With no breakthrough in sight in the Darjeeling impasse, the situation in the hills remained on tenterhooks on Wednesday as the indefinite shutdown entered the seventh day.
There was a near-total shutdown, and only essential services such as medical shops and hospitals remained open. Vehicles did not ply on the streets in Darjeeling. Nari Morcha, the women’s wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, organised a number of rallies across the town. While there were bike rallies by GJM supporters in various parts of the hills, pro-Gorkhaland supporters started a new poster campaign. According to sources, Internet services are likely to remain shut for the next few days..
Meanwhile, the GJM late on Wednesday announced a 12-hour relaxation in the shutdown from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 23 to help students staying in hostels leave.
There are about a few thousand students in reputed boarding schools of Darjeeling whose summer vacations start on Friday. Authorities of schools such as St. Joseph’s School, North Point, and Mount Hermon School, which have hundreds of students from foreign countries on their rolls, had expressed concern over how they would go home.
With no breakthrough in sight in the Darjeeling impasse, the situation in the hills remained on tenterhooks on Wednesday as the indefinite shutdown entered the seventh day.
There was a near-total shutdown, and only essential services such as medical shops and hospitals remained open. Vehicles did not ply on the streets in Darjeeling. Nari Morcha, the women’s wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, organised a number of rallies across the town. While there were bike rallies by GJM supporters in various parts of the hills, pro-Gorkhaland supporters started a new poster campaign. According to sources, Internet services are likely to remain shut for the next few days..
Meanwhile, the GJM late on Wednesday announced a 12-hour relaxation in the shutdown from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 23 to help students staying in hostels leave.
There are about a few thousand students in reputed boarding schools of Darjeeling whose summer vacations start on Friday. Authorities of schools such as St. Joseph’s School, North Point, and Mount Hermon School, which have hundreds of students from foreign countries on their rolls, had expressed concern over how they would go home.
Parties to skip meet
In a fresh jolt to the West Bengal government, the Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front have decided not to attend the meeting called in Siliguri on Thursday to discuss the Darjeeling situation. On Tuesday, a meeting of 14 political parties and social organisations decided not to participate in the meeting. In the absence of those parties, the meeting has no meaning, Asok Bhattacharya, CPI(M) MLA, said.
