Siliguri, June 20: Normal work in all state and Central government offices were disrupted in three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling district for the second day today following a two-day strike called by GNLF-affiliated Hill Employees Association (HEA) to press for their 39 point charter of demands. Darjeeling district magistrate H Mohon told a news agency that even banks did not function and most of the post offices remained closed.

HEA demands include hike in dearness allowances at par with central government employees, implementation of revised pay scales (Ropa - 1998) for semi-government employees like North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC), Forest Development Corporation and others, payment of hill compensatory allowance and setting up an accountant general office's cell in Darjeeling for the benefit of pensioners in the hills. HEA president D T Lama told reporters that a HEA delegate wanted to meet the West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for a dialogue on the 'long pending demands.'

The Chief Minister's refusal to meet the delegation had forced HEA to resort to the strike, Lama said.

Bureau Report