LF refrains from contesting Siliguri mayor election

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 29 JUNE: At a time when the Congress and Trinamul Congress have decided to form the Siliguri Municipal Corporation board jointly, the Darjeeling district Left Front has decided against contesting the mayoral election.
Addressing a Press conference, the leader of the Opposition in SMC, Mr Nurul Islam today said that the 17 LF councillors would not take part in the mayoral election and would not even extend support to any other political party.
Mr Islam said that they had supported the Congress candidate, Ms Gangotri Datta, when she was contesting the mayoral election against another Trinamul candidate in October 2009, following requests from the Congress camp.
“The Darjeeling (plains) and Jalpaiguri districts presidents, Mr Shankar Malakar and Biswaranjan Sarkar, respectively, had sought support in a written agreement from us in the interest of development of the SMC. We had extended our support to end the stalemate over the mayor election,”  Mr Nurul said. “We will act as constructive Opposition in the SMC following mandate of the Siliguri people. The LF leaders took the decision yesterday evening because we have only 17 councillors out of 47, whereas the alliance has 30,” Mr Islam said.
Criticising the performance of the Congress-led SMC board in the last two years, Mr Islam asked why the deputy mayor and nine other office bearers suddenly submitted resignation following the mayor's decision.
“In the interest of the people, the deputy mayor must have run the board till mayoral elections, following state Municipal Corporation Act 2006 (under section 43),” Mr Islam said.
The RSP Darjeeling district secretary, Mr Binay Chakraborty said: “Both the Congress and the Trinamul Congress could not keep their commitments when they had begged votes from the people despite their leaders’ including union ministers of state and MPs assurance during the election campaign.”
Mr Chakraborty said: “Both the Congress and the Trinamul Congress could not bring proper development in Siliguri due to their squabbling over the rights of mayor's chair in the last two years. When the developmental programmes were stalled owing to the recently concluded Assembly election, the Siliguri mayor too left the corporation in a critical moment when common people were facing various problems."
Mr Chakraborty added: “The then railway minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee,  had announced here that they would not make alliance with Congress in the corporation. But we cannot understand why she took the decision suddenly suspending municipal services to the people for at least two months.”

Siliguri Mayor resigns

Siliguri Mayor resigns

27 June 2011
statesman news service
SILIGURI, 27 JUNE: To pave the way for the formation of a coalition board, involving both the Congress and the Trinamul Congress councillors, the Siliguri municipal corporation mayor, Ms Gangotri Datta, today dissolved the mayor-in-council and submitted her resignation to the commissioner Mr PN Bhutia.
After the mayor's resignation, the deputy mayor, Mr Nantu Paul, and other Congress councillors also submitted their resignations from nine other posts of the SMC.
Following the development, the state government has directed Mr Bhutia to run the SMC. However, to continue serving the people before the formation of the joint board, four Borough chairmen have not submitted their resignations.
Mr Bhutia today sought clarifications from the higher authorities on various subjects, including the formation of a new board through fresh election. The commissioner has also sought clarification about the SMC budget, which was scheduled to be tabled on 29-30 June.
Notably, the Congress councillors had formed the SMC board with the support of the CPI-M councillors after the corporation election when the Trinamul Congress councillors had been demanding the mayor’s post. As a result, the Trinamul councillors did not join the board officially and had been opposing the Congress-led board on many issues since October 2009. The Trinamul started dialogue with the Congress for the joint formation of the board before the state Assembly election.
The state north Bengal development affairs minister, Mr Gautam Deb, had said: “We would not join the Congress-led board which was formed with the support of the CPI-M.” When the Trinamul came to power in the state, the Darjeeling district Congress (plains) had started a dialogue with the party to form a coalition board and requested them to join the board accepting their proposals.
A few days ago ,the Trinamul leadership and their councillors warned the Congress leadership that they would not support the Budget to be tabled on 29 and 30 June unless the board is formed jointly. Yesterday, the Darjeeling district Congress leadership decided that the mayor would have dissolve the council and all officer-bearers, including mayor and her deputy would submit resignations. Both the Congress and the Trinamul leaders agreed to share the ten posts equally and the Trinamul councillors would extend cooperation to elect the mayor from the Congress afresh. The councillor belonging to the Trinamul would hold the post of deputy mayor.
After submitting resignation, Ms Gangotri Datta said: “To facilitate the allinace in the state I dissolved the mayor-in-council and we stepped down from all posts. The commissioner has sought clarifications about various subjects, including fresh election to form the board afresh from the state government. Hopefully within seven days the next process would be started.”

