Mamata lay foundation for 30 crore hill campus of Presidency University in Kurseong

12:24 PM

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Presidency University Kurseong

Mamata Banerjee today lay the foundation for the hill campus of Presidency University, which was not attended by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha but saw the presence of various hill development boards the chief minister had formed.

Yesterday, Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma had said he was not invited to the event. Morcha chief Bimal Gurung had also made it clear that he would not meet the chief minister.

The Morcha does not want a hill campus of the Presidency University to be set up as it thinks that the Centre would then not make the central university, as laid down in the GTA memorandum of understanding.

Gurung is also peeved with Mamata repeatedly setting up development boards for various hill communities. Gurung has several times said the state government was trying to divide and rule in the hills.

Mamata today did not mention Gurung or his tirade against the government in the past few weeks.

Mamata Banerjee lay foundation for 30 crore hill campus of Presidency University at Kurseong

She said: "This is a function of the students, but I would like to say that I have not come here to do politics. "

She said she had got a "lot of love from the hill people. The are very sweet, kind. We have this heart-to-heart relation and it is to strengthen this bond, I am doing all this to develop the hills."

She said she had no problem if the Centre set up a university in the hills. "I have also written for a central university. I will be most happy if it is established. We will continue to try for it but it is in the hands of the Centre. However, why not set up other higher education centres till then."

Mamata today said : "We will make a world-class educational centre in Kurseong. We will also set up a medical college here. Both Victoria Boys School and Dow Hill School will be upgraded till Class XII. I have already sanctioned Rs 2 crore for these institutions."

Anuradha Lohia, the vice-chancellor of Presidency University, was present at the event.

"We plan to set up a telescope here and have an observatory for astrophysics. Lot of work on geology, natural resources, Himalayan diversity and social anthropology will be done and taught here," Lohia said.

Mamata has announced a sum of Rs 30 crore for the education hub.

Source: Telegraph

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The First Nail in Central University Coffin?

6:11 PM

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Presidency University Kurseong

Writes: Upendra for The Darjeeling Chronicle

As Mamata lays the foundation stone for the extension of Presidency University campus offering a handful of courses, we are worried that this may actually be the 1st nail in the coffin of Darjeeling Central University.

Hitler had once said, “The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”

What is happening in Darjeeling in these past few years is exactly that, gradually through the formation of Development Boards, appointment of Para teachers, non-transfer for departments actually signed out in the GTA Agreement, Bengal is taking away our autonomy, and the hill people need to speak out against these incursions.

GTA agreement Section 5 clearly mentions that all Government
Schools have been transferred to GTA

The same set of "intellectuals" who say GTA is a stumbling block to the formation of Gorkhaland state, do not see any issues with this sly act of subverting our demand for a Central University. It is sad to see that the "intellectuals" have two set of rules, a double standard of sorts, while they decry GTA as being stumbling block (perhaps rightfully so), they are applauding this move by Bengal, which has every chance of diluting the demand for a Central University in our hills.

As such,
GTA agreement Section 5 clearly mentions that all Government Schools have been transferred to GTA, so how is the state government usurping school lands?

How long will we allow Bengal to dictate terms to us?

Source The Darjeeling Chronicle

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Gurung calls for unity for Gorkhaland on Mamata's visit for Presidency University campus

12:17 PM

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Presidency University Kurseong

Writes Vivek Chhetri

Darjeeling, Sept. 13: Bimal Gurung today told residents of the Darjeeling hills to "derail the state's divide-and-rule policy and come forward for Gorkhaland", a day before Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to lay the foundation for a Presidency University campus he had opposed.

The exhortation by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief came hours after the state administration's move to keep Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma out of the list of invitees to the event.

The Morcha does not want a Presidency University campus in the hills as it thinks the Centre would not sanction the making of a central university, as mentioned in the GTA memorandum of understanding.

The invitation card for the foundation laying of the education hub and the Presidency
University’s campus; Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma (right). Picture by Suman Tamang

Gunrung's Facebook post in Nepali says the Morcha was formed for the creation of Gorkhaland and the party was "still committed to the cause".

He said: "We had supported the NDA, which is in favour of Gorkhaland in 2009 and elected Jaswant Singh, too. However, the issue could not be strongly raised then. We have also elected S.S. Ahluwalia now. The year 2016-2017 is decisive for Gorkhaland."

