Mamata hill gamble.... Binay Tamang named chief of the board of administrators of GTA

TT, Calcutta, Sept. 20: The Mamata Banerjee government today rolled the dice for a calculated gamble to sideline Bimal Gurung by nominating his rival as the head of a nine-member board that will run the administration and drive development projects in the strike-crippled hills.

Dissident Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang has been named the chief of the board of administrators that will oversee the activities of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the semi-autonomous body for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills.

Making the announcement, the chief minister suggested that she considers Tamang to be the rightful leader of the Morcha now.

"As per provisions of Section 65 (b) of the GTA act, we have decided to appoint a board of administrators under the chairmanship of Binay Tamang, who is leading the Morcha at this moment," Mamata said.

The statement marks a shift from the policy of dealing with Tamang behind the scenes till now. Another rebel Morcha leader, Anit Thapa, has been nominated as the vice-chairman of the board.

The formation of the board and Tamang's nomination have evoked a sharp reaction from most parties based in the hills and they have refused to join the new set-up. Tamang, however, reserved comment. "I am yet to see the notification," he said.

The Mamata government seems to be banking on a thrust on development projects to turn public opinion around at a time the shutdown in the hills has stretched beyond three months and signs of strike fatigue have emerged.

An official said the government was planning to give the GTA Rs 500 crore in the next six months to undertake development projects.

When the ongoing stand-off set in over three months ago, the elected GTA Sabha members - all from the Morcha - had resigned. Since then, the GTA was being run by a bureaucrat.

"So far, the board was being run by Barun Roy, the principal secretary of GTA.... We believe in democracy and this is why political persons have been nominated to the board," Mamata said.