17 July, 2004; NOW! 1

Saturday, 17 July, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 101 Gangtok � Rs. 3

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STATE GOVT DIRECTS MANIPAL NOTTO TAKE IN NEW ADMISSIONS TILL

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RANJIT SINGH

GANGTOK, 16 July: The Medi-cal Council of India, last week,sent a team to the State to conductan inspection of the SikkimManipal Institute of Medical Sci-ences. The MCI is the regulatory

body for all medical institutes inthe country and lays down certainstipulations for the medical insti-tutes, which the latter have to fol-low. Failure to comply with MCIspecifications leads to denial ofrecognition by the MCI as well aspermission to continue as a medi-

NOT NOW

cal college.Incidentally, the SMIMS has

yet to receive the go ahead fromthe Medical Council of India totake in new admissions in orderto begin its new academic session.

The Dean of Manipal con-turn to pg 6

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 16 July: The ac-cused in the Hannah Foster rapeand murder case, Maninder PalSingh Kohli was today producedbefore the Sub Divisional JudicialMagistrate here by the Darjeelingdistrict police officials.

The 37 year old who was ar-rested yesterday at Panighatta onthe Indo- Nepal border was chargedtoday under Sections 41[g] - CrPCand 376-302 of the IPC. Kohli isnot suspected of having commit-

ted any major crime in India, sec-tion 41[g] allows for arrest with-out warrant of suspects of commit-ting offence on foreign lands witha crime, which if committed in In-dia, would be punishable. Section376 and 302 signify arrest on mur-der and rape respectively. He hasbeen placed under judicial remandfor the next 15 days.

He was kept over night at theBirla House here, the ASP’s bun-galow, and was produced in Courttoday after a medical check up atthe Sub-Divisional Hospital.

Kohli’s court date drew a largecrowd of curious locals, many ofwhom had seen him around work-ing with the Red Cross’ Hepatitis-B inoculation programme. The ju-dicial process took exactly 30 min-utes, after which he was taken tothe Subsidiary Correctional Home.

On the completion of the ju-dicial procedure the ASP, PramodKumar Rai said: “He has beentaken for judicial remand for thenext fifteen days and will be pro-duced on the 29th of this month.”

PUNJAB POLICE & BRITISH SLEUTHSARRIVE TO STAKE CLAIM

Kohli remanded to judicial custody, draws big crowds to his court date

turn to pg 7

FROM COMMERCIAL DREAMS TO DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIES

ALSO iNSIDE

FROM NEIGHBOURSTO COPS TO KOHLI’S

TAXI DRIVER,EVERYONE STAKESCLAIM TO Rs. 50

LAKH CASH AWARDDETAILS ON pg 5

2; NOW!; 17 July, 2004

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

The renewed warning to Ne-pal by the UNESCO WorldHeritage Committee to

mend its ways in protecting andsafeguarding world heritage sitesin the country was not a new thing.Nepal has been warned time andagain about the possibility that theWorld Heritage Cultural sites inthe Kathmandu Valley could bede-listed unless the governmentmoved to bring in policies andaction-oriented measures toprotect them from being de-graded by uncontrolled, un-planned and, in most cases, unsuit-able building spree near andaround the heritage sites.TheUNESCO has recognised seven ofthem in the Valley as cultural sites.In all, the UNESCO has desig-nated ten World Heritage sites inNepal, including natural heritagesites like the Sagarmatha andChitwan national parks andLumbini, the birthplace of LordBuddha. These and other heritagesites of the country are pricelesstreasures bequeathed to us by ourforefathers. And every Nepali cantake justified pride in them. Butthey belong not merely to theNepalis but must be shared with

others around the world and theheritage must be preserved for thefuture generation of Nepalis. Butthis generation and the presentauthorities must be aware of thevalue of these heritage not merelyfor the Nepalis, but also for the restof the world. This is precisely whythe world body like the UNESCOhas been sounding warning to thiscountry from time to time.

In order to protect our herit-age, more than mere lip service isrequired. Ask any governmentleader or official, ask any munici-pality official or elected repre-sentative, their commitment topreserving and promoting Nepal’scultural heritage is unanimous.But if this were so, the largenumber of ugly modern structuresaround world heritage sites andelsewhere would not have comeup. And there would have been noreason for the UNESCO WorldHeritage Committee that met be-tween late June and early July inChina to issue the warning.

The government’s commitment

to the international body and to itsown people in this regard hasproved to be hollow. Or, how elsewould one explain the building ofconcrete structures aroundUNESCO-designated World Her-itage sites. Such structures notmerely take the shine and splendorout of the sites but, in most cases,the sites have become invisiblebecause the newly built structures

are so tall. There are allegationsthat the local government au-thorities allow buildings to beconstructed in these areas de-

spite the clear understanding thatsuch structures would not be al-lowed. There seems to be a lot oftruth in such allegations because ofthe fact that the Kathmandu mu-nicipality, despite its better judg-ment, allowed the EmployeesProvident Fund to construct a mon-strous building that not only driedup the Sundhara water spout, butalso ate up a substantial part of thegreen area. If the present leadersand officials do not mend and tryto undone the wrong done to theKathmandu Valley, maybe we donot deserve to possess any WorldHeritage sites at all.

courtesy: Kathmandu Post

There’s been quite a lot ofbashing of government em-ployees in the papers lately.

