27 May, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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GANGTOK, 26 May: Looking at the rub-ble from above one got the feeling of im-mense casualties. The entire building be-longing to Transport Department Superin-tending Engineer SR Subba at 6th MileTadong imploded on itself under the com-bined assault of structure and soil failurethis afternoon at around 2:45PM. It wasnothing short of a miracle that when thefive-storeyed building collapsed only fivepeople suffered “minor” injuries.

The building, situated below theScouts and Guides Centre collapsed inwhat must be the first of its kind of acci-

dent in Sikkim.At the time of the collapse, there were

five persons in the two shops which occu-pied the building. Santosh Gupta, BikashGupta and Ramakant were in the balcony infront of the shops while the other two were

inside. As the building began to totter, thesethree jumped out of harms way while theother two, Gyan Bahadur Das and NareshSharma were buried under the rubble. As thephotographs will bear out, the entire build-ing was flattened and its a miracle that the

trapped friends could find pockets largeenough to accommodate and keep themsafe till help reached.

Among the first to reach the collapsedstructure were NT Bhutia and Dharmaraj

BUILDING COLLAPSES

NO CASUALTIES!HEROIC PASSER-BY TO THE RESCUE

rescue efforts underway at the collapsed structure of the 5-storied building which imploded on itself at 6th Mile, Tadong on 26 May

turn to pg 3

2; NOW!; 27 May, 2004

C M Y K

Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist withinternational magazines... It’s hard to pin Twan Yangdown. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother, hegrew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW!serializes Twan Yang’s autobiography, Houseboy in India...

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

-63-When next evening we came back,I heard to my great grief that mywife had given birth to a dead child.This was a terrible moment for me.I went inside and saw my wife ly-ing quietly, no longer suffering painfor the first time in many days. Shetried to smile and said: “All the oth-ers have their babies with them.Why has my baby not been givento me by this time?” I told her thatthe nurse had said the baby was ill,that they would give it to her verysoon and she should be patient. Shemight have suffered a great shockif I had told her the truth. For methe important thing was that mywife was alive.

Early next morning I rose feel-ing very sad. I went out with somefruits to the hospital and took therethe death certificate of my deadchild from the office. There werethree of us. I wanted to bury thebaby, as it is not the custom to cre-mate the body of a little child. I wasso anxious to see how the baby

The baby is born deadlooked that I opened the bundle.The baby looked exactly like mywife, with a flat nose, but the faceand eyes were like mine, and it wasas yellow as I am. I had to weepwhen I saw this little face of myfirst child. The baby weighedten pounds, a really big child.It was a girl, and I had al-ready thought of a name,which I kept in mind inmemory of her. Lhamo,which in Tibetan means“Goddess.”

The burial ground was ata great distance from the hos-pital, several miles away. Itwould have been very hardto walk all this distance car-rying the dead child. So I hitupon a plan. I wrapped up the babyin paper. I had brought with me asmall bottle of scent and I poured

this over the parcel so that it had anice smell of roses and no onewould think I was carrying a deadchild. Then I took a taxi. If it had

been known what I wascarrying, there mighthave been the mostterrible trouble on

account of the laws of the govern-ment. Perhaps a driver might allowit if he were paid enough, for I

asked one driver and he said thathe would take me for six rupees.So instead of this, I walked somedistance away from the hospitalwith my sad bundle and took a taxiwithout saying anything to the driverand without his knowing that therewas any danger. I told him to take

me to the bridge, and fromthere I walked the remainderof the distance, and I wascharged only fourteen annasinstead of six rupees. Thecemetery was a public one forthe Hindu nation, and anyonecould be buried there if theland rent was paid. So I didthis. I had to pay two rupees.

In the evening I went tosee my wife and told her the

truth. I asked her not to worry aboutit because it was so much better thatshe was alive and the baby dead

than the other way. When she heardthis she promised not to worry. Shesaid that, God willing, we wouldstill have many babies. So I washappy to find that she understoodproperly. I had now to take goodfood to her, which would be easyto digest and would strengthen herblood and body and help her to re-cover from her weakness. So in or-der to save her I ordered a chickento be killed everyday and broughther chicken soup. But this I con-tinued only upto six days, after thatI gave her mutton broth. Then mywife began to tell me that shewanted to come home, as the lifein the hospital was unpleasant. Shestill had a temperature, but I tookher home after six days instead often, because she insisted so stronglyand cried so hard that I could notdo otherwise. At home she soonbecame all right with the help ofher elder sister, Lanjo and every-thing went on well and happily asbefore.

-to be continued

DON’T KILL THEM

Dogs are faithful animals,which render services as faith-

ful servants through out their life.They are known to sacrifice

their own lives protecting theirmasters. They do not betray, neverlack gratitude and work sincerelyfor their handler.

The stray dogs are being de-stroyed in Gangtok. In order to killthe dogs training is imparted tothe dog hunters. The dog hunt-ers conduct raid early in themorning in each nook and cor-ner of streets and houses andshoot the dogs. The deaddogs are transported to dis-tant places and dumped. Thescene of killing the dogs isvery pathetic and it is painful toall sensitive persons. All stray dogsare not useless. They eat the rottenfood and thus help in cleaning thefilth from the drains.

Instead of killing them they canbe sterilized to stop their produc-tivity. Considerable expenditurewill be incurred for operating thedogs. On the other hand for killingthe dogs expenditure being in-curred on account of impartingtraining to the dog hunters, cost ofcollecting, transportation anddumping the carcass is also not in-significant. From the point of viewof financial implication, takingmeasure for operating the straydogs is more prudent because a par-ticular dog once operated will notneed further operation and thus theexpenditure for the said purposewill gradually minimize in subse-quent years and ultimately end atnil.

Mass killing of dogs is againstthe ecological balance and it willresult in increase of rats in largenumber and rat borne diseases likeplague and leptospirosis. We haveseen this at Surat and Thane just afew years before.

It is pertinent to mention herethat in many states killing of straydogs have been banned by launch-

ing animal birth control and anti-rabies (ABC/AR) programme.

