DARJEELING:
People's Democratic Front, an alliance of five Opposition
parties, will launch an agitation demanding a solution of
the perpetual water problem in the Hills.
The PDF's central committee will meetlater
to chalk out their future course of action. PDF president
Madan Tamang said all political parties, including Gorkha
National Liberation Front and CPM, will be invited to the
meet.
"Water is a common problem in the Hills
so, we should all put our heads together to find a solution,"
he said. A committee should be formed with representatives
from all political parties to look into the problem. He said
till now only temporary work has been done and with the onset
of summer the problem will worsen. "We don't want to
use water problem as an election stunt. We'll stop the agitation
if CPM and GNLF finds a solution to the problem. The ball
is in their court." About GNLF chief Subash Ghising's
recent comment to the media that the water problem is a minor
one, Tamang said: "Ghising is the stumbling block."
The Balasan water project report, prepared
in 1995, is gathering dust. PDF spokesperson and former chairman
of Darjeeling municipality D.K. Pradhan blamed the state government
and DGHC for not taking any initiative to complete the Balasan
water project. Pradhan said since Independence no political
party, including Gorkha League, has ever done anything to
solve the water problem.
The state government has, however, sanctioned
Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh for the Darjeeling and Kurseong
municipalities to ease peoples' problems.
Water tankers are being used to distribute
water.
Courtesy
The Telegraph |
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