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Independence, several labour laws drafted during the British era continued to govern the country, describing them as outdated and in need of reform.
Following an order from the West Bengal government on 2 November, 2023, the district administration has begun surveying tea garden lands in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has strongly opposed chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to allow 30 per cent of tea garden land to be diverted for non-tea purposes, calling it a “dangerous and dictatorial” policy that could displace indigenous communities.
The scenic town of Darjeeling is all set to host the much-anticipated second edition of the 'Darjeeling Melo Tea Fest' 2024, a vibrant celebration of tea, music, and culture.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista raised the issue of re-inclusion of 11 excluded Gorkha sub-tribes—Gurung, Bhujel, Mangar, Newar, Jogi, Khas, Rai, Sunwar, Thami, Yakkha, and Dhimal—as Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Parliament, emphasising the urgency of the matter.
Union minister of commerce and industry emphasised the importance of producing quality tea and adhering to strict compliance standards for maximum residue limits (MRLs). He directed the food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) and state governments to enforce stringent monitoring measures.
