With the indefinite strike concluding its eighth day, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has started distributing food items to ensure both agitators and the public do not go hungry.
GJM president Bimal Gurung distributed a truck load of squash today to a gathering at Singamari, 4 km from town. Singamari is a fringe area is where the GJM head party office is located.
This comes on a day when chief minister Mamata Banerjee declared she would not allow the GJM to force a bandh on the people who are going hungry.
“Today we are distributing squash to people who want it. From Monday we will distribute pumpkins along with other vegetables. I will not let my people go hungry during the strike,” said Gurung, handing some squash to the gathering.
Plans are also on to distribute rice grains and other vegetables across the bandh-imposed region. “We will also gradually distribute rice grains to those in need. They can come to me anytime,” said the GJM chief.
On July 28 and 29, the first phase of the strike, the GJM had asked all residents here to store food grains and other edible commodities during the 48-hour relaxation period. But many had not resorted to panic buying as they had felt the strike would not continue. However, they were taken by surprise when the GJM announced the indefinite strike from August 3 and by then most food items had run out of stock.
It may be mentioned here that vegetables such as squash, beans, pumpkin and others are abundantly found in rural areas across the Hills. The squash distributed today was reportedly brought from the Rimbick area.(EOI)
GJM president Bimal Gurung distributed a truck load of squash today to a gathering at Singamari, 4 km from town. Singamari is a fringe area is where the GJM head party office is located.
This comes on a day when chief minister Mamata Banerjee declared she would not allow the GJM to force a bandh on the people who are going hungry.
“Today we are distributing squash to people who want it. From Monday we will distribute pumpkins along with other vegetables. I will not let my people go hungry during the strike,” said Gurung, handing some squash to the gathering.
Plans are also on to distribute rice grains and other vegetables across the bandh-imposed region. “We will also gradually distribute rice grains to those in need. They can come to me anytime,” said the GJM chief.
On July 28 and 29, the first phase of the strike, the GJM had asked all residents here to store food grains and other edible commodities during the 48-hour relaxation period. But many had not resorted to panic buying as they had felt the strike would not continue. However, they were taken by surprise when the GJM announced the indefinite strike from August 3 and by then most food items had run out of stock.
It may be mentioned here that vegetables such as squash, beans, pumpkin and others are abundantly found in rural areas across the Hills. The squash distributed today was reportedly brought from the Rimbick area.(EOI)
Munta’ comes to the rescue of dining tables
The stalk of the squash vegetable, locally known as ‘munta’, is fast becoming the most sought after item for residents of the Darjeeling Hills in the midst of the ongoing indefinite bandh.
The indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha that commenced from August 3 ended its eighth day today and larders in households have begun depleting of food stock. But the ubiquitous munta has come to the rescue of the common folk, with many of them seen carrying bunches of the green vegetable to cook for lunch or dinner.
It is being reported that a bunch of munta now costs up to Rs20 in urban areas. But residents in rural and semi-urban areas pick the climber right from where it is growing, from forested areas, farmlands, roadsides and hill slopes where water is abundant.
The munta is found in plenty during the monsoon season. The tender, long stalks taste especially delicious when added to meat. The plant does not require to be tended at all and grows quickly even on barren surfaces, electricity poles, cables and rooftops. The munta is not only tasty but also has the quality of cutting down uric acid.(EOI)
The indefinite shutdown called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha that commenced from August 3 ended its eighth day today and larders in households have begun depleting of food stock. But the ubiquitous munta has come to the rescue of the common folk, with many of them seen carrying bunches of the green vegetable to cook for lunch or dinner.It is being reported that a bunch of munta now costs up to Rs20 in urban areas. But residents in rural and semi-urban areas pick the climber right from where it is growing, from forested areas, farmlands, roadsides and hill slopes where water is abundant.
The munta is found in plenty during the monsoon season. The tender, long stalks taste especially delicious when added to meat. The plant does not require to be tended at all and grows quickly even on barren surfaces, electricity poles, cables and rooftops. The munta is not only tasty but also has the quality of cutting down uric acid.(EOI)
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