CRIME WATCH: Pay-up calls land mall guards in jail

CRIME WATCH: Pay-up calls land mall guards in jail - abusing power without thought for consequences ?!!

Bulbul Ahmed being taken to court on Tuesday. (Kundan Yolmo) - a life destroyed by the lust for crime ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Siliguri, Dec. 7: Three security guards of a shopping mall here were arrested last night for allegedly making extortion calls to a hardware merchant for the past few days.

The trio — Bulbul Ahmed, Rezaul Islam and Mohesin Reza, all residents of Buniadpur in South Dinajpur — had hatched a plan to extort money from the businessman by making threat calls to him, police said.

“For the past three-four days, the three were making calls to the residential telephone of Mahadeblal Goyal, who stays in Khalpara and owns a hardware shop on Sevoke Road,” an officer of Siliguri police station said. “The callers demanded Rs 3 lakh and threatened to plant a bomb in his house to kill him and his family.”

The businessman informed the police and sought security for his family.

“We tapped the telephone for the past two days and waited for the calls. When the extortionists rang up, the calls were traced to a cellphone and a PCO booth in Haiderpara,” a police officer who was investigating the case said. “After verifying the facts, we came to the conclusion that Bulbul, who works as a security guard at a shopping mall on Sevoke Road, had made the calls. He had repeatedly asked Goyal to bring the money to Haiderpara.”

Investigations revealed that Bulbul stayed in a private boarding with Islam and Reza and the three were caught in a raid last night. “During interrogation Bulbul confessed to the crime. The other two, who are also security guards of the same shopping mall where Bulbul works, are suspected to have been involved in the plot to extort money from the businessman. The trio were arrested,” the officer said.

Bulbul, before being appointed the guard at the mall, used to work at a shop next to Goyal’s on Sevoke Road. “He had managed to get the businessman’s residential telephone number and the trio planned to make some fast bucks by extorting him,” he said.

Hardware merchants appeared relieved after the arrest. “It is good that the police acted promptly,” said Sandeep Sinhal, the secretary of the Hardware Merchants’ Association, Siliguri. “We have asked our members to be on alert.”

The trio, booked under Section 387 of the IPC (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt to commit extortion), were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by additional chief judicial magistrate Bibhuti Khesang.

Trio with fake lakhs arrested – so much fake money coming in from Bangladesh to create chaos in India ?!! Siliguri Corridor at stake while Central Government sits idle ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Malda, Dec. 7: Three armed men carrying fake currency over Rs 2 lakh were arrested from a bus terminus located a stone’s throw from a police station last night, the crackdown the latest in Malda town where there have been 43 such arrests this year.

Acting on a tip-off, a force from the Englishbazar police station arrived at North Bengal State Transport Corporation depot, a few metres away, around 9.30pm. They surrounded a Calcutta-bound bus and arrested Asiul Sheikh, Rintu Sheikh and Matiur Rehman who were on it.

While Matiur is a resident of a village in Baishnabnagar, the other two are from Kaliachak, police said. Fake notes with a face value of Rs 2.5 lakh, two 9mm pistols and 10 rounds of live ammunition were found in a bag they were carrying.

Malda police chief Bhuban Mondal said till last night this year the Englishbazar force has seized counterfeit notes with a face value of Rs 37.14 lakh and arrested 46 persons. The total amount of fake notes seized in the district so far is over Rs 66 lakh (face value) and the number of arrests, 78.

The trio have confessed during interrogation that the notes and the firearms were to have been handed over to a person in Esplanade in Calcutta.

The inspector-in-charge of Englishbazar police station, Bipul Chakrabarty, said the accused had collected the notes from a man named Zulfikar Ali in a village near the Bangladesh border in Baishnabnagar, 35km from here.

The district police chief said the name and address of the receiver in Calcutta were now with the cops.

“The men ferrying fake notes stopped using the railways after a severe crackdown on trains passing through Malda. Instead they have turned to road links. These people have been finding the bus route safe,” police chief Mondal said.

He said the maximum number of arrests and seizures had taken place in Englishbazar this year with the police registering 25 cases followed by 22 in Kaliachak and 10 in Baishnabnagar.

“The police had filed 22 chargesheets but not a single conviction was made despite the chargesheets being filed in court within 60 days. We have also seen in many cases that those released have rejoined the racket,” Mondal said.

In another incident, Mondal said, an arms manufacturer was arrested with an improvised double barrelled gun from the Jadupur bus stand in Kaliachak, 20km from here, this afternoon.

“The arrested man has been identified as Munna Kumar Pandey, a resident of Bihar’s Bhagalpur. The police are investigating why he had come to Jadupur with the firearm,” Mondal said.

GORKHA LASHBACK: Morcha hits out at rival revival plan – Ghisingh effigy burnt, tension at risheehat

GORKHA LASHBACK: Morcha hits out at rival revival plan – Ghisingh effigy burnt, tension at risheehat – Ghising went from Hero to Zero, and now down to Nero – just too proud, arrogant and stubborn to consult or take the advice of his intellectual superiors ?!!

