Darjeeling pact likely by June-end: Pillai


A Tripartite agreement to set up an interim council for the troubled Darjeeling hills is all set to be signed between the Centre, the West Bengal government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) by the end of this month. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will reach New Delhi on Monday and the matter will be discussed in the meetings she will attend in the Capital.
Talking to The Indian Express from New Delhi, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said: “The state government is sending the draft agreement to us by Tuesday evening. After all the studies, I hope the agreement is going to be signed in a week’s time.”
According to Pillai, an additional secretary from the Ministry of Home Affairs will come to Darjeeling to sign the agreement on behalf of the Union government. The state government delegation is likely to be headed by Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh. 

West Bengal Land Reforms Commissioner R D Meena, who is the chairman of the committee that will decide how many tea gardens out of the 103 demanded by GJM could be given to the Darjeeling Gorkha Interim Council, is now in Darjeeling and he will submit his report to the state on Tuesday.
According to an official, while the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) had 27 departments, the interim council will be more powerful, with 57 departments. Regarding the GJM’s demands for inclusion of Nepali-speaking areas of Terai and Dooars in the council, Pillai said a committee would look into the matter.  

As soon as the agreement is signed, a Bill to pass the Act will be moved in the current session of the Assembly. “From next month, it will take about six months to get the new council formed. Till then, the old DGHC will be run by an administrative board headed by Anil Verma, IAS, and comprising three GJM MLAs and the district magistrate of Darjeeling,” the official said.
“Details of the tripartite agreement are being worked out,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told The Indian Express from Darjeeling.

indianexpress 


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