Sukna (West Bengal):
A historic pact for autonomy for Darjeeling's districts has been signed today between the Centre, West Bengal and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).
The agreement will create an elected autonomous body - the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) - to administer the three hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong.
A colourful signing ceremony was held in the afternoon at the foothills of Darjeeling in the presence of Home Minister P Chidambaram, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and morcha chief Bimal Gurung.
Mr Chidambaram and Ms Banerjee promised the full backing of the Centre and the state government to the GTA, which will have 45 elected and five nominated members. It will get a special financial package of Rs 600 crore from the Centre over three years for the development of hill regions.
Also, it will be armed with more powers compared to the older Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, formed in 1988.
The GTA will have full control over Tourism, Agriculture and Public Health. It can also appoint Group B, C and D employees. Only Group A employees are not included.
It will also have full control over the school and college teachers' commissions which deal with appointments.
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had been demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland. Mamata Banerjee made it clear today that a separate state would not be carved.
However, GJM members said this was a big moment but a temporary solution. "This is a turning point in our movement and not a permanent settlement. This is only a temporary settlement to address the basic problem. The separate state issue must not be a closed chapter," P Arjun, a member of the GJM think tank 16-member Study Forum, said.
Describing the signing of the agreement as the result of a reciprocal attitude on both sides, Arjun, a former member of the West Bengal Civil Service, said, "This attitude, which is demonstrated by Mamata Banerjee, was not displayed by the previous Left Front government in finding a solution."
Thousands of GJM supporters gathered at the Pintal Village, near Sukna in West Bengal, to witness and celebrate the signing of the tripartite agreement.
Clad in traditional dresses, the supporters including women gathered under the tents erected on the sprawling ground near the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council bungalow amidst tight security. Activists of the GJM women's wing, the Gorkha Nari Morcha, sang and danced to celebrate the occasion.
In the plains, however, a 48-hour bandh is being observed to oppose the agreement. The shutdown has been called by organisations like Amra Bangali, Jana Jagaran and Jana Chetana.
Private cars and buses are off the roads, and shops and markets are closed in Siliguri, the plains subdivision of Darjeeling district, official sources said today, adding that the situation was similar in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district's Malbazar and Alipurduar areas.
(With PTI inputs)