ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 07 July:Gangtok shall be linked toNathula by an alternativedouble-lane road by 2008 inan undertaking that is pro-jected to cost about Rs. 200crores. Project Dantak of theBorder Roads Organisationshall start work on this frontby October this year, in-formed Brigadier MS Pillai,

NOW!Saturday, 08 July, 2006 Vol. 5 No. 145 Gangtok � Rs. 3

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: Adriver and his companionwere arrested in possessionof fake documents by thewest district police after along highway chase. The de-faulting duo had run throughpolice checkpost at Sombariain West Sikkim and weregiven a successful chase bythe police personnel sta-tioned there.

Sikkim Police has been con-ducting regular vehicle inspec-tions at check posts to guardagainst overloading, over-speeding and to guarantee thatvehicles run on updated docu-ments and are operated by driv-ers authorized to do so.

One such exercise was un-derway at the Sombaria checkpost under the supervision ofSDPO [Geyzing] Manoj Tiwariwhen a Tata Sumo Spacio [SK-04-6854] joined the queue ofvehicles being checked.

Sources informed that thedriver, Raju Subba, ap-proached the police personnelthere to enquire what washappening and was asked toproduce the vehicle’s docu-ments. He said the documentswere in the vehicle and ex-cused himself to fetch them.

He did not return. Instead,when the barrier was lifted toallow the ‘checked’ vehiclesto pass, he gunned the accel-

erator and shot away. He, thecops noticed, had a compan-ion with him who was lateridentified as Tulsi Das Subba.Both are Sombaria residents.

Convinced that somethingwas amiss, the speeding ve-hicle was given a chase andcops managed to flag it downafter about 7 kms.

When the driver was di-rected to produce the docu-ments, he did so, but a closerperusal revealed that althoughthe vehicle number on his per-mit matched, the documentwas issued to a Mahindra &Mahindra vehicle, not a TataSumo Spacio. When con-fronted, neither the driver, norhis companion could offer aconvincing explanation lead-ing to their arrest under sec-tions 420 and 468 which dealwith cheating and forgery[both, non bailable offences],inform sources.

It became obvious to thecops that the number plateshad been changed.

The case has been regis-tered at the Geyzing policestation. Under interrogation,the duo are reported to haverevealed that they had pro-cured the documents from atrader in Sombaria. Sourcesinform that the cops are con-vinced that this trader is alsoinvolved in the forgery andare planning to take legal ac-tion taken against him.

Highway chase nabs driverwith fake vehicle documents

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 06 July: The first day of border trade on ei-ther side of Nathula, even though symbolic, has left localand Tibet Autonomous traders confident of the trade’s po-tential. The experience of the inauguration and the prepara-tions also bore out that while China is exuberant about thetrade, India is still hedging its bets. Chinese journalists whohad come to Nathula to cover the big event on Thursdayadmitted that China had big hopes from Nathula while Delhiwas being lukewarm at best. Photographs of Renquinggang,where the trade mart has been established on the TAR side,and personal accounts of the Sikkim traders who were thereyesterday further highlight how China has spared no effortto put a strong infrastructure in place.

“Very modern,” is how SK Sarda, President, SikkimChamber of Commerce, who was among the 98 traders fromSikkim who visited Renquinggang, described the trade martthere which houses 28 shops. And as regards trade pros-pects and potential, he says, “I am very optimistic”.

One look at the images captured at Renquinggang re-veals that Beijing has not been as stingy as New Delhi whenit comes to splurging in preparation for this trade, the re-sumption of which, both sides insist is ‘historic.’ The trademart there is spanking new and not reappointed sheds. Tele-phone booths proliferate and the whole mart has a very mod-ern appeal against which Sherathang pales in comparison.

The goods on display, however, prove that the tradersthere have not been informed properly on the items they cantrade in. As per the agreement, China can export only 15items to India over Nathula. Although both sides assuredthat the list could be revised as per requirement down the

line, for now, TAR can only send across items like yak tails,goat skin, horses, goats and wool. The only yak tails at theRenquinggang trade mart were in the curio shops and wentfor Rs. 1,200 a piece.

In fact, this aspect came up even a day ahead of the offi-cial inauguration. Sources inform that traders from the otherside came to the pass with stocks of electronic items and ricecookers only to learn, to their dejection, that these could notbe traded with Sikkim. The displays at the well-stocked shopsat Renquinggang reinforced this lack of proper briefing.

These are still early days though and the traders on bothsides will soon find their bearings and trade in what is al-lowed and soon get more practical items included. For now, itwas soaking in the environment and getting a feel of the mar-

Tibet better prepared, but underinformed on Nathula trade

A Chinese bus ferrying Sikkim traders pulls in toRenquinggang in Tibet Autonomous Region on 06 July, 2006.

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turn to pg2

Clockwise: The Trade Mart at Renquinggang; TAR traders at a Sherathang shop; The Bank of Chinabranch at Renquinggang. [Renquinggang photos courtesy PALJOR LACHUNGPA]DIFFERENT STROKES

Sevoke to Nathula connectivity to get a Rs. 700 crore makeoverChief Engineer, HQ 758,Border Roads Task Force,Project Dantak, while ad-dressing a press conferencehere at the Project DantakHQ today.

Since double-laning of thehighway is not feasible, a re-alignment of the JN Roadfrom zero point to Kyannsola[a stretch of 24 kms] shall beundertaken, he informed.The remaining 23 kms upto

Serathang shall be widenedand a new alignment of about9 kms will be cut out up toNathula pass, he added.

BRO already has four op-tions to chose from for thenew road it plans to cut outtill Serathang, the Brigadierinformed. By October, thebest option would have beenidentified and work will be-gin, he said.

“The target for the comple-tion of the road is 2009, but

we decided to set ourselvesthe challenge to complete itby the year 2008,” BrigadierPillai announced.

The alternate highwayplan has obviously been ne-cessitated by the resumptionof border trade over Nathulawhich is expected to grow.

