Beacon on, boss is in - Red light atop Lal Khoti flashes to indicate Gurung’s presence in GTA headquarters

The red beacon fitted atop Lal Khoti. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, April 21: A flashing beacon would now tell hill residents if the GTA chief is in his Lal Khoti seat.

The beacon, fitted to an iron rod attached to a chimney at the GTA headquarters, may remind some hill residents of Gurung’s predecessor, who once sat in the same building.

Subash Ghisingh, the chief of the erstwhile DGHC, had constructed a two-storey structure at Shrubbery Nightingale Park from where he occasionally gave speeches. Written at the foot of the top-floor balcony was the word “bulletproof”. Ghisingh on a few occasions spoke from behind the supposedly bullet-proof glass.

Gurung, who seems to have inherited his predecessor’s idiosyncratic streak along with the hill mantle, perhaps does not count finesse a virtue.

The beacon is fitted to a four-foot iron rod that juts out at an angle from a Lal Khoti chimney.

An official of Lal Khoti said the idea behind the red light was to give a signal that Gurung was present.

The bullet-proof dais at the Shrubbery Nightingale Park

“The idea behind putting up the beacon light is to ensure that visitors can find out whether the chief is present or not in his office upon entering Lal Khoti,” the official said.

The main building is situated about 500m from the Lal Khoti gate, from where the light can be seen.

When this correspondent visited Lal Khoti on Friday for an interaction with Gurung, the light was indeed flashing.

GTA sources said the red beacon was erected two months back.

“At one point, the beacon had gone above the lightning conductor of the building which we felt was not a good idea. We have lowered it now,” said an official.