Kalimpong, May 30: Democratic Revolutionary Youth Front (DRYF) — the youth wing of the CPRM — today submitted a memorandum to Dawa Narbula at a public meeting in Dambar Chowk. The demand for Gorkhaland topped the wish list.

For Narbula — a Congress candidate who was backed by both the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and the Gorkha National Liberation Front — this was the first public appearance here after winning the Lok Sabha election from Darjeeling. The public meeting had been arranged by the PDF to thank the people for supporting Narbula. A solution to the problem of the cinchona plantation in the hills, a CBI investigation of the Neora Water Supply scheme and the reopening of the Jelep-la were some of the other issues that were mentioned in the memorandum.

Thanking the GNLF and the PDF for supporting him in the election, Narbula said: “Many people of the hills could not cast their votes because their names were not in the voters’ list. This was all a plan of the CPM so the Congress could not win. Around 70,000 people could not cast their votes.”

Condemning the National Hydel Power Corporation, Narbula said: “The Government of India had sanctioned Rs 85 lakh as compensation for the Teesta low dam project. The 30 families that are being made to evacuate, however, will get only Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 each,” said Narbula. “Besides, the state government has demanded 12 per cent of the income generated by the hydel project, once it is completed. But since this place falls under the DGHC area, so 50 per cent of what the state government gets should be given to the council,” he added.

Talking about the memorandum submitted by the DRYF, Narbula said he would raise the issue of “misutilisation of funds” in the Neora Khola Project. “If the central government believes in creating a separate state of Telengana, then I have confidence that the Gorkhaland issue can be raised,” said Narbula.