RN Chamling finally takes oath

Assembly pays tribute to Prince Jigdal Namgyal

Gangtok, Nov 29: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s  younger brother Rup Narayan  Chamling, who was elected to the Assembly from Rangang-Yangang constituency in south Sikkim recently, last week took oath of office.

Speaker KN Rai administered the oath to the newly elected during the Assembly session here last Friday.

RN Chamling contested as an independent candidate from the constituency vacated by the Chief Minister, who contested from two constituencies in south district. The by-election was held in September this year.

Rup Narayan Chamling defeated Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) candidate Kumari Manger, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Bikash Basnet, and the Congress’s Bishnu Prasad Adhikari. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, which had a poll alliance with the  BJP, opted out of the fray.

The Speaker and the  Chief Minister in the obituary reference on the passing away of Late Gyalsey Kushyo Jigdal Tsewang Namgyal, former Prince of Sikkim, expressed their deep and profound sorrow on the sad demise of late Prince, the youngest son of Lt. Chogyal Tashi Namgyal who passed away on 30th October 2014.

The Chief Minister, during the obituary reference, said the late Prince was fondly remembered as Gyalsey Georgela, who received his education at the most prestigious schools in India and was a brilliant student  and majored with history honours. He was a man of the people who loved him profoundly for his simplicity and modesty.

After completing his education, the late Prince became the first Development Commissioner of Sikkim and initiated various developmental works and made immense contribution in shaping the state in the right direction. His demise has created a huge void in the Sikkimese society, he said. He also prayed for the departed soul and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

As a mark of respect to the departed soul, the House also observed a two-minute silence.

During the two-day session, three new Bills were introduced: Sikkim Agricultural, Horicultural input and Livestock Feed Regulatory Bill, Sikkim Determination of Lease Bill and the Sikkim Anatomy Bill.

Sikkimese protested against ‘merger’ in 1975

By N G Dorji Khangsarpa

In 1975 near the last days of the reign of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last king of independent and free Sikkim, when it was more than evident that Sikkim was to be “merged” with India, the people of Sikkim and particularly those of Gangtok and the surrounding areas, finally threw away the shackles of fear and for two glorious days staged a major rally against Indian intentions with Sikkim.

The second day rally was short-lived after Indian Army personnel, especially some Gorkha Rifle units and Assam Rifles jawans staged a flag march from the Palace ridge down to Tadong army camp. This even as the CRPF personnel were busy firing tear gas canisters and lathi-charging the people gathered for further protests.

The first day’s rally, however, saw at least four thousand people (a massive gathering in those days of a Sikkim with a barely 200,000 lakh population) march up to Mintokgang, which was then used as the residence of B S Das, who was supposed to have been brought to assist the Chogyal of Sikkim, but was working more on the orders of New Delhi. The protestors shouted anti-Indian slogans and demanded that Sikkim be left alone.

Since the rally was one of the biggest gathering of Sikkim’s population during the last days preceeding the merger, the majority of Indian print media and a few foreign ones carried stories and posted pictures of the rallyists gathered at Mintokgang within the next few days.

However, the headings and captions for that particular picture more or less, read: “People of Sikkim from all walks of life surround the palace demanding merger with India”.

Similarly, with regard to the now famous Gurudongmar Lake and the recent controversies vis-a-vis Guru Rimpochhe and Guru Nanak I have the following opinion:

Prior to 1975 very, very few people actually went there, Sikkimese or otherwise.  I have been given to understand by older Lachenpas and Lachungpas that before 1947 there was no Gurdwara at the Gurudongmar Lake.

After Independence from the British almost 40% of the Indian Army consisted of Punjabis/Sikhs, as the British had recognized and preferred them as a martial race. It was no wonder that after the 1950 treaty between Sikkim and India, the first units of the Indian army to enter Sikkim were the Punjab Regiment and Sikh Light Infantry.

Though their forward base was at Chungthang, the Sikhs would patrol the barren North from camps situated all over North Sikkim.

One such camp was near Gurudongmar Lake, where they set up a Gurdwara. Suddenly, near the end of the twentieth century we are told that Guru Nanak had travelled to Sikkim and was responsible for Gurudogmar being named after him etc. etc. (N G Dorji Khangsarpa is editor of The Encounter newspaper)

FIX ACCOUNTABILITY

CBI Chief Cannot Go Scot-free

Noted advocate Prashant Bhushan, who represents the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), has rightly lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi Government seeking registration of an FIR against CBI Director Ranjit Sinha under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). Bhushan, who sought a thorough investigation against Sinha, alleged that Sinha had attempted to influence various cases including the 2G scam and coal block allocation scam after meeting the accused persons or their representative at his residence at 2 Janpath in New Delhi.

