The Hindu Business Line : Sikkim in a spot over indefinite bandh by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha

Gangtok, June 10 The indefinite bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) from Tuesday in the Darjeeling Hills has once again put Sikkim in a difficult situation.

Worried tourists thronged the motor stands in the capital since yesterday afternoon as news of the indefinite strike called by the GJM spread.

The fact that the GJM has not left the National Highway 31A linking Sikkim with the rest of the country out of the purview of the bandh, has made matters worse for the tourists.

"I arrived just two days ago and had hotel reservations till Wednesday. But I have been forced to cut short my visit and rush back,” said Mr Sudipta Dutta, a tourist from Kolkata, even as he searched frantically for vehicles leaving the capital for Siliguri around 5 p.m. yesterday.

Chaotic scene

The scene at the main motor stand at Deorali was chaotic. Harassed tourists were seen pleading with drivers to take them to Siliguri immediately.

“The situation is very bad. There are hardly enough vehicles to ferry the stranded tourists. We are doing the best we can,” a visibly troubled tour operator said.

Some tourists had also reached the SNT bus stand, hoping that the Government would press emergency an bus service to take tourists to Siliguri. But all they did was to wait in vain. The Sikkim Police tried to assist tourists in getting vehicles although the drivers were charging double the actual fare.

“We have been waiting for the State Government to at least arrange some transportation for us to leave Gangtok. But nothing has been done so far,” S. Srivastava, a tourist from New Delhi, said.

So far, there has been no official announcement or reaction from the Sikkim Government on the problem. In the past, in such situations, tourists have been provided with Army or Police escorts and transportation arranged by the State Government.

Feeling the pinch

The Sikkim tourism industry is already feeling the pinch. “The bandh has been called by a political outfit which has nothing to do with Sikkim. Every time a bandh is called in the Darjeeling Hills, we inevitably get dragged into the situation. This is the peak tourist season. The losses we have suffered, both in terms of business and goodwill, are enormous,” a Gangtok tour operator said.

The situation in Darjeeling is grim. “It is utter chaos here. We’ve already had 80 per cent cancellations and most of our guests have already checked out. This is not good for the tourism industry,” Mr Sandeep, a manager in a local hotel in Darjeeling, told Business Line.

“We have told the tourists to leave. Though we allowed vehicles to run on Monday, transport will not be allowed from Tuesday,” the GJM President, Mr Bimal Gurung, told presspersons in Darjeeling. Tourists who were not able to leave today could be assisted by the GJM to leave Darjeeling, he said.

The bandh has been called by the GJM to protest against the police lathicharge on its supporters on Sunday after a clash with supporters of two organisations Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetna, which Gurung alleges are backed by the CPI (M).

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