Kalimpong town at different locations -Damber Chowk, 10th Mile Fatak, and Rishi Road.

Photo: Samten Kabo

GOVT AGREES FOR TALKS AS GJM REFUSES TO BUDGE

Deep Gazmer, TNN 15 July 2009, DARJEELING: The Centre on Tuesday offered to hold fresh talks on Darjeeling as Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading stir for a separate Gorkhaland state, deployed its ‘‘police wing’’ to enforce its indefinite strike in the North Bengal hills.

In Kolkata, state chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said the Centre had proposed to hold a tripartite meeting either on August 24 or on August 26. ‘‘The Union home ministry has asked GJM to call off its bandh,’’ he added.

But in Darjeeling, GJM chief Bimal Gurung told reporters that they wouldn’t lift the bandh until such talks yield ‘‘positive results’’. ‘‘We have not yet got any communication on the meeting,’’ he said. Gurung said, ‘‘A mere invitation for talks is not enough for calling off the strike. We’re betrayed in the past. We’ll think of lifting the bandh only if the meetting yields positive results.’’

He said GJM would attend future talks if they were confined only to the Gorkhaland demand. ‘‘This time, we want political dialogue focussing only on Gorkhaland,’’ he said.

All through the day, over 11,000 members of Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP), GJM’s police wing, took control of the entire hills, patrolling each and every lanes and bylanes. ‘‘Cops seem to have made a retreat. We can’t find them,’’ said a local from Singhamari.

The bandh, which began on Monday afternoon, was complete across the hills, choking all supply routes to Sikkim.

Initially, GJM had called the bandh seeking transfer of IG (North Bengal) K L Tamta, additional SP (headquarters) Akhilesh Chaturvedi and the Kurseong SDPO and an inquiry into last week’s police-GJM clashes at Panighatta, a foothill settlement.

HILLS STRIKE HEAT ON SCHOOLS, PARENTS

Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey, TNN 15 July 2009 KOLKATA: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has hit the last nail in the coffin. It has included schools in its present offensive to press for its demand of Gorkhaland. The past stirs of GJM always left schools and colleges alone probably because the party did not wish to affect education in the Hills. But this time, the diktat that allschools will have to shut down indefinitely and boarders will have to be sent home has finally sent the signal to parents that it is time they withdraw their kids from the hillschools and get them admitted elsewhere.

Most boarding schools have, however, defied the GJM order and refused to send the boarders back, though they have kept the schools closed. They have informed parents about their decision already though the latter don't seem to be convinced this time. "Even if, for the sake of argument, we accept that our children are safe, what about their studies? No classes are being held even in the boarding schools that are following the GJM diktat," said Soumyo Basu, whose son is a Class V student at St Joseph's (North Point).

A letter from a parent, Chiranjib Mukherjee, whose two sons are in primary school in Kalimpong, reached chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday, appealing his intervention to end the crisis. "The boarding schools have told parents not to come and take their kids back, but we apprehend a serious crisis in the wake of the indefinite strike. I am appalled at the inaction on the part of the state government," read the letter.

This was the refrain one heard from other parents as well. Somenath Mukherjee, an interior designer based in Kolkata, whose son is in Mount Herman, sounded flustered. "My son's school has declared an extended summer vacation to avoid trouble. He is in Class IX. Naturally, we are worried about his education. I would like to join other parents and find out an alternative," he said.

Father Kinley Tshering, headmaster of St Joseph's School, who has been leading the counter-offensive by boarding schools, said: "All of us decided that we would keep the boarders on the campus despite the GJM diktat. Some resistance had to be offered and since no one else has dared to face it, the schools have decided to make a start. At least, the boarders can study by themselves. I am more worried about my day students," Father Tshering said.

He hoped the strike would not extend beyond a month. "I have enough rations to keep boarders on campus for a month. I have appealed to GJM to see reason and relax its order on the schools. I am on the verge of appealing to Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee," Kinley said.

Authorities at St Paul's School informed that a few parents have already taken their wards back, but the majority have chosen to stay back. "We, too, can hold on for a month. Thereafter, we will perhaps have to appeal to the army, which has a camp nearby," said a senior official.

A large number of parents have started inquiring at schools in Siliguri that have hostel facilities for shifting their kids. At least 18 children have been shifted to DPS Siliguri from St Joseph's and St Paul's Darjeeling in a year, said owner of the former, Sharad Agarwal.

