Bengal prays for HC direction to GJM to pay Rs 69 crore

The West Bengal government today told the Calcutta High Court that violence and enforcement of bandh in Darjeeling district by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha demanding a separate state has caused losses running into hundreds of crores.
Affirming a report before the high court on a direction by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi, the government prayed that the GJM be asked "to pay a compensation of Rs 69.163 crore to the state as well as the public and private people who suffered losses immediately by the GJM."
The court had earlier asked the GJM to state why they would not be asked to pay for damages to public and private property during their agitation.

The GJM-called bandh had started on July 29 and apart from relaxations on a few occasions, it has continued in the guise of movements like 'janta curfew' and 'ghar bhitre janta'.
The state claimed in its report that the tea industry in Darjeeling has already suffered a loss of over Rs 11 crore and is likely to suffer another Rs nine crore loss for the month of August only.
It was stated that "the Darjeeling tourism sector apprehends a loss of over Rs 150 crore worth business during the coming festive season."

It was also stated that a loss of Rs 46 lakh was incurred owing to the burning of Takdah Forest House and Pokhriabong police outpost allegedly by GJM supporters during the bandh.

The report said that 47 criminal cases have been registered till August 11 and 201 persons were arrested.
"All of them are supporters of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and even some leaders are also involved," it was stated.
Responding to a direction to file a compliance report on the court's order to ensure normal life in the Hill district in connection with a PIL against the bandh, the state government submitted that despite efforts to ensure normal life, the GJM has continued its bandh in the guise of movements like 'janta curfew' and 'ghar bhitri janta'.
The government stated that "the people in the hill sub-divisions of the district are being coerced and intimidated for not coming out of their houses so as to give an impression to the outside world that it is a popular movement".

Claiming that citizens of Darjeeling are absolutely deprived of their fundamental rights because of the illegal activities of GJM, the government submitted that "the order of the court is being violated by adopting subterfuges and agitation by other names."
The state government prayed for a direction on the GJM to refrain from any kind of "bandh" initiated by them or to regulate, participate, sponsor which is hitting normal life of the citizens of Darjeeling.