In spite of being one myself, Iagree to the charges that on anaverage government employeesare irregular, unpunctual and le-thargic. The reason behind this isbasically the failure of the system.When a new employee joins serv-ice, he comes as an idealist want-ing to make things better. But onceyou are in, you notice the rot inthe system and you even try tofight it initially. Unfortunately, theodds are too great and you suc-cumb to this complicated and un-fair system.

As an employee with about 20years of service, I too came intothe service with a dream of achiev-ing something for myself and mystate. 20 years hence, I have ac-knowledged defeat. The systemhas been raped and murdered bypoliticians and spineless officers.Now, the rule is “everything goesor Chalta hai”. The line betweenthe legislature and the executivehas disappeared. We see politi-cians taking on the functions of thebureaucracy while bureaucratsroutinely play political games.Rules and regulations apply onlyto the weak and innocent.

Everyday, we see large num-bers of employees queuing to meet

politicians for lucrative postingsand senile ones begging for exten-sions rather than doing their workin offices. We have secretarieswho behave like they are house-hold servants of the politiciansready to do their every bidding,however illegal it maybe. There isno system of uniformity or fairnessin administration.

Service on deputation, whichshould be, rare has become com-mon with teachers being deputed

in great numbers as Inspectors ofFood, Income & Sales Tax. Onetime relaxation has been relaxeda hundred times to favour people.While some employees have beenin the same post for over 10 years,others are promoted twice duringthe same period. We see wastageof government funds on unneces-sary schemes, and purchases atrates which are mind-boggling toordinary people. More money isspent by the government on main-tenance of vehicles than on civicservices. We see a lot of corruptpractices and abuse of power butcan do nothing about it becausethese people are protected by thesecretaries and ministers.

It is ironic that the situation issuch that the a person reporting

corruption would probably gothrough worse times than the onesengaging in such practices. Theinvestigating authority is reportedto be one of the most corrupt in-stitutions. The ones convicted tilldate are mostly Grade III and IVemployees while the real big bucksare being made way up in the topechelon.

Under these circumstances,the lackadaisical attitude of theemployees is understandable. Ifear that things are going to geteven worse and predict a total col-lapse of order and disciplineamong the employees. Matterswill only improve if the secretar-ies refuse to do the unlawfulbiddings of the politicians and actlike human beings rather than godswith their sub-ordinates. The onlybright spot in the picture is that themiddle level officers are genuinelysincere, hardworking and effi-cient. They are more radical intheir approach, which is necessaryif development is to be achievedspeedily. Unfortunately, we shallnever get to see these officers headthe government as the services ofmore and more retired officers arebeing extended or are being reap-pointed creating a stagnation inpromotion.

God help us all.A Government Employee

lsewhereeNEPAL

Preserving for Posterity

�LETTERS

THE ROT IN THE SYSTEM DEFEATSTHE BEST OF INTENTIONS

Promoting TourismTourism, like any other commercial product in the marketis as much about the hard-sell as it is about the quality ofthe product itself. There is little more that Sikkim can doto enhance the product that it sells in the tourism market.Apart from improving on the infrastructure and paringdown on the paperwork involved in visiting the place, theState’s more than handsome natural endowments areenough to attract interest. We do after all sit on the mostpeaceful state in the country, can guarantee a view of thethird highest Himalayan peak from just about every cor-ner of the State, have the tallest statue of Guru Rinpoche,and an international border outpost open for visitors. Allwe need is the right packaging and exposure in the rightplaces to pack in the dollars that everyone in the travelindustry eyes.

Yes, the figures tell us that tourist inflow has been in-creasing in the recent past. Many factors, from the trou-bles in Nepal to increased liquidity in the market with theproliferation of personal loans, could have contributed tothis. The question that needs to be asked is how well havewe promoted Sikkim as a destination? Nepal has dried upand Sikkim should be the obvious choice for western tour-ists given the fact that we have similar attractions here.The in-bound numbers do not suggest such a develop-ment. To secure these visitors, Sikkim needs to perhapsstart publicity campaigns in Bangkok which is recognisedas the gateway to the East. Most western tourists land inBangkok and then plan their foray into the rest of south-east Asia. Timing a Sikkim info gala in Bangkok with thetourist arrivals there should reap more profits than what isspent on the exercise. Similarly, Hyderabad will be hostinga Tourism and Travel Fair in September this year and WorldTravel India hits Delhi in mid-January next year. Sikkimshould do more than just book a stall at these events. Itshould spend. Host dinners for the big names from thetravel industry, book halls for audio-visual presentationson the State. In short, do everything that will impressSikkim’s professionalism on the people who direct touristtraffic in the country and the world. The Chief Minister re-cently announced a Sikkim Carnival for Oct-Nov later thisyear. If the Department is serious about seeing this through,it should start preparing immediately and be ready with theplan within the 100-days that the CM has deadlined forevery department. Then the publicity should start. If thedepartment waits till the last minute to finalise the Carni-val, then it will at best manage to entertain the locals andthe tourists who are already here. Events such as theseshould do more than that. They should attract people whodecide on Sikkim after hearing about the event. What prop-erly directed advance publicity also achieves is that it cre-ates a buzz around a place. Gives the impression that theplace is “happening,” and that is an impression that everytourist destination wants to create. Why shouldn’t we?

write NOW!

