In a significant political development, GTA Chief Executive and BGPM President Anit Thapa issued a stern warning to the State Government on Wednesday during a public meeting in Kalimpong. The bone of contention is the Settlement Information Report (SIR), which Thapa claims threatens the land rights of the residents in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills.

Addressing a massive gathering, Thapa stated that the SIR has created widespread fear among the locals regarding the security of their ancestral lands. “We have been fighting for land pattas for years, and now the SIR is complicating matters further. We will not tolerate any move that makes the hill people landless,” Thapa remarked. He further warned that if the government does not address the grievances of the hill residents immediately, he would be forced to launch a massive democratic movement across the hills.