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Mamata widens hill boards' scope  - Another blow to Morcha

Mamata widens hill boards' scope - Another blow to Morcha

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Jan. 24: Mamata Banerjee's government had decided to expand the scale and scope of the work of development boards in the hills, dealing another blow to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha when elections to panchayats, municipalities and the GTA are scheduled within a span of eight months.
The state government has so far formed 15 development boards for various hill communities and in the past three years, the bodies were largely restricted to building homes. 
The chief minister had yesterday laid the foundation stone for or announced a slew of projects that would be implemented by various development boards (see chart).
The schemes include construction of community halls, museum, libraries, water distribution, and improvement of streams.
Till now, such projects have been undertaken by the Morcha-controlled GTA. But the state has clearly changed the profile of the development boards by giving them a mandate to undertake a wide range of development activities.
Palden Bhutia, the chairman of West Bengal Bhutia Development Board, said: "We had placed a proposal before the state government for some projects and we are happy that the government has approved them. Construction of houses will continue but we are now taking a holistic approach to develop the community, whose benefits will not be restricted to members of one community but the entire population of an area."
The Trinamul Congress has managed to get a toehold in the hills largely because of its decision to create development boards and party leaders sounded enthusiastic about the government's decision to change the profile of boards.
Binny Sharma, the spokesman for TMC (hills), said: "We are thankful that state government has taken a positive decision on developing the hills. If boards take up other activities like promoting tourism and creating jobs, they will ultimately help the local people."
In the last assembly elections, the TMC-GNLF-JAP alliance had managed to bring down the Morcha's combined victory margin by 68 per cent in three hill seats, compared to the 2011 results.
The Morcha has always alleged that the state government is interfering in the working of the GTA by launching projects in areas under the hill body's jurisdiction.
In 2014, the GTA dragged the north Bengal development department to the high court when the state floated tenders for three roads; between Payong and Lower Dalapchand in Kalimpong subdivision (at a cost of Rs 2.51 crore), Gairygoan Pathak and Maneybara in Darjeeling subdivision (at a cost of Rs 1.35 crore) and Pankhabari Road and Thapakhali in Kurseong subdivision (at a cost of Rs 2.31 crore), citing interference in an area that falls within the GTA's jurisdiction.
The high court subsequently issued a stay on the projects.
Similarly, the GTA moved a petition in the high court when state government decided to hand over Rs 7 crore to the Darjeeling district magistrate for development of minorities in the hills. In that case also, the GTA secured a favourable verdict from the court.
The GTA also opposed the recruitment of 46 Lepcha para-teachers by the state government to teach Lepcha language in primary schools in the hills, maintaining that education was a subject transferred to the autonomous body.
Asked about the projects announced for the development boards, Binay Tamang, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha, who is also an executive GTA Sabha member, said: "We have already filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the state government's interference in matters concerning the GTA. We will therefore not comment on the chief minister's announcement but will prefer to wait for the court's order."
A special leave petition filed by Tamang on behalf of the GTA against the Bengal government, Centre and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha against state government's alleged interference (including the decision not to bring the development boards under the GTA), non compliance of GTA memorandum of agreement and GTA Act among others, had come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on January 5.
A bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued a notice to the governments asking them to respond within four weeks.
The Morcha is now relying on a favourable verdict from the court to curb the state government's alleged interference in the GTA's functioning.

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