5 मई (कालेबुङ):- कालेबुङमा मोर्चाविरोधी दल र मञ्चहरुको सक्रियता बढेपछि आज गोजमुमोले पनि यहाँ एउटा जनसभाको आयोजना गरी आफ्ना विरोधीहरुलाई ओठेंजवाब दिएको छ। मोर्चाको केन्द्रीय अनि महकुमा स्तरका नेतृवर्गले आफ्नो दलको नीति र कार्यक्रमहरुको खोइरो खन्ने विरोधी दलका नेताहरुको आलोचना गरेका छन। कालेबुङको डम्बरचोकमा सम्पन्न सो जनसभामा मोर्चाको केन्द्रीय समितिका सहसचिव बिनय तामाङ, सांगठनिक सचिवहरु सामुएल गुरुङ, बिजय सुन्दास, भूतपूर्व सैनिक मोर्चाका अध्यक्ष रमेश आले, स्टडी फोरमका सदस्य डा आर बी भुजेललगायत विभिन्न भातृ संगठनका पदाधिकारीहरु उपस्थित थिए। पहाडका बिपक्षी दलका नेताहरुले जीटीएको नयाँ व्यवस्थाबारे दुष्प्रचार गरेर जनतालाई भ्रमित पार्ने काम गरिरहेको मोर्चा नेताहरुको आरोप थियो। मोर्चाले पहाडमा गणतान्त्रिक मुल्य र परिवेशको हनन् गरेको छ भने अन्य दल र मञ्चहरुको आरोपको पनि यस दलका नेताहरुले खण्डन गरेका छन। आजको जनसभालाई केन्द्रीय सहसचिव बिनय तामाङ, सांगठनिक सचिवहरु सामुएल गुरुङ, विजय सुन्दास, डा आरबी भुजेल, कर्णेल रमेश आले, नारी मोर्चा नेत्री काजिमछिरिङ भुटिया आदिले सम्बोधन गरेका थिए। मोर्चा नेता बिनय तामाङले गोर्खाल्याण्ड आन्दोलनको रणनीतिअन्तर्गत नै पार्टीले जीटीएको व्यवस्था ग्रहण गर्ने निर्णय लिएको बताए। उनले जीटीएमा तराई डूवर्सका क्षेत्रहरु सामेल गर्न सकिए अलग राज्यको निर्माणको दिशामा यो उपलब्धीले महत्वपूर्ण भुमिका निर्वाह गर्ने दावी गर्दै मोर्चा विरोधी दलहरुले आफ्नो राजनैतिक अस्तित्व कायम राख्नको लागि मात्र मोर्चाको कार्यक्रमहरुको विरोध र आलोचना गरिरहेको बताए।
शिक्षक प्रमुखको लापारवाहीको कारण बेहाल अवस्थामा चम्पामाया प्रथमिक पाठशाला
पहाड़को प्रथमिक पाठशालाहरु एका एक बन्द हुनुमा सरकार पक्ष दोषी छ कि शिक्षक-शिक्षिकाहरुको लापारवाही? किन दार्जीलिङ पहाड़को शैक्षिक स्तर दिनोदिन खस्किन्दै गइरहेको छ? प्रथमिक शिक्षा बाल-बालिकाहरुको निम्ति महत्तवपूर्ण हुँदा-हुँदै पनि किन आजसम्म पहाड़को शिक्षा व्यवस्थामा सुधार आउन सकिरहेको छैन?
राजनीति गर्दिनँ भन्नु पनि अर्को राजनीति होः हर्कबहादुर छेत्री
मेरो अधिकारक्षेत्रभित्र पाँच बर्षको लागि जनताको हितको काम गर् भनेर मलाई भोट हालेको हो नि। मलाई थाहा छ यसले जनताको धेरै हित हुन्छ। यसले जनताको हितसँगै पार्टीको पनि हित हुन्छ, आन्दोलनलाई पनि सहयोग पुर्याउँछ भनेपछि एकदम निसंकोच भनेर अघि बढ्न सक्छु म। म त्यही काम गर्दैछु।
बघिनी फेरि पुरानै खोरमा
‘समयले मानिसलाई कहाँ कहाँ पुर्याउँछ,,,,,,’ कुनै समय रेडियो नेपालबाट बजिरहने यो चर्चित गीतले मान्छेको जीवनमा प्रणयसम्बन्धको आरोह अवरोहले पार्ने प्रभावलाई सुन्दर ढंगले व्याख्या गरेको छ। यो लोकप्रिय गीतको यही एक हरफ कुनै राजनीतिकर्मीको जीवनसँग गाँसेर हेर्दा के उत्तर पाइएला?