Brigadier Pillai said,“This is just the beginning.The volume of trade is ex-pected to grow and we, at theBRO, are mentally prepared

Singtam plansstate-levelBhanu Jayantia NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: TheSingtam Bhanu Jayanti Cel-ebration Committee, 2006has announced plans toorganise the 192th BhanuJayanti at Singtam at the statelevel this year.

Educational institutions,NGO’s, cultural troupes,clubs and social organiza-tions from Sang-Martam,Central Pendam, Ratepani,R a k d o n g - T i n t e k ,Khamdong and other con-stituencies are expected tosupport the celebrations.Colourful programmesscheduled for the day willconsist of cultural events,Ramayan-paths and exhibi-tions among other things.

Agriculture Minister,Somnath Poudyal, who isalso the area MLA and presi-dent of the 192th BhanuJayanti Celebration Commit-tee has appealed to all orga-nizations and the people ingeneral to participate in theevent and make the observa-tion a grand success.

KATHMANDU, July 7(IANS): Less than a weekafter it asked the royal fam-ily to submit details of theirproperties, Nepal’s parlia-ment will now investigate thewealth of an even greaterpower - Lord Pashupatinath,one of the Hindu trinity.

The Pashupatinath temple

After Nepal king, Pashupatinath’s assets come under scrutinyin Kathmandu, one of the holi-est pilgrimage destinations forHindus, Buddhists and Jainsalike, has come under the scru-tiny of the Parliamentary Pub-lic Accounts Committee, re-cently formed to probe the mis-appropriation of state fundssince 2002, when KingGyanendra began ruling the

country through a series ofnominated prime ministers be-fore finally seizing direct con-trol with the help of the army.

“Devotees undertake spe-cial worship at the templethroughout the year, offeringcash and jewellery worth mil-lions,” Chitra Bahadur KC,chairman of the probe commit-

tee, told IANS. “Yet there is noaudited record. For a long time,people have been suspectingthe money goes elsewhere.”

The temple, one of the mostpopular tourist sites in Nepal,is run by a trust that is chairedby the queen. The currentqueen, Queen Komal, is thepresent chairman of the trust.

“There have been allega-tions that trust members werechosen not because of theircompetence or auditing skillsbut because of their closenessto the palace,” KC said.

KC also said that PradipGyawali, culture, tourism andcivil aviation minister, would alsobe asked to attend the session.

2; NOW!; 08 July, 2006 OPINION �

NOW!F i r s t W i t h T h e N e w s

In this piece we will consider some really strange entriesinto our vocabulary. We will travel through Japan, Iran,Portugal, China and then come back to India.

Let us begin with the word ‘rickshaw’. It comes fromthree Japenese characters which read as ‘jin-riki-sha’ thattranslate as ‘man-strength-cart’. This figurative term obvi-ously stands for ‘man pulling a cart’ and as the term trav-elled from Japan to distant shores, the first part ‘jin-’ gotphased out giving us our ‘rickshaw’. There was a time whenrich British people would go for walks around the Mall inDarjeeling with a ‘rickshaw’ behind them. It was a way offlaunting that in case the well-heeled person got tired hehad the means to head home in comfort.

For the next word we go to Iran during the era when itwas called Persia. It is strongly believed that the word‘shamiana’ came from there. We often use a ‘shamiana’ dur-ing marriages because our own equivalent, the ‘tambu’ ortent, is restrictive since it is closed from all sides while theformer is open. ‘Shamianas’ are easier to set up and can befound in relatively large sizes which add to their popularity.

In the ancient days, when the Shah travelled to distantparts of his province, courts were held at the places wherehe stopped and this consisted of a large tent-like canopy ofcotton but with open sides. The Shah sat at the centre, thePersian for which is ‘miyana,’ so, such a court came to becalled ‘Shah-miyana’ or ‘shamiana’.

Our next stop is Portugal from where we got our word‘padri’ saheb or the Christian clergyman. The Portugueseword is ‘padre’ and it was only applied to the Roman Catho-lic priests but very strangely, despite most countrieshonouring that convention, we and the rest of India see andaccept any Christian clergyman as a ‘padri’.

From Portugal we travel to ancient China, the home oftea. The character representing a tea plant in the Mandarinis pronounced as ‘tay’ from which we got ‘tea’ but we aremore concerned with the Nepali ‘cha’. It is difficult to be-lieve that the word ‘cha’ or ‘chai’ could also be from outsidethe subcontinent but that is the truth. One of the earliestrecord of ‘cha’ in English language is in the English Glos-sary of 1671 where it is mentioned that it was once spelt as‘tcha’ and that it was derived from the Cantonese. In theintroduction to Marco Polo’s “Navigationi e Viaggi” we readof a Persian trader, Haji Mohammed, who visited Veniceand had drunk ‘Chiai Catai’ or the ‘chiai of Cathay.’

Tea has become a mode of greeting visitors in our homesbut of almost equal popularity is ‘khorsani’ of which wehave so many varieties. The word is believed to be relatedto the Persian province of Khorasan which produces saf-fron, asafoetida, and various aromatic gums.

This leads me to my favourite spice which is not just aseasoning but as an illustration of our ingenuity and wit incrafting new words. So, having gone through Japan, Iran,Portugal and China we now come home with ‘akbaraykhorsani’ - that small, teeny-weeny seasoning that carries somuch pungency that it burns both the ends of those who eatit. Hats off to our ancestors who so aptly named it afterEmperor Akbar, the Mughal ruler at Delhi, who like the‘khorsani’ was not big, but carried one hell of a punch assupreme ruler of India.

Spicing Things Up

THEIR WORDS/HAMRO VOCABULARY

by Dr. SONAM B. WANGYAL

ket. Here too China seems tohave outperformed India.

The Indian traders werechauffered to Renquinggangin swanky buses by smartdrivers wearing white glovesand greeted at the trade martby a large crowd of lay Tibet-ans and traders. At Serathang,the TAR traders were visiblydisappointed and a HindustanTimes report today also re-ported that even the hostinghad its drawbacks.

