Mamata Banerjee woos Darjeeling, Kalimpong citizens ahead of LS polls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her four-day trip to the hills said in Kalimpong on Tuesday that the state government would be concentrating on promoting tourism in the hills. She held a meeting with the representatives of 15 development and cultural boards from the hills.

In what is being touted as Mamata's way of gaining a foothold in the hills in the GTA election and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she announced a slew of developmental packages for the hills and promised more visits there and to hold administrative meetings regularly. "In the future, there will be more administrative meetings," she said in her address during a rally.

Ahead of the rally on Tuesday, the entire area was covered with TMC and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) flags, which is presently headed by Binay Tamang, a Mamata aide.

Interestingly, BJP had managed to win the Darjeeling seat in 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections, with the support of GJM which, at the time, was headed by Bimal Gurung who has been at loggerheads with Mamata Banerjee since mid-2017 and is absconding at present.

Mamata also promised a university at Kurseong. "A university will be built at Mongpu in Kurseong sub-division soon, for which, land has already been identified. The state government also intends to build more colleges and industrial training institutes in the hills. Our aim is to set up an education hub in the hills," Mamata announced a Rs 96-crore financial package for the development boards in the hills.

The CM also stressed that the state government would put more attention on the tourism sector, one of the most important sectors for revenue generation. "One of the major impediments faced by tourists at peak-season is lack of accommodation. There is a need to put up home-stay facilities. The government will forward all cooperation to the GTA for this initiative," she said.

Taking a dig at Gurung and the face-off which led to a 104-day strike in 2017, she said that the past should be forgotten. "The past has been a bitter one where, to fuel the interest of a handful people, all others had to forcefully support strikes leading to huge financial losses to people. We need to get over that," she added.

Later in a Facebook post, Mamata said that she had come to the hills to meet her 'hill brothers and sisters'. "Today, in a hugely-attended programme with 15 Development and Cultural Boards of Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts, financial grants were handed over to the Boards for socio-economic development through the creation of community assets, housing, night schools, hostels and preservation of culture and heritage of the communities.

My best wishes to all. We would love to see our hill brothers and sisters smile always," the post read.