GJM’s Darjeeling Hills bandh gets good response

The 12-hour Darjeeling Hills bandh on Thursday evoked a near total response with vehicles staying off roads and markets and offices being shut throughout the day. There some impacts in areas in the Dooars adjoining Kalimpong sub-division.

The bandh was convened by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) affiliated tea workers union, Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union, demanding the reopening of Panighatta tea estate located in Kurseong foothills, and against the distressed condition of other tea gardens in north Bengal.

A faction of the Adivasi Vikash Parishad had called a simultaneous bandh in the Dooars on the same issue.

Since morning, public transport vanished from the Hills roads and no vehicles went to the Hills from Siliguri. Workers in none of the gardens in Darjeeling Hills and the adjoining foothills report to work. Shops, markets remained closed through the day and only a handful of schools in the Hills conducted half-day classes.

Some bandh supporters put up pickets at the Kurseong railway station even as the famous Toy Train did not ply during the day.

Darjeeling superintendent of police, Amit P Javalgi told over the phone that there have been no bandh related untoward incident reported from anywhere in the Hills.