Two elephants injured after being hit by train

statesman news service
SILIGURI, 26 JUNE: Two elephants were critically injured when a speeding train hit a herd of nearly 60 elephants that came close to a rail track at the Red Bank tea plantation area in the Dooars last night. Forest officials fear that the injured elephants might die because their backbone was hit.
The incident took place near Diana forest, a few km from another accident site at Banarhat in Jalpaiguri where seven elephants were mowed down by a speeding train in September last year, just after a coordination meeting between the forest department and railway officials was held in Alipurduar a few days ago.
Forest officials said that they had informed the railway officials about the herd approaching the rail track and had requested them to control the speed of the train. Though the driver of the Alipurduar-Asansol DN Express train was cautioned, the train hit the herd of elephants injuring two of them critically.
The divisional forest officer, wildlife II, Ms Sumita Ghatak said: “The accident took place around 9.20 p.m. We got the information about 9.08 p.m. and informed the railway officials. Railway officials cautioned the driver of the train around 9.10 p.m. but the train travelling at a speed of 50 km per hour arrived at the accident site within 10 minutes covering a distance of 8 km." According to Ms Sumita Ghatak, a 15-year-old injured elephant was brought to the Garumara jungle for treatment. Though the injured elephant responded to medical treatment, it couldn't stand up.
Another 35-year-old elephant was in the same condition at Diana forest. “We are keeping a close eye on them. We suspect they would not survive. A complaint was lodged at the police station concerned after the accident,” said Ms Ghatak.
Though eyewitnesses said that nearly four elephants were injured, the DFO said that she had not found other injured elephants.
The state forest minister, Mr Hiten Barman, said that forest officials had been asked to keep a close watch on elephants’ movements and communicate information about the location of the herd to the railway officials. “The railway officials said that the driver had controlled the speed. If the train was running at a high speed many elephants would have been killed,” said Mr Barman.
“The accident is regretted. A permanent solution is needed to save the wildlife from the speeding trains. A coordination committee has been constituted to keep a close watch on the elephants’ movement. We need to build an underpass along the elephant corridor to avoid accidents,” he said.

Mayor & deputy to resign Soon

Mayor & deputy to resign Soon
statesman news service
SILIGURI, 26 JUNE: The Trinamul Congress and the Congress today agreed to form the Siliguri Municipal Corporation jointly after a marathon meeting between two party leaders in Kolkata and Siliguri tonight.
Notably, the Congress had to form the SMC board with the support of the CPI-M after election when the Trinamul Congress leaders were demanding the post of mayor. The state north Bengal development affairs minister, Mr Gautam Deb, said that the Congress had informed us that the mayor, Ms Gangotri Datta would resign from her post before tabling the SMC budget.
“The Congress would select its candidate for the mayor post later. The posts would be shared equally between the two parties,” Mr Deb said over phone from Kolkata.
The Trinamul Congress recently asked the Congress leaders that they would not support the budget to be tabled on 29 June if the board was not formed jointly.
The Darjeeling district Congress (plains) president, Mr Shankar Malakar, who is also MLA for Matigara Naxabari, said: “A total of 10 posts would be shared equally. The Congress councillors would hold five posts ~ mayor, chairman and three members of the mayor-in-council. On the other hand, the Trinamul would hold the post of  deputy mayor and four posts of mayor-in-council.’’
“We took the decision here tonight and intimated the resolution to the Trinamul leaders in Kolkata,” Mr Malakar said.
SMC mayor Ms Gangotri Datta said: “The SMC has not been jointly formed yet and no one has resigned. But it would be done shortly. I am busy drafting the budget now.”
The deputy mayor, Mr Nantu Paul, would have to resign to make way for Mr Krishna Paul. 

