06 December, 2004; NOW! 1

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RANGPO, 05 Dec: Dr. PraveenBhai Togadia, General Secre-tary, Vishwa Hindu Parishad hascalled for the Hindus and Bud-dhists of Sikkim to unite againstthe combined attack of “conver-sions and infiltration.”

Speaking at the Hindu-Baudha Sammelan organised bythe state-unit of the VHP here

at the Rangpo Playground today,Dr. Togadia said that while con-versions would soon push theoriginal religions of the State tominority status, influx fromBangladesh would populateSikkim with “jehadis.”

Speaking in his trademarksearing tone, Dr. Togadia ques-tioned the ethics of convertingpeople in the land of Bud-dhism. “Have you ever won-

dered what would happen if wewent to Vatican City or Meccaand tried to convert peoplethere?” he asked the audienceof around 500 at Rangpo today.

The dangers of influx fromBangladesh were highlighted inthe correlation he drew withterrorist attacks in the US. Itdoes not take too many“jehadis” to wreck havoc, hesaid, suggesting that continued

Togadia warns Sikkim against conversions and influxinflux from Bangladesh wasputting Sikkim in danger.

Missionaries came underflak as Dr. Togadia alleged thattheir service among the under-privileged was motivated by thechance to convert them.

Claiming the today’sSammelan was a historic eventfor Sikkim, the VHP GeneralSecretary called for a united

turn to pg 4

PraveenTogadiaspeaksatRangpo

EAST BENGAL FA LIFTS 3RD KHANGCHENDZONGA GOLD CUP TURN TOPG 7

A research centre for Indian Nepali literature& Culture to come up at Geyzing

Local NGOs issueconditional NOC to

Akshay-IspatTURN TO pg 4

ECOSS COORDINATESBRAINSTORMING

SESSION FOR VILLAGETOURISM STAKE-

HOLDERS AND TRAVELOPERATORS

TURN TO PG 5

The Chief Minister Pawan Chamling with other VIPs after laying thefoundation stone of the Indian Nepal Literature & Culture Centre to comeup below Kyongsa Ground at Geyzing, West Sikkim. Although the tech-nical details of the mega-project are not available at present, it is learntthat the research centre will include a museum on Indian Nepali litera-ture and culture. The CM was in Geyzing today as the Chief Guest forthe finals of 3rd Khangchendzonga Gold Cup played today.

2; NOW!; 06 December, 2004

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

JEFF PENBERTHY

Almost simultaneouslywith the moment thatthe surging crowd of

karsevaks breached the wire linkfence protecting the BabriMasjid, a cry went up “patrakarmurdabad,” and sections of thecrowd who appeared to be fromthe Bajrang Dal broke off to at-tack and pursue the many Indianand foreign journalists presentwith iron bars, driving themfrom the scene. From memory,I think about 20 were injured.

The circumstances in whichI - conspicuous as the only for-eigner on the crowded roof ofthe Manas Bhavan building infront of the mosque - wasspared that ordeal is a slightlyamusing sidelight to an other-wise grim scene. Mr. LaluPrasad Yadav is a little astrayin saying that we were dis-guised as kar sevaks: that is notso, as I will later explain.

At the time, I was the re-cently-arrived NewDelhi bureau chief forTime. Anita Pratap wasthen our Delhi contract corre-spondent. Anita had travelledsouth to observe Mr. LKAdvani’s rathyatra as it pro-gressed towards Ayodhya, and Idrove there from Lucknow on theFriday. [December 6, 1992 wasa Sunday]. This trip was impededalong the way by an excitedscene at a roadblock, whereformer Prime Minister VP Singh[on whose watch the 1991 as-sault on the mosque occurred]was being taken into protectivecustody. From memory this waseither by the Uttar Pradesh Pro-vincial Armed Constabulary orofficers of the CRPF - I am nolonger sure which.

I arrived at the hotel inFaizabad where most foreignjournalists were staying early inthe evening. I can no longerrecall whether it was at a groupdinner there, or later, that Ilearned that there was consid-erable hostility towards the for-eign press as a result of a MarkTully BBC broadcast whichdescribed the kar sevaks as“zealots” or “fanatics.” In anyevent, there had been speeches

Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has called

upon the Liberhan Commission to summon two

former Time journalists, Jeff Penberthy and Anita

Pratap, who were eyewitnesses to the demolition

of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, to testify

on the role played by BJP leaders L.K. Advani and

Uma Bharti. Jeff Penberthy, who was then Time’s

bureau chief in New Delhi, now lives in Mel-

bourne. This is his story of December 6, 1992...

outside the Masjid condemningthe broadcast, and a Germantelevision crew, I believe, hadbeen attacked during the after-noon, suffering some injuries.