 

Morcha supporters burn the effigy of Subash Ghisingh at Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling on Tuesday. (Suman Tamang) - the price of the Great Gorkha Betrayal betrayal the legacy of this sad politician, father of the Gorkhaland movement ?!! le

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

 

Darjeeling, Dec. 7: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today hit back at the GNLF for its revival efforts by mobilising supporters for a public meeting in Darjeeling where the effigy of Subash Ghisingh was burnt.

Also, as part of the pressure tactics before December 20, the last date the party had set for the government to ink an agreement for the set-up, most offices in the hills were shut for the second day. The Morcha has told the government that the interim set-up for the hills must be in place by December 20, failing which it will call a 48-hour shutdown in the region.

Till then all government offices, barring a few like that of census, election and food and supplies, would not be allowed to function. Attendance was thin in all offices that were open today. Yesterday, for the first time in three years, the GNLF had held simultaneous meetings in nearly 16 places to celebrate the signing of the memorandum of settlement for Sixth Schedule status between the Centre, state and Ghisingh in 2005.

Today, hundreds of Morcha supporters took part in a public meeting at Chowk Bazar in Darjeeling. Although the rally was part of a series of agitation announced by the Morcha in November to press for the inclusion of the tauzi department — that keeps record of land — in the interim set-up, it assumed significance given yesterday’s development.

Members of the Morcha youth wing burnt the effigy of GNLF chief Ghisingh during the course of the meeting.

Sudeep Gurung, secretary of the Yuva Morcha, Darjeeling town committee, said: “People will never accept Subash Ghisingh. He was solely responsible for spoiling the future of an entire generation. And just when we are trying to give the generation a better future, he is again trying to destroy it.” Sudeep said there would be no stopping the interim set-up from being established in the hills. “Nothing can stall the implementation of the interim set-up.”

The GNLF in recent times has been clamouring for Sixth Schedule for the hills instead of the interim set-up. The GNLF chief was hounded out of the hills in June 2008. Since then, Ghisingh and other GNLF leaders have been staying in the plains of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district.

Given the Morcha’s posturing today, observers believe that there could still be unrest in the hills if Ghisingh decides to return immediately.

In fact, there was palpable tension yesterday after the GNLF hoisted its flags in more than a dozen places. Even though no major incidents of clashes were reported, police said a GNLF supporter from Risheehat, Kalu Singh, had to be rescued.

“Supporters of both the parties were in a state of panic and filed complaints against each other alleging intimidation. We did rescue one GNLF supporter from Risheehat who had been gheraoed as the Morcha alleged that he had firearms. The police team, however, did not find any firearms on him but we rescued him from the village to avoid any untoward incident,” said D.P. Singh, the superintendent of police of Darjeeling. The police chief was in Risheehat, 15km from here, the entire night because of tension.

Shivraj Thapa, the media and publicity secretary of the GNLF’s Darjeeling sub-divisional committee, alleged that the Morcha had run out of ideas. “Burning the effigy of our leader is laughable as in the past the Morcha had performed the last rites of our leader in Darjeeling. After performing last rites, they are burning the effigy,” said Thapa.

BRIEFS FROM THE REGION

BRIEFS FROM THE REGION

Fully-fledged Asian openbill storks get ready to fly off from their nests at Kulik bird sanctuary near Raiganj, North Dinajpur, on Tuesday. The birds were born at the rookery during August-September, the breeding season for the species. (Nantu Dey) - A bird watchers paradise, yet to be ?!!

Good Morning: Hello, It’s Wednesday, December 8, 2010
From The Telegraph

 

Missing girls rescued

Malda, Dec. 7: Police rescued two minor girls who had been missing since November 30 from a house in Noida near Delhi yesterday and handed them over to their parents today.

Malda police chief Bhuban Mondal said the girls, aged 14 and 15, were students of a high school in Habibpur. They did not return home after they left home for tuition on November 30.

“We came to know about the girls’ whereabouts after arresting one Brojen Haldar, also a resident of Habibpur. The girls told us that they had been taken to Delhi by a man who had promised them jobs,” said Mondal.

Panel scrap

Balurghat: South Dinajpur district child development project officer Brindaban Das on Tuesday cancelled a panel published on Monday to recruit 20 anganwadi workers in the Kusumundi block following allegations that graduates had made it to the list. According to rules, graduates are disallowed from applying for the posts of anganwadi workers.

Dowry murder

Islampur: Nazneen Begum was murdered allegedly by her husband and parents-in-law at Sonakhoda near here on Monday night. Police said the 24-year-old woman had been strangled to death by her husband and his family for refusing to give dowry. Nakibul Rehman married Begum one and a half years ago. Rehman is missing but his parents have been arrested.

School gifts

Jaigaon: The 17th battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal posted on the India-Bhutan border presented school bags and pencils to 100 children studying at an sishu siksha kendra in Luksan under Nagrakata block on Tuesday.

Jogen honour

Siliguri: Painter Jogen Chowdhury was felicitated by Siliguri Municipal Corporation here on Tuesday. He was here to inaugurate a book fair that began on Sunday. Congress councillors and SMC employees were present at the function.

Northeast Briefs

Engineer released

Imphal, Dec. 7: The abducted assistant engineer of PWD, N.Biren Singh, was released unharmed by his captors, at Churchandpur bazar this morning. Biren was kidnapped by undentified men from his Keishamthong Elangbam Leikai residence on Saturday morning and was in captivity for three days.