If you feel strongly about something that has been reportedin NOW! or have an opinion on some recent development,then share it with a wider audience. While the LETTERSsection will carry responses to articles and news carried inNOW!, ACTION MAIL is about complaints and grievances.Wherever possible, NOW! shall also search out a responseto the Action Mail. If not, then at least a complaint wouldhave been filed in the public domain.write to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East Sikkim.Or email: sikkimnow@ rediffmail.com

17 July, 2004; NOW! 3� RAJDHANI

ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 16 July: Sevenyears after it was constructed asa shopping complex by UD&HD,the Super Market at Develop-ment Area is all set to be be leasedout to the Department of Science& Technology. The agreementprocess is underway while reno-vation work has started at the su-per market which will now be anoffice.

The transformation of the super-market into a government office hasbeen prompted by the fact that evenafter so many years, there have beenfew takers for shops at the complex.A fact admitted to by officials at thedepartment themselves.

Says Geeta Gurung, Joint Di-

rector, UD&HD, “The supermar-ket never became what it wasmeant to be and the public didnot accept the place to be con-ducive for business. Even afterour advertisements hit the mar-ket, people were not interested.I guess the general perception ofthe people was that businesscould not flourish here since theydid not find the location right,”she says.

In the last few years, strayshops have opened at the complexand almost immediately shutdown for lack of business. Thedepartment claims that evenUD&HD was losing money, as thefew tenants they had were not pay-ing any rent.

However, the road level of the

complex is occupied by peoplewith small business enterprisesand according to Ms. Gurung, theywere paying their rent regularly.

Three storeys of the complexare now being vacated. Some ofthe shops which were sold in theinitial period have been issuednotices to vacate the premises.

There are 42 rooms and 2 hardsheds in the complex. UD&HDhad allotted 22 rooms and 2 hardsheds to the Department of Sci-ence & Technology in October2003 and an additional 6 roomsin May this year.

The supermarket will now beseen in its new avatar as the De-partment of Science & Technol-ogy and hopefully earn some rev-enue for the the UD&HD.

FROM COMMERCIAL DREAMS TO DEPARTMENTAL ACTIVITIESDEVELOPMENT AREA SUPER MARKET WILL SOON

BE THE DEPTT. OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SAGAR CHETTRI

GANGTOK, 16 July: A HealthAwareness Camp was held here atBalchand Building, ConvoyGround, Tadong on Friday. Thecamp was organized by 29 UpperTadong Gram Panchayat Unit inassociation with the Departmentof Health & Family Welfare.

The camp, which was held es-sentially for the benefit of childrenbelow 6 years of age, saw thembeing administered with freeHepatitis B injections along withdistribution of Protovit powder tolactating mothers and Calcium andother tablets to the infants.

Dr. ML Lepcha who was incharge of the camp was assistedby six nurses, a compounder anda health instructor from theHealth Department.

More than 450 children attendedthe health camp which started at10.30 am and finished at 5 pm. Thecamp was attended by Panchayat

President, Sonam Ongmu Bhutia,Secretary, Nirmal Rai and othermembers of the Panchayat.

Sukra Kumar Chettri, Rural De-velopment Assistant said that thegovernment had given Rs. 10 lakhsfor Panchayat fund, out of which Rs.

1 lakh was allocated for women andchild welfare.

“Today we gave the first doseof Hepatitis B, the second dose willbe give on 18 August and the datefor the third dose will be decidedlater,” she informed.

Free healthcamp for mothersand childrenat Tadong

Gangtok X’cape forthe Beauty Queen

Miss India [Earth], Jyoti Brahmin,the lass from Darjeeling kept a hec-tic schedule through the three daysthat she spent in Sikkim. On 15th,she was ferried away to X’cape atthe Vajra complex straight after theState Dinner, where the manage-ment felicitated her on her recentachievements from the Crown tothe Sikkim Samman. Above picshows X’cape proprietor, PemaLadakhi offering her a bouquet athis nightclub and Jyoti poses withthe DJ’s [right]

4; NOW!; 17 July, 2004

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BHANU JAYANTIAT TEMI

GANGTOK, 16 July: TemiHigher Secondary School in SouthSikkim led by Head mistressBimla Rai celebrated the 190thBhanu Jayanti in a grand manner.

The programme started withthe offering of garlands to thestatue of Adikavi Bhanu BhaktaAcharya. A huge rally was alsotaken out covering Temi Bazaarwhich later culminated with thecultural programme.

The programme began with re-membering renowned littérateurand teacher, late LP Mainali. Apoetry competition titled‘Sradanjali Guru Mainalilai” fol-lowed and then a Ramayana reci-tation competition was held.

A colorful cultural programmewas also presented by the school stu-dents. Special guests on the occasionwere TT Bhutia, President, YoungStar Club, Temi Gram Panchayat andwas also attended by local a hugenumbers of local gentries.

MANGAN, 16 July: A voluntary plantation drive was carried out on14-15 July by the youth of Joint Forest Management Committee [JFMC]around Mangan Hospital Roadway and Malling Zinchung area. Theprogramme was carried out under the guidance of area panchayats, PhiguTshering Lepcha, Chumi Saring and Jigmee Wangda. In a span of twodays more than 500 avenue plantation saplings which were given bythe Forest department were planted.

