KOLKATA(TNN): Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday signed a bipartite agreement with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Kolkata to finally pave the way for peace in Darjeeling.
The Bengal government decided to set up an autonomous hill council with more financial and executive powers than the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and form a panel to examine the inclusion of the Gorkha-dominated 398 mouzas.
GJM agreed to hold elections to the new council and work for the development of the hills. The nine-member team will have four nominees each from the government and GJM and the chairman will be selected by the government. Mamata said, "This agreement will form the basis for a final solution of
the problems of the hills, keeping the hills and the plains together."
The pact was signed after a meeting between a GJM team, led by general secretary Roshan Giri, and state government officials, led by chief secretary Samar Ghosh.
The signatory on behalf of GJM was Giri, while home secretary G D Gautam signed on behalf of the state.
Later, Mamata telephoned Union home minister P Chidambaram to brief him about the agreement. "Soon we'll all go to Darjeeling and sign a tripartite agreement there itself. They have agreed to stay with us, we will take the people of the Hills into confidence."
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