‘Little Miracle’ bags 2 more awards
Correspondent
NAMCHI, Nov 22 – Sikkim has once again earned another feather to its cap marking itself in the national mainstream and has earned a new name “Little Miracle”. Sikkim has come to justify this new name through its consistent performance and achievements in many sectors.
In a press conference held today at Namchi, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was handed over two State awards, by Principal Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, Arvind Kumar. Kumar had received the awards on behalf of the CM at the award function organised by India Today for ‘Best Small State, States of the States Conclave 2010’ Award in New Delhi on November 19.
Since Sikkim falls in the Smaller States category, the State has received awards in two categories out of six other categories – 1) Education (primarily for literacy) and 2) Investment & Environment. It may be mentioned that Sikkim was the only State among other smaller Northeastern States, excluding Assam, which received an award at this function.
The study and research for these sectors was conducted by two Indian Economists, Vivek Deboroy and Navish Bhandari. It was also mentioned that the State could not receive awards in other four sectors; Infrastructure, Health, Governance and Macro Economy as the two Economists did not find enough data and records from the concerned departments of the State for the compilation of their research.
The Chief Minister said that these awards represented seventeen years of governance of hard work and fortitude to make the State the best of the best, and that receiving the awards always inspired and motivated him to work hard and better for the State. Chamling mentioned that the State was not able to receive awards in other four categories due to the drawback of the concerned departments in compiling their data and records.
He further said that the nickname ‘Little Miracle’ given by the leading national magazine like India Today, shows that this is the beginning and not the end for Sikkim to march forward towards more development and achievements and that the efficiency of the State is being recognised.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Wildlife Board rejects Sikkim’s hydro project
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Oct 19 – The reconstituted National Board of Wildlife standing committee on October 13 rejected 13 of the 32 proposals put before it for using national parks and wildlife sanctuaries or areas around them for other projects.
The Board, headed by the Prime Minister, is the apex body on wildlife issues under the Wildlife Protection Act. Its standing committee, which includes wildlife experts and naturalists from outside the government, is empowered under the Act to clear all projects that require land within the Wildlife Parks and around them.
The reconstituted standing committee includes Brijendra Singh, M K Ranjitsingh, Divyabhanush Chavda, A J T Jonsingh and Prerna Bindra besides representatives of Bombay Natural History Society, Satpuda Foundation and Nature Conservation Foundation. The Union Environment and Forests Minister is the chairman with Director of Wildlife Institute of India and Director General Forests as official members.
One of the projects which the standing committee rejected was the 96 MW Lethang hydro electric project in Yuksam, West district of Sikkim, sources in the MOEF revealed to this correspondent.
KHC Lethang Hydro Project Pvt Ltd, developers of the Lethang project has been in the eye of the storm with project opponents like Sikkimese Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) and National Sikkimese Bhutia Organisation(NASBO), demanding scrapping of the said project, mainly citing religious sentiments and the violation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, extended to Sikkim in 1998.
KHC Lethang is part of the Kalpan Group of Companies, funded by two of world’s leading green energy focussed private equity groups. The group is at present engaged in developing a total of five hydro power projects across India, with their expertise of developing the run of the river type of projects.
Earlier, there have been media reports that the project developers have been trying to acquire land without proper government or local body permissions. Secretary, Power department, P Wangchen told this correspondent “every single move till date, has been made by the Company with knowledge and approval of the local people and the government. KHC Lethang has public mandate of people from Lethang, Yuksom, adjoining areas, including monks from the Dubdi and Khecheodpalri Monasteries. In fact, these people have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, expressing their full support and mandate in favour of the project”.
“They reiterated the same during the Public Hearing conducted by the Sikkim Pollution Control Board (SPCB) on September 16, 2010”, Wangchen added. There was an overwhelming support for the Lethang project by all sections of locals comprising of Nepalese, Bhutia, and Lepcha at the hugely attended public hearing for the project.
Convener of SIBLAC, Tseten Tashi Bhutia, however, informed The Assam Tribune that “Any project on the Rathong Chu is not acceptable to us since it is on the waters of the most sacred river according to Neysol Buddhist texts. It is to us Buddhists what Quran or Bible is to Muslims or Christians. The water of Rathong Chu is used by the Tashiding Monastery for the annual Holy Bum Chu festival”.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Sikkim gets Rs 120 cr from ADB
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Oct 13 – The department of Tourism has received Rs120 crores from the Asian Development Bank for development of Sikkim’s tourism infrastructure. The fund will be used in development of infrastructure in tourism sector, said Bhim Dhungel, Minister for Tourism and Forest department.