साहित्य अनि सर्जकलाई माया गर्ने घिसिङ
80 को दशकमा देशभरिका गोर्खाहरूलाई जातित्वको भावना उत्पन्न गराउने प्रथम नेता सुवास घिसिङको निधनले अहिले घड़ी सम्पूर्ण दार्जीलिङ पहाड़ नै स्तब्ध बनेको छ। गोर्खाहरूका हित अनि अस्तित्वका निम्ति छुट्टै राज्यको बहस लिएर सुवास धिसिङले त्यसताक पहाड़का प्रत्येक गाँऊहरूको भ्रमण गरेका थिए। 22 जुन 1936 सालमा मिरिकको मञ्जु चियाबगानमा जन्म लिएरका सुवास घिसिङले आफ्नो तर्क राख्न एकलै जनसभा गर्थे। घिसिङले सम्पूर्ण गोर्खाहरूलाई एकै शुत्रमा बाँध्न "गोर्खाल्याण्ड" शब्दको जन्म गरेका थिए।
निराश छन् विधायक डा. छेत्री
“बजट सत्रमा के कुराहरू उठान गर्नु पर्ने भन्नेबारे हामीले जीटीएबाट कहिले फिडब्याक पाएका छैनौं” डा छेत्रीले भने। डा हर्कबहादुर छेत्री मोर्चाका प्रवक्ता हुन् अनि कालेबुङका जनप्रतिनिधि। दुइवटा महत्वपूर्ण पदमा बसेका डा छेत्रीलाई अहिलेसम्म जीटीएको बैठकमा निम्ताइएको छैन, पार्टीको राजनैतिक लाइनबारे उनीसँग चर्चा र छलफल नगरिएको त झन कति भयो, उनैलाई हेक्का छैन।
5 May 2012
Shutdown to mourn doc death
| VIVEK CHHETRI | ||
Darjeeling, May 4: All business establishments in Darjeeling will remain closed for two hours from 11am tomorrow in memory of Swadesh Ranjan Khanra, a well known doctor in the hill town who breathed his last in Calcutta yesterday.
“On Saturday Dr. Khanra suffered a cardiac arrest. He was treated in Darjeeling and his condition was stable. But his health deteriorated on Wednesday and was taken to Calcutta. We heard that he breathed his last around 8.30pm yesterday while he was being taken for an angiography,” said S. Kumar, a doctor at the Darjeeling district hospital.
The 76-year-old doctor was admitted to the AMRI Hospitals in Calcutta.
Dr. Khanra was from West Midnapore and had been posted in the hill town since 1972.
Although the general physician retired more than 15 years ago, he visited the district hospital frequently to check patients.
The doctor had even visited the hospital on Saturday, hours before he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said: “His contribution towards the hill people is immeasurable and as a mark of respect we will close down all business establishments in Darjeeling for two hours from 11am tomorrow. The party will also organise a condolence meeting here tomorrow.”
Dr. Khanra is survived by his wife, son and daughter-in-law.
He had served as the chief medical officer of health of Darjeeling district for nine years. In the 1980s, the hill residents had protested a state government order to transfer Dr. Khanra.
Sanjay Biswas, a resident of Darjeeling, said: “Dr. Khanra was also into acting. He had taken part in a number of plays. He was a very social man.”
Dr. Khanra was a medical advisor to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and was known to be Subash Ghisingh’s personal physician.(TT)
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Storm batters Dooars & Siliguri, 2 die Heavy rain forecast for 24 hours
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| The factory of the Mujnai garden after the roof was blown away in the storm. Picture by Anirban Choudhury |
Siliguri, May 4: The weather department has warned of more rounds of severe thunderstorm in north Bengal and Sikkim over the next 24 hours as an upper air cyclonic circulation is prevailing over Jharkhand and the adjoining areas.
According to weather experts, the upper air cyclonic circulation, added to a low pressure trough that has been prevailing in the region for the past one week, is resulting in powerful thunderstorms like the one that occurred last night.
“The formation of a low-pressure trough is a normal feature during pre-monsoon days. This is responsible for moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal and squalls and rain of low intensity in isolated areas,” G.N. Raha, who is in charge of the regional meteorological centre in Gangtok, told The Telegraph over the phone today. .
