Tour fest to send message: Binay

Tamang and Deb in Siliguri on Friday. Picture by Passang Yolmo 

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang said here on Friday that the ensuing tourism festival planned in the Darjeeling hills was an attempt to send a clear message to the tourists that it was safe to visit the hills.

Tamang, who is also the chairman of the board of administrators of the GTA, said they were focussing not only on the development of tourism, but were also working for improvement of education, health, water and communication sectors on priority basis across the hills.

He has also urged students who reside outside and study in the hills to return to their schools and continue studies.

"All efforts have been taken to restore normality in the hills. Now, through the tourism festival that will be held from December 27 to 31, we want to send a message to tourists that they can visit Darjeeling without any hesitation," Tamang said.

He was at the City Centre here to attend the opening of a three-day tourism fair hosted by an event management company.

Along with state tourism minister Gautam Deb, he inaugurated the event.

"We have started working and will soon come up with a number of new destinations for tourists in the hills. These destinations, we feel, would largely help revive the tourism sector," he said.

Asked about his support base and the Bimal Gurung faction of the Morcha, Tamang claimed that he was enjoying absolute majority in the hills

"There is no existence of so called Gurung lobby in the hills. People have no inkling of the whereabouts of Bimalji and preferring to live in peace and work for improvement of the economy," he said.

In the next two-three months, he said, people would be able to witness the development and changes that the GTA would carry out across the hills.

"People will see the results within next two-three months. I would also appeal to students to come here and pursue their studies in hills, as Darjeeling is still considered a prime educational hub in the country," added Tamang.