TMC (Hills) takes up slew of issues with GTA

SNS, DARJEELING 30 MAY 21 : Raising different issues related to the Hills with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the Trinamul Congress (Hills) demanded Gram Panchayat-wise vaccination against Covid-19 so as to avoid rush in vaccination centres at the Block level.

According to the TMC Kalimpong District Committee President and Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Chettri apart from GP-wise vaccination, they have also demanded setting up of isolation centres in different blocks to combat the second strain of Covid-19.

In a letter to the GTA administrator, the TMC has also demanded steps towards institutionalization of the GTA by framing business rules for implementation of the GTA Act 2011, Gram Panchayat-wise GTA tenders, instead of centrally for NRGES supply of materials at block offices concerned.

"We have also demanded reconstitution of the District School Board (Primary Education), GTA, along with the present Verification Committee constituted by the GTA for verification of volunteer teachers of Junior, High and Higher Secondary Schools in the GTA region at the earliest," Ms Chettri said, adding that verification done by the existing committee should be reviewed completely.

The letter maintains that only genuine cases should be considered, worth them having seen in many schools the number of volunteer teachers exceeded by many times the existing strength of sanctioned posts.

The demand of absorption of pay band employees of the GTA against the sanctioned vacant posts has also been raised in the letter, along with the reconstitution of the Managing Committee of Junior, High and Higher Secondary Schools in the GTA region.