Indo-China border trade through Nathula from Sept

     New Delhi: Indo-China border trade through Nathula pass in Sikkim is likely to be resumed from September this year. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling's advisor B B Gooroong has said that a 12-member inter-ministerial team from New Delhi has communicated this decision to the state government. Full-scale trade is expected to start later on depending on the results of the initial phase. The nature of the trade in the beginning will be 'small scale' and 'localised' and will be confined to a radius of only 15 kms on either side of the border in the beginning, he said. Trade marts will be set up at Sharathang, a village about 7 kms from Nathula on the Indian side of the border and at Rinchingang, which is around 8 kms from the international border in China, Gooroong said. The pass Nathula means the whistling pass. Nathula is the Indo- China border at Jawahar Lal Nehru Road whereby Indian troops and the China armies stand face to face. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, is 431 km from Nathula. The Kolkata port, which is a little over 1,100 km from Lhasa, can serve Tibet and China as it serves Nepal at present. At present, goods to Lhasa are routed through Beijing or Shanghai. Since the distance between Lhasa and Beijing is considerable, the trading community is expected to take advantage of the logistics and export goods to Lhasa through the Old Silk Route.

     Besides export and import of goods, Nathula - or for that matter Thegu or Tshrethang which are 10 km below - could well emerge as the immigration point for tourists at a later date. Buddhist tourists can easily access Gaya, Lumbini, Sarnath and monastries in Sikkim through the Nathula Pass. The Rumtek monastery in Sikkim is the main centre for the Karmapa Buddhist sect. Siliguri and Jalpaiguri in West Bengal are set to emerge as transhipment points for goods arriving from Kolkata port for Tibet and China. At these two places, the plan is to load goods in smaller containers before they make their way up the hills to Nathula via Gangtok. Besides sending goods for the Indian market, Chinese exports to South-East Asia, Bangladesh and Myanmar can also be routed through Nathula. However, appropriate roads and allied infrastructure must be built before actual trading can begin. It is estimated that Rs 400 crore would have to be invested on this score.

Street protests held in Capital against series of rape (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Women activists today marched through the national capital protesting against the recent Dhaula Kuan rape incident. The incident caused a furore in Parliament also. The opposition BJP demanded the Home Minister's resignation citing the inefficiency of the city police as it failed to take action despite being informed within 15 minutes of the girl's abduction. "Delhi is fast becoming the rape capital of India. It is not safe for women. Police and administration is totally responsible for this and are accountable," said Brinda Karat, a leading social activist and CPI (M) politbureau member, Meanwhile, the police said that they have arrested one of the four accused in the rape case. Many of those protesting demanded that roadside eateries that remain open in the night be closed, as they had become a crime hub.

     Sudha Sundaram, General Secretary, All India Democratic Women's Organisation, said that the administration was responsible for ensuring the safety and security of women. "The question is not of dhabas or tea shops. The problem is that the girls, the women in Delhi are entitled to feel safe wherever they are. There are students who study, working women who have to work at odd hours. Students are there who have to go up and down. They have to study and sometimes go for a cup of tea. So, given that, the girls and women are certainly entitled to feel safe," said Sundaram. Some women have called for laws for rapists to be hanged, but most women's groups say the existing legal system must be tightened so that rape cases do not linger for years in courts because of lack of evidence and other legal loopholes. The outrage follows a series of nasty rapes: a pregnant woman killed herself after being raped in the city of Pune, an 80-year- old was raped in Delhi and a school principal raped a 16-year-old Delhi student by luring her with the promise of getting her a matriculation certificate. In a widely condemned bid for a softer sentence, one rapist offered in court to marry his victim -- because no one else would now -- and on Thursday, two motorised-rickshaw drivers were arrested for raping a 47-year-old German tourist in Jodhpur. Activists say there are two rapes every hour in India, one in five victims is a child and 19 of 20 accused walk free. National Crime Records Bureau data shows more than 18,100 people were tried for rape in 2003. Just 4,645 were convicted.

Two children, one man killed in J&K blast (Go To Top)

     Srinagar: Two children and one man were killed in Bejibara when a parcel bomb exploded on Friday morning. The killed person, Mohammed Sayeed was a driver in J&K State Road Transport Corporation who lost his life along with his two children. Neighbours indicated that some unidentified people handed over a parcel to Mohammed Sayeed. Once he reached home the bomb exploded, killing him along with his children on the spot. There has been a spurt in violence in Srinagar during the week.. On Thursday, militants had hurled a grenade outside a school at Jawahar Nagar, which killed two women and injured at least 60 others including 25 students. Over a dozen vehicles and around 40 shops and doctor's clinics got extensively damaged. And, earlier on Wednesday, one person was killed and 35 were injured in a car bomb blast that took place at Lal Chowk, a busy intersection in Srinagar's city centre The spurt in violence has occurred simultaneously with the 'Durbar move' when the headquarters of the State Government shifted from Jammu to Srinagar.

Bollywood finally says no to vulgar film posters (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Authorities in Mumbai and representatives of the film industry have finally decided to take firm measures to stop vulgarity in movie posters. Mumbai is the hub of Hindi film industry, commonly referred to as Bollywood. The Bombay High Court recently came down heavily on the industry for obscene posters in public places that cause traffic snarls and accidents. Women organisations had also demanded an end to film posters that portray them in bad light. Police officials said the meeting in which representatives of the film industry also took part decided to act in conformity with the court directives. "We had called the representatives of the film industry here to discuss with them, to understand each other and the High Court orders and the laws relating to it. So that in the future all the work is done in accordance with the law, no vulgarity is shown and we are not forced to take action against them," A.N Roy, Mumbai's police commissioner. Trade representatives said any members who violated the norms would be dealt with in a befitting manner. "We have taken note of everything and decided to streamline everything, so that, hence forth any person who misuses the conduct prescribed by our associations and the law enforcements, will be dealt very strongly. So, I feel it is a very good meeting and a very healthy meeting which we all welcome and I feel it will put an end to all the controversies which are happening," Mukesh Bhatt, governing counsel member, Indian Motion Picture Producer Association, said. India's strict censorship prevents on-screen nudity and profanity. But the posters of films often violate censorship laws.

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