SUBASH RAI

GANGTOK, 16 July: The dateof commencement of classes forfirst year students of the SikkimGovernment College, Tadong, hasbeen postponed to 26 July.

As per the earlier announce-ment the classes were supposed tohave begun from today.

Speaking to NOW!, SGC prin-cipal, SK Pradhan, revealed thatto accommodate all the applicantsseeking admission, the govern-ment has requested the collegeauthorities to start a temporaryevening shift from 6.40 pm.

“Admission for the eveningbatch is going on, which hasforced us to postpone the date,”

he explained.According to him, the morning

and day shifts, which have a capac-ity to accommodate around 640 stu-dents were already filled to capacitywith students who had scored abovethe minimum cut-off percentage of47 per cent. Earlier, the cut-off per-centage was fixed at 50 per cent.

“Around 450 left out studentswill be accommodated in theevening shift,” he said.

Asked who will take theclasses for the evening shift, Mr.Pradhan said that since it wouldbe an excess burden for the regu-lar faculty as they have to handlethe responsibilities of additionalclasses, a proposal has beenmooted to appoint part-time fac-

ulty for the evening classes. Ac-cording to the Principal, regularteaching staff who take on addi-tional charge of the evening shiftwill be provided extra perks.

On whether the evening shiftwill be a regular feature, Mr.Pradhan informed that the govern-ment has assured that after thecompletion of Law College build-ing at Gangtok, the students willbe shifted there and the classeswill be converted to day shifts.

The introduction of eveningshift classes in Tadong College re-ceived mixed reactions amongst thestudents. Some students were seenrequesting the Principal to transfertheir names to either day or morn-ing shifts. Girl students were ap-

prehensive about returning home inthe dark. But for the boys who hadfailed to touch the minimum cut-off percentage it was a blessing to

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 16 July: The coordi-nation meeting of the district unitof Sarva Shiksha Abhyan was heldunder the chairmanship of DCSouth, Vishal Chauhan, here yes-terday at the Conference Hall ofRural Development Department.

The meeting comprised of dis-trict development officers, health of-ficers, education officers, artistes,literary personalities, head masters,teachers, social workers and NGOsof the area in and around Namchi.Joint director south HRDD wel-comed all the dignitaries attendingthe meeting. Assistant director, Mr.TB Subba presented the district pro-file in a comprehensive report whichincluded all endeavours to improvethe standard of education under theSSA scheme.

SSA claims are rare and no doubtthe credit goes to the joint director

Bimal Rai, health official , retiredlady, K Stephen, Wangdi Lama ,Head Master Pabong,, Asst dir,Ravangla, Basanti Sharma womenrepresentatives, Pasang Sherpa, art-ist BB Rai , headmaster Bhaskar Raiand Jairam Gupta, social worker. Allmade valuable suggestions in theirshort speech.

Chairman DC south expressed

SGC STARTS EVENING SHIFT TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS

have got admissions at all.On the first day itself, 150 stu-

dents had taken admission for theevening shift classes.

south as well as to all education of-ficers of the district. The work is ofcourse tiresome but praiseworthy.The enlightened officers had a visionand it is a pioneering effort towardsperfection as all the projects are me-ticulously planned and executed. Thecontents include organisational struc-ture, activities under SSA, problemsand issues, educational scenario,SSA past programmes, intervention,implementation and progress whichfurther includes establishment ofnew primary school, education guar-antee scheme, bridge courses,upgradation of primary to junior highschools, teacher’s grant, school grantand maintenance, block resourcecentre , cluster resource centre , cen-tral management structures, specialeducation for tribal children, earlychildhood cure and care, computereducation and civil works. The in-teraction session was very interest-ing. DT Bhutia, DPO south, DR.

his happiness at the efforts of themembers of the coordinating com-mittee in implementing all theprojects under SSA effectively. Healso said that it would be more ef-fective if it was decentralised prop-erly. This meeting was the first ofits kind and it will definitely helptowards mass mobilisation with thecooperation of the society.

Sarva Shiksha self evaluation at Namchi

Voluntary plantation drive at Mangan

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 16 July: The NorthEastern Development Finance Cor-poration has started its own Re-search and Development centre tocommercialise Aromatic and Me-dicinal Plants which have tremen-dous potential for income and em-ployment generation especiallyamong the unemployed youth ofNorth East India. The R&D centrefor aromatic and medicinal plantswas formally inaugurated by thechief minister of Assam, Mr. TarunGogoi on 8 July at Guwahati.

In his inaugural speech thechief minister of Assam empha-sised the importance of aromaticand medicinal plants in theeconomy of Assam. He ex-pressed his happiness at the pio-neering effort of NEDFi and alsoat the networking and marketing

NEDFi starts R&D centre foraromatic and medicinal

plants in Guwahatiarrangements made for the fin-ished products.

The centre is all equipped withfacilities like quality control lab,green house, mist chamber, nurs-ery, demonstration plots, modeldistillation plants along with a fullfledged training hall and hostel fa-cility for 30 entrepreneurs / farm-ers at a time. The R & D centre willprovide technical guidance, exten-sion services and help in network-ing with buyers and sellers. Dur-ing the current financial year thescheme is expected to generateemployment for 1800 farmers.

As part of the publicity cam-paign as many as 54 workshops/training/ seminars were organised.A local private company is buyingthe oil at a remunerative price.Normally, oil extracted from theroots is valued at a market price ofRs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 per kg.

