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

Bandh calls back Darjeeling, 29 February, 6:30pm: Darjeeling hills are expected to be normal from tomorrow onwards. The second round of talk between the state government and GJMM has been successful. Bandh as well as the entire fast-unto-death (hunger strike) has been called off immediately after the meeting held at Kolkota, effecting from 29 February, 5pm onwards in Darjeeling hills. GJMM has given 10 days of time to the state government to clarify the issue related to Subash Ghisingh. The state government is expected to re-delineate the ‘Lalkoti’ or DGHC in the next 10 days. http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/News/Subash-Ghisingh-resigns.html

STAFF REPORTER Gangtok: The Governor of Sikkim Mr. Sudarshan Agarwal on February 28 inaugurated the Postal finance Mart (PFM) at Gangtok Head Post Office in presence of Major General Mr. KVS Lalthotra, GOC (Black cat Division), Mr. NK Pradhan, Gangtok Area MLA, Mrs. Sashi Salini Kujur, Director for Postal Services, Sikkim, and other personnel of postal services. Mrs. Kujur in her welcome address said that the Postal Service in Sikkim has completed 150 years and it is one of the oldest postal services in India. She informed that presently there are 155 post offices connecting every sector of the State. Everything has changed and modernized with the economic development of the country therefore PFM has been introduced to meet the rising expectations of the customers from pos...

People burn Ghisingh effigy in Darjeeling Darjeeling, Feb 29: Unconfirmed reports suggests that Subash Ghisingh, the caretaker administrator of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council has sent his resignation to the Chief Minister of West Bengal. However, the news has not yet been confirmed. Writers Building sources corroborating the GJM Central Committee Members and President Bimal Gurung’s statement suggest that Subash Ghisingh has no option left but to resign. The West Bengal Government and the Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya himself have committed to the removal of Subash Ghisingh, the caretaker administrator of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. “If Subash Ghisingh does not submit his resignation then we will remove him within ten days,” said Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. Subash Ghisingh is meanwhile in New Delhi in a desperate mission to salvage his brainchild ‘the Sixth Schedule Amendment Bill’.  He is said to have tendered his resignation from New Delhi. However, again this ha...

Photos by Barun Roy

Photos by Rajesh Pradhan, Sunil Pradhan and Dawa http://beacononline.wordpress.com/

SHIVADEEP RAI Gangtok: “Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) is playing a very dirty game of cheap publicity and creating confusion among the people of Sikkim by misleading them”, said Mr. Dorji Namgyal, founder member and former General Secretary of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Party in a press meet on February 27 at Namnang. He said that the news of formation of block level women and youth committees of Namnang by SHRP in their meeting at Namnang area, which was published in a local English daily newspaper on February 26, is “totally false” and has created confusion amongst the people of Namnang area. “The so called committee members named in the report are not the residents of Namnang as falsely claimed by SHRP”, Mr. Namgyal said. He clarfie...

Gangtok: “Let us make together Sikkim a paradise on Earth”, the Chief Minister Dr Pawan Chamling told State Government engineers in his inaugural address at the ‘Orientation cum Workshop Programme’ for Assistant and Junior Engineers of the State Government at Chintan Bhawan on February 27. The programme is organized by Roads and Bridges Department, Government of Sikkim under Capacity Building and Skill Development Programme. Engineers have a significant role to play in the development of the State and in construction of world class roads. He advised the engineers to work in the filed and not on drawings, maps or charts alone. “Working in the field raises your respect and capability. That won’t reduce your value and status. Instead, you will be able to ensure quality as you possess...

All Photos by Rajesh Pradhan and Sunil Pradhan

Posted by barunroy Feb. 27: The bandh in Darjeeling will continue till the state removes Subash Ghisingh from the post of caretaker administrator of the hill council and the Centre scraps the Sixth Schedule bill, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders said in Calcutta today. [Inset: Ghisingh in Santiniketan on Wednesday. “This is Kalyug,” he said after a guided tour of Visva- Bharati. “What happened in Iraq? What is happening everywhere? Negative,” he said.] After a 75-minute meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Morcha brass said they would stay in the city for a few more days awaiting the government’s response to their demands. “We are happy with today’s discussion. The chief minister said he would discuss our two primary demands with his cabinet colleagues and convey the government’s stand at the earliest,” said Morcha president Bimal Gurung. “The bandh and the hunger strike (by Morcha supporters in Darjeeling) will continue,” Gurung said. Asked about the demands, Bhatt...