Condemned

Imphal: The United Tribal Liberation Army had come out strongly against the kidnapping of S.Singsit, the principal chief conservator f forest, by UKNLF (MC) cadres on Wednesday.

Sohidi Divas

Dhubri: The 335 th Sohidi Divas of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji will be celebrated at Dhubri Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib Ji Gurudwara in a three-day programme under the auspices of Sikh Pratinidhi Board, eastern zone, from Wednesday.

Road mishap

Guwahati: A woman died and 44 others injured, six of them critically, in a road mishap at Goroimari in Kamrup district on Tuesday. The victim has been identified as Kulsum Begum. Police said the accident occurred when the driver lost control of the bus.

National seminar

National Seminar on Policy Perspectives in Education at department of education, Dibrugarh University, from 10am.

Handloom

Annual National Handloom Expo, 2010, at Naga Shopping Arcade, Dimapur, from 10am.

Launch

Oxford University Press, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research, North Eastern Regional Centre, will launch The Oxford Anthology of writings from North-East India at the ICSSR-NERC complex, Shillong, at 2pm. Central Ground Water Board, Meghalaya unit office, in association with Soil and Water Conservation Training Institute, Byrnihat, will conduct awareness programme on Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting and Ground Water Recharge at 11.30am at Conference Hall, Shillong.

NATIONAL BRIEFS

Graft whip

Dewas, Dec. 7 (PTI): A Madhya Pradesh government official faces up to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 5 crore after a court found him guilty of corruption on Monday.

Police had found unaccounted income of Rs 50 lakh in the house of Preetam Singh, a sub-engineer at Shajapur’s public works department. Singh had also acquired property worth crores in Dewas district.

Adarsh row

Nagpur (PTI): The Maharashtra legislature has been stalled by the Opposition’s demands for a Joint Legislative Committee probe into the Adarsh housing society scandal in Mumbai. The Opposition has also called for a full discussion of the scam, which has stopped proceedings in the Lok Sabha’s winter session.

Fatal slip

Namakkal (PTI): A 26-year-old vet drowned in the Cauvery river after he jumped for joy on seeing his friends catch a fish and lost his balance, on a fishing trip near Pallipalayam, Tamil Nadu. Sadasivam’s body was found on Monday night, police said.

Tortoise haul

Fatehpur (PTI): Five people trying to smuggle over 350 tortoises to Bengal have been arrested on a tip-off outside a railway station in Uttar Pradesh. Police said they would investigate the matter further.

Business Briefs

GapCon unit in Bengal

Calcutta, Dec. 7: German engineering firm GapCon plans to set up a paper equipment manufacturing unit in Bengal, managing director Wolfgang Wiertz said today. The West Bengal Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has given a lease for a two-acre plot at Kalyani industrial estate for the plant.

Direct tax

New Delhi, Dec. 7: Net direct tax collection has surged 17.85 per cent to Rs 2.16 lakh crore during the April-November period this year compared with the same period last fiscal, thereby crossing 50 per cent of the full-year target.

ONGC shares

New Delhi, Dec. 7: The board of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation will meet on December 16 to consider issuing a special dividend to its shareholders, a stock split and a bonus issue.

Spectrum issue

New Delhi, Dec. 7: Former telecom entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar has questioned the spectrum issues raised by Ratan Tata, while reminding him that his group company was a major beneficiary of the same.

Home loan fine

New Delhi, Dec. 7: The levy of a penalty by banks and housing finance firms for foreclosure of home loans does not amount to abuse of dominant position, the Competition Commission of India ruled today.

 

Sports Briefs

Viru to leave for SA today

Mumbai: Virender Sehwag changed his original plan to leave for South Africa with four other Indian cricketers on Monday due to viral infection and he will depart on Wednesday, BCCI sources said Tuesday. “Sehwag pulled out late as he was not well and was down with viral infection. He will be leaving tomorrow (Wednesday) morning with eight other cricketers and manager Ranjib Biswal,” a BCCI source said.

ICC move

Karachi: The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit has recorded the statements of Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, ODI captain Shahid Afridi and team security manager Colonel Khawaja Najam as part of its evidence building process in the spot-fixing case.

No permission

Karachi: The PCB has apparently refused permission to five leading players — Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq — to fly to Malaysia for a commercial shoot for the 2011 World Cup as their trip clashes with the national camp to be held from Wednesday, in Lahore, for the New Zealand tour.

Miandad role

Karachi: Javed Miandad Tuesday agreed to work as a batting consultant in the Pakistan training camp, in Lahore, but has deferred a decision on whether he will accompany the national team to New Zealand. According to reports, Miandad had earlier refused to work under Pakistan coach Waqar Younis.

Gibbs job

Johannesburg: Herschelle Gibbs may be seen in a different role during the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent. Gibbs’s agent, Donne Commins said that the controversial South African opener is in talks with several international broadcasters, including an Indian channel for a commentator’s job.

Rajpal call

New Delhi: His unsavoury relationship with Jose Brasa, notwithstanding, India hockey captain Rajpal Singh is still in favour of a foreign coach but advised Hockey India (HI) to take cue from the BCCI while selecting the coaching staff of the national team. “HI should invite applications for the post of chief coach just like the BCCI,” Rajpal said.

