GJM relaxes restrictions on key highway to Sikkim
July 18th, 2009 - 11:28 pm ICT by IANSSiliguri (West Bengal), July 18 (IANS) The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading a protest demanding a separate Gorkhaland state, Saturday partly opened the National Highway 31-A, a key route connecting West Bengal and Sikkim.
“We’ve decided to allow only those vehicles which have Sikkim number plates. We allowed all the cars to enter Sikkim. This relaxation would be effective for next five days (till July 23 morning),” GJM assistant general secretary Binoy Tamag said.
The GJM called the indefinite shutdown from July 13 for a separate Gorkhaland. The shutdown has paralysed life in Darjeeling’s three hill sub-divisions.
“Schools, colleges and tea gardens will also open from Monday,” Tamang said.
He said the GJM would reconsider the issue of extending traffic relaxation on the NH-31A only if the union home ministry sends a letter to its leadership assuring that the government would hold talks over the Gorkhaland issue.
The central and state governments are going to have a meeting with the pro-Gorkhaland parties Aug 11.
The GJM announced indefinite shutdown in the hills twice last year and also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year, severely hitting the tea and tourism industries - the bread and butter of the region.
Tripartite talks held last year in New Delhi had failed to break the deadlock.
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- Sixth round of Darjeeling tripartite July 24 - Jul 17, 2010
- Pro-Gorkhaland shutdown cuts off Sikkim, affects life in Darjeeling - Jul 14, 2009
- Pro-Gorkhaland shutdown affects Sikkim, Darjeeling (Roundup) - Jul 15, 2009
- Darjeeling accord an alarm signal: CPI-M - Jul 17, 2011
- Gorkha group withdraws shutdown call in Darjeeling - Jun 24, 2010
- Gorkha group calls for 40 day strike in Darjeeling - Jul 04, 2010
- Shutdown cripples life in Darjeeling for sixth day (Lead) - Feb 14, 2011
- Tripartite meeting on Gorkhaland issue Aug 24 - Jul 14, 2009
- GJM mulls ending shutdown in Darjeeling hills - Jul 23, 2009
- Mamata gets rousing welcome in Darjeeling Hills - Oct 10, 2011
- GJM calls indefinite shutdown in hills - Feb 09, 2011
- Shutdown by Gorkhas paralyses West Bengal's Darjeeling - Jun 19, 2010
- Shutdown paralyses hills, GJM sets conditions for talks - Jul 15, 2009
Tags: binoy, bread and butter, darjeeling, deadlock, general secretary, gjm, gorkha, highway 31, Lok Sabha, New Delhi, number plates, relaxation, state governments, tamag, tamang, tea gardens, tourism industries, tripartite talks, union home ministry, west bengal