www.telegraphindia.com Siliguri, Feb. 27: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung today warned the Bengal government and the Centre that there would be bloodshed if the Sixth Schedule bill is passed in Parliament and the special status “thrust forcibly on the hills”. Around 30km away, at Panighata in Naxalbari block, six policemen were injured when Morcha and GNLF supporters hurled stones at each other. One of them was shifted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. “The state and Centre have already committed mistakes by not talking to the common man before drafting the Sixth Schedule bill. This created tension and if the status is conferred forcibly, we apprehend bloodshed,” Gurung told journalists at Dagapur on the outskirts of Siliguri. He arrived there at 11.30am to meet the 31 Morcha supporters who are on an indefinite hunger strike. The Morcha president appreciated the state’s decision to send him a written invitation for the talks held at Writers’ Buildings t...

www.telegraphindia.com Kalimpong, Feb. 27: Thousands of women have joined the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in its agitation for statehood. Two decades ago, the scene was different: women at best were passive participants in the movement for Gorkhaland led by the GNLF. Conversations that The Telegraph had with a crosssection of women reveal that the sudden show of strength is not a result of the Morcha strategy alone, but a paroxysm of anger against the 21 years of GNLF rule. Not that everybody is ready to admit it. One of them is Urmila Rumba, the convener of the Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha. While she agreed that resentment against the GNLF was the catalyst for the current uprising, she rejected the notion that the agitation was entirely spontaneous. “Women’s participation you see today in the agitation is a result of the groundwork done by our core committee,” Rumba said over phone from Darjeeling. In Darjeeling and its surrounding areas alone, Rumba said, her organisation had formed...

Sikkim has done it again. The State has been awarded the Best Tourism Performing State for the year 2006-07. Sikkim shares this honour with Madhya Pradesh. This recognition and honour have been bestowed on the basis of efforts made for overall tourism development and promotion by the State Government. The Award will be presented on February 27 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi by the Union Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukerjee and will be received by the State Tourism Minister, RB Subba along with Secretary, Tourism GP Upadhyaya. After thorough research and survey of all the States and Union Territories, the jury comprising of eminent personalities from the Ministry of Tourism and the Industry chose Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh as the States with outstanding contributions towards tourism promotion in the country.  The State has surpassed other States like Kerala, Rajasthan, and Goa, to receive this prestigious award. Tourism in the State has made consider...

Tibet & Sikkim By Teo Lempesis Standard Landscape 10x8 inches (25x20 cm) 64 pages Published: February 27, 2008

Brigadier R K Patyal has been appointed as chief engineer of Project Swastik, Border Roads Organization,(BRO), which is responsible for building bridges and maintenance of NH 31A, a lifeline of Sikkim. He will take charge of the office on March 3, a BRO official here said today. Project Swastik has been entrsuted to upgrade the Nathu La road and North Sikkim highway. The double laning of the Nathu La road would make easier for business people to trade with Tibet Autonomous Region in China. -- (UNI) --

Enlarge Photo Darjeeling: Bandh relaxed for 12 hrs | The issue | Blog Wed, Feb 27 03:50 PM New Delhi: The unrest in the hills of West Bengal continued for seventh consecutive day with the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha disrupting normal life in Darjeeling. Though by afternoon, the GJM announced a 12-hour relaxation in the bandh, the Morcha has said it will decide on its future course of action after its six-member delegation meets West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya on Wednesday evening in Kolkata. However, economic blockade and the hunger strike called continues. The GJM is a breakaway faction of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and has been demanding separate statehood for Darjeeling, protesting the introduction of Sixth Schedule status for the region. The protests turned violent on Tuesday evening when nearly 1,000 women supporters of the GJM clashed with police in Siliguri. The protests cut off Sikkim from the rest of the c...

Enlarge Photo Darjeeling erupts over separate state issue | Photo Blog Wed, Feb 27 09:25 AM New Delhi: The unrest in the hills of West Bengal continued for seventh consecutive day with the indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha disrupting normal life in Darjeeling. The GJM is a breakaway faction of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and has been demanding separate statehood for Darjeeling, protesting the introduction of Sixth Schedule status for the region. The protests turned violent on Tuesday evening when nearly 1,000 women supporters of the GJM clashed with police in Siliguri. The protests cut off Sikkim from the rest of the country and tourists and vehicles were stranded on the NH-31 Highway. The GJM leadership said the bandh would continue till the demands for the immediate removal of Subash Ghising from the post of administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and the scrapping of the move to grant Sixth Schedule status to the regi...

