SILIGURI: Urging the people of north Bengal hills to remain peaceful, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said her government will provide all support to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) required for development of the region.

“The recent tourism festival in the hills was successful. I want the people of the hills to be peaceful and happy. Our government will provide full support to the GTA for the development of hills,” Banerjee said after inaugurating the “Uttar Banga Utsav” (north Bengal festival) in Siliguri’s Kanchenjunga Stadium.

“Binay (Tamang) and Anit (Thapa) are now working in the GTA. There is another development board led by Mann Ghishing here. There are at least 12-13 development boards in the Darjeeling hills working for the development of the region. I wish to congratulate them all,” she said.

Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) leaders Tamang and Thapa, who rebelled against the GJM chief Bimal Gurung during the Gorkhaland agitation in Darjeeling hills, have been appointed to the board of administrators of the GTA by the state government.

Besides, Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) chief Mann Ghising has been given the chairmanship of newly constituted Hill Area Development Committee.

Talking about the developmental work in north Bengal taken up by her government, Banerjee said NH55 in Tinjhoria, which was damaged due to a landslide, is being rebuilt and the stretch of NH10 from Siliguri to Sikkim is also being repaired.

“No one can say that the north Bengal is neglected now. Earlier no one used to give importance or visit the region, but I come here more than anybody. We always have our eye on the development of north Bengal,” she added.

Separately, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday took a swipe at ex-party stalwart-turned-BJP leader Mukul Roy, citing the string of incidents over the BJP’s candidate in the upcoming Noapara assembly bypolls that left its state unit red-faced and advising him to focus on party organisation.

Refuting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s allegation that their nominated candidate in Noapara was arm-twisted by Trinamool to express her loyalty towards the ruling party, its Secretary General Partha Chatterjee said Roy should focus on strengthening his party’s organisation instead of resorting to “gimmicks”.