I went into Ayodhya thatnight to take a first look at the464-year-old Babri Masjid. Isoon sensed not all was right. Ata stall near the mosque I waslooking at some of the brightly-coloured metallic plates of LordRam to buy for my son and much

taken with the Mahabharatacomic books. Back at FriendsColony West [in New Delhi] hehad established a small shrine inhis bedroom. Someone reachedover and took the picture frommy hand, and put it back on thestall. Something told me it wastime to leave.

Walking back to my caralong the dark lane across thefields behind the Masjid, I founda group of young men follow-ing me. They called: “Hello.Hello. Are you from the BBC?”

The next day, December 6,we got to see the destruction ofthe Babri Masjid because wehad started early. Anita and Itook up our positions on theroof of the Manas Bhavan fac-ing the Masjid at 10 AM. Therewas a third independent eyewit-ness there with us too, a manfrom India Today [but not ajournalist] as we looked overthe mosque compound.

Finally, Mr Advani arrived,and began to speak at noon asthe vast crowd gathered. I do not

speak Hindi, and remembernothing remarkable about thesnatches of his speech that I wasgiven. In any event, other thingswere happening: the crowd ofyoung men cramming the laneto left of the Masjid shaking thetall chain link fence, which be-gan to sag. Along with severalothers, a very powerfully-builtsadhu in saffron robes - who Ithink was well known, perhapsas a wrestler - tried to urge themback, and then moved to the cir-cle of men beginning to protectMr Advani. In my memory, theBJP leader looked distressed,and as the first young men withiron bars broke through thefence and were sprinting to-wards the mosque, he waspleading into his microphone“Please don’t do this,” before hewas hustled away.

One thing that I have neverseen published is that just be-fore the fence went down, a manin a suit jacket waded into thecrowd below us and fired a pis-tol held high above his head -like a signal. I know of no oneelse who saw this, although Imentioned it to Anita at the time- but things were beginning tohappen everywhere just then.The cry “patrakar murdabad”had gone up, and gangs wereseeking out the journalists.

In the mosque compound be-low me, the Voice of America’sPeter Heinlein was felled by ablow to the head from an iron bar,

and his friend Ed Garganof the New York Timesrushed in to assist him. A

rock had disabled the camera ofSipa photographer DieterLudwig, on assignment for Time,and he wisely hightailed it. ChrisKremmer of the AustralianBroadcasting Corporation fleddown the lane behind the mosquetowards the river, passing forma-tions of the PAC, who, he saidlater, were sitting in the fields“looking terrified.”

A woman freelance photog-rapher representing Newsweekrushed into the outskirts ofFaizabad, where she said shewas sheltered by a Muslim fam-ily who rolled her in a carpet.Stefan Wagstyl of the FinancialTimes hid in a hutment.

The reason I was spared anyof this, I believe, was because ofcricket. Earlier, on the roof, thesuspicious young Bajrang Dalmen around me asked the usualquestions. “Who are you? Wheredo you come from?” [Australia].They frisked me several times fora camera, made me chant Jai ShriRam and wear one of their redbandanas for a while. But Indiais India, the wait was long, and

CROSSCONNECTIONVIEWPOINTS ON INDIA

FROM ELSEWHERE

WHAT I SAW ATBABRI MASJID

turn to pg 6

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send your mails to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong - 737 102,East Sikkim or email us at sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

Should We Panic?It takes a near miracle to make religions coexist in peace.Friction is common, but, thankfully, confrontations are rare.The attrition between the Christian and Islamic civilizationsis not of recent make, but how many wars have the twoengaged in? Very few given the history of dissonance be-tween the two. How difficult it is for people to be truly toler-ant to other faiths is borne out best by India, which despitebeing a secular country, has a notorious track-record of com-munal strife. That is a reality we live in. Do we need to addfuel to the combustible combo of multiple faiths with the dis-quieting arguments of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader,Praveen Bhai Togadia, who in Sikkim making doomsdaypredictions if conversions and influx continue unabated.

On the surface, both conversions and influx find reso-nance with the locals here who view these developmentswith suspicion. But before we start ganging up against ei-ther issue, we need to look at both with more insight.