The Centre has selected Sikkim the 'best performing state' in the country alongwith Madhya Pradesh for the year 2006-07 for promotion of tourism and building infrastructure in this regard. A jury comprising representatives of the Union Ministry of Tourism and Industry picked Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh for the award of best performing state in the sphere of tourism on the basis of research and survey of infrastructure development in tourism sector across the country, an official release said today. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would present the award to Sikkim Tourism minister R.B. Subba at a ceremony in New Delhi on February 27 next, the release said. The Pawan Kumar Chamling government has improved road connectivity to various tourist places across the state which has lured a large number of visitors from the country and abroad. © Copyright PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of any PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expr...

Sikkim-bound passengers at SNT terminus. A Telegraph picture Siliguri, Feb. 26: More than 1,000 passengers were stranded today at the Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) terminus along Hill Cart Road here after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters stopped buses at several points on NH31A, which connects Siliguri to Kalimpong and Gangtok. “Around 1.30pm, four SNT buses arrived here from Gangtok without any escort. The drivers repo...

Sanjeev Choudhary, TNN NEW DELHI: India’s great gamblers won’t need to hotfoot it to casino capitals like Macao or Monaco (or closer home, even Kathmandu) for a quick turn at the roulette table or a hand of baccarat or black jack. For that, look to Gangtok, which is set to literally hit the jackpot. The country’s biggest real estate developer DLF and hospitality chain Sarovar Hotels & Resorts are on course to separately set up the country’s first inland casinos in Sikkim’s capital. The Sikkim government, which has been looking to turn the state into a tourist hotspot, passed the Sikkim Casino Games Act in 2004, making casino operations legal. And it framed casino rules last year. Incidentally, Sikkim is the only state to have legalised casinos after Goa, which has a legal casino—Casino Goa—located offshore in capital Panaji. This casino is located on a yacht, anchored on the Mandovi river. DLF offshoot DLF Hotel Holdings has signed an MoU with the Sikkim gover...

Gangtok: District Administrative Centre (East) conducted a cleanliness drive from White Hall complex to Ranipool on February 26 with an objective to promote hygiene awareness amongst the people. The cleanliness drive was carried out at different places of Gangtok and Ranippol like Lal Bazaar area, Zero Point area and others. Urban Development and Housing Department, Forest Department, Civil Defence, NGOs and social workers of Gangtok took part in the drive. During the drive, Mr. Vishal Chauhan, District Magistrate (East), in view of the forthcoming International Florishow 2008 and Sikkim Tourism, appealed to the people having homes adjacent to National Highway to beautify their home surroundings with beautiful flower pots. http://www.sikkimreporter.com/otherstories.html

Gangtok: District Administrative Centre (East) conducted a cleanliness drive from White Hall complex to Ranipool on February 26 with an objective to promote hygiene awareness amongst the people. The cleanliness drive was carried out at different places of Gangtok and Ranippol like Lal Bazaar area, Zero Point area and others. Urban Development and Housing Department, Forest Department, Civil Defence, NGOs and social workers of Gangtok took part in the drive. During the drive, Mr. Vishal Chauhan, District Magistrate (East), in view of the forthcoming International Florishow 2008 and Sikkim Tourism, appealed to the people having homes adjacent to National Highway to beautify their home surroundings with beautiful flower pots. http://www.sikkimreporter.com/otherstories.html

Kurseong SDO Office, 26.02.2008: The photos and the banners above it speaks for itself,the communal harmony that exsists in Kurseong irrespective of age,caste and creed. [Rajesh/Sunil Pradhan] Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (Youth Front) Gorkha Janmukti Marwari Morcha (Marwari Front) Gorkha Janmukti Harijan Yuva Morcha (Harijan Youth Front) Gorkha Janmukti Bengali Morcha (Bengali Front) & Gorkha Janmukti Muslim Front Gorkha Janmukti Students Front http://beacononline.wordpress.com/

Statesman News Service GANGTOK, Feb. 25: A large number of tourists remain stranded in Sikkim due to the GJMM convened bandh in the Darjeeling Hills. The National Highway 31A, which is the lifeline to Sikkim passes through the Kalimpong sub-division in Darjeeling district. The bandh has affected the National Highway disrupting movement to and from Sikkim. It has also left the tourists stranded. The stranded tourists today approached several offices including the state tourism department, Sikkim Nationalised Transport and the police urging for an arrangement to reach Siliguri. “I purchased a tatkal rail ticket to travel from New Jalpaiguri to Surat spending Rs 6,000 but could not leave Sikkim. The ticket is non-refundable, which means I have lost the money,” lamented Mr Ashok Modi a tourist from Gujarat. Another tourist Mr S R Kale from Pune said: “I have to catch the Darjeeling Mail from New Jalpaiguri on 27 February. It looks impossible now.” The stranded tourists also approached the ...