Asok asks Didi to go slow

Asok asks Didi to go slow

24 June 2011

manas ranjan banerjee
SILIGURI, 24 JUNE: Apparently recovering from the electoral drubbing, the former state urban development minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, sarcastically advised  the new state government to go slow on development.
“The members of the new government should remember the adage that one moves faster when one is not in a hurry,” he said during a media conference in Siliguri yesterday. 
Not naming the chief minister and her colleagues, the former minister said they were running fast but are on a wrong track. “The result would be a disaster for the common people if they keep moving the same way. Development can hardly be brought about overnight. It warrants right and long-term planning and sustained and painstaking endeavour,” he said.
Taking potshot at Miss Mamata Banerjee, Mr Bhattacharya said that the Switzerland cacophony would turn ludicrous unless it was duly supported by ground-level seriousness.
“Are those who keep renting the sky with the Switzerland fantasy aware that the climate has been changing fast turning the region more sweltering and sultry than ever? The humidity we have been experiencing here is something uncharacteristic for the sub-Himalayan region. Does the fantasy bring comfort when we keep sweating all through?” the CPI-M leader asked. 
“I would rather ask the new government to go slow and steady without rushing for magical mumbo-jumbo,” he said.

Work suspended at tea estate

COOCH BEHAR/SILIGURI, 21 JUNE: The management staff members of the Jainti Tea Estate (see sns photo) in the Samuktala police station area in the Dooars have left the plantation today after declaring a suspension of work. The suspension was announced following workers’ agitation yesterday. With the closure the livelihood of about 1,200 workers has become uncertain.
It was learnt from the local people that the a section of the tea workers had staged demonstration yesterday, protesting against the collection of more money than stipulated by way of electricity charges. 
With the agitation having taken a serious turn, the plantation management staff members have left the tea estate this morning after declaring a suspension of work. Before leaving they have reportedly informed the sub-divisional authorities that they were feeling insecure because of the agitation.
Taking strong exceptions to the closure of the garden, the senior leaders of the West Bengal Tea Garden Employees’ Association and Dooars Cha Bagan Workers’ Union, Mr Krishna Chhetri and Mr Parshuram Mahali said that the management should have discussed the matter with the unions and the local administration before taking such a drastic decision. “The insecurity explanation is a flimsy excuse to defend the closure. The sudden suspension of work has landed over 1,200 employees in deep trouble,” said Mr Chhetri. The sub-division administrative officials have, however, declined to comment.
Hike in wages in tea gardens
When the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) had to increase tea workers’ remuneration in the Hills from Rs 67 to Rs 90 per day following the movement of Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha-backed tea workers’ union, the tea planters in the Terai and the Dooars agreed to increase only Rs 5. The labour department officials and the trade unions’ leaders rejected the proposal from the tea planters in a tripartite meeting held at Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad today. sns

SJDA: Rudranath may succeed Asok

21 June 2011

SILIGURI, 21 JUNE: Siliguri MLA, Dr Rudranath Bhattacharya, is likely to assume charge as chairman of the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).
Brushing aside all speculations over the nomination of chairman of the SJDA, the Trinamul Congress-led state government has decided to nominate Dr Bhattacharya, sources said. A large section of Trinamul Congress leaders had expected that the north Bengal development affairs minister, Mr Gautam Deb, would be nominated as the chairman of the SJDA. It may be noted that the former state urban development minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, was the chairman of the SJDA.
Being a Cabinet minister, Mr Deb had also visited the SJDA and held a meeting with the officials. The Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner, Mr AK Singh, was functioning as chairman of the SJDA since the then chairman of the SJDA, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, stepped down from his post to contest in the recently-concluded Assembly election.
Interestingly, the Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner, the Darjeeling district magistrate, Mr PMK Gandhi, and the chief executive officer Mr JP Meena have not yet received any official communication on SJDA. The divisional commissioner said: “We have not yet received any official notification regarding new chairman of the SJDA.”
The Darjeeling DM and the CEO, SJDA echoed the same. But, Mr Deb has informed his close associates that the Siliguri MLA would be nominated as chairman of the SJDA. The Siliguri MLA said: “I have heard the information but I am yet to receive any official communication.” Dr Bhattacharya also admitted that there was a lot of scope for the development of this region through SJDA.  Many developmental programmes might be executed in the Terai and the Dooars. sns

