GTA case against DM powers

Calcutta, March 25: Binay Tamang, an executive sabha member of the GTA, today moved a petition before Calcutta High Court challenging the state government’s decision to give power of the executive officer of the GTA board to the district magistrate of Darjeeling. “By this decision, the state government had violated the provisions of tripartite agreement between the union government, state government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and also the Gorkha Territorial Administration Act,” the petition said. The petition demanded a stay on government’s decision. The case will come up for hearing before Justice Dipankar Dutta next week. Bimal Gurung, the chief executive of the GTA Sabha, has often complained that district magistrate Saumitra Mohan did not co-ordinate with the GTA members on matters of the hill council. Ayanabha Raha, the advocate who filed the case on behalf of Tamang, said: “According to para 13 of the agreement, an officer of the rank of principal secretary in the state government should be the executive officer of the GTA board… The district magistrate of Darjeeling… is not of the rank of principal secretary of the state.”