Kalimpong-based Gorkha Gaurav Sansthan has demanded that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) give priority to local unemployed youths while leasing out its tourism properties like lodges and cafes.
The social organisation formed in 2022 has successfully set up Gorkha Haats (markets by and for local people) from Kalimpong to Siliguri and launched the Save Teesta movement.
Citing a report in The Telegraph, members of the organisation on Saturday wrote to GTA chief executive Anit Thapa, GTA Sabha member in charge of tourism Norden Lama and GTA Sabha members Ajoy Edwards (Hamro Party), Binay Tamang (Independent), Palden Tamang (Independent) and Suman Gurung (Trinamool Congress) on Saturday.
“It is through a news report in The Telegraph (dated July 1) that we have come to know that the GTA is looking to lease out tourism properties across the Darjeeling hills,” Narendra Tamang, the coordinator of the organisation, told a news conference.
“We are worried that outsiders will take the properties on lease. Unemployment is growing in the hills and we request the GTA to lease out the properties to local people even if it means forming cooperatives of self-help groups,” Narendra said while warning that the organisation would hit the streets if their demands were not met.
“The news report also states that properties in Sandakphu and Siliguri have already been leased out. We will be filing RTI applications to determine if proper processes were adopted and whether tender information was properly circulated,” said Narendra.
Norden Sherpa, the GTA Sabha member in charge of tourism, had earlier told this newspaper that in an attempt to test the waters, the GTA had leased out nine cottages along the Maneybhanjyang-Sandakphu trekking route.
The GTA said the hill body’s engineers estimated a cost of ₹6.8 crore to repair the nine cottages. “These cottages were earning only about ₹6-7 lakh per annum,” said Sherpa.
The GTA had leased out the nine properties for ₹38.5 lakh per annum. “It is for a period of 30 years and the lease amount will increase
by 15 per cent every five years,” said Sherpa.
A 21-room property at Darjeeling More had been leased out for ₹50 lakh per annum, Sherpa had said. Many businessmen said given the size of the complex, the “21-room description” was misleading.
Sherpa had said the GTA was looking to lease out other tourism properties and the hill body had started surveying its properties to work out the details.
“A committee consisting of executive directors, engineers, and finance people is surveying the properties and coming up with base prices for the lease and a proper tendering process is being undertaken. In some cases, we might have to go below the base price,” said Sherpa.
The GTA has 26 tourism properties, including the nine cottages which were already rented out to private parties to operate.
Some of the properties are well-known and located in prime locations. They are Swiss Cottage at Mirik, Delo Tourist Lodge at Kalimpong and Silver Fir at Chowrasta in Darjeeling.
“We have not yet decided on the properties which will be leased out immediately. We are looking at the revenue they are generating and if it is satisfactory, we might not lease them out,” said Sherpa.
Many people in the hotel business had told this newspaper that a 30-year lease period was a bit longer. Questions have also been raised on whether the GTA is favouring politically connected people in granting the lease.