The Nepali newspaper “Himalaya Darpan” now has an online version, accessible at: http://epaper.himalayadarpan.com/login.aspx This paper is one of the most comprehensive source of local news and information from the Darjeeling Hills.

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Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) on Sunday dared GNLF supremo Subhas Ghising to return to Darjeeling and said his statement that he could do so whenever he wanted did not carry much weight. "We dare him to return to Darjeeling with his security men either by road or by helicopter. He will have to cross few thousand women members of Gorkha Narimukti Morcha," GJM president Bimal Gurung told . Ghising's statement to the press about his return and that there was no question of his quitting as the caretaker administrator of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council till his term ends was made yesterday in Kolkata, where he had the support of the West Bengal government, he said. Lambasting Ghising for his statement that he could enter Darjeeling whenever he wanted but there should be no clash, Gurung, once a close associate of Ghising, said he should be ashamed as 1200 people were killed during the Gorkhaland agitation in the 1980s. "But GJM would stick to Gandhigiri...

http://www.sikkimreporter.com/archive/23%20Feb/index.html Sikkim SHIVADEEP RAI Gangtok: “Sikkim is a biodiversity hotspot hosting over 26 percent of the nation’s biodiversity. Within a distance of 114 km, we find all five climate zones, from Tropical to Alpine, where diverse shades of flora and fauna coexist amid quiet splendor and brilliance radiated by nature. We have taken extra care to conserve our environment and ecology while undertaking development works”. This was said by Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling in his address after inaugurating Sikkim Science Centre at Marchak, Ranipool, Gangtok, on February 22. He said, “Over the decades, we initiated many innovative environmental conservation measures, including the ban of the use of non-biodegradable materials like plastic and poly bags in the State, ban on the felling of green trees, ban on grazing, the institution of Smriti Ban ...

SHIVADEEP RAI Gangtok: The establishment of Sikkim Viklang Sahayata Samiti (SVSS) under the leadership of Ms. Draupadi Ghimiray is a milestone towards the betterment, encouragement and inspiration for the physically handicapped people of Sikkim to live a normal life and to contribute to the development of the society, state and the nation.With the support of the Health Department and other organizations, SVSS (an independent organization) was formed by Ms. Ghimiray and her associates in 1999 for voluntary service to the handicapped. SVSS was set up at Ranipool in a rented house. Presently, it is located at Zero Point area to continue in voluntary service. In the year 2001, SVSS got registration and started conducting workshops throughout the State at regular intervals. Scores of ...

Statesman News Service GANGTOK, Feb. 24: Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP), the lone strong Opposition party of the state lambasted ruling government and accused them of eye-washing the Limboo and Tamang community in the matter of seat reservation today. However, SHRP strongly feels that the ruling government is trying to divert their attention from the serious issues faced by the Sikkimese people regarding the seat reservation of Limboo and Tamang community, alleged Mr Biraj Adhikari, spokes person. SHRP. “The ruling government has no fixed policy on the said issue” Mr Adhikari said. While accusing the ruling government he also said that the government had to clear the air by immediately informing the people of Sikkim about what they were going to do with the issue within a month otherwise they would go to the public and expose the lies spread by them. “They always gave verbal assurance but we want the same assurance in Sikkim Legislative Assembly (SLA) with written documents,” Mr. ...

By Barun Roy GJM’s paranoia with Subash Ghisingh could ultimately lead to it checkmating itself. GNLF and Subash Ghisingh by not offering resistance to the GJM Anti-Subash, Anti Sixth Schedule could land itself in the good books of the tribals with majority in the villages and tea gardens. GJM should at this very moment should be lobbying at New Delhi against the Sixth Schedule Bill not laying seize over Subash Ghisingh. ‘Fast Unto Death’ should have been carried out in all the state capitals of India not in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and if possible abroad. Indefinite strike has party antagonized people. It should be immediately lifted. “What the hell is going on here?” was the question that I was greeted with at the market yesterday by a friend of mine, who had arrived from Germany and along with his wife just wanted to stretch his legs at one of the premier hotels in Darjeeling. “I tried to call you up but as usual you were no where to be found. We ha...