The high-power committee headed by Justice Shyamal Sen looking into the demand for inclusion of plain areas of Dooars and Terai under the ambit of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has been requested to submit its report by early June this year.
According to Mr Roshan Giri, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) general secretary, a resolution requesting the Justice Shyamal Sen Committee to submit its report has been passed following a meeting between the GJM and the Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee.
“A resolution has been passed after a meeting between a seven-member GJM delegation and the West Bengal Chief Minister,” Mr Giri said.
GJM has demanded the inclusion of 398 mouzas, including 196 from Dooars, 199 in Terai and three in Rajganj, to be included in the GTA, the new hill council that will run the administration in Darjeeling.
Mr Giri added that both the GJM and West Bengal government had decided to abide by the suggestions and recommendations of the High Power Committee.
Elections
Elections to the GTA, according to Mr Giri, will be held either in the end of June or early July this year. The GJM has urged that reports by the high-power committee be submitted by June.
Election will initially be held on the basis of delimitation of constituencies. According to officials at Writers' Buildings, elections will be held in areas earmarked under the GTA. New areas are likely to be notified, following the submission of Justice Sen Committee reports. After the report (of the high-power committee) is submitted and if new areas are included, the government after consulting GJM will nominate representatives from the newly added areas.
The GTA Bill was passed in the West Bengal Assembly in September last year. It received the Presidential assent this month.
“Elections will currently be held in the hills in the 45 constituencies as it was done by the government after the delimitation. Other than these, there are 5 other government nominees in the GTA. For the new area, if any, which would be included in GTA, abiding by the recommendations of the high-power committee, the government will nominate representatives for those areas in consultation with GJM,” Mr Giri said.