Hill self-rule stumbles...CIVIC BODY TO GTA, ADMINISTRATORS RULE THE ROOST

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 22 June 2019, Darjeeling: Darjeeling municipality's first election was held on March 23, 1964 but in the 55 years since, the civic body has been administered by an administrator for 24 years.

Panchayat polls in the hills have not been held since 2000. The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, formed in 1988, was administered without elections for four years since 2004. The existing Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is also being administered by a stateappointed authority since September 2017.

Many bemoan the fact that local self-governance was never strengthened in the hills. Many blame not just the state government but also Darjeeling leaders who were at the helm of affairs. "To strengthen local self-governance, all stakeholders must be sincere but with regard to the hills, both Calcutta and Darjeeling leaders have only acted with vested interests," said an observer.

The Darjeeling municipality started on a false note. "Even after the first election in 1964, the newly elected board could not assume charge because of an injunction. Another election was held on May 1,1966 and J.B. Thapa was elected chairman," said a retired municipality official.

The board, however, was superseded in September 1970."I was told that the board ran into problems with the state government on the issue concerning electricity tariff," said a former civic chairman. The Darjeeling municipality used to manage hospitals, 52 schools, fire services and electricity.

The management of electricity was, however, taken over by the state government on January 30, 1978. The superseded municipality finally had an elected board in 1984 but was again superseded in 1989. "There was some issue regarding water distribution. Also, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) was in power and the political situation was not very conducive," said a former councillor of that board.

Till 1989, candidates in the municipality elections did not fight along party lines. "Everyone was an Independent councillor till 1989," said the former councillor.

Elections were again held in 1994 but this time, candidates fought on party tickets and the then predominant party, the GNLF, won a majority. "During my tenure, the Darjeeling municipality was upgraded from D category to A in 1998," said D.K. Pradhan, the then chairman. Many observers, however, believe hill civic body -- which was established in 1850 -- should have been granted the status much earlier. Pradhan was elected for the second term in 1999 but was removed as chairman in 2002 after he fell out with his leader Subash Ghisingh on the issue of upgrading the municipality into a corporation.

From 2002 to 2019 -- administrator ran the hill body for three years following Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's opposition -- no chairperson, expect Amar Singh Rai has completed a full term.

"Vested political interests have weakened local self-governance in Darjeeling, be it municipality, panchayat or even the semi-autonomous bodies. Such weakened institutions do not augur well for the public," said an observer..