HOPE IN HILLS

Simple gestures of goodwill and mutual trust can go a long way towards resolving seemingly intractable issues. Mamata Banerjee’s first meeting as West Bengal’s chief minister with Bimal Gurung can justifiably raise hopes for a new beginning for Darjeeling. The significant thing about the meeting was the ambience of mutual trust and cooperation. It was in sharp contrast with the air of confrontation that marked the dialogue between the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s government. Mr Gurung’s “happiness” over his meeting with Ms Banerjee is also remarkable because she had always made her stand on the Darjeeling imbroglio absolutely clear. She opposed not only the creation of a separate state comprising the three hill subdivisions but also the inclusion of the adjoining areas in the plains in any new administrative set-up for Darjeeling that the GJM wanted. Even so, Mr Gurung seems hopeful that the new chief minister would give the people of Darjeeling a fair deal that the Left Front government denied them. Such confidence is essential in resolving political and administrative issues. If the new regime at Writers’ Buildings and the GJM leadership move forward in this spirit, it will be easier for New Delhi also to find an answer to the “Gorkhaland” question that would be acceptable to all sides.

However, there are simpler, but more urgent, issues that the people of Darjeeling would like Ms Banerjee to address. Much of the hill station’s civic infrastructure is in disrepair. Most of the major roads in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong are in a mess. The condition of the roads leading to the tea gardens and villages is even worse. The near-collapse of a tolerable road network has made the transportation of essential goods and services an uphill task. But the worst problem for the people is the scarcity of drinking water. There has been practically no administration in Darjeeling since the term of Subash Ghisingh’s Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council expired three years ago. The GJM took over the political space vacated by Mr Ghisingh but the administrative vacuum continued, thanks to the Left Front government’s total abdication of authority in the hills. As with so much else in Bengal, Ms Banerjee will have to rebuild many things in Darjeeling. A political-administrative structure replacing the DGHC is the most important among the new initiatives. But it may be even more important to rebuild bridges of understanding between Calcutta and Darjeeling.--TT