Thapa talks GTA issues in Kolkata meet : In meeting with Chief Secy, GTA Chief seeks funds, SSC, pending power bill late surcharge waiver

SNS, SILIGURI /KOLKATA, 22 JULY 2022: Chief Executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Anit Thapa today held a review meeting with West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, Home and Hill Affairs Secretary BP Gopalika, and Finance Secretary  Manoj Pant.

In the meeting, also attended by Darjeeling District Magistrate and GTA Principal Secretary S Ponnambalam, Mr Thapa tabled several issues, proposals and demands related to the semi-autonomous body for the Hills, sources said.

"The major issues discussed were related to finance, public health engineering, GTA personnel, tourism, Cinchona and other medical plants, electricity bills, panchayat and rural development, health and family welfare, minority affairs, education, disaster management and animal resources development," a source said.

According to the list of issues taken up in today's meeting and a copy of the same provided by Mr Thapa's office in Darjeeling, state plan budgeted fund earmarked for the GTA was not allotted in full from the fiscal years 2014-15 to 2017-18. 

"In 2021-2022 also, GTA received only Rs 133.75 Cr, against the budget allocation of Rs 175Cr.The total accumulated balance from State Plan Budget is Rs 232.00 Cr. Due to non-receipt of these funds, there is an accumulated liability to the tune of Rs 350.00 Cr, approximately.

This year GTA's State Plan Budget has been fixed at Rs. 206.00 Cr," the document said. It is learnt that Mr Thapa urged the official to release the first instalment of the fund for 2022-23.

Mr Thapa also urged the state government to sanction proposals under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), which include road connectivity projects,

while further stating that the GTA be allowed to execute schemes under the Jal Swapna Programme, which is presently being handled by the state government's PHE

department. On the management of personnel under the GTA, Mr Thapa urged the CS to expedite the process of formation of the Subordinate Service Selection Board, and the process to regularize services of casual/daily rated/contractual workers (commonly known as Pay Band) employees of the GTA. Also taken up in the meeting was the Gorkha welfare centre that is to be built in Delhi.

"A memorandum of agreement was signed between Govt of India and the then DGHC in 2002 in connection with a long-term lease of 0.478 acre of land at Saket for the purpose of constructing a Gorkha welfare centre in Delhi for the benefit of the students and for general people going for medical treatment etc. As per the agreement, the DGHC was supposed to complete the construction within two years once the possession of the land was taken. However due to unavoidable circumstances the construction could not take off. Regular ground rent is being paid by the GTA. 

In 2019 Hon'ble CM, West Bengal has laid the foundation stone for construction of the same. However, Govt of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 6,65,30,201 for misuse of land (land not used for the purpose of which it was intended)," the document states. On tourism related matters, Mr Thapa pointed out to a provision in the GTA Act to form a Tourism Development Corporation in the GTA.

"GTA Tourism Development Corporation will seek to promote Darjeeling Hills as a leading tourist destination. The corporation will work to ensure highest quality hospitality services to tourists and seek to ensure higher returns to the Government /GTA. The corporation can also professionally manage the tourism properties of GTA," the document states. Among the tourism projects discussed was the Giddapahar Ropeway that is supposed to connect Giddapahar in Kurseong town with the Rohini complex in the foothills. Mr Thapa urged the government to release Rs 5,91,91,194 core for the under-construction project that has an estimated cost of Rs 16,00,00,000.

Another important issue Mr Thapa took up in the meeting was the pending electricity bills in the Hills that was not paid for some time during the 2007-8 Gorkhaland agitation.

"The GJMM had asked the hill people to stop paying electricity bills from April 1, 2008 to July 2011 as part of their non-cooperation movement. As on 31st December 2021, around 1,43,500 consumers were yet to pay their outstanding dues amounting to around Rs 81.72 crore and the late payment surcharge slapped against the consumers was around Rs 235.50 crore. There is popular demand that due to high late payment surcharges, people are not able to clear their outstanding electricity dues. Hence, the late payment surcharges for the electricity bills pertaining to that period maybe waived off as a one-time measure," Mr Thapa has proposed.

Other matters included the appointment of custodians in Gram Panchayats and Panchayat Samitis in the GTA area, initiation of the Awaas Plus survey, up-gradation of the Mirik Hospital to a Sub-Divisional Hospital, establishment of a super specialty hospital at Triveni in Kalimpong district, and district level selection committee for NHM recruitment.

The GTA has also demanded formation of a separate School Service Commission for Hill areas. 

"The School Service Commission of hill areas has been defunct since 
2002. After formation of the GTA, several correspondences in this regard have been made to the Govt for reconstitution of a separate School Service Commission for hill areas. Due to absence of SSC, the recruitment of Asst Teachers in Secondary Schools is pending for a considerable period of time. Besides, the appointment of Headmaster/Headmistress is also pending in GTA area, due to which several High Court cases have been initiated," the document states.

On the education front, Thapa also proposed recognition of the Ghoom Jorebunglow College as Govt aided college, appointment of Headmaster/ Headmistress in Secondary Schools under the GTA, regularization of volunteer teachers of higher secondary, secondary and primary schools, recognition of 14 schools as Govt-aided schools.