GJM wants rural poll in Hills by Aug

ENS, Kolkata, Wed Jun 05 2013: THE Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has demanded that the area under the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) should have a three-tier panchayat system like the rest of West Bengal, and election for the rural body should be conducted within two months. 

The demand was put forth by the GJM at a tripartite meeting held in Darjeeling on Monday, where representatives of the Union government, West Bengal government and the GJM took part. 

However, both the state and the Union governments told the GJM that setting up of the panchayat system would not be possible within a short time as its requires amendment to the Constitution. 

"We have been asking for holding of the panchayat elections in our (GTA) area since the GTA agreement was signed two years ago , but the necessary constitutional amendment is yet to be made," said GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. 

When the Darjeeling hills was under the administration of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), now defunct, a two-tier panchayat system existed in the area. The panchayat elections were last held in the hills in 2001 when GNLF chief Subhas Ghising was at the helm of the DGHC. 

However, in the GTA agreement signed in 2011, provisions of a three-tier panchayat were made. 

For this, Article 243 M of the Constitution needs to be amended, said GJM legislator Harka Bahadur Chhetri. 

The GJM leaders also demanded that the mouzas in the Terai and Dooars should be amalgamated with the GTA area before conducting the panchayat elections. 

"We demand that the fact- finding team has to visit the 396 mouzas which we want to be included in the GTA. The Shyamal Sen committee did not visit any of these mouzas," Chhetri added. 

The GJM demanded withdrawal of political cases against party leaders.
"There are more than 350 political cases on our workers and members. According to the GTA agreement, the cases have to be withdrawn but nothing has been done yet,"Giri said.