On Bhushan's plea, Supreme Court has removed Sinha from 2G case last week for his interference in 2G case. Bhushan is convinced that offences of bribery can be established by a thorough investigation and has sought for a "thorough and impartial" investigation against Sinha, who is due to retire next week. The petition has alleged that the CBI Director had "deliberately" tried to save certain influential persons from prosecution in the 2G scam, coal scam, etc by abusing his position. Those safeguarding corrupt elements in power must be thoroughly exposed and accountability fixed if India is to forge ahead.

Japan assures China it will stay out of projects in Arunachal

The Japanese side has clarified that its cooperation with India is not in disputed areas between China and India: Beijing

Beijing, Nov 29: China said last Tuesday that it had received a "clarification" from the Japanese government saying Tokyo would not involve itself in infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Responding to reports in India which said the Border Roads Organization (BRO) had given 'strategic' projects to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) along the China border, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Japanese government had made clear that it would not involve itself in projects in 'disputed areas' between India and China. Officials clarified this included Arunachal Pradesh, which China has territorial claims on.

"China has noted the report and has checked with the capable authorities," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters, in response to a question on the issue raised by an official Chinese media outlet at a regular press briefing.

"The Japanese side has clarified that its cooperation with India is not in disputed areas between China and India," Hong said.

While China and Japan have recently been grappling with tense relations over disputed East China Sea islands, relations have begun to thaw after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Beijing last week, on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. Both sides signed a four point agreement to cool tensions.

India's BRO has sought help from the JICA to push forward long-overdue infrastructure projects in India's Northeast. The JICA has been roped in to provide assistance for a number of road projects. According to the Japanese agency's website, it is currently involved in various projects in the Northeast in Sikkim, Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.

The Japanese government's clarification suggests that at least in Arunachal - and along the strategically significant China border where India's infrastructure is especially lagging behind that of its neighbour - the BRO will have to move forward without Tokyo's assistance.

Sikkim’s Karma Bhutia felicitated, places India on Global IT software landscape

PM Modi’s “MakeInIndia” campaign gets a boost from Sikkim

Gangtok, Nov 29: Sikkim-based Demi Solutions founder Karma Bhutia was felicitated and awarded “Best Exhibitor” at CeBIT India – Bangalore ITE.biz, the biggest Information Technology event held in India with over 600 brands and more than 300 exhibitors and over 1 lakh visitors and participants from over 35 countries.

Bhutia has been invited to participate and showcase these innovations and solutions at CeBIT - Hannover Germany, which will be held in March 2015.

CeBIT is the World’s leading Business IT and ICT event held annually in Hannover in Germany. This year for the first time CeBIT tied up with BangaloreITE.biz to launch the CeBIT India a 3-day event from the 12th – 14th November 2014.

In this event, STPI a lead sponsor hosted 127 MSME units from 21 states across the country at STPI “MakeInIndia” pavilion to showcase the potential of the IT/ITeS/ESDM start-ups in India. This is to enable the prospective investors for supporting the “MakeInIndia” programme, which was recently launched by Prime Minister. Narendra Modi.

As part of “MakeInIndia” pavilion Karma Bhutia – an entrepreneur/innovatorwith expertise in eGovernance, BigData, Cloud Computing, Mobility & Product Innovation -showcased Demi Solutions’ frugal innovation built and developed in Gangtok.

Demi Solutionssetup India’s first 3D Printing and Prototyping Lab in Gangtok and it has filed the first patent/intellectual property in software technology in the whole North East region.

Bhutia, Founder of M/s. Demi Solution said, “Firstly, I would like to thank Department of IT, Government of Sikkim and STPI for recognizing our work and nominating us to showcase our products & offerings to people from other states in India & to the World at CeBIT India. We at Demi Solutions take immense pride in showcasing Sikkimese grit, ingenuity and innovation that has been highly appreciated by participants, delegates and exhibitors from all over the world.

This is a proud moment for Sikkim/Sikkimese and the people of the North East region of India that we have finally etched a mark on the Global IT software landscape. I’d also like to thank my team for their dedicated effort in helping build these amazing solutions.”

Among the awardees were IT software conglomerates like Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, GoldmanSach, Ernst & Young, SAP, HP and DELL.

Earlier on 3rd November 2014 , Karma Bhutia received the Finalist Award at the 5th eNorthEast awards held in Aizwal Mizoram in the “eGovernance & citizen service delivery” category.

Thank you!

The family of the late Denjong Gyalse Kushon J.T. Namgyal is truly touched by and deeply appreciative of the outpouring of sympathy and support we received in the wake of his demise.

