03 September, 2004; NOW! 1

Friday, 03 Sept, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 139 Gangtok � Rs. 3 SBICARLOAN

the most convenient option

contact PT Bhutia 98320 35786or Chettri 94340 12824

� Sanction & Disbursementin 1 day

� Lowest interest rate at 9%� No prepayment charges� No processing charge� Loan up to 90%� Free accidental death

insurance of the borrower� Repayment up to 84

months

TRAINING PROGRAMMEOrganised by Institute of Hotel Management, Tadong, Gangtok,

Sikkim under Capacity Building Programmeph: 270557/ 270735

Nomination letter of local boys and girls working as cook/waiters/ receptionists are invited from all local registered ho-tels/ restaurants/ dabhas/ fast food outlets/ small eating jointsfor undergoing 3 days Capacity Building Programme on

“Skill development [Cooking and Behaviour], Hygiene,Manners/ Etiquette’s and Communication Skill”

Venue of Programme- Institute of Hotel Management, Tadong

Duration - Three days

Date - 10th September 2004 to 12th September

2004

Stipend for trainees - Rs. 100/- per day/ person (not applicable

to Govt. Servant)

Seats - Limited

Application and Bio-data with identification certificateshould reach to the undersigned latest by 7th Sep-tember 2004.

(Samten Dolma)

Joint Secretary (Tourism)-cum-Administrator (IHM)

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 02 September: Amassive landslide at KholaGhari, about 10 kms fromNamchi bazaar, is suspected tohave claimed 5 lives while alsocausing much devastation notonly to the transport and com-munication network in the re-gion but also to large agricul-tural tracts.

The DC South, VishalChauhan, informed that thelandslide is believed to havebeen caused by a cloudburstover Lower Jhaubarey whichcaused the khola to break itsbanks in a sudden surge.

The landslide occurred ataround 12:30 on the night of 2

SLIDES SHIFT SOUTH

DAMAGE ESTIMATED ATOVER Rs. 1 CRORE

5 SUSPECTED KILLED IN MASSIVELANDSLIDE AT NAMCHI

BODY OF A 6 YEAR OLD RECOVERED

September and five people arereported missing. At the time ofgoing to print, only one deadbody, that of a 6 year old child,Kancha Rai had been recov-ered; his body was recoveredabout a kilometre from his hut.

According to the DC South,it is suspected that another twohave been crushed under thedebris and another two washedaway by the deluge of waterand soil.

The missing four have beenidentified as Bharat Rai, 50,Pramila Rai, 40, CB Lama, 75and Sukbir Tamang 51.

Although officially recordedas “missing,” the locals are con-vinced that they, too, have beenkilled by the landslide.

The spot where an RCC bridgeconnecting Namchi to Wok atKholaghari, was washed away bythe surging khola. The localsworked through the day to set upa temporary log bridge to restoreconectivity

The victims were all en-gaged as labourers in the con-struction of an RCC bridge

turn to pg 7

MANI’S FAMILY ALLEGESBEING OFFERED Rs. 40,000

TO WITHDRAW CASE

YAKTHUNG M.D. CLAIMS INNOCENCE

THE RAVANGLA CHASED OFF A CLIFF INCIDENT CONTINUESTO CONFOUND EVEN AS MANI REMAINS UNCONSCIOUS

TURN TO PG 5

FREE! WITH TODAY’S ISSUE, NOW! EXTRAS, A 4-PAGE PULL-OUT

DISMISSEDKALIMPONGMUNICIPALITYSTAFFTHREATENLEGAL ACTIONTURN TO pg 4

2; NOW!; 03 September, 2004

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

ELSEWHERENEPAL

It is high time we redefinedcertain ideas that we associate very closely to our na-

tion’s personality. In normaltimes, glorifying the ideas of“nationalism” and “sover-eignty” by adorning them withflowery idealism is harmless.However, what we are goingthrough at the present barelyfits in the term “normal.” Weprobably need to do away withcertain collective perceptionsthat stand as impediments tothe peace process. There is awhole lot of difference between“foreign assistance” and “for-eign interference.” I presumeour political helmsmen do notneed a dictionary to see the dif-ference. Their attempt to pro-mote the idea that the two meanthe same thing is not just a se-mantic exercise, but an attemptto keep intact the opacity Ne-pal’s power structure enjoys.Any third party mediationwould mean that the warringparties have lesser space forfoul play during the peace proc-ess or for indulging in a blamegame in case the process fallsflat. Had there been a thirdparty mediation in the peacetalks after the second ceasefirein January 2003, then chancesof a Doramba incident or some-thing similar could have beensignificantly reduced.

There have been severalmediation offers from the UN,Finland, Germany, Norway andSwitzerland to Nepal’s peaceprocess. A remarkable charac-teristic of Nepal’s biggest evercrisis has been that we seemcomfortable with mortal wor-ries, but uncomfortable withthe idea of someone else com-ing here to solve our problems.That hurts us terribly. Strangely,we are so comfortable with avery long history of dependingon donors to fund our budgets.

It is also remarkable that noneof the five governments in Ne-pal after July 1, 2001 gave anyserious thought to foreign me-diation, despite realizing thatthe invincibility of Royal Nepa-lese Army was a myth. Neitherare the government forces ca-pable of causing decisive dam-ages to the Maoist outfit, nor isthe government skillful enoughto tackle a peace process witha force that has been growingstronger with each passing day.

We have seen two cease-fires, the first in August 2001,and the second in January 2003.Both of them served only as areorganizing opportunity forthe Reds. Since the state is stillnot willing to concede whatthey didn’t then (constitutionalassembly), there is no reason to

hope that a possible third cease-fire, recently hinted at by theDeputy Prime Minister, wouldhold for long. However muchwe deny it, the fact is that Ne-pal’s current power equationfeatures only two parties – Kingand his government on the oneside and the Reds on the other.Most of the political parties arenow under the umbrella of theKing’s hand-picked govern-ment, and are morally obligedto protect his interests. Mean-while, the attempts of theNepali Congress, the most sig-nificant party not represented inthe government, to position it-self as a significant referee tothe peace talks still lacks thebacking of any breakthrough.In Nepal, the idea of foreignmediation is widely associatedwith the risks of submittingstate sovereignty to the medi-ating party. Being citizens of a

small country, the Nepalis arevulnerable to rumors of foreigninterests in Nepal for its strate-gic location in the Asian region,and its untapped hydropowerpotentials.

It is said that once foreignmediators come in, they willsuggest stationing their militaryin the country and will start dic-tating us on policy matters andforce us to sign unequal trea-ties and contracts.

What a naïve assumption!What are we fearing here? Theintentions of possible media-tors or the integrity of our ownpolitical helmsmen?

