The Hindu : National : Buddhadeb turns down Subhas Ghising's demand

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Saturday, Jul 16, 2005

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Buddhadeb turns down Subhas Ghising's demand

Special Correspondent

Darjeeling district will not be under DGHC jurisdiction

— Photo: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

MAKING A POINT: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee with GNLF chief Subhas Ghisingh in Kolkata on Friday.

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has declined to concede the demand of Subhas Ghising, caretaker administrator of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), to include Darjeeling district and parts of the Dooars region in north Bengal in the Council's jurisdiction.

The State Government was, however, willing to consider the inclusion of certain "fringe areas contiguous to the Council's present jurisdiction where Nepalese are pre-dominant" within the DGHC's purview.

Mr. Bhattacharjee, who met Mr. Ghisingh here on Friday, said the latter had been asked to identify pockets in the contiguous area where Nepalese were dominant.

A final demarcation of the DGHC's jurisdiction would be decided at a "political-level" tripartite meeting in New Delhi.

"In no way can the demand for inclusion of the entire Darjeeling district, including areas under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and the Siliguri Mahakoma Parishad, as well as pockets in the Dooars be accepted," Mr. Bhattacharjee later announced in the Assembly. "No additional blocks, no additional sub-division, no additional mouza will be brought under the DGHC."

Mr. Ghising, however, stuck to his guns.

"This is still my stand. Even though I am happy with the meeting, we still hope to find a solution to the problem," he told reporters after the meeting.

On the contentious issue of elections to the DGHC, Mr. Bhattacharjee said the date would be decided at the tripartite talks.

Mr. Ghising, who wants elections only after outstanding issues such as bringing the DGHC under the Sixth Schedule and the fresh demarcation of the Council area are resolved, said, "Now there is a possibility of holding elections."

According to the Chief Minister, Mr. Ghising had assured him that with the Centre and the State Government agreeing to bring the DGHC under the Sixth Schedule, "the road is open" to holding the elections.

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