Thaindian News

Kolkata, July 14 (IANS) The central government has convened a meeting Aug 24 with the state government and the pro-Gorkhaland parties to discuss the Gorkhaland issue in West Bengal, state Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said here Tuesday.
“A tripartite meeting has been called by the centre Aug 24 and union home secretary has already informed the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leaders about the scheduled talks through the office of the district magistrate of Darjeeling,” Chakraborty told reporters at state secretariat Writers’ Buildings.

He said that the union home secretary also made an appeal to the pro-Gorkhaland political outfit to withdraw their indefinite shutdown before participating in the dialogue.

“If GJM would continue their agitation in the hills it might affect the healthy environment of the tripartite talks. Thus the centre has made an appeal to GJM leaders to withdraw the indefinite shutdown and participate in the dialogue process,” Chakraborty said.

In the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, normal life has been affected since the indefinite shutdown began Monday noon. Shops and offices remained closed, tourist vehicles stayed off the roads and hundreds of tourists and students moved down to the plains.

Hundreds of the GJM activists also put up a blockade on National Highway-31A, the only road link between Sikkim and the rest of the country, cutting off road connectivity with neighbouring states.

The GJM, leading a movement in the hills for a separate Gorkhaland, organised indefinite shutdowns twice in the hills last year and also in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls this year, severely hitting tea and tourism - the bread and butter of the region.

Tripartite talks held last year in New Delhi had failed to break the deadlock.