Himalayan Times (1959)

March 8, 1159 ffUmala^m f*n

DARJEELING - THE TOWN OF IDLENSS

Mr. George Patterson Warned

(from Our Spteial Reprucntativt)
Darjeeling, March 4

Calcutta has been
termtd by Mr. Nehru as
the City of Processions.
Darjeeling may well receive
another oiokuame the
Town of Idleness It is
surprising to observe the
number of people here
wno while away their
valuable time just doing
nothing. This ta sad be-
cause the youth of Dar-
jeeling is one of the most
earnest, well-disoipliued
and well b.haved te be
found anywhere iu India.
What then lies iu tbt»
eore of this idleness? I
am again constrained to
quote Mr. Nehru. He has
recently said that there
is too much oritioism by
the people of India, but
very little effort is msde
by them to work hard
so that India may 'be-
come prosperous. While
admitting the truth behind
Mr Nehru's argument
one has in all fairness to
point out too thst much
of Government's planning
is not above oritioism.

Let us take the case
of Darjeeling. While Go-
vernment has poured
money-4" giving better
facilities to the people of

the area as regards health
faoilities, educational pros-
pects and village recons-
truction. Government has
failed to provide any al-
ternative emplcjnunt to
the thousands who now
require employment in
sphtres other than manual
labour and recruitment
to the police and armed
forces, the few govern-
mental olerical posts fal-
ling vacant are totally
inadequate to absorb the
growing number of lite-
rate unemployed*. Go*
vernment may well argue
that the number of unem-
ployed* is much more in
other areas of the State
than in Darjeeling This
may be so. Yet Darjeeling
with its tea industry had
always been able to pro-
vide employment in the
past This is not so now.
Thus discontent grows.
What then is the remedy ?
To my mind subsidiary
small -soale industries.
This requires two things-
adequate power and chea-
per transport. Here comes
the question of planning.
We have been told that
the district would soon
get adequate electricity.

Three

There was much talk
about the Balasone Pro-
ject This was scrapped
in favour of the Jaldacca
Hydro«-eleotrio Projeot.
These schemes are still
in the embryoio stage.
Yet our neighbouring
State, Sikkim is going
ahead with her hydro-
electric piojeot near Rang-
po. Soon she will be
able to harness the trubu-
lent rivers and -derive
electrio energy for the
benefit of her people. This
is all being done with
the help of the Indian
Government Why then
should our own govern-
ment remain indifferent
to our own needs ? Is
it really indifferent to-
wards its own. people ?
To my mind, this is not
BO. It is perhaps because
our case has not been
adequately represented be-
fore the Planning. Com-
mission. Even when some
schemes have been sanc-
tioned they have been
submerged in the intri-
cacies of red-tapism. For
instance the Darjeeling/
Bijnnbari Road envisaged
under the First Five-Year
Plan is still to be start-
ed Each'year we hear
of much money being
forfieted due to delay in
submitting adequate
schemes.

For this not only is
the district administrative
machinery to be blamed,

(Continued on page 5)