Rhenock/Gangtok: Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling said on
Thursday that his government would soon hold official-level talks with
the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to discuss issues of common
interest for the benefit of the people of both his state and the
Darjeeling hills.
Speaking at the birth centenary celebration of author and
politician Shiva Kumar Rai at Rhenock, about 60km from here, Chamling
said the meetings would help further better relationship between the two
neighbours. "I have discussed holding official-level talks on common
issues with the GTA chairman, and our officials will be holding one very
soon," he said.
Binay Tamang, the chairman of the GTA board of administrators,
who was also present at the function, said the meeting would also
involve the officials of the Bengal government. "The meeting has already
been agreed upon, only the date will have to be finalised," he said.
Sources said GTA officials would only be attending the meeting
concerning the hill body like tourism and organic farming, among
others, and the Sikkim and Bengal officials would discuss all other
matters of mutual interests between the two states.
The chief minister said Sikkim had always borne the impact of the
agitations in the Darjeeling hills, particularly at times when NH10,
which was the main road link between the state and rest of the country,
got affected because of strikes. "About 5,000 vehicles of Sikkim have
been damaged in the 33 years of the agitations in Darjeeling, and about
50 drivers have lost their lives," he said.
Tamang, on his part, iterated his assurance that the hills
would be kept free from strikes and Sikkim would not face any problem in
the future. "We will also set a helpline on NH10 for the benefit of the
people from Sikkim," he said.
Tamang invited Chamling to attend the awards ceremony
instituted in the name of Shiva Kumar Rai later this year. "The
centenary celebrations will be held in different parts of the country
and throughout the year. The GTA has decided to institute an award in
the name of Shiva Kumar Rai. The first recipient of the award will be
Krishna Singh Moktan (former police officer and author). I will invite
both chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Pawan Chamling to the awards
ceremony," he said.
Chamling, in turn, accepted the invitation and said he would
attend the award ceremony provided his Bengal counterpart was also
present.
Shiva Kumar Rai was born in Rhenock in East Sikkim, but lived
and worked in the Darjeeling hills. Besides, authoring many books in
Nepali, he was also the deputy labour minister of Bengal from 1952 to
1957
This is the second public interaction between Chamling and
Tamang in the last one month. Tamang had called on the Sikkim chief
minister in Gangtok on March 27. The first meeting had broken the ice
between the two after the bad blood created in the aftermath of last
year's Gorkhaland agitation in the hills.
The Telegraph