GTA focus on creating jobs: Anit Thapa

Our Correspondent

DARJEELING, September 9: Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chairman AnitThapa today said the hill body’s focus will be on creating employment opportunities by making Darjeeling stable to attract private investment.

Speaking on the sidelines of a coordination meeting with chairpersons of different development boards at Lalkothi here, Thapa said, "This time due to the Covid pandemic, we came to know how many youngsters are forced to work outside as there is no good job opportunities here. During the DGHC agitation,systems like employment exchange and Regional SSC were closed down affecting the employment here. There are educated youths here but the GTA has no provision for interviews. Those working outside comprised 12 to 50 percent in each village”.

Stating that there are around 4,000 vacancies in GTA, Thapa said: “When the GTA was formed, there was a provision of forming a Subordinate Service Selection board. However, earlier the relationship with the State government was not cordial and it was not formed and the GTA is now working for it.”

“It is not possible that everyone will get government service but there are a lot of private investors interested to invest here but they fear of the agitations that happen here time to time. For this, we should work for the stability of Darjeeling. We will also make an agreement with these investors that the youngsters of this area get priority,” he said.

Thapa also maintained that the youths should stop meeting leaders with their application for work and a proper system should be made for providing them employment opportunities.

The GTA chairman also spoke on the issue of parchapatta maintaining that survey in Lebong area had started with paper work also in process. He said more survey of different areas will be started and before elections, parcha patta of some areas would be given. He added that the GorkhaJanmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang would visit Kolkata soon for the notification of the survey.

“There have been agitations in the past for so long for a big issue but leaders have not taken up issues like parchapatta which is important. I have talked with the government that 80 percent of the people here do not have land papers here,” he said.

“Being a Gorkha, I also dream about Gorkhaland but we have seen in the past that doing agitation in the hills for it will achieve nothing or casting your votes for it. This is a policy making subject and there are many intellectuals like C.K. Shrestha and Mahendra P. Lama and they should form a forum and work on policy making in Delhi,” Thapa added.

He mentioned that in the past, it was seen that political parties demanding for Gorkhaland had exchanged it for power.  “The issue of Gorkhaland is raised during elections but I will not make it an issue for the elections but on something that is a reality,” he said.