GTA staff brought under same pay scale as state employees

KOLKATA/DARJEELING: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to bring all the employees of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), including all its deemed employees, who had been erstwhile employees of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), under the revised pay structure, similar to that as applicable to the employees of the state government under West Bengal Services (Revision of Pay and Allowance) Rules, 2019 (ROPA 2019).

The state government will also extend the pension scheme (The Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council Employees' (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Scheme, 2000) to the ex-employees of the GTA and also to employees, who have been appointed on or after 2011 under the GTA Act, 2011 at the similar structure as applicable to the employees of the state government under ROPA 2009 and ROPA 2019.

During the oath-taking ceremony of the 44 elected members of GTA last month at Darjeeling, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had reiterated that her sole aim was to ensure the region's progress and development.

Welcoming the move, Shanta Chettri, TMC Rajya Sabha MP said: "Mamata Didi cares for the welfare of Hill people. She is sincere towards her commitments to the Hills and fulfills all demands of the Hills."

"We thank Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and GTA Chief Anit Thapa. This is our first victory. We had assured that we will get everything back on track and we have lived up to our commitment. The process has begun under the able guidance of Anit Thapa," stated Keshav Raj Pokhrel, Spokesperson, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha.