Gurung writes to CM, seeks teachers in GTA area

SNS, SILIGURI. 1 JULY 21: At a time when conflict between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has escalated over various issues, including alleged corruption in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung, the former chairman of the GTA, has requested Miss Banerjee to appoint more primary school teachers in the GTA area.

Mr Gurung, who was out of the Hills for three years earlier to evade police arrest, wrote to the CM on 29 lune, welcoming her decision to appoint primary school teachers and appreciating her for adopting a transparent recruitment system.

It may be recalled here that ahead of the Assembly elections, Mr Gurung severed ties with his long-time alliance partner, the BJP, and joined hands with Miss Banerjee and returned to the Hills.

Significantly, Mr Gurung also said that the recent visit of Governor Dhankhar to Darjeeling was a "political visit."

In the letter to Miss Banerjee, Mr Gurung says that no primary school teacher had been appointed in the Hills since 2012. He added that the last primary teachers' recruitment was done in 2012, after the recruitment process started in 2002. In 2016, only 123 volunteer teachers were appointed as permanent teachers in the GTA area, according to Mr Gurung. "No steps have been taken (after that) to recruit upper primary teachers in the GTA area. So far, 653 posts of primary teachers are still lying vacant," he says.

Mr Gurung has further informed the CM that the problem of unemployment in the Hills had been growing.

"We hope with your primary teacher recruitment initiative, recruitment of primary teachers in the Hills may solve some of the unemployment problems and with immediate action on the recruitment of primary teachers, the state government would look at the Hills and plains equally," Mr Gurung said.

Earlier, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under Subash Ghishing had been overseeing the recruitment of teachers separately after the state introduced the School Service Commission.

After the change of guard in West Bengal and after the formation of the GTA under the leadership of Miss Banerjee, the issue of recruitment of Hill teachers was kept separate. The Department of Education under the GTA looked into the matter, while Morcha leader Roshan Giri was in charge of the Department. However„ significantly, due to alleged non-cooperation of the state government, there were allegations that the GTA could undertake various matters, including recruitment of teachers "As a result, Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri and their party went against the state government, even rejecting the GTA, and launched an agitation against Mamata Banerjee," a political source said.

"Mamata Banerjee also conducted an audit of the GTA accounts on the issue of alleged corruption, to teach former GTA chairman Bimal Gurung a lesson," the observer added. However, it is alleged that the audit report never came in public domain "due to political reasons." Later, the state government appointed Binoy Tamang and Anit Thapa, once Bimal Gurung s associates, to run the GTA.

On the other hand, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista and Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba have lodged complaints with the Governor and alleged corruption in the GTA and have requested him to conduct an audit through the Comptroller and Auditor General, sources said.