Latest news with #GorkhalandTerritorialAdministration
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Gorkhaland on Renu Subba's lips at GTA award ceremony
Darjeeling : With the cause of Gorkha identity on her lips, 87-year-old Renulina Subba, the first Nepali woman MLA from Kalimpong, called on Hill netas to rise above political divisions and unite to realise the long-cherished dream of Subash Ghising — one of the most influential political figures of the region. Subba, who had once made headlines for bringing a plastic gun to the Bengal assembly, made the appeal while receiving the inaugural Subash Ghisingh Smriti Sarwachiya Nagrik Samman Puraskar on Sunday. Speaking at a ceremony organised by Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to mark Ghising's birth anniversary, Subba emphasised on Ghising's vision of self-determination and identity for the Hill people, and said those could only be achieved if everyone came together with a unified purpose. "Hill netas must set aside political rivalries and fight together for our land. That was Subash Ghising's dream, and it will remain a dream unless we act as one," she said. GTA chief Anit Thapa called Ghising "the foundation of the identity the Hills have today". "Ghising was a symbol of unity and pride. He gave us a vision, a product we could believe in. But Ghising was someone everyone loved regardless of party lines. His words, 'Party bhanda jati thulo, jati bhanda mato thulo (Bigger than party is the community, bigger than community is the land),' still ring true," he said. Reflecting on the journey of the Hills since Ghising, Thapa said, "After Ghising, what have we truly achieved? The GTA came, but only with the name changed. People suffered. We need to ask ourselves what's next." "Our foremost demand should be to have land registered in the names of our people. Only then can we truly claim to fight for Gorkhaland ," he said. In Darjeeling, nearly 80% residents do not own the land they live on. "Our demand is Gorkhaland — yes, but let our land be in our name first," Thapa added. As a tribute to Ghising, GTA announced the auditorium at Bhanu Bhawan, whose foundation stone was laid by Ghising himself in 2000, would be named after him. Born on June 22, 1936, Subash Ghising led the Gorkhaland movement, one of the fiercest separatist campaigns in Bengal, and politically dominated the Hills for 22 years. Towards the end of his political journey, he was displaced by Bimal Gurung. Despite losing power, Ghising remained a symbol of the Gorkhaland agitation until his death in 2015.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
State plans 4 new IT parks, 3 of them in north Bengal
1 2 3 Kolkata: Bengal govt has planned to set up four new IT parks, of which three are in north Bengal and the other in Hooghly's Chinsurah. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has started work for the IT park in Kurseong while construction of another in Kalimpong is set to begin soon. State IT and electronics minister Babul Supriyo said: "We are focusing on development of IT infrastructure in north Bengal in a big way. There are three IT parks in Siliguri and all of them are functional with 100% occupancy, which encouraged us to set up three more in north Bengal. GTA has been given the responsibility to construct the IT park in Kurseong and work has started in full swing." "A place around Delo has been identified for the IT park in Kalimpong and work will begin soon. We are also planning another IT park in Jalpaiguri," he said. Bengal has 22 IT parks where the occupancy ranges from 80% to 100%, the minister said. All these IT parks were built and are managed by WBEIDC(Webel), a state PSU under the department of IT & Electronics. Anoop Kumar Agrawal, additional chief secretary in the department of IT and electronics, also spoke about the upcoming four IT parks while addressing the 16th edition of Business IT Conclave organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with World Trade Center, NDITA and others on Friday. "We have a hardware park in Sonarpur where land is available for allotment at competitive rates," he said.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Activist in hospital after attack in Darjeeling, protests erupt
1 2 Darjeeling: Protests erupted in the Darjeeling hills after the assault of an activist on Thursday night. Sudan Gurung, who has been outspoken against the alleged teacher recruitment scam under Gorkhaland Territorial Administration , was attacked by unidentified assailants near Darjeeling Motor Stand on Thursday night. A police complaint was filed at Sadar police station. Enraged by the attack, political and apolitical groups, along with local social organisations, gheraoed the police station, demanding that the perpetrators be arrested within a day, failing which there would be a 12-hour shutdown across the hills. "We have given the administration one day to review CCTV footage and arrest those responsible. A peaceful protest rally will begin at 10am on Saturday from Darjeeling train station to Sadar police station. Failure to act will result in a 12-hour strike across the region," said social activist Deepika last such shutdown in the hills occurred on Sept 30, 2024, over demand for bonus by tea garden president of Trained Unemployed Youth Welfare Organisation, has been admitted to the surgical ward of Darjeeling District Hospital. "A group of unknown men attacked me. One aimed for my neck, but I dodged and suffered a head injury instead," he said. Gurung received seven stitches to the head."This assault is linked to the high court case on the teacher recruitment scam," he added. The HC case concerns the legitimacy of 313 teacher appointments by GTA in 2019. The next hearing is scheduled for June BJP MLA Neeraj Zimba presented Gurung with a copy of the Constitution and a traditional 14-inch Nepali kukri, symbolising self-defence. "The administration is reviewing CCTV footage, and we expect swift justice. This attack is a direct threat and exposes a serious security lapse. Gurung is a selfless advocate for public interest," Zimba Janmukti Morcha youth front general secretary Noman Rai condemned the attack and urged authorities to take strict action. "He has been vocal against the recruitment scam. Though we can't comment on the sub judice matter, this attack challenges the claim that peace has returned to the hills. The administration must swiftly identify and act against the culprits," said Rai.A police officer said: "We are scanning CCTV footage to trace those involved."
