West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she would set up a small office in the Darjeeling hills to facilitate administrative work for the people of the region.
“I have decided to set up a small office in the hills to be manned by an official from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO),” Ms. Banerjee, who is on a three-day visit to Darjeeling hills told reporters in Kalimpong.
She said the office in Darjeeling would help in disbursing funds from the Chief Minister’s Relief fund to the people of the hills.
“The Uttarkanya office (secretariat in north Bengal) in Siliguri is functioning well and will continue,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee also announced that four hydel power units would come up in the region, while one medical college would be set up under the PPP model in Kurseong.
The chief minister also held a meeting with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders over the transfer of departments to the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha, senior GJM leader Roshan Giri said.
Mr. Giri, who was present at the meeting along with five other GJM leaders, said the issue of disbursement of funds from the state to the GTA Sabha also came up for discussion.
Ms. Banerjee said she would again be coming to the hills during the coming Durga Puja festival.
North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb was also present in the meeting.
