Nirmalya Banerjee | Jun 11, 2011, 01.36am IST
KOLKATA: Bhutan is watching with some concern the negotiations with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on additional territories in the Dooars for inclusion in the proposed hill council. For, the hill council may now extend to the gateways to Bhutan.
By the usual definition the Dooars comprises the foothills of the Himalayas, extending from Teesta river in the west to Sankosh river in the east, in-cluded in the Jalpaiguri district. The areas demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Dooars are understood to be spread over Kalchini, Madarihat-Birpara, Dhupguri-Banarhat, Nagrakata, Meteli and Mal blocks.
In this area, only the Mal and the Meteli blocks have Darjeeling district on the north. From Jiti river in Nagrakata block eastwards, the northern bor-der of this belt merges with the hills of Bhutan. By contrast, the Terai area extending from Mechi river in the west to Teesta in the east, which is also demanded by GJM, is contiguous to the hills of Darjeeling.
Dooars came to be known as such because the British had found 18 "doors" or entry points to Bhutan, from Nagrakata in the west to Udalguri in Assam in the east, along valleys of rivers flowing down from Bhutan, say Bhutan government sources. If the area becomes part of Gorkha hill council, the Bhutan government would have to deal with the council on many daily issues instead of the West Bengal government like at present.
Besides, the Nepali population in the belt is likely to increase. This would increase the possibility of illegal immigration into Bhutan, the border be-ing porous. Influence of Nepal Maoists in the Indo-Bhutan border area could also increase. Taking advantage of the population composition of the area, Maoists from Nepal could extend their presence to south Bhutan between 2000 and 2005.
According to the sources, people from Nepal started arriving in Bhutan in 1950 in search of employment. They were engaged in felling trees and sawing timber. The Border Roads Organization, too, brought in labourers from Nepal to work in road projects in Bhutan. Many of them settled down in Bhutan.
At one point, people of Nepalese origin comprised about 25 per cent of the population of Bhutan, the sources say, but in 1989-90, following a "struggle for establishment of democracy and human rights in Bhutan," many of them had to leave. After 1990, the share of Nepalese-origin peo-ple in the total of Bhutan has come down to 15 per cent. Many people who had to leave Bhutan settled down in the adjoining Dooars area of Jalpaig-uri district, adding to the Nepali population in these areas.
This has led to anomalies like Kalchini block having a Nepali concentra-tion though geographically it is quite far from the Darjeeling hills. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate Wilson Chapramari won in the Kalchini assembly seat.
Jaigaon, which is the main entry point to Thimpu via Phuentsholling, has a large Nepali concentration. In the other three assembly constituencies adjoining Bhutan border, however, Nagrakata, Madarihat and Kumargram, candi-dates of RSP and Congress won.
Bhutan has a large border with Assam also, from Sankosh river in the west to Udalguri in the east. This belt is Bodo-dominated and now is a part of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District.
"Between the Bodos and the eth-nic Bhutanese there is no tension as both the communities are original settlers in their land," says a Bhutanese source.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/GJMs-territory-demand-worries-Bhutan/articleshow/8807818.cms
KOLKATA: Bhutan is watching with some concern the negotiations with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on additional territories in the Dooars for inclusion in the proposed hill council. For, the hill council may now extend to the gateways to Bhutan.
By the usual definition the Dooars comprises the foothills of the Himalayas, extending from Teesta river in the west to Sankosh river in the east, in-cluded in the Jalpaiguri district. The areas demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Dooars are understood to be spread over Kalchini, Madarihat-Birpara, Dhupguri-Banarhat, Nagrakata, Meteli and Mal blocks.
In this area, only the Mal and the Meteli blocks have Darjeeling district on the north. From Jiti river in Nagrakata block eastwards, the northern bor-der of this belt merges with the hills of Bhutan. By contrast, the Terai area extending from Mechi river in the west to Teesta in the east, which is also demanded by GJM, is contiguous to the hills of Darjeeling.
Dooars came to be known as such because the British had found 18 "doors" or entry points to Bhutan, from Nagrakata in the west to Udalguri in Assam in the east, along valleys of rivers flowing down from Bhutan, say Bhutan government sources. If the area becomes part of Gorkha hill council, the Bhutan government would have to deal with the council on many daily issues instead of the West Bengal government like at present.
Besides, the Nepali population in the belt is likely to increase. This would increase the possibility of illegal immigration into Bhutan, the border be-ing porous. Influence of Nepal Maoists in the Indo-Bhutan border area could also increase. Taking advantage of the population composition of the area, Maoists from Nepal could extend their presence to south Bhutan between 2000 and 2005.
According to the sources, people from Nepal started arriving in Bhutan in 1950 in search of employment. They were engaged in felling trees and sawing timber. The Border Roads Organization, too, brought in labourers from Nepal to work in road projects in Bhutan. Many of them settled down in Bhutan.
At one point, people of Nepalese origin comprised about 25 per cent of the population of Bhutan, the sources say, but in 1989-90, following a "struggle for establishment of democracy and human rights in Bhutan," many of them had to leave. After 1990, the share of Nepalese-origin peo-ple in the total of Bhutan has come down to 15 per cent. Many people who had to leave Bhutan settled down in the adjoining Dooars area of Jalpaig-uri district, adding to the Nepali population in these areas.
This has led to anomalies like Kalchini block having a Nepali concentra-tion though geographically it is quite far from the Darjeeling hills. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate Wilson Chapramari won in the Kalchini assembly seat.
Jaigaon, which is the main entry point to Thimpu via Phuentsholling, has a large Nepali concentration. In the other three assembly constituencies adjoining Bhutan border, however, Nagrakata, Madarihat and Kumargram, candi-dates of RSP and Congress won.
Bhutan has a large border with Assam also, from Sankosh river in the west to Udalguri in the east. This belt is Bodo-dominated and now is a part of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District.
"Between the Bodos and the eth-nic Bhutanese there is no tension as both the communities are original settlers in their land," says a Bhutanese source.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/GJMs-territory-demand-worries-Bhutan/articleshow/8807818.cms