Chana Ghotala, also widely known as “chana dal ghotala” is causing the flutter in the Darjeeling region. There are allegations that nearly 14000 Metric Tonne of Chana/Dal allocated to the GTA has gone missing

We have with us a set of official documents, shared with us by IGJF leaders. We have compiled these documents into a timeline, along with supporting letters and email correspondence.

Together, these indicate a sequence of rapid and potentially irregular administrative actions by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Darjeeling, in relation to the requisitioning, processing, allocation and distribution of Chana (Bengal Gram) under the Government of India’s Bharat Dal scheme.

The Bharat Dal initiative aims to supply pulses at subsidized rates through cooperatives like the National Consumer Cooperative Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) and NAFED to stabilize retail prices and meet dietary needs. However, the GTA’s implementation appears to have involved the swift appointment of an advisor, an immediate large-scale requisition, appointment of a private Kanpur-based firm as “Nodal Agency” without visible tender process, a substantial advance payment by that firm, and subsequent justifications amid apparent objections from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. The advisor, one Sanju Chettri later resigned in April 2025.

Chronological Timeline of Key Events

4 March 2024 – Appointment of Advisor

• GTA Notification (Order No. 1/EM/GTA/2024) appoints Sanju Chhetri as Advisor for Land & Land Reform, Agriculture, and Sericulture departments.
• The order is formally issued and signed by the Executive Member, in-charge of Agriculture, Land and Land Reforms and Sericulture, GTA and is widely circulated within GTA, taking immediate effect.

5 March 2024 – Requisition for 47,500 MT Chana (Ref AGRI/Bharat Dal/2023-24/01)

• A letter to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs requests 47,500 MT of Chana under the Bharat Dal scheme. Signed by Sanju Chhetri (on behalf of the Executive Member), the request follows just one day after his appointment.

8 April 2024 – Letter from Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution PS-03001/1/2023-PMC Pt-3 (E-32596)

• Ministry advises the National Consumer Cooperative Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) may coordinate with GTA for supply of 14,000 MT Chana/Dal under Bharat Dal mechanism.
• Note the proposed allocation has been reduced to 14,000 MT which is significantly lower than requested 47500 MT.

9 July 2024 – Appointment of Private Firm (with no ref number)

• A letter signed by the Advisor Sanju Chettri appoints M/s Jeevshakti Products Pvt Ltd Ltd (CIN U74999UP2018PTC101881) as “Nodal Agency” for lifting, processing, packaging, and distribution.

Notable concerns:

• There’s no evidence of a tender or competitive selection process involved in the apppointment of this firm
• The letter has been issued on limited-circulation letterhead
• There seems to have been a minimal internal dissemination within GTA, but the Executive Member Agri, L&LRs Seri is kept in the loop

4 October 2024 – GTA Justification to Ministry Ref: DoAFW/GTA/07

• In the letter written by Sanju Chettri on GTA letter-head, he defends the arrangement of appointing a private firm, describing the firm as a “Nodal and Implementing Agency” rather than a private vendor.
• It cites lack of infrastructure in GTA, and requests phased release of stock.
• The response appears to follow queries or objections from central authorities.
• Letter claims, “JeevShakti Products Private Limited has made an upfront payment of Rs 2.26 crores on the 17th of September 2024, under UTR: ICICR52024091700423187, to NAFED’s A/c No: 110144034290 in Canara Bank.”

11 April 2025 – Resignation of Advisor

• Sanju Chhetri resigns via email, effective immediately.

Key Issues

1. Appointment and Role of the Advisor

• The documents confirm formal appointment but provide no information on qualifications, selection process, or scope of authority.
• Within one day, the advisor was involved in a major procurement request, raising questions about preparedness and mandate.

2. Unusually Rapid Requisition

• The requisition for 47,500 MT immediately the day after appointment, suggests either prior informal planning or an expedited decision-making process without documented internal consultation.

3. Appointment of Nodal Agency Without Visible Tender

• No records indicate a competitive bidding or tender process for selecting the private firm.
• The limited circulation of the appointment order further raises transparency concerns.

4. Unclear Contractual Terms

• No contract, agreement, or financial terms are included in the available documents.
• Critical details, such as commission, liability, risk-sharing, remain undocumented in the public record.

5. Advance Payment Structure

• The private firm deposited ₹2.25 crore directly with NAFED.
• The rationale, authorization, and proision for this arrangement are not clearly explained.

6. Lack of Outcome Transparency

There is no documentary evidence confirming:

• whether the allocated Chana was actually lifted,
• processed into dal,
• distributed to beneficiaries, or
• deposit to NAFED refunded if unused.

As of April 2026, the final status of the allocation remains unclear.

Outstanding Questions

• The documents establish a consistent sequence of events but also highlight significant gaps in transparency, documentation, and procedural clarity.

The “Daal Ghotala” allegations center on whether public resources and central scheme benefits were handled with due process or channeled through opaque, ad-hoc arrangements.

• possible bypassing of procurement norms,
• concentration of decision-making authority in a single appointed advisor,
• limited institutional oversight, and
• absence of verifiable outcomes for a public welfare scheme

To fully resolve these issues, formal clarification would be required from:

• GTA leadership, including the Chief Executive, Principal Secretary, and Executive Member in-charge of Agriculture, Land and Sericulture
• Sanju Chhetri, the advisor
• M/s Jeevshakti Products Pvt Ltd,
• Relevant central agencies (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, NAFED, NCCF)

Until such disclosures are made, the matter remains one of documented procedural concern rather than conclusively established wrongdoing.

We have reached out to all concerned, we are awaiting their response, and will post the same, as and when they respond.

LIST OF DOCUMENTS WE HAVE TILL NOW

The post “Chana Ghotala”? Irregularities in Gorkhaland Territorial Administration’s Handling of Bharat Dal Scheme (Chana Allocation) appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

When Justice Exposes Failure explores the ongoing GTA Teachers’ Recruitment Case and examines it indepth.

