Hill welcome for CM, flak from tour agents

Bimal Gurung’s party today said the chief minister was welcome to watch the Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling even as tour operators alleged that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s “limitations in visiting the hills” would affect tourist flow to the region.

“Politically, our positions might be different, but in general, he (chief minister) has been always welcome in the hills,” said Harka Bahadur Chhetri, the media and publicity secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“He might have some compulsions and further, he has to stick to a routine (which is why he cannot visit). But from our side, there is no question of stopping him,” he added.

The Morcha assurance comes a day after the chief minister said in Siliguri that he “misses seeing Kanchenjungha from Darjeeling”.

“It is true that when I visit Darjeeling, I hope to catch a glimpse of Kanchenjungha. However, all wishes cannot be fulfilled all the time. There are certain compulsions and whenever I get the opportunity, I will definitely visit Darjeeling,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Chhetri said the chief minister’s missing-the- Kanchenjungha statement “indicates the change in the state government’s mindset”. “Through this comment, he has made it clear that Darjeeling is different from any other place of Bengal,” Chhetri said. “His comments do prove that Darjeeling is not like any other part of the state (and so he has his compulsions visiting the hills).”

While the Morcha welcomes the chief minister — two years back they had threatened to stop him from entering the hills and the Darjeeling district CPM had to shift the venue of their district conference to the plains — tour operators of the region expressed dissatisfaction.

“It is unfortunate that even though Bhattacharjee is the constitutional head of the state, he spoke of limitations in visiting Darjeeling which is very much a part of Bengal,” said Raj Basu, the working president of Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators’ Association. “If the chief minister shirks from visiting Darjeeling, it is natural that it would impact negatively the tourist flow.”

“We feel it is imperative that the state government hold dialogues with the political leaders of hills solely on tourism. If the chief minister does not go to Darjeeling, how can he instil confidence in others? It is, like, if I cannot go to my own house, how can I ask my family members?” Basu added.

From The Telegraph