CINCHONA LOSSES WORRY CONGRESS
The first full fledged meeting of the Darjeeling District Congress's (Hills) executive committee this weekend focused on the problems of the cinchona plantations of Darjeeling Hills. Darjeeling Congress Committee (Hills) president Dawa Norbula, who chaired the meeting, said: "During the Congress rule cinchona plantations were a profit making business, but now they run at an annual loss of Rs. 22 crore." Around 5,350 labourers and 1,400 other staff, including officers, work at the cinchona plantations but there has been no permanent director since 11 years. The District Magistrate is presently in charge of the plantations. There had been talk of privatising the plantations but the workers have demanded that the plantations be run on subsidy rather than under private ownership.

Cinchona Plantation workers, under the banner of United Forum, Trade Unions of Govt Cinchona Plantation led by Congress leader Somen Mitra, have decided to submit memorandums to the 294 MLAs in the State, demanding an inquiry into the reasons behind the loss and also to post a permanent Director for the plantations. On June 14, the Congress will send a deputation to the Darjeeling DM, condemning the recent price hike in prices of diesel and petrol. They will also ask the DM to provide a list of all vacant posts in State Government offices and demand the immediate recruitment of locals in these posts. The deputation is in accordance to statewide order issued by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

***The Congress said the CPI(M), GNLF and the DGHC had been silent spectators as antique furniture was moved out of the Darjeeling Raj Bhawan on Governor's Orders. The locals say, "the Governor is a thief, he has stolen away which had been there for so many decades; What was the need to shift away truck-loads of antiques at midnight down to the plains? Will Darjeeling be drained off of all its possessions? What step has the State Government taken in this matter? - NONE". Requests have been made to the Chairman, Subash Ghising to take up the matter.

CHECKING POLLUTION LEVEL AT MIRIK LAKE
The Federation of Societies for Environment Protection, an NGO in Darjeeling, plans to campaign on Mirik Lake, The continued degradation of the lake has led to a dip in the tourist flow.The presence of blue algae in the lake shows the level of pollution, said Mr Umesh Dwivedi, a local environmentalist. Sewage from commercial and residential establishments added to the lake's pollution. Even, construction mud is dumped into the lake. The artificial lake was developed in the 1970s. Mr Dwivedi said DGHC's proposal to develop new tourists sites in Mirik was good, but afforestation of the lake's catchment is needed. The town needs a proper sewage system too. The DGHC's tourism department, currently headed by chairman, Mr Subash Ghissing, is developing three new tourist spots in Mirik. The DGHC already run several luxury cottages near the lake.

Mirik has suffered most because of the delay in relaying the garden that hemmed the western side of the lake. In 1997 the DGHC uprooted the garden to raise the ground level to prevent water logging. But, fund delays forced the DGHC to stop work for long gaps. The garden is yet to be completed. Recently, the state government and the DGHC held meetings to find ways to restore Mirik's appeal. But little has been done till now. Locals hit by the decline in tourists tried to clean the lake. They blamed the restaurants and shops nearby for the pollution. They also demanded immediade dredging of the lake. The FOSEP will request the people to stop washing, bathing and dumping waste in the lake.

HILLS MAY GO WITHOUT RATION
The three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong are feared to go without ration from next week. The development comes following a resolution of the central committee of the Gorkha Hill Modified Ration Dealers' Association against lifting of foodgrain from the government storehouses from next Monday. "We have apprised the district magistrate of our resolution. Our members will not lift or distribute foodgrain through PDS from Monday unless the State Government accepts our demands," Mr Kashinath Parajuli, central committee secretary of GHMRDA, said.

The move has caught the authorities and the state food department in a surprise. It was learnt that the district administration is trying to hold discussions with the GHMRDA to ensure smooth distribution of ration.

"The State Government gives us Rs 9.50 to transport one quintal of foodgrain within a distance of 10 km from the government storehouse. The tariff increases by Re 0.50 for every km thereafter. But the transportation charge is Rs 26 and above depending on the distance from the storehouse to the MR dealer's shop." alleged Mr Parajuli. According to him the rate fixed by the West Bengal Government as labour charges is also way below the real expenses. "We have to pay Rs 6 to load and unload each sack of foodgrain while the government rate is fixed at Rs 1.15 per sack," he said.

GHMRDA official said: "We have been urging the West Bengal State authorities to take care of these problems for a long time. But all our appeals seem to have fallen on deaf ears". "Under the circumstances, it is not possible for us to carry on with the business unless the conditions are rectified," Mr Pradhan and Mr Parajuli said.