Further, killing these innocentanimals is ethically a sin. Moreo-ver, as per Article 51 A (G) of theconstitution it is our fundamental

duty toprotect WildLife and to have compassion forliving creature. By killing the dogsthe constitutional provision is con-travened.

Furthermore, killing of straydogs is in violation of preventionof cruelty to Animals Act 1960.

In view of the above I as a con-cerned citizen would like to request“NOW” to take up the matter withthe government to stop killing theseinnocent creatures.BN Mitra, Syari, Gangtok

STILL WATERS STIR

We, the ‘Still Waters’ are verygrateful and thankful to you

for bringing out the article of the22 May show but some certainchanges are necessary in the report.

The name of the vocalist has beengiven as Vishal but the vocalist’sname is Diwash and Vishal in the

rhythm guitaris. Another point is thatin the inset photograph the band isnot ‘Voodoo Magic’ but ‘Crossides’.

We would be highly grateful toyou if you could correct these mis-takes and print them properly so thatno misconceptions would occur. Wewould also take this opportunity tothank the organisers Paro Subba andSanjay Bishwa for a wonderful show.We also thank the other two bands‘Crossides’ and ‘Voodoo Magic’ for

creating such a wonderful atmos-phere and not to forget the beau-tiful models without whom theglamour of the show was in-complete. Lastly, a huge sa-lute to our fans for their sup-port and care.Diwash, Still Watersemail: stillwaters_80

@hotmail.com

LEARN FROM LUM

What the residents of Lumbusty in Dzongu are suffering

because of a supposedly developmentproject in the shape of the Teesta StageV Hydel project is just another exam-ple of lax accountability. The projecthas brought in its wake many othersocial problems for the immediate re-gion apart from the environmental im-pact that it carries. Being a resident ofSingtam, I have seen many problemscreated by the big project from veryclose range. What I have now come torealise is that almost all the ills attachedto this mega project could have beenavoided if only our policy makers hadbeen able to look deep enough into thefuture. No that the present governmenthas decided to focus on development,I hope that it also learns from the StageV experience to prepare enough safe-guards to avoid the negative fallouts inthe future.name withheld on request

�LETTERS

write NOW! Democracy does not only allow a person the libertyof holding an opinion, but also expressing it publicly. If you feelstrongly about something that has been reported in NOW!, thenshare it with a wider audience.write to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East Sikkim.Or email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

WAKE UP!Gangtok now has a rule in place which requires clearance bygeologists before a building is constructed. What the geologistsdo is study the soil and rock formation on which a proposedconstruction is to be based. They study the area’s stability andthen suggest the maximum size that the building can take. Whilethis is a welcome development and appears specially importantin light of the building that collapsed on 26 May at 6th Mile Tadong,it is yet another example of bureaucratic lethargy delaying whatis an immediate requirement. The “Relative Areal Stability Map”of Gangtok was prepared way back in 1992. This map chartsGangtok into different zones depending on the general stabilityof the area. The legislation which requires geological study be-fore construction was enforced about a year and a half back - afull decade after geologists had mapped Gangtok into stableand unstable zones, rated from 1 to 6 [most unstable]. No oneappears to have paid much heed to this document until land-slides hit the heart of the capital in 1997 and forced the adminis-trators to start worrying about the future instead of working oneday at a time. Many sounds were made about how the height ofbuildings would be limited to 5 storeys and how no constructionwould be allowed during monsoons. But no sooner had the rainsmoved on that the initiative too died down. Somehow the legis-lation mentioned earlier came about.About the incident of 26 May, the building was declared unsafequite some time back. While no one lived in the building any more,some shops were still being run from its premises. While the even-tual collapse did not surprise anyone, the suddenness with whichit happened on a clear, sunny day shocked many. People are notused to seeing a building implode like this. Fortunately no liveswere lost to what could have been a rescue and relief nightmare.But does one let things be at that? Senior geologists maintainthat more qualified experts are required to study the soil and rockformations before deciding on how much load it can take. Deput-ing the responsibility to officials from Mine & Geology is okay as astopgap arrangement, but because this is going to be a perma-nent fixture of the construction policy of the State, it is perhapstime that a specialised cell was set up at the UD&HD itself tomonitor such works. What the incident also brings to fore is theexistence of some more buildings in the vicinity and elsewherewhich have either been declared unsafe or are showing obvioussigns of structure and soil failure. Even if the Department hesi-tates to order the demolition of such structures, the least it can dois order their evacuation. While it might not have any responsibili-ties towards private property, it cannot shirk accountability forpeople’s lives. What we also require now are stricter rules to gov-ern construction, public safety and accountability.

27 May, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

� RAJDHANI

Gurung who were passing by in alocal share-cab. They stopped atonce and rushed to the accident sitealong with their driver, Anil.

According to Mr. Bhutia, “Weheard a loud noise and looking backthere was a lot of dust and smoke.Initially, we thought it was a firebut soon realised, as the dust set-tled that the building which hadbeen standing there was missing.”

Rushing to the spot they heardcries for help and soon began at-tempting to reach those under thedebris. The first person out wasGyan Bdr. Das who was pulled outby Mr. Bhutia and Mr. Gurung.

The OC Ranipool, KarmaDenzongpa, had arrived by thenalong with Gambhir Chettri, 2ndOC, Ranipool. Also at the spot wasASP [East] Tashi Wangyal who wasoverseeing the rescue operations.Anil, who had risked crawling intothe collapsed structure had by thenlocated Naresh Sharma and hadpulled him out to safety [see pics].

Naresh Sharma was immediatelyrushed to the Manipal Emergencyward.

While Naresh Sharma sufferedspinal injuries, Gyan Br. Das sus-tained hairline fractures in his knee.

While recounting his experi-ence, Naresh revealed that he wastrapped inside the collapsed struc-ture for a full 45 minutes stuck un-der an iron table under which he hadducked when the building startedcollapsing around him. When askedhow he could be so sure of the tim-ing, he offered a weak smile and saidthat all he did stuck under the tablewas stare at his watch and count theminutes as they passed by. After 45minutes he heard some noise andwas soon being pulled to safety byAnil, he informs.

