Leaders of several regional political parties and organisations of the Darjeeling hills met at an all-party meeting in Darjeeling on Saturday and renewed their demand for a permanent political solution to the long-pending Gorkhaland issue.
In the meeting, a detailed assessment of ongoing projects was carried out with particular focus on the reconstruction of the Dudhey Bridge, which was destroyed in the devastating landslide in October 2025.
The announcements span almost every district, from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to Cooch Behar, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda, reflecting a strategy aimed at balanced regional development.
A comprehensive review meeting involving the district administrations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was held at the GTA headquarters in Darjeeling on Wednesday to assess key developmental issues and chart out priorities for the hill region.
Speaking in Parliament on The Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026 on Thursday, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said that decades after Independence, several labour laws drafted during the British era continued to govern the country, describing them as outdated and in need of reform.
Mr Bista sought clarifications from the district magistrates of Darjeeling and Kalimpong following complaints from panchayat members.
The task of managing silt build-up in the rivers of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts has become increasingly difficult for engineers working in the irrigation and waterways department.
District magistrate of Kalimpong Balasubramanian T, has implemented limitations on the transportation of large vehicles such as cargo trucks and buses between Melli and 29th Mile using National Highway 10.
Meanwhile, the Election commission made an elaborate arrangement for the smooth conduct of counting of votes for the 42 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in the staggered seven phase elections that came to an end on Saturday.
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