Landslide at Pankabari road.- Kurseong

In regards to waste management -Kurseong municipality chairman along with 6 other commissioners depart to Pune.

 

Darjeeling boy’s road to sets of Jism-2 – 36-year-old cinematographer with no formal training finds toehold in tinsel town

The Telegraph

VIVEK CHHETRI

Sunny Leone, the lead actress of Jism-2. Darjeeling, Aug. 23: A Darjeeling youth with no formal training in film-making has made it to the sets of Jism-2 as a cinematographer. Nigam Bomzan was selected by the Bhatt camp for one of their most hyped films of the year that stars Sunny Leone. “After completing my schooling at Vidya Vikash Academy in Darjeeling I went to Delhi and enrolled myself at Zakir Hussain College. I was a confused kid, not sure about my calling, although I was passionate about still photography,” the 36-year-old said. In 1999, director and scriptwriter Kabir Khan was impressed with Bomzan’s photography that was shown at a talent hunt contest in Delhi. “He took me as an assistant for a documentary, Fifty Days War, which was based on the Kargil War in 1999,” said Bomzan. Since that day, it was a story of hard work. “I was not paid regularly. At times, I was jobless and penniless. I have done all sorts of work, including depositing electricity bills, telephone bills and cheques (for people in the locality), basically the job of a peon. But the struggle taught me to respect all jobs and never lose focus,” Bomzan told the mass communication students at St Joseph’s College yesterday at an interactive session. Although Bomzan has never done a course in film-making, he advised the students to “read a lot, watch good films and concentrate on the theory and not just practical work in college”. “After working as an assistant for various projects (including Paap directed by Pooja Bhatt), I got an opportunity to work as a cinematographer for Arjun Rampal starrer Fox during 2007-8,” said Bomzan. Soon after Fox Bomzan was chosen by director Tanvir Ahmed to work in Ada….A Way of Life, which had A.R. Rehman as the music director. Bomzan in Darjeeling on Wednesday. (Suman Tamang) Bomzan also worked for Blood Money, produced by Mukesh Bhatt, before he was selected for Jism 2 early this year. “At times, I have shot for 42 hours with just a couple of hours’ rest before managing to sleep like a log for 18 hours at a stretch. While working as an assistant, I had to face hostile attitude from other crew members and I have cried almost everyday after a bad day in office,” said Bomzan. “Dino (Morea, the co-producer of Jism-2) called me up one day and asked me if I was interested in doing Jism-2. Then I spoke to Pooja (Bhatt) and everything fell in place,” he said. The film was extensively shot in Sri Lanka and some portions in Jaipur and Goa. “During the shooting in Sri Lanka, Mahesh sahab tweeted something on the lines ‘my cinematographer is a magician.’ Pooja Bhatt (the director) also commented saying ‘Nigam was the man of the match.’ This was one memorable moment,” Bomzan said. “I am discussing other projects but I still haven’t signed any new film.” So does he consider himself as having truly arrived on the big stage? “I am only focused on my job. The moment I think I have made it, I will have to pack my bags and return home.”

 

 

 

Morcha seeks N-E tax relief – Gurung and team meet pranab and shinde

The Telegraph

VIVEK CHHETRI

President Pranab Mukherjee with Bimal Gurung at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday. Telegraph picture Darjeeling, Aug. 23: A Gorkha Janmukti Morcha delegation met President Pranab Mukherjee and Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in Delhi today and asked for an extension of all tax benefits, subsidies and tax holidays to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration similar to what the northeastern states get. The seven-member delegation led by GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung also demanded Scheduled Tribe status for all Gorkhas except those from the Schedule Caste community, recruitment of Gorkha youths (Gorkhaland Personnel) and a one-time grant for administrative infrastructure of the hill set-up. The one-time grant was mentioned in the memorandum of settlement signed by the Centre, state and the Morcha. “Our delegation met the President and the Union home minister today. We have demanded that the GTA should be given all the tax benefits, subsidies and tax holidays enjoyed by the northeastern states, although we are not members of the North East Council,” said Roshan Giri, an executive member of the GTA and also the general secretary of the Morcha. He said the delegation told the Centre that the GTA region was as backward like the northeastern states and deserved special concessions. “We have demanded that all Gorkhas, except the SC community, should be given tribal status and have also asked for the release of a one time grant for setting up the GTA secretariat, administrative offices and quarters for GTA Sabha members. We believe that more than Rs 100 crore would be needed to put the administrative infrastructure in place. A request has also been made for immediate release of the Rs 200 crore package for the GTA,” Giri said. The GTA memorandum states Rs 200 crore would be provided to the hill set-up annually for three years for development work. According to sources, Shinde has assured the Morcha delegation that the Centre will extend all help. The department of industrial policy and promotion has extended a number of incentives and concessions to the Northeast. According to the website of the ministry of development of north eastern region, there is a scheme for the region, under which subsidies of 50 to 90 per cent are given to entrepreneurs on transportation costs of raw material and finished goods from designated rail routes to industrial units. In 1996, the Centre had announced that at least 10 per cent of the annual budgets of all central ministers and their departments would be earmarked for the development of the northeastern states. Integrated Infrastructure Development Centres in the Northeast have been declared tax-free zones. All industrial activities in these areas are free of income tax, excise duty and get exemption in sales tax and municipal tax subject to the respective state government’s approval. In the tourism sector, schemes have been extended to the northeastern states like LTA for central government staff to visit the region. On the issue of granting ST status to all Gorkhas except those who have a Scheduled Caste status, sources said over 100 cases of communities wanting an ST status were pending in the ministry of tribal affairs.

 

 

 

Kurseong weather update

Kurseong,

Friday

8/24/2012

Hi: 26°

Scattered showers. There is a 40% chance of precipitation. Cloudy. Temperature of 26°C. Winds S 7km/h. Humidity will be 66% with a dewpoint of 19° and feels-like temperature of 26°C.

Lo: 24°

Scattered showers. There is a 40% chance of precipitation. Cloudy. Temperature of 24°C. Winds E 5km/h. Humidity will be 90% with a dewpoint of 22° and feels-like temperature of 24°C.