Treaties and contracts arenot signed at gunpoint. If wehave good leaders, they won’tcompromise our national futureeven if the mediators reallyhave dishonest motives. If ourleaders are bad, then the na-tion’s interest will continue tobe compromised whether athird party is around or not. Solet’s rethink this. The kind ofsecurity budget increments thecountry is having to deal with,nation’s economy is sure to re-ceive blows that will take along time to heal. The skyrock-eting security expense will infact serve the Maoists’ interestsof further weakening the coun-try’s already ailing economichealth and creating a biggerpool of the unemployed andfrustrated to source their re-cruits from. No sane citizenwants a totalitarian regime. Wealready have one. And the otheris lurking in the corner, settingablaze our property, killing ourkin and intimidating us intosaying and writing what theywant to hear and read. There isno hope from either side. Thereis no hope inside. Probably,hope lies outside.

-Kathmandu Post

Hope Lies Outside

MONALISA GOGOI

GUWAHATI, 02 September: ComeOctober and Assam will see a fleetof Volvo buses plying on the state’sroads, ferrying passengers fromGuwahati in the western part toTinsukia in the east, a distance ofabout 500 km, in five hours flat.The Assam State Transport Corpo-ration (ASTC) has already placedan order for 12 Volvo busesthrough its dealer in Guwahati.The trial run of the bus started yes-terday from Guwahati to Sivasagarwith the State Transport Minister,Anjan Dutta, himself travelling init. According to Dutta he was

happy with the trial and mightstart the service during Durga Pujain October. However, according toASTC managing director, MCJain, the date on which the servicewould be launched had not been fi-nalized yet.

The clientele would be high-incomegroup people and the foreign tourists,Dutta said. The fare structure that is be-ing worked out would definitely be onthe higher side, “almost double the fareof the ‘luxury’ buses now on the road,said the minister. ”Which means that ajourney from Guwahati to Sivasagar, adistance of about 375 km, would costa passenger Rs 400 approximately.”

Dutta said that, apart from con-necting Guwahati with a few selecttowns of Assam, the ASTC also plansto run 45-seat Volvo buses betweenGuwahati and Kolkata. To start with,‘expert’ drivers from outside the statewill be hired to run the buses, withfancy salaries of Rs 40,000 each.Later, the ASTC will train twenty-twodrivers from within the corporation todrive the Volvos.

The ASTC has made a deal withSylvan Dee, a private transport com-pany from the State, to run the serviceunder its banner, a system the corpo-ration follows at present whereby theprivate transport companies give theformer a commission for having been

authorized to ply the buses under itsbanner, availing all its facilities.

In fact, is was this mutually ben-eficial arrangement, introduced whenDutta became the State Transport min-ister when the present Congress min-istry was installed in the State a littleover three years ago that helped ASTCmake the turnaround from a loss-mak-ing corporation, to a success story thatimpressed all. So much so that WestBengal and Madhya Pradesh govern-ments recently sent officials from theirtransport corporations to Guwahati toget a first-hand knowledge of how amoribund state undertaking could risefrom the ashes.

[by arrangement with Newsfile]

Luxury Volvo buses to hit Assam roads

Let’s Take The SingaporeModel A Step Further

Sikkim has just begun its attempt at emulating Singaporein its clinically clean ways. While the proposed initiativeis limited to copying Singapore’s “litter & spit free”environs, Sikkim could also do well to adopt Singapore’scleanliness drive against corruption. Yes, thisphenomenon [corruption, not the cleansing] is a sharedproblem between Sikkim and Singapore. The lattermanaged to sweep it away after first accepting thatwherever there was development underway, theattendant demand of professionals and the importanceof projects fostered corruption. But they took thatrealisation a step further to work out a solution while wecontinue just accepting it as a part of our lives. TheSingapore lesson is as worthy of duplication.

The Singapore government effectively cleaned up acorrupt developing society in a very short time throughthree clear strategies. These, broadly, were a “strong-arm theory”, a “strong-men theory”, and a “strong-wagetheory”. The format has obviously worked for Singaporeand Sikkim could do well to borrow a tried system andreplicate it here.

The strong-arm theory included strict laws andefficient anti-corruption agencies. These are already inplace in Sikkim as they are elsewhere in the country,although the actual enforcement is far from satisfactoryin many cases. The strong men theory is interpreted asan unwavering political will from the top leadership. Nomatter what we might believe about smart bureaucratscorrupting naive politicians, if the public representativesput their foot down and demand transparency, corruptionwould start faltering. The requirement to file propertyreturns while filing nomination papers in the recentlyconcluded elections was a step in the right direction. Evenif India does not do so, Sikkim could perhaps appoint anindependent body of auditors to check whether what wasdisclosed was the true reflection of assets. The strongwage theory is high wages for the top leadership. On theunderstanding that corruption at high levels is far moredifficult to deal with than petty corruption, the top levelsof government is highly paid as an incentive to remainclean. The Singapore prime minister, after a recent pay-cut, earns more than the U.S. president, the Chancellorof Germany, and the British prime minister put together.Little reason left for him to be corrupt then. Sikkim hasalready tried out this trick and has perhaps the most wellpaid officials in the country.

Sikkim has already tried out two theories and is nowshowing signs of going serious on the political will. Theseoptions don’t work in isolation, they have to cometogether. If they do, they can’t fail. All the best Sikkim.

03 September, 2004; NOW! 3� RAJDHANI

STYLESTYLESTYLESTYLESTYLEHotel Golden Pagoda,

MG Marg, Gangtok

LANDMARK INTERNATIONALhas already opened another branch in Jammu& Kashmir. For this, 20 more brilliant boys/girls as Branch Manager/Asst. Manager will berecruited soon.

LIMITED VACANCY / ACCOMMODATION FREEFor details contact immediately:

Sarda Building, 6th Floor, M.G. Marg,Gangtok Ph: 98320-90007 (mob)

extrasTHE RETURN OFNOW !

every Friday, we

give you NOW!

extras, a 4-page

pull-out in the

regular edition of

NOW! to

supplement your

weekend reading

requirements.

BOOK YOURCOPY TODAY!

contact: 201006, 98323 70433TENZING ENTERPRISES Shopping Complex,

Room No. 41, Development Area, Gangtok

Mobile, MobileNokia 1100 - Rs. 3700Nokia 2200 - Rs. 4250Nokia 3100 - Rs. 6300Nokia 6100 - Rs. 8250Nokia 3310 - Rs. 3225

Samsung C100 - Rs. 5750Samsung X100 - Rs. 6290Samsung 5500 - Rs. 8750

Motorola C200 - Rs. 2790Motorola C350 - Rs. 4550Motorola E398 - Rs. 14700 [MP3]Motorola E365 - Rs. 9650

INSTALMENTSCHEME AVAILABLE/

EXCHANGE OFFER/SECOND-HAND

SETS AVAILABLE.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:A tumour and cancer clinicwill start at Somani Enter-prise Medical store, NewMarket from Sunday, 05 Sep-tember. The consultationclinic will run every Sundayand is being organized byONCO Care, a Siliguri-basedcancer treatment centre.