Let’s start with conversions. Faith is a personal matterand that is what it should be seen as. People turn to religionwhen they are seeking answers which worldly knowledgedoes not deliver. While we may pray together, our beliefsand our conversations with God [whichever God we follow]are personal. Thus, no one has the right to question why aperson chooses one faith over the other. There are alsothose who convert due to the lure of social security. Althoughthere is a law against conversions by coercion, does any ofus have the right to stop a person from changing his reli-gion because his new calling takes better care of him andhis family. Taking Sikkim’s case, it should be obvious to any-one who cares to look that the dominant faiths of Hinduismand Buddhism have clearly delineated the social sector fromthe religious functions with the latter holding primacy. Hinduand Buddhist religious leaders here are not part of the so-cial network. In the times we live in, every day throws up anew challenge for the society and religious leaders, whocommand the most respect, should be the ones who helpthe society tide over these. There are several Christian or-ganisations which help out with redressing several socialills, how many Hindu and Buddhist organisations do we havedoing the same? Conversions are not always about moneyand jobs, they are also about social security and those whoare affronted by continuing conversions need to approachit from this angle. When it comes to faith, we cannot alwaysargue points on what is right and wrong.

About influx from Bangladesh, there is already a law inplace which makes such entries illegal. All that needs to bedone is to enforce it properly. As for influx from other partsof the country, no one can be kept out, but there are ruleswhich makes recording such arrivals mandatory. The con-cerned departments need to follow this rule properly. Whatwe have to also bear in mind is that influx does not happenin the absence of opportunities. People are coming to Sikkimbecause there are opportunities here which the locals ig-nore but the State needs. If the Sikkimese themselves startedmeeting this requirement the opportunities from people fromoutside will dry up and a solution would have been foundwithout any bad blood. Influx, even the one of the illegalkind, is required to power development here and cannot beplugged until an alternative is arranged. Fact remains thatSikkim belongs to the Sikkimese and if they want it so theycan stake their claim and keep all outsiders out. But do wesee any them doing so? No, because they know of the roleplayed by the imported work-force here.

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GANGTOK, 05 Dec: TourismMinister Tourism RB Subbainaugurated the “GangtokFood, Culture and Craft Festi-val” here at MG Marg today.

The festival, organized bythe Department of Tourismwith support from the UnionMinistry of Tourism, will con-tinue for six days concludingon 10 December. Apart fromethnic foods items [housed atthe Titanic Park] and culturalprogrammes to staged everyevening opposite the Tourismoffice, the festival will alsoshowcase Sikkim’s culturethrough display of traditionalcraft items and model housesof Nepali, Bhutia and Lepchacommunities.

Before the formal inaugu-ration of the festival, an impres-sive procession was taken outfrom Star Cinema Hall area tothe Sikkim Tourism office.People in their traditional cos-tumes moved through townswaying to the rhythms of tra-ditional instruments. MG Margwas packed with people, ahandsome mix of locals andtourists as the infectious festivemood spread.

The festival, inform offi-cials, also aims to highlightpublic-private partnership inboosting the image of the Statein tourist circles. The basic ob-jective is to promote wintertourism in Sikkim.

The Tourism Minister, afterformally declaring the festivalopen, took a round of the vari-ous stalls and the ethnic housesnear Sukhani house.

Fourteen participants of the

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Indo-ASEAN motorcar rallywere also felicitated by theMinister today.

The Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sikkim Tourism, AKShrivastava, in his welcomeaddress promised that the daysto come will fature a variety ofevents ranging from mountainbike rallies to paragliding toflower shows, on-the-spotpainting and display of tradi-tional healing techniques.

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a NOW REPORT

RANGPO, 05 Dec: TheAkshay-Ispat unit here atMamring, South Sikkim, whichhas been haunted by contro-versy ever since it started trialruns here, saw a new turn herelast week when two localNGOs gave it a conditional NoObjection Certificate to the unitfor one year.

The “conditional NOC”

comes from to local NGOs -Sikkim Village DevelopmentSociety and Sikkim EnvironmentSociety - which took the decisionat a meeting conducted in thepresence of area MLA [RateyPani], AS Barailly on 02 Decem-ber and attended by Akshay-Ispatrepresentatives, local panchayats,officers of the Labour Depart-ment and the locals.

A press release issued by athe Sikkim Village Develop-

ment Society publicity secretary,Manoj Uprety, informs that thetwo NGOs issued the condi-tional NOC based on an agree-ment arrived at with the factorymanagement that the unit herewill be operated using moderntechniques to control pollutionand that it would meet the speci-fications laid down by the StatePollution Control Board and theconcerned NGOs.

