Trinamul taps tea and tourism - Meet with stakeholders to renew base

People throng a marketplace in Darjeeling

TT, Siliguri: Trinamul leaders in the hills and adjoining plains have decided to address the concerns of the tea and tourism industry to renew their support base in the region.

Sources said that as the party leadership in Calcutta had instructed the leaders in the hills to avoid any overt political activity for the time being because of a strong Gorkhaland sentiment, they now planned to approach the stakeholders of the two sectors hit hardest by the four months of strike.

As Trinamul has taken a strong anti-Gorkhaland stand, the party fears any political activity in the hills could put its prospects in a jeopardy.

"The strike was withdrawn on September 27 and normality is slowly returning to the hills. But the sentiment over statehood is still there. This is not the time to reassert the anti-Gorkhaland stand. Instead, we should try and garner support by approaching all those associated with the tea and tourism industries and apprise them of the sincerity of the state government towards resolving the crisis," said a Trinamul leader in Kurseong.

As a beginning, the leaders would hold talks with the stakeholders.

"For the tea industry, we will speak with planters, trade union leaders, workers and even their family members. We will highlight the initiative the state took to resolve the bonus issue," said the leader.

Although tea gardens in the Dooars and Terai have given bonus to workers, most of the estates in the hills are yet to make any payment.

The Trinamul leader said that as far as the tourism industry was concerned, party workers would meet hoteliers, tour operators, transporters, cab drivers and even waiters and porters who are working aggressively to "revive" the Darjeeling brand.

"We have plans to hold sessions involving some state ministers. The stakeholders would be asked to speak about their problems and give suggestions to ensure the steady inflow of tourists to Darjeeling and other surrounding destinations," said a Trinamul youth leader in Siliguri.

(Source & Courtesy:https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/trinamul-taps-tea-and-tourism-179883)