According to an eyewitness,about an hour before the collapseoccurred there had been a loudnoise and part of the structure hadpeeled away from its foundation.

A part of the neighbouringstructure belonging to Indra KumarPradhan also suffered some dam-

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 26 May: It is notcommon for a 5-storied building tocollapse without warning. Suchthings don’t happen and even in theincident at 6th Mile Tadong, am-ple warning signs had manifestedin the form of cracks and buckledcolumns to suggest that the build-ing was unsafe. The owners hadalready moved out and most of thetenants too had evacuated the build-ing. Those left behind were also inthe process of doing so. Perhaps noone expected the collapse to comeso soon.

There is however no doubt thatthe accident was waiting to happen.Located beside a jhora in an areawhich is graded “5” on the stabil-ity map of Gangtok [in which grade6 is the most unstable], put thebuilding in a precarious positionwith the running water seeping intothe foundation and softening it up.

Geologists who have visited thebuilding often to study its deterio-ration maintain that if their advicehad been sought before construc-tion, they would have never let thebuilding come up.

Asked to explain in more de-tail, they point out that the jhoranext to which the building was con-structed follows a fault-line. Toexplain this in lay-man’s term: theGangtok hill has a series of rockformations and fault-lines are eitherthe fractures in these rock bases orthe lines bordering two rock strata.The one at 6th mile is “very active”inform geologists and because itshifts often, it loosens the very

foundation on which the buildingwas standing. Water inadvertentlyseeps in and weakens the entirestructure they point out.

In fact, unstable conditions arenot localised to the building inquestion alone. The entire stretchalong the highway to Ranipoolfrom the building onwards to theHoly Cross gate is highly unstableit is learnt. While a building fur-ther down has already started buck-ling under the stress, another liesabandoned at the next turning.

Construction should be dis-couraged in this stretch, stress ge-ologists as they point out that eventhe road here keeps sinking.

Reinforcement, reiterate ex-perts don’t help because the stresskeeps building. Even the owner ofthe collapsed building, SR Subba,an SE with the Transport Depart-ment, had taken pains to reinforcehis building with little success.

To his credit, he had tried toevacuate the building and most ofthe tenants had already left includ-ing Mahindra & Mahindra FinanceLtd. which had its office there tillbarely a month ago.

The local ward PanchayatPrabath Gurung informs, “Thoughmost of the people had evacuatedon the cautioning of Mr. Subba somedid not leave and it was not possi-ble to force them out. There weretwo shops still operating; one a CDshop and another a ration shop.”

He also pointed towards abuilding some distance away say-ing that it too had been declaredunstable by the authorities but con-tinued to be occupied.

Contd from pg 1

Building Collapses...age. According to him, his kitchen,toilet, store and some land weredamaged. At the time of the col-lapse, the family was having theirlunch when they heard a loud noise.Thinking that a truck had fallendown the jhora, they rushed out tosee a blanket of dust and smoke andsoon realised that their neighbour-ing building had collapsed.

Later the SP East, Sridhar Raoarrived with various police person-nel and confirmed that only twopersons had been trapped under theconcrete mess.

“They have been pulled out andsent to the hospital. As to the causeof the collapse we will have tostudy the reports first,” the SP said.

The owner of the building,Mr. Subba, while speaking to theDC East clarified that he hadwarned his tenants about the un-stable condition of the buildingand also said that most of thosewho had establishments there hadevacuated and relocated morethan a month back. Incidentally,the building was not insured.

AN ACCIDENTWAITING TO

HAPPEN

What remains of a 5-storied building

the rescue...

�

�

�

Naresh Sharma, who spent 45 excruciating minutespinned under a table inside the rubble is pulled out ofthe collapsed building by civilian passers, who rushedinto the still unstable structure to locate and rescuehim, and Sikkim Police personnel who arrived at thespot and aided in the rescue attempts. Naresh’s friend,Gyan Bahadur Das, has already been rescued by thetime this series of photographs were taken.Although the 5-storied building had collapsed like a packof cards, the 5 people in the building at the time es-

caped with minor injuries. Whilethree jumped out of the balcony asthe building was coming down, twowere trapped inside. While Gyansuffered hairline fractures on hisknee, Naresh is being kept underobservation for possible spinal in-jury. He looked in no danger whenNOW! spoke to him in the evening.al

l pix

AN

AN

D O

BE

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4; NOW!; 27 May, 2004

C M Y K

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DARJEELING, 26 May: Thisyear the college admission traumathat grips Darjeeling round thistime of the year, is to be less se-vere, with two new colleges likelyto start with this academic session.

Today at a meeting of theDarjeeling Degree College Com-mittee (DDCC), it was stated thatthe process for the opening of twonew colleges at Darjeeling was pro-gressing positively.

Incidentally, the DDCC, a bodycomprising heads of educationalinstitutions, educationists,Councilors of the DGHC and stu-dent leaders, was founded recentlyto give shape to the demand of newcolleges for Darjeeling.

“There will be two new col-leges, one a morning college at thepresent Ramkrishna Siksha

KARAN SHAH

Kalimpong, 26 May: It may notbe as interesting as hooking troutsand salmons up in East Maine(USA) or the Amazon but surpris-ingly angling has become a majorpastime for most citizens, from thispart of the hills.

You name it and you’ll get it.The migratory and sporting, GoldenMasheer, Katla, Jal Kaapor (Trout),and other various fresh water fishlike the Gooch (a species of Shark),and the Grass and Silver Carps.

They are mainly two preciousseasons for the anglers in the hills.One is the pre-monsoon seasonfrom March to May. This is theseason when the Golden Masheer

VHAS unveils

plans for World

Anti-Tobacco

Daya NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 26 May: To mark theWorld Anti-Tobacco Day, whichfalls on May 31, the VoluntaryHealth Association of Sikkim incollaboration with VHAI, NewDelhi and WHO South Asia Re-gional office has chalked up a listof programmes which will seek tospread awareness on the danger thatsmoking causes.

