Gorkha Council Bill draft lacks teeth,say GJM leaders

A copy of the draft Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Bill 2011 was circulated among MLAs on Monday for ratification and is scheduled to be tabled on the last day of the current session on Friday. But going by the GJM leadership’s reaction after initial scrutiny,there are grave doubts of any consensus on the Bill in its present form and shape.

“The draft Bill on GTA circulated yesterday has several grey areas. The agreement and its clauses have been distorted in the Bill. The draft Bill appears to be a verbatim of the West Bengal Gram Panchayat Act 1973. This way,the entire Bill has been distorted as well as the shape and form of the GTA administrative body,” said a member.

The indignation of Morcha leaders was so strong that GJM general secretary Roshan Giri had to come down to Kolkata and hold an emergency meeting with MLAs and senior members of the study forum in Kolkata on Tuesday.

The leaders said changes were made in some of the clauses mentioned in the agreement signed between the state government,the GJM and the Centre on July 18. Some parts were also omitted,said a member.

“In the agreement,it was mentioned that the GTA will be conferred with executive,financial and administrative powers. But in the text of the draft Bill,it is mentioned that the GTA will be given only executive powers. The part on the financial and administrative powers has been omitted,” a GJM leader said.

Trilok Dewan,MLA from Darjeeling,said,“We are holding a high-level meeting to determine our stand on the Bill. We are also examining and comparing both the GTA agreement and the GTA draft Bill.”

The business advisory committee had discussed the Bill for one-and-a-half hours after it was circulated among members on Monday.

Though new Bills are customarily sent to the Assembly Standing Committee,there is reportedly no plan to do so for the GTA Bill as it would delay its passage till the next winter session.

The Bill leaves scope for transfer of additional areas from Siliguri,Terai and Dooars to the GTA. It lists 57 departments that will be brought under GTA and allows some powers to levy taxes and toll.

The state government had earlier sent the GTA Bill to the Centre for clearance. The resultant delay had irked GJM leader Bimal Gurung,who had said the government should expedite the process to form the GTA.