Gurung meets party leaders from Terai-Dooars

Gurung meets party leaders from Terai-Dooars

27 March 2012

statesman news service

SILIGURI/DARJEELING, 27 MARCH: The Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) central committee will meet on 29 March at Garubathan in Kalimpong to formulate strategies regarding the party’s land demand across the Terai-Dooars region.
The GJMM chief, Bimal Gurung, and other senior central committee members, including party general secretary Roshan Giri, held a meeting with the party leaders based in the Terai-Dooars region today to discuss the situation in the aftermath of the meeting with the chief minister in Kolkata on 24 March. The GJMM general secretary said the main object behind today’s meeting was to inform party supporters in the Dooars and Terai about what has transpired in the meeting with the chief minister and what kind of resolution has been adopted.
Mr Giri said: “We will hold another a meeting with the Adivasis in the Dooars at Gorubathan on 29 March wherein we will decide on the future course of action."
“The GJMM chief has asked us all to exercise utmost restraint as the situation regarding the land demand has reached a sensitive stage. He was confident that most of the moujas the party is demanding will be incorporated in the GTA,” a senior GJMM leader said.
Mr Giri said: “The high-power committee will submit its report in the first week of June and in July election will be held in 45 constituencies after 16 moujas are added to the existing areas of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. Delimitation will take place in the existing areas and be changed into 45 constituencies in which the elections will be held. After that whatever areas are included from the Terai and Dooars, there will be no election initially but will have nominated members.”
However, a group of GJMM leaders based in the Terai-Dooars region were not happy with the party leadership having undertaken a written commitment to abide by the Sen Committee report irrespective of the contents of the report.
“The party president assuaged their feeling, assuring that they had done everything to ensure the inclusion of additional areas with the least glitch,” a party leader said. GJMM leaders have cancelled all their programmes, including a march from Kalimpong to the Dooars on 7 April.

Information on moujas sought
The chairman of the state-appointed high-power committee, Justice (retd) Mr Shyamal Sen, has asked the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district magistrates to furnish some special information about the moujas the GJMM has demanded for inclusion in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) territory.
Mr Sen, along with district magistrates Soumitra Mohan from Darjeeling and Smaraki Mahapartra from Jalpaiguri, held a meeting with the state home secretary GD Goutama today to decide the schedule of the land survey involving the Terai and the Dooars region. Sources said no decision has yet been taken regarding the schedule for the spot verification of Nepali-dominated areas at today’s meeting.
“We have been asked to provide specific information about the region as early as possible,” a senior administrative official said. The Darjeeling district magistrate said he would extend all possible assistance to meet the deadline.
Mr Mohan refused to divulge details about the meeting and said "It is confidential.” According to GJMM leader, Mr L B Pariyar, who is also a member of the committee, things would move after the state government allots funds to the district administration for the field verification.