West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today thanked the people who are returning to work in the state government and Gorkhaland Territorial Administration offices braving the continuing indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills.
"Peace has returned in Darjeeling. It's good that more and more people are joining offices and places of work. Do your job well and live in peace together," an apparently happy Banerjee said while speaking to reporters here today.
She hoped that good sense would prevail on those pro- Gorkhaland supporters who are pelting stones on office and other establishments and that they would allow the people to live in peace.
On the vandalism and robbery at the 115-year-old heritage Roy Villa in Darjeeling, where Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda breathed her last in 1911, Banerjee said that the police and local administration would take strong steps against the culprits.
"No compromise with the anti-socials. Law will take its own course. I helped to renovate the house of Sister Nivedita. Now it has been vandalised and robbed," she said.
The building was in ruins until repairs started in 2012. It was under GTA till May 2013. Later, it was converted to Nivedita Educational and Cultural Center (NECC) and handed over to the state government. It is now being maintained by the Ramakrishna Mission.
There was no major untoward incident anywhere in the hills as the indefinite shutdown in support of a separate Gorkhaland state entered its 94th day today.
Police and security forces were seen patrolling the streets to avoid any untoward incident.
GJM chief Bimal Gurung had on Thursday asked partymen to intensify the bandh and had said the shutdown will continue till a tripartite meeting was convened by the Centre.
For the eighth day in a row, the police along with the administration appealed to the locals via public address systems to open shops and restore normalcy in the hills.
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