Net services to resume in hills - Binay claims Bimal lobby 'plan' to lift strike

TT, Calcutta, Sept. 25: The Bengal government today decided to lift the ban on Internet services across the Darjeeling hills.

"Normalcy in the hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong has been restored with the active participation of the residents of the two districts. Shops, business establishments and tea gardens have opened in both the districts. The newly formed GTA (board of administrators) has started functioning effectively," Anuj Sharma, the additional director-general of police (law and order), said in a statement.

"The residents of the two districts are now getting actively involved in the religious festivities centring Durga Puja leading to normalcy in the region. Keeping in mind these facts the State administration has decided to lift the restrictions on use of internet in the two hill districts," he added.

Officials in Nabanna said Net services were likely to be restored from tomorrow midnight.

In Darjeeling, rebel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang today said he had information that Bimal Gurung could withdraw the strike soon.

"My sources have told me that Union home minister Rajnath Singh will issue a statement tomorrow promising something for the hills. It would be based on inputs given by S.S. Ahluwalia. After the statement, the strike will probably be withdrawn by them (the Gurung faction). The entire game-plan is being orchestrated by the Darjeeling MP," Tamang claimed.

"My sources said Ahluwalia would come to Darjeeling and try to mobilise support for Bimal Gurung because a lot of people have started following me now. This false game plan is neither being understood by Bimal Gurung nor his supporters," the rebel Morcha leader added.

Tamang criticised Ahluwalia for staying away from his constituency Darjeeling during the three months of strike.

"When people died during the agitation, the MP did not dare come up to the hills. But now, if his plan succeeds, he will turn up only after things get normal," said Tamang.

Repeated calls to Ahluwalia went unanswered.

Internet services have been suspended in the hills since June 20, fives days after the Morcha gave the clarion call for the indefinite strike.

The administration felt that the statehood supporters had been using the Internet to spread rumours and aggravate the situation.

A senior administrative official in Darjeeling today said no communication regarding the restoration of the Internet had reached them.

The ban on the Net had affected several facilities for months. Students, who were supposed to apply online for admission in colleges, could not do so and people faced a financial crisis in the absence of Internet banking facilities.

During talks with the state government and even while meeting chief minister Mamata Banerjee last week, Tamang had time and again requested her to lift the ban.