State to re-organise territorial jurisdiction of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Soon

SILIGURI, 5 SEPT: The state government will soon initiate action to re-organise and re-constitute the territorial jurisdiction involving the sub- divisions and the blocks across the Darjeeling Hills as a prelude to the GTA election once the relevant notification vis-à-vis the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Act is issued, a senior administrative official said today. The GTA Bill was passed in the state Assembly with several amendments on 2 September.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Centre, state and the GJMM on 18 July, has stated that the GTA will consist of forty-five elected members.
The agreement has also stated that the area involving the GTA jurisdiction will comprise three sub divisions, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the presently extended areas of Kurseong.
“Since the number of elected seats has increased as compared to the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (the DGHC had 28 elected members) the delimitation is an imperative,” the senior official said.
Though the CPI-M leader and former state urban development minister, Mr Asok Bhattacharya, criticised the state government for not mentioning the definite agency to  be entrusted with the conduct of the election, a senior IAS officer said: “ Conduct of election is a state government’s prerogative. It might assign an agency like the state election commission or it may transfer it to others. The assigned agency would initiative action to re-organise and reconstitute the territorial jurisdiction involving the GTA at the appropriate time.”
He said: “The election to the autonomous body and the identification process involving additional areas in the Terai-Dooars as initiated by the state government constituted high-powered committee are two separate things. These should not be muddled together.”  

-statesman news service