Hills project inauguration by Mamata Banerjee under lens

Deep Gazmer,TNN | Jul 17, 2014,DARJEELING: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has managed to touch the wrong chords in the Hills again - this time with the municipality questioning the proposed commissioning of an "incomplete" drinking water project at a public function on Thursday in Chowrastha.

In 2013, the CM with her "rough and tough" speech at a function in Chowrastha antagonized "friend" Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the negative result of which continues to reverberate even now. In the run-up to the recent Lok Sabha polls, she again distanced herself from GJM by declaring Baichung Bhutia as the Trinamool candidate from the Darjeeling parliamentary constituency.

On Wednesday, on the eve of the commissioning programme, Amar Singh Rai, the Darjeeling municipality chairman (the GJM forms the board) said, "Why rushing to commission the drinking water project which will take another couple of months to be fully completed? At present, there is no scarcity of water. The dry spell from March to May-end is over."

Though the district administration has not been handed the chief minister's entire itinerary for her two-day stay in the Hills, she is expected to formally announce the formation of a Tamang board. "I have not yet received the CM's itinerary. But, there is a public function at Chowrastha on Thursday where she will commission a water project and officially form the Tamang Cultural Development Board. The CM will also lay the foundation stone for a Rs 255-crore Safari Park in Siliguri and hand over houses to some members of the Lepcha community," said Puneet Yadav, the Darjeeling DM.

The foundation stone for the Balasun drinking water project was laid way back in February, 2006 by the then CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The work was given to the Hyderabad-based Ramky Infrastructure. While starting the work in 2007, the firm had stated that the project would be completed in twenty four months. Permission from the forest department, railways and the Army, along with the political unrest at that time, were some of the major hurdles against the project.

Work on laying of pipeline on a stretch of 5.5 km is still in progress and will take a couple of months to be completed.

Cloud also hovers over whether the GJM leaders, especially party president Bimal Gurung will give a courtesy call to the Bengal chief minister if the municipality chairman's reaction is to be taken into account. "Our party president's birthday is also on Thursday and we will all be going to his house to wish him. We were not aware of the CM's visit. I got an invitation from the DM's office today," Rai said. Other GJM leaders from Darjeeling are presently in Delhi for official work.

The Darjeeling DM said he has started sending invitations to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive and Sabhasads on Wednesday.

Leaders of the TMC (Hills) unit on the other hand are upbeat over the CM's visit after the election drubbing. "

"The Hills people love Mamata and eagerly wait for her visits. This time is also no different from her previous 26 visits," said Binny Sharma, a senior Hills TMC leader.

Chief Minister Banerjee will leave for the plains of Siliguri on Saturday and will meet party leaders at Sukna, in the foothills. The next day she is expected fly back to Kolkata.