Darjeeling highway blocked by landslides

August 16th, 2009 SILIGURI - At least five people were killed in West Bengal's Siliguri district in a massive landslide, which was triggered by incessant overnight rains, officials said on Sunday. "Last night, it rained heavily in Kerseong sub-division and due to this there were heavy landslides and five people have even lost their lives," said Dibendu Das, Sub-Divisional Officer of Kurseong.

July 26th, 2009 SUKNA - Tribals blocked a highway here on Saturday to protest against the frequent strikes called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an organisation demanding a separate state called Gorkhaland. Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP - a tribal group), imposed a daylong road blockade as soon as the GJM suspended the road blockade in their strongholds uphill for 12 hours in their ongoing agitation for Gorkhaland.

July 23rd, 2009 SILIGURI - The disruption of popular toy train services in Darjeeling disappointed the tourists as the rail track was damaged by the landslides in the region. The tourists looking forward for a joy ride along Darjeeling Himalayan Railways had to change their plans.

July 13th, 2009 Indefinite shutdown affects normal life in Darjeeling SILIGURI - Normal life was affected in the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling as an indefinite shutdown, called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) in support of a separate state of Gorkhaland, began at noon Monday. Shops and offices remained closed, tourists vehicles stayed off the roads, and hundreds of tourists and students continued to move down to the plains from Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions.

July 9th, 2009 DARJEELING - The massive construction of buildings, a majority of them illegal, has led to degradation of soil texture in the Darjeeling Hills area of West Bengal and making the place vulnerable to landslides. A series of landslides hit Darjeeling and its surrounding areas in May, triggered by overnight torrents.

June 18th, 2009 SILLIGURI - Landslide following heavy rains snapped road links to the hills of West Bengal and Sikkim on Wednesday. Landslides occurred in Siliguri district when stretches along the National Highway-31A between Doars and Kalimpong regions caved in under torrential rain.

June 8th, 2009 PANKHABARI - Families, devastated by landslide triggered by cyclone Aila in Darjeeling hills, have called for immediate relief and rehabilitation. About 100 families of the Pankhabari region in one of the worst affected areas have been staying in relief camp.

May 28th, 2009 SILIGURI - Landslides in West Bengal have disrupted the movement of the world famous toy train, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The famous Darjeeling toy train runs between Siliguri and Darjeeling.

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh Saturday won the parliamentary election from Darjeeling in West Bengal.

April 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury Saturday asked the Election Commission to ensure the presence of central paramilitary forces in the Darjeeling hills after polling day to ensure the safety of voters in the area. Yechury, who is just back from Darjeeling after addressing election rallies, said in his complaint: 'The separatist Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) is in public threatening the people not to vote for the CPI-M candidate.

April 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Congress party Saturday demanded a special force in West Bengal's hill district of Darjeeling, alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party supporters were threatening its activists ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. 'We want special forces to be deployed in Darjeeling which will maintain law and order,' state Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said at a press conference here.

April 2nd, 2009 SILIGURI - The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), fighting for a separate Gorkhaland state in northern West Bengal, has decided to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Darjeeling seat and Jaswant Singh is likely to be the BJP candidate, according to a top GJM leader. The decision was arrived at following a meeting between the GJM top brass, including its president Bimal Gurung and secretary Roshan Seth and BJP's senior leader L.K.

March 12th, 2009 KOLKOTA - The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), on Wednesday, said that it was not contesting from West Bengal's Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat and was holding talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party to support its party candidates there. GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri said, "We have decided not to field candidate for the Lok Sabha seat in Darjeeling, but will support a party which will take up the cause of Gorkhaland which is a 100-year-old demand and related to our identity," Giri said.

February 5th, 2009 JAMMU - Jammu and Kashmir's twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar were cut off Friday after a portion of a highway caved in following heavy rains in the area, police said. Over 200 metres of the highway connecting the twin districts to other parts of the state caved in near Assar, about 150 km northeast of here.

January 8th, 2009 SILIGURI - Tension erupted in West Bengal's Darjeeling district Friday as hundreds of activists of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) youth wing staged five-hour blockade on the National Highway (NH)-31, the only road access to north-east states. According to police sources, the activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) demanded the arrest of a Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leader following a scuffle between the activists of the two parties.