Darjeeling, July 30 -- 'The future of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) will be clear soon,' said Bishal Lama, West Bengal Minister of State for Home and Hill Affairs, talking to media persons on the sidelines of an administrative review meeting in Kalimpong on Thursday.
In another development, 11 GTA Sabhasads joined the BJP in Kalimpong.
Varied speculations surrounding the GTA have been doing the rounds since a spurt of resignations from the GTA, including GTA chief Anit Thapa, came to the fore. While some opine that an administrator would be appointed by the government in the GTA, a section of political observers also opine that a new board with BJP Sabhasads in the majority could take control of this semi-autonomous body. The allocation of funds in the recent budget has triggered such speculations.
While Rs 360 crore has been allocated to the GTA in the state budget this time, the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD) has also allocated Rs 250 crore for infrastructure work in the GTA region. "Development work cannot be halted. The allocations by the NBDD will be used for landslide mitigation and also for infrastructure development with a focus on tourism," stated Lama. The Hill Affairs minister further stressed coordination between the GTA and the district administrations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
He stated that on Friday he would convene a meeting at the Lal Kothi, the GTA Secretariat in Darjeeling, with the Principal Secretary, GTA officials and the District Magistrates. This would be followed by a meeting at the Darjeeling Municipality with municipal officials. Another meeting is also on the anvil at the DM office,
Darjeeling at 1 pm. "Election to the Hill municipalities- Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik will be held soon," added Lama. On the way from Kalimpong to Darjeeling, the minister visited the cinchona plantations at Mungpoo.
Meanwhile, 11 GTA Sabhasads joined the BJP in Kalimpong on Thursday. The list includes Suman Gurung; Kumar Sharma; Ratan Thapa; Nuri Sherpa; Manikumar Rai; Kamal Subba; Sandeep Chettri; Sinora Namchu; Lakpa Namgyal Bhutia; Birey Rai and Dhendup Pakhrin. "We want development as well as the resolution of the Gorkha issue. For this we have to knock on the doors of the BJP. That is why we have joined the BJP," said Lakpa Namgyal Bhutia, Sabhasad of Kalimpong GTA constituency, at the joining programme at the Marwari Bhawan in Kalimpong.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.