Speaking to media today, Dhungel said that plans are in place to construct double lane road from Ranka to Rumtek Phatak, and the Chemchey to Damthang road near Namchi.
He further added that the department has plans to renovate the old monastery at Pelling and also to clean the monastery premises, and a multipurpose car parking lot will be constructed at Rumtek.
All the plans will be completed within the next 4 years, said Dhungel. He further mentioned that efforts are on to develop the Singalila trekking route. There are plans of constructing a trekkers hut at Singalila.
The Minister further informed that the State Government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for development of tourism infrastructure at Samdruptse, where a car parking and eight eco huts would be constructed.
The Minister further stated that the department has changed its style of functioning and would be soliciting cooperation of local people in all its efforts of development of infrastructure, without which, development is not possible.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Sikkim MP meets US Consul General
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Oct 6 – Sikkim MP, P D Rai met Ms Beth A Payne, Consul General of USA in Kolkata at her office and exchanged views on matters of mutual importance especially those concerning the North East, North Bengal and Sikkim, a release issued by the MP today said.
He exchanged notes with her on the Look East policy of India, as well as the Indo-US relations. Relations with China and Japan also figured in the talks, adds the release.
Ms Payne stated that her government gives the utmost importance to building a stable relationship with India.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Rally demands return of Ogyen Trinley to Sikkim
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Sept 27 – A massive silent rally was organised here by the Karmapa Reception Committee and Joint Action Committee to press for the demand to bring back Ogyen Trinley Dorjee to his seat at Rumtek Monastery.
The organisers said that it has been a long demand from the people of Sikkim to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for allowing the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee to assume his seat in exile at Dharma Chakra Centre, Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim.
The rally also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and Governor Balmiki Prasad Singh. The Chief Minister assured that MPs from the State will raise the issue in both houses of the Parliament soon.
The rally was the largest peaceful religious congregation till date in the State, totaling about 30,000, from across 64 Monasteries.
A spokesperson of the reception committee informed that Ogyen Trinley Dorjee was recognised as the 17th Karmapa by the Dalai Lama and subsequently by the Chinese authorities. Dorjee fled Tibet and took refuge in India in January 2000. Born in 1985 to a nomadic family in Lhatok in eastern Tibet, Apo Gaga (Ogyen Trinley Dorjee) was recognised as the 17th Karmapa, the supreme head of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism at the tender age of 7years. He was enthroned in the Tolung Tsurphu Monastery in central Tibet on September 27, 1992 with Chinese permission and participation of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) officials, making him the only reincarnate Lama to be officially recognised both by Dalai Lama and Beijing.
He fled from Tibet as he was unhappy with the restrictions imposed on his movements by the Chinese authorities which prevented him from pursuing his religious studies and activities freely. His requests to go to India or alternately, for the lineage masters to be allowed to come to Tibet were denied by the Chinese authorities. Therefore, he escaped to India to complete his spiritual studies.
Since his arrival in India, Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorjee has been staying near Dharamshala in a temporary facility. Numerous Buddhist delegations from the Himalayan region had called on Prime Ministers Narsimha Rao, A B Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh, seeking their support for the settlement of the Karmapa in his monastery at Rumtek, Sikkim, which was built by his predecessor the 16th Karmapa as the head quarter of the Karmapa Lama and Kagyu lineage in India.
Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari and the present Chief Minister Dr Pawan Chamling also wrote to the then Prime Ministers supporting the demands of the delegations.
Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, who has officially been allowed to stay in India by the Government of India, is holding a certificate of identity issued by the Government of India but is not allowed to travel freely within the country or travel abroad.
“The people of Sikkim are not concerned with international politics and the Karmapa is a religious figure, hence should be free to fulfil his religious role”, said Topden.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Project to make Sikkim poverty-free
GANGTOK, Sept 22 – Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today said that there is no dearth of employment opportunities in the State since lots of people from outside the State earn their livelihood by working here.
“The main cause for the so-called unemployment is the youth’s total dependance on government jobs only for their bread and butter instead of having a respect for the dignity of labour and opting for self-employment,” Chamling said after launching the ambitious ‘Mission Poverty Free Sikkim-2010’ here.
