West Bengal CM meets Darjeeling hill leaders, acts tough on GTA corruption
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that the West Bengal Government will seek benefits from Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana (PMCSPY), which the previous government did not subscribe to. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday (May 29, 2026) met the leaders of the Darjeeling hills, including the newly elected MLAs and gave a stern message on the corruption of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).GTA is the regional autonomous body of the Darjeeling hills, which was set up by a tripartite agreement between Union Government, West Bengal Government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) in 2011.Leaders of GJM Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri, along with Darjeeling MP Raju Bista and MLAs of Darjeeling, Kurseong, and Kalimpong met the West Bengal Chief Minister and State Secretariat Nabanna Building.Raising the issue of investigation by the CBI in the teacher’s recruitment scam, which was challenged by the previous Trinamool Congress government Mr. Adhikari said that the State Government will withdraw its appeal in the Supreme Court so that the central agency can take up the investigation. “The State Government will withdraw from this case, and the Calcutta High Court’s order for a CBI investigation will be effective in the recruitment scam,” the Chief Minister said.The GTA is being administered by Anit Thapa’s Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which is an ally of Trinamool Congress. Mr. Adhikari said that the money allocated to the GTA has not been utilised over the past few years.“We want the people of the hills to get civic services. In the last financial year (2025-26), 180 crore rupees were allocated for the hills. But nothing was done. In the financial year 2026-27, ₹170 crore has been allocated for the hills as well. That money could not be used. We have asked GTA Principal Secretary Shama Parveen to quickly talk to the local MPs and MLAs and work as needed,” the Chief Minister said.In view of the upcoming monsoon season, the Chief Minister directed that there should not be any lapse related to disaster management. Mr. Adhikari directed the Secretary of the Disaster Management Department to visit the hills in the next ten days and send a report to him. The Chief Minister criticised the Trinamool Congress government for the delay in reaching out to the people of the Darjeeling hills during last year’s flash floods claimed 28 lives.Mr. Adhikari said that the West Bengal Government will seek benefits from Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana (PMCSPY), which the previous government did not subscribe to. He said that the Centre will be able to provide ₹300 crore for the current financial year.“25 big tea gardens in the hills have been closed for a long time. Several thousand tea workers are out of work. The government did not do anything for them because the tea workers did not vote for the previous government,” the Chief Minister said.Mr. Adhikari also directed a Tea Board official to visit Assam and see how the benefits of the central scheme are implemented and submit a report to him.The Darjeeling hills have voted for the BJP in the past few elections, and the 2026 Assembly polls have not been an exception. The first Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal, while pushing for development, is also clamping down on the corruption of the GTA. Published - May 30, 2026 04:08 am IST
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