The judgment passed by the Calcutta High Court, ordering the cancellation of 313 teachers’ appointments passed in 2019 for the GTA schools, has stirred up debate around the issue that had otherwise remained silent for months. Honourable Justice Biswajit Basu in his order stated, “……..this Court holds that the appointment of 313 voluntary teachers in the name of regularisation, whose particulars have been disclosed in the supplementary affidavit filed by GTA on April 29, 2025 is illegal, accordingly, the impugned letter bearing no. 254-SE/S/4A-1B/15(PT-III) dated March 08, 2019 whereby and whereunder the engagements of 313 voluntary teachers were regularized by the Principle Secretary, School Education Department, Government of West Bengal is set aside and quashed.”

As soon as the order was passed, reactions started flooding from various corners in different directions and intensities. While the GTA Chief pledged his unconditional support towards the affected appointments, stating that it was a fight for truth, justice, and unity, the IGJF founder and president welcomed the decision and called for the immediate constitution of a fair, lawful, and transparent recruitment process.

The Sanyukta Madhyamik Sikshak Sangathan (SMSS), on the other hand, called for an indefinite closure of the Hill Schools in support of the affected appointments. Some members of the BGPM media cell have extended the issue to a greater length by calling it Jasimuddin vs The Hills, trying to portray it as a communal issue rather than a legal one.

This piece is an attempt to dissect the different aspects of the case.

Why now? Is it an Administrative Failure or a Political Disaster?

Many of us are by now aware that the GTA region has not had a proper recruitment process for decades now, and the schools have been getting the teachers through a stop-gap measure of volunteer teachers getting regularised. While DGHC in its time had eventually issued an order for the schools to stop the recruitment of volunteer teachers, it somehow kept continuing later and became the conventional door for entry into the schools as regular teachers.

What is interesting is that though the process has been running through decades and the administrative gap remained as it is, the challenge to any appointment had never reached this far as this time. So, would it be justified to call it an administrative failure? In fact, people in many quarters are calling it a political blunder and a result of massive alleged irregularities in the appointment process that upset and disappointed the people at large.

The allegations point towards the existence of nepotism, favouritism and even bribery involving the appointments that were made. While there are many teachers who were actually working as volunteers at the time for years and actually contributed to the schools and the students, there are allegations that there were people who never even stepped inside the gate of the school getting appointed.

In one such allegation surfacing sometime ago, one of the teachers among the 313, who was allegedly working as a part-time lecturer a local college before he had gotten an appointment, had himself come in front of the media and made a grand display of his certificates and awards to compensate for not having been a volunteer teacher. Besides, there are many such alleged cases where the relatives of some influential people, party favourites and sympathisers, etc., got appointed without serving as a volunteer teacher. It is, in fact, estimated by many that at least around half of the appointments were tainted, if not more than that.

Contrarily, many who had actually worked for years as volunteer teachers across different schools failed to score a spot during the appointments.

The erstwhile District Inspector of Schools, Mr Pran Govinda Sarkar, has also regularly come into the ambit of allegation and suspicion for passing many appointments illegally for reasons best known to him. Allegations also point out that there were people who worked closely with him, some of whose names also appear in the list of the 313. In fact, the High Court, in its order, has also recommended a departmental enquiry against him.

Had the appointments been fairly given, it would not have irked the left-out candidates, some of whom went on to file a case against the recruitment process. That is where the entire legal process had first started and then continued.

The Politics of Victimhood: Is This Really “Jasimuddin vs the Hills”?

In their desperation to garner public sympathy and support, some members of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) have come out to give a communal colour to this issue by painting it as Jasimuddin vs The Hills. Is it actually so? I would say – Not.

Those who have followed the case since the beginning would know that Jasimuddin was nowhere in the scene when the case had initially started. It was actually a case filed by a bunch of the volunteer teachers who were left out in 2019 when the 313 candidates were given appointments. They later withdrew their case, which most believe might have been because of the pressure they may have been subjected to during the case. It could be fear, threat, persuasion, or any other reason best known to them.

Jasimuddin’s petition was an intervention in the case, which became primary after the former case was withdrawn. Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya may have chosen a candidate from outside the GTA region to negate the chances of the petitioner backing out due to threats or persuasion. Jasimuddin may not have come to the highlight if the former petitioners had not withdrawn their case. The result, however, may not have been any different in that case either.

Those who have read the judgment would understand that Jasimuddin is nowhere in the central focus of the case. It is entirely about the 313 appointments. Jasimuddin vs The Hills is a coordinated attempt to frame propaganda to stimulate regional and community-based sentiments of the general public in support of the 313 candidates.

Who Truly Suffers and Who Is Responsible?

There is a saying that goes as – the prosperity of one often rests upon the sacrifice of another. The rampant irregularities in the appointment system had to come under scrutiny one day or another. Many of us may see the verdict as a dawn of justice against the corruption and hopelessness that infested the appointment system, and also hope that it brings a proper and transparent system into place. But it is also important for us to realise how the vested interest of a certain group of people has put many other innocent and genuine people’s lives into jeopardy. There are people in the group who have genuinely dedicated their service as volunteers to their respective schools for years without getting any return, some of them for over a decade. These genuine teachers losing their jobs isn’t the sacrifice we deserve to ask from them.

The important question – what are they a victim of? Many would want you to believe that they are the victims of the court order or the petitioners. Nothing could be further away from the truth. They are all the victims of administrative and political failure. They are the victims of the greed and the self-interest of a certain group of people. There is another saying that goes like – “The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.”

Protest or Punishment? Rethinking the Closure of Hill Schools

While the Sanyukta Madhyamik Shikshak Sangathan’s (SMSS) outrage is justified, it is clearly directed in the wrong direction. Why should the students and their parents be the ones to bear the burden of the lapse on the side of the authorities? Many teachers themselves are not in favour of shutting the schools but are complying with the call out of compulsion.

The question should instead be asked of the perpetrators of the irregularities. The right to protest cannot come at the cost of a child’s right to education, especially when the fault lies elsewhere.

Beyond the Verdict: Restoring Trust Through Reform and Accountability

The judgment must not be treated as the end of the matter, but rather as an urgent call for systemic reform. If the administration and political leadership fail to act decisively now, the same cycle of injustice and irregularity will inevitably repeat itself. Immediate measures must be taken to constitute a statutory, independent, and region-specific recruitment authority for the GTA school system, entrusted with conducting fair, transparent, and merit-based appointments.

