Himalayan Times (1962)

Two

Himalayan Times

July 15, 1962

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Editor it not responsible for viewi txpreiaed in this column.

NO HARASSMENT TO LEPCHA LEADER

Sir, With reference to
a Letter "Harassment of
Lepoha Leaden inSikkim''
appearing in your issue
of June 24th 1062. I
■hall deem it a great fa-
Tour if you oouid favour
the hospitality of your
oolumn to aoquaint the
readers the faotual posi-
tion of this particular
oase, which has been pur-
posely mis-oonstrued and
spiced by Kazi L Dorjee
of Chakung, obviously, for
reasons known to the
publio of Sikkim

To put the case in a
nutshell, eur Forester
Shri B.6. Qurung reported
against Mandal Dupchhen
Lepoha for taking the
Forest Laws in his own
hands by ordering his
Kutiadar Palandhoj Lim-
bu, without getting prior
permission of the' autho-
rity to indiscriminately
cut down 145 nos. of
various speaies of trees
and poles of different
sizes standing on the
"Kamzer" forest, whioh
area, prior to 1957 was
a Khai land, but was
surreptitiously inoluded us
part of the Mandal's land
when he was deputed to
make "Janch" of that
Jongu area. The said
Mandal who was then
working as a Sikkim

P.W.D. Contractor also
felled two Kimboo trees
fit for sawing, without
permission and utilised the
timbers solely for com-
mercial gains to repair
the Uiokohhu—Sangtok
Bridge, for whioh esti-
mates of the timbers based
on market rates including
charges as Royalty on
timber were given to him
by the Sikkim P. W. D.
authority.

Mandal Iiupohhen was
served with summons
several times to attend
the offioe for a prilimi-
nary hearing of the re-
ports made by the Fores-
ter, but he showed a
defianoe attitude and stub-
bornly refused to attend
the office. Despite such
attitude from him, and
in order to give him all
facilities to defend him-
self, the Assistant Magis-
trate North, Mangan, was
requested to make a spot
investigation. In the course
of enquiry thus under-
taken by the Magistrate,
Mandal Dupohhen was
contacted and his state-
ments alootr with that of
the Kutiadar Palandhoj
Limbu were duly recorded,
and in the prooess. of
whioh, Mandal Dupohhen
has freely admitted his
quilt of having felled and

utilised those tiees and
timbers without getting
the prior permission of
the authority. Such wan-
ton lawlessness on the
part of a Mandal (Village
Head-Man) who is well -
aware of the Forest Rules
and who also works as a
Contractor of the Sikkim
P.W.D. oannot by any
stress of imsgination be
oatagorised as a "Simple
bustiwalla of humble
means in the Lepoha area".
Accordingly, having fully
established the quilt wi-
thout the least shadow
of doubt, Mandal Dupoh-
hen was direoted to pay
the actual value of the
trees which were out down
plus 4 times penalty as
laid down striotly under
the prevailing Forest Ru-
les.

As will thus be ap-
parent, the highly mis-
leading allegations made
by Shri L. Dorji. against
the Sikkim authority,
would tantamount to a
blind design simply and
solely to mislead the ge-
neral publio of Sikkim
and particularly to those
outside Sikkim. Yours
etc. '1 he Private Secretary
to His Highness the
Maharaja of Sikkim.

WHILE IN KALIMPONG
STAY AT

CHANDRA5

The Best centrally situated
Hotel is Kalimponf.