On Thursday, 28 May, VHAShas scheduled a sensitization work-shop on tobacco at the ChumbiResidency, Tibet Road. Police Of-ficials of East district as well asfrom the Police Headquarters willbe participating in the workshop.A similar workshop for thePanchayat members of East Districtwould be held the next day.

The NGO will hold an InterSchool Quiz on 30 May, at 2 pm atthe same venue. On World Anti-Tobacco Day a rally will be takenout from Vajra Cinema Hall,Baluwakhani to Community Hall,Development Area.

is mostly available. Few may quitebe surprised at the availability ofthe Masheer, but it’s mainly dueto its migratory features. The fishclimbs up-stream (mainly fromBay of Bengal) for the purpose ofspawning.

If the shores of the Teesta, aremuch dirty after heavy rainfallthen the Thoubans, literally mean-ing the confluences of Teesta-Beni-Rangeet, Teesta-Rali, Teesta-Riang duly provide enough visibil-ity on the river beds, which is infact very essential for a successfulfishing trip.

Kirthiman Tamang (71), an ex-pertise in wild life states,” Fishingfor me has never been out of fash-ion. It all started as a hobby from a

very early age but a very importantfactor to be taken into considera-tion is that angling should alwaysbe taken as a sport. Fishing viablasting and by thiodine andbleaching contamination, will onthe long run lead to the extinctionof all the rare species”.

Other than the professionalways of angling via rods, nets, atraditional method adopted by thelocals, is the Dhukua (meaning towait and observe). In this process,one sets up lengthy fishing lines.This is usually during the night.

The local MLA- Mr. GaulanLepcha also a frequent visitor forthe riversides states, “The Teestaand the Rangeet are always on mymind. Moreover since I am into

politics, angling has proved to bevery refreshing for me”.

Benefiting from the interest inangling through sales of fishinghooks and noors is Ajay Agarwal(32) a shopkeeper who says, “Thesales of fishing hooks and cords hasgone up. During holidays a maxi-mum number of people come tobuy these things here.” Accordingto Agarwal people as far away asTeesta about 15 kms from here alsocome to buy the hooks and cordsand then return to the Teesta to fish.The people over the years haveshown a lot of interest and they arenow asking for better equipments.Some of them already have startedbringing them from Calcutta ac-cording to Agarwal.

KALIMPONG HAS ANANGLE FOR FISHING

Parishad (RKSP) School and an-other at the Ghoom Jorebunglowarea,” stated Deepak Gurung,DGHC Councilor.

Gurung added that the HigherEducation Department of the StateGovernment had agreed in princi-pal to these two colleges and byearly next month a team would bearriving from Kolkata for inspec-tion of the sites. “We have alreadythought of a name for the morningcollege at RKSP. We will name itafter Swami Prabhudananda, aneducationist whose contribution toeducation in the hills is immenseand who also founded the RKSP.For the other College we will askChairman Subash Ghising to chris-ten it” added Gurung.

The two colleges will start withhumanities and commerce. Inciden-tally the Darjeeling Government Col-lege will be doing away with the pass

courses which will be then shifted tothe new college at RKSP, howeverthe college will have a new adminis-trative setup and teaching staff.

“We decided on the college atJorebunglow as in Darjeeling thereis lack of space and Jorebunglow,8 kms from Darjeeling, falls un-der the Darjeeling Municipality.We thought it to be a perfect loca-tion Jorebunglow being the junc-tion of Sukhiapokhari, Sonada,Mungpoo, Takdah, Lopchu andPeshok and these places have thefeeder schools.” said KashinathSharma, President, DDCC.

He also added that it was re-

solved that locals (residents of theDGHC area) would be given pref-erences. To prove the genuinenessof the locals, the candidateswould have to produce VotersIdentity Card, Ration Card orBirth Certificate.

Regarding the percentage of outstation students to be inducted, itwas decided that their percentagewould be 10% of the total numberof enrolled students. “We will alsostress on job oriented courses likeBachelor of Social Work” addedSharma. Incidentally at present thereare three colleges in Darjeeling ofwhich one is a college for girls.

Darjeeling to get two new colleges

in

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INTRODUCING SIKKIM TO SERVICE @ ITS BEST

Another Namchiyouth heads forcricketing glory

NAMCHI, 26 May: SankeyAgarwal, son of Sanker Agarwal ofNamchi has been selected for un-der-17 Elite Cricket Club in its tourof Bangladesh starting from 16June. Sankey is a student of NamchiCoaching Centre which was startedon 14th of this month by its coachTapas Kr. Rout.

Babulal Gauri head coach, fromKolkata who had earlier visited thecamp, today communicated thename of Sankey as the one selectedfor the Bangaldesh trip. He will beleaving for Kolkata tomorrow.

MANMOHAN BREAKS ‘R’ JINXNEW DELHI: Seventyone-year-old Manmohan Singh broke the 57-year-old jinx that no one without alphabet ‘R’ in their name had become thePrime Minister. Dr. Singh, who will be the 13th Prime Minister, has no ‘R’in his name unlike all his predecessors. Previous Prime Ministers includingJawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, CharanSingh, Rajiv Gandhi, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandra Shekhar, P VNarasimha Rao, Hardanhalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujraland Atal Bihari Vajpayee all had the magical alphabet ‘R.’

TNLA CHIEF SUBA ILLAVARASAN ARRESTEDChennai: Tamil Nadu Liberation Army(TNLA) chief Suba Illavarasan,considered to be a close associate of forest brigand Veerappan, was onWednesday taken into custody by the special task force of Tamil Nadufrom a hilly area near Erode, police said here.

Illavarasan, who was absconding, was wanted in several cases includ-ing bomb blast cases at Ariyalur and Perambalur and the Villupuram TVstation blast case.

27 May, 2004; NOW! 5

C M Y K

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DIKCHU: The area around theTeesta Stage V Hydel project un-dertaken by NHPC at Dikchu isonce again the focus of attention.The whole area below Aam Dara,which runs parallel to the diversiontunnels 1 and 2 has been hit bylandslides, causing deep cracks toemerge on the buildings there andeven on the massive retaining wallerected in the project area.