Dempo chance

New Delhi: I-League champions Dempo will play against the winner of West Asian sides Al Ittihad and Al Saad on February 19 for a place in the top-flight AFC Champions League play-offs after they were Tuesday handed a first round-bye in the play-offs.

Ronaldo test

Sao Paulo: Brazilian footballer Ronaldo said on his Twitter feed that he is undergoing a DNA test to determine whether he is the father of a five-year-old boy living in Singapore.

Saurav wins

Mumbai: Saurav Ghosal kicked off his campaign with a comfortable first round win in the 58th Senior National Squash Championships, on Tuesday. He warmed up with a 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 win over qualifier Rushabh Vora of Maharashtra.

 

GORKHA ADIVASI POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Hill set-up delay spurs GNLF revival – Morcha peace plea at flashpoint

GORKHA ADIVASI POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Hill set-up delay spurs GNLF revival - Morcha peace plea at flashpoint – first Bengal cries that there is no democracy in the hills, then creates pockets of resistance for Gorkhas to fight Gorkhas … so Bengal can continue ruling from Siliguri ?!!

 

A rally taken out by GNLF supporters at Senchel Dairy near Jorebunglow on Monday. (Suman Tamang) - just a handful after two decades of misrule under Bengal ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
BY VIVEK CHHETRI

 

Darjeeling, Dec. 6: For the first time in three years, the GNLF today held meetings in more than a dozen venues across the hills to revive its political fortunes while there is a delay in setting up the interim authority.

At all the meetings today, the demand for the inclusion of the hills in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution was once again raised.

The party went on revival mode by deciding to celebrate the signing of the memorandum of settlement on this day in 2005 between the Centre, state and GNLF president Subash Ghisingh to confer the Sixth Schedule status on the hills.

The GNLF managed to raise the party flags and organise feasts for supporters at nearly 16 places in Darjeeling, Kurseong and the Terai region.

 

Scenes of the palpable tension in Darjeeling Hills (Darpan) - Bengal's objectives of creating tension in the hills and giving the anti-GJM protestors a lift when they had absolutely no mandate now met after the disgusting & sly murder of MT by a CPIM mole, so now, Bengal's objectives all met with such a disgusting political assassination ?!! - Not quite, we foretell, for the aspiration of every Gorkha heart remains "yet to be fulfilled" ?!!

Although no untoward incident was reported, there was palpable tension across the hills today.

 

“There was a possibility of a confrontation between the supporters of two political parties in various places but police managed to cover all the areas and there have been no untoward incidents. So far there has only been one complaint with the Mirik police station where a GNLF supporter has alleged that his house was targeted by the Morcha,” said D.P. Singh, Darjeeling superintendent of police.

The GNLF’s programmes were mostly confined to the rural areas of the hills, which had once been its stronghold before the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was formed in 2007.

Ghisingh’s party went on revival mode after it became clear that the Morcha was going to the people with an interim set-up and not Gorkhaland. Besides, the delay in establishing the set-up because of contentious issues also spurred the GNLF activity.

In such a situation, the Morcha is worried any effort to stop rival outfits may lead to violence, something that Bimal Gurung cannot afford now. For it would mean a further delay in the establishment of the set-up as the government would cite law and order problem to defer the talks on the interim authority.

“The GNLF is also going to the people saying that even the Sixth Schedule is only a stepping stone towards Gorkhaland just as the Morcha is claiming about the interim set-up. The Morcha cannot indulge in any form of violence, least it hampers the negotiations,” said an observer.

Shivraj Thapa, the media and publicity secretary of the GNLF’s Darjeeling subdivision committee, said programmes were held in Pubung Phatak, Borobatey, Risheehat, 86 Division, Chungtung, Liza Hill, Rimbick, Maneybhanjyan, Lodhama, Tamsong, Runglee-Rungliot, Bahunpokhri (Garidhura), Naxalbari, Monteviot and Panighatta, to name a few.

At Senchel Dairy Line on the outskirts of Darjeeling town, GNLF members planted the green party flag early in the morning even as a section of supporters occupied vantage points to pre-empt any political attack.

Around 11am, a large number of Morcha supporters brought out a rally and decided to head towards the Senchel Dairy from Jorebunglow — a distance of about 3km — and a clash seemed imminent.

But Morcha assistant secretary Raju Pradhan urged the crowd to refrain from indulging in any act of violence.

“This is nothing but a ploy of the state government to create unrest in the hills so that the interim set-up is derailed. We appeal to all our supporters to refrain from indulging in violence which will only delay the signing of the set-up,” he told the crowd. The mob then dispersed.

The scene was similar in many places across the hills. The Morcha supporters gathered near the GNLF meeting venues but clashes were avoided at all the places.

Shanta Chhetri, the GNLF MLA from Kurseong who had been hounded out of the hills by the Morcha two years back, said party supporters had only been lying low till now.

“They had said Gorkhaland would be achieved by March 10, 2010, and that was why we were keeping low. Now they are talking about an interim set-up but there is already an interim authority in place as an administrator has been running the DGHC since March 2008,” she said.