“Currently, such a low pressure trough is passing over the region. However, over the past two days, an upper air cyclonic circulation has also formed over Jharkhand and adjoining areas. The combined effect of both the systems triggered the powerful thunder storm in north Bengal and Sikkim last night,” added Raha.
The India Meteorological Department, under which the Gangtok centre comes, said there would be severe thunderstorms in north Bengal and Sikkim till tomorrow morning.
“The IMD has forecast severe thunderstorms for six north Bengal districts and Sikkim as the upper air cyclonic circulation is likely to stay for the next 24 hours,” said Raha.
Subir Sarkar, the in-charge of the Weather Observation Centre at North Bengal University, said the region had already received around 14 squalls this summer and there were chances that more would occur in the current month.
“Hailstorm is a normal feature in April and May. The low pressure trough formed over Bay of Bengal brings sufficient moisture to the region and when this is accompanied by high temperature, cumulonimbus clouds are formed, leading to a hailstorm,” said Sarkar.
4 May 2012
गेलखोलानजिक वाहन दूर्घटना, खलासीको मृत्यु- चालक बेपत्ता
4 मई (कालेबुङ):- राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग 31एको गेलखोलानजिक भएको एउटा मालवाहक वाहन दूर्घटनाग्रस्त हुँदा खलासीको मृत्यु भएको छ भने चालक निखोज बनेका छन। ड्ब्ल्युबी 73 बी 4552 नम्बर भएको क्य़ाण्टर वाहन राजमार्गबाट टिस्टा खोलामा पस्दा वाहनका खलासी बिरिक डाडाँ निवासी बुद्ध तिरुवाको घटना स्थलमै मृत्यु भएको छ भने कालेबुङको अलगडा निवासी वाहनका चालक निमा शेर्पा लापता भएका छन।
सिलगडीबाट माल लिएर गान्तोकतिर गईरहेको सो वाहन हिजो राती गेलखोलामा दूर्घटनाग्रस्त भएको थियो। हिजो राती अत्याधिक पानी परिरहेको अवस्थामा आफ्नि गंतव्यतिर गईरहेको वाहनका चालकले नियञ्त्रण गुमाउँदा यो दूर्घटना भएको हुन सक्ने पुलिसको अनुमान छ। आज बिहान सबेरै स्थानीयहरुले घटनाबारे थाहा पाएर पुलिसलाई सुचित गरेका थिए। कालेबुङ पुलिसले घटनास्थलबाट खलासीको शव उद्धार गरी कालेबुङ महकुमा अस्पतालमा पोष्टमार्टमको निम्ति ल्याएको छ। यता, टिस्टाका गोताखोरहरुको सहयोग लिएर पुलिसले लापता चालक निमा शेर्पाको खोलीकार्य शुरु गरेको छ।
Relay fasts start on low note - Parishad claims tribal opposition to GTA cry
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| A relay hunger strike at Salugara near Siliguri; (below) police keep vigil at a fast site at Panchnoi. Pictures by Kundan Yolmo |
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May 3: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the dissident faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad launched relay hunger strikes in the plains today, but the event turned out to be a damp squib on Day 1 itself because of the low attendance at the venues of the agitation.
The month-long fasts are being held under the banner of the Joint Action Co-ordination Committee to press for the inclusion of the Dooars and Terai in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. Besides the Morcha and the rebel faction of the Parishad led by John Barla, the committee has 24 outfits.
The committee had announced that the hunger strikes would be held in front of all police stations in the Dooars and Terai. But no permission was given for the agitation in front of the police stations and the fasts were launched at only seven places, where the Morcha has considerable influence.
The number of participants at each venue was five to 10 — a considerably low turnout, taking into account the scale of agitation the Morcha had carried out in the past. Groups of five to 10 people sat for hunger strikes either in front of Morcha offices or on roadsides. The fasts are being held in Leesh River tea garden, Kalchini, Birpara, Chamurchi and Madarihat in the Dooars and Panchnoi off NH55 and Salugara off NH31 in the Terai.
The Parishad said the agitation was confined to the Morcha-dominated areas only. “This is more than enough to prove that the adivasis in the plains are opposed to the ongoing agitation by the Morcha and John Barla to demand the inclusion of the Terai and Dooars in the GTA. They (Morcha and Barla) had announced elaborate plans for the hunger-strikes and always insisted that the tribal people were with them. However, they could not mobilise many people today,” said Rajesh Lakra, the general secretary of the Terai-Dooars regional committee of the Parishad.
