Hill unit of Trinamul Congress gears up for panchayat electio

SNS, Darjeeling, 26 November 2013: When things remain muddled over making the existing two-tier rural body a three-tier one, incorporating zila parishad by way of a Constitutional amendment, the Hill unit of the Trinamul Congress has started gearing up for the panchayat elections.

After the DGHC was constituted the Centre went for amending Article 243-M of the Constitution to put into place a two-tier panchayat system ~ gram panchayats and panchayat samitis.

The zila parishad was done away with and a separate Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad came up to cater to the interests of the plains of the Darjeeling district.

The panchayat election in the Hills was last held in 2000 and only at the lowest rung-gram panchayat. Presently, the number of gram panchayats stands at 112.

The GJMM keeps pressuring the Centre and the state government to have the three-tier restored. The matter was taken up during the recently held bipartite and tripartite meetings in Kolkata. The GTA agreement inked in 2011 provides for a three-tier rural body.

“The Centre has to decide on the amendment soon," said the spokesperson of the Hill TMC, Mr Binny Sharma, adding that they are ready for the rural elections whenever they are held. "Whatever the level of election ~ either a three-tier or two-tier ~ we are ready for it. So we have already started chalking out strategies to strengthen our unit in view of the impending elections,” he said.

“It is likely that the election will be held in either April or May next. From the next week, we will start visiting rural places and constituting committees from booth levels up to the district level to face the rural elections,” he further said.