No bandhs will be allowed in Hills: CM

SNS, Kalimpong, 23 September: Hours after Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) chief Bimal Gurung threatened of a 12 hour strike on 28 September September over state chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee's claim on Thursday that a budget of rupees four thousand crate has been sanctioned till now for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, Miss Banerjee hit back at the GJMM chief by declaring that no bandh will be allowed. 

The chief minister also declared that she will keep visiting the Hills and no one has the right to stop her. Notably, a leader of GJMM had earlier said that state PWD minister Aroop Biswas will not be allowed to enter the Hills after he made some disparaging remarks about Mr Gurung.

Further, in recent times there has been a lot of controversy on alleged statements having been made against certain communities in the Hills, directing them to leave Darjeeling.

Addressing a gathering in Kalimpong today, Miss Banerjee indirectly countered the GJMM approach without naming anyone and questioned, 'Am I not coming to the Hills after this? Aroop Biswas never visit the Hills? I will come to the Hills; it is your love that draws me towards you.„No bandh will be observed as declared. Bandh hampers tourism which is synonymous with the development of the hills. If tourism suffers, how will most of you earn your livelihood?"

"The Hills have their own natural colour which is vivid and mesmerizing. But avoid the colour of blood. Bloodshed and violence will not be considered across the Hills. We should check every instance of instability here in the best interest of the Hills people," she opined. Speaking on the context of GJMM-levelled allegations that the granting of various caste-based development boards is merely intended to create divisions in the, Hills, Miss Banerjee opined that it is the incompetence of the concerned referring to the GTA which forced her to constitute these boards.

"If you were initiating development projects here, I would not have to constitute and grant development boards in the Hills.

'As you have failed to develop Hills, I am granting and further assisting all the boards respectively. You do your own work, and let me do mine. I have never interfered in their development projects,"Miss Banerjee said.

Miss Banerjee maintained that she has always worked with a positive plan and each of her decisions is intended towards the best interest of the common man. "I am in hills with a plan.My plan is to develop the hills. If hills remain in peace, we will remain in peace..„ I want to see doctors, engineers, bureaucrats to come up from hills," she added.

Speaking in the context of smooth functioning of the granted boards, Miss Banerjee assured the, representatives of different boards and the people that there is no need to worry, Funds will be granted if the boards work for development.

"We will work together. I assure you all assistance from my end. My greetings are with you. I want to see the grants being utilized for the masses," she sttessed.