All existing vacancies must be filled through a lawful recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all eligible candidates, particularly those who have genuinely served as volunteer teachers for years. Clear eligibility criteria, publicly notified procedures, third-party oversight, and time-bound recruitment schedules are essential to restore faith in the system.

Equally important is the need for political integrity and accountability. Leaders who preside over such flawed systems cannot escape responsibility by appealing to emotion, identity, or solidarity after the damage is done. Silence during irregularities and outrage after judicial intervention is not leadership. The people deserve answers – who enabled this system, who benefited from it, and why corrective steps were never taken earlier.

The post When Justice Exposes Failure: The GTA Teachers’ Recruitment Case Beyond the Noise appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The B. Ed course is designed to train the aspiring teachers through these very important domains. As such, the National Council for Teacher Education prescribes the possession of the B. Ed degree as one of the essential requirements for a candidate to be appointed as a teacher.

But, sadly enough, what was devised to usher a revolution in the process of teaching and learning, has potentially resulted in a nexus of corruption and forgery. There are growing concerns voiced by education stakeholders that the B. Ed course could amount to the largest number of fraudulent degrees in states like West Bengal.

This becomes more relevant to us as the hill region produces a large proportion of the teaching aspirants, a lot of whom are becoming a part of this nexus to fulfil their basic requirement.

What is more surprising is that the irregularity isn’t being carried out under the blanket, but blatantly and in broad daylight.

Allegations from various quarters, students, teachers, civil society point to practices where Teacher Training colleges, in places like Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum are handing out degrees, without requiring the candidates to attend any classes. Reports suggest that certain private institutions may be operating by charging hefty fees from the students to enroll them into the B. Ed course, and in turn students don’t have to attend classes or even complete their internship. They just have to visit there for a couple days every semester to write the examination, and the rest of the work is done by the management. That is all that the students need to do. Just in over 4 rounds of visit to the institution, a regular B. Ed degree is ready for them.

The process of recruitment in these colleges are run through a network of intermediaries or “agents”, who reportedly assist candidates with admissions to certain institutions. These “agents” are said to be either the ex-students of such institues or run some kind of educational consultancy. They are allegedly given a certain amount of “cut-money” per student for the enrollment. The posters advertising these courses run all over Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The advertisers don’t put the name of the college in the posters, but just the name of the place or town.

The audacity, however, to brag that they can provide the degree without the candidates to be having to attend the classes has always gone beyond my comprehension.

The Enforcement Directorate has previously alleged that the Education Ministry officials and former Minister of Education in West Bengal Partha Chatterjee took bribes to give licence to B.Ed colleges across the state.

In 2023, the West Bengal government has cancelled the approval of 253 colleges of the state’s 624 private B.Ed colleges after investigations revealed anomalies and mal-practice at these institutions. However, recent reports suggest that such practices are continuing in many institutions across the state.

Assam government initiated scrutiny of B.Ed and D. El.Ed degrees awarded by universities in West Bengal, following allegations and complaints of universities in West Bengal issuing such degrees illegally.

Most of the candidates obtaining these degrees are simultaneously working elsewhere. Many are already teaching, even in Government schools across the hills (or at least there have been cases). Their attendance and their salaries both have been running simultaneously. Later the same “regular” degree gets accepted by the same Employer, including the Government, pursued in the same period that they were paying them their salaries in full.

The question is not if these institutions are having a free hand on the course and the degree, but the question is that is the authority unaware about it? Or will they be the last one to know? Or is it a willful neglect or rather acceptance?

If the degrees are so readily available in the market, distributed easily to those who can pay the price – why to even care about making it an essential requirement for recruitment.

The situation is so bleak that even Calcutta High Court had to express their frustration over widespread irregularities in B.Ed College Admissions in West Bengal

In a state where most of the things under the purview of education has been under severe scrutiny, does this not add to the sense of willful negligence? Are the hundreds of people who are graduating every year from these institutions actually even trained??

The post B.Ed Degree Losing Its Credibility in West Bengal appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

“Restoring Democracy” is what the ruling party in power claims they did for Darjeeling, but the reality is entirely opposite of that argues Bicky

On the 2nd of May, an activist from Darjeeling – Sudhan Gurung, was brutally attacked by some men right in the heart of the town. The attack caused grievous injuries to Sudhan, deep cuts on his head and massive blood loss. Fortunately, he could be rushed to the hospital immediately, and was pulled out of danger.

Sudhan has been actively speaking against irregularities in teachers’ appointments in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration region, and has been involved in the ongoing court case in the same matter. Sudhan has been championing the cause of qualified teachers who have so far been denied positions, despite clearing government exams. While his activism bas been appreciated by most, it has also earned him enemies from some quarters associated with the case.

Sudhan mostly speaks out against the ruling party and its members for having created and promoted the irregularity fiasco in the hills, which would get him lock-horned with the party representatives in heated exchanges and arguments – mostly online. So much so, that a core member of the ruling dispensation in the hills had once threatened Sudhan of violent consequences at the hands of the affected teachers or their well-wishers in a public rally, interestingly at the same spot where Sudhan was attacked – near old super market.

The teachers whose appointments stand challenged in the court have also maintained a firm animosity towards Sudhan, as they have come to realise that he is the one of the few persons who is putting their stability and security in jeopardy. It is evident from the frequent comments and press releases on social media from some of the representatives in the group.

While my take on the teachers’ recruitment process in the hills has always remained firm and strong, aligning to the sentiments of injustice and subjugation, I shall not talk about it here, as the matter remains sub-judice and I believe that the honorable courts will serve justice in the matter. I would rather focus on how the brutal attack on Sudhan, yet again, exposes the hollow state of democracy in the hills.

The claims of “Restoration of Democracy in the Hill” has been one of the key terms used by the regional ruling party in their quest to earn popular votes. So, much so that they have the term in the name of their party as well – “prajatantrik”. They have always preached “shanti ko rajniti”, and time and again preached that “we can only achieve development if we acted inside the bounds of democracy and peace”. And yet, common people have found it difficult, more often than most, to voice their opinions against them.