SVDS has also demanded

that locals be employed at theunit depending on their capa-bilities and that the manage-ment assure weekly healthcheck-ups for the workers.

It might be recalled thatAkshay Ispat unit had run intofoul weather with the localswho had even taken out a rallyat Rangpo recently to protestagainst the management there.

Incidentally, SPCB had ear-lier in the year issued a “Con-

stand against those involved inreligion conversions in the State.

His call was answered whenthe Sammelan, chaired byPathing Rinpoche, adopted aseven-point resolution demand-ing a restriction on religiousconversions, underliningHindu-Buddhist unity, reduc-

tion in cost of conducting ritu-als, development of deeperknowledge about one’s religionamong others.

The Samelan was also ad-dressed by Ramvilas Vyadyanti,a scholar from Hardwar and anactive member of VHP. Earlier,religious gurus includingNandaraji Gurung of MangalDham, Kalimpong, Lakpa

sent to Establish” certificate tothe unit specifying the guide-lines it would have to meet be-fore it could start operations.Among the conditions are thesetting up of an air pollutioncontrol device and sponsoringa green belt in the vicinity.

A “Consent to Operate”certificate is yet to be issued bythe SPCB and the unit is al-lowed only trial runs for thepresent.

Local NGOs issue conditional NOC to Akshay-Ispat

Contd from pg 1

Togadia warns Sikkim against conversions and influxBomzon, a young Buddhistscholar and L. Tshering Bhutia,principal of Nyingmapa Sheda,Deorali. All of them stressed theimportance of learning and un-derstanding one’s religion indepth. They also underlined theneed to understand that religion,caste and community were sepa-rate issues and said that theyshould not be mixed.

a NOW REPORT

RANGPO, 05 Dec: A Total of281 students of SMIT wereawarded their graduation de-grees at the Fourth Convoca-tion of Sikkim Manipal Univer-sity of Health, Medical andTechnological Sciences held atSikkim Manipal Institute ofTechnology, Majitar on 05 De-cember. Interestingly, 79 of thestudents who passed out today,have already been recruited bytop-ranking IT companies.

This year, Tata ConsultancyServices has recruited 16 stu-dents, Cognizant TechnologySolutions has taken 15 students,Skytech Solutions 12 students,Sterlite 12 students, Usha Com11 students. A number of com-panies are scheduled to visitSMIT this year too.

In his report, the SMU Vice-

Chancellor, LC Amarnathan, em-phasised that the curriculum ofSMIT had been tailored to ensurethat students were “industry-ready” by the time they graduated.

Earlier, welcoming the

graduates and invitees to theConvocation, Dr. Ramdas M.Pai, the SMU pro-chancellor,claimed that SMIT hademerged as the number one in-stitute in eastern India and that

they had now set their eyes atthe national and global level.“Manipal is committed tochange the way the countryviews Sikkim,” he said. BobHoekstra of Phillips Softwarewas the guest of honour.

The Convocation was alsoattended by the Governor, V.Rama Rao, who is also SMU’sChancellor, the HRD Minister,GM Gurung, Agriculture Min-ister, Somnath Paudyal, HealthMinister, Hissey Lachungpaalong with their departmentsecretaries and other govern-ment officials.

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TENDER NOTICE

Sealed tenders are invited from interestedfirms & individuals for the auction of con-demned vehicle SK-02/1653 (hard topMahindra Jeep) of Land Revenue & Disas-ter Management Department on as is whereis basis. The sealed tenders would be ac-companied by TDR of Rs. 2,500/- onlydrawn from SBS in favour of Accounts Of-ficer, DC/S as security deposit. It shouldreach the office of the undersigned on orbefore 24/12/2004. No tenders will be ac-cepted after 12 noon on the above date. Thevehicles can be inspected during the work-ing hours from 10 am to 4 pm with the per-mission of the undersigned. The valuationof the vehicle has been estimated at Rs.14,548/- (Fourteen Thousand five hundredforty eight) only.

The tenders shall be opened on 24/12/2004at 1 PM before such tenderers or their rep-resentatives who may wish to be present.On acceptance, highest bidder should beable to lift the vehicle within 3 days from thedate of issue of the lifting order on full pay-ment failing which earnest money so depos-ited shall be forfeited.

