JAKS does not find GTA trustworthy, wants dissolution

PS responsible for not pursing employees demand

Darjeeling Feb 13:  A day after Lepchas in the hills expressed that the Lepcha Development Council (LDC) would be better functioned under the Backward classes department of the state government instead of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), contractual employees recruited during the DGHC regime and now absorbed in the GTA today being univocal said that the newly formed council is not trustworthy triggering fresh headache for the Mamata lead state government.

The Jan Mukti Asthai Karmachari Sangatan (JAKS)—an organization of contractual employees that looks after the interest of their members and functions under the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM)— adopted four resolution one of which pertains to the dissolution of the GTA and move towards the 107 years old demand of Gorkhaland. The JAKS is supposed to have forwarded the resolution to the GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung.

The JAKS that held a public meeting in Darjeeling Wednesday is whipped after the Darjeeling District Magistrate Saumitra Mohan who is also the GTA principal secretary reportedly did not move the file that contains a long list of demands of the contractual workers despite the GTA passing a resolution clearing some of the demands.

“On October 9, 2012 the GTA passed a resolution on certain demands and it was resolved that the principal secretary would take up the matter with the state government. But nothing has been done so far. Instead the file has been gathering dust in his office and the matter has not been pursued,” said Machendra Subba, the president of JAKS.

The contractual workers received Rs. 2500 as winter allowance, an annual benefit the employees get in the hills but the organization also wants implementation of Hill compensatory Allowance, Medical Allowance, Employees provident fund and granting jobs under died and harness cases. All the benefits however are received by the permanent employees of the state government.

“Four months have passed and the GTA has been able to do nothing for the employees. The principal secretary is responsible for the fiasco. We do not think that the GTA is trustworthy. It is better we fight for Gorkhaland,” added Subba.

The GJM president Bimal Gurung last week had argued the same point with the media saying that the principal secretary was responsible for the situation in the hills when Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee visited the hills. Gurung was angry with the principal secretary for not informing the GTA regarding the distribution of pattas (land deeds) to the hill people.

The GJM had adopted a resolution last week that a new full fledged secretary be appointed to the GTA coupled with opposition to the formation of Lepcha Development council under the backward classes department. Despite protest from the GJM, the state government formed the council and simultaneously also pacified the Lepcha protesters in Kalimpong to withdraw the indefinite hunger strike.

Responding to the allegation made by JAKS, Mohan today said that the personal department of the GTA has not forwarded him the files. “These are routine issues. The files have not been put before me by the concerned department,” said Mohan.

JAKS however said that perusal of the matter depends on the principal secretary and the personal department of the GTA has no role to play in this.

The Morcha on the other hand believes that by appointing the District Magistrate as the principal secretary was the violation of the GTA agreement. The Morcha also believes that the formation of the Lepcha council under the state government rather than the GTA is also a violation of the agreement.