Talks ok, but only on Gorkhaland: Morcha Meeting result to determine strike end

Members of the Gorkhaland Personnel patrol a Darjeeling street on Monday night. Picture by Suman Tamang TT, Darjeeling, July 14: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today hardened its stand and said it would not withdraw the indefinite strike just because the Centre had confirmed a tripartite meeting. “Rather, we will withdraw the strike after looking at the outcome of the meeting,” Morcha president Bimal Gurung said today. The party also made it clear that the three-way talks should be only on Gorkhaland and must be held at the political-level (and not at the secretary-level like in the past). The Centre is looking at holding the third round of talks on August 24, Union home ministry sources said yesterday. “Unlike earlier times, we will not talk on any other issues,” he told journalists at his house in Singhmari here. Darjeeling district magistrate Surendra Gupta said he had forwarded a letter sent by the state government to Gurung today. “The government has informed (the Morcha) that the Centre is willing to hold tripartite talks next month. It has requested that the strike be withdrawn so that the talks can be held in a congenial atmosphere,” Gupta said. Morcha sources confirmed having received the letter. The party, however, said it had no problems with a bipartite meeting with the chief minister. “We will meet him if he wants us to, but we will only discuss Gorkhaland.” The Morcha chief also asked the residents of the hills to somehow “pull through” for a month. “I request the people to pull through for a month after which I will help them sustain and provide them with provisions.” The party which has closed down NH31A — the arterial link to Sikkim — said it would provide relief to the Himalayan state on a regular basis. In his message to the schools, the Morcha president said: “If they still want to send some boarders home, we will provide them with a safe passage. If they want to keep them and run out of ration, we will try and supply (provisions) as much as they need.” The first day of the strike passed off peacefully with the youth and the woman wings of the Morcha patrolling the Darjeeling streets with batons. The Morcha has decided to start four more training camps for the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) where about 7.500 youths are expected to stay. Members of the GLP are being paid a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to 2,000. They will be patrolling the hill streets at night. With the state government deciding to take a passive stand, there were hardly any policemen around today. The Morcha had threatened to stop police vehicles from plying on the streets during the strike except for the cars of the superintendent of police, the district magistrate and the subdivisional officers. In the past, the state government had looked the other way even when the Morcha replaced the “WB” (West Bengal) numberplates of vehicles with “GL” (Gorkhaland). Yesterday, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP Rajya Sabha member, had raised the demand for Gorkhaland under a special motion in the Upper House. Referring to Sikkim, he said it had a smaller population (around five lakh) than the Darjeeling hills (where nearly eight lakh people stay) yet enjoyed the status of a state and demanded that political talks should be convened as early as possible. “Moinul Hassan, a CPM MP, raised a number of objections but the chair recorded the text which had been approved earlier,” said Rudy, who is also the national spokesperson for the BJP, over the phone from Delhi. Gorkha Morcha firm on continuing bandh Marcus Dam, TH: KOLKATA 14 July: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) was firm on continuing the indefinite bandh it called in the Darjeeling hills , despite a request from the Union Home Secretary to call it off following a Home Ministry decision to hold tripartite talks on August 24 to resolve the political stalemate arising from the demand for a separate State. The bandh, in support of the GJM’s demand for a separate Gorkhaland entered its second day in the hills. “We will only consider calling off the bandh if the proposed tripartite talks on our demand for Gorkhaland State turn out to be fruitful,” Benoy Tamang, the GJM’s assistant general secretary, told The Hindu over telephone from Darjeeling. “We have communicated to the GJM leadership the message from the Union Home Secretary stating that tripartite talks will be held on August 24 and are now awaiting a response,” Surendra Gupta, District Magistrate, Darjeeling, said. Sikkim cut off Life was affected in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong . Sikkim was also cut off from the rest of the country as the highway linking it with the plains passes through the Darjeeling hills. The bandh was total but peaceful, Mr Gupta said. He admitted that Sikkim had also been affected and the local administration was assessing the situation. The authorities did not want to precipitate trouble by using force to ensure traffic movement to that State. “Going in for a major agitation prior to [the] talks will only vitiate the atmosphere for the proposed tripartite discussions,” State Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said. The GJM leadership insists that the sole agenda of the talks should be the creation of a Gorkhaland State. Two rounds of tripartite discussions have already been held to resolve the gridlock in the hills. “The talks should be at the political level as a political solution is required if the impasse is to be resolved,” Mr. Tamang said. “If the Centre is so keen for a solution why could it not convene the talks at an earlier date?” he asked . Vehicles were off the roads and shops, commercial establishments and schools were closed in the hills. Darjeeling bandh may continue: Gurung Statesman News Service, KURSEONG, 14 JULY: The GJMM chief Mr Bimal Gurung today indicated that the fate of the ongoing Darjeeling hills bandh could depend on the outcome of a meeting either with the state government in Kolkata or the proposed tripartite meeting in New Delhi. “The talks, however, would have to centre on Gorkhaland. A political discussion on the issue of Gorkhaland and its outcome would decide our course of action,” he said in Darjeeling today. He also indicated that some relaxation, which could be on an hourly basis or otherwise, would be made for the National Highway 31A in future. The NH 31A, which runs from Siliguri to Sikkim,. is the mountain state's lifeline. The facility runs through areas in the Darjeeling hills and has been affected by the GJMM sponsored bandh. Meanwhile, the GJMM spokesperson Mr Rohit Sharma, who is in New Delhi along with other GJMM leaders to draw national attention on the Gorkhaland issue said from the national capital that they met the Darjeeling BJP MP Mr Jaswant Singh and other BJP leaders in New Delhi today and apprised them of the situation. “Mr Singh would raise the Gorkhaland issue in Parliament on 20 or 21 July,” Mr Sharma, said. He further informed that the GJMM leadership would release a book on Gorkhaland and its necessity at the Constitutional Club in New Delhi. Mr Jaswant Singh and other MPs would attend the function. The second day of the GJMM sponsored bandh passed off peacefully in the Darjeeling hills today. GJMM supporters picketed at different places in the hills. All government and non-government institutions, tea estates and schools remained closed in the hills. However, classes were held in some boarding schools with residential teachers attending the classes. Speaking on the matter, GJMM leader Mr Anit Thapa said that they had no qualms with boarders attending class as long as the day scholars did not attend school. Traffic stalled on day 2 of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM) bandh; Sikkim cut off Darjeeling, Jul 14 : The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM)-sponsored indefinite bandh entered its second day today stalling traffic on three vital National Highways in this district since morning, including the one that connects land-locked Sikkim.''The National Highways 55, 31, 31A are blocked derailing the transportation link with Sikkim since morning,'' Additional SP Kurseong KB Dorji said. Educational institutions, tea gardens, shops, markets and business establishments remained shut while a few government offices registered low attendance. Roads wore a deserted look. ''The bandh, however, is peaceful with no untoward incident reported so far,'' the SP added. The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the Darjeeling district administration to ensure that NH 31A - the lifeline of the Himalayan state of Sikkim - was not blocked under any circumstances, be it for political movement or any agitation. But justifying the blockade, GJM assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang said, ''The GJM has got nothing to do with the SC verdict and the blockade will continue at 24 places.'' Altogether 4,500 Gorkha Land Personnel (GLP), a voluntary organisation of GJM, had been deployed to enforce the bandh. The GJM had called the bandh yesterday in support of its various demands, including creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland and arrest of GNLF leader Rajen Mukhiya. Prohibitory orders were already in force in Panighata and its adjoining areas following last Friday's clash between GJM activists and police personnel. The clash erupted as the police tried to prevent the GJM cadres from setting afire the house of Rajen Mukhiya, leader of the rival Gorkha National Liberation Front. Yesterday senior GJM leaders left for Delhi to seek more support for their movement. They claimed that they will not budge an inch from their original demand of statehood for the Gorkhas. Earlier, the administrations in Darjeeling and Sikkim had started evacuating tourists as the GJM leadership warned of blocking of NH 31A and 55 from today. While NH 31A is lifeline of Sikkim and Kalimpong sub-division, the NH 55 connects largely the Kurseong and Darjeeling sub-divisions. The GJM had warned that barring emergency services and vehicles of the DM, SP and SDO, no other vehicle would be allowed to ply on these two NHs. IG, North Bengal, Kundal Lal Tamta had said police patrolling had been intensifed on the highways, particularly the NH 31A, to ensure smooth flow of traffic.--- UNI INDEFINITE BANDH KalimNews Kalimpong & Readypedia 14 July: Indefinite Strike called by GJMM paralysed life in Kalimpong along with other subdivisions of Darjeeling Hils. GJYM cadres were seen picketing in different areas in the day time while GLP were seen during the night time. According to the administration no untoward incident and breach of peace was reported and Police patrolling in the streets were not seen this time. There were less people on the road due to tremendous heat which was prevailing since yesterday. In the afternoon a little drizzle of comfort was observed.

