Bimal Gurung looks for deeds, not words

Darjeeling, Aug. 22: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung advised the Bengal ministers visiting the Darjeeling hills to start fulfilling their promises, instead of indulging only in lip service.

Gurung made the comment at a programme attended by the state youth affairs minister, Ujjawal Biswas.

“We welcome the ministers visiting the hills. It is something good. But we would also like to request them to translate their promises into reality,” the Morcha chief said at the Darjeeling Gymkhana Club.

The programme was organised by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Sports Association.

“One cannot score a goal if the team does not hit the field to play. Let us start playing now. A man has to work so that he is respected by everyone when his coffin is being taken away,” the Morcha chief said to a thunderous applause from a young crowd assembled at the club.

While the only minister to make a beeline for the hills during the term of the previous Left Front government was Asok Bhattacharya, seven members of the Mamata Banerjee cabinet have already visited the region.

In fact, four ministers were seen on the dais at an event organised by the forest department at Sukhiapokhri, about 20km from Darjeeling, on June 20. Apart from forest minister Hiten Barman, Gautam Deb (north Bengal development), Bratya Basu (higher education) and Sushil Tirkey (consumer affairs) also attended the programme.

Even Siliguri MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya, who is also the chairperson of the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority, has been spotted in the hills a number of times.

While food and supplies minister Jyoti Priya Mallick visited Darjeeling on June 30, PHE minister Subrata Mukherjee was here last evening to check the progress in the Balasun drinking water project.

It is not entirely true that the ministers have been indulging in only lip service. As promised by Mallick, the food and supplies department issued rations cards to the residents of the closed Kanchan View Tea Garden within a fortnight of his visit.

Gurung’s statement underlines the fact that he wants to see development work take place in the hills at a fast pace.

Biswas today distributed footballs to 19 clubs in and around Darjeeling and talked about the need to think positively. “We must not think that nothing can be done. We have to believe that it is possible to achieve whatever we desire.”

Earlier in the day, Biswas also visited the house of Nawang Gombu, the first man to climb Mt Everest twice — in 1963 and 1965. Gombu died on April 24 this year.

After interacting with Gombu’s family members, Biswas promised to institute a youth award in Gombu’s name. “We will institute a youth award in the name of Nawang Gombu when we hold a youth festival. The Everester’s memorial will also be set up and we are also trying to establish a museum in Calcutta to showcase all memorabilia that the family had with them.”

Biswas later inspected a site at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute to erect a statue of Gombu.

The Telegraph