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Release Order No: 434/IPR/04-05 South District CollectorateDate: 4/12/04 Namchi, South

SAGAR CHHETRI

PASTANGA, 05 Dec: A 2-dayEcotourism Market LinkageWorkshop was held at Pastangavillage on 03 and 04 Decem-ber by the Ecotourism and Con-servation Society of Sikkim andsponsored by Ministry of En-vironment & Forests, Govern-ment of India.

The objective of the work-shop was to create linkages andexchange ideas amongst villagetourism service providers andtravel operators of Sikkim. Alsoon the agenda was identifica-tion and recognition of poten-tial village tourism productsand also provide emphasis onfinding the right products tocreate awareness among thetourism stakeholder groupsabout market trends and con-servation issues. The develop-ment of operating guidelinesand regulations for standardi-zation of village tourism werealso highlighted.

The chief guest for theworkshop, area MLA [Assam-Lingzey] Kunga Zangpo Bhutiain his address stressed that intoday’s competitive world,many strategies have to be madeto attract tourists and assuredthat even the State governmentwas committed to the develop-ment of village tourism. Adver-tisement is very important anddevelopment is a slow process

but hard work and dedicationwere must, he added.

The key note address -‘Ecotourism - A Shared Vision’was delivered by formerECOSS chairman, PD Rai.

In the evening, the localspresented a cultural programmeas an introduction to the rusticcharms their village holds forprospective tourists.

The workshop continuedon the second day with briefpresentations from representa-tives of other villages experi-menting with village tourism inSikkim. Group discussions ontopics like certification, stand-ardization of products and serv-ices, policies and regulations,training and capacity building,networking and co-ordinationand effective marketing strate-gies were also held.

Mr. Rai, summarising the

topics under consideration, saidthere was need to “pull to-gether” and “present” Sikkimas a brand and promote what isunique to the State and its peo-ple and underlined the impor-tance of right pricing, codifiedpolicies, ideas and customer-ready packages.

The workshop, as men-

tioned earlier, was attended rep-resentatives from various vil-lage-tourism destinations likeGangtok, Kewzing, Kitam,Dzongu, Yuksam, Soreng,Ravangla, Mirik and Rumtek,members from the travel trade,ECOSS officials, KEEP,Pastanga, and students from theIndian Institute of Forest Man-agement, Kolkata.

ECOSS coordinates brainstorming session for villagetourism stake-holders and travel operators

Village tourism deliberations in Pastanga’s rural setting

Namchi getsa Braille Press

on WorldDisability Day

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 05 Dec: The WorldDisability Day was observed hereat the only handicapped instituteof the State, Jawaharlal NehruMemorial Institute for Handi-capped, yesterday. At presentthere are 72 visually challengedstudents enrolled with the insti-tute. The Nayuma Women’s Co-operative Society president, TikaMaya Chamling was present asthe chief guest. Mrs. Chamlingadvised the gathered people tolearn from the life of the physi-cally challenged persons andurged the panchayats to lay moreemphasis on the health of preg-nant women to guarantee ahealthier next generation. TheChief Guest also inaugurated thecomputerised Braille press at theinstitute maintained by the De-partment of Information Tech-nology which has been set-up ata cost of Rs. 2.5 lakhs.

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Kutse SheguThe Kutse Shegu of late Karma Sonam[Gigi], falls on 7 December 2004. All relatives,friends and well-wishers are cordially requestedto join us in offering prayers at our residenceat Polok Kothi, Polok,South Sikkim.We would also like to express our gratitudeto all those who extended their support andsympathy in the time of our bereavement and we regret ourinability to convey our gratitude individually.

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the talk soon turned to cricket.And I immediately ingratiatedmyself by having picked up earlyon the potential of an emergingyoung Indian batsman namedSachin Tendhulkar, the new DonBradman. I was made - and im-mediately labelled Allan Border,to whom I bear a slight physicalresemblance.

Below me, many journalistshad been herded into a protectedcompound behind the Sita RasoiTemple, adjacent to the mosque:the distinctive pate of venerableDelhi photographer Baldev, andhandsome Rakesh Kumaramong them. On the roof of thattemple, as the old mosque crum-bled, senior officers of the PAC,and their wives, were loungingunder shamiana, like senatorsand their consorts watching aRoman spectacle.

There were roughly 3,00,000

people at Ayodhya. As the demo-lition went on, thousands of saf-fron-clad women sat in neat rowson the plain behind chantinghymns from the Bhagvad Gita.

