Sreelatha Menon: A cow`s leg for tribals

An environment impact assessment report on a hydel project in Dzongu, the holy land of the Lepchas, overlooks the fact that it is banned to the outside world and falls in a biosphere reserve.

What has chastity of women, belief in spirits and gifting of a cow’s leg in marriages got to do with hydel power? One needs a consultant to give an answer.

Check this out. This is from an environment impact assessment report commissioned by a company called Teesta Urja Limited and prepared by consultants Wapcos Centre for Environment.

The consultants were asked to assess the impact that a 1,200-Mw hydel power project on Teesta river, called Teesta 3, would have on Dzongu, the ancient settlement of the Lepcha tribals in North Sikkim. The Ministry of Environment Ministry’s approval to the project depends on this report.

“Lepchas are animists (having clans named after animals, wherein they worship animals) and believe in many gods and spirits of land, water and trees.’’

The consultants definitely were confused about animism and just stopped of calling Lepchas a species of animals who could not write a consultancy report in English like them.

Teesta 3 is one of the 26-odd hydel projects for which the Sikkim government has signed agreements with sundry private companies.

About 60 per cent of Teesta 3 involves work in the holy land of Lepchas, the mountains of Dzongu.

The Lepcha youth, those who had the benefit of an English education and had transcended the “animal” existence attributed to them by the consultants, found this report hard to take. Already aggrieved by handing over of their mountains to the hydel power companies, they protested with a letter, which of course yielded no reply.

The report gives cultural details unsubstantiated by the authors and smacks of voyeurism. It says: “Among Lepchas, marriages are solemnized with the boy’s parents offering two cows, a pig, 12 chicken and a mun jad (liquor)…In the bride price, jewelery, land, cloth and a right leg of a cow is offered.”

Of course, the report’s obsession with cows matches only that of the RSS and it adds: “Gifting a leg of a cow may not be liked by their Hindu counterparts and this (?) may create discontent among the people.”

The report skips the essential fact that Dzongu is a place banned to the outside world by the government of Sikkim in order to protect the shy Lepchas and their cultural identity. It also skips the fact that it is a world heritage site and falls in the Kanchendzonga biosphere reserve and national park.

Lepchas may agree to lump the cow’s leg but this one really takes their goat. Wapcos says: “Chastity of women at the time of marriage does not hold a lot of importance. Pre-marital and extra- marital relationships are not uncommon.’’

The report concludes that the project doesn’t hurt anyone, least of all Lepchas and hence can be proceeded with, except that the workers should not mess around with the cows and the girls. The blasting of Dzongu for Teesta 3 is in full swing now.

There are 2,200 workers, which is 10 per cent of the population, and the project will last five years. Remember why Goans threw out the SEZs. But then Lepchas are not Goans.

The unlettered tribals, 1,000 in all, are moving out of nine villages of Dzongu, leaving the educated Lepcha youths to sit on a hunger strike in Gangtok which is now 200 days old, of course, with no one listening.

Chamling now for the Lepchas

Gangtok , Sikkim : Chief minister Mr Pawan Chamling has finally agreed to look into the grievances of the Lepchas agitating against proposed hydroelectric power projects at Dzongu in North Sikkim, a place considered sacred by the Lepchas.

Following a meeting with the agitators yesterday Mr Chamling said: "No development will come at the cost of the culture, tradition and identity of the Lepchas. The state government has stopped work on all the five hydel power projects till the review committee appointed in the matter completes its report."

Urging the Joint Action Committee, which is supporting the Lepchas' agitation, to view the issue rationally and suggest necessary steps to find reasonable solution Mr Chamling said: "Now the Affected Citizens of Teesta should participate in the review process so that the government can find an appropriate solution and can fulfill the wishes of the Lepchas without having to face legal and other complications."

The Opposition is viewing Mr Chamling's "about turn" on the issue as a result of mounting political pressure.

They are also inclined to view it as the chief minister's move to appease the Lepcha community before the forthcoming panchayat polls in the state.

Various Lepcha associations including the Affected Citizens of Teesta, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Rong Ong Prongzom, Darjeeling Lepcha Youth Wings, Concern Lepchas of Sikkim and various other associations are agitating against the power projects.

According them, the Lepchas are primarily nature worshipers and so the mountains, lakes, rivers, hills, trees in Dzongu are sacred to the Lepcha community.

Source: The Statesman

Tribal leader to arrive in Sikkim

Kalimpong : The president of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, Somjibhai Damor, will arrive in Sikkim on Tuesday for a first-hand idea of the on-going Lepcha agitation against hydel power projects at Dzongu in North Sikkim.