According to Rajesh Somani,Cancer patients generally go to thehospitals for treatment, but this,he feels, is not necessary as treat-ment can be conducted effectivelyat clinics too.

“Cancer patients requiregoing to the hospital only inacute stages of the disease. Alsothe cancer patients need follow

‘VIBES’The Floral Bontique,

SNOD Complex,Deorali shifted toAmdo golai, Avail-able dwarf marigoldplants starting Rs.10/- each. Also

other flowering andornamental plants.

up treatment and this too canbe provided at the clinic here,”he said.

Costing Rs. 200 per consul-tation, the clinic, it is hoped willsave time, money and effort ofpatients who have to go toSiliguri regularly for treatment.

“The idea behind setting upthe clinic here is to cut out theharassment, tensions and alsosave the hard-earned money ofthe people,” adds Mr. Somani.

All services and equipmentrequired to treat cancer patientswill be available here inGangtok and serious cases willbe referred to Siliguri.

Cancer Specialist, Dr.Atanu Bhattacharya, MD willrun the clinic from 9 am to 12pm on Sundays.

CANCER CLINIC FORGANGTOK

An old man literally crawls up the stairs which links Deorali Bazar with Kopi Bari in Upper Syari.The stairs are so straight that one’s knee will hit the nose while coming up. Don’t risk it during rains.

Strenuous Steps

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:In a bid to popularise the useof Internet among students,Bharat Sanchar Nigam Lim-ited, Sikkim, has come upwith an innovative offer

which is sure to make brows-ing more frequent at schoolsand colleges here. They areoffering it free!

A press release issued byBSNL today announced that itwill be providing free internetservices to schools and col-

leges in Sikkim.This plan is envisaged to

serve a dual purpose - the stu-dents will get free access ofInternet in their daily curricu-lum and at the same time, be ina position to use Internet serv-ices profusely in impartingcomputer education.

The release further claimedthat installation will be free ofcost and only normal chargesfor STD and local calls if madethrough these lines will becharged.

The release also informedthat in the first phase, onlysome schools will be broughtunder this purview on experi-mental basis, if the response isgood, then all schools and col-leges in Sikkim will be incor-porated under the new scheme.

To begin with, GMTelecom, Sikkim, visitedKendriya Vidyala, Gangtokyesterday to make the offer.

BSNL offers free internet services forSikkim schools and colleges

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 2 September:OP Bhandari, in his capacityas the former secretary of theNepali Bhasa Parishad,Kolkata, has, through a pressrelease today condemned thekilling of 12 Nepali hostagesby the Iraqi militants on 31August 2004.

“This atrocity has not beenmeted out against only Nepa-lese from Nepal, but Nepalis allover the world. We would liketo warn Iraqis and their fami-lies that should such acts con-tinue against the Nepalis, then

we too will be forced to handout similar treatment to Iraqis,”he said through a press release.

He has also demanded thatthe issue be raised in the UnitedNations and revealed thatshould he be “permitted” hewas willing to do so himself.

Mr. Bhandari has also takenserious offence against a serialon Star Plus in which Nepalisare ridiculed as “Bahadurs.”

Promising to take Star-Plusto Court for this umbrage, Mr.Bhandari has announced hisdecision to drag the channel tothe Sikkim High Court, and, ifneed be, to the Supreme Court.

OP Bhandari warnsIraqis, promises to take

Star-Plus to Court!

SIKKIM FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

Sikkim Football Association plans toorganize VIIth SFA Second DivisionFootball League 2004 at Old GuardsGround, Gangtok. Entry forms are availablefrom the office of the SFA, Near GandhiStatue, M.G. Marg, Gangtok and last dateof submission of forms complete in allrespect is 10th September 2004.SFA also plans to organize football tournamentfor U-14 (boys) and Women’s FootballTournament at College Ground, Tadong in thenear future. Hence, interested teams/clubs arerequested to kindly keep in touch.

(MENLA ETHENPA)Hony. Secretary

4; NOW!; 03 September, 2004 NEWSSCAN �

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 02 Septem-ber: The Kalimpong munici-pality today attempted to jus-tify the dismissal of 52 of its‘casual staff’ to whom a notifi-cation had been issued whichstated that their services wereno longer required.

In a documented fax ad-

APPEALSikkim Democratic Front Bhawan is being constructed atIndra Bye-Pass, Gangtok and is nearing completion. Theself-contained Bhawan will have all the facilities likeauditorium for holding shows and functions, Conference Hall,library for poor students, handicrafts and music centers forpoor and disabled, literary Development Workshop etc. Theconstruction of the Bhawan is being undertaken under thesupervision of the Sikkim Democratic Front Bhawan Trust.

As per the deed of Trust in the event of the failure of theTrust due to dissolution of SDF party the movable andimmovable properties of the Bhawan will be disposed off byhanding over them to Women Organizations for the welfareand upliftment of women in general in Sikkim.

I therefore, appeal to all the well-wishers to extend theirhelping hand and contribute their mites in the constructionof this Bhawan. I assure you that every penny contributedfor this noble cause will not go in vain because of the factthat the building is, ads mentioned above, being constructedfor the welfare of the general public. All those willing to offertheir contribution may kindly do so by endorsing a cheque,and not cash, in favour of the Treasurer, Sikkim DemocraticFront Party, SDF Office, Indra Byre Pass, Gangtok.

PRESIDENTSIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT PARTY

DISMISSED Kpg MUNICIPALITY STAFF THREATEN LEGAL ACTION

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:The All Sikkim Youth Associa-tion, in a letter to the Chief Sec-retary dated 01 Sept, has pro-tested the transfer of reserveforest land by the State Govern-ment to a private agency whichit alleges has been given for theestablishment of a five star ho-tel. The reserve forest land inquestion measures about25.5080 hectares and is locatedin Pangthang, East Sikkim.

The Association claims thatthe transfer of forest land tosome outside agency is com-pletely illegal and in violationof the Forest Conservation Actof 1980. According to this Act,the association says, the Min-istry of Environment and For-ests, Government of India, hasissued several guidelines for

AGSU accuses schools ofhighway robbery on feesa NOW REPORT

KALIMPONG, 02 September: The All Gorkha Students Union[AGSU] has criticized the reduction in fees for higher secondaryschools. At a meeting at DGAHC office on 18 of August be-tween the students wing of the GNLF-the Gorkha National Stu-dents Front, heads of schools and Mr. Dawa Pakhrin, Branch Presi-dent, GNLF it was decided to deduct Rs. 200 from the presentfee structure.

