Varsity foundation laid; Darjeeling to host Asian cultural fest in 2019

DARJEELING: Darjeeling would host the first “Asian cultural festival” in 2019 to showcase the region’s rich cultural heritage, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Wednesday.
During a programme at Chowrasta, organised on the occasion of the Teacher’s Day and laying the foundation for the new Darjeeling Hill University, the CM said: “Darjeeling has a rich cultural heritage and people here are very talented.I have spoken to the state chief secretary to organize the Asian Cultural Festival next year in Darjeeling. I want countries like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to participate.”
Regarding the new university, the chief minister said separate campuses dedicated to mountaineering legend Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya and Mount Kanchenjunga. “The state government has already provided 25 acres of land at Mungpoo for the university. Once the infrastructure is in place, the university will offer courses in humanities, social sciences, journalism, information technology, horticulture, tourism and travel management and Himalayan studies,” the CM said.
In the past seven years, the state government had established 23 universities and nine more are in the pipeline, she added.
The chief minister said proper development could take place only if one was sincere, honest and dedicated. “Instead of fighting and mudslinging, we should strive to develop the Hills. We have already formed a special committee which will place its report to the state government within six months. However, we must work with sincerity and honesty to achieve big things,” Banerjee said.
During the programme, the CM distributed land right titles to 431 forest dwellers and promised to get their land converted very soon. She also promised to provide bags and raincoats to 28,000 students of government schools in the Hills. The mother and brother of Asiad gold medalist Sapna Barma were also felicitated.