Members of the GLP-Gorkhaland Police - a voluntary force raised by the GJM - were seen patrolling various areas of the hills and also taking part in the blockade. Ambulances and vehicles belonging to the army or carrying essential items like cooking gas have been kept out of the purview of the GJM protest. Meanwhile, the district administration has alerted police stations and other government establishments in the hills and asked them to take measures to prevent any untoward incident during the shutdown. Life came to a halt in every threesome sub-divisions of Darjeeling regularise on weekday cod to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s indecisive bandh titled to advise for a removed land and another demands.

The bandh, which was regular to begin from 12 distance on Monday, was suspended by an distance to earmark last-minute acquire of essentials by grouping crossways the hills. GJM communication helper Benoy Tamang said shitting of vehicular reciprocation was easygoing to enable stranded tourists and students to yield the hills.

All shops and playing establishments were winking and employees mitt their offices early, the personnel said. Tamang said the GJM would move the bandh dirt its demands were met as the construction grouping had a decent hit of essentials.

According to polity officials, there are not some tourists in the hills at inform as most of them hit already left. The polity of residential schools in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong hit definite to ready their hostels unstoppered as it is, they feel, arduous for them to beam station students escorted.

TRIPARTITE MEETING ON GORKHALAND ISSUE

Kolkata, July 14 (IANS) The central government has convened a meeting Aug 24 with the state government and the pro-Gorkhaland parties to discuss the Gorkhaland issue in West Bengal, state Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said here Tuesday. “A tripartite meeting has been called by the centre Aug 24 and union home secretary has already informed the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leaders about the scheduled talks through the office of the district magistrate of Darjeeling,” Chakraborty told reporters at state secretariat Writers’ Buildings.

He said that the union home secretary also made an appeal to the pro-Gorkhaland political outfit to withdraw their indefinite shutdown before participating in the dialogue.

“If GJM would continue their agitation in the hills it might affect the healthy environment of the tripartite talks. Thus the centre has made an appeal to GJM leaders to withdraw the indefinite shutdown and participate in the dialogue process,” Chakraborty said.

