The Cabinet Committee on Security will take a final decision on the constitution of an interim regional authority for Gorkhas in Darjeeling, possibly before the next year’s Assembly elections in West Bengal.
BJP leader and Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh said a note detailing various aspects of the interim Darjeeling Regional Authority will be placed in the next meeting of the CCS which is likely to be held next week.
“The CCS will take a final decision on the interim council for Darjeeling,” Mr. Singh, accompanied by top Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders, told reporters here after a meeting with Home Minister P Chidambaram.
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Asked whether the interim authority would be set up before the West Bengal Assembly elections, Mr. Singh said everything would be decided by the CCS.
Mr. Singh said elections to panchayat and other civic bodies in Darjeeling and its adjoining areas would be held before the polls to Darjeeling Regional Authority.
The BJP leader said during their last tripartite political level talks, the key issues, including territorial jurisdiction, were sorted out.
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Mr. Singh was accompanied by GJM president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri besides others.
The Central and West Bengal governments have earlier worked on the subjects and departments which are expected to be handed over to the interim authority.
The term of the current West Bengal Assembly ends in May 2011 and the proposed Darjeeling Regional Authority comprises the districts of Darjeeling and adjoining areas.
Sources said both central and State governments favoured limiting the proposed authority to just the hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.
Since its inception in 2007, the GJM has been demanding a separate Gorkhaland State that includes the Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district in the plains and contiguous areas in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.