New Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Gets 600 Crore Package

Sukna (West Bengal), July 18 (IANS) A tripartite agreement on the Darjeeling hills was signed Monday between the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the West Bengal and central governments.

At the core of the pact is the formation of a new autonomous elected Hill Council Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), which is armed with more powers as compared to its predecessor Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s.
Thousands of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) supporters gathered at the Pintal Village, near Sukna, to witness and celebrate the signing of the tripartite agreement for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration today. Clad in traditional attire, the supporters, including women, gathered under the tents erected on the sprawling ground near the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council bungalow amidst heavy security.
Activists of the GJM women's wing, Gorkha Nari Morcha, took to the stage, dancing and singing to celebrate the occasion. Many of the supporters were heard shouting slogans like, 'Mamata Banerjee zindabad,' and 'Bimal Gurung zindabad,' while shouts of 'we want Gorkhaland,' 'we want a separate state,' were also heard.
"This is a turning point in our movement and not a permanent settlement. This is only a temporary settlement to address the basic problem. The separate state issue must not be a closed chapter," P Arjun, a member of the GJM think tank 16-member Study Forum, told Media.

The signing of historic Gorkhaland pact today

The stage is set for Monday's signing of the milestone agreement between the Centre, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and West Bengal government on the contentious Darjeeling issue at Pintail village near Siliguri. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday arrived in Siliguri and Union home minister P Chidambaram is scheduled to arrive on Monday to sign the treaty which will pave the way for setting up a new hill council 'Gorkhaland Tarritorial Administration'.On the eve of the signing of the agreement, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM), a prominent voice in the hills, accused the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha of reneging on its promise to create Gorkhaland by agreeing to be a party of the accord on Sunday.

CPRM spokesman Gobinda Chhetri said the Morcha had betrayed the cause of Gorkhaland on whose promise it had fought the last Assembly election and won. Plains-based organisations Amra Bangali, Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetana have called a 48-hour north Bengal bandh to protest against the treaty.

The Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, which opposes inclusion of areas of Dooars and Terai regions in the GTA, has given the moral support to the bandh, its Terai unit president Nicodene Minj said. ABAVP secretary Birsa Tirkey said, "We are not against the tripartite agreement, but against inclusion of areas of Dooars and Terai in the GTA.'

On saturday, CPI-M leader Surya Kanta Mishra had complained that opposition parties had not been consulted prior to signing of the agreement.

Mishra, who is also the Opposition leader in the Assembly, said the proposed name of the new hill council 'Gorkhaland Territorial Administration' was misleading and confusing and was bound to create disunity in the Darjeeling hills.

West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee was given a warm welcome by the hills people who lined the road of his journey from Bagdogra to Sukna. She got down from her vehicle and talked to them and discussed their problems. She also visited the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Siliguri.

“People of Darjeeling should get justice”: Dr.Pawan Chamling

Temi (South Sikkim): Sikkim Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling on Friday, June 3, expressed his high hopes that the long pending problems of Darjeeling people will be solved from the new government of West Bengal under leadership of Mamata Banerjee.
“I will tell this much that the problems of Darjeeling people are very old and I am very optimistic that they will be solved under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. She is meeting with leaders from Darjeeling and this is a correct step”, said Dr. Chamling in an interaction with media at Temi tea garden, 70 kms from Gangtok.
Responding to a question on Gorkhaland issue, the Chief Minister reminded that Sikkim Legislative Assembly had earlier this year passed a resolution in favour of the separate Statehood demand of the Darjeeling people.
“The demand of Darjeeling people is a separate State and we had passed a resolution. Until and unless the problems of Darjeeling people are solved, there will be no solution on NH 31A issue. Hence the resolution is the interest of Darjeeling and Sikkim people”.
The 96 kms NH 31A is the lifeline of the landlocked State of Sikkim, 54 kms of which falls along the Kalimpong subdivision of West Bengal and vulnerable to blockades during any political disturbance in the Darjeeling hills.
“Now what is to be done is that the West Bengal government and Mamata Banarjee must take a decision. We aspire for peace and progress in Darjeeling hills. The people of Darjeeling should get justice. This is want I want as an Indian citizen”, said Chamling.
While extending his good wishes to the Trinamool Congress leader, Chamling said that his Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government will talk to her on ensuring undisrupted traffic on NH 31A.
“We will talk with her on better coordination about NH 31A, the lifeline of Sikkim. We will work together not only on NH 31A but both Sikkim and West Bengal governments can do much work together in many areas like tourism, hydro power and law”, said the Chief Minister.
(Sikkimreporter)