In the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, normal life has been affected since the indefinite shutdown began Monday noon. Shops and offices remained closed, tourist vehicles stayed off the roads and hundreds of tourists and students moved down to the plains.

Hundreds of the GJM activists also put up a blockade on National Highway-31A, the only road link between Sikkim and the rest of the country, cutting off road connectivity with neighbouring states.

The GJM, leading a movement in the hills for a separate Gorkhaland, organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the hills last year and also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year, severely hitting tea and tourism - the bread and butter of the region.

Tripartite talks held last year in New Delhi had failed to break the deadlock.

House erupts over Hill stir

Statesman News Service: KOLKATA, 13 JULY: Noisy scenes marked the proceedings of the state Assembly today after Opposition members alleged that the state government lacks “willingness” to solve the ongoing stir in the Hills and accused the ruling party of desperately “looking for elements” out of the “ethnic problems” in Darjeeling for petty politics.

The Treasury bench members came up with strong protest levelling the counter allegation that Opposition parties are "fanning" the violence in the Hills. The heated exchange between the legislators broke out during a discussion on Budget for the department of Hill affairs. Supporting a cut motion moved by the Opposition, Mr Partha Chattopadhyay, its leader, alleged the state government is trying to rule Darjeeling using "gun, bullet and baton" instead of "preparing a ground" for holding discussions. The state government has failed to solve the problems of safe drinking water and electrification. Indicating that the state government is trying to shift the focus from Lalgarh, he sought an explanation from the chief minister why fresh trouble erupted in Darjeeling at a time when Lalgarh is on the boil. "The chief minister is visiting districts, but he has no time for the people of Darjeeling who are suffering from damage caused by Aila. There is no system to combat disaster in the Hills. No initiative was taken to install new water pipeline or repair the defunct ones," Mr Chattopadhyay told the Assembly. The Congress legislative party leader, Dr Manas Bhuinya, also took a dig at the Left Front government saying that it lacks “sensibility” to deal with the problems. “The chief minister, who himself is holding the charge of the hill affairs department, is absent in the House today when discussion over Budget for the department is being discussed. I think that he is taking the matter casually,” Mr Bhuinya rued. Replying to these allegations, Mr Ashok Bhattacharjee, the state urban development and municipal affairs minister said, leaders of Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) consider Mr Partha Chattopadhyay to be their “own man”. Indicating that there is an understanding between the Trinamul and GJMM, Mr Bhattacharjee said both the parties had supported the Lalgarh movement on the same day. “A leader of the Suci, the electoral partner of the Trinamul Congress, had not only attended the fast movement of Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) at Gorubathan, he also addressed a rally there. Besides Trinamul Congress leaders, MLAs from other parties are not being allowed to go to the hills,” the minister said adding that no incident of police firing or baton charge took place in Darjeeling during the movement because the state government was dealing the matter responsibly. Meanwhile, Mr Barry O’brian, nominated MLA, today raised a point of information regarding the inconvenience caused to the students and boarders in the Hills following the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha. He said that this indefinite bandh call by GJMM has created major problem for the students who have been forced to go home. Some of them are “foreign” students and many of them are boarders. Due to the ongoing turmoil in the region, many of their parents could not be contacted. The Speaker, Mr HA Halim, said: “I from my chair can only appeal to all political parties including those who are concerned not to go for an indefinite strike, it will cause inconvenience to the students and the tourists.’’ GJMM transfer plea rejected The state government today rejected the demand of Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha (GJMM) leaders to transfer some police officers of Darjeeling.

In a Press release issued today, the state government made it clear that it has examined the demand of the GJMM, which alleged police atrocities following the clashes in Mirik and Panighata on 7 and 10 July, and found no merit in their demand. The state mentioned that the district police had to act quickly and decisively to bring the violence under control.

RIVALS GROUP READY TO RETALIATE

Statesman News Service : SILIGURI, 13 JULY: Throwing down the gauntlet to the GJMM leadership for convening an indefinite shutdown in the Darjeeling Hills, the Siliguri-based anti-Gorkhaland pressure groups today threatened to block roads leading to the Hills the day the GJMM withdrew its bandh. “Our patience is running thin with the GJMM challenging the authority of the State and the state government mollycoddling with the statehood agitators,” said the spokespersons of the “Bangla O Bangla Bhasa Bachao Committee” and the “Aamra Bangali”. Another pressure group, “Jana Chetana”, however, opted for a legal redress for the continuous “violation of the Constitution” with the migration issue remaining unaddressed. The BOBBBC president, Dr Mukunda Majumder, said that his organisation would move for a "tit for tat" strategy to stymie the agitators for statehood. “We might convene a north Bengal bandh and resort to blocking all the roads leading to the hills from Siliguri the day the GJMM withdraws the shutdown agitation,” he said. Slamming the state government, Dr Majumder said that it seemed fawning on the challenge being posed by the Nepalese migrants. “The GJMM is throwing challenge to the constitutional machinery in the form of indulging in vengeful campaigning against the efficient police officials. The role of the state government is that of an indulgent spectator,” Dr Majumder said. Echoing the grievances against the state government's soft role in the matter, the Darjeeling district Aamra Bangali president Mr Khusi Ranjan Mondal said that they would wait for a few days to see what steps the state takes to deal with the dictatorial 'fatwa' politics of the GJMM. “If the state government remains inactive, we might opt for the extreme step of blocking provisions from being transported to the hills and the state government would be responsible for the mess,” Mr Mondal warned. Hinting a different course, the Jana Chetana president Dr Debaprasad Kar said that the impasse around the migration issue should be sorted out first. "The whimsical shutdowns are mere symptoms of a much deeper malaise. And counter bandhs and roadblocks would merely serve the GJMM designs by further solidifying the ethnic divide," Dr Kar said.