Ms. Uma Bharti was thereand from a distant sound stage onthe plain her voice shouted, againand again, over the loudspeakers:“See the power of the Hindus!The end of meekness, and subju-gation.” I asked Anita how shefelt. She said: “Ashamed.”

I only left the ManasBhavan roof once, in mid-after-noon - down crowded stairs aro-matic with ripe paan juicespittings - to see injured karsevaks being treated in a templeopposite. Then I walked up thelane to look into the dusty caul-dron of the collapsing domes.On the road an agitated middle-

aged man rushed up and shoutedin my face: “Are you a Hindu?,”and kept it up as a crowd gath-ered. Once again, good luck andcricket saved me. A young manalso down from the roof recog-nised “Allan Border,” and hus-tled me back to the shelter of theManas Bhavan building.

At about 4 pm, rumoursswept the rooftop that Centraltroops were arriving inFaizabad, and the pace of workbelow intensified to frenzy. Theburly priest who had initiallytried to stop the crowd at thecollapsing link fence nowseemed to be directing things -both rescue efforts for injured,and parts of the destruction! Thethird and last dome crumbledsadly sometime between 5 pmand 6 pm. By then, a huge red

orb was sinking behind theKuber Tila and the Faizabadskyline, from which columns ofblack smoke were already rising.

We heard later that at 7 RaceCourse Road the cautious, eld-erly Prime Minister, PVNarasimha Rao, had been tak-ing an afternoon nap when thedemolition started, and thataides had been reluctant to wakehim. His credo in life, as I oncereported, was finestre lente, tohasten slowly. For a month, thesubcontinent was plunged intoanother communal bloodbath,which took around 1,500 lives,with worse aftershocks to fol-low, in Mumbai and elsewhere.

I left India, and Time maga-zine, to return home to Aus-tralia in June 1995. I think thisencapsulates most of what I canremember of Ayodhya - orcould offer the Liberhan Com-mission. I doubt if it would taketheir deliberations any further.

Contd from pg 2

What I Saw at Babri Masjid

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: Thelaunch of Sikkim Associationof Adventure Tour Operators[SAATO] was officially com-memorated here on 02 Decem-ber with a meeting at Hotel Ti-bet between its executive mem-bers and the members of the ad-visory board.

The travel body started offon a strong note with the an-nouncement of the “namchi

Convention” scheduled for 13January, 2005.

A press release issued by theSAATO publicity secretary,Yogesh Thapa, informs that theNamchi Convention is “ex-pected” to be participated in bydelegates from national and in-ternational travel associationslike PATA, JATA, IATO, TAAI,NATA, TAAN, Bhutan Tourism,Bengal Tourism, DGHC Tour-ism, Sikkim Tourism and repre-sentatives from various local as-

sociations, including the TravelAgents Association of Sikkim.

The press release furtherinforms that the main motivebehind holding the Conventionnext month was to promote thetourism potential of the MagheSakranti Mela at Jorethang,where the delegates will beheaded after the Convention.

Later, the delegates willalso be taken on a Sikkim tourwhich will cover Pelling andKhecheopalri in West Sikkim

and Gangtok, Rumtek andNathula in East.

The chairpersons and allthe advisory board memberswished the association to worktogether with the respectiveagents from Sikkim for the bet-terment of the state.

The meeting of 02 Decem-ber was chaired by the ChiefSecretary, ND Chingappa andattended by the SAATO advi-sory board members: AnimalHusbandry Secretary, Karma

Gyatso; Forest Secretary, TRSharma; Tourism Secretary, KPAdhikari; Sports Secretary,Lobzang Bhutia; EcclesiasticalDepartment Secretary, N.Dorjee; IGP A Dutta; and theSTDC Executive Director, PKDong as co-advisor.

The founder executivemembers of SAATO include Y.Dorjee as president, andNamgyal P. Sherpa, Tashi T.Lepcha and KC Bhutia as vice-presidents.

NOW, AN ASSOCIATION FOR TOUR OPERATORS TOO

SAATO starts off with plans to hold NamchiConvention, promote Maghe Sankranti

DEEPAK SHARMA

MANGAN, 05 Dec: The ForestDepartment organized a meetingon the conservation of theKanchendzonga National Parkhere at the District Administra-tive Centre on 03 December.KNP is spread over a wide areastretching from Yuksom in West

Sikkim to Muguthang in North.Speaking at the meeting the

KNP feild director, NWTamang, informed that atpresent, North had nine Eco-Development Committee’s in-volved in the protection andconservation of the nationalpark since 1997.

