Hill parties await CM’s notification on Kalimpong dist

HT, 29 Jun 2016, SILIGURI: Opposition parties in Darjeeling expect the Mamata Banerjee government to issue notification for the formation of a separate Kalimpong district before she visits the Hills in the second week of July. 

Mamata, who is presently touring Alipurduar and Siliguri, had announced that out of the five new districts to be formed in the state, Asansol, Kalimpong and Jhargram would be formed in the first phase. 

Basirhat and Sunderbans districts would be formed in the second phase. The state cabinet had cleared setting up of five districts on December 18, 2015. 
The formation of Kalimpong district would have a greater political ramification in the wake of Opposition parties joining hands with the Trinamool Congress before the crucial municipality election. The election for fourth hill municipalities is likely to be held by the end of the year to be followed by the crucial Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election in 2017. 

The state gover nment’s decision to create Kalimpong district, formation of a new political party—Jan Andolan Party (JAP) – by former Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) MLA Harka Bhadur Chetttri and the forging of Assembly election alliance by the TMC, JAP and Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) led to the massive fall in the voting percentage of the GJM. Though the GJM won all the three Assembly seats in the Hills, the performance of TMC and JAP is alarming for the Bimal Gurung-led GJM. 

The JAP and GNLF which are targeting the municipal polls want the state government to issue notification for the formation of Kalimpong district and Mirik subdivision before the CM embarks on her Hill visit in second week of July. President Pranab Mukherjee is also likely to visit Darjeeling during the same time. 

The performance of the JAP in Kalimpong town during last Assembly election has given a headache to the GJM.