Kalimpong: West Bengal gets its 21st district
Darjeeling Hills has been witness to violent statehood movements since 1986 under the leadership of Subhas Ghising.
Kolkata: A new district of Kalimpong was on Tuesday carved out of Darjeeling, which has seen separate statehood demands since 1980s, with chief minister Mamata Banerjee making the formal announcement at a programme at Mela grounds.
Announcing a slew of development projects for the newly created district at a colourful ceremony, Ms Banerjee said “a Rs 220 crore road link project will be taken up to connect Kalimpong with Sikkim via the old Silk Route.” “This will immensely benefit the people of Kalimpong,” she said.
She said a Rs 50 crore water supply project by the public health engineering department will be taken up soon to address Kalimpong’s water scarcity problem.
Darjeeling Hills has been witness to violent statehood movements since 1986 under the leadership of Subhas Ghising. After a few years of thaw, the movement resurfaced under Bimal Gurung, the present chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, in a bid to break away from Bengal.
The Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s agitation had set the ball rolling for replacing DGHC with the present Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
In a stern message to those who often act as a barrier to the development of the Hills and Kalimpong, Ms Banerjee said a person who has his roots in the Hills should always want development for the region. “You cannot fight us politically and you try to intimidate people,” she said.
The chief minister said she wants the people of Kalimpong to live peacefully. “I urge all people in the Hills to live peacefully and not pay heed to any attempt of igniting violence,” Ms Banerjee said while referring to the burning down of forest and other government bungalows at Tagdah, Kalimpong and some other places in the Hills.