He further revealed that the

Centre had cleared subtantialfunds for the EDC’s - Rs.26,20,950 for 2004-05 and [Rs63,91,172 for 2005-06].

EDC’s incidentally, are vil-lage level committees whichworks towards establishing com-munity forestry in rural Sikkim.

Additional CCF, ThomasChandy, while addressing the

gathering, informed that EDC-sponsored plantations will notbe allowed in private holdings.

SDM [Mangan], PWLepcha, stressed that the workof the EDC’s did not end withplantation drives, but carried onwith overseeing the survival ofthe planted saplings as well.

North Eco-Development Committees for KNP get briefed on their roles Chukha hikestariff

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: The tarifffor the sale of power from theChukha Hydropower Project inBhutan to India will be raisedfrom Rs.. 1.50 to Rs. 2.00 from01 January, 2005, informs a re-port carried in Kuensel, aThimpu-based English weekly.While this translates as an addi-tional earning of Rs. 750 millionfor Bhutan, its impact on buyerslike Sikkim remains to be seen.The new rate was approved bythe government of India on therequest of the Bhutanese Kingmade during the royal visit toNew Delhi from 24-29 Novem-ber, it is learnt. This tariff was lastrevised in July, 1999.

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Sl.No. NAME DEPTT. A.C.R’S A.P.R.1. Mr. Dhan Bdr. Subba Irrig. & F.C. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

2. Mr. Janga Bdr. Rai Irrig. & F.C. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

3. Mr. S. S. Nair Irrig. & F.C. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

4. Mr. Bikash Pradhan (I) B&H Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

5. Mr. Uttam Basnett B&H Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

6. Mr. Nayan Baraily B&H Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

7. D. Paulosh B&H Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

8. Mr. Bikash Pradhan (II) R.M.&D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

9. Mr. R. Ramesh Kurup R.M.&D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

10. Mr. Ajit Kr. Kashyap R.M.&D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

11. Mr. Kamal Kr. Tamang R.M.&D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

12. Mr. K. J. Martin UD&HD 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

13. Mr. Praveen Rajdhan UD&HD 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

14. Mr. Bijay Kr. Pradhan UD&HD 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

15. Mr. Saran Kr. Jairu E&Power Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

16. Mr. Ganesh Singh Chettri H.R.D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

17. Mr. Devendra Dahal H.R.D. Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

18. Mr. Sanjay Kr. Pradhan W.S&P.H.E Deptt. 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

19. Mr. Megh Psd. Kafley H.C.H.S.& F.W 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

20. Mr. Basant Kr. Gurung Singtam 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

21. Mr. Manmohan Adhikari Kaluk 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

22. Mr. Rajen Gurung Gyalshing 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

23. Mr. Ninian Lepcha Mangan 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

24. Mr. Santosh Kr. Rai Pakyong 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

25. Mr. Dil Bdr. Gurung Gyalshing 1996-97 to 2003-04 1996-2004

sd/-Release Order No: 431/IPR/04-05 Deputy SecretaryDate: 2/12/04 Roads&Bridges Department

a NOW REPORT

GEYZING, 05 Dec: The fi-nal match of the 3rdKhangchendzonga Gold CupFootball Tournament, 2004was played here at KyongsaGround today between EastBengal Football Academy,Kolkata and Eveready [TasumSangha], Kolkata.

East Bengal FA lifted thetrophy beating Eveready in atightly contested match by 3goals to 2. At the end of thematch the spectators could beseen leaving the stadium satis-fied and thrilled at witnessingsuch a close and entertainingencounter.

East Bengal struck first inthe 23rd minute whenDharmendra Deogan netted theball. The lead did not last long

as just five minutes later Goddyof Eveready equalised by scor-ing a goal in the 27th minute.

The first half ended withthe scoreline level at 1-1.

Within minutes of the sec-ond half, in the 47th minute, INChaudhary of East Bengalscored the second goal to givehis team the lead.

Then there were a series ofcounter attacks by both theteams. East Bengal tasted suc-cess again in the 87th minutewhen IN Chaudhary struckhome and gave his team an un-assailable lead.

Eveready tried to equalizebut only managed one more goalin the 89th minute when DevMala scored and brought thematch closer at 3-2. Time, how-ever, ran out for his team andthe final whistle blew with East

Bengal FA ahead 3 goals to 2.IN Chaudhary of East Ben-

gal won the Best Player of theTournament award, whileGoddy of Eveready took homethe Golden Boot as the highestscorer with 4 goals. JoydeepDev Nath of East Bengal wonthe Most Promising Playeraward while the best GoalKeeper of the Tournamentaward went to Singh BahadurGurung of West Sikkim Foot-ball Association.

