Mamata Banerjee told Bimal Gurung, the chief executive of GTA Sabha, that the state government would initiate steps to ensure a CAG audit of the funds released to the hill autonomous body, sources at Nabanna said yesterday.
Gurung, who heads the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the GTA Sabha, yesterday called on Mamata at Nabanna for the first time after the Lok Sabha elections when he supported the BJP that is trying to occupy the space of the leading Opposition in the state.
Gurung’s support to BJP candidate S.S. Ahluwalia was a major factor in the BJP’s victory in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.
When asked while leaving Nabanna what had transpired at the meeting, Gurung said it was a “courtesy call”.
He mentioned nothing about the state’s decision on the CAG audit.
A senior government official said: “During a meeting between the chief minister and Gurung, the Morcha chief was informed that the state government would take initiatives to ensure regular flow of funds to the hills. But the expenditure would be audited by the CAG.”
North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb had said in March and April this year that the state government would audit the GTA’s accounts. Gurung had not said anything directly on the possibility of any audit, but had made his disappointment clear in April.
“It is for the chief minister to decide whether she wants the GTA to function. I am not somebody whose target is to run the GTA because it is not my ultimate goal…. Whenever she visited the hills, she has only disappointed us,” Gurung said.
The official in Nabanna yesterday said: “During Left rule in Bengal, the state government never audited the accounts of the Subash Ghisingh controlled DGHC. According to the senior official, the accounts of the last eight years of the DGHC tenure would also be audited. It is clear that the state government would keep Gurung under pressure.”
Officials said since 2012, when the GTA was formed, the autonomous hill body controlled by the Morcha had been allotted Rs 726 crore under plan and nonplan heads, including central funds.
“The funds have to be used properly…. The government wants to ensure development in the hills,” another official said.
According to sources in Nabanna, the chief minister also told Gurung that the decision on withdrawal of cases against Morcha leaders would be taken at a “political level”.
She is also believed to have turned down the request of transfer of more departments from the state to the GTA’s control. “These won’t be transferred by any means…. Already 39 departments have been transferred and they have to be happy with this,” the senior official said.
Gurung yesterday said he had made the “courtesy call” to Mamata as “I am in the city…. We discussed a few things on the side.”
Chief secretary Sanjay Mitra and home secretary Basudeb Banerjee were present during the 30minute meeting.
Many Morcha leaders were arrested on the basis of old cases during the statehood protests last year.
“Though the chief minister told Gurung that the issue would be discussed at a political level, it is clear that the government is not in a hurry to withdraw the cases for two reasons. One, some of the cases are serious in nature, including charges of murder. Second, the government wants to keep the pressure up on Gurung,” said an official.
According to the source, a total of 507 cases are pending against Morcha leaders and workers, of which 130 are not of grave nature.
“These could have been withdrawn easily. But the government is not in a mood to give relief to the GJM at this moment,” said the official, adding that the cases could come handy if the Morcha started agitation again.
Gurung, when asked about this after the meeting, said: “That is a political issue, to be considered politically. We will tackle that politically. It wasn’t part of today’s agenda.”
Gurung said he had told the chief minister to expedite the process of department transfers from the state to the GTA. “She instructed the home secretary to look into it,” Gurung said. But the senior official said the government had decided that departments such as land and information and cultural affairs would not be transferred to the GTA.
The land and land reforms as well as the information and cultural affairs departments were supposed to be transferred to the GTA under the tripartite agreement that made the creation of the hill body possible.
Source: Telegraph
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| Bimal Gurung and Mamata Banerjee |
Gurung’s support to BJP candidate S.S. Ahluwalia was a major factor in the BJP’s victory in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.
When asked while leaving Nabanna what had transpired at the meeting, Gurung said it was a “courtesy call”.
He mentioned nothing about the state’s decision on the CAG audit.
A senior government official said: “During a meeting between the chief minister and Gurung, the Morcha chief was informed that the state government would take initiatives to ensure regular flow of funds to the hills. But the expenditure would be audited by the CAG.”
North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb had said in March and April this year that the state government would audit the GTA’s accounts. Gurung had not said anything directly on the possibility of any audit, but had made his disappointment clear in April.
“It is for the chief minister to decide whether she wants the GTA to function. I am not somebody whose target is to run the GTA because it is not my ultimate goal…. Whenever she visited the hills, she has only disappointed us,” Gurung said.
The official in Nabanna yesterday said: “During Left rule in Bengal, the state government never audited the accounts of the Subash Ghisingh controlled DGHC. According to the senior official, the accounts of the last eight years of the DGHC tenure would also be audited. It is clear that the state government would keep Gurung under pressure.”
Officials said since 2012, when the GTA was formed, the autonomous hill body controlled by the Morcha had been allotted Rs 726 crore under plan and nonplan heads, including central funds.
“The funds have to be used properly…. The government wants to ensure development in the hills,” another official said.
According to sources in Nabanna, the chief minister also told Gurung that the decision on withdrawal of cases against Morcha leaders would be taken at a “political level”.
She is also believed to have turned down the request of transfer of more departments from the state to the GTA’s control. “These won’t be transferred by any means…. Already 39 departments have been transferred and they have to be happy with this,” the senior official said.
Gurung yesterday said he had made the “courtesy call” to Mamata as “I am in the city…. We discussed a few things on the side.”
Chief secretary Sanjay Mitra and home secretary Basudeb Banerjee were present during the 30minute meeting.
Many Morcha leaders were arrested on the basis of old cases during the statehood protests last year.
“Though the chief minister told Gurung that the issue would be discussed at a political level, it is clear that the government is not in a hurry to withdraw the cases for two reasons. One, some of the cases are serious in nature, including charges of murder. Second, the government wants to keep the pressure up on Gurung,” said an official.
According to the source, a total of 507 cases are pending against Morcha leaders and workers, of which 130 are not of grave nature.
“These could have been withdrawn easily. But the government is not in a mood to give relief to the GJM at this moment,” said the official, adding that the cases could come handy if the Morcha started agitation again.
Gurung, when asked about this after the meeting, said: “That is a political issue, to be considered politically. We will tackle that politically. It wasn’t part of today’s agenda.”
Gurung said he had told the chief minister to expedite the process of department transfers from the state to the GTA. “She instructed the home secretary to look into it,” Gurung said. But the senior official said the government had decided that departments such as land and information and cultural affairs would not be transferred to the GTA.
The land and land reforms as well as the information and cultural affairs departments were supposed to be transferred to the GTA under the tripartite agreement that made the creation of the hill body possible.
Source: Telegraph
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