State mulls meet to elect new GTA chief .....Tamang, elected on 27 sept, unlikely to assume office by 27 oct

SNS, Darjeeling, 24 October 2013: The state government is likely to convene a fresh meeting of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha to elect a new chief executive (CE) for the body, given the fact that chances of Mr Binay Tamang assuming office as CE by 27 October are slim. 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who, along with senior officials from the state home department, will be meeting the GTA members in Darjeeling tomorrow, is expected to make this clear to them. 

Going by the GTA Act, anyone elected to the post of GTA chief must be sworn in by the Governor within a month of his/her election. 

Mr Tamang was elected to the GTA top post on 27 September, and is currently in jail on charges of arson and rioting. The next date of hearing in his case is scheduled on 5 November. According to sources in the state home department, the government will not approach the court for any out-of-turn bail for Mr Tamang and will let “the law to take its own course". 

“If (Mr) Tamang is not sworn in by 27 October, his election as GTA chief executive will automatically stand cancelled. There is a clause in the GTA Act that empowers the state to take measures for “removal of difficulties”. Using this, we may convene another GTA Sabha meet post 27 October for election of a new person to the post,” said an official. 

On paper, the principal secretary of GTA must convene meetings of the semi-autonomous body. 

Two days ago, GTA Sabha members transferred all financial powers of the GTA to the deputy chief executive of the body so that work can continue until a new chief executive assumes office. In tomorrow's meeting with GTA members, the government would re-emphasise the fact that funds would not be a problem if the GTA functions properly. 

“In the 2012-13 fiscal year, the Centre and the state together gave Rs 194 crore to GTA, out of which we have got utilisation certificates for Rs 49 crore. In the current fiscal year, a total of Rs 110 crore has been released so far, but GTA has not been able to spend any substantial amount due to the unrest,” the official said. “If they start work, we have another Rs 60 crore ready for disbursement,” he said.