It is interesting to note how right after the attack on Sudhan, the ruling party’s media toolkit got activated – with some semi-literate and redundant individuals trying to defend the party in the wake of the attack, instead of asking for an investigation and immediate arrest of the associated culprits. The party supremo himself didn’t utter a word about the incident until a massive rally was taken out demanding justice. Though the assault was public and right in front of the old super market, in a close proximity to the police station – the arrest of the suspects could only happen yesterday.

The situation reminds me of when Voltaire said – “I may not agree to what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” – the kind of democracy we should expect our leaders to aspire for. But in our form of democracy, an activist can be attacked or killed for merely speaking against the powers that be. In our form of democracy, we are expected to sit and watch the appointments to government jobs being distributed like shopping coupons. In our form of democracy, we are expected to get arrested for not aligning to the administration and its policies.

The intention here is not to blame anyone for the attack on Sudhan – the job is for the keepers of the law to deal with. The intention is to raise some pertinent questions. Questions about how an individual can get so brutally attacked in the middle of the town. Questions on how the ruling party starts defending itself in situations as such, instead to asking for proper investigation and actions. Questions on how it becomes a crime to speak against the ruling party and administration. Questions on why such a mockery has been made out of democracy and the spirit of free speech at this age and time.

Speak out, question the powers that be. We cannot and should not allow return of “6-inchi ghatai dinchu” kind of politics in our hills again. Speak out today, for tomorrow may be too late.

The post “Restoring Democracy” by Beating Up Activists? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

While the miseries have taken to be the most common part of any tea garden worker’s life, they surface now and then for the non-residents of the tea gardens in the form of stories and videos. These miseries exemplify the apathy and indifference of the Governments and administration towards the tea gardens and its people. These miseries are also deeply rooted down in the history of the tea gardens. The tea gardens still function under the Plantations Labour Act, 1951. While the situations in the tea gardens have changed dynamically through the time, the tea garden is still running under the act since around the time of the independence. The Act also rests a lot of power in the hands of the state government.

The low wages in the tea gardens are a result of the unique wage model in the tea gardens through the history, where the labours were required to pay partially in cash and partially in kind. The tea garden management were required to provide the labours with houses, annual house repairing costs, ration, medical facilities, educational facilities and other necessities along with the money wages. As such, the money wages only constituted a part of the wage and the management were able to keep it low, since they were providing with other essentials to compensate for the low wages. But slowly with time, the tea garden managements started withdrawing the provisions one after another. They, however, did not increase the money component of the wages, while other provisions were being taken off. Even if we do not consider the depletion of the payments in kind, the wages have still crawled forward at a very negligible pace, meanwhile inflation, through the decades, have shot over the roof.

Another reason why the wages in the tea gardens have kept low, while the miseries have kept high is the strong nexus of the tea garden owners in the state of West Bengal – financially and politically. The Tea Garden owners form a very strong association in the state and have known to have a very strong influence on the Government through the times. In fact, it has been a known fact that acquiring the tea garden leases often require connections. The nexus of the tea garden owners and the government has always played its part in ensuring low wages in the tea gardens, and almost every time, the ball has been rolled in favour of the tea garden owners in the times of crises arising.

The crises on most occasions surround the issue of bonus or the shutting down of the tea gardens at the time of bonus distribution. The tea garden workers sustain at a below subsistence level of income, and whatever they earn through the year is mostly spent on their regular consumption expenditure – leaving them without any savings. However, one time during the year, the celebration of their biggest festival, Dashain, requires a large chunk of expenses. As they do not have any means of savings, the workers have mostly relied on the 20% bonus that they get at the advent of the festival months, to fare of with all the expenses that are involved. The 20% bonus has played a very big role in the lives of the families across the tea garden plantations.

Even though the Darjeeling region is politically a part of West Bengal, the political parties and the leaders in the hills have always maintained autonomy and political dominance in the region. It would be the regional ruling party or the leaders who would mediate any differences between the tea garden management and the workers and would ensure their wellbeing. Given the fact, any anomalies around the bonus issues were also sorted by the regional leaders and the ruling parties, and the process of the bonus disbursal would not always be complicated.

But today, as the ruling party in the hills is also largely under the control of the State Government, the political reach of the tea garden owners also extends to the regional leaders – and they have mostly failed to address the issues of the tea garden workers in the recent years. This is where the present-day scenario of the tea gardens becomes interesting.

Given the disappointments faced by the workers in the past years in procuring their bonus, they decided to fight for their own rights this time around and hold up for 20% bonus. None of the political parties or any leader had come forward when the issue was raised by the workers themselves – creating a formidable people’s movement. The leaders, who did not initially care to pay any attention towards the issue, now started to realise that the movement had started gaining momentum, and was receiving support from every corner of the hills. The political parties around the hills did not waste any time in investing in the wave that was created and the movement started seeing representatives carrying all their respective party banners.

The ruling party sent its “trade union” division to represent it, stating that the bonus issue did not concern any political party individually but the entire hills overall and that its trade union was independent of their party and was representing all the workers. However, one could see the party flags and party centric slogans all around the protest site – that came as a clear indication of the party’s attempt to hijack the movement which until now belonged to the people. It has to be remembered that the State Government would be putting pressure on this ally of theirs to handle the issue in their favour.

The workers acting independently had issued warnings to shut down the hills indefinitely if the bonus issue wasn’t resolved. Here is where things get interesting. As soon as the news about the failure of the meeting about bonus started floating out, the trade union leaders came out and declared 12 hours all hills strike. The calling out of the 12-hour strike seemed just like an attempt to diffuse the indefinite strike to be called. It can also be ascertained from how, as soon as the 12 hours strike was over, visible efforts were made to discontinue the strike, even though the workers across different tea gardens were pushing to continue with the strike.

