Apolitical Hill body seeks Centre, Morcha stand on GTA

SNS, DARJEELING, 16 May 2022: Citizen's Forum, an apolitical body, today demanded clarification front both the Centre and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha on their stand on the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and elections that the state government is planning to conduct to the semi-autonomous body. The Forum, however, maintained that their stand was

clear and that they were against the GTA. According to members of the forum, the GTA was a failure and that a permanent political solution should replace it, with the best option to it being statehood.

Addressing a press conference here today, Forum member Swaraj Thapa said, "There were three signatories to the GTA MoA, which include representatives of the Home Ministry, state govemment and the Morcha. But through media reports, we have come to know that both the Centre and the Morcha are against the GTA.

They owe it to the people to give in writing as to their stand on the GTA, as people are in confusion regarding the body and its election which is most likely to be held soon."

Recently during his visit to north Bengal, Home minister Amit Shah had maintained that the GTA was not the answer to the aspirations of the people, while the Morcha already started a hunger strike against the elections to the body, demanding that the GTA MoA be first implemented in totality

Though the dates for the elections are yet to be announced, the state government has appointed the Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner as the election authority and the Darjeeling district magistrate as election officer for the planned polls. Speaking on the elections Mr Thapa said, "The announcement by the state government to hold the elections to the GTA has triggered a range of controversies and confusion in areas covered by the GTA.

The body's elected term of five years ended in mid-2017.

Since then, it has been run under various adhoc arrangements, including by two nominated administrators and by the district administration since the last five years.

Now, this election is being held after a gap of five years."