He wrote that the state government was "conspiring and indulging in a divide-and-rule policy. If we are not united now, the state government will be successful in its agenda. The interference in the GTA is testimony to the fact that the state is against the self-determination of our people...."

He said that at "this decisive moment for Gorkhaland, I appeal to all to derail the state's divide-and-rule policy and come forward for Gorkhaland".

The Morcha chief has in the last few days spoken out repeatedly against the state government's alleged high-handedness.

Gurung has also been against the chief minister's move to set up separate development boards for every hill community - the last one was for the Bhutias - which the Morcha chief thinks would divide the hill people.

Gurung was also annoyed that the chief minister directed district officials to crack down on illegal highrises in Darjeeling.

On Friday, the Morcha said its three MLAs would resign from the Assembly on September 23 to protest the interference of the state government in the GTA's matters.

Tomorrow, Mamata is scheduled to lay the foundation for the Dow Hill Education Hub and The Himalayan Centre of Presidency University in Kurseong at 4pm.

It is a common practice to invite the local MLA, irrespective of his/her affiliation, to government events.

But the invitation card has the names of only ministers Partha Chatterjee and Gautam Deb, apart from the chief minister.

Asked if he would attend the programme, Sharma said: "I received the invitation card but my name is not there.... Do they expect me to attend the event as a spectator? This is the high-handedness of the state government."

An official in Darjeeling who is involved with arrangements for Mamata's visit said: "The card was finalised by the higher education department in Calcutta."

Told about the MLA's grievance, Vivek Kumar, the principal secretary in the higher education department, refused comment.

Even though administrative sources said the card's content had been finalised before the Morcha's MLA resignation threat on Friday, Gurung had sent enough signals throughout last week that he was displeased with the state government.

Source: Telegraph

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Gurung requests CM to reconsider Presidency plan

9:49 AM

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Presidency University Kurseong

Vivek Chhetri

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung today took to Facebook to request Mamata Banerjee to reconsider her plans of setting up a campus of Presidency University in Kurseong, mildly prodding the government instead of resorting to belligerent protests like in the past.

Bimal Gurung and Mamata Banerjee together during CMs recent hill visit in Darjeeling Chowrasta.

"At this juncture, appreciating the motive of the Hon'ble CM, the people of the Hills would appeal to her to reconsider the decision as it may have an adverse impact and the Centre may back out on the decision on the establishment of the Central University," Gurung wrote.

As part of her plans to woo the people of the Darjeeling hills, the chief minister has planned to set up a Presidency campus on the premises of Dow Hill School in Kurseong and also announced a package of Rs 30 crore for the project. During her address at a programme in Chowrasta, Darjeeling's most famous promenade, on August 25, Mamata had iterated her plans in Gurung's presence.


Some Morcha sources linked Gurung's opposition to the university campus to a feeling among academics that it might come in the way of the planned central university in the hills. Others in the party said Gurung wanted to thwart Mamata's attempts to earn brownie points at a time Trinamul is trying to make its presence felt in the hills.

"By forming development boards for several hill communities, Mamata has already got a toehold in the hills. The impact of a university campus by the state government must have been playing on Gurung's mind," a political observer said.

Gurung's Facebook post stood out for its praise of the state government.

"The Hon'ble CM's announcement of a Campus of Presidency University at Kurseong is a positive sign of the vision of the government to make Kurseong an education hub," the post said.

Gurung lambasted the erstwhile Left government, which sources said was an attempt to do a balancing act.

"For the past 60 plus years the people of the Hills have suffered deprivation in the sphere of Higher Education. The University promised for the Hills was compromised by the establishment of the North Bengal University by the Government that preceded the present Government," he wrote.

North Bengal University was set up in Siliguri in 1962. At that time too, hill parties had demanded that a university be set up in Darjeeling by upgrading Darjeeling Government College, which came into being in 1948.

Gurung said a higher education centre was a long-standing demand of the people of Darjeeling and added that the central university, as mentioned in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) agreement, was in its final stage as a detailed project report had been submitted to the Union human resource development ministry in July.

Morcha sources said the theme of the Facebook post was that the party president did not want to antagonise the chief minister.

"Another campus of an university would not have squandered the chance of a central university as it was promised in the GTA agreement," a state government official said.

Via Telegraph

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