It has to be remembered that the State Government would be putting pressure on this ally of theirs to handle the issue in their favour.  A 12 hours bandh would better suit the happiness of the state government than an indefinite one, giving the ruling party an opportunity to prove that things were still under their control. In fact, the 12-hour strike was also not very strictly observed in Kalimpong, which happens to be a stronghold of the ruling party. It was the same place where the party had held a large-scale protest with flags and banners for the RG Kar case on behest of the TMC, enforcing a complete shutdown.

It is also noteworthy that when the movement started, it was about the rights of the tea garden labours in terms of bonus. Interestingly, as soon as the political players came in, the term “negotiation” was introduced into the scene, intentionally detouring the entire movement. How can there be a space for negotiation around a given right that a person deserves. Negotiations are inherent to movements where new demands are made, and there is a conflict between two parties about the demand. But when the rights are already at place, who are they negotiating for? – The tea garden owners? The state government?

Now news is coming that a16% bonus has been forcefully distributed among the tea garden labours against their will through digital transfer. Perhaps, it was this forceful digital transfer of the bonus that caused the leader of the Trade Union, affiliated with the ruling party, to become so unwell that he had to be hospitalized.

The apathy towards the tea garden workers is a result of a complete indifference of the state government, as well as the central government together. While the state government does not take any initiative to better the condition of the tea garden workers, the central government has also failed to implement the four new labour codes – Code on Wages, Social Security Code, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, and the Industrial Relations Code in West Bengal. Collectively, these Labour Codes provide for higher wages, and a better living and working conditions, yet their implementation in the state of West Bengal has been stalled since these laws were passed by the Parliament of India, and the Central Govt has not been able to pressurize the WB Govt enough to have these laws implemented.

The “chiya ko bot” may still be “sun ko” but “kada chai sun ko bijeko chaina khutta ma – kaada chai dukkha koi bijeko cha”.

The post Tea Garden Bonus – Some Thoughts appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Forced Legitimacy vs Genuine Rights, a debate that has been raging across the hills with reference to the recruitment of the Teachers’ in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration has been dissected by our columnist Bicky

If not anything else, it is very safe to say on this day that education system in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) region is in a deplorable state – no thanks to the corrupt, insincere or indifferent leaders in the state and the regional level.

The GTA Teachers’ recruitment drives of 2017 and 2019, and the unauthorized and inconclusive GTA TET exam are presently under inspection among other things, and it is only of recent, that the irregularities in the education system in the GTA area is undergoing a legal scrutiny. Irregularities in the GTA recruitment have been pointed out by the people, on multiple occasions, as an efficient instrument of the ruling party to garner votes, raise funds, and to benefit the party’s cadre base and their families.

What is more interesting is the mudslinging that has become rampant over social media in the backdrop of the ongoing legal case about the 313 volunteer teachers getting regularized in 2019.

In one such incidents, one regularized volunteer teachers from Mamrik Toryok School, wrote a comment against a post by an activist asking “tero baw le diyeko naukari ho ra?”. On digging into some other posts, it came to highlight how some people from the same group were putting forth desperate arguments in a language that would not be dignified for any teacher. It is true that it isn’t just anyone’s father that gave them the job, but whosoever did, did not do it in the right way – and that is what the entire fiasco is about.

Apart from that, “kasaiko baw le naukari deko ta haina hola, tara sabaiko baw le ra sabaile tireko tax ko paisa le betan awcha”, so why wouldn’t the people raise questions?

The kind of forced and outright legitimacy that is visible, without an iota of logical thinking, makes it necessary that a deeper look into the matter is made.

The regularized teachers legitimize their claim saying that they deserved the jobs because they were serving as volunteers in the same schools for years. While at first, we need to understand that the regularization process overtly goes against the norms laid down by the NCTE that all the appointing authorities should follow for teachers’ recruitment, it also violates the Article 16 of the Constitution of India that guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment for all citizens. The term volunteer in itself means a person who “freely” offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. Very interestingly, the claims on the jobs are made over something that is “voluntarily done”.

Even if for a moment we consider that giving away jobs to the volunteer teachers was right, we come up to question how the volunteer teachers were selected. Was a fair and open opportunity given to everyone to compete for the volunteer posts? Was the information dissemination done freely and fairly? Was everyone who got regularized, actually a “volunteer teacher”?

There have been accusations where multiple relatives of politicians who are influential have been appointed overnight without volunteering. There have been accusations of people teaching part time in colleges getting appointed overnight without volunteering (an RTI in the concerned college could produce all the pay slips of the individual), there are accusations that people working abroad got employed overnight, accusations of a lobby of certain people working hand in hand with the erstwhile District Inspector of Schools in finalizing employments, accusations of people having to pay money to get the appointments made, accusations of political leaders getting employed themselves, accusations of “para teachers”(teachers signing bond with the school that they would never demand regularisation) being turned into volunteers in the records and given employment. The gravity of these allegations is for the time to unveil and for the court to ascertain.

There are cases where people legitimate their claim citing their eligibility, while others use their quality, qualification and potential. Does it matter? It doesn’t matter if one is eligible, most qualified or most deserving for the job unless and until it is proven through proper and fair competition.

What is happening now, is a result of the vague policies put into practice by certain political leaders just to gather crowd in their rallies, expand their vote-banks or fill their coffers. The legality of the recruitments can be very well concluded by how the State Government raised their hands in the High Court and left it to the court’s discretion to cancel the appointments.

We are mistaken if we think that the 313 and the 439 teaching posts just affect those who are employed there or those who made these appointments. The future of thousands of kids, who come out of the most deprived corners in the hills is at stake. While they deserve the best of the best teachers to guide them through, they are having to settle with appointments that have been a result of a lack in administrative acumen, alleged corruption or a mere case of compromise. Thousands and thousands of highly educated and able candidates from the hills, who are far better in all aspects to most in these lots in 439 or 313, are floating around in the private schools, from our own localities, to the rural areas of places as far as Bihar, for meagre salaries of 10k to 20k.

This is the legacy that our politicians have created.

The post Forced Legitimacy vs Genuine Rights: Dissecting the GTA Teachers’ Recruitment Scam appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The data, it turns out was used by their employer eKart Vendor CABT to take out loan without informing the victims.

