It is getting apparent that chief minister Mamata Banerjee has opened the floodgates to clamours for separate development boards by communities of the hills with her decision to form the Lepcha Development Council.
After the LDC was formed in August this year, hill communities such as the Tamangs and Bhutias have also started demanding separate development boards for their respective communities.
The latest to join the bandwagon is the Sherpa community, and its members have reportedly submitted a deputation to the chief minister during her October here.
“We have around 10 to 12 monasteries of our own that are being run by personal donations and funds from community members. Besides, we have other problems such as youth unemployment among others. We feel the only way to solve this problem is to ensure overall development for our community by way of a development board similar to the Lepchas,” said Nima Wangdi Sherpa, chief coordinator of the All Sherpa Buddhist Development Council Action Committee (ASBDCAC).
He added, “We have already submitted a memorandum to the chief minister regarding our demand when she visited Darjeeling in October and we are planning our next course of action to pressurise the state government with our demand.”
The ASBDCAC claimed that the Sherpa community has inhabited the Darjeeling hills since ages. The oldest Sherpa monastery is located in Toongsoong and was built in 1924. Another factor it cited was the population of the community in the three sub-divisions, which is about 1.4 lakh.
The Sherpa community leader however, skirted questions on if the association wanted the development board to be under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. “We want a board for the Sherpas to be formed on the lines of the Lepcha Council,” said Nima.
The decision to form the LDC was one of the major reasons behind relations souring between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the state government. The GJM wanted the LDC to be put under the GTA but the state government flatly refused the proposal. This led to almost a month-long agitation that got buttressed by the demand for statehood.
Commenting on the development, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, “Different communities have started demanding development boards of their own and we are fine with the demands as long as they are formed under the GTA.” (EOIC)
After the LDC was formed in August this year, hill communities such as the Tamangs and Bhutias have also started demanding separate development boards for their respective communities.
The latest to join the bandwagon is the Sherpa community, and its members have reportedly submitted a deputation to the chief minister during her October here.
“We have around 10 to 12 monasteries of our own that are being run by personal donations and funds from community members. Besides, we have other problems such as youth unemployment among others. We feel the only way to solve this problem is to ensure overall development for our community by way of a development board similar to the Lepchas,” said Nima Wangdi Sherpa, chief coordinator of the All Sherpa Buddhist Development Council Action Committee (ASBDCAC).
He added, “We have already submitted a memorandum to the chief minister regarding our demand when she visited Darjeeling in October and we are planning our next course of action to pressurise the state government with our demand.”
The ASBDCAC claimed that the Sherpa community has inhabited the Darjeeling hills since ages. The oldest Sherpa monastery is located in Toongsoong and was built in 1924. Another factor it cited was the population of the community in the three sub-divisions, which is about 1.4 lakh.
The Sherpa community leader however, skirted questions on if the association wanted the development board to be under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. “We want a board for the Sherpas to be formed on the lines of the Lepcha Council,” said Nima.
The decision to form the LDC was one of the major reasons behind relations souring between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the state government. The GJM wanted the LDC to be put under the GTA but the state government flatly refused the proposal. This led to almost a month-long agitation that got buttressed by the demand for statehood.
Commenting on the development, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said, “Different communities have started demanding development boards of their own and we are fine with the demands as long as they are formed under the GTA.” (EOIC)