At Renquinggang, thewelcome was rousing andarrangements were also inplace to accommodate theSikkim traders if they had tostay overnight.

As for the experience,travel operator and formerTAAS president, PaljorLachungpa, who was also at

Renquinggang yesterday, saidthat the ride to the trade martwas pleasant and although theroad is still under constructionand slushy, the new terrainthat they were riding throughkept them occupied.

“They [TAR] also appearto have their own green mis-sion going on as we sawmany saplings planted alongthe road,” he mentioned.The trade mart, he found“beautifully made.”

The occasion was alsoemotional as Mr. Sarda recol-lects that some elderly ladieshad tears in their eyes asmemories of the trade and in-teractions snuffed out 44 yearsago got the better of them.

It must also have been anemotionally charged experi-ence for Gangtok’s MotilalLakhotia who making thejourney after 44 years. While

speaking to NOW!, he saidthat the mart boasted of all thebasic amenities imaginableand much more. Ample carparking space, accommoda-tions for at least 10-12 trad-ers for overnight stays, restau-rants, tea stalls, cleanrestrooms, proper water sup-ply, a bank and attractivecounters displaying the vari-ous goods.

The arrangement for over-night stay for traders is alsoa thoughtful inclusion notonly because of the erraticweather and temperamentalroad conditions, but also, asMr. Sarda points out, forproper business to take place,traders will need to makebrief stopovers down the line.

Although the celebratorymood was infectious, languagewas a problem. Only a fewSikkim traders at

Renquinggang yesterday couldspeak Tibetan and none thereknew English or Sikkimese.

Mr. Lachungpa admittedthat this language problemwas the only drawback andshared that when he makesthe next visit, he will defi-nitely arrange to take alongan interpreter.

Mr. Sarda who also ad-dressed a press conferencewith the Chinese media thereyesterday emphasized thatprices needed to be regular-ized and suggested that theSikkim Chamber of Com-merce be invited over by itscounterpart in TAR. He alsosuggested a bus service up tothe trade marts on both sides.

The Indian traders alsoexpressed gratitude towardsthe Prime Minister and theChief Minister for making thereopening possible and with

it, throwing open immenseopportunities for them.

Even though the first daydid not see any serious trad-ing and only experiencedsome shopping, trade will nodoubt prosper if the foreigncurrency exchanged by trad-ers from Sikkim going intoTAR is anything to go by.

On Wednesday, a dayahead of the inauguration,the State Bank of India trans-acted currency worth morethan US $10,000 [US dollarsbeing the official mode oftransaction for the bordertrade] for around 60 traders.On Thursday, the Sherathangbranch exchanged an addi-tional $ 1,020 for Indian trad-ers, the first transaction tak-ing place at 6:30 AM!

As of now the maximumlimit which an individualtrader can transact has been set

at $ 500. While the retentionlimit of the SBI branch atSherathang is $ 2,500 the SBI,Gangtok has no such limits.

As Tenzing Chewang ofSBI informs, only a handfulof traders returned to surren-der the dollars this morning.He says that the branch up atSherathang has beenequipped with latest technol-ogy including fax, phones,internet and will soon be fit-ted with a V-Sat for directcommunication.

“We have invested aroundRs.10 lakhs in setting up thatbranch which is manned bythree personnel,” Mr.Tenzing says.

If trade grows, the SBIbranch will need more hands.If it wants to come even closeto the Bank of China branchat Renquinggang, then theywill need to invest some more.

Contd from pg1

Tibet better prepared, but under informed on Nathula trade...

and also prepared with re-sources. We have alwaysworked in difficult areas; wehave 14 projects in the coun-try along with three outside.You can see for yourself whatthe road was two years backand what it is now.”

The trade will obviouslyneed better connectivity tillSiliguri, the nearest railhead.In that regard, the Sevoke toGangtok stretch of NH 31Ashall also be widened, butthis project, Brigadier Pillaisaid, would be undertaken bythe National Highway Au-thority of India. The DetailedProject Report for this projectis also being prepared andenvisages an intermediatelane at an average width of5.5 meters. The Rangpo toGangtok highway a stretch of52 km shall further be wid-ened and realigned.

“We shall be handing overthe highway from Sevoke toGangtok to the NHA by Sep-tember or October this yearand then they shall start offwith their formalities andworks,” the BRO Chief En-gineer informed.

He also mentioned that therehad been regular interactionsbetween the Chinese Road En-gineers and the BRO related tothe highways, the volume, andcapacity of the highway etc.

“The intensity of traffic shallgo up tremendously. As all theroads are single lane now,works shall be carried out fromsea level to 14400 feet,” he said.

He also mentioned thatthe BRO, after having re-ceived information of thetrade route opening, washanded over the job of pre-paring the roads last year.

“Despite the inhospitableclimate and harsh terrain andonly limited time to completethe works, we did an excel-lent job; all the trouble spotsalong the Gangtok Nathulahighway like M/S 13, AndaBridge and Mile 15 weregiven a permanent makeover.The BRO overcame thefreezing temperatures thatdrop so low sometimes thattar cannot be laid and met thedeadline,” he enthused.

He lastly asked for thesupport of the state govern-ment in the acquisition ofland and forest clearances.

“We have a mechanism forcompensation and require co-operation to be able to completethe work before the deadline”.

While the highway fromGangtok to Nathula shall costan estimated Rs. 200 crores,the Sevoke to Gangtok high-way shall cost an estimatedRs. 500 crores.

The BRO was tasked lastyear in July 2005, to executeall works to join the JN Roadwith the Chinese road at the In-ternational Border. The exactspot and level where the roadswould meet at the internationalborder was finalized as late asin end April 2006. MajorManoj Gupta, officer com-manding 87 Road Construc-tion Coy worked in the areacompleting it within 6 months.The works executed forNathula trade include a 13 kmfencing from the border uptothe Sherathang trade mart, im-provement of the Serathang toNathula stretch, constructionof 500m new road at the bor-der, sign posting of road fromGangtok to Serathang and re-surfacing of the same besidesimprovement of road fromSevoke to Gangtok.