We are fearful that what happened in Mirik is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is every possibility that the company’s extent of financial misappropriation, if it can be called that, or straight out financial fraud, may in fact be far wider. Involvement of App-based loan companies KarmaLife and InnoFin in this whole murky business exposes the dirty underbelly of FinTech start-ups, that may be duping thousands of victims, without their knowledge even.

The Mirik eKart Case

The story began to unravel on the 5th of January, 2023 when Nikhil Rai, a 19-year-old “wishmater” (a term used for the delivery executives of eKart) decided to get a loan sanctioned by some bank. He wanted to buy a car, as he was needed to travel often. Surprisingly the bank denied him loan, as he had a very low CIBIL Score.

Shocked, he sought details, that is when the Bank Staff explained to him that on proceeding with the preliminary formalities, the bank staff checked his CIBIL score – which is a measure of an individual’s credit health. The score ranges from 300-900 and higher the score, higher is the chances of you getting your loan approved. Nikhil’s score was low.

Surprised further, Nikhil inquired as to why that would be the case, as he had never taken out any credit. That is when the Bank Staff informed him that according to the records available with Credit Score rating agencies, he already had an outstanding loan of Rs 11 Lakhs on him. When Nikhil insisted that he had never taken any loan ever, the bank staff thought that it might be a technical glitch and made another check, but the result didn’t change.

Nikhil was still very sure that it would be a technical glitch, as would any other 19-year-old guy be on hearing the same. He then called on his friend and colleague to check his CIBIL once. Surprisingly, the friend had the same amount of loan amount reflecting on his CIBIL report too. It was slowly discovered that all of the 13 delivery executives or ‘wishmasters’ of eKart working in the Mirik Branch had loans withdrawn against their names with the amount ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 21 lakhs and averaging around Rs 10 lakhs.

What is interesting is that some of these loans were being repaid by some third party, also outside the knowledge of the employees.

Few important points to note here:

• eKart is the delivery wing of e-commerce giant Flipkart, that delivers products for the online shopping platform. But however, eKart is not directly operated by Flipkart, but it is done through a vendor – in this case a company named Creativity at Best Technology (CABT). So the victims were the employees of CABT Logistics.
• CABT paid the salary of these employees through an app called KarmaLife (karmalife.ai).
• The app or website required all of them to upload their personal information and documents on it for profile activation.
• The loans are showing to be sanctioned by a company named Innofin.
• InnoFin is one of the partners of Karmalife, where the employees were made to open their accounts.

On discovering the situation, the victims tried to communicate the same to the company employing them (CABT), to which they were assured that it was nothing but a technical glitch and that it would be fixed in few days’ time. The victims, however, were highly suspicious that it wasn’t a technical glitch and that their data and documents were leaked through the KarmaLife app, and later used to draw the said amount of loans by the culprits. It is important to note that the suspicion arises by the fact that the problem was only visible for all the delivery executives who used KarmaLife to receive the salary, whereas their colleagues doing the office work, who would receive their salaries in their accounts, did not have to face the same.

The victims together shut down the operations of Ekart in Mirik immediately. Following the graveness of the situation, Suman Malik, the area manager of CABT visited Mirik and met the victims and assured them that the issue will be resolved within the next few days.

Nonetheless the victims decided to report the case with the police and on the same day i.e. 7th January and a formal complaint was filed by them at Mirik Police Station. Later the victims also filed a complaint with the SDO, Mirik on the 10th of January.

Acting on the complaint, the area manager of Ekart, Sumon Roy was taken into custody immediately, however he was released on bail. The lawyers of the company also met the victims on the 9th of January and assured them that their issue will be resolved in a maximum of 4 days from then.

While corresponding with TheDC, the Mirik Police expressed that they have taken the case seriously from the very first day and that the investigation in continuing. The Officer-in-Charge (OC) maintained that all the necessary steps had already been taken, from filing of the FIR to forwarding the case to the court. He further said that the case was now being investigated by the Cyber Cell, and that even though cases of such nature need time to be resolved, they would do their best to get it resolved at the soonest possible time.

We also tried to contact KarmaLife for their comments, but till date we haven’t receive any response from them.

Modus Oprendi

We tried to understand the method of association of the delivery agents with the company going by the details provided by one of the victims named Subham:

Subham had got information about the job from one of his friends, who was already employed in the company as a delivery executive himself. After agreeing to take on the job, he received a telephonic call from the HR, who confirmed his employment. He had to submit copies of his Driver’s Licence, Aadhar Card, his phone number and personal details along with a photograph as a part of the official formality. He, however, didn’t receive any contract or document as a proof of his employment, except for an employee id.

He was told by the office that it was mandatory for him to open an account in KarmaLife app to receive his salary, as so were all the delivery agents. The instruction came down from the company’s management through the team leaders and the office operators.

According to him, he had to provide his own contact number to register an account at KarmaLife. Also, he holds that he had never shared any OTP with anyone, neither did he receive any message or email about any loan getting sanctioned on his name. However, loan had been taken out in his name.

After the case coming to light, several other Delivery Agents employed by CABT from Bijanbari and Sonada have also come up with the same complaint.

When we contacted the Area Manager of CABT, he did confirm that it was CABT that mandated the employees to register to KarmaLife App, but declined to provide any further details citing that the same could be taken from the company’s lawyers, who we failed to connect to despite our attempts.

Questions Galore

Now, there are few important questions that come up here:

• Why would CABT mandate its employees to have an account to receive their salaries in an app primarily providing loan services?
• How would KarmaLife or InnoFin Sanction Loans of such huge amount without KYC verification of the people concerned?
• How would loans of such amount be sanctioned in the name of such young people who did not have an extravagant income to match the amount of loan?
• Is it a case of identity theft and fraud, or also a case of large scale money laundering, as most of these amounts were getting paid as well in a rather very quick period of time?
• Is Mirik just a tip of the iceberg, with such cases possibly spread all over the district, state or even the country?

As of today, the case is yet to be heard in the court. The delivery boys have found that their loans were cleared.

However, what no one seems to know is, who took out the loan, and for what purpose?