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LEAGUE MATCHESBEGIN FOR Dr.

LOBZANG TENZINGMEMORIAL FOOTBALL

TOURNAMENTMANGAN, 16 July: Ahead of theDr. Lobzang Tenzing MemorialFootball Tournamnet, held on 15August, members of ManganFootball Committee, PemzangTenzing and Jigmee Bhutia, DSOare overseeing the league matchesbetween the 5 teams.

Singhik-Sentam, MSSS, U-Singhik, Manik and U-Singhikwill be competing with each otherto reach the finals. The first matchwas played on 14 July betweenSinghik-Sentam and U-Singhik,with U-Singhik scoring 4 goalsagainst 2 by Singhik-Sentam.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 16 July: Akhil KiratRai Sangh, Sikkim has congratu-lated chief minister, PawanChamling for organizing theSikkim Samman Sammilan to fe-licitate Nepali-speaking persons inrecognition of their professionalexcellence, consistent contribu-tion and dedication to the devel-opment of India.

A press release issued by DrShiva Kumar Rai, Treasurer,AKRS, states that the Sammilanwas historic and the first of its kindin the history of Sikkim.

The release also appreciates thesentiments of the chief ministerreflected in his speech wherein hesays, “We Nepalese should not askwhere our origin is or which ourhomeland is? Our origin is in Indiaand India is our homeland. We

should owe our allegiance to India;we should think for the progress ofthe country and take part in the de-velopmental process of the nation”.

The release goes on to statethat all associations should worktowards preservation of ones cul-ture, tradition, history, costumes,customs, language and script.

“The buildings will vanish oneday and man will not live forever,but the association will live on andthe good works done by a personwill live and be appreciated byothers. Therefore, we all should dohonest and good work for the ben-efit of all,” it adds.

The Akhil Kirat Rai Sangh,Sikkim has also congratulated thechief minister for the release ofthree volumes of the seven partStudy Series, on Sikkim Geogra-phy, Environment, Culture andLiterature.

AKRS congratulates CMon succesful Sammilan

BIRENDRA SHANDILYA

KALIMPONG, 16 July: Followingthe arrest of 37 year old ManinderpalSingh Kohli, the million dollar ques-tion that is doing the rounds here is:who is entitled to the Rs. 50 lakhaward promised by the parents ofKohli’s victim - Hannah Foster.

While the police maintain thatthey did not get any leads from anyperson and that their investigationwas triggered by media reports,there are many in Kalimpong whobelieve that without the active sup-port of a few residents, the policewould have never even known thatKohli was holed up in Kalimpong.

When asked whether the po-lice would claim the reward foritself, R. Mishra, SP said: “I do nothave a clue about the award.”

Meanwhile, Anthony Pradhan,a local resident has emerged as thelocal hero for his role in trackingdown Kohli. A neighbour ofBharati Das, Kohli’s newly wedwife, Pradhan who had met Kohlia number of times, claims he rec-ognised that Mike Dennis, asKohli was known in Sikkim, wasthe fugitive that newspaper reportswere talking about.

“As soon as I saw the pictureof Kohli in the papers, I was con-vinced that Mike and Kohli werethe same person. I immediatelycontacted the police,” Pradhantold NOW!.

“My family has close ties withthe Das’. I knew from the outset thatmy primary objective was to getBharati back home safe. We feared

that Mike could go to any lengthsin a state of panic,” added Pradhan.

On the night of 13 July, whenthe police raid of Das’ house, whereboth Bharati and Kohli were be-lieved to be staying, offered noclues, Pradhan coaxed Bharati’sfamily and made them realize thattheir daughter’s life was also in dan-ger. From there, he helped the po-lice contact Binod Kumar, Mike’sfriend. Binod was picked up. Thepolice found out that Kohli was car-rying Binod’s phone and they madeBinod call up Kohli from a land line.When Kohli answered the call, inthe background the distinct soundof Rickshaw horns could be heardgiving away the fact that Kohli wasin Siliguri. Raids were conducted ata the house of one of Bharati’s rela-tives on the 14th morning at PradhanNagar in Siliguri and the policefound out that the couple had goneto Panighata on the Indo-Nepal bor-der, to live with another relative.They were later arrested from a busstand there.

“Me and my friends took a lotof initiative and even participatedin all the raids in Kalimpong – atHill Top where the Das familyused to live and also at MurgiHatta, where Dennis had rented ahouse and used to live with hiswife,” claims Pradhan.

Meanwhile Jason Lepcha,who operates a Taxi in Darjeelingstated that he was the first personto give genuine information on a

Media Help Line.“On 07 February, the accused

had arrived in Darjeeling and hadput up in Hotel Kailash. The nextday he checked into Hotel RedRose as Rohan Mehta. He stayedin this Hotel till the 26 March,”claims Jason. It is here that he metone Binod Kumar who was from a

From neighbours to cops to Kohli’s taxi driverEVERYONE STAKES CLAIM TO Rs. 50 LAKH CASH AWARD

pharmaceutical company and usedto supply vaccines at the Red Cross.Kohli tied up with him and thenproceeded to Kalimpong. Kohliowed both Jason in whose taxi heused to move around town and theHotel some money. Although Kohliis reported to have cleared his dueswith the hotel, Jason claims that hisdues are still outstanding.

