Kalimpong: Following the formation of the Lepcha
Development Board, various communities in the hills are in the race to
secure similar set-ups for themselves. In keeping with the bid, the
Bhutia Welfare Joint Action Forum today took out a massive rally in town
that was participated by hundreds of community members from various
places of the hills. They convened at the Mela Ground Kalimpong and marched
through the main road to culminate at the SDO office.
The participants chanted slogans in
demand of a Bhutia Development Council with placards echoing the same
demand. Organisation representatives met SDO Radhika Ayer and presented a
petition to the chief minister through her.
Speaking to the media later, BWJAF
secretary Sonam Bhutia said a team met the SDO to tell the government it
must “justify” the Bhutia community by forming a development council as
it has done for the Lepchas.
Asserting the Bhutias are one of the
original inhabitants of the region, Sonam said the community still
remains backward and the government must consider forming a development
council for them.
“Both the Bhutia and Lepcha communities
were given tribal status way back in 1950. Now that the Trinamool-led
government has formed a development board for the Lepchas, a similar
board must also be formed for the Bhutias,” noted Sonam.(EOI)
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