NEW DELHI, July 18 (KUNA) -- A historic tripartite pact was signed Monday among the Government of India, Government of eastern most state of West Bengal, and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), granting autonomy for the three hilly districts - Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.
The signing of the agreement is seen as a major step towards resolving the issue of creation of Gorkhaland as a separate state, a demand made by the GJM for past many years. The area comprising of the three districts - Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong - lies in the hilly terrains West Bengal known mainly for tea gardens. The agreement will create an elected autonomous body - the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - to administer the three hilly districts.
The signing ceremony was held at the foothills of Darjeeling in the presence of the country's Home Minister P. Chidambaram, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and GJM chief Bimal Gurung.
Chidambaram and Mamata Banerjee promised full backing of the Centre and West Bengal Government to the GTA, which will, henceforth, have 45 elected and five nominated members to carry out the administration work. It will get a special financial package from the Centre over three years for the overall development of the region.
The GTA will have full control over tourism, agriculture and public health. It can also appoint lower-grade employees. Besides, it will have full control over the school and college teachers' appointments.
Meanwhile, a 48-hour shutdown was observed by some groups opposed to the agreement. They alleged that the agreement was an attempt to die down the demand for a separate state Gorkhaland. As a result of the shutdown, both private and government vehicles kept off the roads and market places wore a deserted look in districts like Siliguri and Jalpaiguri. (end) py.ibi KUNA 181501 Jul 11NNNN