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May 17, 2010 | Para-military forces deployed to ensure safe passage of tourists stranded in Siliguri | Siliguri (West Bengal): The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been deployed here to ensure a safe passage for tourists heading to Sikkim, as the highway leading to the state
is blocked due to the shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in support of their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The state government has arranged
eleven buses for the movement of tourists. The CRPF personnel will monitor these
buses. Tourists claimed that tour operators were taking advantage of the situation
by charging them high prices, which most of them could not afford to pay. "They
wanted a lot of money. They were charging Rs 6,000 rupees to take us up the hill.
They are charging us Rs 800 to 900 rupees per person, whereas the normal rates
are Rs 130 per person," said Mark, a tourist from Kolkata. "We were not able to
spend that amount of money and go, we spent money when we booked hotels over there,
plus we had to stay back and spend our money in the hotels out there," he added.
Meanwhile, the drivers said that they were charging a bit higher, as they were
taking cars on the highway at their own risk, and would have to bear any losses
incurred, adding that a couple of vehicles plying on the highway were attacked
by the GJM supporters on Sunday. Minister of State of Urban Development Ashok
Bhattacharya on Sunday said the acts performed are not good for humanity. "The
GJM called a two-day strike in the hills. The Adibhashi Bikash Parisad, on the
other hand, called Doars strike for three days. The other organizations are also
calling strikes every now and then. All such things are not good for humanity,"
said Ashok Bhattacharya. "This is not only creating problems for the region, but
as a whole, the north Bengal is getting affected by this. No matter whatever the
problem is, it can be solved through discussions and talks peacefully. They should
not take the path of revolution at any cost, " he added. Bhattacharya claimed
the state administration is ready to talk but such steps would not be tolerated.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung had earlier declared in a rally that if things did not
go their way during forthcoming meetings over the creation of the separate state,
they may step up the come up movement. The gorkha activists kick started a relay
hunger strike here on Monday in support of their movement over the demand for
a separate state of Gorkhaland. The hunger strike was started to put pressure
on the Centre ahead of the sixth round of tripartite talks, involving the Central
Government and the representatives of the GJM to be held in New Delhi on May 14.
Earlier on April 9, Bimal Gurung met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in New
Delhi, who assured him that he would talk to the Government of West Bengal and
Trinamool Congress about their demands. The GJM had agreed during the fifth round
of tripartite talks in New Delhi to the constitution of Interim Council by next
year prior to the creation of a separate state. Gorkhas, who are ethnic Nepalese,
have been demanding a separate state in Darjeeling hills, to help them protect
their culture and heritage.
Sources in the Union Home Ministry on Monday feared that the casualties of the IED blast in
Chhattisgarh's Dantewada is likely to go high as the rescue and relief operations have been
hampered due to bad light. Security forces have launched a major rescue operation. On
Monday evening in one of the worst attack on civilians the Maoists blew up a private bus
killing over 30 people. The bus was on its way from Dantewada to Sukma when the incident
took place near Chingawaram, over nine kilometers from Sukma. The bus-CG17 SS 9295
was carrying 20 special police officers (SPO) and over 30 civilians.The SPOs were
on their way to participate in a special recruitment drive. The latest blast incident
has taken place a day after the Maoists called for a 48 hour shutdown in five
states-Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The sources
said the attack might have been a pre -planned one. Reportedly, the Maoists also
fired on the bus after the blast to ensure that nobody stays alive. |
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