GJMM leaders fly off to meet Jaswant

Statesman News Service:SILIGURI, 13 JULY: A four-member Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) delegation flew off to New Delhi today to meet BJP leader, Mr Jaswant Singh, who won a landslide victory in Darjeeling in the recently held Lok Sabha polls. According to GJMM sources, the delegation will apprise Mr Singh about the latest political situation in the Hills. After been elected an MP from Darjeeling in April, the BJP stalwart has visited the constituency only once, in late May. The GJMM delegation, which is headed by the party general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, will also try to meet the Union home minister, Mr P Chidambaram, and attempt to convince the Centre to convene the third round of tripartite talks over the Darjeeling statehood demand. Other than Mr Giri, party spokespersons Mr Harkabahadur Chhetri, Mr Rohit Sharma and vice president Mr RP Waiba make up the delegation. "The delegation will also circulate literature amongst MPs, cutting across party lines, explaining the background and justification of the Gorkhaland demand. This particular literature has been prepared by our party's study group, which is headed by Mr Trilok Dewan," informed party assistant general secretary, Mr Binay Tamang. In addition, he said that Mr Dewan is in New Delhi now, along with Mr CR Rai and Mr LB Parihar, all of whom are members of the study group. Mr Tamang also clarified that the fate of the indefinite Darjeeling Hills strike which commenced at noon on 13 July will depend on the political developments in Delhi vis-à-vis the Gorkhaland demand. Meanwhile, in view of the indefinite shutdown, the Darjeeling superintendent of police has requisitioned six companies of paramilitary troops to the state authorities in Kolkata. "Apprehending trouble, we sent in the requisition in early June, and have now refreshed the request once again. I am still awaiting a response," the SP, Mr Rahul Srivastava, said.

STRIKE AFFECTS TEA REGION

Protesters say talks have failed to help so far

By Subir Bhaumik , BBC News, Calcutta: An indefinite strike called by a regional political party has affected life in India's tea-producing Darjeeling hills in West Bengal state.The strike, called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), began on Monday.

State Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya has appealed to the GJM to call the strike off and negotiate. The GJM is demanding a separate state and fairer treatment for Darjeeling's Nepali-speaking Gorkha community. Its leaders have rejected calls for talks.

'Great restraint'

"Negotiation so far has yielded no result. And how can we respond to the Bengal government's appeal when they refuse to shift police officers who are oppressing us?" GJM chairman Bimal Gurung told the BBC.

But the state's chief secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarty refused to shift the police officials the GJM wants out of Darjeeling region.

"The police have so far acted with great restraint but they have to do their duty. And we have to back them," he said.

The GJM campaign has led to much violence and many deaths this year.

It was suspended when elections to the Indian parliament were announced.

The GJM backed a candidate of India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - former foreign minister Jaswant Singh - in the elections.

Mr Singh won the Darjeeling parliament seat with a huge margin in a state where his party otherwise fared poorly.

Now Mr Singh has come out in open support of the demand for a separate "Gorkhaland" and that seems to have boosted the GJM campaign all over again.

Tourism fears

"Why does West Bengal wants to hold on to Darjeeling? The demography and politics of this area is totally different from the rest of the state," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri says.

"If Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh can be carved out of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, why not Gorkhaland out of Bengal," he asked?

The strike has hit tourism very hard - and may hit tea production, the other mainstay of the hill economy.

"Darjeeling is one of the main attraction for Bengali tourists, but now they are fleeing Darjeeling," said Ellora Dasgupta of Calcutta-based Neptune Holidays.

Darjeeling is also famous for British-era residential missionary schools, but students from the plains have started leaving the hill region for fear of possible clashes, like the ones that erupted earlier this year.

Three hill civic bodies dissolved

Members of the Nari Morcha lay siege to the Sadar police station in Darjeeling on Tuesday. (Suman Tamang) TT, Kalimpong, July 14: The Darjeeling district administration today dissolved the three hill municipalities and asked the sub-divisional officers to take over the civic bodies. The terms of the elected boards of the Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong municipalities expired yesterday. Darjeeling district magistrate Surendra Gupta said the SDOs would run the municipalities with the help of a four-member board. “A board will comprise the SDO, the outgoing chairman, vice-chairman and a representative of the deputy director of the local bodies,” he added. The state government was compelled to take such a move after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha boycotted the recently held civic elections. No nomination was filed in the three municipalities for the June-28 elections. All the three boards were wrested by the Morcha from the GNLF after the majority of councillors defected to it over a year ago when the Subash Ghisingh-led party was wiped out from the hills. Norden Lama, the outgoing chairman of the Kalimpong Municipality, said the party decided not to contest the civic polls to pressure the state and central governments to concede to the demand of Gorkhaland. “We managed to achieve what the GNLF could not during its long reign at the helm,” he claimed. Outgoing chairman of the Darjeeling Municipality Pemba Tshering Ola, said: “We have handed over the charge. We will act according to our party’s directives.”

