Tamang meets Sikkim CM, vows teamwork

Gangtok: Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) board of administrators chairman Binay Tamang resolved on Tuesday to work collectively for the welfare of Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills, bringing a war of words between the two leaders to an end.

Tamang, who called on Chamling at his official residence at Mintokgang, Gangtok, discussed a wide range of issues during the two-hour closed-door meeting. Tamang asserted that there would be no more political disturbances in the Hills and hinted that strict surveillance would be maintained on both sides of the border. This follows charges that GJM chief Bimal Gurung had been in hiding in Sikkim after going underground.

Chamling suggested that the new GTA should bring in a ‘revolution of development’ instead of resorting to violence and bandhs and said his government would never meddle in the affairs of West Bengal and the Hills.

Tamang later said the misunderstanding between the two regions during the 2017 pro-Gorkhaland agitation had been buried. “Whatever happened in the past is gone and we resolved to forget and forgive. A new chapter has begun in the Sikkim-Darjeeling relationship. The two chief ministers paved the way for the meeting and all has gone well,” said Tamang.

When Chamling raised the issue of security along NH10, Tamang assured that the highway would be free from obstruction in future and suggested a helpline for NH10.

In a statement, Chamling said: “Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills will take up certain issues jointly with the central government, such as tribal status for 11 Gorkha communities, overhead stations for the upcoming railway line and construction of towers for hydel projects.”

Days after raising the suspension of the reciprocal transport agreement by West Bengal, the Sikkim chief minister said consensus should be arrived at through secretary-level talks between the states. Similarly, the Sikkim government and GTA would discuss creation of a tourist circuit comprising Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills.

About the statehood demand, Tamang said it was a sensitive issue. “An intellectual movement for Gorkhaland is needed and violent agitation will yield no result,” he said.