Siliguri, April 22: The DYFI and SFI, the youth and student wings of the CPM, have decided to launch an intensive campaign on job opportunities available in Siliguri and the hills to make people aware that a volatile political situation would affect growth.

The idea is to send a message to the youths in the Darjeeling hills, said Shankar Ghosh, the district secretary of the DYFI. “If the total workforce engaged in emerging sectors like IT, tourism, retail and hospitality industries of the region are considered, more than 70 per cent of the employees are from the hills. Any political tension that persists over months is bound to affect this overall development process, which includes the creation of job opportunities.”

The CPM units were hinting at the political turmoil that has hit the hills in the past few months over the revival of the Gorkhaland demand. The plains, especially Siliguri and the Dooars, too, have not been spared. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, spearheading the new agitation, wants both these areas to be made part of the new state that it is demanding.

Sudip Roychoudhury, the district president of the SFI, said youths in the hills are participating in political programmes which affect the law and order situation. “If this continues, north Bengal, especially the Darjeeling district, would loose its lustre as a unique destination for private companies to set shop.”

The SFI claimed that at least 500 youths are engaged in BPOs and KPOs, while nearly 5,000 serve at shopping malls, hotels and the tourism industry. Several thousands are engaged in other private sectors like banking, insurance, education and transport.

To initiate the campaign, the SFI and DYFI have planned to organise a rally in Siliguri tomorrow, followed by meetings.