Northern disturbance

Sir — The West Bengal government should not have allowed the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to hold a rally in Siliguri (“Morcha gets rally nod”, May 4). It is sure to cause trouble in Siliguri, which is exactly what the Morcha is after. In case something untoward happens during the rally and the situation goes out of control, then who will take the blame? If the police take action, Morcha supporters will promptly accuse them of being harsh, as they did during the fracas involving ex-army men a few days back (“Siliguri hit by rally riot”, April 10). I sometimes wonder what prompted the ex-army men, who have valued discipline all through their working lives, to be part of a crowd packed with unruly men who had the temerity to throw stones at the police. I guess they were misled by the Morcha leadership, which must have promised them that the rally would be an orderly exercise.

The Morcha feels that democratic values demand that the Gorkhas have a state of their own. But is the Morcha being democratic itself? It holds a bandh in the hills that continues for days, bans no less than the district magistrate from entering the hills, forces people (even tourists) to vote for a singer so that he wins a competition. The list goes on, only that readers may not have the patience to go through it all.

It is time that the government puts its foot down once and for all on the Gorkhaland claim. Giving in to this demand will only increase communal tension and destroy the tourism industry in the hills. The Morcha leaders are stoking the sentiments of the people for their own benefit. Once they get power, which is what they are after, they will do nothing for the welfare of the people. The hill-dwellers should realize this and stop backing all kinds of trouble-makers.

Yours faithfully,
Debasish Roy, Siliguri

Sir — After a long-drawn-out wrangling with the state government, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has received the permission to hold a rally in Siliguri. Only time will decide whether the government has acted wisely or not. Now that the Morcha supporters have wrested the permission for the rally, they might just start asking for more. They have been fomenting trouble in the hills for quite some time now, prompting Jyoti Basu to advice tourists to keep away from the hills this season. These disturbances raise the spectre of the Eighties when the Gorkhaland movement caused endless harassment to tourists and to the people of Siliguri. To prevent the recurrence of such nasty episodes, the government should deal with the Morcha with an iron hand.

Yours faithfully,
Soma Dutta, Siliguri

Sir — It is unfortunate that people in positions of power do not weigh their words before making statements that might affect the lives of hundreds of people (“Gurung warns of blackout”, April 30). Bimal Gurung’s plan to stop paying electricity bills to the government from May 1 and to stop work at the power plants that feed Siliguri will in effect cause a blackout in the plains. His threat speaks volumes about his attitude towards the people of Siliguri. He is clearly trying the play the people of the hills against those in the plains. This is a dangerous game to play. What if the people of Siliguri decide to block the passage to the hills? Or if they bar the hill people from entering schools, colleges, hospitals and business organizations located in the plains? Gurung’s repeated demand to hold rallies in Siliguri indicates that he will not rest content with the support of the hill people, but must get the residents of Siliguri on his side as well. But with his secessionist politics, he will not be able to curry favour with the plain dwellers. Gurung’s politicking will only set the whole of North Bengal ablaze, causing untold misery to the people of both the hills and the plains.

Yours faithfully,
Rahul Das, Siliguri

Death in the air

Sir — The City of Joy has turned into a dangerous city, thanks to the rising levels of air pollution. The responsibility for this lies entirely with the people, who have never cared about keeping the city air clean. It is ironic that while on the one hand there are efforts to transform Calcutta into a ‘megacity’ by building swanky malls and hypermarkets, nobody, including the state pollution control board, spares a thought for the air getting more and more poisonous (“Doomed city”, May 1). Development means nothing if the citizens die of lung and heart diseases.

One of the chief reasons why pollution continues to rise is the high density of population in Calcutta. But there is no use blaming outsiders for the condition of the city. Bengalis themselves are notorious for their laziness. They allow garbage to pile up on the roads. Industrial wastes are not cleared. The sewerage system of the city is in a pitiable state. Years of unchallenged Left rule have made the ruling class indifferent to the welfare of the state capital. We have indeed doomed ourselves by being feckless about our own city.

Yours faithfully,
Pranab Hazra, Asansol

Sir — It is sad that in spite of The Telegraph’s relentless campaign to reduce vehicular pollution in Calcutta, the state government remains as indifferent as ever. Such indifference is only possible when the ruling government knows that it cannot ever be ousted from power. Direct intervention of the Centre may be the last resort. The prime minister should personally request Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to ensure that the concerned ministers work seriously to give the people a breath of clean air.

Yours faithfully,
Anagh Pal, Calcutta