In Kurseong, a bandh called by a drivers’ union affiliated to the Morcha to protest bad condition of the roads and alleged police harassment coincided with the GNLF meeting. Earlier too, the Morcha called for shutdowns on days when rival outfits arranged for public meetings.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri refused to read much into the GNLF political activity. “It was like celebrating a dead man’s birthday. The Sixth Schedule has been rejected by the hills and organising a political activity with a handful of people in pocket areas does not bother us much.”

MADAN TAMANG MURDER INVESTIGATION: Madan murder over to CBI soon

MADAN TAMANG MURDER INVESTIGATION: Madan murder over to CBI soon – Bengal satisfied that tampering with evidence finally complete, no loose ends left to indicate CPM mole compliance, objective of disunity in this hills achieved ?!!

 

In Memory of Late Madan Tamang always opposed to Bengal most - in better days. (TT) - Why would anyone want MT murdered, can't forget the timing of this "murder most foul" just 4 days before the date set for the "Tripartite Talks in Delhi on the Territory Issue", so Bengal met its hidden agenda, as is unfolding, in one swift and disgusting move ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH BUREAU

 

Dec. 6: The Bengal government is set to hand over the Madan Tamang murder case to the CBI with the Criminal Investigation Department, a state agency, sending its no-objection letter to the home department today.

The department had asked for the CID opinion when it was decided that the charge of the probe would be handed over to the central agency.

Additional director general of police, CID, Raj Kanojia, replied to the government query saying the agency had no objection.

“This is routine protocol that has to be followed in such cases. We give a no objection letter because we will have to share all the findings that CID has made so far with the CBI,” said a CID source.

In Darjeeling, Dawa Sherpa, the working president of the ABGL, welcomed the government’s decision to hand over the Tamang murder case to the CBI.

“We welcome the decision as the demand for a CBI probe was a popular demand. We had repeatedly pressed for a CBI inquiry and even the Morcha had made a similar request in the past,” said Sherpa.

On the very day Tamang was murdered, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung had told The Telegraph that he wanted a CBI inquiry into the incident.

In fact, Gurung had iterated the same demand at various public meetings after the May 21 murder.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri spoke on similar lines today.

“Our stand is clear from the statements we have issued in the past,” he said today.

The demand for a CBI inquiry got stronger in the hills especially after the prime accused in the murder, Nickole Tamang, fled from CID custody on August 16. His escape to an extent tarnished the credibility of the state investigating agency.

The CID has already filed a chargesheet in the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Darjeeling in which 30 Morcha supporters have been named.

So far, eight people have been arrested.

This is however not the first time that the CBI is investigating a case, considered a political murder. In the past, it had probed the murder of C.K. Pradhan, a GNLF strongman from Kalimpong.

Pradhan was shot dead on Mintri Road (facts slightly wrong here too ?!!) in Kalimpong on October 3, 2002. The CBI is yet to crack the case.

NATIONAL HERITAGE DISGRACE: Landslide brake on hill ride

NATIONAL HERITAGE DISGRACE: Landslide brake on hill ride – Bengal now blames landslides but does nothing definitive to solve problem, till the next monsoons rains in May-June 2011 ?!! - What a National Disgrace International consequences – with of’course our  typical Bengal parochialism ?!!

 

The Toy Train still in the docks (TT) - Bengal now blames landslides with no effort at repairs immediately after the rains stopped - assurances of February, now with the agitation restarting and the GRA stalled, then to blame the GJM and political instability again - just pack up and leave would be better ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

 

Siliguri, Dec. 6: The landslide at 14th Mile on NH55 has halted the plans of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway authorities to introduce vestibule coaches waiting for their maiden run.

“One rake that comprises four coaches has been modified and is all set to make its first uphill journey. But our plan has been delayed because of the major breach at 14th Mile near Paglajhora. We can run the coaches only after the tracks have been repaired,” said R.K. Roy, the assistant divisional mechanical engineer at the DHR’s Tindharia workshop.

Twelve vestibule coaches had been brought from the Kurdavari railway coach factory in Pune in August last year but after unsuccessful trial runs to Rong Tong, 25km from Siliguri, they were taken to the workshop for modifications.

“Some technical problems were detected when we had made the trial run but those have been corrected. The modifications in the remaining eight coaches, too, are almost over,” Roy said.

The vestibule coaches are interconnected with a 2.5ft-long corridor. Such facility is not available in the old coaches where passengers have to get down from the train to enter the next coach. Glass ceilings above the seats, which offer overhead view of the landscape, is another facility in the vestibule coaches.

A landslide at 14th Mile near Paglajhora, 35km from Siliguri, on June 16 has stalled the New Jalpaiguri-Kurseong services of the DHR for nearly six months now. At present, only the Kurseong-Darjeeling services and the joy rides between Ghum and Darjeeling are operational. The chartered rides have been confined to the undamaged stretches of the 80-km toy train route from Kurseong.

State PWD officials said the restoration would take another three months. “We have repaired almost 400ft of the 500-foot damaged stretch of NH55. However, since this is a fragile zone, strengthening work needs to be done. This will take three more months and the work will probably be completed by February,” said an official. (Just a lot of ‘hot air’, as usual ?!!)

SIKKIM NEWS: Arrest plea on fake papers

SIKKIM NEWS: Arrest plea on fake papers – wonder why the delay, deliberate or otherwise ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Gangtok, Dec. 6: The Sikkim National People’s Party has filed a police complaint demanding legal action against over 31,000 people who possess “fake” Sikkim Subject Certificates, the existence of which was admitted by the government earlier this year.

