On July 18 last year, GJM, the Centre and the state government signed the GTA agreement to bring peace and stability in the region. The GTA bill was placed and passed in the state assembly on September 2 with amendments. "I will take up the issue with the central and state representatives in the review meeting in Delhi," said Roshan Giri, GJM secretary. This will be the second review meeting for the GTA.
However, Kalimpong MLA and GJM spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chhetri emphasized that a timeframe could not be drawn in matters such as the GTA. "There are several factors that have to be taken into account. We must give it some time as all stakeholders are working towards the GTA formation," he pointed out. The GTA was formulated to replace the existing Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) that was formed in 1988.
"We have to see it in a holistic frame of mind. The GTA has not come into being yet. Therefore, first it has to be implemented and then we will know how it is," replied Chhetri to a question on whether the GJM was satisfied with the new arrangement. "It will be premature to make come to any conclusion now as the process is in progress," he added.
He, however, acknowledged that the progress in the process of implementing the GTA was indeed prolonged. "The Centre is not strong as before and Anna Hazare was not there then. A lot of rumble needs to be cleared in Bengal too. Unforeseen circumstances have pushed the agenda back," said Chhetri.
To a question if there was a conscious effort on the part of the Union and state government to elongate the process of formation of the GTA, the MLA replied, "They (central and state governments) will not do anything to jeopardize the GTA agreement. Both know that our final movement is there."
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