The road leading from the high-way to the Dam site of Stage V hasbeen cut off and is cracked in sev-eral places. This is causing im-mense worry to the residents abovewho fear that this might be the pre-cursor to an impending disaster.

“We are worried about our fate.It is not for the first time that land-slides have occurred in the area.The constant excavation and drill-

ing has caused the weakening of thehill and this is resulting in land-slides,” say area locals.

Most blame the landslides on thetenuous foundation of the support-ing walls and the back cutting donefor the construction of the dam.

“The work done by NHPCshould be carefully scrutinised be-fore negligence causes the death ofinnocent workers and other peo-ple,” state residents angrily.

Asking that NHPC providestronger supporting walls from thebase of the Teesta river, the residentsplead that the state government takestern action before it is too late.

This is not the first time thatarea residents have been alarmedover the frequency of mud slips andlandslides occurring in the area. InJuly 2002 one of the intake tunnelsat the Teesta Stage V dam site atDikchu had been hit by a landslide

from the outside raising fears on thesafety of the entire project.

Huge boulders had at that timekept falling on the road in front ofthe tunnels at the river level and hadcaused substantial damage to theequipment placed there. Damage wasalso wreaked on sheds near the site.

The landslide has put a ques-tion mark on the survival of AamDara, a small hamlet located rightabove the tunnels. A newly con-structed house at Aam Dara wasalready showing cracks at that time.

There is a great danger of thehamlet being pulled away alongwith that portion of the hill that israpidly sinking. In fact NHPC offi-cials and even JPIL engineers hadadmitted that not just Aam Dara,but the entire face of the hill abovethe tunnels might be unstable.

It is time that a serious study is

done on the safety aspects of theproject before we witness anotherdisaster that could have been pre-vented by timely intervention.

NHPC THREAT TO AAM DARA SURFACESThe coffer dam-site of Stage-Vwhich lies

cut off from the highway due to landslides

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 26 May: The ScienceClub of Govt. Sr. Sec. SchoolNamchi was officially establishedon 24 April 2003 by the studentsof Class VI to XII along with theirScience teachers and the Principal.At the time of its formation the clubhad also given itself a constitutiondefining its aims and aspirations.As mentioned therein, the aim ofthe Science Club is to foster the sci-entific temperament, develop skillin preparing models, writingprojects and to be in touch with sci-entific developments around theworld. The club also aspires to freethe society of superstitions.

The ‘Science Quiz Competi-tion’ was the first venture of theclub. The competition was super-vised by Mrs. Surekha Sharma(Teacher) President Science Cluband was held on 22 May, 2004.

The quiz had two categories -the junior level from Class VI to Xand senior level from X to XII. Thefour participating teams were aptlynamed Einstein, Raman, Newtonand Dalton. Each team had fourparticipants for the junior level andsix for the senior level.

The program started at 11 am

with a short speech by Nirmal Rai,student President Science Club.The Principal of the school was theGuest of Honour.

Raman was the winning teamat the junior level with Team-Dalton coming second. In the sen-ior category Team Dalton came firstfollowed by Team Newton.

The winners along with the run-ners up and the team coming thirdwere awarded medals along withprizes. The fourth team was alsogiven consolation prizes.

The quiz concluded at 1.30 pmwith the vote of thanks note by Mr.Yougen Tamang, Student Advisor,Science Club.

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6; NOW!; 27 May, 2004

C M Y K

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Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of lateKezang Bhutia who left for heav-enly abode on 14th April 2004falls on 1st June 2004. All rela-tives, friends and well-wishers arerequested to kindly attend theShegu ceremony at the familyresidence at Gangyap Busty,South Sikkim. We would also liketo take this opportunity to thankall those who stood by us duringour time of bereavement.

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NEW DELHI, 26 May: The Gov-ernment on Wednesday said MTNLand BSNL will not be privatisedwith the new Communications andIT Minister Dayanadhi Maran an-nouncing a 10-point agenda, includ-ing revamping the telecom policy toreduce the cost to customers

“Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltdand Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will notbe privatised. They are off the disin-vestment list,” Maran said immediatelyafter assuming office here.

He said he would like to re-vamp the telecom policy so as totake full advantage of the latesttechnological developments, witha view to take the country’s com-munication services forward andmake facilities truly world class.

Listing out the priorities of hisministry, Maran said he would liketo see the growth of broadband since

NEW DELHI, 26 May: A hike inthe prices of petrol and diesel is un-likely before June 15 as the Con-gress-led government does notwant a showdown with its allies inthe first session of Parliament be-ginning June 2.

Petroleum Minister ManiShankar Aiyar has written to PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh a three-tier formula to share the burdenarising due to international crudeprices touching an all-time high of$41 a barrel.

Aiyar has suggested an increaseof Rs 1-1.5 per litre in petrol anddiesel prices, effective from June16, and that oil companies shouldbear at least one third of the underrecoveries on liquefied petroleumgas and kerosene, sources said.

The third stakeholder, the gov-ernment, will have to part with its

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NON-BAILABLEARREST WARRANTAGAINST SUNNY

DEOL

A Vaishali court has issued anon-bailable arrest warrant

against film star and Managing Di-rector of Vijeta Films Ajay Singhalias Sunny Deol in a chequebouncing case.

Chief Judicial Magistrate RamChadra Das had issued the warranton May 19 on the complaint of aBihar-based film distributor.

Arvind Kumar Chowdhury al-legedly handed a cheque of Rs 20lakh in favour of the MD, VijetaFilms on August 2003 for the dis-tribution rights of the film Gandhi,which the company is producing.

He later requested Deol to re-turn the amount and received acheque from Vijeta Films. When hedeposited it in a bank on January6, 2004, it bounced.

Subsequently, he sent a legalnotice to Deol to which he did notget any response.