SIKKIM TO LOSE 87.3 mn Daily Due to Darjeeling Shutdown

Gangtok, July 14 (IANS) Snaking queues were seen at petrol stations here Tuesday as Sikkim got cut off from the outside world due to the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) sponsored indefinite shutdown in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district and stood to lose an estimated Rs.87.3 million daily. The financial loss estimate — including transportation, bookings of hotels and travel operators, toll taxes, businesses, offices, banks — was made by the Sikkim government’s Directorate of Survey last year after the GJM activists blockaded National Highway 31 A, the state’s road link to the outside world, for almost a week.

The latest round of indefinite strike called by the GJM, which began at noon Monday, is already taking a toll on everyday life in this mountain state as all major towns saw a rush of traffic at petrol stations Tuesday morning with people waiting for hours to fill their tanks to the brim.

With the GJM calling three indefinite shutdowns since last year in support of its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland in the northern part of West Bengal, loss to the economy is a major problem in Sikkim due to the closure of the highway and the disruption of everyday life of the locals here.

For Sikkim, Siliguri is the main commercial hub, including bringing in of all essential commodities. With many of the trucks still on the highway when the shutdown began, emergency rations at the last moment did not reach the godowns.

However, the administration claimed there was no shortage of essential commodities with the state-owned godowns having stocked essential foodgrains that can last for a month.

“We won’t allow black marketing. Strict checking is being done. We have adequate stocks now,” Collector of East district, which borders Darjeeling, D. Anandan told IANS.

Petroleum products in the state have also got a limited storage capacity and at present stocks that can last upto a week are kept reserved in petrol stations while another bulk storage of petroleum products like LPG and kerosene oil have also been stocked at the Indian Oil Corporation depot at Rangpo in East Sikkim. However, Anandan said as LPG was outside the purview of the protests, trucks carrying it will ply.

He said following negotiations with the Sikkim government, the GJM formed a cell which has decided not to stop people people from the state once they produce their rail tickets or give evidences of hospital emergencies.

The district administration has also announced that it might consider rationing of petrol and diesel if the shutdown was not called off within the next two-three days. Many students going outside the state have also been inconvenienced following closure of the highway, and the district administration held meetings with the GJM to allow them to proceed unhindered to schools in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.

Some agencies in the state have also filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court on such forced closure of the highway. The state government has also asked for an alternative highway to Sikkim to avoid such problems.

