SIKKIM OBSERVER May 26, 2012

NSUI backs Sikkim University VC

Gangtok, May 25: While the Students Union of Sikkim (SUS) and the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front have gone against Sikkim University Vice Chancellor Mahendra P. Lama, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) has come to his support.

NSUI President Binod Chettri has strongly condemned SDF’s press statements condemning Lama’s inability to run the show in the University. While stating that Lama has sincerely worked for the welfare of the students and the University, Chettri said SDF leaders should visit the colleges and see for themselves how Lama has genuinely worked for the University.

Briefing reporters during a press conference held here on Thursday, Chettri said the SUS is fully under the control of the ruling party and its views against Lama are not an objective assessment of the situation in the University.

The NSUI is a frontal organization of the Congress party. (see page 2 edit  and 3)

Dahal gets Ram Patro award

Gangtok, May 25: This year’s Ram Patro Memorial Awards has gone to Chewan Krishna Dahal for the “Most Promising Journalist” of the year.

While Namo Dixit received the “Best Working Journalist” award, Devicharan Chettri was felicitated for his contributions towards publication works.

Dahal is the Sikkim correspondent of NE TV. Dixit and Chettri are attached to Sikkim Express and Himali Bela.

The two publications first began the memorial award in 2005 in memory of late Ram Patro, who was the Express editor in the 1970s.

Sikkim Lok Sabha MP, PD Rai, his father CD Rai, IPR Secretary KS Tobgay and Mala Patro were present during the function held here on Thursday.

Rights seminar in Gangtok on May 26

Gangtok, May 25: The Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in association with Women’s Forum for Justice, Equality and Liberty is organizing a seminar on “Understanding of Gender Specific Rights’ here tomorrow.

Sikkim High Court Chief Justice Permod Kohli is likely to be present during the function, according to Doma T. Bhutia, legal consultant of the HRLN.

“We are dealing with a vast array of problems relating to women and the injustices face by them in our society every day,” Bhutia said.

Kohli and senior Supreme Court advocate Collins Gonslaves will be sharing their views on the subject, Bhutia, a senior local advocate and social activist, said.

Editorial

PROFESSOR IN DISTRESS

Demand ‘White Paper’ On Sikkim University

Dr. Mahendra P. Lama’s ‘profile’ is quite impressive. A very few intellectual luminaries from the Himalayan region have risen to the various levels that Lama has reached. For instance, apart from being the recipient of the Ford Foundation Fellow in the USA in 1997, Asia Leadership Fellow in Japan in 2001, India-China Fellow at the New School University in the USA in 2008, Lama was perhaps the youngest Vice-Chancellor of a national university in the country, when he was appointed the first Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University in 2007. Before he took over the varsity as VC, Lama was the Chief Economic Advisor to Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for seven years since 2002. His association with Sikkim started during the Bhandari Government that ended after nearly a decade and half in power in 1994.

The Vice-Chancellor’s very impressive credentials has now been questioned by many as all kinds of allegations are hurled against him by the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front, which was chiefly responsible for placing Lama on the VC’s chair. For quite some time the Chamling-Lama rumblings have been doing the rounds in Gangtok and elsewhere but now it is out in the public domain with students, politicians and even citizens joining in the mudslinging. While a student body last week blocked the national highway, which connects Sikkim with the rest of the country, Lama’s woes are increasing by the hour as the ruling party is going all out to malign him before he retires in June-July 2012. Why?

Most observers of the SU happenings are totally unaware of the situation in the varsity and the actual reasons for the gradual souring of relationship between Lama and his mentor Chamling. The fact of the matter is despite its tall claims the Sikkim University is run in numerous buildings along the 10 km highway that stretches between Gangtok and Ranipul and not from its proposed campus in Yangang in South Sikkim, the ancestral home of the Chief Minister. Lama alone cannot be blamed for this very sad state of affairs. As thousands of anxious students and parents are worried over the unpredictable turn of events at the varsity it is time for the concerned authorities to bring out a credible ‘White Paper’ on the controversy within a specific time-frame. This would be in the best interest of the university, its VC and the ruling elite, which claims to give top priority to the education sector in the State.

SU Vice Chancellor gets a mouthful from Rajya Sabha MP

Gangtok, May 25: Controversial Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University Mahendra P. Lama, who is presently facing opposition from the students as well as the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front for his alleged mishandling of various matters pertaining to the varsity, is now accused of being involved in politics.

This matter has been raised by Sikkim’s lone Rajya Sabha MP Hishey Lachungpa, who recently met the Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

In a letter to Sibal, Lachungpa has said Lama has deviated from his role as an educationist and has instead begun to resort to politics for selfish interests undermining the basic role for which he had been appointed.

Supporting the 8-point demand placed before the concerned authorities by the Students Union of Sikkim, Lachungpa said the University was set up with the objective of providing “quality education” to students. He said the State Government has given top priority to the education sector in tune with the policies of the UPA Government at the Centre.

“Instead of fulfilling the objectives of his appointment and coordinating better for setting up a centre of excellence’, Lama has been taking a “self centered stand due to which, the land owners for the proposed university campus, the faculty and students of the university have become provoked, agitated and in a feeling of insecurity have now come out openly against him,” Lachungpa said in a press statement.

“The unpopularity of the VC is not only good for the development of the higher education sector but also for the peace and tranquility of the state,” the release said and added that Lama’s term should not be extended  “for the overall growth of the University and in the interests of the general public.”