Contd from pg1

Sevoke to Nathula connectivity...

Gabriel E. Joseph isthe only AFC recog-nized football instruc-tor in the country. Hestarted his career in1964 playing for IndianAir Force and laterwore the colours forIndia in 1971. Hiscoaching career spansover two decades,during which he hastrained the IndianYouth Team and otherreputed teams. Theveteran footballer andmaster coach was inSikkim recently toconduct AFC C-Licensecourses for 21 aspiringcoaches. NOW!’sNAVIN AGARWALinterviewed him aboutfootball in general andits prospects in Sikkim.Excerpts:

NOW: How will the AFC C-License course benefit theparticipants?GE JOSEPH: The AFC Ccourse will help aspiringcoaches to groom youngfootballers in a systematicand planned way. It will in-crease their skills and givethem enough ideas whichthey can pass on to the bud-ding players.

How would you rate thestandard of football inSikkim?The players here have lot oftalent but they need to im-prove on their fitness and tac-tical abilities to be at par withthe rest of the country. Be-sides, they need appropriateexposure to do well at thehighest level. These days therankings determine yourlevel, so Sikkim needs topush its ranking higher byplaying well consistently.

“15 years of consistenthard work make a

top-class footballer”

Are you happy with theinfrastructural facilities forfootball in Sikkim?It’s ok. The stadium’s [Paljor]good, but the State needs tohave more training fields,more grounds for football forthe game to develop in a bigway here. The thrust must beon providing facilities in vil-lages and the districts so thatfootball is able to grow at thegrassroots level.

What do you think are the keyareas that our sports admin-istrators need to focus on?

The association [SFA] needsto chalk out a plannedprogramme and focus on sys-tematic development ofyoung footballers… utilizethe current lot of coaches andget more people trained tohone the skills of the playersat the lowest level.

You have trained coachesthroughout the country, sohow do you rate the partici-pants here with the rest ofIndia?I am impressed. They weredisciplined, eager to learn andwere very very anxious to pickup new things. I will say it’s a

good sign [of development].

What do you think the Stateneeds to do to discover moreBhaichungs?The concerned authoritiesshould take keen care ofblooming footballers. I em-phasize again, planning andproper grooming will help.The players must get equalopportunities and sufficienttraining facilities. Havingsaid that, the players mustthemselves rise to the occa-sion and develop themselvesindividually to make a markat the national level.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: A coordination meeting, under thechairmanship of Minister Food & Civil Supplies Depart-ment, Kalawati Subba, along with panchayats and govern-ment fair price shops, was held in the DAC Conference Hallin Namchi on 03 July with a view to inform all about theDepartment’s activities and to address the problems facedby the people and the Department through interaction withthe panchayats and the Government fair price shops.

The meeting was also attended by Principal SecretaryFood & Civil Supplies Department, Jayshree Pradhan,Special Secretary, KK Pradhan, Joint Secretary, TashiBhutia, DC (S) Chawan, Deputy Controller and Assis-tant Controller (W&M), DCSO and other officers of theseven food godowns.

CORRIGENDUMThis is in connection with the essay. “Sikkim’s Fools Gold.”The writer wishes to clarify that the odds against winning big[in lottery] are ‘worse than one in a million!!’ and not 1 in a 100as the article had mentioned.

�INTERVIEW

GABRIEL E. JOSEPH

What are future prospectsfor football in Sikkim?The future looks good. Theplayers here are moderate butfor Sikkim to match their coun-terparts in Kerala and Goa, theplayers, the coaches, the orga-nizers-all have to work hardcollectively at all levels.

Anything which particularlyimpressed you at the camp?The participants themselvesand then the support of the lo-cal officials is worthy of praise.The players showed a keendesire and survived as I willsay again, the strenuous coach-

ing sessions. It was amazingto have at least two officials toassist me all thetime…Tenzing was a big help.

Any message for upcomingfootballers of Sikkim?See, for a footballer to be-come top-class, he needs towork hard consistently for 15years. The players mustchange their attitude and cul-tivate a more professionalapproach towards the game.Besides, they must be will-ing to push themselves andstrive to excel at all times.The results will follow.

The meeting, which is a first of its kind being held in theSouth District, commenced with the welcome address byTM Rai, Food Inspector Namchi. Mr. KK Pradhan informedabout the Public Distribution System and the PDS Act 2001,while Mr. Tashi Bhutia informed on the system of imple-menting ration cards and its importance.

The DCSO (S) informed about the criteria of selectingBPL and other persons and requested all the panchayats tosubmit the list of employees. DC (S) stressed that consumerawareness camps needed to be conducted among the publicand as the president of South District Consumer Councilspoke on the role of the Council as well.

Deputy Secretary W&M (Weight & Measurement) spokeabout the Consumer Protection Act and informed of the neg-ligence on the part of the shops which go against the Act.

Food Minister chairs coordination meeting at Namchi

turn to pg4

Delhi Needs to Wake UPFor the army to be on the guard against China is expected.

It is their job to keep the borders safe and safety, in the

armed forces kind of way, does not come with camarade-

rie with the other side. So, if the Indian army remains

unconvinced that China has only trade in mind [at Nathula

or elsewhere in the northeast], it should make the people

feel safer. That apart, the babus and the decision makers

in Delhi should be more open about the Dragon because

only then will they learn. Although China’s human rights

policies and communist interpretations can be given a wide

berth, Delhi could learn a lot about planning from the

giant neighbour. Look at Nathula. China has obviously

prepared well for it. Even though the present list of items

they can export are miniscule both in size and prospect,

they appear to have spared no effort in preparing for the

trade, even if it is only border trade to begin with. When

the boom happens, only they will be equipped to seize the

day. The whole run-up for Nathula appears carefully

planned. Nathula reopened within a week of the rail-head

reaching Lhasa from what we know as the Kham region.