After much pressurization by both the student fronts it wasdecided at the meeting that two hundred rupees would be deductedfrom the current session fees structure of 2005-06 and that thiswould apply for schools that have session fees above Rs. 1500.

“While thousands of rupees have been robbed in the lasttwenty five years how can a discount of two hundred rupees becarried without informing the managing board, social workers,educationists, retired headmasters and other organizations” theAGSU president, Mr. Ajoy Dahal questioned.

Questioning the GNSF, Mr. Dahal said “On what basis didGNSF agree or negotiate for the Rs 200/ discount”.

In his second letter to GNLF supremo Subhas Ghising, dated1/8/2004, Mr. Dahal states: “The school authorities have startedextorting money for this session too, because no action has beentaken by any authority. This silence of the higher authorities hasencouraged schools on the high way robbery”.

dressed by the Directorate ofLocal Bodies (WB) the munici-pality states the there have beenmuch irregular engagements ofthe casual workers and thattheir disengagement should becarried out immediately, whileanother inspection memo –277/dlb/Jal/44/81 dated 11thSeptember 2003 says that whileseventy six causal workers are

presently employed under theKalimpong Municipality,twenty six casual staffs are inscale of pay side-by-side and ifthere are vacancies in the sanc-tioned post, the vacancies areto be filled observing guide-lines . “Moreover it’s clear thatif the engagement of casual ortemporary workers is encour-aged the grant for the develop-

ment fund will be stopped bythe Govt. of India” said thechairman, Mr. CK Kumai.

According to informationreceived such cases have oc-curred in the past with thirteenother municipal bodies includ-ing the Jalpaiguri and theCoochbehar municipal bodieswhere the development fundswere blocked. “Moving

alongside the norms we havebeen forced to take such an ini-tiative” said Mr. Kumai add-ing “Besides, we will be writ-ing to the concerned authori-ties for the regularization ofthe twenty six staffs”.

However the fifty-two casualstaffs who have been served ter-mination notices have threatenedto take legal recourse.

Manipal brings kidney failure treatment closerhome, sets up dialysis machine in Gangtok

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:Sikkim’s first Dialysis equip-ment for the treatment of renalor kidney failure has arrivedand is functioning at the Cen-tral Referral Hospital here at5th Mile, Tadong.

CRH has acquired two Di-alysis machines at a cost of Rs.4 lakhs which became opera-tional on 23 August informs theCRH Medical Superintendent,Dr. AK Das.

“This is the first nephrologyunit in Sikkim; prior to this any-body suffering from renal fail-ure had to go down to Siligurifor treatment,” informs Dr. Das.

People affected with thismalady are required to un-dergo a blood transfusion

every 2-3 days.Sikkim Manipal has a

trained technician in Dr. Dash,who was trained at ManipalBangalore on the operations ofthe Dialysis machine. The MSinforms that they plan to havea nephrology team with moredoctors and technicians.

It takes about 3-4 hours topurify the entire blood of thepatient. For those patients suf-

fering chronic renal failure life-long dialysis is necessary. Re-nal failure is largely due to highblood pressure, diabetes anddisease of the kidney itself, in-forms Dr. Dash.

The cost of the treatment atManipal varies from Rs. 1300to Rs. 4000 depending onwhether the patient has an in-cision on his forearm or not forthe blood to pass through.

The dialysis machine at CRH, Tadong

diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes according towhich compensatory land hasto be provided for the transferof forest land for non forestpurposes.

ASYA in the letter to thechief secretary, dated 1 Septem-ber, states, “In spite of repeatedguidelines and instructions is-sued by the ministry of environ-ment and forests, governmentof India, it seems that the stategovernment is still keeping theconcerned ministry in the darkby violating the guidelines andinstructions of the concernedministry.”

The association has furtherrequested the state governmentto act according to the guide-lines and instructions of theaforesaid Act failing which“…the ASYA shall have no

State Govt. keeping Centrein dark on forest landtransfer, alleges ASYA

turn to pg 8

03 September, 2004; NOW! 5� NEWSSCAN

GUARANTEED RESULTGUARANTEED RESULT

COACHING GIVEN BYEx-XAVERIAN/DON-BOSCO (KOLKATA)FROM CLASS VI - X (SCIENCE/MATHS/

ENGLISH)LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE

CONTACT: 98320 67963/98320 51999

[MONEY BACK]

BSNL is pleased to offer Raksha Bandhan-Janmastaami Scheme for Bfone for a period start-ing from 29/08/04 to 06/09/04 on the occasion ofRaksha Bandhan and Janmastami in Sikkim.Under this scheme:1. No registration charges2. No installation charges3. Recovery of ARD (as applicable) in 10 equal

instalments in bill.4. Connection can be booked under any plan.5. Security deposit for ISD/STD connection be

taken as norms.6. Proof of relationship may be instead upon.

Contact No. of details: 224722Phone Section O/o GMT/GTK

Sd/-Divisional Engineer (P&A)

for General Manager TelecomGangtok:Sikkim

B.S.N.L. OFFERSA special Incentive

scheme (SIS)BSNL B-fone

(Wireline) sub-scribers for details

visitwww.bsnl.co.in

B.S.N.L. NOTICEAvail 2nd

concessional tel-ephone exclusivelyfor internet with 0

(zero) call chargesat the rental of Rs.

399/- only

B.S.N.L. NOTICEGeneral ManagerTelecom, Sikkim

announces that allTelephone (Fixedand Mobile) billspayments can bemade through UTI

Bank, Gangtok.Other Banks like

SBI, IDBI are alsobeing authorised

shortly.

Dr.C. L. Pradhan, M.D (Neuro Psychiatry)Specilialites in treating all types mental illness like Anxiety,Depression, Schizophrenia, Phobias, Epilepsy, Mentalretardation, Dementias (forgetfulness), obsessivecompulsive Disorder (OCD), Sexual Problems, Sleepdisturbances, addictions, bed wetting, stammering(speech problems) etc. is available at:

TRESA ENTERPRISES MEDICAL STORE,Deorali Bazzar, Near Khadi Bhawan at every

Sunday from 10 AM to 4 AM .

Contact: 9434164798.

GOOD NEWS!!

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:Capt. Makar. B. Limbu, Man-aging Director, YakthungManpower & Security Serv-ice [P] Ltd. has claimed thathis eight jawans booked oncharges of kidnapping and ab-ducting one Mani KumarDarjee, are innocent.

Incidentally, Mani KumarDarjee was admitted at the Cen-tral Referral Hospital here on17 August in an unconsciousstate after he fell off a hillsidein Mengli, South Sikkim, whilebeing allegedly chased by the8 “jawans” in question.

Mani, who was an em-ployee with the security agency,had left his job along with afriend, Bhagat Chettri, alsofrom Mengli and returnedhome sometime back.

