Officials rapped for skipping GTA meet

Students offer flowers to Bimal Gurung in Rock Garden on Friday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chettri, TT, Darjeeling, Dec. 5: The GTA Sabha has show-caused senior officials of the land and land reforms department for not turning up at a meeting called by the hill body last month.

According to sources, many of the officers who were issued the show-cause had received letters with regard to the meeting on November 13 late.

The land and land reforms department was transferred from the state government to the GTA in December 2012.

A source said that though some of the land officials had received the letter on time, they did not go "in the absence of a clear directive from the state with regard to the modalities of transfer".

On November 19, GTA secretary Don Bosco Lepcha issued the show-cause notice to the subdivisional land and land reforms officers of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, block land and land reforms officers of Takdah, Bijanbari, Sukhiapokhri, Mirik, Kurseong, Gorubathan, Kalimpong I, Kalimpong II and Algarah and the officer in charge of tauzi department and Darjeeling Improvement Fund department.

The notice, a copy of which is with The Telegraph, states: "In terms of para no. vii) of Order No. 6709-LP/1A-16/2012 (Pt-I) dated 28.12. 2012, services of the officers and other employees of different categories under Land Reforms Administration, including the Tauzi department of Collectorate (DM's office) are placed at the disposal of the GTA on deputation with immediate effect.

"Accordingly, a meeting was conveyed by the undersigned on 13. 11. 2014, to discuss various aspects of L & LR matters with regard to implementation of provisions envisaged in the notification."

The notice then goes on to state that the absence of the official "is being viewed seriously as it tantamount to dereliction of official duty and insubordination" and has asked the land officials to reply to the notice within seven days of receiving the letter.

Lepcha today said none of the officers had replied to the show-cause.

Rachana Bhagat, additional district magistrate who is also in charge of the district land and land reforms department, said some of the officials had received the letter (regarding the meeting) late.

Sources in the land reforms department also said many of the officials who had been issued the show-cause notices had not received the letter regarding the November 13 meeting at all.

"Some of us have only received the show-cause notices," said an official.

A showcaused officer said: "We are ready to work according to the government's direction. However, we are being unnecessarily caught up in a bigger battle."

Asked about the delay in sending the letters, Lepcha said: "If that is the case, they should mention it in the letter (reply). We, however, have not received anything from them."