Gurung fills Sabha gaps

Darjeeling, Aug. 9.TT: Bimal Gurung today named the remaining seven executive members of the GTA Sabha but soon after firming up his team he decided to keep nine of the portfolios with himself.

Binay Tamang, an executive member of the GTA Sabha and also the assistant secretary of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said: “The chief executive today nominated the remaining seven executive members of the Sabha. Even though portfolios have not yet been distributed, a few departments have been allocated to some GTA executive members.”

The seven nominated today are Kalyan Dewan and Samuel Gurung from Kalimpong, Asha Gurung, Urmila Rumba, Ramesh Lama and Jyoti Kumar Rai from Darjeeling and Ratan Thapa from Kurseong. Gurung had recently named Ramesh Allay the deputy chief executive.

The other executive members who were nominated were Roshan Giri, the party’s general secretary, Binay Tamang, Anit Thapa and Prava Chhetri from Kurseong, Ram Bhujel from Kalimpong and Phoebe Rai from Mirik.

According to the GTA Act, the chief executive will have to nominate 14 executive members from among the 50 — 45 elected and five nominated.

The deputy chief executive must be from among the 14 executive members.

Tamang today said the deputy chief executive, Allay, had been given charge of two departments.

“Our deputy chief executive will be in charge of the district sainik board and also the sports and youths services department.”

Gurung has kept nine portfolios with himself which are — land and land reforms, tauzi, panchayat and rural department, food and civil supplies and consumer affairs, tourism, relief-rehabilitation-disaster management, finance and planning and development, weights and measurement, and statistics.

Ratan Thapa, the executive member from Mungpoo, has been given the charge of the forest department.

There are 59 subjects in the GTA and though most of them are likely to be handled by executive members, Gurung has said even the non-executive members will be given charge of some departments