Biraj Adikhari, the SNPP president, said: “We filed a complaint at Sadar police station here on Saturday enclosing a pamphlet published by the state land revenue department which admitted that 31,180 cases of fraud were detected while issuing Sikkim Subject Certificates (equivalent to domicile documents) during a survey in 2005. Five years have gone but the people holding the fake papers have not been brought to justice or the false certificates revoked.”

EDUCATION: HRD free tuition for students – 30 schools to prepare children for Class X, XII examinations – making education in Sikkim rise to above average heights compared to all other states in India and setting the right example ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Gangtok, Dec. 6: The Sikkim human resource development (HRD) department has identified 30 government schools to conduct winter coaching for students appearing for the CBSE’s Class X and Class XII exams in March.

Chief minister Pawan Chamling has allocated Rs 50 lakh for the first-of-its-kind initiative in the state so that the students can prepare well for the exams.

“We have identified one government school each in 30 Assembly constituencies in the state to hold special camps for Class X and Class XII students for two months starting from December 15. The minimum duration of the camp will be 60 days and the students can attend classes free of cost,” said HRD director C.S. Rao.

Sikkim has 31 territorial constituencies, two of which are amalgamated into one to hold the special classes.

A total of 5,643 students in government schools are appearing for the CBSE Class X board exams along with around 1,000 children studying in various private institutions in Sikkim.

Similarly, the number of Class XII students in CBSE government schools is 3,289 and 700 in private institutions.

The educational institutions in the Himalayan state shut down for winter in the first week of December. They will reopen at February-end or at the beginning of March.

The winter coaching is meant for those studying in government schools only. There will be four teachers each for Class X and XII at every school to take winter classes for science, mathematics, social studies and English.

“We have asked school principals to identify the best teachers and prepare a team for the winter coaching. The joint directors of the department have been asked to organise the camps and make necessary arrangements,” said Rao.

Eleven senior secondary schools have been identified in East district followed by eight each in West and South districts and three in North. The Rs 50 lakh granted by the chief minister has been divided equally among the 31 Assembly constituencies.

Each school will receive Rs 1.67 lakh to organise the winter coaching.

“All students are requested to contact the respective principals of the 30 schools to attend the winter camps. We appeal to the children and their parents to make use of this opportunity provided by the state government. The coaching is free but the students have to make their own arrangements for their stay,” said Rao.

CRIME WATCH: Daylight heist on highway – Armed men stop car and snatch away Rs 27 lakh

CRIME WATCH: Daylight heist on highway – Armed men stop car and snatch away Rs 27 lakh – an inside job of passing on information or outside criminals who kept excellent tabs ?!!

 

The car in which the petrol pump employees were carrying money to the bank in Islampur. (Mehedi Hedaytullah) - criminal gangs taking over in a growing power vacuum ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

 

Islampur, Dec. 6: An armed gang in an SUV looted more than Rs 25 lakh from the staff of a petrol pump, bound for the bank in a car, on the national highway near Islampur this afternoon.

Police said the employees of the petrol pump at Nalbari in Chopra had been coming to the State Bank of India branch in Islampur when the incident occurred at Kalibari on NH31, 4km from here.

The bag containing Rs 27.54 lakh was being carried by Mohan Jha, the head accountant of the petrol pump, who was accompanied by driver Krishna Kanti and an unarmed security guard Ashis Saha.

“I had noticed that a silver-coloured SUV was behind us for most of the way, but did not pay much attention to that. Suddenly, the SUV overtook us at Kalibari where the road was clear of traffic and screeched to a halt, forcing us to stop the car,” Kanti recounted.

 

The three employees of the petrol pump. (Mehedi Hedaytullah) - in collusion or totally unaware, pump insured for robbery ?!!

Two persons alighted from the SUV brandishing guns and pointed them at the occupants of the car. The gang members got hold of the car’s keys and snatched the bag from Jha. “They auto-locked the car (WB-74 4298) and drove off towards Islampur,” said the driver.

 

The police suspect that the SUV could have entered Bihar’s Kishenganj district from Putia More that is just 2km from Kalibari on NH31.

Jha said the cash collected at the pump was quite frequently deposited in the bank in Islampur and till today, no one had tried to follow and rob them. “We could not chase them as they had locked up our car and taken the keys with them. The robbers stopped us at a spot where there was no one and they completed their job in an instant,” said the head accountant.

He said the manager of the pump had been informed about the robbery and word was also sent to the police stations at Chopra and Islampur. The police started looking for the SUV and subdivisional police officer of Islampur, Indra Chakrabarty, visited the spot. The three pump employees were taken to the Islampur police station where they were questioned.

The operating manager of the pump, Sandip Bihani, said cash had been deposited in the bank in similar manner earlier also. “I have informed my superiors about the incident. The cash comprised the proceeds of two days’ sale,” he said.

The pump is 45km from here.

The subdivisional police officer said the armed robbery was a matter of concern. “We are investigating the case and have also got in touch with the Kishenganj police. We have got the registration number and description of the SUV and are trying to trace it,” said Chakrabarty.

