Hill casual teachers look to Mamata

TT, Siliguri, Oct. 2: A group of hill teachers seeking job regularisation with the backing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has tilted in favour of Mamata Banerjee after the hill party dissolved the movement committee of the teachers and the chief minister assured them of action in six months.

Around 320 voluntary teachers working in secondary schools in the Darjeeling hills who were members of the Janmukti Insecure Teachers' Organisation (Jisto) formed the supposed apolitical organisation in Siliguri today to press for regularisation of their jobs. It said if Mamata did sort out the problem in six months, they would support her.

Jisto is backed by the Morcha but after its movement committee was disbanded by the Morcha, there was disgruntlement in the organisation. Mamata's assurance came to the teachers at a time they had moved out of Jisto.

According to Amit Gurung, the newly-elected president of the Secondary Temporary Teachers' Organisation (STTO), the body was formed after chief minister Mamata Banerjee assured them during her recent visit to Kalimpong last month that their problem would be solved in six months.

"We were members of Jisto, an affiliate of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha since 2009, and had been working for regularisation of the jobs of over 500 voluntary teachers in secondary schools. However, majority of the members resigned from Jisto after Morcha general-secretary Roshan Giri and assistant general secretary Binay Tamang dissolved the movement committee of the organisation in July. Since then, we have continued our agitation programmes in Calcutta. We have also met the CM and minister Aroop Biswas and they have promised to look into our demand. During her recent visit to Kalimpong, we submitted a memorandum to the CM and she has assured us that our problem would be solved within six months. So, today, we formed a new organisation to continue our movement for regularisation of our jobs," said Amit Gurung.

On November 19 last year, the Morcha had formed the Jisto Movement Committee for carrying out the agitation. The committee members had voiced their dissatisfaction over handling of the matter by Giri, GTA executive Sabha member in charge of education.