Jason today claimed that hewas the first one to give genuineinformation about Kohli on themedia hotline on 13 July- the dayKohli’s photograph appeared inthe newspapers.

“I even called up some policeofficers I knew in Siliguri,” addsJason.

Anthony Pradhan, in the mean-while claims that while others mighthave recognised Kohli’s photo-graphs, he is without doubt the firstperson to tip off the police.

Anthony reveals that he, along

with his brother, Sunil [34] andfriend Reaz Ahmed [37], who livesclose to where Kohli stayed, helpedthe police with the ground work.

The locals here are also upsetwith the West Bengal DGP,Shyamal Dutta, who “shocked”them when he declared from Writ-ers building

yesterday that the police claimthe award money.

“Its not just about money butones rights,” stresses Reaz.

The Kalimpong trio’s claim issupported by OB Das, the RedCross Kalimpong secretary, whosedaughter Kohli married recently.“Being a social worker myself, Iam really thankful to Anthony andfriends for the commitment theydisplayed in bringing my daugh-ter back safely,” he said.

Anthony Pradhan of Kalimpong

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Anthyesthi KriyaThe Anthyesthi Kriya of late Miss Sheetal Subba,who passed away on 8th June 2004 falls on 18thJuly 2004. All friends, relatives and well-wishersare requested to join us on offering prayers forthe departed soul at our residence Below PWDOffice, Zero Point.

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BSNL PUBLICNOTICE

Telephone Bills for theperiod ending 31-05-2004 have already beenissued and the last dateof payment was 26-06-2004. Subscribers arehereby intimated to payall their outstanding tel-ephone bills by 20-07-2004, failing which thetelephone lines will bedisconnected without anyfurther communication.Sr. Accounts Officer (TRA)

O/o the G.M.T./ Gangtok

To commemorate the 86thbirthday of South Africa’s

former president Nelson Mandela,country’s main Afrikaan languagenewspaper, Beeld, will bring outa special issue on Friday, whichwill be edited by the Nobel laure-ate himself.

The editor of the newspaper,Peet Kruger, said the newspaperwanted to do something specialfor South Africa’s most famousson and decided to invite him tobe the editor of the newspaperfor a day.

“He agreed. Basically in Fri-day’s edition, a section of the pa-

firms: “The team from MCI madea surprise inspection of the hospi-tal on 12 July. We were not awareof their programme and still do notknow of their verdict.”

The inspection team from theMCI, it is learnt, was here to evalu-ate and assess the prevailing con-ditions at the Manipal hospital. Onthe basis of the inspection, theteam will submit a report to theexecutive committee of the MCIwhich will then decide whether togrant permission to the institutefor the conduction of its new aca-demic session. At present, SikkimManipal does not have the permis-sion to commence its new aca-demic session. It had earlier beenrevealed by officials at Manipalthat the medical institute was hav-ing some difficulties in meetingwith MCI stipulations.

“The decision of the MCI willbe communicated to the Govern-

ment of India which will then com-municate the same to the govern-ment of Sikkim,” informs the Dean.

Senior officials at Manipal re-veal that the state government ofSikkim has directed Manipal notto take in any new admissions tillthe government of India grants itpermission to do so.

As per the rules laid down bythe MCI, the last date for the com-mencement of new academic ses-sions in medical colleges is 01August. If Manipal fails to com-mence its new academic sessionon 01 August, it will not be able

to do so till the next academic year.“I have to be intimated of the

MCI decision by the 25th of thismonth by the latest. We have notbeen able to take in new admis-sions, so it is imperative that theMCI and the government of Indiadecide the issue at the earliest,” theDean stresses.

Incidentally, SMIMS normallytakes in its new batch of medicalstudents in the third week of July.Presently, there are three batchesof students undergoing theirMBBS degree course at theManipal Institute.

Contd from pg 1

State govt directs Manipal not to take in newadmissions till central govt clearance

Kutshe SheguThe 49th day of Kutshe Sheguof Tashi Thendup Bhutia who leftfor his heavenly abode on 11June, 2004 falls on July 29,2004. All friends, relatives andwell wishers are requested tojoin us in offering prayers for thedeparted soul at our residenceat Upper Tathangchen,Gangtok, East Sikkim.

We would like to take thisopportunity to thank all thosewho extended their help in ourhour of grief and bereavement.

Chindi Zongpo Bhutia, Tharchen

Bhutia, Dadul Bhutia, Chewang

Namgyal Bhutia, Brothers and other

family members.

Ph: 228398/ 9832059384

KUMBAKONAM [TamilNadu], 16 July: At least 80 stu-dents of primary classes and someteachers were charred to death andover 30 received grievous burnswhen a fire tore through theirschool at Kumbakonam inThanjavur district of Tamil Naduon Friday.

While most of the children diedon-the-spot and were charred be-yond recognition, some others suc-cumbed to injuries in the hospital.

The fire, which is believed tohave started from the kitchen whenthe noon meal for nursery childrenwas being prepared, soon spread toa row of thatched roof classroomswhere students from class one toclass five were present, police and

80 SCHOOLGIRLS DEAD IN TN FIRE MISHAPeyewitnesses said.

Five class rooms on the thirdfloor of the Krishna Middle schoolwere gutted in the fire that broke outat 11 am. Around 900 students werepresent in the complex housing pri-mary, middle and high schools.

