Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Wednesday
asked tourists not to visit Darjeeling saying the situation in
the hills was extremely bad in the wake of violent protests to
demand a separate Gorkhaland state.
"The situation there is extremely bad and I will not
suggest anyone to visit the hills right now," Tourism Minister
Manab Mukherjee said.
Tourists, including foreigners, have been evacuated
from violence-hit hills and brought to the plains, he said.
"According to information available with me, no
tourist is stranded in Darjeeling due to the violence which
has dealt a great blow to the state's tourism," Mukherjee told
reporters here.
He said the evacuation process of tourists started
from yesterday itself and it continued today too.
"This morning, 7-8 foreigners were brought to the
plains from Darjeeling. A 35-member tourist team, stranded
along Sikkim-West Bengal border at Mallibazar, is being
brought down to the plains," he said.
"No idea if any tourist is stranded in Sikkim," he
said in reply to a question.
Mukherjee said agitating GJM activists targeted the
tourist spots, going by the arson of forest bungalows. Four
such bungalows have been burnt down at Lava.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, February 09, 2011, 21:45