West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled for a two-day visit to Darjeeling next week, starting on Monday night. During her stay, she is expected to focus on several administrative priorities rather than political agendas. On Tuesday, she will attend an administrative meeting with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) at 3:30 PM. The meeting, expected to cover developmental projects, also stirs curiosity about potential discussions regarding technological developments in the hills.
In addition to the GTA meeting, on Wednesday, Banerjee will inaugurate the Saras Mela at Darjeeling’s Chowrasta at 3 PM. Organized by the state Panchayat department, this is the first time the popular event, typically held in Kolkata and Siliguri, will be hosted in Darjeeling, aiming to bring artisans and their crafts to the hill residents.
Following her Darjeeling stay, the Chief Minister will travel to Siliguri on Thursday and then return to Kolkata for a program on Friday. This event will commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, a revered tribal leader, which the state government has planned to celebrate throughout the districts from November 15 to November 21.
In line with ongoing development efforts, two new IT hubs are also under construction in the Darjeeling region, one in Kurseong, where a multi-story car parking facility is being converted, and another in Gorubathan, Kalimpong. The discussions in Banerjee’s meeting with the GTA may also include these new IT infrastructure projects.
Simultaneously, Darjeeling awaits municipal elections in three areas, for which public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Calcutta High Court. There’s speculation about whether Banerjee will address these local electoral matters during her visit, as the court has urged the state to expedite the election process.
The GTA is currently led by Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, which enjoys favorable relations with the state government. In previous years, Banerjee announced her plans to enhance the hills as a technological and business hub, and the IT projects are part of these ambitions, already in progress under her administration.