This railway travels over desolate terrain and even laying

the tracks appeared impossible at one time. China, how-

ever, pulled it off and the supply lines from India can now

stretch right up to Kham reaching it important provisions

and construction material which will be required for any

developmental works. This railway, they plan to bring

down to Yatung in Chumbi valley. On another axis, they

are stretching rail connectivity to a township they are de-

veloping north of Arunachal Pradesh on the tri-junction

with Burma. This extensive rail network will undoubtedly

help military deployment, but it is obviously not an armed

invasion that China plans. That’s not possible in the

present-day situation. And who needs an army to invade

when Chinese goods have already inundated the world.

Delhi, instead of settling personal scores with doctors at

AIIMS, could do well by planning ahead for once. It con-

tinues sleeping on Sikkim’s requests for better roads, an

airport and a rail-head. All these should have already been

in place before Nathula opened for business. Unfortu-

nately, they are still proposals in the whetting stage. For

all its moral grand-standing with guaranteed employment

and concern over inflation, Delhi continues to sleepwalk

through planning priorities spending crores in pet con-

stituencies with no prospects at the cost of investing in

futures that could take a whole region forward.

08 July, 2006; NOW! 3

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WANTED DEALERTelebrands wants to appointsubdealers in all places inSIKKIM. Interested parties cancontact Siliguri at 2524488 or9434012522 ASAP.

RECRUITING NOW!Experienced GeneralManager[male/female]: Com-puter literate, experienced in Ac-counting, dynamic & fluent inEnglish for Hotel & TravelAgency Management. Contact:97330-06595, 9232513090The Bamboo Resort &Greenwood Travels, Sajong,Rumtek, Sikkim

PAYING GUEST

ACCOMODATION AVAILABLE:For College/ School Students[Girls only] at Upper Tadung, NearKrishi Bhawan. Interested per-sons may contact: 94341-17463

FOR SALEA Beauty Parlour Shop situ-ated near New Lall BazaarComplex. Interested partiesmay contact: 9733010982

EMPLOYMENTHappy Hours Nursery School, Old Lall Bazar, requiresyoung ladies fluent in spoken and written English to fill upthe following positionsPOSITION NO. OF POSTS MINIMUM QUALIFICATION

Head Mistress 01 B.A B.Ed

Teachers 02 B.A / TTC / Montessori

Application along with certificates may be submitted tothe Administrator between 9:30 AM to 11 AM on all work-ing days with immediate effect. Last date of receipt of ap-plication is 7.07.2006

Administrator. Ph.204274

HAPPY HOURS NURSERY SCHOOL

AVAILABLE: JCBproclain, Dozers &Trip-pers. Available on hire.Contact Ranipool: 251631,251831, and 9434051631

TATA Indicom Ka BoothLagao Chaman Bhai Se

Raman Bhai BanjayoContact: Super Market, Top Floor

Near Potala Restaurant

Ph: 251631, 9434051631,

9832348881, 9932294892

For more information, interested

parties may please contact:

9434214004

LADIESTRACKSUITSFROM

KRISHNA COMPANYNew Market, Gangtok

Ph: 229655

VACANCYPersonel Assistant- 1 Post womencandidate who is computer liter-ate and fluent in English languagefor a Guest House Office atDeorali, Gangtok.Contact during office hours #94340 80124

� NEWSSCAN

Anthyesti Kriya

The Anthyesthi Kriya of late Maiya Shakya

(1954-2006) who passed away on 28th June,

falls on 10th July 2006.

All relatives, friends, and well wishers are re-

quested to join us in offering prayers for the

departed soul at our residence at Upreti Build-

ing, above SBI Bank, Deorali.Karuna Ratna Shakya (husband)

Pabi Ratna Shakya (son)

Subash Ratna Shakya (son)

Sujata Shakya (daughter-in-law)

Deepankar Ratna Shakya [grandson]

Contact: 03592281016, 9932295811, 9932295812, 9832082416

FOR

CONTACT:98320-77601,

9434010482, 203895[R]

HOUSINGLOAN/ LICPOLICY &HOUSE

INSURANCE

FOR SALETATA INDIGO MARINA,model- 2005 in good runningcondition. For further detailscontact: 9832035196,9832480628, 9232498660

REQUIRED/WANTED:

Maruti Alto in good condition.Contact: 9434174490,9733098466

AVAILABLE: Land mea-suring 60’x200= 1200sq.ft.available for sale in RumtekRoad. Contact: 9434861430

WANTED: MarketingExecutive for Overnite Ex-press Limited (A Courier Ser-vice), minimum qualificationsgraduate with knowledege ofmarketing and computer ap-plication. Send bio-data to:Rakesh Somani, Overnite Ex-press Ltd., Somani Bldg, NewMarket, Gangtok. Ph”9434023813, 9832013133

Anthyesthi

KriyaThe Anthyesthi Kriya of late Capt.Shasi Bhusan Singh, who laid downhis life fighting for the country falls on9th July 2006 [Sunday]. All relatives,friends, and well wishers are re-quested to join us in offering prayersfor the departed soul at our residenceat Development Area, AboveSangram Bhawan, Gangtok.

Rameshwar Singh [father], Ravi Bhusan Singh [brother]

& all family members

KANCHAN DRIVING INSTITUTENEAR KRISHI BHAWAN, OPP. JOYBELLS SCHOOL, 1st FLOOR

LEARN DRIVING

FROM PROFESSIONAL

INSTRUCTOR

MONTHLY Rs. 3000/-

FOR TWO MONTHS 3700/-Contact No:

9832070454 [Raja Gazmer]9832038217 [Ved Sharma]PER DAY 5 KM FOR CLASSES

THE ONLY DRIVING SCHOOL IN

TOWN RUNS & MANAGED BY ME-

CHANICAL ENGINEERS OFFERS

1-MONTH INTENSIVE DRIVING

TRAINING FROM AN EXPERI-

ENCED, WELL QUALIFIED & WELL-

MANNERED DRIVING INSTRUC-

TORS WITH THE LOWEST EVER

FEES IN TOWN. 100% SAFETY,

100% RESULT, NO TIME-LIMIT.