On March 13, 2004, Choudhurymoved the CJM’s court complain-ing that Vijeta Films had deliberatelyissued a dud cheque and that itamounted to fraud. The CJM askedthe Town Police Station in Hajipurto institute a case against VijetaFilms under Sections 406 and 420of the Indian Penal Code, 138 of theNegotiable Instrument Act. On May19, he issued a non-bailable arrestwarrant against Deol.

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BUSH SPEAKS TO

MANMOHANNEW DELHI, 26 May: USPresident George W Bush spoketo Manmohan Singh on Wednes-day evening and congratulatedhim on his appointment as India’sprime minister.

The leaders agreed tostrengthen the multifaceted rela-tions between the two countries.The telephonic conservation, whichlasted eight minutes, was warm andcordial, an external affairs minis-try spokesperson said.

J N DIXIT NEWNATIONAL SECURITY

ADVISERNEW DELHI, 26 May: Formerforeign secretary J N Dixit was onWednesday appointed national se-curity adviser to Prime Minister DrManmohan Singh. Dixit replacesBrajesh Mishra, who resigned onTuesday.

LALOO TO STUDYGODHRA REPORT

NEW DELHI, 26 May: RashtriyaJanata Dal leader and Railway Min-ister Laloo Prasad Yadav onWednesday said he would study theGodhra investigation report to getinto the truth of the incident inwhich 59 people were burnt todeath in a Sabarmati Express coach.

The incident triggered wide-spread riots in Gujarat in 2002.

“When the incident took placewe were in the opposition. We hardlyknow anything about it. We will studythe facts to know the truth,” he toldAaj Tak news channel.

Yadav said he had not seen thereport, but would study it to facequestions on the incident in Parlia-ment and outside.

He refused to say if any reviewof the report was on the cards. “Iwill not comment until I am my-self convinced. But there is right toinformation and people shouldknow the facts.”

Later, he denied reports that hehad asked for a file on the Godhraincident. “They are false. I have noinformation. I did not direct theofficials to bring the file to me.”

INDIAN AMONG 5HELD IN JAPANTERROR RAIDS

TOKYO, 26 May: An Indian andthree Bangladeshis were among fiveforeigners arrested in Japan Wednes-day for suspected links with a mem-ber of the Al Qaeda, report agencies.

The arrests came after daylongraids on 10 homes and officesacross various prefectures. Theraids followed reports last week lastweek that Lionel Dumont, aFrenchman of Algerian descentlinked to the al Qaeda network, hadentered the country several timessince on a false passport.

Syed Naseer Syed Gaffar, 32,an Indian living in Gunma Prefec-ture is suepcted of having linkswith the Frenchman.

Dumont was arrested in Ger-many in December and extraditedto France earlier this month.

revenue on LPG and kerosene tolessen the burden on consumers.

Aiyar has suggested that fi-nance ministry should bring downthe custom duty on LPG to zero percent from the current 8 per cent,while halving the excise duty on theproduct to 8 per cent, sources said.

Aiyar, sources said, in his let-ter explained to the prime ministerin detail the reasons why prices ofpetrol and diesel have to be raised.

The previous government hadput on hold any increase in petroland diesel prices necessitated dueto rise in cost of raw material (crudeoil) so as not to alienate the voters.

Indian basket of crude oilwhich averaged $29.33 a barrel inthe second fortnight of December,based on which the last price hikeof Re 1 per litre in both was effectedon January 1, had risen by $5.48 a

barrel or 18.7 per cent to $34.81 abarrel in the first fortnight of May.

The import parity price, thebenchmark for deciding the domes-tic price, of petrol has risen by 17.6per cent and diesel by 19.8 per centduring the period, the letter said.

Based on the spurt, public sec-tor oil companies have been de-manding a Rs 3.53 per litre increasein petrol prices - from Rs 33.71 toRs 37.24, and Rs 2.25 per litre indiesel prices - from Rs 21.74 to Rs23.99 per litre in Delhi.

However, the minister was of theview that a price hike in the band ofRs 1 to 1.50 per litre in both prod-ucts would suffice to recoup losses.

“Moreover, the Organisation ofPetroleum Exporting Countries ismeeting on June 3 and a possibleoutput hike by them will subside thesharp rise in crude prices,” they said.

On LPG and kerosene, the oilcompanies have estimated an under-recovery of nearly Rs 14,000 crore(Rs 140 billion) in 2004-05 becauseof unchanged prices in the last twoyears and reduction in budgetary sup-port to one-third from April 2004.

“The subsidy on LPG and kero-sene, which was to be phased outby the year end, may be extendedby two more years,” they added.

Petrol price hike not likelybefore June 15

the use of internet and broadbandfacility were still limited in India.

“I shall be studying some recentrecommendations (of TRAI) in thisregard,” he said.

There was a need to re-intro-duce the Convergence bill and en-courage manufacture of telecomequipment, he added.

MTNL, BSNL won’t be privatised: Maran

27 May, 2004; NOW! 7

C M Y K

� NEWSSCAN

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 26 May: InformationSystem Audit, the process of ensur-ing that computer networks in anorganization are secure against dataloss during data transfer from vi-rus attack or hacking, is a careerwith promising prospects. It is theemerging requirement of bankingand IT industry with new opportu-nities emerging out of the require-ments of Information TechnologyAct 2000.

Reserve Bank of India wants

IT DEPT. OFFERS NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Tripura Agriculturists

take part in agro

workshop in

KalimpongKARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 26 May: A work-shop for agriculturists from Tripurawas held today by the “CitrusDieback Research Station” underthe DHAGC.

The one of its kind research sta-tion in the whole of the North Easthas proven to be very beneficial forall the locals here.

Suntala (oranges), as it’s knownin Nepali has always been one ofthe major sources of income forvillagers in Kalimpong, but unfor-tunately of late the orange produc-tion here has been facing majorproblems due to various problemswhich include diseases and pestattacks. Incidentally, the orangeagriculturalists from the JampuiHills of Tripura, have also been fac-ing the same problems for quitesome time.

