GTA top brass holds talks with CM, mull solutions for 'long pending' issues

"Recruitment process for teachers in the government schools (primary, high schools, higher secondary schools) of the GTA area has already been initiated by the state government," stated Chairman Binay Tamang in a Press release.

Delimitation of the Kalimpong district was also discussed. "We have put forward a demand that there should be three sub-divisions in the Kalimpong district, namely Kalimpong Sadar, Gorubathan and Algarah-Pedong. The state government has agreed to this," stated Tamang.

Along with this, the GTA team also demanded that Bijanbari block, the largest block in the district comprising 23 Gram Panchayats, be upgraded into a sub-division.

The meeting reviewed the decisions taken in the last bipartite talks held in Pintail Village, near Siliguri on November 21.

They also demanded that the Gitanjali Housing Scheme of the state government be disbursed through the GTA. "The state government has also agreed to Darjeeling as a WBCS examination centre. Earlier, Darjeeling was a WBCS centre but had been discontinued since 1992. The government will also be introducing Nepali language as a subject in WBCS," stated Tamang. Recruitment process for police will once again commence in the Dali police lines on the outskirts of Darjeeling town. Constitution of School Service

Commission and College Service Commission for the GTA area was also discussed in Monday's meeting.