SIKKIM OBSERVER Saturday April 4-10, 2015      

DARJEELING GORKHAS LABELED ‘OUTSIDERS’ IN SIKKIM: BIMAL GURUNG

‘Sikkim has not supported Gorkhaland demand in Parliament’

Gangtok, April 3: The Chamling Government’s recent initiatives on protecting the rights and interests of bonafide Sikkimese possessing genuine Sikkim Subject Certificate, issued during the Chogyal era, has been criticized by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief  Bimal Gurung.

Speaking at a function in Munsong recently, Gurung alleged that people from Darjeeling were targeted in Sikkim and were being labeled as ‘outsiders’.

The Morcha leader said Gorkhas from Darjeeling have made tremendous contributions to Sikkim and Assam and regretted they were now being targeted in the two states, Darjeeling Times website reported.

 “We helped in building Sikkim, we helped in building Assam… the contributions made by Darjeelingeys helped in building Bhagsu and Dehradun… from writers, poets, educationists, musicians, footballers, litterateurs… from drivers to hard working laourers… Darjeeling residents have contributed towards building Sikkim, Assam and other places… but today, the Darjeeling born are being targeted in both Assam as well as Sikkim,” Gurung said.

Highlighting the fact that any female married to a Sikkimese, who are from Darjeeling and outside Sikkim, are not given “Sikkim Subject,”  Gurung said, “Today Sikkim seems to have forgotten all the contributions made by us… today they are finding reasons to ouster Darjeelingey’s from Sikkim.”

He further stated, “Whenever the issue of Gorkhaland was raised in the Parliament, Sikkim has not extended its support… and even though they say that they will support us verbally, practically they have not done anything… and have remained quiet.”

 “They use us whenever it is their need, and once their need is over, they tend to label us as ‘outsiders,’ ‘WGY,’ ‘pari-pattiko,’” Morcha chief added.

Observer building demolition: High Court grants stay, calls for records

Gangtok, April 3: The High Court of Sikkim has asked for records on land encroachment at Jigme N. Kazi’s Sikkim Observer building here at Nam Nang.

The State Government which demolished a portion of the three-storey  building last Monday and Tuesday has alleged that Kazi had encroached about 1600 sq ft of government land “at the backside” of his building where Chintan Bhawan is located.

Kazi, while acknowledging that the encroachment is on all sides of the building, has been stating that the allegation that all encroachment has taken at the backside of his building is baseless and mischievous.

After demolishing Kazi’s greenroom, a kitchen-cum-godown and a store room on the terrace the demolition squad demolished four rooms and four toilets on the third storey of the building.

Under the orders of East District Collector P. Verma eviction and demolition team led by SDM (East) KL Lepcha lay siege on Observer building on March 23 and 24. If the High Court had not intervened and given the stay order on Tuesday afternoon all sides of Kazi’s entire building would have been demolished.

However, realizing that the building was unsafe and unlivable Kazi and his family were forced to evacuate their belongings from the house on Monday night. The family took shelter at Prince Palden’s residence at Kazi Road where they will live temporarily until the final outcome of the writ petition filed in the High Court. The building is not only Kazi’s home but houses his press office and printing press.

On March 26 the High Court gave a written stay order and directed the parties to file relevant records showing the area of alleged encroachment. Kazi’s lawyer Udai P. Sharma has welcomed the court’s direction. Sharma is assisted by MN Dungel, Passang Tshering Bhutia and Yok Kumar Rai.

The government, the court of appeal and East District DCs have repeatedly ignored records showing the area and extent of encroachment. Records, which have been with the authorities for more than a decade, reveal that Kazi has not encroached on land belonging to PWD at Chintan Bhawan area, located at the backside of his building. The only area at the backside of the building used by Kazi lies outside the wall and fencing of the Chintan Bhawan premises which were of no use to the government.

Since 1998 and for 18 years Kazi has been requesting the government and the courts to regularize the encroached portion of the land.

To Mt. Kailash through Sikkim this June

Gangtok, April 3: The new route for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu la in East Sikkim will be operationalised this year beginning in June.

This was stated by Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in the Parliament recently.

According to officials, Swaraj will flag off the new route in New Delhi on April 16. The function will be attended by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

“The route through Nathula will augment the capacity and reduce the hardship enabling many pilgrims, particularly aged ones, to undertake the yatra,” the government said.

The understanding for the new route was reached between India and China during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India last year.

The new route was necessitated as the current route through Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand is cumbersome and also the number of pilgrims increasing.

As per the understanding, five batches of 50 pilgrims each are expected to travel through Nathu La this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China in May but External Affairs Ministry officials have denied reports that he would travel to Kailash Mansarovar. Modi was keen to be part of this year’s Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathula.

The proposed yatra through Sikkim is the first luxury route to ‘Kailash Mansarovar’ from India and pilgrims, after crossing over from Nathula, will travel to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet.

Pro-merger MLA Loden Tshering passes away

Gangtok, April 3: Former MLA from Dzongu, North Sikkim, Loden Tshering Lepcha, passed away on March 31 after prolonged illness.

He was elected to the Assembly from Dzongu constituency in 1974, a year before the former kingdom became a part of India.

Lepcha, a native of Tingvong village in upper Dzongu, was with the LD Kazi till 1979 when anti-merger, pro-Sikkim forces led by former chief minister NB Bhandari trounced Kazi’s pro-India Congress party.

Justice Sinha sworn in as Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court

Gangtok, April 3: Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha was sworn as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Sikkim by Governor Shrinivas Patil here at the Raj Bhawan on Monday.

He was the Acting Justice of the High Court before assuming the new post. Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, Speaker KN Rai, Cabinet Ministers and other dignitaries were present at the function.

   Justice Sinha was born in a lawyer’s family at Ambikapur, located in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh  on July 7, 1954. He studied at Ambikapur’s Government Multipurpose Higher Secondary School. After completing his B.Sc in 1973 from the Government Post Graduate College, Ambikpur, Justice Sinha did his Master’s Degree in Botany from the same college in 1975.

He was enrolled as an advocate in the State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh in 1980 and started his practice in the District and Sessions Court at Ambikapur under the guidance of his father, Late S.P. Sinha, Advocate, who was an eminent lawyer.

    He worked in all branches in the Trial Court at Ambikapur from 1980 to 1993. Thereafter, he practised at the High Court of M.P. at Jabalpur till October 2000. 

    After the re-organization of the State of M.P. Justice Sinha practised at the High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur from the month of November 2000. He was appointed as Additional Advocate General of Chhattisgarh in May 2003, which post he held till February 2004. Thereafter, he started private practice till his elevation as permanent Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh on December 1, 2004.

  Justice Sinha was transferred to the High Court of Sikkim as a Judge on July 14, 2014.On October 8, 2014 he was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

SIKKIM  OBSERVER  April 4-10, 2015

EDITORIAL

WEAK OPPOSITION

Disenchantment Sets In          

While the outcome of last year’s Assembly polls in Sikkim greatly disappointed those seeking for change of guard in Sikkim the manner in which the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has fallen from the people’s high expectation is a cause for concern. SKM chief PS Golay’s reappearance some time back after having gone ‘missing’ for months not only revealed cracks in the opposition armour but doubts also begin to be raised on SKM’s leadership to move forward in a decisive manner.

   Meanwhile, rumours that a number of SKM’s 10 legislators are keen on joining the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the BJP have been doing the rounds for several months now. These developments and the fact that the SKM has failed to become a strong opposition as hoped by many has led to disenchantment among the people in general on the capacity, credibility and commitment of Sikkim’s main opposition party. This calls for re-thinking on the future of Sikkim’s politics.

China says no to Indian consulate in Lhasa

New Delhi, April 3: China has turned down India’s request to allow its third consulate in the restive Tibetan capital Lhasa, and instead agreed on Chengdu, capital of the well industrialized province, Sichuan.

In exchange, India has allowed China to set up its third consulate in Chennai. China being India's largest trade partner in goods, Indian officials say that a consulate in Tibet would help bilateral trade and pilgrimage, such as the Kailash Mansarovar yatra.

India will open its third Consulate in China in the city of Chengdu after its proposal to re-establish a mission in the sensitive Tibetan capital of Lhasa did not get a favourable response. Indian consulate in Lhasa was closed down after the brief war between the two countries in 1962.

The agreement to set up their consulates in Chengdu and Chennai was reached after both sides agreed to improve diplomatic relations compounded by growing trade and investments.

In addition to its Embassy in Beijing, India currently has Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou. China has its Consul General missions in Mumbai and Kolkata apart from its Embassy in New Delhi. The official announcement to this effect will be made by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Beijing in May.

China has also agreed to open a new land route for Indian pilgrims to travel to the holy Kailash -Mansarovar through Nathu La Pass in Sikkim.

Nepal is the only country to have a Consulate in Lhasa. The United States, in 2008 and 2011, pushed for setting up a Consulate in Lhasa but did not succeed.