While it is not possible for us to thank everyone individually, we would like to place on record our heartfelt gratitude to all those who condoled with us in the time of our bereavement and extended much support during the funeral.

The late Gyalsey Kushon was not able to lead much of a public life. Despite that, all of Sikkim gave him such a poignant and emotional farewell. Mere words are thus inadequate while trying to convey how overwhelmed we were by the massive support we received all the way to Lukshyama.

We would like to thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister for declaring a public holiday on the day of the funeral, as also all the shopkeepers for keeping their business establishments closed to express their solidarity.

We are grateful for all our friends, family and well-wishers for rallying around us and for all the kindness and commiseration.

To all the many people, too innumerable to mention here, who supported us in every way, we wish to reiterate our earnest gratitude.

ENVIRONMENT

TASHIDING HYDRO POWER PROJECT

The fate of Sikkim's sacred river hangs in balance

Sikkim High Court wants Central Govt to decide on controversial hydel project in West Sikkim

By S. Dutta

Having drastically curtailed the width of eco-sensitive zones in Sikkim, the MoEF seems intent on ignoring local sentiment as well as environmental norms in order to push forward the Tashiding HEP on the sacred Rathong Chu river. Soumik Dutta reports on the latest in the case.

The judgment in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the scrapping of the 97-MW Tashiding Hydro Power Project (or Tashiding HEP) on the sacred Rathong Chu River in West Sikkim, was pronounced on World Environment Day, 5 June 2014 by the Sikkim High Court.

The petitioners in the PIL, both of whom were from the Buddhist minority community of Sikkim, demanded the scrapping of the project, citing violation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, apart from gross violations of the report of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and the Supreme Court order of 2006 in the Goa Foundation case.

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991, extended to Sikkim in 1998, details a list of sacred shrines, rivers, lakes, caves, mountain peaks and even sacred groves in Sikkim and strictly specifies that no construction or development projects should be allowed to be undertaken in the vicinity of these places.

There is a notification by the Sikkim government that reiterates the provisions of the Act and also identifies the Rathong Chu as a sacred River, along with the Tashiding Monastery on its banks that is deemed ‘extremely sacred’ and revered by the Buddhists.

The judgment pronounced by the division bench of Chief Justice N K Jain and Justice S P Wangdi passed the ball to the court of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), asking it to take a final call on the matter within six months from the date of the order.

However, given the recent notifications from the MoEF on the matter of eco-sensitive zones and buffer areas, this judgment does not bring any cheer to those protesting the project on the holy Rathong Chu.

The history of the Tashiding HEP and protests

The genesis of protests against hydro power projects on River Rathong Chu in Sikkim dates back to the mid-nineties, when the Sikkim Democratic Front Party (SDF) government under Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had decided to go ahead with a proposed 30 MW Rathong Chu hydropower project on the River, despite tremendous pressure to scrap the said project, mainly on religious grounds.

Rathong Chu is considered to be a ‘sacred’ river, the water of which is used even today for an annual Buddhist festival – Bum Chu, at the Tashiding Monastery. This has been an important Buddhist tradition since the time of the erstwhile Chogyals (Kings) of Sikkim from the Namgyal dynasty.

The earliest protests were led by prominent citizens in the state, and supported by Buddhist associations, monks from almost all the prominent monasteries of Sikkim and devout Buddhists from across the state.

Eventually in 1997, under scathing criticism of infringement on cultural and religious rights of Buddhist minorities, the Chamling government decided to scrap the project. Ironically, the same Chamling-led SDF government allotted another project on the River Rathong Chu, a little further downstream, in the year 2006. In fact, the project capacity now was enhanced from 30 MW to 97 MW! While the earlier project was called the Rathong Chu HEP project, it was now rechristened the Tashiding Hydro Power Project.

Regulatory lapses

The Tashiding HEP is presently operating in violation of guidelines issued by both the Central government and the Supreme Court.

According to the Supreme Court order in force in the Goa Foundation case, there can be no construction within a 10-km radius of any national park; the Tashiding HEP being developed by Shiga Energy Private Limited (part of the Dans group), however, falls well within the 10-km radius of the Khangchendzonga National Park.

The MoEF incidentally came out with a draft notification dated 3 February 2014, by which the width of the buffer zone around Sikkim’s lone national park and four wildlife sanctuaries has been reduced from 10 kilometres to between 25-200 metres!

Moreover, while this particular project received Environmental Clearance (EC) from the MoEF on 29 July 2010, neither the project developer nor the state government has obtained statutory clearance from the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) under the MoEF.

The NBWL standing committee, which sent a fact-finding team to Sikkim in July-August 2013, had in fact warned the environment ministry in August 2013 that at least six hydro-electric projects in Sikkim were coming up without mandatory clearance. These include the proposed Teesta V Project, and the ongoing Teesta III, Dik Chu, Panan, and Tashiding projects.

