A strike that shut down India’s picturesque hill station of Darjeeling, causing violence and disruption to tourism and tea production, was called off Wednesday after 104 days, protesters said. The hilly area is famous for Darjeeling tea, the production of which is jealously guarded. The region’s economy, almost entirely dependent on tea gardens and tourism, was badly hit by the unrest and subsequent crackdown. The local government said it would end a ban on the internet imposed in June now that the strike is over. West Bengal’s tourism minister Gautam Deb, whose party opposes GJM’s demands, said “more than 80% of shops and markets” had already defied the strike by reopening.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 27, 2017 11:26 UTC