The raffle of the 3rdKhangchendzonga Gold CupFootball Tournament, 2004was also drawn today in whichthe first prize went to - B 4891and was collected by LhendupBhutia, Pikjuk WardPanchayat while B 0287 andA 3480 were the second andthird prize numbers.

East Bengal FA lifts 3rd KhangchendzongaGold Cup Football tournament

Kalimpong welcomesSikkim’s support for

GorkhalandKARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 05 Dec: Citingit as a boost for the struggle fora separate state, the GNLF [C]today praised the Governmentof Sikkim’ s official statementoffering to pass a Bill in theState Assembly in support of thedemand for Gorkhaland.

Sikkim’s offer was offi-cially welcomed at a core com-mittee meeting of the Opposi-tion GNLF [C] held here today.

In appreciation of the offer,the GNLF [C] today also des-patched a a note of thanks tothe Sikkim Chief Minister,Pawan Chamling.

“A delegation will also visitMr. Chamling, once we receivethe response to our letter ofthanks,” said Col. DK Pradhan,

the GNLF [C] convener.“We will also send a requi-

sition to our Darjeeling MP,Dawa Norbula for raising theissue of Gorkhaland in the Par-liament,” added Col. Pradhan.

The core committee mem-bers made clear to the DarjeelingMP, that without making com-parisons with Telengana or othersuch places, should make de-mands for the mentioned cause.

Newly formed, UnitedGorkha Revolutionary Front[UGRF] has already sent an appre-ciation note to the Sikkim CM forthe same. The UGRF has praised,Mr. Chamling as the “voice of thevoiceless in Darjeeling.”

“It’s a move of great fore-sight and statesmanship,” saidAjay Dahal, founder memberof UGRF.

8; NOW!; 06 December, 2004

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Baba Offset Press Works Pvt. Ltd., Gangtok. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong.East Sikkim. ph: 03592 271167 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com; sikkimnow@sify.com

THEFINALONE �today in

History6th December

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THE BUZZ ON MANGANMUSIC FEST SPREADS

a NOW REPORT

MANGAN, 05 Dec: Thus far, seven bands have signed up toparticipate in the Mangan Music Festival [29-31 Dec, 2004] withprofessionals from the northeast also expected to perfom at thenorth district headquarters for the 3-day fest. The organisers arepromising the biggest music and food festival ever and going bydevelopments, they might actually live up to their claims. Al-ready, fifty percent of the stalls have been booked and there’sstill almost a month left. This was revealed at a meeting con-vened by the Zilla Adhyaksha [North], Lobsang Tenzing at theZilla Bhawan on Friday to take stock of preparations for the an-nual event. The organisers are also expecting guests from abroad.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: TheVHP diatribe notwithstanding,Christmas gaiety is in the airand with the music of carolsalready wafting in the eveningair, can felicitations for musi-cally inclined be far behind? OnSaturday, Bethesda MusicalMinistry hosted a felicitation-cum-cultural programme hereat the Sikkim Government Col-lege auditorium in honour offour achievers from among thefaith - singers Sukmit Tashoand Suman Pega, musician,Anand Rai and lyricist KarbuTshering Lepcha.

The evening kicked off beganwith welcome music by guestband Soul Winner followed by aprayer service conducted by Rev.Emmanuel Zeribu. A welcome

song by the youth of GCYF [CNI]led into a duet by Judah andBiswash. A fusion of sorts wasperformed by Sukra Yonzon whosang to the ‘Selo’ tune and haddancer for company.

More songs and dances fol-lowed [from Rema EnglishSchool, Sangkhola] and thenthe stage was taken over byRenu Mishra, who had stoodfirst in the 2001 vocal compe-tition held at Namchi.

Then Soul Winners returnedon stage and more entertain-ment followed.

While the Roads & BridgesMinister, DT Lepcha, waspresent as the Chief Guest, the

Transport Minister, MenlomLepcha was a guest of honour forSaturday’s function which wasalso attended by senior pastorsand Church elders and membersof the Christian community.

The Bethesda MusicalMinistry was established in theyear 2000 in memory of BMRai, popularly known as‘Ranka Sir,’ with the aim toprovide a platform for talentedyouth and to encourage them.

Pre-Christmas felicitations for musical achievers