Darjeeling, March 15: The GTA Sabha
today decided to file a writ petition in Calcutta High Court against
the state government over the appointment of the principal secretary of
the hill body.
“The GTA has
decided to file a writ petition in the high court soon over the
appointment of the principal secretary to the GTA. The state government
has not been following the provisions enshrined both in the GTA MoA
(Memorandum of Agreement) and the GTA Act,” said GTA executive member
Roshan Giri.
He was speaking after the GTA Sabha meeting at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan in Darjeeling today.
Giri said Saumitra Mohan was not fit to execute the responsibilities of the GTA principal secretary.
“After going
through the appointment letter of Saumitra Mohan, we have found that he
has been appointed secretary of the GTA and has also been directed to
exercise the powers and functions of the principal secretary (of the
GTA). Apart from these two posts, he is also the district magistrate (of
Darjeeling). One person is holding three charges and we want a
full-fledged principal secretary to be appointed to the GTA.”
According to Giri,
the GTA MoA states that the principal secretary would have to be of the
rank of either a principal secretary or a secretary to the state
government.
“In the GTA Act,
it is stated that the principal secretary to the GTA will be in the rank
of either a secretary or a commissioner of the Bengal government.
However, the provisions agreed upon in the GTA MoA or the Act have not
been followed,” said Giri.
The Bengal’s
administrative hierarchy in ascending order starts from joint secretary,
additional secretary, secretary and principal secretary. Morcha sources
said Mohan was an additional secretary to the government.
The party is also
peeved because the government has not acted upon a resolution passed by
the GTA Sabha on February 6, demanding the change of the present
principal secretary.
Relations between
GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung and Mohan have come under stress in
recent months. Gurung is of the opinion that Mohan has been functioning
without taking the GTA Sabha members into confidence, an allegation
Mohan has already denied. The GTA Sabha also objected to the
government’s decision to “revive” the school service commission in the
hills and the delay in the transfer of a few departments to the GTA.
The Telegraph
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?