On January 1, 2005, Subash Ghisingh, then undisputed leader of Darjeeling hills, had inaugurated the Happy New Year Bridge at Jamuni.
The bridge changed the course of Darjeeling’s politics.
However, 20 years later, Jamuni, some 12km from Darjeeling town, has not changed much despite an initial investment back then of more than ₹50 crore to promote the area.
Ghisingh, who cut a cake with a khukuri to inaugurate the bridge, had then announced from the bridge that it was time to “dump the DGHC in a garage.”
The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), an autonomous hill body, was set up in 1988 after a 28-month-long Gorkhaland agitation.
Ghisingh then pressurised the Centre and state to grant Sixth Schedule for Darjeeling hills and signed a tripartite agreement for the same on December 6, 2005.
However, with Bimal Gurung, his protégé deciding to go against the Sixth Schedule, Ghisingh had to resign from the DGHC. The DGHC was replaced by the GTA in 2012.
Once Gurung came into power, he started developing Jamuni. The place also fell under the Tukvar constituency that he represented in the GTA.
The GTA built a lodge with 22 rooms; four riverside cottages with 12 rooms were also constructed. A boating facility was set up along with a children's park and a statue of Lord Shiva was also installed.
The construction of a Mughal garden also started.
However, in all these years, Jamuni did not develop, said a GTA source. "The place is in utter neglect,” he added.
Part of the Jamuni tourist complex was also destroyed during the 2017 statehood agitation.
The GTA started boating facilities in 2020 and drew up plans to run the cottages and lease out the lodge. “However, the entire plan had to be shelved due to the Covid pandemic,” said the source.
“Some serious investment is needed to revive the area,” said a GTA source.
Nirmal Chhetri, a leader of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which helms the GTA, said they had approached the hill body to develop the area.
“We recently met GTA chief Anit Thapa and apprised him about Jamuni's state. We are hopeful this place will be revived,” said Chhetri.
Calls from this newspaper to Thapa went unanswered on Wednesday.
