As normal life was paralysed in the Darjeeling hills for the third day today, there was lot of resentment among the people.
Traders, students, office-goers and other groups are angry at the frequent disruption of life in the hills comprising sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.
With the state board examinations slated to begin from February 28, the most worried lot are the students even though the GJM leadership has exempted examinees from the purview of the general strike.
In view of the troubles the student might face, the GJM has given permission for bringing question papers from Siliguri in the plains to schools in the hills, but the school authorities were at a loss where to keep them as there were no security staff available to guard them.
Also from next Monday, 500 students are to sit for the ISC practical examination. Some of them said they did not know how they would reach the examination centres as no vehicle was plying.
Service holder Roshan Pradhan said they were worried about the food stocks fast depleting in the hills. “The GJM’s announcement of a four-hour recess day before yesterday was hardly sufficient to stock food items,” he said.
Perhaps sensing the resentment, GJM chief Bimal Gurung had on Wednesday appealed to traders not to hoard essential commodities so that prices did not spiral out of control.
Owner of a sweet shop, Ajay Prasad, who lives in a remote hill area, said patients in remote areas had been put into great hardship wondering how they would travel to the town in the absence of vehicles.
Tourist Dheren Karki said he had been stranded at Bijonbari ever since the indefinite strike began.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said when his attention was drawn to people’s resentment yesterday, “For a greater cause, people have to make small sacrifices and that their goal would be realised soon.”
Keeping in mind the people’s mood, a crucial meeting of the GJM later today would decide whether they would continue with the strike in view of the people’s growing disaffection.
Unconfirmed sources here said that the GJM office at Sipchu in Jalpaiguri district, the scene of Tuesday’s police firing, had received a communication from the Centre asking it to try to re-establish peace in the hills and reconsider its stand on an interim council for the hills.
Mr. Giri had yesterday said that they would settle for nothing less than a separate state of Gorkhaland unwilling to take part in tripartite talks on setting up an interim set-up.
