GTA by March or state cry: Morcha - Deadline set before territory panel meet

VIVEK CHHETRI

A Morcha fair at Jamuni on Tuesday. Jamuni is 17km from Darjeeling town. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Jan. 17: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today said it would wait till March for the implementation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and would start a fresh agitation for statehood if the Bengal government failed to meet the deadline.

Morcha chief Bimal Gurung has set a deadline of March 27, though he has not given any reason for choosing the particular date.

The pressure tactics came a day before the high powered territorial committee headed by Justice (retired) Shyamal Sen is scheduled to hold a meeting in Calcutta.

One of the major problems for the early implementation of the GTA is the delay by the committee in submitting its report on the Morcha’s demand for the inclusion of the Gorkha dominated areas of the Dooars and the Terai in the hill arrangement. The GTA cannot be implemented unless the territorial jurisdiction of the new body is firmed up.

Earlier in the day, a central committee member of the Morcha said: “We will wait only till March end. There is no question of waiting further.” He said the decision had the full endorsement of the Morcha president.

“If the agreement is not implemented by March 27 this year, we will reject it and begin a fresh agitation for Gorkhaland,” Gurung said in the evening.

Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri had raised the issue of the slow functioning of the territorial committee during a review meeting between the Centre, state and the Morcha in New Delhi on January 9. “The Union home ministry has directed state home secretary G.D. Gautama to look into our grievances and has directed him to ensure that the process is expedited,” Giri had said after the meeting.

The Morcha’s stand seems to be well-timed as rebel adivasi leader John Barla had said in Darjeeling yesterday that his community would launch an agitation from February end for the early settlement of the territory issue and the formation of the GTA.

“We along with the tea trade union of the Morcha are creating public awareness of the benefits of the GTA. If there is delay in forming the GTA, we will start an agitation from the plains by holding public meetings across the Dooars and Terai from February end,” said Barla.

That both the Morcha and Barla’s supporters are working in tandem was evident from the fact that the adivasi leader’s claim that all agitations would be held in consultation with each other.

In the wake of today’s development, the territorial meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow has also assumed much significance. Till date, the 10-member committee, which also consists of four Morcha representatives, had been finding it difficult to get the demographic break-up of the plains population. Sources said the director of census, who is also a member of the committee, has been asked to come up with a solution on this.

The other issue, which is delaying the formation of the GTA, is the Presidential assent to the GTA Bill that was passed in the Assembly on September 2.

Giri had earlier said: “The home ministry is waiting for an inter-ministerial report, which is expected to be submitted by January 16, 2011, following which the bill will be sent for Presidential assent.” Asked if the report had been submitted, Giri said: “I don’t have any intimation.”