The Rajya Sabha member has also demanded reservation of 50 per cent of seats in the University for local students.

High-tech green house inaugurated in Bermiok

Gangtok, May 25: The Minister for Food Security & Agriculture Development and Horticulture Cash Crop Development Department, D.N Takarpa, on Sunday inaugurated the newly-built High Tech Green House at Horticulture Farm in Bermiok, South Sikkim.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 86 lakhs, the two units of the Green house can store up to 50,000 saplings, and these two units in the farm are primarily being used for budded orange plants. The area is ideal for orange cultivation, IPR release said.

The green house is very high-tech with dip irrigation facilities, fan, coolers and other necessary facilities which are all computer operated.

The Green house is funded by Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yozna, Government of India.

Addressing the progressive farmers and growers of the area,Takarpa urged them to utilize all the facilities and technological know how that are being brought to their doorsteps by the government.

Now its time to leave the traditional way of framing and take up new method with technical supports to grow crops and farming, the Minister stressed.

Area MLA B.S Pant who was also present on the occasion also addressed the gathering and expressed his gratitude towards the Minister and the Department for coming up with such high tech green house in his constituency.

Later the Minister, MLA, along with the officials also visited the farm and inspected the nurseries, which had sapling of bamboos, bananas, guava and other fruits.

Youth body, ‘Save Sikkim’ members meet Power Secy

Gangtok, May 25: While not referring to any particular hydel project in the State, Power Secretary has admitted that the State Government has made some “mistakes” and “errors” on power projects in the State.

This revelation came when members of the All Sikkim Educated Self Employed & Unemployed Association and SAVE Sikkim met him here last week.

The Power Secretary said the department had made “errors” and “mistakes” regarding power projects in the State, a release of the Association by its President Nawin Kiran Pradhan said.

Issues relating to the alleged Rs 20,000 scam in the 1200 MW Teesta State III hydropower project and other hydel projects in north Sikkim were taken during the meeting.

The demand for scrapping power projects in west Sikkim was also taken up with the Secretary.

Anti-mega hydel project forum lambasts Opp silence in multi-crore scam

Gangtok, May 22: The Opposition parties’ silence on the reported scam in power projects in North Sikkim has been criticized by social organizations under the banner of Platform for Joint Action against hydel projects in the State.

The forum recently held a discussion on the recent Current News report alleging Rs. 20,000 scam in the power sector.

“The meeting noted with concern the scam of such magnitude in a small state like Sikkim that has escaped the attention of our civil society and political leaders. In fact, such revelation was made by the national print media which is under wide circulation in the nation across thus putting bad image and impression of Sikkim,” the forum press release by its coordinator Tseten Tashi Bhutia said.

It criticized the “inaction of opposition political parties” on the matter, which is highly “condemnable.”

The forum consists of Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), All Sikkim Educated Self Employed and Unemployed Association (ASESE&UA), National Sikkimese Bhutia Organisation (NASBO 371F), Save Sikkim, All Sikkim Monasteries’ Association (ASMAN), Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim (CLOS), Affected Citizen of Teesta (ACT), Denjong Chyarig Tsogpo and  People’s Forum on Earthquake (PFOE).

It is the people who have put me here and it is they who will decide my fate: Chamling

Gangtok, May 25: On May 20, 2009, Pawan Kumar Chamling, became the State's longest-serving chief minister as his Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) swept the assembly polls for the fourth consecutive term.

Chamling, who broke Nar Bahadur Bhandari's record of nearly 15 years as chief minister, led his party to victory in the 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

The SDF wrested all of the State's 32 Assembly constituencies as well as the lone Lok Sabha seat. The Chief Minister himself won both the constituencies he contested - Poklok-Kamrang and Namchi-Singhithang in South Sikkim.

Born in 1950 to Bahadur Rai and Maya Rai in the remote Yangang village of South Sikkim, Chamling had to give up studies after Class 5. However, his lack of a proper education did not deter him from literary pursuits.

Today, he is famous in the Nepali literary world as 'Kiran' - the pen name he uses while writing poems and romantic books. The themes of most of his poems are either the suffering of the poor and down-trodden or love for the land and it natural beauty.

'One learns from experiences and time teaches everyone. It is just the understanding of things that makes one learned and without feeling for something you cannot learn anything about it,' Chamling had stated at Manipal University's 2005 convocation when he was conferred with an honorary doctorate.

He plunged into politics in 1973 after a stint with the Sikkim Police of the erstwhile ruler of the former kingdom.

In 1985, Chamling was elected to the Assembly for the first time from Damthang constituency in South Sikkim. He contested the elections on a ticket of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) led by Bhandari.

Chamling became a minister in Bhandari's cabinet after the 1989 Assembly polls and remained with the SSP till 1993, when he was accused of anti-party activities and pushed into political wilderness.

The determined Chamling launched his SDF on March 4, 1993, ushering in a new era in Sikkim politics. The very next year, the party was elected to power and he became the chief minister.

Declaring Sikkim a totally organic state and an eco-tourism destination as well as the constitution of a committee to fight global warming are some of the feathers in Chamling's cap.

The chief minister says his main objective is to ensure that the people of Sikkim, which merged with India in 1975, become part of the mainstream.

'It is the people who have put me here and it is they who shall decide my fate. If the people think that there is a better man to do the job for Sikkim, then they can rest me,' Chamling said in his last public speech before the 2012 polls.