New Delhi/Darjeeling, June 28: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha wants an “additional package” for the Darjeeling hills, a demand that is going to be discussed at a tripartite meeting between the party, the state government and the Centre next week.
The Morcha had sent a list of 25 demands in the form of an “additional package” to the home ministry on Friday. The party urged Union home secretary G.K. Pillai to convene a tripartite meeting in a week to discuss the demands.
Home ministry sources told The Telegraph that the package has a list of “tax rebates and waivers”.
“As soon as we get the nod from the state government, we will hold the meeting – probably it will take place next week,” a source said.
The Centre is also apprehensive about the “draft proposal” agreed to between the Morcha and the Bengal government this month, the source said. The Union government has sent the document to the law ministry to sort out any legal glitches that may arise out of the powers that the new administrative set-up may have, the source said.
“We have written to the home secretary and want a meeting as soon as possible to discuss questions arising out of the additional package,” Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri told The Telegraph.
Morcha sources said the package had already been discussed during earlier meetings.
“We had not made any new demands but have just sent a letter to the Centre requesting them to once again hold a meeting to get a clear picture on the proposals from the new government,” said a Morcha source.
The source also stressed that no financial demand has been made. “We had earlier placed a 40-point charter of demands. Some of them had been agreed upon and some need further discussion.”
As part of its special package, the Morcha wants the Centre to conduct a survey to operate at least three ropeways in the hills. The only ropeway in Darjeeling has been closed since 2003 following an accident.
The other demands of the Morcha includes a multi-speciality hospital-cum-medical college and a veterinary hospital in the hills, broadening of national highways, construction of a second bridge to link Darjeeling district with the Dooars across the Teesta and setting up of food processing units and cold storages.
“We are also very serious in our demand for a Central University in the hills and opening up of more colleges. A comprehensive plan to solve the drinking water problem not just in Darjeeling but across the hills must also be worked out,” said the Morcha source.
The Morcha also wants the government to waive the telephone and electricity bill dues of the hill people and adjust other taxes and land rents that they had not paid for sometime.
The party, as part of its non-co-operation movement for Gorkhaland, had asked the hill residents to boycott all tax payments.
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