Janmukti Asthayi Karmachari Sangathan urge state gov, GTA to start regularization process

The Janmukti Asthayi Karmachari Sangathan (JAKS)- an affiliate of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) - is expecting its parent body to make a formal announcement on June 7, to regularize casual workers of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) that governs the Hills.
The Kolkata High Court on May 14 had directed the West Bengal government and the GTA to start the process of absorbing 5300 casual employees in permanent posts in the council body. GJM leaders had welcomed the directive and had assured to comply with the court order.
On Monday, JAKS general secretary Kishen Gurung said, “We have not received the order yet because the court was closed for the summer vacations. Tomorrow the court will reopen and we hope to get the HC order”. He further added, “We have been told that our issue (regularization) will also be talked about by the leadership in the public meeting”.
The GJM has called a public meeting in Darjeeling on June 7 where 20 frontal organizations and units of the party from the Terai and Dooars are expected to attend. The meeting has been called to pacify party workers after the CBI on Friday filed a charge-sheet naming GJM chief Bimal Gurung and 22 others in the Madan Tamang murder case.
The Sangathan had filed a petition in the high court, last year in November, seeking regularization of the casual workers of the Hills body. The demand for regularization was taken up after the formation of the GJM party in 2007.
“Both the state government and the GTA have options available at its disposal. They can either form a regularization committee on the basis of the HC order or the recent tripartite meeting between the state and Central government and the GJM where it was decided to regularize the casual workers,” said Deepak Sharma, the JAKS spokesperson.
In his order HC judge Sandip Banerjee has directed the Bengal government and the GTA to initiate meetings within four months to start the process of regularization. The judge also made it binding for two JAKS representation in all meetings between the state government and the council body.
The Sangathan also wants that the issue of regularization should not be politicized. “After years of struggle we have reached a stage where we will bear the fruit. However, if the issue is politicized than we will go back to our struggling days,” Sharma said. “We want to make it clear that we have not asked for money for regularization. Yes, we have incurred expenses in fighting our case and we have informed our members to make some contributions but have yet to work out the amount,” he clarified.
The casual workers were initially inducted in the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) by GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh, on six months contractual basis. They received Rs.1800 to Rs.2300 as remuneration.
In 2009, the CPM-led state government had assured to regularize 3472 workers under sanctioned posts with increased salary, to pacify the agitating casual workers. However, the assurance was never fulfilled, though after the GTA was formed in 2011, the worker’s salary was increased.(EOIC)