HC directs govt to appoint GTA secretary within a week

SNS, DARJEELING, 24 APRIL: The GJMM assistant general secretary, Mr Binay Tamang, today said that Calcutta High Court has directed the state government to appoint R D Meena as the GTA principal secretary in seven days.

He said this after meeting the state Home Secretary, Mr Basudeb Banerjee, in Kolkata. The Kurseong MLA, Mr Rohit Sharma, accompanied Mr Tamang during the meeting.

“Mr Banerjee told us that as Mr Meena is presently the Land Reforms Commissioner and the Principal Secretary of Land and Land Reforms Department, the authorities need time to complete the official procedure of replacing him and sending him to Darjeeling to assume charge,” said Mr Tamang.

Asked when Mr Meena would assume charge as the GTA principal secretary here in Darjeeling, the GJMM leader said he is likely to arrive here to take charge by the second week of May.

“Mr Banerjee told me that he is trying his best to sort out the official formalities at the earliest in view of the urgency of the situation,” he added.

Mr Tamang also said he has reminded the state government of the necessity of transferring all the departments to the GTA without further delay. “We have also impressed on him of the imperative of withdrawing cases lodged against the GJMM activists and sympathisers in the wake of the Gorkhaland stir the party launched since its inception in 2007. This is a treaty obligation on the part of the state government, as it is clearly mentioned in the agreement that the non-criminal cases lodged against the GJMM men would be withdrawn,” Mr Tamang said.

GTA selects RD Meena as its secretary

ENS, KOLKATA: The Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) has chosen RD Meena as its new secretary. This was announced by GTA counsel in Calcutta High Court which is hearing a plea challenging the appointment of Darjeeling District Magistrate as the secretary of the hill body. The court has directed the government to appoint Meena as the GTA secretary within a week. Last week, the government said that it would send a list of four names to the GTA from which it could select one of the officers as its secretary