Damming and damning the Teesta

While clearance has still not been granted, construction activity continues at the project site. The High Court had earlier stated in its interim order in a PIL against the Tashiding project that this would be at the risk of the project developer.

Documents in possession of this correspondent reveal that the Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had written to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sikkim in May 2013, about the status of the Tashiding HEP.

The letter, issued by Mr. Vivek Saxena, DIG Forests (WL), MoEF, sought to know "... whether the construction of the 97 MW Tashiding HEP in West Sikkim is already underway,” and directed, “if yes, the same may kindly be stopped immediately until further orders as they do not have necessary recommendations of the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife." Despite this, construction continued unabated.

Concerned officials in the Forest Department consistently avoided enquiries seeking clarification in this regard. Officials in the Energy and Power Department meanwhile denied any knowledge of the said communiqué, stating that the Forest department had not forwarded any such letter to the Power department.

Protests by civil society fall on deaf ears

Meanwhile, on 20 August, 2014, the president of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Mr. Tseten Lepcha served a legal notice to the Secretary, MoEF on the same issue.

ACT is an NGO fighting for the cause of the Teesta River and Sikkim’s fragile environment. The said notice, a copy of which is available with this correspondent, has challenged the draft notification of the MoEF issued on 3 February 2014 as mentioned above. The notice has called for an interim buffer zone of at last 7 to 8 km, instead of the 200 metres as proposed by the MoEF.

The notice also made clear that any failure on the part of the MoEF to reconsider its earlier decision and proceed arbitrarily would compel the ACT to take further appropriate legal action.

In a memorandum to the MoEF, objecting to the same notification, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) alleged that the proposal would facilitate unrestrained exploitation of natural resources to the detriment of the state's ecology and heritage.

“The draft lacks scientific assessment and overrides the findings of the National Board of Wildlife, which is part of the ministry and comprises a panel of academics,” SIBLAC convener Tseten Tashi Bhutia told this correspondent.

“Any project on the Rathong Chu is not acceptable to us since it is on the waters of the most sacred river according to Neysol and Neyig Buddhist texts. The water of Rathong Chu is used by the Tashiding Monastery for the annual Holy Bum Chu festival,” says Tseten Bhutia, adding that despite so many representations over the Tashiding project and the sensitivity of the issues involved, the Indian government had remained adamant and aloof.

“How can the MoEF decide on the Places of Worship Act and its possible violation?” asks Bhutia, questioning the recent order passed by the Sikkim High Court of the Tashiding PIL.

The angst of the people notwithstanding, with the MoEF notifications in place, the fate of Tashiding HEP and that of other HEPs in Sikkim, operating in violation of environmental norms, appear to be secured favourably as far as the government and project developers are concerned. Environment, ecology, indigenous people, their culture, identity, religion and in fact, very existence have taken a back seat.

BOOK Review

Mothers and daughters stretch India’s social boundaries

The Jewel Daughters

By Nina Harkness

278 pages. Trade paperback $14.00. Kindle $2.99.

Like her debut novel A Sahib’s Daughter, this new title by Ms. Harkness is a multigenerational and multicultural exploration of life during and after India’s period as a British colony. Spanning forty-five years, it has as one area of interest the relationships between Indian natives and British tea plantation administrators, revealing the cultural and racial social structure during a period of change. 

The central character is Cara Powell, daughter of a Welsh Presbyterian pastor in Shillong, a small city known for its beautiful rolling hills and as a regional administrative center. The pastor dies when Cara is fourteen, and her mother Beula, an orphan of mixed race, struggles to raise her on a slim pension from the church. Fearful for beautiful Cara’s future, Beula is anxious to marry her off. Rather than encourage a relationship with a local boy, Avon, she insists on a marriage to the self-centered and ill-tempered Scottish sahib, Gerard McKenzie, manager of a tea plantation near Sonari in the state of Assam.

McKenzie takes Cara to Sonari, but he never takes her in marriage. McKenzie is both crude and cruel. Cara’s life with him provides some degree of luxury, but she is disrespected and abused. A man of little education and no tact, he eventually finds himself overwhelmed by social change, labor agitation and other changes in the tea business, and especially by the responsibilities of domestic life and fatherhood.

Cara raises three daughters. Two are her children by McKenzie. The third is the daughter of a neighboring indentured laborer named Saptamita, who has returned McKenzie’s attraction to her. However, this woman realizes that both she and the child would be better off if the girl (McKenzie’s one year old daughter) was taken into the McKenzie household and raised as Cara’s daughter.