While addressing a pressconference here today, the MDinformed that his Field Officer,DK Rai, a retired Subedar Ma-jor of the Indian Army, alongwith three jawans, including adriver, apart from attending totheir normal duties in Sikkimwere also to file a FIR againstthe companion of Mani, BhagatChettri at Mengli. It is suspectedthat Bhagat, while leaving hisjob with the agency at Siliguri,had filched the personal belong-ings of another employee.

“When they reachedMengli OP, the concerned of-ficials told Mr. Rai to file theFIR at Ravangla. On their wayto Ravangla, Mr. Rai found aperson lying very seriously in-jured and senseless. It turnedout to be Mr. Darjee. Darjeehad enrolled as a trainee in ourtraining centre on 16 February,2004. As would be expected, hepicked up the senseless personwith the intention of rushinghim to a hospital at Siliguri,”informed the MD.

He further adds that Mr. Raiand the three security person-nel could not make it to Siligurias they were arrested short ofRangpo itself.

“They were told to go backto Singtam police station; whileon their way back they wereblocked by a mob led by Mani’sbrother at Bagheykhola,” al-leges Mr. Limbu.

Just then four more person-nel of the security agency postedat an industrial unit nearby hap-pened along, informs Mr.Limbu, taking the total of hisagency’s men present at theplace to eight. All were subse-quently arrested on charges oftrying to kidnap Mani [who hasbeen unconscious since].

Mr. Limbu has alleged thatthe police along with the mobare responsible for the presentcritical condition of Mani.

Referring to his arrest madeby the Ravangla Police on 27August, Mr. Limbu said, “I wasthere to find out the actual factsof the case, but they arrested meand put behind bars.”

He alleged that all docu-ments pertaining to this casehad been seized by theRavangla Police.

While giving Mani’s per-sonal record during his tenurewith the company, Mr. Limbusaid, “He was a semi-reliablejawan. He left his job thrice.His guardian brought him backtwice requesting us to re-em-ploy him and we accepted theirrequest but the last time he lefta message in a small chit andnever came back.”

On the other hand, the fam-

ily of Mani Kumar, who stilllies unconscious at the ICU atManipal hospital, have a differ-ent story to tell.

“The service conditions atthe security agency were verybad; sometimes Mani wasposted to Delhi, sometimes toGuwahati; his last posting wasat Siliguri. The pay, too, wasjust Rs. 500 after deducting thecost of fooding and lodging,”says Mani’s elder brother,Chabilal Darjee.

He further informed that aninitial security deposit of Rs.4,000 had to be made with theagency in return for the job.

“Since he was not makingmuch money we advised him toleave his job,” says Mani’s brother.

Talking to NOW!, the Mani’sbrother further maintains thatneither Bhagat nor Mani stoleanything from the company.

“If they had, they wouldhave returned home with somemoney; but we had to pay offthe driver of the reserved vehi-cle in which they arrived atMengli from Siliguri,” says an-

other brother of Mani.He further informs that

though Mr. Limbu had earlieragreed to pay for the medicalexpenses, he apparently hadother things in mind.

“To get the money he toldus we had to come to Siliguri;there he asked us to sign on apaper which declared that wewould withdraw the police caseagainst him and his 8 jawans,”says Mani’s brother.

He further informs that Mr.Limbu offered to pay Rs.40,000 in return.

“We have already spent Rs.50,000 in the past two weeksand Mani’s condition is stillcritical; the doctor says he is inhis last stage though there is achance he might regain con-sciousness,” says Chabilal.

Till Mani regains conscious-ness the medical bill will keepmounting. “Considering the criti-cal stage of our brother how canwe withdraw the case against Mr.Limbu? We are poor people butwe realize the enormity of thecrime,” Chabilal says.

Incidentally, the judicial re-mand of the eight security per-sonnel has been extended by 15days by the Chief Judicial Mag-istrate, Namchi. They have beenbooked under sections 365 and325 of the Indian Penal Code.

MANI’S FAMILY ALLEGESBEING OFFERED Rs. 40,000

TO WITHDRAW CASE

YAKTHUNG M.D. CLAIMS INNOCENCE

Yakthung MD Capt. Limbu addresses a press conference atGangtok on 02 September

6; NOW!; 03 September, 2004 NEWSSCAN �

FOR SALENEW INDICA V2 LSI

[petrol] Clear Headlight.Clear Tail-light. Power

steering. Wheel arch.Spoiler 4-plus driver.

Second Highest Model.ARTIC SILVER

MARCH 2004 MODEL

[Pvt.] IN GOOD CONDI-TION. Running approx

500 kms only. CONTACT:

94341-78967

CLASSIFIEDSNOW!

Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of late Wangchuk Lepcha [Ex-Joint General Manager] SNT Department who expired on18th July, 2004 falls on 4th September, 2004.All relatives, friends and well wishers are requested to joinus in offering prayers and Chudune for the departed soulon the above date at our residence at Chandmari, BhusukRoad, Gangtok.We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all thosewho extended their help in the hour of our bereavement.

Mrs. Nim Puthit Lepcha [Wife]

Mrs. Chunzom Palmo [daughter]

Ms. Nim Kursongmit Lepcha [daughter]

Mr. Tenzing Lepcha [son]

CAR FOR SALEWHITE CAR, Model-2000

(Nov.)- Original Paint invery good condition.

Price: 1.25 Lac [negotiable]Contact: 94341 69190,

284296

W A N T E DUnemployed, educatedyoung boys/ girls forSales and Marketing ofvarious products on Sal-ary, Commission.

CONTACT:Bayul Tours & Travels,

Baluwakhani,Gangtok.

ph: 228111/ 221774

GHEWA21st Day Ghewa of our belovedmother late Manmaya Tamang,who left for her heavenly abodeon 17th August 2004 falls on 6th

September 2004. All relatives,friends and well wishers are re-quested to join us in offeringprayers for the departed soul atour residence at Moktan Niwas,Manjushree Academy, Namchi.We wish to thank all those whostood by us during the time ofbereavement.

G.S. Moktan (husband),

T.M. Moktan, Durga Moktan, B.L. Moktan (daughters),

Norbu Moktan, B.B. Moktan, M.B. Moktan (sons)

LAND FOR SALEIN GANGTOK. PLEASECONTACT: 9434153033

FOR SALEZen New Model [LX]

with accessories only 4months old.

Colour - SilverContact: 94341-69242,

98323-69442

WANTED A candidate for video-editing. Qualification:Computer literate with knwoledge of Adobe Premier&Photoshop. Handsome Salary. Walk-in interview withbiodata. Contact: Rakesh Somani, S.K. Audio Vision,Somani Building, New Market, Gangtok. Ph: 94340-23813

FOR LEASEAvailable at Prime Location in Ti-

bet Road. Ideal for Hotel/ Office/

Bank etc. With a carpet area of

3,000 sq. ft. with parking facility.Please contact: 9832369442

or 9434169242

FOR SALEBilliard Table [12ft X 6ft] in excellent

condition.

