Himalayan Times (1955)

June 12, 1955

Five

KALIMPONG MOTI

MEMORANDUM TO

Kalimpong,

The Motor Associa-
tion, Kalimpong has sub-
mitted the following Me-
morandum to Dr. B. C
Roy, Chief Minister West,
Bengal:

"The Motor Associa-
tion at Kalimpong beg to
lay the following facts for
favour of your kind consi-
deration and favourable
order.

With the dislocation
and washing away of the
link railway station at
Giellekhola after tho June,
1950 disaster Kalimpong
and its Sub-division and
the trade of Tibet has to
depend for their transport
on public carriers from
biliguri to Kalimpong but
notwithstanding the strain
on the Public carriers, the
ll.T.A. and the Govern-
ment have not been pleased
either to examine the
Transport difficulties or
to place adequate number
of vehicles on the Siliguri-
Kalimpong Route to cope
with the Public demand.
It is therefore now high
time that your Govern-
ment be pleased to exa-
mine the position and in
crease the number of Pub-
lic Carriers to meet the

)R ASSOCIATION

CHIEF MINISTER

June 8

demands. The very fact
that the district authori-
ties and the R.T.A. bad
to issue temporary per-
mits for Public Carriers
for transport of goods and
facilitating movement is
an ample proof of the
genuine need of increase
in the number of Publio
Carriers.

The Association finds
that there are several
temporary Public Carriers
which are plying on this
route since several year9
and they urge that they
ought now to be permit-
ted to run as permanent
Public Carriers and thus
be absorbed in the new
set up giving an increase
in the number ot pormn-
nent Public Carriers which
will have to bo increased
for the benefit of the
public and the consumers.
•The Association hopes that
this will receive the prom-
pt attention of the Trans-
port Ministry.

In the matter of
transport of goods to
Sikkim the Association
begs to state that the
Sikkim State having natio-
nalised their transport,
have been running their
Publio Carriers from Gang-

tok to Rangpo as well as
within the district of
Darjeeling beyond their
state but no Public Carri-
ers of this district are
allowed to ply beyond the
Rangpo frontier by the
Sikkim State. Thus there
ia no reciprocity and the
Darjeeling District Publio
Carriers on this route are
denied the privilege given
to the Sikkim State Carri-
ers. If the Sikkim authori-
ties are anxious to Natio-
nalise the transport with-
in their state then it would
have been fair and rea-
sonable that so far as
movement of goods be-
yond the state is concerned
it be left to the Darjee-
ling district Publio Carri-
ers plying on Siliguri
Rangpo route. If this is
done it is felt that the
Government will be giving
employment and subsis-
tence avenue to several
families who otherwise
have been facing unem-
ployment and have been
a cause of serious anxiety
to the State of West
Bengal in this part.

It is hoped that
all facilities will be given
to the persons connected
with the transport of goods
and passengers so that the
hill station may be able
to attract visitors and to
certain extent solve the
economic problems of this
district. And for which
shall ever pray."