Caught at the cross roads

About a month back , on the first week of Feb , it was a boring weekend as I had nothing to do here . A week before I had bought my old horse  at Kalimpong .These are  my early days on bike at the hills , and before I plan to go to the distant and more step curves on the Himalayas , I thought to give it a try to the nearby places . There’s no destination as such, just to explore new roads and new curves and if lucky to get  a chance to capture a few good snaps . But the weather is not that good. It has been almost 10 days the weather has been overcast and cloudy . I could barely see the town from my balcony ,accompanying it ,may be the last bite of the winter chills.

Around 10 am I started my bike , crossed the town towards Algarah  town which is the headquarter of the Kalimpong II development block . Further north the road goes to Pedong , then Zuluk and further connect the ancient Silk route , which is better known as the East silk route .This road was  used  for travelling from Lhasa in Tibet to India Via Nathula pass for trade and  with it spread the messages of lord Buddha from India to China and further east. The circuit is a popular tourist  route . One needs to get the permits done from Gangtok and then, from there go up to Changu lake , then Nathula pass , Baba mandir and then come via the silk route to  Zuluk then Kalimpong . Enroute there are beautiful small hamlets  like Icchegaon , Sillary gaon and pedong where you can spend a day or two. 

I have just crossed the  Algarah, which is  a very small town .A town for the sake of calling a town . I entered and exited within 5 mins . From the main chawk I took the road to the left , After crossing the town the heavy presence of the Indian Military and Indo Tibetan Border force  is clearly visible . The India China border just miles away and the “tension of the decade”  regarding the Dokalm plateau hasn’t warded off. A few days ago  I  read  in newspaper that china is building heavy military infrastructures like  all-weather metallic roads  and watch tower from where they can keep eye on what’s happening in the Indian side. This junction between India-China and Bhutan is particularly vulnerable point for us. It’s the closest point  from the border to the Siliguri corridor , better known as chicken’s neck .A land only 10kms wide sandwiched between  Bangladesh and Nepal.   Once you block this part then there whole of 7states of north east and Sikkim is virtually  cut off from the mainland .

I stopped on the way took some snaps of the lonely roads ,the forests and the everything that seemed good . Just then I received a flurry of  WhatsApp  notifications from my colleagues  and local reporters. The news of our enforcement squad who visited several schools, nearby shops  and public places  to stop selling and smoking of tobacco and tobacco related products  under the COTPA act is making headlines.Several newspaper including The Statesman,Himalayan Beacon,Himalayan Darpan has covered and the  local cable channels are flashing the news. I felt good making to the headlines for the first time and that too for a noble  cause, but cant console myself . seriously   am I  the guy to do that job ? 👀👀can’t even share it publicly on Facebook because of the moral dilemma of being a smoker. 😫😆But then duty for the cause of public health always comes first before my habit of cigarette smoking .

Under the act selling  cigarettes, Biri,gutkha  or any other tobacco related products with-in 100 yards of the boundary of a school , collage , or designated public places is prohibited. The offence is compoundable. The offender  can be fined up to  10k and if you are a repeating offender you can even land in the jails. The first day was for creating awareness and from  the next days we will go for search and seizure ,then to extreme steps .

The schools were identified as  the initial targets because a number of study and survey has found that 70-80 % of the smokers starts smoking with in 21 and after 23-24 people rarely starts smoking . it’s the habit that they carry on with them .I also developed the same when I was 19  at collage and first time out of the sight of my mom .

But then when thing doesn’t goes easy , you must follow the  hard way , because of these notification and the drive to declare the district tobacco free in a step by step process, personal consumption is coming down quite rapidly. The office is public place so smoking is prohibited , My face has been flashed in the newspaper , so many people has noticed and noted me as the magistrate in charge of  anti tobacco drive , so can’t smoke openly  on the roads  either , and there is hardly lime left in the office to take a 10 mins walk just for smoking .

But why not top stop the production of cigarettes? why not to target the root but try to cut the branches by picking and choosing and in the process wasting manpower and resource ?  These are my question as common man but then , these are my  early days as an administrator. And end of the days revenue , employment and market does matters to run  a state . Any knee jerk change can disrupt the train from  the rail. Better  to be  slow but steady .

It was over 30 mins that I spend sitting over the edge of the road. The sun is setting and the dark is gripping the land the landscape quickly . I must return .. see you another time .

So as of now, do not smoke with in 100 yards of the school or  public places until further notices in Kalimpong .. ⛔🚭


Regards
Manza....✋✌