Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)divide clouds civic polls in hills

Kolkata:  Although the state municipal affairs department has sent a proposal for holding municipal elections in the hills in December, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is adamant on having the elections only after the territory of the GTA is determined.

The joint verification committee is scheduled to submit its report on the inclusion of mouzas of Terai and Dooars area into GTA after January. The differences between the state government and the GTA on the issue has made the elections uncertain in the hills.

“We have requested the state government to hold the elections in the hills after the territory of the GTA is decided. It is not practical and wise to hold the elections twice, once before the inclusion of the mouzas from Terai and Dooars and once again after the inclusion of the mouzas. We are trying to convince the state government and talks are on,” said a senior central committee member of GJM. However, the government is yet to respond to the matter, he said.

Significantly, on September 25, it was officially announced the elections to four Darjeeling Hill municipalities will be held on December 11. The last municipal elections in the hills were held in 2004. With the GJM managing to seize power by driving out the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leaders and supporters from the hills in mid-2008, the GNLF municipal councillors had defected to the GJM. Since then, the GJM agitating for a separate state has put a halt to the elections to municipalities and panchayats.

Since then, the four hill municipalities have been run by boards of administrators headed by the SDO in each sub division of the district. Even panchayat elections are overdue in the hills since 2005.

Meanwhile, the joint verification committee on determining the territory of the GTA has started receiving the claims and objections from the people of the Terai and Dooars area.

“After the advertisement was published, the committee has received over 50 letters of claims and objections. We have specified the claims and objections should be based on facts and figures and should be supported by proper data sheets,” said an official.

He said they will receive the suggestions till end of October and in November, the committee will meet again to discuss the claims and objections. 
-Express news service