Govt plans to create more blocks in hills

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 11 July 2019,  Darjeeling: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Binay Tamang said on Wednesday that the Bengal government was looking at creating 12 blocks within the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration area.

At present, there are eight blocks in the GTA area.

"The state government will issue a notification on the block bifurcation soon," Tamang told a media conference in Darjeeling.

Tamang said, according to information received by him, Sukhiapokhri block would be split into Sukhiapokhri and Sonada blocks. "There will also be an Algara block in Kalimpong. In the same district, Gorubathan block will be bifurcated and Jholung block will be created," said Tamang.

The Bengal Assembly passed a bill on Wednesday to rename Greenfield University as Darjeeling Hills University.

"Out of five candidates, three have been short-listed for the post of vice-chancellor. While the construction will start at Jogighat in Mungpoo, the varsity will start functioning from Takdah Engineering College," said Tamang.

Old bungalows of directorate of cinchona plantation and other medicinal plants will also be used for the varsity.

Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba said legislators of the Left Front and Congress wanted the university to be named after Nepali poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya. "There was a vote on the bill," said Zimba.

While five other BJP MLAs abstained from the voting, Zimba, also a BJP legislator, however, supported the bill.

"There would be inordinate delay in starting the university and that was why I voted in favour of the bill," said Zimba.

Soon after the state government had decided to name the university as Greenfield, people across the hills wanted a change in the name saying it was not in sync with the hill sentiments.

Tamang also said there were plans to delimit 112 gram panchayats in the hills. "Once that is done, two-tier panchayat elections might be held," he said..