THE NEW ALLIED DRIVING SCHOOLABOVE HOME-VISION, AMDO GOLAI TRAFFIC MORE, OPP. TAXI STOP,

GANGTOK PH: 98320-14984, 98323-46110

TOTAL FEEJUST Rs. 2900/-

WITH ORIGINAL DRIVING LICENSE

SEPARATE LADIES- BATCHESWITH TOTAL

SAFETY

FOR SALEArea measuring1600sq.ft. near Districtand Session Court. Con-tact: 9434153592

WANTED IMMEDIATELYA FACULTY for a

COMPUTER INSTITUTION

with good communication

skill and knowledge of

computer applications.

For detail contact:

9832090111.

LAND FOR SALE

Prime land along NationalHighway 31A near Rangpomeasuring 23,000 sq. ft. isavailable for sale. Contact:9832032981

LAND FOR SALEA land situated at SicheyBusty, near Sichey Sub Sta-tion measuring 100ft x 12ft.for Sale. Interested partiesmay contact: J.N. Prashad@ 9832320140,9832318204

BUILDING FOR SALE

Situated at Middle Arithang,51/2 storyed building. Areameasuring 35’x40’.Contact:J.N. Prashad @9832320140, 9832318204

SNOD Complex, DeoraliABACUS

Only AT:

STEP IN

TO

THE KIDS

WONDERLAND

PILGRIMAGE TO TIBET

LOST: Abhishek Bansal s/o. Prem Bansal has lost his ClassXII CBSE Original Marksheet bearing Roll No. 3220234 onMay to June at Ranipool. If found please contact: 03592-251814, 9832089626.

WANTED: EXECUTIVE for Sikkim based at Gangtok.Salary Rs. 3,500 basic. Contact: 9832032351, 03532525431,9232350111 Contact: CIA, Sachin Sarkar Sarani, BesideABTA, College Para, Siliguri.

SGC admissioncriteria only

for Humanitiesa NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: TheSikkim Government Collegethrough a press release clari-fied today that the collegehad fixed the criteria for ad-mission only in Humanitiesstream and not for Scienceand Commerce stream.

Responding to news re-ports that the College haddenied admission even tocandidates who had secured55% and above in +2 exami-nation, the SGC principalmentioned that no media per-sons approached the Collegeauthorities to enquire on therealities and the problemsfaced by the college.

He explained that the Col-lege has 350 seats in Humani-ties, 100 in Science and 100 inCommerce and could thus ac-commodate only 550 students.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: Ayoung boy who decampedwith an underage girl andmarried her has been accusedby the father of the ‘bride’ ofrape and kidnapping. The fa-ther, a resident of Aritar, inEast Sikkim, has filed a com-plaint in the Rhenock policestation under sections 376IPC, which deals with rapeand 363 IPC, which chargesa person of kidnapping fromlawful guardianship.

The complaint was filedon 06 July and the boy waspicked up the same day andis currently in police custody.

According to reports, thegirl is a 16 year old class IXstudent, while the boy is aresident of Pitamchen bustyin West Bengal.

The girl’s father has ac-cused the youth of way-lay-ing the minor girl while shewas on her way to her tuitionclasses and forcing her toelope with him and get mar-ried. The father has also ac-cused the boy of rape. As perlaw, marriage of a minor,which, the girl happens to be,is considered illegal. Theconsent of a minor to a sexualrelationship is also invalid ina court of law and as suchamounts to rape by the adult.

Elopement draws rapeallegation

Poultry farm trainingat Darap

a NOW REPORT

DARAP, 07 July: A three day skill up-gradation trainingprogramme on poultry farming concluded here today. Thetraining was organized by Darap-Agro-Farm Tourism De-velopment Cooperative Society Limited in collaboration withthe Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Ser-vices [AHVS] at Darap.

Deputy Director Dr. Pintso Bhutia and Veterinary Officerof AHVS department conducted the training as resourcepersons and gave tips on shed management.

There was a power-point presentation on rearing of poul-try birds - including feed, water and medicine necessary tokeep the birds healthy.

Today, the Board of Directors of Darap-Agro-Farm Tour-ism Development Cooperative Society along with the re-source persons and the panchayat visited the poultry farmand enquired about its functioning.

Around 30 people participated in the training. The DarapAgro-Farm Tourism Development Cooperative Society isalso promoting village tourism. It is a community based ef-fort and they are doing it to boost the economy of the state.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: Aplantation drive under StateGreen Mission was under-taken today at around 9 amby the Reserve Line of

Cops go green

Sikkim Police at PoliceFamily Quarter Complex, 6th

Mile Tadong.The Chief Guest of the

occasion, DGP CMRavindran planted a saplingto kick start the drive. A host

of police officers werepresent to grace the gather-ing. The drive was held un-der the aegis of DIG BKRoka. 19 police personnelwere also allotted quarters onthis occasion.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 07 July: Athree-day workshop on re-view and planning of Com-munity Information Centres[CICs] focusing on thesustainability of these ven-tures established in 2002will begin here at ChintanBhawan on 10 July. Theworkshop is being organizedby the Department of Infor-

3-day workshop on sustainability of CICsmation Technology, Govern-ment of Sikkim, and Na-tional Informatics Centre.

Minister, Land Revenueand Disaster Managementand Urban Development andHousing Department and Ir-rigation and Flood Control,DD Bhutia, will grace theoccasion as the Chief Guest.

This programme is beingattended by Secretary Infor-mation Technology & Com-

merce Department, Govern-ment of India, besides, NorthEastern States, Andaman andNicobar Island, Laxshadeep,Jammu and Kashmir.

