GJM offers 12-hr 'window' to schools to evacuate students

Police escorted boarders of Bethany School, Darjeeling to the plains on Wednesday. Owing to an ongoing indefinite bandh call by the GJM it has become a herculean task for the schools to arrange to send boarders to the plains for the vacation which is just round the corner. However, the GJM will be providing a 12 hour window period to schools on June 23 to evacuate the boarders.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has clamped an indefinite bandh in the Hills since June 15. Hill boarding schools will be having their vacations from June 23.

"The schools will have to arrange for their own vehicles displaying "School Duty." They can drop the boarders to Siliguri or Sikkim from 6 am to 6 pm on that day" Tamang sent a message from an undisclosed location. On June 23 evacuation will take place from 6 am to 6pm, though the indefinite strike will continue on that day too.

"The boarders will be leaving on June 23. We have around 500 boarders from our school. The parents who want to collect their wards will collect them from Siliguri. They will be travelling together with boarders from St. Paul's and Mount Hermon " stated Father Shajumon, Rector, St. Joseph's, North Point Darjeeling.

The Bethany School, established in 1957 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny is from Class Kindergarten to Class 4 sent home boarders from the vacation on Wednesday.

"We evacuated around 40 odd boarders from Darjeeling with police escort" stated a Police Officer. With the ongoing unrest, anxious parents have been calling up the school authorities regularly. Students from all over the country and different part of the globe study in the Darjeeling Hill Schools.