Being based out of Darjeeling, we have limited reach in financial journalism circles. However, if anyone with good enough reach wants to continue investigating this case, we would be more than happy to share the details we have unravelled so far. On our part we will emailed the details we have uncovered so far to the Reserve Bank of India, and the Ministry of Finance.

The post MIRIK “JAMTARA”: How eKart Vendor CABT Took Out Loan Using their Employees Personal Data appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Construction Controversy with an ongoing building site in Darjeeling, with locals forced to leave home following the landslide in Youth Hostel area. Bicky brings you the in-depth coverage.

In yet another incident of development project leading to potential disaster and construction controversy in Darjeeling, a large infrastructure project in the youth hostel area, owned and promoted by the Yashshree Group has been alleged to have put the residential houses around it at risk.

A large area of land between Gandhi Road and Dr. Zakir Hussain Road, which would “earlier be vacant and full of trees” according to the locals, was reportedly put under development for the construction of a multi-storied building by the Yashshree Group, since earlier this year. The building is supposedly a private parking place. Locals allege that the construction process involved the felling of the trees in the area, and also the use of heavy machinery and excavators (JCBs) for the excavation and digging of soil.

On the morning of 15th August, there was a large landslide on the construction site, which not only affected the project site but also multiple homes and families in the Youth Hostel area adjacent to it. Two buildings in the area were visibly and substantially damaged as a result of the landslide. The damages have subjected these buildings to a risk of complete collapse and rendered them inhabitable. In fact, one of the buildings has developed large and visible cracks on its ground floor.

Immediately after the incident, a meeting was placed by the concerned area Samaj where the Managing Director of the company, Sadip Lama was also present. After an assessment of the damages, Sadip Lama requested for the families to vacate the said buildings and offered to arrange for their relocation in hotel rooms or else to pay Rs. 3000 a month of compensation if they chose to shift to some rented place. The most affected building, also known as the ‘Yellow Building’ locally owing to its colour, had 4 families, who owned the 4 different flats in the building. All of them had to relocate immediately. The other building mostly had tenants who had to relocate themselves as well.

The municipality team visited the project site on the next day of the incident for assessment. They decided to plan their next visit for the 5th of September to properly assess the damages and check the feasibility of repair.

Meanwhile, another round of meetings was held in the municipality on 18th of August. The owner and the victims resolved the issue amicably. Sadip Lama, the managing director of the company, agreed to construct a protection wall and also to bear the expenses of the repairs of the damages done to the building. He also agreed to be held accountable if there was any mishap in these buildings in the coming days after restoration. A sum of Rs. 7000 per month was agreed to be paid to the displaced families per month for their rent.

Sadip Lama on the other hand claims that the land was used as a dumping zone prior to them beginning their construction, and that landslide was mostly dead waste falling off. He further clarified that his company had received all the clearances and permission for felling of the trees and clearing the land. He also stated that the bulldozer was only used to level the plain area in the site and no on the steep portions.

The municipality team again visited the site on 6th September 2022 for their follow-up assessment, which couldn’t so well be carried out due to the rain. When the Municipality Chairman was reached for his comment on the situation, he said that “the construction work was put to stop with an immediate effect.” He also mentioned that “the two parties had reached a mutual agreement.” He maintained that the Municipality was keeping proper track of the situation.

Sadip Lama stated, “We have not been able to initiate the restoration process as the Municipality has put our work on hold due to monsoon, and the affected parties and the villagers have agreed to this. We are ready to initiate the restoration as soon as we are given the go ahead by the Darjeeling Municipality.”

While restoration and compensation are only a small part of the problem, the deeper problem lies within the rapid development of such projects and the mode of doing so. There are a few questions that we are bound to ponder upon:

• How do the companies secure permission for felling dozens of trees in a single go, if the claims are true? Does the Department assess the associated risks and undertake ecological impact assessments, while granting the permissions?
• Did the engineering department consider the risks to the adjacent buildings and homes, when allowing the construction of the project?

We think about the families who remain displaced while having a home of their own, and for no fault of their own, and share our sympathies with them.

We hope that the administration and the municipality take cognition of the issue and provide proper justice to those affected. We hope they also take into account the nature of these projects which put the residents at risk and render them vulnerable.

The post Construction Controversy Erupts After Locals Forced to Leave Home in Youth Hostel Area appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The college has for quite some time been in a chaotic state, operating without an administrative head till recently, when one of the faculty members was appointed as the Teacher-in-Charge (TIC). The said appointment was made following a protest launched by the association to have one of their members appointed as the TIC. Even though the person projected by the association wasn’t appointed for the position, one of their other members was, which went on to settle the ripples for the meanwhile.

It is important to note that the staff members of the Ghoom Jorebunglow Degree college, along with the faculty members remain divided into two fringes, defined by their membership and non-membership in the association. While those in the association claim to be acting as a collective voice for the welfare of the college, those who aren’t a part of it express their reluctance in being a part of anything political and their interest in confining themselves to their regular duty. The association also acts as a face to all the movements and protests that are initiated in the institution. The reports of the members and non-members of the association being in a conflict have unambiguously surfaced in the public and administrative domains on multiple occasions.

When the Darjeeling DM was asked about his opinion on the situation, he responded that his “office was already pursuing their demand of Govt recognition and that the proposal had already been sent 4-5 months ago”. He also said that “one of their demands regarding the appointment of the TIC was already fulfilled.” He further said, “They can pursue their demand, but not through a strike. They have to understand that the student’s education will be hampered.” He also expressed that he “will be calling them for a discussion.”

He was also asked about the ineligibility of the present TIC for the position in terms of qualification, to which he said that it was a temporary arrangement till a Principal was appointed in the college. When further asked about the alleged politicised nature of the faculty team of the college, he refused to give any comments.

When the present TIC, Mrs Hemanjali Tamang was contacted regarding the pen-down strike held in the college, she held that the recognition of the college was imperative for the benefit of the faculty and the students. She said that “though assurances on the same lines were made on multiple occasions, any fruitful step towards the resolution of the issue had never been made.” The faculty members, as such, she remarked, were left lingering without any security of their future.