The five day workshop for thetwenty trainees from Tripura wascourtesy the Senior Scientist andOfficer-in-Charge of the Station,Mr. Kishore Thapa- who wentahead with the seeking of formalauthorisations from the DGHC forthe twenty from Tripura.

“This will be a good learningexperience for us. The orange pro-duction in Jampui has almost de-teriorated by fifty percent in thelast fifteen years. Moreover the cli-matic conditions and other factorsare similar in comparison betweenKalimpong and our place,” saidMr. LF Sailo, member of the Hor-ticulture Development Committeeand Chairman of Block AdvisoryCommittee. He is also the ownerof a farm.

The five-day workshop willhave both theoretical and practicalclasses. An Orchid visit, at thePeshok Busty, has also been ar-ranged for them. This for the firsttime that this Research Station inKalimpong has taken up such ini-tiatives to educate agriculturalistsfrom another state.

“We will certainly profit, fromsuch interactions,” said the Assist-ant Director of Agriculture, Mr.Deb Kumar Dabbarma.

Banks to conduct IS Audit by quali-fied professionals. A study by ex-perts show requirement of 80, 000professionals in the next five years.To offer the youth of Sikkim achance to cash in on this career op-portunity, the Information Technol-ogy department is now offering aDiploma course in Information Sys-tem Audit.

“This is a contemporary tech-nical education on computerizationof the audit system and mainte-nance of data and system integrity,”informs Rajesh Verma, Director IT.

The yearlong course is open toall graduates who have someknowledge of computers.

The course being offered is di-vided into two modules. In the firstmodule spread over nine months,students will use the CD-basedcourseware. At the end of ninemonths, students will appear for anend term examination on compu-ter. On clearing the end term, stu-dents will register for Module IIwherein they will write a disserta-tion on the topic of application ofthe knowledge. The time allowed

for dissertation is three months. Thediploma will be awarded on theevaluation of the dissertation. Therewill be three contact programmeswithin the academic session withfaculty from Tripura University.

The course contains Controls,Information System Management,Network Security, Database Secu-rity, Risk Management, Threat andExposure Analysis, Business Con-tinuity Practice, Disaster Manage-ment, ISO 17799, Cyber Laws

“The department of IT has al-ready started career-oriented

courses like Call Centre Trainingand Multimedia Training wherebywe have been successful in provid-ing employment to various unem-ployed youths of Sikkim,” adds theIT Director.

The department is hopeful thatthis new initiative will also helptrained youth to seek jobs in thissector.

Interested candidates may con-tact the IT Department or Mr. STWangdi, Sr. Technical Assistant/ ITDepartment at 202691 or 94341-07073.

The New Cabinet

Following several requests to run the details of the new Cabinet again since many readerscould not get their copy of yesterday’s edition of NOW!, we reproduce below ...

Pawan Chamling, CM:Home, Finance, DevelopmentPlanning, Economic Reforms,NEC Affairs and all departmentsnot allocated.

DD Bhutia:Land Revenue, UD&HD, Irrigation

PS TAMANG:PWD [Buildings & Housing] andSports & Youth Affairs

HISHEY LACHUNGPA:Health, Social Justice Empower-ment and Welfare Deptt.

KN Rai:Rural Development and Cooperation

SB SUBEDI:Forest and Mines & Geology

RB SUBBA:Law, Parliamentary Affairs, Tour-ism and Industries

GM GURUNG:Education and Culture

KALAWATI SUBBA:Animal Husbandry and Food &Civil Supplies

SOMNATH PAUDYAL:Agriculture

DT LEPCHA:Roads & Bridges and Labour

MENLOM LEPCHA:PHE and Transport

GOVERNMENT CHIEF WHIP: KB ChamlingCHAIRPERSONS ENJOYING CABINET RANK STATUS AND FACILITIES: TT Bhutia [Power Advisory Board], NK Pradhan [SBS],RB Subba [STCS], Sonam Gyatso Lepcha [Industries Trade & Commerce Development Board], NK Subba [Denzong AgriculturalCooperative Board] and BM Ramudamu [Sikkim Distilleries].CHAIRPERSONS: Kunga Zangpo Bhutia [SNT], Deepak Gurung [SITCO], Nimthit Lepcha [Simfed], Bhim Dhungel [Agriculture/Horticulture Board], Manita Thapa [Tourism Development Board], CB Karki [SAABCO], Dawcho Lepcha [SIDICO] and NorzangLepcha [Khadi & Village Industries Board].

8; NOW!; 27 May, 2004

C M Y K

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

today in

History27th May

THE FUTURE, NOW!

THEFINALONE �

ARIES: You will find improvement in your

position and wealth. Export businesses will

be very brisk and profitable. Those in-

volved in the sugar, cashew, textile, and

chemical businesses will find improve-

ment. Those with the automobile and tel-

ecommunication industries will do better.

Free flow of cash will be maintained.

TAURUS: Trade and agency businesses

will enjoy a good turnover. Cash flow will

be very good. Business will be very brisk.

Financial crisis will be brought under con-

trol. You may get a large loan. Students

will do well.

GEMINI: Problems in business are indi-

cated. Financial strain will be there. You

may be worried about your family. Health

will be good. Political line will be very suc-

cessful. You may acquire a new vehicle.

CANCER: Problems in business are indi-

cated. Financial strain will be there. You

may be worried about your family. Health

will be good. Political line will be very suc-

cessful. You may acquire a new vehicle.

LEO: You may go on a long trip. You will

be in a position to participate in religious

matters. You may get married. You may

take a major decision in an official matter.

Conditions apply

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1647: First woman known to beexecuted as a witch, AchsahYoung in Mass1844: Samuel F.B. Morsecompletes 1st telegraph line1837: Born, Wild Bill Hickokcowboy1894: Born, Dashiell Hammettauthor who created the hard-boiled detective1921 After 84 years of Britishcontrol, Afgh nist n achievessovereignty1922: Born, Christopher Leeactor (Hound of theBaskervilles)1941: German battleshipBismarck sunk by British navalforce1949: Ropert L Ripleycartoonist (Believe It or Not),dies at 55 in NY1960: Military coup overthrowsdemocratic government ofTurkey1964: Jawaharlal Nehru India’sfirst PM, dies1970: British expedition climbssouth face of Annapurna I

Business will thrive. Political life will be very

successful.

