KOLKATA: In a bid to improve ties with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the West Bengal government on Monday passed a bill in the assembly paving the way for routing of state government funds for municipalities in Darjeeling through the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). None of the three GJM legislators was, however, present in the House when the bill was passed. Since the souring of relations between GJM and chief minister Mamata Banerjee earlier this year, the GJM legislators have been staying away from the assembly.

Participating in the debate over the West Bengal Municipal (Amendment) Bill 2013, municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim said the amendment was necessary as earlier, funds to the Hills municipalities used to be routed through the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), but now GTA has replaced DGHC. tnn

It may be mentioned, however, that the Darjeeling municipality, at one stage, had preferred to receive municipal funds directly from the state government, instead of it being routed through GTA. Hakim said in the lobby this was not possible as the GTA agreement laid it down that municipal funds must be routed through GTA. GJM controls GTA as well as the Darjeeling municipality.

CPM leader Anisur Rahman said the state government should call an all-party meeting to discuss the Darjeeling situation in the wake of renewal of the Gorkhaland demand. He said the government had formed the GTA in a hurry, but the problems in the Hills were severe.