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Independence, several labour laws drafted during the British era continued to govern the country, describing them as outdated and in need of reform.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday handed over compensation to the next of kin of 16 victims who lost their lives in the devastating landslides that struck the Darjeeling Hills following continuous rainfall on 4-5 October.
In his letter, the BJP MP claimed that he had highlighted the significant loss of lives, damage to critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges, and the destruction of agricultural fields, homesteads, and livelihoods.
The situation is dire, with two iron bridges collapsed, several roads damaged and flooded, and huge tracts of land inundated in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar.
In a first for the Hills, Darjeeling on Friday hosted its inaugural Women’s Plogging Championship — a blend of fitness, tradition, and civic pride — under the Mero Darjeeling initiative as part of Youth Festival 2025.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista on Thursday held a review meeting with senior officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), who are in the region to conduct a detailed survey of NH-10 and chalk out solutions to its recurring problems.