Lakra said the Morcha should now realise that John Barla no longer wielded influence among the adivasis in the plains. “The hill party should stop the futile exercise of trying to entice the tribal people. It is better that they concentrate on expediting the formation of the GTA that is limited to the present Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council area. The high-powered committee (formed to look into territorial jurisdiction of the GTA) should also take note of the ground realities.”
Contacted in Darjeeling, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said John Barla, the convener of the Joint Action Co-ordination Committee, would speak on the relay hunger strikes. “John Barla would say whatever has to be said on the agitation,” said Giri.
Many Morcha leaders The Telegraph spoke to expressed disappointment over the low-turnout at the hunger-strikes. “Barla could not mobilise the people in the Terai and the Dooars in support of our renewed agitation led by Bimal Gurung since April 22. We had put Barla in charge so that he could mobilise and sustain the agitation. We have to find out what led to the flop show,” said a Morcha leader.
The Joint Action Coordination Committee called a bandh in the plains after it had been denied permission to hold a meeting at Nagrakata on April 22.
Barla and other frontline leaders of the dissident Parishad faction like Sukra Munda and Raju Bara, did not respond to repeated calls made on their mobile phones throughout the day.
A leader of the Barla faction who didn’t want to be named admitted that the turnout was low on the first day of the agitation. “We could not get our act together today and we are hoping that the response will pick up in the next few days,” the leader said.(TT)
Carnival to lure tourists to Sikkim - Cultural event, adventure sport & more for 5-day fest
| NIRMAL MANGAR | ||
Gangtok, May 3: Sikkim will hold a five-day festival next week to woo visitors to the state with an aim to revive the tourism industry that was hit by the earthquake last year.
The Sikkim Spring Carnival will start on May 11 with cultural and adventurous events that would be held in all the four districts.
“The carnival would be organised across the state to increase the footfall of tourists that has drastically gone down after the September 18 earthquake and the recent strikes in the neighbouring Bengal,” said Ravindra Telang, the commissioner and the secretary of the tourism department.
According to the data provided by the department, 33,421 domestic tourists visited Sikkim in March, a sharp drop compared to the 62,438 visitors in the same month last year.
Earlier this year the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim had organised a two-week-long Snow and Cultural Fest to regain the state’s image as a favoured destination.
According to Telang, the spring festival will be held at a cost of Rs 1 crore and the state government will bear the expense. He added that the local level committees would organise the programmes in the districts.
The carnival will start with a presentation by the 17th Mountain Division of the army at Paljor Stadium here. Chief minister Pawan Chamling is expected to inaugurate the fest that will end on May 15.
The presentation will include a flypast by helicopters, para motor shows, Bhangra dance display, sky diving sessions, dog show, malkhamb and a pipe band display.
In the evening, several cultural programmes would be held on MG Marg.
On the next day, a police band will perform in Gangtok.
“The major attractions of the carnival are traditional wedding processions by different communities in the state and a rally by local faith healers in Gangtok. Mountain biking and rhododendron safaris at Yumthang in North Sikkim and traditional archery tournament and paragliding sessions in West Sikkim have also been lined up for tourists. A Buddhist art exhibition will be held in the East district along with yak safaris near the Chhangu Lake and rock climbing competitions in the East,” said Telang.
A bhajan sandhya will be organised at Siddheshwara Dham along with a laser show. Singer Ravindra Jain is expected to perform at the event.
Traditional chaam dance would be held at Samdruptse in Namchi during the fest.
An exhibition of costumes worn during mask dance and a walk along the rose gardens at Darmandin (West Sikkim) would also feature in the programmes. A flower show would be held at Darap in West Sikkim.
Telang said all tourism stakeholders across the state had been requested to support the festival and make it successful.
“We have requested TAAS to help with the online bookings. We do not want to leave any stone unturned in promoting the carnival,” he said.
TAAS president Luckendra Rasaily said: “May is the peak tourist season in Sikkim so there is no need of aggressive marketing. The tourists (coming to Sikkim at this time) only need to be informed about the events and their locations. We are fully supporting the tourism department in the venture.”
