GJM wishlist: Hill tribe status for Gorkhas, right to collect revenue..... Gorkha Janmukti Morcha demands three-tier panchayat in Hills

PTI, ENS, Kolkata, Nov 22 2013: The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) Thursday demanded the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in Darjeeling, authority to collect forest and road revenue and the status of hill for the Gorkha people.
"We want the power to collect revenue in the GTA area. Also, GJM wants the reserve forest areas of Darjeeling be transferred under GTA," said GJM general secretary and GTA chief executive Roshan Giri.
He said a team comprising officials of the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of Environment and Forests would soon visit Darjeeling to review this demand.
He was talking to reporters after attending a tripartite meeting with the state and central governments at Nabanna, where the GJM also demanded that the Gorkhaland Tribunal Administration (GTA) area be declared as backward region so that it could claim Backward Region Grant Funds and extra facilities, incentives for investment, besides waiver on taxes on the lines of the North Eastern Council.
"We also need introduction of Panchayati Raj system as per provisions in the MoA with the GTA to access maximum possible funds under various development projects for the people," Giri said.
"However, it needs some amendment in the Constitution and we have been told by the Central team that the Attorney General will review our demand," Giri said.
Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee said the demand for a three-tier Panchayati Raj system has been taken up by the Union Rural Development Ministry.
A day after it sought the status of hill tribes for Gorkhas in the bipartite meeting, the GJM raised it again today. "We demanded tribal status for all the Gorkhas, excluding the SC people living in the region," said Giri.
For the construction of an administrative building of the GTA and allied infrastructure, the delegation sought Rs 532 crore from the government, Giri said. He said they have got Rs 165 crore out of Rs 200 crore of central funds promised to them earlier.
State Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee said a team from industry bodies CII and Assocham would review GTA's demand for special subsidy to draw investment.
The GJM delegation also raised the issue of releasing jailed party members as well as withdrawal of cases against them.
Later, the GTA delegation, including Giri and MLA Harkabahadur Chhetri met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Giri later described the meeting as a 'courtesy call'.
The Central government was represented by additional secretary of Union Ministry of Home Affairs S K Tandon while the state was represented by Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee and other senior officials. With PTI 

TNN | Nov 22, 2013, KOLKATA: During the tripartite talks at Nabanna on Thursday, the state government urged the Centre to amend the Constitution so that a three-tier panchayat system could be introduced in the Hills. The state also showed interest in providing scheduled tribe status to Gorkhas.
The meet on Thursday saw eminent Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders, who reiterated their demand for the release of 1,200 odd supporters, including a dozen Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) sabha members. The GJM also demanded the release of Binay Tamang, who is in jail since August. The state government assured them to look into the issue.
On Thursday, the Centre was represented by home ministry's additional secretary for Centre-state relations, K Skanda. Chief secretary Sanjay Mitra and home secretary Basudeb Banerjee came on behalf of the Bengal government while GTA secretary RD Meena and DM of Darjeeling Puneet Yadav represented the GJM. Other leaders included Roshan Giri, Harka Bahadur Chettri, Rohit Sharma and RB Bhujel.
The Centre may accommodate Darjeeling to the North Eastern Council (NEC), which the GJM leaders demanded. Giri said that their aim is to empower the GTA and make it an autonomous body. They also demanded tribal status for Gorkhas. "We have sought a grant of Rs 553 crore for infrastructure, including residential quarters for GTA. We have also asked for transfer of reserved forests to GTA for better management," Giri said. Demand for a special recruitment drive in the Hills for paramilitary forces was also made, Giri added.
GJM MLA Harka Bahadur Chettri said that they had also asked for transfer of Rs 49 crore that was lying with the Gorkha Hill Council, a defunct body now. Home secretary Basudeb Banerjee said that the Centre was asked to amend the Constitution for the introduction of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in Darjeeling. The Centre had already sent the proposal to the Attorney General for his view, Banerjee said.

EOIC, Darjeeling: With the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s relations with the state government back to warm terms, things ahead are looking bright more so as today’s tripartite meeting in Kolkata concluded on a cordial and positive note.

Further, during the bipartite talks on Wednesday, the state government assured to extend all support to the GTA and also not to interfere in its affairs. The process for the release of more than 2,000 GJM leaders and activists behind bars has also started.

After the meeting, GJM general secretary Roshan Giri informed over phone most of the demands placed before the state and central governments were met with positive responses.

“The meeting went off in a positive note where a number of issues related to the Darjeeling hills were placed and discussed in detail. Both the state and centre have given positive assurances on our demands,” he said.

According to the GJM general secretary, a team from the Union ministry of environment and forest and a fact finding committee will visit the hills shortly to review the demand for placing reserved forests under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and inclusion of mouzas of the Dooars.

“Central government representatives have said a team of the environment and forest ministry will be sent to the hills to look in to our demand for putting the reserved forest under the GTA. Further, a fact finding committee on the issue of inclusion of more mouzas in the GTA will conduct a field visit,” said Giri.

On the question of placing the Darjeeling hills in the North East Council (NEC), Giri said the government would explore the possibilities, while the process of according Gorkha communities tribal status, except the schedule caste, would be expedited.

“A lot of progress has been made in terms of giving tribal status to all Gorkha communities barring the SC. The central government has assured to explore the possibility of putting Darjeeling in the NEC, which indicates the positive attitude of both the state and central governments,” said the GJM general secretary.

The day’s meeting in Nabanna, the new state secretariat in Howrah, also saw a decision being taken on the Centre consulting the Attorney General for implementing the three-tier panchayat system in the hills, besides approving the backward region fund.

“The Union government has assured us of holding consultations with the AG and the rural development department on the issues of the three-tier panchayat system and backward region fund to Darjeeling. We have been promised the home minister will personally take up the issue,” accordint to Giri.

The GJM also placed its demands of creating an alternative national highway and establishing a central university and a National Institute of Technology (NIT) before the state and central government representatives.

“We have been asked to identify land for a CU and NIT, which we have already done, and will notify the authorities. As for the alternative national highway estimated at Rs193 crore, a detailed project report will be prepared,” said Giri.

Discussions were also held on issues such as allocation of Rs553 crore for a new GTA secretariat and housing and offices for sabhasads, jobs for Gorkha youths in the paramilitary forces, special waiver on taxes and incentives and subsidies, among others. The GTA has been asked to send a proposal seeking a raise in compensatory allowance allotted to the hills.