August 4, 2012
West Bengal Chief Minister attends GTA swearing-in ceremony, assures development in Hills
West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee attended the swearing-in ceremony of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). `I feel immensely delighted to be present on this historical day in Darjeeling, this is indeed the result of huge struggle and I am happy that peace has finally come in the Hills, said Chief Minister who congratulated the GJM leaders and people in Darjeeling.
`Now is the time to develop Darjeeling and work for the betterment of the people across the Hills and I am confidante that we will make it`, said Chief Minister. She said that the children have to travel all the way to Siliguri to study in universities, `I am aware of all the practical problems you face and to make things easy we have decided to build a university in Darjeeling. Also I want my brothers and sisters in the Hills to become self-independent and to make this happen we have decided to build three Industrial Training Institute (ITI) apart from two-polytechnics in Darjeeling`, added Chief Minister. She also reiterated her commitment to give modern and proper health services, `We will also build health centres and hospitals in the Hills`, added Ms. Banerjee.
Chief Minister paid tributes the ex-servicemen and martyrs who have fought the long-struggle, narrating the famous lines form the popular Hindi patriotic song `Jab ghayal hui Himalaya, khatre main pare aazadi�jo shahid hue hai unki yaad karo qurbani`, she said `I have immense respect for the Army and would request Bimalji to ensure that atleast one member each from the ex-serviceman�s family should get an employment, this is the minimum respect we can show towards them for their contributions to motherland. Also we will build a Sainik school in Darjeeling`, added Ms. Banerjee.
`I am happy over the developments. Our government was committed to bring back normalcy in the Hills. It was not easy but we achieved. I want to thank and congratulate all my officials, members of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha. I want to see development in both North Bengal and South Bengal alike`, said Chief Minister who is on a a three-day Darjeeling visit and reached Darjeeling on Friday evening. Chief Minister stopped her convoy at strategic locations to greet the locals who had line up on both sides of the road. She was seen clicking snaps of the picturesque locales on her i-pad. Later in the evening West Bengal Chief Minister had a meeting with the Union Home Minister Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde in the evening who had come to attend the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) swearing-in ceremony on the request of the Chief Minister. Both the leaders had discussions on various issues.