For details, contact:

9832369442 or 9434169242

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYThe Golden Circle, a basic service providing company, ison the lookout for the following:

1. An Office Secretary: Female candidates with a goodcommand over English and a minimum qualification ofclass XII std.

2. A Plumber, a gardener, a barber and a sweeper.

The candidates are to walk-in for an interview on the 7th ofSeptember, 2004, Tuesday, at Midas Touch Inc., WhitehallComplex, Below Sports & Youth Affairs Deptt., between 11AM to 3 PM.

For further details contact:Sagar Pradhan. 201055/ 9832030907

98320808389832042096

TO BOOK SPACE IN NOW!CLASSIFIEDS, CALL

BIRENDRA SHANDILYA

DARJEELING, 02 Septem-ber: Some headway wasmade at a meeting betweenthe National Highway, CivicAuthorities, DGHC Council-lors and the Path PasaleSangh (Hawkers and Shop-keepers Association) today onthe issue concerning evacua-tion of encroachments on thenational highway 55.

Incidentally the NationalHighway, Division 9 during asurvey of the ChowkbazaarArea (0 to 2 kms), for repair andmaintenance work of the

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 02 September:Although barely a handfulturned up for the free screen-ing at the Vajra film club’s firstmovie together, Satyajit Ray’sCharulata, screened today atthe X-Cape lounge at Vajracomplex today, the promoter,X-Cape’s Pema Ladakhi is con-vinced that a film-club is anidea whose time has come. Al-though few, those who did turnup for the screening wereavowed film buffs and soontheir numbers will grow, hesaid. The promoters were notlooking at a huge turnout any-way, otherwise they would havescreened the movies at the70mm big screen above.Wouldn’t they

Charulata flops in Gangtok but film-club promotersassure they will persist with good cinema

Encroachers agree to evacuateto help NH55 repairs

NH55, had found encroach-ments especially over the drainsto be the main cause for thepoor condition of the highway.

The road can only be main-tained with improvement of thedrainage network. Acting onthis line when NH Divisionstarted work from 0 km to 4 kmthey found that there were lotsof RCC Slabs and Steps overthe drains which resulted in dif-ficulties in cleaning and henceblockage, as informed byManoj Pandey, Assistant Engi-neer, NH Sub – Division.

Based on this 204 eviction

notices had been served.Though the public wanted goodroads, the people served witheviction notices were spendingsleepless nights.

Bringing an end to this themeeting came as a breather.B.M. Subba, Vice Chairman ofthe Darjeeling Municipalitystated “It has been decided thatthese persons will evacuatetheir shops and the NH Divi-sion will go on with their workand once they finish these peo-ple can come back but theyhave to rebuild their shops leav-ing the drain free.”

EMAIL NOW AT

sikkimnow@rediffmail.comor call us at 271167

for ad-enquiries call 9832042096 or 9832080838

extrasTHE RETURN OFNOW !

every Friday, we

give you NOW!

extras, a 4-page

pull-out in the

regular edition of

NOW! to

supplement your

weekend reading

requirements.

BOOK YOURCOPY TODAY!

03 September, 2004; NOW! 7� NEWSCAN

KATHMANDU, 02 Septem-ber 2004, 11:00 AM:Kathmandu woke up on Thurs-day to a city scarred by the ar-son and vandalism of the pre-vious day.

Smouldering remains ofdozens of cars lie strewn in themiddle of the street in BattisPutali, Baneswor and Teku.Scavengers sifted through theashes from bonfires of furnitureand office equipment, tiny chil-dren salvaging all the metal. Asthe curfew was lifted for three-and-a-half hours on Thursdaymorning, people ventured outinto the sidewalks to stock up

on essentials or to gawk at theransacked buildings atBaneswor Chowk and the ruinsof the offices of recruitmentagencies. A number of motorcy-cles and cars that had come outhad flat tyres after running overnails strewn across the streets.

As the curfew went into ef-fect again, helicopters hoveredoverhead, the army patrolledmain intersections and the ar-eas with the most intense vio-lence on Wednesday—theRatna Park area with the JamaMasjid Mosque, the row of air-line offices in Kantipath andHatisar, and Koteswor, where

KATHMANDU, 02 Septem-ber: Taking advantage of thelapse in security, in the wake ofviolent protests against the slay-ing of 12 Nepali hostages in Iraq,a large gang of miscreants force-fully entered Kantipur Publica-tions’ complex, stoned the build-ings, and set ablaze half a dozenpress vehicles, private cars andmotorcycles parked inside.

The miscreants, whoseemed to have pre-planned theattack on the press, savagelybeat up journalists, officeguards, broke windowpanes ofThe Kathmandu Post, Kantipurdaily, Kantipur Television build-ing, administration office, andmarketing and circulation de-partments. The total damage hasbeen estimated at Rs. 3.5 crores.

They were mostly youthsand some were apparently streeturchins in shabby dresses. Be-fore they attacked the publica-tions, they were attacking man-power agencies. Many of themcarried stones, lighters and bot-

Al-Jazeera to hit Indiawith daily bulletin

NEW DELHI, 02 September:Startup station India-TVsigned a deal on Thursdaywith Al-Jazeera to bring thebest of the maverick Arab sat-ellite television station to In-dian viewers.

The Qatar-based channelhailed the accord to sharenews bulletins as an importantstep in improving its coverageof India.

“It is important for Al-Jazeera to have strong ties withIndia ... and to have strong pres-ence here,” said managing di-rector Wadah Khanfar.

However plans for Al-Jazeera to open a bureau in In-dia, which has been critical ofthe Arabic-language station’scoverage of Kashmir, remainon hold pending accreditationfrom the government.

India TV, a round-the-clockHindi news channel launchedin May, will from Friday beginbroadcasting a daily Al-Jazeerabulletin dubbed into Hindi,chairman Rajat Sharma told apress conference.

He fended off questionsabout Indian sensitivities to Al-Jazeera’s coverage of smoul-dering Islamic issues. Khanfarunderlined his drive for thehighest professional standardsof reporting.

The United States has ledcomplaints against Al-Jazeera’scoverage of the war in Afghani-stan and the occupation of Iraq.However numerous Arabstates have also attacked andsome even banned the Dohaoutfit, which tackles once-ta-boo subjects head-on in often-fiery live debates.

over the flooded khola. A totalof 13 labourers lived along thebanks of the river.

Apart from the human loss,two RCC bridges were sweptaway by the landslide one ofwhich was under construction;a portion of the road too hasbeen swept away as a result ofwhich Namchi has been de-linked from Wok. A suspensionbridge has also been damaged,it is learnt.

