Speaking at the first ever business summit at the hills, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked people to maintain peace and assured that in return the state government would bring developmental projects to the hills.
Speaking at the first ever business summit at the hills, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked people to maintain peace and assured that in return the state government would bring developmental projects to the hills.
“You give me peace and I will give you prosperity. I might not be able to fulfil all your demands but we are open to talks if there is any grievance but peace should be restored under all circumstances," she said at the inauguration of the two-day event.
"Peace is required for the confidence of investors who would come here from not only the state but across the country. The industry doesn’t only mean building huge concrete structures. There is a lot of other investment opportunities here in sectors such as food processing, tourism, IT, horticulture among others,” the Chief Minister added.
Without naming any person or any political party, she said that violence would help some politicians but not the people in general at the hills.
“If there is no peace here, the future generation will suffocate. I will not allow people to sever Darjeeling from Bengal for the interest of some who want to retain their seats,” she said. “To Delhi, my request is to let Darjeeling be in peace. Please don't help anyone who wants to divide Darjeeling.”
She pointed out that the 104-day shutdown at the hills had resulted in an overall loss of Rs 1000 crore including Rs 300 crore for the tea industry. She said that the state government would allocate an amount of Rs 100 crore for promoting Darjeeling as an ideal investment destination.
She appealed to politicians at the hills to ensure that Darjeeling was green and clean. “Earlier people from the state administration didn't care for Darjeeling. I come here two times a month. I nurture Darjeeling more than I nurture my own constituency,” she said.
Mamata later put up a Facebook post about the inauguration of the summit at the hills. ‘I have appealed to all to maintain peace to usher in prosperity and our government is fully committed to extending all support’, the post read.
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chairman Binay Tamang who was also present at the occasion assured that they would put in their best efforts towards making the hills investment-friendly.
“On behalf of the GTA, I assure that Darjeeling and Kalimpong will be strike-free,” he said.
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 "West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee")
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