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling, doesn`t let go of the slightest opportunity to flaunt his achievements. His speeches always revolve around a few pet topics capable of earning him brownie points with the masses such as the opening of the Nathula Pass for border trade with China last year, the empowerment of women or devolution of major powers to the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state. After talking about the achievements of the past he moves onto disclose his plans for the future such as marketing Sikkim`s floricultural produce in the international market or putting the state on the international tourism map. However, the...

GANGTOK, May 28: Former Chief Minister and President of State Pradesh Congress Committee, Nar Bahadur Bhandari was sentenced to one month simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 in the disproportionate assets case against him today. Bhandari was present in self along with his party colleagues and supporters in the District and Sessions Court (North & East), Gangtok which also acted as the Special CBI Court. Special CBI judge SW Lepcha, who passed the sentence also immediately granted NB Bhandari two months bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000. He can appeal against the judgement in the High Court within next sixty days. The Special CBI Court declared Bhandari guilty under Section 5(2) 51(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 on May 28. While Nar Bahadur Bhandari has 60 day’s time to appeal to a higher Court against the verdict, his limitations will start from tomorrow. In case he decides to appeal, there can be two outcomes – either the appeal Court can set the con...

Police raids seize illegal cylinders from local eateries; similar raids to be conducted all over the State GANGTOK, May 28: One big problem that the consumers are facing these days is the non availability of LPG gas cylinders for domestic use in the Capital. The acute shortage of gas cylinders has become a perennial problem, with consumers having to wait for days on end for refills. One of the main reasons for this acute shortfall could be because of the fact that most hotels and restaurants here have been using domestic gas cylinders instead of commercial ones meant to be used in such establishments. This illegal practice has come to light with the two raids that were conducted yesterday by the District Collector’s Office and the Food & Civil Supplies Department. Yesterday’s surprise raids on two popular eateries located at MG Marg here revealed just more than unhygienic kitchens-that the use of domestic LPG cylinders in commercials establishments is a common practice. During the ...

GANGTOK, May 28 : Drug haul are on a high once again, indicating the unrestrained menace around the State. Following raids and recovery of a huge catch of drugs from Singtam on May 27, Sikkim Police on the same day nabbed another drug peddler at Namchi, South Sikkim. Acting upon source information, the Namchi Police on May 27 arrested one Yogesh Chettri (24), resident of Upper Boomtar, Namchi with 232 tablets of Spasmo Proxyvon. Yogesh Chettri, son of Chandra Bahadur Chettri, reportedly was also detained earlier under same charges. The accused Chettri was on his way to Namchi after attending a funeral at Darjeeling when he was arrested. An addict himself, the accused reportedly was also an inmate of the rehabilitation centre at Nimtar (32 mile, Singtam) for 4½ months earlier when he was arrested under same grounds. In Gangtok, the Sadar Police arrested two more drug addicts-Jitendra Gurung and Kalzang Dorjee Bhutia, residents of Tadong and Thatenchen respectively. The Poli...

GANGTOK, May 28: The Sikkim state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today proposed the Chief Secretary to the government of Sikkim and Secretary to the Urban Development and Housing Department to publish the notification delimiting the wards of Gangtok Municipal Corporation in local newspapers. The party also called for copies of the same to all political parties of the state and the Panchayat of the areas that are being converted from Panchayat under the Rural Department to Municipality under the Urban Department besides having a provision of public hearing before the final delimitation. The notification delimiting the wards of Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Singtam, Rangpo, Jorethang-Nayabazar, Namchi Municipal Council, and Mangan, Pakyong, Rhenok, Rongli, Ravangla, Soreng, Geyzing, and Pelling Nagar Panchayat was reportedly issued on May 22. It seeks views, suggestions, and comments within 30 days. In its communiqué today, the BJP also emphasized the need for a public hearing, the date o...

The idealism of youth and knowledge of teachers and villagers will create a viable society where challenges can be met through constructive action: GM Gurung, Minister for HRDD GANGTOK, May 28: Schools and members of Gram Panchayat Units (GPU) will now be joining hands towards accelerating human development in Sikkim. An awareness meet on Participatory Human Development at Gram Panchayat level was held today at Chintan Bhawan, Gangtok for realisation of the project. The meeting today was attended by Prof BK Roy Burman, Executive Chairman to Committee for Implementation, Steering and Monitoring (CISMO) as chief guests, with Speaker to Sikkim Legislative Assembly, DN Thakarpa as guest of honour. The project implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in several states of India, 116 GPUs from all over Sikkim including 40 Senior Secondary Schools has been identified for active participation of teachers and students in preparing the village vision document. The project is re...

