Daily Archives: 04/15/2013

by

Techie dies in Sikkim

The Telegraph

NIRMAL MANGAR

Gangtok, April 14: A software engineer from Calcutta was killed when a car carrying seven TCS employees skidded off a road near Gangtok this evening and rolled down an incline.

The techies, all in their twenties, had reached Gangtok yesterday and headed to Nathu-la, Baba Mandir and Chhangu Lake today. About 55km from Gangtok, these destinations are a favourite with tourists visiting Sikkim.

Around 5.30pm, when their car was returning, it skidded in heavy rain at a point called 9th Mile, about 12km from Gangtok.

Driver Kesang Namgyal, who hailed from North Sikkim, died on the spot, police said.

Local villagers, who were the first to reach the accident site, said the Mahindra Bolero skidded off JN Marg and rolled down.

Six of the group, which included three women, were taken to STNM Hospital in Gangtok where Priya Paul died, the police said.

Niteshwar, who was initially missing, was found by the police near the accident spot late tonight and admitted to the ICU at the same hospital with head injuries.

Durga Prasad, 27, who has suffered head and leg injuries, said from hospital that the group was to “set out for Calcutta tomorrow by train”.

Prasad, who is from Andhra Pradesh, gave the names of his other colleagues as Krishna Kartik, Gyaneswar Das, Arpita Saha and Subhramukta Rana. While all seven work in Calcutta, some in the group “hailed from neighbouring Odisha”, he said.

Arpita has suffered head injuries and may have fractured a leg. Subhramukta said her injuries were “minor”.

A landslide near 9th Mile later in the evening had for some time left stranded 15 cars carrying tourists back from Chhangu Lake and Nathu-la.

The BRO has started work to clear the landslide debris so that the stranded cars can drive to Gangtok.

by

Call all-party meet: Asok

The Telegraph

Siliguri, April 14: Former Bengal minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya today demanded that the administration call an all-party meeting to “restore peace and democracy” in Siliguri in the wake of the clashes between the supporters of the Left Front and the Trinamul Congress in the town on April 10.

“Keeping in view the recent unrest in Siliguri following the attack on the CPM office on Hill Cart Road and arrest of several members of our party, the administration should call an all-party meeting to restore peace and democracy here. We are of the opinion that the recent incidents are against the political culture of the town,” said Bhattacharya, who is also the convenor of the Darjeeling district Left Front.

More than 50 Left Front leaders and supporters, including Bhattacharya, had been held here on April 10 following repeated clashes between cadres of the Left and Trinamul. The clash broke when the Trinamul had taken out a rally in Siliguri town to protest the attack on finance minister Amit Mitra by alleged Left activists in Delhi.

The former urban development minister said the CPM and different wings would not hold any public events in Siliguri for few a days in order to avoid any confrontation with political rivals.

“Our supporters have been told to refrain from holding any public meetings or taking out rallies in Siliguri and the surrounding areas for sometime to avoid clashes with other parties. The leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Surjya Kanta Mishra, is expected to visit Siliguri on April 19. He will hold an indoor meeting with party supporters,” said Bhattacharya.

A Left team today submitted a memorandum to Siliguri deputy police commissioner O.G. Paul and demanded her intervention to stop police atrocities on Left workers.

by

Hill estate to reopen after worker arrests

The Telegraph

VIVEK CHHETRI

Ging Tea Estate

Darjeeling, April 14: The management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow after seven workers accused of assaulting the garden’s assistant manager surrendered in a Darjeeling court.

Sandeep Mukherjee, the principal advisor of the Darjeeling Tea Association, said: “The management of Ging Tea Estate has decided to reopen the garden tomorrow after it was learnt that all seven workers involved in attacking the assistant manager surrendered in a court here.”

Two workers, one of them garden supervisor Harsha Gurung, surrendered in the court of the chief judicial magistrate on Friday. The other five surrendered today. All the accused have been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

The decision to reopen the garden, locked since April 10, was taken after the management and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha affiliated Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, held a meeting in Darjeeling today.

The management had, however, specifically blamed the seven workers for the attack and not the union.

“During the meeting the union leaders gave an undertaking to the management that such indiscipline would not occur in future and all differences would be solved amicably through a negotiation process as laid down in the industry’s norm,” said Mukherjee.

On April 9, a group of workers, led by Harsha had attacked the garden’s assistant manager, Dipesh Kumar Gupta, 28, while he was on his way for lunch.

“We are still unclear about the reason. It could be a personal grudge,” said Mukherjee.

The management had alleged that the assistant manager was hit with iron roads and empty bottles and other executives who had gone to intervene were pelted with stones.

“The assistant manager is still in the ICU. He has suffered cranial injury and his shoulder has been dislocated. There was also heavy loss of blood,” said Mukherjee.

Suraj Subba, general secretary of the Morcha’s tea garden union, said: “We are happy that the management has decided to reopen the garden. We will also go to the workers to inform them about the need to abstain from violent activities.

“We, were always of the opinion that the majority of the workers should not suffer because of the handiwork of a handful of workers,” he added.

The garden owned by B.D. Tea Estates Pvt. Ltd, has a plantation area of 254 hectares and employs 776 workers.