Water supply pipes havealso been damaged along with40 to 50 hectares of agricultural

land on which cardamom andginger were being cultivated.

The DC South has esti-mated the total damage causedby the landslide Rs. 1.5 crores.While 3 houses have been to-tally damaged, another 12houses are reported to havebeen partially damaged.

As soon as the landslide oc-curred, the locals informed theSI, Namchi police station, BijaySubba. A police team along withfire services personnel and a dis-aster management team reachedthe spot at around 2 am. The res-cue team was also supported bylocals NGOs, Saugat, Drishti,

NYK along with district offi-cials and locals.

Along with the DC South,the SP, MS Tuli, and ZillaAdhakshya, Mrs. PhurmitLepcha, also visited the spotalong with Mrs. Tika MayaChamling, president, NayumaCooperative Women’s Society.Area MLA and chief ministerPawan Chamling is expected tovisit the affected site on Friday.

The DC South further in-formed that the affected fami-lies have been brought toNamchi and will be providedimmediate relief tomorrow.

“Those whose houses have

been totally damaged will re-ceive Rs. 10,000 as immediaterelief and others whose houseshave been partially damagedwill receive Rs.3000 to 5000,”revealed Mr. Chauhan.

He also informed thatRoads & Bridges Minister, DTLepcha, along with his Secre-tary and officials of the depart-ment had also visited the af-fected spot.

“Log bridges have been laidfor the people along the kholaat a couple of places so thatsupply of essential commodi-ties is maintained,” Mr.Chauhan informed.

Contd from pg 1

5 SUSPECTED KILLED IN MASSIVE LANDSLIDE AT NAMCHI

Smouldering tyres outside the Jama Masjid in Central Kathmanduas the curfew was lifted briefly on Thursday morning.

KATHMANDU SMOULDERSCurfew-boundcapital is quiet

arsonists set fire to vehiclesand vandalised the Kantipurcomplex. Despite rumours,only two fatalities have beenconfirmed from the riots. Onedemonstrator killed by policefiring outside the EgyptianEmbassy in Pulchok and an-other at Ratna Park.

On Thursday, some na-tional dailies hit the streets andcable operators removed enter-tainment programs from theirlistings. Television news pro-grams and the media gavewide coverage to the vandal-ism, focussing on the attackson Kantipur and Spacetime,two of the biggest mediahouses in the country.

All domestic and interna-tional flights remain cancelled.However, Royal Nepal morn-ing Hong Kong flight took off

at 10.45am. A Thai Interna-tional flight from Bangkok wasthe last to land at Kathmanduon Wednesday. Qatar Airways,whose office was ransacked,looted and burnt, announced ithas suspended operations toKathmandu for a week. Air Sa-hara, which was making its in-augural Delhi-Kathmandu

flight on Wednesday, also can-celled its flight. The Confedera-tion of Nepali Industries, whichwas hosting a big conferenceon the Nepali economy, can-celled the event, and VIP guestslike former Malaysian PrimeMinister Mahathir Mohamaddid not arrive.

courtesy: Nepali Times

tles filled with petrol.Despite many a frantic plea

to the government and high-ranking police officials for se-curity, there was no response.

Managing Director KailashSirohiya of Kantipur Publica-tions requested Home MinisterPurna Bahadur Khadka, In-spector General of Police [IGP]Shyam Bhakta Thapa and Val-ley DIG Ashok Shrestha beforethe incident, but they did notsend any security personnel.

After about two hours of re-peated requests, some armypersonnel from Tribhuvan In-ternational Airport came to thecomplex, and brought in a sem-blance of normalcy.

“For one hour 55 minutes, Iwas continuously requesting thegovernment and top security of-ficials to send security, but theydid not listen. Finally, I requestedairport security and they came toour rescue,” said Sirohiya.

Eyewitnesses said theyheard a few of the miscreants

who infiltrated the rioting mob,talking about their plans to at-tack the Kantipur Publicationsjust before the attack.

Kantipur Publications is situ-ated at a two-minute walking dis-tance from ward police station inSubidhanagar, but none of thepolice personnel were availableduring the time of vandalism.

Journalists and other em-ployees inside the office build-ing dialed emergency policecontrol room but the police didnot arrive at the scene.

Even as miscreants wentabout burning vehicles, brakingfurniture and smashing win-dowpanes inside the complex,policemen inside a van just

watched the destruction fromthe main road without respond-ing. That was at about 11 a.m.

Soon the van sped away.Minutes later, two trucks filledwith Armed Police Force per-sonnel came closer to the scene,but they merely stopped andwatched the ongoing destruc-tion and hurried away afterabout 15 minutes.

“Though we did not receivesupport from anyone in the timeof crisis, Kantipur Publicationswill continue its job with evengreater resolve,” Sirohiya toldthe horror-struck journalistsafter the incident.

- Kathmandu Post

Tharo Line,Lal MarketRoad. Ph: 201062,Mobile: 9832062684SALES & SERVICES

amolaRC E L L U L A RC E L L U L A R

Kantipur complex vandalized in Kathmandu

8; NOW!; 03 September, 2004

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

THEFINALONE �

ARIES: You will find improvement inyour position and wealth. Export busi-nesses will be very brisk and profit-able. Those involved in the chemicalbusinesses will find improvement.TAURUS: Trade and agency busi-nesses will enjoy a good turnover.Cash flow will be very good. Busi-ness will be very brisk. Financial cri-sis will be brought under control.GEMINI: Problems in business are in-dicated. Financial strain will be there.You may be worried about your fam-ily. Health will be good. Political linewill be very successful.CANCER: Problems in business areindicated. Financial strain will bethere. You may be worried about yourfamily. Health will be good. Politicalline will be very successful.LEO: You may go on a long trip. Youwill be in a position to participate inreligious matters. You may get mar-ried. You may take a major decisionin an official matter.VIRGO: Uncommon expenses arelikely. You may go on a long trip. Finan-

today in

History3rd September

brings you a PC at an amazing

Rs. 499!*

HCL and Union Bank of India bring you India’sNo. 1 PC & world best selling Laptops

SOLE CHANNEL PARTNER FOR ENTIRE SIKKIM

NAYUMA INFOSYS, at SSI EDUCATIONUPPER TADONG, GANGTOK, PHONE: 270876, 231776, 9434186424, 9832311259

SATELLITESERIES* Intel Centrino 1.5 GHz* 1024 KB L2 Cache* Intel 855 GME chipset* 256 MB DDR SDRAM* 14.1” TFT, DVD ROM* 30 GB HDD, * Touch Pad* Integrated Intel PRO wireless 2100* WIN XP Professional* MS Office 2003, * Ieee1394

