FROM THE STATESMAN

The land verification committee being chaired by Justice (retd) Shyamal Sen has finally called the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad state president, Mr Birsa Tirkey for hearing on the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)’s land expansion issue on 9 February.

However, the outfit, which claims to be championing the Adivasi cause, has remained in a sulk mode over the committee’s decision to involve the splinter group leader, Mr John Barla in the process of hearing. “It is now unjust to call Barla even a rebel ABAVP leader as he has been expelled from the outfit on charge of harming the interests of the constituency it represents,” said the state outfit president, Mr Birsha Tirkey.

Notably, Mr Barla has been asked to appear before the chairman of the high-powered committee on 13 February-an opportunity which he is likely to use to the hilt to include several hundred moujas across the Terai-Dooars within the GTA’s geographical jurisdiction. Read the rest of this entry »

THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

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THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

TEXTS AND IMAGES BY PRABIN KHALING

Gangtok, Feb 3:On the occasion of World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2012 the Lachen Dzumsa consisting of the Pipons, Gyambos, Chultimpa (representative of Lamas), along with the public of Lachen has decided to announce a ban on mineral water bottles in the village of Lachen and above from the upcoming tourist season. This decision has been made as an initiative for conservation of the holy lake of Gurudongmar situated at 5183 meters, which over the years has been growing as a tourist destination in the state. The lake area is a biodiversity hotspot and also highly significant as it is one of the main sources for river Teesta, and believed to be touched and blessed by Guru Padmasambhava. Receiving more than fifteen thousand visitors annually in the form of pilgrims and tourists, one of the major threats to the holy lake is from garbage disposal.

This was clearly indicated during the cleanliness campaign organised jointly by WWF-India and Lachen Tourism development Committee in collaboration with the Lachen Dzumsa around the lake side, on the occasion of World Environment Day 2011, which brought out 30 big sacks of tins, plastics of which a large part was mineral water bottles. Not only Gurudongmar lake, an excessively huge amount of empty mineral water bottles were brought out during the cleanliness drive in Lachen Village also which highlighted an immediate concern for management of such garbage.  Read the rest of this entry »