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Mamata Banerjee bats for peace, prosperity in Darjeeling hills
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee addressed the swearing-in ceremony of the elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), where elections were held after a gap of 10 years
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called for peace and prosperity in Darjeeling and proposed a slew of projects in the hills.
She was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the elected members of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), where elections were held after a gap of 10 years.
Banerjee said she will not come to usurp power in Darjeeling and wants friendship with the people of the hills.
“I want friendship. I don’t want any quarrel. I have only one interest. The hills (must) move forward. Trust me, I will not come here to usurp power. I will come with love,” Banerjee said.
While the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), formed nine months ago, won 27 out of the 45 seats, the ruling Trinamool Congress won five of the 10 seats it contested, its first victory in the GTA election.
“I have never seen such a peaceful election in the hills. I don’t want a repeat of what happened in the past. Now you have to promise me one thing. Whoever may be the leader, no one will allow any trouble in the hills. If there is peace, the economy will prosper,” said the chief minister.
In 2017, during the Gorkhaland agitation, Darjeeling hills witnessed 104-day-long strike, death of 11 Gorkhaland supporters and one police officer.
The GTA election was held after 10 years amidst opposition from many political parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists and other smaller outfits.
The BJP, which won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat thrice in a row since 2009, and the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) opposed the GTA elections alongside the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) and All India Gorkha League (AIGL).
The chief minister proposed three new satellite towns in the hills, in the fringes of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, which will include an industrial hub, shops, home stays, shopping malls and restaurants among others. For Mirik, she proposed an earthquake resistant eco-tourism hub.
“A lot of concrete structures have come up in the hill cities and towns. I don’t know what will happen to them if an earthquake hits. But henceforth we have to follow a system and build earthquake resistant structures. The state government will extend full support,”
She proposed a slew of projects including skill training centres for job generation in the hills, schemes to boost homestays and eco-tourism centers around tea-gardens, piped drinking water for all by 2024, special business summit for hills, bottling plants around hill streams, government loan for lady drivers etc.