WILDLIFE: Legalise jumbo sale: Forest – Govt wants changes in wildlife act to tackle growing elephant population

WILDLIFE: Legalise jumbo sale: Forest – Govt wants changes in wildlife act to tackle growing elephant population – sensible if done in a timely and transparent and manner, but only once GRA takes effect ?!!

 

Elephants walk through the Kamala Tea Garden, 40km from Siliguri, on Saturday. (AFP) - Bengal's CPIM en route to creaming off jumbo profits while stalling the GRA ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

 

Siliguri, Dec. 6: The state forest department has asked the Centre to make the capture and sale of wild elephants legal so that problems caused by the animal’s growing population in north Bengal can be mitigated.

The number of elephants in north Bengal forests has gone up from around 350 in 2008 to 500 this year. The foresters are worried that if the number of jumbos increases, there will be more man-animal conflicts in the region.

The state government has asked the Union ministry of environment and forests to excise clauses prohibiting the capture and sale of elephants from the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

“Time and again, the act has been amended for the conservation of wildlife. It was through these amendments that capture of wild elephants and their sale or donation have been prohibited,” S.B Mondal, the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said here today.

“The elephants are beyond our control because of their steady rise in population. To stem regular incidents of depredation and attacks on humans by the elephants, we want the removal of certain clauses which debar the capture and sale of the jumbos”.

At present, calves rescued by foresters are domesticated and the act says the animals’ ownership can be changed only through inheritance.

“There is a huge demand for elephants from individuals and other countries. But we cannot supply elephants as only a few are in captivity. Since we are prevented from capturing and donating elephants, it is not possible for us to provide the jumbos to various government departments, which need the animals for patrolling in remote areas,” said Mondal.

“If certain new provisions are inserted in the act to allow the capture and sale of elephants, we can get rid of the problems caused by the growing population of the pachyderms. We have sent our proposal to the Centre and are awaiting a reply,” he added.

According to the officer, 200 elephants or at best 250 are suitable for north Bengal, whose forest cover is around 3,100sqkm. Preliminary findings of a census conducted in November have shown that the region has more than 500 elephants.

Mondal said the ratio of human deaths from elephant attacks was also high in north Bengal. “The ratio of human fatalities to the number of elephants is as high as 1:9, instead of the normal 1:50. It means for each nine elephants, one person is killed by the animal in north Bengal a year.”

Staff assault after herd raid – CPM creates problems and urges sale of elephants so they can take the money and run while it stalls the GRA ?!!

 

The forest vehicle that was damaged by the villagers on Sunday night. (Anirban Choudhury) - instigating villagers with a lust for more easy money ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

 

Alipurduar, Dec. 6: Two forest employees were assaulted and a vehicle was damaged last night by residents of a Madarihat village who alleged that inactive guards had failed to drive out a herd of marauding elephants from the area.

Following the attack, the forest department filed an FIR against four villagers including a CPM panchayat member.

Around 11pm yesterday, a herd of 30 to 35 wild elephants entered Kalibari under Khayerbari gram panchayat of Madarihat block, 50km from Alipurduar. The herd that came out of Jaldapara damaged five huts of Madhya Madarihat village. A tusker in the herd also injured Ukil Oraon, a temporary forest worker.

Personnel of the Madarihat elephant squad reached the spot. But by then agitated villagers had assaulted Khagen Barman and Niloy Guho Majumder, two forest employees, and pushed the foresters’ vehicle into a ditch, sources said.

“Police saved both the employees and the vehicle. We have lodged an FIR against four persons including the panchayat member with Madarihat police,” said Omprakash, the divisional forest officer of wildlife III. Ukil who complained of chest pain was shifted to Birpara State General Hospital from the block hospital.

Kanchha Tamang, a gram panchayat member, said: “For the past five days, wild elephants have been wrecking havoc in our village, damaging huts and nut fields. The foresters visit the spot either late or not at all. We are much annoyed at their inaction. Today we submitted a memorandum to the range office demanding continuous patrolling in our village.”

The DFO said the indiscriminate use of fire crackers by the villagers made the elephants agitated, and the animals, instead of going towards forest, entered the village. “Had the villagers helped our staff, the herd could be sent back more easily.”

BRIEFS FROM THE REGION

BRIEFS FROM THE REGION

A watch tower in the Mahananda sanctuary that was opened on Monday in memory of Mansing, apet elephant of the forest department. (Kundan Yolmo) - not birdwatching, are we ?!!

Good Morning: Hello,  It’s Tuesday, December 7, 2010
From The Telegraph

 

Maoists kill ‘cop informer’

Midnapore, Dec. 6: Suspected Maoists shot dead an active member of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities in a West Midnapore village last night, accusing him of being a police informer.

According to police, Asit Bera, 42, a farmer, was sleeping at his home in Bachhurkhonar village in Nayagram when about 12 men armed with single barrel guns entered his house. “Tapas’s family members told us that the assailants accused him of being a police informer and demanded his diary. When he refused, they pointed a gun at him and ordered him to go with them,” said a police officer. Asit’s body was discovered by villagers this morning about 20 feet from his house with a bullet in his head.

40 join Intuc

Jalpaiguri: Around 40 workers of a soft drink manufacturing unit at Raninagar Industrial Estate, off NH31D, joined the Intuc on Monday. Aloke Chakraborty, a state Intuc leader, said the workers had earlier been with the Citu.