Tour operators in Gangtok are expecting more footfall with the announcement of the festival. “We have started getting queries from Gujarat, Calcutta and Mumbai for the carnival. We hope there will be good business this season,” Madan Gurung, a tour operator, told The Telegraph.(TT)
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Deadline to get fire licences - Darjeeling municipality tells business entities to put in place safety measures by May 15
| VIVEK CHHETRI | ||
Darjeeling, May 3: The Darjeeling municipality has set a deadline of May 15 for all business establishments to obtain fire certificates and install extinguishers.
The deadline was issued after the fire department warned that the hill town was turning into a “death trap” because of lack of safety measures.
The fire department and the civic body woke up to the precarious situation that Darjeeling was sucked into when more than 100 shops were razed to the ground in a blaze on April 20.
Amar Singh Rai, the chairman of the Darjeeling municipality, said: “In the light of the report from the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services, we have decided to make it mandatory for all business establishments to obtain a fire certificate and install fire extinguishers by May 15.”
The deputy director (north zone) of the fire department had conducted a random survey of Darjeeling for two days after the April 20 blaze. The officer submitted a report to the director general of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services on April 25.
The report stated that unauthorised and unplanned construction in the hill town “without any prescribed fire protection and fire prevention measures” was posing threat to the general public as well as tourists.
“It is very disappointing to learn that the means of escape, open spaces, access of roads in respect of height and other factors which are vital aspect of safety has been totally ignored, therefore, the town is gradually becoming a death trap,” the report states.
The civic body estimated a loss of Rs 30 crore when the shops located between NB Singh Road and HD Lama Road were destroyed in the April 20 blaze.
The municipal chairman said the civic body was exploring legal options for the action to be taken against those who failed to meet the deadline. “We can either slap a fine on the establishments which don’t have fire documents or extinguishers or cancel their trade licenses,” said Rai.
D. Lepcha, fire protection and prevention officer (hill areas), said under Sections 11 C and 12 of the West Bengal Fire Services Act, 1950, it was mandatory for even educational institutions to obtain fire licences. “But most of the educational institutions, including the ICSE schools, don’t possess the certificates,” he added.
Lepcha said the fire department had gone to the extent of distributing licence forms free of cost a few years back, but the response was “very poor”.
He said the business establishments would have to submit site plans/blue prints of their premises and other details of the buildings to obtain the licences. “Based on the site plans, we will make specific recommendations which have to be complied with in three to six months,” said Lepcha.
The fire department also wants the Darjeeling municipality to set up fire hydrants and reservoirs in town.
“A fire engine can store 2,000 to 4,000 litres of water. Water is sprayed at the rate of 200 litres per minute and it is obvious that a tanker gets empty in less than 10 minutes. There are no hydrants or water sources to fill up the tankers quickly. That is why we say educational institutions and commercial establishments should set up overhead water tanks with a capacity of at least 2,000 litres in their compounds,” said Lepcha.
Hotels are also expected to have fire fighting equipment, generators and other amenities in place.
The civic chief admitted that the town lacked enough fire hydrants. “We have asked all ward commissioners to identify the areas where the fire hydrants can be set up. Six spots have been marked out in ward 15 to make such provisions. I hope the ward commissioners will submit their recommendations as soon as possible,” said Rai.
Darjeeling had more than 100 fire hydrants till the 1960s but the number is 20 at present.(TT)
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30 Apr 2012
Bijanbari event scrapped - Morcha boycott call spurs cancellation of foundation laying
Darjeeling, April 29: The foundation laying of a column in memory of Bijanbari bridge collapse victims by Gautam Deb was cancelled today because of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s call to boycott all government programmes.
The development is being seen as a move by the government to avoid a direct confrontation with the Morcha and to pre-empt any sort of embarrassment to the north Bengal development minister.
The Morcha had announced the boycott to protest the denial of permission to the party to hold a meeting in the Dooars on April 22.
Thirty-three people had died when a suspension bridge collapsed during a Morcha programme at Bijanbari, about 35km from Darjeeling, on October 22 last year.
The minister said the cancellation of the ceremony in which the foundation of the memorial column was supposed to be laid had nothing to do with the Morcha’s boycott call. “The programme was cancelled as the construction of the bridge started a fortnight back. We thought that it would be better if the bridge is dedicated to the 33 victims during its inauguration,” Deb said over the phone from Siliguri.