Sikkim ready to face any situation Chewan Dahal,SNS, GANGTOK, 14 JULY: The Sikkim government today assured it had taken necessary steps to tackle any situation arising out of the GJMM sponsored indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills. The bandh has affected movement on National Highway 31A, the lifeline to Sikkim. The East district administration today formed several committees to check price hike, hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities in the state. The teams comprising of state police officials, magistrates, and members of the business community today discussed ways to ensure continuous and controlled supply of essential commodities throughout the bandh. The meeting chaired by Mr D Anandan, collector, East district formulated action plans in regard to supply and rates of petrol, diesel, LPG, grocery and vegetable. Mr Anandan informed that, leaving emergency services like fire, police, milk supply and VIP vehicles, fuel would be rationed for all other vehicles. The police, food and civil supplies officials would monitor the controlled issuance of fuel in all petrol pumps throughout the state. In addition to these a flying squad comprising of Sub-Divisional Magistrates and SDPOs would maintain regular vigil to ensure smooth rationing of auto fuel.Mr. Anandan further informed that the state presently had over 17,000 LPG cylinders in stock at theLPG bottling plant at Rangpo. To avoid shortage due to prolonged closure, the state government would provide LPG cylinders to those with valid documents in an interval of 21 days. The east district administration further appealed the people to curtail unnecessary fuel usage and also suggested car pools to co-operate with the government in its crisis management measures. The SP, East district urged all to keep a tab on any relaxation of the bandh. Interestingly, the Sikkim Marketing Federation (SIMFED), a state government undertaking, has volunteered to sell locally grown vegetables at reasonable rates through its makeshift outlets at the Lall market here in the capital. A team comprising of vegetable sellers and bazaar officials would monitor vegetable rates on a daily basis.A circular issued by the state chief secretary Mr ND Chingapa today mentioned that all officers using vehicles be instructed to avoid undertaking tours unless essential and those living in vicinity of their offices consider walking to their work places in public interest. The chief secretary has also asked the heads of departments to avoid summoning their district officers to the headquarters for meetings etc. during the bandh. GJM BLOCKADE : SIKKIM SENDS SOS TO WB Kartyk Venkatraman, EI, Jul 15, 2009 at 0511 hrs IST : Kolkata Cut off from the rest of the country by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s blockade of NH-31A,, the Sikkim government has asked Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to take steps for ensuring movement of goods and essential commodities. Since June last year, the hill state has been cut off from the plains on at least four occasions. “From what we know, only ambulances are plying on the highway. We have kept the Centre informed about the situation. We hope the Bengal government will be able to ensure that the highway remains opened to traffic at the earliest,” a senior official in Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s secretariat told The Indian Express on Tuesday. While the highway has been blocked on several occasions due to landslides, the GJM’s movement for a separate Gorkhaland state has meant blockades at the pivotal Sewak More near Darjeeling. In July last year, the Sikkim government had approached the Supreme Court with an appeal that the Army be deployed to clear the highway blockade. A Bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir had castigated the Bengal government while hearing petitions filed by Sikkim residents on NH-31A blockade. The Bench had expressed surprise that in times of crisis when essentials like medicine, fuel and food were not reaching the people, the government was showing “helplessness” in taking steps against those “holding the country to ransom”. “They (states) leave their responsibilities to courts. The court has to pass an order which the state should do by itself. Then it is said there is interference and judicial overreach,” the Bench had said while directing the Centre and the governments of West Bengal and Sikkim to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the NH-31A. The Bench had shot down suggestions from the Sikkim Government that Army should be asked to clear the blockade and said that if everything had to be carried out by the Army, it was better to impose Army rule there. Besides the state governments, the Bench also directed the GJM, Jan Jagran Manch, anti-Gorkhaland groups like Amra Bangalee and Jan Chetna to ensure that the highways are not blocked. Tripartite talks offer does no good While announcing that the third round of tripartite talks between the Central government, West Bengal government and the GJM would be held on August 24, Union Home Secretary asked the Morcha to call off the indefinite bandh that has crippled life in the Hills once again. The Morcha, however, rejected the request and said that the bandh had been called primarily to protest the police action against GJM supporters in Kurseong last week. “Our demand is for the transfer of IG (North Bengal) K L Tamta, ASP (Headquarters) A Chaturvedi and SDPO (Kurseong) Partha Paul as well as unconditional release of all GJM supporters arrested by the police,” said Morcha’s press secretary Binay Tamang. On Monday, the Centre had indicated that it would appoint a special interlocutor for Darjeeling. Sources in the state home department said the special interlocutor, if appointed, would conduct negotiations during the upcoming talks. Meanwhile, on the second day of the bandh, all shops and business establishments remained closed and attendance at state and Central government offices in the district remained minimal. “Sikkim remained cut off today as well. No vehicles are moving on NH-31A. Tea plantations remained closed. All important intersections are being picketed by GJM supporters,” senior district officials said. Darjeeling District Magistrate Surendra Gupta said only essential services were available. “Everything else is pretty much shut down. We are monitoring the situation. No untoward incidents or clashes were reported,” Gupta said. In Kolkata, state chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti said guardians of students studying in the boarding schools of Darjeeling have been asked to contact the district administration in case they face any difficulties in bringing their wards back home. Stock ration’ alert from Sikkim govt

Morcha supporters with party flags on NH31 that connects Bengal to the Northeast near Sevoke Bazaar on Tuesday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo TT, Gangtok, July 14: People of Sikkim are bracing themselves for a long blockade — thanks to the indefinite strike called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the Darjeeling hills that will affect NH31A, the state’s only road link with the rest of the country. Sikkim chief secretary N.D. Chingapa today issued a circular urging people to stock up essential commodities. The administration, he said, has decided to ration fuel and monitor the prices of other commodities. The chief secretary has asked all officers using vehicles to avoid tours unless necessary and walk up to office if possible to save fuel. Senior state officials have spoken to their Bengal counterparts to keep NH31A open. “But they (the Bengal officials) said they are likely to face several problems in trying to keep the highway open,” an official said. Although a sizeable number of visitors are now in Sikkim ignoring the monsoon, tourism will be hit hard by the agitation. Praful Kumar, an owner of a fishing trawler in Mumbai who arrived in Gangtok two days ago, plans to curtail his tour. “I brought my entire family to Sikkim but now I have to cut short my trip. Since we want to spend a few extra days, we will try to book tickets for the helicopter service operated by the government,” he said. Police and the district administrations have asked the tour operators to ask visitors to leave early to avoid inconvenience. “We have instructed all pumps to sell only five litres of petrol and 10 litres of diesel per vehicle per day,” D. Anandan, the district collector of East, told The Telegraph after a meeting with senior officials. “We have told the officials to be prepared to deal with short supplies of essential commodities, ration, petrol, diesel and LPG.” The food and civil supplies department has been asked to have a buffer stock ready to avert any crisis. The LPG dealers have been told to keep 1,000 extra cylinders. The LPG bottling plant at Bardang has an installed capacity of 8,000 cylinders which will be helpful during the agitation. Anandan has also asked the traders not to go for hoarding. “We will keep tabs on the prices as well,” he said. According to a survey done by the government last year, Sikkim loses a daily revenue of Rs 7 crore during blockades. Last year, the Supreme Court had directed the Centre, Sikkim and the Bengal governments to keep NH31A insulated against bandhs.

