Darjeeling, May 2: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has stepped up efforts to woo visitors to the hills following Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya’s “request” to tourists to give Darjeeling a miss during this holiday season.

“We are taking full responsibility of all the tourists who come here. We do not have any intention of calling strikes and are working together with the hotel industry, tour operators and transporters. So there is no need to panic,” Morcha president Bimal Gurung said.

Morcha leaders reiterated that even if a strike became a political necessity, steps would be taken to ensure that tourists were not harassed.

Palden Lama, a central committee member of the Morcha, said top leaders of the party would be nominated in the three subdivisional towns of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong to look after tourists. “These nominated leaders will issue slips to tourists that would allow them to move around in their vehicles without any problems.”

Pradeep Lama, the secretary of the Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents, said: “We are also looking at the possibility of opening helplines for tourists.”

On Thursday, the urban development minister had said in Calcutta: “I earnestly request tourists not to go to Darjeeling this summer. The situation in the hills is complicated. Police are every now and then having to rescue tourists stuck in the hills because of the (Gorkha Janmukti) Morcha’s demonstrations...”

The Morcha, which has been demanding a new state, had shut down all government offices in the hills from April 14-28. Although tourist facilities were exempted, the toy train rarely ran.

Tenzing Khambachey, a municipal commissioner in Darjeeling, said a fitting way to respond to Bhattacharya’s comments would be to make the town cleaner and greener. “We have already asked hotels and shops to be careful with garbage disposal,” he said.

Dinesh Gurung, the vice-chairman of the municipality, said most lease-holders of hotels in Darjeeling were people from Calcutta or Siliguri. “We have no problems with this (people from the plains owning the hotels) and have asked travel agents to keep their commission at a minimum,” Gurung said.

Shyamal Paul of Calcutta who has leased a hotel here, said hotel-owners were ready to go to the chief minister to complain about Bhattacharya’s remarks. “Even in Kashmir where there is militancy, ministers have not come up with such statements,” said G. Sundas, the president of the hotel-owners’ association.