ANGTOK, May 27: Two popular eateries located at MG Marg here today had to down their shutters after Government officials carried out a raid in their premises. Officials from the Department of Food and Civil Supplies accompanied by the District Collector (East), Vishal Chauhan, inspected the two establishments-Quick Bite Fast Food and Rasoi Restaurant, above Tourist Information Center today afternoon following several complaints lodged by their customers. The surprise raids were the outcome of many complaints received by the DC’s Office over the use of domestic LPG cylinders by these two eateries, against standard norms for commercial establishments. Along with this, the DC’s Office had also been receiving complaints of unhygienic conditions of these two eateries located in the heart of the Capital. Several customers had made complaints over the lack of hygiene in the kitchens of the two restaurants. Talking to SIKKIM EXPRESS, the DC said that acting on these complaints, the raids had b...

NAMCHI, May 27: Two laborers were killed following a landslip caused by the mild earthquake that hit Ravangla at 11.15 am on May 26. The incident took place near Cho-Jo lake at Ravangla where the two victims Prakash Tamang (25) of Maney Bhanzyang and Ritesh Chettri (18) of Kalimpong were working on the foundation construction of one JB Gurung’s building. Construction work was in full swing at the site when a mild earthquake hit Ravangla and several parts of the state on May 26 morning. Around 12 labourers were working to dig soil around 15 feets down, the unprecedented earthquake prompted the base landmass to fall off over the working labourers. “When 10 of us managed a close shave, Prakash and Ritesh Chettri got buried under the landmass and succumbed to suffocation”, informed Lakpa Tamang, the father of Prakash Tamang in tearful eyes at Namchi hospital later on the same day. Soon after the accident, police team of Ravangla, department officials and the local people lend their hands i...

The Chief Minister's vision is to make Sikkim fully green and opt for eco-tourism as a sustainable development in the State. With this objective in his top agenda, Chief Minister Chamling started the second phase of the Green Mission by planting saplings at Aritar, East Sikkim, along with his wife, Tika Maya Chamling, on May 25. While addressing a mammoth gathering at Chintan Bhavan, Gangtok, on 26, Chief Minister Chamling urged all the State's people to actively and proactively participate in the State green mission.  "All the ministers, MLAs, officers, employees, teachers, students, and the people must come forward to preserve the greenery in the state and make the mission fully successful, which will be a great contribution to the state and the future generation. He said that the green mission must be a precedent and tradition in the State, and the Government is determined to pass legislation and enforce it strictly to protect the environment in the State.  He also said...

Special CBI Judge to pronounce sentence today GANGTOK, May 27: Former Chief Minister and president of State Pradesh Congress Committee, Nar Bahadur Bhandari has been found guilty possessing assets disproportionate to his known source of income. He was convicted in a disproportionate assets case by a designated CBI Court here on Saturday, May 26. The Court of Special CBI Judge, SW Lepcha, held Mr. Bhandari guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced by the Court on Monday, May 28. The case relates to the alleged construction of a five-storey building by Mr. Bhandari during his tenure in Gangtok at a cost of Rs 15.22 Lakhs which is unaccounted for. According to Special Prosecutor (CBI) ID, Vaidya, the case was registered against Bhandari in 1984 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The charge sheet was admitted in 1994. The case was being heard by the designated CBI Court since September 1994. Mr. Bhandari was the Chief Minister of ...

Two persons died after burying alive under the soil due to earth quake The earth quake that hit on May 26 at 11.20 A.M. took the lives of two workers. While Prakash Tamang and Ritesh Chhetri were working for construction on the foundation site of a house near Namchi and Choja raod, the earth quake caused to collapse the wall and buried the two. The wall was 15 feet in height where 12 workers were working. While other ran away and saved their lives, the two buried alive. The police and the local people immediately rushed for the rescue but the two persons found dead on the spot.Two construction labourers were killed in a mudslide triggered by a mild quake at Rabongla in south Sikkim saturday, police sources said. The two were engaged in construction of a building along Rabongla-Ralang road when the mudslide occurred following mild tremors felt in the area, DIG (Range) Akshay Sachdeva told. The bodies of Prakash Tamang (25) and Ritesh Chettri (18), both of them labourers from darjesling...

Other Headlines: -The Chief Minister urged the people of Sikkim to make fully successful the second phase of green mission in the State. -Sintam Police arrested two persons Padam Pradhan, 30 and Saran Tamang, 36 in connection with drug trafficking. Police recovered 306 capsules of Spasmo pro. and 36 nos. of bottle containing corex. -A business man and BJP leader denied the allegation of having made any derogatory remark against any community. A local daily had published his statement and former Minister T. Lachungpa condemned the remark in a press conference. -Police raided a local shops quick bite Fast food at Gangtok town and sealed following the unhygienic condition and use of domestic LPG cylinders. -Two workers died due to earth quake at Ravangla, South Sikkim. -Road disrupted due to landslide after incessant rainfall at Rakdong-Tintek. -Second Green Mission started from Righ constituency. -Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari convicted in corruption charged by lower court, ...