17 New SWINE FLUE TALLY 229

New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) India Tuesday reported 17 new swine flu cases, taking the total number of people infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus to 229 while a whopping number of 88 are in hospitals, a health ministry official said Tuesday. “So far, about 1,246 people have been tested, of whom 229 are positive for Influenza A(H1N1). Out of the total people tested for the virus, 370 were identified through airport screening,” the official said.

“Of the 229 positive cases, 141 have been discharged. Rest of them - 88 people - remain admitted to the identified health facility,” a health ministry statement said.

The 17 new cases have been reported from Chennai (6), Ahmedabad (1), Pune (1), Hyderabad (3) Kolkata (2), Thiruvananthapuram (2), Delhi (1), and Bangalore (1).

Health officials said most of the swine flu cases detected Tuesday are children who had returned from a yearlong study tour in the US. The children had travelled by American Airlines and had reached Delhi July 4 and after staying here for three days, they flew off to their homes.

In Chennai, of the six cases reported, four are of those children who had gone for the study tour. A total of 40 children had gone under the yearlong exchange programme through an NGO and had traveled back to India from Chicago.

These children belong to Maharashtra (9), Gujarat (18), Karnataka (1), Tamil Nadu (7) and Delhi (5).One child who tested positive for the flu transmitted the virus to his grandmother in Chennai, officials said here.

In Ahmedabad, a person who came in contact with a US-returned child tested positive for the flu, was found to be infected with the virus. In Pune, one of the children from the same US returned group was tested positive for the swine flu.

Last week, in Ahmedabad two people belonging to the group of 40 had tested positive for the flu. In Kolkatta, a 45-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter tested positive for the flu. They had come from London via Delhi and reached Kolkata July 11.

In Thiruvananthapuram, a nine-year old boy and a seven-year-old girl tested positive for the swine flu. Their mother had earlier been found infected with the virus.

Maoists shed veneer for murder

TT,July 14: Maoists last night executed two farmers for seemingly inexplicable reasons in an area close to three security camps in Lalgarh, the choice of the targets suggesting an ominous change in strategy usually identified with besieged insurgencies thirsting to prove a point. The site of the twin murders — Madhupur — is only 5km from the Khadibandh police camp set up after the recent Lalgarh operation; the Ramgarh police camp is 6km away and Lalgarh town, which has a larger camp, is 15km away. Virtually under the nose of the police, Maoists have struck twice in four days, both times in villages close to Lalgarh, and killed four persons. At Madhupur last night, the Maoists led two farmers — 42-year-old Swapan Debsingha and 65-year-old Tarini Debsingha — out of their homes and shot them dead a short distance away. Last Friday, the Maoists had held a kangaroo court in Shirshi village, 10 km from the Dharampur police camp, pronounced two traders guilty of “exploiting poor villagers” and killed them. What has surprised the security establishment is the tenuous link of at least three of the victims with the CPM — a steady relationship with the party is the usual criterion for the Maoists while picking out their targets. According to Swapan’s wife Anima, her husband was once a supporter of the CPM but had turned a Trinamul loyalist two years ago. Recently, he had started supporting the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities — a group the government says is sympathetic to the Maoists. “Last night around 9.30, some people called my husband out,” Anima said. “He talked to them for a while and then he walked away with them.” Later that night, she heard gun shots but did not realise that her husband was being gunned down. Tarini’s son Dhiren said no one in the family knew when his father had been called out by the Maoists. He said his father used to be a CPM panchayat pradhan, but had kept no links with the party for 25 years. “My father sleeps on his own outside the house so we didn’t realise when he was led away,” Dhiren said. Maoist leader Bikash tonight claimed that the CPI (Maoist) was responsible for the killings. The attacks had the hallmarks of shoot-and-scoot strikes familiar in areas where superior security forces outnumber and drive out rebels who sneak back taking advantage of the administrative and intelligence vacuum. Lalgarh now houses around 5,000 security personnel — both central and state — but little has been done so far to build back the apparatus of administration that broke down when the state government withdrew from the area eight months ago. No one ventured out of the village last night. This morning, the bodies of Tarini and Swapan were found in a field. “There was no reason for the killings,” Dhiren said. “The Maoists are desperate to prove their might now that they are on the retreat.” The police, too, found the killings “baffling”. West Midnapore superintendent of police Manoj Verma said: “We find no reason why these people were killed. It’s possible that the Maoists are desperate to prove their existence. The manner in which the killings took place is also a departure from their earlier strategy.” The police said that in the past, the Maoists had targeted either the police or prominent CPM leaders. An officer cited the names of some earlier victims: Rabi Kar and Mahendra Mahato, both of whom were prominent CPM leaders of Purulia. “In the latest killings, the victims were at best supporters of the party or those who had long dissociated themselves from the CPM,” the officer added. “The Maoists would never have hurt them earlier. It reflects the attitude of someone on the run.” Besides, a Maoist leader, Shekhar, had recently said: “We always warn our enemies thrice before killing them. We give them the opportunity to reform. It’s only when they don’t that we kill them.” None of the four was given a single warning.