Aug. 22: The Bengal chief secretary
has convened a meeting with senior state government officials at
Nabanna on Tuesday to discuss the transfer of departments to the GTA
Sabha and re-introduction of three-tier panchayat system in the
Darjeeling hills among other things.
The state
government has to transfer 57 subjects that are converted into 40
departments to the GTA. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha that runs the GTA says
some departments are yet to be handed over to the hill body, while some
other subjects haven’t been transferred completely.
The process of
shifting the departments to the GTA has been stuck for nearly a year
because of a face-off between the Morcha and the Mamata Banerjee
government over the hill party’s renewed demand for the creation of
Gorkhaland. However, the relations improved after a meeting with the
chief minister and GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung in Darjeeling
recently.
“Apart from the
transfer of the departments to the GTA, chief secretary Sanjay Mitra
will discuss with government officials the re-introduction of three-tier
panchayat system in the GTA area, establishment of a medical college in
Kurseong and a central university in the hills, reintroduction of
three-tier panchayat system in the hills, compensatory allowance for GTA
employees,” said a source at Nabanna today.
The memorandum of
agreement signed by the Morcha and the state and central governments to
set up the GTA had promised a central varsity and a medical college for
the hills.
“There will also
be discussions on setting up a separate college and school service
commissions for the GTA. The meeting will take stock of road projects in
the hills as well,” said the source.
Morcha general
secretary Roshan Giri has welcomed the decision to address issues
related to the GTA. “I cannot say off hand how many departments are yet
to be transferred. However, departments like the Darjeeling Improvement
Fund, information and culture, lotteries, excise and fire services are
yet to be transferred,” Giri said.
Giri also said
some of the departments had been transferred to the GTA incompletely.
“For example, all schools under the government were transferred to the
GTA education department. But, two state-run ICSE/ISC schools in
Kurseong — Victoria Boys’ School and Dow Hill — are yet to be
transferred because of anomalies in the notification,” he said.
A minister said:
“The decision to revive the process of helping the GTA run smoothly
proves that our government is not vindictive at all… We put development
above politics.”
Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com
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