Centre invites Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for tripartite talks

DARJEELING: The Centre has decided to convene a tripartite meeting with the West Bengal government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in New Delhi on January 5 to discuss various provisions of the memorandum of agreement of the GTA inked in 2010.

Informing newspersons about the communique from the Centre in this regard, Morcha Secretary Roshan Giri said top morcha leaders will set out for Delhi by January 4.

"We received a letter from the Centre-State relations department about the Ministry of Home Affairs having decided to hold a meeting on January 5. We will be raising several issues referred in GTA agreement in the meeting," Giri said.

The Morcha will demand 396 Mouzas of Terai and Dooars, he said, adding that officials of the GTA have also been invited to the meeting.

"According to our information, the Centre has agreed in principle to implement a three-tier panchayat system for the GTA area. They want us to suggest a name for the body," he Giri.

Issues like absorbing ad hoc employees into the GTA, transfer of reserve forests to the GTA, granting tribal status to hill communities, setting up a central university and complete transfer of departments will also be taken up in the meeting.

The Morcha said it wanted the Centre and the state to explore the possibility of providing tax waiver, incentives and subsidies to the GTA area.