The project aims at making Sikkim the first poverty free State in the country in the next three years. He regretted that people in the State have a tendency of remaining dependant on government grants instead of generating their own sources of income. – PTI
Source: The Assam Tribune
NGO seeks scrapping of hydel project
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Sept 20 – A joint meeting of National Sikkimese Bhutia-Lepcha Organization with the Denjong Chyarig Chogpo (Buddhist religious outfit) has deliberated on the threat posed by the proposed 96 MW Lethang hydel power project in Yuksam.
The proposal to construct the mega power project in the Rathong Chu in Yuksam, West Sikkim is the most undesired project which has ignited immense threat to the sanctity of the Buddhist tradition of Sikkim, mentioned a release issued by the organisation. “We appreciate the Chief Minister’s scrapping of the earlier Rathong Chu project respecting the Buddhist tradition and its sanctity of Sikkim, the release added.
The release thanked SIBLAC for attending public hearing of September 16, 2010 to protest against the Lethang hydel project.
The release further requested the Chief Minister to take another decision of scrapping any such projects and activities in and around the sacred Rathong Chu which falls under Places of Worship (Special provision) Act 1991.
The organisations also reiterated their stand for a proportionate increase in the total number of the Bhutia-Lepcha seat in the Sikkim Assembly.
Source: The Assam Tribune
Dinakaran stresses on legal literacy
GANGTOK, Sept 6 – The Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court Justice P D Dinakaran has asserted that the legal literacy and legal awareness are the two principal means to achieve the objective of equality before the law.
Dinakaran called upon the panel advocates of the Sikkim Legal Services Authority to keep in mind the fact that free legal service is the constitutional right of the poor and the marginalised masses while inaugurating a day long orientation programme for the panel advocates of the authority here today.
Sikkim High Court Judge and Chairman of the Authority Justice SP Wangdi described the legal aid as a medium of ensuring social freedom which is the essence of democracy.
He urged the panel advocates to work in a missionary spirit instead of a professional one in providing legal aid to the poor since the large scale poverty in the remote areas has resulted in illiteracy as well as ignorance about their rights among the people there.
Speaking on the occasion the Sikkim Speaker K T Gyaltsen stressed that as per the rule of law, knowing about one’s responsibilities and duties too is essential along with that about his or her rights. – PTI
Source: The Assam Tribune
NABARD gives Rs 248.49 lakh to Sikkim
Correspondent
GANGTOK, Aug 31 – The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 248.49 lakh against a total project cost of Rs 272.53 lakh to Sikkim for implementation of two infrastructure projects under RIDF-XVI. The projects sanctioned relate to one rural road and one rural market infrastructure in East district.
The cumulative sanction under RIDF XVI during 2010-11 has aggregated Rs 72.56 crore involving a total project cost of Rs 83.62 crore, for implementation of 36 projects relating to 23 roads, Rural Market Infrastructure (5), Rural Drinking Water Scheme (5) and Flood Protection Works (3).
Source: The Assam Tribune
Plan afoot to de-congest Gangtok
Correspondent
GANGTOK, August 23 – The presentation of Comprehensive Mobility Plan Gangtok and Development Guide Plan of four towns prepared by the Urban Development and Housing Department, Sikkim was held at Chintan Bhawan here on August 21. The draft report of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan and Development Guide Plans of the four towns, namely, Jorethang, Nayabazar, Rabongla, and Melli and twelve other smaller towns of South and West districts have been prepared by the UD&HD.
The Chief Minister Pawan Chamling graced the occasion as the chief guest. In his speech, he said that to ease the decongestion in urban areas, the Government has planned a balanced growth for Gangtok and other towns which would improve the quality of life of the people.
A satellite town has also been envisaged by the Government as a model satellite town for Gangtok to offload some population and decongest the city. He also expressed that the prime focus of this town development is to exemplify good practices and achieve high standards of urban planning.
He also mentioned that Sikkim has nine notified towns and fifty three Rural Marketing Centres which the Government is planning to develop into full fledged urban centres in the State. However, side by side the Government is also planning to develop rural areas through village development action plan.
The Commissioner cum Secretary, UD&HD, Tobjor Dorjee in his welcome address said that urban development in Sikkim is undergoing a sea change as there has been a shift in urbanization policy.
Source: The Assam Tribune
