The West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on Friday announced that the tripartite agreement for the formation of a new elected authority with greater autonomy will be signed with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) and the Centre on Monday.
The new authority will replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) set up in 1988.
According to Ms Banerjee, the tripartite agreement will be signed at Sukhna, located at the foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling district. The Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, is expected to be present on the occasion. The Leader of Opposition, Mr Surjya Kanta Mishra, and members of the North Bengal Development Council would also be invited to the meeting.
The tripartite agreement is expected to end the political impasse resulting in social unrest in the hill that spilled over to the plains since 2007 when the GJM seized power from the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). The violent agitation carried out by the GJM for a separate State of Gorkhaland had a severe impact on the tea industry and the travel and tourism sector.
Name
Though the new body has been proposed to be referred to as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, sources in Writers Buildings are yet to confirm the naming of the proposed body.
The proposed authority's jurisdiction will initially be restricted to the three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. The GJM's demand to include 398 Mouzas in the Terai and the Dooars region of the foothill is being explored by a nine-member committee that is expected to submit its report toward the end of the present year.
A Bill will be introduced in the West Bengal Assembly to hold elections to the new body. Until the new body is established, a five-member committee will ensure that the development process in the region does not suffer.
Also, a committee would be formed to look into the GJM's demand for the transfer of the Tauzi department – which deals with tea-garden land – to the proposed new body. The State Government will also approach the Centre over the GJM's proposal that the new body have control of the forested areas, including the reserve forests, in the region.
Opposition
Some non-political outfits have called for a 12-hour shutdown in various areas of North Bengal on Friday to oppose the proposed agreement between the State Government and the GJMM.
Adivasi Bikash Parishad – a tribal outfit – has called for a two-day strike from tomorrow.
The outfit, which enjoys support in parts of the tea garden regions in Dooars and Terai regions in the foothills, are opposing the proposal to include plain lands under the jurisdiction of the autonomous body.