Soumitra Ghosh wrote :

The police today demolised the last 15 houses standing on the ground.
Meanwhile, our comrades and some of the victims today met the Chief Justice Sikkim, and submitted a petition to him. Advised by the CJ,
they would meet the State Legal Services Authority, for filing a petition.
A senior advocate of the Sikkim HC, Ms. Doma Bhutia has been helping the team. What we could find yesterday is even more alarming: About 300 families including those evicted have been served notices.

Further Faxes from you protesting this eviction might help indelaying the next.

Below, a story from today's Statesman

*Scars behind Rangpo make-up*

Statesman News Service
GANGTOK, May 7: The open skies remind us of the free-flowing emotions as human hopes soar to reach infinite possibilities, but for some 10-odd families of Rangpo, the story is different.

These families, camping in the open with all their possessions, kids and livestock are the unfortunate few who could not find any accommodation as the deadline for eviction from forest land ended yesterday.

As the eviction deadline for the 91 kuccha houses in bhagar land of Rangpo in East Sikkim ended, the affected families shifted voluntarily to rented accommodations or houses of relatives nearby.

Some 10 families who failed to do so squatted in an open ground nearby with the sky as their roof. The district administration had given a 6-May deadline for voluntary eviction of 91 houses erected illegally in the forest land, failing which forcible eviction was to be done.
The families were assured that they could take all their possessions if they shifted before the deadline.

Reports suggested that the �voluntary eviction� was aided by pressure tactics adopted by some influential persons of Rangpo area.
Caught in the vortex of palpable fear and the law, the earlier resistance of the families petered out in no time and they all started pulling down their houses after finding some kind of alternative accommodations.

In a mass demolition witnessed yesterday, the tearful young and the old
members of the families joined hands and started pulling down their houses.

How do you feel when you tear apart your house with your own hands,� asked an elderly man. By the evening, everything from tin sheets to plastic chairs and from wooden structures to old-framed photos were taken out and carried to a new and uncertain destination. As dusk settled, it was curtains for a world that existed on the land since 1970s.

We had built our house with our blood and sweat. This is where our children grew up. Now only memories remain,� one member said in grief.

To add to their woes, the room rents in Rangpo spiralled, leaving them with no option but to migrate.

The DC (East), Mr R Telang, visited the area yesterday along with forest officials. He expressed his gratitude to the families for upholding the law. He also assured them of some food items as a relief measure.

The vacated land will be used to beautify Rangpo, the gateway to Sikkim.


C. R. Bijoy

To,
The Chief Minister
Government of Sikkim


Sir

We came to know from newspaper reports that your administration has issued eviction notices on 500 forest dwellers in Rangpo Sikkim, and the eviction would stat from 6th May.

We were concerned and dismayed by this sudden attack on a group of socially vulnerable people, who had already been victims of forcible and multiple displacements. It also aggrieves us that no rights settlement process has been carried in the area prior to issuing of
eviction notices, which, according to Indian Forest Act and Ministry of Environment and Forests' standing guidelines, is mandatory in such cases.

When the Indian Parliament is discussing a Bill to regularize all forest settlements in the country, such a move is premature, illegal and contrary to the spirit and letters of Indian Constituion that grants all its citizens right to life and livelihood.

We strongly protest against this eviction attempt by the East District Adminstration, and demand that all attempts at forcibly evicting people from Rangpo Teesta Riverside be immdeiately halted.


Yours Sincerely


We can directly send protest email through this governemnt of Sikkim link. This link email is direct to CM of Sikkim. You can cut and paste this letter in thsi link and hit send. Don't forget to mention you name and country where you are staying. More international adress more will be the pressure.

http://www.sikkim.nic.in/cmonline/homepage.htm

CM telephone Line:
+91-3952-202312/202323