GANGTOK, May 23: In a shocking incident, a new-born baby was found shoved inside a drain pipe in a toilet here today. The baby girl, less than few hours old, was found by a sweeper in a toilet located at the premises of the Entel Motors workshop here at 5th Mile Tadong in the wee hours of this morning. “I was on my regular duty today morning cleaning up the toilets when was attention was drawn to the first toilet room when I heard the sound of a baby crying,” the sweeper Ramesh Chettri said. Sensing something wrong, he immediately called the neighbours and when they went inside the toilet room, they found the baby half inside a sewage pipe. The baby, still alive but breathing heavily, was pulled out and taken to the Central Referral Hospital and admitted to the in Neo Natal Intensive unit (NNIC) under the pediatrics department. “There is a severe cut marks in the body of the baby and she is in a critical condition,” Dr Jayanth Mazumdar, Senior Resident, NNIC of SMIMS told Sikkim...

The revelation of an impression of Lord Shiva’s face on a rock at Andheri, on the way to Pakyong and 15 kms from Gangtok, under Losing Pacheykhani Constituency has become the latest pilgrimage attraction in the State. Devotees from all around Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and North Bengal are making a beeline to Andheri Falls for a glimpse of the “miracle” and offering pujas. Everyday, hundreds of devotees are thronging at this natural rock formation near a water fall and seeking blessings from Lord Shiva.

  Source: Dailyindia.com/ANI New Delhi, May 25:  Pawan Hans, one of India's leading helicopter companies, has been given a 'No Objection Certificate' (NOC) to operate as a scheduled operator in India. The company will now join the club of scheduled airlines such as Indian Airlines and Air India. It is also exploring the possibility of venturing into fixed-wing operations. The company was incorporated in 1985 with the objective of providing helicopter services to the petroleum sector, linking inaccessible areas of the country, and operating charters to promote tourism. Since its inception, the company has operated several helicopters and offered a wide range of services through its fleet of 34 helicopters, which includes Bell 206L4, Bell 407, Dauphin SA 365N, Dauphin AS 365N3, and Mi-172. In addition, Pawan Hans is also acquiring two new Dauphin N3 helicopters, which will be delivered in September-October. Pawan Hans is a leader in providing offshore helicop...

WORLD WATER DAY: Merge Ancient Culture With Modern Technology to Get It Right, Says U.N. By Frances Suselo The 'Neysol' text in Tibetan Buddhism showing river courses and lakes as well as forests and historical sites illustrates how our ancestors viewed our existence in nature. BANGKOK (Asia Water Wire) – An ancient map of West Sikkim, which depicts holy sites, lakes and rivers in colourful detail, is gaining increasing relevance at a time when the world is grappling with a crisis over water. Called the ‘Neysol’ text of Tibetan Buddhism, the map reveals the sacred landscape of Demojong, from the Khangchendzong peak down to sub-tropical forest below, including historical monuments as well as systems of terraced agriculture. ‘’This is a perfect example showing how our ancestors truly understood the connection between water and life,’’ said Han Qun Li, a senior official of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), at a World Water D...

STATE BJP VOICED FOR CAR PARKING Gangtok, May 25: State BJP made a complain to Chief Secretary and Secretary UDHD that the car park of the Supermarket in Development Area, Gangtok is being removed and a building is coming up to house the Government Department. As per complain letter, the Supermarket in Development Area is an outcome of the initial project of Car park for Development Area. The project was initially started as Car park and later this is changed to Supermarket cum Car park. The proposal for car park at that time was initiated in the request of the residents of Development Area which is the only car park in the Development Area and the removal of the car park will lead to total absence of car park in Development area and the road side will be the only parking place in Development Area. The road is already narrow and the parking of vehicle in the road will lead to chaos in the road and the residents of the Development area will have no place to park their vehicle.

NMBP ASSURED FOR SIKKIMESE HERB Gangtok, May 25: Sikkim medicinal herbs sector is improving with farmers showing encouraging results and assurances coming from the National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) for infrastructural and marketing support. In Sikkim nearly 424 species of medicinal plants grow in Sikkim, mostly in the wild, 70 per cent of which are found in the State's high altitude regions above 8,000 feet. The National Medicinal Plants Board has identified around 35 species as having commercial value and will support new schemes for the medicinal plant growers in the state. ''NMBP have agreed in principle of state government proposals for providing systematic botanical survey, documentation of herbal outlets and other schemes to revitalise and popularise the traditional systems of Sikkim Himalayas, including establishment of warehousing facilities in different centres and market infrastructural development. Total 84 farmers in the state have been supported by NMBP to ...

GANGTOK, May 23: The Centre Government has approved an amount of Rs. 13 Crores, 42 lakhs as the first installment fund for infrastructure development for Border trade at the Nathula Post here in East Sikkim. This amount has been sanctioned for the construction of a consolidated check post unit at Nathula. This is in response to a proposal placed earlier by the Commerce and Industries, Department of Sikkim before the Centre Government for upgradation of the existing check post unit in Nathula. The Department had placed a proposal with an estimation of Rs. 24 Crores, 42 Lakhs for the project. The Director, Commerce and Industries, SP Subba said that the first phase of the extension work will began once the tender process gets over, which will be carried out by the State Department of Housing and Building, which will also oversee the entire construction process. There is already an existing single-storied structure at the Nathula Pass here, which is currently being used as a Check Post fo...