Though the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to relax the bandh in the Darjeeling Hills till July 6, thereby giving the district administration a little respite, the latter has a new problem to tackle.

From July 7, the district administration will have do away with the service of around 300 police personnel who are currently deployed in different parts of the Hills to maintain law and order.

Sources in the Darjeeling administration told The Indian Express that among the deployed police, over 300 of them are trainees who would be kept away from active duty, as they would have to appear for their examinations.

State Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti is scheduled to visit Darjeeling on Monday. He is expected to hold meetings with top district officials where the law and order situation in the district will be reviewed.

“A request for additional forces will be made, especially for the NH-31A, which is Sikkim’s only link with the rest of the country,” sources said.

Apart from the issue of adequate security cover, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the state government over the GJM’s blockade of NH-31A. The notice was issued by a vacation bench on Friday following an application filed by the Sikkim government to ensure unhindered movement of traffic on the highway. The Bench will further hear the issue on July 3.

GJM leader Binay Tamang, meanwhile, said that the Morcha is keenly monitoring the fluid political situation in New Delhi in the wake of the CPM’s threat to withdraw support from the UPA government.

Tamang said that any decision about its future course of action would be based on the feedback given by the two GJM teams that were sent to New Delhi and Kolkata. “Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has shown great interest in the proposed tripartite talks. While the team that went to Kolkata to meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has returned, we are still awaiting the arrival of the team from New Delhi. Once they submit their report, we will hold a meeting to chart the future course of action,” said Tamang.

The GJM is also worried about the situation along the international borders that Darjeeling shares with countries like China, Nepal and Bhutan. Sources said the intention of the newly-elected Maoist government in Nepal to scrap the Indo-Nepal treaty of 1950 could have repercussions for the people of Darjeeling.