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Home secy holds meeting with GJMM

The Statesman
Home secy holds meeting with GJMM

SILIGURI, Nov. 25: The State home secretary, Mr Ashok Mohan Chakrabarty called upon the GJMM leadership today to allow the district administration and the Darjeeling Hill Council to carry on with the developmental activities in the Darjeeling hills.

Mr Chakravarty held a review meeting on the law and order situation with the senior administrative and police officials of the district. The district magistrate, the additional district magistrate, the inspector general of police, North Bengal, the district superintendent of police and others attended in the hour-long closed door meeting at the SLG Circuit House. The home secretary, however, refused to divulge the details of the meeting.

Dwelling upon the continuing unrest in the hills he said that the state administration was aware about the gravity of the situation. “It is unfortunate that all development work in the district has come to a halt due to the ongoing non-cooperation movement by the agitating hill-based outfit. Several important work like road repairs and drinking water supply has been severely affected,” he said.

When asked whether the state government will continue to keep a low profile if the GJMM agitation turns violent in the future, the home secretary said that the state government hoped that the proposed second round of tripartite negotiation will yield positive results and the situation will not turn volatile.

On whether the state government apprehended that the tribal unrest in south Bengal would spill over in the hitherto peaceful northern part of the state, Mr Chakravarty answered in the negative. “The grievances of the tribal community in the region are being addressed. The tribal representatives will meet the Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner Mr BL Meena on 6 December to apprise him of the development related problems being encountered by the community,” he said.

“However, we are worried over certain developments in Cooch Behar and the Dooars in Jalpaiguri. To resolve our apprehension, we are augmenting the police force in the region,” he said.

Expressing grief over the sudden demise of the veteran Siliguri Municipal Corporation mayor Bikash Ghosh, the state home secretary said that his acquaintance with the late mayor dated back to the days when the late leader had cooperated with the state government in establishing the SLG Development Bank.

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‘More talks needed’

Siliguri, Nov. 25: State home secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti today said two round of tripartite talks were not enough to resolve the Gorkhaland issue and that development in the hills had come to a halt because of the movement of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“It is true that because of the movement and present state of affairs in the hills, development and administrative works have taken a backseat,” said Chakrabarti, who held a high-level meeting at the circuit house here this morning. “As the DGHC is the primary body for the execution of schemes, the indefinite strike at its offices has affected work.”

Asked about the second round of tripartite talks, he said: “We are waiting for it. Several issues have to be dealt with during the talks and all of them cannot be addressed in one or two meetings. A few more rounds would be necessary.”

The meeting today discussed the consolidation of the tribals under organisations like Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad to demand Sixth Schedule status for the Dooars.

“The government has come to know that people representing the tribes will submit a memorandum to the divisional commissioner in Jalpaiguri on December 1. The district magistrate of Jalpaiguri has been instructed to look into demands associated with the implementation of development schemes,” the home secretary said.

The state government, he said, has sought six companies of extra paramilitary forces from the Centre.

“Five companies posted in Bengal have been sent to states where Assembly elections are being held. They will return after the polls. Over and above them we have asked for additional six companies to be posted in districts like Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar,” Chakrabarti said.

The government would continue to be tolerant in the hills. “Some of the signboards from which ‘West Bengal’ had been wiped out and replaced with ‘Gorkhaland’ have been removed while work is on to correct the remaining ones. Cases have been lodged against the Morcha supporters who have done the defacement and are at different levels of investigation,” he said.

© 2008 The Gorkhaland Chronicle.