Left Front and the GJM aired views on the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration

Jalpaiguri, Oct. 31: The district Left Front and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today aired their views on the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed Gorkhaland Territorial Administration before a high-powered committee.

Today was the last day for the public to make submissions before the committee, headed by Justice (retired) Shyamal Kumar Sen.

The panel was constituted by the Bengal government to look into the Morcha’s demand for the inclusion of the Gorkha populated areas in the Dooars and the Terai in the GTA.

In its memorandum submitted to the panel through district magistrate Smaraki Mahapatra, the Jalpaiguri Left Front iterated its opposition to the Morcha demand.

However, no fresh submissions were made by the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, whose Dooars and Terai units had demanded at Mongpong yesterday that the GTA’s jurisdiction should stretch to the two regions also.

The tribal outfit had earlier refused to concede a single inch of land to the GTA.

The CPM district secretariat member, Ziaur Alam, submitted his party’s viewpoint on the issue. He said under no circumstances should the plains be brought under the ambit of the GTA.

“The need is for the speedy development of the region that will end the problems in the Adivasi-dominated areas. The Adivasis have been residing in the region in peace and any attempt to break that will create law and order problems,” said Alam.

The leaders belonging to Front constituents like the Forward Bloc and the RSP also echoed the CPM leader.

Salil Acharya, another district secretariat member of the CPM, said the Parishad’s change in stand would create fresh tension in the region.

“We are not going to allow any kind of law and order problem in the plains,” he said.

A Morcha delegation from Bhaktinagar in the district also arrived at the district magistrate’s office to air the party’s point of view regarding the territorial jurisdiction of the GTA. The team was led by a Morcha central committee member, Arjun Chhetri.

“We have submitted our viewpoint as per the instructions of the high-powered committee. The agreement between us and the Parishad is new and the committee only wanted us to give our opinion on the territory of the GTA and we have stuck to that. However, we feel if the Gorkhas and the Adivasis work together, there will be overall development in the hills as well as in the plains,” said Chhetri.

Alipurduar Congress MLA D.P. Roy, who had come to meet the district magistrate to discuss issues concerning the development projects in his constituency, said the Parishad was a divided house after yesterday’s development.

“I have my doubts about the unity of the Parishad because of the internal bickering in the outfit. I feel the state government should take care of tribal rights to land and other things and allow development to take place in the Terai and the Dooars,” said the MLA.

TT