With an eye on the upcoming election to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, Mamata Banerjee today criticised the GJM-led hill body's performance, saying she wants development and employment for the hill people.
The West Bengal chief minister said that the government had provided all help and cooperation to the GTA ever since it was formed in 2012.
"Our government formed GTA in 2012. The government has provided all help and cooperation to the GTA and local municipalities, but they could not renovate even the Mirik Lake," she said at an official programme where Mirik was declared a sub-division.
"GTA neither works on its own nor allows us to work," Banerjee said.
"Every project that has been started is incomplete," she said giving the example of Raidhap Water Project and the water purifying project at Mirik Lake.
"We all can see that the beautiful lake has turned into something else....We all can see that in many places the drains have been covered up by landslides. No one shows concern about this," she said.
Mirik was a block prior to today's elevation as a sub-division.
The GTA is presently under the control of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha which has been fighting for the demand of a separate state of Gorkhaland.
"We want development of the hills. We want employment for the youth of the hills. We do not believe in speeches. We believe in actions. We will do everything in our capacity for the development of Hills," Banerjee said.
Banerjee said her government had constructed 12,000 houses, 300 night schools in the hills and have given special thrust to tourism.
At the programme, where state Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee was also present, the chief minister said that her government would develop eco-tourism in the hills and set up home-stays.
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