Apologetic Anurag leaves Darjeeling

statesman news service
DARJEELING, 21 JUNE: Film director Anurag Basu today left the Darjeeling Hills after ending the first phase of shoot for his upcoming film Barfee, starring Ranbir Kapoor. Basu, however, was apologetic for winding up the shoot before schedule following an altercation between the crowd and the crew members during shoot at Chowrasta on 16 June.
Basu admitted that he took the decision to leave the Hills early “in rage” after feeling humiliated over the 16 June incident. “I am not going back disheartened. The incident should not have taken place. The shooting was smooth in the past two days which made me think that the decision I took was in rage,” said Basu.
Basu, who was earlier reluctant to return to the Hills for the rest of the shoot, said he would come back in September. The crew will come to the Darjeeling Hills in September. Another actor, Priyanaka Chopra, will also join the team then. “I will come back in September and Priyanaka Chopra will also be coming,” he said before leaving Darjeeling.
Ranbir Kappor and Illena D'Cruze, two Bollywood stars, had only come to Darjeeling this time around. However, Priyanka Chopra was also supposed to arrive in the Hills but she did not come.
According to Basu, they would come to Darjeeling in a well-organised manner and shooting would also take place in Kalimpong. “I did not expect Ranbir to be so popular here. I will come in September and shoot even in Kalimpong. Shooting details, however, will not be revealed so that shooting does not get hampered,” said Basu.
The shoot in Mirik was cancelled this time as he thought that a large number of people would be present there. The director wanted the locals to know that they had a great time.
“I had a great time despite the incident. The bitterness has mellowed down a bit and all the crew members have enjoyed their stay in Darjeeling,” said Basu.
The Barfee team shot at The Buzz at Glenary's, Tindharia, Mall Road, Capital Clock Tower and other areas of Darjeeling. Ranbir Kapoor along with Basu was spotted in the Buzz enjoying the performance of a local musical band. Sixty per cent of the movie will be shot in Darjeeling and the rest in Kolkata.
“The film is scheduled to be released early next year,” said Basu. The team will shoot the remaining portion of the film in Kolkata.

Hundreds homeless in flash flood

17 June 2011

SILIGURI, 17 JUNE: At least 300 families were rendered homeless in a flash flood in the  Pashchim Dhantala area of Dabgram-II gram panchayat in Jalpaiguri's Rajganj block early today.
River Mahananda was in spate after heavy rains in the Hills last night and the river breached its banks at many places, including the Dhantala area. The floodwaters gushed into the village where an embankment was unfinished, villager alleged.
Though floodwaters receded gradually at noon, flood victims are spending sleepless night fearing fresh flood. The local panchayat member, Mr Paresh Roy, said: “An embankment was under construction at Mahananda Barrage colony. It was decided that a sluice gate would be set up there but it was yet to be completed. Suddenly flood waters began gushing into the village through the incomplete part.”
Villagers were helpless when floodwaters rapidly inundated their homes. They were in no position to save their lives, belongings and cattle.
The Rajganj BDO, Mr Sutirtha Das, said: “Our officials visited the spot on receiving reports from gram panchayat. The water started receding from midday today. We are waiting for written report from our officials who visited the spot. We would request the Siliguri irrigation division to take up flood preventive measures there.” “We would provide relief materials to the victims through official process,” Mr Das added.  The river Mahanada has lost its depth and capacity of carrying floodwaters due to heavy silt deposit, irrigation officials said. The SDO, Siliguri irrigation division, Mr SK Das, said: “ We would visit the spot to take further measures.” Owing to heavy rain, which was recorded at 26 mm in the Hills last night, the water level of the river touched 115.6 metre, far below the danger mark, today. sns

Indo-Bangla enclave residents at Mamata’s door

statesman news service
COOCH BEHAR, 12 JUNE: A section of the residents of Indo-Bangladesh enclaves in Cooch Behar urged the chief minister, Miss Mamata Banerjee, to intervene to solve their long-standing problems like lack of pure drinking water, healthcare facilities, education and road communication.
Addressing the chief minister, they handed over a memorandum to Trinamul Congress MLA and party's Cooch Behar district president, Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh.
In the memorandum the enclave residents stated that their problems remained unsolved even after signing of a few agreements, aimed at easing problems of the enclave residents, between the two neighbouring countries, like the Nehru-Noon agreement (1958) and Indira-Mujib agreement (1974).
The enclave residents said when the Tinbigha corridor was handed over to Bangladesh on 26 June, 1992, ignoring all protests by the people, the then chief minister Jyoti Basu had assured of ironing out all problems within two years. but But nothing happened so far during the Left Front regime, they said.
In the changed political scenario, the enclave residents now want the new chief minister to intervene so that they can avail minimum humane facilities like drinking water, healthcare, education and road connectivity. Though they live in Indian enclaves none of them has any identity proof as Indian.
Mr Ghosh said a delegation of enclave residents met Miss Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on 22 July, 2009.
After that Miss Banerjee took up the matter with Union home minister Mr P Chidambaram. Since then the matter started rolling towards betterment.
Mr Ghosh hoped that the chief minister might consider the demands raised by the enclave residents in the memorandum. “I hope the chief minister will consider the problems of the residents of the enclaves,” he said.

