Thaindian News

Kolkata, July 8 (IANS) Pro-Gorkhaland group Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the West Bengal government Friday agreed to name the proposed new autonomous hill development body for Darjeeling ‘Gorkhaland Territorial Administration’ and finalised the draft for a tri-partite accord likely to be signed in the hill resort soon.

“All problems have been solved,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told mediapersons at the state secretariat here after lengthy meetings with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and senior state government officials.

“We held discussions with the state home secretary and the chief secretary at length before giving a final shape to the draft of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which will be forwarded to the central government by the state government today (Friday),” said Giri at Writers’ Buildings.

“We expect the centre to convene the tripartite meeting within seven to ten days after receiving the draft. We also called on the chief minister,” said Giri, who was accompanied by party leader L.B. Pariar in the parleys.

The contents of the draft will be made public after it is signed at the tri-partite meeting.

State Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh said the meeting was held to resolve some “minor issues” that were pending after the previous round of discussions June 7.

“The council will be christened Gorkhaland Territorial Administration,” he said.

The body would have more wide-ranging powers than its predecessor Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s.

Ghosh said discussions were held on issues like setting up offices of College Service Commission, School Service Commission, besides preparing provident fund, group insurance and pension schemes for the people living in the GTA area.

“Offices for SSC and CSC will be set up there (north Bengal hills).”

Regarding creation of jobs, the GTA can create group B, C and D posts with the approval of the governor, he said.

The GTA will also get a special financial package from the central government.

Ghosh said the agreement would preferably be signed on July 12-13. “The chief minister wants the meeting to be held in Darjeeling and has requested the centre to convene it at the earliest,” he said.

Giri reiterated that a nine-member high-powered committee, comprising four members each from the GJM and the state government and one from the central government, will be formed to study the GJM’s demand on demarcating Gorkha majority areas in the Terai (plains of Darjeeling) and Dooars (foothills of the Himalayas) for inclusion in the council.

The committee is scheduled to give its report in six months.

However, Giri said the GJM delegation submitted an additional paper on Terai and Doors issue.

An interim body is scheduled to be formed before the elections to the new council are held.

It was earlier decided the new council would be formed through enactment of a law in the state assembly, and have administrative and financial powers besides being equipped to frame rules related to the hills. But the body would not have legislative powers.

The demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland covering parts of northern Bengal gained momentum during the 1980s under the leadership of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) supremo Subash Ghising.

But the reins of the movement were later taken over by the Bimal Gurung-led GJM which forced Ghising out of the hills.