The Department of Infor-mation of Technology,Sikkim, has established 45CICs in Sikkim, eachequipped with 6 computers

and a direct satellite link forinternet connectivity.

The three day workshopwill also feature a meeting aHigh level Inter MinisterialTask Force for monitoring theutilization of CICs in NorthEast, discussions with localNGO’s on proper utilizationof the CICs will also be held.

IN JUST ONE AND HALF MONTH WITH A

LOWEST FEE IN TOWN

FFFFFor Both Ladies & Gentsor Both Ladies & Gentsor Both Ladies & Gentsor Both Ladies & Gentsor Both Ladies & Gents

CONTACT:HOT WHEELSOpp. District Court, BesideState bank of Sikkim.Ph: 9932369890, 227237

GET 1+1OFFER

SPECIAL CONCESSIONFOR STUDENT,

UNEMPLOYED AND A2Entp. MEMBER

learn Car driving

MOBILE REPAIR

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Opp. Telephone Exchange, Metro Point, Gangtok

9232517560, 9832344666, 9932480001

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* MEMORY CARDS, CARD READERS & UNLOCKING* BLUETOOTH HEAD PHONES, DONGLES & CARKITS* PEN DRIVE, FLASH DRIVE, MP4 PLAYERS* MOBILE CHARGERS, CAR CHARGERS & BATTERIES* DOWNLOAD- MP3, RINGTONES, SOFTWARES, GAMES

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4; NOW!; 08 July, 2006

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

� FINALONE

History08th July

today in

I N V I T A T I O NSikkim Amateur Mountaineering Association is proudly an-nounce its 1st Workshop-cum-Expansion of Membershipon the completion of its 2nd successful years on 13th July2006 at Traveller’s Lodge, Opp. Panorama Color Lab, Ti-bet Road, Gangtok at 2 PM. All the interested individualsare cordially invited to attend the same. Preference willbe given to BMC and AMC certificate holders. Willing in-dividuals will be registered on the spot.

Publicity Secretary, Ph: 98323391716

ORIGINAL

KRISHNA COMPANYNew Market, Gangtok

Ph: 229655

SHOESONLY AT

OPENING SHORTLOPENING SHORTLOPENING SHORTLOPENING SHORTLOPENING SHORTLYYYYY

Gallery(Readymade Garments)

at:Nam Nang Road, Gangtok

KRISHNA COMPANYNew Market, Gangtok Ph: 229655

Trendy

VACCUMCLEANER

ARIES: Things might be off toa rocky start today, but peoplecan be like that. You‘re notoperating in a vacuum. Makecontact.TAURUS: Those around youmight be getting all worked up,but you can‘t see any reasonfor excitement. You feel de-tached, and it doesn‘t botheryou if that is too obvious.GEMINI: You‘re not the onewith a problem. You‘re sorry ifothers are unhappy. But theycan‘t drag you down withthem. In fact, you probablywon‘t even notice if anythingis amiss.CANCER: Some may face afinancial crisis. Some may in-vest more in speculation. Thoseinvolved in speculation will findimprovement. Financial posi-tion will be good. Expenses willbe reduced. Industrialists mayface problems.LEO: Financial crisis will bebrought under control. Domes-tic happiness will prevail. Wor-ries will recede. Inimical activi-ties will be reduced. Victory inyour activities is assured.Sportspersons will be success-ful in all their attempts. Somemay obtain a scholarship forfurther studies. An overseasjob is indicated.VIRGO: Some acquire immov-able property. Some may ac-quire a new vehicle. A changeof environment is indicated.Government recognition is in-dicated. Financial crisis will bebrought under control. You willenjoy good health.LIBRA: You will be very ac-tive. Happiness will prevail.Improvement in your activities

is indicated. Cash flow will besufficient. Prosperity is indi-cated. Things will go accord-ing to your expectations. Poli-ticians may find little improve-ment. Encouraging communi-cation will be received.SCORPIO: You will have arelaxed day. Financial crisiswill be brought under control.Those in trade and agencybusinesses will be very suc-cessful. Frequent travel will bethere. Export businesses willbe very successful. You havereason to be optimistic. Sup-port from your superiors is in-dicated.SAGITTARIUS: Some maytake a new/major decision athome. Domestic life will begood. Expenditure will de-crease. Worries will recede.Social status and popularitywill be maintained. Cash flowwill be very good. You will bevery successful.CAPRICORN: You may go ona long trip. Litigation will bepostponed. Cash flow will bevery good. Encouraging com-munication will be received.Business turnover will be verygood. Support from subordi-nate will continue.AQUARIUS: You will take anew decision regarding busi-ness activities. Business willbe brisk. Support from friendsand relatives is assured. Cashflow will be very good. Pros-perity is indicated. Political lifewill be comfortable.PISCES: You may switch to anew line of business. This willbe very good. Worries will dis-appear. Expenses will be thesame as usual. You will havefewer problems with ourspouse. Promotion will bethere, but no indication of atransfer. Students will find im-provement. Business will yieldgood returns.

THE FUTURENOW!

1994: NORTH KOREA’S “GREAT

LEADER” DIES

Kim Il Sung, the communist dictator of North Korea since1948, dies of a heart attack at the age of 82. In the1930s, Kim fought against the Japanese occupation

of Korea and was singled out by Soviet authorities, who senthim to the USSR for military and political training. He be-came a communist and fought in the Soviet Red Army inWorld War II. In 1945, Korea was divided into Soviet andAmerican spheres, and in 1948 Kim became the first leaderof the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).Hoping to reunify Korea by force, Kim launched an invasionof South Korea in June 1950, thereby igniting the KoreanWar, which ended in a stalemate in 1953.

During the next four decades, Kim led his country into adeep isolation from even its former communist allies, andrelations with South Korea remained tense. Repressive ruleand a personality cult that celebrated him as the “GreatLeader” kept him in power until his death in 1994. He wassucceeded as president by his son, Kim Jong Il, whose reignhas been equally repressive and isolating. In recent years,Kim Jong Il has earned censure from much of the world forhis continuing attempts to manufacture nuclear weapons,even as millions of his country’s people live in poverty.