While the high school and pri-mary school students escaped onnoticing the fire, the primaryschool children got trapped as thethatched roof collapsed on themmaking their movement difficult.Some teachers who tried to rescuethe children also died.

The injured were admitted togovernment and some private hos-pitals where their condition wasstated to be serious.

District Collector J

Radhakrishnan, who was on thespot supervising the rescue andrelief operations, told PTI that thefire completely destroyed fiveclassrooms. Some of the victimsalso died of suffocation as the exitpassage was narrow, he said.

Fire service personnel, withthe help of cranes, broke open thewalls to gain entry into the schoolbut it was too late and the childrenwere charred beyond recognition.

Radhakrishnan described thescene as heart-rendering and said thatpreliminary investigation suggestedthat the fire began from the kitchenbut its exact cause was being probed.

As the news of the fire spread,parents and relatives of the chil-dren rushed to the school to look

for their wards.Crying and sobbing parents

anxiously watched as the charredbodies were extricated from thedebris. Similar scenes were wit-nessed at the hospitals where par-ents searched for their loved onesamong the injured.

Fire tenders from Kumbakonamand neighbouring towns battled the

flames for nearly two hours.The incident is the second ma-

jor fire mishap in the state this yearafter the inferno in a marriage hallin Srirangam, near Tiruchirappalli,in which 59 people were charredto death in January.

per will have articles highlightingcertain people he appreciates andtheir ideas. Business leader CyrilRamaphosa, poet ElizabethEybers and human rights lawyerGeorge Bizos” are the personsMandela wanted to know about.He would also like to read moreabout ordinary South Africansmaking a difference to the lives ofothers.

Kruger said the list of ques-tions Mandela would answer in-clude:

What he would do if a geniegranted him just one wish?

Who he would still like to

meet?His views on forgivenessHis most-anxious momentWhat he was most afraid of

when he was released from prisonA message for white South

African childrenHis view on South Africa’s fu-

ture

Mandela, who turns 86 onSunday, announced recently thathe would be withdrawing frompublic work to concentrate on hisautobiography. He recently saidthat he read the Beeld daily.

Mandela to become editor on b’day

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In a press statement headded: “No bail can be grantedfor him since it’s a case of a veryserious nature.”

On the news that the PunjabPolice officials and the British In-vestigation team were arrivingsoon to pick up Kohli, he saidthere were chances that he will behanded over to the Punjab Police.

“Its up to the courts to decidewhether he is to be handed to thePunjab Police or the British offi-cials,” he said.

SP, Rajiv Singh further in-formed that the Interpol has re-quested the CBI for the produc-tion of the arrest warrant.

By evening, a Punjab Policeteam along with the Major Crime

Department of Hampshire had alsoarrived in town. After a brief visitto the SDJM, Pratipal Singh Virk,SP, Patiala said, “We asked for atransit remand, but the decision willbe taken by the courts tomorrow,

hence we will have to wait.”Allen Bret of the crime de-

partment of Hampshire was allpraises for the Indian Police. “Iam very pleased with the IndianPolice,” he said.

Contd from pg 1

Kohli remanded to judicial custody...

a NOW REPORT

KALIMPONG, 16 July: Mixedfeelings run high at the Das fam-ily at Hilltop here.

32-year-old Bharati Das whohad recently married ManinderpalSingh Kohli alias Mike Dennis isin a state of shock.

Kohli, who is accused for therape and murder of Hannah Fos-ter in England, was arrested yes-terday as he tried to flee along withBharati to Nepal.

The police had picked upBharati also for interrogation yes-terday. However, realising thatneither Bharati nor her familymembers could have known any-thing about Kohli’s past, she wasreleased the same day.

Today, the Bharati’s houseHilltop wore a solemn look withBharati not in sight, trying to es-cape the hounding media. Evenher father Oath Bahadur Das, whois a social worker and the GeneralSecretary of Kalimpong RedCross, was away.

Bharati’s mother who is a hy-pertension patient was in bed try-ing to recover from the shock.

Only Mamta Rai, Bharati’selder sister spoke to the press andput a brave front, hiding her emo-tions well.

“If Kohli is guilty of the crime,he should be punished,” she said.

She also admitted that she feltbad for her sister who had only justmarried Kohli.

“My sister can still not be-lieve what has happened. Shekeeps on repeating that Kohli isincapable of such a deed as hasben accused of. He was very car-ing and affectionate towardsher,” shares Mamta.

Incidentally, Kohli had arrivedin Kalimpong abut three monthsback, posing as an NRI and usedto actively take part in social serv-ice activities here. He was a regu-lar at all the vaccination camps inand around town.

“It was at these camps that mysister met Kohli. They got to knoweach other and finally eloped,” dis-closes Mamta. As there was no otherway out for the Das family, they ac-cepted Kohli as their son-in-law.

“My father however kept onpestering him for a court marriageand he kept on putting it off mak-ing one excuse or another. He alsonever divulged anything about hispast, except that he was from Lon-don,” she added.

Although Bharati’s parents are

worried about their daughter’s future,her father reportedly told Mamta: “Iam truly happy that my daughter hasbeen saved from the hands of suchan international criminal.”