VIRGO: Uncommon expenses are likely. You

may go on a long trip. Financial crisis will

continue. Business will be brisk. Political life

will be very good. You may get good news

from out-of-town. Short travel will distress

you. You may inherit ancestral property.

LIBRA: You will be in a position to ex-

pand your business. Business will be very

brisk. Domestic happiness will prevail. Ex-

penses will be higher due to relatives.

Tension will be reduced.

SCORPIO: Your financial position will be

very good. Expenses will be reduced.

Peace and prosperity will prevail. You

may receive honour. Social status and

popularity will be maintained. You may

go on a long trip.

SAGITTARIUS: You will find a gradual im-

provement in your career. Students will get

good results. Professionals will explore a

new line of business. Business will thrive.

Politicians will enjoy name, fame and popu-

larity. You will receive encouraging com-

munication.

CAPRICORN: You will find great changes

in your personality and potential. Family

life will be very good. Financial position will

be very good. You may go on a long trip.

You may acquire immovable property and

a new vehicle.

AQUARIUS: You may take a new deci-

sion in official matters. You may commence

new business. Worries will be over. Ex-

penses will be reduced. Free flow of cash

is indicated. Those in the electrical, elec-

tronics, telecommunications and sugar

businesses may see improved finances.

PISCES: You will find favourable changes.

There will be an improvement in your po-

sition and wealth. You are going to do won-

ders. You must avail of this opportunity to

demonstrate your skills. Happiness will

prevail. Expenses will be reduced. You will

find success in the stock market. Finan-

cial crisis will be reduced. You may acquire

immovable property or a new vehicle

conditions apply

London: If you are practising on apick-up line to bag a date you betterstay away from these one -liners. Alist of the 30 most cringing chat-uplines has been compiled by It’s adating thing.com which cautionsthat using any of these would mostcertainly turn off prospective datesThe list of 30 top cringing chat-uplines:1. I’m here. What were your othertwo wishes?2. Do you believe in love at firstsight - or should I walk by again?3. Nice dress. Can I talk you out of it?4. That dress would look great - onmy bedroom floor.5. I may not be Fred Flintstone butI could make your Bedrock6. I seem to have lost my telephonenumber, may I borrow yours?7. Get your coat, you’ve pulled.

MUMBAI: An advertisementposted on Internet websites inwhich short people are beingsought for a movie project abouthobbits has created a buzz amongthe film community

Mumbai-based casting directorSameer Bhardwaj says he is work-ing for an Australian company in-terested in making a film abouthobbits, mythical small creatureswho play a central role in JRRTolkien’s book “The Hobbit” and“The Lord of the Rings”.

“Hi! We are seeking short peo-

8. Here’s 20p. Call your mum andtell her you won’t be home tonight.9. If you think you’ll regret it in themorning, we could sleep until af-ternoon.10. Is it hot in here or is it you?11. Does God know you’ve escapedfrom heaven?12. I think I’ve seen you on thecover of Playboy.13. I’m new around here. Couldyou direct me to your flat?14. If I could arrange the alphabet Iwould put U and I together.15. There’s something wrong withmy eyes - I can’t take them off you.16. I’d really like to see how youlook when I’m naked.17. I wish you were a door so Icould bang you all day.18. Do you sleep on your stomachor can I?

19. You must be tired. You’ve beenrunning through my mind allevening.20. What’s a nice girl like you do-ing in a place like this.21. You look like someone I know.22. Do you come here often?23. Drink up - you’ve pulled.24. How do you like your eggs inthe morning?25. I feel like Richard Gere becauseI’m standing next to the PrettyWoman.26. You’re great at fishing becauseyou’ve caught me - hook, line and sinker.27. Bond. James Bond.28. You look so good I could drinkyour bath water.29. Are you free tonight, or will itcost me?30. If I said you had a beautifulbody would you hold it against me?

WORLD’S WORST PICK-UP LINES!

ple for a documentary shoot (lowbudget),” says the advertisement onwebsites including Yahoo’smoviezone forum.

“They need to be 3.8 ft to 4.4fthigh. Any gender/any ethnic(group)/any country. They shouldhave (a) proportionate body, a validpassport and (be) ready to travel forfour months.”

Bhardwaj informs, “We’ve al-ready found 10 people in Mumbaiand four in Chennai but sometimespeople have a tough time believ-ing that we’re above board, so we

have to practically pick them offthe street.”

He said he had recently re-cruited a vegetable vendor he hadfound in a marketplace for an au-dition. “We have received picturesfrom across the world, notably fromGhana and Macedonia,” he said.

Bhardwaj, who also helpedcast for New Zealand movie direc-tor Peter Jackson’s “Lord of theRings” trilogy, says he is nowsomething of an expert on the topicof short people.

“There’s an entire village inMacedonia where no one is over120 centimeters (3.9 feet) tall. AndNepal has the world’s largestnumber of short people,” he said.

MUMBAI VENDOR CHOSEN FOR ‘HOBBIT’ ROLE

JACKSON’S LAWYERSSLAM PROSECUTION

FOR SLOWDOWNLOS ANGELES: Lawyers for em-battled pop icon Michael Jackson onTuesday accused the prosecution inhis child molestation case of drag-ging its heels in handing over docu-ments that could help the defence.

The lawyers also, for the first time,threw light on the still-secret allega-tions against Jackson, saying he is ac-cused of conspiring with five otherpeople to abduct children, falsely im-prison them and extort money.

The claim that prosecutors havefailed to hand over key documentscame six months after Jackson’sstunning arrest on charges that hesexually molested a 12-year-oldboy and ahead of a hearing in thecase on Friday.

“Over six months after thecharges were raised, the prosecutionis far from satisfying basic discov-ery obligations,” a document filedin Santa Barbara Superior Court bylawyers Thomas Mesereau,

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