Anit Thapa retains 15 key GTA portfolios

Tourism is with Norden Sherpa and health and family affairs with Arun Sigchi

Anit Thapa: File Photo.

Vivek Chhetri   |   TT  |   Darjeeling   |    31.07.22  : Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has kept 15 key departments with himself in a clear indication that he wants to retain a firm grip on the GTA administration.

The GTA has not made public the departments under Thapa, though his party Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha made public the departments allocated to 14 other executive GTA members on social media on July 25.

However The Telegraph has accessed the official notification where Thapa kept public health engineering (PHE), animal resources development, horticulture and food processing industries, directorate of cinchona, food and craft institute, district rural development cell, engineering, finance, forest, urban development and municipal affairs, backward classes welfare, SC and ST development and finance corporation, law/RTI, information technology and MGNREGS (100-day job scheme) with him.

“Most of the key departments, except for tourism and health are under the control of the chief executive,” said an official of the GTA.

Tourism is with Norden Sherpa and health and family affairs with Arun Sigchi.

In 2012, Thapa was an executive GTA Sabha member in charge of public health engineering, a portfolio he holds this time too. During the earlier tenure of the GTA, Bimal Gurung, the then chief executive, had kept nine departments under his control.

While Thapa is in charge of most departments in GTA, the other executive member to follow in terms of numbers of departments is deputy chief Sanchabir Subba, who has been given all education related departments.

Subba is in charge of primary and higher secondary education, technical and higher education, library and mass education, education including SSK, MSK, CMDM and SSM (these are basically community based education schemes like sishu siksha kendras etc)

“However, the subjects under Subba or other executive members are not as diverse as Thapa’s. It is a clear indication that Thapa wants a proper grip on the administration of the new body,” said an administrative official.

Most of the other executive GTA Sabha members have been given charge between two to four departments unlike 15 that Thapa has kept for himself. 

Subjects like engineering, rural development cell, SC and ST development corporations, finance and even cinchona plantations are considered the cog of the administration along with health and tourism.

“The cinchona plantation provides sustenance to around 40,000 hill people and covers four GTA constituencies,” said a source.

While the official order on the allocation of departments/subjects to 15 GTA executive members have been issued, opposition parties in the hill body have said that they have not yet received any “official order” on the appointment of 17 “member on duty” that the GTA has recently announced.

The MoD has also been entrusted with some departments region wise but opposition members at the GTA have termed the appointment of MoDs as “illegal.”

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph