Darjeeling, March 1: A Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha employees’ front that had blocked out GTA principal
secretary Saumitra Mohan from his office since early this month lifted
the gherao today.
Although the Janmukti Asthai
Karmachari Sangathan (JAKS) cited the examination season as the reason
for removing its men and flags from the Lal Khoti gate, sources in the
hills, who did not want to be named, said the JAKS had realised the
futility of the protest because Mohan, who is also the Darjeeling
district magistrate, was signing files sitting in the district
collectorate.
“Saumitra Mohan,
the principal secretary of the GTA has been functioning from his office
at the district collectorate and has been signing all files that are
being sent to him. In fact, he signed the workers’ salary cheque
yesterday and the Morcha probably does not want to stretch the animosity
further,” a source said.
Given the
principal secretary’s powers, the GTA officials have been left with
little option but to send files to him for approval.
“The elected
representatives might not be consulting him on policy decisions, but
they have not been able to keep him at bay on routine issues like the
signing of cheques,” said the source.
The source added:
“It was evident that their (the JAKS) agitation was not yielding much
and this must have had a huge bearing over the decision.”
The GTA Sabha had passed a resolution not consult Mohan on any matter relating to the hill council.
Morcha chief Bimal
Gurung was miffed that Mohan did not inform GTA Sabha members properly
about chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s last visit.
The gherao of Lal Khoti, the GTA headquarters, started a day after on February 7.
But within days of
the gherao, Mohan rescinded his order that authorised the GTA executive
director (finance) to sign cheques in his absence. This meant that
without sending files to him, the GTA Sabha would not be able to move
any work forward.
Today, Machendra
Subba, president of JAKS, said: “Since the board examinations are going
on, we have decided to postpone our agitation. We have not fixed a date
for resumption of our agitation.”
The JAKS, a union
looking after the interests of the GTA employees, had prevented Mohan
from entering his office alleging that he had not taken up various
employees’ related issues with the state government.
Mohan today said:
“I have not gone to the Lal Khoti office since that day (February 7). I
am working from the district collectorate’s office and routine files are
being sent to me here.”
Asked if he would
be going to his Lal Khoti office on Monday, Mohan said: “I should be
informed that there will be no untoward incident at Lal Khoti but I have
received no information as yet.”
Subba said the
JAKS would submit a deputation to Gurung, the chief executive of the GTA
Sabha, and the state government through the district magistrate
demanding that a senior IAS officer be posted as the principal
secretary.
By The Telegraph
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