15th day of village to village tour of Sikkim Chief Minister

Gangtok, June 12: The Block Administrative Centre at Martam will be inaugurated immediately after the completion of this fourty days tour. I will come with the Block Development Officer and the staff and inaugurate the BAC. The Chief Minister said this on his 15th day of village to village tour at a public function organized at Bermoik Bazar today. He was referring to the demand placed by the public that the BAC should be opened at Martam. It may be mentioned here that the office building for BAC, Martam has already been constructed at Srijunga Road, Martam and is awaiting inauguration. The Chief Minister also sanctioned the demand for the beautification of Bermoik Bazar.

At a public function organized at Sangadorjee above Block Administrative Centre, Rinchenpong the Chief Minister while talking about the scarcity of water and referring to one of the demands placed by the public declared that the government will take up revival of old dried lakes as a policy decision and include it in the programme of the government.

On the demand of Government Guest House the Chief Minister advised the people to go for home stay, resort or hotel business instead of demanding government guest house. The government guest house so constructed will be of minimum benefit to the people. Instead hotel business will have long term benefit to the people. This is a way towards sustainable development, he added.

Reacting to the demand of Rural Marketing Centre(RMC) at Pechrek Martam GPU the Chief Minister said that the concept of RMC has to be changed from merely a centre having a few shops to an outlet for marketing the products of village. The RMC should be a centre for marketing the rural organic products to the outside world. Through this centre the rural people should be encouraged and motivated to go for organic farming in scientific manner. Organic farming along with the promotion of ecotourism will change the face of Sikkimese society and lead towards sustainable development. He assured the gathering to construct the RMC and asked them to search a commanding place accessible to many villages so that the premises becomes a centre for many villages and the people from many adjoining areas can avail the benefit from it.

On Kutch House Free State Mission the Chief Minister directed the state administration to gear up its pace of its delivery mechanism. He directed the state administration that the houses of the public under this mission should be constructed within six months and even provide land to the landless within six months. After allotting the land to the landless their houses will be constructed in the second phase at an estimated cost of 4.90 lakhs, he added. House repairing and construction of additional room, if required, will also be done. In this way Sikkim will be made a Kuchcha House Free State by the year 2013, the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister while talking about the aims and objectives behind such a massive programme of the state government involving the entire state administrative machinery said that after completing the tour all the demands of the public shall be compiled and a comprehensive report for the development of the state will be prepared based on the needs and requirements of the people. Feasibility of the demands will be checked and studied, survey works shall be undertaken and implementation of the works shall be done in priority basis in phase wise manner. In this way, he said, a bottom up approach is being adopted to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the people.

Talking on the exemption in Central Income Tax to the Sikkim Subject Holders the Chief Minister cautioned the Sikkim Subject Holders not to sublet the contractual and other supply works to the non Sikkim Subject Holders. The Sikkim Subject Holders are getting Central IT exemption and if non Sikkim Subject Holders undertake the work in the name of Sikkim Subject Holders then this will have adverse effect on the exemption which we as Sikkim Subject Holders are getting. Our people should understand this and protect the special privilege enjoyed by the Sikkimese. In this context the Chief Minister also informed the gathering that the state government has demanded to the Government of India that all the Sikkim Subject holders should get the recognition of Tribal status.

At Kaluk Bazar referring to the demand of the public with regard to opening of branch of State Bank of Sikkim, the Chief Minister assured the public that feasibility of the demand shall be looked into and positive action in this regard shall be taken.

The Chief Minister seemed very much upset and expressed his dissatisfaction over the non completion of the schemes and projects of the government which have been sanctioned and tendered long ago. In this context he directed the state and district administration to look into the matters seriously and take appropriate action against the defaulter and take up the work immediately.

(IPR )