PROPERTY AVAILABLE ON RENTSpace available on rent (Two Storied Totaling 1700 sq. ft.

approx) on M. G. Marg (Road Level and Below Road Level)

in heart of Gangtok. For details contact 9832024521,

9434061571, 09434445275 Email: pcsons@gmail.com,

business@pcsons.com

UNITED COLUNITED COLUNITED COLUNITED COLUNITED COLORS OF BENETTORS OF BENETTORS OF BENETTORS OF BENETTORS OF BENETTONONONONONSummer Sale started from

5th July 2006At:

ARCADEKazi Road, Gangtok

Ph: 226358

COUNSELING NOTICE FOR ALLOTMENT OF SATE QUOTA SEATS FOR

BSC (AGIRCULTURE) AND ALLIED COURSES AND DIPLOMA

ENGINEERING COURSES FOR THE YEAR 2006.Counseling for N.E.C. Quota Seats for BSC (Agriculture) and allied coursesand Diploma in Engineering Courses (Central Pool) will be held on 14.7.2006and 17.7.2006 respectively in the Conference Hall of Human Resource Dev.Department, Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok from 11.30 a.m. onwards.

Sl. Course No. of InstituteNo. Seat1. BSC (Agriculture) 05 College of Agriculture, Imphal, Manipur

2. BSC (Horticulture) 04 College of Horticulture & Forestry,Passighat, A.P.

3. BVSC & AH 03 College of Veterinary Science & AHSelesih, Aizwal, Mizoram

4. BVSC & AH 01 Subject to payment of pro-rata contribu-BSC (Agri.) tion of Rs. 1.00 lac per candidate.BSC (Home Science) 02B. Fisheries Scinece 01

5. BSC (Home Science) 02 College of Home Science DakopgreTura, Meghalaya.

6. BSC Fisheries College of Fisheries, Agartala, Tripura

7. B.Tech (Agriculture) 02 College of Agri. Engineering & PostHarvest Tech. Ranipool, Gangtok.

8. Diploma in 30 27 seats Tamil NaduEngineering 03 seats (Mech), Tripura

(Counseling is scheduled on17th July 2006).

NOTE: CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO BRING ALL RELEVANTDOCUMENTS IN ORIGINAL.CANDIDATES WHO FAIL TO ATTEND THE COUNSELING SESSIONSHALL LOSE HIS/HER CLAIM ON THE SEAT.

sd/-JT. DIRECTOR/SCHOLARSHIPR.O. No. 191/IPR/PUB/06-07 dt: 6.7.06

SAGAR CHHETRI

GANGTOK, 07 July:Twenty one of the 27 whosigned up for the 15-day AFC‘C’ License Coaching AwardCourse, have successfullycompleted the course. Theywere handed out their certifi-cates at a valedictory func-tion held yesterday here at alocal hotel.

The course, which hadstarted on 21 June, was par-ticipated in by 15 traineesfrom Sikkim and 2 each fromManipur, Assam andMizoram. The course washeld under the strict guidanceof GE Joseph, Course Direc-tor, who is also the Directorof Coaching of AIFF.

While speaking on the oc-casion, Working President ofSikkim Football Association,BK Roka expressed his grati-tude to Mr. Joseph for his keeninterest in furthering footballcoaching in Sikkim and thenorth-east region.

He said such a trainingcourse had been held for thefirst time in the state andurged the participants toimplement the training ingrooming future talent better.

He also urged the localparticipants to forward ac-tive support to SFA activitiesand requested Mr. Joseph torecommend that AFC con-duct such courses more of-ten and even higher gradecourses in the future.

15-day course grooms 21AFC ‘C’ licensed coaches

In his keynote address, theCourse Director informedthat over the 15 days, he con-ducted theory as well as prac-tical classes which wereaimed at understanding howto direct and lead young play-ers. He had also conducted 4theory and 3 practical exami-nations of the participants.

The Director also ex-pressed his gratitude to theparticipants for their eager-ness, enthusiasm and disci-pline along with their physicaland mental strength even in theadverse climatic condition dur-ing training and appreciatedthe cooperation of SFA mem-bers during the training.

While responding to theSFA request for conductingmore such courses in future,he said that AFC always pro-vided equal opportunity to allregions of India, so it was pos-sible to hold such courses andeven higher courses in Sikkimincluding the northeast re-

gions in the near future.The trainees also shared

their experience during thevaledictory function and allappreciated the sincerity withwhich Mr. Joseph conductedthe course and said that evenin the short period of 15 days,they managed to learn a lot.

Mr. Roka also presented me-mentos to the course director.

Later, Mr. Roka and Mr.Joseph jointly distributedSFA’s certificates to the par-ticipants. The AFC certificateof the course will come fromMalaysia and will be handedover to the participants in duecourse, it was informed.

The programme was con-ducted by the Joint Secretary,SFA, Karma Gyaltsen andconcluded with the vote ofthanks by the Publicity Sec-retary, Shyam Pradhan.

Principal Secretary, Mrs. Pradhan put forward details ofthe Department’s activities and asked all present to makethemselves wary of the consumer acts and for the authori-ties to take note of public grievances.

Mrs. Kalawati Subba informed the panchayats of themeeting held in New Delhi few months back with the UnionMinister Food, Sharad Pawar and requested for the enhance-ments of rice and SKO to the state. She further stated thateveryone must work in good earnest and full cooperation tohelp the Department succeed in their various schemes. Shealso directed all the panchayats to remain alert so as to keepa check on any ill-performing persons in the list.

The meeting was well-appreciated by all who attended itand became convinced that the meeting would surely bringfruitful results through the active interaction of the partici-pants. It ended with the vote of thanks by Sharat Tamang,Officer-in-Charge of food godown in Namchi.

Contd from pg2

Food Minister chairscoordination meeting...