Kalimpong and other new districts get High court nod

TT, Calcutta, Nov. 28: Calcutta High Court today approved the proposal to care out the three districts of Kalimpong, Burdwan (industrial) and Jhargram.

The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to use guesthouses of various departments as residences of district judges and top district administrative officials to make three proposed districts.

"The proposal for the new districts was approved.... The three new districts will start functioning in April next year," the chief minister said in Nabanna today.

The chief minister also informed that chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee would visit Kalimpong and home secretary Malay De would visit Asansol soon to hold discussions over the preparatory work needed before these areas emerge as new districts.

A section of officials in Nabanna said the chief minister was in a hurry to kick off the new districts.

"This is evident as the chief minister has approved a proposal of using guesthouses of various departments as residences of district judges, district magistrates and police superintendents. Construction of residences for district judges and administrative officials usually take about three years. The chief minister wants to cut down on the time," said a senior official.

Sources in the state administration said the chief minister is in a hurry to make the districts functional as important elections are lined up in the next few years. "In July or August next year the elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) would be held," said a source.

According to a minister, the chief minister wants to make Jhargram and Burdwan (industrial) functional ahead of the 2018 panchayat polls.