After marrying Bharati, Kohlimoved into a house in Murgihatta.DS Bhusal, the landlord says: “Irented out the house to him as hehad married a local girl whose fa-ther is quite renowned. HoweverDennis was a cold person andnever used to communicate much.He also never used to look into theeyes when speaking to a personand always kept his head low.”

LEFT IN KOHLI’S WAKEFamily tries to come togrips with the betrayal

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

today in

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ARIES: Problems with your profes-sional position could lead to an un-savoury situation. Chances arepretty good that someone you workwith is not being up front. Take aclose look at the situation before youdecide to change your position.TAURUS: Mix business with pleas-ure. Your mate will be passionateand ecstatic to be included in yourplans. Trips could prove to be suc-cessful in more ways than one.GEMINI: You should consider homerepairs, putting your house on themarket, or even making a residen-tial move. Investment opportunitiesappear to be quite lucrative.CANCER: Relationships can de-velop but you must be cautious;deceptiveness is likely. Ask ques-tions; don’t hesitate to dig into yourpartner’s past. You need to knowall the perinent details.LEO: You might be surprised athow successful you can be. Go for

1487: Born, Esma’il I, Shah who

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Read this poignant plea by the renownedFather of Ecology, E.O. Wilson:“Make endangered species a vividpresence in the lives of people.Make it clear that every endan-gered species has a name, has amillion-year history, has a placein the world. Bring us face-to-facewith each one of those species.Make us know that they are ourcompanions in the biosphere.They are not just something outthere you look at once in a while,but they’re a part of our existence... they are a part of us.”

Now did you know Lynxare found in Sikkim? OnJanuary 4th 2004, a Lynx

was found lying dead in a curled upposition on the way to the famouslake Tso Lhamo in the proposedCold Desert Conservation Reservein North Sikkim (see picture).

It was apparently a wintercasualty. It was the first physicalevidence, proof of an elusive crea-ture which the local Dokpas orTibetan nomadic graziers call ‘Ih’.Over the last four years our sur-veys during the course of the Al-pine Grassland Ecology Projectthere were reports of one to threeLynxes roaming the Cold Desert

on our Tibetan Plateau, but therewas never a sighting. It was in-deed saddening to find the firstdirect evidence, that too, dead.Sadder still, after returning to thesame spot to collect the carcass asan invaluable scientific specimen,we found that the feral dogs hadbeat us to it and torn it to shredsleaving not even a bone sample.

What we have in Sikkim is theEurasian Lynx, a unique hunting catand the largest of the Lynxes, weigh-ing around 18-20 kg. Its scientificname is Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758).This tall handsome animal falls inthe category of large cats along withtigers, lions and snow leopards. It isthe only wild feline that still spansthe breadth of both the Old and NewWorlds in the Northern Hemisphere.World-wide, there are only threeothers, the Canadian Lynx, IberianLynx and Bobcat.

It is recognized easily from othercats by its short, stubby black-tippedtail and long, black tufted ears. Lookat the picture. See its long legs withlarge feet. These have dense fur atthe bottom allowing it to walk eas-ily through deep snow as if on snowshoes. Lynx has been intensivelystudied in Europe mostly throughtelemetry or fur trade statistics.These studies show that they arelarge, long-lived and kill prey at leasthalf their own body weight and atmost three to four times their ownsize (like the Globally ThreatenedGreat Tibetan Sheep or Nayan, fe-male and young Blue Sheep, evendomestic sheep or small prey likehare, mouse-hare or pika and voles.They roam hundreds of kilometers,have home ranges as large as 200sq km, forage over wide areas, andgenerally exists at low densities likeone to 19 per 100 sq km dependingon how much prey is available.

They mate during late winterand have between 1-4 cubs in latespring, but only about 50% of thekittens survive. Cubs become in-dependent at about 10 months, butonly about 20% of them surviveonce they disperse and attempt toestablish territories. Those that do,begin breeding after two years.Their lifespan is around 17 years.

Lynx are known to be thinly dis-tributed over the entire Tibetan pla-teau, and are found throughout therocky hills and mountains of the Cen-tral Asian desert regions. However,

around 75% of their range is withinthe borders of Russia. In the Hima-layas they are probably foundthroughout the northern slopes, andhave been reported both from thickscrub woodland and barren, rockyareas above the treeline. On the bet-ter-forested southern Himalayanslopes, the only record is a sightingin alpine tundra (4,500 m) from theDhaulagiri region of Nepal. In Chinain many places it has become locallyrare. Where hares are the major prey,density estimates from Russia are lessthan four Lynx per 100 sq km.

Like Snow Leopard, Tiger,Lion, etc., Lynx are protected underSchedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife(Protection) Act. Their hunting isbanned not only in India, but alsoin Nepal, Pakistan and most of itsrange countries. They are also listedin Appendix II of CITIES (Conven-tion for International Trade in En-dangered Species). Elsewhere Lynxare known to be vulnerable to de-cline of their prey base. Our deadLynx seems to prove the assump-tion that under harsh winter condi-tions, their survival is at risk if suf-ficient food in the form of large orsmall prey is not available. It is allthe more imperative now to controlthe menace of stray and feral dogsroaming our Cold Desert huntingour wildlife, if we are to save ourState’s wild treasures and one of therarest big cats of Sikkim, our Lynx.

- by USHA LACHUNGPA, Sr.

Research Officer [WL]

LAST LYNX? A SAD NEWRECORD FOR SIKKIM