Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
Encyclopedia
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is a semi-autonomous administrative body for the Darjeeling
hills in West Bengal
, India
. The GTA will replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
, which was formed in 1988 and administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years. GTA has three hill subdivisions Darjeeling, Kalimpong
, and Kurseong
and some areas of Siliguri subdivision
under its authority.
is the name of the proposed state in India
demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali
-speaking Gorkha
ethnic group in Darjeeling
and the Dooars in north West Bengal
. The term Gorkhaland was coined by Subhash Ghisingh
, leader of Gorkha National Liberation Front
, who led a violent agitation for its formation in the 1980s. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988. The DGHC could not fulfill the aspirations of the people of the Darjeeling hills which led to the downfall of Subhash Ghisingh and the rise of another party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
headed by Bimal Gurung
in 2007, which launched a second agitation for a Gorkhaland state.
on 2 September 2011. The GTA will have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers.
in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
hills in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The GTA will replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council , is a semi-autonomous body that looks after the administration of the Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India...
, which was formed in 1988 and administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years. GTA has three hill subdivisions Darjeeling, Kalimpong
Kalimpong subdivision
Kalimpong subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of the Kalimpong municipality and three community development blocks: Kalimpong–I, Kalimpong–II and Gorubathan. The three blocks contain 42 gram panchayats...
, and Kurseong
Kurseong subdivision
Kurseong subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of the Kurseong municipality, Mirik municipality and two community development blocks: Mirik and Kurseong. The two blocks contain 20 gram panchayats...
and some areas of Siliguri subdivision
Siliguri subdivision
Siliguri subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of the Siliguri municipal corporation and four community development blocks: Matigara, Naxalbari, Phansidewa and Kharibari. The four blocks contain 22 gram panchayats and two census...
under its authority.
Background
GorkhalandGorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
is the name of the proposed state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
-speaking Gorkha
Gorkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the 8th century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath.Gurkha, Ghurkha, or Gorkha may also refer to:-People:...
ethnic group in Darjeeling
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
and the Dooars in north West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The term Gorkhaland was coined by Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh is the leader of Gorkhaland National Liberation Front which he founded in 1980. He was the chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in West Bengal, India from 1988 to 2008...
, leader of Gorkha National Liberation Front
Gorkha National Liberation Front
Gorkha National Liberation Front is a political party in the Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India...
, who led a violent agitation for its formation in the 1980s. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in 1988. The DGHC could not fulfill the aspirations of the people of the Darjeeling hills which led to the downfall of Subhash Ghisingh and the rise of another party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal...
headed by Bimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung is the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha , a party that is demanding the formation of a Gorkhaland state in India.-DGHC:...
in 2007, which launched a second agitation for a Gorkhaland state.
Formation of GTA
After three years of agitation for a state of Gorkhaland led by GJM, the GJM reached an agreement with the state government to form a semi-autonomous body to administer the Darjeeling hills. A bill for the creation of GTA was passed in the West Bengal Legislative AssemblyWest Bengal Legislative Assembly
The West Bengal Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is housed in the B.B.D. Bagh area of Kolkata —the capital of the state. Members of the Legislative assembly are directly elected by the people...
on 2 September 2011. The GTA will have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers.
Memorandum of Agreement
The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near SiliguriSiliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and GJM general secretary Roshan Giri.