The Morcha leaders had boycotted a meeting of the Rogi Kalyan Samity chaired by Deb at the Darjeeling district hospital here on April 25. The Darjeeling MLA, Trilok Dewan, and the chairman of the Darjeeling municipality, Amar Singh Rai, who are members of the committee, had stayed away from the meeting.
The Morcha had plastered posters in Bijanbari, asking “Gorkhaland loving people” to boycott Deb’s function today to protest the government’s refusal to grant permission to the party to hold the public meeting at Nagrakata. Although the bridge crash was an emotive issue for the people of Bijanbari, few would have attended the event even if it were held as scheduled, with the Morcha calling for a boycott.
If Deb had laid the foundation without a single local resident attending the ceremony, it would have come as a major embarrassment for him. There were also fears that Morcha supporters would wave black flags at the minister if he had attended the ceremony.
Morcha president Bimal Gurung had distributed more than Rs 30 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and those who had suffered injuries in the bridge collapse. The party had donated Rs 50,000 to the families of each deceased person.While the Darjeeling Tea Association had contributed Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the Bijanbari victims, Rs 4 lakh was given by the Indian Tea Association and Rs 7 lakh by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hotel Owner’s Association. These amounts were handed over to the Morcha president.
The state government, too, provided a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased person’s family.
Even though Deb claimed that the decision to cancel the Bijanbari programme had nothing to do with the Morcha’s boycott call, sources in the PWD spoke on the contrary.
“The programme was cancelled yesterday. We were in a dilemma because of the boycott call. We communicated our worry to higher officials who informed us that the minister himself had sought the cancellation of the event. We are relieved now as any ugly incident would have caused major embarrassment to all,” said a PWD official on condition of anonymity.
Morcha sources said the boycott announced by Bimal Gurung would continue till he thought otherwise.
PWD officials said the bailey bridge over the Little Rangit river connecting Chungthung Tar and Bijanbari town would cost the state exchequer around Rs 3.5 crore. “The bridge will be at a height of 10 metres from the river and will be 200 metre long and 14 feet wide,” said an official.
Fresh tribal campaign against GTA
Siliguri, April 29: The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad will launch a fresh campaign in the Dooars and Terai to counter the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s bid to rope in the adivasis to support the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
The Parishad today announced that it would hold indoor meetings and distribute leaflets among the people ahead of the outfit’s rallies in Siliguri and the Dooars in May to oppose the Morcha’s demand to include more than 400 mouzas in the plains in the GTA.
“Ahead of the public meetings next month, we have decided to organise a campaign across the Dooars and Terai by holding small indoor sessions at different places and distributing leaflets to appeal to all not to fall prey to the Morcha’s tactics. Our leaders and members will go around in tea gardens and villages and tell people to oppose Morcha’s demand to extend the territorial jurisdiction of the GTA beyond the Darjeeling hills,” said Rajesh Lakra, the secretary of the Dooars-Terai unit of the Parishad.
The Morcha has been telling tribal people that the region will gain if it is brought under the GTA. The hill outfit had called a meeting at Nagrakata in the Dooars on April 22 to press for its demand, but it could not be held as the government had denied permission. John Barla, an influential tribal leader, is backing the Morcha’s campaign in the plains.
The Parishad will hold meetings in Siliguri’s Bagha Jatin Park on May 17 and at Gayerkata or Malbazar in the Dooars on May 27 to counter the Morcha’s agitation. The meetings will be held under the banner of the Dooars-Terai Joint Action Committee, an umbrella organisation of 26 outfits, which are against the hill party’s demand for the inclusion of the plains mouzas in the GTA.
Lakra said the thrust of the Parishad’s new campaign would be to stop the people from being carried away by the Morcha’s claim that the adivasis would get a fair deal under the GTA.
“There are several state and central government schemes for the welfare of the tribal people. The Parishad will tell the people that we should concentrate our campaign on the proper implementation of these schemes.”
After the Morcha had been denied permission to hold the meeting at Nagrakata, the party had called an indefinite shutdown in the plains from April 23. The strike led to violence in Oodlabari and Banarahat, where vehicles and shops were torched. On Tuesday, the Morcha relaxed the strike for 36 hours. The shutdown was later deferred.
Asked whether the Morcha had gained ground in the Dooars through its strike, Lakra said: “Not at all. We had already showed our strength by enforcing strikes across the region on April 10 and 22. We received spontaneous response from all people. They oppose the Morcha’s claim to the plains.”