Gorkhaland: Opp slams upbeat GJMM leaders

statesman news service
SILIGURI/DARJEELING, 8 JUNE: A day after the state government signed an agreement with the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) for a new set up on an official level, the Opposition political parties here have accused the GJMM of backstabbing the Hill people and the mandate for which it secured a landslide victory in the last polls.
However, flushing with confidence, the GJMM general secretary, Mr Roshan Giri, today made it clear that the inclusion of the Nepali-majority areas in the Terai-Dooars in the contemplated autonomous council for the Darjeeling Hills is only a matter of time.
“We insisted on this issue during the dialogue in Kolkata yesterday. The positive stance adopted by the Mamata Banerjee government would go a long way in resolving the political crisis plaguing the Darjeeling Hills,” he said at the NJP station today.
The GJMM leader, however, said they had not diluted the Gorkhaland demand. “We have approved the draft agreement after ensuring that the Gorkhaland demand is on record. Neither have we dropped it nor have we kept in the backburner. Its time would come in due course,” he affirmed.
Reacting to the chief minister's decision to constitute a land verification committee, former state urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya today said the state government might stumble on ethnic hurdles resulting in a new phase of ethno-political uncertainty in the Dooars-Terai region.
Though expressing hope that the long dragging Hill logjam would be resolved to the satisfaction of all the parties involved, Mr Bhattacharya said that the GJMM's attempt of territorial expansion of the autonomous council is unwarranted.
The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP) and other anti-Gorkhaland outfits, based in Siliguri and the Dooars, have flayed the state government for the decision to constitute a high powered committee to look into the GJMM's territory demands. “We have already sent a message to the chief minister detailing our reservations over the matter,” said the ABAVP state president, Mr Birsa Tirkey, adding that his outfit would not part with an inch of land spread over the Terai-Dooars for any council for the Darjeeling Hills.
Amraa Bangali, a radical organisation, threatened to launch shutdown agitation in the Terai-Dooars in case the state government went ahead with the decision.
Meanwhile, CPRM president Mr RB Rai said: “The GJMM has betrayed the people of the Hills by accepting agreement with the state government and keeping the Gorkhaland talks out of the purview of the meeting.” Mr KB Wattar, CPI-M leader said the agreement between the state and GJMM is nothing new. However, AIGL president Mrs Bharati Tamang said the people had voted for GJMM for Gorkhaland and now it is up to the party to fulfil the people's aspiration.

Gorkhaland ‘resolved’