HCL Beanstalk powered by IntelPentium 4 Processor 2.6 GHz* MS Windows XP Home Edition* 128MB DDR RAM, 80GB HDD* 1.44 MB FDD, 56 kbps Modem* Altec Lansing Speaker with sub-woofer* Internet & Multimedia Ready KB,* 100 Hit Songs, 5 Blockbuster Movies* Microsoft plus for Windows XP* School Education Software* MS Works 7.0, * Xpress Recovery Tools* 15” color monitor, * 100 Hrs. Internet

FREE

Upgrade to

CD-Writer & 17”

color

monitor

1189: Rabbi Jacob ofOrleans killed in anti Jewishriot in London England1189: England’s KingRichard I [the Lion-Hearted]crowned in Westminster1752: This day neverhappened nor the next 10 asEngland adopts GregorianCalendar. People riotthinking the govt stole 11days of their lives1783 Treaty of Paris signed[ending the USRevolutionary War]1833: NY Sun beginspublishing [1st dailynewspaper]1900: British annex Natal[South Africa]1916: Allies turn backGermans in WW I’s Battle ofVerdun1935: 1st automobile toexceed 300 mph, SirMalcolm Campbell1939: Britain declares waron Germany. France follows6 hours later quickly joinedby Australia, New Zealand,South Africa & Canada1940: 1st showing of highdefinition color TV1943: Allies invade Italy1945: Japanese forces inthe Philippines surrender toAllies1954: Pope Pius Xcanonized a saint1962: e. e. cummings poet,dies at 671965: Born, Charlie Sheen1969: Ho Chi Minh, NorthVietnamese president, dies1971: John Lennon leavesthe UK for NYC, never toreturn1971: Qatar regainscomplete independencefrom Britain1971: Watergate teambreaks into Daniel Ellsberg’sdoctor’s office1978: Pope John Paul Iofficially installed as 264thsupreme pontiff

Amber ElectronicsConvoy Ground, Daragaon,Tadong.

Ph: 232881, 9832031547

Sukhim EngineeringJorethang. ph: 276047

Pentium 4 2.5 Ghz (Prescot)

Rs.22,900/-22,900/-22,900/-22,900/-22,900/-only (no hidden cost)� Intel Pentium® 4

Processor @ 204GHz (Prescot)

� 128 DDR SDRAM� 40GB Ultra DMA

ATA Hard Drive at7200 RPM

� 52X CDRom� 15” colour Monitor

from LEOLEOLEOLEOLEO NOW at:

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 02 Septem-ber: Senior citizens and mostteenagers can now look for-ward to a feast of some qualityfilms in Kalimpong beginningtomorrow with the film“Spiderman 2”.

Initiated by the West Ben-gal Film Development Corpo-ration, Information and StateCultural Affairs Departmentalong with Town Hall Commit-

tee, regular film shows will beheld at the Town Hall, each ofwhich will be displayed for atleast a week.

“Accepting the promotionof quality films, the shows areproposed as an essentialfundraiser” said the sub-divi-sional information and culturalaffairs officer, PD Bal.

While the audience will beable to enjoy the entertainmentat a relatively low price, the ini-tiative will also be doubling asa fundraiser.

“The condition of this townhall which is situated at such abeautiful location is deteriorat-ing day-by-day and importantlyno one seems to be seriousabout this fact. At present webadly need funds for its main-tenance” said Mr. Bal who isalso the ex-officio secretary ofthe town hall committee.

As per the information re-

ceived only twenty to twenty fivefunctions are held in the townhall every year. While Rs. 2,500is charged per shift for everycommercial function, it’s Rs.2000 for a non-commercial pro-gramme and Rs. 1500 for gov-ernment or religious functions.

“As few functions areheld every year, maintenanceof the hall becomes difficult asother payments have to bemade such as the electricitycharge and salaries of the

REEBOK SHOWROOMBelow Bank of Baroda

MG Road, Gangtok

Upto

on

Shoes

30%OFF

Reebok

other option than to seek justicefrom the honourable courts”.

It might be mentioned herethat this is the second time thatthe Association is raising theallegation. The last time, For-est Department had clarifiedthat no reserve forest land hasbeen allotted to any hotelproject in Pangthang.

cial crisis will continue. Business will bebrisk. Political life will be very good. Youmay get good news from out-of-town.LIBRA: You will be in a position toexpand your business. Business willbe very brisk. Domestic happinesswill prevail. Expenses will be higherdue to relatives.SCORPIO: Your financial position willbe very good. Expenses will be re-duced. Peace and prosperity will pre-vail. You may receive honour. Socialstatus and popularity will be main-tained. You may go on a long trip.SAGITTARIUS: You will find a gradualimprovement in your career. Studentswill get good results. Professionals willexplore a new line of business. Busi-ness will thrive. You will receive en-couraging communication.CAPRICORN: You will find greatchanges in your personality and po-

tential. Family life will be very good.Financial position will be very good.You may go on a long trip.AQUARIUS: You may take a new de-cision in official matters. You maycommence new business. Worries willbe over. Expenses will be reduced.Free flow of cash is indicated. Thosein the electrical, electronics, telecom-munications and sugar businessesmay see improved finances.PISCES: You will find favourablechanges. There will be an improve-ment in your position and wealth. Youare going to do wonders. You mustavail of this opportunity to demon-strate your skills. Happiness will pre-vail. Expenses will be reduced. Youwill find success in the stock market.Financial crisis will be reduced. Youmay acquire immovable property ora new vehicle

staffs, hence at the end of theday we are left with nothing”lamented Mr. Bal.

The proposed mode of fundraising will also be providing agrand and healthy entertain-ment. Two shows will be helddaily, at 1pm and 4 pm respec-tively. Incidentally, the authori-ties had planned a film festivalthe previous year but had tocancel their plans due to someserious technical problems, in-formed Mr. Bal.

Kpg Town Hall seeks out Spiderman to raise funds

Contd from pg 4

State Govt.keeping Centre

in dark...

MOSCOW, 02 September:The Russian hostage crisiscontinues into its second daytoday. On Thursday after-noon, militants released 26women and children from theseized school.

Heavily-armed militantsare holding more than 300 hos-tages, including 200 children,after seizing the school in NorthOssetia, a region borderingwar-torn Chechnya.

The release came shortlyafter two large explosions wereheard near the school.

Large plumes of blacksmoke rose over the school areaafter the blasts, which tookplace about 30 hours after theschool was seized.

The immediate area aroundthe school had been cordonedoff and there were no details ofwhat caused the blasts. Theraiders reportedly had threat-ened to blow up the school ifpolice tried to storm it.

Meanwhile, Russian Presi-

Russian crisis: 26 releasedfrom siege school

dent Vladimir Putin haspledged to do everything pos-sible to save the lives of thehostages.

The comments were hisfirst public remarks since theWednesday morning hostage-taking drama.

“Our main task is, ofcourse, to save the life andhealth of those who becamehostages,” he said.