KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Darjeeling on July 17 or 18 to attend a meeting on the tripartite agreement on Gorkha Territorial administration. Representatives from the union government, officers and ministers of the state government and those from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), who spearheaded the movement for separate statehood, will attend the meeting.
The meeting has been organized after the union home ministry concurred with the date. The state government has finalised the draft of the agreement that would be sent to the Centre and to Darjeeling for a consensus before the meeting.
Significantly, within 17 days of taking charge of the state administration, Mamata managed to break the long impasse that plagued the Hills for long. Immediately after, peace was restored in Darjeeling. Tourists started swarming the Hills.
The state administration is of opinion that this is the right moment for the tripartite agreement that would take peace to the next level.
On Friday, there was a meeting between the state administration and GJM representatives at the state secretariat. The state government proposed separate school service commission, college service commission, PF and insurance offices for the Hills.
The meeting also decided that the Gorkha Territorial administration would be able to create and appoint government officials, said an official.
The self-governed Hills body would be created through an election. After the agreement, the government would bring a bill in the next assembly session for the authorization of the body. The bill will also require a concurrence from the President. The state government expected that an election for the body can be held by March next year.
The GJM has asked for the inclusion of 300 moujas of Terai and Dooars into the proposed territory. On the other hand, the residents of Terai and Dooars think otherwise. So the state government has proposed the formation of a committee that would have representatives from the Hills as well as from Terai and Dooars.
The committee, which would have four representatives from the state, one from the Centre and four from the GJM, would submit its report within six months.
Till the election, the five-member administrative board, which includes the hill council administrator, three MLAs from the Hills, the DM of the Darjeeling district, would carry out the development works in the Hills.
The state administration is of opinion that this is the right moment for the tripartite agreement that would take peace to the next level.
On Friday, there was a meeting between the state administration and GJM representatives at the state secretariat. The state government proposed separate school service commission, college service commission, PF and insurance offices for the Hills.
The meeting also decided that the Gorkha Territorial administration would be able to create and appoint government officials, said an official.
The self-governed Hills body would be created through an election. After the agreement, the government would bring a bill in the next assembly session for the authorization of the body. The bill will also require a concurrence from the President. The state government expected that an election for the body can be held by March next year.
The GJM has asked for the inclusion of 300 moujas of Terai and Dooars into the proposed territory. On the other hand, the residents of Terai and Dooars think otherwise. So the state government has proposed the formation of a committee that would have representatives from the Hills as well as from Terai and Dooars.
The committee, which would have four representatives from the state, one from the Centre and four from the GJM, would submit its report within six months.
Till the election, the five-member administrative board, which includes the hill council administrator, three MLAs from the Hills, the DM of the Darjeeling district, would carry out the development works in the Hills.
-TOI
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