Mamata, GJMM reach agreement on Hills issue
statesman news service
KOLKATA, 7 JUNE: Within three weeks of assuming power, chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee today declared that the problem in the Hills stood “resolved” following an agreement between the state government and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) which saw both sides conceding ground to arrive at an amicable solution, including formation of a new body through elections to replace the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC) and the possibility of expansion of territorial jurisdiction.
While the demand for Gorkhaland was kept “on record”, it was not deliberated upon at the two-day official level meeting.
Miss Banerjee, who had pledged to resolve the Gorkhaland issue within three months after coming to power, later said that she had spoken to Union home minister Mr P Chidambaram about the settlement of the problem in Darjeeling and has suggested that the signing of the tripartite agreement should take place in the Hills.
“The Darjeeling problem stands settled. It is a historic day. We have come to an agreement. We want the agreement to be signed in Darjeeling,” a gushing chief minister declared before the media, holding aloft the minutes of the meeting.
GJMM also agreed to maintain peace and normality in the Hills and Mr Roshan Giri, a signatory to the minutes, said: “We are happy.”
The GJMM during the Left Front regime had opposed the formation of the new body through elections while the state government had been categorically against any expansion of the territory beyond the jurisdiction of the present DGAHC. However, during the talks today, the government was able to convince GJMM that the new body should be formed through elections.
A Bill would be shortly introduced in the Legislative Assembly paving the way for the formation of the new body which will have administrative, executive and financial powers over the subjects that would be transferred to them enabling it to function in an autonomous manner. Although the legislative powers cannot be transferred to the new body it will  have powers to frame rules and regulations under State Acts.
The state government today conceded somewhat the demand of  the GJMM for inclusion of Gorkha-majority areas in Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars by agreeing to set up a high-powered committee comprising four GJMM members, the district magistrates of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, a home department official and director of census to look into GJMM's demand for new areas. The chairman of the committee would be appointed by the state and the administrator of the DGAHC would  be the convener of the committee which will submit its report within six months.
The committee will look into the question of “identification of additional areas in Siliguri Terai and the Dooars that may be transferred to the new body, having regard to their compactness, contiguity, homogeneity, ground level situation and other relevant factors.”   
However, the process of election to the new body will continue simultaneously with the above exercise though the empowering statute will have the provision of inclusion of the new areas. Meanwhile, a board of administrators comprising the three GJMM MLAs, DM, Darjeeling and DGAHC administrator will be empowered to run development work in Hills.  Asked about a financial package Miss Banerjee said: “How can I go to a wedding without a gift?”

GJMM positive on resolution of Hills issue

statesman news service
KOLKATA/DARJEELING, 6 JUNE: Official level talks between the state government and Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) today centred around the formation of a board of administrators to discharge the duties of Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC) till the interim authority is set up.
GJMM leaders led by Mr Roshan Giri today discussed “seven points” with state officials including the chief secretary, home secretary, administrator of DGAHC and district magistrate of Darjeeling.
While it was decided that the board would comprise three MLAs of the GJMM it would also include the present administrator of DGAHC and the district magistrate of Darjeeling. The board of administrators will enjoy all the powers of the present DGAHC and will continue till the new interim authority is formed.
Although Mr Giri said that “the demand for Gorkhaland will always be there”, they seem to have moved away from their earlier stand of rejecting the interim authority altogether as they did during the last days of Left Front's regime, particularly after the incident at Sipchu.
 The talks also revolved around the territory of the proposed interim authority. While Left Front government had totally rejected any expansion of territory, the issue of identifying the Gorkha dominated areas in the Dooars also featured in the talks today.” Talks on territorial jurisdiction will take place tomorrow as it is a major issue that will require time,” said Dr Harkha Bahadur Chettri, the spokesperson of GJMM and a part of the seven-member team today. The issue of granting lease to the tea gardens also came up for discussion as did GJMM'S demand for being granted forest management rights.
 The GJMM also wants to be declared as scheduled tribe and hence the matter would be placed before the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.  Later, Mr Giri said: “ The talks are incomplete. We will again sit tomorrow to resolve the issues.” The GJMM also raised the demand of regularisation of more than 6,000 causal workers under the DGHC in today's meeting. Miss Banerjee has promised to resolve the problem at the Hills in the next three months and she is likely to visit Darjeeling later this month.

Nepali and English in Hills

DARJEELING, 1 JUNE: Taking a cue from Miss Mamata Banerjee's gesture in asking for public announcements also in Nepali at the New Jalpaiguri railway station, the GJMM town committee in Darjeeling has asked owners of business establishments and traders to redesign their signboards to ensure that Nepali as well as English are used. “We would also request the government offices to accept applications written in Nepali,” said the GJMM Darjeeling town committee president, Mr Isha Mani Pakhrin. “We are grateful to the new chief minister for her initiative to make Nepali one of the languages for public announcement at the NJP station. It is in sync with her policy to consider Nepali as the second language in areas where ten per cent or above of the population is Nepalese. She has also asked the state government departments to carry on official work in the Nepali language in the Nepali-majority areas. We thank her for her bold initiatives in bestowing the recognition on the Nepali language which is one of the constitutionally recognised languages in the country,” he said. He further hoped that the chief minister's initiatives would go a long away in changing the attitude of certain government officers here in Darjeeling who kept refusing to accept applications written in Nepali. sns