.KALIMPONG PRESS CLUB PRESENTS “ COLOUR OF NATURE ” ( SAMTEN’s PHOTO EXHIBITION) On 10th-12thth Sept 2009 at Ramkrishna Rangamanch Inauguration: 10th September 2009 at 11am Entry Fee: Rs. 10 and Rs.5 (for students) Merge with Morcha: Gurung - Party president asks employees’ unions to join Sangathan for Gorkhaland

Members of the Janmukti Karmachari Sangathan take out a procession in Darjeeling on Friday, demanding Gorkhaland. Picture by Suman Tamang TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 4: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung today urged all employees’ unions to merge with the one belonging to his party for the cause of Gorkhaland. In the hills, many state and central government employees are members of the Hill Employees’ Association and Hill Employees’ Workers’ Trade Union instead of the Morcha-affiliate Janmukti Karmachari Sangathan. At a programme organised by the Sangthan at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club, Gurung said: “I urge the unions here to merge with the Janmukti Karmachari Sangathan for Gorkhaland. They can carry on works like raising certain demands associated with the employees.” Observers, however, said if the unions were to merge with Morcha’s Sangathan, it would be difficult for them to independently raise employee-related issues with the government. Gurung made it clear that he was unhappy with the way other unions were functioning although he did not mention them or their leaders by name. “You should not criticise us by staying outside the party. If you oppose Gorkhaland, the fate would be the same as had happened to Subash Ghisingh,” Gurung thundered. The Morcha leader also assured the 8,000-strong contractual workers of the DGHC that he would see that their jobs were regularised. “I know how to take care of my people. It may take time but I will ensure that the jobs of the contractual workers are regularised,” said Gurung. The DGHC contractual workers are under the banner of the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan (JAKS), another affiliate of the Morcha. Political observers believe that Gurung’s barbs were for Amar Rai, the president of the Hill Trade Union, who had publicly maintained that his organisation would function independently without any political affiliation. But Rai had also said the union would continue to support the demand for Gorkhaland in its own way. In fact, the Hill Trade Union was formed in the late-1980s after many members of the Hill Employees Association started hobnobbing with the GNLF, which was in power in the hills then. Gurung’s tirade has come as a surprise as during the initial days of the Morcha’s formation the two unions had collected funds from their members and donated them to the party as contribution towards the cause of Gorkhaland. Rai did not respond to calls made on his cellphone. However, B. P. Chhetri, the general secretary of the Hill Employees’ Association, said he was yet to hear anything from the Morcha about the merger. “We are all for the cause of Gorkhaland and on that front, we are united. Also, we, along with the other unions and the Morcha’s Sangathan, had formed a coordination committee on the statehood issue,” Chhetri, who is the coordinator for the committee, said. As far as the mergers with the Morcha was concerned, Chhetri said if he received an appeal from the party, a meeting of the association members would have to be called first to decide on the issue. Strife-free tour season hope TT, Kalimpong, Sept. 4: The tourism sector has breathed a sigh of relief at the positive signals coming from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha ahead of the season that commences in the middle of this month. The tourism industry was a little apprehensive about the Morcha’s game plan vis-à-vis its next phase of agitation that it intends to announce on Sunday. However, with the party apparently allowing its affiliate organisation — All Transport Joint Action Committee — to pay taxes to the motor vehicles department in view of the approaching tourist season, hoteliers and tour operators feel the tourism will be kept outside the purview of the proposed agitation. The relief of the sector is understandable given that the bookings for the season, especially for the two-week period between late September and early October, have been very good. This time, the season is expected to last till December. “Ninety per cent of the rooms in places like Lava and Loleygaon (both in the Kalimpong subdivision) and the Dooars have already been booked,” said Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association. Sources in the Kalimpong Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association (Horak) have said they are looking forward to the season. “The bookings at high-end hotels are very good, but the same cannot be said of budget hotels. If the political situation remains as it is now, then things will definitely look up,” said a Horak member. However, unlike the high-end hotels where advanced bookings are the norm, the budget hotels generally get what in the industry parlance are called flying customers, meaning those who walk into the hotel and check in without prior booking. “Most hotels in Kalimpong thrive on flying customers,” said the source. But the town is expected to lose some of the flying customers because of the condition of the roads. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the road, has, however, promised to do all it can to repair the highway by early October. “We have faith in the BRO. They actually do a very good job of maintaining the road, given that they have to constantly battle against the vagaries of nature,” said Sanjogita Subba, the Horak president. NH 55 blocked for want of amenities KURSEONG, 4 SEPT: Residents of Tindharia near Kurseong today staged a roadblock on National Highway 55 near the railway station for three hours demanding the regular basic amenities. The agitators withdrew after the deputy magistrate Mr WN Foning promised to address their grievances. According to an agitator, Mr Vinay Chettri, Tindharia was facing a number of problems since the 16 August landslides. According to him, the locality lacks proper drinking water supply and power supply was irregular. “The landslides damaged water connection at several places, but despite repeated complaints, the situation has not been set right and it is the same with power,” he said. According to the agitators, protracted hours of load shedding have become a regular feature now affecting life in general. “Add to that the deplorable road conditions and the situation is dismal,” they said. “The roadblock caused a major traffic snarl on NH 55.