Anti-Gorkhaland body for stopping land sale to Nepalis

An organisation based in the plain area of Darjeeling district and opposed to the idea of Gorkhaland, today gheraoed the sub-registry office in Siliguri demanding that sale of land be stopped to Nepalis who, according to them, were foreigners.

The Bangla o Bangla Bhasa Bachao Committee kept the sub-registry office gheraoed for three hours and submitted a memorandum to the local sub-divisional officer threatening to go for a vigorous movement if sale of land to the 'foreigners' was not stopped immediately.
   
If the demand was not considered at the appropriate level, it would move court, Majumder said.

Because of the 'defective' Indo-Nepal treaty 1950, the Nepalese nationals were enjoying free access to India and purchasing land in Siliguri and its adjacent areas posing a serious threat, the committee president Dr Mukunda Majumder told PTI.

Asked why treaty was 'defective', Majumder claimed that the Nepal government ignored a few parts of the treaty in their interest unilaterally with no consent or reaction from its Indian counterpart.

According to the provisions of the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950, nationals of one country can enjoy in the territory of the other the same privileges in the matter of residence, ownership of property, participation of trade and commerce, etc.