CEO Statement – 28th September 2017

We are pleased to announce our school has now re-opened following the political unrest in Kalimpong. The school has been closed since the 12th June 2017 after a strike was called by the state administration. More details of this political situation are provided below.

The school is up and running again and the children are now back to the classes funded by Room To Learn.

Ann Mills (CEO) and her husband Brian Mills will be visiting the school on the 3rd of October to understand fully the impact this has had on the school, children, teachers and families.

Kalimpong

In view of normalcy returning to Darjeeling hills, the state administration on Monday decided to lift the re-strictions on the use of internet services in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, which was imposed on 18 June.

As the indefinite shutdown in the hills by the GJM for a separate state of Gorkhaland on Monday entered its 103rd day, shops, business establishment, schools were open defying the shutdown call.

Normalcy in hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong has been restored with the active participation of the residents of the two districts. Shops, business establishments and tea gardens have opened in both dis-tricts, ADGP (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said in a statement.

The newly formed GTA has started functioning effectively. The residents of the two districts are now getting actively involved in the religious festivities centring around Durga Puja leading to normalcy in the region, he said.

“Keeping in mind these facts the state administration has decided to lift the restrictions on the use of inter-net in the two hill districts,” the ADGP said.

Background – Why did the Kalimpong strike occur (12th June 2017)

After the GJM’s central committee meeting chaired by Gurung on Saturday, the party leaders threw a virtual challenge to the Mamata Banerjee-led state government and pressed for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The strike

Giri said all central and state government offices — including block development offices, sub-divisional of-fices and district magistrate offices, banks, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (the hill development body) offices will be closed from Monday.

However, schools and colleges, transport and tourism hotels, eateries and shops will be outside the pur-view of the shutdown.

Giri said the state government’s revenue sources like electricity, mines and boulders will also come under the purview of the GJM’s shutdown.

Tourism affected

Many tourists, who were stuck in the picturesque tourist town, reached Kolkata on Sunday heaving a sigh of relief after tense few days in the hills. The West Bengal government has arranged buses to ferry the tour-ists free of cost from Sealdah station of Kolkata to their homes.

“We are relieved to be back home. It was a disappointing trip in the hills as we had a harrowing time. The experience was bitter and we lived in fear and could not visit any tourist spot,” a tourist said.