MARG and GNLF visit Gorkhay and Samanden
The “blind spots” in the hills can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
To
reach Gorkhay and Samanden, two villages on the fringes of Singalila
National Park, one has to drive for nearly three hours from Darjeeling
to Ramman and then trek for another two hours. The villagers are neither
connected by road or electricity, electricity “poles” have, however,
reached these villages.
The lack of connectivity and the difficult
terrain often results in these villages being called “blind spots”. Not
many have heard of social organisations reaching these places to extend
help.
“This time we received relief materials from MARG (a social
organisation in Darjeeling). And then a few days ago, leaders of the
Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) came here with relief,”
Chandrakala Sherpa, a resident of Gorkhay, told The Telegraph over
phone.
The residents charge their mobile phone through solar batteries.
Mankind in Action for Rural Growth (MARG) was among the few to think of reaching help to these villages.
“We
recently received a support of Rs 9.57 lakh to distribute relief among
500 families from the Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative, which is
based in Bangalore. We decided to reach out to forest villages in the
Singalila National Park and to the families in the Chengrabanda red
light areas in Cooch Behar district,” said Nirnay John Chhetri,
secretary, MARG.
MARG reached these villages on May 11 carrying
food grains on mules, while the GNLF led by their leader Sandip Limbu
reached the place on May 14. Limbu’s relief packet also included breads
from Glenary’s, whose owner is a GNLF leader.
Does Chandrakala Sherpa recollect receiving relief from social organisations? “No, I can’t recollect,” she said.
Do
government official visit the village? “They come once in a while but
not like these guys who came with relief,” she candidly said.
These
rather isolated villages (Gorkhay and Samendan, however, have homestays
for trekkers as it falls in the Sandakphu trekking route), even had to
indirectly pay for the free rations provided by both the state and
Centre during this lockdown.
“Our ration shops are in Ramman (two
hours’ walking distance). We have to pay the horse owner Rs 3 per kg for
the load,” she said.
Gorkhay has 50 houses and Samenden 30 and
perhaps these numbers are not significant for those who matter, said a
resident from Darjeeling who had visited the place during a health camp
organised by Yuma Nursing Home in Darjeeling about a year ago.
Between May 10 to 13, MARG reached out to 366 families, including those from other villages of Singalila National Park.
Gorkhay and Samendan are suddenly enjoying the spotlight.
During
the Darjeeling Assembly by-election last year, Amar Lama, Jana Andolan
Party leader, had started his campaign from this place. Lama had then
talked about the remoteness of the place.
https://www.telegraphindia.com
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