NH blockade

Jaigaon: Around 400 people blocked NH31 at Dhupjhora More in the Metelli block on Monday, demanding immediate payment of wages under the 100-days’ job scheme. The protesters said the wages had been pending for the past six months. The hour-long blockade was lifted at 4pm after K.N. Garl, the joint block development officer of Metelli, reached the spot and assured the people of immediate payment.

Book fair

Islampur: The North Dinajpur district book fair began at Islampur High School here on Monday. The weeklong fair was inaugurated by Anwarul Haque, the minister of state for health.

Rail meeting

Siliguri: Citu state president Shyamal Chakraborty addressed more than 1,000 hawkers and contract workers at New Jalpaiguri station on Monday. He blamed railway minister and Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee for alleged retrenchment in the railways.

Northeast Briefs

Mishap kills one

Kokrajhar, Dec. 6: One person was killed and seven others injured, three of them seriously, in a road accident around 4.15 this morning at Bhotepowabori under Simla police station in Baksa district. The victim has been identified as Pabitra Das, 50. The injured were taken to Pathsala health centre.

Panther

Dibrugarh: The black panther captured at the Maijan Tea Estate in Dibrugarh dictrict was released in the Joypur reserve forest on Monday.

Chairman

Jorhat: Rana Khan, a ward member of the Sivasagar Municipal Board, assumed charge as the chairman of the the board on Monday, following resignation of the incumbent chairman M. Daulah, because of health reasons. Law minister and Sivasagar MLA Pranab Gogoi administered the oath of office to Khan.

Mama feted

Jorhat: Senior Ulfa leader, Bhimkanta Buragohain alias Mama, who was released rom jail on Sunday, as felicitated by various organisations in Golaghat, Jorhat and ivasagar districts on Monday, while he was on his way to his hometown Tinsukia.

Events

Handloom and Handicraft Mela at NEDFi Haat from 10am. An exhibition of paintings and photographs at the State Art Gallery from 11am. The 5th Asom International Trade Fair organised by Prayag at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre from 11am.

Business Briefs

SCI offer price

New Delhi, Dec. 6: The government today fixed the issue price of the Shipping Corporation follow-on offer at Rs 140 a share that will help raise around Rs 1,160 crore. A part of this would be used to fund the company’s entry into the port business. “The government has fixed Shipping Corporation’s FPO issue price at Rs 140 per share — the upper end of the price band,” a source said.

RBI purchase

Mumbai, Dec. 6: The Reserve Bank has decided to purchase government securities for up to Rs 12,000 crore through open market operations to inject liquidity into the system, which is facing a cash crunch because of a slew of IPOs and a busy credit season. The RBI will purchase four kinds of government papers, scheduled to mature in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Gold ETFs

Mumbai, Dec. 6: Market regulator Sebi has directed mutual funds to disclose whether money collected for gold-focused schemes was actually invested in the precious metal. “It has been decided that physical verification of gold underlying the gold ETF units shall be carried out by statutory auditors of mutual fund schemes and reports (given) to trustees in half-yearly basis,” Sebi said.

 

Sports Briefs

Messi, Xavi, Iniestanominated

Paris: Barcelona players Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi were the three nominees on Monday for Fifa’s ‘Ballon d’Or’ award for the World Player of the Year. Midfielders Iniesta and Xavi helped Spain win the World Cup, while Argentina forward Messi led Barcelona to another Spanish title.

No changes

Paris: Fifa is not considering changing when the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is played despite fears the intense heat poses a serious health risk if the tournament is played in summer.

Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said Monday that he accepts “worries about the heat are legitimate” but that the intention remains not to waver from the original plans.

Ban dropped

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho had a suspended one-match ban dropped Monday and his team’s fine was also reduced on appeal after claims he instructed players to deliberately get red cards so they could serve bans in a meaningless game.

Mourinho is suspended for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Auxerre, but Uefa’s appeals body rescinded a further one-match ban which was to be imposed if he was found guilty within the next three years of what it called ‘improper conduct’.

Boxer

Thrissur: Little-known boxer, Lal Buatsaihi of Mizoram, on Monday stunned Priyanka Chaudhary of Uttarakhand 4:1, on the second day of the National Women’s Boxing Championships here on Monday.

The most exciting bout of the day saw Bihar’s Mamta take on Jahnabi Gogri of Assam, in the 48kg category. The scores were tied after the completion of fourth round but the result went 3-2 in favour of Mamta in individual score.

Ghosal in fray

New Delhi: Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal will spearhead Indian challenge in the PSA and WISPA Masters squash meet, which will see some of the world’s best participating at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here from December 12-19.

Tragic end

Mumbai: Varun Pathare, a budding tennis player from Nashik, passed away in a tragic road accident on the Mumbai-Nashik highway on Monday. Pathare would have turned 14 on January 18. Varun was ranked 103 as per the latest AITA rankings for boys under-14.

Marcus offer

Melbourne: Former opener Marcus Trescothick was offered a chance to earn a $1.56 million if he muscles the ball over 210 feet from the Nursery End landmark at the Lord’s. The hard-hitting batsman received the offer from his bat makers Mongoose for repeating a feat that has been attained only once in the cricketing history.