When pointed out that the pen-down strike would work against the interest of the students, she stressed that “the students and their parents were also taken into confidence before the protest was initiated”. She also said that “the university was following a truncated syllabus since the onset of the pandemic and that the departments had completed all of it and that the students could testify to the same”.

However, when an expert educationist was contacted regarding the syllabus and the time required to complete the same, he said “it completely depended on the respective departments and the number of classes thus taken. But, under normal circumstances, it was very unlikely for the syllabus to be completed this soon. Even if it was to be done, a question may arise about the quality and thoroughness”.

The TIC was also asked about the political affiliation of the faculty and staff members of the Ghoom Jorebunglow Degree college, pointing out that there were press conferences made in the past where they were seen to be accepting flags of a certain party and promoting the same, she said that “it was out of desperation for a solution that the faculty and the staff members would be lobbying with any party or leaders.” She later specified that though she would be a member of the association, she was no longer so, owing to her appointment as the TIC and thus would not be in a position to make any remark related to them or on their behalf. She, however, did acknowledge that “though the association may have a certain political standing, the pen-down strike was being observed by all the staff members, irrespective of their affiliation and that it was purely apolitical in nature.”

According to the TIC, the faculty and the staff of the Ghoom Jorebunglow Degree college are further planning to sit for a relay hunger strike starting the 5th of May.

When asked about his take on the issue, a concerned local resident of Jorebunglow said, “We hope the current impasse can end soon so that the students can begin their studies it’s their future that’s on the line, the teachers all have a paying job. A college recognition should have happened on the merit of the College itself but for teachers to come down to strike, the onus is now upon the government and administrators. We hope that the students are not made a scapegoat for minor political goals and brownie points”

The post PEN DOWN IN GHOOM JOREBUNGLOW COLLEGE – Who’s to be blamed? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

I had never noticed the thing, but then the sparrows were long gone from our place, or maybe we killed them ourselves. Sparrows were the most common birds around during my younger days and so I never paid a heed to notice them carefully. But then, in the pictures they looked more beautiful than they ever did.

I suddenly went back to the time when I was a kid who was in his lower classes of nursery school and of which I have only some faint memories left – the time when the street down my village was still to be carpeted. The good old years when snowfall was a yearly phenomenon and the sparrows, as I say, were to be seen abundantly.

I slowly started reconciling things and how the events unfolded to change everything around completely and this was the first time I was contemplating about it. The changes were moving too slowly under the shadow of time and things were too blurry for us to be thinking that something wasn’t okay; something wasn’t as same as it was yesterday.

I was growing up during the days when there were less than half the numbers of homes around our village than we have today, and I am sure it was the same for the rest of the town. A significant part of the village was green and things overall were very different – more like a John Denver song painting your thoughts under a starry sky over a glass of wine.

It is not only about the sparrows, it is significantly everything that I don’t see around our place today and the things that hold a massive chunk of my childhood memories. We would have a lot of pigeons around, and when I say a lot I seriously mean a lot. Now Chowrasta and the Chowk Bazaar are the only places left where you can see a considerable number of pigeons, while regular places and the house roofs are limited to rare visits by a few pigeons.

The Ruppees and the Doves can only be spotted if you walk through the very little forest like areas left around, and provided you have all the luck of the world. The persuasions were deep back then- Persuasions of going outside and play, to create a bond with the nature, the greenery and the trails.

Talking about the plants and trees, the only one to sustain the hard hit blow of development are the pine trees that even after losing too many of the ones in their family still manage to stand the ground. The Sisnu is trying its best to survive on the last remain patches of unused land, creeks and slopes or along the sides of the jhoras. I remember my first encounter with sisnu when someone had tricked me to hold its stem, leaving me in pain and tears. The same person later suggested me to apply my mucous on it for relief. Since then, they had been a part of my growing up. From creeping under a bush avoiding any contact with it while we walked through the “shortcuts” during our play time, to tactically slipping your hand inside the bush to recover your chungi or cricket ball – sisnu has stood it all. The epic memories however are of those threats from your parents and teachers to treat you with sisnu pani, that too “nangai paarera”.

Ban Maara and Tittey Paati on the other hand would be the instant remedial herbs for cuts and wounds sustained during the play. And similarly we would have Gol Patta for sore throat. They would be anywhere and everywhere throughout the hills. And these days when one has funeral at his place, he has to go around searching for tittey paati.

A few minutes of thought lead me to realise that the list was not limited to Banmaara, Tittey Paati, Sisnu or Gol Patta. Isskus, that would grow anywhere wildly, now only responds to cultivation. Gham Phul (small sunflower like flowers), Ghanti Phul, Powder Phul (small purple flowers with powdery white substance over them), Aiselo, Asera, Timbur, Aaru Cha, Aaru Bagara, Unyu (ferns), Bhadrasey, Thotney, etc are almost lost too or atleast are reduced to grow only at a handful of places. Even the Saipatri flowers these days are only to be seen at the market during the festive season and nowhere to be grown, except for a few privileged gardens of course.

The butterflies no longer are seen sprinkling their bit of beauty over the place, neither does the dasai kira feels itself homely with us. The kids no longer may catch lady buds from among the bunch of flowers and the friends may not be able to stick up the sticky wild leaves on each other’s back.

They certainly won’t know the feeling of sitting under an aiselo bush and enjoying the sweetness of the yellowish or orange berries on it. They won’t be loading their bamboo pyaat-pyaateys with aseras and timburs to hit each other. The wild yellow flowers won’t be a part of their play.

We have sadly killed the sparrows, the pigeons and all the unique plants we had. I don’t remember if the sparrows made a sound, but then its absence adds on to the silence in a distinct way. Our good luck now remains limited only to the milk containers these days as a pair of Ruppee would never make its way back to our home. The butterflies if alive should be missing all the flowers and the dasai should be missing the dasai kira. There are no stories of hunting down Kalej into the jungles, neither are there the mesmerising songs of Gauthali. No paraal and no khar. The only khar ko ghar to be seen anywhere would be the one below the tea stalls of Chowrasta, serving the photo interests of the tourists.

The post The Lost Charm of Darjeeling: Of Bhangera and Aiselo appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.