“He will first go to Gangtok and then to Dzongu,” said Dorjee Lepcha, the president of Rong-Ong-Prongzum (Lepcha Youth Association).

The visit follows a presentation on Dzongu made by L.S. Tamsang, the president of Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, at the 14th National Conference of the All India Tribal Development Council in Jaipur, Rajasthan earlier this month.

Source: The Telegraph

Sikkim Govt. orders to stop project in Dzongu

Gangtok , Sikkim : The Sikkim government has ordered that work on all the five hydel power projects in Dzongu, North Sikkim, be stopped for now.

The government has also constituted a committee to review the projects. The projects were supposed to have come up at Ringpi, Lingza, Rukel, Rangyang and Panam.

The government order is being seen as a victory for members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) who had been protesting against the hydel power projects.

The decision was notified through an order issued today by the home department. The review committee will have Sikkim chief secretary N.D. Chingapa as the chairman, additional chief secretary T.T. Dorji, the development commissioner and ACT president Athup Lepcha as members. Pintsho Namgyal Lepcha, a resident of Lingthem in Dzongu, and environmentalist Sanjay Kumar Jain will also be part of the team. The principal chief engineer-cum-secretary for energy and power, D.D. Pradhan will be the member secretary.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 100 days from today.

ACT had begun its agitation more than two months ago with the demand for scrapping of all the five projects proposed for the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu in North Sikkim. It had argued that the projects would disturb the ecological balance of the area and hurt the religious sentiments of Lepchas.

The members of the organisation simultaneously began relay and indefinite hunger strikes in support of their demand. With time the movement secured support even from people in the Darjeeling hills. Later, the organisation scaled down its demands and asked for an impartial committee to review the projects. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling then appealed to ACT members to call off the fast and resolve the issue through talks.

The government today also advised the ACT president to call off the relay hunger strike immediately to enable the committee to deliberate on the matter in a congenial atmosphere.

The relay hunger strike has completed 77 days.

Source: The Telegraph

Sikkim Dzongu made itself heard in New Delhi

Kalimpong : The protest against hydel power projects in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu in North Sikkim made itself heard in New Delhi today.

A joint delegation of the Rong Ong Prongzom (Lepcha Youth Organisation), Darjeeling, and Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim met Mani Shankar Aiyar, the minister in-charge of the department of north-eastern region (DoNER) in Delhi today and urged him to help save Dzongu, which is sacred to the Lepchas.

The 11-member team also submitted a memorandum to the DoNER minister. Lepchas of Darjeeling and Sikkim have been on a relay hunger strike here and in Gangtok demanding the immediate scrapping of the hydel power projects at Dzongu.

President of the Prongzom and the leader of the delegation, Dorji Lepcha, told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi that Aiyar heard them out and advised them to meet minister for environment and forests.

“He also told us that he was not aware of the protest spreading to the neighbouring Darjeeling hills as well,” said Lepcha.

The delegation will be camping in Delhi for some more days in an effort to meet UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. They are scheduled to meet tribal affairs minister P.R. Kyndiah tomorrow.

Source: The Telegraph

Now Kalimpong rope in for the sanctity of Dzongu

Gangtok , Sikkim : In a bid to express their solidarity with the Affected Citizens of Teesta, eight members of the Lepcha Youth Association started an indefinite hunger-strike at Tricon Park in Kalimpong town yesterday. The Lepcha youths are protesting against the upcoming hydroelectric power projects at Dzongu in North Sikkim. They believe that the hydel power projects will disturb the sanctity of Dzongu.

“We have written several letters to governors and chief ministers of West Bengal and Sikkim, prime minister, president, and UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi, but to no avail,” said Mr Ajuk Tamsangmo, chief coordinator of LYA.

The LYA is planning to stage similar hunger strikes in Darjeeling, Kolkata and Delhi, Mr Tamsangmo, added. “First we will organise peace rallies in Kolkata and Delhi. If our demands are still not fulfilled, we will sit on indefinite hunger-strike in these places,” he said.

“Dzongu is a holy place and we will not allow the Sikkim government to disturb the sanctity of the area by setting up hydel power projects there,” he added.

The LYA president, Mr Dorjee T Lepcha, claimed that members of the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association are also supporting their indefinite hunger-strike.

“The ILTA president has already left for New Delhi to discuss the issue with Mrs Sonia Gandhi,” Mr Lepcha, said.

Source: The Statesman