Gorkhaland Territorial Administration asks CM Mamata Banerjee to redress 'issues'

Anit Thapa, chief executive, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), has put forth a list of 31 ‘issues’ before West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking redressal for “smooth functioning” of the body. The development comes days after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) announced that it’s withdrawing from the 2011-agreement that facilitated GTA formation.

Thapa, who met Banerjee on Wednesday, has highlighted 31 issues. The major point he has mentioned is that “all development works/policies of the government related to transferred departments may be executed/ implemented through GTA”, as the body is entrusted with administrative, financial and executive powers in the region under the legislation concerned.

For implementation of government programmes and policies, under transferred subjects, instruction may be issued to departments concerned for making all correspondences to Principal Secretary, GTA.

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Allocation of pending State Plan Fund, enhancement, issuance of land right for residents of tea gardens and cinchona plantation under the GTA, formation of a separate school service commission, a separate board of primary education for the administrative region, are other issues that have been suggested. Thapa has also raised other issues that concern recruitment, policies, and implementation of government schemes in the GTA region.

The GTA had been administered by the GJM from 2012 to 2017. Elections could not take place in 2017. In June, 2022, Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha won the majority of seats. While the GJM had refrained from participating in the elections, boycotting the polls, two other political entities – Hamro Party and the Trinamool had got eight and five seats, respectively. Five seats went to independent candidates.

Recently, Ajoy Edwards of Hamro Party, the GJM, and Binay Tamang – a GJM leader, who had joined Trinamool and returned to Morcha – came together and formed Bharatiya Gorkha Swabhiman Sangharsh Manch, that aims to work for the people of the hills.